OCT . 2010

1

featured

Submit your articles, artwork, and opinions to

shimane.blacktaxi@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Views and

opinions expressed

herein are not necessarily

those of the publisher.

Each are expressed by

the writer at the time of

writing.

EDITORS: Jenn Doane,

Jonathan Edwards, Greg

Ferguson, Betsy Pinkham

Layout: Jonathan Edwards,

Betsy Pinkham, Greg Ferguson

Cover: Betsy Pinkham

Black Taxi is a monthly

magazine for the JET

community in Shimane

prefecture, Japan, published

online. Read us at ISSUU

(issuu.com/shimane.blackta

xi) or be our fan on

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Profile 3

War of the Monsters

Movies That Go BUMP in the Night 4

Gamera: The Underrated 5

Culture

Tsuchinoko 7

Travel

The Caves of Akiyoshido 8

Food

A Delicious and Nutritious Harvest 9

Breads to Eat in Hiroshima 11

Fun

What I’m Afraid of 12

Tokyo Game Show 2010 14

Whatever

Haiku Time 18

E-mail your artwork to be featured in the next issue!

CONTENTSOCTOBER 2 0 1 0

Articles

Letter from the Editors,Hello All,

It’s October, and for most of us that

means back home it would be time for

scares and/or harvesting. While Japan

isn’t much for the Halloween spirit, they

do try. And this month we’re here to

help. Enjoy!

JET artwork

Betsy Pinkham

Local Businesses and People プロファイル / profile

Once a month you’llfind a profile for alocal attraction at thefront of the BlackTaxi. We like sharingnew places with you.

Got a great little spotin your town? Pleasetake a picture, writea review and send itto us. Don’t be stingynow!

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Black Taxi’s Monthly Topic 今月 / this month

Everyone looks forward to Halloween for somereason or another. For little kids, they get theopportunity to binge on sugar for a night andthe week after. For college girls, it’s the chanceto dress like a street walker under the pretenseof being a ‘fireman’ and no one can talk smackabout it. For me, I’ve always looked forward tothe right setting to watch scary movies. I think itall started when my dad showed me Candymanat the ripe age of 8 (My dad convinced me tochant ‘Candyman’ into a mirror 5 times beforeseeing the film for funsies…afterwards, I wasprobably the jumpiest 8 year old you’ve everseen). Every year, my friends and I would pick acouple of movies to watch the night beforeHalloween, from whoops-gotta-go-change-my-pants terrifying to wtf-was-that-supposed-to-be-blood campy.

Sure, movies like Candyman were scary whenthe slasher would pop out of closets and chasethe characters around their home/school/abandoned factory/cornfield/closed amusementpark/…you get the idea. But the movies thatreally make you sacrifice a higher electric bill soyou can leave all the lights on for a few nightsare when you just get a peek of the monster fora split second or nothing at all. From there, yourealize your imagination is more than able fill inthe blanks. After all, the resulting psychologicaldamage is a little more enduring and memorablethan a few seconds of adrenaline

rush. Movies like Paranormal Activity usePavlovian music cues to build suspense whilethe intricate plot of the Spanish film TheOrphanage and Korean-made Tale of TwoSisters makes your brain explode with sheerdisbelief and your jaw in permanent slackedposition. Or sometimes, regular human beingsare just messed up enough to haunt yourdreams like Audition (One of the teachers atmy school kind of looks like the main actress. Isteer clear of her, just to be on the safe side). Ialso can’t get enough of Noroi (The Curse). It’snot that well-known here, but split-secondglimpses of bloody masks and what I can onlydescribe as ‘Dead Fetus Mountain’ was enoughto leave me with nightmares.

The age-old saying ‘what you see is what youget’ doesn’t necessarily apply in the strictest ofterms and can often be misleading.Sometimes, a glance is all the warning you getto realize you aren’t alone. And while it’s prettyeasy to spot the villain in a slasher flick (‘Hey,call me crazy, but I think the guy with a humanskin mask and a bloody chainsaw could be theantagonist here’), it’s difficult to find the realembodiment of evil in a psychological thrilleruntil it’s far, far too late. So enjoy yourself onthis upcoming Halloween, whether your plansinvolve a diabetic coma, embracing yourwild/red-light district side, or curling up in thedark with Samara. And by curling up in thedark, I mean in a fetal position. Alone. Crying.

