Anime location
Tomonoura harbour
The port town where Miyazaki stayed for around three months while conceiving Ponyo. The harbour, the lanes and the cliff above are all in the film.
A small harbour on the Seto Inland Sea that kept its Edo-period layout — a stone lantern on the quay, stepped landing stones, and narrow lanes rising behind. Hayao Miyazaki stayed here for around three months while working on Ponyo, and the harbour, the hillside and the view out over the islands all inform the film.
Why it is worth it
It is one of the best-preserved small ports in Japan, and it is an unusually well-documented Ghibli connection — the director actually lived here while making the film.
When to go
Busy at weekends; quiet on weekdays.
Good to know
It is a lived-in fishing town with very narrow lanes — walk, do not drive in, and do not photograph into houses. Fukuyama is on the Shinkansen between Osaka and Hiroshima, so this fits into a westbound journey as a half-day stop.
Studio Ghibli
Ponyo — the port town Miyazaki stayed in for around three months.