And with this, the third gym battle is finally over! It definitely didn't turn out as intense as the second one did but this one is probably funnier. And the next gym battle? Well, you'll see when we get there. Though, while I hope there isn't as large of a gap between the third and fourth gym battles and there was between the second and third, don't hold you breath.

So, incase you're one of the few people who doesn't know, it's approaching election time in the US. Well, actually the elections aren't for several more months but that hasn't stopped the news, media, and just about everyone else from talking about them all freaking year. If that sentence didn't clue you in, let me spell it out for you. I hate election coverage. Not that I've got anything against elections themselves, I think it's very important to vote (if you're old enough anyway) to try influence the future of the country. And I understand that a certain amount of ads and media coverage is necessary to help candidates get their message out to the voters.
That said, the majority of election coverage sucks, a lot. There are several reasons for this, so let's get started. First off, no one, not even the supposedly neutral press, actually provides truly neutral coverage of an election, especially the major ones. They'll always push one candidate over another. Sometimes they're very open about this, which is fine. Others, they do it sneakily (slipping in snide remarks here and there or just devoting much more space to one guy than another) while still claiming to be impartial. Now I know how hard it can be to be impartial about some matters but seriously, if you're going to actively favor one person over another in your coverage you should at least have the decency to admit it.
Next up, exaggeration, something I actually touched on in a past Blooper Reel Comic. This is a common tactic that mainly takes the form of a "doomsday scenario" that will supposedly come to pass if you elect whoever it is that the writer doesn't like. Seriously though, even if the guy really is pretty bad, it's practically impossible for things to end up as badly as people claim they will, especially since the government here has so many checks and balances that no one person could screw things up too badly.
Then there's the celebrities that go on a media blitz to support their chosen candidate. Now they've got as much right to support who they like as the next guy. Thing is, they tend to act like, because they're famous, everyone should listen to and agree with them. But, while someone like a news corespondent or political analyst might be able to make a case for their opinion carrying more weight than the average person, I really can't see how being a famous actor or singer makes someone any more knowledgable about politics than anyone else. Most "stars" really need to get over themselves.
Fourth on my list of complaints, negative campaigning. I did a Blooper Reel Comic on that on too. Too many candidates today spend more time talking about why you shouldn't elect their opponent than why you should be electing them. That really gets on my nerves, to the point where I'll even avoid voting for people who run that kind of campaign. I mean seriously, if some guy builds his entire campaign around how bad his opponent is, that just tells me that he doesn't think he can win on his own skills and qualifications. Not good at all. Not to mention that the list of "deep dark secrets" candidates bring up about each other often ends up getting completely ridiculous. Seriously, does anyone care that one candidate got a speeding ticket 20 years ago? Give it a rest.
Finally, and worst of all, is the belief that your candidate is so obviously superior that no intelligent person could disagree. This ***** me off to no end. I see it among members of both of the US's major political parties (though, to be honest, it seems to be much more prevalent among Democrats). Basically, people become so convinced that their way is the best that they start to think that anyone who doesn't agree with their viewpoint (typically anyone who likes the opposing political party) is a retarded, uneducated, moron. To be blunt, it's the people who believe this that are the morons. While there are some facts anyone and everyone really should agree one (such as that the Earth is round, water is wet, and the sky is usually blue), choice of political parties or candidates is an opinion. Is one group better than the other? Probably. Thing is, while you can do your research and make an educated guess about which one that is, it's nothing more than a guess. Only time can tell what really was the better choice. No matter how sure you are, we can't know for certain. And, like with any unknown, there will be many intelligent people who research the matter and come to different conclusions. Automatically labeling everyone who disagrees with you as an idiot just makes you sound stupid. It's even more ridiculous when you consider the fact that many of the people who do this claim to be huge proponents of tolerance. Apparently they're only tolerant of people who think the exact same way they do...

I haven't even been back in the US for three months I'm already fed up with election coverage. And there's still several months left go... At this point I'm pretty certain who I'm going to vote for in the presidential election. Actually I think both candidates have problems (some small, some not so small) but one certainly strikes me as much better than the other (or perhaps I should say that one strikes me as much worse than the other). But I'm not going to say who, at least not right now. You really should do the research and decide on your own. But don't fall for the common traps and vote for someone just because they've got a better ad campaign, are or aren't of a particular race or gender, or belong to a particular political party. I couldn't care less about any of that. What really matters is the candidate's belief's and policies and how they match up to your own (but be sure to actually check the details for yourself, you never can trust all the stuff you hear in the media). If you think that they're honest and sincere and that their policies will lead the country in the right direction than go ahead and vote for them. In the end, nothing else should matter.

Josiah

Don't forget about Friday's voters' bonus comic if you haven't checked it out yet.

In other news, it's been several days since the last Bresnan tech came to try and fix the internet connection here. And I think that by now I can safely say that it's actually fixed this time. And, um, I really don't have anything to say right now.

See you Wednesday!

Josiah

There's a new voters' bonus comic and a new ROM. Also, if you're a fan of Disney, Pixar, and/or Ghibli movies, take a look at the previous news post if you haven't already.

I finished Metal Gear Solid 4. The end was... Well, I can't say much about it without spoilers but it was incredible. It starts out really good and then, just when you think it's about over, you find out it's only about halfway through and get hit with a series of major last minute plot twists. In the end, every question is answered, all the loose ends are tied up, and the story of Solid Snake reaches a truly epic conclusion. I even cried during the ending. And I'm not the kind of person that cries easily. Lots of stories (books, games, anime, etc) have gotten to me emotionally over the years but I'm just not the crying type of guy. I'll feel sad, depressed, and all that but I'm pretty good at holding my emotions inside. I think the last thing that hit me hard enough to make me cry was Harry Potter book 6. So yeah, the ending of MGS4 is pretty emotional, especially if you've been following the story throughout all the games. Really looking forward to my second play through. And now, for a full review.

Throughout the years, Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series has always been one to push the boundaries of technology. It's also known for its deep twisting plot, excellent stealth game play, memorable characters, and some of the most creative boss fights ever made. With a legacy like that, Metal Gear Solid 4 had quite a lot to live up. Especially since it was promised to complete the story of Solid Snake and deal with all the unanswered questions and loose ends from the previous games, a task many thought impossible. But once again Kojima has created a masterpiece that not only meets but surpasses expectations.
Years have passed since the end of Metal Gear Solid 2. War has become a series of proxy battles fought by military corporations. Emotions are suppressed by nanomachines and battle has become commonplace. In this war economy Solid Snake returns to battle once more. Although his body is failing, turning him into an old man far before his time, there is one last thing he feels he must do...stop the evil plans of his "brother" Liquid Ocelot. During his journey, Snake will encounter friends and enemies, both old and new.
Unlike his previous missions, Snake will often find himself caught in the crossfire between rebel soldiers and Liquid's PMCs. While sneaking through is still possible. He can also choose to actively side with the militia, which opens up a very different set of challenges and rewards. Snake also has far more tools at his disposal than ever before. MGS4 features far more weapons than any of the previous games and many are now customizable, with attachable parts and multiple ammo types. There's really something for everyone Add in some very unique new items and you've got Snake's most impressive arsenal yet.
The control scheme and camera system have been revamped and, while they may throw off series vets at first, they're a huge improvement over the past games and, combined with Snake's new tricks, make for a highly refined game play experience. And, like past Metal Gear games, there's a ton of hidden items and special unlockables that can only be obtained by playing through the main story multiple times. If all that isn't enough, MGS4 also includes the new (and completely revamped) Metal Gear Solid Online so you can show your friends who the true master of stealth really is.
Featuring what are quite possibly the best graphics in any game ever, a moving soundtrack, deep enjoyable game play, and an absolutely brilliant conclusion to the Metal Gear saga, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a true masterpiece and easily the best game on the PS3. While the deep plot may lose newcomers to the series, MGS4 is everything that fans could have hoped for and more. A fitting end to one of the greatest game series of all time, I can't recommend it enough.

Josiah

Wednesday already? This week sure is going fast. Keeping busy is part of that. My mom is on vacation right now so I'm spending more time with my grandparents while she's gone. Also trying to get my last couple of job applications done (these being the ones I put off till last cause they have very complicated application processes). And then there's Metal Gear Solid 4. I've got to say, Act 4 is one of the most epic things ever. Totally amazing! Just one more act to go... And then, well I'll probably play through the whole thing again a second time. It's not that long a game, it's awesome, and I can get the stuff I missed the first time around. After that I really should finish up Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ and Sly 3. Not to mention all the DS and PSP stuff I'm trying to work through as well. Got Final Fantasy Tactics A2 today. It'll probably be ages before I have time to play it, but I have it. Anyway, moving on...

I recently joined the Disney Movie Club. Not usually one for that type of thing but you get four DVDs of your choice for $2 each when you sign up plus you can get a fifth for $15 and a sixth for $10. And, considering that includes classic Disney animated movies, Disney's live action stuff (like Pirates of the Caribbean), Pixar movies, and all of Studio Ghibli's awesome anime movies (which are distributed by Disney in the US) that was a bit too good of a deal for me to pass up. Especially considering that all I had to do to get said sign up deal was agree to buy 5 movies at regular price (average of $20 each) over two years (actually four, since that $15 movie counted as one of them). And hey, I'd probably buy at least that many Disney/Pixar/Ghibli movies over the next couple years regardless.
So why am I bringing this up? Well, as a club member, I get a free DVD of my choice for every person who I refer to the club. So I figured I might as well see if anyone is interested. So, if you like Disney, Pixar, and/or Ghibli and want in on that awesome sign up deal for the club (four DVDs for $2 and the option to get a fifth for $15 and a sixth for $10) e-mail me with your name and e-mail address and I'll send you an invite. Of course, you could sign up for the club on your own, but it wouldn't take much longer to go through me and it'll help me out too. Maybe I'll even make you all some bonus Pebble Version stuff if I get a few people signing up for the club.

See you Friday!

