Japan (Day 7-8): the most perfect places to eat

(Note: I finally updated this post with the name of the fish (hamo, or pike eel) and the name of the cafe (Housendo) that I couldn’t recall, thanks to L’s help.)

After Kasugai, my next stop was Kyoto, to visit one of my friends since college.

Date: July 3rd Location: Kyoto Brought to you by karaoke

I spent most of the day in Kasugai, and in the late afternoon I took the train to Kyoto (less than a thirty-minute trip). There, I met up with L, one of my friends from college who, last year, moved to Kyoto with her husband (I mentioned them in another post last year. I stayed at their apartment (which is really nice) over the next couple of days. First, I had to find her at the train station (which was a bit difficult; I’m completely unfamiliar with Kyoto and I didn’t have a cellphone).

Second, we went to a restaurant near her place that served hamo (pike eel). It’s a local specialty, it’s usually grilled over charcoal (see photo to left), and it’s absolutely delicious.

Anyway, the night was just getting started. Later that evening, one of L’s friend’s sister was in town from Osaka, so about 5 of us went out for karaoke that evening.

A lot of folks know that, even though I sing terribly, that I love karaoke–Japanese-style, where you’re just with your friends (not American-style where it’s in front of random people at a bar….). So, I was really thrilled. It’s been five years since I got to do this… In all, here’s what I remember singing: Mr. Roboto – Styx (when the picture to the left was taken) A Dios le Pido – Juanes (they had a few Spanish songs there) Like a Prayer – Madonna (tradition–no female voice button, though) 911 – King Giddra Grateful Days – Dragon Ash Hai! Irasshai – NiceguyJin Single Bed – SharanQ Kurenai – X-Japan Ai no Kotodama – Southern All-Stars Miss You – m-flo & Ryohei & Melody Above all, Hai! Irasshai and Mr. Roboto were the most fun to sing.

Date: July 4th Location: Kyoto Brought to you by Housendo

I kept arbitrarily reminding L that today was July 4th. So periodically I’d just raise my arms and say “Happy Independence!” “Down with the British!” etc.

Today, L took me by Kamogawa Canal, the centuries-old canal through Kyoto near their place. Lovely scenery, and wildlife:

L has a knack for finding the best places to eat, so she already had a few places in mind to stop by. Unfortunately, I had to go and feel sick somewhere on the way over, and we ended up doubling back so I could rest up for a few hours… Fortunately, I felt fine after a little bit (and a little lunch), so we headed out again.

First, we went through Tadasunomori and saw some of the usual beautiful Kyoto scenery, meaning:

Second, we stopped by this amazing place then for afternoon tea: Housendo. I had some warabimochi for dessert (below left), and L had some matcha (below right). It’s a testament to how high-quality this place was that I loved it, despite not being a fan of mochi in general.

Not to mention, this cafe had an incredible atmosphere, ambience, and decor. It was off of the main road, traditional interior, very old decorations (tapestries, fans, etc.), and a garden that we had a perfect view of from where we were sitting:

As I said, L has a knack for finding the most perfect places to eat.

After that, we headed back home. We needed to get an early rest, since the next day we would be going to Kyushu. KF

Japan (Day 4-6): my second (or third?) hometown

After Tokyo, my next stop was Kasugai and Nagoya, to see my host family from 2004 while I was at Nanzan University.

Date: June 30th Location: Kasugai/Nagoya Brought to you by JR

Back to Nagoya. I’ve always considered this place like my second (or third?) hometown, from having come here my first time studying abroad in high school (1999) and again to Nanzan University in college (2004). Admittedly, it’s not a city that’s geared towards tourism, but it’s a great city to live in, and it remains my favorite city in the country. This part of the trip, I was going to Kasugai (just north of the city) to spend time with my host family from 2004.

Since I had a JR Rail Pass, and unlimited use of all JR lines (except Shinkansen-Nozomi), I took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya, and then made my way back to the same train station that I used to commute from 5 years ago. Surprisingly, I still remembered the way exactly.

Visiting my host family was my main purpose for this part of the trip. And, it was really great getting to see everyone again. The only negative… Last year my host father passed away. It was a bit different with him not being around. There was a butsudan for him in one of the rooms, and we talked a bit about him, though not much. Anyway, besides that… Their two grandkids, who were 1 and 5 the last time I saw them, are now 6 and 10. The older one is as energetic as ever, while it took a bit to get used to his little brother already being in school and talking a lot. (If I visit again in another 3-5 years, I wonder how much will change by then?)

