Makoto Shinkai's 2019 film, his follow-up to 'Your Name'. In a Tokyo drowning in endless rain, Hodaka, a teenage runaway to the capital, meets Hina, a girl who can clear the sky and bring out the sun just by praying: a 'sunshine girl'. Shinkai, nicknamed the 'god of backgrounds', recreates the real Tokyo in photographic detail — humble stations, rooftop shrines, alleys in the rain — turning the film into a fresh pilgrimage phenomenon, just as 'Your Name' did.
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Kōenji Hikawa Shrine (Weather Shrine)weather shrine
Within the grounds of this Suginami shrine stands Kishō Jinja, the only shrine in Japan dedicated to a weather deity. It is the model for the film's weather shrine, recognizable by its geta-clog-shaped ema (wish plaques) — clogs were once tossed to predict whether the sun would shine. Fans write wishes for good weather on them.
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Asahi Inari Shrine (Ginza)rooftop shrine
A small shrine on the rooftop of the Asahi Building in Ginza, reached by elevator to the 8th floor and then a flight of stairs. It is the model for the shrine atop Yoyogi Kaikan where Hina receives her 'sunshine girl' powers — a curious example of Shinto tradition perched on top of a modern office building.
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Yoyogi Kaikanabandoned building
A ramshackle seven-story building next to Yoyogi Park that appears at the start of the film, as Hina climbs its stairs toward the rooftop shrine. Its abandoned, slightly eerie atmosphere was reproduced almost exactly in the movie. The real building was demolished in 2020, so it now survives only on screen.
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Tabata Station South Exittheir meeting
Beside Tabata Station's south exit — the only unstaffed exit on the entire Yamanote Line — unfolds the railway scene where Hodaka and Hina meet, and it reappears several times. Tabata is the northernmost stop on the Yamanote, over a century old, set in a quiet neighborhood known as 'the town of writers'.
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Nozoki Hill (Nozoki-zaka)the slope
A steep slope in a residential part of Takada (Toshima), one of the sharpest in Tokyo, which fans quickly recognized in the film. It appears as one of those everyday corners that Shinkai elevates into a memorable image, and it became a regular stop on the pilgrimage route.
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Roppongi Hills observation deck (Mori Tower)opening shot
The open-air observation deck of Roppongi Hills' Mori Tower — the highest in Tokyo — is the setting for the film's opening shot, where Hina looks out over the city and prays for the rain to stop so the fireworks can go ahead. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mount Fuji from here.