Yakuza Real Life Locations Tour in Tokyo - Youtube Series by a Gaffer

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I really appreciate everyone checking out the Location Tour videos. In a week, my channel had gained over a hundred subscribers thanks to the Neogaf community and an influx of views.
 
Yakuza Locations Tour 2017 will commence in late 2017

I'm happy to say that I'll be returning to Kabukicho in late November. The month of November is usually the Ryu ga Gotoku promotional period in Tokyo (Don Quijote advertisements, TV ads, restaurant collaborations, gaming store promotions etc.).

I'll do a follow-up to the 2012/2016 series and cover the newly opened SEGA store on Theatre Avenue. There's bound to be a few Ryu ga Gotoku merchandise to talk about and more places to discover.
 
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YakuzaArk92 said:
Yakuza Locations Tour 2017 龍が如く : 場所のツアー 2017 will commence in late 2017

I'm happy to say that I'll be returning to Kabukicho in late November. The month of November is usually the Ryu ga Gotoku promotional period in Tokyo (Don Quijote advertisements, TV ads, restaurant collaborations, gaming store promotions etc.).

I'll do a follow-up to the 2012/2016 series and cover the newly opened SEGA store on Theatre Avenue. There's bound to be a few Ryu ga Gotoku merchandise to talk about and more places to discover.
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Awesome! Love the videos, my guy.
 
This is so awesome! I went last year, and managed to snap a few pictures and spend some time in champion district bars, but nothing like this. Can't wait to check out the series.
 
I watched the entire thing when I saw this posted in the other thread.

Amazing watch.

I thought I had extensively toured Kabukicho but I was wrong.

Amazing work you did there
 
xclk07 said:
Started checking the vids out today... very, very impressive!!!
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Thanks for checking out the videos xclk!

Some people have said some of the episodes should have been longer but I find that with the advent of current YouTube videos, shorter videos seem to be more effective since so many people are on their phones and on mobile nowadays. Five years ago, I did a two part Yakuza Locations 2012 series which ran for over 30 minutes. The entire playlist of all 43 episodes should be just under or over an hour.
 
UnluckyKate said:
I watched the entire thing when I saw this posted in the other thread.

Amazing watch.

I thought I had extensively toured Kabukicho but I was wrong.

Amazing work you did there
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I really appreciate the comments, UnluckyKate. There were a few locations which I unfortunately didn't get a chance to document. Most viewers watch the 2012 Locations Tour after watching the 2016 tours to see the places I discovered back then. Most of the locations are now completely gone or have been renovated. I'll be doing a mini-follow up in November so if I find anything interesting, I'll be sure to cover those locations. Thanks.
 
Dont play the series, but this is aome really excellent work.

Hope someone at sega is watching this thread.

You deserve something.
 
NegativeCero said:
Weird that despite knowing how based on real locations I never looked up some of these things. Thanks for the post.
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Thanks for watching, NegativeCero. If you're a Yakuza fan, you'll immediately feel right at home the moment you arrive in Kabukicho. I didn't even use a map or GPS to scout locations thanks to the series faithful recreation of the city.

firehawk12 said:
I didn't see this thread until now. Neat. :)

(Now someone just has to stage punching a tiger.)
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Good one, firehawk! Trust me, dude. If I had a budget or a production crew (heck, even a permit from Tokyo), I'd be adding Heat actions, quick-time-events, interactions with NPCs and revelations etc. Maybe next time...
 
KAP151 said:
Dont play the series, but this is aome really excellent work.

Hope someone at sega is watching this thread.

You deserve something.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the kind words, KAP. You should definitely pick up Yakuza 0 and KIWAMI if you're new to the series. In my opinion unlike a lot of other franchises, the Yakuza games are far removed from episodic storytelling. Each game is treated as if it's the last one. There are no cliffhangers, or open endings to setup a follow-up story. Every game is firm and definitive where it unloads everything and tries to be the best it possibly can.
 
