In Japan, the manga and anime series “Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo” (This is the Police Station in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward), often shortened to “KochiKame” is a favorite.
Created by Akimoto Osamu back in 1976, the “Weekly Shonen Jump” series lasted for 40 years, ending in 2016 with a total of 200 tankobon volumes published.
I’m a big fan of the series and it revolves around a patrol officer named Ryotsu Kankichi, a 36-year-old police officer who acts like a young kid. He is lazy and always tryig to find ways to make more money by thinking about money-making schemes.
He sports a crew cut, wears sandals instead of shoes and is quite naive of things outside of Japan and rides an old bicycle on patrol.
While he is naive about many things, he is a super-otaku and knows all about pop culture and consumer technology. Especially video games and collectibles.
Many women like him but he is naive about that as well. But if there is a person he likes, it is Giboshi Matoi, a recent high school graduate and is a tomboy, athletic. The two like each other but were unaware they are cousins.
But while he is undisciplined, he happens to also have super human strength and stamina.
Joining Kankichi on the force is the handsome patrol cop named Nakagawa Keiichi, who grew up with a wealthy father. He drives exotic sportscars, private helicopters and is popular among the female cops on the force. He also wears a Y300,000 yellow pinstripe suit as his police uniform made by Pierre Cardin.
Another cop who is wealthy is Akimoto Reiko Catherine, her parents are of European nobility and is half French and half Japanese. She is blonde and adored by rich and famous men, but she has no interest in them. Like Nakagawa, she also drives expensive things and drives a porsche while working at the transportation department.
And the Chief Patrol Officer of Katsushika is Ohara Daijiro, Ryotsu’s boss and has a small mustache. He is out of touch with everyone and always wanting to punish Ryotsu for being lazy, but also acts like a father-figure to each of the three police officers.
And there is Asato Ai, Reiko’s partner who is tall, beautiful and is a buxom brunette. She is also a transvestite and is in love with Ryotsu and gets very jealous when women get close to him.
While the series has concluded, “KochiKame” is still a big part of Katsushika and around Kameari Station. And for those willing to try, there is a map that people can pick-up at Kameari Station in which people can try to find all “KochiKame” statues around the area.
Kameari Station is a railway station on the Joban Line in Katsushika, Tokyo, and is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station opened back on May 17, 1897.
There are two lines, a local Joban Line on Platform 1 that takes people to Matsudo, Kashiwa, Abiko and Toride. While Platform 2 is the Chiyoda Line with takes people to Kita-senju, Nishi-Nippori and Yoyogi-Uehara.
When you go inside, definitely pick up the KochiKame map, so you can challenge yourself to find all statues. Also, look at the various statues inside Kameari Station.
Looking at the map, the first bronze statue featuring Ryotsu waving is located in the opposite end of Kameari Station (You want to be near the North Entrance).
In tomorrow’s blog post, I will feature more bronze statues that I found.
