11 Days in Japan
~ written by Alecia

Our group on the plane (Are we there yet?)

Shinjuku shopping area a block away from the hotel

Our first dining experience in Japan

Just blocks from the hotel we discovered the Shinjuku area was filled with electronic stores, restaurants, and arcades. The bright neon signs and displays reminded me a little of Las Vegas. We stopped in at a small restaurant and got our first meal, a beef dish with sprouts (which was really delicious!). Then before heading in for the night, we checked out the arcades. We explored one called Club Sega, where there was floor upon floor of claw machine games, slot machines, and a downstairs full of arcade machines featuring games like Street Figther and Tekken. But more importantly, it was pretty crowded. Arcades definitely seem alive and well in Japanese culture and it was neat getting to experience them firsthand.

Animal potatoes!

Our first stop of the day was the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. On the way there we passed a large grassy area with a pavilion where a group was leading people through a series of stretches, which reminded me of the yoga groups I see in Grant Park sometimes. Once we made it to the Metropolitan building we went up to the Observatory where we were able to get a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding cityscape. They also had a nice little gift shop on the top level, with some toys I haven't seen in quite a while (ie Furby).

People doing group stretches in a pavilion

Left to Right: Tokyo cityscape, Mt. Fuji in the distance,

The next stop on our list was to visit the Square Enix Showcase. We spent a good amount of time in their character goods shop, which was filled with plushies, figurines, clothes, and jewelry. They also had a special area in the back of the store where everything was displayed inside glass cases. After we had our fill of shopping two Square Enix representatives, Mr. Izumi Tsukushi and Mr. Yasuhiro Takamatsu, gathered us together inside the store for a Q&A session.

Among the many questions, a student asked if Square Enix was planning to remake more of their popular titles, to which they responded positively. I am not as familiar with all the products Square Enix has worked on, however I was intrigued that they would put so much effort into updating some of their classic games rather than breaking out a slew of new original titles. Consequently, I can see how remaking titles can be a good strategy. Not only are they are solidifying hard-core fans and giving them an incentive to keep playing, but they're making recent versions available for generations that may have missed the originals.

Life-size Sephiroth (from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)
encased within the floor

Q&A session with Square Enix representatives

Group photo with reps

We said goodbye to Square Enix and moved on to our next destination: Asakusa, where the Buddhist temple called Senso-ji is located. As soon as we arrived we noticed how crowded Tokyo districts could get, with bands of people bustling in and out. Before making our way to the temple we passed through the first large entrance gate known as Kaminarimon (or Thunder Gate). This gate led out into a street full of shopping called Nakamise. There were stands full of delicious smelling food, kimonos, and fans. From here we were ushered into the second gate, Hozomon, and towards the main building of the temple.

Left to Right: Kaminarimon entrance gate, Nakamise market street,
5-tiered pagoda next to Senso-ji Temple

Right outside the temple was a fortune telling stand, which many of us decided to try out. First we had to insert money into a coin box, shake it, and turn it over to receive a stick with a number on it. The number then corresponded to a drawer which contained a slip of paper describing our fortune. I received the fortune called "No. 96 The Best Fortune". Apparently, if you receive a bad fortune it is best to tie your fortune slip to a rack to get rid of any bad luck.

Leading up to the steps of the temple there was a small struture with smoke rising out from it. People gathering around it were wafting the smoke around their faces and heads, as it is said to be sacred and capable of curing illnesses. When we made it inside the temple the ornamentaion and architecture were breathtaking. Looking up we saw two large murals on the ceiling, one of a dragon and the other a bodhisattva. Groups of people were gathering towards the center of the room and dropping coins into a trough. Overall it was really exciting to finally see a Buddhist temple in person, especially since I researched Buddhist art and architecture for a previous class.

Left to Right: Smoke rising from cauldron, Rack outside fortune stand,
Ceiling mural of bodhisattva

Of course, we had to take advantage of the Nakamise street markets before leaving, so my roommate and I headed down the strip to pick up some souvenirs. Luckily, I had just enough time to find a beautiful folding fan - something I was set on purchasing before leaving Japan.

