Record 450,000 Visit Lucky Star Shrine
For the third year in a row, the Washinomiya Shrine became a huge tourist attraction in the first three days of the new year. The shrine, of course, is the real-life shrine that's seen in the Lucky Star anime where the Hiiragi twins work at. In 2008 the shrine drew a crowd of about 300,000 people during the first three days of the year. In 2009 over 420,000 visited. & now in 2010 the shrine has set an attendance record yet again with 450,000 visitors. The official Lucky Star house/museum saw an equal surge in visitors at the beginning of the year.
Once just a normal Japanese shrine, Washinomiya is now a giant tourist attraction filled with Lucky Star related activities, merchandise, & more. & during the New Year, a time when shrine visits are at their peak in Japan mainly due to tradition, these activities & merch grow exponentially. I myself am proud to own a Lucky Star shirt from the very shrine. ^_^
Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-01-05/record-450000-visit-lucky-star-shrine-on-new-year