Well, this is some great news.

The band most famously known for doing Deathnote’s “What up people?” among other hits will be traveling on their “Tsume Final Tour” in Osaka. Guess who’s going to be staying in the Osaka area around that time?

Neo Tokyo’s Kame Hame Kansai extend part of the tour!

In terms of how the tickets are sold this time, Einherjar at maximumthehormone.net had this to say:

“Lasts shows for the “Tsume Final Tour” are confirmed and tickets are in stock ! You can buy it now on our Tickets Shop. A new things about these tickets ! They are nominative and you can get it on the official website. This solution was taken to avoid purchasing and reselling so only one name will be registered for one ticket and a ID control will be conducted at the entrance of each show !”

So Maximum the Hormone will be preforming, Intermixi will be in Japan. What more do we need? Make your reservation today!!!!

Talk about it here.

Here’s something I stumbled across for your Video Sunday:

Is this for real?!

Reuters | Wednesday, 21 January 2009

US president Barack Obama’s speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan – as an aid to learning English.

An English-language textbook, The Speeches of Barack Obama, has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new US leader’s face.

“Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English, because their contents are good and their words are easy to catch,” said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

“Obama’s is especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as ‘yes, we can,’ ‘change’ and ‘hope’ that even Japanese people can memorize,” he said.

Speeches by President George W Bush and former nominee John Kerry’s four years ago did not have the same appeal, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians, Yamamoto said.

“In Japan, we don’t have politicians who have such a positive influence. That’s why we have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes.”

The 95-page paperback features Obama’s speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.

The 1050 yen book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon’s Japanese Website.

“Readers have sent in postcards saying that when they heard the speeches, they were so moved and cried even though they don’t understand English very well,” Yamamoto said.

He said lawmakers from Japan’s main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama’s speeches.

Following Obama’s inauguration, Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address of 1863.

In lieu of America’s biggest historical event happening today. Intermixi is getting the “Obama bump” as well…

In a way to boost “economical strength” and “stimulate” the otaku pop culture mind, we’ve decided to extend the “$100 off” deal till the end of this month. This tour is ready to go, but I realized our staff as well as our customers signing up have been a little distracted once the New Year got underway. We all lost track of time… Now is the time…

So, to recap:

Discount for sign up deadline: Jan 31st

Final tour signup deadline: Feb 14th

The Neo Tokyo Spring tour departure: March 17th

Can we have a great time in Japan?

Yes we can!

It’s Intermixi Sunday video night!

Ladies and gentlemen… first shown on the TGS ‘08 tour…

Final Fantasy Versus XIII:

Behold the prettiness.

Check out the forum post for the HD link.

“Learning the way of the Samurai.”

A special addition to our Spring Intermixi tours will be a visit to a Samurai sword training school, where tour members can get a taste of the samurai experience by engaging in a training and tutoring session with Japanese sword-masters. This unique and rare experience is sure to have you swatting flies out of the air with renewed vigor and passion in no time. KI-YAHHHHHH!

Here’s some more of the older videos we were talking about from the Tokyo Game Show tour:

The recap from the customers:

I always find it interesting, the almost spiritual enlightenment many of our customers feel after it’s all said and done.

“Your best memory was?”

“Japan is so safe! Spring tour for sure!”

“I don’t want to go back”

Here’s a clip of the farewell drink I have every time since the first time visiting Japan. It became such an interesting story, the Intermixers started to get in on tradition:

Want to start your own tradition? The Neo Tokyo Spring tour is only months away! Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Click here for more info.