Recently Intermixi’s owner (and our boss) Isaac (more known to the world as Akasan) took some long awaited personal time off after the Tokyo Game Show tour. One of his last stops was super country side Yame, Fukuoka. (home of the currently jailed former Livedoor.jp president, betcha didn’t know that huh?)

Yame is very, very country side and is know for it’s miles and miles of rice fields, there’s only one Mcdonalds and the bathroom irrigation system is something best left to the imagination. Thus you won’t find too many foreigners out here, let alone someone that looks like our Akasan.

See what happens when Aka visit a daycare center and basically gives these young kids a shock!!! Will they love or flee?

Cont: (And yes… he wears that Intermixi hoodie everywhere.)

BONUS:

Here’s Aka trying to teach young Kouta how to play a “Rock Band style” drum machine. With the drooling chin, at least he got the “druggie” part of the rock lifestyle down…

Japanese lesson for today: “Wakaru?” (Do you understand?)

Do you like temples? Here’s your moment of Zen courtesy of Intermixer Travis Kirk:



His video highlights some of coolest landmark in Japan! (During the Tokyo Game Show tour + Kame Hame Kansai ext.)

*Music is provided courtesy of Intermixi’s very own Mary Ann.

And now…

Courtesy of Intermixer Greg:

Tokyo Game Show Babes!

Kristian Reg, (Intermixi’s Anime Expo 09 “Win a trip to Japan” winner) was part of the Tokyo Game Show Tour. His first time to experience Japan, Kristian was kinda enough to recap everyday that went by on his Intermixi tour.


DAY THREE:


Today was none other than the Tokyo Game Show. Man oh man, it may not be as big as E3, but it sure is packed with people and stuff to see. This was neat to see videos on games to be released as well as play games that are ready to be released. Not too much to describe here, besides you have to be there to enjoy that unique experience.


DAY FOUR:


This day of the tour was the trek out to the Square Enix showroom. The showroom itself was amazing. They have a life sized Sephiroth, as well as a huge wall of figures and statues. This was a half day for us, so we all went separate ways. A handful of us went to Odaiba to sight see, but our main goal was to tackle the Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) challenge at Muscle Park. Long story short, it’s impossible. Not really, as one person who tried seemed like he could do it, but ultimately failed like the rest of us. Out of tour members trying, only one of us had real potential, but was even shut out of finishing two of the four obstacles.


DAY FIVE:


Day five of Tokyo was our free day. Armed with the knowledge given to us by tour guides and our tour leader, Aka-san, we all ventured out in our seperate directions. Thanks to the map from Adrian, I was able to find all of the needed items I marked down during our tour of Akiba. I was also able to go back to the temple in Asakusa to get various gifts for friends and family. Aka-san had a treat for us for the evening activities which was a karaoke night with another group of Americans who were in Japan for TGS. This was a great night, although too great for me as I got drunk, and in some ways as referenced by the other tour members, part of the entertainment.

Kristian Reg, (Intermixi’s Anime Expo 09 “Win a trip to Japan” winner) was part of the Tokyo Game Show Tour. The first time to experience Japan, Kristian was kinda enough to recap everyday that went by on his Intermixi tour.


This was my first experience with Japan. First and foremost Isaac, known to most as Aka-san, provided a friendly environment for the returning members and new members to the tour. Our experience started for me in LAX. We met up with some tour members who have taken the Intermixi experience. Immediately, Isaac was quick to bring up topics to keep the group entertained, based on common interests. This will be a recurring theme throughout the tour.


After we landed in Japan, we met up with the remaining tour members, who were waiting at the airport. We boarded our shuttle bus and headed for our hotel, the Shinagawa Prince. This would be our base of operations for the next 6 days in Tokyo. The accomodations that were set up for us were great. The hotel was right near the train station, which gave us easy access. The tour days were set up nicely, so that tour members had time (depending on how early a riser you were) to do activities before the tour agenda started for the day. On day one, a good number of us were interested in going to the Tsukiji fish market. We went early enough to get some breakfast and sight see, but not early enough to see the auction. This was a great intro into what we were going to see for the rest of Tokyo, lots of people, all somehow harmonizing in what seemed like chaos. Literally the spaghetti of loading trucks moving around a small area, where people were walking and working seemed like an accident could happen any minute, but it all just seemed to work.


DAY ONE


On day one we went on a Tokyo culture tour. Man, we were in for a treat here. Our tour guide for the day was really well prepared, witty, and ready to handle the “man tour”. Our first stop was the Imperial palace. Oka-san, or as she also allowed us to call her, okaasan (mother), was very informative in describing the use of the palace, the design of the gates, as well as an in depth breakdown of the Japanese imperial family and breakdown of succession. This amount of detail would follow as we walked around form location to location. Our next stop was a temple in Asakusa. This temple was neat as Oka-san showed us different traditions as well as opened us up to lots of the little vendors that were outside of the temple. Our next stop was the Tokyo government building, where we got to see a nice high up layout of Tokyo via an observation deck. Next we walked to Kabukicho where in the process we stopped at this “Love” sign, where we got to take photos. This was significant to some tour members as it was featured in various anime or Japanese dramas. This type of catering towards the tour members was a neat feature that may not get covered in a normal tour. We then traveled to Harajuku for more sightseeing. Day one was a neat experience, as our tour guide, Oka-san, was always very quick to offer information in the smallest of areas as well as open to answer a lot of our questions about Japan.


