Kansai Anime Pilgrimage Guide: Real Spots from Euphonium to K-On!

The four Kansai anime trips most worth doing are Uji (Sound! Euphonium), Nishinomiya (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), the old Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga (K-On!), and the Kyoto International Manga Museum for manga history. Each fits in a day trip from Osaka, Kyoto or Nara on ordinary trains, with no tour needed. Below are what to see, how to get there, and the etiquette that keeps these places welcoming.

A note on how this guide is written: we live in the Nara area, so these are the trips we can make on a free Saturday, but every address, hour and fact below comes from the sources listed, not from memory. Hours change, so check before you go.

Quick comparison

1. Uji: Sound! Euphonium

Kyoto Animation's Sound! Euphonium is set in Uji, south of Kyoto, and the town has been a pilgrimage spot since the first season aired in 2015. Kyoto Animation even posted videos of the voice cast touring the real locations.

What to see:

• Uji Bridge (Ujibashi), one of the most recognisable backdrops in the series
• Ujigami Shrine and the riverside paths along the Uji River
• Byodo-in, the UNESCO World Heritage temple whose Phoenix Hall is on the ¥10 coin, right by the same riverbank

Getting there: Keihan Uji Station or JR Uji Station; both put you within walking distance of the river. Keihan and Uji city have run Euphonium collaborations, including location maps handed out at stations and the Uji tourist centre during the Season 2 campaign. Ask at the tourist centre whether a current map is available rather than assuming the old one still is.

Our take (opinion): the best first pilgrimage in Kansai, because Uji is worth visiting even if you've never seen the show. Matcha, the temple and the river do the heavy lifting.

2. Nishinomiya: Haruhi Suzumiya

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya never names its town, but fans matched its streets, stations and school to Nishinomiya in Hyogo, between Osaka and Kobe. In a 2011 survey cited by The Japan Forum, Nishinomiya was the most popular anime pilgrimage destination.

A detailed fan route (Wayfarer Dave's, updated 2024) covers about 20 stops. Highlights:

Etiquette: Kita High School is a real, active school. View it from the public road, don't enter the grounds, and don't photograph students. Some sports facilities on the route are locked when not in use. Several stops are residential, so keep your voice down.

3. Toyosato: the K-On! school

The old Toyosato Elementary School in Toyosato, Shiga Prefecture, is the model for Sakuragaoka High School in K-On!. Built in 1937 and designed by William Merrell Vories, it's a registered cultural property and still one of the most-visited anime locations in Japan.

• Today: the buildings serve as a library and public service centre, and are open to visitors. They reopened after repairs in spring 2024, according to the Toyosato Tourism Association as reported by Otaku USA.
• Why respect matters: in 2010 the town warned that bad visitor behaviour, including graffiti and a break-in, could close the site. It stayed open because most fans behaved.
• Getting there: it's in eastern Shiga, so allow a long half day from Kyoto. Check the Toyosato town website for current opening hours, closed days and how to reach it from the nearest station.

Our take (opinion): go if K-On! meant something to you. The staircase and the tortoise figures on the handrail are instantly recognisable, but there's little else nearby, so it's a single-purpose trip.

4. Kyoto International Manga Museum

Not a pilgrimage spot for one series, but the best rainy-day stop for any manga fan in Kansai. It sits at Karasuma-Oike, Nakagyo-ku, in a former elementary school, and you can take manga off the shelves and read.

Anime pilgrimage etiquette

This applies to every location above:

1. These are homes, schools and shops first. Stay on public land unless a place is open to visitors.
2. Never photograph students or residents for scene-matching shots.
3. Buy something where you can: a drink at the café, an ema at the shrine. Towns notice when fans spend money.
4. No graffiti, stickers or "I was here" notes. It's what nearly closed Toyosato.
5. Small groups, low volume, especially on residential streets in Nishinomiya.

Planning tips

• Base yourself in Osaka or Kyoto. Uji and the Manga Museum are easiest from Kyoto; Nishinomiya and Den Den Town from Osaka.
• Rewatch the key episodes the night before. Scene-matching is much more fun when the frames are fresh.
• Get an IC card (ICOCA in Kansai). Every trip here uses two or three different railway companies.

Want something to watch on the train? Our Fall 2026 anime season guide has what's airing now.