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/

Japantown in San Francisco is one of a kind. By one of a kind, of course, I mean “one of the three Japan towns in America,” but I’m not about to let semantics get in the way of a truly good bullshit tagline. I have standards to maintain and women with a specious interest in me to impress.

Moving on.

In the pantheon of American Japanese enclaves, SF’s Japantown can claim to be not only the oldest but possibly the most historically significant. The six block area, located in the beatific and picaresque northern part of the city, is home to variety of Japanese businesses, restaurants, entertainment venues, and bars. It was also a hotly-contested area that was gutted of Japanese inhabitants during the internments of WW2. Referred to as “Nihon-machi,” the neighborhood has recently received a boost by way of Viz entertainment’s “New People” building, a 3 story testament to Japanese pop culture that manages the odd feat of being as striking as it is non-descript in its combination of cool modern design and pleasantly bland artifice.

As you may or may not know, I am not Jessica Nigri and thus nobody gives a rat’s ass about what I type here. BA DUM DUM. You may also know that I was intermixi’s “man on the ground” in Japan for a few years and relocated to the Bay Area just awhile ago.

For many who live or have lived abroad, the specter of reverse culture shock looms large, waiting to pounce at any instant. In your “home” country, you come home, go to work, do your job, and understand everything on an innate level, right? But after a few years in a foreign country where your life is the equivalent of a never-ending game of Tetris, this can bore the living hell out of you. Ennui sets in. You know what to say. You know what to do. Ordering the organic blend for 1.75 doesn’t require memorizing 5 sentences anymore. Conversations don’t sound like music. You don’t feel triumphant after talking about what you studied at school or who your favorite director is at at the moment.

What to do?

Bam.

Nijiya.

Allow me to play Randolph and Mortimer* on this one for you.

Nijiya is a Japanese super-market, an oasis, and a solution to the occasional cravings I have for food that would perplex the screaming hell out of my father. There are 12 locations in the US, 4 of which are in the Bay Area. I can’t speak authoritatively about the LA metroplex, as it’s a total hole whose incineration will not only improve the quality of living for hungry coyotes but also for sane people in general, but I know there is some kind of horrific overly-tan equivalent there as well. Google says 5 Nijiyas are in and around LA. Good luck surviving the drive over to one.

With that said, I would like to be clear when I state that Nijiya is not LIKE a Japanese grocery store. Nijiya IS a Japanese grocery store, all the way down to its branded products, the manner of the staff, and the J-pop emanating from the in-store speaker system. It’s a space-time wormhole, an insta-portal to modern Japan. Much like Japanese marketing is wont to do, everything on the aisles calls to you in its own certain, confident way… from the brash come-ons of the imported hair care goo to the re-assuring paternalism of the “plain” white rice. This is all a lot more fun that it sounds on paper. Sure, you can embrace the ever-mutating canon of meaning, marketing, and intertextual cross-breeding at work at this inter-cultural gourmet humpfest, but you can also simply stare at crazy shit.

Which, really, is often its own reward.

Nijiya’s stock encompasses all that you would expect from a Japanese supermarket. Veggies, curry, candy, toys, unagi, magazines, sushi rolls, croquettes, beer, green tea ice cream, mochi, ramen, miso, and fresh fish surround you, all vying for your dollar. While the interior of the Nijiya in San Francisco isn’t exactly the most comforting space, we’re not talking about visiting the Guggenheim here. And that’s what makes it fun.

It’s much more akin to the Japanese video game experience than a Whole Foods or a Safeway food run would be. Hunt, find, laugh, procure, protect, consume, rejoice. Repeat until fat and/or too tired to continue. Burp when necessary.

I know I’m rambling here, but this stuff is really exciting and comforting for lot of people. You can’t help but be moved in some way by watching a Japanese family shop at Nijiya. They are often people who have come thousands of miles to live and work in the US, and their brief respite from Silicone Valley comes in those small moments when they go to buy yakitori and listen to old Koda Kumi songs in a fluorescent haze. For just a little while, they’re home, wondering if the Hanshin Tigers will pull it together or if the Tokyo Giants have it on lock this year, too. There’s something about that that’s special and worth celebrating, like finding a five dollar bill in an old pair of pants or something.

