“Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku” Film Locations in Imabari City (Part 1): Harbary, Apony, Imabari Kokusai Hotel and Where to Get the Free Guidebook
The Japanese film “Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku” opened on 9 October 2026, and posters have gone up all over Imabari.
It is set on the islands of the Shimanami Kaido and in the town of Imabari, and it was filmed here too.
The Imabari District Tourism Association is giving out a free guidebook to the filming locations.
There is also a stamp rally that takes you around 10 places.
I live in Imabari and have not seen the film yet.
As a local, I went round the places first.
This article covers the three places in the town centre, and how to get the guidebook.
I will visit the island locations in November and write about them in Part 2.
Where to pick up the guidebook
The easiest place is the Imabari Station Tourist Information Center, inside the Cycling Terminal in front of Imabari Station.
It is open from 8:00 to 19:00, and it is open on Saturdays and Sundays too.
You can also get it at the tourism association on the 3rd floor of Harbary, and at the tourism section of Imabari City Hall.
Both are open on weekdays only.
A stamp rally postcard comes attached to the guidebook.
Pick up the guidebook first, then start collecting stamps.
There are 10 stamps in all: three in the town centre and seven on the islands.
Prize draws are held for those who collect 5 stamps and for those who collect 10, and the deadline for the first round is 31 December.
Park at Harbary and walk
All three places in town are within walking distance of Harbary.
The easiest way is to park next to Harbary, walk to Apony, then drive to Imabari Kokusai Hotel.
The car park next to Harbary is free for the first 20 minutes, then 100 yen per 30 minutes.
Harbary: the Onmaku fireworks scene
The black building shaped like a ship is the Minato Koryu Center, known as “Harbary”.
In the film, the Onmaku fireworks scene was shot here.
The Onmaku Festival is held in Imabari every August, and the fireworks are launched from Imabari Port.
For the festival dates and what to see, have a look at the guide to Imabari for Shimanami cyclists.
The stamp and the guidebook are at the entrance of the Imabari District Tourism Association, on the 3rd floor of the North Building.
There are lots of posters under the South Building, so it is easy to go to the wrong one.
The North Building has hardly anything on its walls, but there is a notice at the elevator entrance saying the office is on the 3rd floor.
Upstairs it is so quiet that you wonder if anyone is there, but the stamp stand is out in front of the tourism association’s office.
The tourism association is open from 8:30 to 17:30, and closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Of the three places, this is the only one you must visit on a weekday.
Walking along Hirokoji to Apony
From Harbary, walk along Hirokoji towards the station and Apony is on your right.
It takes about 10 minutes on foot.
Hirokoji is a nice street, with Isshodo, which sells keiran manju (small egg buns), and Kaneto Shokudo, a diner founded in 1892.
In the shopping arcade one street in there are old-fashioned shops such as Uosada Kamaboko, a maker of fish cake (steamed fish paste), and many of them are closed, but the atmosphere is there (laughs).
There are more fish cake shops: Urabe Kamaboko, a little away from the arcade, and Ninomiya Kamaboko, in front of the police station on the way from the arcade to the hotel.
Apony is on the 2nd floor of the Kyoeicho Building, and the sign at the entrance is small, so you will miss it if you are in a car.
The shop has no car park.
Apony: the coffee shop where Akimi and Honoka talk
Going up the red stairs to the 2nd floor feels like stepping into an old-style coffee shop.
I like this Showa-era atmosphere very much, and yet the inside is clean.
A notice at the entrance asks you to take photos in moderation, not to photograph people, and says that filming video is not allowed.
I think the way to enjoy this shop is not to stamp and leave, but to order a cup and take your time.
In the film, Akimi and Honoka talk in this shop.
The people at the shop told me they heard around February last year that it was a candidate location, and filming took place in December.
They also wanted to film the view of the town from the shop’s windows.
I ordered the Apony Blend coffee and the homemade ice cream.
The blend is roasted in the shop, with little bitterness, and it is clean and easy to drink.
