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Last update: April 30th, 2020

Like a lot of artists, Gosho Aoyama bases his settings - sometimes more, sometimes less - on real world models and even the locations his series play in can be vaguely pinpointed. I think stuff like this is highly interesting and I just hope that some of you do, too. I researched and wrote this for a message board originally, but it went offline a couple of years ago and didn't return - and now that the domain seems to be for sale, I don't expect it to ever come back. So I put this stuff in here as an active work in progress. What you'll do with this information in the end is up to you - maybe you can use this knowledge for a fan fiction or go on one of those Manga/Anime pilgrimages when you are in Japan.

Every series will be partitioned by medium (yes, the position of the same building or place in a franchise differs from medium to medium sometimes) and per section, I will first show comparions between the real world model and Gosho's interpretation and afterwards I will present a rough estimation of where his stories are set (based on hints to their relative location in-universe - and yes, this also isn't always the same place as where the model it was based on happens to be in real life).

I'm talking about the different (real) wards (-ku) of Tokyo and the towns (-chō) they are composed of respectively a lot, which can get quite complicated and confusing if you are not knowledgable about the geography and how Tokyo is administrated. To the right you can see a very good map from TokyoMap.com, giving you a quick and simple rundown of the structure of its wards.

Detective Conan

Manga

Models

Model	Manga	Description
		Tropical Land in it's Detective Conan Manga incarnation from FILE.1 onwards (Volume 1+, File 1+): seems to be a composite of several different theme parks in and around Tokyo, including some of their attractions, with the most striking ones being Tokyo Disneyland (where Gosho Aoyama was working at as a painter during the eighties) and the distinct castle at the center, as well as Summer Land.
		The Yayoi District Kogoro and Ran Mouri as well as Conan Edogawa drive to in FILE.2 - 3 (Volume 1, File 2 - 5) and where the Tani family lives is a real district of Tokyo in the Bunkyō Ward.
		Futatsubashi Middle School the kidnapper keeps Akiko Tani at is very probably a play on the Hitotsubashi Middle School in Chiyoda Ward. Furthermore, the Hyakujii Park the kidnapper wants his ransom money placed in is based on the name of the Shakujii Park Gosho once lived close to during his time in Nerima Ward and which he often visited in his spare time.
		In FILE.37 (Volume 4, File 8), the Detective Boys take a bus on the (back then) real To06 line (都06) of Toei Bus to get from Beika (or, rather, a bus stop close to Beika Park, it seems) to Tokyo Tower. The line indeed lead from Shibuya Station through Minato Ward, passed the Tower and had its final destination at Shimbashi Station. As this, it's one of the most direct hints about where Beika may be set in the world of the Manga. (See below under "Where is it set?".) The complete route can be seen as a green line on the map.
		The "PAPCO" building the Detective Boys reach during their treasure hunt in FILE.38 (Volume 4, File 9) is modeled after the PARCO store, part of the east side of Ikebukuro Station (Ikebukuro District, Toshima Ward, Tokyo) in real life.
		Hideo Akagi and his team are playing their soccer match in Tokyo National Stadium (Kasumigaoka District, Shinjuku Ward) in FILE.69 - 71 (Volume 7, File 9 - 11), also known as Kokuritsu Kyōgijō, as it is called in the chapters, too. The real stadium has been restructured since then and looks vastly different than at the time it was featured in Detective Conan.
		The "Yotsubishi Gas" station in FILE.82 (Volume 9, File 2) is a play on the (once) real "Mitsubishi Gas" stations, including a fitting four-petaled logo (instead of the usual three-petaled one); but considering that there are, like, thousands of gas stations in and around Tokyo who all look similar or identical, and the fact that none of them have that same name anymore (most of it seems to be Nippon Oil by now) and that this was over two decades ago, I'll already guess that it will be extremely difficult or impossible to ever find this exact one...
		The headquarters of Nichiuri TV in FILE.102 - 104 (Volume 11, File 2 - 4) are based on the previous main headquarters of Nippon TV in the Nibanchō District of Chiyoda ward.
