Before we came here, we all had various ideas, but in the end, what we chose was… no plan at all! dun dun dun
We debated whether to visit a theme park or a museum, but honestly, we just wanted to spend time together. whoosh
“Oh, the list of pilgrimage sites is already out!” Claire said while lying on the bed and looking at her smartphone.
It seemed to be a ‘pilgrimage’ list based on the anime movie we watched yesterday. ding ding ding
Unless the setting is entirely fantasy, they usually draw inspiration from real-life backgrounds. That’s the easiest way to convince the audience. wink
And when such an anime goes viral, a list of those locations is created by the millions of viewers. ka-ching
Most of the anime I watched as a child were Japanese, so it was hard to do in Korea. sigh
I had a little longing for that when I was younger, so I was a bit excited now. bouncy bounce
I’m just barely managing not to show it on my face. sweat drop
“By the way, if we said we were on a pilgrimage in Azernar, people would definitely misunderstand us.”
True. nod nod
Honestly, I think that word is a bit over the top, but hey, there’s something good about that slightly over-the-top atmosphere. rock on
When enjoying something, it’s way better to bounce around joyfully than to stay numb! woohoo
“Well then, shall we start from the closest place?”
At my words, everyone got up from the bed. stretch
We reserved two rooms, but we’re almost always gathered in one room. shrug
However, we did go back to our own rooms to sleep, so it felt a bit lonely… Hm, should we switch rooms tomorrow? scratch head
Or is it possible for five of us to fit in a room with three beds…? huh?
Maybe it’s the relaxed atmosphere, but I found myself following the kids with sillier thoughts than usual. giggle
*
Wherever you go, people live similarly, but the shapes of houses differ due to cultural and geographical reasons. ta-da!
In Japan, once you enter an alley, a unique neighborhood spreads out. whoosh
In Korea, residential areas are densely packed with villas or apartments, and even if there are standalone houses, they rarely have a uniform design. meh
However, Japanese standalone houses feel oddly similar. Is there a construction company that specializes in those? thinking face
“It’s quiet.”
“Everyone must have left for work.”
I answered Alice’s mumble. ding
The vibe felt… kind of like skipping school or using a half-day leave from work. sneaky sneaky
Not many people are wandering about, time feels slow, and it’s quiet. tick tock
It feels similar to everyday life, yet has a special quality that’s almost alien. sparkle sparkle
Plus, this is a neighborhood in another country! surprise!
Thinking this calm atmosphere is normal for the locals feels oddly fascinating. ponder ponder
“Oh, over there!”
As we entered the neighborhood, we spotted three vending machines lined up in a particularly narrow alleyway. ta-da!
With a small roof over them, these machines looked a bit old. hmm…
At first glance, they just seemed like ordinary drink vending machines, but these were featured in the anime as a part of the main characters’ childhood neighborhood. flashback
On a rainy day in midsummer, they dashed hurriedly and hid under those little roofs to avoid the rain. splash!
The male and female protagonists stood awkwardly, and then decided to grab something to drink. pop!
“Where… oh, here!”
Claire smiled and pulled out a bottle of green tea from the vending machine. pop!
Unfortunately, it didn’t have the exact design from the ‘childhood of the protagonists,’ but at least it’s the same brand. It kind of looks similar. wink
“I definitely get why people go on pilgrimages. I might not have any attachment since it’s the first time I’ve seen this anime or heard of its director… but wandering like this isn’t bad at all.” nod
I agreed with Alice. thumbs up
“At first, trips usually focus on famous tourist spots, but as you find more time or go often, you tend to explore neighborhoods like this.” tour guide mode
“That’s probably doable in a world like this.”
Charlotte replied with a bittersweet smile. sigh
“Wandering alleyways in Azernar or Velbur without escorts is probably out of the question.” huh?
“…Maybe one day, when it develops more, the story might change.”
I said to comfort Charlotte. pat pat
“Um…”
While this was happening, Claire took a sip of her drink and made a very wacky sound. gulp gulp
“Is the drink not to your taste?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“It’s likely because it’s not sweet since it probably doesn’t have sugar in it.”
Our usual black tea is from the same tea leaves, but unlike green tea, we often add sugar or milk. tea time!
I heard that in China, they sometimes add sugar to green tea, but I only heard that casually, so I’m not sure how true it is. scratching chin
I swapped my soda for Claire’s and took a sip. It tasted like a typical green tea drink. Seems like it’s a love-it-or-hate-it situation. meh
“Is it good?”
“It suits my taste, but would you like to try?”
I offered the drink to Mia at her question. After taking a sip, Mia tilted her head. huh?
“Honestly, things like this are more like drinks to have instead of tasting. Someone who enjoys tea would brew it properly.” teatime!
I handed her another soda and received the green tea bottle back. swap swap
“Oh, sister, should I take a photo?”
“Would you?”
“Yep, just look here. Later, I’ll take a photo of you in the same pose as when the main character is waiting for the male lead!” clickbait!
Hearing that, I willingly went next to the vending machine. Claire tugged and adjusted my position before snapping a picture with her mirrorless camera. click!
“Oh wow, this turned out great!”
Alice laughed at the result. giggle
Claire’s photography skills had really improved over time. The pose in the picture looked quite similar to the one in the movie. double thumbs up!
If I were on social media, I’d totally post this! pout
“Shall we move to another place now?”
“Sure!”
Everyone nodded at my question. excited nods
*
The next place we visited was a shrine. ding ding!
Since I had never had any religion from my past life until now, and I concluded that the Goddesses I encountered weren’t particularly trustworthy, I didn’t feel any religious emotions. shrug
Thinking about it, outside of Japan, how many people seriously believe in such places? ponder ponder
Wouldn’t even the Japanese think similarly? It seems like something akin to the sacrifices we make during holidays in our country. nod nod
“Look over there. There’s a real priestess!”
Claire said, pointing at a woman sweeping the floor with a broom from afar. whoosh!
“…”
That priestess, I once read somewhere, usually does part-time jobs.
In a cathedral, a nun would generally be in that position, but it seems not many people take it seriously. sigh
Of course, to keep Claire’s dreams alive, I decided to just stay quiet. pat pat
Since it’s a shrine, similar to a temple, it wouldn’t be suitable to roam around and chat excitedly. shhh!
We saw a few people, including some who probably came after watching the anime like us, along with some couples, but there were far fewer people than a famous tourist shrine, so overall, the atmosphere was calm and quiet. zen
We took a couple of group photos and tossed a few coins into the offering box… then… was it called omikuji? Anyway, we drew fortunes. whoosh!
Mine turned out to be great luck! yay!
“Nice job, sister!”
Honestly, it was just a random draw. shrug
I’ve heard that if you draw a great misfortune, people say, “Here, I used my bad luck here, so good things will happen from now on!”
Should I keep the paper as a memento? thinking face
*
While the pilgrimage itself was fun, I felt a bit unsatisfied just wandering around. hmmm…
“Yeah, but still, it’s a place worth visiting.”
Alice murmured from the Tokyo Skytree observatory. whoosh!
“It’s really beautiful…”
Mia’s eyes sparkled. sparkle sparkle
The view outside the window, not yet completely dark since the sun hadn’t set, was even more splendid. wow!
The sunset over the city cannot be anything less than spectacular. amazing!
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve really seen this kind of view in Seoul.” huh?
“Oh, is that so?”
I asked back at Charlotte’s words. tilt head
For sure, I remember seeing it from the hotel, but I don’t recall ever climbing to the highest point in Seoul. hmm…
“Then let’s go back and capture the view of Seoul in our memories!”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Charlotte smiled at my words. smile
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