Josiah

I'm getting really fed up with the internet here. It's been frequently dieing for over a month and a half (though thankfully it could usually be restored by resetting the modem) but then it was completely out for a good 7 hours Saturday and another couple today. Really annoying when I have stuff I want to get done online. So far Bresnan has sent four different tech guys out here to try and fix the problem. And, aside from a slight decrease in the amount of times it goes down, they haven't been very successful. And if that isn't bad enough, each guy that's came has had absolutely no clue what the guys before him did (for a communication company, they seem to be seriously lacking in the whole communication thing). There's one more guy coming today but if the problem still persists I think my parents are gonna switch providers. In the meantime though, if it takes me longer than usual to reply to e-mails or post stuff on the forums, that's why.

I went to Gamestop yesterday and got my free Deoxys. Actually, I already had four (legit ones too) but I figured another wouldn't hurt and it's only like seven minutes from my house to Gamestop so... If you didn't make it this past weekend, they'll be giving them away this coming weekend (Friday - Sunday) too. All you need is a DS and a copy of Pokémon Diamond/Pearl (you need to have played far enough to get the pokédex) and you can download Deoxys via mystery gift. It's a pretty nice Deoxys too. Normal form (though you can switch forms any time in D/P by taking your Deoxys to the meteorites in that one town whose name I can't think of at the moment), level 50, with a very nice move set. It even comes in a special ball. My only complaint is that it's holding a NeverMeltIce. Now there's nothing wrong with getting a free NMI but first off, it's not a rare item in any way and is easy enough to get in game. Plus, NMI is a hold item that boosts the power of ice type attacks, and Deoxys doesn't know any ice type attacks so it's a pretty weird item for it to be holding. But anyway, unimpressive hold item aside, it's a pretty nice Deoxys so I recommend getting one of your own this weekend if you haven't already.

The other thing I got yesterday was also free. It's the Metal Gear Database which you can download from the PS3 store. If you're a Metal Gear fan with a PS3 you really should download it. Like I said, it's free, and it provides a very comprehensive encyclopedia of all the characters, places, events, etc in the main Metal Gear series (though it doesn't cover parallel universe games like Ac!d). It's a great refresher if you haven't played the games in a while or just have a few questions about the plot that you'd like cleared up. On the other hand, if you missed a game in the series the database is a great way to get up to speed (although playing said game would be even better). And, as a nice bonus for people who haven't finished Metal Gear Solid 4 yet (like me, unfortunately), all info that would spoil the plot of MGS4 starts out locked up so you won't accidently run into anything you don't want to know. In one last nice touch, the database even tracks what you have and haven't read.

That's all for now. See you Wednesday! If the internet is working...

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic on Top Web Comics for you to see after you vote. New ROM too.

Well, this is normally the part where I'd say something or comment on something or...something. If that last sentence didn't clue you in, I've got a really bad case of writers' block tonight. Although I have to wonder if it really counters as writers' block just cause I can't think of anything to write for a news post. Seems kinda minor compared to a lot of the things I write... But anyway, minor or not, I've got it so that's pretty much all I have to say write now. I'll make sure plan some interesting things to write about next week.

Josiah

I'm off on a short hiking trip with my dad until sometime Thursday. If I didn't mention it before, my parents got a time share type thing in a ski town (skiing in the winter anyway, hiking in the summer, and hot springs year around).

And, well, that's about all I have to say. Not really in the mood to write a big post right now. See you Friday!

Josiah

Always always, Friday's special Blooper Reel bonus comic is just a couple clicks away (click the Top Web Comics banner or button then answer the question to confirm your vote).

I've gotten a lot further in Metal Gear Solid 4 since Friday, nowhere near the end yet through. At least, I don't think so. Like I said, I'm trying to avoid as many spoilers as I can so I'm not entirely sure how much is left in the game. But I did just get through a series of cutscenes in the middle of Chapter 3 (MGS4 is divided up into chapters) that had more plot twists and shocking revelations than the season final of Lost. Said cutscenes tied up many of the loose threads from previous games in a brilliant, albeit shocking, way and brought up some very interesting new points as well. Then there's this awesome action sequence after said cutscenes... I ended up playing about an hour and a half longer than I'd planned and I'm still reeling. MGS4 just keeps getting better and better. If you've got a PS3 it is the game to have.
I will admit though, that people who haven't played the previous Metal Gear games will get a bit lost at times. There's some flashbacks and recap to bring people up to speed, but not nearly enough for a newbie to the Metal Gear series. I'd recommend playing Metal Gear Solid (for the Playstation), MGS2, and MGS3 (both for the PS2). Sure they'll a little old but they're some of the best games out there so taking time to play through them before MGS4 is anything but a chore. To celebrate MGS4, Konami actually released a cheap MGS collection for the PS2 that includes MGS, MGS2, and MGS3. It's pretty easy to track down but if you don't mind putting a bit more effort into it you can get a bit more bang for your buck by picking up the individual games at a used game store or on ebay. MGS is the same either way but if you're doing your own shopping you can get MGS2 Substance (which includes a whole lot of bonus content like VR missions, a movie viewer, and the like) and MGS3 Subsistence (a must have, includes a new and improved camera scheme, lots of new items, a ton of bonus movies, missions, etc, and high quality ports of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2). Actually, the MGS collection does include half of MGS3 Subsistence (the new camera and items) but doesn't include the second disc, which has most of the optional stuff, including the ports of MG and MG2.
So yeah, I'd say to ditch the collection and track down MGS, MGS2 Substance, and MGS3 Subsistence instead. Totally worth it. Though the collection itself is still pretty awesome (seeing as it includes three of the best games ever). Though if you want the complete Metal Gear experience you should also play Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 (which you get for free with MGS3 Subsistence). They're the first two games in the series. MG was released in the US but in an edited form and the true MG2 never made it here (the MG2 that was released here was a completely different, and not very good, game). Good games, but they're not a must for story purposes since playing MGS and MGS2 will give you a pretty good picture of what took place. There's also MGS Portable Ops for the PSP, which fills in the a gap between MGS3 and the first MG (Note that I'm talking about Portable Ops, not Portable Ops +, which doesn't have a story mode).
So, to recap, the full series is (in the order the events of the games take place): Metal Gear Solid 3 (Subsistence being the best version), Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (not +), Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 (both MG and MG2 are included with Subsistence), Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2 (Substance being the best version), and finally Metal Gear Solid 4. Amazing series and very highly recommended. I'm really sad to see the story ending, although I'm also dying to see how it all turns out.

If you're a real Metal Gear fan and still want more after playing all the main games though, you're in luck. While the stuff I listed above comprises the main Metal Gear cannon, there's a few other spin off games that, while they don't fit into the main story (they're what if or parallel universe type stuff) are mostly worth playing.
First is Metal Gear 2: Snake's Revenge. It's also the only one I probably wouldn't recommend. It was released back on the NES, wasn't designed by series creator Hideo Kojima, and is widely considering to be not all that good.
Next up you've got Metal Gear Solid Ghost Babel on the Gameboy Color. It plays a lot like Metal Gear 2 and does a pretty good job of smashing the gameplay onto the GBC. Storywise, it's a parallel universe plot that acts as a direct sequel to the original Metal Gear.
You've also got Metal Gear Ac!d and MGS Ac!d 2 on the PSP. Both of which take MGS gameplay and turn it into a surprisingly good trading card game. The plots of the Ac!d games don't really fit with much of the main series, or even each other for that matter (Ac!d left a lot open at the end of the story but Ac!d 2 annoyingly dropped it and started a new plot entirely).
And, if you want to be a real completionist, there's the US version of Metal Gear (not as good as the original Japanese version included with Subsistence though, it doesn't even have Metal Gear in it) and the Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel (an interactive comic book rendition of the first MGS for the PSP).

Wow, wasn't planning on writing anywhere near that much. Just shows how much I like Metal Gear I guess. That's it for now. See you Wednesday!

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic so please vote. New ROM too.

First, a pokémon announcement. Gamestop is going to be giving away Deoxys the 21 - 22 and 28 - 29 of this month so bring your DS and a copy of D/P on one of those days if you want one.

I picked up my preordered copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition yesterday and spent a large part of the day playing. I'll save a full review for when I complete the game but suffice to say that it's awesome. The controls and gameplay have been tweaked and streamlined to near perfection. Lots of new features have been added (including weapon customizing and a new camo system) along with tons of new weapons. And, while it still feels like Metal Gear, a lot has changed in the years since Metal Gear Solid 2 (MGS3 was a prequel so 4 is the direct sequel to MGS2). Snake is no longer sneaking into a heavily guarded fortress like before. Instead he'll be traversing battlefields, either siding with the local militia to fight his way through or sneaking through in the chaos. It makes for a much different dynamic than before and a different strategy as well, since it can be a lot harder to hide out in more open environments. As great as the gameplay is, it has to share the limelight with the amazing graphics, top notch music, and, of course, the deep twisting plot which promises to tie up all the loose ends and complete the story of Solid Snake. Can't wait to play more and find out what happens...
The Limited Edition is a Gamestop exclusive and, though it's an extra $20 or so, I'd say it's worth it (might be pretty hard to find if you didn't preorder though). It comes with an art book, a fancy case, and two bonus discs.  The first is an extra blue ray disc which contains developer interviews, behind the scenes stuff, and the like. The second is a 17 track soundtrack CD. I kinda doubt that it's a complete soundtrack (considering that the MGS2 and MGS3 soundtracks both took up two CDs) but 17 tracks is pretty good, especially considering that the full soundtrack probably won't be released outside of Japan. You also get a coupon for $5 off the Limited Edition strategy guide, which seems pretty nice (although I haven't really looked at it much since I don't want any spoilers during my first play through).

And that's all for now. Have a good weekend!

Josiah

Once again, sorry about the missed update on Monday but, with all the holiday stuff, I didn't really have time to update. Had a good Shavuot though. The annual congregation softball game and BBQ is always fun.

Although it's unrelated to everything else in this post, I just want to say that I plan to spend most of Thursday playing Metal Gear Solid 4. I can't wait!!!

First up, there's a new ROM and some new fanart by Chimchar 5202.