		The view from the roof Conan Edogawa and Kaitou Kid have their first meeting on in FILE.156 - 157 (Volume 16, File 6 - 7) and, hence, the position of Haido City Hotel are identical with those of the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo Hotel in the Akasaka District of the Minato Ward. Apart from that, Gosho used a different model for the hotel itself.
		This is probably the one most people on here already know: Beika Station is based on Shin-Ōkubo Station, just like in the movies, in real life built in the Hyakunin District of Shinjuku Ward. Contrary to the movies, though, it isn't on vaguely the same position as the real train station, but closer to the Ebisu and Gotanda Districts on the border between the wards Shibuya, Minato and Shinagawa - more about that later.
		The house of the Torakura family from FILE.834 - 840 (Volume 79, File 6 - 11 and Volume 80, File 1) is modeled after a house in Kyu-Furukawa Gardens - only one of several allusions to Umineko no Naku Koro ni in this case (besides Dracula, of course), since the entrance of the guest house of that franchise was also designed like it. While the Torakura mansion is said to be on the border of Saitama and Gunma Prefectures, the real building and its surrounding park are actually situated in the Nishigahara District of the Kita Ward in Tokyo. Fittingly, it's also said to be a popular filming location for Horror movies.
		The Ebisu Bridge Conan goes to ("secretly" being followed by Ai and the Detective Boys) in FILE.879 (Volume 83, File 7) is a real bridge in the Ebisu District of Shibuya Ward in Tokyo. Interestingly, it's implied to be in or near Beika in Conan's world, considering they were on the way to Agasa's house and went to the bridge by foot. The name of the bridge(s) also plays a bigger role during this case.
		Beika Aquarium from FILE.882 - 884 (Volume 83, File 10 - Volume 84, File 2) is modeled after the Toba Aquarium in the City of Toba in Mie Prefecture.
		The place Professor Agasa, Conan Edogawa, Ai Haibara and the Detective Boys drive to in FILE.885 - 887 (Volume 84, File 3 - 5) is the Horikirimizube Park at 1-chōme of the Horikiri District in the Katsushika Ward of Tokyo, with the Arakawa doubling as Teimuzu River in Detective Conan. The aforementioned park indeed is a popular spot for kite flying competitions in real life.
		The bridge sporting these distinct Y-shaped concrete pylons seen several times next to the park in the same case, on the other hand, is the Shin-Arakawa Bridge.
		The Tokiwa Hotel Shuukichi Haneda stays at in FILE.899 (Volume 85, File 6) is a real hotel and, yes, it really is situated in the Yamanashi Prefecture (in its capital Kōfu, to be exact), like it's said in the chapter.
		Hotel Hyde Pride, in which Masumi Sera and Mary stay during FILE.899 - 905 (Volume 85, File 6 - Volume 86, File 1), is modeled after the Hotel Nikko Fukuoka in the namesake city, in real life located in the prefecture of the same name.
		The Shōgi building from the flashback in FILE.901 (Volume 85, File 8) is the real Shōgi Kaikan of Tokyo, located at 2-39-9 Sendagaya District, Shibuya Ward.
		The Kamaitachi Inn from FILE.909 (Volume 86, File 5) is modeled after the Echigoya Ryokan in Narai (Shiojiri City), in the midst of the mountains of Nagano Prefecture, at an old route between Tokyo (Edo back then) and Kyoto - so yes, the description about the "Kamaitachi Inn" being "in the mountains of Nagano" in the Manga is certainly true for its reference building.
		"Sound Studio HAKOBUNE" in FILE.936 (Volume 88, File 10 - 11 and Volume 89, File 1) is modeled after "Sound Studio NOAH Shinjuku" in Nishi-Shinjuku 7-10-12, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. (There are several Sound Studio NOAH in Tokyo, including another one in Shibuya Ward, but the Shinjuku one is the correct model.)
		The Studio AITA Yumi Miyamoto and Miwako Sato pass at the beginning of FILE.945 (Volume 89, File 8)is actually the Studio ALTA in the south of Shinjuku Ward, located in the district of the same name. One can also spot the LUMINE EST Department Store behind them in the panel right after it, which is across Studio AITA in real life.
		The Suzuki Library Kaitou Kid tries to get into in FILE.963 - 965 (Volume 91, File 4 - 6) is actually the library building of the Kagoshima University in Kagoshima on Japan's Kyushu Island.
		The Police Station 5th Block Beika at the end of FILE.977 (Volume 92, File 7) is actually the Police Station 5th Block Sendagaya, a real Kōban in Shibuya Ward.
