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No. 84

“Golden Week” starts tomorrow!
Let us all make lots of wonderful memories!

Today I’ll write about my stay in New York.

First, I was surprised how warm it was.
The highest temperature was 24 degrees Celsius
(75 F)! As I was told that it would be
colder than in Japan, I only brought heavy
clothes with me. I couldn’t wear them there!
I ended up wearing the same clothes every
day!

Dressed in such a way, looking up at the
clear sky of Manhattan, I crossed the Brooklyn
Bridge on foot, and its overwhelming sturdiness
and beauty really moved me.
This time, I was hoping to visit many bridges,
so I took numerous photos.

After that, I went to see Ground Zero.
As I’ve never visited the World Trade Center
Twin Towers, I can’t really imagine
that the towers were there, but people told me…
that the Twin Towers were twice as tall
as the one now constructed, and that they
were above the clouds, and that from the ground
you couldn’t see the sky because the towers
were so gigantic.
That must have been awesome.
It’s shocking to realize that such constructions
disappeared in a flash.
It made me think about peace.
I’d suggest you visit there too.

I changed my mood by having a lunch.

I took the subway to the Museum of Natural
History. I was surprised to find how busy
the place was.

The way they showed animals (stuffed) at this
museum was ingenious!! Excellent!
No reason it was crowded!

They showed not just one animal, but a mail/
female pair, or a group of kid animals together.
Moreover, not just one species but with birds
and animals who shared the same habitat were
displayed together.
There were displays of scenes like when a
peacock is being attacked by a tiger, or when
a deer is being attacked by wolves but one
of the wolves is dead at the hind leg of the deer.
The way they showed the animals, and the
way they arranged the scenes, were excellent.
I almost could feel their breath as if they
were alive.

Also, I must mention the scene pictures drawn
on the wall behind the animals. These too were of
such high quality! I was surprised.
It seems they were painted on the spot after
they brought in the articles on display.
As a result, the scenes are arranged meticulously,
including lighting!
No wonder the displays give you a sense of unity.

The way they showed the famous dinosaur skeletal
preparation was also magnificent!
The scene describes a Barosauras protecting
its young from an Allosauras.
I guess they tried to make an already gigantic
Barosauras look even taller and larger by lifting
its forefoot, intimidating the Allosauras.
You can sense the meaning of the scene because
of the way they arranged the samples.
Splendid! The Museum Of Natural History!

And at night, believe it or not, we went on
a dinner cruise!
As we watched the sun go down, we went through
a number of bridges, and I studied the bridges
from their bottom.
I was obsessed with bridges that day.
And at last we came to the Statue of Liberty.
The music on the boat changed when we approaced
the statue, and Americans around me seemed deeply
moved, looking at it.
The scene seemed very American to me.

Then, at 11 pm, I visited NINTENDO WORLD to find
5 people already determined to spend the night
there. Thanks!

After that, I visited a couple of churches and
Central Park. Well, I learned a lot from my stay…

That’s it! This was how I spend a day in New York!!!

*News A!
From the Nintendo INSIDE

US ‘Pokemon Diamond & Pearl’ goes to
a million in 5 days

Nintendo of America has announced that the latest
of the Pokemon series, “Pokemon Diamond & Pearl,”
reached a million sales in just 5 days
since its release on April 22nd.
It is the fastest game among the Pokemon
series to sell a million copies.
The total number of 155 million copies of Pokemon
games have been sold throughout the world.

“Pokemon Diamond & Pearl” is positioned at #2
place on the US sales chart in 2007.
More than 500,000 copies were pre-ordered before
the release, and many people gathered at the game’s
launching event held at “Nintendo World Store” in
New York. In the US, they have already sold more
than 5 million copies.

*News B!
I hear that “Pokemon Sunday” will show scenes
from the North American launch party on
April 29th (Sun). Don’t forget to check it out!
(This episode was aired in 2007 and no longer
available.)

*News C!
Because I was in New York, I couldn’t attend the
“Famitsu Award” (Famitsu is a Japanese video game
magazine) to my gretest regret.
I really wanted to be there…
We received the Grand Prize (Game of the Year)
and the Special Prize (Best Hit Prize)!
Thanks again for your enthusiastic support!

