anime
Lucky Star
The shrine that invented modern anime pilgrimage, and the town never stopped.
When Lucky Star aired in 2007, fans started visiting **Washimiya Shrine** in Kuki, Saitama — the model for the shrine where two of the main characters live. The local chamber of commerce engaged with them instead of ignoring them, and the result became the template that Oarai, Numazu and Chichibu all followed afterwards. Nearly twenty years on, the shrine still gets New Year visitor numbers in the hundreds of thousands, the local businesses still run series collaborations, and the town is generally credited as the starting point of modern anime pilgrimage in Japan. Washimiya Station is about an hour from Asakusa.
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Common questions
Why is Washimiya Shrine significant?
It is generally credited as the starting point of modern anime pilgrimage in Japan. After the 2007 broadcast the local chamber of commerce engaged with visiting fans, and Oarai, Numazu and Chichibu followed that template.
How do I get there?
Washimiya station on the Tobu Isesaki line, about an hour from Asakusa, then eight minutes on foot.
Is anything still running there?
Yes. Local businesses along the approach have run series collaborations continuously for years. Bring cash, as many are small shops.