Lastly, they’d done some work on the house and added another room, my two past host sisters had sort of exchanged places (one was living in a separate apartment while the other was living at home; before it was the reverse), and, well, some things were different and some things were just the same as always.

Their generosity and kindness was one of the things that’s remained unchanged.

Date: July 1st Location: Kasugai/Nagoya Brought to you by Oasis 21

I took the first day in Nagoya to rest. The second day, I decided to go down to the city and see what’s new.

My first stop was the Sakae area and Oasis 21. This’d been a popular place to go the last time I was here, particularly since Oasis 21 had just recently opened. It was… mostly the same, I think. There were tanabata decorations all around for the upcoming holiday. And there was a set of musical performances being put on by the Japan Self-Defense Force.

The roof also has this great view. It’s always cloudy when I go here, though; I don’t have any photos of this place with clear skies. Anyway, besides Oasis 21, the entire Sakae area is pretty good. I did a bit of shopping (for me, that means bookstores, electronics, and games, although I only bought a couple of books), and had lunch: cold zarusoba, which I hadn’t had (done properly) in ages.

There was one place in particular I was looking for, but couldn’t find: a calligraphy store called “Kyowa”. I’d gone there several times back when I was at Nanzan (on the recommendation of our calligraphy teacher), and vaguely recalled where it was, but since it was a small store on the second floor of some building, I couldn’t find it.

After my (past) host sister picked me up from the train station that afternoon, I mentioned this to her:
K: Wait, Kyowa? I know that store!
Me: Really?
K: Yes. Our uncle gets his supplies from there. I’m surprised you know about it.
Me: Ah! I should’ve asked about it before I left!

No big deal, though. She was able to get me some directions to there that evening.

Date: July 2nd Location: Kasugai/Nagoya Brought to you by Toyota Jidosha, Drive Your Dreams

The second day I decided to go to the Nagoya Station area. Now, this area had changed a ton since the last time I’d been: three new buildings were on the skyline, one of them bigger than the landmark JR Towers which, until then, had been the tallest buildings in Aichi. Incidentally, that’s one of the things I really like about Nagoya: it’s always changing. Between 1999 and 2004, the building I used to go to every day was torn down to make room for the Toyota Towers. Between 2004 and 2009, the Toyota Towers, the Spiral Tower, and the Lexington Tower had all been added to the Nagoya skyline. Plus, they’d finaly completed the Meijo-line loop (that would’ve been ridiculously convenient five years ago).

Here are the JR towers, plus those three landmark buildings I mentioned (from left to right, the Spiral Tower, the Lexington Tower [I think that's the name], and the Toyota Tower):

Otherwise, I did some more looking around the area. This part of the city was extremely nostalgic, since I still remember what it looked like 5 and 10 years ago.

And lunch that day was none other than kishimen, the Nagoya specialty. That afternoon, naturally, I stopped by Kyowa in Sakae to pick up some art supplies.

That evening, since it was my last night in Kasugai, we had chirashi. I really can’t describe how good this was. Nor how good it was to spend time with my host family after so long. I know I need to come back here again, and sooner than 5 years…

The next day, I just spent at home, since it was my last day in Kasugai and I was going to Kyoto that evening. I did stop by the Book-Off in the area to browse around (and I still remembered how to get there, interestingly).

That afternoon, I said my farewells at the train station, and headed to my next stop: Kyoto. KF

Japan (Day 2-3): a funny thing happened on the way to Shinjuku

The first three days I spent in Tokyo. Now, I’ve mentioned years ago that Tokyo is a great place to visit, but after a few days it does get to me (too big, too crowded, too… inescapable). But I limited my stay in the city to just enough time to enjoy. Onto the days.

Date: June 28th Location: Tokyo (Shibuya, Akihabara, Harajuku) Brought to you by kaiten-sushi

For my first full day in Tokyo, the plan is to meet up with L, one of my friends from college, and hang out around Shibuya and Akihabara for the day. After I pick up my JR Rail Pass that morning (more on that in the next update), I head over to Shibuya pretty early to check out a bit of the city before meeting up.

