Heisei Dates

The other day my wife asked me, "Is it 2008? Or 2009? I forget." This would probably be difficult to do outside of Japan, but here it's possible here due to the Japanese calendar system, which marks years by the current Emperor. The current year is Heisei 21, the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Akihito -- although don't expect any Japanese to know that name, as he's always called "Emperor Heisei" in Japanese -- and any kind of official document will always refer to this year as Heisei 21 rather than 2009. Having two systems to remember important dates in can be a challenge -- for example, I came to Japan in Heisei 3 (1991), my kids were born in Heisei 7 and 8 (1995 and 1996), and my car's sha-ken (a maintenance check-up you have to get every 2 years) is due in March of Heisei 23 (2011).

Former PM stud-muffin Obuchi was the one to announce the Heisei era name.

The Three Historical Unifiers of Japan

The three most important names in Japanese history are the "three unifiers" who brought the country out of its chaotic "warring states" period, and today these three men are so popular that you can find self-help books on how to pattern your life after theirs. First was Nobunaga, who nearly unified the country before his death. He was famous for being calculating in everything he did, and if you manage yourself using the Nobunaga Method you divorce yourself from emotion in single-minded pursuit of your goal. Nobunaga's lieutenant Hideyoshi was a peasant who managed the unlikely feat of becoming the most powerful man in Japan. He excelled at forming social bonds with others, so if you live your life by the Hideyoshi Principle you should maintain close relationships with those around you. Finally there was Ieyasu Tokugawa, who defeated his enemies at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, becoming the Shogun ushering in 250 years of peace known as the Edo Period. He was famous for boldness tempered with caution, and also for working to build a "big tent," as he did when he allowed his former enemies to keep their fiefs after he defeated them. These famous names from Japan's history show up in popular culture in interesting places, for example re-imagined as characters in video games.

Japan's unifiers show up in popular culture in interesting places like video games.

Yakii-zuwari, or Squatting like a Yankee

Although I've been in Japan for 18 years, there are some things I've never really mastered, like eating nattou, the famous fermented soybeans that my kids love to have for breakfast. I can't read "air kanji" that a Japanese person will write with their finger, and I have trouble perceiving the secret messages Japanese see in numbers, like November 22nd being the official Happy Married Couples Day, since 11/22 can be read ii fuufu, meaning a married couple that's very close. I was also never able to master the Japanese art of yankii-zuwari, or "squatting like a yankee." In Japan there's a class of semi-delinquint young people who like to show their rebellious nature by dyeing their hair blonde (which usually comes out orange), and these people came to be called yankii, no doubt because they looked like Americans with their interestingly colored hair. There's a certain squatting pose these tough boys are famous for which is especially difficult for foreigners to pull off without rolling over like a daruma. The reason the Japanese can sit comfortably in this pose for hours is that Japanese-style toilets lack seats, and are basically flat recipticles you squat over to use, so these squatting muscles are well developed from a young age.

Can you "squat like a yankee"? It's hard to do without lifting your feet, which is cheating.

Gift Ideas for Christmas, Convention Announcement

There's almost an unlimited number of gift ideas at J-List. One good place to start looking might be ourextensive selection of Totoro and Ghibli products, or our new Hello Kitty & Sanrio page. In addition to our printable PDF J-List gift certificates, you can now give iTunes Japan Music Store credit as a gift to someone. Sometimes the best gifts are ones they don't expect, like wacky snacks or kawaii traditional items. You might help someone get started studying Japanese with our Japanese in Mangaland or our White Rabbit kanji flashcards -- it will certainly be a gift they remember for a long time. Of course, adding the J-List Wishlist Addition RSS feed to your RSS reader of choice is a great way to get a constant stream of random and fun items.

Will you be at Anime USA, the anime convention held in Arlington, vir---ia this weekend? If so, please come by the J-List booth and see our friends, who have tons of T-shirts, games, manga and more. Tell them Peter sent you and get free Japanese pocket tissue!

