How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?

A week or two ago I met up with another one of the expat wives at Starbucks.  Afterwards she introduced me to one of her favorite pastimes....puppy-watching.  I knew there was a pet store in the mall but I'd never  been by it (the mall is massive) and I didn't realize that there were actual dogs and cats for sale.  Turns out puppy-watching is a popular pastime in Aeon.  That's not too surprising considering how much Japanese people love their pets.  Same as in the US for the most part, but judging by the year-round availability of a variety of costumes, dressing one's pet up is a little more popular here.  I have also seen two or three dogs being pushed around the Tokyo subway in dog strollers, which was a little startling.

Side note: It's hard for me to see puppies for sale in cages and I know I have some even more soft-hearted readers but at least they look healthy and well-cared for and seem to be rotated out into large play areas regularly.  They are also kept together as you can see below so they can play.  I was also surprised to see people petting them freely (the cage tops are open) so they get lots of attention.

dachshunds, for which I have a particular
weakness, are very popular here

puppy pile (by the way, these are some expensive puppies....that's
 at least $700-$800 worth of dog there)

I was not the only one who was enjoying the puppies

a photo I took a long time ago of all the pet clothes in Cainz

can't forget the kitties

Tokyo Game Show 2011

Hello. Chad, the guest blogger, here to talk about my trip to the Tokyo Game Show last weekend. For those of you who have never heard of TGS, it's an annual convention where video game developers show off their latest games and technology. However, TGS is also known for attendees dressing up in weird, geeky costumes (also known as cosplay). As an avid gamer, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience this unique event. So while Amanda was out spending my hard earned money in the shopping malls...enjoying the Odaiba district, I spent my Saturday at the convention center, Makuhari Messe, in Chiba.

The convention opened at 10am, but I arrived at 8am in an effort to beat the crowds. Yet, even two hours before opening, the line was about a half mile long. So it was just me and 80,000 of my Japanese friends hanging out in the late summer heat and humidity for a couple hours. It did cool off just before the doors opened, but that was only because it started pouring rain. At one point, a Japanese guy nearby struck up a conversation with me. He knew about as much English as I know Japanese, so it was not an easy conversation. However, he finally understood that I wanted to see a new racing game called Forza 4 and I understood that he liked the game series, Final Fantasy, and that he thought TGS was "Paradise!".

The line went to the end of the building far in the distance and then around the corner to the right for another 200 yards or so.

Did I mention it was hot?

Umbrellas went up just before the skies opened up. I didn't have one, so I got soaked

While waiting in line, I snapped some photos of the cosplayers headed to the end of the line.

Once inside the convention, I immediately headed for the Xbox display which was just inside the entrance. I waited in line about 45 minutes and got to play 10 minutes of the new Halo game. After that, I planned on walking around to the other game displays, but at TGS, one doesn't really walk from point A to point B. Instead, there's a compressed mass of people that you have to squeeze yourself into and flow into the next area. There's no room to move and you'd better not think about stopping. There's also a torrent of people coming in the opposite direction which complicates matters. Then there's the body odor. I had always heard that the B.O. at gaming conventions was bad, but this was brutal. To be clear, Japanese are typically very cleanly people. This wasn't Japanese B.O., it was Otaku(nerd) B.O.

The crowds at TGS are insane. Almost everyone is very polite, but there is no space to move (or breath!)

A horde of people watching a presentation from Konami

In between the three massive convention halls, there is an open area where the cosplayers line up for Japanese men to take photographs. I snapped a few pics myself. There's lots of cosplayers wandering around the show floor as well. Many of them are attractive females paid by the game developers to hand out swag. Strangely, one dude (in the blue dragon skin type armor in the pic below) didn't seem to want his picture to be taken so I only could take one of his back. What's up with that?

By the afternoon, I was exhausted and ready to head back to our hotel in Odaiba. I was glad that I experienced the show, but I doubt I'll be headed back next year. Too many people and too much B.O.!

Happy Holidays!

This week we are celebrating not one, but two national public holidays.  Monday was "Respect for the Aged Day".  For real.  It's a day to celebrate old people.  You're supposed to be extra nice to the elderly around you.  We were told that stores sometimes give senior citizens discounts on this day and I read that the Japanese news will do pieces on really old people.  Chad even got the day off to celebrate old people.  It's been a holiday since the 60's but was moved to the third Monday of September to fall in line with the "Happy Monday System", which was a law that moved as many holidays as possible to Mondays so everyone could have a long weekend. 

Tomorrow (Friday) is the Autumnal Equinox as it falls on Japan Standard Time.  Chad gets another day off.  Apparently a long time ago this holiday was celebrated as part of Shinto but it was made more secular after WWII.

Also I am pleased to announce that on this long weekend Tokyo D'Esposito will welcome a guest blogger with an exciting story provided I can nag him into doing it!  Be sure to check it out!

and (because I know everyone only looks
at the pictures) a strange flower that is
showing up all over my yard.....
not very autumn-ish, is it?