Love: Vending Machine Coffee

This entry may smell a bit of "low hanging fruit," but that does not make it any less true. I do love me some vending machine coffee. And while I enjoy it to the point that my friends and I look for it in New York and stock up whenever possible, it's always much more satisfying to have it "fresh" from the machine on a Tokyo street. Adding this to my list might come off as a cheat, but I could easily see myself thoroughly enjoying the offerings that Boss, UCC, and Roots come up with.

Hate: Racism

I anticipate encountering a not-insignificant amount of racism in Tokyo over the long haul. I feel that as a guest staying on vacation, my presence is appreciated and almost celebrated, probably because as a foreigner, i'm inherently something of a curiosity. I'm interesting and welcomed specifically because my visit is a limited time affair. It's my understanding that as a resident, the sitation would be quite different. I've heard tales of discrimination when applying for credit cards or opening bank accounts, i've heard of landlords who discard applications immediately upon seeing the applicant's name in katakana. Having spent my whole life at the proverbial top of the racial food chain here in the US as a white male, i assume it's going to be quite a shift when i'm suddenly part of the"out group."

Love: Courtesy

The Japanese have a certain ingrained politeness to them which floors me every time i'm there. Tokyo is a positively massive city, but the people there are amung the most courtious and polite people ive ever been around. this is a stark contrast to how things are in New York, LA, or just about any other major city ive been to. The idea that you can have the excitement and intensity of a big city with the politeness and courtesy of a small town is simultaneously baffling and extremely appealing to me.

Hate: The Weather

I’ve heard some unsavory tales about how hot and humid Tokyo gets in the summertime (and by, “summertime” I apparently mean June up until the end of September) and I can only speculate on what Osaka might be like, since it’s alleged to be even more fiendishly warm then Tokyo. I have never had a very good relationship with heat, and even less with its evil, electronics-destroying cousin, humidity, which apparently make their living ravishing the Japanese islands with alarming regularity. Combine that with the somewhat traditionalist methods that the Japanese tend to employ when dealing with the elements and you have a recipe for a sweaty and incredibly uncomfortable Puma.

Love: Kuidaore

I really love the culture there surrounding the Osakan concept of kuidaore. What it means is to bankrupt or ruin oneself on extravagance in food and drink. For practical purposes, it means that the Japanese play hard. It's not uncommon at all to enjoy happy hour at an izakaya, then go to a restaurant for dinner, and then to go another izakaya for an after dinner drink or two. It’s extravagant, sure, and I’m sure that most Americans would consider it to be very wasteful, but it's fun.  Interestingly, it reminds me that my father is often very much like that. He's always had a fairly firm "you can't take it with you" attitude which led to more than a few extravagant meals over the years. I can't help but there's some connection there... and that my father would have loved Japan if he had gone there 

Love and Hate

So I’m in a place where I actually consider moving to Tokyo, like, I really, seriously consider it. I try to be realistic about things like this but at the same time; I do have a tendency to get a little carried away. In an effort to keep a level head and not get as swept up in the idea that "the grass is always greener," I am going to log things that i expect to love and hate. This initiative is somewhat inspired by the somewhat contentious, but often rather insightful blog, 1000 Things About Japan, wherein a nameless blogger describes items she would and would not miss about Japan if she happened to leave there. In my case though, I'm going to go with things that I currently believe i would either love or hate about living there. If I eventually move, it would likely be very interesting to see how this stacks up against how i really end up feeling. 

Tokyo 2010

For the longest time, my plan has been to go back to Japan in May, for better or worse, a twelve week project at work is going to prevent that from happening. Since that became a reality, I've been working on alternatives, and this morning, I think I came to a decision.

Tokyo Game Show

Although now a shadow of its former self, TGS was once the worldwide flagship of game industry trade shows, and I think it's time I paid a visit.

I have until August to come up with a plan.

