Reading comments on Gamespot during coverage of the Tokyo game show, I think it's safe to say a lot of readers are really interested in gaming and life in general in Japan. It's a hell of a lot different. I moved to Japan for the first time a few years ago and had a blast as an irresponsible college student. But after that first taste, those that want to remain in Japan have to pay a price - they have to get responsible. So I started a job and now I spend my days playing all the newest games in the arcades, eating yakisoba and drinking Asahi Super Dry. If anyone wants to know any of the specific aspects of life in Japan, just drop me a comment and I'll do my best to take requests. But first, here's an introduction to the housing situation here in Japan: My room is essentially a shoe-box. Here room size is measured in Tatami mats; each tatami mat being roughly 3 x 2 feet. My room is roughly 6 tatami mats. I live in a guest house with a shared kitchen, bathrooms and showers, though hopefully that will change soon. The accommodations are cramped to say the least, so most of Japanese society takes to the streets to blow off some steam. There's a head-spinning variety of shops and services, places to drink, places to eat, places to party. Perhaps to the average gamer, the most important facilities are of course the arcades and game shops, but also the "Manga Kissaten", or Media Cafe, that provides game systems, powerhouse computers, and tons and tons of manga and anime to be used at the customer's discretion while they rent a room at an hourly rate. There are also some other diamonds in the rough like a bar in Shibuya done up to look like the bridge of a Gundam space frigate. But I'll get to all those in good time. Rent is expensive. My tiny place is about a half an hour outside of downtown Tokyo (in other words, half an hour away from anything interesting) and still costs me about 500 dollars a month plus utilities. But thanks to super convenient public transportation, getting in and out of the City is a breeze.. Well... except the rush hour trains in which people pile on like sardines in a can - these can get extremely uncomfortable especially if you get stuck in the middle of a group of salarymen with alcohol on their breath. But sometimes it works the other way around and you get stuck in the middle of a group of giggly Japanese women. Speaking of the City, I'm off there now, so for my first blog I leave you with a selection of pictures: