When Headphones Go Bad

Yesterday my headphones decided not to work properly.

What was strange was that there was still music coming through but it sounded out of phase, like the bass and vocals were removed.

It seemed like I just got them yesterday too. A blog is useful to check these things. Here it is! Okay, 12th of July. Not so recent then.

Luckily I still have the box and receipt from way back then. Unfortunately the warranty is written in Japanese so I couldn't tell how long it was valid for. Looking online it said Panasonic's warranty was only six months (from an American website).

I thought I'd take it into Yodobashi Camera and try my luck if they'd still fix it.

I had some library items due in the next two days so I thought it'd a good time to bring them back as well. I played the catchers and lost, so I wasn't too pleased. I am REALLY trying to cut back on this.

Expecting Yodobashi to blow me off saying it was out of warranty, the guy just said take it to the basement where the repair section was. Sweet.

While I was there I decided to check out other headphones. Particularly the old retro "over-the-head" cans style.

There was a Kenwood KH-K1000 (Sound Meister Edition) ( Japan only) that i really liked for 29,800 yen. It has excellent overall sound with great sound imaging and deep, clear bass. One thing is, the cans are huge!

I liked a pair of Bose Triport headphones. These were cheaper at 19,750 yen. Some nice bass and a clear sound too. Probably not as good as the Kenwood ones, but they were a little more comfortable around the ears.

I've heard good things about UE in-ear phones, but they are a little pricey here.

I also got some more Don Simon juice from Yamaya as well. Almost got some Canadian Club or Smirnoff. Each bottle is 980 yen. That's amazing. Back home it was at least $25. Damn government taxes.

For now the best option is just to wait for my Panasonic headphones to be fixed, but what am I going to do in the meantime? I may have to wear my Rilakkuma headphones for now.

That should be interesting.

Oh, Happy Mother's Day, mamammy..

Doh!

When you see a sign like this, how can you NOT take a picture of it?

Although my mobile ring-tone is Homer saying "Doh" thirty two times, I'm not a big Simpsons fan.

I'm always keeping an eagle eye out for an interesting pic or two. This one is outside the ticket gate at Tama Plaza.

Not a lot to say today.

I looked at two more LCD games. One was Bandai's Cross Country, and the other was Robot Maker from Takatoku Toys. Both were in average condition so I didn't buy either of them.

The sales clerk didn't allow me to put my batteries in to try them out so it took any thought to get them out of my head completely, which is probably a good thing.

I don't see myself as a collector, and I don't think the gf is really liking all my junk filling up her apartment. Initially I just wanted the games I had when I was a kid. I still don't have them all yet though.

The search continues..

Bandai Zaxxon

Ok, I can finally let you know what I bought from Yahoo Auctions. I'm sure it's a big surprise to tell you I got another video game.

What we have here is Bandai's version of Zaxxon.
If anyone remembers the original, it was a bitch to play because of the isometric, pseudo 3D view. This one's even more difficult because it's also in LCD black.

I guess I should thank Japan Post for actually delivering my mail this time. I guess it must've helped when I went into Shinjuku last week and registered a change of address from Tomioka.

I've heard stories of them not delivering mail because the name didn't match, even if it was just a middle name on the envelope and they just had it registered only first and surname!

Just remember if you move house here, let Japan Post know, or expect a lot of return to sender.

Anyway back to my review.

First impression out of the package was, "This looks kinda old".

Lately I've been spoilt by immaculate condition 80's games that are as pristine as they must have looked in 1982. While not as bad as some examples I've seen, this does have scratches on the screen as well as the back.

Not bad enough to effect play, but slightly disappointing. To be fair though, I paid a fraction of what a boxed, in great condition one would cost. What surprised me most was that this thing is pretty big compared to a Game & Watch that's for sure.

On the positive side, the controls work great and the LCDs are perfectly clear. All sound, although annoying, comes through loud and clear. 

How is it to play?

Well, at first it felt like I was playing a game on a pocket calculator! Only one shot can be fired at once, so it's a little frustrating for it to actually hit something or fade away. Bombing does the same thing. You have to be on the ground level to fire them.

Having said that, after playing for bit longer now, I'm actually enjoying its quirks, and a space shooting game is a refreshing change from the usual, dare I say "samey" offerings of the other handhelds. An exemption, Neko Don Don, is my current fave.

What's truly impressive about this one is that there are two screens that gives a pretty amazing representation of a moving three dimensional environment. My favourite being the second "Death Star" canyon level. I didn't feel like posting a video. but you can see someone else playing it badly from here.

  

Now that I've tried Yahoo Auctions once successfully, I might have a new addiction on my hands.

