Taiko drums: Guitar Hero for the challenged

Emma took the first plunge

We've eyed them in the arcade next to our place. We watched with dropped jaws as middle school students mastered the video game that mimics Guitar Hero... but for Japanese people. Soo instead of strumming a guitar, you pound on a Taiko drum with smiley faces. A red smiley face to hit the middle of the drum and yellow to hit the sides.

It honestly didn't look that hard.

Our first go

Half an hour and 500 Yen later... I was proved terribly wrong. I had red welts from gripping the taiko-drum-sticks so hard. We may or may not have rocked out on the drums to the only Japanese band we know... AKB48

A crowd gathered to watch the gaijins humiliate themselves. It. was. AWESOME

Weird thing about these arcades is that we were one of the youngest people there... On a Friday night, we ran into lots of men. MEN. In business suits and everything. Japan is so strange.

Then John couldn't resist. The video showed a T-Rex getting knocked out, and John found a machine to feed 200 Yen to. 100 Yen for each punch he got to throw. During his play at "Sonic Blast Hero", a homeless man came by and cheered him on. Again! Again! Hit, hit, hit!! YAHTAH!! He screamed. Emma and I smiled... and backed away.

Taiko drums were awesome. The claw machines were not- we were jipped a rotating fan (guess who wanted to play that game). Whoever comes out to visit us in Japan will most definitely be playing it.