Below are the residences, schools, and other important locations throughout the series. Many of these are real-life locations and are shown on the map above.
Click on the pictures to get a better view.
Residences
Hikarigaoka (Highton View Terrace)
The Hikarigaoka area is where the original eight Chosen Children saw their first Digimon in 1995, as shown in the Digimon Adventure movie. The battle between Greymon and Parrotmon took place on the main street, destroying part of the bridge, a phone booth, and some building sections. Many of the families moved away afterward, including those of all eight Chosen Children. Seven Chosen moved to Odaiba while Takeru moved to Setagaya until he too moved to Odaiba in 2002.
Upon their return from the Digital World, the Chosen Children stop at Hikarigaoka in episode 29 of Adventure and realize that they all lived there at the same time and had this experience. This is what makes them think that the Eighth Child most likely moved from Hikarigaoka to Odaiba as well. According to episode 45, this was the moment the original eight were Chosen.
In 02, Oikawa Yukio takes Ken and the Dark Seed children in episode 44 to utilize the natural Digital Gate (like the one at the campsite near Mount Fuji in Adventure), but everything is interrupted by Demon’s arrival. The younger Chosen fight him, and Ken taps into his Dark Digivice to open a gate to the World of Darkness, at which point Daisuke gives Ken a stirring speech about moving forward and not being afraid anymore. Although Demon can make his own Digital Gates between the Real World and the Digital World, he cannot escape the Dark Ocean. Oikawa tells the Dark Seed children to meet him there again on New Year’s Eve before escaping.
However, in episode 47 of 02, BlackWarGreymon seals the gate with his own body to prevent Oikawa, and the monster inside him, from entering the Digital World. Since Oikawa doesn’t know that, he gathers the Dark Seed children there and opens a gate, which leads to the World of Dreams instead of the Digital World.
Motomiya & Yagami Apartment Building
As the Yagamis have the most often featured home, this Odaiba apartment complex is the only one with a corresponding real location, not far from Odaiba Beach and Daiba Park.
The Yagamis live in apartment 1306 and have a view of the Giant Sky Wheel (Odaiba’s famous Ferris wheel) from their apartment, although its location changes at different points of the series and should not actually be visible from their apartment (the Ferris wheel is perpendicular to the building, not parallel).
Another point of interest: While the Yagamis live on the thirteenth floor, which is obviously not the top floor in the series, the building it is based on (and all images of the building exterior in the series) only has twelve floors. This may be in part due to the fact that many Japanese buildings skip the fourth floor. Even so, the building obviously has more than twelve total floors when looking directly at the Yagamis’ apartment.
Context clues in 02 indicate the Motomiyas also live in this three-building apartment complex (flashes of the same exterior with the colorful arches before a scene inside Daisuke’s bedroom, Daisuke and Hikari walking home together, etc.), though not necessarily in the same building.
Despite how prominently this apartment complex is featured throughout the show and the fact that it is based on a real-life building, it has no canonical name.
Tamachi T.M. Mansion (Ichijouji Apartment)
According to Koushirou’s (Izzy) research in the 9th episode (the final picture), the Tamachi T.M. Mansion is located very close to the Tamachi Station in the historic Tamachi area. The Ichijoujis live on the third floor in apartment 303 and, according to flashbacks in episode 23, have lived there since Ken was four (or longer).
Odaiba T.D.W. Garden (Takaishi, Inoue & Hida Apartments) & the Ai-Mart Convenience Store
At the beginning of 02, Takeru and his mother move to this apartment building, which, according to Yamato in Digimon Adventure: Original Story – The 2½ Year Break, was built sometime in 2001. Miyako and Iori and their families already live, probably since it opened. The Inoues run the Ai-Mart convenience store on the ground floor.
Odaiba Mansion (Takenouchi, Izumi & Kido Apartments)
Odaiba Mansion is the apartment building with Sora’s, Koushirou’s, and Jou’s families live during Adventure and 02. In Adventure, it is established that Jou’s family lives on the second floor. (Sora and Jou both still live here during tri., though it is difficult to tell with Koushirou because he is always in his office during tri.) The apartment building is minimally featured in 02.
Ishida Apartment Building
Yamato lives on the second floor of this apartment building with his father in 202, but as his father is constantly working at the Fuji Television Station, Yamato is often here alone or finds some other means of entertaining himself (his band in 02). Their apartment is only occasionally shown in the series, and this apartment building has no canonical name, but it seems likely it would be located close to the TV station for convenience.
Various Tachikawa Apartment Buildings
Mimi lives in different locations throughout the series, as her family moves. All three of her homes (in Adventure, in New York in 02, and in tri. when she moves back to Odaiba) are only shown from the interior, usually her bedroom and the dining area, and are only rarely featured in the series. Assuming her homes are all apartments, none of the buildings or complexes where she lives have canonical names.
Schools
Odaiba Elementary School
Aside from Ken, all the Chosen Children attend Odaiba Elementary School, though Takeru doesn’t until he moves to Odaiba. While the school itself is never shown in Adventure (which is set during summer break), it is featured regularly in 02, as the series spans from the start of the school year (April) to New Year’s Eve 2002 and the younger Chosen use the computer lab to travel to the Digital World. The school is located across the street from Odaiba Beach, which places it near Daiba Park and the apartment complex where the Motomiyas and Yagamis live.
Tamachi Elementary School
Tamachi Elementary School is the private elementary school Ken attends in the historic Tamachi area. Although Ken is one of the biggest characters in 02, his school is rarely shown. The most notable moment is in episode 25 when it is revealed Ken is not performing as well as while he was the Digimon Kaiser.
