Japanese government looking for people to join 'your name.' anime pilgrimage tour

Since its premiere in August last year, "your name." has gone from strength to strength, wowing audiences across the world and smashing box office records wherever it goes. In fact, the film is so popular that it’s even been responsible for increasing tourist numbers to regions in Tokyo and Hida City, in Gifu Prefecture, which served as settings for scenes in the movie.

Now, the Anime Tourism Association has revealed its “Cool Japan Collaborative Demonstration Project”, which aims to devise a special pilgrimage tour for fans of the film. While Hida City and H.I.S. Travel recently created walking tours for "your name." sites in Gifu Prefecture and Tokyo respectively, this new tour will combine both the urban and rural destinations featured in the movie, to create the ultimate travel package for fans.

In order to receive feedback on the proposed travel itinerary and transport routes, the Anime Tourism Association is now calling for foreigners from all countries to apply to try out the tour. A total of 30 people will be selected to participate in the trip, which will run for 5-6 days between March 1 and April 30 this year, depending on departure locations.

In order to participate, individuals must be willing to answer surveys, travel by public bus and on foot during the tour, and share rooms, segregated by gender. A minimum of five people per group will take part in each trip, where they’ll get to visit the real-life locations depicted in the animated film, with transport, set meals and accommodation costs during the tour completely covered for free.

The Japanese government is backing the project as part of its Cool Japan Initiative, which aims to promote products like fashion, food, manga and anime through the worldwide appeal of “cool” Japanese culture. Given that "your name." already has a huge international following, this new tour looks set to become a popular pilgrimage route for travellers to Japan in the future, so for your chance to contribute to the success of the project, be sure to take a few moments to fill out the online application form. Applications are being accepted until Feb 28.

Source: Yurukuyaru via Anime Tourism Association

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