the videos were really kind of geared toward you, Katie, so you miss out the most. Sorries. EVENTUALLY you will have your beautiful Japanese scenery to look at!

On Saturday I hit the Tokyo Game Show, 2008 ver.

Before I went out I got lunch. Anyone play Metal Gear Solid 3?

The actual ‘Block’ looks like this nutritional supplement this guy eats in the manga Blame! And its actually pretty decent.

And this was the first thing you saw outside the convention center.

Madness.

Level of quality and amount of cosplay at this convention was… well, the quality was ridiculously high, and the amount was surprisingly low. There were a lot of employed ‘booth babes’ and a few employed cosplayers, and when I saw the regular cosplayers I had trouble telling whether or not they were pro… well… they’re definitely PRO, but they weren’t employed.

Most of the goods (read: sweet new games to play) had absurdly long lines. Square-Enix had a special trailer theatre… thing. But you had to come a half hour before the con opened to buy your special ticket. There was also the GMT, Game Music TGS, which was another 20$ on top of the ticket price. I reeally wanted to see that, but I’m trying not to spend tons of cash.

In the end I ended up waiting in line to get my hands on Resident Evil 5.

Mmmm

(Notice the No Photos sign in the first pic lol) The game is solid. Aaaand it looks like they want to be the next Metal Gear Solid 4. I had to listen to the making-of commentary on repeat for most of the hour and a half wait, and I sort of hate the actors. They just seem like they’re full of crap. But the game itself looks and plays freaking great.

This is apparently the main antagonist in a new game they announced at the show – Resident Evil Degeneration. Or Biohazard Degeneration. Also looked pretty good, but it doesn’t seem like they’re trying as hard there.

I had trouble finding the Square-Enix booth… Like… where could it be? I dunno.

Most of these photos were all taken in area’s A through C of the con. I might just buy a stupid freakin’ XBox360 just for Star Ocean and The Last Remnant. But… it still hurts to think about.

Halls D, E, and F had the big Playstation booth which made me cry out for some PSHome and Little Big Planet. Konami had a booth where I saw Hideo Kojima in the flesh. I actually had to stop and say “Omg, that’s fuckin’ Kojima.” I didn’t realize how much I idolized the guy, but he’s really become the paradigm of the job I’ve been shooting for.

The RE thing took so long that I didn’t have much time afterwards, so after grabbing a little snacky-poo, I met with my friend Hanpin and headed out. I have a ton of books and pamphlets as souveneirs lol. All the free stuff. And a sheet of TGS08 stickers. Woo!

Oh yeah, after I got back to Urayasu from TGS, I checked out this epic recycle shop. I’ll probably go here to pick up my PS2, but for now I just grabbed the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Hanpin has this great Nintendo DS Japanese-English dictionary that I think I’ll try ot find there too. It really wipes out the need to buy some expensive electronic dictionary.

Today I took the Tokyo Metro out to Yoyogi Park　（代々木公園） and I took a million photos. Katie should enjoy those.

From yoyogi, I walked to Harajuku, and I found heaven~ Well… another part of heaven~

That is, the real Harajuku that Winfield was talking about. Damn ass hell everything is so (relatively) cheap there! A lot of the stores are like ‘used clothing’ kind of stores but they still have wicked cool stuff. And I find a sweet j-rock store that had a lot of stuff for pretty cheap. buuuut, I couldn’t decide, and the crepe was too good, and the place that sold it had employees far too cool looking to be crepe makers.

The next part starts off just outside Yoyogi Park, infront of that Meiji Jingu/Meiji Temple that I took photos of so many years ago… I didn’t think i’d actually catch another 50s rock group, but… ‘lo and behold!

My friend Saki who works at Zara in Shib wanted to meet up since I was out in that area, so around 6:30 I started walking there from Harajuku. It was like 15 min by foot I guess? Bought some Zarapants lol. 30$, not bad. I enjoyed seeing Saki, but she had to get back to work shortly after we met up.

The first thing you see walking into Shibuya from Harajuku. SHIDAX! Karaoke building. And then, again, for any The World Ends With You players out there, almost immediately on the left is the Tower Records building – it looks almost exactly like TOWA Records in the game. Cheesy, weird, big yellow building architecture and all.

After meeting with Saki, I decided to explore 109(1) too. You know… needed a new skirt.

This whole building. Christ. The cute/hot levels shattered the proverbial roof of the chart.

After I got done experiencing the mind numbing scents, sights, and styles that composed the building, I fled, eyes watering, deep into the streets of Shibuya.

