After Nashiko’s mother kicks her out of the house for being too loud, she needs to find a new place to hang out with her friends. Luckily, Nashiko’s father owns a closed-down mahjong parlor in Onomichi that is perfect for her needs. While cleaning out the place, Nashiko discovers a talking bird who introduces himself as a ‘mahjong spirit’, encouraging her to try playing the game with some new friends. [Adapted from MAL]

As evident from the first episode and the title, Pon no Michi is set firmly in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, to a degree that borders on explicit direct advertisement or “place placement”. Many local landmarks are shown off whenever the cast leaves the shogi parlor. The exterior for the parlor itself with its striking pitched roof seems loosely based on a coffee shop called Saga Coffeehouse.

The anime’s official YouTube channel hosts a 13-episode web series in which the voice cast visits several locations featured from the anime, show off the official posters and standees, and interact with local shops and shrines.