SUMARU CITY
There are only six suburbs that you visit in Sumaru City: Aoba, Rengedai, Hirasaka, Konan, and Mt. Katatsumuri. You can't visit Narumi in Tsumi. The population of Sumaru is 1,280,000, which would apparently make it about the size of Kyoto. In the Period of the Warring States (the feudal era), the city planning was founded with a perfect circle as its base. Sumaru seems to be in Shizuoka, a region southwest of Tokyo and south of Mt. Fuji. (There was a map of Japan with Sumaru marked on it; that's as close as I can guess.) I'm guessing that it's somewhere around Fuji City, if you need it narrowed down any further. The zip code of Sumaru City is 666-6666."Sumaru" is an old name for the constellation "Subaru" - the "Pleiades," or the "Seven Sisters." The kanji aren't even all used in Japanese anymore! But, for the record, this is how it's written: 珠閒瑠. Lunarvale/Mikage-cho (御影町) from Persona 1 is near Sumaru City, but not part of the city itself.
You can see students from St. Hermelin (Persona 1 - grey uniforms) and from Karukozaka HS (SMT if... - green and blue striped uniforms) in the stores, indicating that Sumaru is very close to...wherever those schools are.
Here are the stores in each district (note that they are NOT the same as in Eternal Punishment):
RENGEDAI: Time Castle, Rosa Candida, Satomi Tadashi, kaori, Velvet Room
HIRASAKA: Ramen Shiraishi, Toa Defense, Satomi Tadashi, Tominaga Chiropractic, Gatten Sushi, Kuzunoha Detective Agency, Velvet Room
YUMESAKI: Tony's Shop, anima mundi, Satomi Tadashi, Bikini Line, Peace Diner, Velvet Room
AOBA:Cleir-de-Lune, Rosa Candida, Satomi Tadashi, etheria, W. Slash, Velvet Room
KONAN: Jolly Roger, London-ya, Satomi Tadashi, Hiiragi Psychotherapy, Sumaru Gypsy, Velvet Room
You can buy:
ARMOR: Toa Defense, anima mundi, Rosa Candida (both), London-ya
WEAPONS: Ramen Shiraishi, Cleir-de-Lune, Jolly Roger, Time Castle, Tony's Shop
ITEMS: Satomi Tadashi (duh)
RECOVER: kaori, Tominaga Chiropractic, Bikini Line, etheria, Hiiragi Psychotherapy
ACCESSORIES: Time Castle, Tony's Shop
EAT: Ramen Shiraishi, Gatten Sushi, Peace Diner, W. Slash, Jolly Roger
There are five rumormongers that you can visit:
TOKU-SAN: Honmaru Park in Aoba
TORO: Gatten Sushi in Hirasaka
CHIKALIN: Peace Diner in Yumesaki
BAOFU: W-Slash in Aoba
SUMARU GYPSY: Sumaru Gypsy in Konan
As usual, you spread rumors at the Kuzunoha Detective Agency in Hirasaka-ku.
SWEEPSTAKES PRIZES: You buy the magazines from any Satomi Tadashi store, submit them through Tamaki-chan in Kuzunoha (Hirasaka-ku), and check your results at the Silverman House (Rengedai). Lisa's dad, Steven Silverman, gives you your results.
AOBA ( 青葉区 )
(Available after you clear the Giga Macho)Aoba Firestation
Aoba Street: A shopping avenue in Aoba.
Aoba Park: A large park with beautiful flower gardens and a large outdoor concert hall. Rumor has it that the flowers can talk. The open-air concert hall, where many idols and rock groups come to perform, is the site of the Leo Shrine.
etheria: A "esthetics salon" that practices "ether esthetics" involving the five elements to beautify the body. Ulala is a big fan of this place (it's her kind of place, isn't it?)
Le Cleir-de-Lune: A fancy, expensive French restaurant that's a popular date spot. Some of their dishes have weird combinations of ingredients, though...
Satomi Tadashi: ( サトミタダシ - there's one in every suburb, but let's just list it here.) The Satomi Tadashi are a chain of pharmacies run by the seven Satomi sisters. There's a store in Mikage-cho that's run by the one Satomi brother, and that's Satomi Tadashi's dad. They have a different remix of their theme song in each store...it's oddly brainwashing...
DOUBLE-SLASH (W-SLASH): (note: 'W' is shorthand for 'double'.) An internet cafe in Aoba, staffed by an unmotivated waiter. A good place to check rumors circulating around the internet, particularly Baofu's rumor webpage/BBS.
Rosa Candida: (there's one in Rengedai too. The name means "the white rose.") A chain of expensive clothing stores run by two sisters.