Ciao!

NYNY
NYNYNYNY
NY

No. 83

It’s Masuda @ Game Freak.

I came back from New York yesterday.
It’s such a pain to sit in a plane
for 14 hours…
My head is blurred because of jet-lag.

But, I’ll start again today! Refreshed!!
Today, April 26th, is the anniversary of
Game Freak’s foundation!
This year it’s the 18th anniversary!!!

Then came the pleasing news!

I was told that about 6000 people came to
the Pokemon Diamond & Pearl launch party
held in New York! Great! Thanks!

The event held on April 22nd (US time)
was also streamed at pokemon.com, and
the hit counts were 186,000 in one day!
That means, people all over the world,
more than 180,000 people, have watched it!
Unbelievable! Grateful! Excited! Thanks!

Also, I heard there are videos on YouTube
about people waiting in line for the release
of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl at NINTENDO
WORLD.
The video shows the waiting line,
from those at the end of the line
(almost covering the entire 48th and 49th St.)
to those at the entrance.
They sure did an interesting thing!

Also, you can watch the videos about the
event on a site called Joystiq.
Search ‘Joystiq at the Pokemon launch party
in NYC.’ (I myself just checked it out)

By having these events, I hope that more
and more people begin to understand our
games a little bit more deeply.
Also, I’d be much pleased if we could
tell people about not only the fun of creation,
but the fun of having an event and of
launching a product, so that more people,
even if it’s not too many, are interested in
becoming a creator.

Lastly, I hope that people will feel something
by playing this game called Pokemon.

See ya!

No. 82

Hi, it’s Masuda reporting from New York.

Today, April 22nd at 8 am (US time),
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl was released at
the NINTENDO WORLD in the Rockefeller Center!

People started to wait in line from last night,
and at 7:30 in the morning more than
200 people were standing in line in front of
the store!!
Awesome! Only to think how cold it is
in the morning in New York…
It was so gratifying!

With this release, North America and Japan
will finally be connected!
Until now, you could basically trade Pokemon
only within your country, but with Diamond &
Pearl, trading becomes global, going beyond
the national boundaries.
A game where you can feel the Earth.
It was one of our visions.

Back to the original topic…
I felt very happy to find a huge number of
people gathered at the stage event!!
The audience seemed to be older kids,
most of whom around 12 to 15,
which was surprising to me.
I believe they had a good time!
After that, we had an autograph session, and
because so many people stood in line,
we couldn’t finish it in the scheduled 30
minutes. In the end we had to call it off
before everyone could receive an autograph.
We’re sorry! It was a good learning experience!!

So, Pokemon fans!!
Today, April 22nd, is not only the day we
celebrate the new release, but an anniversary
when Japan and North America is connected through
our game!!
Congratulations! Pokemon Diamond! & Pearl!

See ya!

No. 81

It’s Masuda reporting from New York.

As you all know, the US version
of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl will be launched
on April 22nd (US time; 23rd in Japan)!

An event to celebrate the release is scheduled
to be held on that day in Rockefeller Center
in Manhattan, New York! How exciting!
I’m here in New York to do interviews with
media and to appear on that event (a Q & A
session on stage and a signing session).

Yes! At last! The US version will be launched!
With this release, American and Japanese
pokemon fans, who have never met with each
other, will be able to trade Pokemon through
GTS!
And, when you trade!!
The GTS (Geonet) will switch to the Global Map mode!

And when you give Pokemon a mail!
Its content will be automatically translated.
So, for instance, when you write a mail,
say, “PIKACHU SUKI” on the Japanese version
of Pokemon Diamond, will be translated as
“I LOVE PIKACHU!’ and delivered to a US version user.
And vice versa.
Awesome, isn’t it?!

The feature of creating sentences in mail and
in the Union Room is designed for use not in Japan
but in Europe, where many languages are used
simultaneously.
Yes. Because we included a feature to create
a sentence from one or two words, automatic translation
between multiple languages has become readily
available for people all over the world.
Therefore, I’m afraid exchanging mail between
Japanese people may not be as easy as
in the previous games.
But, our ingenious staff created this feature
with conviction, and are proud of it, because
‘instantaneous worldwide translation is now
possible!’
What a great job they have done!

