- Anime
- Initial D
- Area
- Shibukawa, Gunma
- Sources
- 3 official pages
Shibukawa City runs an official Initial D project, with model spots scattered across the city. Seven Initial D manhole covers are placed around the city. The mountain roads are public roads: drive at legal speeds.
Written and checked by AnimeTrails Editorial
Please be a considerate guest: keep your voice down, keep paths clear and leave the place as you found it.
Manhole covers and where to get a card
Shibukawa has placed seven manhole covers decorated with Initial D characters around the city. The artwork was newly drawn by the illustrator who handled the art for the new theatrical film series. Manhole cards, collectible cards that match the covers, are handed out at Shibusan, the Shibukawa regional specialty products center at Shibukawa Station Plaza.
The city says the cards are limited to one per person in principle. Shibusan is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closes only over the New Year holiday. The city tourism division answers questions on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Reaching Ikaho Onsen
The Shibukawa and Ikaho tourism association lists a bus ride of about 15 minutes from JR Shibukawa Station. Visitors get off at the Ikaho Onsen or Ishidangai-guchi stop. By car, the trip takes about 20 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway. Direct buses also run from Tokyo (the Yumeguri-go) and via Kawagoe Station (the Ikaho-Shima Onsen-go), so check the operators' timetables before you go.
The stone steps and the hot springs
The association says the stone steps are said to have begun with the warlord Takeda Katsuyori, who ordered a recovery facility built after losing the Battle of Nagashino. It also notes that the name Ikaho appears in the Manyoshu, an ancient poetry collection.
Ikaho has two spring sources. The Kogane no Yu (golden water) is rich in iron, and the Shirogane no Yu (silver water) is described as helping with fatigue recovery.
About the story
Initial D ran in Kodansha's Young Magazine from 1995 to 2013. It follows Takumi Fujiwara, an amateur driver who delivers tofu for his family's shop in an AE86 car. According to the city's project site, live-action films released across Asia in 2005 set a Taiwan box-office attendance record for that year.
Station map