The small fishing town of Iwami in Totori prefecture is recently experiencing a huge increase in tourism and this is all thanks to the highly popular swimming anime Free!
Since the anime first aired, the town has been officially promoting itself as an anime tourism destination and it is working well. Pilgrimages to various anime “Holy Sites” all over Japan has given several towns and cities a huge tourism boost like Oarai for Girls und Panzer, Toyosato Elementary School for K-On!!, and Washinomiya Shrine for Lucky Star.
Now, the official tourism website of Iwami town is featuring detailed maps on the “Holy Sites” frequently featured in the anime. The maps featured the town in general as well as the Tajiri Port where a lot of the scenes in the anime were set.
Just following the numbers in the map would get you to the “Holy Sites” you want to go to. It also shows where you can rent bikes as well as ride taxis and buses.
Just like Oarai where the townsfolk take Girls und Panzer very seriously, Iwami has also shown that they are very serious about Free! They even have official Free! merchandise like postcards and key chains on sale as well as official brochures and maps. Talk about serious business.
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Source: Iwamikanko
Iwami Town tourism website offers a map on the Free! anime "Holy Pilgrimage Sites"
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