AKB48 Filming Locations and Tourism

Hi everyone, I'm creating this thread because I've been thinking about AKB48's impact on tourism and I thought it would be a good idea to talk about their filming locations, regardless of whether it is for music videos, television shows or variety shows and how us fans who are living in Japan or vacationing there can visit them to get a more unique experience in Japan.

One experience of mine that I have to share was how I visisted Takarazuka after watching Mayuyu and NMB48's episode of AKB to XX (Episode 65 and 66) and I went to all the places that Mayuyu visited and I had so much fun! I wouldn't be able to have such yummy egg sandwhiches and milk pudding if not for the protips given by them so it was really amazing. What's funny was that it's even raining on that day itself (just like in the episode) so I had a good time picturing myself as Mayuyu the ameonna and the queen of AKB48.

The egg sandwhich shop: LEMANS
I can't find the milk pudding shop online but it's just next to the sandwhich shop.

Another that came to my mind is the PV for Kimi to Deatte Boku wa Kawatta (the NMB song centered by Nagisa) which shows you all the must visit locations in Osaka and all the things to eat when you're there!

So yes, please feel free to share with everyone here if you have any good travel tips to share. I'm personally very interested in the tree that they filmed Sakura no Kini Narou at, so it'll be great if someone can share some information about this.

 

Last weekend as part of my trip to Japan I paid a brief visit to the city of Niigata purely because of NGT48 and the MV for 'Max Toki 315go'. I took photos of some of the locations and posted them in the NGT48 General thread:

http://www.stage48.net/forum/index.php?threads/general-the-ngt48-thread.8587/page-97#post-1301834

Last year when I was in Fukuoka I crossed the street used in the KFC MV, the location is next to the old HKT48 Theater in Hawks Town. The place I'd most like to visit is the Sunosaki Lighthouse in Chiba Prefecture which appears in the MV for 'Aitakatta':

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunosaki_Lighthouse

 

You are basically asking @GeoFreak to write a 20 page essay here about yui's kyoto show

 

OMG THANKS! I'd love to visit this iconic place!

Sorry if there's a thread already. I didn't know how to look for it ><

 

Well, here's a bit, at the end of this post: http://stage48.net/forum/index.php?threads/yokoyama-yui-yui.2119/page-245#post-1147009

Going through all the other places I've visited from Irodori Nikki would indeed take way too long. A few I can remember right now are:

Episode 29, the special with Annin where they went to temples in Kizugawa (I went on the same day as going to the bookstore in the aforementioned post)

Kurumazaki Jinja, where Yuihan and a bunch of other 48G members have their names written on fence posts for good luck (I took a bunch of photos of NMB members)

Episode 43, the nameless ramen shop, one of the best ramen I've ever had: https://twitter.com/GeoFreak17/status/826997230275944449 (I was in Japan when that episode aired and decided to go as soon as I got to Kyoto)

And her favorite dashimaki (omelette) shop in Nishiki Market, I went and tried, a long with a bunch of other food stalls she and Kitarie visited in episode 13.

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Other shows besides Irodori Nikki:

Kyoto Tsuu Kentei: Yuihan appeared in October 2014 on a special featuring three celebrities from Kyoto showing their favorite or most memorable places. She took everyone to eat hamburg for dinner at Hasegawa, and she had the pumpkin sauce hamburg, which she had always wanted to try since she was a kid. I also tried it, and it was pretty good! I need to go back for the regular tomato sauce one, which was her childhood favorite and looked amazing.

I think she mentioned it in a blog post and not a particular radio show or anything, but Okita Ayaka (Aapon) of NMB recommended Daimarudō for Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki in Okonomimura: http://www.okonomimura.jp/floor/4f-daimarudo.html
The walls are covered with autograph boards from various celebrities who have visited, and Aapon and Mirurun signed one too.

I actually randomly chose to go to a takoyaki place in Amerikamura one day, and it happened to be the same chain as the one across the street from the NMB48 Theater, in Namba Grand Kagetsu, which was featured in that PV. They have a poster with screencaps and offshots from the PV. So, the next year I went to the Namba Grand Kagetsu location!

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Someday when I stop procrastinating, I may write a more extensive report complete with photos.

 

The 2014 Oahu Sandy Beach shoot and ABC Store shoot....I worked them both....but alas was not a fan and didn't give a rip at the time The 2014 Hawaii DVD was shot all over Oahu/Waikiki

Kojiharu 3 episodes, Dec 2016, were all shot within 2 miles of my home. Monsarrat Av food joints are now touristy places disguised as local eateries. Japanese tourists love to search out places they think are for locals...but the places themselves seize on this concept and ironically cater to tourists.

 

omfg so were you there when they were filming?
and lol we all fall for the tourist traps >.<

Thanks for the details on the food! This would be useful for anyone visitign western japan

 

OH ONE THING! IS IWA STILL OPEN?! Where is it at? I heard it's a good place to spot ex AKB48 members lol

 

Thanks for the info! Where can I place a reservation? My friend and I are definitely looking for a place to have Yakiniku so if that's a good option for us we would go there. How does the food there compare to other Yakiniku restaurants in Japan?

 

I wouldn't be able to do this myself since I don't know where everything is.

But something that might be cool if it doesn't already exist is a google map which shows you where AKB centric locations are.

Here is an example showing the birthplace of Euro 2016 players https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/v...&ll=51.236180761204345,22.657326637499978&z=3

I'm obviously not demanding anyone make something like this, though I think it would be really useful as it would let people find things more easily.

 

There is also IWA Yakiniku thread here.

http://stage48.net/forum/index.php?threads/has-anyone-been-to-yakiniku-iwa.8072/

more detail info, direction, reviews etc.

 

The AKB cafe is hella overpriced but still a trip worth to go at least once I guess.

This is what I ordered: Yukirin Curry and Sakura's Matcha dessert + Mocha Cafe = Total = ~$2600 yen

For each food order you get a random coaster

My friend was really lucky to get the Yukirin coaster...and my luck was not that great which I managed Ryouha, Megu and Kayoko = 3 = (They are still cool though)



The curry was pretty bad but the dessert was pretty good for it's price I guess lol

Oh and that day, they were doing an AKB member quiz game where they ask a question or do a self-introduction to guess which member is the right one. If you get them all correct your get a free draw of coaster again (or some other prize). There were 5 questions in total. You can answer in any language as long as it is the correct member name. In the end my result was 2/5.

 

^2600 yen for three food item is not that overpriced, imo lol. There are way more food out that are far more expensive and tastes bad.

 

Just my honest opinion, for that quality it's over priced...with 2600 yen I can already have all you can eat triple A beef course shabu-shabu or sukiyaki style = 3 =

I ate amazing curry rice in Niigata bus station with merely 450 yen

 

I think it is a little on the pricey side but normal for such gimmicky cafes since you're not paying for just food. You're paying to be in an AKB setting so hehehe. I'm not gonna bother going to the AKB cafe. The chances of me getting a coaster of a member I know is 0.3, the chances of me getting the coaster of a member I like is 0 unless they still have Paruru stuff around.

 

Ya I ain't complaining much but it is what it is lol and I went there with the expectation to get jipped anyways XD

btw I also went to try out maid cafe for the first time in my life and with that same price I got much better service and food lmao (it's the one below the AKB theater.)