Makoto Shinkai: The Garden of Words and 5 Centimeters per Second

On a rainy morning at the start of the rainy season, 15-year-old Takao skips his first class to sketch shoe designs in the garden. There he meets Yukari, a 27-year-old woman who is skipping work. They keep meeting on rainy mornings without ever introducing themselves, and Takao decides to make her a pair of shoes in her size. Makoto Shinkai lived in Shinjuku for ten years and modelled the film's garden on this park; after the March 2011 earthquake he feared it could be destroyed and wanted to keep it in animation.

Visitor guidance: Entry hours change with the season and the garden is closed on Mondays; check the current hours before you go.

The first of the three episodes, Cherry Blossom, opens in the streets around Sangubashi Station. In 1991 Takaki befriends Akari after she transfers to his elementary school in Tokyo. They grow close over shared habits, such as staying inside at recess because of their seasonal allergies. This is where the two children's story begins, before distance pulls them apart.

Location precision: The source places the opening scene around Sangubashi Station, not at one named spot; the pin marks the station.

In 1995 Takaki knows his family will soon move to Kagoshima, so he decides to see Akari one last time. A severe snowstorm delays his train for several hours, and he reaches Iwafune Station late that night. The two share their first kiss under a cherry tree, then spend the night in a nearby shed because of the snow. Today the station is unstaffed, with only benches, and fans have visited since the film's release.

Visitor guidance: A small unstaffed station on the Ryōmō Line with only benches and no tourist leaflets.

Episode 2, Cosmonaut, jumps to 1999. Takaki is in his last year of senior high school on Tanegashima. His classmate Kanae has loved him since middle school but has never found the courage to say so. Takaki writes emails to no one and deletes them afterwards. The episode is centred on the local high school and spreads across the town and the island; even motorbike plates in the film read Nakatane.

Location precision: The episode covers the whole town and island around a school, so the pin marks the town of Nakatane rather than one building.

One evening in 1999 Kanae is about to confess her love to Takaki when a rocket is launched into the sky and both of them look up. She realizes that Takaki is looking for something far beyond what she can offer. The Tanegashima Space Center appears in this second episode, Cosmonaut, as the launch site behind that moment.

Location precision: The launch is seen from a distance in the film; the pin marks the space centre from its article coordinates, not a particular pad.

The last episode, set in 2008, takes place in the Shinjuku sub-centre. Takaki is a programmer in Tokyo and quits his job, unable to cope with his feelings for Akari, who is preparing to marry another man. Then the two pass each other at the train crossing where, as children, they had promised to watch the cherry blossoms together. A train blocks their view, and when it has passed Akari is gone. Takaki smiles and walks on.

Location precision: The source names only the Shinjuku sub-centre as the setting; the pin marks West Shinjuku.