The Studio Ghibli film directed by Yoshifumi Kondō with a Miyazaki script (1995), about Shizuku, a voracious reader who follows a mysterious cat to an antiques shop and resolves to write her first story. Its setting traces the Seiseki-Sakuragaoka neighbourhood in Tama (Tokyo), whose slopes, rotary and 'post box of youth' are now a classic Ghibli pilgrimage.
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Seiseki-Sakuragaoka StationSugi-no-miya Station
location
It is the model for Sugi-no-miya Station, where Shizuku gets off the train when taking her father his lunch and starts following Moon the cat; the platform, stairs and ticket gates are almost identical. Its train-approach melody is "Country Road", and since 2012 the west exit has the "Youth Postbox", a replica of the Chikyūya shop where people post letters with their dreams, next to a map of the area.
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Iroha-zaka SlopeShizuku's climb
location
The winding slope and stairs climbing from the station up the hill: Shizuku climbs it chasing Moon, runs down its stairs when she spots the airship ("something good is going to happen today"), and Seiji and Shizuku ride it by bike. It is a residential area: respect the residents.
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Iroha-zaka Sakura Park — where the library would bethe library
location
In the film, the library where Shizuku's father works stands halfway up the slope; in reality there is no library, and this small park with views over Tama occupies the spot. Behind it is the hilltop fans call "Mimi-oka", where Seiji declares himself at dawn, now closed to the public.
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Konpira Shrine — Sugimura's confessionSugimura's confession
location
At this small shrine beside the Iroha-zaka slope, Shizuku's childhood friend Sugimura confesses his feelings to her: a first shock for a Shizuku who had not yet thought about love. The stairs and grounds look very much like the film.
Source & evidence
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Sakuragaoka Roundabout — where Chikyūya would bethe antiques shop
location
At the top of the slope, this residential roundabout is where the film places the Chikyūya antique shop and the Noah bakery, which Shizuku reaches following Moon. The shop does not exist (there was a café considered its model, now closed). Residential area: keep quiet and be respectful.
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