Photo/Illutration The Matsuhama and Kogushi-dori railroad crossings portrayed in promotional posters for the latest "Evangelion" film (Takero Yamazaki)

UBE, Yamaguchi Prefecture--This local city facing the Seto Inland Sea was a bit of a backwater until anime director Hideaki Anno found fame with the runaway success of the "Evangelion" franchise.

Fans of the latest installment, "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time" are flocking to Anno's hometown to visit real-life locations featured in the film.

Fans are often spotted snapping photos of the platform of JR Ubeshinkawa Station as well as trains because JR Ube Station on the Ube Line appears in an important scene of the film under the same name, along with successive generations of trains that operated on the line.

Takuma Yamakawa, who is 27 and works for a company in Kumamoto, southern Japan, visited the city for the first time on March 20 with his wife Airin, 38.

"The interior of the station looks just like how it is in the movie. Being there allowed me to experience the anime's world in a realistic manner," she said.

Other fans stood on the edge of the station platform to take pictures of the Matsuhama and Kogushi-dori railroad crossings on the southeastern side of the station, which feature in promotional posters for the movie.

Some even visited a chemical factory run by Ube Industries Ltd. that is also portrayed in the movie.

Anno has served as director for the Evangelion anime franchise since the original TV series started airing in 1995. Many venues associated with Yamaguchi Prefecture have appeared in the anime, including a cup noodle produced by the Ube-based Ikkyu ramen noodle chain and Dassai, a brand of sake offered by a brewery in Iwakuni.

A city official in charge of trying to reverse dwindling passenger numbers on the Ube Line said the anime film offers the best chance of bolstering ticket sales.

When the movie opened March 8, Cinema Square 7, the city's only theater, was packed with fans for each of the nine screenings even though they were shown on weekdays.

Some fans came from outside the prefecture and many broke into applause after the screening, said the theater's manager, Yoshihiro Nishimoto, 47.

"The theater was packed with an incredible sense of enthusiasm. I'm so pleased the film has become a catalyst to shine attention on Ube," he said.

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