Tomobiki

Ataru Mendo Shinobu Sakura 151 — Tomobiki

Tomobiki Town (友引町, Tomobiki-chō^?, "Town of Good Day for Business and Lawsuits"), or just Tomobiki, is a seemingly mundane town that is in actuality a hotspot for all manner of bizarre, alien, supernatural, paradoxical, and completely unexplainable events, and serves as the home of Ataru and Lum, as well as the home to many of their weird human, nonhuman, and extraterrestrial friends and enemies.

Places of Interest[]

Homes[]

Moroboshi Residence
Lum's Ship (occasionally)
Mendō Estate
Miyake Residence
Ran's Ship
Megane's House
Mizunokōji Estate
Sakura's Family Home
Onsen-Mark's apartment
Kurama's Ship (occasionally)
Modoki Residence

Schools[]

Tomobiki High School
Butsumetsu High School
Sanrinbō High School
Shakko High School
Senshoo High School
Taian Vo-Tech High School
Senpu Vo-Tech High School

Businesses[]

Tomobiki Shopping Arcade
Yochinoya Beef Bowl
Mach Noodles
Dobusalada (Sewer Salad)
Mendō's Fast-Food Superstore (shut down)
Akamaru Bakery
Cafe Agony
Cafe Bland
China Cafe
Izumi's Teashop
Zipangu Okonomiyaki
Ebiya Shrimp Hut
Station Noodle Bar
Neko Cafe
Kotobuki Oden
Taian Street Yakisoba Corner
Oomori's Grand Slam
Sweet Cafe Kemo
Mrs. Donut's
Daffy-Dil Flower Shop
Ginsu Barber
Disco Club
Dead Drunk Club
Dodongo Diner
Wendy's
Love Burger
Yoshino Family Pet Shop

Others[]

Cherry's vacant lot
Tomobiki Junkyard
No Man's Cove
- Mendō's Private Beach
- Mizunokoji Sportsland
Hamajaya Beach Shop
Todome Viaduct
Dracula's abandoned factory

Trivia[]

The name Tomobiki is based on the name of a day from the "Rokuyo", a special fortune telling-based listing for the six-day week found in Japan's pre-19th century calendar system (before they were introduced to the modern Gregorian calendar in 1873) that was used to determine if a day would be lucky or not. The Rokuyo had six days: Taian, Butsumetsu, Senpu, Tomobiki, Shakko, and Senshoo. Unlike the others, Tomobiki (which was always held on the fourth of every sixth day) was believed to have the potential to either be an unlucky day or lucky day based on how one handled their affairs, in that if one had good luck then on Tomobiki their good luck would spread to those around them, but conversely if they had bad luck on this day then their bad luck would afflict everyone around them. Because of this even funerals were avoided as they were seen as unfortunate and could result in the loved ones of the deceased dying as well due to his misfortune (resulting in a tradition where dolls are made to take the place of living loved ones in the deceased's coffin if a funeral has to be held on Tomobiki).
- This is alluded to further at the start of the story when Cherry narrates about how horribly unlucky Ataru is, seemingly spreading his own bad lack and unpredictability to the rest of Tomobiki, and Lum's own antics by association with Ataru also inadvertently end up affecting the entire town. Yet at the same time, when something wonderful happens to them (and if it doesn't go horribly wrong) it may spread to those around them, much like in the belief of the old day.
- Each of the other days from the old Rokuyo calendar system are also represented in the series by Tomobiki High's rival schools: Taian Vo-Tech High School, Butsumetsu High School, Senpu Vo-Tech High School, Shakko High School, and Senshoo High School.
  - There's an additional school in Tomobiki called Sanrinbō High School which is based on a more rogue luck day started sometime after the Edo Period but whose origins are unknown since it was not present on the old Rokuyo calendar system, however it used to be considered a lucky day but now it is associated with bad luck.

According to the manga canon, Tomobiki-chō is located in Nerima, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, as it is revealed in Chapter 5. Similarly, in the 1981 anime, an aerial view of Tomobiki-chō in Episode 110 shows that the town is located in Tokyo.