KONAN (港南区 )
London-ya: The name of this store is actually in kanji (倫敦屋 - ron = companion, don = industry), but the proprietor of the store is a kilt-wearing Scotsman known only as the "Tailor" or perhaps "Taylor," I dunno. So I'm guessing that the name of this armor shop is another silly pun from Atlus. You can get hand-tailored suits from this store.
Ebisu Beach: Apparently this beach was named after Ebisu, who washed ashore on this beach. (In Japanese mythology, Hiruko, the first son of the two creator gods Izanami and Izanagi, was born with some kind of physical disability (which they blamed on the fact that his mother had taken too active a role in his creation, if you catch my drift). His parents set him adrift on the ocean in a reed boat, but when he washed ashore on a beach, the people welcomed him as one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, and he was from then on called Ebisu, the God of Fishing, Good Harvests, and Good Fortune. Anything that washes up on the beach may be Ebisu in disguise...) Ebisu Beach is a popular date spot. (It's also where you wash ashore after the blimp crashes.)
Konan Police Station: (港南警察署 ) This is the Konan branch of the Sumaru police force. Tatsuya's older brother, Katsuya, works here. Their mascot is the giant police dog statue, Bobby-kun, who asks for 100Y when people speak to him. (Bobby-kun's called "Panta" in English...I don't know why....)
Seaside Mall: the popular shopping mall near Ebisu Beach.
Sumaru Gypsy: The Sumaru Gypsy tells fortunes using tarot cards and a crystal ball. She also hears a lot of rumors from her clients, so she's a good place to stop for new information.
Air Museum: (空の科学館) A new museum filled with all sorts of flying machines and blimps that is a popular field-trip location for grade school classes. There's a rooftop restaurant.
Abandoned Factory: (廃工場)) An abandoned factory that is now infested with demons. (Note: In the Persona Tsumi to Batsu manga, I think this is either where Kiba hears that Shimizu is staying, or where the four Persona-users stay to keep the demons away from normal people.)
Hiiragi Psychotherapy: Reiko, the psychotherapist at Hiiragi, decorated the clinic to be as soothing as possible to people with troubled minds. She has an apprentice, Maki Sonomura, who helps scar the patients for life. Uh, heal their inner pain.
Lunar Palace Konan: The apartment complex where Maya lives with her roommate, Ulala. Maya isn't the tidiest of people, and walking into her room is like stepping into a disaster area. Tatsuya says in Batsu, "I NEVER wanted to come here again..."
HIRASAKA ( 平坂区 )
(available from the start)Sakagami Building: ( 坂上ビル ) A tenant building to the east of SMILE Hirasaka. BTW, the building's name means "upper slope" or "above the slope," so it ought to be perfectly clear that this isn't the answer to Leo's clue.
Kasugayama High School (KasuKou): (春日山高校) A boys-only high school for lazy, useless, or problem kids. Eikichi is a second-year student (a junior). It's nicknamed "KasuKou" (koukou = high school), but the KasuKou students hate that name, because 'kasu' can mean 'garbage' (different kanji, of course; the real school name means "Spring Day Mountain High School"). There's a huge bomb shelter in the basement of KasuKou, and rumor has it that only one person has ever found the exit. KasuKou and Sevens have a long-standing rivalry, and recently, the rumor has been spread that the KasuKou emblem is blessed, and the Sevens emblem is cursed. There's also a new transfer student, a senior, who hasn't been coming to school recently; he's called "the mysterious new student" because he's never around. If you ask his classmates in 3-1, they can only tell you that his name is "Kuro-something." *laugh*
Kameya Street:(カ メヤ横丁) The shopping street in Hirasaka, north of SMILE Hirasaka.
Kuzunoha Detective Agency: (葛葉探偵事務所 ) This detective is run by Daisuke Todoroki, a middle-aged devil summoner, and Tamaki-chan works there part-time. Tadashi seems to hang out there just because Tamaki does. You can spread rumors at the office, since Chief Todoroki is extremely well-connected. (Note: "Kuzunoha" refers from the main character of the 1996 Saturn Megaten game, "Devil Summoner." Kyouji Kuzunoha was a devil summoner that got killed at the start of that game, and he lost his body, so now he just is a kind of body-snatcher. Anyways, he knew Todoroki, and founded the detective agency many years ago. Kyouji Kuzunoha is a colleague/relative of Raidou Kuzunoha, in a way, but they have different roles and different beats, if you will.) There's a lucky cat statue in the office that asks for a 100Y donation.
SMILE Hirasaka: A mall built over a train stop. It's also the site of the Aquarius Shrine.
Sumaru Prison: An abandoned prison next to Kasu HS that the kids use as a hangout. Because it has thick concrete walls, it absorbs sound well and makes a good "live house" for bands to practice. Eikichi and his Gas Chamber stooges hang out there and practice.
Toa Defense:(東 亜デｲフｴンス) A survival shop where you can buy all sorts of armor, weapons, military fatigues, and accessories.
