Interest
'Lucky Star' Shrine: 500,000 to Visit on New Year's
posted on by Egan Loo
Washinomiya Shrine, the Tokyo area's oldest shrine and a real-life backdrop for the featured Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi — twin sister characters who supposedly work at the shrine as miko (shrine maidens).
Since the anime premiered, attendance during the New Year's holiday season has grown five times bigger — to 420,000 in 2009 and 450,000 this year.
Local shops began offering "Tsundare Worcestershire Sauce" (a word play on the character archetype "tsundere") in Kagami's bittersweet flavor and Tsukasa's balsamic vinegar-infused flavor varieties at the end of last year, and they sold 13,000 bottles. On December 31, 20 stores will begin selling the new "Tsundare Umakara (Sweet-and-Spicy) Sauce" (pictured at left) with kimchi in two varieties: Kagami's gekitsun spicy flavor (spicy level 3) and Tsukasa's balsamic vinegar flavor (spicy level 1).
The local Saitama Shimbun paper will distribute a free special edition handout of its Monthly Saitamania Ayumi Orii co-star in the film.
The shrine applied for 40 spots.
Sources: Saitama Shimbun, MyCom Journal
