The Chrysanthemum Journal, Week 43
Greetings and salutations, everybody! Since this time the updates a bit late in my weekend, I won't waste any time. We'll go right into it, shall we?
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Though summer is less than a week away here, there is already a lot of heat and humidity flooding the area and causing me a whole lot of grief, since I am one who tends to sweat rather easily (not just due to the weight, either). Last year I arrived around the end of August, so I experienced only the end of the hot season. Even that was unbearable. Really not looking forward to what happens when summer comes about in full swing. And with Kyoto being known as one of the most humid places in Japan....
Oh well.
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I had a disappointing experience recently when I purchased a game at the local store. As I'm sure some of you may well know, I've been waiting to purchase Metal Gear Solid 4 for quite some time. It's definitely the main reason that I bought a Playsation 3 to begin with, yeah?
So, I made my reservation for the game about 2 months ago, looking forward to getting it in early June. And as it came out on the 12th, I was very happy when I picked it up. Interestingly, the clerk at the store knew immediately who I was, asking "Are you Chad-san?" in perfect English. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Probably the only gaijin in the area who frequents that store for PS3 games, though I dunno.
So I brought my lovely prize back to the apartment, carefully unwrapped it, palmed through the various goodies included in the special edition, and shoved the disc into the system.
Then I saw that the install system was all in Japanese. Not that big of a surprise, as it occasionally happens with games here. Sometimes I have to change the language settings in the game itself in order to get English.
No such luck. The language option simply didn't exist. here's where I was finally surprised. After all, MGS4 is an international release (the game is released worldwide at the same time). Usually this means there's both an English language and Japanese language track, and the game detects the settings of your console to determine what it should use. But there was no English at all. Checking online, I found out why: No English subtitles on the Japanese version, and no Japanese voices on the English version. Even though it's an international release, they'd made localized versions! Agh!
So I decided to test my luck by putting myself through a trial of fire and playing the game in Japanese. Unfortunately, I understand about 15% and that's being generous. While I can understand some games in Japanese, this one focuses on scientific, military, medical, and technological lingo that i simply don't have knowledge of. Moreover, Metal Gear Solid's plotlines are well known for being convoluted and difficult to understand even in English, so I decided there's no way I can complete it in Japanese.
Fortunately, I've put a request through to my parents for a copy of the American version. Thank goodness the PS3 is region-free!
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I'm amused that in my attempt to get my manager addicted to Monster, I've also ensnared myself back into the nitty-gritty story of Tenma, although I have to say that my major fascination has always been for the supporting characters like Grimmer, Lunge, and Roberto. Even now when I rewatch the episodes, I always get a chill whenever I know Roberto is about to show up.
However, those expecting a report on just how scared my manager was to have played Fatal Fram are going to have to live with a small bit of disappointment, as she was apparently unable to play the game on her system, even though she says she has both an American and a Japanese PS2. Apparently her American PS2 doesn't have a converter on the power cord (something I find highly unlikely, but not impossible), and so she can't get the accurate power level to get the thing working. Ah well. I've invited her over to my place so that she can play here. Maybe by next week we'll have something?
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Had a fun time this weekend with a former student of mine. She'll soon be heading out of the country for a whirlwind tour of Europe and decided that when she returns, she might be changing locations to Kyushu or Okinawa. Because of that, she wanted to meet in case she didn't have time after returning from her vacation. So I met her and we decided to get some sightseeing done. First, it was a trip to the Umeda Sky Building, which I just discovered is the seventh-tallest building in Osaka, not the tallest. It goes all the way up to 173 meters and offers a fantastic 360-degree panorama of the city from the rooftop.
After finishing up with the tower, we went on quite a trip involving three different transfers, in order to get to Sumiyoshi Taisha, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. Like the Wikipedia article says, the architecture is really quite different from what I'm used to seeing at the other shrines in the area. I was definitely intrigued.
