NBD, just a falconer waiting in line to buy a crepe. #justkichijojithings

Went Christmas shopping in Hachioji today -- a city I really need to spend more time in, as it's just SUPER cool there! -- and found myself craving some pizza. Found this spot near the station called Cona where all the pizzas (whole pizzas, mind you; not just slices!) are 500 yen (like, $3.50).

So I've been interested in Chrono Gear, the recent Hololive semi-Metroidvania-ish fan-game starring Kronii, for some time now, but have been sort of waiting for it to get a console port before checking it out, since my computer is a potato and I don't like playing games on it if I can help it...

It occurred to me today that if you spoonerize "onaka suita" ("I'm hungry" in Japanese), you get "Osaka nuita" ("I removed Osaka" or "I took over Osaka"). Makes ya think!

...The king is back. With a song so nuanced, it can only be called art. ;) (Photosensitivity warning, though!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8cZ...

I'll often put on game music in the background as I work, and I've rediscovered a lot of old favorites by doing so -- but I dare say none have hit me as hard in recent memory as this. Hot take, Persona 1 has the best soundtrack in the franchise. And here's Exhibit A. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS-J...

Over 2 weeks later and I still can't get this song out of my head. I often talk about Korone, but I'm also a huge fan of Koseki Bijou (a.k.a. "Biboo"), whose character is a living gemstone in human form. She's more a gamer than a singer, but this song is way too good. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSZ0...

With apologies to those who can't read Japanese -- though you may be able to figure it out anyway. It's a HUGE reach -- just the way I likes it! ;)

Bringing some old multilingual puns of mine to life for the traditional Friday pun in my work chat tomorrow. I'm particularly proud of the second image here, as yes, there are actually 10,000 faceless Barts in that image. ;)

As promised (albeit much later than intended!), here's a full 600dpi scan of the 26-page handwritten "Making of Gray Grofa" manual/manifesto that came packaged with the game, beautifully cleaned up by @mp83.bsky.social. Makes the game that little bit more special! drive.google.com/file/d/1gyGA...

It begins! This oughtta be interesting. ;) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xru7...

So, I may or may not have convinced independent Dutch vtuber @joru.vtubers.social to dedicate a whole Halloween stream (YT & Twitch simulcast) this Thursday to paging through MSX Computer & Club Magazine issue 66 and playing Pumpkin Adventure I. ;) Maybe tune in? Click her name above for the links!

The internet do taketh, but every now and again, it giveth like it used to as well, and you love to see it. ;) www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFw4...

OK, major shout-out to this person, who literally just dropped the soundtrack to Japan itself on YouTube a little under two weeks ago, complete with very detailed liner notes. ;) www.youtube.com/watch?v=npTK...

Calling all hackers/crackers! I recently won T&E Magazine Disk Special 1 and 2 for MSX2, which seem to be undumped -- and after acquiring them, I can see why, as these Takeru disks are AGGRESSIVELY copy-protected. Please expand this thread for details, and LMK if you think you can help crack them!

On another note, I often pass by this place on my walks -- it's literally just a residential house, but it was converted into an art gallery, gift shop, and dessert cafe for a while before sadly being downsized and moved into the Coppice department store, with the cafe space here closing entirely.

Today for lunch, I suddenly remembered October is already over halfway done, and I still hadn't partaken of the monthly special pumpkin pepperoni pizza with cardamom from Pizza-ism yet! Had to immediately remedy that, and grabbed a slice of Mexican pizza while I was at it. Superb as ever!

When I think it, I must make it, no matter how stupid it may be. I can't help myself. Please enjoy. ;)

Yes, that's right, folks: I actually got my hands on Gray Grofa, by the Tarotica Voo Doo guy! And it is... a short, frustrating, janky shmup that borrows as much from Lemmings as it does from Gradius or R-Type. But damn if it ain't original! And kind of addictive. Here's what the packing looks like:

Reposting this again, because... the cool thing I said I was going to be getting my hands on soon? How I went to MyCom Infinite to buy a thing to exchange for another thing? Yeah, I got that other thing today. And it's another game by this guy. Complete with hand-written technical manual... again!

Tested a theory last night, and confirmed something I've long suspected: despite all the variance in map layout, item placement, and item usage among all the different versions of Drasle Family/Legacy of the Wizard, passwords from one version are valid in EVERY version. Including English NES!

Was checking out some crane games for a friend today, and decided to try for some Hololive merch while I was at it. I didn't expect to actually win anything, much less something this big/kickass, but you know what? I will ABSOLUTELY take it! Feels good to actually conquer one of those machines!

In line for MyCom Infinite #15, in hopes of getting something I don’t even want so I can trade it with somebody for something super-cool that I REALLY want. ;) Fingers crossed I can get the thing so I can get the thing! Heheh.

Spotted on a pillar earlier today, just outside the Atre department store at Kichijoji Station. I had to do a double-take -- I was like, wait, isn't that frigging KODOCHA?! And yeah... It is! Atre is doing a collab campaign with Ribbon, apparently. Dunno if there are any special goods, though.