Pokémon Ranch was released on Wii Ware on Monday. Part Pokémon storage utility, part fun little game. Basically, you can transfer pokémon from Diamond/Pearl to the ranch where they hang out, run around, and play with your Miis. As you bring over more pokémon the ranch will get upgraded so it can hold more pokémon (up to 1000) and Miis. You'll also get toys, some extra features, and the option to trade for pokémon with special movesets and rare hold items. Even better, you can get a special phione and mew once you've deposited enough pokémon. While Ranch doesn't make for as good of a storage system as Pokémon Box did on the Gamecube (it doesn't have the organizational and transfer features for that), it's passable and you can get some good pokémon by playing. All that aside, it's also kinda fun to play around with your pokémon and Miis on the Ranch and snap pictures (which can be exported to an SD card as jpg files) when they do something interesting.
All in all, it's worth the purchase for serious pokémon players. Casual players should consider it as well if they really want a mew, or would like a cute screen saver / sorta game to mess around with. But if none of those things interest you, or you don't have D/P, don't waste your Wii points.

Josiah

There's a new voters' bonus comic so go ahead and vote if you want to see it. Also, there might not be an update on Monday. Not sure yet but it's a holiday for me (Shavuot) and there's a lot of stuff going on so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the update up. If not, PV will return on Wednesday.

So, like I mentioned in my last post, I recently got around to reading Death Note. I first heard of it when Shonen Jump did a preview of it a little while before the English version of the manga was released. My initial thoughts were something along the lines of, "interesting concept but the main character is too powerful and I can't see it going much of anywhere". So with that, I basically ignored the series. But, as it got popular I kept hearing more and more about it. Then a friend of mine (the leader of the anime club at my college) and I were talking about it. He told me a bit more about the plot and suggested I read the entire first graphic novel before forming an opinion. So I decided I'd give it shot when I had the time (and money). As is, I didn't get around to it until shortly after returning from Japan. By then it seemed like just about all my friends except me had either read the manga or watched the anime and I was tired of getting left out of the loop. So I got the first graphic novel and Matt was right. It was interesting enough to make me get the second book and before long I was completely hooked and had read through the entire series (all 12 books plus the bonus 13th).
For those of you who aren't familiar with Death Note, I suppose it's about time for a quick plot summary (NOTE: this might sound like a spoiler, but it's not really, all this stuff happens in the first part of the first book). It starts when a bored Shinigami (Shinigami are Japanese death gods) drops a special notebook called a Death Note on Earth. The Death Note is picked up by Light, a genius high school student who also finds himself rather bored with everyday life. Light soon discovers the Death Note's power. It can be used to kill anyone, no matter who or where they are, provided you know the person's name and face. Deciding he must have gained this power for a reason, Light decides to use the Death Note's power to create a utopia by killing off all criminals and evil doers. Before long governments begin to take notice of all the mysterious deaths and, despite the fact that the murdered people are criminals, they feel that they can't just sit by as the death toll rises so they hire L, a mysterious figure said to be the world's greatest detective, to investigate.
Naturally, this can raise some very interesting moral and ethical questions and really make you think at times. But that's just the setup. Both Light and L are amazing strategists and soon the two are locked in an amazing battle of wits full of plans, counter plans, and some of the cleverest tricks and schemes you could ever imagine. Moral issues aside, Death Note is a brilliant psychological thriller with a unique setup and very interesting characters (Light and L may be the primary players, but they're hardly the only important characters). It's like nothing else I've ever read and (once the battle between Light and L intensifies) extremely hard to put down. If you don't mind something a bit darker than typical shonen manga series, I highly recommend giving Death Note a try.

Josiah

Well, I promised a return to more interesting news posts today (although I suppose that depends on your definition of interesting). So, I figured the best way to start would be to catch you up on what I've been doing since I got back to CO (aside from all the Pebble Version stuff).

For starters, now that I'm done teaching English I need a new job. As a lot of you probably know, I studied game design in college and that's what I'd really like to do for a living (that and novel writing, but becoming a professional author takes some serious luck, money, or connections). So I've been sending out a whole lot of job applications (recently started on follow up letters). It's been going ok and there's a few places that really liked my portfolio. Unfortunately, said places don't actually have any openings for a writer / designer right now. So that doesn't do a whole lot of good unless a position opens up. I plan to keep looking for a job for a while but if I can't find anything good by fall I'll head back to school for a Master's.
Job hunting aside, I've been doing lots of errands and the like for my parents and helping keep my grandparents busy (they moved down here (at least for a while) a few weeks back). And, though all that has kept me pretty busy, I still have some free time. I started going to karate classes again as soon as I came back from Japan (sure beats practicing alone) and I recently began practicing piano and Japanese on a daily basis like I used to.
While working on PV I've been steadily watching my way through the stack of anime DVDs I ordered from a online sale while I was in Japan, like the new Slayers boxsets. Been working through a pretty large stack of books and manga as well. I finally read Death Note (which I'll probably be talking about in detail in a future post), reread all of Naruto (got a great deal on the Shadow Box collection), and some 10-20 other odd graphic novels. Then there was also a few magazines and some fantasy novels (which I'm working on now). I haven't been neglecting video games either (though I haven't had a ton of time for them). Smash Brothers Brawl is quite awesome (as expected) and I've mostly finished unlocking things (just need some more trophies and stickers). Finished up Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles too. Right now I'm spending most of my game time on Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops since I really want to have it done before Metal Gear Solid 4 comes out next week. Speaking of MGS 4, I've been waiting for it for ages. Heck, it's one of the main reasons I bought a PS3. Really looking forward to it.

Guess that about sums it up. Probably not the most interesting subject for a news post but now that that's out of the way I can jump into some reviews and other more interesting stuff later.

Josiah

It's a new month so be sure to vote for Pebble Version on Top Web Comics (just use the TWC banner or button). Also, PV is reverting to the normal Monday, Wednesday, Friday update schedule. I'm gonna use the extra time to rebuild my comic buffer and work on those new sprite sheets (they're taking a bit longer than I thought). Plus, once I've got my buffer back to normal I won't be so rushed to get new strips done which means I'll have time to actually write something interesting in these news posts for a change (look for that starting Wednesday or Friday). In the meantime, I added a new site to the Link Exchange.

See you Wednesday!

Josiah

There's a new voters' bonus comic and a new ROM. Technically, the month is quite finished yet, but it will be pretty soon. And, since there haven't been any donations recently, Pebble Version will be reverting to the usual three updates a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). You know, while I certainly appreciate the donations when I get them, it'll be nice not having to make so many strips for a change. Should give me time to finish those new Mystery Dungeon sprite sheets and finally rebuild my buffer. Not to mention write something more interesting in these news posts for a change.

See you Monday!

Josiah

UPDATE: Tthere will be no comic on Thursday. With all the bonus stuff and the new sprite sheets I still haven't had time to rebuild my buffer, which basically means I'm making new strips pretty much right before they go online, so if something happens and I don't have time to get the strip done I've got nothing. And, even though I have internet here on this mini-vacation, I was out most of the day and then when I got back my dad was using my computer for a while and then there was a couple of things more important than PV that I needed to get done... Sorry about that. I'll make sure I've got a comic ready for Friday.

As I said in my last news post, I'm on vacation for the next couple of days. While I was in Japan, my parents got a time share or something like that in a ski town in the mountains. Well, my brother wanted to spend a little time up there before he heads back to college in AZ (he's taking a class over the summer) so here I am (along with him and my parents). Looks like it's still a bit too snowy and muddy to do much hiking so I'm not entirely sure what we'll be doing up here. Relaxing I hope, and maybe visit some hot springs. Plus I've got a book, my PSP, and all that kind of stuff so it should be nice.

On a more practical note, the internet seems to be working fine here so updates should go smoothly.

See you Friday!

Josiah

Don't forget about Friday's voters' bonus comic.

As you can see, I'm done stalling, it's back to the gym battle, complete with Mystery Dungeon sprites. Certainly gives the pokémon a bit of a different look doesn't it? Just wait till they actually get moving. All those additional sprites per pokémon will really come in handy... Nowhere near done with my new sprite sheets though. Speaking of which, the ROM The Novel chapter is on hold until said sprite sheets are done. Sorry about that but the sheets take priority since I need them for PV srips.
You may notice that something else is different about this gym battle. Namely, I don't have the minidex at the top of the panels. Well, I suppose there's still a chance I'll add it in once the fighting really gets started but right now I'm thinking that we'll see how this battle goes without it. I like the minidex since it gives you a good idea of each pokémon's condition and provides a little extra info too. But, and this is a big but, it takes a long time to make. Believe it or not, making the minidex and changing it in every panel to reflect the HP totals and the like it a pretty time consuming process. And that's adding to the fact that gym battle strips already take a really long time to make since I've typically got three people and four pokémon going at once, complete with dialogue, special effects, and pokémon speak. So yeah, I like the minidex but it's probably on its way out.

Finally, it looks like I'm gonna be going out of town for a few days this week. Still not entirely sure of the details so I'll fill you in on that later. I shouldn't miss any updates but Wed - Fri's updates might be a little early or late.

Later!

Josiah

There's a new voters' bonus comic and a new ROM.

So, in case today's strip didn't clue you in, Pebble Version is officially switching to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon sprites for all pokémon. So what's the big deal? Well, the mystery dungeon sprites look a bit different and are more detailed so that's nice. What's really great about them though is the number of poses. See, the Ruby/Sapphire pokémon sprites I've been using only have two poses each (everything else has been done by editing them). Mystery dungeon sprites, on the other hand, often have 30+ poses per pokémon. Which means that the pokémon will look a lot better when they're doing stuff since I've have a much larger selection of sprites to choose from. Would have made the switch ages ago, but I needed sprites for every pokémon, didn't have time to rip them all myself, and couldn't find all of them online.
Big thanks to Shroomish357 for finding sheets with the pokémon I was missing and for all the people who ripped the sprites in the first place. I still don't have full sheets for every pokémon (not even close on some of them) but I finally have enough poses for each of the first 386 pokémon to make the switch.
By now you might be wondering why I've been stalling for the last few days instead of just switching over right away. Thing is, even though I finally have sprite sheets for all the pokémon, said sheets would be a pain to use for PV as is. First off I have to convert them to Photoshop format (quick and easy), remove the background without damaging the sprites (slightly time consuming), do some minor editing to remove unneeded shadows and fix occasional errors from the original rips (fairly time consuming), and rearrange the sprites on the sheet so I can easily find and select whatever sprite I need (fairly time consuming, some people arrange their sprites sheets very poorly). As you can see, all that takes time, especially when you're dealing with so many sprites (386+ pokémon times between 4 and 40 sprites each). I've been working on it for the last few days and I'm nowhere near done yet. But now I've got the weekend so, even if I'm not totally finished by Monday, I should be far enough along that regular PV strips can resume.