Movies that go

BUMP in the NightTricia Kubrin

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Black Taxi’s Monthly Topic 今月 / this month

The Underrated

Success begets imitation. Within popular culture, this is a simple fact of life. After all, what worked well once is bound to work again, isn’t it? When Spider-Man showed that a comic book movie did not have to be either Superman or Batman, the following decade became filled with comic inspired hits and flops. The New Kids on the Block, a boy band from the early 90s, paved the way for Backstreet Boys and N’Sync, as well as the countless knock offs nipping at their heels. Japan is no stranger to such policies either. Whether television, movie, music, comic, or video game, Japan is filled with clones of their most successful icons, some of them quite popular in their own right. The world famous Pocket Monsters were followed by Digital Monsters, Gundam by Macross, and even Godzilla found a rival franchise with Gamera… the Invincible.

As part of the “Me too!” trend with giant monster films of the 60s (even Britain entered with Gorgo, and promptly exited), a small company named Daiei decided to throw their hat into the ring with 1964’s Gamera: The Invincible. While Godzilla was a destroyer symbolizing atomic power, Daiei saw the superhero potential building within. And so, to differentiate their creation Gamera was instead treated as a creature lost and confused in a world that feared him. To push the idea in his first film, Gamera unknowingly saves a young child from falling to his death, who then proceeds to try and prevent the military from killing the monster. The boy’s pestering combined with Gamera’sinvulnerability against conventional weapons leads the Japanese government to trick the monster into a rocket ship aimed at Mars… Oscar winning material for sure. Every following film featured a new evil monster, many of whom found ways to kidnap children, and Gamera would appear out of nowhere to save the day. The formula of giant monster hero did well enough that Godzilla’s own films began to follow suit.

After a decade the genre went stale in a saturated market and Gamera joined Godzilla in their first round of retirement. Unlike Godzilla, Gamera lacked support in foreign markets where his dubbed atrocities quickly became open to the public domain, the treasure trove for independent TV stations and fledgling cable networks. Here, Gamera easily surpassed Godzilla as the champion of ridiculously cheap camp and was soon picked up as an easy target for the writers of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show dedicated to making fun of B-movies. For comparison, the writers of MST3K used almost every Gamera film released at the time, but only two of Godzilla’s then sixteen available films.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Jonathan Edwards dares you to take him on in giant monster trivia.

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Black Taxi’s Monthly Topic 今月 / this month

While America was remembering the giant turtle for cheap dubbing and cardboard sets, Japan was remembering him with nostalgia, as the hero of children. After Godzilla received a successful second string of more serious films for the Heisei era, Gamera was given the same opportunity in 1995. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was given actual story, a budget, and a promising director named Shunsuke Kaneko. The turtle returned in glorious fashion as a biologically engineered guardian created by an ancient lost civilization. As mankind destroys the planet’s inherent balance, man-eating creations from the same lost age called Gyaos are allowed to hatch and terrorize Japan. Gamera reawakens to serve as humanity’s last hope and avenge his forgotten masters against their destructors. Director Shunsuke Kaneko’s visionary take for the film allowed Gamera to keep his heroic status and earn a little dignity; for whatever dignity the genre is allowed to hold. The revival was followed by two more films before Kaneko moved on to other projects (including one Godzilla film).

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Gamera had one last revival in 2006 to match Godzilla’s own millennial series in Gamera the Brave, which attempted to return Gamera to his cheesy roots as a friend to children while keeping the grim epic scale of the Heisei trilogy. The movie often felt too kid friendly, jarred against the shocking depiction of humans being eaten (for the apparent young audience). The horrible combination resulted in a film that was neither campy nor realistic enough, with no reasonable story to keep interest (the villain, Zedus, merely shows up). Add in a few ridiculously pretentious and drawn out “The children must save Gamera.” scenes, and you have the flop that halted Gamera’s second comeback before it even began.

