"Has it been this quiet all day?" I ask the young guy in a black polo shirt. The PlayStation "circle x box triangle" is embroidered over his chest.

"It's been pretty quiet," he replies.

"Has it been like this all week?"

He doesn't answer.

"Guess, most people don't carry their PSPs?"

He nods. "Yeah."

The big, PSP yellow bus has pulled into Osaka's Den Den Town, the city's otaku paradise. Stores sell either video games, idoru bikini vids, electronics and comic books. The PSP bus itself is a large PlayStation Spot, dispensing WiFi demos directly to handhelds. Catch is that you've got to have a PSP. Surely, there must be someone besides me with a portable.

This morning, I checked the Sony website and looked at the schedule. The bus was to be at various locations around the city for an hour at a time. Before, the PSP bus got to Den Den Town, it was in Shinsaibashi. If they were looking for 17 year olds in mini skirts and carrying Vuitton bags, then Shinsaibashi would be the place to go. Finding people with Sony portables might have been challenging.

I think bus is parked in an unlucky spot. We're in front of what used to be Takashimaya Department, before it moved up the block. I tell that to the PSP guy, and he just kinda looks at me, nods and smiles. In Sony's defense, it is Friday. I tell that to the guy. I say, "It is Friday." They've been doing this all week. Maybe everybody's already gotten their downloads? I watch another PSP guy make busy. He's patrolling up and down the street, asking people if they have a PSP and would like to download new demos. So far, no luck.

"This a part time job?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says. The guy looks a little too cool for this gig. He's scaring the otaku away, I think.

Ten minutes pass. I've downloaded a few demos, but I'm running out of things to say to these guys. We're just standing on the street corner. They seem to want to keep me around, because it looks like they're doing something. It's awkward and needy.

From across the street, another PSP guy comes marching towards the bus, gamer in tow. He's found somebody.

"Is it alright if I take a few pictures?" I ask. Answering for the gamer, a PSP guy says, "Sure." And, I snap a few off of the gamer as he downloads a demo. He turns bright red.

"Sorry, what are you downloading?"

"Metal Gear Acid."

"It's pretty cool."

He finishes the download and stuffs the PSP into his backpack.

"You're not going to play it?"

The gamer's already gone over to his friend, waiting by a takoyaki stand, leaving me with the PSP guys. I ask them a few more perfunctory questions ("Do you have to stand right next to the bus to download?" "Yes." "Is it difficult to drive the bus?" "No.")

I check my watch. It's a little before 5:00PM. The sun's setting, and I can feel the crisp night air set in. I thank them and wish the PSP guys as they climb into the bus. Their destination is a department store in Umeda that is frequented by rich housewives. Doubt any of them will have remembered to bring their PSPs either.

PSP Bus Schedule [Sony]