There really is only one game series that is able to fully capture that feeling.
The Kamurocho map in Yakuza has been a staple since the PS2 entries.
Not at all in a bad way.
Like many newcomers to the series, I started withYakuza 0.
Kamurocho set in the Japanese economic bubble of the 80s is a sight to behold.
You see the gaudy suit-wearing nuevo riches splurging cash as soon as they can make it.
The blaring neon signs drench the streets with crimson golden glows.
You cant help but be dazzled by it.
A certain modesty has taken over to mask the debauchery that still thrives under the surface.
The Tokyo citizens still want to have fun but they dont want to imitate their parents.
Moving further pn still, Yakuza 6 is set in 2016 after the proliferation of the internet and smartphones.
Kamurocho has taken on a new-age feel by blunting some of its edges to attract a wider demographic.
The creeping tendrils of capitalism is apparent as new investments keep pouring in.
With each iteration, Kamurocho continues to change.
Its a story of the city itself told through the ambient sights and sounds.
With each new game these vapors of nuance tell the tale of a city in perpetual change.
Things that change are easily noticeable yet what is most interesting is the things that do not change.
This dense cluster of bars interweaved by shoulder-length-wide alleyways is the quietest and least flashy part of town.
Hidden away from the hungry eyes of the tourists and newcomers, this area is just for the regulars.
Its the jot down of place where your preferred drink would be ready before you have your coat off.
You have a go at find the intention behind every detail in the city.
This is the trick that draws you in: Its all in the details.
The repetition of Kamurocho as well as its subtle changes gives the place a certain heaviness, a permanence.
On your first visit you are the same as every tourist.
On a second trip, things are more familiar.
The zeal you had from the first visit is replaced with a comforting feeling.
And with each visit, the feeling grows until you start to feel a sense of belonging.
No longer an outsider, Kamurocho starts to feel like home.
Its a wonderful and difficult thing to find a place where you belong.
Its a place that accepts you just the way you are even if you change over time.
Likewise, you accept it in the same way.
Its a place where leaving means you will return before long, and goodbyes dont last forever.
Kamurocho is one of those places for me and many others in the Yakuza fanbase.