Our last stop of the day was Akihabara, otherwise known as the electric town. This area is heaven for anyone interested in electronics, games, and anime. It's also a haven of new and used goods, as we found out by visiting Super Potato: a store packed with classic games and consoles that became obsolete years ago. By now we were accustomed to going through floor after floor of merchandise. They even had special floors dedicated to figurines from different games and shows.

All of our shopping and exploring had gotten the best of us and we needed to get some nourishment. Noriko, our instructor and guide, had already made reservations for our first group dinner at a place called Warabiya. I chose a dish with shrimp tempura and pumpkin over a bed of rice. My plate also came with a box of soba noodles and a small dish of, what Noriko explained, was sticky potatoes. Seeing as it was only my second time using chopsticks I was really proud of my ability to eat (almost) normally. And the dinner was scrumptious!

First group dinner at Warabiya

Left to Right: Sony Showroom game testing station, Sackboy character from Little Big Planet,
And an extremely comfy couch we didn't want to leave behind!

We played for awhile and then pried ourselves from the super comfy couch to move onto our next stop: Tokyo Tower. On the way up to the base of the tower we got a chance to walk through Shiba park and see some beautiful Buddhist statues. I couldn't find much information about the tall bodhisattva figure standing atop a lotus throne, which was close to the park entrance. However, I did find the meaning behind a group of small child-like statues. These are know as Jizo statues, in reference to the guardian bodhisattva that protects unborn children. Most of the statues were dressed in tiny clothes or toys. It seems that parents or women will often adorn one of the statues to either mourn a lost child or praise Jizo for healing a child's illness. I've never seen a monument similar to the Jizo statues in America.

Left to Right: Bodhisattva statue on lotus throne, Jizo statues,
Water purification fountain

From the park we headed up the steps to Zojo-ji temple. Once inside we were greeted by the strong smell of incense. I also noticed that this temple was much larger and more enclosed than the first temple (Senso-ji) we visited. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures inside, but I will never forget the elaborate decorations and austere atmosphere we witnessed walking around inside the temple.

At the base of the Tokyo Tower we took a break and bought some crepes, which seem to be popular snack in Japan. Noriko then herded us inside (as we were running a bit late) and we took an elevator up to the main observatory. At this level we were at a height of 150m and the view, of course, was brilliant. I was also impressed with the digital guides they had throughout the observatory. They could switch between past and present modes to show how the city used to be laid out.

We had a nice surpise when Noriko treated us and bought tickets to the highest level, known as the special observatory. Another elevator ride (which you could see out of as you were moving upwards) and we were at a height of 250m with an even grander view. I think the only thing that could top our visit to the tower was the mascots that represented it: the Noppon twin brothers. The brothers, best described as pink coneheads, could be seen throughout the gift shop and rest of the observatory. They even have profiles with birthdates and preferences in the tower's brochure! I think that Japan's use of mascots is ingenuitive and hope that maybe one day it will catch on more in the US.

Left to Right: Display of crepes at Patisserie shop,
Tokyo Tower mascots from http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/english/ , View of Tokyo from Special Observatory

Since we were still behind schedule we got a quick lunch at the tower's food court. This in itself was an experience. I got in line at McDonalds noticing that they had significantly less on the menu than in America. It was nice though because it forced me to make a quicker decision about what I wanted. I ordered a hamburger meal through a series of head nods and pointing. Then when I attempted to throw my water bottle away I must have placed it into the wrong trash bin. A man behind me politely opened the lid of the trash, picked my bottle out, and placed it into the next canister. This would never happen in America! People in the US can definitely learn from Japan about recycling.

Our group split into two, since a few of us would be visiting the game company Arc System Works and the rest would be doing more sight-seeing around Japan. I was part of the group visiting Arc System Works (yay!). After a quick train ride we made it on time to the company's building. The translator also met us in the lobby and we headed up to Arc System Works' floor.

