Chihiro Ishizuka's manga (2012) and J.C.Staff anime (2016): Makoto, a fifteen-year-old witch, leaves Yokohama to live with relatives in the countryside of Hirosaki (Aomori), where magic mingles with everyday life in northern Japan. A calm, luminous slice of life, faithfully set in Hirosaki and its rural surroundings.
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Hirosaki Stationarriving in Hirosaki
location
Hirosaki Station, the gateway to the city, faithfully reproduced in the series; at Makoto's arrival and in the characters' journeys.
Source & evidence
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Fujita Memorial Garden (Taishō café)the anime café
location
A Taishō-era garden and Western-style mansion in Hirosaki; its tea salon appears in the series as the café the characters visit. One of the loveliest stops on the route.
Source & evidence
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Hirosaki Park (Hirosaki Castle)the castle and cherry trees
location
The great park of Hirosaki Castle, famous for its cherry blossoms, with its keep and moats. A recognizable setting of the city that appears in the series.
Source & evidence
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Chūō-Hirosaki Stationthe local railway
location
The small terminal station of the Kōnan Railway in central Hirosaki, with its retro air. It appears in the series' local journeys.
Source & evidence
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Kijin Shrine (Oni Shrine), Onizawathe oni shrine
location
A shrine in the rural district of Onizawa ('the demon's marsh'), on the outskirts of Hirosaki, dedicated to a benevolent oni. It lies in the countryside where Makoto's life is set, and fits the series' magical tone.
Source & evidence
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