Anime location
The Jagi bust & the Big Dipper manholes, Saku
A 185cm bronze bust of Jagi inside the Shinkansen gates, and seven designed manhole covers laid out as the Big Dipper.
Saku marked the fortieth anniversary of the manga with permanent installations. The bust of Jagi — 185cm and 350kg, and the character the writer himself likes best — stands inside the ticket gates at Sakudaira Station. Seven designed manhole covers featuring Kenshiro, Raoh, Toki and others are set into streets around the city, positioned to trace the shape of the Big Dipper.
Why it is worth it
A bronze Jagi is not what anyone expects to find on a Shinkansen platform, and the manhole layout is a genuinely nice piece of civic design.
When to go
Quiet.
Good to know
The bust is inside the ticket gates — if you are not travelling through, buy a platform ticket. Manhole cards for four of the designs are distributed in the city. Saku is 90 minutes from Tokyo, on the way to Nagano and Kanazawa.
Fist of the North Star
The Jagi bust and the seven Big Dipper manholes.