See you then!

Josiah

If you didn't see the updated version of Monday's news post, I apologize of the lack of a comic on Tuesday. Long story short, I'm currently working on a fairly major Pebble Version project and everything will work out much better if I get it done before the current gym battle really gets going. Don't worry, there won't be any more missed updates...but instead of continuing the gym battle, I'll be running some filler comics for a couple of days until things are ready to go. Was hoping to have it done for today but it's just taking way too long for that. Don't worry, we'll get back to the regular strips soon and, once you find out what I'm working on, I'm sure you'll agree that it was worth the wait. I could tell you what it is right now...but I won't. I'd rather keep it as a surprise.

Josiah

UPDATE: There will not be a new comic on Tuesday. I'm working on a very big PV project and it'll go a lot better if I get it done before the current gym battle progresses any further. Sorry about that, but trust me, it'll be worth it. There will be a strip on Wednesday but depending on how quickly things go it might be a bonus strip instead of a regular PV strip. And hey, you did get four strips yesterday with those three Marley comics and all...

Another piece of bonus content is finished! But this one isn't a donation incentive. It's a series of three comics made for forum Marley (aka Blastotoise) for winning second place in the King of the Forum Awards a while back. Like I said, it's three comics (starting with this one) and they can be found along with the Blooper Reel Strips. All that's left now is the ROM The Novel chapter. Hoping to have that done later this week (not 100% sure if that'll happen though).

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic for everyone who votes for PV on Top Web Comics. New ROM too. And that's it for now, the next piece of bonus content should be ready for Monday. See you then!

Josiah

Josiah's Sprite Comic Guide Part 7: Creating Simple Special Effects is done! And if you missed Monday's news post you really should check it out since I completed a pretty major item of bonus content then. All that's left now is the ROM The Novel chapter and a short series of bonus comics I owe a forum member from the King of the Forums Contest. Looking forward to getting all that done so I can finally get my buffer rebuilt and then maybe work on something else for a change.

Josiah

The mystery bonus donation gift is done! So, since my Japan travelogue has been such a bit hit I decided to reformat it so it'd be easier for people to read. After all, digging through the old news page and then having to ready up the page was a pain. So now my travelogue has been broken up into smaller chunks and changed to a much easier to read format. I also stripped out all the non Japan stuff (things about PV updates, donations, etc) so you can read through it without all the distractions. I added a link to the nav bar on the left of this page. You can access all the parts of the travelogue on the Extras page or you can just skip to the first part. The next piece of bonus content should be ready Wednesday. Almost caught up now...

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic so click the Top Web Comics button or banner and answer the question that pops up to confirm your vote and see the comic. Old Blooper Reel bonus comics can be found in the Archives. Also, remember that PV is updating five days a week this month (new strips every Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, and Fri), so if you've been following the usual three day a week schedule you should use the previous comic link and check out the ones you missed.

I'm nearly done with the next piece of bonus content. Unfortunately, "nearly done" isn't the same as "done" so you'll have to wait until Monday. On a sorta related note, sorry that my last few news posts have been so bland but between making all the extra strips and working on the bonus content, I just don't have much time to spend on the news posts right now. I'm sure that'll change sooner or later. Might not be till the end of the month though.

Anyway, enjoy your weekend!

Josiah

There's a new ROM.

I was planning to have some more bonus stuff done today but things didn't work out so well. Heck, I barely got today's strip done in time. See, I came down with food poisoning Monday and was too out of it to do much except lie on the couch for most of the day. Definately wasn't in any shape to make any new PV stuff. I managed to upload Tesday's strip and that was about it. And, since I just haven't had the time to rebuild my buffer yet (too busy with the bonus content), I had to make today's strip at the last minute so there was really no time for new bonus content. I'll try for Friday...but the next few days are looking to be kinda crazy so I won't promise anything.

Josiah

First off, remember that Friday's bonus comic is up and all you have to do to see it is vote. Second, for the entire month of May Pebble Version will be updating five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) so check back every weekday for new strips. News posts, however, will stick to the Mon, Wed, Fri schedule.

Still working on that bonus content. I seriously doubt I'll get everything done this week but definitely before the end of the month. Anyway, today we have Josiah's Sprite Comic Guide Part 6: Building Effective Speech Bubbles. Enjoy!

Josiah

The new bonus comic is up so please vote and get PV off to a good start this month. Also, the commentary for strips 101-120 is done and there's a new That Soap Opera strip (that I should have posted a couple weeks ago).

Josiah

I'll probably be keeping my news posts fairly short until I get all the bonus content done. For starters, the new Zelda page is up. Well, sorta new anyway. I actually made it quite a long time ago so some of the graphics could stand some improvement (it was done in Paint). Next time the donation gauge gets high enough though I'll have to actually go and make a new one in Photoshop so it'll be all fancy and everything...
But anyway, the new commentary should be finished a bit later this week with the ROM The Novel chapter and mystery surprise hopefully coming next week. I'll work the next parts of Josiah's Sprite Comic Guide in there somewhere as well. You should also know that Pebble Version will be updating 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) for the entire month of May. That's right, there's gonna be five new strips every week! News posts, however, will stay on the Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule unless I've got something really important to say.

And that it's for now. Tune in tomorrow for the first of the extra PV updates!

Josiah

I'm still toying with the idea of writing up a little one or two page tourist guide to Japan, and I might once I've gotten caught up on all that Pebble Version bonus content I owe you guys. But, until I get around to that, today will be the official end to my Japan coverage. Talk about a massive project. Eight months, a whole lot of write ups on places I went, things I saw, and Japan in general, plus nearly 600 photos (and that's just the ones that made it on the web site, I've got about four times that sitting on my hard drive). I hope you've enjoyed reading about my travels and experiences and that you've learned a bit about Japan. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end so let's get on with it.

Random Japan Comment: Things I Noticed Most After Returning Home
People kept telling me that I'd have this big reverse cultural shock of sorts upon returning to the US. I kinda doubted it since, regardless of my time in Japan, I've lived in the US most of my life and know what to expect here. And I was right, there wasn't anything really shocking. But here's a few things that particularly stuck out to me upon returning to the US.
Not to sound rude, but there's a lot of people in the US who are at least a little overweight. You also have a decent amount of muscular guys (not super muscular per say, but at least a little bulked up). In Japan, nearly everyone has a rather skinny to average build. Of course there's also the fact that practically everyone in Japan is Japanese (or at least Asian) while the US features a much more diverse mix of races, but I was always expecting that so it was no real surprise.
Another one of the things I noticed very soon after returning to the US was that, now that I was back in an English speaking country, I could actually understand everything that was being said around me. However, that was quickly followed by another realization... In most cases I'd rather not know what people are saying.
I've also noticed that I developed a habit of doing a slight bow (Japanese style) when thanking someone, be it a store clerk or a person giving me a compliment. Very useful while in Japan, slightly out of place here. I'll have to work on that.

Japan Wrap Up
So, how do I feel now that my big Japan adventure is finished? I'm glad I did it. Sure it was strange and a bit scarey at first but I learned a lot, got a see and do a ton of stuff, and learned much more about Japan and the Japanese people and culture than I would have on a simple vacation.
Overall, I like Japan. I like it a lot. There's several aspects about the country and culture that I like a whole lot better than the US (the cleanliness, politeness, pride in their country, etc). And I know I'm never going to find such great sushi places around here, or anything that can compare to Akihabara. On the other hand though, there's some things about the Japanese country and culture I really dislike (the overwork ethic, always going with the group, tiny poorly heated apartments, etc) and some stuff I love that you just can't get in Japan (like a good pizza).
There were some rough spots during my stay but I enjoyed it a lot and I'd recommend a year long ALT job to anyone with a serious interesting in Japan (at least assuming they made it through the first part of my So You Want to Teach English in Japan... guide without having second thoughts). And, while I'm not sure if I'd ever really want to live and work in Japan on a long term basis, I'm looking forward to going back when I get the chance.

Josiah

There's a new voters' bonus comic and a new ROM. In addition So You Want to Teach English in Japan... Part 4 is finished. It's the final part of the guide and deals with things to do once you're in Japan.

Have a good weekend!

Josiah

As promised, Part 3 of So You Want to Teach English in Japan... is done. This one deals with the process of finding a job. That's all for now.

Josiah

Passover started Saturday night. It's one of my favorite holidays and so far it's been a lot of fun. Got to catch up with friends and do some hiking. But, I've still got a long ways to go before I'm caught up on PV stuff so let's get right down to business. Namely, it's time for the final two Random Japan Comments.

Random Japan Comment: Bathrooms
Ok, this one is a little weird but I suppose it's fairly important if you're going to Japan. But you can probably guess why I put this one off for so long. So yeah, useful things to know about bathrooms in Japan. First off, bathrooms in many homes, hotels, and some stores and restaurants, have sets of "bathroom slippers" at the entrance. In bathrooms like that, you're supposed to take off your normal shoes or slippers, leave them there, and wear the bathroom slippers while you're in the bathroom. Simple enough.
Next up, bathtubs and showers. First off, unlike bathrooms in most countries, in Japan the bathtub and shower are often in one room and the toilet is in another. Sometimes there's a separate area for the sink as well. Also, bathtubs are typically pretty deep and are meant to be used similarly to onsen, which I've already covered. Namely, you wash yourself (water, soap, shampoo) and rinse off completely before entering the bath, which is mainly for soaking. Although, if you've got your own bathroom, I suppose you can do whatever you want. Finally, in some bathrooms the shower isn't in the tub itself, rather the entire room is a shower, with a drain in the floor and everything.
Now for the toilets. There's a few kinds of toilets in Japan. Some are just like US toilets, others are fancier, including things like built in sinks, heated seats, ambient noise, and more. Then there's the traditional Japanese style toilets (my dad took this photo, I never had any desire to photograph a toilet). They're basically flat on the ground and tend to catch visitors to Japan by surprise. And, uh, yeah... They're more common in older places but wherever you go in Japan you'll probably run into some at one point or another. And, as long as I'm talking about it, urinals are the same as in the US.
One last thing I should mention while I'm on the subject is public restrooms. First off, keep an eye out for the occasional (though fairly uncommon) unisex restroom. They've got locks, but not everyone uses them. Aside from the different types of toilets, there's one more thing that's kinda important to keep in mind. Not entirely sure why but in Japan they don't go to the same lengths to ensure privacy in restrooms as they do in the US, especially for men. Some men's restrooms are fairly open, as in people could glance in fairly easily if they wanted to (or by accident for that matter). In addition, in busy places such as train stations they typically don't close the restrooms while they're being cleaned and it's pretty common to have a woman cleaning the men's restroom (however, I don't think there's ever any men cleaning women's restrooms). Seems that woman need their privacy but it's no big deal if a woman sees a man in the restroom...definitely weird. The whole thing can take some getting used to no matter what gender you are.

