Cosplay Cafe vol.2 Poster

Bistro de Reve is a small cafe in Tenmonkan. It used to be a fake-Mexican restaurant 5 years ago, but that went out of business. I haven't been to de Reve, so I don't know what the food is like, but I've always felt it's kind of pricey. Anyway, apparently they're hosting their second cosplay event on Aug. 7th. I may swing by to see what it looks like.

UHA and Twisted Wonderland

Donkey carries these grape-flavored hard candies from UHA, branded with Twisted Wonderland characters. The grape flavor is what you'd expect from American candies. Oddly enough, in the barrel of 100 bags, ALL they had was grape. 50 yen ($0.45 USD) for 10 pieces.



Not sure why they bothered adding the character card - it's only about 1" x 1.5" and doesn't even make a good book mark. I guess they expect you to tape it into your print club albums with the rest of your tiny pictures.

Shiro Koi

New chalk art for the summer at Shiro hair salon. Koi on in!

Fish

Artwork at the front of a sushi and fresh seafood restaurant near Chuo train station.

Luffy Massage

Luffy from One Piece. Still don't understand how this relates to a shiatsu massage shop...

Toyota Fest

You know those big parking lot sales events at new car dealerships, with free hot dogs, popcorn and balloons for the kids? This is Toyota's version in Japan. A pair of non-free food trucks on the front sidewalk. Oh, what a feeling.



"I can sell you overpriced cars!"

McDonald's Texas Burger

Micky D's has a new burger campaign. It's not really a focused campaign in that there are three new sandwiches which are unrelated - Red Hot Chicken, the Texas Burger, and the Triple Burger. This one is the Texas Burger, with bacon, taco chips, cheese and a sweet BBQ sauce. 790 yen for the full set meal ($7.50 USD).



"That's not bacon! And, that's not Texas!"

Conan Cider

DyDo seems to have a standing contract with Case Closed to partner with their sodas. This time, it's their cider brand, which is kind of like apple cider, but really not. It's ok for drinking once a year or so, but no more than that. 130 yen ($1.20 USD).

Trombone Summer Chalk

New chalk art for the Trombone coffee shop in Tenmonkan.



Whalely good!



That one thing in a bowl glass at the lower right is supposed to be a crushed ice and syrup dessert.

Starbucks Regional Frapps

There was an announcement in the Japanese English newspapers about Starbucks rolling out unique flavors of frapps for each of the 48 prefectures.



And, there it is in the Tenmonkan shop.



$6 for this. The Kagoshima-specific flavor is "black sugar" (the Japanese version of brown sugar). Tastes like molasses. It's actually pretty good, but WAY over-priced for how little you get. Most of it is actually the flavorless whipped cream topping.

NY-Style Roll Ice Cream Shop

There used to be a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in the basement food court of Amu Plaza. But, it's just been replaced by something called NY-Style Rolled Ice Cream.



I dunno. Anyone in New York know about this?

Kitaro Service Poster

Found this poster in the Aeon department store, up on the top floor. It provides help services if you're being harassed, or need other support.

Demon Sword Snack Crackers

These sleeves of snacks are everywhere, usually for about 80 yen ($0.75 USD), and they're generally little cookies or cheese crackers. This time, we have Demon Sword tie-ins, and the snacks are different flavors of rice crackers.



Soy sauce-a-licious.

3G

The gyoza restaurant in Tenmonkan changed their banner to parody E.T.



3G - Gyoza Gyotan Gin. Love the fish.

Gori Gori Choco

"Gori gori" is the sound of cracking stuff, like when you chew ice cubes. I don't know what anime this is from, but I needed something to snack on one Saturday.



Back of the bag.



Yeah, this was a mistake. $1 USD for 10 pieces. It's like they tried to bake chocolate, and burned it. It tastes bad, and there wasn't enough of it.

17Zuma

New curry shop opening up in Tenmonkan. 17Zuma.



The place smells wonderful. I may have to go there for dinner some night, if I can afford it.

Black Chamber ep. 008 - Route Transposition, encryption and decryption

This brings me up to date with the Black Chamber videos. I've got maybe one week of new material for this blog, then I'm back to square one again.

Direct youtube link


Seventh of the real cipher types - Route Transposition.
Processes for encryption and decryption.

Practice ciphers:

rt-1 That's Wilde (taken)
BSEEA YEERL LTYLY SRAOF OEEKU ENIAE RVESD N

rt-2 Ralph's reply to Wilde (world)
TORBS AEEWH YLOAN OFRTS YUILI TTTND SAROO TCNYM UHOTI
ASIEL NKONI RGEMG SEAYE ETACI TLHTC SESEE OHMGS MMETP
ERLNS TON

rt-3 Just passing (through)
IFARH RPGON HILLR UIWEH IOOYU ETOEO TCCHN GLHNG GUEIS
NLGK

rt-4 Asprin on life (blackest) (Quote by Robert Asprin)
YGETW ORSEE EOCSY IEWHE NTHIN GSSTR URSEH THGUO NRUSE
MRHTT AERAE IEPOE ANDSU LGLOB LACKS ETWEB DNFTY AHHIC

Black Chamber ep. 009f01 - The Mayor's Wife

Direct youtube link


The first cipher in fiction for Symbolic Simple Substitution. From Anna Katharine Green's novel, The Mayor's Wife.
Can you solve this on your own?

Steele Cipher:




Cleaned up versions:

Black Chamber ep. 007f01 - Mathias Sandorf

Direct youtube link


The first cipher in fiction for Turning Grille. From Jules Verne's novel, Mathias Sandorf.
Can you solve this on your own?

