47 Anime for 47 Prefectures in Japan | Hacker News Reader

47 Anime for 47 Prefectures in Japan

tokyoweekender.com

209 pointskeiferski67 comments

If I can also make suggestions:

Osaka: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. You can see such shotengai in real life Osaka as well. Also uses exclusively Kansai-ben.

Hiroshima: In This Corner of the World. It made me cry 3 times!

Fukuoka: Manga Bambino! An Italian food manga with a ca. 22 year old protagonist. I dearly dearly loved this manga when I was around the same age. The protagonist is from Fukuoka. This manga was one of the reasons that inspired or motivated me to learn how to cook properly. I liked everything about it: the drawings, the story, the content, the characters, how to navigate the world as a young adult.

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is probably under-appreciated, as it's overshadowed by some of the studio's more popular titles (including, of course, the juggernaut franchise of Evangelion). It's one of those works that feels inextricably linked to its setting; despite being another wildly imaginative Gainax series, the richness it draws from Kansai history and tradition is impressive.

A suggestion for Kyoto along similar lines: The Eccentric Family (both the original and sequel seasons).

Both the eccentric family and the night is long… are based on novels by Tomihiko Morimi, and have a similar flavor. He’s sort of a champion of an ideal of a magical Kyoto, centering around nightlife and private clubs. And I believe there is talk of a third novel of the Eccentric Family. I love the anime adaptations of his work, the novels themselves in translation I do not care for.

I loved In This Corner of the World! It's a really good take on WWII in Japan told from the eyes of an ordinary housewife in Hiroshima.

For Fukuoka, I also remembered that the recently aired Buddy Daddies is also set in Fukuoka. Two assassins end up taking custody of a little girl who is the kid of one of their targets. The kid is super innocent and cute, and from what I've seen, it's more about bringing up a kid (the checklist for things to prepare on day 1 of kindergarten seems very real) in Japan. Can recommend!

Seconding Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, it's a great anime and as someone who lived in Kansai for a few years a while ago feels nostalgic.

Note that this article shouldn't necessarily be used as a way to find new things to watch; there are some clangers in there to avoid.

I also need to call out Takayama in Gifu prefecture, which is the basis for the fictional Kamiyama from Hyouka, an absolutely wonderful school-life-cum-mystery series from Kyoto Animation.

It would also be remiss of me not to mention Zombieland Saga, where a mad idol producer resurrects dead entertainment stars as zombies to form an idol group to revitalise Saga prefecture.

Hyouka and Zombieland Saga are both really good shows. I especially loved Karatsu in Saga prefecture when I visited it back in 2019.

Apart from Yuri no Ice, Karatsu is also very aware of Zombieland Saga. I walked up to the tourist information desk at Karatsu station and asked if they had a map with spots for Zombieland Saga, and the guy not only got me one, but also marked a few additional spots while guiding me like "You know that scene in episode 1 where the girl was walking in the rain? That's this bridge right here", and lots more which even I didn't remember! I was really impressed how much knowledgeable he was.

Also kinda neat for the Saga <-> Zombieland Saga interaction is the saga government leaned into it a bit: https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2019/8/15/saga-gover...

> Note that this article shouldn't necessarily be used as a way to find new things to watch; there are some clangers in there to avoid.

Are there any “much watchers” in the list? For someone who is visiting Japan later this month, has been a couple of times before, and has some (very!) basic language?

Well, taste is subjective and all that but out of that list, I'd say these are fairly objectively successful and popular if you're willing to take that as a rough proxy for "good": Haikyuu, Yuru Camp, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, Girls und Panzer, K-On, Haruhi, and the Shinkai films

I personally also quite like Hanasaku Iroha, Barakamon, Natsume Yuujinchou, Night is Short and Summer Time Rendering

Kinda depends on what you're looking for, e.g. Haikyuu is very much a sports anime and does a lot with the tropes of that genre. If you just want to watch a single good thing that has a bearing on a locality in Japan and isn't a project in and of itself (cough Haruhi cough) or otherwise cult, I'd say just watch Wolf Children.

