It’s an exciting season to be a gamer in Tokyo. We’ve already seen the release of Super Mario Galaxy, which is being hailed as the true “spiritual successor” to Super Mario 64. But for those that wanted to move to “true” next-gen but were hindered by cost, the even better news is that the Xbox 360, with its library of great games, is now being sold for the lowest price, anywhere in the world.

Coming in December, you will be able to get an even better deal on the Xbox 360. For 39,880 yen, you’ll not only get the new version of the system, complete with hard drive, HDMI support and two games, you’ll also get a copy of the hot new Mistwalker RPG, Lost Odyssey (Link). Having an NTSC-J version of the Xbox means that you can play the asian version of games. This is a boon for many reasons, but one major one is that the asian versions are cheaper than the same game marketed for other regions. Most of these games include English dialogue and menus which means that Westerners have an easy way to access cheaper games that should be easier to follow and are often released before their Japanese iterations. Play Asia is a great source for asian games and they offer free shipping to Japan. If you aren’t into RPGs, the Xbox 360 bundle currenly runs for 34,800 yen. If you’re into gaming, now you know what to ask for for Christmas or Chanakah or Kwanza or whatever relevant gift-giving holiday comes at the end of the year for you.

It’s only appropriate that this article be juxtoposed against an article about a vegan cafe. Really, it’s the only way to maintain journalistic integrity.

By now, those keeping up with Tokyo trends will undoubtedly have heard about Burger King’s return to Japan. Just a little over a month ago, Burger King opened its first store in Shinjuku and shortly thereafter, another store in Ikebukuro. The stores maintain that little taste of home except unlike their NYC counterparts, the food is fresh and hot, while the service is courteous and efficient. As an added bonus, the staff will actually get your order right!

Unfortunately, as with any new “in” spot in Tokyo, you’ll be waiting on line. I can’t believe I just wrote that last sentence. Who would have thought that one day I would be writing about the economical and gastronomical joys of Burger King in reference to it being the latest trendy restaurant?

Regardless, if you are after that taste of home that’s even better than you remember, Burger King is worth the wait.

Official homepage

Miss American-style diners with their relaxed atmospheres and huge dinner portions? Well, you’re in luck because Tokyo has just what you’ve been longing for. Baker Bounce, located in Sangejaya with a new branch just opened in Roppongi’s Midtown, offers huge sandwiches and real char-grilled burgers–not to mention the ever elusive, Swiss cheese topping. I could go on about it’s value and taste but I think their website does a good enough job of doing that on its own. Check it out.

Baker Bounce

When workers in Tokyo get their well deserved breaks such as Golden Week, many tend to travel to other parts of Japan; some go to visit relatives, others for relaxation and excitement. However, regardless of the reason, domestic travel can be an expensive endeavor.

A one-way ticket to Osaka from Tokyo will run about 14,000 yen, making your wallet almost 30,000 yen lighter in travel expenses alone! But don’t fret. There are other options but you will need to sacrifice some convenience and comfort to reap the benefits.

Overnight buses are great ways to get around Japan’s major cities on the cheap. There are three major types of buses. The cheapest one can get you all the way to Osaka for about 4000 yen in 8 hours. Unfortunately there is no restroom on board, meaning the bus will need to make periodic stops. If you are a light sleeper, this bus is to be avoided. There isn’t much leg room and the announcements that accompany the stops will have you waking every few hours.

The second tier bus improves the experience by having an accessible restroom. This allows for fewer stops so that the driver can rest. But the most expensive bus (6,000 yen plus) is obviously the most comfortable. In addition to the restroom and fewer rest stops, there are only 3 seats per aisle with more leg room per person. This makes for an easier sleep without medical aid.

There is one catch to all of this: You’ll need to speak Japanese to decipher and navigate through the websites to get the best rates. To make things easier however, links to some of the best rates are provided below. Enjoy the uncomfortable ride knowing that your wallet doesn’t need to go hungry. Just don’t go competing for seat space with me.

Bus de Tabi
Sunshine Tour
Overnight Bus Navigator

One of my duties while working as a producer/program director in NYC was to periodically direct the morning news show that was broadcast at 7 am. This required me to wake up at 2 am and work non-stop until 8 am. The only thing I wanted after finishing such a fast-paced project was a good breakfast. Fortunately, the studio was near what is probably the best bagel shop in all of NYC, Ess-a-Bagel. They feature a variety of piping hot bagels with a delicious assortment of homemade spreads and toppings. The bagels are huge and their fillings are more than generously applied. Knowing that after all of my hard work, I would be able to bite into these perfectly crisp yet soft delights was motivation enough to get through the high stress days. Did I mention that the bagels taste incredibly good? Putting them in the same category as bread would be an insult to the bagel makers.