Random Japan Comment: The Little Things
Sure there's lots of big differences between the US and Japan, but there's lots of small stuff as well. For example, how exit signs in Japan are green and how most hotel rooms require you to put your key in a slot of some sort in order to turn on the lights. There's also stuff like slurping your noodles (instead of eating them quietly) and drinking your soup. And that's just scratching the surface. I could keep going for a while but it's really more fun to discover them yourself.

And that's all for today. See you Wednesday!

Josiah

There's a new voters' bonus comic. Well, I'm still way behind on PV stuff but I'm planning to remake my buffer and get to work on all those donation bonuses I owe over the coming week. Hopefully I'll be able to finish at least most of them before the end of the month. Should be able to, especially since I'm not going to be heading to the east coast for a couple of weeks like I'd previously planned (long story but said trip has been postponed indefinitely (but most likely a bit later this year)).

I've also got the schedule figured out for the remaining Japan stuff I want to talk about. Today I'll be covering my last couple days in Japan (didn't do a whole lot though), Monday I'll do the last couple of Random Japan Comments I have planned, Wednesday and Friday will have the final two installments of So You Want to Teach English in Japan..., and finally the following Monday I'll do a final wrap up.

Saturday (12th): Return to Tokyo
Well, with only one day left before our flight back to the US, it was time to head back to Tokyo since it's a whole lot closer to the airport than Kyoto. Also, it was the last chance to see all my friends from the congregation I go to in Tokyo. Speaking of which, here's a photo of the whole group. It's kinda hard to get a good shot of that many people around a table but this one turned out pretty well, although you can only see half of Una's face.
So there was the service and then we all hung out and talked for a while. After we finished my mom and I headed to a nearby hotel. After dropping off our stuff I headed out to take one last trip to Akihabara and got some kaiten zushi while I was there.

Sunday (13th): Goodbye Japan
Didn't do much in the morning, other than rearrange the stuff in some of the suitcases and check some stuff on my computer before getting a taxi to Ueno. After that it was a last train ride to the airport. We get there fairly early so there was time to actually look around the place a bit before going through security. There's a decent shopping area filled with souvenir shops and restaurants so we were able to get kaiten zushi one last time before leaving Japan.
The flight was long, really long. But I'm used to air travel (been flying all over the place since I was a kid). It's really not so bad as long as you have something to do. The only really interesting thing about flying from Japan to the US is that, because of the time difference, you actually arrive earlier than you left. Kinda neat.

And that's it for now. Like I said, look for a little more Japan stuff over the next week and a half.

Josiah

There's a new ROM.

Wow, these last two days have gone by fast. Spent the majority of each catching up with a couple of my friends from college. That was fun. It was great to see them again and there weren't really many people I could have a long conversation with in Japan, especially not around my age (or with similar hobbies). But, as I said, these past couple days have been really busy and I'm heading back to CO today where there's a whole bunch of things I need to do.
Anyway, I barely managed to get a strip done for today and I don't have time for a long news post so I'll have to wait till Friday to start on that remaining Japan stuff.

Josiah

Well, I made if safely back to the US but it's late so I'm gonna keep this short. Remember, I'll still be talking about Japan stuff for the next couple of weeks. Oh yes, before I go, there's a new That Soap Opera strip.

See you Wednesday!

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic so please vote (use the TWC button or banner), PV has been a bit low in the rankings this month and could use a boost. There's a new ROM too. Sorry to say though, I was once again unable to get a regular comic done. This will be the last time though. There will be a normal PV strip on Monday, promise. A note about today's bonus comic...the whole joke is based off of Elite Skill capturing in Guild Wars so if you don't play GW you probably won't get it at all. Sorry about that. I was gonna make another compilation of Keit's stuff but spent too long typing today's massive news post so I decided to use this one instead since there was much less work involved on my part.

Hard to believe that I'll be leaving Japan on Sunday... Yes, that's right, come Monday I'll be back in the US. But don't expect me to stop talking about Japan quite yet. There's a few Random Japan Comments I never got around to doing and two more parts of my guide on teaching English in Japan. Plus, when all is said and done, I want to have a sort of wrap up post with my final thoughts on my whole Japan experience. So, even though I'll be back in the US, you can expect another couple of weeks or so of Japan centric news posts before I start talking about other things.

Wednesday (9th): Okayama & Hemeji
When my mom and I were in Gion the other day we ended up getting tickets for show on Thursday night. To better fit that in the schedule, we decided to swap Wednesday and Thursday around. Though I suppose that really doesn't matter much. The whole point of this is that instead of doing more Kyoto stuff, we took a day trip.
We spent the first part of the day in Okayama, a small city with a couple of nice places to see. But before I talk about those...take a look at this sign. I'm thinking they didn't have enough room to say "Rolled Sandwiches", but some things really don't abbreviate well. One interesting thing about Okayama, they seem to really like the story of Momotaro there (Momotaro is a Japanese fairy tale). There's a lot of related statues around the city, souvenir stuff, signs, etc. Maybe it was supposed to take place in the area.
After the train ride, walking to Okayama Castle was a nice change of pace. Also known as the "crow castle" because of the black storm boards covering much of it, it's a reconstruction of the original castle. The inside has been turned into a museum detailing the history of the castle from its creation through Perry's arrival and beyond. There's even some items said to have been given as gifts by Perry. Fairly interesting stuff. You could also dress up in traditional clothing and get your picture taken for no additional cost so that was cool.
Right across the river from Okayama Castle is Korakoen, said to be one of the three best landscape gardens in Japan. We took a slow stroll though it. It's certainly the biggest garden I've been to so far and had lots of different areas. We were also there at the perfect time to catch the cherry blossoms. Not too surprisingly, it seems to be a pretty popular wedding spot and my mom snuck this picture of a Japanese woman in a traditional bridal outfit.
Once we'd finished seeing the garden we headed back to the train station (though we did stop at a pretty nice kaiten zushi place along the way) and took the shinkansen a little ways back towards Kyoto to the city of Hemeji. There's a few good things to see in and around Hemeji (including the area where they filmed parts of The Last Samurai) but the main attraction is Hemeji Castle. It was never destroyed so that's the original castle. Even better, many of the surrounding buildings are intact as well. We got to walk through a pretty large chunk of the wall and gardens, and peek into places like the storage building, well house, and more. Of course, we also got to walk all through the castle and climb up to the top. There's even a shrine up there. Here's a good view that includes a lot of the castle courtyard and the like.
Thought about trying to see some more of the things in Hemeji but time would have been kinda tight so instead we checked out the shops (lots and lots of shops) before heading back to Kyoto. Oh, speaking of the shops, file this under really poorly named shops. Though it does make sense when you think about it...

Thursday (10th): Finishing Up Kyoto
Actually, "Finishing Up Kyoto" probably isn't the best title considering that we didn't even end up seeing every Kyoto spot on my original travel plan, much less everything there is to see here. But it was my last day touring Kyoto on this trip, so close enough.
Since the weather forecast wasn't looking so good, my Mom and I spent some time the previous evening thinking about what to do if it rained. My original plan involved spending most of the day in an area called Arashiyama but there was a lot of outdoor stuff involved so heavy rain would have been a problem.
Regardless of the weather, I was determined to at least see the first stop on my original plan, Kinkakuji. Known as the gold pavilion, it was originally a rich man's country home before being turned into a temple after his death. Before you ask, that's real gold leaf. It's a very pretty building and it's surrounded by a nice, though not spectacular, garden. And, luckily, it hadn't started to rain yet. Glad I went, the place was really crowded though.
Once we'd finished up there my mom and I headed towards one of Kyoto's downtown areas. The eventual goal being to find a museum my mom wanted to see and then wander around the nearby shopping arcade a bit until it was time for us to head to Gion (more on that later). We couldn't get a direct bus to where we were headed so we got off at the closest stop, planning to walk the rest of the way. That walk carried us right past the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a place which wasn't on my tour list since tickets required some sort of advanced registration. But, in a great stroke of luck, this just happened to be part of a special four day period each year when the palace is open to everyone free of charge.
That was too good an opportunity to pass up so we headed in. While I liked the palace at Nijo Castle a bit better, the Imperial Palace is pretty cool too. We couldn't go in any of the buildings but you could look inside at some points and they had figures set up to give you an idea of what the place might have been like when the Emperor lived there (the Emperor and family have lived in Tokyo ever since it became Japan's new capital in the mid 1800's). Here's a look at the audience chamber through one of the inner gates, here's the Emperor's throne, and here's another scene they had set up. There was also a garden and a lot of those painted gold sliding doors I like (but haven't really been able to photo anywhere else). Sorry about the post and wires in that picture, but it was really the best angle I could get.
It started raining mid way through our exploration of the palace but we both had umbrellas this time so it wasn't a big problem. Continuing on, we managed to find my mom's museum, which was an old sake brewery (sake is traditional Japanese rice wine), and took a tour where we learned all about how sake is made. The tour was all in Japanese but I was able to follow along moderately well some of the time and they had an English pamphlet too. The whole thing was fairly interesting, though I could have done without the sake tasting at the end. Nothing against sake, I just don't like alcohol in general no matter what form it's in (hate the taste and have no real desire to get drunk so I see no point in drinking it).
After that we walked around a large shopping arcade for a bit and then walked to Gion, which has lots of nice old timey buildings if you explore the alleys a bit. As I previously mentioned, we stopped there Tuesday as well, looked around, and ended up getting tickets for a show (which is why we went back there now). A long time ago Gion was the city's main "pleasure" district and was home to many prostitutes and geisha. Now a lot of people think that geisha are prostitutes, but that's not really correct. Some were, but what geisha were and still are really supposed to represent is the ideal traditional Japanese woman. They're highly trained performers, skilled in many traditional Japanese arts (music, dance, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, etc).
Gion still has geisha and, while it's rare for anyone other than wealthy and well connected Japanese people to be able to arrange for a private performance, there are some shows that allow everyone a glimpse of the geishas' skills. And every April there's a special performance for one month only. It's been performed for the past 138 years and is comprised of selected scenes from The Tale of Genji (an ancient Japanese novel). That's what were were there to see. The tickets sell out fast (both the advanced reserved and the same day sale standing room only ones) and we were lucky to get a pair without having to try our luck in line for the same day ones. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't take any pictures or movies during the show. There were geisha playing music and singing while others danced, acting out the scenes. They were very good and had some of the most graceful and fluid movement I've ever seen. Cool to watch, even though I couldn't understand much of the old fashioned Japanese being used in the songs.
After that it was back to the shopping arcade to look around a bit more and grab supper. And I'm really only mentioning this so I can show off another weird sign, this one for a restaurant.

