Is there a place in the world (Japan) similair to this videogame level ? 40 points?

Question:

Its about my favourite level in one of my favourite videogames, super mario sunshine. The world kokiri bay is absolutely my favourite. It looks so great, and I have always wondered if there is a place in the world similair to this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvHKP1lqMKg&feature=fvwrel


For whos famileir with the game, delfino plaza is obviously a bit italian themed. I just wondered if its the same for kokiri bay. It looks pacific, Southern Japan has tropical islands with white clifs right? Its about those ruins especially, they are so cool. Is it a real existing building style, I mean like the old khmer empire ruins ? It would be so cool if there were actually ruins like that, carved into the cliffwalls.

Anyone famileir with japan, or ancient architecture who regonises this. Ive tried everything to find out about this. Anyone who is willing to help me with this will be awarded with a minimal of 40 points. If its alot of work more.

Please, my only other option is to contact nintendo.

Answer:

That is actually a really nice looking world!

It doesn't look like anywhere I've been to in Japan though (I've only been to Nagasaki, Hitoyoshi and Kumamoto and all are on the main southern island which is called Kyushu).
To me, it looks like a lot more like it has a mix of Greek and Polynesian influences of some kind.

UNLESSSS.... it's vaguely based on Amakusa or another smaller unknown island that's further south (Japan is actually made up of hundreds - if not over a thousand-worth - of islands, including the main four in the first picture before.). I beleive I once heard that Amakusa had white cliffs or white beaches of some kind.

I wouldn't be able to help any further than that, I'm afraid. I can see why you asked in this category but I would also suggest that you try asking in the Architecture category. You might get better answers there.

If not, then I would suggest you try contacting Nintendo and/or asking whoever it was that designed the game levels (If you do that, I would reckon you;d have to do so using Japanese.)

I hope you find the answer, though.

EDIT: Some links I used

http://www.wordtravels.com/images/map/Ja…

http://www.google.co.jp/search?um=1&hl=e… (That's how Amakusa is written in kanji)

http://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=ht… (No idea if that IS Amakusa or another area nearby, but it's the closest thing I can find)

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=ht…

http://www.patlewis.co.uk/sketches/amaku…

http://www.google.co.jp/search?um=1&hl=e… way of writing Amakusa beach)

To try and find more images for you, I typed in 'Amakusa' in kanji on google.co.jp, then used http://jisho.org/words?jap=&eng=beach&di… and copy-pasted all these different words for beach afterwardsn (e.g. 天草 ビーチ/天草 磯 etc etc).

If any of these links don't work, send me a message.