FYI for "The Shinkai films" it's Your Name and 5 Centimeters Per Second.

The first is the second largest domestic box office ever for Japan (after Spirited Away) while also being critically acclaimed.

The latter is quite well received critically, but was less popular (without spoiling anything, the ending is somewhat divisive). Still at a 63 minute runtime it's well worth watching, IMO.

Also, I'll second the Wolf Children recommendation. Everybody in my family liked it, and that's rather rare for a film.

Thanks, Wolf Children is a good place to start I think!

Thanks, I'll take a look at some of those.

Also note that anime is not even remotely a realistic portrayal of Japan and should not be used as such like the article is proposing.

It used to be a common phenomenon for western "otaku" to think anime represents life in Japan, then travel there and come to find out that it's deeply racist and xenophobic, has an extremely repressive criminal justice system, a strong "we did nothing wrong in WW2" attitude, and so on.

Having lived in Japan for multiple years in the past and knowing other foreigners who've lived there for a decade+, I'll say that while it's true it's no anime dreamland and skews insular, one's experiences there will vary a lot depending on approach.

For example if you're running with a younger crowd in Tokyo and have become reasonably adept at speaking the language you'll run into a lot less of that kind of thing — a lot of the time people there just aren't comfortable with dealing with those who don't speak Japanese well, and older individuals and more out of the way cities might be less accommodating of outsiders. Often when I see writings online about having a bad time, it's from jaded Eikawa teachers who've made no effort to learn Japanese or branch beyond their friend group of other foreigners despite having lived there for many years.

That said young people aren't running the government there due to being solidly outnumbered, so national policies are naturally going to be more reflective of its older population.

Which ones are the clangers? So that I can avoid them

The one that jumped out was Magical Girl Raising Project, which a younger me might have described as dark and edgy, but me today would call misery porn (it's not actually porn, just to be clear).

Now that I browse again, most are really good, but some are just a bit dull while being great examples of being from a certain place. Not to call it out in particular, but I ended up dropping Robotics;Notes for being kinda dull, despite it being part of the 5bp semicolon extended universe (Steins;Gate et al).

Really nice article with lots of good shows! My personal underappreciated yet awesome and highly recommended ones from that article are:

- Aomori: Flying Witch: Highly relaxing show with lots of nature.

- Wakayama: Summer Time Rendering: A highly highly underappreciated sci-fi thriller that picks up in the latter half and keeps getting better and better, with an awesome ending. Iirc the show was underappreciated in Japan because Disney+ had exclusive streaming rights when it was airing and it flew under a lot of people's radars due to that.

Also, doing pilgrimage for an anime you like provides a really good motivation to actually visit and explore the place. Japan is quite homogeneous but each place has their own charm.

Summer time Rendering was airing on at least BS11 (free channel on satellite broadcast), Tokyo MX and Kansai TV. It was made available on other streaming services like Amazon Prime, d-anime, Abema, etc. after the broadcast ended.

Surprised that the choice for Gunma was not Initial D [1]. The Anime mentions a lot of places and there are few (if any) vehicles in Anime more iconic than the protagonist's Toyota.

[1] https://myanimelist.net/anime/185/Initial_D_First_Stage

I doubt all but a very small portion of the general public have seen or heard of Initial D.

The Mach 5 from Speed Racer, Kaneda's motorcycle in Akira, and Lupin the Third's Fiat 500 are far more recognizable to the general public.

In terms of famous anime cars, there's also Misato's Renault Alpine A310 in Evangelion, the Honda Today Turbo from You're Under Arrest...

Also, of course, is Truck-kun, the most famous anime vehicle of all time...

I shouted "The AE86 sucks" into a crowd of car folks once. A fight broke out over if the AE86 could actually do what it wanted to in the show. When I was in high school, probably half the school wanted an AE86. They had just come into legal for import status around that time, having become 25 years old.