Tokyo Checklist

In two weeks, i'll be back in Japan, my goals for the trip include the following:

1. Eat at a Yakiniku resturant - Sure, the "cook it yourself" style of Korean BBQ exists in the US, but i'm very interested in having it overseas and seeing for myself what sort of twists are on it.

2. More Shaka Shaka Chicken- Hell Yeah

3. Acquire a Japanese Xbox 360 - for the purpose of playing arcade shooters. this goal also implies the purchase of region specific games for said system.

4. Dine out someplace ill-advisedly expensive - I'm no stranger to fine dining in NYC, but I haven't done it yet in Japan. Since I'll be making this trip with my girlfriend, it seems like a perfect opportunity to correct that omission.

5. Ramen - Interestingly enough, i've only had authentic ramen once, since there are as many ramen shops in Tokyo as there are people in Vermont, this should be an easy task.

6. Hachico - Two trips to Japan already and I still havent seen this damn dog.

7. High Places - Tokyo Tower, Metropolitan Government Building, and Roppongi's Mori Twer. Cheezy tourist destinations, but also awesome views. Why do all of this? In a nutshell, I want to take some pictures.

8. Yodobashi Camera - Yodobashi's a 9 story electronics store in Akihabara that looks like a football stadium from overhead. I've somehow missed out on going here during my previous trips.

Maps!

Earlier today I sat down with the lady-friend and made some extensive Izakaya-related additions to Puma's Tokyo Guide. Among them is an izakaya chain called En, which incidentally has a brasserie in New York that I have fond memories of.

In addition, I started compiling Puma's NYC Sake Bar List, a map of izakayas and Sake bars that I've either frequented or have been meaning to frequent. The plan is for each of the entries to eventually have notes regarding my experiences at each location.

Memories

Shamelessly stolen from dannychoo.com:

Anyone who has been to Tokyo can just sit back, listen to this, and let the memories come flooding back.

And I thought I was bad

When I visit Japan, I typically buy an impressive array of crap, or at least that's what I thought.

This guy has me beat... by a landslide...



The full tale of woe is here

Japan Planning

I'm planning a trip back to the Land of the Rising Sun in October, to that end I've been working on a Google Map featuring locations of interest in and around Tokyo. I've combined some very good maps that i found a google, including akadot's awesome Akihabara map and a nice map of the Shibuya crossing area, and combined them with my own notes from research and previous trips to the region, mainly in Shinjuku.

I figured that this would never really be seen by anyone other then my girlfriend and I, so i was shocked to find that in two weeks, my map has already been viewed almost 700 times!

Suddenly I feel as if I should be putting a little more work into this :)

Puma's Guide to Tokyo

The Survival of the Japanese Arcade

I live in America, always have. I grew up in arcades, playing the latest games against the neighborhood's best. But something happened on the way to adulthood.

The arcades all vanished.

I always thought that it was a result of home consoles advancing to the point where they were more powerful then their arcade counterparts. In fact, I remember having that thought once in high school, the question of, "what's going to happen when consoles surpass the arcade games?" question. Well since there are no more arcades, I thought I had my answer.

But now I've been to Japan a few times, and while as I understand it, the industry isn't what it used to be, it's still quite healthy. I always thought it was simply because arcades are more of a cultural mainstay (which may partially be responsible), but what I've come to understand is something else, and it's pretty simple.

Online gaming

In the US, online gaming is a massive industry. according to NPD, 62% of American gamers play online, compare that with just 37% of Japanese gamers... and only 8% of those used a game console to do so, compared to 22% in the US.

While I was away, a report came out about the Japanese and their reluctance to go for online gaming

A new survey has come out, polling Japanese gamers on a number of issues. Most notably of the results is that gamers there are still not all that interested in online gaming, instead preferring in-person multiplayer gaming. More than half of those surveyed said that they were wary of online gaming

Then it clicked. Most of the popular Japanese arcade games are, in fact, multiplayer. They play fighting games by the truckload, and almost never against a computer opponent. They have memory cards that store their match record, achievements, and allow them to customize their character. I saw two varieties of competitive Gundam games (one actually featuring cross-arcade deathmatch), hybrid video/collectable card games, hell, they even have arcade MMOs over there. To the Japanese, gaming is still a very "in-person" social experience.

