Anime pilgrimage, or “seichijunrei,” can be a pretty big deal in Japan, and the bigger a series is, the more people who generally want to go visit its real-life locations. In certain cases, whole towns have even mobilized to better facilitate this phenomenon, with a prominent example for this occurrence being the model for Studio Ghibli’s legendary Whisper of the Heart, an animated feature-film based in Seiseki-Sakuragaoka, Tokyo.
With that being said, it should go without saying that the immense popularity of the Fate/stay night franchise means that there a fair few people who want to visit the real-life locations of Fuyuki City. Most of the places in the series have been found to be based on real-life locations in Kobe, West Japan, but one mystery always remained – what was the design of the Japanese-style Emiya Mansion based on?
Certain aspects of the mansion had been throughout various parts of Kobe, but up until recently, the mansion largely remained shrouded in mystery. That was until pilgrimage blogger Okayoriidete received a comment on their blog pointing them towards a teahouse in Chiba – and what they found there was a treasure that has waited 14 years to be uncovered.
というわけでなんとですね、本当に素晴らしい方からのコメントのおかげで、衛宮邸の聖地が発見された模様です。 pic.twitter.com/fCN3qbtY5u
— アングラー (@okayoriidete) August 23, 2018
As you can see from the picture, the teahouse looks almost exactly like the Emiya Mansion that appears in the original 2004 visual novel. It’s always crazy when you go somewhere like this and get an intense feeling of déjà-vu, so I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of feeling this must conjure up inside any Fate/stay night fan.
Not only is this a great discovery for Fate fans and anime pilgrims alike, but the teahouse’s location in Chiba is incredibly convenient. After all, it’s just a train ride away from Tokyo, and Chiba itself is home to many otaku-focused events in it’s Makuhari Messe Hall, such as Wonder Festival and Tokyo Game Show, so stopping by the Emiya mansion after a tough otaku outing for a cup of tea may become a firm ritual – just like making your way over to the Gundam in Odaiba is a firm tradition after a long day at Comiket.
If you’re thinking of taking the pilgrimage yourself, then check out details of the teahouse here.
Thanks to Ben for the news tip.