Train systems in Japan = Very Clean, Very Fast, and Very On-Time!

We were greeted with hot green tea and seated in a small conference room. The president, Mr. Minoru Kidooka, arrived and gave us a history of the company followed by a Q&A session. We also got to meet an American who was intering at Arc System Works for 6 months. He told us that he thought he was solid in programming but after getting into the work it got more technical than he expected. The lesson learned here is you can never be too prepared. Overall it was great to get a perspective from someone in the same field who was working in a foreign country and we even got to play the company's newest arcade fighting game called BlazBlue.

This wasn't the end of our trip though. Next we got to meet a developer, and more importantly the developer that launched the concept for the Guilty Gear game series. He was dressed much differently than the president with tattered jeans and jacket, necklaces, and long hair (which made me think of a Japanese rock star). He gave us the background of how his ideas started and explained how much the company and development team had grown, feeling he had much less control over everything than he did at the beginning. During the Q&A a student asked if any Western games had influenced his designs. Surprisingly, he answered that he actually preferred Western games to Japanese ones. He went on to say that he was tired of the same Japanese story lines. Finally he wanted to hear what our favorite games were and after we each went around the table to answer he seemed to know all of them.

Before we left we also got a tour around the office by the art director. The employees were in a large open room with sections of graphics and programming. They seemed to be using similar programs as in the US, like 3ds Max. Everyone thanked us for coming and we received a very generous gift bag full of goodies.

BlazBlue is Arc System Works' newest arcade fighter

Michelle looking sad! It was a bit crowded on the train

An arcade game just for kids in Lotteria

For lunch we made a quick stop at Lotteria, which seemed like a Japanese version of Hardees. However, what stuck out to me was a miniature arcade game in the corner. It was just tall enough for the two little kids playing on it. That's definitely something I haven't seen in the U.S. before.

From Lotteria we walked over to Toei's building and were ushered into the conference room for a quick overview of facilities we would be seeing during our visit. Then we were led over to a screening room where we got to see some of the company's latest trailers, including One Piece and Robo DZ. Robo DZ really got our attention, because even though it was in Japanese we could still understand the humor. I also noticed that the visual style of Robo DZ appeared similar to some of Pixar's work.

From the screening room we began our tour through the building; seeing workstations along the way and getting an upclose demonstration of one of the software programs used by Toei. I had done some research beforehand and found an interview/walkthrough video of Toei Animation, which features a similar demonstration to what we saw on our tour. The video covers techniques used to complete in-between frames for a character from One Piece ( http://tr.truveo.com/Inside-Toei-Animation-Part-1/id/1945781189 ). I was really impressed by the software Toei was using and I hope that some of the functionality of its tools are embraced by other programs (like Photoshop).

Right outside Toei Animation building

Next we were led through the special effects area and watched as two women used character sheets to color in sketches (Paintman software). Another employee explained how effects were composed with Photoshop, showing some layers that were combined to create a bright shine off a character's sword. Lastly we walked through the company's gallery which showcased glass cases with figurines, life size characters, posters, and images from older movies/shows.

Left to Right: Hand painted backgrounds, Special Effects department, Woman explaining color sheets in Paintman

After the tour we were invited back into the conference room for a Q&A session with Mr. Yoshioka, who is a senior advisor at Toei. He had much to say about the various on-going projects they were working on and the benefit of using digital tools for animation. He also said that the demographics of the company between men and women were about 50/50, which was surprising to us since there are less women employed in animation fields in America.

Our time at Toei came to an end and we said our goodbyes. We got a nice gift bag and a final group picture before catching the train for our second stop of the day: Nakano Broadway.

Group photo inside Toei gallery

We entered through Nakano Broadway's gates to a street of shopping. At first we were overwhelmed by the number of stores and all the places we wanted to walk through. There were special stores set aside just for items like socks or key chains! However, most of the stores were second-hand shops with items that were overpriced. Although this discovery was somewhat disappointing, it was a fun experience to see the kinds of stores and items that are popular in Japan.