American gamers have instead opted to take it online. Milestones like Quake have paved the way for a massive change in the way games are played in the States. This revolution never took place in Japan, and so for them, gaming is evolving in a different direction.

We spend a lot of time wondering why the online efforts of Japanese console makers haven't really been up to spec, I think the answer lies here. There simply isn't a demand for that sort of thing in their country.

Back from Japan

Yeah, my plan for frequent updates from the Land of the Rising Sun didn't quite happen as planned, but at least pictures will be forthcoming.

I wanted to talk a little bit about my observations while on my visit.

1. Nintendo has taken over the country. During my last trip to Tokyo, the Sony flag was held high everywhere you went. The first thing you saw in every store was the PS2, the second thing you saw was the PSP... and then if you went upstairs or whatever, you saw everything else. This time, a mere two years later, Nintendo utterly dominates the ground floor of every gaming store, the DS mostly, but the Wii is lingering behind isle two as well. That's not to say that the Japanese don't get excited about other platforms. Armored Core: For Answer --a early nominee for worst title of 2008-- came out while i was there and seemed to get a decent amount of interest from the locals, and they seemed quite stoked about Monster Hunter Portable 2 G's pending release. But all of the massive ads in the world don't make up for the lack of floor space in local stores. In fact, I think there was a marked lack of advertising for Nintendo products... but I'm thinking that they simply didn't need it.

2. PC gaming in Japan is 4/6 porn, 1/6 imported American games (including a massive and beautiful Neverwinter Nights Boxed set that put to shame anything I've ever seen in the States), and 1/6th non-porn Japanese games. The American and NP Japanese games are hidden waaaaay in the back, behind piles and piles of boxes featuring animated ladies in various states of undress being assaulted by plant life. You may be wondering, "you're an adventurous, forward thinking fellow, did you purchase any of this peculiar merchandise?" The answer there is no, and it's not because I had a sudden bout of self consciousness either, it's because these little boxes of fun were running anywhere between 7000 to 10000 Yen ($70-$100) a piece. which is well outside of my "haha, look what ridiculous thing i bought" range.

3. I really, really, like Shaka Shaka Chicken. Probably the best chicken product I've ever had at McDonald's. I smell a hit!

4. The Japanese really, really, like fatty meats. from the Lamb skewers to the pork soba, the meat in japan was almost universally fatty. I started to think it was simply a matter of taste when i tried to get the chicken breast at Moss Burger (clearly on the english menu) only to find out that they had actually discontinued it in favor of a similar product (which was not on the english menu). Assuming chicken was chicken, i went ahead and ordered it, only to find out that it was actually the greasiest, fattiest, nastiest chicken thigh I've ever sunk my teeth into. On second thought, maybe Shaka Shaka Chicken is doomed to failure.

Sorry i'm late

Sorry the updates have been so damn lacking, but my alone time has been much more infrequent then I would have liked, that and I've been shaking off the residual effects of my jet leg. But it’s all good now.

I’m flying solo today down in Akihabara, I’ve been here since 11 and barely cleared two blocks of this mammoth of technological gadgetry. Within just a few short minutes of arriving, I already found what I was looking for, a copy of Phantasy Star Generation 2 for the PS2… and I found it for like $17. My only problem now is finding a way to play it when I get home.

