For the last two months, a promotion to celebrate the release of Shenmue The Animation has been running in Yokosuka. I went down to check out each of the eight stores participating in the promotion. This post has a selection of photos from the visit.
Four of the participating stores were on Dobuita Street itself:
- Dobuita Station (tourist center)
- MIKASA Vol.2 (Sukajan jacket store)
- Taisho (embroidery & patches)
- KANMANIA Yokosuka (souvenirs & cafe)
- Kakita (military clothing)
While the others were located nearby:
- HONEY BEE restaurant (on Route 16)
- MIKASA Cafe
- Hanamatsu flower shop
Inside each participating store, Shenmue-related artwork and sketches were on display, and they also had Shenmue anime postcards to give away with a purchase of 500 yen. The owners were all very friendly and welcoming to Shenmue fans, and I managed to persuade some of them to strike a pose for the blog photo!
Arrival in Yokosuka
I arrived at Yokosuka-chūo train station, on the Keikyu line, handily located about a 5-minute walk from the Dobuita Street area.
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| East Gate of Yokosuka-chūo station |
The Yokosuka city tourist information center can be found immediately to the left as you exit the East Gate of the station (it has moved in recent times from "THE PRIME" shopping center building). With the newly-updated Shenmue The Animation themed version of the Sacred Spot map, and a leaflet detailing the current campaign, we head in the direction of Dobuita Street.
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Left: the cover of the Shenmue Sacred Spot map. Right: a leaflet about the current promotion, known as the "Anime Celebration Project"
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| Main road near the station |
Hanamatsu Flower Shop
A short walk brings us to the Hanamatsu flower shop, which is said to have been the inspiration for the flower shop run by Nozomi's grandmother in the game / anime.
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| Hanamatsu flower shop |
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| The friendly owner loves having Shenmue fans visit. |
KANMANIA Yokosuka
Not far away, on a corner with Dobuita Street, is KANMANIA. The lower level is a souvenir shop, and upstairs is a cafe area.
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| With a large submarine model flanking the shop exterior, the KANMANIA souvenir shop & cafe is hard to miss. |
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| Storyboard sketches from Shenmue The Animation were displayed along one side, near the ceiling. |
Honey Bee
The Honey Bee restaurant (which inspired the Funny Bear burger stand in the game) is situated on Route 16.
Kakita Military Surplus
One of the most recognizable stores from the game!
The Shenmue art is displayed inside the shop, to the left of the entrance.
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| Military Surplus store Kakita |
Dobuita Station
Although its name is a little confusing, Dobuita Station is actually a small tourist center located on Dobuita Street itself.
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| Dobuita Station |
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The proprietor holds a Shenmue promotion leaflet (anime artwork is displayed on the wall nearby).
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MIKASA Cafe
This small cafe is the ideal place to grab a coffee, a Yokosuka Naval curry or a hot dog during your pilgrimage.
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| MIKASA Cafe |
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| The relaxed shop interior. (The owner was too shy to be photographed!) |
Miscellaneous Scenery
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| The vending machine across the road from KANMANIA. |
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| Even today, it still has 1986 prices... a can of Coke for 100 yen! |
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| "Ryo's bus stop" on Route 16 |
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| Dobuita Street |
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| Dobuita Street |
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| Suwadai Shrine |
The promotion is due to finish at the end of this week, on Sunday June 26th. The shopkeepers I spoke with were very pleased at how successful the campaign has been, with a stream of Shenmue fans visiting Yokosuka over the past couple of months. It is unfortunate that fans overseas have not been able to easily make the trip across to visit Japan due to the border restrictions in place (which are now finally starting to be eased). Hopefully there will be another similar promotion in future, and fans from all parts of the world will be able to take part.
The Shenmue anime sketches and artwork on display were a really nice touch, and I plan to do a separate post to share as many of these as possible.
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