Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) is a popular manga written by Naoshi Arakawa with an anime adaptation broadcast from October 2014 to March 2015. It is the story of two 14-year-old musicians: Kousei Arima, a super-talented pianist who has already quit piano, and Kaori Miyazono, a girl who plays the violin. After getting convinced by Kaori to play the piano as her accompanist at a violin contest, Kousei gradually starts to enjoy playing the piano again.
Although this story was released in a manga magazine for boys, its anime adaptation has gained many female fans. It was also adapted into a live action film in September 2016. The manga and the anime adaptation are still very popular among fans today. Did you know that the setting of this hit story is in Nerima Ward in Tokyo? Let’s take a walk around Nerima Ward, where Kousei and Kaori spent their daily lives in the anime, and find the spots in which the best scenes of
Did you know that the setting of the story is Nerima Ward in Tokyo? Let’s take a walk around Nerima, where Kousei and Kaori spent their daily lives in the anime, and find the spots in which the best scenes of Your Lie in April took place!
Protagonist Kousei Arima was strictly taught how to play the piano by his mother, and as a child, he won many piano competitions by using his talent to perform with unparalleled precision. He was even nicknamed the ‘Human Metronome’ for his precise musical skills. One day in April, when Kousei is 14, his childhood friend Tsubaki Sawabe tells him that a girl has a crush on Ryouta Watari, another childhood friend of Kousei’s. Tsubaki was planning to introduce the girl to Ryouta and wanted Kousei to come with her. So, they promised to meet at the park in the plaza in the photo above. The model of the park in the story is Nerima Culture Center, which is located near Nerima Station on the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line. Kousei meets Kaori for the first time at the park in the worst way ever, but because of this special encounter, Kousei decides to try playing the piano once again. Surprisingly, Kaori was the very girl who had wanted to date Ryouta. Just so you know, the place of their encounter is called ‘Touwa Hall’ in the anime. Starting with the first episode, ‘Monotone Colorful’, it is one of the locations that frequently appears in the anime.
The model of the park in the story is Nerima Culture Center, which is located near Nerima Station on the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line. Kousei meets Kaori for the first time at the park in the worst way ever, but because of this special encounter, Kousei decides to try playing the piano once again. Surprisingly, Kaori was the very girl who had wanted to date Ryouta. The place of their encounter is called ‘Touwa Hall’ in the anime. Starting with the first episode, ‘Monotone Colorful’, it is one of the locations that frequently appears in the series.
When you go out the exit of Nerima Station on the Seibu Line, in front of you is the Nerima Culture Center, and on the left of this building is a shopping center called Coconeri. On the third floor of this facility, there is the Nerima Tourist Information Center. Here they sell some original Your Lie in April goods!
At the tourist information center, you can take a free copy of the ‘Your Lie in April: Nerima Ward Location Map ff (Fortissimo)’, which is very handy when going around the spots from the anime. In addition to this map, you should get the ‘Nerima Ward Tour Guide Map: Machi-Aruki Kankou Map’, which includes route maps of buses and detailed geographical information on the ward. With these two maps, you will be able to get to your destinations easily!
Nerima Tourist Information Center
Address: 3F Coconeri 1-17-1, Nerima, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
http://www.nerima-kanko.jp/info
https://goo.gl/maps/3H4JqjAt8WE2
The Minami-Tanaka Apartment Complex is located next to Shakujii River, which runs near Takanodai Station. This place is well known for its beautiful row of cherry trees and is a popular spot for cherry blossom viewing. This place first appears in the second episode ‘Yuujin A’ (Friend “A”). Kousei meets Kaori by chance while walking home from school. She was waiting for Ryouta under a fully blooming cherry tree, but meanwhile, Ryouta was with another girl. Kousei, who knew about this, did not want to hurt Kaori’s feelings nor say anything bad about Ryouta, so he did not know what to say. Kaori then tells Kousei, ‘Friend “A”, you are hereby appointed as a substitute.’ From this scene onward, the word ‘substitute’ becomes a very important keyword in the story. By the way, Kousei will be nominated as a substitute once again at this place during autumn, when the leaves have turned red.
Address: 5-25, Minami-Tanaka, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
https://goo.gl/maps/7Li66RFGQh42
The model of the place where Kaori is searching for a black cat in the anime’s opening is the area around the vending machines at Shakujii Park Management Office. The scene is also illustrated in detail in Episode 1, ‘Monotone Colorful.’ If you walk from Shakujii-Kouen Station, the management office is located right in the middle of the park and next to the baseball field. The bench which appears in the anime is the same one behind the management office. Shakujii Park is located very close to the Minami-Tanaka Apartment Complex, which Kousei walked by on his way to school.
