Seichi Junrei

In otaku culture, seichi junrei (聖地巡礼) refers to the act of fans visiting real-world locations that served as settings or references for anime, manga, games, and other works. It essentially means making a pilgrimage to places considered "sacred" to otaku.

In English-speaking fan communities, the practice is commonly referred to as "anime pilgrimage" or visiting "real life anime locations." In Japanese, it is also called butai tanbo (舞台探訪/location hunting), though seichi junrei is the most widely recognized term among fans.

In recent years, the term has broadened to include visits to filming locations for TV dramas and movies, as well as places associated with idols and bands.

The exact point at which the religious term “seichi junrei” (sacred land pilgrimage) was adopted into otaku culture has not been pinpointed, but fan visits to anime locations have been documented since the 1990s.

One of the earliest known examples is along the JR Iida Line near Tagiri Station in Nagano Prefecture, the setting for the 1991 OVA Ultimate Superhuman R (Kyukyoku Chojin R). Fans traced the bicycle race route depicted in the anime, and in 2018 a monument inscribed “Birthplace of Anime Seichi Junrei” was erected at Tagiri Station, funded by fan donations.

Around 2002, the term began to take hold online. Fans started making regular visits to Lake Kizaki in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, the setting of the TV anime Please Teacher! (Onegai Teacher). Interaction between fans and local residents helped solidify seichi junrei as a distinct fan practice.

In 2005, Kakizaki Shundo published Seichi Junrei: Anime & Manga 12 Locations Tour (Kill Time Communication), believed to be the first book to feature seichi junrei in its title, further popularizing the term within otaku culture.

The Original Religious Meaning

"Seichi junrei" originally refers to the religious practice of worshippers traveling to sacred sites. Notable examples include Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela, the Islamic Hajj to Mecca, and in Japan, the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and Kumano Pilgrimage. In fan culture, the term was repurposed to describe visiting locations featured in beloved works, adding the reverence of religious pilgrimage onto the fan experience.

Etiquette for Seichi Junrei

As seichi junrei has grown in popularity, visitor etiquette at pilgrimage sites has become an increasingly prominent topic.

A well-known recent case involves the Kamakura pilgrimage site that served as a model for a location in the basketball manga Slam Dunk. International tourists pouring into the site caused issues including littering, entering railroad crossings, and tour buses stopping in narrow streets, creating problems for local residents and students at nearby schools. The situation received significant media coverage.

Local authorities acknowledge that the majority of visitors are considerate and well-mannered, and efforts continue to curb disruptive behavior, but the burden on the community remains.

Both domestic and international visitors are encouraged to respect local rules and show consideration for residents in order to maintain positive relationships with the home communities.