Gamera

Showa:1965 – Gamera1966 – Gamera vs. Barugon1967 – Gamera vs. Gaos1968 – Gamera vs. Viras1969 – Gamera vs. Guiron1970 – Gamera vs. Jiger1971 – Gamera vs. Zigra1980 – Super Monster Gamera

Heisei:1995 – Gamera: Guardian of the Universe1996 – Gamera 2: Advent of Legion1999 – Gamera 3: Revenge of Irys

Millennium:2006 – Gamera the Brave

So what’s next for Gamera? Unfortunately, there are no plans at the moment for anymore films starring the world’s largest terrapin. Gamera’s original company, Daiei, was absorbed into Kadokawa Pictures which resulted in the subpar 2006 film. That’s not to say the license is dead and forgotten though. All of Gamera’s Showa films are receiving their first official DVD release stateside. When approached about releasing the MST3K parodies, Kadokawa was reportedly horrified and protective of their icon, showing hope for future use. And Godzilla is coming back in 2012. Gamera has always followed behind as the perpetual second banana; he may well do so again.

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Language and Understanding 文化 / culture

Tsuchinokojapan’s legendary cryptid

http://animals.m-y-d-s.com/

How about a jackalope, the North American horned hare? No, well I’m not surprised since there’s a 99% chance that these creatures aren’t just rare, they’re not real. Welcome to the world of Cryptozoology, the unofficial academic study of imaginary, mythic, and super rare animals, nicknamed ‘cryptids’. You’re likely already familiar with some cryptids, like California’s Sasquatch, Scotland’s Nessie, or Ohio’s Mothman. However, there are some stories, like the jackalope, which are slightly more believable than others. Often these more plausible stories feature creatures based on existing animals or ones believed to be recently extinct. Japan has their own feasibly real cryptid among the monsters and ghosts more readily accepted as myth: the tsuchinoko.

Have you ever seen a snipe?

… I mean a real one, and Kevin from Pixar’s UP doesn’t count…

Tsuchinoko, also called ‘bachi hebi’ in eastern Japan, are supposed snake-like creatures between one and three feet in length (30-90cm). The major difference from normal snakes is that the tsuchinoko has a body wider than its head. They say the creature also has the ability to bite hold of its tail and roll like a wheel. Like the jackalope, there are

those who swear the animal is real, and proof of one would be worth a fortune.

Beware though, the tsuchinoko is venomous and has the ability to leap great distances quite suddenly for its size.

Jonathan Edwards seems to write about

reptiles a lot.

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See the World 旅行 / travel

The Caves of

Looking for a spooky travel destination tojuice you up for Halloween? A trip to the cavesof Akiyoshido in Yamaguchi-ken may be theperfect substitute for your haunted-house fix.You won’t encounter the standard mummiesorzombies jumping out at you for a scare, but a

casual saunterthrough thecaves, amidst allits damp andbat-dwellingdarkness, willsurely send ashiver downyour spine.

As the largest limestone cave in East Asia,Akiyoshido serves as one of Japan’s mostfascinating natural natural monuments,boasting an overwhelming variety of uniquelimestone formations, a river flowing in cobalt-blue, and a surprising amount of dark-dwellingcreatures, including six species of bats. Button-activated machines dotted along the cave pathwill spout information tidbits on the differentrock formations at each point in the languageof your choice (English included), so yourexperience can not only be spooky, but

educational!

Once you emerge from the dark abyss ofAkiyoshido, a short hike will get you toAkiyoshidai, Japan’s largest karst formation,now designated as aquasi-national park. Thevast grassy landscape,scattered with karstrocks, can be enjoyed bycar, bus, or evenhorseback! Take in theview, purchase someorange soft-serve (soldnear the observatory),and ponder this year’s halloween costume.

Make sure your car (or your friend’s car) is running in good condition, as the drive to Akiyoshido and Akiyoshidai takes a little over two hours from Masuda--but the sights, in and around the caves and karst landscape, are well worth the trek!

Cost: Caves - 1200 yen to enter, an additional300 yen for a special hard-hat tour. Karstlandscape - free unless you go by bus orhorseback (prices vary).

Directions: Take route 9 south until you hitYamaguchi City, then head north on the 435until you see signs for Akiyoshido/Akiyoshidai.Takes a little over two hours from Masuda!

Bobbing for Apples? Lining the long road toAkiyoshidai from Masuda are several orchardswith shops selling an abundance of freshlypicked apples. Take a break from the drive for aquick snack, or purchase a bundle for yourfavorite Halloween party game!

Jenn Doane

Akiyoshido

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Autumn means new and exciting foods in thefresh produce section of your local grocery. Aparticular favorite of mine is the kuri, (chestnut;often known as the marron.) Autumn food inJapan is not only delicious, but also good for you.Check out the following information on thesepopular Japanese foods, translated fromwww.health.ne/jp.

