Five years after the fact, I made a little anime pilgrimage to Kawagoe today.  It’s the location of a few series (including Kamisama Hajimemashita, a connection which I’d totally forgotten about).  But for me it’s Tsuki ga Kirei that defines the town in anime terms.  I’ve been to Kawagoe a few times (it’s only a half-hour from Ikebukuro on the express), but not since I moved back to Japan and settled in Kansai.  And thus, not since the series originally aired.  I’m not huge on anime pilgrimages but this one has been on my mind for a long time.

It must be said, in no way has my affection for Tsuki ga Kirei waned in those five years.  I’ve done one rewatch and I still completely adore the series – it’s aged like a fine wine.  There are a couple of locations I hit on my short visit today.  We have Hikawa Shrine, where Koutarou took Akane on their date. It’s the one with the chimes (they do a yearly matsuri with them), and it was quite lovely.  Unfortunately it was absolutely mobbed with Hatsumode folks and Tokyo weekenders on Oushougatsu break, so a very different atmosphere from the anime.

Then we have another, smaller shrine – Kumano.  This one was more intimately involved in the story.  It was Koutarou’s neighborhood shrine, where he went to practice (in this building, I believe) his dance for the big-ticket Kawagoe Matsuri (which is actually affiliated with Hikawa Shrine).  And of course where Akane watches him practice and thinks he’s totally hot.  Perhaps because it’s so plot-essential Kumano Shrine actually still has some Tsuki ga Kirei stuff (and Kamisama Kiss, which was what reminded me) on display.

Lastly there’s this particular shot, which almost made me break down in tears just seeing it in real life.  Yes, I know I suck at seichi – I use an iPhone camera and I lack the patience for extensive research and location scouting.  I just focus on the moment – what does being in a place make me feel?  That’s why, I suppose, it’s the deeply emotional series that inspire me to seichi – and since I can’t visit New Yogo, that means stuff like Tsuki ga Kirei and AnoHana (both on the Tobu line, coincidentally), or Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari.  Every moment of this series feels as fresh as if I’d just experienced it, and that’s the sort of anime pilgrimage that appeals to me.