The zeitgeist of car culture knows about Initial D. It showed up on fucking Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and did stuff through the 00s mixed between normal stuff and anime-exclusives. It changed how we talk about cars ( http://www.tunedph.com/thanks-initial-d-elements-car-culture... ) and dropped Eurobeat on unsuspecting ravers and car fans alike ( https://hiddenpalmtree.com/blogs/random-jdm-fan/how-to-raise... )

When Toyota wanted to showcase Hydrogen & Electric cars, they chose to restomod a pair of AE86s: https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/13/23554387/toyota-ae86-bev-...

Yes. While some of the Anime mentioned by the parent may be known to a more general public, that doesn't mean that it is the same for the vehicle.

For those that know the Anime, Takumi's AE86 is really something different. The car has made more than one cameo in other Anime ([1] for example, but I remember in School Rumble too), street race or drifting scenes often involve a reference to the serie[2], and the Internet is full of people slapping Eurobeat songs on top of a random cartoon [3] or their own driving [4][5].

Write AE86 on Amazon and you will find plenty of stuff about the car.

And I saw more than one case of old Toyotas painted up like in the Anime, "Fujiwara Tofu shop" writing on the side include. And I mean in Europe, not Japan.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDTqU0GAKI [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgmyVTVc-Yc [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97xT8C07crI [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyO2vMGCaK8 [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptz91D97R0g

Heck, the power of Initial D is such that you can search for "eurobeat", select "Videos", and chances are you'll see a screen full of AE86es.

[Vic Romano voice] Wrong you are, Ken.

For Yamanashi, I can't help but think about Stink Bomb, part of Memories (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_(1995_film) ), although it's only barely related to the prefecture.

The Japanese title also happens to be a pun: 最臭兵器 (the most stinky weapon) is pronounced the same way as 最終兵器 (ultimate weapon).

I watched that film for the first time about a year ago, and it’s one of those anime I’d recommend to non-anime-fan film nerds and “genre” (horror, sci fi, in this case) fans. Lots of anime’s a bit of an acquired taste due largely to stylistic elements and use of tropes, but that one’s got solid cross-interest appeal, I’d say.

The 2022 Anime Blockbuster Movie Suzume by Makoto Shinkai starts out in Miyazaki Prefecture.(https://miyazakian.com/locations/nichinan/suzume.html) We're often forgotten as a destination, even though Miyazaki is a hidden gem as a Surfers and nature paradise. I'm trying to change that through my Miyazakian website.

Wow, I was aware that it starts in Miyazaki, but didn't know exactly where! Thanks for sharing the place and your experiences!

I definitely want to visit Nichinan at some point.

Happy to see Slam Dunk mentioned, especially with a recently released film[1] animating (finally!) the last part of the manga. The series has aged beautifully.

[1]: The First Slam Dunk – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Slam_Dunk

I went to see the movie in the cinema without knowing anything really about basketball (European) or about slamdunk and enjoyed it the whole way through

Likewise, I was a bit reluctant to watch it, because I know nothing about basketball. After watching it, I kinda want to just play basketball :)

That's how I felt about volleyball after watching Haikyuu (Miyagi Prefecture, on the list). It's the only thing I look forward to about the Olympics.

Summer Wars also features a glimpse of Carnegie Mellon University (with one L) as one of the characters is a professor there.

I never figured out why CMU would have enough name recognition in Japan to show up in an anime.

Don’t miss the scene where Japan is saved by a game of Hana Fuda

>I never figured out why CMU would have enough name recognition in Japan to show up in an anime.

CMU is a solid computer science and engineering school which has found a way to get its name thrown in up there with the likes of MIT and Caltech (can't tell you how many times I've seen CS-oriented folks praise CMU like it's MIT). It's also possible that someone at the studio has a connection to CMU and wanted to include it.

For CS, CMU has a similar reputation to MIT and CalTech, even though it doesn't have as much name-brand recognition among the general public.

Carnegie Mellon sounds like Car, Negi (green onion) and Melon. Massachusetts is known for difficult to pronounce.

>Summer Wars

Has any other director managed to get away with making the same film three times?

>A group of kids save the world via playing battle games in an ultra detailed 3D virtual world.

Now, is that Digimon (2000), Summer Wars (2008) or Belle (2021)?

