Love Live! Sunshine!! Pilgrimage Guide: Numazu's Coastline & the Two Sister Duos in Hakodate

From Aqours singing at a seaside aquarium to their winter encounter with Saint Snow in Hakodate, 'Love Live! Sunshine!!' follows high school girls in the Uchiura district of Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, as they strive to energize their beloved seaside school.

Protagonist Chika Takami teams up with her classmate You Watanabe, Tokyo transfer student Riko Sakurauchi, and six schoolmates to form the nine-member school idol group Aqours. Numazu Station, the downtown shopping arcade, Awashima Island, and Mito Beach frame their daily rehearsals and friendships, while their Season 2 journey to Hakodate deepens their bond with the sister duo Saint Snow (Sarah and Leah Kazuno) and leads to a joint stage performance.

From the Coastal Town of Uchiura in Numazu to Saint Snow’s Hakodate

1Numazu Station & Nakamise Shopping Arcade | Handing Out Flyers and Filming Promotional Videos

The North Exit of Numazu Station appears in the scene where Aqours members Chika, You, and Riko hand out flyers. On the South Exit side and inside the Nakamise Shopping Arcade, Season 1 Episode 5 depicts the members chasing after Yoshiko Tsushima, and the arcade entrance also appears as a promotional video filming spot in the story.

In Episode 11, the station ticket gates frame a pivotal scene highlighting the bond among the three second-year members. Distinct moments from the series are spread across the North Exit plaza, the South Exit plaza, and the covered shopping arcade.

On the western sidewalk in front of the Numazu Sangyo Building at the South Exit plaza, a new Aqours decorative manhole cover donated by JR Central was installed on June 30, 2026. Inside the station building 'Antre' on the second floor, the Numazu Tourist Information Center distributes official manhole cards between 10:00 and 18:00 (check the center's notices for current card stock).

Sources: Shizuoka Prefecture — Anime Location Model Map / Numazu City — Station Plaza & Shopping Arcade Scenes / 2026 Manhole Cover Installation / Manhole Card Distribution Counter

2Numazu Central Park & Ayumi Bridge | The Riverside Where the Flea Market Took Place

Numazu Central Park appears in the flea market episode in Season 2 Episode 4. Ayumi Bridge spanning the Kano River and the 'Kaze no Terrace' (Terrace of the Wind) at the bottom of the riverside steps are also depicted, bringing the park and riverfront together as a single scenic sequence.

Located at 4-185-4 Otemachi, Numazu City, the park, pedestrian bridge, and riverside terrace are all open public spaces that visitors can walk through freely.

Source: Numazu City — Central Park and Ayumi Bridge

3Izu-Mito Sea Paradise | The Seaside Aquarium of ‘Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM’

Izu-Mito Sea Paradise serves as the primary stage for the animated music video of Aqours' second single, 'Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM.' Located at 3-1 Uchiura Nagahama, Numazu City, the aquarium's open-water pens facing Suruga Bay are incorporated directly into the video.

Inside, exhibition tanks showcase marine life native to Suruga Bay, while sea mammals perform in the show stadium; a new interactive zone called 'Iso-Aso BOX' also opened in 2026. Standard operating hours run from 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:00), with daily show times and calendar updates posted on the aquarium's website.

Sources: Shizuoka Prefecture — PV Model Location / Izu-Mito Sea Paradise — Exhibits & Operating Hours

4Sannoura General Information Center | Where Chika Appears with Her Box of Mikan

The Sannoura General Information Center is the local tourist information office that appears in Season 1 Episode 6, depicted alongside the cardboard box of Jutaro mikan tangerines carried by Chika as part of Uchiura's everyday scenery.

Located at 83-124 Uchiura Nagahama, Numazu City, it continues to operate as an active tourist information counter open from 9:00 to 16:00, with public restrooms available on site.

