Who Is Taki Tachibana?

Taki Tachibana (立花 瀧, Tachibana Taki) is the male protagonist of Your Name (君の名は。, Kimi no Na wa.), Makoto Shinkai's 2016 animated film. He is a second-year high school student living in Yotsuya, Tokyo, who works part-time at an Italian restaurant and aspires to be an architect. His life changes when he begins swapping bodies with Mitsuha Miyamizu, a girl from a mountain town in Gifu Prefecture.

Taki's Japanese Name

His full name in Japanese is 立花 瀧 (Tachibana Taki):

  • 立花 (Tachibana) — "standing flower" or "mandarin orange tree." 立 (tachi) means "standing" and 花 (hana/bana) means "flower." The tachibana is also a citrus tree historically associated with Shinto ritual purity in Japan, quietly linking him to Mitsuha's shrine world.
  • 瀧 (Taki) — "waterfall." Water imagery connects both protagonists — Mitsuha's family name means "shrine water," while Taki's given name evokes rushing, downward flow. The contrast (still pond vs. waterfall) mirrors their different personalities and settings.

Taki's Character & Role

Taki is a serious, slightly prickly teenager with a strong work ethic. He's passionate about architecture and sketching buildings. When he inhabits Mitsuha's body, he is initially baffled by rural life but gradually grows protective of her world.

  • Personality: Reserved and focused, with a sharp temper when flustered — especially when Mitsuha, inhabiting his body, behaves too freely.
  • Senpai crush: Taki has a crush on his restaurant coworker Miki Okudera. Mitsuha (in his body) helps him with this relationship — leading to bittersweet complications.
  • Architecture interest: Taki's sketches of cityscapes and his eye for buildings reflect Makoto Shinkai's meticulous rendering of Tokyo's actual architecture — every building in the film matches its real-world counterpart.
  • The search: When the body-swapping suddenly stops, Taki travels to Gifu to find Mitsuha, relying only on sketches he drew from memory during the swap.

Real Tokyo Locations from Taki's World

Yotsuya & Yotsuya Sanchome

Taki's apartment and school are located in the Yotsuya area of Shinjuku Ward. The film's background art faithfully recreates the actual streetscapes of Yotsuya — if you walk from Yotsuya-Sanchome Station toward the residential back streets, the buildings and stairways match the anime closely.

Suga Shrine (須賀神社)

Suga Shrine in Yotsuya is the iconic staircase where Taki and Mitsuha finally see each other in the film's climax. The stone steps leading up to the shrine are immediately recognizable from the film's most emotional scene. This is the single most visited Your Name pilgrimage spot in Tokyo.

  • Address: 5 Chome-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo
  • Access: 5-minute walk from Yotsuya-Sanchome Station (Marunouchi Line)
  • Tip: Visit at dusk for the closest visual match to the film's golden-hour lighting.

Italian Restaurant District (Roppongi/Minami-Aoyama)

The restaurant where Taki works as a waiter is based on the Roppongi and Minami-Aoyama area. The elevated expressway views, the glass-fronted buildings, and the evening city lights in the restaurant scenes match this part of Tokyo precisely.

Shinjuku Skyline Views

Several shots of Tokyo from Taki's perspective show the western Shinjuku skyscraper district. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building area and the high-rise cluster are visible in the background of scenes where Taki walks through the city.

National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi)

The undulating glass facade of the National Art Center appears in the background of scenes set in Taki's Tokyo. Shinkai used it as an example of contemporary Japanese architecture that Taki — aspiring architect — would notice.

Visiting Tips: A Your Name Tokyo Day

  • Start at Suga Shrine: Arrive early or at sunset. Walk the steps slowly — you'll want time for photos. The shrine itself is small and traditional, easy to miss if you're not looking for it.
  • Yotsuya-Sanchome walk: From the shrine, walk north through Yotsuya's back streets. The residential lanes, stone walls, and hillside views closely match the film.
  • Roppongi / Minami-Aoyama: Combine with a visit to the National Art Center (closed Tuesdays) and the surrounding gallery district — Taki's architectural world come to life.
  • Shinjuku at night: End the day in Shinjuku for the city lights and density that define Taki's Tokyo. The view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck (free) gives the best panorama.
  • Combine with Mitsuha's world: For the full Your Name experience, take an overnight trip to Hida-Furukawa and Lake Suwa after your Tokyo day.