March 23, 2025, sunny. Today I'm heading to Choshi, the sacred site of the anime ATRI -My Dear Moments-.

About ATRI -My Dear Moments-

ATRI -My Dear Moments- is originally a visual novel game jointly produced by Front Wing and Makura, published by ANIPLEX.EXE, and later adapted into a TV anime of the same name.
The game was released on Steam and DMM in 2020. Set in the near future, the sea level has risen rapidly for unknown reasons, submerging most of the land. The protagonist, Natsuki Ikaruga, lost a leg in an accident during childhood. Tired of urban life, he moves to a seaside rural town, inheriting his grandmother's boat, submarine, and debts. To reclaim his "lost future," Natsuki dives into an underwater warehouse with the debt collector Catherine, where he encounters Atri, a robot girl sleeping inside. Atri wishes to fulfill the last command left by her master and, until then, become Natsuki's "leg." Together, they spend an unforgettable summer in the gradually sinking town.
The anime adaptation was produced by TROYCA, directed by Makoto Kato, with series composition by Jukki Hanada. The main voice cast includes Kensho Ono as Natsuki Ikaruga and Hikaru Akao as Atri, with the rest of the cast reprising their roles from the game. The anime premiered in Japan on July 13, 2024, and was streamed on Bilibili in China starting July 14, with 12 episodes, each 24 minutes long. The story closely follows the game, depicting Natsuki and Atri's search for hope and a future in a gradually sinking world.

About Choshi

Choshi City is located in the northeastern part of Chiba Prefecture, Japan, surrounded by the sea on three sides: the Tone River to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south, giving it a unique geographical position. As one of Japan's premier fishing port cities, Choshi has ranked first in the nation for fish catches for many consecutive years, primarily landing tuna, sardines, horse mackerel, and various other fish. Additionally, Choshi's spring cabbage production is the highest in Japan, known for its excellent quality and popularity among consumers. Choshi is also a famous tourist destination, boasting rich natural scenery and cultural attractions. Among them, Inubosaki Lighthouse is a local landmark where visitors can climb to enjoy magnificent ocean views. The cliffs of Byobugaura are also praised as the "White Cliffs of Dover in Japan" and are well worth a visit. Choshi has a long history of soy sauce brewing, and tourists can tour local soy sauce factories to learn about traditional brewing techniques. In summary, Choshi City attracts many visitors with its abundant fishery resources, beautiful natural landscapes, and deep cultural heritage.

From Tokyo to Choshi

There are various ways to get from Tokyo to Choshi. The fastest is to take the limited express Shiosai from Tokyo Station directly to Choshi Station, which takes about 2 hours.

I chose this fastest option this time. I woke up before 6 a.m. to catch the first morning train to Choshi—I don't even get up that early for work 😅.

The train looks so cool!

Even though it's Sunday, there were hardly any passengers, which made me worry about the business situation.

Arriving at Choshi Station

Right after stepping off the train, I was greeted by a giant soy sauce display.

The soy sauce here is very famous.

Scenery outside the station.

Nakanocho Station

Since trains in Choshi run only once an hour, it was faster to walk to Nakanocho Station, so I decided to walk.

Along the way, this area seemed like an industrial zone, with many unidentified gas cylinders.

The Choshi Electric Railway company building looks very historic.

Right next to the company is Nakanocho Station, equally full of history.

Inside the station.

The station also seems to sell local goods.

I originally planned to visit the depot, because it houses the train car that appears submerged in the anime.

Unfortunately, depot tours have been suspended from last July until March 31, 2025, due to train inspections.

Also, starting next year, depot visits will only be available on weekends and will require advance reservations.

Things are off to a rough start 😅.

But at least I still needed to buy a one-day pass.

For 700 yen, you can ride as much as you want all day.

Riding the Choshi Electric Railway

Boarding the train felt like stepping back into the Showa era.

The carriage overall has a charming historical feel.

Also, besides the driver, there was another staff member responsible for selling and checking tickets on board, which is very rare nowadays.

But having to show my pass at every single stop was a bit of a hassle 😅.

Enpuku-ji Niomon (Iinuma Kannon)

The temple that appears sunken under the sea in the anime.

I arrived quite early, so there weren't many visitors.

The temple is very impressive overall.

Next to the temple is the Ganso Imagawayaki shop featured in the anime.

Since I'm here, I might as well buy one and give it a try!

There are two types of Imagawayaki: black filling and white filling. I chose the black one.