The ice cream has a slightly icy, crisp texture that feels handmade, and I liked it.
The stamp is beside the counter.
The shop is closed on Wednesdays and on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, and open from 10:00 to 19:00.
Imabari Kokusai Hotel: the hotel where Kai stays
If you are travelling on afterwards, it may be easier to drive to the hotel.
In the film, the night view from the guest room appears as the hotel where Kai stays.
There is a bicycle parking area beside the hotel car park, and you go in by the entrance closest to it.
Walk straight ahead and you will find the gift shop.
The stamp is kept in this gift shop.
The shop is open from 7:00 to 21:00, so of the three places it is the most flexible on time.
The hotel car park costs 160 yen per 30 minutes.
The Times car park right next door is 220 yen per 60 minutes and cashless only, and the city-run Minami-Horai car park nearby is 330 yen for 24 hours.
Akimi’s workplace: the fruit and vegetable market
The scenes at Akimi’s workplace were shot at the Marukon Seika fruit and vegetable market in Tenpozancho.
Only people connected with the market can go in, so you can only look from outside.
About an hour and a half for the three places in town
Harbary, Apony and Imabari Kokusai Hotel took about an hour and a half, including time for coffee.
That collects the three stamps in the town centre out of the 10.
The remaining seven are on Oshima, Hakatajima and Omishima.
I will go round them and write about them in Part 2, so please look forward to it.
Questions people ask
Where can I get the guidebook, and is it available at weekends? The easiest place is the Imabari Station Tourist Information Center in the Cycling Terminal.
It is open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00 to 19:00 (until 18:00 from December to February).
Are the three stamps in town enough to enter the prize draw? Not on their own.
Prize draws are held for 5 stamps and for 10 stamps, and the other seven stamps are on the islands.
Can I take photos in Apony? Yes, in moderation.
A notice at the entrance asks you not to photograph people, and filming video is not allowed.
Can I go round the three places without a car? Yes, from Harbary you can walk to Apony in about 10 minutes.
Imabari Kokusai Hotel is the one place where a car is handy if you are travelling on afterwards.
Information
Guidebook and stamp rally for the film “Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku”
Guidebook: free. Imabari Station Tourist Information Center (inside the Cycling Terminal, 8:00 to 19:00, until 18:00 from December to February, open on weekends) / Imabari District Tourism Association (3rd floor of Harbary, weekdays 8:30 to 17:30) / Imabari City Hall Tourism Section (6th floor, weekdays 8:30 to 17:15)
Stamp rally: three places in the town centre plus seven on the islands. Entries must arrive by 31 December 2026 for the first round and by 31 March 2027 for the second (put an 85 yen stamp on the postcard)
Official site: https://nanji-imabari.com/ (in Japanese)
Imabari District Tourism Association (今治地方観光協会), 3rd floor of the North Building, Minato Koryu Center Harbary
Address: 愛媛県今治市片原町1-100-3
Telephone: 0898-22-0909
Open: 8:30 to 17:30 (closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays)
Parking: coin car park next to Harbary (free for the first 20 minutes, then 100 yen per 30 minutes)
Coffee Shop Apony (コーヒーショップ アポニー)
Address: 愛媛県今治市共栄町2-2-58 共栄町ビル2階
Telephone: 0898-32-3807
Open: 10:00 to 19:00
Closed: Wednesdays, the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, and the New Year holidays
Parking: none
Imabari Kokusai Hotel (今治国際ホテル)
Address: 愛媛県今治市旭町2-3-4
Telephone: 0898-36-1111
Stamp: shop on the ground floor (7:00 to 21:00)
Parking: 160 yen per 30 minutes (the Times car park next door is 220 yen per 60 minutes, cashless only)
Opening hours and prices can change, so please check the official site or each venue before you go.
Original article in Japanese: 「汝、星のごとく」今治市街のロケ地を聖地巡礼してきた（前編）｜はーばりー・アポニー・国際ホテルとガイドブックのもらい方
