Thursday, June 23, 2022

Photo Report: Shenmue The Animation Promotion in Yokosuka

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.

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.

Left: the cover of the Shenmue Sacred Spot map. Right: a leaflet about the current promotion, known as the "Anime Celebration Project"

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.

Hanamatsu flower shop

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.

With a large submarine model flanking the shop exterior, the KANMANIA souvenir shop & cafe is hard to miss.

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.

Honey Bee restaurant

The interior has the vibe of an American diner.

Shenmue concept art on display at the entrance.

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.

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.
Dobuita Station

The proprietor holds a Shenmue promotion leaflet (anime artwork is displayed on the wall nearby).

Stickers in the design of various Dobuita Street banners over the years.

A sign with information on how to play the online Gacha Gacha game to receive a Shenmue Anime poster.

MIKASA VOL.2

Next door to Dobuita Station is MIKASA VOL.2, a Sukajan shop. A special set of Shenmue items were created especially for this promotion: a set of pouches with Dragon and Phoenix mirror designs on them, as reported previously.

If you are looking to buy a Sukajan jacket, this shop is highly recommended.

MIKASA VOL.2

Being held by the owner are Dragon & Phoenix mirror design pouches, which he has produced under license from Sega for this promotion.

Taisho Embroidery

Just along from MIKASA VOL.2, this small embroidery shop will create custom patches at the customer's request - even Shenmue-themed patches such as the one shared in the tweet below.

The current owner related that he is continuing the business started by his father.

The workspace


MIKASA Cafe


This small cafe is the ideal place to grab a coffee, a Yokosuka Naval curry or a hot dog during your pilgrimage.

MIKASA Cafe

The relaxed shop interior. (The owner was too shy to be photographed!)

Miscellaneous Scenery


The vending machine across the road from KANMANIA.

Even today, it still has 1986 prices... a can of Coke for 100 yen!


"Ryo's bus stop" on Route 16

Dobuita Street

Dobuita Street

Suwadai Shrine

Campaign Ending Soon


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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