kiminonawa

The public library in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture is thrilled by the influx of visitors lately, but the staff have posted a few rules to follow.

Residents of Japan were in for a treat when Makoto Shinkai’s latest animated film, Your Name. [君の名は。], began playing in theaters around Japan on August 26. After his previous works, including 2013’s The Garden of Words, we’ve come to expect some of the most gorgeous eye-candy in the industry from his films. Thankfully, the lush visuals in Your Name. certainly didn’t disappoint!

Even veteran animators need some visual guidance to begin their illustrations, and Your Name. makes use of several real-world locations. Fans have determined that female protagonist Mitsuha’s hometown in the countryside is largely based on actual places in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, including Hida-Furukawa Station.

Of course, being the real-world model for such an exciting production does come with its drawbacks, as the Hida City Library has recently learned. In fact, the library has erected a sign near the entrance in response to the dramatic increase in visitors since Your Name.‘s release, which can be found below:

“Dear visitors,

Thank you very much for stopping by. Welcome to Hida-Furukawa. The library in Director Shinkai’s latest work Your Name., which is partly modeled after Hida City, appears identical to here. Please ask for permission at the counter if you would like to take photos within the building. Also, please try to avoid taking photos in which other visitors’ faces are identifiable. Furthermore, please show consideration to the locals and do not disturb them. When you share photos over SNS, please tag them with “I came to Hida City Library [飛騨市図書館].” Do not mistakenly write”Hida Library [飛騨図書館]” or “Hida City Municipal Library [飛騨市立図書館].” By the way, we are on Twitter and Facebook, so please follow us there. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Hida City Library” 

We can understand why the library must have found itself in a sticky situation, seeing as libraries are, after all, generally quiet places to read and study. Nevertheless, visitors are indeed welcome to stop by as long as they respect the above requests. The staff even helpfully left some Your Name. materials on display for all of the fans coming through:

Be sure to check out the film while it is still playing in theaters, or wait until Funimation’s confirmed release for English-speaking audiences.

Source: My Game News Flash
Top image: Your Name Official Site