Odaiba Middle School
Although all the Chosen Children, aside from Ken and potentially Mimi, at one point attend the Odaiba Middle School, the only time it is shown in the series is in Diablomon Strikes Back. Koushirou uses the computer lab there as his office and headquarters during the battle against Diablomon/Armagemon.
Tsukishima General High School
Tsukishima General High School is the high school Taichi, Yamato, Sora, Koushiro, and Mimi attend in tri., and where Nishijima Daigo teaches while keeping an eye on the Chosen Children. Its design is based on a real-life junior and senior high school on the edge of Odaiba.
Miscellaneous Locations
Tokyo Big Sight
Tokyo Big Sight is the convention center where Vamdemon holds the people of Odaiba prisoner in episodes 35 through 39 in Adventure. Sora and Mimi are held there too, but both escape to join the fight, though it means leaving most of the Chosen Children’s families behind.
Daisuke and his family are also held there and are knocked unconscious with the other people there after Vamdemon finds the Eighth Child, and this is Daisuke’s first experience seeing a Digimon.
In the third movie of tri., the Chosen Children fight Meicrackmon here while the reboot counts down. At the end of that movie, they open up a gate to the Digital World (using Ken’s D-3, provided by Himekawa Maki) to find their reborn Digimon partners.
Fuji Television Station
The Fuji TV Station is where Ishida Hiroaki, Yamato and Takeru’s dad, works.
It is one of the most prominent locations in Adventure, as it is where Vamdemon kills Wizardmon and Tailmon evolves into Angewomon, at which point the original eight Chosen Children defeat Vamdemon, only for him to come back even stronger as VenomVamdemon. The ball falls during the first battle, and WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon use it during the fight against VenomVamdemon.
In 02, the group of eleven Chosen Children visit the TV station on the anniversary of Wizardmon’s death, and Wizardmon’s ghost tells them a confusing prediction about defeating the Digimon Kaiser and who the true bad guy is, indicating Vamdemon’s return.
Giant Sky Wheel
This huge Ferris wheel, the Giant Sky Wheel, is located in Palette Town in the middle of Odaiba. It is often featured throughout the show.
In fact, it is usually shown in locations where you absolutely should not be able to see it, but the creators of Digimon seem to enjoy showing it off. Most often, this error occurs at the Yagamis’ apartment. Sometimes it can be seen from the entrance and sometimes from the balcony, neither of which make sense with the location of the Ferris wheel in relation to the real-life apartment building they based it on.
It is most featured in the first movie of tri. when the original eight Chosen need a good view of the area while searching for anomalies.
Daiba Park
This park is heavily featured in both Adventure and 02, as it is located so close both to the apartment complex where the Yagamis and Motomiyas live and to the Odaiba Elementary School.
In Adventure, Vamdemon has his secret lair here. When Tailmon and Wizarmon go to retrieve Hikari’s crest, they come to this park, but Vamdemon discovers them and attacks them. Taichi and MetalGreymon quickly come to assist in the battle, showing Vamdemon that the Chosen Children will come to Tailmon’s aid.
In 02, it is first seen in the 13th episode when Hikari is taken to the Dark Ocean. Takeru searches for Hikari there, and when she calls for his and Tailmon’s aid, Takeru, Tailmon, and Patamon jump from the edge of the park to a gate to the World of Darkness. On August 1st, the group meets up here for Odaiba Memorial Day and discusses what happened three years previously. This is also where Imperialdramon picks everyone up and drops them off for the World Tour.
Odaiba Beach
Odaiba Beach is across the street from one of the entryways to Odaiba Elementary School and right next to Daiba Park. When Takeru searches for Hikari when she disappears to the Dark Ocean, he runs out of the school and searches along Odaiba Beach until he reaches Daiba Park.
This location is not shown in the series often (usually just from afar), but it is incredibly close to the elementary school and the apartment complex where the Yagamis and Motomiyas live.
Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge is one of the main ways to reach Odaiba and can be seen often throughout the series.
In the 36th episode of Adventure, this is where Jou and Takeru seek to cross the fog barrier into Odaiba and encounter MegaSeadramon, who destroys part of the bridge in its attempt to stop them from reaching their destination. Takeru falls in the water, and Jou’s selfless act to save his life causes Ikkakumon to evolve to Zudomon for the first time.
The other most prominent moment is in Diablomon Strikes Back, when everyone meets at Rainbow Bridge to watch the battle against Armagemon in Tokyo Bay. Daisuke and Ken have to travel there on foot all the way from Shibuya Station and barely make it in time to join the fight and defeat Armagemon, with everyone’s help.
Koushiro's tri. Office
In tri., when Koushiro is only in his first year of high school, he runs the Japanese branch for his American friend’s company. What exactly this company does is unspecified, but it means he has a very nice office while they figure out what is going on with the infected Digimon. It’s important to note that, prior to tri., no one has seen his office.
By the time of Kizuna, Koushiro is no longer with this company and has a smaller office.
Canal Where Daisuke Meets Ken (Episode #25)
The historic area around Tamachi Station, colloquially termed Tamachi, is full of artificial canals. As Koushiro’s snooping in the 9th episode reveals the Ichijoujis live very close to the station, this particular canal is probably near his family’s apartment. (Although, it wouldn’t be difficult for Daisuke to guess Ken’s route home from school since they know where both are.)
This location is especially important because this is where Daisuke asks Ken to apologize and join the group, where Daisuke first calls him part of the group.
Sunset Coffee Shop
This coffee shop is only shown in the flashbacks in episode 23 as something that Ken, after his brother’s death but before he becomes the Digimon Kaiser, would pass on his way to and from school. It is obviously located near the Ichijoujis’ home and could easily be used as a Real World location.