5 Days itinerary for an Anime Pilgrimage by Campervan
If you are an anime fan, you can travel to several sacred locations in Japan that have been pictured in anime; this is called a “Anime Pilgrimage.”
Going to numerous locations can be difficult, so renting a campervan makes it easier to get to many destinations in a short period of time.
This itinerary will provide you with a perfect 5-day itinerary that any anime fan will love!
Day-1: Hire a campervan
First of all, hire a campervan at JAPAN ROAD TRIP
JAPAN ROAD TRIP will provide you with a variety of wonderful motorhomes campervan or RV. *To view instructions on how to get from the airport to our head office, click here!*
Near our head office there is a Manhole covers featuring illustrations from “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” so you can stash your bags inside the campervan and get started on your anime pilgrimage straight away!
Around Minato ward, there are five manhole covers that are accessible by walking. One of the manholes is also close to Tokyo Tower, a popular tourist destination in Japan that has been featured in numerous anime series, including Detective Conan and Cardcaptor Sakura.
Check out Minato ward home page to view more information of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
Additional choices close to our head office that you can check out
Anime Pilgrimage in Asakusa
Asakusa is the heart of Tokyo’s Shitamachi (low city), one of the city’s areas where the mood of previous decades remains. The primary attraction of Asakusa is Sensoji which are featured in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, is a well-known Buddhist temple founded in the seventh century.
The temple is accessible via the Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with traditional, local delicacies and tourist souvenirs.
Visit Asakusa Nakamise Website to see the list of foods and shops.
http://asakusa-nakamise.jp/e-index.html
Anime Pilgrimage in Shibuya
Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s most vibrant and lively neighborhoods, with shops, restaurants, and nightclubs. And if you are a fan of JuJutsuKaisen, Shibuya is a popular destination. The Shibuya Incident Arc features the 109 Building were you can also shop, the Shibuya Crossing where you can roam around and find and select a restaurant of your choice, and many other location.
You can also visit Hachiko Statue near the Shibuya Station. Hachiko is a devoted Akita dog who waited at Shibuya Station every day for his owner, even after he died. Today, it is one of Tokyo’s most popular meeting areas.
Anime Pilgrimage in Shinjuku
One of Tokyo’s busiest stations is Shinjuku. Numerous cafes, bars, and restaurants can be found throughout the expansive shopping streets. Lumine is a well-known shopping center in Shinjuku where you may dine and shop inside, or you can just stroll around the neighborhood and select a restaurant as you go.
Suga Shrine staircase is one of popular Anime Pilgrimage locations in Shinjyuku, which appears in Kimi No Na Wa: Your Name. Suga Shrine has been located in Yotsuya since the early Edo period, The name of the shrine, “Suga,” is based on the legend that Susano-no-mikoto defeated a giant eight-mata serpent upstream in the Land of Izumo and picked it up, declaring, “I have come to this land and my heart is Suga, Suga,”. From Taking pictures by the stairs is also a beautiful recollection, but after praying at the shrine, you can purchase a stamp called Goshuin (honorable red seal), which can be a nice remembrance of your trip.
Goshuin is proof that you visited and prayed at the shrine that day, so be careful to pray before purchasing it. You can purchase the Goshuin for 1,000 yen.
Home page: https://sugajinjya.or.jp/
Suga Shrine location
There are more different Anime Pilgrimage in Tokyo so feel free to ask our staff if there is a certain place that you want to visit.
After roaming around Tokyo you can go to Kanagawa Prefecture.
Kanagawa’s popular tourist spots Kamakura station and Fujisawa station are connected by the local train Enoden. Along the Enoden you will find Kamakura koko Station, which appeared at the end of Slum Dunk. However, if you plan to visit here, please respect the restrictions. Breaking the rules, such as taking pictures on the road or within the rail, and illegal parking, can cause heavy traffic and delay train operations.
Place to stay “Star Forest Camp”
After a long day of exploring, stay at the local RV park “Star Forest Camp” located 26 minutes from Kamakurakoukomae Station. This RV park includes a private area where you may camp in your car while relaxing around a bonfire in the beautiful surroundings of Hayama. Although it faces the road, it has a vast mountain view, a stream running below, and little traffic at night, allowing you to unwind and enjoy nature.
【Information】
Reservation in advance is needed.
Star Forest Camp home page: https://www.hayama-rvsite.info/
Star Forest Camp location
Day-2: Yamanashi Prefecture
Compared to the hustle and bustle of the city, the area offers pure air and a tranquil ambiance. When planning a vacation in Japan, Mt. Fuji is one of the first sites that comes to mind, Mount Fuji is located between Yamanashi and Shizuoka, and the view of Mount Fuji from Shizuoka is called “Front Fuji,” while the view of Mount Fuji from Yamanashi is called “Back Fuji.”. It has also appeared in many anime, and if you enjoy camping and watching anime, “Yuru Camp” will immediately come to mind. Rewatch your favorite anime while enjoying the scenery of Mt. Fuji.
Place to stay
Option 1 “Kouan campground”
The trip from Star Forest Camp to Kouan campground takes roughly 2 hours. If you want to view Mount Fuji from Yamanashi, we recommend staying at Kouan campground. A thousand yen bill has an inverted image of Mt. Fuji at Lake Motosu. These are based on photographs photographed by Mr. Koyo Okada from the backyard of the there hotel.