Culture isn’t about the big things. Culture is about the little things. Every place you go, everywhere in the world, will have its own minute variation on a theme or product or ethos, and exploring them is one of the most noble duties we have as people. This is part of the intermixi mission statement, which we’re all considering tattooing onto our backs once we find a way to write it out in sexy Japanese kanji.

Besides, if you’re going to start exploring the world, why not fill your stomach at the same time?

Nijiya’s San Francisco store is open from 10 AM to 8 PM. You can recognize Evan there because he is wearing an obscure band t-shirt and only buys coffee and veggie croquettes.

* =

Intermixi’s carrying a full load this time.
And we’re STOKED.
What to do? What to bring? What to see? Well, um, we wrote the book on it, so don’t sweat it.
The bigger question is “are you ready for the Tokyo Game Show?” Who wants to be over-loaded completely by the biggest, noisest, most exciting neon monstrosities in existence? ANSWER… Wii do!
Next week lingering questions will be answered and new conundrums will arise. What will Konami do? What about the 360?? Playstation 3?? What about the next permutation of the DS??!? HOW WILL WE LIVE?!!?!! New heroes will emerge, as will new villains, and old friends and enemies will once again saunter into view on the great electronic battlefield where are dreams are writ large. Anything is possible, and we can’t wait to see it!

DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE! WHO’S IN?!?!

We are enterprising men and women at Intermixi. Tough, fastidious, hard-driven, precise. We are machines.
And we call boo-shit.
Perhaps I’m outing myself as the IM conspiracy brother, but that Kanye VMA thing was BS. He and that Swift girl have the same agent, and big event producers make enough money to buy 10 Somali children a day. You think that thing wasn’t locked-down and planned out like a CIA assasination? Pshaw, my friend. Pshaw.
Regardless, we think it was pansy-tastic. Some guy who looks like a Back To The Future 2 extra screaming at a tiny, confused, over-dressed white girl? I already live in San Francisco, dude. I see this every time I walk through the Fillmore. True, it’ hilarious, but it’s not NEW.
Somebody needs to step the game up. If you’re going to make yourself look like a victim for the sake of your career, at least make it really amusing… by hiring us.
That’s right. For a nominal fee, the intermixi staff and I will make your descent into sacrificed goat status as hilarious as is it passively-aggressively aggrandizing. How will we do it? The same way we made Japan our own private playground – by being sarcastic.
Not ready to throw out some dough yet? Alright, we’ll give you a taste. Because we care.
Example 1. Office retirement party. Just as you are about to receive your award for years of hard work and dedicated service, one of us runs through the office crying “DADDY! WHY WON’T YOU ACCEPT ME?!?” and preceeding to explain to anybody who will listen that after mom died we lost touch and that we couldn’t find you, etc. Then we’ll go on about how we loved you and how we didn’t care about the other family, the cocaine problem, yadda yadda. As you go into stunned “shock”, Isaac will bust through the wall dressed like the Kool-aid man and scream “OH YEAH!”
The appeal is self-evident – Captain “how’s the weather?” is now re-cast as “wizened old man who used to throw it around too much for his own good.” You’re lookin’ smoother than ever, Admiral Out-o’-Wedlock!
Example 2. Commitment hearing. So you’re crazy. Big deal. Crazy people have done lots of great things, like write great books or allow me to make out with them. So let’s make your trip to the hospital something to remember before you start a daily diet of electro-shock therapy. Just as the verdict is read at your review, we’ll have C-lo and the other guy from Gnarls Barkley who nobody gives a shit about show up and start singing a diddy for the ages. Namely…

Hey, you MIGHT be crazy, but you’ll provide everybody with a toe-tapping moment.
Note – No matter WHAT, we will not get Billy Joel into the mix on this one. Dude’s driving is not reliable.
EXAMPLE 3. Wedding crash. So the big day has come and you’ve got what the kids are calling “Cold Feet”, eh? Well, that’s what God made 90 ton, one hundred foot-tall robots for. With just enough notice, we’ll be more than happy to give you a pass on the old “I do” by smashing into your wedding in one of these sum-umma bitches…

Sure, you may have to front the bill for the cost of the wedding (Pro-tip? GET INSURANCE), but we’ll go one better and “accidentally” stomp on a few people you don’t happen to like while we’re there, assuming they’re over-weight and poorly coordinated.
Just think… it can be a special day for both of you!*
So if you’re thinkin’ about shooting yourself in the foot so that everybody can compliment you on the bandages, and you need a button man, then holler at your boys. We’re not afraid to be jerks… if your check can clear.
* Note – Must provide your own ridiculously over-sized, blatant over-compensation machine. We are not responsible for not being able to pilot it or starting an intergalactic war.