SANMA, saury/pikeNutritionThe amount of protein in Sanma is particularlyworth mention, being that is contains more thanboth beef and cheese. It also containspolyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA, whichcan help prevent blood clots and boost the brain’slearning ability. Sanma is also a source of VitaminB2, good for anemia, while the bitter ‘guts’including the liver, contain an abundance ofvitamin A.BenefitsSanma warms the stomach and removes fatigue.It’s good for restoring the body that was worn-outby summer. The previous mentioned EPA andDHA also aid in the prevention of adult diseases,including Alzheimer's.

NASU eggplantNutritionIn Autumn the nasu’s skin becomes soft andtender, while the flesh becomes firm anddelicious. The nasu is 94% moisture and alsocontains a great deal of fiber.

Recipes and More 料理 / food

A Delicious

(and Nutritious) Harvest!BenefitsIn China nasu is believed tolower the heat of the body, cure stagnation ofthe blood, and remove swelling. As such it wasalso used to treat such things as stomach ache,diarrhea, arthritis, canker sores (mouth ulcers)and internal hemorrhoids. It has recently beknown that these effects are in part the work ofRutin. The effect it has on maintaining theelasticity of blood vessels, and hemorrhageprevention are gradually being observed andunderstood.

SATSUMAIMO sweet potatoNutritionSatsumaimo is a strong source of vitamin C. Thevitamin E it contains provides two times thecholesterol fighting power of brown rice, alongwith a healthy helping of fiber.BenefitsSatsumaimo increases the activity of thedigestive system, and a healthy stomach makesa healthy body. It’s good even for times whenyou’ve lost your appetite and energy fromstress.Recent American research has found thebeta-carotene and protease inhibitors containedin satsumaimo useful in the prevention of lungcancer.

KURI chestnutNutritionKuri contain a high amount of starch, vitamin B1,and C. Also, the tannin included in the inner

Betsy Pinkhamloves fall.

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skin has recently come to light as an anti-cancersubstance.BenefitsIt’s said that kuri will aid your stomach, muscles,and bones to function healthily, and alsoimprove your blood flow.

KAKINutritionKaki contain lots of vitamin C, so much in factthat one large fruit can meet your dailyrequirement. The fiber, vitamin A, pectin, andpotassium found in kaki aid in the prevention ofarteriosclerosis and hypertension.BenefitsEating kaki before drinking can help you recoverbetter and avoid a hang-over.

So eat up this Autumn and enjoy the benefits ofa healthy diet. Challenge yourself to trysomething new and share your recipes and foodstories with us!

Sanma no kabayaki

1 sanmafloursalad oil2 small peppersdash of salt1 Tbsp soy sauce1 Tbsp mirin1/2 tsp sugar

In a frying pan heat some oil and quicklyfry the peppers with a dash of salt, thenremove.Prepare the sanma by first cutting off it’shead. Slice open the belly to removethe internal organs and rinse the cavitywell with cold water.Fillet the meat from tail to head bysliding the knife along the spine. Cutyour fillets in half so you have fourpieces of fish.Thinly coat both sides of the fish withflour .Over a medium flame, fry the fish skinside down until it reaches a goldencolor, then flip it, and when the secondside is golden, take it out..Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar tothe fry pan and bring to a boil. Returnthe fish to the pan and shake to mixeverything.Serve it garnished with the peppers andoptional ginger.

Recipes and More 料理 / food

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Recipes and More 料理 / food

Breads to Eat in Hiroshima …so far..By Eric Sonberg

If you are in Hiroshima, for whatever reason, I advise you to take a snack break at some of the localbread stores. While I was only able to visit for two days…..here are some of the highlights: (Stars arethe best)

AQQ-Bus Center-Basement B1

Ice Cream Melon Bread: This bread isonly sold during the summer. It is filledwith ice cream (matcha=green) wasgreat. I believe the other is vanilla.Beware they sell quickly. BEST

Butter MelonBread: This is self-explanatory. Ithought it wasdisgusting. (Notedbecause you mightbe tempted)

Maple FrenchBread: This wasgreat! It also helpsclear the taste budssince it is not assweet.

Mochi Bread: Interesting combo. I likedit. But I am a big fan of mochi….its notparticularily sweet…. Try it if you likemocha. (no anko=bean past included)

Carmel Melon Bread: It is long and very slightly twisty. Has a great taste, slightly chewy..

