Mirage of Blaze... um... links?

I'm actually plugging away on the Book 6 summary in the last entry, which... I don't even want to think about how long it's going to be. ^^; In the meantime, sort of for my own benefit so I know what the places look like (and in English, because the Japanese are nice like that):

The Nikko Tourist Association. With the waterfall and the shrines and Irohazaka, and I'm sure there are pictures of the people-binding trees somewhere. XD

Odawara Joshi Koen 1 | 2 In the book, this is where Hojo Ujiteru takes Takaya to view the ocean and try to recover his memory of their family - reasonably enough, it being their castle. It's a lot prettier than I imagined it as I was reading the chapter tonight; I'm still stuck on the Eurocentric idea of an "impregnable fortress" as being built of granite blocks or something.

***

Don't worry now. Start worrying when you see me posting links to pictures of cars. I've been saying facetiously that Mirage of Blaze and Initial D Fourth Stage are all the same series - they both revolve around a group of people who drive all over Japan to lay the smack down - but it's actually not so facetious. Not when Kuwabara goes into loving detail regarding the automobiles driven by each and every character (Hojo Ujiteru, in case you were wondering, drives a Pajero like Shinesman Grey oh yes). Especially not so facetious when half the current plot arc is spent driving up Irohazaka... down Irohazaka... up Irohazaka... down Irohazaka... with the narrative telling you on which exact hairpin curve events are taking place. About the only thing Naoe doesn't do is drift, because he's driving a Lexus sedan, and on a couple of occasions I bet he wished he could.

More Christmas music <3

Check the Christmas pop folder now. XD Donations courtesy of dipping_sauce, arisuesei and angstfairy (Oshitari Christmas single ahahahahaha *trail of hearts*). Also uploaded as many anime Christmas songs as I could find without digging into my CD backups, and all the odd-duck Christmas tracks I've been getting off mp3 blogs recently. You really want to hear "Christmas Rhapsody", trust me.

Other tracks I think are v. pretty: finally found the English version of that Yamashita Tatsuro chestnut. I think it's by the same dude. His pronunciation is competent edging on miraculous by jpop standards. I also think the CCS "elementary school Christmas concert" track is the cutest thing ever. There was a whole CCS Christmas album, wasn't there?

EDIT -- I R GENIUS LEECHER. Go check the solid07.net forums, it's Christmas kpop album yousendit mania. XD

Not really expecting an answer to this, but

Do we know what beach the Rokkaku one is? I mean, I don't think Konomi made the view up entirely.

***

In the category of things you don't know about me (fer sure - not even T knew this until I told her last week, because I hadn't thought about it for years): I own and can more or less play a Casio CT-360. XD;; I just... don't, as the last thing I or the neighbours need after my sister's daily hours of piano practice is someone else to start making noise on a synthesizer keyboard. Nevertheless it always makes me happy in a subconscious sort of way to hear Casio-circa-'88 sounds in a song, which I think explains a lot about my taste in music.

This came up because T was telling me in the car that Talal was picking out Gravitation songs on his guitar, and how kewl she thought that was. Pretty much without thinking I said, "Splendid, I'll break out my old Casio then." Ahahahahaha DOOM. ...It will never actually happen. At least, not until someone buys me a feather coat.