 |
On Sunday, I visited a really cool temple/shrine in Tokyo. It was thousands of years old, but then all but destroyed by U.S. incendiary bombing during WW2. After the war, the rebuilt the destroyed portions to their exact original form… wood taken from the same forests, etc. The entry gate shown here was very impressive. | |
 |
||
 |
I also visited the Japanese sword museum. This was way off the beaten path… pretty hard to find - and was really cool. There were details about the evolution of the craft of sword making, and highlights from the masters during the days of the Samurai. Great way to study-up before Tarantino’s next movie. | |
 |
Video gaming is such a huge part of the culture here. I love it. It’s as if you took U.S. culture, removed football, and inserted Playstation. Sign me up. Despite lots of Xbox marketing everywhere, Playstation 2 is king. Here are some shots from a huge arcade in Akihabara, the tech district. You’ll note that an especially talented player draws quite a crowd of spectators. Apparently, really wacky drumming & dancing games (both shown here) are all the rage these days. To the left, this guy is holding a tambourine (I’m not making this up) with position, orientation & hit sensors. He needs to hit it at just the right time with the music, while rotating just as shown on the system. It’s hilarious to watch. Even more hilarious is how seriously everyone takes it. | |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
Everything you read is true. Tokyo is much, much more advanced than the U.S. or Europe when it comes to mobile devices. The device I’m holding here has integrated GPS for mapping, as well as an integrated camera, not only for taking still photos, but, together with a cdma2000 high-speed data network, allows full-color, full-framerate videoconferencing on your mobile phone with someone across town. Awesome. | |
 |
||
 |
In one of my more adventurous moments, I
decided to purchase street-food at a stand that looked particularly
popular with the locals. Halfway through the… I’m-not-sure-what, I noticed
that the company was called “American Snack Foods”, which I found
especially entertaining, considering that, being an American, I couldn’t
identify a single ingredient. All-in-all, Tokyo rocks. I will definitely return. |
|