The Last Summer of Heisei: A Pilgrimage to the Locations of '5 Centimeters per Second' from Tanegashima to Tochigi

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"Hey, I heard it's five centimeters per second."

"The speed at which cherry blossoms fall, five centimeters per second."

"Akari really knows a lot about this."

"Doesn't it feel like snow?"

The first time I watched '5 Centimeters per Second,' I felt the story was sad from its title to the plot.

It wasn't until Makoto Shinkai's 'Your Name.' became a huge hit

that I went back to watch '5 Centimeters per Second' again.

Of course, it was still sad!

But besides the sadness, I had always been very interested in Tanegashima, the setting of the second story, though I never thought I would actually go there.

That changed when I found a travelogue by Brother Yaheng on Mafengwo, and the feasibility of going to Tanegashima seemed increasingly possible.

As for my annual travel plan, I went to Russia in February to see the Northern Lights, and in July my friends planned a trip to Japan. Since I hadn't recovered financially from the Russia trip, I wanted to go but obviously couldn't. However, I decided that my next destination would definitely be Japan.

And this plan fulfilled something I had wanted to do for many years: go to Tanegashima.

Once my company granted annual leave in July, I started planning my Japan trip.

In early August, I set a preliminary route; in September, I arranged visas, flights, and hotels; in October, I booked ferry tickets, train tickets, and domestic flights within Japan.

After all the arrangements, I was really looking forward to the trip!

From November 2nd to November 11th, the Japan trip covered everything from the southernmost Tanegashima in '5 Centimeters per Second' to the northernmost Iwafune. Although I didn't visit any trendy or must-see attractions, this pilgrimage was truly meaningful!

Details of this Japan trip will be written in another travelogue:

http://www.mafengwo.cn/u/93012273.html

Day 1: Chengdu - Hong Kong - Kagoshima

Day 2: Kagoshima

Day 3: Kagoshima - Ibusuki

Day 4: Ibusuki - Tanegashima

Day 5: Tanegashima - Tokyo

Day 6: Tokyo (Shinjuku - Omiya - Oyama - Iwafune - Kasukabe)

Day 7: Tokyo Disneyland

Day 8: Tokyo (Shinjuku - JAL factory tour)

Day 9: Tokyo (Shinjuku - Sangubashi - Gotokuji Temple) - Enoshima

Day 10: Tokyo - Hong Kong - Chengdu