Anime Tourism of Hanasaku Iroha Revives the Model Spa

by dtshyk
Jun 11, 2011 9:47 AM | 74 Comments

According to Hokkoku Newspaper, Yuwaku Hot Spring , the model town of Hanasaku Iroha, has been humming with business since the start of the anime. After the earthquake in March, nearly 1,500 guests have canceled the hotel reservations in Yuwaku but the rooms of all the nine hotels were fully booked by the anime fans just before the holidays in May. The bottles of Yuwaku Cider have been flying off the shelves because the cider was shown in the ED.

Iroha fans taking pictures of the sign of the model train station

Comparisons between the real sceneries in Yuwaku and the scenes in the anime
Entrance of the hotel area
Yuwaku - Anime

Main street
Yuwaku - Anime

Bridge Ohana walks on
Yuwaku - Anime

Bench Yuina sits with a Yuwaku Cider
Yuwaku - Anime

The rival hotel
Yuwaku - Anime

Yuwaku Spa Tourist Association said they expect the anime fans to visit the town repeatedly.

Source: Hokkoku Shinbun

20 of 74 Comments Recent Comments

i wanna go to there...
this place have many pretty pictures

Nov 30, 2013 1:26 PM by kiseki69

They broadcast this year's Bonbori Matsuri (a made-up festival in the anime but was picked up for real by the local community last year) live on ustream.tv and I watched it together with >20,000 people online. It was a mesmerizing and fascinating experience, and when the bonfire was lit up by the Shinto priest the scene was so stunningly beautiful and the mood was so tranquil and peaceful. I almost missed it and I am so happy that I managed to watch it at the end -- it was simply awesome.

Oct 13, 2012 12:36 PM by symbv

That's pretty sweet! Nice to see the anime is doing the tourism of the town some good :)
Also, it's amazing how many similarities there is between the anime and real life!

Oct 13, 2012 12:25 PM by cladinpink

Wow.. Can't describe it with anything else. I really want to visit there one day.

Aug 11, 2012 2:45 PM by Hene

I've seen these some time ago, but I'm still fascinated how beautifully they have done it. The last time I saw this high-level animation of real life places was with Clannad and Steins;Gate.

Just now I found something very nice.
http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/03/26/hanasaku-iroha-train-pulls-out-of-yunosagi-station
How awesome is that? I would love to take a ride in it!

Also, here is a video of the town and the places featured in the anime:

Jun 18, 2012 3:26 PM by RazielZero

I wonder if Kissui Inn has a real life model...

Hanasaku Iroha's animation is top-notch and is way above some OVAs out there. There is not one scene in this series that has a subpar animation. So its no wonder why anime fans became fascinated with the model town.

Sep 26, 2011 2:53 AM by ravagestorm

woah, this is so awesome! both the animation and for the area :)

Sep 25, 2011 7:02 PM by polyswirl

i hope this anime is good xD

Jul 20, 2011 10:30 AM by tounoyaboys

That's a great way to advertise a business! Especially what happened after the earthquake/tsunami few months ago. That's really awesome.

Jun 29, 2011 11:50 PM by animelly

cool! what an awesome way to advertise your business.... USE ANIME!!

Jun 28, 2011 8:53 PM by YamiRic

wow. they even paid attention to the cider in the ED?

Japan never fails to amuse me xD

Jun 15, 2011 11:23 AM by viMAL

Really awesome! =)