Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

totoro's in Japan

totoro

totoro

Active Member
Ok guys as many of you know, I take a group of 10 students and one additional chaperone to Saitama City, Japan for 2 weeks as part of our school's sister city relationship. As I type this, I am in the library of the Municipal Urawa High School and will try to give updates as often as possible. We go to Tokyo on Sunday (a 45 minute trip by train via the Keihen/Tohoku line) for a few days in a hostel there. Up here in Saitama, the high school students pretty much laugh at me as I try to explain that I run Pokemon card game tournaments in the US and that I enjoy the game very much. Based on Eskil's observations here that I have read on the gym, I must conclude that adult acceptance of the game is more widespread in the Kansai region than it is here in Kanto. I will however, try to keep you guys up to date on what I've discovered here with all things pokemon. Once I get to Tokyo, I'll visit the Pokemon Center and see what they've got in stock. It will be fun to find it since it has moved since last summer when I last visited. I have seen that starting next week, McDonalds will offer Pokemon themed toys, but no cards, with the purchase of a Happy Set (any combo meal in JPN is a "set"). And ads for the movie next month have begun, but it is not exactly a media blitz. My host family doesn't watch anime, so I didn't even watch D/P last night (though another teacher here at school is copying it for me). I'll be getting my boxes tonight at the enkai (pokemon cards at a Japanese drinking party, yup that'll be fun. Don't worry Shadow Card, I won't open your box! And I will be back (just) in time for US Nats.
 
wow you must have an amazing time there so far...

*goes to request Mr. Swordsman to get Pokemon Platina when he gets to Japan a month after worlds*
 
Tokyo has a Pokemon Center? Man, if I'd known that two years ago, and / or been playing the game two years ago...
What do you like most about being there? Do you ever get culture shock coming back? (I didn't getting there but did getting back.)

But, I get to spend my junior year of college studying abroad in Japan as part of my major. =D
 
Have a great trip David! You make many of us "jealous" of your experiences. See ya soon my friend!

Keith
 
It must be great getting the kind of perspective you get from being in your position. Like Prime said- take pictures! Have a safe trip.
 
Yeah, come back safely, we can't have a league without you. You'll have to post some of your pictures online for us when you get back!
 
I'm going to Japan for a week and a half this summer with my school. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the Pokemon merchandise and stuff over there.

Related Sidenote: Which is a better box to buy, Temple of Anger or Cry from Mysterious? I might just get one of each while I'm over there, but if all the good cards are in one...
 
Burninating_Torchic said:
I'm going to Japan for a week and a half this summer with my school. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the Pokemon merchandise and stuff over there.

Related Sidenote: Which is a better box to buy, Temple of Anger or Cry from Mysterious? I might just get one of each while I'm over there, but if all the good cards are in one...
Click to expand...

Cry from Mysterious has Kingdra, and some other good stuff.

CfM would be better.
 
Well, I decided that I go on trips every year for Worlds and Origins. So, I figure that I will eventually have enough miles that I can use them for a trip to Japan. :thumb:

Drew
 
Earthquake today centered in northeastern Honshu (Miyagi prefecture) around a 7.0 (!) Funny thing is, since houses are basically built on shock absorbers, I didn't even feel this one. I have felt one a few years ago in the middle of the night, but the only way I even knew about this one was that my host mom called me out of my room to see the light fixture over the table swaying. Then, we turned on the TV and watched the news reports come in. Kind of a surreal experience to be sure. Today my host dad is going to play baseball on his company team and I've been invited to watch. Even though it is Saturday, the students do have a half day at school, so I'll miss school today to see the baseball game. It will be a good chance to talk with my host dad since he gets in so late during the week. It is very typical in Japan for a salaryman to go out socializing with coworkers until very late in the evening, and Mr. Kikuchi is no exception.
We go in to Tokyo tomorrow where the students and I will stay at the Tokyo International Hostel. It's actually a very nice place (18th floor of a skyscraper) on the Sobu line which cuts right through the middle of the city. So, we can get pretty much anywhere in the city by rail or subway without much difficulty. It's funny though how quickly the students will come to realize how unJapanese Tokyo can be..it is after all a huge, international, cosmopolitan city. If past trips repeat themselves this year, by Wednesday the students will be dying to get "home" to their "family" here in Saitama.
Got my boxes from my friend Matt last night at the enkai. I was surprised that all 4 boxes were still first edition. (Hears Shadow Card shout "yesssssss!!) Opened 1 pack at the enkai (to laughter) and got Magnezone X. Japanese boxes always seem to have an X on either the top left or top right.
 
I could have gone to japan on a school activity but parents said no. >.<
YOU ARE LUKY
I hope i can get a job in japan....
 
hey totoro, r u going to be back in time for nats, if u r going. if u r, can u get some of Hayao Miyazaki's movie's, but with the english words on the bottom. I LOVE HIS MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
not totoro, but: unless you have an 'all region' dvd player, japanese dvds won't play in a us (region one) machine. japanese dvds are coded region 2. the miyazaki movies released by disney in the us...spirited away etc. DO have the japanese soundtrack as an option, and english subtitles.

'mom
 
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