Sources: Shizuoka Prefecture — Chika's Scene at the Information Center / Numazu City — Episode 6 Locations / Numazu City — Current Information Center Guide

5Awashima Island | The Model for Kanan’s Diving Shop and the Shrine Stairs Used for Training

Awashima Island brings together several key locations tied to Aqours members: the Frog House (Kaeru-kan) that modeled Kanan Matsuura's family diving shop, the Awashima Hotel that modeled Mari Ohara's family residence, and the steep stone approach to Awashima Shrine where the members trained.

The Frog House (Kaeru-kan) and Awashima Hotel

Within Awashima Marine Park, the Frog House served as the architectural model for Kanan's diving shop in the anime, while in reality it operates as a dedicated frog exhibition building inside the marine park. The luxury hotel on the island corresponds to Mari's family hotel; access inside the hotel building is reserved for registered overnight or dining guests.

The Mountain Trail Steps Leading Up to Awashima Shrine

The mountain trail leading up to Awashima Shrine appears repeatedly as the steep stone stairway where Aqours members run up the island for physical conditioning.

Visitors cross to Awashima Island aboard the Awashima Marine Park ferry. From March through October, park hours are 9:30 to 17:00 (ticket reception 9:20 to 15:30; final return boat at 16:50). General adult admission of 3,000 yen includes the round-trip ferry crossing, and operations may be suspended during rough weather.

Sources: Shizuoka Prefecture — Awashima Island Model Locations / Numazu City — Diving Shop & Shrine Approach Scenes / Frog House Exhibits / Ferry Crossing & Current Operating Information

6Mito Beach & Yasudaya Ryokan | The Shoreline Where Chika’s Family Inn Stands

Mito Beach is the curving sandy shore that appears throughout Aqours' story, and Yasudaya Ryokan standing directly across the road served as the model for Chika Takami's family inn. Together, the beachfront and the traditional timber inn define the coastal landscape of Chika's hometown in Uchiura.

Yasudaya Ryokan continues to operate as a working traditional inn. Visitors can view the exterior from the public road along the beach, while entering the building itself is reserved for lodging or dining guests.

Sources: Shizuoka Prefecture — Mito Beach & Chika's Home / Numazu City — Mito Beach Location Guide

7Hakodate Arena | Where Saint Snow Competed in the Hokkaido Regional Preliminaries

In Season 2 Episode 8, Hakodate Arena serves as the venue for the Hokkaido regional preliminary round of Love Live!. While Hakodate's own school idol duo Saint Snow competes on stage and the nine members of Aqours attend as invited guests, Saint Snow suffers a heartbreaking mistake during their hometown performance.

In reality, the arena building is composed of interconnected circular volumes of different sizes, whereas the anime depicts its facade with more rectilinear lines. In April 2018, the real-life voice cast also took the stage at this very arena for 'HAKODATE UNIT CARNIVAL.'

Located at 1-32-2 Yunokawacho, Hakodate City, the complex is open from 9:00 to 22:00, with entry to the main arena and halls governed by individual event tickets or facility bookings. From the outside, the connected large and small curved roofs serve as the landmark on site.

Source: Hakodate City — Episode 8 & Real-World Concert Venue

8Goryokaku Tower | The Star-Shaped Fortress and the Glass Floor That Startled Three Members

Following the preliminary round, Aqours visits Goryokaku Tower in Season 2 Episode 8. Looking down from the observation deck, Yoshiko Tsushima likens the star-shaped fortress moat below to a magic circle, You Watanabe admires the bronze statue of Toshizo Hijikata, and Kanan Matsuura freezes in her tracks over the see-through glass floor panel.

Located at 43-9 Goryokakucho, Hakodate City, visitors enter through the main ground-floor lobby and purchase an observation deck ticket. The tower is open daily year-round from 9:00 to 18:00, with ticket sales ending at 17:50.

Sources: Hakodate City — The Three Members' Scene at the Tower / Goryokaku Tower — Visitor Information

9Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward | The Grand Hall Where Ruby and Leah Faced the Audition

In Season 2 Episode 9, the second-floor Grand Hall of the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward is where first-year Aqours member Ruby Kurosawa and Saint Snow's younger sister Leah Kazuno head for the Christmas live audition. Both girls have spent their school idol journeys singing alongside their older sisters.

Standing inside the ornate Grand Hall, the two voice their determination in their own words. Visitors can pay admission to enter the Meiji-era Western-style wooden building and step inside the Grand Hall and balcony.

Located at 11-13 Motomachi, Hakodate City, hours from April to October are 9:00–18:00 (Tue–Fri) and 9:00–19:00 (Sat–Mon), and 9:00–17:00 from November to March (last entry 30 minutes before closing). Starting October 21, 2026, renovation work will temporarily close the theater room and part of the visitor route while other rooms remain open; the hall will also close temporarily on November 17.

Sources: Hakodate City — Episode 9 Grand Hall Scene / Hakodate City — Facility Guide / Old Public Hall Opening Hours / Autumn 2026 Partial Closure Notice

10Sabo Kikuizumi | The Traditional Teahouse That Modeled Sarah and Leah’s Family Home

Sabo Kikuizumi is the traditional Japanese sweets café that served as the model for the family home of Saint Snow sisters Sarah and Leah Kazuno. In Season 2 Episode 8, Aqours members happen to step into this shop and reunite with the two sisters.

Housed inside a historic wooden residence, Kikuizumi operates as a restaurant and teahouse and reopened under new management on April 10, 2024. Visitors today dine in the open customer seating areas by ordering from the current menu, whereas the back room that modeled Leah's bedroom in the anime is closed to the public.

Sources: Hakodate City — Model for the Sisters' Home & Post-Reopening Access Scope / Sabo Kikuizumi Official

11Hachiman-zaka Slope | The Harbor-View Slope Where Saint Aqours Snow Performed

Sloping straight down toward Hakodate Port, Hachiman-zaka Slope becomes the open-air stage for the climax performance in Season 2 Episode 9. Prepared by Ruby and Leah, the performance brings Aqours and Saint Snow together to sing as the combined unit 'Saint Aqours Snow.'

From the top of the slope, the paved roadway frames an unbroken view straight out to the harbor waters. Visitors walk along the public sidewalks flanking the slope; the high school campus at the crest of the hill is private school property and off-limits.

Source: Hakodate City — Live Performance Scene on Hachiman-zaka Slope

12Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse | Where Ruby Invites Leah to Sing Together

In Season 2 Episode 9, it is in front of the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses that Ruby reaches out to Leah and proposes that the two of them sing together. Their conversation here after the preliminary round becomes the catalyst for preparing the Christmas live show.

Lining the waterfront bay area, the historic red-brick warehouses now house shops and restaurants. Visitors can view the brick facades and harbor scenery from the open public walkways outside; the giant Christmas tree seen in the episode is erected seasonally during winter events.

Source: Hakodate City — Ruby's Invitation in Front of the Warehouses

13Hakodate Nishi-Hatoba Waterfront | The Bayfront Where Dia Encouraged Her Younger Sister Ruby

In Season 2 Episode 8 at the Hakodate Nishi-Hatoba waterfront, Ruby confides her sadness over how little time remains to sing alongside her graduating older sister Dia Kurosawa, and Dia gently encourages her. That awareness of limited time left with an older sister mirrors the exact feelings Leah carries in Hakodate.

Nishi-Hatoba is an open harborfront promenade facing Hakodate Bay. Subsequent waterfront renovations have altered the exact bench layout seen at the time of broadcast; nearby Lucky Pierrot Bay Area Main Shop also appears during conversations in Episode 8 and songwriting discussions in Episode 9.

Source: Hakodate City — The Sisters' Conversation & Bayfront Scenery

14Mt. Hakodate Observatory | The Summit Where the Younger Sisters Invited Their Older Sisters to the Live Show

In Season 2 Episode 9, Ruby and Leah summon their respective older sisters, Dia and Sarah, up to the summit of Mt. Hakodate. On the observation deck, the two younger sisters present their invitation to the special live performance they have prepared.

