A Visit to Yokosuka After Snow | Photo Gallery

One of the many memorable aspects of the first Shenmue game is its depiction of winter. The moment snowflakes begin to lightly drift down from the cloudy sky is a memorizing moment, bringing with it the anticipation that Ryo's hometown will soon be transformed by a cover of snow and ice.

Last week a chance came up to capture some snowy footage as a blizzard passed across Japan. The forecast for the region where Yokosuka is located is underlined in red:

Snow is on it's way. (Yokosuka is located in Kanagawa prefecture).

A few days later, snow did indeed fall heavily throughout the region, starting from the later afternoon. The next morning dawned warm and sunny, so I jumped on a train bound for Yokosuka as soon as I could, before the evidence could melt away to nothing.

Note: I have juggled the real-life ordering of the photos a little to match with the kind of scenery Ryo sees as he strolls from his house in Yamanose down to Dobuita Street.

The Hazuki Residence

Actual location: the grounds of Suwadai Shrine.

Actual location: the entrance to Ryochoin temple.

Path from the Hazuki Dojo to Yamanose:

Actual location: This path runs between the residential area of Midorigaoka and Suwadai Shrine.

Yamanose Shrine:

Actual location: Suwadai Shrine.

Sakuragaoka:

Actual location: Midorigaoka.

Sakuragaoka Park:

Actual location: Odakicho Park.

Road down to Dobuita:

Actual location: the road running from Suwadai Shrine to Dobuita Street.

Dobuita Street: 

Actual location: group of vending machines on Dobuita Street, a site at which many a Shenmue fan has bought a 100-yen soda and performed the "Ah good" ceremony.

Steps to Sakuragaoka:

Actual location: as in the game, these steps are at the end of an alley off Dobuita Street (although in real life they lead to a kindergarten).

Actual location: Midorigaoka.

New Yokosuka Harbor:

Actual location: Verny Park at Yokosuka Harbor, located a short walk from Dobuita Street.

Video Footage

Video footage of the exploration has also been captured, including an approximation of the much-loved in-game action of Ryo scrunching across icy ground. The edited video will take some time to prepare, but keep an eye out for it in a future post!

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