So as you might have gathered from some previous posts, I
am into video gaming. One of the video
games that is popular among those outside of Japan but love/miss and yearn to
be in Japan, is the Ryu Ga Gotoku (known as Yakuza) game series, made by Sega
and playable on the latest Playstation consoles as well as Wii U (but only for
the 1st and 2nd games in the series).
 |
| Kazuma Kiryu, the star/center of the game |
For me, the draw was that at the time I first picked up
the game (Yakuza 3), I was a few months gone from living in Tokyo at the time,
and missed the city badly. When I
started playing, it felt so much like a virtual trip back to the beloved
beautiful Far East city. It was a fun
game, and its open world nature just brought my soul back to the city I fell
in love with.
The main storyline of the game was, of course,
compelling, challenging and fun, but what really kept me on the game, though,
were all the "mini games".
They weren't essential to the mission at hand, but they were downright
fun. Some of the other things weren't
even mini games at all, such as visiting certain restaurants, arcades, etc...
but they had my heart hooked on, simply because I missed doing those things in
real life in Tokyo... or in some/many cases I never had the chance to do those
things there at that point in my life.
Yakuza 3 (and later on, Yakuza 4) were my escape from boring, mundane
reality, to a place where Kazuma Kiryu roamed and, for all intents and
purposes, lived the most interesting man's life in Tokyo. Perhaps I was the only one who thought that
way... maybe there were others (appreciate a comment if you had similar
feelings/desires coming from this game).
So, a couple of years after I'd first played Yakuza, fate
would have me back living in Japan... first in Okinawa (where, ironically, the
start of Yakuza 3 takes place), then moving on back to the Tokyo area, where of
course the game is centered on, especially Kamurocho (based on the Kabukicho
district in Shinjuku). You know, like
Kiryu-san's path in the game that I first played. I'd jokingly say that if I visited a certain
place featured in the game, I was completing an item on the Kazuma Kiryu /
Yakuza tour. So the idea dawned on me...
why not create the Ryu Ga Gotoku tour itinerary?
Presenting... The Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza Game) Kazuma Kiryu Japan Tour!
Take part in the following activities to walk in the path of Kazuma Kiryu (and experience the joys he experienced along the way)
Play a UFO Catcher game (8 pts): One of the minigames in
Yakuza, as a tourist (or even a resident) you're bound to insert a coin or two
into a machine to try to win a cool prize.
Bonus points: At Kabukicho (3 pts), Win a prize (4 pts)
Play a Dart Game at a bar/parlor/arcade (10 pts): Darts
kind of has a subculture in Japan, and as one of the minigames that is woven
into Kazuma's dating life, it holds extra appeal.
Bonus points: At Kabukicho (2 pts), Play against someone you recently met for the first time
(3 pts)
Sing at a Karaoke place (10 pts): Karaoke is one of the unique cultural elements of Japan,
not to be missed by anyone who likes singing, music, and having a good time
with friends (or a memorable date?). Even gang bosses have the skills/guts here; do you?
Bonus points: At Kabukicho (3 pts), At Karaoke Kan (the franchise featured in the game) (3
pts), Go with someone you recently met for the first time (4
pts)
Shop at Don Quijote (5 pts): the all-around bargain
department store featured in Yakuza
Bonus points: At Kabukicho (2 pts), Buy something you see only at "Donki" and
hadn't seen anywhere else (3 pts)
Swing, Swing, at a Batting Center (9 pts): a fun way to practice the skills of Japan's
most popular sport
Bonus points: At Kabukicho's Shinjuku Batting Center (known as Yoshida
Batting Center in the game) (6 pts)
Visit a Cat Café (7 pts): Yes, believe it or not... Kazzy
not only visited a cat café but helped round up runaway cats to bring them back
to their café home.
Bonus points: At Kabukicho (3 pts)
Use a Driver at a Golf Driving Range (10 pts): Another popular sport in Japan, with many
places to hone your swing...
Bonus points: At Kabukicho (5 pts)
Your rating:
50-below: Filthy casual mode: Don't be afraid to venture
outside of your comfort zone!
50-70: Standard mode: You're in an area where most active
tourists would be. Not too far off from
becoming a fun person...
70-85: Advanced mode: You know and experience more than
most, and could pick up a girl/guy standing in line at Lotteria with reasonable
success!
85-95: Professional mode: Tokyo is your oyster, and you blend
in well with any setting in Kamurocho. Guys/girls
would call you to go out on a date!
95-100: God mode (or Kazuma Kiryu mode!): Kazuma's story reads like your
autobiography. Or, you just know exactly how to
party like a Yakuza star. You rule the city.
FYI, I scored an 87.
Professional mode in effect!
No comments:
Post a Comment