【Information】
In Kouan campground reservations are not required, but it will be first come, first served, and therefore arriving early is recommended during pick season. (Peak season in Japan May, August and December)
Home page: https://kouan-motosuko.com/en/
Location
Option 2 “Asagiri Jamboree Auto Campsite”
The trip from Star Forest Camp to Asagiri Jamboree Auto Campsite takes roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes. And if you want to view Mount Fuji from Shizuoka, we recommend staying at Asagiri Jamboree Auto Campsite offers a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji in a vast landscape unlike anything else in Japan. It is a vast highland site spanning 370 square kilometers, so there are no designated areas and it is a free site.
【Information】
Asagiri Jamboree Auto Campsite requires reservation in advance
Home page: https://www.asagiri-camp.net/index.html
Location
Day-3: Nagano Prefecture
In Nagano Prefecture we recommend you to visit Tateishi Park. The lake that appears in the most important scene of the movie Kimi No Na Wa: Your Name -Lake Itomori was inspired by Lake Suwa of Nagano Prefecture. Located at an altitude of 934m above sea level, Tateishi Park possesses a prime location to observe the panoramic view of Suwa Lake, making you feel like you are caught up in the world of the movie. After visiting Tateishi Park, stay for one night at Shibu Onsen.
Place to stay “Kanaguya Ryokan”
The trip from Tateishi Park to Kanaguya Ryokan takes roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes.If you have watched Spirited Away, you understand that the main story is held at one Onsen Ryokan, Kanaguya Ryokan is one of the candidates as a model in the movie so park your campervan at Shibu Onsen parking lot and stay for one night in here.
【Information】
Staying at Shibu Onsen Ryokan requires reservation in advance.
Parking lot fee will be 1,000 Yen per day.
Shibu Onsen home page: https://www.shibuonsen.net/english/
Parking lot Location
Day-4: Gunma Prefecture
There are many locations in Gunma Prefecture where Initial D is featured, but Shibukawa City is home to a particularly large number of them. You can visit Mount Lake Onuma, Jomo-Sanzan Panorama High way (Akina Pass) Ikaho Onsen and many more. Ikaho Onsen is also one of Japan’s most well-known Onsen’s, but there is another Onsen in Gunma that is famous due of Spirited Away: Sekizenka Ryokan. You can stay in either Ikaho Onsen or Sekizenkan Ryokan for one night.
Place to stay
Option 1 “Ikaho Onsen”
Ikaho is a natural setting where you may sense the passing of the four seasons you can take pleasure in it all year round. Ikaho, a well-known hot spring resort, has a long history and has been congested with hot spring customers. Its symbol is a 365-step stone staircase that stretches out as if aiming for heaven. There is a sensation that causes you to sense history.
【Information】
Staying either Ikaho Onsen or Sekizenkan Ryokan requires reservation in advance.
Ikaho Onsen home page: https://www.ikaho-kankou.com/en/
Parking lot near Ikaho Onsen location Tokutomi Rokakinenbungakukan Chūshajō (Tokutomi Roka Memorial Museum of Literature Parking Lot)
Parking lot fee will be 2,000 Yen per day.
Option 2 “Sekizenkan”
‘Sekizenkan’ can be found on the other side of the red bridge that connects the hot spring town to the beautiful Shima River. In the Meiji era, the 15th owner, Seki Zenbei, related the name “Sekizen” to a passage from the ancient Confucian text, the “Book of Changes,” which says, “A house that accumulates good deeds will surely have good things happen to it.” He translated the word “Sekizen” as “accumulating good deeds” and added the character “kan,” which means “inn,” underneath, resulting in the name “Sekizenkan.”
【Information】
Sekizenkan Ryokan home page: https://www.sekizenkan.co.jp/
Parking lot near Sekizenkan Ryokan location
Parking lot fee will be free.
Day-5: Tochigi Prefecture
In Tochigi Prefecture there is a flower park that is called Ashikagawa Flower Park Wisteria flowers. One scene of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, during the Final Selection, wisteria is used to keep the demons trapped on Mount Fujikasane, hence the name “Fujikasane”, which translates to “covered in wisteria”. Demons are imprisoned inside the mountain to use as a test for would-be Demon Slayers. However, take in mind that Wisteria Flowers in real life are similarly harmful. The flower’s seeds contain wisterin, an allergenic substance that can cause dizziness, nausea, and other side effects.
[Wisteria Flowers Blooming period] Mid-April to mid-May. Blooms in the order of pale pink, purple, white, and yellow.Check out Ashikagawa Flower Park home page to view more information of the park.
You can also go to Nagusa no Kyosekigun Benkei Natawariishi and view the rock that Tanjiro breaks into in the Anime.
Place to stay “RV Park 555 Sachinoyu”
Stay one more night in RV Park in Tochigi called RV Park 555 Sachinoyu. The trip from Ashikagawa Flower Park to RV Park 555 Sachinoyu takes roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes. A new RV park has been established at the Konoyu Onsen Ryokan, with 11 spaces separated into two areas. It can handle everything from small campers to camping trailers up to 16 meters long. The RV park is surrounded by nature and is noted for its natural hot spring water. It is also about a 5-minute walk from the clear stream Kinomata Valley.
【Information】
RV Park 555 Sachinoyu requires reservation in advance.
Home page: https://rvpark555satinoyu-web.jimdosite.com/
Location
Then return the Campervan to our main office the next day. From RV Park 555 Sachinoyu to our head office it will be roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes drive.
Summary
Renting a campervan allows you to go at your own speed and visit areas where you may have an anime pilgrimage.
There are many other places in Japan where you may enjoy Anime Pilgrimage, so if there is one you want to visit or if you want us to recommend another, please contact us and feel free to ask!
So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags, hire a RV from us, and prepare to have a wonderful journey in Japan!
03-6777-6565
