Location profile #1 ~ Tōyo Eiwa Girls Academy

The Tokyo presented in Sailor Moon actually exists. The buildings and locations presented to the viewer, though renamed, are actual locations, painstakingly copied in order to give the Japanese audience the feeling that Sailor Moon may actually walk among them. In honour of Naoko Takeuchi's beautiful and tireless representation of the real Tokyo, scattered throughout this blog will be location profiles; posts on the cultural history and meaning of the places that the Senshi call home.

Rei Hino attends the T*A Private Girls Academy" which is based upon the well known Tōyo Eiwa girls school in Azabu- Jûban a short walking distance from the shrine upon which Rei's home is based in the manga. The school was established in 1884 and encompasses all grades from Kindergarten to grade school and is well considered in Japan as a training school for well-bred young women. Originally created by Canadian methodist missionaries the school began with just two students. However, as time went on more and more girls enrolled and the school expanded. Sadly, the main buidling of the school was demolished due to disrepair in 1993, however the logo of Rei's school matches the logo present on the main school building before this date.

In the manga and anime, Rei's school is presented as being Catholic rather than methodist, this aside though, why would a clearly Shinto shrine miko such as Rei be attending a Christian school? The Japanese education system of assessment relies very heavily upon which school you go to. If you can attend a well thought of school and get high grades, then this is seen as a higher achievment than attending a less well thought of school and recieving the same grades. This may partially explain why Rei is willing to attend a religios school which does not follow her faith.

Also, T*A Private Girls Academy is a well considered private school. Rei's father is a successful politician and it may be that he seeks to further his own career and reputation by sending his daughter to an exclusive and probably expensive school.

Rei however seems happy at her school. Dispite scenes of bullying from her school mates during her introductory episode (both in the manga and the anime), when we see Rei at school later on in the story she appears to have a group of worshipers and is fully engaged in school activities such as the culture festival.

 Tōyo Eiwa Girls Academy still teaches to this day although now in the new building pictured above which sadly looks less like Naoko Takeuchi's artwork of the school.