7-11 Near Atomic Bomb Memorial

Choclate Cream MelonBread: This was fantastic. Itis slightly similar to the icecream one, with the additionof a chocolate coating.

Carps Stadium Lawson

Honey Melon Bread: Itlooks like a swirl. Theoutside had a great taste,however the honey ispooled in one portion ofthe inside…its way tostrong.

Greg Ferguson finds

enlightenment in

entertainment

When I close my eyes and think about themovies that have scared me the most, briefimages and memories of uneasy moods fill myhead. I can’t always usefully cite an entiremovie that has scared me from beginning toend, or has even left me with a fearfulapprehension on the whole after finishing. Justindividual scenes, creepy costumes, glances,colours, shapes, and music; those are what havestuck with me.

I think everyone surely has their own uniquecollection of phobias and fears that are uniqueto them and their development. I know I havemy own, though I’m not so sure I know whatthey all are. All the same, the following is amap of my cinematic horror landscape:everything that has made a lasting impressionon me.

Blinding light. Mushroom clouds. Stalled cars.A wedding couple irradiated as they’re about tokiss. Rubble, rubble, and more rubble, and aman perched atop with an offering of an orangeto the owner of the house which now lay inshambles; surely the last orange he will ever eat,or see.

The Day After, 1983. A movie Isaw on TV one night when I was 8 years old.Afterward, I suffered sleepless nights worryingabout nuclear war, wondering how I’d survive ifWorld War III broke out. For years, even up to

now I’ve retained a fascination with nuclear war. Also haunting: Special Bulletin and Testament, 1983 and Threads,1984 – prescient and deeply disturbing films about atomic Doomsday.

An obscured figure, askew in harsh light, creepsforward menacingly as the jarring sound effectstaunt me. A woman is lost in a soulless SoCallabyrinth. She is alone.

Inland Empire, 2006. This movie,more than any other I’ve ever seen, gets close tothe kind of frenzied fever-dream I sometimeshave where I’m lost and trapped in an endlessmaze, unable to escape or even call for help.

Two skyscrapers. One rope. A man, a pole –long – and a breeze. Pavement and God’smercy.

Man on Wire, 2008. Adocumentary about Philippe Petit, a Frenchmanwho successfully walked across a tightropespanning both of the World Trade Center towersin New York City in 1974. Though the outcomeof the feat was always known, it’s marvelloushow the film captures and convey the palpablesense of danger. I felt like I was about to fall atevery moment he was up there.

Everything Entertainment 楽しい / fun

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Everything Entertainment 楽しい / fun

A group of women go spelunking. Deep belowground, they wedge themselves into small nooksand crannies. It’s claustrophobic. Light isscarce. What’s that noise?

The Descent, 2005. Like a fear ofheights, the fear of tight, enclosed spaces is veryprimal; hard to slough off. I felt tense the entiretime I watched this movie, imagining for myselfhow it would feel to be trapped and slowlysuffocated by rocks and earth, unable to thrashand force my way free.

Open sores that sting to the lightest touch.Protruding rib cages, cheekbones, and elbows.Five degrees below gaunt, and seventeenbreaths away from death. Useless, uselessplates of food.

Hunger, 2008. The story of BobbySands, an IRA prisoner of the British who wenton hunger strike as a form of political protest

and died after 66 days. His courageouscommitment to his cause is depicted faithfully byactor Michael Fassbender, who himself went ona crash diet to portray Sands’ condition asaccurately as possible. This is the mostharrowing depiction of what it’s like to starve todeath that I’ve ever seen.

The infirmity of old age. The loss of mentalfaculties, the loss of resources, the loss ofcontrol. Emotional distance. Exponentialdistance. Dimness, shadows. The deprivation ofcompanionship.

Make Way For Tomorrow, 1937;Tokyo Story, 1953; Away From Her, 2006. Eachof these three films confront ageing head-on. Iwas never afraid of dying growing up; still amnot. What I’ve always feared, and what thesefilms explore and expose so plainly, is the pain ofabandonment, loneliness, desolation, and theloss of control.

