Japan sim

I am not here in Japan on vacation. Certainly, I have a hell of a job and it feels like vacation most of the time. Browsing through wacky rubber and plastic toys is, like it or not, part of my research. But I am here on a mission, larger than attending to the Tokyo Game Show or giving a talk at Tokyo University. Japan is brainfood for simulation and play, those being the topics of my current research. Can I get a better understanding of Japanese simulation without a thorough knowledge of its culture? At least from simiotics, the answer is a clear yes, since my interpretation is as good as anybody else’s. Of course, life is larger (much larger) than semiotics, but I guess it is a good start in these early stages of simulation studies.