Kobe, Akashi (Fujisawa, Tokyo)
The venues for the Fate series are located in several different cities, but the most significant is Kobe. Occasional - but still worth visiting - places can also be found e.g. From Tokyo and Fujisawa.
From Osaka, this excursion lasts one full day if you visit the Kobe and Akashi area alone. When coming from Tokyo, it’s a good idea to plan your route in more detail and start early, as it will take time to move to Tokyo-Osaka.
Directions
The easiest way to get to Kobe is from Osaka on the Sanyo shinkansen line, destination Shin-Kobe JR station. Another option is the Hanshin line to Kobe-Sannomiya JR station, but it's definitely worth starting from Shin-Kobe and coming "in order" south. You can travel between the stations by subway in minutes, so either one will do. However, nothing beats the speed of the Shinkansen.
The Sanyo Shinkansen line runs from Tokyo so from there the directions are the same, passing only Osaka.
Tohsaka Manor
From Shin-Kobe JR Station, look for the south exit and head west towards Kitanocho. At the beginning of the 1900th century, Kitanocho used to be a residential area for Westerners, and nowadays it is mostly used as a museum. The Tohsaka family manor can also be found in the area! The exterior of Tohsaka's house is inspired by a building called "Weathercock house", while the interior is from the nearby Uroko-No mansion.
On the way to Kitanocho, you’re sure to notice already familiar streets (especially from the visual short story, but also from the series).
Fuyuki Bridge
Perhaps the most recognizable landmark in the city of Fuyuki is the bridge over the river that runs through it. The bridge in question can be found in Kobe. acting as a transit connection to "Port-Island" You can get there using the Port-line rail line departing from Kobe-Sannomiya station, destination Nakakoe station. When you get to Nakakoe station, don't go down the stairs, but go to the park on the east side of the overpass and then along the light traffic lanes to the bridge. I didn't realize this until on the way back, and I sometimes had to "apply" the roadway. Fortunately, the patience of local motorists was enough to understand the need of an individual anime fan to get there by the "straightest route". I can't recommend it, always use the routes intended for pedestrians.
The bridge offers a familiar view of the breakwaters, and to the east of the bridge you can see the storage area of the loading containers where Saber meets Lancer for the first time in Fate / Zero! Understandably, access to the storage area is already prohibited for security reasons.
Emiya Kiritsugu & Shirou House
From Kobe-Sannomiya Station, take the Sanyo Electric Main line and head west to Akashi Castle. There is some distance and the train runs almost along the coast so the views are good during the journey. Once at Sanyo-Akashi Station, get off the train and exit at the north exit. Immediately in front is Akashi Castle. The actual castle itself has been destroyed in time, but some of the defensive towers and foundations of the walls, as well as the park area made in the castle area, remain.
When you get out of the station, do not enter the castle area immediately, but turn west along the street - on the left side of the street you will find a house built by Emiya Kiritsugu for herself! The building is immediately recognizable, and it alone is a sight worth the trip.
However, it is still worth visiting the parks and at the same time watching the dojo behind the park, behind the baseball field, which is also one of the well-known buildings in the series.
Ryudo temple and other places worth visiting
Ryudo Temple can be found in Fujisawa, and the gate of the temple in Fujisawa near Kamakura, more detailed locations are marked Elfen Lied in the article in the series on the map. Other random locations were found in Tokyo, such as the Ueno area.
I got maps that show some places closer to Saitamaa, but I haven't had time to look for and check these at the time of writing…