Top Ten Scariest Horror Movies

The Thing(1982) Ju-on(2000) Rec(2007) The Ring(2002) Alien(1979)

Invasion of Dawn of the Evil Dead(1987) Halloween(1978) Audition(1999) the body Dead(1978) snatchers(1978)

Taken from boston.com 13

Everything Entertainment 楽しい / fun

TOKYO GAME

SHOW

No, it is not a televised game show filmed in Tokyo in which the contestants put themselves into situations most sane people wouldn’t be caught dead in to the delight of a gawking studio audience and the possibility of some kind of prize or, at the least, their 15 minutes. No no, Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is one of the biggest video game expos in the world, sometimes called the E3 of Japan. TGS is a four day event, usually being Thursday through Sunday, with the first two days being for the press and industry. These days are when most announcements and press conferences take place and the press gets a chance to play and report on the newest games. But what makes TGS special are the following two days which are completely open to the public for a good price and featuring special performances, cosplay contests, fighting game tournaments and more. With a busy summer behind me and thoughts of getting to try out games in 3D, I decided to meet up with a friend from Yamagata and experience Tokyo Game Show 2010.

When asked by Mr. Jonathan Edwards to do a write up on the show I admit I didn’t have many ideas on what to write about. My first thought was to a Best of Show feature in which I would rank the games based on whatever criteria I came up with (i.e. Best Fighter, Best Shooter etc…) but that quickly got scrapped when I saw the crowd. A record attendance this year caused wait times to range from 30 minutes to nearly 2 hours and some games even requiring an appointment time. Seeing as how I am only one person, a ranking feature would have been impractical. So I have settled on a report about my impressions on the different games I actually got to try out. It may be bare bones, but that’s the best I can do when there are over 200,000 people also waiting for a chance to play the most anticipated titles.

Oh and a quick disclaimer: Nintendo traditionally does not attend TGS. So please no angry messages about me not trying any Wii/DS games. Hey, I’m disappointed too you know; I was hoping to get a hands-on-look at the 3DS. Right, enough talk, on with the Show!

Leonard Large is in your base.

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(PS3/XBOX360; 3rd person action)(Disclaimer 2: Seeing as how this game has already received some full reviews, I would like to reiterate that my impressions are limited to the demo I was able to play at the Show.) Possibly the most talked about game this year, and for very good reason. The latest addition to the Vampire slaying series is a third person action game in the vein of God of War and Devil May Cry with fluid combat and intuitive controls. If there is fault it would be that it felt too much like a clone of aforementioned games. Thankfully, the impressive visuals, strong story and heavy hitting voice talents (Patrick Stewart and Kikuko Inoue have roles in their respective languages) make up for that. But then again, being like God of War is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact this game was on the top of my personal “Must Have” list and playing the demo only kept it there.

Everything Entertainment 楽しい / fun

(ps3/xbox360; fighting)After more than a decade, the premier crossover fighter gets an upgrade. Capcom said its goal was to create the feeling of a comic book and boy have they succeeded. With flashy visuals and high flying, lighting fast fighting with a slew of characters both old (X-Men’s Wolverine) and new (Devil May Cry’s Dante) and the witty banter between them (Deadpool having some of the best) it’s perhaps auspicious that the game's acronym is FTW.

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Everything Entertainment 楽しい / fun

(nintendo ds/ps3Rpg)

Special note: This is available on both the DS and PS3, but I was only able to play the PS3 demo. A collaboration between Professor Layton developer Level 5 Inc and Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. Colors are very bright and vibrant as almost expected coming from Ghibli; not sure if the same holds true for the story given my limited Japanese though. The gameplay tweaks the RPG style of Square’s Kingdom Hearts making players manage multiple characters in real time. This might make things a little complicated at first but it certainly keeps the player on their toes.

(ps3/xbox3603rd person action)(Disclaimer 3: Like Castlevania, some full reviews have been published; this is not one of them.) If there’s one thing that can be said about the Dead Rising series it’s that you can spend hours playing the game and not get anywhere because it is just too much fun going around killing the endless hoard of zombies. Anything can be used as a weapon from the standard baseball bats and golf clubs to more unconventional fair like parasols and moose heads. Dead Rising 2 also gives players the chance to combine weapons for even more variety. Got a box of nails lying around? Combine them with a wooden bat for a new weapon. The possibilities are endless and a zombie apocalypse deserves nothing less. That said however, it can only last so long. Like the first game, I enjoyed slaughtering the zombies but it quickly got redundant and I actually considered walking away from the demo before my 10 minute time limit was up. And that was before I found out that the clunky controls made fighting a much “faster-than-a-regular-zombie” boss character nearly impossible.

