“Anime Tourism Association,” a Japanese association that aims to attract inbound tourists interested in Japanese animation, announced Saturday a list of “88 must-visit holy places of animation.”

The list includes Haebaru Town in Okinawa, where the “Kinjo Tetsuo Shiryokan” museum is located. The museum honors works of Tetsuo Kinjo, the creator of the “Ultra-man” character.

Other Holy Places on the list were selected because they are real-life locations or models for animations. They include Hidaka City in Gifu Prefecture (“Your Name”), Shinjuku Ward in Tokyo, and Ueda City in Nagano Prefecture (“Summer Wars”). The Association aims to develop sightseeing tours to the Anime Holy Places aimed at manga enthusiasts.

Morio Teruya, the chairman of Haebaru Town Tourism Association, says, “We would be happy if foreign tourists who like anime would visit the town.” 70-year-old Kazuo Kinjo, a younger brother of Tetsuo Kinjo, said, “It would be great if this would lead to a greater appeal of the museum.”

“The 88 must-visit holy places of animation” were selected by an Internet vote of fans of Japanese anime from all over the world. The Anime Tourism Association then discussed the project with local municipalities and tourism associations to compile the list. The Anime Tourism Association created the project along the lines of the “88 Temple Pilgrimage” trek in Shikoku.

• 
• NO DATA