The Verranzano-Narrows Bridge that connects Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York. It measures 1,298 meters in length. In comparison, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Kobe, Japan measures 1,991 meters. 

Nissan Skyline GT-R

Grand Turismo for Sega Genesis made this car desirable in the USA, but it was nearly impossible to get one.

Uni at Kome' !!!

Fresh Uni

Back to blogging...

I apologize for no new posts in a few weeks. I came down with pneumonia and didn't have the energy to keeps things going. Everything is  getting back to normal so I hope to resume writing in the next week or so. Aloha!

Daihatsu DeckVan and HiJET

This vehicle is about twice as long as a bicycle and on about 6ft high. You can seat 4-5 people and still stow some stuff in the back. These minitrucks, as they are known in the US, cannot be registered as trucks. They can be registered as ATVs in some states which allows for road travel.

State governments often cite safety concerns for the reason these trucks are not street legal. The US automakers also prefer to sell their products for $20k rather than to allow these trucks to be had for $5k. These trucks have a 3 cyclinder engine. They do about 65mph and get great gas mileage. I read a quote on a Daihatsu forum that said, ``minitrucks are street legal in every country in the world, but the land of the free``.

A final thought about safety. In my opinion, this truck offers more safety than any motorcycle on the road.

Japanese arcade

Tekken 6... The Tekken series is classic.

A little Gundam game. Probably for the under 10 crowd.

This Taiko game has been popular is Japan for years. Taiko is a traditional drum like the ones pictured. If you stay to the beat, you move ahead in the game.

These are family arcades in shopping malls. I haven`t found the ``Blow your whole paycheck`` type arcades yet, but we are heading to Tokyo soon so...

T-Rex Arcade Coin Game

The Dino King III at a mall in Ashiya. This what the family arcade has to offer. It is a token game where you shoot tokens in hoping that your coin will knock down other coins for you to collect. The ultimate goal is to get enough tokens to buy a stuff Hello Kitty or Pokemon doll.

Nothing brings a family closer together than a Sunday afternoon huddling around a game of chance.