Cool Products Friday, November 20, 2009

Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Megami Magazine Dec 2009 Oh, glorious new issue of Megami, how much do we love you? As usual, the new issue is loaded with giant color posters for you to drool over and hang on your wall. Take note: because Megami is a popular monthly subscription magazine, most issues already sold, so we don't have that much stock left over.
	Japanese T-Shirt - Afterschool Tea Time When it comes to creating awesome anime T-shirts like our popular tsundere offering, please don't say we are lazy! Today we have a new shirt just for K-On! fans, complete with a cool Beatles-esque font.
	Momotaro Moehon White -- KEI Then, see a classic Japanese story illustrated by non other than KEI, the creator of Miku Hatsune. It's the tale of Momotaro, or Peach Boy, and it's a great hardcover artbook for you to collect.
	More Training with Hinako Training with Hinako is the ultimate exercise video for us otaku types, featuring the hard workouts of Hinako, the cute and sexy girl who seems ready to fall out of her workout clothes at any moment, The official artbook of the video has just come in stock!
	Youkai Daizukan ~ Shigeru Mizuki Japan highly stylized world of yokai or "folk monsters" is simply fascinating, and this is a new book featuring all the scary creations of Ge Ge Ge Kitaro creator Shigeru Mizuki, complete with cross-sections of the demons and spirits.
	Gift Certificates, iTunes We've officially turned on the "Santa Megumi" picture for our J-List Gift Certificates, since the Holidays are getting closer. This year we've got a new option for you: the ability to send a printable and emailable iTunes Japan gift certificate to that special person!
	Little Devil Ageha ~ Koakuma Ageha Nov 2009 Super new issue of the perfect-bound Little Devil Ageha, for fans of the super-glitzy fashionable girls of Shibuya, which grew out of Tokyo's "cabaret club" fashion culture.
	GATSBY ~ Men's Hair Wax / Spiky Edge The most popular product for guys in Japan is the Men's Hair Wax from Gatsby, which we've restocked today. Several awesome colors and varieties to try!
	Blazer High School Uniform Here's another item for your cosplay collection, a standard "blazer type" school uniform that's great for anyone who wants to transform themselves into a real Japanese high school girl but want a more affordable option than our Matsukameya of Nagoya offerings.
	HANTEN ~ Warm Winter Kimono ~ Blue I beat the cold in the winter by wearing a hanten just like this. It's basically a warm short kimono that's worn over your cloths or pajamas, and it's really toasty and warm. See the LL-sized hanten we've posted to the site today.
	Hello Kitty Kimono Dolls Also, I'm overjoyed to announce that the Hello Kitty Japanese Dolls, high quality ceramic kimono dolls for displaying, are back in stock after a long absence. A superb item for your Holiday list.
	Kimono Hello Kitty x TAIKO Display Mirror Also, here are some fabulous mirrors for displaying which feature etched traditional images of Hello Kitty on the backs. They come in beautiful boxes and are great for giving as gifts, too.
	Lotte Koala no March Hand Warmer This is a cute item, a kairo Japanese hand warmer that provides heat for hours and hours. It's shaped like the delicious Koala no Match chocolate cookies from Lotte.
	Pretty Cure All Stars DX An excellent color comic for fans of Precure (Pretty Cure), this gorgeous 190 page book creates a great manga experience from the popular anime series.