I can give him a pass for Digimon -> Summer Wars, since it's understandable why he might want to explore the same space again with full length and without the restrictions being part of a then-major kid's franchise brings.

I haven't seen Belle, so can't comment on that one.

Belle seems to do the same things as Summer Wars, but worse. It's not great imo.

It's not great, but it's not 'save the world in VR'. It's 'save one abuse victim in VR'.

I think this quote is fitting

> A director only makes one film in his life. Then he breaks it into pieces and makes it again. - Jean Renoir

True of programmers too I’ve noticed.

I'm sure there's lots of B movie directors that made the same film more than 3 times.

It also casually mention the International Mathematical Olympiad (the protagonist is a participant) which is neat (but not plot-centric per se).

Japan is saved by Hana Fuda but the family is saved by MATH.

There appears to be a trend of listing all the prefectures and what's special about each of them.

Here's a depiction of each prefecture using characters from the Wojak universe:

https://youtu.be/zStW7hLY51w

Well, this one plays mostly on stereotypes (I assume - I don't know exactly), but still.

This put into my mind the Travel Oregon ads produced a couple years ago in the Miyazaki style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVV1a7XgyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC-XmyEfhI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4fGPPPmGA

Which sites from anime would be the best to visit for actual tourism?

Places with just a few cafes and streets seen in the anime aren't worth the trip.

Something like nature from Yamanashi (Yuru Camp) or Oarai for the tank festival (Girls Und Panzer) would be fun.

Definitely Kyoto. TFA's rec of Night is Short certainly isn't wrong, but the classic Kyoto anime pilgrimage rec is the precursor show, The Tatami Galaxy. You can locate pretty much every scene from the show: https://jamesofwalsh.com/2015/05/17/tatami-galaxy-and-kyoto/

I should write up my explorations sometime as I think it was more detailed than any of the ones I can quickly find on Google in English, e.g. going out to the Keage Incline. It was a great excuse to wander around Kyoto, a great city.

While I'm talking about the Kyoto area and anime, I've got to add that if you've seen Chihayafuru, go to Omi Jingu (近江神宮). Otsu is right there and Lake Biwa is neat anyway. I was able to watch some live karuta, chat about the show and the game, buy some cards and very poorly attempt to play with them (sorry, haven't actually memorized 百人一首 yet!).

you might enjoy this write-up of someone's yuru camp pilgrimage, then: https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/86c4rg/i_went_to_the...

i actually visited sendai for haikyuu! i enjoyed my time there a lot - there's a lot of beautiful day trips available like matsushima and yamagata - but i wouldn't recommend visiting it for haikyuu. sports stadiums are not that interesting from outside and most of the actual locations in the manga are based on a small town deep in the countryside.

I can't blame them picking what they picked for Gunma but I always think of Initial D when I think about Gunma in anime.

Although considering the Gunma pick, I'm surprised they slept on Zombie Land Saga for Saga.

I think they accidentally created a perfect idea for a new anime called "47" where some character on a motorcycle or for some other method/reason takes a trip to all the prefectures in Japan, one per episode, to show the highlights of each location.

I'd watch the heck out of that if the story was decent.

And knowing there would be 47 episode keeps people hooked. They might even use some weird concept like teleporting or like "quantum leap" where they are stuck inside each prefecture for a day or week before they can leave.

See what I mean? It writes itself.

While that does seem like a nice idea, I highly doubt it'll materialize because of the sheer cost of ロケハン(location hunting). Atleast some of the key staff would need to visit every prefecture in Japan to take photos, gather local material(a lot of which might not exist online), which would cost time and money; both things the anime industry lacks.

Collaboration between different studios is also not viable because barring some exceptions (PA Works in Toyama, Kyoto Animation in Kyoto/Nara), almost all the studios are concentrated in Western Tokyo.

Unless, if the anime was crowdfunded. Maybe.

(I don't currently work in the industry; I'm just voicing my personal opinion.)

Interesting idea. If I were ever to travel to Japan, I'd visit a lot of the cities and towns that are mentioned in Murakami's books, including those that were affected by the gas attacks.