I visited Taito Hey, a nice arcade on the strip. I’m saying “nice” because it had, by far, the best ventilation system I’ve experienced in an arcade so far, barely any smell of smoke to be experienced. This arcade is probably my favorite so far based solely on the fact that they have an entire floor dedicated to shmups, those lovely "massive numbers of little ship thingies attacking you from all angles as you fend them off though the wild use of ridiculous powerups" sort of games. I played probably the best the genre has to offer in Ikuruga, as well as some interesting new ones. One from Konami which basically amounts to Gradius: Miracle Love Umbrella Girl Edition. This game had me flying around a fine beachfront community while killing maniacal blue penguins... then moving on to ancient Egypt... where i was killing mummified maniacal blue penguins.

The next one I tried was a bit more contemporary, flying vertical while blasting random tanks and whatnot. The hook for this game was that you could use some sort of tractor beam to grab your foes and use them as shields, or alternatively, swing them around and use them as giant projectiles… it was fun.

Like all arcades, they certainly had their Fighter Floor, wherein chainsmoking lunatics beat the virtual snot out of one another all day and night. In most of the arcades i've visited so far, the FF has been almost universally located in a basement or sub-basement. this one was on the third floor.. which scored extra bonus points with yours truely.

Ive noticed a few changes since my last trip, KFC has expanded and is fucking everywhere now. I cant walk two feet without seeing the colonel’s ugly mug staring me in the face. There’s also been a massive proliferation of so called “maid bars.” They seem to just be coffee shops… where the waitresses dress as maids. I’m assuming these are popular and that there’s massive competition because I see small girls dressed as maids on every corner handing out flyers with maps to their employers locations.

I haven’t visited one of these cafés yet, but we do plan on hitting up a maid Izukaya called “LittleBSD” very soon. I’ll be sure to report.

Last night we went to the local Big Echo for karaoke, I’m going to say up front that Japan is light years ahead of the US in sing along technology. This room featured wireless mics, touch screen music selection (from wireless tablets), touch screen food and drink ordering, and even a webcam to videotape your performance. The music selection was surprisingly vast (and eccentric, featuring for some reason like 80 Slipknot songs).

It would be criminal of me to mention another word about last night without mentioning the izakaya we went to. Not only did they have my favorite sake, the always tasty Suigei, but some of the most amazing garlic bread I’ve ever had... served on wheat toast. To top it all off, we had some truely great deserts. I enjoyed some sort of ice-cream/oreo/shochu combination, and tom had a massive triamisu-like confection which featured like two full bananas and a half pound of coca crispies... it was a good night.

PS: a recent trip to the other side of Shinjuku turned up a familiar sight...

I'm a bit behind, but I'll try to bring you up to speed...

On Friday, we treked out to Ginza to rediscover our roots, grabbed lunch at the Lion, found the hotel from out last trip, and also visited Tully's, our former favorite morning coffee run. Our real objective in Ginza was to find the Japanese office of the Amnet travel agency to pick up our tickets to Dream.

Once the tickets were safely in hand, we wandered on over to Shibuya for some hardcore exploration... and then it started pouring.

Japan: The Return!

Last night was my first in delightful Shinjuku. We spent just a few short hours exploring before heading back to the room to pass out and let the rigors of our flight slip away.

Within just a few blocks of our hotel, we came across many, many izukayas, two Macdonald's (more on that later), a half a dozen 24 hour convenience stores, Wendy's, KFC(?!), and Gyu Kaku


I learned the following last night:

1. The Japanese really like Kit-Kits. I found this particular confection to be disproportionately represented just about everywhere i went. This phenomenon culminated in the consumption of a Kit-Kat McFlurry... yum.

2. Shaka Shaka Chicken is pretty damn good. it's essentially a chicken cutlet in a bag. mix in your choice of seasoning(hot chili, lemon pepper, or cheese) and boom, you've got a nice snack.



I also took the time to stop in at the local Club Sega, where I found that I can, in fact, hold my own (and lose two out of three rounds) in Virtua Fighter 5 to the local denizens of Tokyo arcades.

More later, as i've just gotten out of bed and am in dire need of coffee... luckily, we saw many, many Prontos on the way here!