It's tricky, isn't it? I vacillate on the topic of level of detail and meaning between the three games. I'd think it may be helpful to distinguish the lack of those details due to constrictions on making the game, and the lack due to the lack of need for them altogether.
While I think it'd be nice if 2 and 3 had more of these details, I find it reasonable that even 2 had no passport. To
@chaikilla's point, there's a majestic intimacy to 1 that probably hooked all of us, but that intimacy makes sense in the context of it being Ryo's hometown.
Would such intimacy be suited for Hong Kong/Kowloon, which is ultimately (plot-wise) a springboard for getting to Guilin? I know some guides present all of the character profiles for those in 2, and that makes complete sense to me; I do wish we had more of that. So too, perhaps it'd be nice to have some blurb about Man Mo Temple, but (forgive my cheekiness) I don't much care about someone spending time writing a profile on Bar London. Do I need a video with the camera oddly zoomed in on a pre-rendered Joy telling me about Lucky Hit? Maybe some desire this, but I don't think it necessary.
After 1, Ryo is a foreigner, wandering through odd towns; that level of detail seems unnecessary. I think the greater case could be made for these types of profiles in Guilin, say, in connection with his father's experiences. To your point,
@Tsukuyomimagi99, I do admit that S3 falls flat there in this context.
In a sense, I think that aspect of "attention to detail" is almost closer to the courting in romance: you fall for the person initially, but those aspects change as you grow older together and circumstances lead to/demand different charms.
I was enamored by 1's setting, but 2 onward was likely envisioned to do present different experiences, as the series in full seems to be largely about a kid growing up (and also fulfilling his destiny) in a foreign but charming land.