Kinda surprised they didnt take Zombie Land Saga for Saga prefecture. It's literally made to promote the prefecture. Plus its a wonderful anime with lovely characters

If someone is looking for more recommendations based on anime they've watched and their locations, here's a 2019-version in Japanese (there's a huge number of videos in Japanese it seems, I just took a random version).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlvPi09jVoA

I'll try listing them the ones below (brackets contain English names):

1. Hokkaido

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san: Sapporo City

Boku dake ga inai machi (Erased): Tomakomai City

Kanon: Sapporo City

Seitokai no ichizon: Sapporo City

Golden Kamui: All across Hokkaido

Servant x Service: Sapporo City

Sora no method: Toyako Town

Omoide no Marnie (When Marnie Was There): Kushiro City

Kimi ni todoke: Haboro Town

WORKING!!: Sapporo City

Saikano: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet : Otaru City

Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru (Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation): Asahikawa City

2. Aomori Prefecture

Kumo no mukou, yakusoku no basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days): Aomori Prefecture

Flying Witch: Hirosaki City

3. Iwate Prefecture

Inugami!: Morioka City

4. Miyagi Prefecture

Kannagi: Sendai City

Haikyuu: Sendai City

Wake Up, Girls: Sendai City

5. Akita Prefecture

Itoshi no Muco (Lovely Muco): Akita City

Kumamiko: Akita Prefecture

6. Yamagata Prefecture

Omoide Poroporo: Yamagata City

LEVEL E: Yamagata City

7. Fukushima Prefecture

Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (Engaged to the Unidentified): Kooriyama City

8. Ibaraki Prefecture

Girls und Panzer: Oorai Town

Momokuri: Mito City

Noucome (My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy): Mito City

Sakura Trick: Inashiki City

9. Tochigi Prefecture

Yosuga no sora: Ashikaga City

Mokke: Tochigi Prefecture

Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase: Utsunomiya City

10. Gunma Prefecture

Nichijou: Isesaki City

Initial D: Mt. Akagi, Mt. Myogi

Sora yori mo tooi basho (A Place Further than the Universe): Tatebayashi City

Aku no Hana: Kiryu City

Houkago no Pleadas: Oota City

(Part 2)

11. Saitama Prefecture

Lucky Star: Kasukabe City, Kuki City, Satte City

Saekano (How to raise a boring girlfriend): Wakou City

Tsuki ga kirei: Kawagoe City

Crayon Shin-chan: Kasukabe City

Yama no susume (Encouragement of Climb): Hanno City

Kokoro ga sakebitagatterunda (The Anthem of the Heart): Chichibu City

Kobayashi-sanchi no maidragon (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid): Koshigaya City

Kamisama hajimemashita: Kawagoe City

Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: Saitama City Oomiya Ward

Anohana: Chichibu City

Urawa no usagi-san: Saitama City Urawa Ward

12. Chiba Prefecture

Ro-kyu-bu! : Matsudo City

Kin'iro Mozaic: Narashino City

Action Heroine Cheer Fruits: Otaki Town

Futsuu no joshikousei ga Locodol yattemita: Nagareyama City

Oregairu : Chiba City

Amagami SS: Choshi City

Oreimo: Chiba City

Watamote: Chiba City, Funabashi City

Fireworks: Choshi City

13. Tokyo

Doraemon: Nishitokyo City

Sazae-san: Setagaya Ward

Love Live!: Chiyoda Ward (same ward as Akihabara)

14. Kanagawa Prefecture

Squid Girl: Kamakura City

Hanayamata: Kamakura City

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai: Fujisawa City

High School Fleet: Yokosuka City

Kokoro Connect: Yokohama City

Evangelion: Hakone Town

Tari Tari: Fujisawa City

Major: Yokohama City

Bungou Stray Dogs: Yokohama City

Release the Spyce: Kawasaki City Kawasaki Ward

After the Rain: Yokohama City

School Days: Sagamihara City

15. Niigata Prefecture

Idol Incidents: Niigata City

Dream Eater Merry: Jouetsu City

16. Toyama Prefecture

Yuru Yuri: Takaoka City

Persona: trinity soul: Toyama City

Sakura Quest: Nanto City

Another: Nanto City

I want to eat your pancreas: Imizu City

Wolf Children: Kamiichi Town

(Part 3)