Not to be outdone for the day, we went to an Italian restaurant close to the hotel for dinner. The pepperoni and mushroom pizzas we ordered hit the spot and I even tried some Asahi beer. Then it was time to go back to the hotel and rest up before another full day of activities.

The Asahi beer was good but I prefer Sapporo!

We had a Q&A session with the president, along with a group of Japanese students that had come on the tour. One thing I noticed about this interaction was that our group was loud and would often speak out, whereas the Japanese students were waiting patiently with hands raised. I also felt like our group monopolized the conversation and it was eye-opening to witness the difference between our cultures in person.

Before we left the president wanted to know why we enjoyed Japanese animation; to which we responded the storyline, aesthetic style, and substance of the plots. He was curious about the kinds of programs we liked in America. We told him that shows like Spongebob and South Park were popular, but that enough people simply didn't know about anime or the range of storylines it encompasses (rather than just kids shows like Pokemon).

Left to Right: Employee working on digital backgrounds (with makeshift wall to block out light),
President showing storyboards, Storyboard sketches close-up

$9 Japanese Margarita == 1/3 size of a Margarita I could get in U.S.

The museum had a great exhibit about achieving motion with still images. On the wall they had images of characters in different stages of a pose. Then in a separate glass display they had physical models of those images revolving around an axis illuminated by a strobe light. The effect was amazing because the tiny 3d models of the characters appeared to move on their own, like a physical 3d animation. Other rooms in the museum were filled with sketches and drawings from Miyazaki's older films. One room they even had a drawing table set up with tools as if an artist was working there.

On our way to the outside levels of the museum we walked past the Cat Bus room. Cat Bus is a character from Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro and a giant version of it was filled with children playing on top and inside of it, almost an inside playground. Once outside we took a spiral staircase up to the top level of the building. There was a giant statue of a robot character with a line of people waiting to get pictures in front of it. Then we took a winding path through some small trees that ended in a small opening with a large metal cube sitting. I wasn't sure what either of these statues were at first, so I looked it up online and found that they are both from the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

Aside from the expensive soup I ordered for lunch the visit to Ghibli was a fun experience. I even bought a small plush keychain of Chibi Totoro, another character from My Neighbor Totoro, so I have a memento of our visit there.

Left to Right: Inside Microsoft Japan's waiting room,
Xbox 360 banner with some cool doodling

From Ghibli we made our way over to Microsoft where we were taken into a waiting room. They gave us guest tags to put on our shirts and then brought us into a large conference room. We didn't actually get to tour anything there, except for maybe the lounge area. Instead Microsoft had prepared a special presentation for us.

An XNA Program Manager, Mr. Yuji Suzuki, started off the presentation talking about the latest additions to Xbox 360 content, including the change of interface and avatars through Xbox Live. Then a developer came up to the front and spoke for awhile about the latest games they were designing and the use of middleware (Unreal Engine). He said that it was harder for the teams to use middleware engines because of translation issues and that they were in the process of building their own game engines to work with instead.

Two more representatives gave presentations from a marketing perspective. I really enjoyed the PR presentation because we got to see some examples of localizing game content, like the differences between the Halo 3 commercial in Japan versus America. We also participated in a workshop at the end where everyone broke into teams and had to come up with global and domestic marketing solutions for a game. My team had some pretty bogus ideas (like advertising things with Japan's Boss Coffee), but the Microsoft reps liked it and we won some nice prizes. We received a bag with a Halo 3 t-shirt, Xbox 360 Halo 3 faceplate, and some other small goodies.

After all the excitement at Microsoft (we were there for over 4 hours!) we left to find a place to get dinner. A local Mexican restaurant, called El Torito, seemed to be everybody's first choice. It actually turned out to be really good and as authentic as it gets in America (except for maybe the portion-size). I ordered nachos and got a tiny plate with four chips covered in beans. However, the Mango Margarita I ordered made up for this since it was normal size!

Very happy with a normal size Mango Margarita!