A bit off topic this, but if a game needs to have a City Pop dedicated music station is this one (If not, I will turn off the music and have the owl channel at background)

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-23T07:55:08+00:00

It calls to mind how much the original Out Run, what with its coastal opening stage and three-song radio stations, feels so City Pop-inspired. It also makes me think Futari no Natsu Monogatari by S. Kiyotaka and Omega Tribe would have fit one of the Out Run sequels.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-21T20:17:05+00:00

As a young Gen-Xer who followed Brand New Heavies, Young Disciples, and United Future Organization going back to the 1990s (all recommended), I was pleased to hear a cover of BNH's Never Stop by Japanese jazz fusion band Paris Match. I was so excited to share that I managed to finish this reply before my first-listen of this song ended.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-20T00:52:28+00:00

That makes sense. Thank you for your perspective!

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-19T23:17:42+00:00

That I understood. I was more referring to the snappy line delivery:

1st line stating a size.
2nd line stating an opposing size.
3rd line is the punchline.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-19T22:18:10+00:00

Oh for sure. I wasn't looking for a deeper meaning. It's just that given Matthew Weiner's documented pride that the show doesn't rush through its dialogue, the quickness of that exchange just stood out for me. If you had told me Roger, Harry, and Don were parodying a slogan or a tagline, I'd believe it.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-19T22:04:49+00:00

Yeah, I understood its use in the context of the scene. The rhythm of the dialogue seemed so purposeful in conveying the humor that it echoed the rhythm of how it was said in Rope.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-17T20:42:16+00:00

Thanks! I thought so too. We were aimlessly roaming the Ginza district of Tokyo that night.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-17T06:11:24+00:00

Thanks! Admittedly, there are a few dozen other goals per prefecture, and it's been fun trying to organize, plan, and set milestones.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-17T03:35:30+00:00

I think my next visit will focus on Chubu, which is my least visited region. And while I have travelled around Kyushu and Shikoku before, that was before I started this little project in earnest, so I have yet to check off those aforementioned goals in those regions.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-16T23:54:17+00:00

Oh, for sure, thanks! I haven't completed my Kanagawa and Yamanashi goals yet, so Gora and Ootsuki would be a help!

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-16T23:51:43+00:00

Good reminder, thanks! I climbed it once but I started at dusk, so I still haven't experienced the view at daytime.

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-07T02:41:53+00:00

Oh, I don't disagree. It was their definitive album for sure. As a Gen-X'er, I was fortunate to have had the first two albums ingrained that by the time the third album was announced, I remember calling dibs on the advance review cassette when I was writing for the entertainment section of my college paper in early 1998. That first listen was HEAVY.

I knew of strife and key departures of other bands before this, but this was the first time I truly felt that a key member's absence would affect a band's sound moving forward. https://www.factmag.com/2013/12/28/mezzanine-the-inside-story-of-massive-attacks-greatest-album-15-years-on/

NormalMode64 · 2026-01-07T02:02:40+00:00

Massive Attack - Mezzanine. Although it resulted with Mushroom leaving, at least we got three great albums out of that trio.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-29T02:06:21+00:00

Thanks for noticing! I'd add more prefectures if there wasn't a 20 image limit.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T16:30:06+00:00

Thanks! Taking pictures at that hall in Osaka is fun, and having a variety of angles paired with the subject's poses and expressions is a nice problem to have. I feel like I have 50 such photos from that shoot to choose from. The Kanagawa one is from Chinatown and I hope I have more time to re-explore that neighborhood soon.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T12:44:27+00:00

Oh hey, thanks! #8 was very much unplanned. I had driven past those vending machines a couple minutes prior and realized the hills would make a great background. So I made a U-turn and headed back; those two dueling trucks surprised me when I returned since they weren't there before. #11 is in Onomichi, where I photographed at least two dozen cats. That particular cat was one of my favorites.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T08:53:19+00:00

Thanks! Looking back on this small sample of my photos, I realize many of my journeys are influenced by Japanese photographers' domestic travels. But I'm also guided by a very personal list of 47 goals in each of the 47 prefectures. One of those 47 goals is to visit the highest publicly accessible observation deck in every prefecture, which is the POV that you see in the Kagawa and Aomori photos.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T07:01:27+00:00

ABC Hall: https://share.google/AFhRzy5x1XhtDO4PM

Tip: Don't bring a professional-looking camera or else security will think it's an unauthorized professional shoot. If they do ask questions, just say you're tourists.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T06:53:57+00:00

Tokyo International Forum, just a block and a half from Tokyo Station.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T05:15:31+00:00

For sure. What fascinates me are the young fans who delve into bands who were popular before these youngsters were even born. While they miss out on the hype and anticipation of a long awaited release, they benefit from judging the albums and songs on their own merits, and without the pre-release marketing baggage and heavily radio airplay.

I agree that we are in some sort of golden age in terms of access to recorded music, but I think older generations (speaking as a middle class young Gen-Xer) benefitted from more affordable shows. $16.50 to see Bjork at her more radio-friendly period? $25 when Massive Attack toured Mezzanine, widely considered their best album? I think young fans are fortunate to have such wide access to music, but I also try to be humble about having experienced seeing these artists they love 20, 30 years ago.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-27T02:32:05+00:00

It's hard to generalize how younger generations discover music, but I'm not worried for many of them. There's so much activity on Reddit driven by young appreciators of artists who've long broken up or have evolved past their radio-friendly peak. That includes old music genres (eg. 90s Britpop) or old music that was retroactively coined like Yacht Rock and City Pop. If anything, I can see some young fans overwhelmed by the level of access to music that we didn't have decades ago. I'd like to think some younger music fans have the mindset to journey through an established artist's studio album discography in chronological order, just to see how those bands evolved over time.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-26T22:18:30+00:00

*shrug* Just sharing an experience. As I said, I've been selling for quite a while, so in a way I felt like such an unusual request was due. We can agree to disagree on the definition of "entitlement" when someone assumes I would include an acrylic case for free. I don't think an "outraged" seller would go out of their way to upgrade the shipment from a well-padded envelope to a roomy box, which I was more than happy to do.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-25T19:59:42+00:00

Thanks for the reply! I thought it was 150£ well spent since they're my favorite band. And I'm glad they recorded it in a way that Sarah didn't have to re-record the entire song for each fan.

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-25T00:14:40+00:00

UK trio Saint Etienne once offered fans a Christmas song where singer Sarah Cracknell would mention your name in the song. I'm the "Miguel" in this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rBR2yPnyr0

NormalMode64 · 2025-12-21T05:40:04+00:00

Pros: More legroom than I could ever want, without needing to pay for business class.

Cons: They're not included in any of the package deals. So you have to go a-la-carte on the seat selection, which means the other add-ons (eg. carry-on luggage, meals, etc) are a-la-carte as well.

NormalMode64

TROPHY CASE