NARITA, Chiba -- Tourists can now get sightseeing tips for locations related to popular Japanese anime at a new corner exhibit set up at Narita Airport.
The Anime Tourism Information exhibit was opened in the airport's Terminal 2 building by the Anime Tourism Association and Narita International Airport Corp. The Tokyo-based association compiled a selection of "88 Japanese anime pilgrimage sites to visit" for 2018, which is on display at the corner exhibit.
"Along with tourism information, we want to give visitors the thrill of arriving in Japan, the country of anime," said an association official. "We hope this corner encourages them to travel throughout the nation based on their favorite anime."
The number 88 was inspired by the number of temples on a traditional pilgrimage route in the Shikoku region.
The association was established in 2016 to promote Japanese anime to foreign visitors, with major publisher Kadokawa Corp., travel agency JTB Corp. and Japan Airlines among its founding members. It has selected as pilgrimage sites 85 municipalities that have served as the settings of anime, or are home to facilities such as memorial halls related to the authors of original works. Narita Airport and two locations in Tokyo are also included on the list as information centers.
The airport exhibit displays the pilgrimage sites in alphabetical order. They include Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, and Hida, Gifu Prefecture -- both of which were featured in the 2016 blockbuster movie "Kimi no Na wa" (your name.) -- and Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, the location of the high school in "Girls und Panzer" at which female students engage in tank warfare as a competitive sport.
The exhibit also features gacha-gacha vending machines that sell encapsulated toys, and cutout boards of anime characters that visitors can take pictures with.
"It's so cool!" an excited 23-year-old Czech exclaimed as he took photos of the venue.
The corner exhibit will be displayed through the end of March next year.
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