Kagoshima] Kyushu Holy Land Tour! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! Seed Island Pilgrimage!

Kyushu: A gathering place for anime shrines!

Kyushu is one of Japan's four major islands, located in the southwest of the country, and is famous for its two active volcanoes, Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture and Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as its natural hot springs, such as Beppu Onsen.
Kyushu is also home to Fukuoka Airport, which serves as an air gateway and attracts many tourists every year.
In fact, Kyushu is home to many anime scene prototypes (sacred places).

We traveled around Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, and Oita Prefectures and enjoyed a tour of sacred places!
Below is a description of the route we actually traveled!
We will introduce you by prefecture, so you can choose your favorite prefecture to visit.

Seed Island, Kagoshima Prefecture "5 Centimeters per Second

5 Centimeters Per Secondis an animated movie released in 2007.
The movie captured the hearts of countless viewers with its lyrical beauty of falling cherry blizzards, the strong emotions that flow unintentionally from every move, and the seemingly mundane, but in fact rich and delicate plot.
The movie is directed by Makoto Shinkai, a renowned Japanese film creator best known for directing works such as Your Name, Children of the Weather, and Suzumiya's Journey. 5 Centimeters per Second" is the third theatrical animation directed by Makoto Shinkai.

The first place that comes to mind when you think of the holy land where "5 Centimeters per Second" was set is Iwabune Station in Tochigi Prefecture, where the visual posters for the movie are set. In the first episode, "Sakura Copy," this station is where the main characters, Takuki and Akari, meet each other. But this time, we didn't go to this station. Instead, we went on a pilgrimage to Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Tanegashima is a remote island and you may think that it is difficult to travel there due to the lack of transportation. If you think so, please pay attention to our guide. If you use JR Kagoshima Chuo Station as your base, you can complete a tour of the sacred sites in one day.
After transferring to Seed Island, the main character, Takashi, spends three years of his high school years here. Let's go on a journey to this sacred place!

The route for this Holy Land tour is as follows!

1. Kagoshima Prefectural Seed Island Central High School
2. I Shop Ishido Ohira
3. Zhongshan Coast
4. Former Tanegashima Airport

If you want to travel around the Seed Islands, renting a car and driving is a convenient option, or you can take a taxi.
You can also choose cab charter service. Reservations are recommended at least one day in advance.

Kagoshima Prefectural Seed Island Central High School

The second episode of 5 Centimeters Per Second, Astronaut.
When Taketoki transferred to her class in the second year of junior high school, she had a crush on him and has been secretly in love with him ever since. In order to enter the same high school as Taketoki, Haname works hard and eventually becomes Taketoki's high school classmate. Kagoshima Seed Island Central High School is the model for the high school in the drama.
The school is also known for being the setting for the animated television series Robotics Notes.

Although this is a so-called "holy place" for filming, it is also a school in normal operation, so please do not enter without permission.
Visiting and photographing will only be allowed after registration at the office.
(Please inquire in advance if you are unable to visit due to school events, examinations, etc.)

Upon registration, you will receive a card with the words “On Tour in the Holy Land”.

A parking lot for two-wheeled vehicles with motorcycles. It reminds us of the anticipation and nervousness of a sapling waiting for a noble tree.

Kagoshima Prefectural Seed Island Central High School
Address: 891-3604, 4258-1 Noma, Nakanoko-machi, Kumamo-gun

A Shibuya Memory “I shop Ishido Ohira”

After meeting in the parking lot, the two of them rode their electric scooters through a quiet sugarcane field and returned home from school together, which was also a beautiful scene!
On the way, they stopped by a convenience store, the local “I Shop Ishido Ohira”.

A guestbook for the Holy Land Tour is displayed in the store!

We recommend the Seed Island Coffee (now known as Dairy Coffee) and Yoghurppe (Lactobacillus drink)!
They can give you a real sense of the atmosphere of 5 Centimeters per Second.

As a Sanctuary Patrol member, I was also given this memento!

I Shop Ishido Ohira
Address: 2172-1 Noma, Nakanoko-machi, Kumamo-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture
Business hours: 7:00-21:00

If you keep this up, you won't be able to say anything until you graduate. ...... “Zhongshan Coast”

Seed Island is an outlying island and a paradise for surfers. Haname, who is in love with Takagi, has her own hobby - surfing.
Nakayama Beach is the setting for many of the surfing scenes in the drama.

Zhongshan Coast
Address: Noma, Nakanoko-machi, Kumamo-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture 891-3604

Hanabusa buried her love in her heart, and the scene in which she saw Taketoki off took place here at the “former site of the Tanegashima Airport”.”