Of all places in Tokyo, Shibuya is the place I have the most affinity for. Five years ago, whenever I came to the city I stayed at my uncle’s house, which was only a short walk from Shibuya itself–so, I spent a lot of time here. Surprisingly, the area doesn’t change that much: the same major stores and buildings are all there, with only the content shifting around (「行く川の流れは絶えずして、しかももとの水にあらず。」).

I met up with L at Hachiko (where else?) and after some lunch, we headed over to Akihabara.

Akihabara is my other favorite area of Tokyo. Then again, every time I go there I spend too much–though that wasn’t the case this time, as all I picked up were some USB drives (really tiny ones the size of a fingernail). But I’m really more about the atmosphere of a place, rather than its shopping potential. Speaking of which, one trend has popped up in the last few years that I find irritating: maid outfits. You can’t turn around in Akiba without seeing someone dressed in a maid outfit handing out flyers/adverts. Now, I understand the reason for having attractive women handing out flyers… but the maid outfits are overkill. No pictures of this for obvious reasons. If you go there, you’ll see what I mean, whether you want to or not.

On the way back, me and L went to a kaiten-sushi place in Shibuya for dinner. I’d completely forgotten how much better sushi is when it’s fresh. I mean I knew, but I forgot to what extent. They had a seven plate minimum there which, naturally, was very easy to meet (I think I had 10 or so total).

As if that wasn’t enough, after dinner I decided to take a quick trip down to Harajuku. With the JR Pass, all JR lines are free, so going around on a whim like this is pretty easy. All I was really doing was looking around for a Book-Off that I remember being in the area, and though I never really found it, just going along Takeshita street and looking around was good enough. Thus ends my first full day. And, this vacation was only beginning.

Date: June 29th Location: Tokyo (Shinjuku, Tsukiji, Tokyo Tower, Roppongi) Brought to you by inept police officers

A funny thing happened on the way to Shinjuku…

The next day I went to make all my Shinkansen reservations for the next two weeks at Shinjuku station. While I was checking out a map, a police officer approaches me and asks…

Ah yes. I’d almost forgotten how xenophobic some people can be. Well, at least he didn’t accuse me of stealing my own bicycle.

Anyway! The plan for the day was to meet up with my former host sister from 1999, N, who’s now living in Tokyo. We were going to meet up at Tsukiji, but I had some free time in the morning and decided to look around Shinjuku a bit. Shinjuku is more of a commercial area, not so much geared towards tourism… which was fine, since it meant I could look around at the buildings and skyscrapers without it being too crowded. Oh, and you can’t get away from those damn Caramelldansen images:

From there, it’s on to Tsukiji. Tsukiji Fish Market is well-known for having the freshest fish anywhere, and even the auctions have attracted tourists–who, in recent years, have caused some friction between the vendors and sightseers. My host sister N and I were going to get lunch there and, from there, head over to Zojoji and Tokyo Tower. It was good seeing N again, particularly now that (unlike a decade ago) I can actually communicate in Japanese well enough to where we could talk and catch up on how everything has been going. And, well, what can I say about lunch other than it was the best chirashi I’ve ever had.

N took me by two temples thereafter. One was a temple at Tsukiji that was really gorgeous–whereas most Buddhist temples are modeled after a Chinese style, this one was modeled after an Indian style (photo on left). The second was Zojoji Temple, near Tokyo Tower (photo on right). Although it was under renovation, it was still a sight to see.

Thereafter, it was onto Tokyo Tower. Would you believe that I’d never been there before, despite having visited the city at least 4 or 5 times? Well, in any case, N and I went up to the observation deck to have a look around. It really is a great view of the city–you can see all the way to Odaiba.

The last stop was Roppongi Hills. Again, I’d never been here before, despite having visited the city at least 4 or 5 times. Then again, it’s a relatively new place (built in 2003). The interior of the mall area is pretty gorgeous, and very modern-looking. If shopping is your thing, it’d be the place to go; even if it isn’t, it was interesting enough for me.

That’s that… My first stop was over. Next, it’s back to Nagoya and Kasugai. KF

Japan 2009

This post will be the start of my vacation recap. I know, it’s nearly a month late, but it’s taken a while to get all the photos edited, write stuff up, and take care of it all while work and school take priority. But for the next week or so, I’ll be making regular updates on this. Let’s go!

