Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and is famous for the freshness of its seafood and its rural settings. You may have probably seen that most of the winter anime are set in Hokkaido.
A snowy and cold climate is quite common in this beautiful prefecture. Another recurring element in shows are natural hot springs, and Hokkaido can boast among the best in the entire country.
The most important city is Sapporo, the capital, with a population of 5 million people.
This listicle will show you which show are set in Hokkaido and why you should watch them, perfect also if you’re looking for a good anime set on an Island.
These are our opinions, so take them with a grain of salt.
Table of Contents
11. Figure 17: Tsubasa & Hikaru
Tsubasa Shiina is a 10-year-old girl who moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido with her family. One day, she witnesses the crash of a UFO, containing a pilot codenamed D.D., and a Maguar that hatched aboard it.
Maguars are aliens and the main villains of Figure 17, whose eggs will be dispersed across Hokkaido. Tsubasa will be saved by an unknown alien that will fuse with her to create Riberus Battle Armor Figure 17.
This life form will become a clone of Tsubasa and will be called Hikaru.
This anime is set in Hokkaido as visible in the countryside setting. The Sci-Fi element adds that strange vibe that we needed to make the rural setting more interesting and unusual.
Nonetheless, Figure 17: Tsubasa & Hikaru still has a slice-of-life component as the story follows the life of an elementary school girl.
10. Servant x Service
A comedy and slice-of-life anime by A-1 Pictures that talks about a quite uncommon theme. Working in public administration is what you would never expect from an anime but Servant x Service turns the tables.
Lucy Yanagami, Yutaka Hasebe, and Saya Miyoshi are three novice workers and they will be trained by Taishi Ichimiya. The problem is that their senior has no clue about how and it will be up to them to encourage each other.
The public office in question is in a ward in Hokkaido and we don’t have any other details about the setting. Still, you may want to consider watching it as it’s quite funny due to its gags.
9. Wagnaria!!
An anime that can make the workplace interesting and with a lot of exhilarant moments by A-1 Pictures.
Featuring an eccentric cast, Wagnaria!! is set in a fictional homonym restaurant in the prefecture of Hokkaido. Souta Takanashi accepted Popura Taneshima as the new employee for the restaurant and that’s where we will learn about the misadventures of the staff.
We don’t know where exactly Wagnaria is since it’s not stated in the series. We barely see Hokkaido during the series, so this may not be the best fit if you want something typical.
Wagnaria!! shows the opposite of what you would expect from a Japanese restaurant, so antics, inefficiency, and chit-chat.
8. Wave, Listen To Me!
Minare Koda works in a restaurant and just had a breakup. She rants about it to Kanetsugu Matou, a radio station director, who will broadcast her complaints the day after.
Outraged by that, Minare goes back to the radio station, where she will explain her drunken speech in detail. Kanetsugu sees some potential in the girl and she will be one of his best hosts.
This fun and wholesome drama romance is something you can’t miss if you want to recover from heartbreak.
The story is set in Sapporo and the opening theme Aranami is composed by a local band called Tacica.
7. Noein: To Your Other Self
A drama and Sci-Fi anime with a super hard plot and a deep focus on characters.
A group of 4 friends goes to their local graveyard to take a test of courage. The plot is based on the premise that in 15 years there will be a violent war between La’cryma and Shangri-La, two opposing factions.
The first one represents one of our possible futures, whereas the second is the destroyer of space and time.
Haruka Kaminogi will have visions while at the graveyard and her friends too. They weren’t the fruit of their imagination but Dragon Soldiers, elite members of La’cryma that are looking for the Dragon Torque.
The key to winning the war is to have this item, which is actually Haruka herself.
The story is set in Hakodate, a port city in Hokkaido, even though you will see multiple dimensions throughout the story.
Hakodate is famous for its artisans and street food, even though this is not super evident in the anime, Noein does a good job of reproducing the city.
6. Beautiful Bones – Sakurako’s Investigation
Sakurako Kujou is a beautiful and wealthy lady but also an expert osteologist, she can analyze bones and has a vast collection of animal ones to practice. Her assistant is Shoutarou Tatewaki, a high school boy that keeps her in line and prevents Sakurako from stealing the bones they find during investigations.
In fact, the two will have to solve the mystery behind the disappearances in their neighborhood.