Carrier Pigeon Cipher:

ihnalz zaemen ruiopn
arnuro trvree mtqssl
odxhnp estlev eeuart
aeeeil ennios noupvg
spesdr erssur ouitse
eedgnc toeedt artuee

Black Chamber ep. 6f01 - Doors of the Night

Direct youtube link


The first cipher in fiction for Caesar Shift. From Frank L. Packard's novel, Doors of the Night.
Can you solve this on your own?

The Rat's cipher:

zidu6vesfuu6fwefwjf8dfsuofn11ohjtopdteop8nbje3ofueobt8v
piutsb7mmpez5bepun4psgnb9esfutnbf4wbiopjub11nspgoj3fiuf
m4p2ntjho6jzb1mbuo5bm2qpuu3fhnf4iuuih7jopuoff7xufcu5ih
j3feobf4ojold6pmd3peobu6sfwjeopjd9jqtv2tpuf4np3tfopf4tm
3fov3sf4iufmp2npui5usb3fe4obflb3nn5jiih2vpdqv

Black Chamber ep. 004f01 - The Journey to the Center of the Earth cipher

Direct youtube link


The "ciphers in fiction" video for Incomplete Columnar Transposition. This one from Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Can you solve this without help?

Transliterated Runic Cipher:
mm.rnlls esrevel seecIde
sgtssmf vnteief niedrke
kt,samn atrateS saodrrn
emtnaeI nvaect rrilSa
Atvaar .nskrc ieaabs
ccdrmi eevtVl frAntv
dt,iac oseibo KediiI

Black Chamber ep. 3f01 - Tom Tiddler's Island

Direct youtube link


The first cipher in fiction for Complete Columnar. From J.J. Connington's novel, Tom Tiddler's Island.
Can you solve these on your own?

Message 1:

ffeou natnm etiri hatos iorun itcoa
fasoc cnial srytb ghowb tptat adosy
hygoo hamlu dprca ucuts iteao osgra
assfs canes soaim rohat nkeot olgat
cprtm lftsd bbero mlido lwcfa iascu
eenep irnyp

Message 2:

teiil lfilh tcetu fdhso oenpr yyugo hngof
lovtu gchan noatn aehat isuwe etfst gscad
ofrgh pelpe hasle gasth hgsmr lhlar arnif
thrdl nitfo sswsg nyile efalt odect iesol
ntsnt cooue aodnt iutsi tioom leanr iigot
ahnom finhe ylmfd attts manhh ofeii etodd
otpca motie fmong imcla ttchb yimnn etrox
emcou vsfhe elmpn nctaw etrwo oahee iycna
oirbt rtxet peizn rscsa tikoh nitht emfne
nnruo gotgp enetp syans z

Black Chamber ep. 002f01 - Magnificent Obsession

Direct youtube link


Cipher in fiction representative for Railfence. From Lloyd C. Douglas' novel, Magnificent Obsession.

Hudson's Cipher:

Rae Iosdrom fin μ edrcn
Ieyuy red ω Adom NY U
preeac μ NC Medor Esvrne
ω Hvnah E Ete blttμ Aig civd
Haii yo ω Ratibo yua eloh μ
edhso kohva ste ω R G Toossi
Mr Aos μ iht PS est yesn ω
Front I icpew lb. μ Odig hsnihr
ile ω M D Pansop oed μ Aeliay
urce ω

Black Chamber ep. 000f04 - Tracer of Lost Persons

Direct youtube link


The fourth of the "ciphers in fiction" videos. This one for R.W. Chamber's "Tracer of Lost Persons." Can you solve this without help?

Black Chamber ep. 000f03 - Calloway's Code

Direct youtube link


The third of the "ciphers in fiction" videos. This one for O. Henry's Calloway's Code. Can you solve this without help?

"Foregone preconcerted rash witching goes muffled rumour
mine dark silent unfortunate richmond existing great
hotly brute select mooted parlous beggars ye angel
incontrovertible."

Black Chamber ep. 000f02 - The Red Triangle cipher

Direct youtube link


The second of the "ciphers in fiction" videos. This one for Arthur Morrison's The Red Triangle. Can you solve this without help?

Lever Key cipher:

9, 8, 14, 4, 20, 18, 5, 9; 15, 19, 20, 0, 3, 9, 8, 5; 3, 23, 0, 0, 5, 13, 14, 19; 19, 20, 0, 0, 0, 0, 6, 1; 5, 20, 0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 22; 1, 15, 0, 0, 0, 0, 18, 5; 1, 8, 20, 11, 18, 9, 5, 20; 12, 5, 23, 14, 14, 1, 1, 20.

Channel Marsh cipher:

23, 19, 15, 1, 9, 14, 9, 2; 20, 8, 1, 20, 14, 14, 20, 8; 14, 5, 12, 4, 9, 7, 5, 14; 3, 8, 18, 23, 0, 14, 1, 8; 22, 9, 6, 1, 18, 3, 5, 1; 19, 14, 15, 21, 9, 0, 20, 12; 18, 12, 21, 1, 6, 23, 20, 12; 9, 18, 15, 5, 18, 13, 12, 20

Black Chamber ep. 000f01 - Treasure of Abbot Thomas cipher

Direct youtube link


The first of the "ciphers in fiction" videos. This one is for M.R. James' Treasure of Abbot Thomas. Can you solve this without help?

Treasure of Abbot Thomas cipher: 

Job. DREVICIOPEDMOOMSMVIVLISLCAVIBASBATAOVT
St John. RDIIEAMRLESIPVSPODSEEIRSETTAAESGIAVNNR
Zechariah. FTEEAILNQDPVAIVMTLEEATTOHIOONVMCAATH.Q.E.