umn

what?

Wait... the monkeys are a PLUS?

...whoa. So this is Culture Shock.

I'm chuckling over here trying to figure out where the game is. It's like someone put a Hot Springs information website onto a DS cartridge.

Here's the working title for it's US release:

Hot Springs: Training in Minutes a Day

@DuctTape: In Japan, to relax, people get naked and go to natural hot springs scattered across the country. They then sit there playing with them monkeys. This game plans to industrialize on that, by offering locations and descriptions of various hot springs.

Or was that more of a WTF? than a what?

I want to get naked with some hot-spring monkeys too :(

@Kirbytheslayer: Primarily a WTF.

On second thought, look at pic again. Does the one 2nd from the left look like he's doing something unsanitary in the water, or is it just me?

I think this is how the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy got started, wasn't it?

@elevenoverzero: I want to get naked with you in a hot tub.

So this is a DS game? I smell millions sold in Japan.

@DuctTape: It's not you. They all do.

Monkey poop or no, I would be down for hanging out in that place as long as they don't splash. A bit of nice hot water in the middle of cold like that is one of the most comfortable things to me. The monkeys are just gravy on top. Chilling with old naked people is something I could pass on though. Somethings aren't meant to be seen until they're seen in the mirror.

@kotakuspaceship:
Don't be deceived, it could be a trap.

Hey do hot spring hijinks actually occur there as seen in anime? I'd get in one just for the experience alone and also teh lulz. But meh, tis a fantasy emiright?

Don't most of the ryokan near osaka ( road to edo type ) have waiting lists now? I guess you can always go to most and have a good time, but I seem to remember hearing the best have waiting lists in years. I like to read about them, but I never have the extra cash and/or time to go. =(

You TOO can bathe in Old Man Juices from a Hot Spring!

Buy It in the next five minutes and you'll get the best selling:

"Toilet Professor--Taking a Shit Perfectly Minutes a Day

ABSOLUTELY FREE

@elevenoverzero:

Agreed.

Would love to chill with the monkies ... as long as they don't throw poop on me, I'm cool.

@Dr.Chocobo: I don't take shits. I'm a robot.

Man, hot springs kick so much ass! I'm up here in Tochigi, and Kinugawa, an area famous for its hot springs, is only about an hour from where I live.

I went to an onsen on my birthday....and ended up spending two and a half hours in the bath.

It took me two or three times to actually get into comfortable with the fact that I was in the tub with a bunch of other old dudes....but once you let your cultural inhibitations down...its actually pretty relaxing.

what culture shock, we spank monkies around here also, young or old and it does not matter if it is spring or summer or whatever

I wouldn't bath with monkeys (as I hate them), but if there's one thing I miss the most from Japan is those hotsprings.
Me and my family went in two, while on a 20 day trip to Japan.
And it's not just the Onsen itself... it works like this: You get in a hotel (in which the Onsen is). Change your clothes to japanese kimonos.
Then you have a traditional and incredible dinner... with local stuff that comes in 10-20 different little plates. Great for people who likes japanese food.

Then, Onsen. You bathe first than go to the hotsprings... can be inside the building or outside.

After that, you can get some massage on neat massage chairs, or just pay for the staff to do it.

I'll swear to god, someday I'll end up moving to Japan just because of those... can't imagine a happier retirement.

Hey, what's wrong with bathing with monkeys?

oh man, i hope they translate this to english!

Onsen in the pic is Jigokudani Yaenkoen, a monkey park near Yudanaka. (Which is on the outskirts of Nagano.)

If you ever get the chance to visit, it's really cool. There's a ryokan right at the edge of the monkey park where you can soak in a hot spring with monkeys if you really want to...

Too much monkey poo in it for me, though.

forget the monkey poo, its the floating mass of monkey semen from their endless wanking that grosses me out....

BTW, do the monkeys REALLY just sit there and chill as the picture suggests?

@FarmboyinJapan: I went to a small onsen in Tochigi in 2005. I had a great view of the river.. so peaceful and so great! And this year I went to an onsen in Hakone.

I don't know if I need a video game to tell me about onsen though.. I just rely on the common wisdom of the locals.

Wouldn't a 'Hot Spring Tycoon' style game be better?

Eh well. And hot springs with monkeys? Fuck you all, this is the awesome side of Japan. I'd just be careful of the poop.

Seriously, that'd be awesome. Sitting in the hot tub, chillin' with mah monkey posse.

Whoa thanks, I LOVE gaming news!

monkey poop is ripe with antioxidants!

@vizion: I'm glad I'm not the only person who's getting tired of the "weak ip: pointless sequel" naming convention. The colon is now officially the most over-used thing in video games...

@Cell9song:

It depends. Like a crowd of little furry people, they all do different stuff. You'll find that some of them just hang out in the spring. Some run around like you'd imagine a monkey would.

When I was there, one monkey seemed to be obsessed with the park's webcamera housing. He just sat on top of it and kept banging on it.

maybe the game bit is using the stylus as a slotted spoon to fish out the monkey poop.

When I was down in Osaka I visited Spa World, that place was gigantic and it was a good way to spend a day, whole day with 2 meals came to about 50 bucks.

This is almost as cool as Train Training!

I want to go to an onsen...I like a nice hot piping bath. Not warm, but hot. At first the water is a little uncomfortable, but once your body gets used to it, it's very relaxing, almost narcotic. Plus if the Japanese hype is to be believed, the minerals and elements in the hot water is good for the skin and a variety of ailments.

I never really thought about the monkeys pooping in the water though. Eugh. But that's only an issue in rotenburo in Hokkaido I think. But I would like to bathe in the hot spring while it's snowing in winter. I like the idea of snow collecting on top of my head while my body is nice and toasty in hot water.