Anime Travel 7 – Tsuki ga Kirei in Real Life

1/09/2023 01:39:00 PM

Anime Travel 7 – Tsuki ga Kirei in Real Life

Takazawa bridge, Kawagoe

After trying to gather my motivation to write my pilgrimage series, I can finally continue with the next anime title. I remembered this anime’s art was beautiful thanks as the famous artist: loundraw (other famous title from his work is I Want ot Eat Your Pancreas), apart from the bitter-sweet puppy love story which was also quite nice.

The setting of this anime was based around Kawagoe, Saitama. It took around one-and-a-half hours by train from Tokyo which you can access either with JR Kawagoe Line or Tobu Tojo Line. The charm of Kawagoe is the traditional (Edo style) houses which I can recommend for a nice weekend stroll.

One of Kawagoe's beautiful Edo period houses

1. Kumano Shrine

The first spot is Kumano shrine which appeared at the first episode of the anime. It took around 10 minutes by bus from Kawagoe station to reach this location.

Kotaro leaving the shrine in anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

The entrance of Kumano Shrine in real life

Scene with the shot of torii and the shrine in anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

Torii leading to the main shrine in real life

Shot of the shrine in anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

Main shrine in real life

Kotaro walking in front of a storehouse in the shrine
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

Storehouse of the shrine in real life

2. “Toki-no-Kane” Bell Tower

Then, I moved to the next spot called the Bell Tower (JP: 時の鐘) which from the source I read it should be the well-known symbol of Kawagoe. You can further read about this spot within the following link.

The Bell Tower in anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

Tori-no-Kane bell-tower in real life

3. Kashiya Yokochou

Not far from the bell tower, I moved to Kashiya Yokochou where we can find traditional sweet shops throughout the alleyway.

Sign of Kashiya Yokochou

Kotaro and Akane having a date around the
Kashiya Yokochou during summer festival
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

The same spot of the alleyway in real life

4. Takazawa Bridge

Not far from the Kashiya Yokochou area, I walked to Takazawa Bridge. This bridge is the icon of the anime where most scenes from the anime are from the final scenes.

Shot of Takazawa Bridge and riverbank walking path in the anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

The riverbank and bridge in real life

The heartbreaking scene near the stepping-stone during the finale of the anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

The same stepping stone in real life

5. Hikawa Shrine

Next sport that I visited was the Hikawa shrine. In the anime, there were some romantic and important scenes that took place in this shrine. I needed to walk approximately 1 km from Takazawa bridge to arrive to this shrine.

Entrance of Hikawa Shrine in anime
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

Entrance of Hikawa Shrine (sorry for the wrong angle)

Kotaro and Akane were writing their wishes inside the shrine area
©︎「月がきれい」製作委員会

The inside of the shrine in real life behind the main torii gate

The main shrine building in real life

There were really no pond, but there is was a
similar building at the background

Tunnel of Emas in real life

The final spot I visited was the place when Kotaro & Akane got their first kiss as well as when they resolved their conflict. It was located just behind the shrine.