DAY TWO


Day two was a super treat to all of us self-proclaimed otakus, as we were transported to noneother than the mecca of otakus, Akihabara, or Akiba for short. Man, you could spend weeks here and not see everything. It literally is a labyrinth of endless shops with even more endless back alleys and floors that you would miss if you couldn’t read the language, or if you didn’t have a tour guide. Again, Aka-san got us a great tour guide. Adrian, who is an American living in Akihabara, gave us a great well rounded tour. He started out by handing us this neat booklet with a map of our stops and a glossary of terms used in Akiba. This would be super helpful on our day off, as a lot of us went to Akiba to look around and hunt for treasure. Adrian started off the tour with a historical background of Akiba, then a foot tour of some neat shops, always giving tons of interesting info along the way. One of the stops on the tour was a maid cafe. This was a treat to witness a neat game of jan-ken-pon for ingredients to a drink. If the maid wins, she often puts gross stuff in a drink, usually natto, octopus, or a raw egg. If the player wins, he can put whatever he likes, which the good ingredients are chocolate or caramel syrup. All of this is to win a picture with the maid, if you can drink the concoction. If you gag or fail to finish, she slaps you. And from the video playing in the cafe, it’s not a light slap, it’s a full on slap. Luckily the tour member who opted for the game, downed his drink, which the only gross item present, was a raw egg. So, he received his prize, which was a pic with the lovely maid. All in all, the tour of Akiba was mostly informative to the noob venturing off in the huge maze of shops. Giving us tips on where to find the best bargains and showing us unique shops that may be unkown to us.

Here’s a little “TGS babeage” for your TGIF! (That works right?)

By Reptiles & Samurai:

By Akasan:

The women were definitely out this year for Tokyo Game Show! Yet again proving the best way to counter a recession? “Raging Hormones”

Oh, I think there were some games there as well…

We’re Back!

All members of the 2009 Tokyo Game Show tour are completely back and ready to share their experiences with your.

Stay tuned for more pictures and video updates!

Thanks for a great tour!!!

We are more than halfway through our Tokyo Game Show tour! Here’s some sweet pics to check out!

We are men hear us roar!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25682980@N04/sets/72157622352637445/

Intermixi asked some individuals to post their experiences before, during and after the Tokyo Game Show Tour.

Here’s what they have to say:

Eric Hans Kars

Here I am, it’s Saturday, September 19, and I’m about four days out from traveling back to Japan. This will be my third time visting, all under the guidance and leadership of the incomparable Aka-san. And you know what? I’m just as excited about going for my third time as I was on my first.

It’s funny, but you would think a trip as big as this would be something I would have kept track of. Yet, I only realized about a week ago that this was really happening! That I was going back to see Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto! Luckily, I planned ahead a little bit and had some $$$ changed into • at my bank so I would already have cash upon landing (it helps to actually have the correct currency if I want to get some snacks at the airport). But this week I’ve been a whirlwind of activity; getting supplies and medicine, taking care of bills early, preparing my cameras, charging my netbook and psp, and zoning out at work occasionally because I’d rather think about Japan.

So, what am I looking for on this trip? Wherever I go, I always want to experience the culture, people and food. Mmmmmmmmm … food and drink! Okinomiyaki, yakisoba, ramen, curry, Mos Burger, yakiniku, Asahi Super Dry, sake, tea! I am a huge gamer, so the fact that Intermixi is going to the Tokyo Game Show is Pure Win! Shopping, and this time not just for myself. There’s so much I can buy: electronics, games, souvenirs, figures, anime goods/merchandise, clothes, etc. I plan on taking a lot of pictures wherever we go. I’ve kind of taken up photography as a minor hobby, and I am hoping that I can really capture some memories. Going through the cities, walking in the big intersection in Shibuya, seeing Hachiko, walking through Harajuku, maybe even see some street performers. I also can’t wait to meet the other people going on this tour. I’ve met great people on my previous tours, and I expect that trend to continue.

Ugh, I still have a lot to do. It doesn’t help that I will be visiting a friend in Los Angeles, so I need to have everything ready and packed before I fly out tomorrow. But it doesn’t matter, this is what a trip is all about!

Travis “Reptiles and Samurai” Kirk

So, it is the Saturday before my third
trip to Japan with Intermixi and I’m just as excited as I was the
first trip. I’m so restless right now I have to do something to keep
myself occupied. I’ve done all my packing. I’ve picked up all the
travel accessories I will need. I’ve charged the battery for my
netbook. Got my passport and travelers checks ready. Now I have to
find something to do for the next couple of days. Maybe I’ll try and
study some more Japanese.

A few weeks ago, Aka-san asked me what
I was looking forward to most on this trip. That’s kind of a hard
question to answer. While I’m looking forward to TGS, it’s not what
I’m most excited for.  I think the things I’m really looking forward
to are the little things. The smell of Dontonbori at night.
Overstuffed Tokyo trains. Hanging out with Intermixi people.
Wandering through Yokohama looking for a live house. Onigiri and
Asahi tall boys from a cobini.  Ramen. Yakatori. Being overwhelmed by
the number of people at Shibuya crossing on a Wednesday night. I
think those are the tings I’m looking forward to the most.

Intermixi breaks barriers and gets on TV!

(kinda…)

Here’s a clip of last year Tokyo Game Show tour 2008.

Penguins…. helping to sell shaved ice cream.

Very strange indeed.