Japan (Day 0-1): returning, not just traveling

Date: June 26th Location: Pacific Brought to you by ANA

My vacation began before I even left the ground. See, when I booked a flight, I could’ve picked the cheapest one if I took Continental and connected in Houston, or I could pay $300 more for a direct flight with ANA. I picked the latter, and that was definitely the right decision. I flew Continental last time and, while they’re not bad, ANA is such a cut above in service, quality, and timeliness. (The ticket itself was only $1100 round-trip.)

I also sat next to a guy about my same age on his way to Vietnam–really nice fellow, too, so we spent a lot of the flight over conversing. Between that, the 40+ on-demand movies and shows, the food, and the courteousness, that 14-hour flight from Washington to Tokyo flew by.

So yeah, fly either ANA or JAL if you’re ever going to or from Japan. You won’t regret it.

Date: June 27th Location: Tokyo Brought to you by Sakura Hotel Hatagaya

I arrive at Narita. Unlike last time, no one’s there to pick me up or anything–in fact, this is when the realization hits me that this is the first major vacation I’ve taken that’s 100% my own planning. I’m liking this.

Now, to take care of getting to the city itself… which means I’m suddenly back to figuring out the Japanese (and Tokyo-specific) train systems. I’ve mentioned years ago how much I like the mass transit here, and it only takes a few minutes to figure out what system, line, and train I need to take. So I’m off.

I’m running on no sleep, I’m carrying my luggage, and the train gradually gets more packed as we near the city. Yet, perhaps due to the nostalgia of the trains and the smell of the air, somewhere on that 2-hour ride into Tokyo, I finally feel like I’m returning, not just traveling.

My hotel is the Sakura Hotel Hatagaya, a small budget hotel near Shinjuku. I check in, call up L (friend from college living in Tokyo), email my family, and rest up for a bit, planning out the next couple of days. Oh, and regarding the hotel… For $70 a night, given the location, it’s a pretty good deal–especially for folks traveling alone (like myself). The staff were all helpful, they had free internet and complimentary breakfast, and it’s just two subway stops to Shinjuku. I definitely recommend it for budget travel. Anyway! I’m getting hungry by the evening. There’s a Sukiya around the corner, so for like 600¥ I get some quick eel-donburi and miso soup–which, incidentally, is perhaps the best I’ve had in 5 years. At this point, I figure it shouldn’t be too hard to get reacclimated.

I’m going to cut it off there for now. Future posts will be more substantive. KF

Review and Preview

It’s been over a month. A lot has happened in the last month, and the more things happen, the more work that’d go into an update, and the less inclined I feel to update.

The quick version: I’ve been dealing with preparation for grad school, I went to Otakon the weekend-before-last, and I really enjoyed my vacation.

What I’m going to do is give a quick recap of Otakon in this post. As for my vacation in Japan, I’ll be doing that over the course of several posts (much like my series of posts on my vacation in Morocco. I have over 250 photos and a ton of things to say, so a serial is the only way to get to all of it.

So, as for this post:

Obligatory Otakon 2009 Recap

Otakon was still definitely worth it this year. My main draws for going were:   

• The Lunar panel that me and DM Lou were co-hosting,
• A meetup I was putting together for some folks on the XKCD forums, and
• The OverClocked ReMix panel on Saturday.

There were a few other draws, such as the usual artists’ alley, dealers’ room, etc.. And there were a few other panels I really enjoyed, such as the Falcom Series one. Oh, and of course the several other people I knew who’d also be at the convention that weekend.

Lunar Panel

About the Lunar panel then… This is the third year we’ve had one at Otakon. This time, though, we had some more substantive information: a new Lunar game that’s been announced for the PSP. Plus, since our last panel (in 2007), I’d also finished the last abridged English version of the Lunar novels, and the walkthrough for Magical School Lunar. I won’t bore you with the details on most of this. But if you’d like, take a look at the recap on LunarNET:     Otakon 2009: Lunar Panel

Overall, the panel was a pretty good success, I think. Lots of people there, and that excitement at a new Lunar game, combined with the reservation of it being yet another remake. I’m also not the only one who bought a PSP specifically because of Lunar. We kicked it all off with the original TSS intro, added in some gameplay footage from Magical School Lunar, and sort of brought everyone up-to-speed on what we know so far about the new Lunar game.