Once done with that, we decided that it was time for some dinner, and so we met up with another GEOS teacher who lives in the area, and we headed out for some super-cheap Yakiniku. They had an all-you-can-eat-and-drink special for something like 3,000 yen for 90 minutes. Not bad at all. And we proceeded to a small izakaya afterwards for more drinking and chatting before I headed back home. Always glad to visit Osaka, but I definitely think that it would be difficult for me to live there, considering I am just not a big fan of crowded places like some people may be.
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I'd just like to take a moment here to discuss something that's kind of been bothering me. I've noticed quite a lot of people in the online video world posting videos discussing their claims of sexism in the online media and how it's unfair that Hilary Clinton lost the democratic nomination..so unfair that the only choice left for the American voter who once supported her is to vote for John McCain in the general election, in order to somehow prove a point that their vote should have had more pull in the first place. Let me show you what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMs-KKtSs5Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KACQuZVAE3s
This line of thinking is just plain disgusting. First of all, if Hilary's portrayal could be described as being sexist, then Obama's could just as easily be called racist. The media certainly made some comments that were out of line, such as comparing Hilary with the stereotypical image of the "nagging wife," but they also made comments about Obama, such as when he was bowling for a campaign promotion and the media commented that he should stick to playing basketball, or Clinton's comparison of Obama's victories in South Carolina to those of Jesse Jackson in previous years.
Even beyond that, to make a decision to vote for someone whose views are dramatically opposed to the person you initially supported, simply because they lost, is just ridiculous. Obama and Clinton had similar platforms, and though their political experiences may be different, I don't believe it justifies the change of opinion. Of course, if people honestly believe that the top candidates were Clinton, McCain, and Obama, in that order, then fine, let them vote for McCain, but I'd hate to see him win from spite alone.
If you wanna vote McCain, Obama, Barr, Nader, or Jonathon Sharkey, you're more than welcome. Just don't do it without reason.
Anyway, that's all I have to say.
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So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this week's edition. I've posted some new pictures so that you can enjoy the sights as well. Plus, there's a video taken from the top of the Umeda Sky Building.
Umeda Sky Panorama: http://www.dailymotion.com/kyoushibanzai/video/x5sts3_umeda-sky-panorama_travel
The day's events: http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/pigonjinn/OsakaOuting
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Though summer is less than a week away here, there is already a lot of heat and humidity flooding the area and causing me a whole lot of grief, since I am one who tends to sweat rather easily (not just due to the weight, either). Last year I arrived around the end of August, so I experienced only the end of the hot season. Even that was unbearable. Really not looking forward to what happens when summer comes about in full swing. And with Kyoto being known as one of the most humid places in Japan....
Oh well.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
I had a disappointing experience recently when I purchased a game at the local store. As I'm sure some of you may well know, I've been waiting to purchase Metal Gear Solid 4 for quite some time. It's definitely the main reason that I bought a Playsation 3 to begin with, yeah?
So, I made my reservation for the game about 2 months ago, looking forward to getting it in early June. And as it came out on the 12th, I was very happy when I picked it up. Interestingly, the clerk at the store knew immediately who I was, asking "Are you Chad-san?" in perfect English. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Probably the only gaijin in the area who frequents that store for PS3 games, though I dunno.
So I brought my lovely prize back to the apartment, carefully unwrapped it, palmed through the various goodies included in the special edition, and shoved the disc into the system.
Then I saw that the install system was all in Japanese. Not that big of a surprise, as it occasionally happens with games here. Sometimes I have to change the language settings in the game itself in order to get English.
No such luck. The language option simply didn't exist. here's where I was finally surprised. After all, MGS4 is an international release (the game is released worldwide at the same time). Usually this means there's both an English language and Japanese language track, and the game detects the settings of your console to determine what it should use. But there was no English at all. Checking online, I found out why: No English subtitles on the Japanese version, and no Japanese voices on the English version. Even though it's an international release, they'd made localized versions! Agh!
So I decided to test my luck by putting myself through a trial of fire and playing the game in Japanese. Unfortunately, I understand about 15% and that's being generous. While I can understand some games in Japanese, this one focuses on scientific, military, medical, and technological lingo that i simply don't have knowledge of. Moreover, Metal Gear Solid's plotlines are well known for being convoluted and difficult to understand even in English, so I decided there's no way I can complete it in Japanese.