Ess-a-Bagel wasn’t only memorably for its food, but also for its colorful staff. Uncle Bill, as he referred to himself, was the outspoken representative for the store. Ask for something that goes against the unwritten rules of bageldom and you will be reprimanded. You want your bagel toasted? Or maybe you want an egg bagel? If that’s the case, then it is best not to go. The only thing you’ll get out of making such requests is the discovery of your bagel ignorance and a crash course in bagel fundamentals.

The other staff members had emigrated from around the world: Arabs, Mexicans, Jews, Irish, etc. The store was a cross section of life in the city, with a color and flavor that could only be found in NYC. But perhaps the greatest memory that I have of that place (other than the bagels, of course) is Miho.

Miho was a young Japanese girl that had left it all behind to come to NYC. After saving money from her stable desk job, Miho, going against the protests of her parents, took up and left for New York. Many go to New York to seek a new and better life. Some go to study English; others to work or study abroad. But Miho was unique. She went to study bagels.

Miho had a vision. Ever since she had her first bagel she knew she wanted to learn how to make them herself. She wanted to run her own store. And with that will and prepared determination, she begged the managers of Ess-a-Bagel to work there. She wanted to be an apprentice and she got her wish. Though there was no salary, Miho was happy to be paid in bagels. It was at this time, when Miho was working to form her dream into a reality that our paths crossed.

Every morning after finishing the morning show I would head over to have breakfast with Miho. Stressed and tired, Miho would always brighten my day. She sat and listened to me gripe, and always with a smile. The bagels always tasted so much better this way. Unfortunately, Miho eventually went back to Japan but I always hoped that she’d make her dream come true.

It had been 5 years since I last spoke with Miho. I quit my job in NYC and moved back to Osaka for grad school. I often wondered what Miho was doing. Then last summer, I went back to my favorite bagel place. Though many of the staff had long gone, Uncle Bill was there to great me with his scathing New York humor. He told me that Miho had done it. She had opened her shop somewhere in Tokyo! I looked to a store wall and saw Miho’s face smiling back. There hanging on the wall was an article in The Wall Street Journal featuring her as a young entrepenuer. I was excited. Not only could I find Miho, but I could finally find what was sure to be a real bagel in Japan.

Upon my return, I moved to Tokyo. Settling in to my new surroundings made a search for Miho fall to the bottom of my to-do list. It took 6 months but I finally found her.

Miho’s store is called Maruichi Bagel, a play on the word “circle” and “one” implying they are the best. There is no need to imply. These bagels are the best you will find in all of Japan. Miho has followed the Ess-a-Bagel formula perfectly. Though some ingredients might mildly change the flavor, these bagels will have you lining up for more. And yes, you will have to line up. The shop is tiny, with barely enough space for customers to fit inside and at Maruichi; it’s take-out only. But these bagels are New York sized. Ask for cream cheese and you’ll get an entire bowl of the homemade stuff. The mixed tuna is more than two cans large. You won’t go hungry here and the prices won’t have you breaking the bank. If you want a true bagel with a size and flavor that anyone in the Big Apple would be proud of, then you need to go to Maruichi Bagel.

Maruichi Bagel

Hikari Entertainment

Coming from Osaka and having lived in NYC, I am no stranger to the club/bar scene but as I have mentioned in the past, there is always regional variation: an area one must study and contend with. After all, no one wants to go against proper etiquette and commit a faux pas. With that in mind, I will present ten unwritten rules and social conducts that I gleaned from my observations at the club. It seems apparent that one must project these qualities and perform these actions in order to properly blend in and enjoy the Club Asia experience. (Note: this is only applicable to Rock/Punk nights)

1. Pay, without question or complaint, the 4,000 yen cover charge to listen to mediocre bands that few have heard of.
2. Never smile.
3. Limit speaking.
4. Never talk to people you don’t know.
5. Appear expressionless. It’s best if you can display a sense of disgust or abstract boredom.
6. Be aloof–a big city favorite.
7. When dancing, be sure to move out of synch with the music.
8. Never, ever apologize for running into others.
9. Limit eye contact.
10. Take up as much space at the bar as possible so that others cannot purchase drinks.

Follow these tips and you’ll be a Club Asia pro in no time!