	New Snacks From Japan I'm sure you've often thought to yourself, "Why doesn't Kit Kat come in ginger ale flavor?" Well, we've got you covered today with the new Kit Kat we're posting, plus teriyaki chicken Jagarico potato snacks and a new Fuwarinka soft collagen candy.
	Ningyo Yaki (Tokyo Limited) ~ Japanese Food Drops Ningyo-yaki is a kind of traditional Japanese molded cake, a popular food sold in Asakusa, Tokyo. Also, see Sapporo Beer Drops, Baked Corn and Soy Sauce, Hokkaido Jyaga Butter and Tonkotsu Noodle flavors restocked.
	Happy Animal Blue 2 Tier Bento Boxes Looking for a fun starter bento? We've gotten in two cute "Happy Animal" bento boxes that have two tiers and which have many features.
	Bento Elastic Bands, Bento Bags Also: J-List stocks many bento accessories like bento bags, bento belts to keep your lunch securely shut and more. Browse the new items on our newly reorganized Bento Accessories page.
	Various Bento Items Restocked See some fun items restocked bento related accessories, including the Sand de Panda and Panda Sandwich Case for eating Japanese-style sandwiches, plus the elegant "Mottainai" bento box and Waku Waku! Character no Bento book.
	Hello Kitty Special BENTO Making Set See fresh stock of one of the most excellent Hello Kitty bento items ever, a collection of all the best accessories for making the most awesome and kawaii boxed lunch ever. Freshly restocked today.
	Studio Ghibli Ceramic Music Boxes Got another treat for you just in time for Christmas: a big restocking of the ceramic Totoro and Ghibli music boxes, which are fabulous for any fan of the works of Hayao Miyazaki.
	Crystal Pantograph USB Keyboard -- Black ~ Elecom From Elecom, a really gorgeous USB keyboard with "black crystal" keys that make it one of the most awesome we've ever seen.
	Unazukin Toys & More in San Diego Then: some awesome "surprise stock" of the Unazukin interactive toys which nod yes or shake their heads no when you talk to them, in stock in San Diego. Also, the last-ever stock of the Miku Hatsune soft leeks. Don't let them get away...
	Updated Images for 2010 Calendars We've got a huge stock of awesome calendars from Japan, and to help you pick the one(s) you want, we've been updating the calendar pictures. See the newest calendars here, but make sure you get yours before the ones you want sell out.
	Lucky Cat Tea Cups See many restocked traditional items, including many that would be great for giving as gifts. We've got the Lucky Cat Tea Cups, Sushi Non-slip Chopstick Set, 5 Ukiyoe Chopsticks with Gift Box, and the Japanese Paper Doll Omamori with 5 Yen Coin for good luck.
	Nero 1/10 Figure ~ Devil May Cry 4 *Preorder* Friggin' cool gothic figure of Nero from Devil May Cry, which has been posted to the site for your consideration today.
	Revoltech Full Metal Panic Toys *Preorder* Revoltech is fast becoming my favorite figure company because they have the most awesome highly posable toys. See two mechs from Full Metal Panic today.
	Yuko no Arienai Nichijo -- Yuko Oshima AKB48 Next, popular idol group AKB48's start continues to rise, and today we're posting the first photobook of Yuko Oshima, one of the most charming girls we've seen. Naturally, the printing quality of this is book is incredibly high.
	Moero Downhill Night on CD-ROM or Download What's better than fast-paced mountain racing, turn scream of rubber on the road as you move to take the lead against your opponent at the next S-curve? The knowledge that you'll win the heart of a beautiful girl when you reach the finish line.
	Sora Izumi Cast off Swimsuit Figure *Preorder* What's better than "cast off" anime figures with clothes you can remove? Having those clothes look and feel just like real clothes, like the soft rubber school swimsuit that this figure wears.