17. Ishikawa Prefecture

Hanasaku Iroha: Kanazawa City

Angel Beats: Kanazawa City

Rescue Wings: Komatsu City

18. Fukui Prefecture

Glasslip: Sakai City

GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class: Fukui City

19. Yamanashi Prefecture

Asatte no houkou: Hokuto City

Munto: Ichikawamisato Town

Yuru Camp: Minobu Town

Mayoiga: Doushi Village

20. Nagano Prefecture

Slow Start: Karuizawa Town

Ano natsu de matteiru: Komoro City

One Off: Iida City

orange: Matsumoto City

Onegai Teacher: Oomachi City

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin: Nagano City

Summer Wars: Ueda City

Saki: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1vPkjCFRUP2pHyR... (I couldn't read the town name so have a map with all the spots marked instead)

21. Gifu Prefecture

Kimi no na wa (Your Name): Hida City

Koe no katachi(A Silent Voice): Oogaki City

Higurashi no naku koro ni (When the cicadas cry): Shirakawa Village

Nourin: Minokamo City

Hyouka: Takayama City

Ren'ai Lab: Gifu City

Haganai (I have few friends): Gifu City

Bokura wa minna kawaisou (The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior): Gifu City

22. Shizuoka Prefecture

Gabriel Dropout: Hamamatsu City

Love Live! Sunshine: Numazu City

Captain Tsubasa: Shizuoka City

Chibi Maruko-chan: Shizuoka City

Amanchu!: Itou City

Ichigo Mashimaro: Shizuoka City

Natsuiro kiseki: Shimoda City

Granblue: Itou City

23. Aichi Prefecture

Gotoubun no hanayome (The Quintessential Quintuplets): Toukai City

Denpa onna to seishun otoko: Nagoya City

Usagi Drop: Nagoya City

Subete ga F ni naru: The Perfect Insider: Nagoya City, Minamichita Town

Geobreeders: Nagoya City

24. Mie Prefecture

Hanbun no tsuki ga noboru sora: Ise City

Nagi no asu kara (NagiAsu –A Lull in the Sea): Kumano City

(Part 4) 25. Shiga Prefecture

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Ootsu City

Donten ni Warau (Laughing Under the Clouds): Ootsu City

26. Kyoto-fu

K-ON!: Kyoto City

Tamako Market: Kyoto City

Inari, konkon, koi iroha: Kyoto City

Uchouten Kazoku: Kyoto City

Deaimon: Kyoto City

The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl: Kyoto City

Kyousougiga: Kyoto City

Hibike! Euphonium: Uji City

Kyoto Teramachi-sanjo no Holmes: Kyoto City

27. Osaka-fu

Ryuuou no oshigoto(The Ryuo's Work Is Never Done!): Osaka City

Hand Shakers: Osaka City

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi: Osaka City

28. Hyogo Prefecture

This Art Club Has a Problem! : Himeji City

Wakaokami wa shougakusei (Okko's Inn): Kobe City

Fate/Stay Night: Kobe City

Sakamoto desu ga? : Nishinomiya City

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Kobe City

Keijo: Awaji Island

Suzumiya Haruhi: Nishinomiya City

Grave of the fireflies: Nishinomiya City

29. Nara prefecture

Beyond the Boundary: Kashihara City

Red Data Girl: Totsukawa Village

Penguin Highway: Ikoma City

30. Wakayama City

AIR: Mihama Town

Binchoutan: Minabe Town

Binbougami ga!: Wakayama City

Lamune: Shirahama Town

31. Tottori Prefecture

Free!: Iwami Town

32. Shimane Prefecture

Blue Seed: Izumo City

Sguy & The Family Stone: Izumo City

33. Okayama Prefecture

Tenchi Muyo!: Okayama Prefecture

Hirune Hime (Napping Princess): Kurashiki City

34. Hiroshima Prefecture

Kamichu!: Onomichi City

Sora to umi no aida(Between the Sky and Sea): Onomichi City

Kimi no iru machi (A town where you live): Shobara City

Tamayura: Takehara City

Tanaka-kun wa itsumo kedaruge(Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless): Hiroshima City

