Washinomiya Jinja is the oldest Shinto shrine in eastern Japan, as legend has it founded in the Age of the Gods (before 660 BC) by the deity Amenohohi. It has over the years played host to foreign dignitaries, the Imperial family and even Tokugawa Ieyasu, who united Japan in 1602. Hundreds of years later, people still make the long journey to northeast Saitama Prefecture to pay their respects at the remote shrine.

Recently, however, some very different guests are gathering to make some very different prayers to "gods of some other kind": otaku coming to worship at the altar of Lucky Star, a surreal slice of life school comedy set in Saitama.

"Kagami [a character from the show] was here," explained Ishii, 20, a student in Tokyo who followed a computer printout map to the front of Washinomiya's venerable gate to find the exact angle the character appeared in. "It is moving. Of course I know she isn't real, but it gives meaning to a place that I might not visit otherwise."

Counting Lucky Stars

Lucky Star is an anime that has been airing since April 2007 under the auspices of Kyoto Animation, the studio behind the Haruhi craze of 2006. Producers imported director Yamamoto Yutaka, a superstar among otaku for the Haruhi closing animation's kinetic dance sequence and “Tale of Mikuru Episode 00,” which pays tribute to otaku passion and poorly funded fan productions.

In Lucky Star's Saitama touring opening dance sequence, Yamamoto once again has seiyuu Hirano Aya (Suzumiya Haruhi, Konata) delivering a blistering denpa-style theme ("Take It! Sailor Uniform") that has the Lucky Star moe character cast and otaku alike tapping their toes and hitting the streets to mimic routines.

Yamamoto is infamous for setting his works in real places (Haruhi was in Hyogo Prefecture’s Nishinomiya) to erode the barrier between fantasy and reality, and famous Saitama sites such as Washinomiya are his most recent target for addictive and referential otaku fare that has fans matching up background shots and sojourning to sites.

The difference is that this time they aren't just visiting cafes and train stations in a remote country town - they are paying homage to anime gods at a real Shinto shrine, and this has become a highly controversial topic among locals and newsmakers alike.

FNN (Fuji News Network) broke the story in early July, but at that time there was still widespread bewilderment and a general consensus to leave the strange otaku visitors be.

"It is all right insofar as they do proper sanpai [worship]," one shrine keeper said in the FNN report.

By the end of the month, however, the head of the shrine, Ouchi, had this to say: "It seems to me that this is no longer about worshiping our gods, but rather gods of some other kind. There have been concerns that they are imposing anime characters upon the gods here. If that be the case then we cannot welcome these guests.”

Stellar Citizens

In a similar vein, the administrator of Kuki City near Washinomiya Jinja recently released a summary statement that reads in part: “I don’t personally understand any of this, but I think this has definitely come about because Washinomiya is a wonderful place. That said, there is something that worries me greatly about all this, and that is safety. What will people think if they do not understand the situation, but see an anime fan with a big backpack and camera? I have heard that schools in the neighborhood are telling students to beware of suspicious men. We have to protect our community.”

More to the point are the vocal faction of frazzled Washinomiya neighbors.

“My daughter was frightened by these strange men,” said Nanashi, a long-time resident of the area. “I am not especially against this kind of hobby, but I would like them to get a hold on it so that they don’t scare the children.”

Others call for tolerance and continued patience with the otaku youth, even at town meetings where such moderate stances have become quite unpopular.

“There is nothing dangerous about what they are doing here,” said Shiraishi Miho. “Is there really anything to make such a fuss about? These are just tourists, right? I think some of us are harboring prejudice against otaku.”

Shiraishi would prefer the focus be on getting the media to stop encouraging strange displays. One hour spent on the grounds on a weekday in late August revealed not only as many as 50 fans posing at the site where Kagami struts in the Lucky Star opening, but also another Fuji TV crew (this time from cable's Channel Takeshi) out to capture the scene.

Seeing Stars

"There are many dreams converging here," said one otaku visitor, examining the many ema prayers decorated with Lucky Star art, stickers and Nichanneru-speak. "The world we love has come into our lives here. It is a connection to something fantastic."

 

Meaningful or not, the question is whether or not the fantastic can coexist with the spiritual in this most holy of sites.

 

 

 

 

 

by Patrick W. Galbraith
edtied by Evelyn Emery

 

In related news, whether connected to the Washinomiya outcry or not, maverick otaku talent Yamamoto was demoted from the Lucky Star director’s chair after only four episodes (around the time the Washinomiya neta started to gain steam online) and was replaced by Takemoto Yasuhiro. The reason given by Kyoto Animation was: "Our company has determined that the director...has not reached the standard of director yet."