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Everything Entertainment 楽しい / fun

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP; 3rd Person Action)Developer Ready At Dawn Studios deserves a lot of credit for shrinking the massive scale of the PS2/3 brethren into handheld size. Of course such a size also brings some sacrifices in visuals and control. The former should not be looked at too hard though because the graphics and environments are impressive in themselves, just not when compared to the power of the consoles. As for the latter; the lack of a second analog stick and two less shoulder buttons will create a slight learning curve for those used to the non portable Kratos. These are but minor quips though, as the mini version still delivers big time action.

Vanquish (PS3/Xbox360; 3rd Person Shooter)Think Gears of War with an adrenaline boost and more futuristic than apocalyptic and you’ve got SEGA’s Vanquish. And I really mean it about that adrenaline boost. Instead of a sprint there’s a turbo slide that propels the player across the ground at hyper speeds to get between cover and away from a rain of bullets. Pulling the trigger during the slide then activates the ever so useful bullet time allowing you to pick off targets with a little more ease. Though the controls during said turbo slide are a bit stiff and it caused me to inadvertently get stuck in a corner. Still, after I finished the demo I had a desire to get back in line to do it again. Shooters are king in this age of gaming and Vanquish is shaping up to be a worthy addition.

Killzone 3 (PS3; 1st Person Shooter)This was one of the few games that I had to get a ticket with an appointment time in order to play. That is because it was available with both the Playstation Move and in 3D. Using the Move to aim and shoot took a little getting used to but after a few minutes it felt good. Aiming was smooth with no jerking and there were several instances that used the motion controller instead of pressing a button; like reloading the gun took a quick flick of the wrist and picking up a new weapon or opening a storage box involved pulling the controller away from the TV (like you would when opening a door). The 3D… is a little complicated. It was not bad by any means and having the butt of the guns pop out of the screen looked really cool; but it was hardly noticeable while playing the game. After I was done I watched my friend play and noticed the 3D effects more than before. It’s a give and take thing. It looks nice, not ugly or jarring, but it’s not part of the game enough to pay attention to in the heat of the action.

Big 3 Gun Shooting (PS3; Arcade Shooter)A collection of, you guessed it, 3 shooters from Namco: Time Crisis 4, Razing Storm, and DeadstormPirates for use with the Move. We were only able to play the Deadstorm Pirates but that was more than enough. It had some new mechanics such as if both players’ shots are close proximity to each other they do more damage which was needed with some of the bigger enemies. Despite the controllers needing to be recalibrated (expected if the game’s running all day and being played by hundreds of people) it was really a lot of fun and should be on any list of Move games. An optional handgun facsimile for the Move controller is also a nice touch. As that was the only one of the 3 we played, I can’t comment on the other two.

And so ends my little report on Tokyo Game Show 2010. I do wish that I could have tried out Microsoft’s Kinect but as far as I could tell it was only being used for special demonstrations by Microsoft employees. I also wish I could have played more games but there’s only so much one can do in only two days. TGS was definitely worth the trip. 17

Anything Useful… or Not 何でも / whatever

Haiku Time

The issue is doneBut then an email from GregSo much for deadlines-Jonathan Edwards

I see their facesAnd none of them look like meI am the strange one-Shanyn Leake

Blank space needs fillingA Haiku in ten secondsNow I am finished-Jonathan Edwards

Start a new chapterBlank pages laid out for youWrite a great story-Shanyn Leake

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Coming Soon… 来月 / next month

Fall kicks in for Japan in November with the final harvests, the changing of the leaves, and a permanent cool down. Any thoughts, stories, pictures, or tips on the season are more than welcome.

For those needing a tad more structure, our theme is Iron Chef:

The month of November sits in the middle of a multitude of holidays for cultures around the world. For most cultures, such festivity often means food. Lots of food, and if you watch TV, you know Japan is no stranger. So, have you got any amazing must share recipes? Any horror stories of food you hope to never encounter again? Dinner parties, holiday feasts, quirky restaurants, secret family recipes... the subject is food, and the world is your oyster. Your delicious, delicious oyster with a side of garlic butter. If you can argue it pertains to food, we would love to hear about it!

And remember, the Black Taxi exists for your participation. Send submissions to shimane.blacktaxi@gmail.com by October 25th.

Chairman Kaga from ‘Ryouri no Tetsujin’ (Iron Chef)