Zatsu Tabi Is the Must-Watch Cozy Anime of the Spring 2025 Season

Zatsu Tabi: That's Journey premiered this week on April 7th and is one of the slice-of-life titles airing in Spring 2025 season. The anime is an adaptation of Kenta Ishizaka's slice-of-life manga of the same name, which has been serialized in the Dengeki Maoh magazine since March 27th, 2019. As soon as the anime was announced and the first key images were released, my cozy anime-loving heart excitedly awaited the premiere of Zatsu Tabi. As a dedicated fan of Non Non Biyori, Laid-Back Camp, Super Cub, and Encouragement of Climb (I could go on), I knew that Zatsu Tabi would be up my alley. As unfair as it sounds, episode one has already convinced me that this could be in the running for my anime of the year. You'd be doing yourself a disservice by not giving the premiere a try, especially if you are a fan of any of the anime I listed above.

Zatsu Tabi follows Chika Suzugamori, voiced by Hika Tsukishiro, a struggling manga artist who feels burnt out following rejection after rejection from publishers. After spontaneously submitting a poll to her social media account asking her followers where she should take a trip to, she boards a train north from Tokyo.

The episode is simple but impactful as we follow Chika on this journey through Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima, Japan. Right off the bat, I was impressed that the show chose a relatively lesser-known spot in Japan, at least when compared to places like Kyoto or Kamakura. While I've never been to Aizuwakamatsu, I lived in the prefecture north of Fukushima, Miyagi, for two years, and that area of Japan, the Tohoku region, is definitely off the beaten path. Only a few minutes into the episode, I realized this anime was made for me and basically anyone else who craves solo travel and discovery.

Zatsu Tabi perfectly captures the image of traveling to northern Japan. From the iconic green, white, and pink Tohoku Shinkansen train to the chilly weather of Koriyama, the anime is on point with details as Chika makes her way to her destination. Another great display of the realities of traveling in rural Japan is when Chika rushes to get on the tiny local train towards Aizuwakamatsu, exclaiming that if she misses this one, she has to wait an hour for the next one. Definitely a different world than Tokyoites experience, where trains come every few minutes.

Throughout the episode, a narrator gives mini history lessons about the area Chika explores. There are even times you may want to pause the show to read information signs—I did this and decided to Google Map the location, which can be seen above. As expected, anime nails real-life locations so perfectly. Even just ten minutes into the episode, and I was itching to book a trip to Aizuwakamatsu, as Zatsu Tabi displayed it in such a cozy and enticing way. Framing is quite unique in the anime. It isn't so much focused on Chika's face or body but more on her location. The anime spends a lot of time highlighting the vibe of an area, even more so than Chika's reactions to the area. Combine this style of cinematography with calming guitar and violin music, and you've got yourself the most relaxing 24 minutes of your day.

The hot springs hotel that Chika stays in overnight is also a real place, Kutsurogi Onsen. Chika's relaxing stay sold me on wanting to stay there if I ever venture out to Aizuwakamatsu, but I don't plan on not having a reservation like Chika. She seems to live on the edge a little bit, and I'm not sure how realistic her loose plans would fly in Japan now, given how much tourism there is in the country now.

Chika doesn't directly encounter other characters in this episode, but the viewer is introduced through short scenes (and obviously the opening) to various characters that will surely have bigger roles later on. One particular character, the drunk woman at the hot springs hotel, stood out the most. Chika stands far away from her, claiming she'll never become "an adult like that". I'm sure we'll see more from this drunken character.

My most toxic trait relating to anime is that I judge first episodes too harshly. I bet a lot on how an anime can draw me in within the first 20 minutes. I'm not a fan of rushed works, but I'm hesitant about slow burns. Maybe I'm too biased per my love for relaxing slice-of-life anime, but I just don't see how Zatsu Tabi could turn south from here (unless Chika, you know, travels south). I'm relieved that I didn't pick up the manga yet because I'm enjoying the anticipation of where Chika will head next. I'll just wait to find out during the next episode and, presumably, react giddily if she heads to a place I've also traveled to.

If you enjoyed works like the ones I've mentioned above and others such as Aria the Animation and A Place Further Than The Universe, you'll adore the adventure aspects of Zatsu Tabi. I'm counting down to the next episode.

Zatsu Tabi is streaming on Crunchyroll.
©Kenta Ishizaka/KADOKAWA/Zatsu Tabi Production Committee