As expected, it's the familiar red bean paste flavor! It tastes a bit like a thick taiyaki, but the crust is thicker than taiyaki. It's a relatively sweet and rich flavor.

Tokawa Station

Return to Kannon Station and take the Choshi Electric Railway to Tokawa Station.

In the anime, it's a boat dock, but in reality, it's actually the terminal station of the Choshi Electric Railway—Tokawa Station.

Kaze no Atelier

From Tokawa Station, it's about a 15-minute walk to the restaurant Kaze no Atelier.

Along the way

Along the way, there are vast fields of cabbage. Thinking about how expensive cabbage is in Tokyo right now, this field must be worth a fortune.

Outside the restaurant

I didn't expect the small path in front of the entrance to be so faithfully recreated.

This is Kaze no Atelier.

Inside the restaurant

The backlighting made it a bit difficult to take good photos. The restaurant has a very artistic atmosphere, which lives up to its name.

The anime recreated it very well too.

The view outside the window is also faithfully recreated. Unfortunately, it's a bit hazy today. If it were a clear blue sky, it would definitely be very beautiful!

Also, in reality, there's an extra goat.

Today's menu.

A. Fried Cod with Curry Flavor and Spicy Mayo — ¥1250

B. Marinated Fried Chicken with Cheese Sauce — ¥1250

C. Bacon and Choshi Cabbage Pasta with Anchovy Flavor — ¥1150

D. Joshu Beef Chuck Flap Steak with Japanese-style Sauce — ¥2500

Comes with soup, side dish, and rice (except for pasta)

Add-on options:

Mini dessert & drink + ¥580

I chose option C, which is the Bacon and Choshi Cabbage Pasta with Anchovy Flavor.

Since I'm in Choshi, I'll try the local cabbage!

The flavor is on the lighter side overall, but very savory. The pasta was cooked to perfection. Thumbs up!

Chikyu no Maruku Mieru Oka Tenbokan

Right next to Kaze no Atelier is Chikyu no Maruku Mieru Oka Tenbokan. I heard you can see the curved horizon from here.

Take a photo at the entrance.

I heard that if you stand on the high platform, you can see the curved horizon?

I stood up there and took a panoramic photo, but I didn't really feel the curvature...

Here's a famous scene from the anime,Although the angle might not be quite right, I think it turned out pretty well.

From the observation deck, you can see a very tall tower.

In the anime, it's mostly submerged.

That place is Choshi Port Tower. Unfortunately, it's not very accessible by public transportation—the train and bus schedules never seem to align, and walking takes about 30 minutes... Since I could capture it from here, it saved me an hour of walking back and forth 👏.

Inubosaki Lighthouse

Initially, I planned to walk from the observation deck back to Tokawa Station and then take the train to Inubo Station. But when I checked the navigation, I found that walking directly to Inubo Station would only take about 5 minutes longer, and I wouldn't have to wait for the train, so I could actually arrive earlier. So I decided to walk.

When I arrived at the lighthouse, I found it was crowded with people.

So I bought a ticket and climbed up the lighthouse.

The lighthouse has 99 steps in total, which wasn't too strenuous. However, the steps at the very top were really narrow—they could barely fit my heel.

After climbing up, I realized not only is it very high, but the wind is also incredibly strong!!! People with acrophobia should beware 😩. But the view is absolutely stunning!

This is what the lighthouse equipment looks like. I'm guessing it's a device for rotation? I'm not really sure, so I'd appreciate it if someone knowledgeable could explain.

Then I saw a notice like this below the lighthouse.

Could it be this? Too bad there weren't any big waves today.

Also, protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility! Marine litter is truly terrifying!

The beach part is also a scene from the protagonist's memories.

But there isn't the cliff from the anime here.

Looking back at the lighthouse, I was just standing up there gazing down at this spot. It was quite interesting.

Inubo Station

Finally, here's Inubo Station.

Compared to the anime, there's no pond in the middle.

The overall architectural style also feels quite historic.

After that, I took the train from Inubo Station back to Choshi, and then finally returned to Tokyo.

A day trip really flies by. Both my phone and I were running out of energy (Insert ad here).

Overall, there aren't many places to visit in Choshi, but transportation is fairly convenient, making it just right for a day trip.

The ocean views are stunning, and I feel they're not inferior to Izu.

Even during a consecutive holiday, there weren't many tourists, so it feels like a quiet little place overall.

If you're visiting Tokyo, you might want to set aside a day to come and explore.