A few months ago, the band MyGO!!!! (will now be referred to as MyGO after this point) released a music video for their song “Egakumirai,” and from the moment I watched it, something about it stayed with me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about one of my favorite band members just enjoying their trip in this quiet coastal town. The atmosphere felt so gentle and comforting that by the end of the video, I found myself wanting to be there too, so on my Japan trip, I decided to “get lost” at Hayama Town just like the members of MyGO.
At first, I honestly had no idea where Hayama even was. For some reason I imagined it being somewhere deep in Shizuoka, the kind of place that would require a painfully long day trip from Tokyo. But after searching it up and realizing it was only a little further past Kamakura, I knew I had to go. And so, on one quiet morning in Japan and the day after MyGO and Ave Mujica’s joint live, I found myself boarding the train with one goal in mind: to walk through the same peaceful town that inspired MyGO’s “Egakumirai.”
Getting there was surprisingly easy. From Shinjuku or Shibuya, you can simply ride the Shonan-Shinjuku Line, while from Tokyo Station you can take the Yokosuka Line. Both head directly toward Zushi Station. The ride itself already felt relaxing, and I found joy just watching salarymen and students board and unboard the train (I felt happy not minding about work). As the towering buildings of Tokyo and Yokohama slowly disappeared and the scenery became more coastal, it honestly started to feel like I was entering the world of the music video itself.
And after literally the last stop of either train line, I finally made it to Zushi Station, where the anime pilgrimage begins. (For those unfamiliar with the term, otakus often refer to visiting real-life locations featured in anime, manga, games, or other otaku media as seichi junrei, meaning “pilgrimage to sacred places”). Fair warning though, if you decide to do this pilgrimage mostly on foot, as I did, prepare yourself. This whole thing took me about 6-7 hours of walking.
From Zushi Station, I walked southeast until I finally reached Zushi Beach. The moment the ocean came into view, I immediately recognized that this was where Raana ran toward the sea during the first chorus of the music video. Standing there in person felt strangely emotional and I also decided to run to the beach as Raana did. The waves were calm, the wind was gentle, and everything around me carried this quiet atmosphere that’s honestly hard to describe unless you experience it yourself.
There are several beach entrances there, all numbered, and I spent an embarrassingly long amount of time trying to figure out which one Raana used in the MV. I think it might have been Entrance No. 2, though I can’t say for sure. There were fences set up when I visited too which made the scenery quite not exactly the same as the shot in the video.
While wandering around the beach, I also ended up talking to another MyGO fan who was also doing the pilgrimage. He was a huge Raana fan and we both started laughing about how exhausting it was trying to find the right entrance and he even complained about the fences on the beach ruining the experience a bit. It was quite funny but it was one of those small interactions that made the trip feel even more special to me. Two strangers from completely different places connected simply because five fictional girls and a band somehow led us to the same beach.
After greeting the sea, I headed west and eventually found the bridge where Anon stood in the MV.
Right across it was the exact Family Mart where the girls stopped by to buy snacks, and of course, I went inside too to buy some of my own, which I will be mostly eating later until the final stopping point. That famichiki definitely hit the right spot as it was around 8 AM and I hadn’t had breakfast yet.
Outside the convenience store was also the crossroads where the members took photos of each other while the artwork Tomori posed beside was just across the street.
From there, I kept walking south along the coastal road and eventually, I reached La Marée de Chaya near a bus stop, with the sea stretching beautifully across it. The shop was still closed as it was still early in the morning, but I feel like it was nice to stop by here for some pastries.
Eventually, I reached Hayama Marina, and this was probably the point where the pilgrimage really started hitting me emotionally. So many scenes from the MV happened here which you can just see for yourself below.
After Hayama Port, I walked towards Shin-Nase Bus Stop, which was about a half-hour walk, but it was super worth it because that bus stop itself appears in the MV too, with the members quietly resting there.
Continuing further south, I found the Hayama town guide sign that Anon pointed at.
From there, I headed down toward Shibasaki Beach. I can’t seem to find the photos I took but this was the spot where the members held the second verse lyrics, and also where they quietly spent time together.
