My Japan Pilgrimage: Visiting the Real-Life Locations of Kimi No Na Wa

Contributed by Bryan Mendoza

Unless you’re living under a rock, you‘ve probably seen or at least heard of Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name). It is the fourth highest grossing film of all time in Japan and the highest grossing anime film worldwide. The plot revolves around Taki and Mitsuha, a Tokyo boy and a countryside girl who one day found themselves trapped in each other’s body. An exciting turn of events starts from here — which I won’t spoil, don’t worry.

Kimi No Na Wa gained worldwide recognition, and for good reasons: beautifully drawn landscapes, resonating soundtrack and its fresh, multilayered narrative. I do love the film and consider myself a huge fan. Bad news for me: anime world does not exist. The good news though: the settings of the film are based on real life and are all within Tokyo! Armed with Google Maps and a handful of Nihonggo words, I embarked on a whole day adventure to find Taki and Mitsuha.

Also read: What a Young Boy and Girl from Hiroshima Taught Me

Shinjuku Pass. Used in the opening and in the first trailer.

Location: Nishi-Shinjuku

NTT Docomo, Shinjuku’s landmark. Seen during Mitsuha’s first arrival in Tokyo.

Location: Shinanomachi, photo taken near Shinomachi station

Taki/Mitsuha finding his/her way through Shinjuku to his high school.

Location: Shinjuku, Lumine 2 building

Location: Shinjuku, Lumine 2 building

Tokyoooo-yaaa!

Location: Shinjuku, within walking distance from Shinjuku Station South Exit

Taki’s commute route.Eeee-toooo.

Location: Yotsuya Station, within walking distance from Suga Shrine

Location: 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku, 3 Chome−23−7

Location: Yotsuya Station, within walking distance from Suga Shrine

Recreating Taki and failing — haaaay.

Mitsuha headed to Tokyo in hopes of finding Taki. Plot twist: there’s no way he could know her yet as the switching (dream possession) was experienced by him three years later.

Location: Minamimotomachi

How can you reach out to her when she’s already… dead?

Location: Minamimotomachi

What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.

Location: 5-6 Sugacho, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. A 10-minute walk from Shinanomachi station

We all have that feeling of instantly liking the person for no reason, a spark, an emotion that makes us wonder: “Have I met you before?”, “You look familiar”, “Somewhere in the past or in my dream, I’m certain I’ve met you.”

Location: 5-6 Sugacho, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. A 10-minute walk from Shinanomachi station

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Location: 5-6 Sugacho, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. A 10-minute walk from Shinanomachi station

Location: 5-6 Sugacho, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. A 10-minute walk from Shinanomachi station

Shinkai stirred a lot of human emotions and answered existing phenomena about life. The characters, landscapes, scoring and a mixture of old-modern, rural-urban Japan blended perfectly. Taki and Mitsuha are fictional characters but their existence is meant to teach us lessons: to fight for love, to be bold and fearless, to treasure every experience before they escape us and to never forget the people we love no matter how excruciating it could be. A fitting conclusion to my pilgrimage is a line from Obachan:

“Connecting people is Musubi. The flow of time is Musubi… The braided cords that we make are the God’s art and represent the flow of time itself. They converge and take shape. They twist, tangle, sometimes unravel, break and then connect again. Musubi – knotting. That’s time.”

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