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Onegai Anime Fans Raise Y120,000 for Real Lake Locale
posted on by Egan Loo
On October 4, fans of the Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins anime series presented 120,000 yen (about US$1,200) to the Lake Kizaki Springs Tourism Association to maintain the streetlights near the lake that inspired the background locales in these two anime. Every year, the city of Ōmachi in western Japan lights up the lake shore from July to September with these streetlights. However, the tourism association had planned to stop the tradition this year due to mounting costs. Fans heard about the planned cancellation and raised money in September to continue the tradition.
Fans began visiting the lake after the two anime ran in Japan, and have already joined the local cleanup campaigns around the lake. Since both anime prominently featured the local train stops, the Ōito train line has been issuing souvenir tickets with anime background art from this past September until next August. Bandai Entertainment released both anime series in North America.
Source: Daily Yomiuri, Asahi Shimbun (expired links)
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