Mapping anime to attract tourists

The Japanese National Tourism Organization co-created a map of Hakone, Japan with Gainax, the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion a wildly popular 1990s anime which is currently undergoing a resurgence. The JNTO and Hakone area are taking advantage of this resurgence to encourage anime fans from around the globe to come for a visit.

From the AnimeNewsNetwork article, JNTO notes there is great interest in the US alone with significant attendance numbers at anime conventions…Anime Expo in Los Angeles (40,000 attendees), New York Anime Festival in New York (21,000), and Otakon in Baltimore (27,000) not mention interest from other english speaking countries.

If you are heading to Japan on vacation you may want to get one of these maps so you can spend time somewhere other than the shops in Akihabara.