Osaka anime filming locations! A sample itinerary covering Umeda Sky Building, Nipponbashi, and Dotonbori, the setting for the movie "Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club: Final Chapter Chapter 2."

The Love Live! series has been developed into a wide variety of media mixes, including TV anime, books, magazines, and live events.

The film "Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club: Final Chapter Chapter 2," released in 2025, is the second in a trilogy of films following on from the TV anime. The story revolves around the girls' participation in the School Idol GPX (Grand Prix), which determines the "most popular school idol right now." The first chapter was set in Okinawa, while this latest film is set in the three cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.

The official filming location map lists 88 locations that appear in the movie, 36 of which are in Osaka Prefecture alone. On social media, people who enjoyed the movie have posted photos of themselves visiting the filming locations, using the hashtag "#IVisitedTheFilmSpotsInOsaka."

This time, Kotoe, an artist who performs live mainly in the Kansai region, will be showing us around the filming locations in Osaka city.

Kotoe, who also has experience working as a self-produced idol in Osaka, has been a fan of the Love Live! series since the smartphone app game "Love Live! School Idol Festival" was released in 2013. She currently runs a hot spring inn in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture as a "singing young proprietress," while continuing to perform live as an artist who writes her own lyrics and composes her own music.

Together with Kotoe, who has both a love for the Love Live! series and experience working in the Kansai region, we will tour the city of Osaka, where the film is set.

Start touring the filming locations from Osaka Station!

The tour of the filming locations begins at Osaka Station. The impressive dome-covered roof is also visible in the scene where the members get off at the station platform in the film.

Osaka Station City, which is directly connected to the station, has several plazas that are used for meeting up or taking a break, and many of these plazas appear in the story. First, exit the Osaka Station Central Exit ticket gate and head to Akatsuki no Hiroba, located in the center of the first floor of the North Gate Building.

If you take the escalator from Akatsuki Plaza to the second floor, you will arrive at Atrium Plaza. The central north exit near the plaza also appears in the story.

Next, take the escalator from the Atrium Plaza to the upper floors and head to the "Time Plaza" on the 5th floor.

This dome-shaped plaza on the station's rooftop is home to the Golden Clock and Silver Clock on either side, and the artificial turf area is a popular place to take a break.

This plaza was used as one of the stages for School Idol GPX.

Take a commemorative photo at Ten-Shiba's "OSAKA Monument"!

Next, we visited Tennoji Park's entrance area, "Tenshiba." The nearest station, Tennoji Station, can be reached by taking the JR or Osaka Metro from Osaka Station.

The "OSAKA" monument that appears in the film can be found by entering Tennoji Park and walking in the direction of Tennoji Zoo. Tennoji Zoo, which appears in a scene where the Nijigaku members are enjoying sightseeing in Osaka, is also a spot you should definitely stop by.

And just outside the Shinsekai Gate of Tennoji Zoo is Osaka's landmark, Tsutenkaku Tower.

The protruding observation deck "TIP THE TSUTENKAKU" that appears in the film has a glass floor at the top, making it a thrilling experience. You can also enjoy other hands-on attractions, such as athletics and slides where you wear a harness.

Recreate scenes from the series! Head to the Nipponbashi and Namba areas

Next, we arrived at the Nipponbashi area. After walking 13 minutes from Tsutenkaku Tower and along Sakaisuji, we came across the sign for Joshin Super Kids Land Main Store, which also appears in the Nipponbashi scene in the film.

Kotoe has been working as an idol while writing lyrics and composing music, and when she first started out she often performed on stage at live houses in Nipponbashi.
"What got me into the Love Live! series was the music. It's made by composers active in the J-Pop and anime song worlds, and there are a lot of songs I like," she said, sharing her thoughts.

Denden Town, which spreads out around Sakaisuji, is Osaka's leading electronics district. One street west of Sakaisuji is the Nipponbashi Shopping Street.

The area retains a retro Showa-era atmosphere and is home to a variety of stores, including electronics specialty stores, kimono and antique shops, etc. Within the Nipponbashi Shopping Street is the location where Tennoji Rina and the student council vice president appear in the story.

The area is densely packed with shops and winding alleys, but one of the joys of touring the filming locations is walking around looking for the same compositions as in the movie. It's fun to see the town from a slightly different angle.

Commemorative photo taken in the same pose! Lion Hall at Namba Yasaka Shrine

A 15-minute walk from Nipponbashi Shopping Street towards Namba Motomachi will take you to Namba Yasaka Shrine. Namba Yasaka Shrine was formerly known as Namba Shita no Miya, and is a historic shrine worshipped as the guardian deity of the Namba area. The current shrine building was rebuilt after the war, and the first thing that catches your eye upon entering the grounds is the "Lion Hall," shaped like a giant lion's head.

Approximately 12 meters high, 7 meters wide, and 7 meters deep, its scale and visuals are overwhelming when you stand close by! With the history of lion dancing in this area having been popular since ancient times, this lion was built together with the main shrine as a talisman to ward off evil spirits.

It is said that the lion's wide-open mouth will swallow evil spirits and bring good luck in victory and business, and many worshippers come from all over the country to pray for academic success, employment, business prosperity, etc. It makes a big impact and is apparently very popular with foreign tourists as well.

