Tokyo: Shinjuku and Akiba

HI SHINJUKU MY NAME IS SAM

Tokyo felt immediately familiar to me. There was something very New York-ian about the atmosphere - a big city energy if you will. People move a little faster, do business a little quicker, and generally mind their own business more than Osakans.

In Osaka I feel constantly challenged. Everything here is so foreign to me and trying to cope gets exhausting. The hosts' hair in Dotonburi alone is enough to give me headaches...


So Tokyo - with its bilingual signs and thriving (by Japan standards) foreign community was a good vacation.

this mural was near our (sketchy) hotel in Korea Town... not sure what it means.

Before I get started there's someone I'd like to thank...

Dear Swine Flu,

Thank you for infecting just enough Osakans to close my school, but not enough to actually be a problem to anyone. Now, I know what you're going to say: "oh, it's just the sensationalist Japanese news blowing this half baked "pandemic" out of proportion to boost ratings!" And you're right, I guess*.

But you still got your timing just right, and I thank you.

I've seriously wanted to go to this place since I was thirteen.

We only had a few days in Tokyo. The three of us are all nerds, so we went to Akihabara: nerd capital of the world.

Prime minister Taro Aso (a "cool old dude") loves Akiba. He also apparently loves dressing up like a Geisha.

Akiba is home to many wonders. Most of them sell anime or videogames or porn, or any combination of those things. While this concept is nothing new to me it was amazing to see it celebrated on such a large scale.

High Schoolers and High School graduates alike (they call them "businessmen" here) flock to Akiba

I spent most of my time dragging my compadres into arcades. Something about the arcade atmosphere makes me feel like I'm five again... or like I'm a crack addict. I wake up later broke and stinking of cigarettes and shame.

uh...

Other highlights:

the Mandrake Complex
A giant multi-level store with a floor dedicated to old and hard to find manga. Manga from the 70s is amazing; bought some naturally.

Cat Cafe
A cafe where you pay to play with cats for half an hour. Had the most jaded desk person I've ever seen - a study in contrasts? Cats were adorable, probably drugged.

Maid Cafe(s)
A cafe where the waitresses are maids. Not a brothel (important). Went to two. These are crazy, and deserve a full post.

Moments before abandoning in a "dreamland" themed Maid Cafe. It was not a dreamland.

The rest of Akiba was dominated by electronics stores - but really it was hard for me to dig deep into it in such a short time. It's ok, I'll be back.

HOLY FUCK

*Unless my theory is correct and the news is actually making black market deals with medical mask manufacturers. Read more!

Five.

Five days until I leave for Japan.

Let's talk for a second about megaman.

I have a fondness for megaman. Well, ok, maybe an obsession. A light obsession.

It all started when my brothers rented Megaman X. Back then the house videogame dynamic was pretty simple: they game, I watch. And when I watched megaman I knew that it was the greatest thing to ever exist ever.

Every time we went to blockbuster I would beg my parents to let me rent it. I made rounds collecting dropped pennies and couch change - anything to get my $3.50 megaman fix.

For years I fantasized about being megaman - well Zero really (he's like megaman but more badass because he has a sword). My life would be so amazing! Jumping twenty feet in the air, launching giant drills at cracked walls to collect powerups, sliding under bullets and arking lightning spheres at my foes - it was a welcome alternative to leggos*.

megaman pins firmly affixed to my man-bag

Someone annoys me? No problem. A little charge time and I can send a boulder-sized laser ball of death their way. After it connects maybe I'll filter through the smouldering ash pile - all that remains - for health pickups or spare bolts.

To this day I find myself secretly raising an outstretched arm in the direction of my enemy, fist clenched.

Activate, laser arm! Activate!


video
*Not to trash leggos. I love leggos. Just, well, they aren't very effective against giant evil robots.
Read more!

Editing

If I could edit my life, I would probably edit out all of the parts where I'm editing. It's fucking boring and takes forevs.

Suffice to say this video is going to take me at least another day.

Nevertheless I still found time to research Japan. Where better to start than the 90's Super Nintendo airline biz sumlator Aerobiz Supersonic!?

I'll just start my fledgling company in Osaka and...
Oh. Well screw you, Aerobiz. Stupid elitist videogame... Read more!

Bullet Curtain

I'm ok at arcade games. I'm better than the average person I suppose, and I play them all the time. That said, every time I think I'm getting good I run across a video like this:


link*
Good god.


*I'll be linking to videos, since I'm linking to these from facebook (see below) which won't let you embed.

(note: for anyone seeing this on facebook, I have started feeding my blog posts into facebook. If you want to cut straight to the source (and see all the proper formatting, etc.), my blog is here.)


via dannychoo Read more!

SNES Junkie

I'd rather not formalize this any more than I have to. I know it's customary at NA for a junkie to stand and make a declaration of his vice. We all know the format.

Instead I will, honestly, come clean: I'm back on the SNES. I started using yesterday, and everything's pretty much been a blur since. A gloriously magical, pixelated blur.

And there is something magical about Super Nintendo. Something that numbs my mind. It could be that the many small triumphs that come with a SNES game are a favorable alternative to reality. Maybe its the connection I have come to feel with the small teams who created these games. Maybe staring at an eight inch flickering, distorted little person for eight hours tricks my brain into a coma.

I come from a family of alchoholics with eating disorders*. Somehow I've managed to avoid all the traditional addictions that have wilted my family tree. Today when I stumbled out of the dark basement I cought a glimpse of myself in the mirror - unwashed, glasses akimbo, eyes glazed over, pupils dialated - and I realized that gaming for me isn't just a habit, it's an addiction.

*also they're great people. Just so you know.

I started playing Chrono Trigger yesterday. I have beaten it nine times already, twice not including "new game +". I am 18 hours in, and on track to beat it tomorrow. Read more!

Finger Face.

It's nice to put a positive spin on things... I gave my blisters silly dot eyes. Read more!

JAPAN: why? (Part II)

Why Japan?
part two: I am a nerd

I was by far the youngest of three children. My brothers, eight and nine years older than me, were too filled with grunge angst to play a major part in my development. My parents, jaded by raising my brothers, allowed me plenty of time to pursue my own interests. So, with all this free time and a borderline attention deficit kid brain what was I to do?

Why, play videogames, of course!

Videogames fueled my imagination. They provided me with dozens of characters to write stories or draw pictures about. As a child I spent most of my free time concocting ideas for new videogames - scribbling out schematics for levels and character relationships in my free time.

Eventually I wanted to seek out the source of my inspiration. Only one culture could produce the bizarre cast of characters I fondly remember as childhood heroes. Rather than go into detail, I'm going to make a list!

My Videogame Heroes
-(circa 1997)-

1. Megaman
2. Donkey Kong
   
3. Star Fox
4. Robbit (from jumping flash)
5. Klonoa
6. Kirby
7. Cloud
   

Read more!