Richard Whittaker's blog

No Content For You, Foreigner!

This email was originally posted to, and read out live on Orange Lounge Radio.

So you know that Sony opened the PC version of the PlayStation Store in Japan only for now, right? Well, there's something decidedly dodgy about how they check to see if you're allowed to access it.

PlayStation Store WTF

When I tried to access the store, I managed to see the front page and usage FAQs, but as soon as I tried to click on a game, I got an English message saying "PlayStation Store is not available in the selected country or region". This is rather odd seeing as, you know, I live in Japan. I took a screenshot showing the error message alongside an IP Geolocation result.

Now you might be thinking that since I was using a Mac, the error message was just a badly-worded way of saying "use Windows, fool!"

But no! Even on Windows I get the exact same error. Then Sakurina suggested I try changing my system's language settings to Japanese. Lo and behold, it now works.

There are several reasons why this is retarded. First, regional settings on a machine should make NO difference to a website. Second, it's borderline racist as it implies anyone who doesn't have their computer set to Japanese (ie, native Japanese people) shouldn't have access to the site. Seriously. I'm a registered resident of Japan, and I have the legal right to access the store. It's ridiculous that I'm barred because I have my computer set in a language I'm more comfortable with!

Does this mean that any native Japanese person can access the Japan store from wherever they are in the world just because of their computer's language setting?

How dare you, Sony.

Cool Stuff in Japan

Just a quick post to inform anyone who cares that The Cool Stuff in Japan Guide is now live. I'm currently rewriting the articles I had in my old "Osaifu Keitai Guide" over on Google Pages, but I'll soon start adding new stuff. First up will be Gundam Kizuna, of course!

QotD: My Current Top 10

What are your top 10 most-played songs currently?

I don't know what they would be for this past month, but my all-time top-10 looks like this.

1) 883 - Con Un Deca (Fargetta Remix)

2) Marc Moulin - Into The Dark

3) Gemelli DiVersi - Mary (Molella Remix)

4) Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde

5) St Germain - Street Scene (4 Shazz)

6) Max Alto - Change The World (Extended Version)

7) King & Queen - Para Para

8) Charpentier - Te Deum

9) Pachelbel - Canon In D

10) Ryu - Setsugekka

Although I do know that in the past few weeks I've been listening to a lot of...

- The Human League - Tell Me When

- Lisa Lougheed - Run With Us

- JAKAZiD & Substance - E-Q8R

- Joshka-Y! - Not Over (Citrus Speed 2)

- Disneyland Resort Paris - Space Mountain (De La Terre a La Lune)

- Disneyland Resort Paris - Space Mountain (Mission 2)

I'm Making My Own Group!

Japan's group mentality and inefficiency bothers me a lot. A recent example of this corpped up this week. As you probably know, RFID cards are really taking off here - train tickets use them, arcade games use them, shops use them, and you can even have them on your phone. Having a stored amount of money on your card to spend in shops is a great thing - it means you don't even have to carry a wallet around, just a single card.

Edy was the first such service. Put money onto card, use card in shops all around Japan. It's great. Then JR (the state rail company) created Suica, which can store passes or cash to use on the JR train lines around Tokyo. You can also buy stuff in shops with it - and many retailers in the Tokyo area accept Suica instead of Edy.

NTT DoCoMo thought that although a stored-value card is useful, what would be more useful is a credit service. And so iD was born - buy stuff using your phone, and it all gets charged to your phone bill. Tower Records has iD in all its branches, as do many other shops. Most shops now have both Edy and iD.

HMV of course wasn't happy with either, and decided to join QuicPay, a rival service which I have seen nobody using, EVER. Of course, since I shop at HMV frequently, this is annoying. Thank goodness convenience stores aren't so stupid! Lawson use iD, AMPM have Edy, as do Poplar and a few others. Only Seven-11 has so far resisted the RFID card craze. Until this week. So, what did it go for? Edy? iD? Suica?

"Nanaco". A card which only works at Seven-11.

FOR FUCK'S SAKE. The idea of RFID is that you have one card which substitutes your wallet, not a wallet full of RFID cards that will probably interfere with each other. It's ridiculous and absolutely useless. But it makes perfect sense in Japan.

Another example? Take Suica - developed by JR in the Tokyo area. The Metro and Bus companies wanted a card too. So - we have several transport companies serving the same area. We have several companies with the same kind of ticket machines and entry gates. We have several companies who are used by millions of people every day, often on the same journey. The solution is obvious.

Create a new card, with a different brand, but exactly the same features as Suica. EXACTLY the same features. Oh, and make sure the two are interoperable. PASMO cards can be used on JR lines, and Suica cards can be used on the Metro and Buses.

WHY.

London has over 5 different Bus operators, Underground lines, Trams, even urban rail services. And they all use the SAME card - Oyster. But no, Japan has a group mentality. For the PASMO companies, JR was an outsider, so they couldn't possibly use the same card. Seven-11 could easily have used Edy or iD. But no, they're different companies, and we can't possibly have that.

Japan, get your head out of your arse. I want to be able to use ONE card in shops all around the country. I want to be able to use my bank card on ANY ATM in the country, not just one in my home prefecture. I want to be able to book Shinkansen tickets in Fukuoka (you can only book them in Tokyo because JR West is a different company from JR Kyushu... even though the Shinkansen stops in Fukuoka). I want CONVENIENCE, dammit.

Vox Hunt: Cell Phone (Once & Future)

Show us your current cellphone and/or your dream cellphone. 
Submitted by Reika Lee.

SO902i

My current phone is the Sony Ericsson SO902i. It's only available on NTT DoCoMo, hence why it sucks compared to European/Asian phones. It has a 3MP camera, no walkman, no bluetooth, no Symbian applications can be installed, only signed Java applications can run on it. It does have a FeliCa chip built in though, and that is its redeeming feature.