Please try the GTS to trade Pokemon!
And try sending a mail too.
And, don’t forget to collect points on the
Geonet globe!

When you use these functions, Pokemon Diamond &
Pearl will give you a new gaming experience.

See ya.

No. 80

Trip to Germany (4)

Day 4. We left the hotel at 8 in the morning!
After visiting a brewery of Dr. Thanisch,
we arrived in Frankfurt!
And we parted there!

The time was 2 in the afternoon.
From now to tomorrow night, I would be all
by myself in this foreign place!
I was determined to explore Frankfurt
as much as I could.

First, I took a walk along the river and
visited the bridge.
After some walk, I found a cathedral.
Without much thought, I went inside…

And I found 200, or even more, people gathered
there!
And someone who seemed like a bishop was preaching.
To my great surprise, his sermon sounded like a
melody!
I didn’t know why, but when he asked the
congregation to say something like
“Pray!” and “Return!”, it sounded like a melody!
And they were very European melodies.
I was really struck with it, so I closely watched
him. I sat through the sermon for close to an hour.

After that, I took the tour of the city without
any particular purposes, drinking beer.

The thing was, most shops were closed because
of Easter. As I was enjoying the scene of
the city at its rest, I walked and walked to find
a place for dinner…
Really, I walked about all over the city.

And finally, I found a grill room and took
an early dinner there.
I ate a lot with beer and wine.
But it’s not fun to eat alone… isn’t it?

After dinner, I kept on waking around the city.
With a Starbucks coffee in hand, I kept walking
until I got to my hotel.

When I finally got to my room, I realized that
my feet felt like lead…

Then I took a sleep.

Day 5!

After breakfast, I visited various museums!
And, I came upon a flea market alongside the river
in Frankfurt! It was an interesting sight, and
I stayed there for quite some time.

Then, at night.
I joined with others and had the last dinner
in Germany together, and saw the opera
“The Marriage of Figaro.” The words were Italian
but they had a subtitle in German…
I was glad that I made some effort in learning
foreign languages…

Thus ended my trip to Germany.
Now that it’s over, the days went by pretty
quickly, but it was such an experience!
Many thanks to Mr. Koyanagi.
Thank you very much!

Das Ende!

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No. 79

Trip to Germany (3)

Day 3. We left the hotel at 8 in the morning.
We moved from Pfalz to Mosel area.

As I look at the scenery from the bus window,
I realized that there were many distances
between towns, and they were linked by a road.
It reminded me of towns in Pokemon.
It was a strange sight, even though it was
no wonder German towns didn’t look like Japanese
towns, for the two countries took different
approaches in developing castles and feudal
systems.
What’s more, they keep the lifestyle of the past.
Amazing.
It was just a feeling but not only the sense
of values but something more was different.

We had lunch in the city of Trier.
I heard that the Roman army came here,
and we saw a big black gate constructed at that time.
Awesome.

Then we again took the bus and went to
Koweridh winery.
This winery is run by Mr. Marx, who is
a descendant of Beethoven!
He first showed us the basement and explained
how to make sparkling wine.
Then we went into the house.
Inside we found a drawing of Beethoven! Indeed!
I had a conversation with Mr. Marx, who said
he liked Pokemon.
He was the 9th generation descendent of Beethoven,
and was the same age as me, and we hit it off!
He was such a kind person!

Then I was interviewed by a German magazine
called “Game Master,” and 3 other French
publishers!

At dinner, I had wines prepared by Mr. Marx,
and white asparagus, trout, and potatoes prepared
at the restaurant, which were super delicious!!!

I was again knocked out by German wines and
German dishes.

I stayed in a hotel from which the Mosel
River looked fantastic!
It was such a beautiful place that would
last in my memory for the rest of my life!

One day, if Mr. Marx had a chance to visit Japan,
I’d surely take him to show beautiful spots in Japan!

To be concluded!

