HIROSHIMA — The old scenic city of Takehara in the western Japan prefecture of Hiroshima, which had previously attracted elderly tourists to its streets lined with traditional-style buildings, is now drawing young male fans of the ‘‘anime’’ series ‘‘Tamayura’’ that is based in the city.
Anime enthusiasts can now be spotted in the town taking photos of scenes and stores from ‘‘Tamayura,’’ which portrays the life of a high school girl who loves taking photos and is directed by Junichi Sato of the ‘‘Sailor Moon’’ series.
In November, a section of a local shopping street with many empty stores was suddenly revived as around 200 people, mostly men in their 20s and 30s, gathered at an outdoor talk show featuring voice actresses from the anime series.
Koji Kurata, a 34-year-old company employee, said he had traveled by overnight bus from Sagamihara City in Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, and it was the third time he was visiting Takehara.
‘‘It’s part of the psyche of fans to want to visit the town where the story is set,’’ he said.
Residents of the town are finding ways to accommodate the fans, such as operating a ferry adorned with graphics of the anime characters and distributing commemorative tickets for the ferry ride.
‘‘We hope to promote the beauty of the town across the country through anime,’’ said Yasushi Sado, director of Network Takehara, a nonprofit group promoting the town
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