The Far East Network: The Voice of America in Japan

You've been in Japan too long when you air-drum in your car while listening to the U.S. Military radio news opening, which goes "here's what happening...around the Kanto Plain." The primary source of English-language radio in the Tokyo area is the Far East Network (now known as American Forces Network-Japan), the AM radio station that serves the U.S. military forces stationed in Japan, and it's a staple of civilian gaijin who want to listen to the radio in English, too. In addition to NPR news and various other programming, FEN serves up top forty and country music countdowns on the weekend which I'd listen to when I got homesick. Because it's a non-profit station, in place of radio commercials they play short pieces on "our proud military heritage" which give interesting tidbits of military history from the past. The U.S. maintains dozens of military bases in Japan, especially in the Yokosuka area near Yokohama, on Okinawa and also in Sasebo, Nagasaki, where those delicious hamburgers come from.

The Far East Network has been the voice of America in Japan since the Occupation.

Mixing Japanese and English Grammer

Because the Japanese generally study six years of English during junior high and high school, there's a tendency for English vocabulary and grammar to "leak" into the Japanese language, resulting in some interesting new creations. In my last update I wrote that my wife is a shikaku getter or a person who loves to "get" random qualifications, like her forklift operator's license. The word "getter" (one who gets something) doesn't exist in English, yet it's quite a logical idea once you get around the mental lock your brain tries to impose on nonsensical words. Often the English-er suffix added to Japanese words to imply "a person who likes something," like mayoler meaning a person who likes mayonnaise a lot, or tsunderer, which would be a word for a person who loves tsundere anime characters. The Japanese will often take the "tic" ending of words like "romantic" and attach it to new words, resulting in new slang creations like manga-chikku (as "tic" is pronounced in Japanese, for phonetic reasons), meaning "just like something out of a manga story."

The Japanese word for someone who loves mayonnaise is mayoler.

Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino on Japanese TV

The other day TV viewers in Japan got a treat: Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt appearing on the popular variety show Bistro SMAP. SMAP (which stands for "Sports Music Assemble People" in case you were wondering) is a popular -- what? boy band? post-boy band? they all pushing 40 so let's go with "talent group" -- consisting of five members who sing, dance and do comedy skits, which has been a fixture of the J-POP world since they debuted in 1991. On their TV show, they invite distinguished guests to eat a fabulous gourmet meal cooked by the group members while the guests relax and talk. Both Tarantino and "Burapii" (as he's universally known here) love Japan, and it was interesting to see them in this unique setting, being asked who their favorite directors were or what shops they like to hit while in Tokyo. (Brad is always looking for Totoro and Spirited Away stuff for his kids.) Even before the show began I knew I'd be seeing Japan's "Queen of Subtitles" Natsuko Toda, the woman who translates all the top movies and whose personal schedule can affect Hollywood film release dates. Sure enough, she was there serving as the personal interpreter for Brad.

Catching "Burapii" and Tarantino on TV was fun. Brad didn't slurp his noodles loudly enough.

J-List Gift Ideas, Other Stuff

J-List is locked and loaded to help make your Christmas extra special this year, with thousands of amazing products that are usually hard to find outside of Japan. But how to choose what great gifts to buy? We've got plenty of fun Hello Kitty and Sanrio items, the most excellent soft Totoro blankets, wacky USB devices like the "USB Shaking Hip" which dances when you plug it in, officially licensed Sanrio personal massagers (with a discount for buying multiples for gifts), a huge selection of popular traditional and anime 2010 calendars, plus other random items. Another great idea is to add our "wishlist additions" RSS feed to your RSS reader (we recommend Google Reader, but you can use most any email or browse these days) so you can see the cool items people are adding to their wishlists and get ideas.

EMS is the fastest and most reliable way to order cool products from Japan, and fully trackable online. While supplies last, you can get a cool gift from the Japanese post office and J-List, great for sealing letters or gluing things without using messy liquid glue. Just order $100 or more in from-Japan items and choose speedy EMS as your shipping option and we'll include the free glue tape dispenser. Get your order fast and get this cool gift free!

Are you involved with retail anime or related products? J-List operates a wholesale-only company in San Diego for making our wacky Japan-related products available to retailers. If interested, please visit our newly refreshed websites, PCRdist.com and PCRstyle.com for more information.