Friday (11th): Nara
Guess this will be my last day of touring for a while. I suppose I could try and tour a bit near where I live in the US but that really wouldn't be the same. Anyway, today went as planned with my Mom and I taking the train to Nara, a small city (or maybe large town) about an hour away from Kyoto.
Most of the big sights in Nara are inside Nara Park, a massive park full of temples, shrines, museums, and lots of tame deer. And when I say tame deer, I mean really tame deer. They're more or less the town's pets and they have free run of the park. They're very used to people so they don't spook easily and most will let you walk right up and pet them (though a few may shy away at first). Nearly every snack stand and souvenir shop in the park sells packs of crackers you can buy to feed the deer. And, while the deer will normally just sit/stand or walk around doing whatever it is deer do, they can get rather aggressive if they see that you've got food. So, if you want to feed the deer, prepare to be swarmed, nudged, and pushed. They may also try and nibble on your clothes or any other loose objects you've got. Actually, I was surprised that I didn't see any trying to steal crackers from the stores, but they seemed content to just hang out in the area and wait for someone to buy the crackers for them. He's a picture of me feeding the deer.
As I said before, there's a lot of stuff in the park but the most popular sight by far is the enormous Todaiji Temple. It's home to the largest Buddha in Japan (yep, even larger than the more famous one in Kamakura) along with a few other gigantic statues. Even though I'm rather tired of seeing Buddha statues in general (seen so many of them), the colossal scale of everything at Todaiji made it pretty cool. We continued on, making large loop through the park, and saw lots of other stuff like a giant bell, a shrine full of lanterns, and some pretty ponds (one of which was full of turtles, which were fun to watch).
After that we walked around Naramachi, a part of town with a bunch of little shops and some old buildings scattered about the back streets and alleys, and ate at really good noodle place in a nearby shopping arcade. Their specialty was something I'd never seen before. Interesting isn't it? It's a pouch made of tofu skin and stuffed with udon noddles.
Since we were making good time, we went back to Nara Park for a bit so I could check out the Nara National Museum. The section filled with Buddha statues left me with a serious feeling of deja vu but the section of 3000 year old bronze pots from China and the special exhibit of old artwork from Europe and Asia that dealt with winged horses and similar creatures (Pegasus, griffons, etc) were interesting.

And that's it. If all goes well I'll be posting Monday on schedule from the US. See you then!

Josiah

Sorry, really wanted to get a normal comic done for today but I just didn't have the time. A note about today's guest comic. Quite a long time back a reader sent me a whole bunch of these little mini comics for one of my guest comic contests but I lost the file and didn't find it again until recently. Apologies to the creator for taking so long. Anyway, since they're just single panel things, I decided to combine a bunch into one strip and I'll probably do the rest of them like this sooner or later (though hopefully not to replace normal strips). There should be a regular PV strip on Friday (though I'm not 100% sure) and definitely on Monday.

Monday (7th): Kyoto in the Rain
My mom and I started off our second Kyoto day at Daigoji temple. The temple itself wasn't anything all that special but the setting was great. There was a path lined with sakura trees right outside and when ever the wind whipped up, petals would go flying everywhere. It was kinda like a snow storm at times. Very pretty. Daigoji also had a nice little garden and a pagoda which, at over 1000 years old, is said to be the oldest wooden structure in Kyoto. And for Engrish fans, as this sign proves, one letter can make all the difference.
There's a bunch of smaller temples up the mountain behind Daigoji and my mom hadn't had enough of hiking yet so we started up. Soon after, it began to rain. Wasn't bad at first but after a bit it got pretty heavy. Not the best time for a hike to be sure but it wouldn't have been too bad...if my mom had brought her umbrella. I had mine (which I always keep in my backpack) but she'd left hers at the hotel and my umbrella is really only big enough for one person. We traded it back and forth for a bit and tried to share but we both got pretty wet. Despite that, we walked all the way to the top of the mountain (we'd gone so far that we didn't really want to turn around) before heading down.
At this point, we decided that it'd probably be a good idea to go back to the hotel and get the other umbrella. But if we went right away we'd have to do some backtracking to get to our next destination (which would also require buying extra train and subway tickets) and we'd have to go near the hotel later anyway so we decided to wait and headed to Nijo Castle instead. Unfortunately, the castle itself was burned down by a lightning strike a couple hundred years ago but the palace and gardens were still in good shape. The palace and castle were originally built by one of the Shoguns as a snub to the Emperor, who had no real power at the time, so it's pretty impressive. We walked all through the large main palace (there's an inner one too, but it's only open to the public a few times a year). Between the building itself, carvings, and wall paintings, it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to take pictures inside.
After that it was back to the hotel. My mom had gotten the worst of the rain and didn't really want to go out any more so she decided to stay inside for the rest of the day. But I wasn't going to let the rain stop me so I went out and caught a bus to Sanjusangendo. It's the longest temple in Japan, and it needs to be since it's home to a 1000 life sized statues of Kannon (a Buddhist deity) plus a giant statue of Kannon (very similar to the three giant gold Buddha in that one shrine in Nikko, but I think this one is slightly bigger) and statues of all 28 guardian deities (each with a Japanese and English sign explaining their role and history). The sheer amount of statues made the whole place a tad overwhelming but certainly worth seeing. I'd show you...but once again, no pictures allowed inside.
My last stop for the day was Kiyomizudera, yet another temple. It's the hanging deck that makes this one famous but with two pagodas, several temple buildings, a small garden, and a fairly nice shopping street leading up to it, it's kinda got all the main scenic temple stuff represented pretty well so it's a good place to visit. I also ran into a pair of geisha girls posing for photos while I was there. Not sure if they were real geisha or just girls who like to cosplay (dress up in costume) but it's a nice photo either way (and, considering that Kyoto does have a geisha district, there's a decent chance that they're the real thing).
Supper that night at a Japanese buffet, which was as interesting as it is unusual (the only buffets I've seen in Japan before have been Indian and American).

Tuesday (8th): Kyoto Day 3
Before I get started, here's a pic of Kyoto Station.  Specifically, I'm standing on the station's rooftop garden and looking down into the station. But anyway, after climbing all the way up to the top of the station and taking that photo my mom and I caught a bus to Nanzenji Temple. The temple was ok, though nothing amazing. But that was fine since the main reason we went there was because it's near the start of the Walk of Philosophy. As you can tell from the photo, it's a very pretty path (especially during this time of year) and there were some shops and restaurants scattered along it as well. There's a few shrines and stuff along the walk and we stopped at Eikando Temple, which is famous for its oddly posed Amida statue (there's a whole legend behind that). Statue aside, you can walk through a lot more of the buildings than at most temples (nice ones too, with old fashioned covered wooden walkways connecting them) and get a close up look at some of the really fancy stuff they put in those places, so that was neat.
The Walk of Philosophy eventually led us to our next destination, Ginkakuji. Check out the path to the entrance. Despite being called "the silver pavilion" it's not actually covered with silver, although it was originally supposed to be. The pavilion itself was being repaired while we were there so we couldn't get a very good look at it but that wasn't so bad since the place is still worth seeing for its stone garden (believe it or not but they re rake that every day) and it's excellent regular garden, which uses quite a lot of moss (some of which is very important moss, which I suppose means it's the most useful for gardening). We also tried umi (Japanese plum) tea while we there. Some people seemed to really like it but it was way too sour for me.
My mom was flipping through the tour book over lunch so we changed the schedule a little and skipped the next place I had planned, heading instead to Chionin, a very large shrine which features the largest shrine bell in Japan (they say it takes seventeen people to ring it at New Years). And, though I dislike clandestinely taking pictures of people, this one was a bit too good to pass up.
After that we walked to a part of Kyoto called Gion and looked around there a bit, but we'll be going back there on Thursday so I'll wait and talk about it then.

Darn, I was hoping to get today's write up done as well but I really should get some sleep... Oh well, should be able to get caught up on Friday. See you then!

Josiah

There's some new fan art up. Other than that, I'm now in Kyoto and I have a good internet connection so updates shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get anywhere near caught up on strips. Anyway, it's late and I really need to start on what I've been doing for the last few days. Oh, speaking of which, the next to last link in the section on Friday the 4th was linking to the wrong image. It's fixed now.

