Hey all! So if you know me at all, you know that I love Kyoto Animation and particularly Tamako Market/Tamako Love Story.Well, a few weeks ago, I found myself in vacation in none other than Japan! Unfortunately, I would only have a day in Kyoto, but I made sure to make the most of it... by visiting the real life location for the market in, well, Tamako Market and of course, KyoAni itself!So first, some comparison shots! I didn't have the idea of doing side-by-side comparisons until I was already there, so I had to go off memory for the most part... looks like all those rewatches paid off!And now onto the photos from our adventure through Kyoto! The people in Tamako's market were super friendly, too! I loved the fact there was a random cut-out drawing of Sakamoto-san from Nichijou and the little note that said "I LOVE MOCHIZO" (to be honest, who doesn't?). As I was taking photos, the guy working at the sushi shop came running out to greet us, took a photo for us, and tried explaining (he in his very broken English, me in my even more broken Japanese) about all notebooks filled with letters from fans and photos with some of the VAs from the franchise! The people at the market seem to have really embraced the franchise and KyoAni; there were posters for the show everywhere, and one shop had tons of related shirts (I snagged a couple myself). My mother and I got some croquettes from one of the stands; when we mentioned that we were big fans of the show and were there because of it, she gave us another one for free. There were also a few posters for the upcoming Koe no Katachi movie, which was super cool, too.We then exited the shopping district and went just a few steps to the right to get to the fabled mochi shop! It definitely didn't look like Tamako's, but wow was it amazing. And famous, too, seeing as the line was incredibly long. We had to wait around 15-20 minutes, but it was so worth it. The mamedaifuku was delicious, easily the best mochi I've ever had, and it was really cool to see them make it right there on the spot. As we bought it, the lady as the register told us that we had to eat it today, so we took her up on it and ate it just down the street by the bridge. The bridge and stepping stones in particular (from that famous scene in TLS) were gorgeous, I could really see why Yamada included them in the K-On! OP and in Tamako. We were there early in the morning, yet there were still people milling about, taking in the sights and enjoying the place themselves. Hopping from stone to stone was a ton of fun, and it was close enough where it each step felt comfortable, but just far enough where a little bit of doubt might creep in.And then we got to Kyoto Animation. I'll be honest, I was shocked by how small the studio was. I guess living in America had me expecting something much larger, but it was impressive that this small space had created powerhouse works like K-On! and Haruhi. I accidentally opened the door to the studio, and someone came in to greet us. Surprisingly, most of the people inside were women (I guess Shirobako wasn't that much of a stretch). After a bit of small talk and explaining why we were there and how much we loved their works, they kindly gave us directions to the KyoAni shop and told us about the food shop next to it and their donkatsu (it was delicious, by the way, which kinda showed they have great taste in anime and food).A short walk later, and we arrived at the shop. It was pretty small, all things considered, but man was it chock full of KyoAni related goods. The one thing that did stand out to me was how there was this prevalent theme of "THIS IS WHAT WE ARE NOW" with a clear emphasis on their works post-2012 (Chu2Koi, Free, Kyoukai no Kanata, Tamako, Hibike!, and Phantom World). There were still quite a few K-ON! and Hyouka related goods, but for Haruhi, Clannad, and some of the older works, it was slim pickings. Still, I spent way too much money and I regret nothing.It was incredibly surreal being able to go the places where I'd seen these fictional characters wander about so many times, but the one thing that really stuck out to me was how beautiful it all was. It made me appreciate Tamako Market and Love Story all the more for having found the simple beauty of a shopping district that would never find itself on any sort of tourist guide. I'd highly recommend anyone else who loves their works (or anime in general!) to pay a visit if you ever get the chance!PS: Many thanks to /u/ultimatemegax for helping me so much with finding info for the trip! http://ift.tt/2a6iiO8
