Penguin Highway
ペンギン・ハイウェイ
Hiroyasu Ishida's 2018 Studio Colorido theatrical anime based on Tomihiko Morimi's novel — a 4th-grader, a mysterious lady, and penguins appearing out of nowhere in a Nara suburb.
Synopsis
Hiroyasu Ishida's 2018 theatrical anime at Studio Colorido, adapting Tomihiko Morimi's novel (2010, Japan SF Grand Prize winner). **Aoyama-kun**, a 4th-grader in a suburban housing district, begins investigating with a mysterious dental hygienist **"Onee-san"** after a flock of **penguins** suddenly appears in town. The orb called **"The Sea"** in the forest, the origin of the penguins, the truth about Onee-san — a story where SF, nostalgia, first love, and the wonder of inquiry intersect. Winner of the **50th Seiun Award, Media Division**.
Why visit the real-life locations
The model setting is the suburban housing district from **Saidaiji to Gakuenmae in northwest Nara**. Tomihiko Morimi himself lives in Nara, and the landscapes of "Jarvis Research Lab" and "Penguin Highway" are based on the quiet residential areas along the Kintetsu Nara Line and Nara's satoyama hills. Walk around **Gakuenmae Station**, **Shobu-ike Pond**, and the suburban housing blocks to feel exactly the air of Aoyama-kun's town. The deer of **Nara Park** even share something of the penguins' mysterious-creature vibe.
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Pilgrimage guides for this work
Pilgrimage Spots（3 spots）
近鉄学園前駅
📍 奈良県奈良市学園北1-1-1 (Nara, Japan)
原作者・森見登美彦が居住する奈良市内の住宅地に位置する駅。近鉄奈良線の主要駅で、作品の「ジャービス研究所」「ペンギン・ハイウェイ」周辺の住宅街のモデル地として想起されるエリアの中心。
菖蒲池
📍 奈良県奈良市菖蒲池町 (Nara, Japan)
学園前駅から徒歩圏の住宅街に隠れた小さな池。住宅街の中の静かな水辺で、作品中の「海」をはじめとする水のイメージに通じる雰囲気を持つスポット。
平城宮跡歴史公園
📍 奈良県奈良市佐紀町 (Nara, Japan)
平城京の大極殿跡を中心とした広大な歴史公園。アオヤマ君が自転車で街を駆け回るような開放感ある空間で、奈良郊外の世界観に触れられる。