Saturday (5th): Hiking in the Kiso Valley
When I was planning this sightseeing trip this was a tricky day to figure out. On the one hand, it would have been nice to go to services in Tokyo like I do every Saturday. But it's a long ride on the shinkansen between Nagoya and Tokyo, not to mention around 10,000 yen one way (since I have a working visa, not a tourist visa, I can't get a JR Rail Pass). So with that out, I decided to look for some nice outdoor nature type thing to fill the day. Fortunately, I found a good one.
The Nakasendo trail is a hiking trail connecting old post towns in the mountains. The entire trail is really long but the most popular segment connects the towns of Magome and Tsumago. Here's a map of the whole thing (though I think the trail might continue off one or both sides of it). I traced the section my mom and I did in red and circled and numbered our three major stopping points along the way, which I'll refer to in more detail later.
Anyway, as I previously said, the most popular part of the trail is between Magome and Tsumago, both old post towns. It's around 8 km between the two though the trail itself isn't all that strenuous. Depending on the shape you're in and how fast or slow you want to go (I'd recommend not rushing, there's some great scenery), I'd say it'd take anywhere from 1 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours to complete (most likely not counting whatever time you spend looking around in the towns themselves).
To start, we took a train to Nakatsugawa then got a bus to Magome (number 1 on the map). The trail starts out winding uphill through Magome, which is a great old town with lots of shops, restaurants, and the like. In Japan, places like that are always fun to walk though. Just about when there trail leaves Magome you can get a good view of the mountains. The scenery on the Nakasendo trail is really diverse. We passed through forests, fields, bamboo groves, and a collection of tiny little towns. There were a couple of waterfalls along the way too. To make things easy for hikers, there's signs at nearly every intersection so it's easy to stay on the trail (there were only a couple of slightly confusing spots) and there's rest rooms spaced along the entire length. Some of those small towns have restaurants and/or vending machines too, really convenient. It took my mom and I around 2 1/2 hours at a moderate pace (including a lunch break) to reach Tsumago (number 2 on the map). Tsumago was another neat old post town and, much like Magome, featured a street lined with old buildings selling local crafts, food, etc.
Now that's where most people stop, take a short bus ride to Nagiso, and get a train to where ever. But, as my mom and I soon discovered, the trail didn't stop there. And, since it skirted Nagiso on the way, and we'd made good time and weren't all that tired, we decided to continue on and walk to the train station, adding another 3.5 km to the 8 we'd already covered. Once again, the scenery was very nice and pretty diverse, though a bit less so as we drew closer to Nagiso (number 3 on the map). Unlike Magome and Tsumago, Nagiso isn't a post town and lacks their looks and atmosphere. But it does have a train station so it marked the end of our journey for the day.
Though, had we wanted to continue, we could have. We'd only covered about half (if that) of what was shown on that map and there were at least two more post towns further on. I had some doubts about this whole day plan at first but I'm glad we did it. The weather was perfect, it was a good trail with lots to see, and the post towns were fun to walk through. All in all it made for a very enjoyable day. If you like hiking or at least really long walks I'd definitely recommend it.
Later that night we also swung by a shopping arcade in Nagoya to try out a vegetarian Chinese restaurant my mom had been wanting to go to. Wasn't bad actually, though I think meat would have made it better.

Sunday (6th): On To Kyoto
I've been wanting to spend some time in Kyoto ever since I came to Japan but it was just too long and expensive of a train ride for a day trip and the timing didn't work out well when my brother was here. Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan before Tokyo and features a enormous amount of shrines, temples, and other old stuff to see. Though a large city, it doesn't have Tokyo's endless tall buildings and has a lot of hills, mountains, and forests scattered throughout, giving it a much different atmosphere.
My mom and I caught an early train and dropped our suitcases off at our hotel then immediately headed out to start touring. I had three stops planned for the day. First up was Tofukuji Shrine, famous for its huge gate and collection of rock gardens (each done in a completely different style). Though I thought the big dragon painted on the ceiling was pretty cool too.
Once we'd finished looking around there, we took the train to the next stop to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine. But we weren't just there to see the shrine, and neither were most of the other visitors, for that matter. The big draw is the 4 km trail that leads up and around the mountain behind the shrine. So what's so special about this trail? First off, see that gate in the last pic? That type of gate is called a torii gate and there's usually one or two on the path to just about every Shinto shrine. And that 4 km trail? It's lined with torii gates. Lots and lots and lots of torii gates. There's thousands of the things in many different sizes and styles. Along the way there's also a whole bunch of small shrines where people can leave little gates they bought and wrote prayers on. There's also a bunch of kitsune statues (fox spirits from Japanese mythology) and rest stops/noodle restaurants. The local specialty is kitsune soba/udon, Japanese noodles with tofu skin. We got some for lunch, it's pretty good.
The final stop of the day was Uji, a town (like Tokyo, Kyoto is divided up into many smaller cities and towns) famous for its green tea. There was a nice shopping street featuring matcha (green tea) everything (sweets of all kinds, ice cream, soba, tea cups, pots, etc, etc, etc, and, of course, the tea itself) which we walked through but our real destination was Byodoin. Aside from having a nice garden with plenty of sakura (cherry) blossoms, it's got the Phoenix Pavilion. Sure it's a neat building and it's filled with old paintings and Buddha statues, but what's really impressive is that it's nearly 1000 years old. Yeah, I'm serious. And it never had to be rebuilt, that's the original structure. I never thought wood could last that long... There was a nice little museum there with artifacts and details about the history of the pavilion too.
Turned out to be a really good day to visit Uji since they happened to be having their local cherry blossom festival, which we stumbled on as we were leaving Byodoin. There was a nice long sakura tree filled area along the river lined with all the usual matsuri (festival) booths (carnival games, food, local crafts, etc). We took a stroll through it, snacking on a whole bunch of different stuff along the way, and checking out all the pottery for sale. Definitely a pleasant surprise addition to the day.

Well, I was going to talk about what I did today but, considering the time, it'll have to get put off till Wednesday.  See you then!

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic for everyone who votes and a new Orca Mystery Dungeon page over at ROM. Since I'm currently very behind on strips (something I'm hoping to try and remedy a bit over the weekend), I decided to toss up one of the spare guest comics I have today. This one is by Silver and it's a crossover of sorts with That Soap Opera (the PV Forums based soap opera comic he's been doing). I should have a normal comic ready for Monday but there might be another random guest comic or two popping up over the next week and a half or so until I've had time to get caught up on things.

Thursday (3rd): Iseshi
I planned several different day trips to areas near Nagoya. The first was Iseshi. Iseshi is a town that's famous for its two great shrines, Geku and Naiku. Since Geku was right near the train station, we stopped there first. Geku, and several small related shrines, are set in an old forest. The buildings weren't all that fancy but what's really special about Geku and Naiku is that they're torn down and rebuilt in an adjacent spot every twenty years, and have been for hundreds of years (though not without some interruptions). Here's the lot where Geku will be built next time (it's right next to the current location).
From Geku, my mom and I caught a bus to Naiku, which is the better of the two by far. Here's me at the entrance to the grounds. Although Naiku itself is in a forest, the grounds have some nice gardens and the scenery is great. Here's the shrine itself. Kinda far out but you're not allowed to take pictures inside the fenced in area (you can't even get all that close to the main building). And one last picture from the garden, check out the falling cherry petals.
Right outside of the grounds of Naiku is Oharai, a large shopping street area lined with old buildings. It reminded me a lot of the old shopping streets in Kawagoe, but Oharai is a lot bigger. There were lots of souvenir type shops, restaurants, and snack stands. Instead of having a real lunch, my mom and I just grabbed different snacks as we walked. If you're ever there, I highly recommend the chestnut pastry things. It was a very fun area to walk around and the food was great.
After that it was back to the train station to grab a short train to our next stop. Although I spotted an interesting sign along the way. Remind me never to go there for a haircut, I'd much rather stick with humans.
Ten minutes on the train brought us to a small seaside town, home to the famous Meoto Iwa, or Wedded Rocks. I'm not quite sure of the story behind them but it's a Shinto thing of some sort. There's a Shinto shrine there too with a whole lot of frog statues scattered around, but Meoto Iwa is mostly just a really popular photo spot.
There were a few other sights in the area (for example an area famous for pearl diving and an Edo theme park similar to the one I went to near Nikko (Nikko Edo Mura), but we decided to get back to Nagoya so we wouldn't be out really late.

Friday (4th): Inuyama
Nagoya area day trip number 2, Inuyama. Inuyama is a very nice town and has several interesting attractions in and around it. Do to time constraints, my mom and I only saw what seem to be the two most popular, though there was a lot of other stuff listed in the pamphlet I got at the tourist info center, enough that I could easily spend another day or two there if I'm ever in the area again.
Anyway, first stop, Inuyamajo, one of Japan's oldest original castles (as in, never had to be rebuilt). It's over four hundred years old, pretty neat to walk through, and gives some great views from the top.. English speakers can also borrow free headsets (there's a 1000 yen deposit but you get it back when the headset is returned) for an interesting audio tour of the castle and grounds.
After exploring the castle and taking a leisurely walk back to the train station, we caught a bus for our other destination, Meiji Mura. The Meiji period of Japanese history ran from the mid 1800's through the early 1900's, starting shortly after the US forcibly ended Japan's self imposed isolation from the rest of the world. It was marked by rapid technological development and an influx of Western ideas and styles.
Meiji Mura is a huge outdoor museum containing over 60 original Meiji era buildings that were brought there from all over Japan (and a few from overseas as well). The buildings originally served many diverse purposes and cover all sorts of different architectural styles. Each building has a sign explaining its original use and location and you can go inside and walk through nearly all of them. Most of the interiors are filled with either recreations of the original furnishings or museum displays (mostly about things related to the building's original purpose) but some have been transformed into restaurants, shops, and various other attractions (I got to feel my way through a pitch dark maze in one). Some of the buildings really didn't look like places you'd expect to find in Japan. The setting and arrangement of the buildings was very well done. There were five different sections to Meiji Mura and the buildings were all put in fitting spots (some right near other buildings, others off by themselves). Some were a bit plain but many had pretty interesting designs (Note: the building on the right in that pic wasn't designed that way, most of the original structure was destroyed in a earthquake before it was moved to the museum, looks neat as is though), especially this this one (which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright). In summary, Meiji Mura is a very interesting place to explore, has a ton of things to see, and is great for photos.
And that was it for the day, aside from the trip back to Nagoya of course.

See you Monday! Well, hopefully... I'll be in a different hotel by then so no telling what internet will be like, but I'll do my best to update.

Josiah

There's a new ROM, plus since the donation gauge hit $100 last month, Shauni's doing something special in addition to all the stuff you'll be getting from me. Sorry the update is a bit later than usual but that's probably going to be the norm until I'm back in the US.

Before I move onto the main stuff, a short story I wrote a few months back got published in a online fantasy magazine. You can read it here. Unfortunately, there's no comment system or anything but you can still give it a read and pass it on if you like it. I don't write many short stories (most of my stuff is novel length at the very least) so you could kinda say this is a special event of sorts. Of course, it'd be even more special if I got paid, but hey, at least it'll give more people a chance to read my writing.