Then came one of the locations I had been looking forward to the most: Isshiki Beach as this was where Anon wrote “Egakumirai” in the sand. Standing there in person honestly felt surreal. The beach itself was peaceful and far less crowded than I expected and while I was there, the only ones I saw were locals walking their dog. I just stood there for a while listening to the waves because something about the place felt strangely nostalgic even though it was my first time there. I even wrote the song title too in the sand like Anon did.
And right there in the center was the pathway where all five members walked together in the MV.
Further east was the area near the Hayama Imperial Villa where Soyo holding the lyrics scene took place. Unfortunately, I visited during winter, so the leaves hadn’t bloomed yet and you can barely recognize the wall at all.
And finally, after hours and hours of walking, I arrived at Hayama Park. At that point, I was completely exhausted. So I sat down at the park bench, pulled out the snacks I bought earlier from Family Mart, and quietly ate them while staring at the view, just like the band members did in the MV. This moment right here might have been my favorite part of the entire trip.
There wasn’t anything spectacular happening. Just me, the ocean breeze, tired legs, and a peaceful afternoon in Hayama. A local even interacted with me here, asking where I’m from and what brought me to visit their town. When I said that because of MyGO’s music video, he just smiled and told me to enjoy Hayama. And that’s what I did, I truly enjoyed my trip here.
This entire pilgrimage took me around six to seven hours, mostly on foot, and by the end of it, I genuinely felt like I had wandered through an entirely different side of Japan. A quieter and softer one. The kind of place you rarely see when you’re rushing through crowded tourist spots in Tokyo or Kyoto.
And what I loved most was that Hayama didn’t just feel like an anime location, as I thought it would be; it felt real in a sense. There’s just something about finally visiting the place you wanted to visit for quite some time and that blew your expectations away.
However, I did have some regrets: I regret not trying more local food like Hayama-gyu or shirasu-don because I was too full from convenience store food and too tired from walking because I still had another pilgrimage planned afterward.
Part of me wishes I could return during spring because I saw so many cherry blossom trees and can already imagine how beautiful the entire coastline would look beneath those and the warmer sunlight.
Also, Mount Fuji was hiding behind the clouds during my visit too. If it was visible, the whole adventure would’ve been breathtaking.
But I guess that just gives me another reason to come back someday.
After finishing the Hayama pilgrimage, I still somehow dragged my exhausted body all the way toward Shichirigahama Beach to visit another anime location and catch a glimpse of Enoshima in the distance. I mean, Kamakura was one stop away and I certainly wouldn’t want to miss riding one of Japan’s famous trains. I originally wanted to continue all the way to Enoshima too, but after nearly ten hours of walking, my body had completely given up on me.
Maybe that’s a journey for another day.
While walking at the shores of Shichirigahama, I realize now that anime pilgrimages aren’t just about recreating or visiting scenes from anime.
Of course, there’s excitement in standing where your favorite characters stood. There’s joy in recognizing locations you once only saw on a screen, but what stays with me the most are the moments in between. The quiet walks beside the ocean. The conversations with strangers. The peaceful atmosphere of a small coastal town far away from home.
Somehow, places like Hayama make you stop thinking about anime for a second and start thinking about life instead. And maybe that’s why this trip resonated with me so much.
If it wasn’t for MyGO, I probably never would’ve discovered Hayama. I never would’ve walked those quiet roads, listened to the waves there, or spent an afternoon sitting in a seaside park eating konbini snacks while feeling oddly at peace with everything around me.
“Egakumirai” means “a future we draw.” And after spending a day wandering through Hayama, I think I finally understand why this town was chosen for that song. Because when we think about the future, we often imagine something huge and distant. We continue to chase our big dreams, push ourselves forward, and keep moving no matter how exhausted we become. Day by day, our lives tend to get busier and busier. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that because that’s just part of living after all.
But somewhere along the coastline of Hayama, I realized something: “Drawing your future” doesn’t always have to mean that you need to do something grand or dramatic. It doesn’t mean you have to be productive every second of every day.
Sometimes, drawing it can be something much smaller and gentler. You don’t always need a drastic change in your life. Sometimes it’s the little walks next to the sea under the warm sunlight.
The lyrics of “Egakumirai” say, “Even if the promised flower falls, I’m sure we’ll be okay.” Whatever you’re feeling right now, it’s okay to go slow. The future doesn’t have to be figured out all at once.
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