My dream cellphone? Either the iPhone or any modern Nokia. Seriously, I know that most of you have heard that Japanese cellphones are light years ahead of anything you've seen. That's simply not true at all. Since the mobile phone operators decide what features their phones have, they don't want any one phone to have all the cool features, forcing you to change phones after a while. They certainly don't want interoperability with anything, because then you could customise it with stuff you didn't buy from them! And most of the "cool" features you hear about are totally useless. Like 1seg. TV on your phone! Only problem? It won't work if you've travelling. Like on a train. Which is exactly when you WOULD use it.

QotD: Senseless Saying

What's a saying or phrase that's never made sense to you?

"Amot Melak Matita".

Actually no, that does make perfect sense to me. :P

Aquarian Age Alternative

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my latest obsession in the Japanese arcades: Aquarian Age Alternative.

Aquarian Age Alternative

AAA is one of those "place real cards on a playing surface, watch as the game senses them and reacts accordingly" games. But this one is slightly different. In AAA, the entire playing surface is actually a screen. As you place cards onto the surface and move them around, you can see the game tracking their movements in real time. It's very cool.

In case you've never seen one of these games before, below is a YouTube video (filmed by HeiseiDemocracy), showing you how this game roughly works.

HDTV: Aquarian Age Alternative

The basics of the game are thus: you, the player, are represented by an avatar called the Mindbreaker. By moving your Mindbreaker card, your avatar moves. Mindbreakers cannot attack nor defend, and the aim of the game is to defeat the opponent's Mindbreaker.

The Mindbreaker cannot attack, so you will need to use a Character card. When your Mindbreaker has generated enough energy to summon (or "Break", in game parlance) a character, it will appear on the game screen. Move characters by moving their card, and activate their abilities by flipping the card. There is one more type of card: Alterations. These are essentially spells, which can be used only once per game. At the end of each game - win or lose - the machine dispenses one sealed card. The only cards you can actually buy come in the Starter Pack, which you must purchase for 500 yen. Each game is 300 yen, decreasing to 200 then 100 if you win games in a row.

Aquarian Age Alternative Cards

Therefore it's not such an expensive game after all - considering you always walk away with a prize, so to speak. True, most games are 100 yen, but they don't hand out collectable cards, do they? As it stands, this game is very engrossing. I've played 12 matches so far and have duly been handed my rear back almost every time. Of course you need good cards to win, but you really also do need a strategy. Do you defend your Mindbreaker strenuously? Go for an all-out attack? Trap the other player and disable their characters one after the other? This isn't a turn-based battle game - everything happens in real-time, and if you forget to move your cards, your opponent will make short work of you.

In actual fact, I'm thinking of making a guide on how to play this game. I am also thinking of making a new website. I want to call it, "PkerUNO's Guide On How To Use Cool Stuff In Japan For People Who Don't Understand A Lot Of Japanese", or PGOHTUCSIJFPWDUALOJ for short. I've already written up a few articles on FeliCa over at http://pkeruno.googlepages.com/ so adding this would be the logical next step. Do I hear any interest whatsoever from my loyal readers? :)

Vox Hunt: Takes Me Back

Audio:  Share a song that makes you nostalgic. 
Submitted by Alex. 

TVUMDB

Elio E Le Storie Tese are a Milanese comedy rock band, dabbling in a wide variety of musical genres and dealing with many issues. Some of their songs are funny, some emotional, all of them are excellent.

TVUMDB (Ti Voglio Un Mondo Di Bene) is one of those funny AND emotional ones. It's the story of the love between the singer and a graffiti artist, who is seen scribbling all these weird and wonderful acronyms on the walls of the metro.

For me, the atmosphere of this song reminds me of my nights out with my friends in Milan. The quiet walks around the Castello Sforzesco, the beautiful streets, that feeling of freedom we had back in school. This is just one song by EelST which remind me of Milan. Another is "Uomini Col Borsello", which has a similar atmosphere but an even funnier storyline. All I should probably reveal is that the title means "Men With Handbags". Don't let that put you off: while Elio's subject matters and lyrics might seem strange, their musical talent is second to none.

Uomini Col Borsello (Ragazza Che Limoni Sola)

EelST also boast what is probably the best fan club ever. For only 30 euro a year, you get 20% discounts in their shop, free backstage passes to all their concerts, chances to appear in their radio programme on Radio Deejay, free goodies, and advance previews of new songs. Oh yeah, and their entire discography in 192kb/s MP3s.

Everytime I play one of their albums, I just get a huge wave of nostalgia... I loved Milan. I had great friends, my school was excellent, and it was a pretty fun city to boot. I still feel more attached to my Italian friends than the ones I made in the UK at university. Maybe I will end up returning there to live for a while... who knows?

MétEX Is Live

Just a quick update to remind everyone who cares that MétEX, my virtual tour of the Paris Métro, is now live! Let me know what you think. :)

http://metex.sblorgh.org/

Studio Ghibli Museum

Two weeks ago, I was in Tokyo with my family. Since I was on holiday on a schoolday, I thought it would be a good idea to go to the nearby Studio Ghibli museum in Mitaka. Unfortunately, photos are banned inside the museum, so all I could get was some external shots.

It was very, very good. The museum is themed like a fusion of buildings from Miyazaki's previous films, and is just as good inside. There's hardly any text, it's all about the art. It's cheap, easy to get to, and has an awesome gift shop, as you can see. You also get to see a Ghibli short, not available elsewhere. You have to book in advance, but it's well worth a visit if you're ever near Tokyo!