Niigata Report

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Godai's parents run a small restaurant "Dinner Godai". Which is the city they lives? It's kept secret in comics (But it was cleared only in the animation). It's Niigata City.
Niigata is the local city which faced the Sea of Japan. Rumiko Takahashi was born in Niigata and grew up, and she used this city as Godai's hometown in Maison Ikkoku. So we can some same views there with ones of comics.

(1) Niigata Station

Bandai Gate of Niigata Station Buildings in front of the station
Bandai Gate of Niigata StationBuildings in front of the station

Godai and Kyoko has been to Niigata together to meet Godai's family before their marriage in the episode of "Herilooms". They was waiting for Godai's grandmother who would come to meet them in front of the Station.
This station is "Niigata Station". And Niigata Station has two gates, Bandai Gate and South Gate. The gate Godai and Kyoko stainding at is "Bandai Gate". I took this phote from the terminal bus station.

And Godai's grandmother shaked hands with Kyoko. We can see two buildings in the background of them in comics. They are "Marutake building" and "Toyo building".I took this photo at taxi station. So the location of the station and these bulidings are perfetly same as comics.


(2) East Obori Road

The scenery on the way to go to the Godai's home
The scenery on the way to the Godai's home
Godai, Kyoko and his grandma has taken a taxi from Niigata station to his parents' home. And we can find this scenery of comics is in an urban area of Niigata city. This adress is hachiban-cho, East obori street.
Please contrast this photo with the scene of the comics. The three houses on the right side of picture are private houses, the house on the bottom left is a Buddhist altar fittings store, the big building on the left side is "Hotel Kinju ".
And a Japanese fan taught me that this place was very near to the Rumiko Takahashi's parents' home. Her father was an obstetrician and gynecologist. But I found that hospital has been already demolished. There is only a parking there now.


(3) Dinner Godai

But I could not find any eating houses like "Diner Godai" around here. We can find many eating houses along "The School Town Street", so I guess Rumiko Takahashi took a eating houses as model of "Diner Godai", perhaps she often watched it in her school days.
And one of Japanese fan gave me a information. He taught me "There was a eating house named "Gosaku" at the school town street. It's near the Niigata Central High School (Rumiko Takahashi's old school). And it was just like Dinner Godai".

This time, I found this eating house "Gosaku", and I was perplexed.
I cannot declare this is the model of Dinner Godai, but some parts of this house is very like Godai's house.
Gosaku Gosaku
Dinner GosakuThe front door


(4) Niigata Central High School & Niigata High School

Niigata Central High School Niigata High School
Niigata Central High SchoolNiigata High School

Rumiko Takahashi graduated from Niigata Central High School. It's a girls' school,and it's said that she took this school as the model of Kyoko and Yagami's school. But I could not enter the school gate, could not have a feeling of reality this was Yagami's school.
Rumiko Takahashi said "The school uniform (of my high school) was jumper skirt and blazer, and a ribbon of various colors in every grade". So we can find Yagami wore the uniform of Niigata Central School.

Niigata School is very near to the Niigata Central High School. It's a boys' school. A fan said to me that maybe it was the model of Godai's old school.
But the school bulding has already rebuilt. I cannot decide whether it's the model.