XKCD Meetup

I tried to get another meetup on the XKCD forums for those of us going to Otakon. Turned out pretty well, I think: about 6 of us got lunch together on Saturday. Some folks I’d already met, and some folks I’d been looking forward to meeting.

OC Remix and FF4

Lastly, there was the panel for OC Remix (a community dedicated to the appreciation, interpretation, and promotion of videogame music) which was immense and packed, as always. Big news this time around was the debut of the Final Fantasy 4 album project: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption.

Saturday night after the panel was a listening party for the album, both online (through IRC) and at one of the remixer’s place in Baltimore. I originally hadn’t planned on going, but made the decision last-minute (and ended up being the first to arrive). About a dozen of us showed up. It was plenty of fun, even though I had to leave around midnight (which apparently was good timing, since an hour later his drunken roommates came back unexpectedly unclothed). Sunday after the convention was a BBQ at another guy’s place in the city–same place I went to last year. More fun and food to be had.

Next Week…

I’ll cut the Otakon update there, and skip ahead to a preview of the next few posts. Here’s what I’m thinking:

1. Tokyo – visiting old friends, getting acclimated 
2. Kasugai/Nagoya – visiting host family, return to my ‘third hometown’ 
3. Kyoto – visiting more friends, kicking the vacation into second gear 
4. Fukuoka – brief yet luxurious rest 
5. Nagasaki – well, it’s Nagasaki, a tagline doesn’t do it justice 
6. Nagoya – visiting host family, winding down 
7. Tokyo – last stop, reflections

Check back next week. I’ll try to make a new post every 2 days according to this schedule. Content may change, but I’ll do what I can to see to it that the timing does not. KF

Back to Japan

I leave tomorrow morning. I’ve been planning this trip for a while, so here’s the general idea: see some friends in Tokyo, spend some time with my host families from 1999 and 2004 in Nagoya, see some friends in Kyoto, and go down to Kyushu (Fukuoka and Nagasaki) for some sightseeing.

It’s a packed trip, and I have a lot planned and a lot left up to chance. It should be a lot of fun.

I’ll be gone from June 26th to July 12th. I’ll be checking my email/websites sparsely, but, I will have my laptop with me and may be able to make an update. No guarantees, though.

Anyway, that’s that. I need to get to sleep now. Night, and see you in a few weeks. KF

I’m Okay

First of all, I’m ok. After the DC Metro crash on Tuesday, I got a few calls making sure I was all right. I’m doing fine. For more information about the crash and people affected, however, I suggest the Washinton Post.

Now that that’s settled…

Cricket Finale

(Source: Getty)

I’m a bit late on this, but anyway… The T20 World Cup of Cricket final was on Sunday, as Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka–two of my favorite teams (although admittedly, I greatly prefer Sri Lanka, and only begrudgingly support Pakistan when they seem to be in a downturn).

I’ll keep this short, though. Basically, Sri Lanka chose to bat first (which was odd–I thought they’d have a better advantage batting second), and lost their most important batsman (Tillakaratne Dilshan) very early on for a duck. After that, it was a struggle just to put up a decent total–although they did just barely manage to keep competitive, thanks to Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews (surprising, as he’s a bowler at the bottom-order of the batting lineup).

When it came time for Pakistan to bat, though, they were seriously on-point. Shahid Afridi expectedly carried much of the team, though the other batsmen carried their fair share. They managed to get an 8-wicket victory with 1.2 overs remaining by the end.

Now, I’m admittedly a bit disappointed since my favorite team lost–doubly so, since Sri Lanka (along with South Africa) were the only two undefeated teams–until the semifinals/finals of course. But Pakistan managed to shape up somewhere along the way and came back in perfect form. You generally don’t see them put their every effort into a game except for the Pakistan-India matches (which I think the ICC T20 organizers were hoping for as the final, had India not lost thrice in a row and ruined their plans!).

Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’m going to try and make a post Friday morning just before I leave for Japan. ‘Til then. KF

First Half of Summer

So what’ve I been up to… In order of importance: I’m preparing for my trip to Japan week-after-next (more on that in a future post), I’ve been following the T20 World Cup in England of course, I’ve been watching a couple movies, and work has been getting busier.

I’ll stick to the non-boring things for this update. Except the Japan trip; that needs a full post for it before I leave.

