Zombie Land Saga: Saga Prefecture

Home base for the undead idols is a Western-style mansion in Karatsu, near the Machida River, where Kotaro and Franchouchou live and run their idol office. The building in the anime is invented, but its model is a real one: the old Mitsubishi Karatsu branch building, now the Karatsu City Historical and Folklore Museum. After the anime aired, a special opening of the model building in November 2018 drew more than 1,000 visitors.

Location precision: The mansion exists only in the anime; the pin marks the real building named as its model.

Kotaro books the zombies a slot at the Shachi-no-mon concert, a real yearly event held at the Honmaru of Saga Castle. The plan was a song, but a mishap turned it into an improvised, furious rap by Sakura and Saki, and the crowd loved it. The castle itself is worth the trip: its main section was rebuilt in wood and now houses the Saga Castle History Museum, described as the largest wooden castle reconstruction in Japan.

Visitor guidance: The castle's main section is a museum, the Saga Castle History Museum.

In episode 4, a comedian cancels at the last minute on a company trip to a hot-spring inn in Ureshino, and Franchouchou is asked to fill in. The pin marks the hot-spring town, since the inn is not identified here. Ureshino's water is a bicarbonate type said to leave the skin smooth, so a soak is the natural way to follow the zombies' route.

Location precision: The anime names an Ureshino hot-spring inn but no exact building, so the pin marks the onsen town.

Visitor guidance: Ureshino is a hot-spring town; its water is known for a smooth feel on the skin.

The yakitori restaurant Drive-in Tori, headquartered in Imari, appears in episode 5 and has seen more visitors since the broadcast, as fans make the pilgrimage. Its Imari main shop is known for its seating: about 110 kotatsu tables, billed as the most of any restaurant in Japan. This is a stop for the story's food and local colour rather than a plot turning point.

Location precision: The pin marks the town of Imari, where the main shop is; the exact street address was not confirmed.

Saga Rock is billed in the story as the biggest outdoor rock event in Kyushu, and it is invented. The anime sets it on the Kase riverbank, the same ground used by the real Saga International Balloon Fiesta, which moved to the edge of Saga City in 1980 because there was more room. Franchouchou's set there goes badly wrong: a lightning strike wrecks half the stage mid-performance. Even so, the show ends as a triumph for the zombie idols.

Location precision: Saga Rock is fictional and set on the Kase riverbank; no single spot is identified, so the stop is left unpinned.

The finale takes place at a real Karatsu building, Furusato Kaikan Alpino, a local-products hall. In the anime it is chosen as the venue for Franchouchou's first solo show, for an audience of 500. During the concert the weight of the snow brings part of the roof down and half-wrecks the stage, yet the show is a great success. The hall appears in the final episode, and it is a real place you can find on the map.