Shakujii Park Management Office
Address: 1-26-1, Shakujiidai, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/format/index006.html
https://goo.gl/maps/FZuegnZgErt
In the anime’s third episode, ‘Haru no Naka (Inside Spring)’, Kaori aggressively pulls Kousei into a café to make him play the piano. The model of this café is La Primeur. To get there, you first go out from the south exit of Ooizumi-Gakuen Station, go straight down Kamishakujii Road, and cross Fujikaido Avenue. I recommend you take a bus at the Ooizumi-Gakuen Station South Exit Rotary and get off at Fujikaido Bus Stop.
There is a piano in the anime’s version of the café, but the real café has a fireplace in the same spot. When you see the fireplace, you can think, ‘Oh, that’s where Kousei played the piano with the small kid.’ Everything else looks exactly the same as in the anime. Also, in the anime, Kaori orders a caramel waffle with apple and nuts. At La Primeur, you can have the same food item every day from 14:00, so please try them out. They taste amazing!
La Primeur
https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132103/13008762/
2-35-22, Shakujiidai, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
Shop’s Open Hours: 10:00 – 1930
Café’s Open Hours: 11:00 – 19:00 (Last Order by 18:30)
Lunch Time: 11:00 – 14:00 (There is a set menu during lunch time only)
Closed on Tuesdays
http://www.la-primeur.jp/
https://goo.gl/maps/T5hPyphwxgF2
The model of the place where Kaori appoints Kousei as her accompanist at the violin competition is Izumi Kobushi Park. To get there, go out from the north exit of Ooizumi Gakuen Station and walk along the railroad towards Ikebukuro for a few minutes. The park is located near a railroad crossing. In the anime, there is some playground equipment in the sandbox painted in blue, yellow, and green, but they have been removed from the real park.
The scene in which Kaori says to Kousei, ‘Friend “A”, you are hereby appointed as my accompanist,’ was illustrated from the exact same angle as in the photo. The boy who used to be a musical genius is pulled back into the world of music, from which he had run away, by this enthusiastic girl.
Address: 1-26, Higashi-Ooizumi, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
https://goo.gl/maps/dZzfgd5BABo
In the fifth episode, ‘Donten Moyou (Cloudy Sky)’, Kaori is on the bus with Tsubaki. Soon after, Tsubaki gets off the bus and Kaori is the only one left. The hospital Kaori heads to is Totsuhara University Hospital. The model of the exterior of this building is Nerimagaoka Hospital. You can take a bus from Takanodai Station to get to Hikarigaoka. The bus Kaori was on might have been the one from Takanodai. From this episode onward, the Totsuhara University Hospital appears several times in the story. In the photo above, there is a signboard in the front and green letters at the upper right of the building. They both have ‘Totsuhara University Hospital’ written in the anime version.
Nerimagaoka Hospital
Address: 2-11-1, Hikarigaoka, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
https://goo.gl/maps/xVQ12an9RE32
The place in the photo is Butcher’s Table, the model of the hamburger shop in which Tsubaki had a date with Saitou-senpai. All Tsubaki talks about during her date is Kousei Arima. What are her true feelings? Although she does not seem to realize it, is her crush really on Saitou-senpai, or is it…? These are the feelings the viewers must have had when watching the scene in this shop. By the way, the cola Tsubaki was drinking is an ultra-big-sized cola which is a famous menu item of this shop.
Butcher’s Table
https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132103/13091061/
2-9-18, Higashi-Ooizumi, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
Open Hours: (From Tuesday to Friday) 11:00 – 15:30 (Last Order by 15:00), 18:00 – 22:00 (Last Order by 21:30)
(Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays) 11:00 – 15:30 (Last Order by 15:00), 18:00 – 22:00 (Last Order by 21:30)
Open during Lunch Time, Open on Sundays
Closed on Mondays
https://goo.gl/maps/5xWbX9KHHTU2
In Episode 15, ‘Usotsuki (Liar)’, Kousei goes to a cake shop before going to the hospital Kaori was staying in. The model of this shop is Patisserie Kamitani. Kousei buys canelé here as a gift for Kaori. The store is located on Ooizumi Gakuen Road, where the row of cherry trees bloom. Originally, Patisserie Kamitani did not have canelé, but now they sell them on Saturdays and Sundays.
Patisserie Kamitani
https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132103/13038078/
4-27-40, Higashi-Ooizumi, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
Open Hours: 10:00 – 19:00 (Closed on Fridays)
http://kamitani.cart.fc2.com/
https://goo.gl/maps/rWuhzg4s7Tq
These were the real-life locations from some of the best scenes in the anime Your Lie in April. Since there are many animation studios in Nerima Ward, especially along the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line and the Seibu-Shinjuku Line, many anime stories use Nerima as their setting. I strongly recommend you visit Nerima when you come to Tokyo! I guarantee that you’ll really enjoy the place!
The first season of the new year is just one month away from its finale. It was a great start with many amazing titles that made these past months worth the extra hours we put in front of our sets. Now, it is time for the cold wind to give way to the pink hues of the sakura tree and for the Winter 2018 season to give the anime baton to Spring 2018.