More Twenty20 Cricket

(Source: AP)

It never ends! Well, at least this year where the IPL is back-to-back with the T20 World Cup. Anyway, it’s been pretty enjoyable so far. We’re already at the semifinals, and some of my predictions have come to pass, while other things were totally unexpected. I’ll just recap the main highlights:

• The first game was an ‘upset’, with the Netherlands beating England on their home turf. Unfortunately, that was the Dutch’s only victory.
• Australia got knocked out at the group stage with two consecutive defeats! Ponting’s disappointed look at the end of their loss to Sri Lanka was my favorite shot of all the group stage matches.
• Bangladesh continue to lose every match, even to Ireland. But whatever, I’ll still cheer for them no matter what.
• The West Indies have been doing surprisingly well. Chris Gayle’s their most valuable playet, of course, but their win against India proved that they don’t need to rely on any one single player to win. (I didn’t expect the West Indies to make it to semis.)
• India lost three consecutive games in the Super 8s stage and didn’t make it to semifinals. What the hell happened? (I expected India to be one of the teams to make it to semis, though not the finals.)
• Pakistan’s bounced back and the lack of practice in the IPL didn’t hurt them any. Their bowling attack is still strong with Umar Gul, especially. (I didn’t expect Pakistan to make it to semis.)
• New Zealand got hit with a different attack: several of their key players got sick or injured during the tournament. (I expected the Kiwis to be one of the teams to make it to semis, though not the finals.)
• Both Sri Lanka and South Africa have gone undefeated for the entire tournament. This was the only major prediction I made that came true: Sri Lanka’s bowling is still strong, and South Africa’s fielding is still (generally) great work. (I’ve been predicting a Sri Lanka vs. South Africa final match, and now that looks like a possibility.)
• The main loss, though? We went the entire tournament without a single India vs. Pakistan match. I think the organizers were trying to orchestrate it such that they’d face each other in the final.

Anyway, I’ve been lapsing on my movie reviews, so let me fit in a couple quick ones here…

Terminator: Salvation
Overall: satisfying post-apocalyptic action, better than T3, not as good as T2

Just the quick version here… Terminator 4 didn’t really need to do much to keep my interest. I was expecting a good action movie with lots of fighting and explosions–I mean, it’s Terminator, I’m not going for gripping drama. It definitely delivered, and then some. Plenty of action sequences, and, enough variety between them to keep things interested. (This is one thing that irritates me about some action films: when the fights look all the same–looking at you, Matrix Reloaded–it gets boring. If fighting is boring, you’ve failed.) Anyway, on that… They tossed in some new designs for robots, hunter-killers, early versions of terminators, etc.–the cycles and giant warmech were the most entertaining. They stuck with plenty of references to the first 3 movies, but subtly so that it didn’t require seeing any of the predecessors. It definitely felt like a Terminator movie, just set in a post-apocalyptic world instead. Oh, and the cameo of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face was a nice add-on.

Enough on that. It should still be in theaters. If you have some time free, check out a matinee showing of it.

Up
Overall: Awww! Pixar never disappoints!

I’d almost written this one off when I saw the trailers. But, since I haven’t seen a Pixar film yet that I didn’t love, I went ahead and gave it a chance. And… wow. It’s far better than I could’ve expected, and very, very endearing. I really can’t describe it and do it justice… I mean, really, you have to see it. Oh, and… when we saw it, the theater was something like 50% children, but everyone was surprisingly well-behaved. No crying, loud talking, or anything (well, except for some sniffling at one part which was rather sad, so I can’t fault anyone for that).

That’s about it for now. I’ll probably not post ’til next week, when I can talk about my upcoming vacation plans. ‘Til then. KF

Strategy Lessons

Strategy is the theme of today’s post… Weekend before last, one of my friends invited me to paintballing at AG Paintball Games out in Leesburg, VA. We were a total of 21 people, so we got to play against one another.

It was my first time trying this, but it was a lot of fun. I did learn a few things, though… (1) I’m a very good shot, (2) I’m not very good at avoiding being shot, and (3) Being good at strategy in video games doesn’t translate into being good at strategy on-the-field. I do get now why some people are really into it, though. It’s definitely fun, even if (like me) you’re not very good at it.

