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In the peaceful city of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture, Noshiro High School of Science and Technology, originally an ordinary educational institution, has become a captivating destination because it served as the inspiring prototype for the renowned Sannoh Technical High School in the legendary basketball anime Slam Dunk.
The resounding global success of the 2022 film The First Slam Dunk has breathed new life into locations that previously existed only in fans' imaginations, transforming them into captivating real-life landmarks.
Noshiro High School of Science and Technology – the model for Sannoh Technical High School in the basketball anime Slam Dunk – has become a popular destination.
Witnessing this special attention, the basketball team of Noshiro High School of Science and Technology now regularly welcomes visitors from afar to witness firsthand the enthusiastic training sessions of the young players.
This place welcomes many groups of visitors who are fans of the basketball anime Slam Dunk.
Furthermore, the Noshiro Basketball Museum, located right next to the school, has also seen a significant increase in international visitors. Statistics show that in fiscal year 2023, the museum welcomed 589 international visitors, an impressive 5.5-fold increase compared to 2019. A local official enthusiastically shared, “Visiting the museum and watching basketball practice sessions has become a novel and unique tourist attraction, offering a great opportunity to introduce our city of Noshiro to friends around the world.”
Not only Noshiro, but also Kasukabe City in Saitama Prefecture, the familiar setting of the popular children's manga and anime series Crayon Shinchan, is experiencing a special wave of tourism. As the Ito-Yokado Kasukabe store, the prototype for the supermarket that Shin-chan's family used to frequent, prepares to close in November 2024, a large number of international tourists have flocked there to reminisce and preserve memories associated with their childhood.
The Shin Chan cartoon series is a part of the childhood of many generations.
To meet the needs of tourists, the local government quickly created a map of Kasukabe Crayon Shinchan, carefully marking locations related to the series in three languages: English, Chinese, and Korean. Even the shops shown on the map quickly adapted by implementing popular Chinese electronic payment services to cater to the influx of visitors from the country with the world's largest population.
Similarly, Chibi Maruko Chan Land amusement park in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is also following this trend. Recognizing the particular interest of Chinese tourists, the park has proactively customized its services to suit their preferences. Within the park grounds, visitors can admire beautiful sand paintings depicting Maruko and her best friend Hanawa-kun, and purchase unique magnets featuring images of various Japanese cities.
The theme park, Chibi Maruko-chan Land, located in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, also customizes its services to suit customers' preferences.
The strong rise of Japan's content industry, particularly anime, in attracting international tourists is largely due to the government's "Cool Japan" strategy. This strategy has proven highly effective, with the related market tripling in size over 10 years, reaching an impressive 4.7 trillion yen in 2022. According to a survey by the Japan Tourism Agency, the percentage of foreign visitors to film and anime-related sites has seen a remarkable increase, rising from 4.6% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2023.
The boom in anime tourism is partly a success stemming from the Japanese government's "Cool Japan" strategy.
However, the surge in tourist numbers has also posed significant challenges to maintaining order and safety in local areas. Noise pollution and photography obstructing traffic have become major concerns. Some locations have been forced to increase security measures to ensure peace and safety for local residents. Even some well-known film studios, such as CoMix Wave Films, the creator of the hit animated film Your Name, have proactively chosen not to disclose the actual locations featured in their films to minimize potential negative impacts.
Professor Takeshi Okamoto of Kindai University offered insightful comments on this issue, suggesting that "anime meccas" urgently need to establish clear and specific regulations to find a harmonious balance between enthusiastically welcoming tourists and ensuring peaceful lives for local communities. Clearly, exploiting the tourism potential of anime culture is a golden opportunity, but for sustainable development, Japan needs smart and thoughtful management solutions.
