THIS IS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!

“ Secret of Mana, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2 (聖剣伝説2, Seiken Densetsu Tsū, lit. “The Legend of the Holy Sword 2″), is an action role-playing game (RPG) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii’s Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009. Secret of Mana is the sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure for the Game Boy and the second installment in the Mana video game series.

Rather than using the traditional turn-based battle system of games like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana utilizes real-time battles akin to the Legend of Zelda series, also employing typical RPG elements and a unique “Ring Command” menu system. With its brightly-colored graphics, expansive plot, innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay, and acclaimed soundtrack by Hiroki Kikuta, Secret of Mana was an influential game in its time.” (Wikipedia, accessed July 17, ’10).

My favorite feature of Secret of Mana is the following; ”The game may be played simultaneously by two or three players.”! This is awesome for SNES!! I’ve always watned to play Secret of Mana since it was out in stores, but for some reason the English ver. wasn’t available in our region. 16 yhear later, now I’m reconsidering playing this game on PSP! Yes, I will downgrade and abuse my PSP for those SNES, NES, SEGA, GAMEGEAR and GAMEBOY ROMs~

” Ikebukuro (池袋), the largest city located in Toshima ward, is a commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.

At the center of Ikebukuro is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and the Tōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station is the second busiest station in Japan, second only to Shinjuku Station.Around the station are the Seibu and Tōbu department stores. Seibu, written with the characters for “West” and “Musashi (province)” 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for “East” and “Musashi” 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison, stands Sunshine 60, which was Tokyo’s tallest building at the time of its construction. Otome Road, a leading shopping area for otaku products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui and Don Quijote also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera. There is a small pleasure district similar to Shinjuku’s Kabukichō, but less lively and less attractive for tourists.” (Wikipedia, accessed July 17, ’10).

Ikebukuro is one of my favorite areas in Tokyo mainly ‘cos of two reasons. First, Ikebukuro is where I’ve stayed during my ”FIRST” visit to Tokyo. Second, it’s fun and busy all day. Ikebukuro is not usually included in tourits’ must-see places/locations as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ginza may attract typical tourists more, besides their more convenient locations compared to Ikebukuro.

“Mount Bizan (眉山, Bizan) is a mountain in Tokushima. Its name is formed of the kanji for eyebrow, and it is said to have earned this name because the mountain looks like an eyebrow from all views. Known as a symbol of Tokushima City, the name Mount Bizan appears in many school songs in the city district, such as the Tokushima Prefectural Jonan High School, Tokushima Municipal High School and many more. Furthermore, in 2007 Mount Bizan became widely known as the setting for a national movie of the same name, based on a book by Sada Masashi.”(Wikipedia, accessed July 9, ’10).

Althought I’ve never been to this mountain, in Japan I’ve only been to Mt. Fuji which I didn’t post/talk about in my blog as it’s VERY famous and I don’t have to re-define/discuss a common and a “VERY BEAUTIFUL&STUNNING” thing again… Anyway, back to Mt. Bizan, when I’ve first knew/read/watched/heard about it was on NHK. I was like “Oh no anoher Mountain to visit wow, I’ll add it to my must see list”, I really liked the flat peak , the “eyebrow”!

Before, I thought the most interesting attractions in Japan are most probably only in Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and Nagoya, that’s it.  However, by time and the more I read about Japan I’ve found that attractions/beauty are scattered all along Japan islands not only in Honshu!, btw mt.bizan is in Shikoku… I wonder how would it feel to sail on a boat next to this mountain being surrounded by nature and silence~?!

” In Japan, taxicabs each have colours or designs based on the company. The majority of Japanese cars are white, silver or black. Some taxis adopt showy colours, such as green, red, and orange, to attract customers’ attention.

Most Japanese taxis are one of three types of cars: the Toyota Comfort; Nissan Crew; and Nissan Cedric Y31. They all have automatic passenger doors, which open when a button is pressed by the driver. However, elite taxis may have drivers that manually open the door for the passenger.

Recently, some taxi companies have selected Toyota Crown S170 and/or S180 as taxis because cars made for use as taxis (such as Comfort, Crew and Cedric) have very plain interiors.” (Wikipedia, accessed July 03, ’10)

I liked this entry as it discusses the taxicabs in Japan in details, even the models, hehehe~                                                             

When I’ve first been to Japan in ’03, I was wondering if I would be able to ride on one of those old taxicab models as I’ve used to see them on TV., and yes I did! that was so much fun to feel the genuity of Japanese manufactures, old but equipped with a TV and automatic doors! AWESOME… AWESOME!! All the cabs’ drivers there wear  hats, gloves and very formally dressed up, it gives a lemo feeling although it’s not. ..NEAAAT!!  VERY NEAAAAAT!!

“ Konchuu Monogatari: Minashigo Hutch is a 1989 remake of the 1970 classic anime series The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee, sharing its original Japanese title.