Club Asia official homepage
Hikari Entertainment

Ryuku, the Shinigami from the Death Note series, is being featured at the Tsutaya in Shibuya. There is a large scale model in place that has been attracting crowds of people who are stopping to take photos. Be warned though, the model and crowds make it a little difficult to walk around the first floor of the store.

Link

A few weeks ago, I participated in a personally unprecedented event: I waited in line for a doughnut. This was no ordinary doughnut, however; This was a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

In Japan, and it particular, Tokyo, things new and stylish become fast trends. Like all big cities across the globe, no one wants to be left embarrassed for not knowing “what’s hot”, especially in gastronomical terms. Ice cream chain, Cold Stone exploded with popularity in the US, and when it arrived on Roppongi soil in 2005, Tokyoites made sure to be part of the “in” crowd. Now, over a year later, Cold Stone has expanded to over 11 stores throughout Japan (two shops open on March 15th), and it still maintains its fashionableness and long lines.

Krispy Kreme is no different. Having opened its first store in Japan, in Tokyo, on December 15th, 2006, Tokyoites rushed out to be one of the first to experience these super sweet treats (You Tube video of lines). “There’s no way I’ll be a part of that insanity,” I told myself. I broke that oath.

These types of occurrences are not just commonplace trips to the store. In Japan, these are events. By my crude calculations, over 90 percent of the people in line were couples. The remaining ten percent were groups of friends ready to be hip. So a trip to Krispy Kreme had gone from everyday doughnut indulgence, to a date or an outing with friends. What else could justify waiting 45 minutes in line for a doughnut that costs between 150 to 170 yen, when Mr. Donuts is cheaper and seemingly on every corner without any lines to wait through?

For me it was a few factors that had me break my promise. The main reason: Boston Creme. Yes, Krispy Kreme has them and you can’t get them anywhere else in Japan. The ridiculousness of the situation also made it something worth sitting through. As previously mentioned, I wasn’t just in line for a doughnut; I was part of history and part of Tokyo’s latest trend. I might even go as far as to say that I was being hip. Well, maybe that’s going too far.

Believe it or not though, the experience was exciting. People were bustling with energy. They were talking and smiling with an aura almost unseen in Tokyo. Watching the doughnuts being made was fascinating to some, but definitely traumatic to me. Dough was a buoy, floating on a sea of oil, waiting to be doused with copious amounts of sugar frosting–an Atkin’s dieter’s nightmare. But my friend and I were steadfast, determined to get our doughnuts. While in line, worker’s passed out free honey glazed doughnuts to those waiting. They were hot and good but oh, so bad for you.

Once inside, I realized that my body could handle no more than two more of those diabetes specials, so I got my Boston Creme and a jelly-filled, with a coffee to provide balance. Though the prices are high and the wait is long, it was a fun overall experience. And the coffee was pretty good too. If you are ever in the Shinjuku area, with nothing to do, I recommend checking out Krispy Kreme. It’s something you can talk about later.

No your eyes do not deceive you. While walking around Shibuya, looking for a story, I stumbled across this; first at Book 1st, then at every other book store in the area, even spilling over into music shops like HMV. What is it you ask? Actually no, you don’t ask, nor should you. What you see before you is the 10th Anniversary Starbucks magazine, and it’s right there alongside other popular big name magazines. Starbucks couldn’t just stand for creating a subculture of music and coffee, now it hopes its infectious grooves will have customers buying a publication dedicated to Starbucks in Japan.

Inside the cover you will find a multitude of photos featuring the “beautiful people” that enjoy a good cup of Starbucks coffee. What, you don’t drink overpriced Starbucks “sugar explosion cold seasonal special?” Man, you are so uncool. I think it’s time you non-Starbucks drinkers got with the times and followed the Starbucks sensation. Don’t worry. The magazine covers the company’s roots from small Seattle coffee house to multinational institution. Everything you need to know to be a Starbucks expert is inside. With its focus on Japan, this is one that no self respecting Tokyoite can be without. Get out there and get Starbucks!

I’m uncool so don’t listen to my suggestion to look for a good coffee house like Cup Bearer in Sangenjaya/Shimokitazawa. Besides, how can one avoid such ubiquitous marketing? We are powerless against it. Now where did I put my latte? That’s Italian for milk by the way.

In the same collection of magazines however, I did happen upon one that caught my eye. This edition of Rockin’ On Japan features the third and final interview with Ringo Shiina and her involvement with the movie, Sakuran. The issue breaks down each song on Shiina’s new album. For a full review of the new album and more on Ringo Shiina click on the following links:

Heisei Fuzoku
Ringo Shiina