“Seed Island Airport Site” appears in the third episode of "5 Centimeters per Second".
Here, Hanabusa watches Takayuki leave on a plane, a brief but impressive scene with a lot of thoughts.
It should be noted that the airport is currently closed and is inaccessible.

Former Tanegashima Airport
Address: 16915 Noma, Nakanoko-machi, Kumamo-gun, Kagoshima 891-3604, Japan

How to get to Tanegashima? JR Kagoshima Chuo Station→Seed Island

After completing the tour of the sacred sites in Tanegashima, we would like to introduce you to a very important part of the tour, that is, the transportation channels to Tanegashima.
You can choose to take a ferry from Kagoshima to Tanegashima, but we recommend that you take a high-speed boat.
Ferries take less than 4 hours each way, and high-speed boats can get you there in about 100 minutes.

If you choose to take a high-speed boat:

From JR Kagoshima Chuo Station, proceed to the Kagoshima Port South Terminal Ferry Terminal.
(About 20 minutes by cab)
Then you can take a high-speed boat!
Reservations can also be made through the official website (available in Chinese).

Toppy Rocket
https://www.tykousoku.jp/ (Chinese version available)
※The timetable changes according to the season. Please check the official website.
※There is a limit to the number of carry-on items a passenger can bring. Please check the official website in advance.

Access from Fukuoka Airport to JR Kagoshima Chuo Station

You can reach JR Kagoshima Chuo Station in about 100 minutes by taking the Kyushu Shinkansen (lower line, Kagoshima direction) from JR Hakata Station.
Hakata Station is accessible from Fukuoka Airport, the gateway to Kyushu, and is only 2 stops (about 10 minutes) away on the Airport Line of the MRT.

Directions from Fukuoka Airport to Tanegashima Island

Fukuoka Airport
↓ (MRT Airport Line)
JR Hakata Station
↓ (Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima bound)
JR Kagoshima Chuo Station
↓(about 20 minutes by taxi)
Kagoshima Hong Kong South Pier Passenger Ship Terminal
↓ (high speed boats)
Seed Island

Accommodation near Kagoshima Station! “JR Kyushu Hotel Kagoshima”

After a full day of touring the sacred sites of Tanegashima, find a hotel to relieve the fatigue of the day and spend a relaxing evening.
We chose the JR Kyushu Hotel Kagoshima.

This hotel is ideally located with direct access to JR Kagoshima Chuo Station. The twin-bedded standard rooms are all over 24 square meters in size and are spacious enough to store a lot of luggage!

There is a self-service luggage storage area in the hotel lobby for guests' exclusive use. It is very convenient to store your luggage easily without contacting others!

We left our luggage in the morning, left the hotel to visit the sanctuary, and checked in when we returned to the hotel after our tour! It was very relaxing.
This type of pipe is very practical.

JR Kagoshima Chuo Station has a huge Ferris wheel, which is a landmark in this area!
There is a large station building which is very convenient for both dining and shopping.

But ......!
We had breakfast at the JR Kyushu Hotel Kagoshima!
The hotel offers both Japanese and Western buffets with local Kagoshima cuisine such as hot pots and fish cakes.

The beauty of a buffet is that you get to taste a variety of local foods, a little bit of everything.
I was so full that I couldn't leave for my next destination, Kumamoto, right away. (Laughs).

JR Kyushu Hotel Kagoshima
Address: 1-1-2 Takeshi, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken, Japan
tel: 099-213-8000
Official Website: https://www.jrk-hotels.co.jp/Kagoshima/

Next stop - Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture!

After our appetite for food had subsided, we got up and headed to our next destination!
This time, we will visit the sacred places in Kumamoto Prefecture where "Natsume Tomonen" and "One Piece" were set.
Stay tuned for details in our next post!

◆The second day of the tour [Kumamoto]: A tour around the Kyushu Holy Land! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! A Pilgrimage to Natsume's Friend's Book and One Piece's King of Thieves
https://joyjapan.tokyo/area/xbyqur8t/

◆Day 3 [Fukuoka]: A tour around Kyushu's sacred sites! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! Immersive visit to the sacred sites of "Onimusha no Kabuto"!
https://joyjapan.tokyo/area/wnxnfwiv/

◆Day 4 [Oita Chapter] Kyushu Sacred Sites Tour! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! Enjoy the hot springs in the "Attack on Titan" mecca!
https://joyjapan.tokyo/area/lyfobw2h/