Current 6 Star FC counter: lost count Current 7 Star FC counter: stopped the count at 15 (8/9/2023) Current 8 star pass counter: lost count Current 9 star pass counter: stopped counting at 10 (7/17/2023) Current 10 star pass counter: 6 [All Ranked] Current 11 star pass counter: 1 [Including loved: 3] Current 12 star pass counter: 1 Current 13 star pass counter: 0 [Including loved: 1]
Rika's House The first POI I found was Rika's home, as I was heading towards the village observatory. In Higurashi, the house looked pretty cozy-- but in real life, it was small and used as a storage shed. No Rika
Furude Shrine Known as the Hachiman Shrine in real life, it looked identical to the Furude Shrine of Hinamizawa. When I got here, it was around the time the Higurashi started to cry.
The Maebara Mansion Keiichi's house. Despite everything so far in Shirakawa-go being close by, Keiichi's house was at the very edge of the village, a 40 minute walk accompanied by the cries of the higurashi and small critters. Despite the scorching heat of the Summer, the air beneath the mountains was cool enough to keep the walk bearable. I would have gone closer to the home to get a clearer picture, but I didn't want to disturb the privacy of its owners. Some places are better observed from the distance.
Houjo House Satoko, Rena, and Rika's homes were much closer than I expected- if you stand in the right spot, you can see all three at once! Remembering the events from the Tatarigoroshi chapter gave me chills. Thankfully, this house was a lot more peaceful than in the series. It looked that way from the outside, at least.
Rena's Home Rena's home looked the coziest out of all the others I've seen up to this point, tucked away next to the Houjo House and Rika's home.
The Bridge A whole lot safer in real life, it was teeming with tourists during the day. When I came back in the afternoon however, it was a lot more open. Once crossing it, I found a boulder to sit on to watch some of the sunset before walking back to my stay.
Night Walking from my stay to the observatory was terrifying, despite knowing I was safe. As I was staying a lengthy walk away from the main village, streetlights were far and between with not a soul in sight, despite how busy it was during the day. The slightest sound or movement would startle me, and I had to rely on my phone flashlight and google maps to know where I was half the time. Still, this walk was one of my fondest memories from my trip to Japan, and I'll never forget the satisfaction I felt when I made it to my destination (in one piece!)
Hinamizawa The view up here was ethereal, with a totally different vibe from the daytime. From here, I could see the entire village, every winding road illuminated by the lights from the homes. Needless to say, I stayed up here for a while.