At first I just found an arcade and played some beatmania, but then I went ahead and just got lost. Like… literally. A couple of turns and I realized that I wasn’t paying attention to the streets or directions I was taking.

And suddenly I was in the Love hotel district of Shibuya lol

Anyways, starving, I found a yoshinoya, back on one of the main streets of Shibuya (Dogenzaka, for anyone who’s played The World Ends With You), had a cheap and delicious gyuudon dinner, and went back home. Its So incredibly cheap riding the Tokyo Metro from Urayasu to Shibuya, its GOT to be more expensive to drive. About 2.12$ for a one way trip.

I seriously f’ing <3 Tokyo with everything I’ve got. (I shouldn’t have told you about this blog, Mom!)

Tomorrow I’ll be going to the Eurasia Onsen again. Lookingforward to it.

(Eurasia was awesome. Relaxation room was relaxing. Part of it just looked like a giant orgy room, though. They had a really wide area with tatame mat floor that they laid a ton of futon-like mattresses on where people actually slept. What the hell?)

Drunk Bike Riding – 1,000,000yen – 10,000 dollar fine.

Riding with friends on the back of your bike – 20,000yen – 200 dollar fine

Riding side-by-side – 20,000yen – 200 dollar fine

Not respecting crosswalk or traffic signals – 50,000yen – 500 dollar fine

Not stopping for stop signs – 50,000yen – 500dollar fine

Hooo boy.

You’re also not supposed to ride with an umbrella or talk on the phone while you ride. My ridiculously adorably small middle aged teacher admitted that even she rides with an umbrella sometimes and she still doesn’t know if there’s a fine haha. I could use a rain coat, though…

Your japanese vocabulary of the day: ‘korobu’ (‘to fall over’ or ‘to fall down’) I.E.: “Ah! koronda!” (“Ah! I fell!”)

Similar words: ‘otosu’ (‘to drop’) – I.E.: “watashi wa nanika wo otoshita” (“I dropped something”); ‘ochiru’ (‘to fall’) – I.E.: “watashi wa koi ni ochita” (“I fell in love”)

But I DID decide to take a couple of profile photos first.

Unfortunately by the time I got the batteries, I had semi-permenently sealed the wounds on my hands. and I realize now just how wise it is to keep the bandaid on.

In any case, bandages! Practical AND badass!

I need to just have a studio. Or a camera man.

Whichever.

I also took a new full-body photo to send to joshi-camera since the old one of me looked… well… like I fit right in to the akiba crowd lol.

For this one I DID get a camera man. I don’t know if Miduho at Joshi Camera will want to use this shot, though. I still think it came out pretty well.

I was mixing and matching my new clothes to see how I should wear them, and taking photos since I don’t actually have a decent mirror. They’re all largely similar, so I couldn’t decide which was best, so I thought you guys could give me your opinion

So here’s the lot of them.

Give me your opinions!

I’ve got some thoughts of my own on why some of them look ridiculous, but I’ll save ‘em for now lol.

On another note, I checked out the shopping area around Maihama station today with some friends. That station basically opens up right into the Disney Resort/Disney Land area of Tokyo, and its like 15 min from my house by bike. It was kinda like Downtown Disney, but less theatrical and more mall-ish.

I got one good photo for you.

The morning was almost too cold to leave the house. I actually went out at first in my white shirt-scarf-combo, but the weather destroyed me. Its like… Normal defense is weak against ice attacks or something. Uuugh. I actually went out at like 8 o’clock to pick up my Alien card.

<-Alien 4 lief->

And when I got back home I almost decided not to go out for the day – except that I was really excited to go buy some winter clothes XD

Turns out I like shopping.

Halfway to SUE I pulled into this place that was called like… Chinese Suichiro or something. I really wanted to get my motabolism boiling so I could handle the cold, and I really picked the right place. I got something they called ‘Kurotan’. And I actually remembered to take a photo!!

It was like Ramen on crack. It might’ve just been ‘better’ than normal ramen except for the fact that I was freezing my ass off and this stuff smelled hot and delicious. Within the entrance of the restaurant on the right you have low tables where people sit on the floor, on the left you have first the ticket-vending-machine, and then regular tables against the wall. Beyond the floor on the right is the bar – one of those Ramen-shop style bars where you can see them cooking on the other side of the counter. Someone took my ticket for Kurotan and they got to work. The whole place had a really nice kind of black-and-cherrywood kind of appearance and the main guy cooking seemed to have some style, so I instantly liked the place.

I just kept thinking how we need to have one of these places in America……. I really think it would take off, but there must be something against the vending machine style of ordering.

