Japanamac

Zero Hour Hikone

10 Dec 2005 | Comments (2)

I want to take a moment and thank Japanese beverage companies for inventing hot canned coffee… Not only is it a yummy morning beverage, but it also doubles as a dandy hand warmer! Its genius… Plain and simple… Hot canned coffee is especially great when you have to wait outside in the freezing cold for your local video game store to open like I did this morning… It kept my hands warm for 2 hours!

Hey… Now wait just a minute! Why would somebody have to wait outside in the freezing cold for his or her local video game store to open anyways? Have you already forgotten? It’s Xbox 360 launch day in Japan!!!

I was pretty excited this morning so I left the house around 7:30 AM… It was cold outside and I was thirsty, so I stopped off at Lawson’s to get that can of hot coffee that I mentioned. While I was waiting in the short line I witnessed my first Xbox 360 sale. Yup… At Lawson’s, a local convenience store! They’ve been doing pre-orders since September! Anyways, it got me even more excited!

I arrived at Viva city at 8:00 AM and was surprised to see a huge line at Toys R Us!!! Here’s what I saw:

Exciting, huh? I guess all of those Japanese analysts were wrong, after all! The Xbox 360 will be a success in Japan!!! Then I went over to Sun Music where I made my pre-order chuckling all the way… I stopped smiling when I reached the store. Here’s why:

Notice something strange? Hmm… No people? Not even one… It didn’t take me long to realize that the people who were in line at Toy’s R’ Us were waiting for something different… But what could be better than Xbox 360? I know!!! A free Xbox 360!!! Just in case I decided to go over and ask somebody… I found some old guy who looked friendly enough. Let’s call him Fred. The conversation went like this:

Jeff: “Good morning.”
Fred: “Eh?”
Jeff: “Good Morning!”
Fred: “Oh, you speak Japanese?”
Jeff: “Um… Yeah…”
Fred: “You’re Japanese is very good!”
Jeff: “Thanks… I only said good morning though…”
Fred: “What?”
Jeff: “Never mind…
Fred: “…”
Jeff: “So? What’s this huge line for? A free Xbox 360?”
Fred: “A free what?”
Jeff: “Xbox 360…”
Fred: “What’s that? I’m waiting for the new Tomogachi!”
Jeff: “Oh, I see… So no free Xbox 360 then?”
Fred: “Guess not…”
Jeff: “Thanks…”

I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry… I laughed. Then I went back to Sun Music to wait in my one-man line. When the store opened, I walked in and got my Xbox 360. It was pretty anti-climatic. Now it’s the afternoon and although I’m a proud owner of a shiny new Xbox 360, I can’t help feel a little disappointed at today’s launch. Maybe it was bad press? Maybe Hikone is just a small city? I don’t know… One thing is for sure, the Xbox 360 is a pretty sleek gaming machine and I think it would be popular in Japan if people would just give it a chance.

Well… At least I’m a happy gamer.

Countdown to 360

08 Dec 2005 | Comments Off

Only two more days until the Xbox 360 officially launches in Japan! I’ve wanted an Xbox 360 since I first saw it in action at the Tokyo Game Show back in September. I know it’s only been about two months, but it really seemed like a long time to wait. I’m probably just impatient… Either that or the hype from the American launch has finally gotten the best of me! Anyways, I have an Xbox 360 system pre-ordered and I can hardly wait to pick it up this Saturday morning!

Check back this weekend for some Japanese Xbox 360 related updates!

Cold Surprise

06 Dec 2005 | Comments Off

When I woke up today I was surprised to find that it had suddenly become winter in Hikone! I mean really… Last week seemed like fall and it was warm enough just to wear a sweater or sweatshirt outside. Today the mountain ranges near Taga are covered in snow and I had to dig my parka out from the darkest depths of my closet. Burrr…

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