Thanks to everyone on the Neogaf forums for the overwhelming response to these Location Tour videos. Hope you're enjoying KIWAMI and are looking forward to Yakuza 6 in March.
 
nice, somebody doing the chore of going through kabukicho so you don't have to get hassled and swindled out of money.
 
navii said:
nice, somebody doing the chore of going through kabukicho so you don't have to get hassled and swindled out of money.
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Good one, navii. You know what, a lot of the locals were very respectful. Some even hunched over and proceeded to bow as they noticed the camera in front of me. Thanks pal.
 
Conezays said:
Very interesting videos, thanks. Going to have to reference them when I finally visit Japan. Cheers, YakuzaArk92!
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Thanks for watching, Conezays! I'll be doing a mini follow-up series sometime in November covering some places I missed. SEGA just opened a store on Theater Square so I'm most definitely going to be covering that place. November is usually the time where you'll see a lot of promotional campaigns for upcoming Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku games in Tokyo - gaming stores, Don Quijote, restaurants, commercials etc. Enjoy your trip to Japan. You'll love it.
 
tearsintherain said:
Bump for a great thread to let everyone know Yakuza 0 is on sale on the PSN store, $36 USA with PS+
https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/yakuza-0/cid=UP0177-CUSA05070_00-YAKUZA0AMERICA00
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Much appreciated, tearsintherain! Yakuza 0 was a terrific entry to the series and I'm glad so many people loved it when it finally released in the West. Did you know that the Traditional Chinese version replaces one of the characters with a Chinese actor? In fact, look at the box art for the Chinese version of Ryu ga Gotoku 0 Chikai no Bassho. In addition, they added romanized Japanese in the karaoke segments which were later used in the Korean and English versions of 0 (this was also done in Kiwami). You'll see what I mean.

The Western release added Fight Style indicators to the HUD when switching four fighting styles in Zero. These were not present in the Japanese, Chinese, Korean releases.

The Korean version of Yakuza 0 released late last year after Kiwami. All four versions of Zero and Kiwami have separate trophies so if you're a collector/trophy hunter, it's worth importing. I own all versions (PS3 and PS4). The Japanese first print launched with a Hot Dog magazine that had Kiryu and Majima illustrated in this 80's-esque art-style.
 
Goods stuff. Thanks for doing the videos.
BTW have you considered doing a Yakuza real life items/products/games series where you explore various real life items such as arcade games, beverages, food,ufo catcher prizes, etc?
 
Phoenix944 said:
Amazing work dude!

I'm so jealous right now haha I wish I could go too!
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Appreciate the kind words, Phoenix! The Yakuza games provide the most faithfully recreated city of Kabukicho, Tokyo with every installment. As you play the games, you'll start to eventually remember areas more distinctly. It's the perfect virtual tour of Tokyo. It's almost like a character that evolves with every game. There are so many changes in the city (some are subtle while others are obvious) that the common gamer may overlook. The Kamurocho Tenkaichi Gate changed drastically in Yakuza 6 (looking similar to the neon gate in Kabukicho) and it seems Kiwami 2 will have the same neon gate to keep it as close to the real gate as possible.
 
_Ryo_ said:
Goods stuff. Thanks for doing the videos.
BTW have you considered doing a Yakuza real life items/products/games series where you explore various real life items such as arcade games, beverages, food,ufo catcher prizes, etc?
Click to expand...

YES! I plan on doing as you mentioned in my follow-up 2017 series in November. As a matter of fact, there's a Japanese shop five minutes away from my house that sells the same assortment of Japanese snacks, food and beverages (Suntory beverages, green tea and Boss coffee) seen in the games. I bought a can of Boss coffee (the rainbow colored can) and kept the can as a memento since that was the first time I saw Kiryu and Daigo Dojima drink coffee in a train ride on their way to Osaka in Yakuza 2.