After I left there, feeling warm on the inside and briskly chilly on the out, I went and bought my stuff, then hit the Atre shopping area under the station to just sit and do my homework.

A few hours later I got back on my bike and started peddling down to Maihama.

Aaaand my story ends there, with me procrastinating on homework. I’m going to fail Shakai Class

Maybe they’ll let me drop it like my classmates did last year… it really IS way above my comprehension level, but after telling them how much I wanted to take it even though I’d probably fail just so I could learn more…? Do I want to turn tail and run?

Not particularly.

There is supposedly an Izakaya and a public bath somewhere nearby according to google maps (with all of the photos uploaded onto it), but I can’t seem to find them. I’ve found some of the other bits, but they’re fairly uninteresting.

I also went to check out the parking situation (bike parking situation) at Urayasu station. Taking the subway from Urayasu Eki (Hereafter UE) to the other side of tokyo (Shibuya, Harajuku) is half that of taking the train out from SHIN Urayasu Eki (Hereafter SUE), so… there you go.

There are a few photos I want to take for Beleek. There’s a store over here I know she’d like. and I hit the popular japanese-style fast-food restaurant Yoshinoya. Its just… like… I guess it has a bad rap over here, like we have with McDonalds and Checkers and whatever, but like… that was some good food. I’m seriously a ditz for somehow not remembering to take a photo of it before I started to dig in. I got some beef sukiyaki at a fast food restaurant. They gave me a plate with the beef and cabbage and whatever, a big ass bowl of rice, miso soup, a little plate of greens, you know, why not, and then another bowl with one unpopped raw egg. I can’t imagine a restaurant being allowed to serve that kind of thing in America.  And it was pretty good. I’ll seriously have to be going back there to order it again so I can take a photo for you guys.

I also found out my friend Ayuka works at a bar out relatively close to the Harajuku/Shinjuku area, and according to Winfield – and this is big – the best night of his life was when he hit clubs in Shibuya with Nayo. And that’s fuckin’ big. So one of these nights I’m going to have to take the Touzai line out of UE and visit my friend at her bar and see these clubs.

Its gotten freaking downright chilly over here and my mind has broken. Its Autumn, I think. I wouldn’t properly know, I’ve never experienced it. All I know is that I DON’T know what kind of clothes I should be wearing. But its really nice. Once I turned off my broken AC and threw open my windows, my room fell into a downright comfortable condition.

I just bought a can of Kirin nodogoshi, since one of these guys I met said it was one of the best kinds of beer he’s ever had. I’m willing to say its possible. For a regular beer its not bad. My palette is now expanding across the range of bitter flavors. It started with darkchocolate (lol) and then into teas. I’m still not 100% with beer, but after getting used to really effing bitter tea, I’m at least not disgusted. I think the last drink would be coffee, but I don’t think I need it. I have enough energy without caffeine. I’m glad I didn’t like soda when I was younger.

I also like Japanese seasonal drinks. Fall Tea is pretty tasty, and I can’t wait to see what this halloween Orange Juice tastes like lol

Tomorrow I’m thinking of exploring Harajuku some more, but I still don’t have anyone to go with—awwwww.

But everyone’s busy as hell, so I’m not surprised. Now its homework time.

OH YEAH, Before I go, want to throw in that I went to my friend Rene’s going away party last night. He invited a bunch of people to this bar called HUB. I went there with him and his coworkers once before. It was fun again, and they have a happy hour, so ya know… I was happy lol Afterwards I finally got to do some Karaoke. In Japan for a whole month and no karaoke… its almost impossible to believe!

It was really fun times and I got to meet some people that speak english, so… pretty awesome lol. Of course we all share a common interest, so there were a few of them in there I got along really well with. As well as a few very cute ladies. Win-Win.

I forgot my camera that night lol

But there were lots of photos taken, so hopefully I’ll get to send them too you soon.

In other news, apparently this photo -

Is going to appear in a magazine DDD

http://joshi-camera.com

I’ll definitely be buying that issue.

Here’s a few photos of this bigass park I found in southwest shin urayasu. Very beautiful scenery.

There was one last thing I saw that blew me away when I was leaving the park.

When I didn’t get was how gras just kept growing. I was like… what magic sustains there life?

It seems like the grass dies, by lack of sunlight rather than by cars driving on it. So just don’t park for too long, ya know? What I think it is is like… let me make you a cross section.

here we go

Brilliant!

Anyways, that’s all I got for now. Homework, yo!

1) Ambulances in Japan are called QQ Cars. NOT KIDDING. Its actually Kyuukyuusha, which translates into “Quick Help Vehicle” But… come on.

