Yuumoushin.com (勇猛心)

Keiko and I just got back from Kijima Korakuen, a theme park just outside of Beppu city. Not the newest or the biggest theme park, but it was still tons of fun. In particular, the “Zorb.” Imagine being strapped up into a giant ball and thrown, literally, down a hill that looks a lot like a giant putt-putt golf course. It was tons of fun (albeit a bit dizzying). Here are some pics from the park (unfortunately, I don’t have any with us in the Zorb, but you get the idea). They also have a “wet” type, which is basically just you inside the ball with a lot of water.

The course, with one of the contraptions in the background.




The Zorb.

I posted more pics in the gallery, so check them out here. Also, for those of you interested in learning more about the Zorb, check out their website. Man, what a brilliant idea.

The beach, the food, the people…this place is absolutely amazing. Most people would probably hit Miyazaki, or perhaps Fukuoka. I prefer Oita (and no, not Beppu, although that area is pretty cool too). I guess I’m just lucky I get to see other sides of it, and Keiko’s friends have been fantastic. My adventures in Japan with Sebastian are only getting better. Stay tuned.

Outside of Oita Stadium




Inazumi Limestone Cave




The “ashi yuu” in Yufuin

I just wanted to share some pics. Sebastian and I have been having a blast. Thanks everyone, yesterday rocked!

The famous Hachiko exit in Shibuya, Tokyo.

After eating yakiniku in Gotanda, Tokyo at Fufutei.

My internship officially ends today, which means less updates. Sebastian flies in tonight, and then after spending a couple of days in Tokyo, we’re both heading to Oita prefecture, which is the NE portion of Kyuushuu. Should be a good trip, especially when you consider what we have planned (cave exploring, beach camping and a visit to “ninja town,” which is in Saga prefecture, I believe). I’ll try to get some Tokyo pics up this weekend, before we leave, but I am not making any promises.

For now (at least until the next update), check out my archives and the following news links of the day:

• Feeding the Seattle Seahawks (cool article, but I could do without the football puns).
• A new, updated PSP?
• PSP’s GPS in action.
• Want to IM at work, or through a firewall, but can’t? Check out Meebo.

As a side note – I get asked a lot about Akihabara, but since I rarely go there I thought it would be cool to post the following two articles I found (that also have video): part 1 and part 2. I personally don’t think the area is all that great, nothing like what it used to be. In terms of pricing and the latest technology? I think one can get the same things cheaper at other stores, it’s just a matter of knowing where to go. That being said, kakaku’s site is pretty dope (it’s in Japanese). Again, since Sebastian is here, we’ll probably make it to Akihabara at least once. He’ll probably get a kick out of the “otaku craze,” which is a definite must see when in Akihabara. haha. Anyway, I’m outta heyaaaaa!

I pulled part of this (see below) from engadget’s site. This is what I’m talking about – Nintendo is thinking of their core audience: the gamers. And as I’ve said before, there are a lot of people out there like me who value the “playability” of a game over the amount of mist they see when their characters runs down an alley…

Nintendo views “online gaming as essentially an enhanced way to enjoy the gaming experience and drive more sales of hardware and software,” and that Nintendo “will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They’ll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you’ll be able to plug it in and go. It won’t have hidden fees or costs.”

And with the DS integration, I can only imagine how much fun this will be. I hope they release Zelda at the same time. It’s usually a Mario themed game (although, the sample of Metroid they included with the DS was a pretty cool thing to do).