Well, I'm in Nagoya and it looks like internet access won't be a problem while I'm here (so today's update is fine and Friday's should be up as scheduled). Got a surprisingly nice hotel too. But anyway, I've having a pretty hard time pulling myself away from the final case in Apollo Justice Ace Attorney long enough to write this so let's get things moving.

Tuesday (1st): Traveling to Nagoya
Before talking about the trip, here's a last picture from Koga, since the cherry blossoms finally bloomed on the path I usually took to the train station. Anyway, a good chunk of the day was spent on trains, although we did stop in Tokyo for lunch before getting on a shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagoya. The train passed pretty close to Mt. Fuji (much close than I'd ever been before) so were we able to get some pictures as we went by.
We arrived in Nagoya a bit later than I'd originally planned thanks to that lunch break. It's a pretty big city, a bit like Tokyo in spots. It also has a surprisingly extensive subway system, almost on same level as Tokyo's (the other cities I've been to with subways have very limited routes). By the time we got checked into our hotel there wasn't really time to do much more than walk around the city a bit and look in some shops. On that note, underground malls seem to be pretty popular here.

Wednesday (2nd): Cars and Castles
Our hotel in Nagoya has a pretty good free breakfast plus big rooms and great internet. Really lucked out there. I didn't think it'd be this nice just going off the web site where I made reservations. But anyway, first stop of the day was a ways outside of Nagoya proper. In fact, it was in Toyota City, named after the car company. Toyota's main headquarters is there along with R&D and a lot of factories. In fact, about one out of every ten people living there is a Toyota employee. My mom and I were there for a Toyota related reason as well, namely to take a tour of one of the factories. The whole process was a bit of a pain (you have to sign up a ways in advance by phone then fax a confirmation) and, while they sent me directions to the nearest train station and said the starting point was a fifteen minutes walk from there, they neglected to give directions for that walk and there weren't any signs either. Some other people there had the same problem and after trying (and failing) to find it for ourselves, we were able to get a map from a guy at the train station.
The meeting place for the tours is Toyota Kaikan, a museum/showroom of Toyota stuff. While waiting for the English tour to start, I got to watch them demonstrate a couple of things like a horn playing robot (nifty but not the most useful type of robot you could build) and this concept vehicle. Said vehicle runs really quietly, appears to have great handling, and even transforms into a high speed mode.
We toured one of Toyota's nearby plants where they make about 1700 cars a day (seven different models, for both Japan and abroad, on only two assembly lines). Did you know it takes about 21 hours and 30,000 parts to make a Toyota car? Trivia aside, we got to see the welding and assembly areas of the factory and it made for a pretty interesting tour. The area with all the robotic arms welding the frames together was probably the neatest. Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed inside the factory so you'll just have to use your imagination.
It was a fairly long tour plus it took a while to get back to Nagoya after that so there was only time for one more stop, Nagoya castle. Unfortunately, most of the original structure was burned down during the bombings in WWII so the current building is a reconstruction set on the original foundation. The inside contains art and exhibits about the history and construction of the original castle along with a observation deck so you can get a nice view of Nagoya. The castle is also surrounded by a nice park with lots of flowers, some street performers, and the like.
After finishing up there my mom and I walked around a bit more than headed back to the hotel.

Gotta busy day tomorrow so I should wrap things up. Later!

Josiah

Good news everyone! Thanks to a donation from a very generous fan and the donations from some of the King of the Forums Contest winners, the donation gauge has hit the $100 mark for March! So it looks like everyone is in for a whole lot of bonus stuff. There'll be commentary for the next set of old Pebble Version strips, a new ROM The Novel chapter, new Zelda comic, a special mystery bonus (which will remain a mystery for the moment), and the next two parts of Josiah's Sprite Comic Guide! Plus, you'll be getting five new PV strips a week for an entire month! Now, normally that month would be April. But, seeing as I'm going to be traveling around Japan for the next couple of weeks and my internet access could be a bit spotty (plus I'm just not going to have a lot of time in general), you'll be getting five new PV strips each week in May instead. (If PV gets enough donations in April, there'll be five updates a week in June, etc.)

Saturday (29th): Night Out in Tokyo
Like every Saturday I went to services in Tokyo. Naturally, my mom came along this time as did a Japanese woman who is a friend of a friend back in CO. Anyway, Yukie (that friend of a friend) hung out with us for a while Saturday night after services were over. We went to a karaoke parlor (I did a few Japanese songs again to show off) and then got kaiten zushi, so that was fun. Here's a picture that actually has Yukie in it.

Sunday (30th): Okeibajo, Odaiba, Onsen, and Some Stuff That Doesn't Begin With O
This was the last of our big Tokyo touring days. First off, I took my mom to the weekend flea market at the Okeibajo race track. I've talked all about it before (gee I'm getting tired of saying that) but just to recap, it's a huge flea market held in the parking lot of the Okeibajo horse racing track nearly every weekend. You can find some great deals there on just about anything. I highly recommend it to anyone who is going to be in Tokyo over a weekend.
Next stop Odaiba (which I covered pretty thoroughly in a couple of past posts), but we didn't go alone. Yehoshua, the guy who leads the group I go to in Tokyo every week, likes to show people around Odaiba so we met up with him and his wife. Here's a picture of them and me in front of Odaiba's mini Statue of Liberty. He led the way for a while but, as I was more familiar with some parts of Odaiba than he was, I ended up leading a bit too. So we walked around all the big malls (Decks, Seaside Mall, and Venus Fort) for a while and watched a lady play the accordion.
We eventually ended up at Odaiba's onsen (hot springs) theme park, Edo Onsen Montigiri. One again, details on the park itself can be found in a previous post. It was pretty much the same as the last time I was there (though perhaps a bit more crowded) although, because of the season, they had put up a lot of fake cherry blossoms. The performer they had that evening was really good too. He did a lot of stuff but most of it involved tuba playing (such as playing the tuba while roller skating). Anyway, Edo Onsen Montigiri a pretty neat place and great if you want to get the onsen experience without heading to some mountain resort. Here's a picture from after dinner, here's me in a yukata (does it make me look fat?), and my mom and Yehoshua's wife (whose name I'm not really sure how to spell) in the foot bath.
Overall it was a fun day and my mom really liked Edo Onsen Montigiri.

Monday doesn't really need a write up since we didn't go anywhere. I originally had something planned but since we got back pretty late Sunday night and I still hadn't been told when the guy was coming to pick up my apartment key, we decided to sleep in and spend the day finishing the packing and stuff. Wasn't until about mid morning when I finally got a call about the apartments. Turns out the guy who was supposed to let me know forgot and no one realized it until then. Annoying, but it all worked out in the end. I also got to meet the new ALT who will be replacing me at Nogi Elementary, since he was being moved in right after I moved out. He seems like a nice guy (which is good, I'd feel bad if my departure left my students and coworkers with a lousy ALT) and I was able to pass on the stuff I'm not bringing back to the US (kitchen stuff, bike, heater, etc), which I was afraid I'd have to either throw out or give to Joytalk. My mom and I are spending the night at a hotel in Koga (which has surprisingly large rooms, although you need to buy prepaided time cards to watch TV) and then tomorrow morning it's off to Nagoya, where we'll be staying until Sunday. So I'll have plenty of new stuff to talk about come Wednesday, at least as long there aren't any internet problems.

Josiah

There's a new bonus comic for everyone who votes. Unfortunately, Shauni had some computer trouble so the new ROM comic has been delayed until Wednesday. I should probably mention that I'll be leaving my apartment sometime on Monday at which point I'll be spending one night at a nearby hotel then heading to Nagoya to continue touring with my mom. I'll update if I can but, though both the Monday hotel and the Nagoya hotel supposedly have internet access, you never really know until you get there. So, just in case there's no update on Monday and/or Wednesday, you'll know why. Though I'm hoping it won't come to that.

Thursday (27th): Nikko With My Mom
Since I consider Nikko an absolute must see spot for anyone visiting this part of Japan, I took my Mom there. We started out seeing the area with all the famous shrines, which I've already spent plenty of time talking about before (seeing as this is my third trip and all). But, while I don't feel like retyping the whole thing (read my old posts for details), that's no reason not to post a few new pictures. For example, I never did post one that shows just how tall the trees there are. And, even though I've already said how awesome some of the carvings are, I can take much nicer photos of them now that I've got a 10x zoom. So we saw the shrines and then walked around the town for a while, including an area way off to the side that I hadn't been through before.

Friday (28th): Back to Tokyo
This was our second Tokyo day. First stop, Asakusa, home of lots of neat souvenir shops, and a place I've also talked about before (sorry, I'll be visiting new places starting Tuesday so there'll be lots more to talk about after that). We walked around there for a while (here I am beneath one of Asakusa shrine's big paper lanterns) and got lunch then headed to Tokyo Tower. Yet again, if you want full details on the tower you should look at my previous posts. But here's a shot of Zenkoji shrine that I took from the top. See all the cherry blossoms?
Last stop was Akihabara, cause even if you aren't real into electronics, anime, manga, or games (like my mom) it's still kinda neat to walk around for a few minutes. Plus Yodobashi Camera has that awesome food court and all... Tried the shabushabu restaurant there this time (shabushabu, aka hot pot, is where you cook meat and vegetables in a big pot full of hot water or broth at your table). The real interesting thing about this restaurant (at least if you're enough accustomed to Japanese food to think shabushabu is normal enough) is that, first off, how much you paid is determined by your age and gender and then it's all you can shabushabu (meat, veggies, and noddle), rice, and desert for 90 minutes. Go over that time and you get charged extra. For a little more you could get unlimited drinks too. Don't think I've ever seen a timed system like that before.

And that's all for now. Like I said, expect things to kick into high gear Wednesday (assuming I've got internet access) as I start touring lots of new areas. The donation bonuses I owe, the remaining parts of So You Want to Teach English in Japan..., and some other assorted stuff are in the works as well, but may not end up getting finished till I'm back in the US, just cause of limited time. But we'll see.

Enjoy your weekend.

Josiah

As previously mentioned, my mom is here now and we'll be doing a lot of touring until I return to the US so updates may be slightly early or late.

Speaking of which, it's a bit late right now so I'll try to keep this quick. Like I already said, Monday was my last day of work. Tuesday I picked up my mom at the airport and that was about it, aside from a short stop in Akihabara before hand to grab one thing and get lunch. The touring started today