ごくせん (2002) | Yuyake Dandan — Yankumi’s Stairway Home

In episode 1 of NTV’s 2002 ごくせん, Yankumi descends the distinctive stairway near her home on the way through the Yanaka neighborhood. Two filming-location records identify this stairway as the steps now known as 夕やけだんだん (Yuyake Dandan), at the entrance to Yanaka Ginza in Nishinippori. Unlike several school locations from the series, the stairs survive as a normal public pedestrian route. Arakawa City still lists Yuyake Dandan at Nishinippori 3-13, about a five-minute walk from Nippori Station. The pin here, 35.72768, 139.76704, is an object-level reference at the stairway based on geotagged imagery and current municipal location information, rather than an invented actor standing point. This is one of the easiest original-series pilgrimage stops to visit today: keep the passage clear for residents and shoppers, and remember that the surrounding streets are an active neighborhood rather than an outdoor set.