In the few days that I was in Osaka, I happened to stay with 2, whom I refer to them as ‘teenagers’. One was 26 (Alisdair), and the other was just 19 (Jordan). Both were Canadians here on a holiday. What happens when you hang around them for a couple of days? This was what I ended up with:
1. Playing Street Fighter 4 in Arcades
Yeah, the last time I touched Street Fighter was back in high/school university days at least 8 years ago. For 2 days in a row, I’ve been going to just about every arcade gaming centres in Osaka, ranging from SEGA, Taito Station, to Konami etc etc. Of course, being the uncool 30-something years old, I was beaten to pulp every game by these 2, and the locals that challenge me to the game. What a shame. I am obviously not up for gaming anymore. But, I still had fun!
2. A Nintendo DSi
Yeah.. I am aware I am no longer young any more. Both of these ‘kids’ have one, and had been giving me tips on buying this little Nintendo DSi. In addition, here in Japan, Nintendo DS is not strictly for gaming only. It is for learning too! For example, if you bring one of these to the local aquarium, you can connect wirelessly to the aquarium’s digital guide system, and get explainations of each exhibit, right on your Nintendo DS! That’s my excuse of getting one!
3. Plenty of Nintendo DS Games
Yes.. those were 6 x games I purchased in 1 day. And being in Japan.. guess what? ALL of these games are in 100% JAPANESE! Don’t ask me how am I going to play them, but it is good excuse for me to step up my learning of the Japanese language to be able to play these games! Besides, they are cheap! Each game averages around 980yen (~AUD$13)!
And.. being ‘young & dangerous’, it means we go drinking a lot too. Fortunately none of them are full of cash, so we couldn’t afford to drink too much either. :)
Having said that, one of them did get drunk just a few days ago, so badly that he didn’t make it home and slept on the streets of Osaka before returning home when the sun came up!
It’s all good.. This was probably the biggest display of impulse buying and mild recklessness during my entire time in Japan. Hey, I did get to feel ‘young’ again for a few days.. which CAN’T be a bad thing!
Make sure to note the constant videogames helped to remind you what it was like to still be a virgin.