The sequence depicts both the summit observation deck and the ropeway structure rising above the city, looking out over Hakodate's narrow isthmus flanked by the sea on either side. The ropeway base station is located at 19-7 Motomachi, Hakodate City.

From October 20 to November 8, 2026, the Mt. Hakodate Ropeway is scheduled to suspend operations for statutory safety inspections. While the summit observatory building itself remains open from 10:00 to 21:00 during this window, visitors cannot ride the ropeway and should check the operator's inspection notice for alternative summit transit options.

Sources: Hakodate City — Invitation Scene at the Observatory / Autumn 2026 Ropeway Inspection & Observatory Opening Hours

Deeper into the Work | The Story of Aqours and Saint Snow

Here we look back at the locations across Numazu and Hakodate through the activities of Aqours and Saint Snow, tracing how a school idol project begun at a small coastal high school grew into a collaborative stage in Hakodate.

Chika Takami and the Nine Members | Starting a School Idol Group in Uchiura

Chika Takami, the protagonist of 'Love Live! Sunshine!!,' is a second-year student attending Uranohoshi Girls' High School in the Uchiura district of Numazu City. Centered on Chika, nine students form the school idol group Aqours, weaving songwriting and dance practice into their daily school life.

Joining Chika are her classmate You Watanabe and transfer student Riko Sakurauchi, who also composes music for the group, followed by student council president Dia Kurosawa, her younger sister Ruby Kurosawa, Kanan Matsuura, Mari Ohara, Yoshiko Tsushima, and Hanamaru Kunikida to complete the nine members of Aqours.

While Chika and You draw inspiration from learning about the legendary school idol group μ's in Tokyo, Uranohoshi Girls' High School faces looming plans for school consolidation and closure. For Chika, pursuing school idol activities unites chasing a dream with cherishing her school and coastal hometown.

Sources: Sunrise — TV Anime Season 1 / Bandai Channel — TV Series Synopsis / The Nine Members of Aqours

Two Pairs of Sisters | The Song Ruby and Leah Prepare on Their Own

Hakodate's school idol duo Saint Snow consists of sisters Sarah and Leah Kazuno, while Aqours includes sisters Dia and Ruby Kurosawa. In both groups, the younger sisters confront the reality that the time they have left to perform alongside their graduating third-year older sisters is drawing to a close.

Across Season 2 Episodes 8 and 9, Hakodate serves as the city where the two younger sisters move step by step from the preliminary arena to waterfront conversations, the audition hall, and finally the harbor-view slope.

The joint unit born from this collaboration is 'Saint Aqours Snow,' uniting the nine members from Uchiura with the sister duo from Hakodate on a single stage.

Source: Hakodate City — Season 2 Episodes 8 and 9 Guide

‘Over the Rainbow’ | Depicting the Nine Members After Graduation

Released in theaters in January 2019, 'Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over the Rainbow' continues the story after Aqours wins the final tournament as representatives of Uranohoshi Girls' High School. As the third-year students depart on a graduation trip, the remaining first- and second-year students prepare to integrate into a new high school.

When the third-years unexpectedly go missing abroad and challenges arise at the new school campus back home, the film explores what the nine members mean to one another once their time attending the same school building comes to an end.

Source: Sunrise — Theatrical Film Synopsis

The Aquarium Music Video and Real-Life Concerts by the Voice Cast

‘Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM’ | An Animated Music Video Centered by You Watanabe

Set at Izu-Mito Sea Paradise, 'Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM' is Aqours' second single, featuring You Watanabe as center. Released on April 27, 2016, the single was issued in two editions bundling either a Blu-ray or a DVD containing the animated promotional video.

Exactly one year after its physical release, on April 27, 2017, the full-length animated PV was released officially on YouTube, allowing fans to watch the complete aquarium story online.

