You are the keystone!
On the 11th of November, 2022. Suzume hit the screens. I was lucky enough to see this one in the cinema twice. Once with a friend and the other with my non-anime-loving Mum and she complimented this movie… trust me, this is saying a lot! I still remember the moment the plot fully clicked and everything on the second watch-through made clever sense. The scene where the door is first seen on screen is beautiful and I always wondered, “Is this based on a real place?” it wasn’t till this year I was given this answer.
Yes! It exists, sort of, an artistic license that has been used to add in water and the full circle of the roundhouse. But for those wanting an anime day out and an amazing train ride through rural Oita, this is for you. I took the local train from Oita and I also recommend this train it is cheaper and you will be treated to one of the best train rides I have had in a long time. We are talking single-track, moss-covered tunnels, platforms that are only a path, and places so rural that you must show the driver your ticket as the station has nothing.
This train journey will stay with me for a while for it was the closest to experiencing rural Japan and that sense of being spirited away! To see small shrines and vast rivers as the train meandered up into the mountains. Surrounded by bamboo groves and beautiful little villages with houses that number barely into double digits.
This train journey is a must, ride this to the stop Bungo Mori and you will have arrived at your destination. The roundhouse itself was built in 1934 as its location was a prime position within the Kusu basin. It housed several steam locomotives which grew after the Second World War. At its peak, it housed 25 and served the JR line for many years until the age of steam dwindled and took its last breath in 1970. I believe some rail has been removed so perhaps Suzume including a full circular building isn’t too far from the truth.
The site is completely free but the museum itself a small quaint affair is a small fee but worth it to get some backstory. The gentleman in the shop was so nice he let me borrow the Sota chair for free, perhaps he could sense my excitement. I had seen a visitor with the famous 3-legged chair from the film and just presumed they had made it themselves.
However to lean into the new popularity they offer the chair as a prop for visitors to take images with by the white door. The door has been left up and I am so thankful. I was worried it had been taken down after the movie hype had died down. But to my surprise, it was there and can be opened and closed. The chair made my day and honestly, I spent more time than I thought I would. I also had a chance to sit and enjoy the surrounding mountain scenery that encircles the basin.
It is a trip I highly recommend not only for fans of the show but simply for a calming day out away from the bustling cities.
In the next entry, I will cover one of what used to be my favorite spots Nagasaki Harbor, and a vibrant sunset I was able to catch. And than Hiroshima my first time leaving Kyushu since arriving!
