Hyouka: Takayama and Hida on Screen

The opening title screen looks along the Miyagawa river, from the bridge beside Daimasa towards Kajibashi, and the market stalls belong to the same stretch. This street has sold fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers for a long time: the morning market traces back to the Edo period, and the present market has run since 1 May 1953. The anime's location scouting took place mainly in Takayama, the home town of the author of the novels, so many ordinary streets on screen are real ones.

Visitor guidance: The morning market is held along the Miyagawa river.

The crossing near Kajibashi bridge is the anime's everyday corridor: it appears in episodes 1, 4, 10 and 18 as the characters' way to and from school. Houtarou and Satoshi stroll along it in conversation, but the official guide warns that their walks do not follow the real order of the streets, so spotting the editing joins is a game of its own. The guide calls the crossing the starting point of the pilgrimage.

Visitor guidance: A walk from JR Takayama Station along the main road.

In episode 10 Houtarou visits a tea house with senior student Irisu, and the guide places it in the Old Town, the three streets of merchant houses that form the heart of the castle town. The real cafe on Kami-sannomachi, Kissa-kyo Katsute, is the match: once a year, on 3 April, the day of the living-doll festival, its sign is changed to Kissa Hifumi, the name of the tea house in the story. It appears again in episode 11.

Location precision: The pin marks Kami-sannomachi, the street of the Old Town; the cafe's own spot is not pinned.

Visitor guidance: The Old Town streets are open to walk; shop hours vary.

In episode 18 the library appears in a scene of searching old newspaper articles, the one built around the line "Ogi didn't like helicopters at all". The model is the town library. The Takayama City Library, known as Kanshokan, has an exterior recreating a Meiji-era elementary school. The episode is titled Renpō wa hareteiru ka ("Are the mountain ranges clear?").

Visitor guidance: A public library; photography inside needs a request at the desk, and photographing books or other visitors is not allowed.

The shrine the four club members climb to in the opening is called Arakusu Shrine in the story, and its stand-in is the real Hie Shrine, whose approach steps appear on screen. Eru appears there in a kimono in episode 20. The real shrine was founded in 1141 and is the guardian shrine of the southern half of Takayama. At New Year, visitors in kimono recall a scene of Arakusu Shrine.

Visitor guidance: A working shrine; the official model course reaches it by local bus.

The series ends in spring with a procession: the final episode shows the living-doll festival held every 3 April at Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine. Local women dress as hina dolls and parade, and the novella on which the episode is based features the festival as a motif under the name Mizunashi Shrine. The festival still takes place there each year.

Visitor guidance: The festival is held each 3 April.