No. 78

Trip to Germany (2)

On April 4th (Wednesday), we gathered in the
hotel lobby at 7:45 in the morning.
What with jet-lag and lack of sleep,
I was really sleepy…

On the 4th (Wednesday), we were guided
by Mr. Koyanagi, who has through knowledge
of (or rather, who loves) Germany, and we
took a trip on a bus.
First, we went to Kloster Eberbach, which is
considered a sacred place for wine.
It had the atmosphere of German countryside,
which was nice.
But, it was absolutely freezing!
With gigantic trees and vineyards, it
certainly looked nothing like Japanese scenery!
According to Mr. Koyanagi, this cloister building
has such an echo, so even when you sing alone
it sounds like a chorus.
Awesome.

Next we moved to Pfalz Vollmer brewery on
a bus. A sandwich lunch was prepared by
Mrs. Vollmer, who greeted us with the most
beautiful smile.
And her sandwiches were… amazingly delicious!
Until then, I thought that German dishes were no good…
Hmm?
Hams, pickles, breads, everything was delicious…
As I was asking about German wines, about their
prices and distribution, I realized that my
impression about Germany was starting to change…

…a bus ride…

And we went to another winery of certain Mr. Thomas.
This winery has won the golden award at a Pinot Noir
(a variety of grapes) contest. Wow!

First, we went to the vineyard.
A student who worked for Mr. Thomas’s showed
us around, and taught us how to plant the grape tree,
how to thin out the grapes, and also about
the grapes’ shapes, the pesticides, and the soil.
I realized what a difficult job farming is.
They were very enthusiastic and particular about
details in order to grow good grapes.

Back from the vineyard, we had a toast with
Mr. Thomas and friends. Eating his wife’s
homemade dishes, we talked about various topics.
I asked him what was the thing that he cared about most,
and he answered he cared most about life itself.
I thought it was very deep.
His thoughts or ideas seemed very solid and deep.
In the end, that is the basis on which
you can create something good.

And… the food!
Again the dishes were… delicious!!
Mrs. Thomas was such an excellent cook!

According to Mr. Thomas, German dishes are different
depending on whether it’s a wine drinking area or
a beer drinking area.
Those of you who think German dishes are no good,
I suggest you visit a place where they produce wines
and eat dinner there.
It is… really good!

The party went on for about 4 hours, and
after that I stayed in a hotel in Leinsweiler Hof.

Thus ended the 2nd day, also another long day…

To be continued!

No. 77

Trip to Germany (1)

I’ve been to Germany from April 3rd (Tuesday)
to April 8th (Sunday)!
So, I will write about Germany in a few
installments.

Firstly… the first day!
On April 3rd (Tuesday), I went to Narita on
NEX (an express train from Central Tokyo to
Narita airport) two hours before departure,
which was surprisingly early at 9:55.
As I was exchanging yen to euro, having a coffee,
and stuff like that, before I knew it
it was departure time.
Must hurry to the gate. I got on the plane,
and it took off.

Some time after departure, I was struck
how beauty it looked down on the ground, and
took a note of an idea that I came up with…

After an 11-hour flight, I arrived in Germany
safely. It was 15:00 in the afternoon.

At the Frankfurt airport, a staff from
Nintendo of Europe (NOE), (who is both a colleague
and a friend) was there to welcome me. I was relieved.
He gave me a ride. We got on the Autobahn, where
there is no speed limit, and arrived at NOE in
40 minutes!
They gave me a tour of the company,
and I was introduced to the President of NOE.
After some conversation, we went to the
localization office in Frankfurt.

Then, we get to the work of localizing Pokemon
Diamond & Pearl. About 10 people came to the
meeting room. After I talked about detailed features,
hidden settings, and the aim of the scenario,
I listened to the reports from the leaders of
various contries’ translators.

I had a very good feeling after I was through
with a few points to be checked about the process.

There will be much work to be done before release,
but I’m sure they will do a great job!

Felt relieved about localization, I was given
a ride to the hotel and I checked in.
After that, I had dinner with 3 other people,
including the President of NOE.
At that time I became really sleepy and
in the middle of the dish I was really quiet :-)
But I was really glad to have a good time, and
to have an opportunity to listen to fruitful
stories.

So it went the first, very long day…

I took a sleep at midnight, but because of jet-lag
I woke up at 1 am.
Why would I wake up in one hour?

To be continued!