Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day aired in 2011 and still makes people cry. The 11-episode series about childhood friends reunited by grief turned the small city of Chichibu, Saitama, into one of Japan's most emotionally charged pilgrimage destinations. Fifteen years after the show aired, fans still visit to trace the steps of the Super Peace Busters.
The Story
Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi, a high school dropout who spends his days at home, starts seeing the ghost of Meiko "Menma" Honma — a childhood friend who died in an accident years earlier. Menma wants Jintan to fulfill a forgotten wish, and to do it, the old friend group has to reunite. The problem: they've all drifted apart, weighed down by guilt, jealousy, and unresolved feelings about the day Menma died.
The story unfolds entirely in and around Chichibu. The town's bridges, shrines, train stations, and hillside paths become the physical spaces where these characters confront what they've been avoiding.
Chichibu as a Character
Chichibu isn't a tourist hotspot. It's a mid-sized city in the mountains northwest of Tokyo — the kind of place where shops close early and the loudest sound at night is the river. That quietness is essential to Anohana's atmosphere. The characters' isolation, their sense of being stuck in a place where nothing changes, mirrors the town itself.
The old Chichibu Bridge is the show's most iconic location. The characters gather here throughout the series, and the bridge's aging concrete railings are instantly recognizable. Jorenji Temple (the model for the "secret base" on the hillside) and Chichibu Shrine also feature prominently.
Pilgrimage Tips
Chichibu is about 80 minutes from Ikebukuro by Seibu Railway limited express. The Red Arrow express is comfortable and scenic — the train passes through increasingly rural landscapes before arriving at a station that looks almost exactly as it does in the anime.
Most pilgrimage spots are walkable from Chichibu Station or Ohanabatake Station. The old Chichibu Bridge is a 15-minute walk from Ohanabatake.
Visit in spring for cherry blossoms at Hitsujiyama Park (late April), or in early December for the Chichibu Night Festival — one of Japan's most spectacular float festivals. The town also sells Anohana-branded goods at several shops near the station, and the local tourism office provides a pilgrimage map.