Yakuza 0: A Digital Re-Visit

Content originally posted to Instagram on January 8, 2020.

Have you ever re-visited a place digitally?

It felt so surreal when I saw this shop, Kinryu Ramen, in Yakuza 0. I remembered how, when I was younger, I went to Japan on a tour with my family and actually visited the real-life version of the shop in Dotonbori, Osaka. I nagged my family about wanting to try it after the guide mentioned it was famous for its ramen, but when we finally got food there, I was too full from eating earlier to even eat much.

Me being there was a bygone memory, so to actually see and re-visit the shop again (albeit a virtual version of it from the 1980s) felt both nostalgic and alien. Sure, I wasn’t “really there” and was stepping foot inside through the character of Majima….yet it somehow felt like I was too. Maybe one day I’ll be back there in the flesh, although I have no idea when that’d be.

Another note: in doing research for this post, I started to doubt if I was at THIS Kinryu Ramen location (just found out it’s a chain & that there are 2 in Dotonbori). It’s hard to tell, as both feature dragons that leave a lasting impression.

Game screenshots taken by me. First real-life photo from kansai-odyssey.com, second real-life photo from capplus.khan.kr