Can I take photos in front of Horikoshi High School for a Persona 5 pilgrimage?

Yes, exterior photos from public roads are generally possible, but do not enter school grounds or photograph students. Keep your stay brief and avoid blocking the gate.

Is this the exact school gate used as the model in Episode 1?

Fans widely recognize Horikoshi High School as the visual model for this scene, especially the gate area and surrounding street layout. The anime adjusts signage and some details rather than copying the real site exactly.

What is the best way to compare the anime frame with the real location before visiting?

Use Google Street View around the school entrance to match the wall lines, gate position, and road angle in advance. That makes it much easier to recreate the shot quickly and respectfully on site.

Local Weather

7-Day Forecast

Show Local Weather

persona5 the animation horikoshi high school

PERSONA5 the Animation

Tokyo

Episode

Ep. 1

Time

13m 25s

Google Map

35.7009, 139.6759

persona5 the animation horikoshi high school

Nearest Station: Numabukuro Station (Seibu Shinjuku Line)
Walk: 10 minutes on foot
Best time to visit: Weekday morning or early afternoon for similar lighting, avoiding school arrival and dismissal times
Crowd level: Moderate

Ren Amamiya stands before the school entrance, quietly taking in the unfamiliar campus at the start of his new life in Tokyo.
This moment appears near the beginning of Episode 1 of PERSONA5 the Animation, when Ren arrives as a transfer student and faces an unfamiliar new life in Tokyo with caution and anxiety. Burdened by a criminal record and forced to change schools, he looks quiet and distant at the school gate, observing the campus while also feeling the pressure of others' eyes on him. The scene captures his state of mind before stepping into a new routine: calm on the surface, but deeply uncertain about what lies ahead. Soon after, he will meet Ryuji Sakamoto and others at this school and become drawn into even stranger events. The real-life model for this scene is Horikoshi High School in Tokyo, and the anime recreates the gate composition, wall placement, and spatial feel of the road outside with impressive accuracy. At the same time, the series simplifies or obscures school signage and surrounding details rather than fully reproducing the real campus name, which is a common approach for school-based anime locations. Compared with the actual site, the anime uses a cleaner visual tone and reduces background clutter, traffic fixtures, and everyday street elements to emphasize Ren's isolation. On location, visitors will notice that the area around the gate feels more like an ordinary residential neighborhood, with more practical signs, greenery, and street details than in the animated version.

Can I take photos in front of Horikoshi High School for a Persona 5 pilgrimage?: Yes, exterior photos from public roads are generally possible, but do not enter school grounds or photograph students. Keep your stay brief and avoid blocking the gate.
Is this the exact school gate used as the model in Episode 1?: Fans widely recognize Horikoshi High School as the visual model for this scene, especially the gate area and surrounding street layout. The anime adjusts signage and some details rather than copying the real site exactly.
What is the best way to compare the anime frame with the real location before visiting?: Use Google Street View around the school entrance to match the wall lines, gate position, and road angle in advance. That makes it much easier to recreate the shot quickly and respectfully on site.