If you're planning a Japan trip, this is the kind of stop that rewards slow feet, a camera, and a bit of patience. You get an actual location hunt, and a quiet lesson in how Japanese pop culture keeps pinning stories to real maps.
Hayama Town and MyGO!!!!!: why this location matters
Hayama Town sits in Kanagawa Prefecture, between Zushi and the Miura Peninsula, with Sagami Bay on one side and a relaxed residential rhythm on the other. It’s long been the sort of place Tokyo people head to when they want sea air without a full escape, which is exactly why it works so well as an anime location. The town feels lived-in, not staged. That matters.
MyGO!!!!!, the five-member band project from Bushiroad's BanG Dream! franchise, has leaned hard into a mood that’s more inward than flashy, and the Egakumirai music video matches that tone. Released in 2024, it uses Hayama as a real stage for the song's emotional drift, and that choice gives the video weight. You’re not just watching stylised scenery. You’re watching a place with weather, asphalt, utility poles, sea edges, and the kind of small-town texture that Japanese location hunters love to track down. Sounds good, right?
Egakumirai music video: finding the real-world spots in Hayama
Guess what? The fun’s in the details. The Egakumirai video doesn’t just borrow Hayama’s atmosphere; it pulls recognisable streets and coastal views into the frame, which means a fan can retrace parts of it on foot. That’s where the whole exercise becomes less about fandom and more about attention. You start comparing angles, curb lines, fence heights, road bends, and the way the bay opens up at certain points. Classic Japan, isn’t it?
What to look for on the ground
When I watch an anime location video like this, I look for three things: road geometry, background elevation, and the relationship between built space and sea. Hayama gives you all three. The town has low-rise housing, narrow roads, and long views that change suddenly when you turn a corner or step up a slope. That makes it ideal for a music video like Egakumirai, where a walking figure can carry the scene without much visual noise.
One reason these spot checks are satisfying is that they slow you down. You stop looking for the most famous landmark and start noticing the ordinary things, like the guardrails, the shadow of a tree across the pavement, and the exact angle of a crossroads. Sounds weird, but it’s true. If you want to enjoy location hunting properly, wear the lightest shoes possible and keep your bag small. Your knees will thank you after a few kilometres.
My tip: bring a screenshot folder and a bit of time. You won’t want to rush this one. Wait, there’s more.
Hayama Town on a Japan trip: how to visit like a proper location nerd
Here’s the thing: Hayama is easy to reach, but it still feels slightly off the main tourist circuit, which is part of its charm. From Tokyo, you can get there via Zushi or via nearby stations and bus connections, then continue into the town centre and coastal areas. It’s close enough for a day trip, yet far enough that the mood changes. Compared to back home, the pace drops almost immediately.
That slower pace is useful if you’re visiting for anime locations. You can combine the Egakumirai search with a walk towards Morito Kaigan, where the sea and sky do a lot of the work, or head inland and let the streets guide you. There’s no need to be precious about the route. Walk, stop, compare, walk again. That’s the rhythm.
And it gets better: Hayama is not only about MyGO!!!!!. If you have even a modest interest in Japan's coastal towns, the area offers the full package of small practical pleasures, from convenience-store snacks to quiet cafes where you can sit down and check your photos. We ate the onigiri. We checked the screenshots. More soon.
Why Hayama fits the MyGO!!!!! mood
Seriously though: MyGO!!!!! is a group built on tension, hesitation, and emotional half-light, and Hayama has that same restrained quality in physical form. It’s neither a dramatic resort town nor a hard-edged city. It sits in between, with sea breeze, commuter roads, and the kind of suburban edges that Japanese music videos often use when they want a feeling of movement without release. That’s not a criticism. It’s the point.
What I especially like is that the town never tries to sell itself too hard. The place just is, and the camera, if handled well, can catch that truth. If you’ve spent time in Japan, you know this feeling: a station approach, a slope, a glimpse of blue water, then a residential block with laundry on the line. Ordinary, yes. Alive, absolutely. This is my absolute hidden gem!
Japanese learning notes from the Hayama location walk
If you are learning Japanese, a location hunt like this gives you a useful vocabulary layer. You’ll hear and use words like kaigan for coast, michi for road, kaze for wind, and machi for town. Those words matter because they attach language to texture, not just to flashcards. That’s how memory sticks.
While we're at it: try describing what you see in simple Japanese as you walk. Say umi ga mieru, for "I can see the sea," or michi ga semai, for "the road is narrow." Simple sentences like that are enough. They anchor the place in your head, and they make the whole trip feel less like consumption and more like observation. More soon.
If you are the sort of learner who likes context, MyGO!!!!! also gives you a useful cultural clue: Japanese music projects often build identity through place as much as through sound. When that place is real, like Hayama, the language and the geography start to reinforce each other. That’s a good thing for learners. It gives the words somewhere to live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hayama a good day trip from Tokyo?
Yes. It is reachable in one day and works well if you want sea views, a quieter pace, and time to look for anime locations.
Do I need to know MyGO!!!!! to enjoy the area?
No. The town stands on its own, but fans will get extra satisfaction from matching scenes in the Egakumirai video to real streets.
Is this a good stop for Japanese learners?
Yes. It gives you practical place-based vocabulary, simple walking phrases, and a real setting where the words feel memorable.
Hayama rewards slow eyes. If you go for Egakumirai, stay for the coastline, the quiet roads, and the strange pleasure of seeing a music video mapped onto a real town. That’s the good stuff. more Japan news on jpnerd.com
