The PS3 has been far behind the 360 in America its entire lifespan, its only advantage over the 360 truly is Japan.

If the 360 can match the PS3 in Japan, even for a week, the PS3 is in trouble.

Its the pshycological victory of the 360 winning a week over the PS3 that matters. In Japan, even getting close to the PS3 is a victory for Microsoft. Microsoft is going to demolish the PS3 in North America, and perhaps equal it in Europe. The assumption was that Sony would blow them away because of enourmous sales in Japan. Here's the thing: If the PS3 beats the 360 by anything less than twenty or thirty million this generation, Microsoft has one a victory and Sony has suffered a loss. Their most expensive console, and its looking like it wont make anywhere near the profit the first two did

 Actually, sales of the 360 this year has been substantially higher week to week than last year on the strength of Blue Dragon. That's why I think there's some hope to news like this. With the Xbox, it came out of the gate relatively strong, and did sub-par for the first year and slid downhill from there, I think barely eeking out a 470,000 unit sale (with a launch of around 210,000 systems). Software sales went from bad to abysmal as time went by. The 360 has seen an opposite model. It's launch was catastrophically bad, at around a 70,000 launch week, and sales were absolutely terrible since. Software sold like crap that first year too. But after BD came out, sales rose substantially, and since then sales have stayed higher, and software seems to be charting more often now at higher numbers than with the Xbox. Right now, the two systems have sold about the same LTD in Japan.

 Now, this isn't to say the 360 is doing GOOD in Japan. It's not. It's doing terrible. But it's still doing better than it's predecessor did, and it's doing better than it did itself in year 1. Instead of declining year over year like the Xbox, it's actually increasing, and that could mean that weekly sales might rise again next year. If someone told me the 360 had a realistic chance at 1 million sold in Japan two years ago, I would've laughed. 

 Anyway, that was a winded analysis. My point is, the 360 market is growing year over year in terms of both hardware sold and software sold. It's providing a small but relatively alive market. 

wow, no ps3 software in the top 30.. ouch..

Tryping "sad to say" does not prove your claim. 

I don't know why Mario Galaxy didn't hit at least 300.000, this game is so beautiful, breathtaking, wonderful, every time I see the entire view, it almost makes me cry, such a master piece!

We'll see how SMG performs for the rest of the year. If it gets beaten by Mario & Sonic we know for sure the Japanese market has changed. But I predict another #1 spot for Galaxy next week.

What I really am interested in about the apparent shift in Japanese gaming tastes is if the Japanese game at home now. If so I assume that means a lot of them are playing their handhelds at home and if that is the case what do those games have that they find more attractive. If it is just that they only want one gaming machine then there is really little to do. If it is they want to continue the same play experience both on the road and at home I guess something like the Turbografx and Turbografx Express or Genesis and Nomad is the obvious next step in consoles/handhelds. If it is changes in game taste then it should just be a need to make more handheld-like games for consoles. There is also of course the chance that it is none of these and the Japanese just have found something else to spend their free time on at home but I just find their shift odd, but I find a lot about them a bit odd.

i have games on computer, games on Wii, games on ps3.
I play on DS.
I am not japanese. :)

I truly, truly hope so. People I'm almost crying here because the game is such a masterpiece, full of beauty. If a game does that, it is then a "masterpiece". So if any Japanese read this with a WII and who doesn't have Mario Galaxy or like I wish to call it Super Mario Heaven... GO GET IT..... NOW!!! If this ain't next gen, then I don't know what the fuck it is then!!