Sources: Sunrise Music — Center & Product Specifications / Full-Length PV Release / Aquarium Model Location

Collaborative Production Across Story, Background Art, 3DCG, and Music

The theatrical film was directed by Kazuo Sakai from a screenplay by Jukki Hanada, credited to original creator Hajime Yatate and original concept author Sakurako Kimino, with animation produced by Sunrise.

Yuhei Murota handled character design, Junichi Higashi served as art director, Go Kurosaki directed the 3DCG, and Tatsuya Kato composed the musical score—dividing character animation, real-world location backgrounds, CG stage sequences, and orchestral accompaniment across specialized teams.

Source: Theatrical Film Staff Credits

To Hakodate Arena and the Domes | The Trajectory of Real-World Concerts

The voice cast portraying the characters also performs live concerts as Aqours. Following their inaugural 'Aqours First LoveLive!' at Yokohama Arena in February 2017, Hakodate Arena hosted the real-world cast concert 'HAKODATE UNIT CARNIVAL' in April 2018.

On November 17–18, 2018, the group headlined '4th LoveLive!' at Tokyo Dome, followed on June 8–9, 2019 by '5th LoveLive!' at what was then MetLife Dome. The tournaments depicted in the anime and the stadium concerts staged by the cast unfolded in parallel across real venues.

On June 21–22, 2025, Aqours staged 'Finale LoveLive!' at Belluna Dome, marking the culmination of nine-member solo concerts. Even in 2026, sub-unit and collaborative live events such as the joint concert between Guilty Kiss and Saint Snow continue to carry the music forward.

Sources: 2017 First Live Venue Guide / Hakodate Concert Video Archive / 4th & 5th Live Records / Finale Live Record / 2026 Joint Live Performance

From the Debut Single to Hakodate, Dome Tours, and Numazu’s Newest Manhole Cover

Sources: Debut Single Release / Season 1 Broadcast / Series History / 2025 Finale Concert

Aqours Across the City Streets | 23 Decorative Manhole Covers and the Official City Map

Decorative manhole covers illustrating the members of Aqours are installed along the streets of Numazu. On June 30, 2026, a newly designed cover donated by JR Central was added at the South Exit of Numazu Station, bringing the citywide total to 23 covers.

Rather than clustering solely around the station, the covers are distributed across the Nakamise Shopping Arcade and Ayumi Bridge downtown, the coastal stretch from Senbonhama to Port Park, and Uchiura landmarks including the Sannoura General Information Center and Nagahama Castle Ruins. The city's installation map plots each grade-group design alongside the new JR Central cover.

All 23 manhole locations are plotted on the Numazu City Manhole Installation Map.

Source: Numazu City — 2026 Manhole Addition & Map of All 23 Locations

‘Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM’ | The Single Packaging the Aquarium Song and Animated PV

The Blu-ray edition of 'Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM' (catalog number LACM-14470, released April 27, 2016) pairs a CD containing three songs and four audio drama tracks with a Blu-ray disc featuring the animated promotional video.

Source: Publisher — Tracklist & Specifications of LACM-14470

Lab Note | From a Business Perspective: Linking Anime Scenes with Active Local Businesses and Facilities

An aquarium featured in a music video, a historic teahouse modeling the sisters' family home, and an arena used both in the anime's regional preliminaries and for a real-world cast concert—each spot connects to the work in a distinct way. By publishing municipal guides that pair episode numbers with on-site photographs, Numazu and Hakodate allow visitors to choose destinations based on the scenes they love.

The 2024 reopening of Sabo Kikuizumi and the 2026 addition of the 23rd manhole cover show how new pilgrimage touchpoints continue to emerge long after broadcast. Distinguishing clearly between how a location appeared in the anime and what areas are open for business today ensures a smooth visit for fans and local establishments alike.

Official Sources & Primary References

• Official Series Website & Guide
• Numazu City — Locations of the Work
• Hakodate City — Season 2 Locations
• Shizuoka Prefecture Model Location Map
• Publisher — Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM

Exhibition dates, opening hours, admission fees, and ticket details are current at the time of writing. Always check the official websites for the latest schedule updates before setting out on your pilgrimage visit.