Kono sekai no katasumi ni (In This Corner of the World): Kure City

Ponyo: Fukuyama City

35. Yamaguchi Prefecture

He Is My Master: Ube City

Mai Mai Miracle: Hofu City

Oku-sama wa Mahō Shōjo: Bewitched Agnes: Hagi City

The Wings of Rean: Iwakuni City

36. Tokushima Prefecture

Minori Scramble: Tokushima prefecture

37. Kagawa Prefecture

Karakai jouzu no Takagi-san (Teasing Master Takagi-san): Shoudo Island

Seto no Hanayome: Mitoyo City

Poco's Udon World: Takamatsu City

38. Ehime Prefecture

Mai:HIME: Matsuyama City

39. Kochi Prefecture

Poppin'Q: Nakatosa Town

Ocean Waves: Kochi City

40. Fukuoka Prefecture

Yuyushiki: Fukuoka City

Sketch Book Full Color's: Fukuoka City

Sono Toki, Kanojo wa: Fukuoka City

Sora no otoshimono (Heaven's Lost Property): Asakura City

Cooking Papa: Fukuoka Cuity

Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits: Kitakyuushuu City

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens: Fukuoka City

41. Saga Prefecture

Zombieland Saga: All across Saga Prefecture

Yuri!!! no Ice: Karatsu City

42. Nagasaki Prefecture

Barakamon: Goto City

Sakamichi no Apollon: Sasebo City

sola: Nagasaki City

Ao no kanata no four rhythm (Aokana - Four Rhythms Across the Blue): Goto City

Iroduku: The World in Colors: Nagasaki City

43. Kumamoto Prefecture

Natsume Yuujinchou: Hitoyoshi City

Aki no Kanade: Kumamoto Citu

44. Oita Prefecture

ReLIFE: Oita City

Prefectural Earth Defense Force: Oita City

45. Miyazaki Prefecture

Hyakko: All Across Miyazaki Prefecture

46. Kagoshima Prefecture

Robotics;Notes: Tanegashima Island

5 centimeters per second: Tanegashima Island

Princess Mononoke: Okushima Island

Umi monogatari: Amami

47. Okinawa Prefecture

Harukana Receive: Uruma City

BLOOD+: Uruma City

Haitai Nanafa: Naha City

Eureka Seven AO: Ishigaki Island

Asobi ni iku yo: Naha City

...Wait. It's almost 4 AM and I have work in a few hours. What am I doing? Sorry for the long comments.

Why is it always Japan and anime? It'd be nice to see articles like "32 Telenovelas for 32 States of Mexico" or "16 Home Renovation Shows for 16 Bundesländer of Germany" every once in a while.

Cultural invasion from another country is why.

Ever play Civ 5 and get the message how another country is annoyed that their citizens are all wearing blue jeans?

Anime is popular, subculture wise, and people who like it would most likely grew up on the internet. Thus more news about Japan would spread online. We see the same thing with Korea now with kpop, kdrama.

Compare that to Mexico or Germany, where is their cultural influence? Food yes, drinks yes. But there's virtually no media being published on the same scale as Japan. Nor is it constantly talked about.

Japan and anime are a bit special as well, because they tend to always animate their home country or include it in some manner.

These lists exist but they are usually not in English. There's countless memes or listicles of Colombian departments on Spanish-speaking websites.

Find, write or translate these articles and post them.

Because Rome and Greece. The Greek states lost militarily, but ultimately won culturally.

Also (still) the third largest economy in the world, and for a decently long time, second. That necessarily leaves its mark on the rest of the world.

Why doesn't China enjoy the same sort of influence? Because they erased much of their culture during communism.

I'd say Japan also lost much of their culture during a process of westernization, before and after WWII, but the resulting amalgamation was much more potent (especially memetically) than the mess that China ended up with after Mao.

You have stumbled on to “the tech community idolizes Japan”. It gets old pretty quickly.

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