A must visit for Your Name fans: Tateishi Park

If you’ve seen Your Name, then this photograph will seem familiar to you. In this feature, we talk about Shinkai Makoto’s Kimi No Na Wa and his inspiration of the landscape for the heroine Mitsuha’s village. This is the view of Lake Suwa and Suwa city from Tateishi Park in Nagano prefecture.

The park is about 1.5 km from the city center and offers a stunning view of Suwa.

The green areas that you see on the water are aquatic weeds that grow in the summer.

The park offers panoramic views of the beautiful town below.

The park has a fairly wide seating area with an amphitheater like feel and makes it a great spot to enjoy a picnic or to just take photos of the landscapes.

On a clear day, you can even see the Hida Mountains, which Nagano is well known for.

Wherever you look, you will be taken straight back to scenes from the movie.

The atmosphere of landscapes from Shinkai’s childhood have been beautifully conveyed throughout the movie and the views in real life are just as beautiful.

The Lake Suwa Fireworks Festival is held every summer with more than 40,000 fireworks going off. A great time to visit this spot.

As the lights come on, the city lights sparkle under you along with the fireworks.

One of the recommended spots close to Lake Suwa is Tsuetsuki Pass Observation Cafe Kaze no Uta (杖突峠峠の茶屋喫茶風の詩) for stunning views of the city and the lake.