The show follows the original series’ main storyline, and tells the adventure of a young bee who searches for his missing queen bee mother. Like the 1970 show, this remake is notable for its sad and cruel scripts, often featuring the deaths of the protagonist’s friends.” (Wikipedia & Anime News Network, accessed June ’10)

This anime was continuously aired on arab TV channels and for a reason it’s no more aired! Here I’m pointing to part I (مغامرات نحول، بشار) not the newer one (سوار العسل).  I still remember watching it during the invasion on the TVchannel of Saudi Arabia around 8ish AM with siblings and cousins! The anime was sad, as well as the invasion…

        I’ve waited for this event since two weeks! I’ve marked my calendar since then just to make sure not to miss it. What’s so special about it?! It’s not even in Japan, it’s in Ohio, so why I was SO EXCITED about it?!! hmm, lemme see how can I put this in words… Since I’ve arrived here in Ohio for college, I’ve started searching for Japanese stores and whatever, but yet wasn’t very pleased or satisfied with this limit. I’ve always wanted to participate and engage in Japanese events and activities besides socializing with those who are interested/studying in Japan/Japanese language! It was more like  an exploration for me rather than just a regular participation…                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

           The festival first started around 10:30am with around 3 of tea ceremony sessions. I was lucky to participate and experience for the first time the original tea ceremony being demonstrated by Japanese ladies in gorgeous kimonos! Liked the tatami mats and the overall decoration of the room. Then, the Sakura Koto Group and the Okinawa Sanshin Group performed two different plays on traditional Japanese instruments and that was very beautiful too. Later, the Aikido Yoshokai performed a demonstration of their techniques after a brief intorduction of the origin and history behind the art of Aikido. At the end, a couple of Japanese/American bands of students performed some of the popular Japanese rock and pop songs, I personally liked the City Hunter song “Get Wild” which I’ve already posted on my blog in one of my earlier posts, hehehe!!!!!

        There I’ve got the chance to meet and talk with nice people where everyone has his/her own background and reason(s) for being interested in such an event; simply, that was a great festival. Thank you JSO!

P.S.:  The obento was very oishikatta desu!

            When I’ve first arrived in Columbus, Ohio, in fact before I even fly from Kuwait, I was searching online for Japanese stores around Ohio State campus but for some reason I only found Japanese restaurants! Later, after joining the Japanese Students Organization at OSU I’ve been told that there is a Japanese centre nearby. I went there to find a gifts shop (mags, manga, dvds, etc.) ‘Hana Gifts’, a supermarket ‘TENSUKE MARKET’ (http://www.tensukemarket.com/), a Japanese restaurant ‘Akai Hana’, and Crescent Cafe & Bakery. Now what’s so special is not finding a Japanese restaurant, or a supermarket, or a gifts shop; the cafe & bakery what got my full attention at that mall! mags, dvds, etc., can be bought online. Japanese food… many Japanese products are sold in other gorcery stores, but this is not the case for bakeries that bake and sell Japanese fresh and non-preservative breads/sandwiches. I’ve been there several times and I can tell how “oishii” their bread/sandwiches are! There, I was lucky to meet with Azusa-san & Asuka-san. They were kind enough to give me a brief history of the place and to answer my nonstop questions about their country, JAPAN!                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                               Today I had a potatoe-salad sandwich…(oishikatta desu!)

and this autograph got my attention. It’s for the first Japanese female astronaut, Dr. Mukai Chiaki, and she’s hoping fulfillment for Crescnet’s dreams as her dream in going to space came true! It’s really a BIG dream that one’s can dream of… (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaki_Mukai)

 Doumo arigatou gozaimashita “クレッセント カフェ＆ベーカリ”!                                                                                         (http://www.crescentbakery.com/)

        “Gamera is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of  kaiju (Japanese giant monster) films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Gamera made his first appearance in 1965′s Gamera, which was also the only Gamera film to be in black-and-white. Subsequent films, usually directed by Noriaki Yuasa and written by Nisan Takahashi, quickly became a big hit with children, who loved watching Gamera fight monsters. A seventh sequel was slated for a 1972 release, tentatively titled Gamera vs. Garasharp. Gross mismanagement of Daiei, however, put the company into bankruptcy, and the Gamera films were forced to cease production. After Daiei was purchased by Tokuma Shoten in 1974, the new management wanted to do a new Gamera film in 1980, so Gamera: Super Monster was produced. The majority of the film used stock footage (with limited new scenes of Gamera flying), and acted as a “recap” of Gamera’s history. However, Yuasa and Takahashi felt that they had done all they could with the monster, so they respectfully killed off Gamera at the end of the film.

       Gamera’s shell is extremely resilient and strong. Missiles and other weaponry merely bounce off it, along with most of his opponents’ attacks. There have been a few times where his shell has faltered, most notably when the alien Guiron hammered at the same spot several times and began cutting through. The flying monster Gyaos’ sonic beam, the alien shark Zigra’s paralyzing beam, and the mutant lizard Barugon’s rainbow ray cannot penetrate Gamera’s shell, shown in the films when he withdraws into his shell to avoid the attacks. Gamera’s underbelly, however, is softer and not as resilient, and he has been cut and gouged in his stomach to the point of bleeding.” (www.wikipedia.com, accessed March ’10)

        The first time that I’ve ever knew Gamera was in 1995 by Hobby Japan magazine. It was showing some photos for ‘the making of Gamera’, I really liked the scenes and how fine their work was, the color, the features and the background/surroundings of the artificial scenes. The idea of making a turtle as a giant monster is it self cool and I liked how powerful turtles can be! yes and they can even defeat dinosaurs!!! Now I feel like I wanna raise a giant turtle Gamera!

I’ll summarize this post in three words “I LOVE KUWAIT!”