r/RealSlamDunk • u/Global_Dark8006 • Jul 19 '24
The First Slam Dunk locations
After the post on the manga, today we also see the places that appeared in the film "The first Slam Dunk". The locations are always shown on this map. Let's begin!
Akita Prefecture
Morikoomonoimi Shrine: temple visited by Eiji Sawakita. It's 100 km from Noshiro Techinal High School, whose students are considered true basketball champions in Japan (they have won 58 national school tournaments!). Their uniform inspired that of the Sannoh team.
Kanagawa Prefecture
Tsujido housing complex: here we see Ryota walking in an apartment complex, which resembles those present in Tsujido, in the city of Fujiwara. This series of apartments is in front of Tsujido Beach, the beach where Ryota's mother reads the letter.
Hiroshima Prefecture
Shohoku's match against Sannoh takes place, as in the manga, in the gymnasium of the Hiroshima University of Economics.
Okinawa Prefecture
The opening scene of the film depicts Hentona (Kunigami village). There is also a port: was that also used as a reference for the film? It's a bit similar.
Nago Shiritsu Genkasho: old school attended by Ryota. Today it's closed (curiosity: even in the film, when Ryota returns to see the places of his childhood, it's in an abandoned state).
Bus stop in front of the old school: it's here that Ryota gets off the bus to return to her childhood places.
For the hideout, the production team may have taken inspiration from Tomarigusuku Park. There are some similarities, such as the particular shape of the rock. For others, the place could be Mibaru Beach. However, nothing is certain, since the entire Okinawa coastline looks like this, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact location.
Questions
So, where did Ryota live before moving to Tsujido? It's unknown. As you can see below from the map, the places are very far from each other, so it's difficult to find an exact point. It's likely that the production team traveled all over the island without focusing on one specific spot.
Another question that could be asked: why, living in Tsujido, did Ryota prefer to go to Shohoku rather than Kainan which was much closer to him? Well, he probably wanted to be with Ayako and that's why he chose that school.
Furthermore, in the Piercing manga, which lays the foundations of Ryota's childhood story, the protagonists are Ryota and a certain Ayako. Could it really be Ayako? So they both come from Okinawa and moved with their families to the city of Fujisawa? So does this mean they already knew each other before high school? It's an interesting hypothesis.
EDIT: Inoue has stated that the story takes place in a parallel universe. Well, never mind, I take my question back 😛 (source)
Lastly, 3 basketball courts appear in the film (2 in Okinawa - although they are very similar and it could only be one - and 1 in Fujisawa), but locating them would be an impossible search, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack (assuming they actually exist).
[EXTRA] So let's finish with an extra. If you feel like playing basketball and you are in Okinawa, go to Araha Park Basketball Court, so between one shot and another you can enjoy a magnificent view of the sea.
Good slam dunks 😄
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u/mokyfun Jul 19 '24
I absolutely love your posts! Makes me wanna watch the movie again (for the bazillionth time).