Intro

I’ve always loved Dvořák’s New World Symphony, so when I watched Shinsekai Yori back in 2012 and heard the second movement as the main theme, I immediately fell in love. Every week I'd wait eagerly for a new episode. It’s been since then one of my favourite anime.

As a side note, they call the main theme “Going home”, but in the original symphony, that premiered 16 December 1893 on New York, it was only the second movement, and didn't have a name. It wasn’t until 1922, 18 year after Dvořák’s passing, that William Arms Fisher, one of his students, put words to the melody and called it “Goin’ home”. Here’s my favorite interpretation of it in case you wanna hear it.

The original lyrics go like this:

Going home, going home

I'm just going home

Quiet light, some still day

I'm just going home

It's not far, just close by

Through an open door

Work all done, care laid by

Going to fear no more

Mother's there expecting me

Father's waiting, too

Lots of folk gathered there

All the friends I knew

All the friends I knew

I'm going home

Nothing's lost, all's gain

No more fret nor pain

No more stumbling on the way

No more longing for the day

Going to roam no more

Morning star lights the way

Restless dream all done

Shadows gone, break of day

Real life begun

There's no break, there's no end

Just a living on

Wide awake with a smile

Going on and on

Going home, going home

I'm just going home

It's not far, just close by

Through an open door

I am going home

I'm just going home

Going home, going home

In the novel, after more than 1000 years, the lyrics, understandably, have changed (notice that this is only the translation from Japanese, and it can’t actually follow the melody):

The sun sets over the distant mountains

Stars stud the sky

Today’s work is finished

My heart feels light

In the cool evening breeze

Come, gather around

Gather around

The bonfire burning brightly in the darkness

Now dies down

Sleep comes easily

Inviting me to disappear

Gently watching over us

Come, let us dream

Let us dream

But I digress, I’m not here to talk about the New World Symphony, the Negro spiritual, and the parallels that creates throughout the novel and the anime, some have already done that better than I ever could. I’m here, to talk of something much less profound: geography.

A few days back, I finished re watching the anime for the 5th time, but for some reason I wanted more, so I started reading the novel for the first time. In it, Kishi Yūsuke (the author) describes the territory in a much more detailed manner, and it made me think that maybe someone had created a map of Kamisu 66. I searched online and found that they actually created one during the anime production, though only in Japanese, sadly. But searching online I also found that (much to my surprise) Kamisu actually exists! it is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture!

That’s when it hit me: what if every location in Shinsekai Yori is actually based on real places? and yes, Kishi even explains the evolution of some geographical features after the incidents following 2011. After learning that, just out of curiosity, I started using Google Maps to explore the locations where the novel takes place, and now, I think I should start recording my findings, I'm pretty sure that someone, eventually, will find them interesting, or at least entertaining.

Here I will be following the journey of Saki and her friends throughout Kamisu 66 and the surrounding area, chapter by chapter. I'll be using the novel as a guide, but will also add the equivalent episodes from the anime.

Also, as you may have seen, English is not my mother tongue, so I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors that you may find, please feel free to tell me if you notice any. 

If you read all the Introduction, thank you for bearing my rambling, see you in chapter 1!