In the peaceful city of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture, Noshiro Science and Technology High School, which was originally an ordinary educational institution, suddenly became an attractive destination, because it was the inspirational prototype for the famous Sannoh Technical School in the legendary basketball anime Slam Dunk.
The global success of the 2022 movie The First Slam Dunk has breathed new life into locations that once existed only in fans' imaginations, turning them into compelling real-world coordinates.
Noshiro Science and Technology High School - the model for Sannoh Technical School in the basketball anime Slam Dunk - becomes an attractive destination
Witnessing this special interest, the basketball team of Noshiro Science and Technology High School now regularly welcomes visitors from far away to watch the enthusiastic training sessions of the young players.
This place welcomes many groups of guests who have a love for the basketball anime Slam Dunk.
Not only that, the Noshiro Basketball Museum, located right next to the school, has also recorded a remarkable growth in the number of international visitors. Statistics show that in fiscal year 2023, the museum welcomed 589 international visitors, an impressive 5.5 times more than in 2019. An excited local official shared: “Visiting the museum and watching basketball practice sessions has become a new and unique sightseeing route, providing a great opportunity to introduce our city of Noshiro to friends around the world.”
Not only Noshiro, Kasukabe City in Saitama Prefecture, the familiar setting of the famous children's manga and anime series Crayon Shinchan, is also experiencing a special wave of tourism. As the Ito-Yokado Kasukabe store, the prototype for the supermarket frequented by Shin-chan's family, prepares to close in November 2024, a large number of international tourists have flocked here to reminisce and preserve memories associated with their childhood.
The Shin chan cartoon is associated with 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 stores shown on the map quickly adapted by implementing China's popular electronic payment service to serve the influx of visitors from this billion-people country.
Similarly, Chibi Maruko Chan Land (Child Maruko) amusement park in Shizuoka city of the same prefecture is no exception to this trend. Realizing the special interest of Chinese tourists, the park has proactively customized its services to suit their interests. On the premises, visitors can admire beautiful sand paintings depicting the image of little Maruko and his best friend Hanawa-kun, and shop for unique magnets printed with different Japanese cities.
The Chibi Maruko Chan Land (Child Maruko) themed park in Shizuoka City, the prefecture of the same name, also customizes services according to guests' preferences.
The strong rise of the Japanese content industry, especially anime, in attracting international tourists is partly due to the Cool Japan strategy implemented by the Japanese government. This strategy has shown clear effectiveness as the related market size has tripled within 10 years, reaching an impressive figure of 4.7 trillion yen in 2022. According to a survey conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency, the proportion of foreign visitors to locations related to movies and anime has seen remarkable growth, from 4.6% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2023.
The anime tourism boom is part of the success of the Japanese government's “Cool Japan” strategy.
However, the sudden increase in the number of tourists also poses many challenges in the management of order and safety in localities. Noise and photography that obstructs traffic have become issues of concern. Some locations have been forced to increase security measures to ensure the quiet and safety of local people. Even some famous film studios such as CoMix Wave Films, the creator of the hit animated film Your Name, have proactively not announced the actual locations appearing in their films to limit possible negative impacts.
Professor Takeshi Okamoto of Kindai University has made a profound comment on this issue, saying that "anime sanctuaries" need to urgently develop clear and specific regulations to find a harmonious balance between enthusiastically welcoming tourists and ensuring a peaceful life for local communities. Obviously, exploiting the tourism potential of anime culture is a golden opportunity, but for sustainable development, Japan needs smart and thoughtful management solutions.
