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Kiryu and Nishiki walking in the streets in Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1
Category:
Movies & TV

Is Like a Dragon: Yakuza’s Kamurochō a Real Place?

Image of Leon Miller
Leon Miller
|

Published: Oct 24, 2024 11:00 am

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1.

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Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1’s main setting, Kamurochō, provides a suitably striking backdrop for the Prime Video show’s underworld-centric story. But is Kamurochō a real place that Like a Dragon: Yakuza fans can visit?

Is Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1’s Kamurochō a Real Place?

An aerial shot of Kamurocho in Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1, Episode 1

No, Kamurochō isn’t a real place; SEGA producer Toshihiro Nagoshi and his team created the fictional Tokyo district while developing the first Yakuza video game. That said, Kamurochō is based on an actual real-world location: Kabukichō. Tokyo’s red light district, Kabukichō is famous for its bars, restaurants, shops, clubs, and soaplands (brothels). The same goes for Kamurochō, which boasts similar venues in both the Yakuza games and their Prime Video adaptation.

Related: What Yakuza Game Is Prime Video’s Like a Dragon Season 1 Based On?

The games and show also feature several Kamurochō landmarks closely modeled on those found in Kabukichō. Notably, the iconic red gate at one of the made-up district’s entrances mirrors the Ichiban-gai in the southwest corner of Kabukichō popular with sightseers. Many of Kabukichō’s storefronts and even its street layouts also carry over to Kamurochō (understandably, the latter is more pronounced in the games than in the Prime Video series).

And Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1 hammers home the Kamurochō/Kabukichō overlap even further, by putting a name to the Tokyo special ward Kamurochō is situated within. Season 1’s initial three-episode batch introduces a serial killer known as the “Devil of Shinjuku,” so named because of where they operate. As such, this indicates that Kamurochō (like its real-life counterpart) is located in Shinjuku ward.

Related: All Yakuza Games, Ranked from Worst to Best

So, while you can’t visit Kamurochō, taking a trip to Kabukichō should still guarantee a reasonably authentic Like a Dragon: Yakuza experience!

Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1 Episodes 1-3 are currently streaming on Prime Video. Episodes 4-6 premiere on Nov. 1, 2024.

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Like A Dragon: Yakuza
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Image of Leon Miller
Leon Miller
Leon is a freelance contributor at The Escapist, covering movies, TV, video games, and comics. Active in the industry since 2016, Leon's previous by-lines include articles for Polygon, Popverse, Screen Rant, CBR, Dexerto, Cultured Vultures, PanelxPanel, Taste of Cinema, and more.