Had a dream a while back in which I discovered the existence of the "Grave of the Fireflies/Super Mario World 2-in-1" for the Wii. It basically functioned as a DVD except for a "special features" section that literally only had an SNES emulator playing Mario World. It went for absurd prices on eBay

Took a nice long walk up north through Nerima into Nishi-Tokyo, and now enjoying a picture-perfect bowl of salt ramen with a side of butameshi from Ramen Kagetsu Arashi just by Musashi-Seki Station. Missed these sorts of food trips during the sweltering summer!

One of my holy grails has just popped up for sale on Mercari, but it's over $500, which is way more than I can possibly justify spending on it. However, if you're rich and enjoy the STRANGEST THINGS IN THE WORLD, you should absolutely buy this. jp.mercari.com/item/m992696...

PSA: I just learned from an acquaintance of mine that Brandish: The Dark Revenant -- the last PSP game I worked on during my time at XSEED, released over 10 years ago now -- is apparently STILL AVAILABLE FOR SALE on at least the UK PSN if accessed with a PS Vita! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amec...

Returned to Punk Doily today for the first time in a year and a half -- an Australian sausage roll and meat pie stand with an attached covered seating area on the roof deck of a Christian church in the middle of a random residential Tokyo suburb, operated solo by an Aussie expat named Kif.

I know it's immature, but every time I see this game come up for sale, I snicker to myself a bit. It's really the perfect example of how important font choice is when designing your logo. ;)

Also, since I don't believe I've ever talked about this place on Bluesky before: we went out to Musashino Campus pizza near Mitaka Station after the festival. This is a fancy pizzeria located in the lobby of the Production I.G anime studio building, and their pizza is amazing -- but there's more...

Attended the Kichijoji Autumn Festival yesterday with some friends, and took video for family like I usually do. Can't typically share videos of this length on Bluesky, but I uploaded them to my Google Drive, so if anyone is interested, do check it out! drive.google.com/drive/folder...

Whew. So, apparently I've been added to a block list for transphobes? This will be a long thread, but please do bear with me! First thing, though, is to make this crystal clear: Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Trans rights are human rights. And Rowling is a dangerous, monstrous asshole.

Finally decided to try out one of those fan vests I've been hearing so much about -- the ones that puff out with air from intake fans embedded into them in order to keep you cool in hot weather. Bought the highest-rated one on Amazon JP (4.6/5, with over 2000 reviews!)... and holy crap, it is AWFUL.

So I'm not sure why more people don't talk about this station, but just a few stops over from Tokyo Station itself sits Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station... where every exit has been turned into a liminal modern-art horror show that you'd think was inspired by Exit 8, but no -- it predates it, by years!

AVGN doesn't release videos as often as he used to, but whenever he does, they still tend to be gems more often than not. And sometimes, he manages to get surprising guest stars for his videos that really elevate them. This is one of those times. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhCj...

I really hate Mercari. Mercari is a popular webstore here in Japan where people can sell their used items, and they recently adopted an auction system... but I can't seem to bid anymore, for some reason! And I have no idea what that reason is, because this is all I'm being told.

So, because of Trump's stupid de minimis exemption ruling, items valued above $100 can no longer be shipped to the U.S. from Japan. However, I'm finding no sources clarifying if this means the total value of the shipment cannot exceed $100, or if it means no individual item within can exceed $100.

This came up on my feed again for the first time in ages, and I'm not sure if I've ever shared it on here -- this may have been from before I joined Bluesky! But even if it isn't, it's worth sharing again, as it may be one of the greatest things ever. Do enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4ut...

I did my best to actually make the logos for these mirror-universe conbini. Please enjoy. ;)

OK, props on creating a new Bubsy game and just straight-up calling it Bubsy 4D. If you're gonna roll with the reputation, you might as well go all-in. ;) www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4bq...

My parents sent me a box of birthday presents, which I opened already despite it being ~2 weeks out till my actual birthday. One of the items within was the Furball Korone Tree-kun plushie I missed out on getting during the very short time it was initially on sale, and have been coveting ever since!

This is a time-exclusive video, so I figure it's worth sharing even if not many of you will care! Sakanaction, my current favorite jpop band, have released one of their concerts (livestreamed during Covid, to entertain those in lockdown) for free viewing online, as promotion for an upcoming concert.

More conbini opposites I came up with today: - Lawson Station -> Chaosdaughter Relieve - Family Mart -> Individual Tupid (probably my favorite!) - Newdays -> Oldnights - Ministop -> Maxigo - 7Eleven -> Seven11 (what else can you do with this?) - Yamazaki Shop -> Taniwan Peddle

I just realized… the opposite of Lawson is Chaosdaughter. Lawson should rebrand themselves as such over Halloween or something.

Where dreams were once made. Now, where pachinko is made.

Cheap mechanical keyboard I bought… less than a year ago?… started either doubling up keypresses or failing to recognize them at all (and cleaning didn’t seem to help), so I replaced it with a new cheap soft-touch keyboard. And so far… I like it! Ergonomic, responsive, and unnecessarily LED’d up! ;)

Forgot to post this yesterday — walked home through a more residential area, and this was on the gate outside one of the houses. Had to do a double take. ;)