© 2016 聲の形 / 京都アニメーション
A Silent Voice
聲の形
A story of reunion and redemption between a girl with a hearing impairment and a boy who bullied her in the past. Set in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture. Water City Trip https://www.ogakikanko.jp/koenokatati/movie/
Synopsis
A 2016 animated film by Kyoto Animation, based on the manga by Yoshitoki Oima. It follows a boy burdened by guilt over the bullying of a girl with a hearing impairment, and his attempt to face his past and rebuild the human connections he once broke. Centered on themes of atonement, redemption, and the difficulty of communication, the film uses delicate artwork and restrained direction to capture the subtle emotions of its characters. It won wide acclaim as a moving coming-of-age drama.
Why visit the real-life locations
The story is set in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture. Starting from Ogaki Station and the Ogaki Station shopping street, you can wander the "city of water" along the Suimon River, where lotus flowers bloom in summer, past Shiki-no-Hiroba park, Midori Bridge, and the Oku-no-Hosomichi Musubi-no-Chi Memorial. Ogaki Castle, Ogaki Hachiman Shrine, the Ogaki Welfare Center, and Ogaki Municipal Hospital also feature in the film. You can extend the trip via the Yoro Railway to Yoro Station and the Site of Reversible Destiny.
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Pilgrimage Spots（13 spots）
Hitsujiyama Park
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
A park famous for its moss phlox. It served as the model for Jintan and his friends' playground.
Ogaki Social Welfare Center
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
This is the model building for the school for the hearing impaired that Nishimiya Shoko attends.
Suimon River (Lotus Flowers)
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
This is the setting for one of the most iconic scenes in the film and manga. The scene where Shoya and Shoko stand side by side and watch lotus flowers blooming on the water's surface is depicted here. Every summer, a lotus festival is held here, and the pale purple lotus flowers from the story actually bloom. It is the most visited location for fans on pilgrimage to the real-life locations featured in the manga and anime.
Ogaki Castle
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
The castle tower and surrounding moat are faithfully depicted in the film, serving as a symbolic backdrop for the town of Ogaki where Shoya and Shoko are reunited.
Ogaki Hachiman Shrine
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
This is the shrine that Shoya and Shoko visited during their high school days. The composition of the stone steps and torii gate is faithfully reproduced in the story, and a scene is depicted where the two spend time relaxing in the shrine grounds. Located in a quiet residential area of Ogaki City, the shrine is a pilgrimage site for fans to visit.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North: A Memorial Museum
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
This facility commemorates Ogaki, the final destination of Matsuo Basho's "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North). Located along the Suimon River, it appears as the backdrop for a scene where Shoya and Shoko walk along the river. The surrounding waterside scenery was used repeatedly in the peaceful everyday scenes of the story.
Yoro Railway Yoro Station
📍 Yoro, Gifu
This is the station on the Yoro Railway that Shoya uses when he heads to Yoro Falls. The charming station building of the local line is depicted in the story and appears in the scene where Shoya boards the train alone, depicting his lonely journey. It is located about 30 minutes from Ogaki on the Yoro Railway.
Ogaki Municipal Hospital
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
This hospital served as the model for the scene in the film's climax where Shoya is hospitalized. It is the setting for the moving scene where Shoya awakens from his coma and is reunited with Shoko. The hospital corridors and the view outside the windows are faithfully recreated in the film.
Ogaki City Hagiwara Elementary School (Model School)
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
This school is said to be the model for the elementary school where Shoya and Shoko first meet. The layout of the school building, playground, and corridors in the story matches that of the model school, and it is the setting for scenes where Shoya is mean to Shoko and where Shoko tries to communicate using sign language.
Ogaki Station Shopping Street
📍 Ogaki, Gifu
The shopping street where Shoya and his friends walk after school. It appears as the background for scenes such as Shoya and Shoko walking together and communicating in sign language after their reunion, and as a scene of Shoya speeding through on his bicycle during his high school days. The everyday streetscape in front of Ogaki Station is depicted with great care.
Midori Bridge
📍 岐阜県大垣市西外側町2-46 (Gifu, Japan)
The stone bridge over the Suimon River where Shoya and Shoko feed koi fish. The most iconic location in the story, appearing repeatedly throughout.
Shiki no Hiroba (Four Seasons Plaza)
📍 岐阜県大垣市船町2丁目 (Gifu, Japan)
A waterfront park along the Suimon River. The setting for the fireworks festival scene and gatherings of Shoya and his friends.