Neko Don Don!

Ok, you guessed it (or you probably didn't), but I got a new 80's LCD game.

This time it's Neko Don Don! from a little known company called Takatoku Toys (I've never heard of them).

While it wasn't on my initial list of must haves, I tried the windows simulator here and had a great time. (It says you need some dll files, but it ran just fine extracted from the zip file).

Comparing the simulator to the real thing, the programmer did a great job. I just had a go now and the game-play is very similar, so if you're on a windows PC (or virtual machine) give it a go.

The example I bought was in absolutely mint condition, still in the box with all the inserts and instructions with strong LCD blacks.
I suspect the original owner left it in a cupboard for twenty six years without playing it at all, which maybe from a collector's point of view is justified, but to not play the games borders on criminal.

After station beers® with T & N, I couldn't wait till tomorrow and bought the required LR44 batteries to run the game from the 99 yen shop. (Actually 104 yen each for two. Apart from false advertising I was pretty pleased not having to wait until tomorrow). 

This is one really FUN game. I'd say it's even better than the Bandai ones I have. So why did I buy it instead of just playing the sim? 

 
I'm a big fan of old school things, and LCD is about as old school as it gets for computer games. Sure, if it was able to be played on my DS I probably wouldn't have got it and I'm definitely not going to power-up my laptop on the train just to play this.

So, for a night of beers this seems like money well spent.

Just to finish off, I want to thank the mothers for the sweets I got for teaching their kids. Yes, I work harder for food, AND I got notification for the special something from Yahoo Auctions.

Come to daddy..

Golden Sleep

This Golden Week has been one long sleep-in.

Last night I didn't get to sleep until sometime between 4am and 5am. I could see the daylight coming through the windows.

It's been a week of late nights and long mornings. The usual wakeup is 2pm. Not a lot of time to do much else.

Just like with eBay, I'm getting slowly addicted to Yahoo Auctions Japan. It's pretty useless for people outside of Japan as sellers rarely ship internationally.

I made a bid a few days ago. I'll keep you posted what happens with that.

Wish me luck!

Separated At Birth?

Take a look at this photo. Look familiar?

For some strange reason quite a few japanese people have said that I resemble Matsumoto Jun. The first time I had a look at this I thought I was looking in a mirror! The resemblance is uncanny.

It doesn't hurt that this person is a singer slash actor, thought of as a bit of a hunk in these parts.

My hair is curly and his is a little bit too. How some people could equate my clearly Italian features, with looking Japanese baffles me.

It could be worse I suppose.

Japanese Sorry

The gf has quite expensive taste.

For a special treat we stayed at the Cerulean Tower in Shibuya.

Our room was on the 33rd floor. The view from the window was fantastic.

In the picture you can see the Hachiko crossing outside the station, Harajuku, the immense Yoyogi park, as well the skyscrapers of Shinjuku in the background. VERY cool.

Run the mouse over the picture for a day and night effect!

Once settled in, we went up to the Executive Salon for some free snacks. Now, by snacks I mean we ate and drank the place virtually dry.

 
There was an assortment of delicious cheeses, chocolates, biscuits and cakes that we had ample servings of, as well as two Asahi, a Guinness and champagne. Nice.

From there I rushed a little drunkenly ahead of the gf into the heart of Shibuya to get to some shops before they closed.

I mainly wanted to get that Red Bazooka t-shirt I've been mulling over for quite a while.

The sales girl spoke good English. She wouldn't let me try on the actual shirt. She allowed me to try a sample of another shirt to get the size right. It felt a bit awkward taking off my shirt in the middle of the store, but at least I was the only customer there at the time.

 
She was really helpful. I was deciding between small and medium. I've lost a lot of weight in Japan so I was a little worried getting a shirt that I might grow out of quickly.

In the end I got the smaller size anyway as it looked more "fitted" than the other one.
It's a cool shirt. It has "Japanese Sorry", with a samurai performing Seppuku, on himself. On the reverse it has "Please use it whenever you like". Hover the mouse over the picture to see both sides. For 3360 yen, a good buy don't you think?

At another store nearby they had a sale. Two shirts for about 2000 yen. Some of them had the craziest undecipherable English.

They had dressing rooms, but they wouldn't let me try them on. Huh? No sale, SEE YOU. I'm not buying anything without trying it on first. 

The next morning we had a nice breakfast, again in the Executive Salon. I tried to eat as much as I could and I think I succeeded. 

To my thinking it's strange to stay in a hotel when I'm living in the same city. Having said that, it was a more than nice little outing for both of us.

Thanks gf.