2) Company Vehicles, Construction Vehicles, and Government-related vehicles tell you when they’re turning left or right by actually TELLING you that they’re turning left or right. Who needs eyes?

3) Here’s a photo of my normal desktop:

Do you understand? I don’t think you understand.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THOSE CARROTS

And I thought Tenchi Muyo was a lie.

I also have 5 intergalactic sexy anime characters fighting for my affection on a normal basis.

But… yeah, back to normal

I’m taking this insane class on ‘Society’. So… That’s awesome. I’m essentially in a class to learn political aspects of the Japanese language. I was planning to supplement my basic vocabulary by translating some manga and books or whatever, right? Well… I don’t think I’ll really have time for that anymore lol The teacher handed me 16 pages on the first day… And I didn’t understand a word of it. So I’m a little scared about this class.

Yet, my other choices were English and Math lol.

I’m still thinking maybe I should take math and I’ll be able to enjoy life in Japan a little more but… meh. I’m enjoying it already quite a bit. I’m learning phrases like ‘minshu seiji no benri’ (Theory of Democratic Government) and ‘subete no kokumin ga chokusetsu mata wa kansetsu ni sanka suru seiji keitai’. I honestly don’t think I properly understand that second sentence. Chokusetsu and Kansetsu mean ‘directly’ and ‘indirectly’ respectively. So I read it as “form of government where the directness of all of a country’s people indirectly participates.”

I guess that sort of makes sense…

So anyways, I’m studying my ass off lol

Today is a special kind of fireworks show, and I’ll be checking that out.Today is the Autumn Equinox – so, sounds like a good enough reason for a day off, right? lol

The sun starts to set at like 6o’clock over here and it rises again at like 5, so when I head out to meet my friends at the station at 6:30 it’ll already be half-way through dusk.

I’ll bring my camera this time lol

Oh yeah, here’s for the other day. Me and my buddy Solid Snake had a night out on Akiba.

He’s actually pretty camera shy, so I couldn’t get him in too many shots, but he did consent to a couple.

This is the view from the topfloor window of Super Potato – one of the coolest shops in Akiba.

The first floor is really retro games. I saw some pretty rare stuff in there, but most of the names elude me. There was Famicom, Super Famicom, old systems that still work, Wonderswan which I don’t think ever existed in America… And then I saw Final Fantasy VII… for like the 3rd time. They still make that game over here. I’m SO close to buying a Japanese PS2 just so I can buy it. I heard the American version is busted anyways.

The second floor of Super Potato was almost completely music based. New and old Video Game Music soundtracks and junk. Plenty of the usual stuff, but they made Soundtracks for games I never would’ve expected. SNES titles and such.

The third floor was a retro arcade. That’s where I met up with Snake.

In the section of Akiba that I wandered around… well… it was like porn city. On like every other floor of a building was at least some kind of like… softcore pron. Most of it was the kind of really scantily clad anime figure thing that you expect from nerds, but there was a good deal of like… no entry under 18years kind of places. Lots of ‘Gravure’ which is like a photo book showcasing ‘idols’… something like a regular model. The really popular ones do regular modeling stuff,  but a lot of the time its like photos and videos of them in lingerie or swimsuits. Even in the porn industry, you’re not legally permitted to show the goods, so I’d say its less like Japan has an obsession with the stuff and more like they’re forced to deal.

BESIDES THAT, THOUGH, TONS of cool looking figures, a lot of them mixed in with the ecchi stuff, and admittedly, some of the ecchi stuff. And lots of anime and video game goods. The walls of the escalator in this one was decked out with the kinds of stuff you could find on the next floor.

And… yeah, I bought a tiny Tachikoma lol

Sorry for poor brightness. I’m too stubborn to use flash.

Sometime later, by a day or two, I met my friends Seiko and Elizabeth and their friend Yoshi for a picnic in Ueno.

There are no candid photos in Japan. This is a tabboo, don’t ever do it. If there’s no pose, IT DOESN’T EXIST.

But… yeah. It was followed by a pose lol

The Ueno Zoo is pretty famous in the east, I guess. They used to have a Great Panda named Ling Ling, but she died earlier this year

But, Uhm, on a happier note – Monkies!

The rest of these photos are pretty much a cuteness overload.

The family

D’aww

The boss

And I wish that photo turned out better, it was so good lol

Also, FUCKIN RED PANDA YEAH. I want one as a pet so bad XD

And I was designated as the big monkey. One day I’ll return to my home… to the society of gorillaz that raised me in the jungle.

I miss those days