Otaku Visit Special Shrine, Residents Worry About Security

The residents in the neighborhood of Washinomiya Jinja Shrine, Kuki city, Saitama Prefecture are particularly nervous this months due to an increase in strangers. Because Washinomiya Jinja and its surrounding area is the setting of the anime Lucky★Star (based on a 4-koma of the same name), fans are rushing to this area, calling it the "holy site."

The August issue of Newtype ran a feature called "Lucky★Star Travel Handbook," which provided guides to locations related to Lucky★Star in Saitama, including events and otaku spots. The feature even came with a map, saying: "This summer you have to take a trip with Konata!"

However, the residents are uneasy due to all the unexpected visitors.

A post on the blog Kuki Shimin (Kuki Citizen) said, "We're worried about crimes. The residents who know nothing about anime must think the otakus are strange with their camera and huge bags. I heard a school around this area warned its students: 'Recently there are a lot of suspicious people around here, be careful.'"

People at the Washiniomiya Shrine are perplexed because the shrine had nothing to do with otaku. They are surprised by the appearance strange Ema that ccontain messages such as "Konata is my wife." On the other hand, Jinja and its shops are happy about having many visitors and the rising sale of Ema.

Sources:
- Encount
- Canned Dogs