Big in Japan: Video Games that Kill

by Matthew Firestone on

We interrupt our regularly scheduled feature column to bring you an important news bulletin that may save your life, the life of your friends and even the life of your children.

Video games can kill – well, at least this one can.

Earlier this week, an arm wrestling video game known as ‘Arm Spirit’ was removed from arcades across Japan as a precaution. Apparently, the move was prompted by Atlus, the distributor of Arm Spirit, following a number of high profile game-related injuries. Apparently, at least three different players broke their arms during game play.

(And you thought tennis elbow and gamers’ thumb was bad!)

For those of you who don’t regularly visit Japanese arcades (I know I’m a total dork, but they’re just so much fun!), Arm Spirit features a life-sized arm that players try to slam down to the table in a series of matches. Tension increases as players advance through ten levels, with opponents including an erotic French maid, a drunken martial arts master, a yelping Chihuahua and a hulking sumo wrestler.

A long time favorite of high school boys trying to impress their dates, overworked businessmen trying to relieve a bit of tension and resident foreigners trying to show off to their Japanese friends, Arm Spirit appeals to virtually everyone. With stereo sound, hi-definition video and a catchy theme song worthy of putting on your IPod, a round of Arm Spirit is worth every one of your hard-earned yen.

Much like Japanese arcade staples such as Dance Dance Revolution (aka DDR and Dancing Stage), Taiko Drum Master and Guitar Hero, Arm Spirit was destined for fame. Some argue that Arm Spirit could have even taken rank alongside Super Mario Brothers and the Legend of Zelda as one of the truly great gaming experiences.

So, what went wrong?

According to Ayano Sakiyama, the company spokesmen for Atlus: “The machine isn’t that strong, much less so than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it. We think that maybe some players get over-excited and twist their arms in an unnatural way.”

Sadly, the days of virtual arm-wrestling glory are coming to end as a country-wide investigation has been launched into the incidents, and the recalled machines are being checked for any malfunctions. Loyal fans hold on to the hope that the engineers at Atlus can tweak the unit, thus ensuring that future generations of gamers can enjoy Arm Spirit. However, in a country plagued by the fear of anything even remotely dangerous, it is unlikely that Arm Spirit will be making another appearance in an arcade near you.

Arm Spirit was never released outside of Japan, though perhaps this is the best time to try and snatch up an old machine on E-bay. If you do manage to score one, let me know as I still need to exact my revenge on that infernal Chihuahua. Perhaps it’s my puny arms, but that mutt gets the best of me every time!

(Special thanks to my buddy Ryan-san in Uguisudani, who alerted me and you, the Gadling audience, to this important discovery).

** Arm Spirit photo courtesy of the Associated Press (AP). DDR photo courtesy of Flickr user iotae **

Chinese Buffet – Part 19: Visit is Over. Memories Remain.

by Kelly Amabile on
Chinese Buffet is a month-long series that chronicles the travels of an American woman who visited China for the first time in July 2007.

I wish I could have experienced China on a bicycle. Riding through the streets, forced to lay my camera aside for awhile, I’m sure I would have viewed aspects of the country differently from a two-wheeled perspective.

But I am a horrible bike rider!

This was as close as I got to riding my own bike in China. On my last day in Shanghai, we rented a bicycle-made-for-three in Century Park. With four wheels and no traffic, it was smooth sailing during our early morning ride:

And then there was my rickshaw driver in Suzhou, who gave me a taste of what authentic bike riding in China is all about. He did the pedaling work while I simply enjoyed the view and cool breeze. When the ride was over, he totally tried to swindle me out of more money than we had agreed upon, but I couldn’t care less. Just look at the smile on this guy:

He must have been one of the most jovial pedicab drivers in town, and kept me laughing the entire time. And that’s what I’ll remember most.

So what if I didn’t get to do everything I wanted? It’s really all about who you meet in the end. The more I travel, the more I believe that it’s not really about the places at all — it’s about the people you encounter.

I don’t want to spend my life trying to check off sites from a list of places I should see before I die. I just want to visit different countries and see what each reveals to me, no matter if it’s mundane or extraordinary.

Take Maurice, for example. Just an ordinary guy visiting Suzhou the same day I was there:

This tall funny Frenchman appeared like a mirage — walking towards me in his bright qipao shirt with a mobile phone in his hand at the exact moment when I was frantically searching for a payphone. He was such a cheerful champ when I asked if I could borrow his phone. We chatted briefly and parted ways, but several hours later I ran into him again in one of Suzhou’s gardens. We talked a bit more, and I asked for a photo, to capture our memorable meeting.

More often though, it was the other way around — people would approach me and ask if they could take a photo together. When this happened, I sometimes asked if we could also take one on my camera, so I could remember them. Usually I was approached by Chinese tourists who were making their first visit to the big city:

This Chinese woman was visiting Beijing for the very first time with her husband and son. She approached me in the rose garden at the Temple of Heaven.

“Excuse me? You take picture with me?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you. And welcome to China! You are a very beautiful woman.”

I’ll miss these unsolicited “beautiful woman” compliments!

I also met Heng Yi Ling at the same park, a sweet 18 year-old visiting Beijing with her dad. While we listened to women singing opera, Heng Yi’s dad encouraged her to practice speaking English with me. Talking to Chinese children was especially amusing and enjoyable.

In Shanghai, a woman making her first visit to the city sat next to me while we ate dumplings. When we were finished eating, she asked for a photo…and I asked for one too:

There was usually limited conversation with the older Chinese tourists I met, but they were encounters just the same, and interactions with people always seem to linger longest in my mind.

As I type this, I’m remembering other folks too — there was Cedric from Philadelphia, who I said hello to at the Forbidden City because I noticed he was wearing a tee shirt from the school I used to work at. After chatting for a few moments, he snapped a photo of me too!

I met lots of expats also, and was grateful for the perspective they shared — my Couchsurfing host, the folks at The Bookworm and True Run Media, my Shanghai friends and their network of international pals.

So… I didn’t get to ride a bike through the hutongs of Beijing, or try some hot pot, or visit a tea house or do the touristy thing and buy a latte at the Forbidden City Starbucks in the final days before it closed!

But I met a whole bunch of interesting people. And learned that the world is full of a lot of snappy happy folks, including myself! Which is not such a bad thing, because I now have a virtual memory box of faces, names and interactions that shaped my first look at China.

There is one more special person I met on my way out of the country. I’ll wrap up the Chinese Buffet series tomorrow with a story about the adventure we shared…

Blowfish sold as salmon kills 15, sickens over a hundred

by Matthew Firestone on

As a frightening aside to my Big in Japan column on the subtle art of eating blowfish, MSNBC reported today that over the last three years, fugu meat that has been passed off as salmon in Thai markets has resulted in 15 deaths and over a hundred cases of food-poisoning.

As a result of a nationwide ban in Thailand on the selling of blowfish meat, some rather unscrupulous fishermen have taken to the practice of dying fugu and passing it off as salmon. The issue was brought to light following a report issued by Dr. Narin Hiransuthikul at Bangkok’s Chulalonkorn University Hospital.

As a warning to anyone travelling in Thailand, it’s probably best to skip on the salmon spring rolls!

** Photo by Flickr user Howdy, I’m H. Michael Karshis **

Least Religious Countries

by Iva Skoch on

When you travel to Europe, don’t be surprised to find that many Europeans don’t believe in God. I have even witnessed some alcohol-infused conversations between Americans and Europeans that almost ended in fistfights over His/Her existence. When you travel to the following countries, you might want to pick a less controversial topic of conversation … umm, maybe George W?

Here are the Top 10 least religious countries in the world:

1. Sweden (up to 85% non-believer, atheist, agnostic)
2. Vietnam
3. Denmark
4. Norway
5. Japan
6. Czech Republic
7. Finland
8. France
9. South Korea
10. Estonia (up to 49% non-believer, atheist, agnostic)

The one that surprised me was Israel, ranking 19th, with up to 37% claiming to be non-believer, atheist, agnostic. Compare that with the United States, ranking 44th, with 3-9% non-believers, atheists, agnostics. (I think I have met them all on the streets of New York City, too.)

The survey concluded that “high levels of organic atheism are strongly correlated with high levels of societal health, such as low homicide rates, low poverty rates, low infant mortality rates, and low illiteracy rates, as well as high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality. Most nations characterized by high degrees of individual and societal security have the highest rates of organic atheism, and conversely, nations characterized by low degrees of individual and societal security have the lowest rates of organic atheism. In some societies, particularly Europe, atheism is growing. However, throughout much of the world — particularly nations with high birth rates — atheism is barely discernable.”

Video: Commuting in Mumbai

by Justin Glow on


I didn’t bring along a video camera to India because I didn’t want to have to deal with making sure it wasn’t broken, lost, or forgotten somewhere. But after I arrived, I immediately realized my mistake because almost every second of every day I was there, I saw video-able material. It’s a good thing other travelers bring along their cameras, or else we wouldn’t have the video above, taken by YouTube user Jaiwit. It’s simply titled “Commuting in Mumbai” which — well, I’ll just let you watch it.

In-freaking-sane. [via]