Tama New Town, which appears as the setting for various manga and anime, began development in 1969 by cutting into the Tama Hills.
There are many different styles of travel, and motorcycle touring is no exception. One of the purposes of such trips is to visit filming locations for movies and TV dramas, or to make pilgrimages to the settings of anime. Motorcycles are a very convenient means of visiting these filming locations and making pilgrimages. So this time, we took a leisurely tour of Tama New Town, the setting for the Ghibli anime "Pom Poko" and "Whisper of the Heart."
Visit the setting of Pom Poko, the Heisei Tanuki Wars, in Minami-Osawa
"Pom Poko" is an animated film released in 1994. It depicts the raccoon dogs (tanuki) that lived in the Tama Hills until the Tama New Town development, which began in 1965, resisting human intervention in various ways to protect their homes.
First, we headed to Bodai Mochiyama Manpukuji Temple, depicted as the raccoon dog's home base. Of course, there is no actual temple with that name; it seems to be modeled after the Ryushoji Amida Hall in Horinouchi, Hachioji City.
While Ryushoji Amida Hall is surrounded by new residential areas, this corner retains its traditional satoyama landscape, adjacent to Horinouchi Terazawa Satoyama Park. The compact temple grounds, including the main hall with its rows of Jizo statues and a pagoda erected in the mid-Edo period, give the impression of stepping back in time. Behind the temple is a wooded slope, where raccoons still live today.
In the story, Manpukuji Temple is eventually demolished and a stylish apartment complex is built on its site. This building was modeled after Tama New Town Belle Colline Minami-Osawa. Horinouchi is just one stop away on the Keio Sagamihara Line, and by Super Cub, it's about 3-4 km west on Route 20. The town's stylish facades, large supermarkets, and cafes make it a fitting new town.
The area around Keio Tama Center Station, the central area of Tama New Town, also appears. The area, lined with commercial facilities, and the Kotada River flowing just below it are bustling with people. The presence of Sanrio Puroland has also seen an increase in international tourists.
Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station, also on the Keio Line, also appears in the story, so I decided to visit it as the final stop on my Pom Poko pilgrimage. Like Tama Center, it's bustling with department stores and other commercial facilities. As an aside, the Keio Electric Railway headquarters is located here in Seiseki-Sakuragaoka.
Ryushoji Amida Hall, which is said to have been the model for Bodaimochiyama Manpukuji Temple, which served as the base for the tanuki
The main hall is distinctive, with many Jizo statues lined up
Ryushoji Temple’s Amida Hall is located in a corner where the Satoyama landscape remains.
Is this the model for the bell tower that appears in the story?
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In the film, Manpukuji Temple is eventually demolished and a stylish apartment complex is built in its place. The model for this is Belle Colline Minami-Osawa.
Along the roads in Tama New Town, there are animal warning signs with pictures of raccoons.
Wild raccoons still live here today
Water tower that appears in the story
The raccoon dogs have been swallowed up by the wave of development and scattered, but among them is Shokichi, a raccoon dog who lives disguised as a human. Keio Tama Center Station appears in the scene when Shokichi returns home from work.
The Kota River depicted in a scene of the bank protection construction under development
The three elders who came from Shikoku to help come out of the ticket gate at Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station.
Fans continue to visit the Whisper of the Heart holy land
The Sakuragaoka residential area is located on a hill and has many great viewing spots. This place, where the road continues straight ahead at the end of the stairs, has often appeared in TV dramas and commercials.
Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station is also the setting for the film "Whisper of the Heart," which was released in 1995, the year after the release of "Pom Poko." While Seiseki-Sakuragaoka has been the setting for many manga and anime, the most famous is Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart. So, I decided to make a pilgrimage to the film's sacred sites.
The animated film tells the story of two middle school students, Tsukishima Shizuku and Amasawa Seiji, who meet through a library card and develop feelings for each other while supporting each other's dreams. Most of the film's locations are concentrated west of Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station, from the Sakuragaoka residential area built on a small hill to the Atago housing complex. There's a Seiseki-Sakuragaoka walking map in front of the Keio Store directly connected to the station, so I started by picking one up. The map features three stamp spaces, allowing you to collect stamps as a memento of your pilgrimage. Additionally, a youth mailbox based on the Chikyu-ya (Earth Shop) that appears in the anime has been installed, beloved by fans.
From Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station, cross Kawasaki-kaido and head west on Sakura-dori. After passing through the shopping district, you cross Kasumigaseki Bridge over the Oguri River. The scenery around the bridge also appears in the anime. After crossing the bridge, the road begins to climb and enters Irohazaka Street. This road, with its successive hairpin turns and rapid elevation gain, frequently appears in key scenes in the anime. Steep staircases run through the road, and the main character, Shizuku, runs up these stairs. I often see people making pilgrimages with maps in hand, and it's impressive that they can climb these steep steps so effortlessly. While ignoring the Whisper of My Ear fans, I smoothly ascend Irohazaka on my Super Cub.
Just before reaching the top, I come across a small hall of Konpira Shrine. This is the model for the place where Shizuku, a classmate, confessed her love to her. At the top of the hill is the castle tower base, which also appears in the anime. Further ahead, there are stairs overlooking a residential area that has frequently appeared in TV dramas and commercials, making it a staple filming location. This is also considered a sacred place.
Continuing through the quiet residential area, you arrive at Sakuragaoka Rotary. This is one of the few roundabouts in Japan, and in one corner of the rotary is Chikyu-ya, an antique shop run by Seiji Amasawa's grandfather. Of course, there is no such building in reality, but the same location houses a Western-style pastry shop called Noah and a restaurant called Wasakura, both beloved as sacred places by fans. It's also where the stamps are located.
While Chikyu-ya isn't there, Sakuragaoka Rotary is close to the scenery depicted in the anime, creating a somewhat unconventional Japanese atmosphere.
The map only shows this rotary, but I drove further, crossing Tokyo Route 157, and drove to Atago Danchi, located just beyond the Koda-Toji Line. Shizuku is said to live in this housing complex. When I followed the road that runs through the housing complex, I came across the scenery that appeared in the anime.
In the story, the Keio Line’s Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station is the Suginomi Station on the Keio Line.
The view from Sakura Street towards Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station will also be shown.
In front of the Keio Store, there is a youth mailbox with a Chikyu-ya motif.
The Seiseki Sakuragaoka Walking Map is available in front of the Keio Store and two other locations. There are stamp spaces, so I went to all three locations and got a stamp.
Kasumigaseki Bridge over the Oguri River
Irohazaka Street begins at Kasumigaseki Bridge
In the story, Shizuku is depicted walking, but in reality there is only a sidewalk on the foreground.
In the story, there is a library in this area, but in reality there is Irohazaka Sakura Park, which is decorated with Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms in spring.
Shizuku runs down the stairs energetically
Irohazaka has a road with many hairpin turns and steep steps on the sidewalk.
Konpira Shrine at the top of Irohazaka
The shrine where the scene where Sugimura confesses his feelings to Shizuku was depicted
Sekido Castle was the residence of a vassal of the Hojo clan, and is said to have been a stronghold overlooking the Kamakura Kaido and Sekido-juku.
The castle tower base and stairs also appear in the story. However, the castle tower base is considered to be the castle tower hill.
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Sakuragaoka Rotary is one of the few roundabouts in Japan. In this work, the antique shop Chikyu-ya is located in one corner of this roundabout.
Near the location of Chikyu-ya are Noah Confectionery and Dining Wakasakura, which have become a mecca for fans.
In front of Noah Pastry Shop there was a face-in panel of Seiji and Shizuku.
Atago housing complex where Shizuku lived
So, this time I decided to change things up a bit and went on a pilgrimage to two Ghibli anime locations: "Pom Poko" and "Whisper of the Heart." It's a pretty arduous journey if you walk around, but by riding my Super Cub, I was able to see everything in half a day. I think a trip like this is nice every once in a while.
The distance traveled was about 50km. I used 0.92L of gasoline. Including lunch, it cost about 1,000 yen.
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