Beautiful Bones is set in Asahikawa, in the subprefecture of Kamikawa, in Hokkaido, and it’s the second most populated city in the prefecture.
This anime highlights the beauty of the spring season with its vivid colors. During their investigations, they will go through the woods and many other places where the fauna plays an important role.
The rural nature of the setting is quite fitting and coherent with Hokkaido.
5. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You
A cute and wholesome romance that stars Sawako Kuronuma and Shouta Kazehaya, two school students with different traits.
Sawako is named Sadako after the “The Ring” character due to her physical aspect.
Shouta is quite the opposite, as he tends to be cheerful and easygoing. The two will get along together and they will create a bond that will improve the two of them.
This anime is set in Hokkaido and the manga writer, Shiina Karuho, lived in Haboro, in the northern part of Hokkaido. This is reflected in some choices that may match some of the typical sceneries of her hometown.
The vibe of the series is romantic and relaxing, to reinforce the blooming relationship between the two. Since it’s set in a small town, this choice is even more powerful as we get to enjoy student life and a very chill environment.
We don’t know the exact city as it’s never specified, but it’s definitely not Sapporo as it’s repeated during the series that the story takes place somewhere in Northern Hokkaido.
4. Silver Spoon
Winner of several awards, Silver Spoon is a slice-of-life and comedy genre anime released in 2013.
Young Yugo Hachiken is a city boy who desires to be independent of his family and as soon as he can he enrolls in an agricultural school, where he has to live in a dormitory.
Convinced of his study abilities, he thinks he can manage here as well, but he will often be proved wrong. Indeed, country life is not for him and will prove to be a real challenge.
The story is set in Tokachi at Oezo Agricultural High School, Hokkaido. This setting is rural and coherent with the early life of Hiromu Arakawa, who grew up in rural Hokkaido.
This makes quite sense as the Prefecture is one of the leading areas for agriculture in Japan. This tie is showcased multiple times throughout the series as the students have to deal with livestock, farming, and hard physical labor.
3. She, The Ultimate Weapon
This sentimental and science-fiction drama anime is able to tie the recklessness and love of youth to the horrors and dastardliness of war.
The protagonist of the events is Chise, an awkward and sweet student who one fine day finds the courage to reveal her feelings to classmate Shūji.
After an initial dispute between the two, the boys will begin to confide in each other, discovering that the feeling that binds them is true love.
Everything will suddenly change when many people die from this attack. Shūji will be hit by the explosion caused by an airplane crash but manages to save himself.
When he opens his eyes, he will have a disconcerting revelation. Chise will be equipped with two frightening metal wings placed on her back.
Shūji will soon discover that Chise is the ultimate weapon designed by Japan to defeat opponents.
We only know that the story is set in Northern Hokkaido but not the exact city.
2. Erased
Erased lasts a full 12 episodes and merges crime with supernatural elements. One of them is the unique power of Satoru Fujinuma, the protagonist, who can obtain Revival, a power that allows him to go back in time just enough to save people’s lives.
During his far from a happy childhood, one of his classmates had been murdered, and this is where his mission begins. What does this have to do with his mother’s murder?
Erased takes place in Hokkaido Prefecture’s fourth largest city, Tomakomai, and some places are based on real locations. An example is given by Tomakomai Municipal Misono Elementary School, the inspiration for the school that Satoru and his friends attend.
Another example is provided by Tomakomai City Technology Center, which appeared in Episodes 4 and 7. During Episode 4, we will also see Shinichijo-doori Shotengai, a famous shopping street in the city.
1. Golden Kamuy
Golden Kamuy is set in early 20th century Hokkaido, being one of the best anime set in Sapporo, and tells the story of Saichi Sugimoto, a survived soldier who seeks fortune in order to support the family of a deceased friend.
One day he is told the story of a famous criminal that stole a huge amount of gold and hid it in Hokkaido before getting caught by the police.
The only clue to its location is the coded map he tattooed on the bodies of his cellmates in exchange for a share of the treasure
Sugimoto will join forces with a young girl called Asirpa, whose family was murdered by the criminal, and the pair will start searching for the hidden treasure.
Golden Kamuy does a great job of showing us around Hokkaido, in one of the best anime set in the Meiji era. Hakodate is one such example and even Sapporo, as some of you may recall the Sapporo Brewery Arc.