Shot in the offices of Intermixi.com, Tokyogetter.com sits down with Isaac S. Lew (creator of Intermixi/Kabukicho) and Joe Doughrity (creator & Director of Seven Days in Japan/Akira’s Hip Hop shop) to discuss a variety of topics. This segment focuses on each creators beginnings and peaks into the first time these creators meet each other. Also learn some interesting things on Seven Days in Japan and how it might of never came to be.

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.

Will you be getting your “This is it” ticket?

In the meantime Japan is getting ready with it’s own moonwalking competition!

“Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss.”
- Epicurus, a long-dead guy with a neat name.

I found you during a harsh time in my life. I was 25 years old, living in the south of Japan, fresh from a breakup with both my band and a woman whom I adored, and looking for meaning as I attempted to gain even a perfunctory knowledge of a language that to this day seems hell-bent on being completely incomprehensible to me.

And there you were.

You were relegated to a place far beneath you, some cast-off alley where you’d be ignored forever, but you stood there proudly. You were all confidence and sleek lines, bright yet slightly melancholic, and as enticing as any oasis. We fixed our eyes upon each other. All time stood still, all existence but ours meaningless. We didn’t need the words “yes” or “please.”

I took you home.

I made you mine.

Then you left.

Much like Ahab chased a whale, his life a torrid maelstrom of frustration and obsession, I chased you. Sure, others came and went. Wedding Cake tried to entice me, but it’s bland sweetness and over-exuberance annoyed my sensibilities. Bitter Chocolate’s studied indifference was much too “2^nd year art school Velvet Underground fan” for me. Choco Almond was a cluster hump of cloying appeal mixed with the kind of need for approval that strikes us when we’re lonely and desperate but too proud to admit it. Strawberry went from passionate lover to caring cohort, knowing that she could only placate my pain and never engage me in the way that you had. I valued her friendship, but I knew that a love affair would only end in disappointment for the both of us. We stayed with each other like two wounded animals in the snow, trying to keep conscious and avoid drifting off into the dark, but we both knew it was a losing battle.

I tried. I tried as hard as I could. I couldn’t forget you, Choco Banana pocky.

Your return last Saturday was unexpected. Am I wrong to feel conflicted by it? Sure, your parents, Glico, are as disinterested and over-funded as any Euro blueblood family out there, but that doesn’t mean you can waltz in and out of my life like a character from some trashy libertine’s bedside reading material. I’m not a whore, trading in cold comfort. I am a man. I have heart, I have pride, and I have needs.

Regardless, if you are truly a “limited time offer,” as if such crass labels could be applied to affairs of the heart, then I will indulge in your presence no matter how much I know that I will come to regret it. But let’s not be dishonest: the reason that you’re back is because you need me as much as I need you. One day we will tire of such games.

But for now, let’s forget about it and just be.

I got you, babe.

Glico’s Choco Banana Pocky flavor has returned after what I believe is a 3 year absence. It is available at Japanese grocery stores and various other outlets. It is also, in my experience, strewn about the floor in bedrooms where Gustav Mahler plays softly in the background on a gray Sunday afternoon while I contemplate what the hell I’m doing with my life.

This shot was taken moments before Kenichi Matsuyama would accept his Yellow Fever Award.

Poor taste Mr. Crop circle head… Poor taste…

With the Tokyo Game Show kicking off in just two weeks, the organizers are starting to fill us in on some of the neat things that will be on display: Like ancient Japanese warlord armor.

The Game Science Museum, which will exhibit game technologies, histories, and trends, will be set up this year in three of the show’s halls . One of those displays will be focused on games related to sengoku samurai (feudal warlords) and will include an exhibition of the armor and helmets of nine of the most popular Japanese warlords.

(Source Kotaku)