I still vividly remember the Friday evening my Dad came home from work holding a newly released videogame named Shenmue in his hands.
The year was 2000 and I was eight years old. I didn’t have a clue what Shenmue even was, I was just thrilled to play a new Dreamcast title, completely oblivious as to how much this game would go on to impact me.
From the opening scene I was hooked. The Japanese culture captivated me & my young mind would often fantasize of travelling to Asia. I badly wanted to explore these mystical lands while learning martial arts just like the main protagonist, Ryo Hazuki.
Little did my younger self know this wild dream would actually come true.
Fast forward 14 years. After finishing University and craving adventure, I signed up to teach English in China for one whole year – although I enjoyed it so much I ended up staying for four!
I began training & competing in Jiu-Jitsu during my time here, and whenever I got time off work I’d be travelling up and down the continent, trying to explore as much as possible.
During these adventures, I was lucky enough to visit the three main Shenmue hotspots: Yokosuka, Hong Kong and Guilin.
I uploaded this video of my travels to YouTube several years ago, not really expecting much to come of it. However, I recently checked and was pleasantly surprised to see it has over 10,000 views!
I’m by no means a skilled videographer, but it’s flattering that so many people have viewed and liked this little project I rustled up.
Seeing the positive reception towards this video got me thinking…I’ve also got a bunch of snapshots from these locations I’d love to share.
Feel free to check them out below, hopefully they’re of interest to some of you. Cheers!
Yokosuka
Hong Kong
Guilin & Yangshuo
