Ever since the series Brain Age was released on Nintendo’s DS, those in need of learning Japanese knew the potential DS would have in teaching cross cultures and languages. We’ve been waiting for years now, for any glimpse of hope that there’s a big enough market for some developer to finally step up and put out a tool for those that want to learn.

October 14th 2008…

It appears “My Japanese Coach” is the answer.

But does it meet the demand?

Intermixer Kimberly reviews it for us:

Perfect for prepping the upcoming spring tour. Perhaps we should all play it on the plane ride over…

Yes, the Pre-Order font screams “TRON!!!!”, but we’re very happy to finally introduce our apparel line.

Now we can rock our love of all things Japanese 24/7… Sugoi!!!

Hey and check it out. Even LA’s own urban vocalist Cassnova Jones was showing some love at the Good Hurt show recently!

Check out some photos, video and the myspace below.

“Vanilla” by Gackt just caught my attention and I thought I’d share it with all of you Intermixers.

Advent Children meets Rick Martin ladies and gentlemen… Living La vida loca!

But, why not pass up an opportunity to showcase the trailer for the new Advent Children on Blu ray right?

Several of us on Intermixi’s TGS tour caught this trailer (among over 9,000 other trailers!) at the Square Enix Booth.

Remixed, remastered and contains brand new scenes…

Now to just buy a blu ray player…

For that matter a HDTV…

Intermixi Japan Tours is now on facebook. We’re not sure what happens next or what the difference between “poking” and “super poking” is. But using anime logic we’re assuming your fingers turn bright yellow in a “super poke”. Let’s hope it’s not for a “super kancho attack move” or someone might be walking funny.

We also have a myspace page. But all it is now is my abandoned hopes and dreams of rock star life. I’ll try and clean it up sooner or later.

Check out Mashable for their opinion on which social site is better:

Umm… I think I know where I stand.

Oh and I was playing Web of Shadows recently… Apparently Wolverine has a page too!

Your friendly neighborhood Spiderman has webslung it’s way to Universal Studio Japan!

In keeping with spider’s legs theme they have 8 spices going into this Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen delight!

When Intermixi heads out to Kansai this spring, hunting this down is a must!

By JAY ALABASTER

OBAMA, Japan (AP) — The Obama Girls were halfway through their routine when the results came in on overhead TVs.

Barack Obama had been elected U.S. president, and the citizens of Obama, Japan, were ecstatic. Dozens of supporters swarmed the stage and joined hands, jumping up and down as they chanted “Obama! Obama! Obama!”

The Obama campaign brought an air of excitement to this normally sleepy seaside town. Local leaders, trying to revive the economy, latched onto the connection as a way to promote tourism. An “Obama for Obama” supporters group attracted 1,500 members.

And then there are the Obama Girls, a hula dance group formed in honor of Obama’s Hawaiian heritage.

“This is great. I followed the election closely on TV. I’m hoping Obama can make the world more peaceful,” said Akino Nakaoji, 34, still wearing a bright blue skirt and flowered lei necklace from her hula performance earlier in the day.

It was lunchtime Wednesday in Japan when the U.S. election results came in.

“It was over so fast, I’m glad I got a chance to dance,” said Satoru Wada, a 38-year-old male member of the hula squad, before heading back to work at a hotel.

Obama has a population of 32,000, smaller than the crowds the candidate drew at many of his U.S. campaign stops.

While few along its quiet streets could name his policy proposals, his optimism and upbeat message of change resonates well here.

Obama, which means “little beach” in Japanese, is a former fishing town that now relies almost entirely on tourism. More than 500 years old, it boasts several ancient temples and a distinctive hand-painted lacquerware.

But the rustic town, wrapped around a stretch of sandy beach and surrounded by wooded hills, is not well-known, even among Japanese tourists.

So Obama’s success has been a welcome boon.

The town has been featured repeatedly in the domestic and international media, and the number of visitors has increased 20 percent since it linked itself to the Obama campaign, said Shigeyoshi Takeda, who heads the city tourism bureau.

“We’ve had a lot more customers since the campaign, especially foreigners. We rarely had foreigners here before,” said Atsuko Ikeda, 38, the cheery owner of a watering hole on the main shopping street.

Obama’s mayor, Kouji Matsuzaki, himself won election with a campaign based on the English word “change.” He said he plans to invite Obama to visit Obama, and dispatched a congratulatory telegram to the president-elect.

“We are looking into making him a special honorary citizen,” Matsuzaki said.

The Kenyan ambassador to Japan, Dennis N.O. Awori, swept into town and said his country was considering building a special airport near Obama’s ancestral village so he could fly in on Air Force One. Obama’s father was from Kenya.

“It’s huge — primarily because it’s so inspirational,” Awori said of the election, accepting a tie with Obama’s picture on it from the local supporters’ group.

The mastermind behind the “Obama for Obama” campaign, Seiji Fujiwara, is executive director of one of the town’s largest hotels. He said the town has several business leaders with marketing experience that jumped on the opportunity.

“There are other towns named Obama in Japan, but we were the first to react,” he said.

Town officials sent gifts and received an official letter from the campaign, signed “Your friend” in Japanese.

Fujiwara said the support group is already planning its future moves. Among them: Go to Washington for the inauguration in January and perform a hula dance.

AP DIRECT LINK