Tominaga Chiropractic: (富永カイロプラクテｲック) The chiropractor, Mr. Tominaga, was trained in America to use his "Gold Finger!" technique to cure the body and spirit.
Ramen Shiraishi: (ラーメンしらいし) A ramen shop that serves slightly weird ramen dishes that may or may not poison you. The Shiraishi lady who runs it is rumored to have been a spy in her youth. She sells strange ramen and weapons.
Gatten Sushi: (がってん寿司) A sushi shop run by Eikichi's dad, Kankichi. A bunch of sushi addicts who call themselves the "Sushi Nobles" hang out there all day, eating sushi.
YUMESAKI (夢崎区)
(available after you clear Kasu HS)This place is extremely popular with high school students because it has a club, tanning salon, game center, CD store...
Anima Mundi: A clothing store where you can buy armor.
Tony's Shop: An sidewalk stand that sells accessories, run by the unattractive foreigner Tony.
Giga Macho: (Seedy CD in English EP) A 5-floor CD store. There is a radio station and studio on the top floor, where Meteor Man broadcasts his popular show "SOUND MAX." Occasionally, the saleslady Toshiko will have secret CDs for sale, but you have to hear about them on the streets first (get the second secret CD; it's easily the most priceless piece of music in the entire Persona Tsumi/Batsu series). I forget where the rumor for the first secret CD can be obtained, but the second one can be gotten from the policeman on the second floor of the factory in Aoba.
GOLD Gym: An elite members-only boxing club and gym. Maya's roommate, Ulala Serizawa, is a member of the club, and can invite you in. This is the site of the Scorpio Shrine.
Club Zodiac: A popular dance club where many high school students hang out.
Pachinko Silver: A pachinko parlor to the west of the Zodiac. It's the WRONG place to find Leo's bomb (I mean, with a clue about El Dorado, why would you think Silver anyways?!) You have to be 18 to enter, so that means that half of the party would be unable to go inside anyways.
Peace Diner: A popular, cheap burger place where a lot of high school students hang out. You can find Chikalin there, the rumor-fiend who works for the Sevens school newspaper.
BIKINI LINE: A tanning salon frequented by ganguro and other fashion-conscious high school girls. The proprietor claims to use a special light treatment that makes you healthier.
Mu Continent: ( ムー 大陸 - did you know that Atlus built about a dozen in Tokyo and Yokohama? No, I'm not kidding, it was a giant game center!) The Mu Continent is a giant amusement center where you can play blackjack, poker, and slots. You can redeem your coins for fabulous prizes at the desk. (Personally, I always play blackjack, but...) A Muses video was filmed here. The back rooms are rumored to be full of strange demons, such as a sea monster and a haunted taxi! The name comes from a lost Atlantean-type continent that sank into the ocean.
RENGEDAI (蓮華台)
(available after you clear Seven Sisters HS)This area is named because it resembles a "renge" flower (a lotus) floating on the river.
Alaya Shrine: (アラヤ神社) A shrine on the slopes of Mt. Iwato. The walls inside the shrine are covered with white masks, and there's a giant butterfly design on the floor. Tatsuya first met Jun there, and then Eikichi, Lisa, and Maya. Maya taught them the game "Persona-sama" at Alaya, which is a REALLY BAD PLACE to teach kids anything occult-releated, isn't it? Anyways, in 1989, Araya Shrine was burned down by Sudou Tatsuya, a student at Sevens who channeled the voices of the Mayan aliens. I guess the voices told him to do it, or he just liked burning things...by the way, "Alaya" refers to the Sanskrit term "Alaya-vijñana," which refers to the 8th consciousness, the stored consciousness.
"The alaya consciousness accumulates all potential energy for the mental and physical manifestation of one's existence, and supplies the substance to all existences. It also receives impressions from all functions of the other consciousnesses and retains them as potential energy for their further manifestations and activities. Since it serves as the basis for the production of the other seven consciousness (called the "transformed consciousnesses"), it is also known as the "base consciousness" (mula-vijñana), and "causal consciouness." Since it serves as the container for all experiential impressions (termed metaphorically as "seeds" it is also called the "seed consciousness." There are three meanings of the term storehouse:
- Subject store. The alaya-vijñana stores and keeps all the seeds of the mind within one's consciousness.
- Object-store. The eighth consciousness store and perfumates the seeds for the prior seven consciousnesses.
- Attachment-store. The eighth consciousness provides a sense of eternality, unity, subjectivity and mastery, resembling an eternal atman, thus causing the seventh consciousness to mistakenly perceive and attach to a self.
