Higurashi: When They Cry

Synopsis

"Higurashi: When They Cry" is a TV anime produced by Studio Deen and broadcast in 2006, based on Ryukishi07's doujin sound novel. Set in the mountain hamlet of Hinamizawa during the late Showa era, the story follows Keiichi Maebara, a boy who has moved from the city and enjoys peaceful days with classmates like Rena Ryugu and Mion Sonozaki. But he learns of a chain of deaths tied to the village's annual "Watanagashi" festival, where each year one person dies and another vanishes. This ensemble mystery-horror retells the same tragedy from shifting perspectives, gradually inching toward the truth.

Why visit the real-life locations

The model for Hinamizawa is Shirakawa-go in Shirakawa Village, Gifu, a World Heritage site. Walking its gassho-zukuri village, you meet the same thatched rooftops seen in the show. Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine, famous for the stone steps in the opening, is the pilgrimage's symbol and evokes the Watanagashi festival. Cross the Deai Bridge over the Sho River to enter the settlement, then visit the historic Wada House and Myozen-ji Temple in Ogimachi. The Ogimachi Castle Observatory offers a sweeping view of the gassho houses, and Michi-no-Eki Shirakawa-go makes an ideal base to soak in Hinamizawa's atmosphere.