Cricket Week – IPL Finale, and T20 World Cup Preview

I didn’t get around to an update before the semi-final or final, as I said… Oh well. Anyway, Hyderabad, the Deccan Chargers, won the 2009 Indian Premier League. Interesting too, considering that in 2008 they were possibly the worst team in the league. This year, they managed to put their act together into a solid enough team to just barely make it into 4th place before the semi-finals, knock out the Delhi Daredevils, and win the final against the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

(Source: DLF/IPL)

In keeping with today’s post’s theme, strategy, and consistent strategy, was the big factor here. As I’ve mentioned, my favorite team is the Rajasthan Royals. They hit a groove in the middle of the tournament as captain Shane Warne learned how to best utilize his squad (particularly Yusuf Pathan), but they started faltering towards the end–they even lost to Kolkata. Meanwhile, Kolkata continued their pattern of having great players but piss-poor strategy: they put Ajantha Mendis (my favorite player) in only 3 games, and Mashrafe Mortaza (my favorite Bangladeshi player) in a total of one game. They had a bit of a luck at the end, but that was it. Delhi managed to be in perfect form for most of the tournament, but choked at the end–still haven’t figured out what went wrong.

Anyway, enough on that. I really suggest you check out CricInfo’s Page 2 for a much better, and more entertaining, summary of the last weeks of the IPL.

(Source: AP)

Many things throughout make you really realize how much of an international sport cricket has always been, and how it continues to be that way. You have the Indian Premier League, with many prominent players from Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, and the West Indies. It’s being held this year in South Africa. And, they brought in cheerleaders from the United States (hey, we got to contribute something at least!). They pushed through the “Help Educate and Teach” initiative to support local schools, and ran a “Miss Bollywood South Africa” contest. Even the closing ceremony was pretty good. Akon performed… and Jacob Zuma gave a speech. *ehem*

All the high points even made up for some of the silliness with corporate placement (“DLF Maximum” for sixes, “Citi moments of success”, and the “Fly Kingfisher fair play award). It got to the point of just being amusing by the end. All-in-all, it makes you wonder how good it would have been if it ended up being held in England instead of South Africa–I don’t think there would’ve been near as much character to it.

But, we’ll find out next week, when the 2nd T20 World Cup of Cricket begins! In 2007, they held the 1st T20 World Cup in South Africa; and in 2009, they’ll hold the 2nd in England. So, we’ll get a taste of how different it’ll be between the two countries.

When the 2009 T20 World Cup begins, I’ll try to make another post as sort of a preview of what’s to come. ‘Til then. KF

New Games, New Movies, New Matches

A few things happened the other day that delayed my planned post… So, I’ll make this one on three topics: a new Lunar game for the PSP, first of my summer movie reviews with Star Trek, and the Indian Premier League.

Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m one of the foremost experts on the Lunar RPG series. Well, just this week, Famitsuu announced a new Lunar game for the PSP–or, more accurately, a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star / Silver Star Story (the first ‘story’ created for Lunar) on the PSP, titled Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star.

So, this brings the total number of distinct versions to 4: TSS (Sega CD), SSS (Saturn/Playstation/Japanese & Korean PC), Legend (GBA), and now HSS (PSP). Yes, most people are sick of remakes, but many others are still thrilled that the series is definitely not dead (despite Lunar: Dragon Song, released for the Nintendo DS in 2005, doing so poorly).

So we’ve been abuzz with news of this since it broke. Here are some of the highlights:

• It’ll be produced by GungHo Works, but developed by GameArts
• It’s slated for a Fall 2009 release on the PSP; no word yet on an American release
• New storyline events will be added to the PSP remake

I’ve translated the original Famitsu article and posted that on LunarNET. For more information, check out the article:

LunarNET – Famitsuu on Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star

Star Trek
Overall: thrilling, enjoyable, and worthwhile for anyone–fan or no

Now, I’ve been a Star Trek fan since I was 10 years old. I grew up watching The Next Generation, Deep Space 9 is my favorite, and I’m one of the few who likes Enterprise. I also really like some, but not all, of the movies (notably Wrath of Khan, Voyage Home, Generations, and First Contact). So when I heard J. J. Abrams was directing a new Star Trek movie, involving the original Enterprise crew, I was definitely ambivalent. And by all rights I shouldn’t have enjoyed it, but… it was really, really good, and I left the theater more than satisfied.

