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