Mt. Iwato: The small mountain behind Alaya Shrine which is filled with numerous caves. There are Mirror Springs inside the caves that show people their true hearts and memories. Because few people visit the mountain recklessly, the mountain is a favorite secret play-spot for children. (Of ALL the places in Sumaru...) The name "Iwato" comes from the myth of the sun goddess Amaterasu; when she was upset with her brother Susanoo, she hid inside the Ama-no-Iwato - the Heavenly Cave.
kaori: A store where you can buy cologne and herbs from Kaori, the store owner. Recently Kaori has gotten into aromatherapy...this store is very popular with women.
Mirror Springs: Deep inside Mt. Iwato, there are springs that are lit up with a mysterious light. These Mirror Springs can show the past, or the truths hidden in people's hearts.
Time Castle: ( 時間城 ) An antiques shop that specializes in clocks. It's run by the Time Count, a strange man who says cryptic things about humanity.
Silverman House: Ah, the Silvermans' little oasis of traditional Japanese living in the middle of Sumaru City. This place looks like it comes out of old movies, with perfectly manicured paths and old-fashioned architecture and all that.
Sumaru Television: The local TV station, where the variety show "SumaSumaSUMARU" is filmed. Brown, the Muses, and Kurosu Junko are regular visitors here.
Tanabata River: The river that divides Sumaru City in two, with Rengedai on an island in the middle. They celebrate the holiday of "Tanabata" with fireworks and parties along the river. (Note: The "Tanabata" celebration, which happens every year around July 7, is based on an ancient legend about the Weaving Princess and the Celestial Cowherd (Vega and Altair, respectively) who are separated by the Milky Way, and can only cross the river to meet once a year on Tanabata. Apparently when they could meet anytime they wanted, they were neglecting their duties. Fu. "Tanabata" means "seven evenings" - another reference to seven, I guess...and you can put whoever you want in the role of the Star-crossed Lovers.)
Seven Sisters High School ("Sevens"): (七姉妹学園) An extremely popular high school with a lot of cool students. Wearing the emblem of this school, which has the Pleiades constellation on it, is something of a status symbol. Sevens has a rivalry with Kasu HS that recently became dangerous due to the rumors spread by the Kasu HS president, namely that those who wore the Sevens emblem would have their faces melt off. There's another rumor about the school; ten years ago, a teacher died in the fourth-floor clocktower, and at the time, the giant clock had stopped with the hands almost pointing to 3:00. If that clock were to start moving again, the school would be in danger. After the teacher died, the stairs to the clocktower were sealed off by a metal door for several years, but by the time Tatsuya is a senior, the door is unsealed again.
Narurato Stone: (鳴羅門石) A mysterious magnetic rock made of the fictional mineral "samatite". It stands behind Seven Sisters High School. Legend has it that a demon named Naruratohotefu (鳴羅門火手怖) was sealed inside this stone by Saint Hiremon (比麗門上人). Interesting legend...the book In-Lak'ech claims that the entry to the Milky Way (and thus Xibalba) lies under this stone.
Honmaru Park: (本丸公園) During the Period of the Warring States, this was the site of Kiyotada Sumaru's castle, but after his death it was turned into a park. Homeless people like the rumormonger Mr. Toku live here, and it's a quiet, peaceful place for children to play.
Lotus Mall: The major shopping center in Rengedai, with a boutique, antique shop, and aromatherapy store.
MT. KATATSUMURI ( 蝸牛山 )
This mountain has a cable car that you can take to the top of the mountain; hiking up the mountain can be confusing and dangerous. There is a monastery on top, as well as the ruins of Caracol. In Batsu, this mountain only had the asylum that housed Tatsuya Sudou.Caracol: A structure on top of Mt. Katatsumuri that resembles the Mayan ruins of the same name in Belize. The name means "snail" in Spanish ("Katatsumuri" is Japanese for snail, so...) On top of the dome, the Mayan people used to track the movement of the sun, moon, and stars with great accuracy. The book In-Lak'ech claims that the prescence of this structure proves that the Mayan people (who were aliens from the Pleiades, BTW...) built Sumaru City.
Gouketsu Temple: (豪傑寺) The Buddhist temple on top of Mt. Katatsumuri. The monks of this temple practice martial arts, and it was a hiker's sighting of the monks leaping from tree to tree that spawned the "Jumping geezer" rumor.
THE SPACE THAT EXISTS BETWEEN CONSCIOUSNESS AND UNCONSCIOUSNESS, BLAH BLAH YACKITY SMACKITY
Damn, that felt good to write. >D
Philemon's Space: This is a place deep within the "ego" of every person, where Philemon resides. He calls the heroes of the party to this place to grant them the ability to harness their persona, the different aspects of their personality.
Velvet Room: A room that exists between consciousness and unconsciousness, where time has no meaning. Igor, the singer Belladonna, the pianist Nameless, and the Demon Artist combine their powers in the Velvet Room to give physical form to Persona. People have played the game "Persona-sama" often say that they dreamt about a dark blue room filled with music.