Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Japan Day 7












Today's Tim Quotes:

- Oh, really? He was about my height? Everyone is 'about my height!' Did he have black hair, too, Anton?!

- Can you guys stop reading my profile page? It’s embarrassing.

We started out the day with nothing particular in mind. We figured we'd just go into Osaka and walk around, see what there is to see. I did want to check out this one arcade called Monte 50, though, since it was on a list of recommended fighting game arcades in Japan. We first set off for breakfast at Mister Donut. Seriously, that place is amazing. The sign says "World's best coffee and donuts" and I agree. Light, fluffy, and tasty donuts served with flavorful coffee. I never wanted to leave that place. We then started walking in the direction of where Monte 50 should be. On the walk we saw more of the city of Osaka. It is quite nice. We also saw an Outback Steakhouse, but it didn't open until 5pm. On our way there, we were passing by an arcade when I saw this table flipping arcade game!! I had seen pictures and stuff about it on the internet, so Tim and I gave it a try. It was so much fun! Honestly, I can't tell you the kind of satisfaction that flipping a table can give you. Turns out it was a Taito Special arcade, so we spent a bit of time there.

Continuing our journey, we then stopped at Namco Land, another arcade. This one was huge. Three floors of games and amusements. The first level was filled with UFO catcher type games. Mostly stuffed toys and candies were available as prizes. The second level was full of games I didn't fully understand. Large games in which multiple players could participate. The third floor had more UFO catcher games with prizes aimed mostly at geeks (figurines, collectibles, etc.) as well as derby horse racing games, and Shining Force Cross. Spent a good amount of time watching Tim spend roughly $20 on a UFO catcher only to get four small Kimi ni Todoke plush toys. After that ordeal, we spent another 45 minutes or more playing Shining Force.

After we left Namco Land, we began looking for a KFC, since the directions to Monte 50 said that it would be near a KFC. Just down the street, we found the KFC. We turned right and started walking into a covered shopping street and there it was, Monte 50. Personally, I thought it was awesome since I really enjoy fighting games (though I suck at them), but Pat and Tim didn't stay there too long. They took off and I played some Street Fighter Third Strike. After round 4, I was getting my ass kicked, so I went and looked around the shopping area. I found ANOTHER arcade close by that was mostly UFO catcher games, and then met up with Pat and Tim to tell them about it. We wasted some more money there, and Tim won an alarm clock from Bakemonogatari (an anime series he really likes). As we looked around, we realized that the whole area was full of arcades. Arcades and Pachinko parlors. We went to several different places and spent WAY too much money on UFO catchers and arcade games. Patrick ended up winning a messenger bag and I won a cool new wallet from one arcade with very helpful staff that was giving us tips on how to win the items. This was definitely a clever ploy, though, since it encourages the player to keep playing.

Soon we stumbled upon a place called Mandarake, which is a Japanese comic shop. It was incredible. Most of the staff was dressed in cosplay from popular anime series, there were new series, old series, doujin (fan made) series, video games, figures, DVD's, and CD's. It was absolutely incredible. We tried not to stay too long for fear of spending more money. Just outside of Mandarake was Club Sega. Patrick continued to browse in the comic shop so Tim and I played some Taiko Drum Master (a rhythm based game) while we waited.

It was starting to get late, so we all began heading back to the central station and grabbed some dinner. It was an incredible day. Nothing like these arcades exists in the West. They're basically like casinos. No windows, no clocks ... you just start playing the games (a lot of which are like gambling) and lose all track of time. I think that we all learned a valuable lesson today: we must be wary of arcades! Not to say that we didn't enjoy ourselves. Today was a blast. I had more fun today than I have on the whole trip so far. Going forward, though, I'm going to try to avoid these types of arcades.

1 comment:

  1. YO GET HYPE BABY

    Oh man I hoped you recorded hella footage. Hey what's KFC like in Japan? Ahh I want to try Pachinko but, I'll take your advice

    ReplyDelete