		The cinema Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki go to at the end of FILE.986 (Volume 93, File 5) is modeled after the Cinemas Q in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, in real life on the island of Kyushu. Seems like Gosho or someone he knows did research there not all too long before those recent chapters, right?
		Conan Edogawa, Ai Haibara and the Detective Boys are taking a ride with a train of the JR East E233-3000 series on the real Shōnan-Shinjuku Line in FILE.997 (Volume 94, File 5), passing an existing segment of the route located in Gotanda before the train enters Beika Station. One can spot, from left to right, the NTT COMWARE Gotanda Building (ＮＴＴコムウェア五反田ビル), Mast Life Meguro South (マストライフ目黒南) and the Meguro Gajoen Arco Tower to the left of the tracks.
		The lost-and-found office in Chiyari Station (which seems to be fictitious itself) at the end of FILE.997 (Volume 94, File 5) is based on the real lost-and-found office of Tokyo Metro (who got an altered emblem in Detective Conan) at the Iidabashi Station (which is situated right on the juncture of Chiyoda, Bunkyō and Shinjuku Wards) in Tokyo.
		The "Danny's" Amuro, Conan and the Detective Boys are stopping by to eat and discuss their hunt for the phone strap in FILE.998 (Volume 94, File 6) is a real Denny's restaurant - the one at 1-chōme 6−1 in Yokohama's Kitayamada District in the Tsuzuki Ward (Kanagawa Prefecture), to be specific. Considering Amuro must have passed Yokohama to reach Chiyari Station, it's a fitting location to stop.
		The Kiyomizu-dera appearing in FILE.1000 & FILE.1004 - 1005 (from Volume 94, File 8 & Volume 95, File 1 - 2) is supposed to be the real deal from the Higashiyama Ward of Kyoto.
		Yusaku and Yukiko Kudo stay at the Ritz-Carlton Towers High Hotel of Los Angeles, located at 900 W Olympic Blvd. in FILE.1005 (Volume 95, File 2).
		The Beika University Hospital Kazunobo Chiba carries Naeko Miike to at the end of FILE.1017 (Volume 96, File 3) is modeled after the University Hospital in the Hongō District of Bunkyō Ward in Tokyo.
		The Suzuki Museum seen in FILE.1018 - 1021 (Volume 96, File 4 - 7) is modeled after the Tokyo National Museum of Ueno Park in the district of the same name, located in the Taitō Ward of Tokyo.
		The cinema playing "The Azengers" Conan Edogawa, Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, Makoto Kyogoku and Masumi Sera are leaving right at the beginning of FILE.1022 (Volume 96, File 8) is a real building of the Toho Cinemas chain in Roppongi Hills, located in the Minato Ward of Tokyo.
		The Minanokami Station in Gunma the Detective Boys arrive at together with Miss Kobayashi and Wakasa Rumi during FILE.1032 (Volume 97, File 7) is actually the Minakami Station in the town of the same name (also in Gunma).
		"Haido Port" in FILE.1039 - 1042 is practically identical to the real life Hinode Pier at the border between Minato Ward (which it belongs to) and Chiyoda Ward - the next hint that Haido really seems to coincide with a fictional area on/between those two parts of Tokyo in Gosho's mind (and in the Mangaverse at least). The warehouses on the right (and the one the case happens in) are the Hinode Pier Warehouses (2 Chome-7 Kaigan, Minato Ward, Tokyo 105-0022) - in real life, the ones on the panel/photo are numbered 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, etc., in Detective Conan, they are simply given numbers. Judging by their Manga and real life succession, No. 4 (where the murder happens in) should correlate with warehouse 2-D. Furthermore, the ship in front of the other one Ran Mouri, Kazuha Toyama and Momiji Ooka photograph themselves in front of in the last chapter of this case is the "Silver Muse" of the Silverseas company, which actually passes (or passed - it seemingly moved to Canada afterwards) the Hinode Pier on its route when it arrives in Tokyo after leaving Yokohama - just like it passed Haido Port in Detective Conan. I haven't found out the "identity" of the other ship, though.

Detective Conan: Wild Police Story

Model	Manga	Description
		The Metropolitan Police Academy Tokyo from Rei's Manga spin-off is just that: The real Metropolitan Police Academy. It's called by its actual name and also looks the same in the Manga. No renaming or anything. It's not actually in the City of Tokyo, but part of it's Metropolitan Area - in the City of Fuchū. This is also mentioned in the Wikipedia article.