Ping Pong The Animation

Synopsis

"Ping Pong: The Animation" is a TV anime broadcast in 2014, based on the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. It is set in the Shonan and Fujisawa area of Kanagawa Prefecture. The story centers on two childhood friends of opposite temperaments: the bright, naturally gifted Yutaka Hoshino, known as "Peco," and the quiet, aloof Makoto Tsukimoto, called "Smile." As these two high schoolers stake their youth on table tennis, they and their rivals confront their own weaknesses and inner struggles through competition, growing along the way. With its distinctive art and propulsive direction, it is a masterpiece that captures the raw heat of youth sports.

Why visit the real-life locations

"Ping Pong" is set in the Fujisawa area of Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Akibadai Culture and Gymnasium in Fujisawa, evoking the heat of the matches, is the heart of the pilgrimage and calls the table tennis scenes to mind. Starting from Shonan-Enoshima Station on the Odakyu Enoshima Line, you can breathe in the seaside air of Shonan as the route heads toward Enoshima. Pay your respects at the historic Katase Suwa Shrine, then cross the Benten Bridge over the Sakai River to walk the Shonan streets Peco and Smile raced through. A pilgrimage that blends the scent of the sea with the fever of youth.