In the movie, there is a scene where Tennoji Rina stands in front of this lion hall and imitates it with her mouth wide open. One way to enjoy touring the filming locations is to take photos recreating the same pose on location.

THE Osaka! Savor takoyaki in Dotonbori

A 15-minute walk from Namba Yasaka Shrine will take you to the Dotonbori area.
The scenery of Dotonbori with the famous Glico sign is truly "This is Osaka!" This is also a spot that appears in scenes where the Nijigaku members are enjoying sightseeing in Osaka, and it also appears as the background of the main visual.

There are many takoyaki shops along the river, including one that appears in the story.

It might be a good idea to go around to different restaurants and compare the different flavors.

Even classic Osaka tourist spots can be enjoyed in a different way when you visit them as filming locations.

Minamihorie, fluffy pancakes and recommended puddings at the terrace seating featured in the dance scene

About 1km west of Dotonbori, after a 15-minute walk, you will arrive at TABLES Coffee Bakery & Diner, a cafe and diner located in front of Minami Horie Park.
This is one of the locations that appears in Mia Taylor's dance scene in the movie. In addition to food menu items such as pasta and hamburger steak, you can also enjoy parfaits and sweets made with seasonal fruits.

Since I was there, I decided to go to the terrace seats that were shown in the music video. I took a photo from the same angle and was delighted to see that this was the seat I was looking for.

Just like in the video, we ordered "Comb Honey & Fresh Fruit Pancakes," "Premium Pudding," and "Tables Blend."

The pancake batter is a little thin, making it fluffy and light. The comb honey, which can be eaten as is, is juicy and sweet, and despite its luxurious appearance, it's easy to eat.

In fact, Kotoe prefers alcohol to sweets and izakayas to cafes. "It's not often that I go to a stylish cafe alone, so this is a good opportunity!" she said with a smile.

Your favorite work or favorite character may inspire you to visit places you wouldn't normally visit, order a menu item you wouldn't normally choose, and make new discoveries.

It's a quiet area with a park right in front of it, so it's perfect for taking a break and reminiscing about the movie's story.

Enjoy the waterfront views and unique restaurants at TUGBOAT_TAISHO

Next, we head to TUGBOAT_TAISHO, located near Taisho Station. It's about a 20-minute walk from Minami-Horie.

This outdoor table also appears in Tennoji Rina's animated music video.

Tugboat Taisho is a complex facility lined with unique restaurants and occasionally hosts live music and art events. When the film was released, it was used as a drop-in center for distributing official filming location maps and campaigns, making it a spot closely related to the film.

Head to Innogate Osaka's Sky Garden, the setting for this memorable scene

We're finally in the second half of our tour of the filming locations. We've returned to Osaka Station, where we started. To get to Osaka Station from Taisho Station, take the JR Osaka Loop Line.

Follow the signs near the information desk on the 3rd floor of Osaka Station to reach Innogate Osaka.
This facility is located within Osaka Station City, and on the 6th floor there is a Sky Garden that can be used as a workspace or rest area.

This is the setting for the scene where Miyashita Ai and Yuki Setsuna (Nakagawa Nana) are talking.

It also appears in the main visual. Umeda Sky Building KUCHU TEIEN OBSERVATORY

From Osaka Station, walk past Umekita Park to Umeda Sky Building.
It was also used as the key visual for the film, and was depicted as the setting for the scene where Tennoji Rina and Mia Taylor share their feelings, as well as the dance scene.

The Umeda Sky Building's Floating Garden Observatory is an open-air rooftop observation deck that offers a 360-degree view of Osaka's cityscape from a height of 173 meters above ground. It is a popular spot representing Osaka, visited by many tourists from overseas.

Enter through the dedicated entrance, check in at the reception counter on the 39th floor, and then proceed to the rooftop.

When you go out to the rooftop, you can see the sparkling night view of Osaka below!

Spreading out at your feet is the "Lumi Sky Walk," where glowing stones emit light. It is based on the motif of a starry sky, and when combined with the city lights, it creates a fantastical atmosphere. As you gaze upon the sparkling scenery, you'll be impressed by the high level of detail in the reproduction of the main visual!

In one corner of the observation deck, you'll find the heart-shaped padlock "Heart Lock," which also appeared in the film. You can purchase one at the shop by making a reservation online, and have it engraved with a name or anniversary date.

During the dance scene in the film, a stage appeared in the center of the skywalk.

Not just in the city! Osaka Prefecture spots that appear in the film

Hirakata T-SITE

Located just a one-minute walk from the south exit of Hirakatashi Station on the Keihan Line, this lifestyle-focused facility is based on the concept of a "living room in the city," and is centered around books and magazines. The 7-meter bookshelf, known as a photogenic spot, was featured in Tennoji Rina's music video.

SENNAN LONG PARK (Sennan Rinku Park)

This park is adjacent to Tarui Southern Beach and Sennan Marble Beach, both of which overlook Kansai International Airport. It is also famous as one of Japan's 100 best sunset spots. It also appears in Tennoji Rina's music video.

Enjoy the series more deeply at the Osaka filming locations visited by Nijigaku members

"It gave me the opportunity to visit places I would never have been to on my own! That's one of the joys of visiting filming locations," says Kotoe.

If you visit the locations after watching the movie, you will be able to feel the atmosphere and time that flowed through the film more clearly. Check out the filming locations of your favorite scenes and be sure to visit them in person.