10 weeks! It sounds like a long time, but it still feels like I just got off the plane yesterday. Guess I'm still not used to living here quite yet, because I am missing the New England spring weather and chess in Harvard Square sooo much! (I'm making up for it at the local Go parlor, but I'm not very good yet and it's indoors ;_;) Please please make sure that those of you in N.E. get out when you can and enjoy a few hours in the cool evening breeze for me!
2 weekends ago I visited Kamakura (the so-called "Kyoto of East Japan") with two colleagues from work, Alex and James, as well as James' friend Jenny who just move here to work at Google Japan. The four of us spend an amazing day enjoying nature, and then on the way back to the city we dropped through Yokohama for dinner and a quick romp through a beautiful little seaside amusement park at night. Here are pics from that trip:
Some neat statues.
Small Graveyard (rest in peace).
The ocean popped out of the forest for a moment during our hike! So blue and beautiful!
Not sure, I think these are prayers tied up to the wooden structure..
Spring water for washing your hands along the trail as I am demonstrating
Here my co-worker Alex (glasses) is drying his paper money, which was dipped in a pool of water in the cave behind him (can't see in this pic) for good luck.
An 800 year-old statue of Buddha at the end of our journey; left to right is me, Jennie, Alex, and James.
Modern art near the amusement park in Yokohama.
Giant Ferris Wheel! I was too scared to go in it, though...
...but I rode the roller coaster!
That's the end of the Kamakura trip folks! We had Golden Week at the start of the month week (a 1 week national holiday) but I worked through it to earn holiday time and complete my team's submission for the SIGGRAPH Research Challenge (submitted May 6th).
An image from our submission, the "Virtual Flashlight" project.
The timing actually worked out pretty well because I'm moving into my awesome new apartment now and need a little time off to get everything set-up (like, for example, I have no Fridge; unlike most apartments in the US, everyone takes *all* their stuff with them when they move, you rent an apartment and it starts out 100% empty). Here is what the view from my unfurnished new pad looks like.
Dusk view of what I like to call "downtown" (it's actually downtown in all directions of Tokyo)
Same direction, Shinjuku at night (click to enlarge picture)
Oh yeah, while I was looking for a washer and fridge for my apartment, I came across this display for 3D TV in the appliance store, it's all the rage right now in Japan (but like HD TV, will probably take 3-5 years before it becomes "mainstream," at least in Japan)
I tried it too, the image looks really cool, especially slo-mo sports replays (on the TV to the left, which you can't see in this picture ;_;)Ok guys, sorry I've been so delinquent, I will be post more frequently from now on, promise ;) Missing you all,
-Arun
Tell me more about the Flashlight Project! Is it important because players could use tools or because of the technology that is required to make this happen? (Has anybody else done this before?)
ReplyDeleteBTW - what should i do about a sticky key on my keyboard? The "shift" key has become a problem. Do I need to talk to my IT guys or can you tell me how to fix it?
arun - it has been so hot here the last couple days...as far as i can tell, there have been no cool evening breezes. next time we have one, i will walk in it and think of you :)
ReplyDeletexx
oams
So, does your virtual flashlight's batteries ever get low and then the light starts to dim? Then they could bang the flashlight on their hand to get that little extra juice and brighten it back up for a few seconds before it just goes completely dead. You know, enhance the experience. Make it a little more real for the handler. In all seriousness, does it know when an object comes between it and the monitor so that it doesn't shine through? Could I do shadow puppets with it is basically what I am getting at?
ReplyDeleteIt is awesome that you are settling in and getting out and about. Thank you so much for taking us around with you via this blog! I know I've probably said this in every single one of posted comments (ok, both of my comments), but I really hope I get to come out and see it for myself someday. If there was any way I could swing it I would try and be there for July 31st when Muse will be playing the Fugi Rock Festival, which I am assuming is somewhere near Mt. Fugi. Since I cannot attend, you must go and skype the entire concert back to me. Although then you would probably have to buy your computer a concert ticket or there would be copyright issues.
Anywho, you need to fill us in on some of your recent culinary adventures, if there have been any since that horse you moued down. Speaking of which, why did you just stop at one domestic animal, why not head on down to the local Petsmart and try making your own companion animal sushi at home? Toss a ferret in there, a couple of hamsters, perhaps a sugar glider or a even defenseless little puppy? I hear raw defenseless little puppy slices go really well with some wasbi and a little five spice dipped in soy sauce. Maybe I should move out there and open up Scott's Companion Animal Bar de Sushi, or SCABS, for short. It'll be a tourist trap fooling a bunch of world travelers into believing that the Japanese actually eat all that stuff!
Anyway, I'm going to let you go for now. But what I am going to need from you is a full report on how the Japanese "spabies" development project is coming along? Do we still have time to beat them to the punch?
Cambridge isn't the same without you, buddy. I miss you. But you keep up the blogging, and I'll keep responding to every 1 out of 7.
Later, guy.