Mystery and psychological horror series created by Ryukishi07 (07th Expansion). In the peaceful rural village of Hinamizawa, a chain of deaths and disappearances recurs every year during the cotton-drifting festival (Watanagashi). Hinamizawa is traced directly from the real village of Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go (Gifu) — a UNESCO World Heritage group of gasshō-zukuri farmhouses whose landscapes are faithfully reproduced in the work.
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Ogimachi Village (Shirakawa-go) — The Village of Hinamizawathe Hinamizawa village
location
The cluster of steep thatched-roof gasshō-zukuri farmhouses of Ogimachi is the direct model for the village of Hinamizawa. Its lanes, rice paddies, and centuries-old houses are reproduced with photographic fidelity throughout the series. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, together with Gokayama.
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Shiroyama Viewpoint — The Aerial View of the Villagethe opening view
location
The lookout on the ruins of Ogimachi Castle offers the panoramic view of the village from above: the very framing that opens many episodes and shows Hinamizawa ringed by mountains and rice fields. A 15-minute walk from the village center.
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Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine — Model for Furude ShrineFurude Shrine
location
The village shrine, model for the Furude Shrine tended by Rika Furude's family. Its grounds host the annual Doburoku Festival each October — the basis for the cotton-drifting festival (Watanagashi) around which the entire plot revolves. Surrounded by ancient cedars.
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Deai Bridge — The Suspension Bridge into the Villagegateway to the village
location
The pedestrian suspension bridge over the Shō River connecting the main parking area to the village. It is the gateway into Hinamizawa and appears in numerous transition scenes of Keiichi and his friends.
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Wada House — The Largest Gasshō-zukuri Housegasshō-zukuri house
location
The largest and oldest gasshō-zukuri house in Ogimachi (an Important Cultural Property), home of an influential local family. Its imposing wooden architecture represents the great houses of Hinamizawa village. Open to visitors inside.
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Myōzen-ji Temple — The Thatched-Roof Templethe village temple
location
A Buddhist temple with a rare thatched gasshō-zukuri bell gate (shōrō) and main hall, one of the most photographed buildings in Shirakawa-go. It provides the rural-temple atmosphere that pervades the village settings in the series.
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