Spoiler-Lite Review:

The good:

• Action sequences–in space (the first 10 minutes with the USS Kelvin), on-the-ground, and in between (orbital skydiving!)
• The casting–particularly Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Scotty
• How Spock, Bones, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekhov retained the best parts of their original character
• How Kirk, Spock, and Uhura got a much-needed upgrade to their characters
• Occasional lines and events that called back to the series (“Are you out of your damn Vulcan mind?”, Sulu’s hand-to-hand combat, Chekhov’s trouble with Vs, the redshirt on the orbital skydive)
• Leonard Nimoy

The bad:

• The main villain, Nero, for being a genocidal monster on the order of Khan Singh, has really lousy motivations
• The interaction between Spock and Uhura
• Angle-shots and shaky-cameras. I hate these two techniques, yet why do directors insist on using them? I thought Battlefield: Earth proved how completely awful angle-shots can be.

The confusing:

• “Did that just really happen?”

Now, I saw it with two other people. One had little to no familiarity with Star Trek, and the other was, like me, a longtime Trek fan. All three of us really enjoyed it. So, if you don’t know a thing about Star Trek, you’ll have no problem following it and enjoying the movie all the same (they also keep it very light on the technobabble, and have basically excised all the elements of The Original Series that were rather… irksome). If you’ve been a Trek fan all your life, there’s still plenty to love about this movie. And in either case, the bad doesn’t detract enough from the good to keep you from thoroughly enjoying it.

Spoiler-Heavy Review:
(Just a warning: don’t read this if you plan on seeing the movie and haven’t yet.)

The more I think about it, the more I actually appreciate what J. J. Abrams did here. My guess is his thought process was something like this:

• If I make it overly ‘true to the original’, then there’s no way to attract new fans
• If I branch out and do something totally new, then I piss of 40 years’ worth of fans
• Since I’m not Gene Roddenberry, there’s no way I can make it feel just like the original Star Trek
• So, I need a way to let me branch out, without being obligated to stay within the established 40-year history of the shows.

While the alternate universe / time travel deal is a bit of a trope, it ended up working brilliantly here in that it let the story take a completely different and unknown turn, without sacrificing the presence of the characters or similarity of events, and without disregarding the last 40 years. Bold move. And it paid off.

I do admit that I was upset when I first found out that time travel was a part of the plot this time. I’m really tired of time travel in Star Trek, since it forms way too common a plot device (…despite how I like both Enterprise and the First Contact movie). Reason being, time travel plots nearly always end with a “big reset button”, where something disastrous happens, but by the end of the show/movie they’ve gone back in time and fixed it all. It’s the sci-fi equivalent of a dream sequence.

Any Star Trek fan will tell you that, once Vulcan got destroyed (I said spoilers, didn’t I?) they fully expected the crew to go back in time and undo those events before the end of the movie. And, when the Enterprise was about to get sucked into a black hole near the end, I fully expected them to go through the black hole, appear 25 years in the past, and undo everything that just occurred. So, imagine my surprise when the credits rolled, and I’m left thinking “Wait… Did that just really happen?”

Again, bold move. And I like how this has revitalized interest in the series. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more along these lines…

Cricket Week – Pt.2

More accurately, the last 2+ weeks of cricket, since it’s been a little while…

(Source: DLF/IPL)

This post has gone on long enough, so I’ll just summarize some of what’s been going on in the DLF Indian Premier League as of late… The Rajasthan Royals aren’t doing as well as they did last year, but at the very least they narrowly won a victory earlier today against the Mumbai Indians, and are now at #3 on the points table. The Delhi Daredevils, however, have been in outstanding form for this entire tournament: it appears they’ve learned to work together and put their talent to use. Unfortunately, the Kolkata Knight Riders are just like they are last year: lots of talent, but lousy at putting it all together into a workable team.

It should go to show you: it doesn’t matter how good your players are–it matters how well they work together. You can see this with Rajasthan, how captain Shane Warne is constantly directing and encouraging the men on his team–which, I suspect, is how he manages to pull some great talent out of previously-unknown cricketers. Meanwhile, Kolkata has Ajantha Mendis, one of the greatest up-and-coming bowlers, and they’ve put him in something like 3 matches (out of 11) so far.

Anyway, the final is on May 24th. I’ll try to make another update before the Semi-Finals, before the Finals, and after the entire tournament is over. …if I’m lucky, I’ll get 2 of those 3. ‘Til then. KF