Entries this day: Spo_cha Todo

Spo cha

5:11pm JST Saturday 17 December 2005

Sometimes Japanese places are pretty fun, even if they have ridiculous names. Hitomi and I went to Spo Cha today, which basically features all the games one could play at Chuck E. Cheese, but without paying per game. This way is great because we can play whatever we want and not care about wasting time on the game while practicing, cause it's all free. If a game sucks, move on to another. If it rules, press START again and hook it up!

They also had some outdoor things: batting cages, golfing cages (nets), archery cages (nets), volley ball, tennis, soccer, badmitton, and putt putt golf. There were several people, but not so many that we really had to *wait* for anything. OH, and they had inline skating!

The best thing: the golfing cages were right next to the batting cages, so I was able to do a lifelong dream: hit golf balls with a baseball bat!

We were the only people in the golfing area, and 4 of the 5 batting cages were empty, so no one gave a second glance when I snagged a bat and took it over to the golf area. I basically tossed them in the air and/or (let them) bounce(d) them on the ground and SWUNG, aiming for a nice solid POW. Usually I hit air, but sometimes I socked the balls and was happy when they flew away with great determination.

Second best things:

1. a room with nerf-density baseballs nearly coating the floor. We played dodgeball with them and I pulled Hitomi by her legs as her back rolled along the floor on the balls. Great fun!

2. small bowling alley where each pin was held up by a string connected at its top. To reset the pins, the strings were lifted and all the pins hung down and stood up when the strings were lowered. I rolled multiple balls down at a time, regardless of the state of the pins. One time I rolled one ball down, and just as it was about to hit the center pin, all the pins were lifted neatly out of the way, resetting from one of the myriad other balls I had sent down.

3. Skating, where I had the whole rink to myself (small though it was).

4. Jen would have had a laughing heart attack to see the wild bucking bronco thing for kids!! "Yeeehawww! I'm from Texas!!"

Wack/strange games:

1. dog walking game, where the player hangs onto a leash and walks on a treadmill

2. Train driving game with stations and scenarios matching those in Tokyo area, where players using the brake and throttle to drive.

3. picture taking game; players aim cameras at the screen and photograph various things for points

4. maraca shaking game where players shake maracas to match the beat

5. DJ record scratching game, with two turntables, several buttons, but no slider

6. skateboard game, where player on screen does mad phat tricks just because I tilt back while standing on the skateboard shaped controller

7. typing game, where players type on keyboards to kill monsters. (I was pretty good at that one)

8. large hot tub sized fishing pond with real fish and real people catching them (limit 20 minutes per person).

maybe others, but I can't think of any.

Super big fun. I'm quite happy we went today.

Todo

1. research my port orientation port

2. research Argentina's soya plantations

3. look up World Bank

4. look up WTO

5. look up IMF

6. write State of My Life Address

7. send Rob Update with reference to Palestine summary