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Tomohiko Tagawa
The arcade experience in the US peaked with 1987�s Street Fighter, but Japan�s 30,000 ge-cen gaming centers are still bustling with glassy-eyed players 15 years later. The reason: The machines ditch old-school steering wheels and joysticks in favor of treadmills, drum sets, and mannequins. With the average player spending up to 2,000 yen ($16) per visit, manufacturers are eager to empty teen pockets with systems like these.
Laugh Track In Nice Tsukkomi, you play the straight man in a famous (if lowbrow) comedy duo. Stand next to your plastic dummy and smack his head, chest, or feet to reflect the antics onscreen. As in any standup routine, timing is critical — points are awarded based on how well you keep up. Choose one of nine duos, whose material is available online, in case you want to practice your delivery.
Doggy Day Care Take a virtual pup for a stroll and get a workout with Inu no Osanpo (Walk the Dog). Step up on a treadmill, hold on to the leash, and urge your polygonal pooch along a typical urban route. The aim is to keep your hound�s mood meter in the green. Don�t go too fast or too slow; avoid the sushi delivery guy; keep Spot from scarfing moldy, discarded ramen; and, most important, keep your canine from becoming roadkill.
Get on the Bus Climb into the Tokyu Bus Guide driver�s seat and start picking up worker bees via public transportation. Steer through your commute with a minimum of collisions and fatalities as you follow an actual Tokyu company bus route. It�s more difficult than you think to stop, start, and coordinate turns with speed, especially when you have to navigate a huge wheel and remember to use your blinker.
Drum Solo Tommy Lee meets karaoke in Taiko no Tatsujin (Taiko Drum Master). Pound bongos with electronic sticks according to the colored icons whizzing by onscreen. When you see blue, hit the skins once; red, tap the wooden rim; and if yellow comes your way — roll, baby, roll. In addition to Japanese pop tunes, choose selections from Radio Taisou — a hugely popular Japanese morning radio exercise program.
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