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Throughout Japan, fastfood chain McDonald's and multimedia shop Tsutaya have Nintendo DS zones that allow DS owners to connect and get original content. Now, a bank does, too. More »
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Oh hi! This is 28 year-old voice actress Eriko Nakamura. She voices Haruka Amami, one of the main idols in Namco's idol simulator THE iDOLM@STER franchise. More »
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Over the weekend in Kyoto, Nintendo participated in the Kyoto Cross Media Experience 2009. There were demo kiosks as well as an exhibit about Nintendo video game history, dating 1983-2009. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5374187&view=rss&microfeed=true Daniel Watts just sent us this link to a video showing him sneaking into Nintendo's super old Kyoto headquarters. So he sneaks in to the "empty" building only to be quickly found out by a woman lurking in the shadows. She first tells him he can't stay and then proceeds to guide him through the company's collection of ancient playing cards. More »
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First, it was American kids sweating it out on a DDR. Now, it's Japanese junior and senior high schoolers studying English via the Nintendo DS. Starting this September, students in Kyoto Prefecture's Yawata City spend the first ten minutes of class, studying vocab on their portables. Says a Yawata City teacher: More »
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Fittingly, Nintendo's hometown Kyoto is getting a cool Mario and Peach cash card. The Kyoto Shinkin Bank announced a Ninty character card, but that's not even the cool part. The card is outfitted with an IC chip to prevent counterfeiting and which stores the biometric reading of the customer's finger! Card carriers can withdraw yen from ATMs with special readers that check biometric authentication of intravenous patterns. Cannot wait until criminals start hacking off innocent's digits, and politicians blame the whole ordeal on video games. Brian Ashcraft More »
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Sega's latest contribution to society comes in the form of a giant red helicopter flight sim called Air Rescue Pilot. Since March 18th, the fire fighting flyer has been on exhibition at the Kyoto City Citizen's Disaster Prevention Center. Admission is free. More »
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Fotos I took from my Shigureden day trip, but didn't previously post. More to follow. More »
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In case you missed it or like links in order for easy reading, here's a recap of our Shigureden coverage. More »
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"Thank you very much," says a chorus of purple kimonos. They bow in unison as I make my way towards the door, but then backtracking to look at the celebratory bouquets. More »
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"There are vintage cards on the second floor," a purple kimono tells me. I clear the hardwood staircase and walk down a short corridor. The wall is covered in karuta. More »
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This well puts forth five problems to solve before the moon reflection in the water gently goes down. The well is actually a touch screen, and the game reminds me of the DS brain trainers. You have to solve logic and memory type problems. I got four out of five. Yippie. :) More »
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The timer on my DS counts down to zero. My allotted twenty minutes are up, and I go to return the portable at the exit in the main hall. Another game of giant cards starts up. Their movements are silent, as if they are on mute. I hand over the DS. More »
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I enter the destination in the DS Navi and start my search for Mario. More »
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There's poetry on the walls. I haven't even taken a look. I go over and see gold Japanese script. The poem I'm looking at on the wall appears on my DS screen. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=151079&view=rss&microfeed=true "Did you find him?" a purple kimono asks me. More »
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The seventy monitors turned into giant karuta (playing cards). One card appeared on my DS screen, which I then have to locate among the seventy giant ones on the HD floor displays. More »
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"This is really difficult," says the elderly lady. Her husband with a glass eye stands a step behind. More »
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ME: "Is this a DS Lite?" More »
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Barefeet move down a hallway. On the walls, there are plaques that explain Hyakunin Isshu. Above, there are Sharp LCD monitors that explain how to use the "DS Navi." Announcements from loudspeakers reiterate repeatedly. Still, what's DS Navi? More »
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The sweet scent of flowers perfumes the entryway. Congratulatory bouquets are stacked off to the side. In the doorway, a young woman in a purple kimono bows. More »
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"You want to know how to find a fire?" my dad always used to say. "Don't follow the firefighters, follow the reporters." Boy, was he ever right. The guy wearing a "PRESS" armband lead me right to the Shigureden. There was a line formed and people out front. More »
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The air's always a few degrees colder in Kyoto. I feel a chill as I step off the five-or-six-carriage train at Arashiyama Station. A handful of passengers file out slowly, passing through the ticket wickets. Likewise, I exit the station, and then it hits me. The air's not only colder, but it's cleaner. More »
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