Always amazes me that we continue to learn about the rich storytelling of gen2 to this day. Masuda and team took heavy inspiration from many locations in the Kansai region and some how were able to connect each landmark to the main story, while also giving us a glimpse into the unknown history of the pokemon world. For example, bell tower and burned tower are partly based on the Tō-ji temple in Kyoto. Tō-ji, the east temple, also had a corresponding west temple, Sai-ji, which burned down and was abandoned. These elements make the games much more compelling. Bulbapedia has a comprehensive list of where in-game locations are based on, for those interested.
Love that the video creators were able to physically see the tombs of Asuka. There was an uplifting moment when they’re looking at the constellation painted on the ceiling while the guide points out that the sun is gold and the moon-silver, corresponding to Ho-Oh and Lugia, just awesome. Very interesting to see that a couple of these tombs had paintings of the four guardians (or the four symbols of Chinese constellations) at each corresponding wall: the Black Tortoise to the north, the Vermilion Bird to the south, the White Tiger to the west, and the Azure Dragon on the east. Seeing the paintings reminded me of @azulryu thread, discussing the many myths and cultural references surrounding Gyarados, a must read for anyone on E4.
Thanks for sharing the video!