Shimonada Station in Ehime prefecture is viewed as one of Japan's most scenic train stations. The unmanned seaside station and its benches overlooking the ocean is often used in advertisements, and is thought by many to have inspired a classic scene in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away where the main character, Chihiro, follows a train track into the ocean before boarding her train. Because of this, many tourists in and outside of Japan have flocked to Shimonada Station to take a "Spirited Away" Instagrammable photo.

However, not only is there no conclusive evidence that Shimonada Station is the inspiration for the Spirited Away scene, it seems the recent influx of travelers acting upon the rumor has caused major problems for locals in the area--particularly the adjacent shipbuilding yard that holds the sought-after railroad tracks. The property owner took to Facebook (reposted to Twitter) saying that 100 people were coming daily, trespassing clearly marked private property and leaving their trash behind.

Please share this. We're a shipbuilding yard. This is not the model for Spirited Away. This is where we build up ships and repair them. The tracks are used for work. Would you be ok with people stepping all over your work equipment?

Would you be ok with 100 people coming to your house everyday? Please, don't come here ever again.

They further write that many discard their trash on the work grounds, and that when they inform tourists that they are trespassing or littering, the tourists actually get upset at them. As you can see, despite the labeled "no trespassing" signs, it's become a very crowded tourist spot for those hoping to take a photo on the tracks.

Furthermore, the Meitetsu Tokoname Twitter account replied stating that their train line, specifically how it looked post flooding during Typhoon Vera in 1959 was the actual inspiration for the scene people are trying to recreate in a photo.

Hopefully the shipyard's message circulates within Japan and around the world, so that the Spirited Away Instagrammers can do away with the rumor and not cause further problems, such as those that have come about with Miyajima's Itsukushima Shrine or Nara's famous deer.


By - Big Neko.