Fortunately, I've put a request through to my parents for a copy of the American version. Thank goodness the PS3 is region-free!
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
I'm amused that in my attempt to get my manager addicted to Monster, I've also ensnared myself back into the nitty-gritty story of Tenma, although I have to say that my major fascination has always been for the supporting characters like Grimmer, Lunge, and Roberto. Even now when I rewatch the episodes, I always get a chill whenever I know Roberto is about to show up.
However, those expecting a report on just how scared my manager was to have played Fatal Fram are going to have to live with a small bit of disappointment, as she was apparently unable to play the game on her system, even though she says she has both an American and a Japanese PS2. Apparently her American PS2 doesn't have a converter on the power cord (something I find highly unlikely, but not impossible), and so she can't get the accurate power level to get the thing working. Ah well. I've invited her over to my place so that she can play here. Maybe by next week we'll have something?
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Had a fun time this weekend with a former student of mine. She'll soon be heading out of the country for a whirlwind tour of Europe and decided that when she returns, she might be changing locations to Kyushu or Okinawa. Because of that, she wanted to meet in case she didn't have time after returning from her vacation. So I met her and we decided to get some sightseeing done. First, it was a trip to the Umeda Sky Building, which I just discovered is the seventh-tallest building in Osaka, not the tallest. It goes all the way up to 173 meters and offers a fantastic 360-degree panorama of the city from the rooftop.
After finishing up with the tower, we went on quite a trip involving three different transfers, in order to get to Sumiyoshi Taisha, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. Like the Wikipedia article says, the architecture is really quite different from what I'm used to seeing at the other shrines in the area. I was definitely intrigued.
Once done with that, we decided that it was time for some dinner, and so we met up with another GEOS teacher who lives in the area, and we headed out for some super-cheap Yakiniku. They had an all-you-can-eat-and-drink special for something like 3,000 yen for 90 minutes. Not bad at all. And we proceeded to a small izakaya afterwards for more drinking and chatting before I headed back home. Always glad to visit Osaka, but I definitely think that it would be difficult for me to live there, considering I am just not a big fan of crowded places like some people may be.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
I'd just like to take a moment here to discuss something that's kind of been bothering me. I've noticed quite a lot of people in the online video world posting videos discussing their claims of sexism in the online media and how it's unfair that Hilary Clinton lost the democratic nomination..so unfair that the only choice left for the American voter who once supported her is to vote for John McCain in the general election, in order to somehow prove a point that their vote should have had more pull in the first place. Let me show you what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMs-KKtSs5Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KACQuZVAE3s
This line of thinking is just plain disgusting. First of all, if Hilary's portrayal could be described as being sexist, then Obama's could just as easily be called racist. The media certainly made some comments that were out of line, such as comparing Hilary with the stereotypical image of the "nagging wife," but they also made comments about Obama, such as when he was bowling for a campaign promotion and the media commented that he should stick to playing basketball, or Clinton's comparison of Obama's victories in South Carolina to those of Jesse Jackson in previous years.
Even beyond that, to make a decision to vote for someone whose views are dramatically opposed to the person you initially supported, simply because they lost, is just ridiculous. Obama and Clinton had similar platforms, and though their political experiences may be different, I don't believe it justifies the change of opinion. Of course, if people honestly believe that the top candidates were Clinton, McCain, and Obama, in that order, then fine, let them vote for McCain, but I'd hate to see him win from spite alone.
If you wanna vote McCain, Obama, Barr, Nader, or Jonathon Sharkey, you're more than welcome. Just don't do it without reason.
Anyway, that's all I have to say.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this week's edition. I've posted some new pictures so that you can enjoy the sights as well. Plus, there's a video taken from the top of the Umeda Sky Building.
Umeda Sky Panorama: http://www.dailymotion.com/kyoushibanzai/video/x5sts3_umeda-sky-panorama_travel
The day's events: http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/pigonjinn/OsakaOuting