Oarai, a Seaside Town Blessed with Beautiful Nature

Its beautiful nature, featuring white sandy beaches and blue pine trees, creates a serene environment by the sea. The town has a strong connection with the ocean, hosting events like the billfish tournament for marlin fishing and tours organized by the Japan Pro Surfing Federation. Throughout the year, Oarai attracts over 4.2 million tourists, making it the largest tourist destination in Ibaraki Prefecture. Each season offers the opportunity to savor delicious, fresh seafood at its peak.

Oarai Iso-Mae Shrine, located in Oarai Town, Higashiibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Omoikane-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto as its enshrined deities. The main hall, where the presiding deity, the guardian of household safety and maritime traffic, is enshrined, showcases architectural styles from the early Edo period and is designated as a cultural asset of the prefecture.

The "Oarai Seafood Market" is a gourmet spot in Oarai where you can easily savor fresh and delicious seafood. In addition to seafood bowls and set meals, some shops offer fishermen-style beachside grilling right on the spot. You can purchase scallops, clams, shrimp, and more, and have them grilled right there, allowing you to enjoy the delectable flavors of piping hot seafood.

When visiting Oarai, the town of Girls und Panzer, we highly recommend staying at 【Capsule Hotel Ooarai no Nedoko】. The hotel offers convenience, as it is located near popular tourist attractions such as Oarai Marine Tower, Oarai Iso-Mae Shrine, and Aqua World Oarai, all of which are recommended spots visited by many people and have also appeared in the popular anime Girls und Panzer. You can easily access these famous locations during your stay.

Oarai Town, a coastal town in Ibaraki Prefecture, serves as the stage for the anime "Girls & Panzer," which depicts high school girls striving to win the national championship in the martial art of tankery, using tanks, alongside traditional arts such as flower arranging and tea ceremony, representing the essence of traditional Japanese femininity.

Even to this day, numerous fans visit Oarai Town as a pilgrimage site for this anime. The high school attended by the main characters is located on the deck of a massive aircraft carrier-like ship, and it is depicted in the anime that the mother port of this ship is Oarai Town in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Local shops, accommodations, transportation, city hall, and the Chamber of Commerce in Oarai Town have collaborated to faithfully reproduce the town's landscape, various facilities, and transportation depicted in the anime, with some even appearing with their actual names.

When you see the nostalgic shopping street and the compact harbor town, along with the sight of the large ferry "Sunflower" docking there, you can truly feel that Oarai is the stage for this anime.