Last year I visited two restaurants (Episodes 21 and 25) that had special collaborations with SEGA and the Ryu ga Gotoku Studios team:

Gindaco (銀だこ) located at the Shinjuku Toho Building (新宿東宝ビル) and Nadai Fujisoba (名代 富士そば) in Asakusa (浅草): a Japanese major restaurant chain serving an assortment of traditional Japanese food.

Gindaco offered visitors, The ‘Premium Takoyaki Hashed Beef Truffle Set' 「プレミアムたこ焼 ハッシュドビーフ トリュフのせ」was affordable and delicious. The restaurant made its debut in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (龍が如く6 命の詩。)

Nadai Fujisoba offered a bowl of ‘Red' Fujisoba「赤富士そば」for just ¥500. It was cheap and delicious!

You can check the official Ryu ga Gotoku website for the ingredients and the campaign:

http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/news/detail/1101.html
 
YakuzaArk92 said:
Appreciate the kind words, Phoenix! The Yakuza games provide the most faithfully recreated city of Kabukicho, Tokyo with every installment. As you play the games, you'll start to eventually remember areas more distinctly. It's the perfect virtual tour of Tokyo. It's almost like a character that evolves with every game. There are so many changes in the city (some are subtle while others are obvious) that the common gamer may overlook. The Kamurocho Tenkaichi Gate changed drastically in Yakuza 6 (looking similar to the neon gate in Kabukicho) and it seems Kiwami 2 will have the same neon gate to keep it as close to the real gate as possible.
Click to expand...

note that they did replace the gate a few years ago, could be that the Yakuza 6 gate is the "new" one
 
YakuzaArk92 said:
YES! I plan on doing as you mentioned in my follow-up 2017 series in November. As a matter of fact, there's a Japanese shop five minutes away from my house that sells the same assortment of Japanese snacks, food and beverages (Suntory beverages, green tea and Boss coffee) seen in the games. I bought a can of Boss coffee (the rainbow colored can) and kept the can as a memento since that was the first time I saw Kiryu and Daigo Dojima drink coffee in a train ride on their way to Osaka in Yakuza 2.

Last year I visited two restaurants (Episodes 21 and 25) that had special collaborations with SEGA and the Ryu ga Gotoku Studios team:

Gindaco (銀だこ) located at the Shinjuku Toho Building (新宿東宝ビル) and Nadai Fujisoba (名代 富士そば) in Asakusa (浅草): a Japanese major restaurant chain serving an assortment of traditional Japanese food.

Gindaco offered visitors, The ‘Premium Takoyaki Hashed Beef Truffle Set’ 「プレミアムたこ焼 ハッシュドビーフ トリュフのせ」was affordable and delicious. The restaurant made its debut in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (龍が如く6 命の詩。)

Nadai Fujisoba offered a bowl of ‘Red’ Fujisoba「赤富士そば」for just ¥500. It was cheap and delicious!

You can check the official Ryu ga Gotoku website for the ingredients and the campaign:

http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/news/detail/1101.html
Click to expand...

Awesome! I was planning on trying to make a written blog myself about products, and artwork, etc from video games in general but tbh im quite lazy. Maybe someday i will do it but til then ill enjoy your amazing work. Im excited for your future output so keep up the good work!
 
_Ryo_ said:
Awesome! I was planning on trying to make a written blog myself about products, and artwork, etc from video games in general but tbh im quite lazy. Maybe someday i will do it but til then ill enjoy your amazing work. Im excited for your future output so keep up the good work!
Click to expand...

Let me know when you've posted your blogs, man. Thanks again, Ryo!
 
http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/hokuto-ga-gotoku/

01168_07.jpg


Hokuto ga Gotoku releases in February along with a premium Kiryu skin. Looks a lot like the Kiwami Kiryu.
 
Are the streets exact? No cut corners or missing/consolidated streets? So if I play Yakuza Zero, I'd know my way around the area in real life?
 
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