All Aboard the AnoNatsu Train

As the anime industry has changed, with fans no longer willing to plunk down $800 to own a series on laserdisc as we used to (really!), anime studios have had to come up with fresh ways of engaging fans and advertising their properties. One way has been to tie up with rural Japanese towns, setting series in real locations in part to promote the locations as nice places to visit, as Hanasaku Iroha or Rinne no Lagrange have done recently. This trend started a decade ago with Please Teacher! and Please Twins!, which were set next to the pleasant Lake Kizaki in Nagano Prefecture, and the area quickly became “holy land” for thousands of otakus who visit every year. The anime Ano Natsu de Matteru (Waiting in the Summer) is located in a nice town called Komuro, also in Nagano Prefecture, and this weekend there’ll be a ceremony to launch an ita-train (a train with anime images printed on the side) to promote the series as well as raise tourist interest in the region. If you’re in Nagano this weekend, I’ll see you on the train!