Cool Products Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Masamune Shirow 2010 Calendar The prize for most popular Japanese calendar of 2010 looks like it's going to Shirow Masamune again, whose gorgeous 2010 calendar Saber Tooth Cats 2 is in stock and ready to order now.
	CRESCENDO -- Minori Chihara First photobook Famous artist, voice actor & singer Minori Chihara -- who plays Yuki from Nagato from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya -- gives us an intimate look at her beauty with this first photograph collection.
	Other New 2010 Anime Calendars Then, we've just gotten in two brand new calendars I didn't even know we'd had on order. See the Certain Magical Index, loaded with BiriBiri and all your other characters, plus the Fullmetal Alchemist.
	Dengeki Daioh Dec 2009 And speaking of A Certain Magical Index, enjoy the new issue of Dengeki Daioh, filled with 880+ pages of manga awesomeness, plus free stuff in each issue, like the Index phone strap you get free with this one.
	P4 Persona 4 Anthology Comic vol. 4 An awesome official doujinshi anthology collection for fans of the popular Persona 4 game, featuring a selection of beautifully illustrated stories by sixteen different artists.
	Hetalia Animation Story Boards 1 Then, we know that Hetalia is really popular with J-List customers because the 2010 calendar is selling so well. See limited stock of the Animation Story Boards book on the site now.
	Kawaii Border Frill Skirt For fans of our Japanese fashions, check out this awesome skirt that's popular in Tokyo this year. It'd make a nice pair with our over-knee socks.
	Myojo, the Magazine 'Johnny-kei' Fans If you're interested in Japan's highly developed culture of male idols, often called Johnny's-kei since entertainment management powerhouse Johhny's Entertainment handles most of them, we suggest you consider a subscription to Myojo, filled with info on your favorite boy bands.
	DS Healthy 1000 Recipes Here's an innovative way to use your Nintendo DS, as a guide for improving the health of your family through great recipes. This new software contains 1000 recipes and many features.
	New Snacks from Japan Great lineup of Japanese snacks on the site today, including Meiji Rich Matcha Chocolate (!), Camembert Cheese Cake Toppo (!!), plus a favorite of mine, Xylish gum in "Sparkling Nectar" flavor, which is actually fizzes and tingles in your mouth.
	Restocked Japanese Food Drops Great restocking of the traditional Japanese Food Drops, including delicious Ikameshi from Hokkaido, Japanese sake and shochu, plus the enigmatic "Cherry Boy," a kind of cherry from Yamagata Prefecture -- what awesome marketing.
	HANA-GOYOMI Black Lacquered 2 tier Bento Box Here are two awesome new bento boxes we've just posted to the site, which mimic the lacquered wood look of traditional Japanese tableware. Choose from red or black.
	Red ECO 2 Way Chopsticks Set ~ HANAGOYOMI Then, a really nice pair of chopsticks with matching holder which are just beautiful to behold. They're "eco" because you don't use disposable chopsticks if you have something awesome to eat with like this.
	Non-Kawaii Bento Boxes Restocked We have fresh stock of the extra large, non-kawaii bento boxes for guys, plus a really nice Genuine Lacquered 2-tier Bento with butterfly images printed on it.
	Hello Kitty Meets Bento More restocked items for you today, especially good for Hello Kitty bento enthusiasts. See our Hello Kitty metal spoon and fork, cool traditional chopstick set, Hello Kitty mayonnaise cups and one that I just love, the Hello Kitty Furikake Bottle for bringing with your lunch.
	Hello Kitty Brown x Pink Multi Tote Bag Then, a cute little bag that's good for carrying your lunch in, or any other important stuff you need to transport.
	Kawaii Hello Kitty Handy Mirrors This is a pair of Hello Kitty mirrors that are good either for carrying with you in your purse or using in the bathroom. They feature classic images of "Kitty-chan."
	Ghibli Music Boxes, Too J-List [hearts] Totoro, and today we're restocking the wooden bento boxes featuring Totoro and Jiji the Cat. Both open to hold your stuff so they will always be a treasure for you.
	Totoro Stamps Restocked Also, many customers love to collect the Totoro and Ghibli rubber stamps, which have wholesome feel to them. All Ghibli products are personally approved by Hayao Miyazaki.
	Japan iTunes Cards, iPod/iPhone Compatible Fans of the iTunes Japan music store, we've got some great news: there's a new anime category where you can find things like Aoi Hana and Wolf and Spice ED and OP, awesome songs by Haruhi voice actress Aya Hirano and more. Or check the Super Ani-Song Collection for all the highest ranked anime songs on iTunes in one place.
	Japanese T-Shirt - Tsundere Tribute We're happy with the warm response our Rie Kugiyama tsundere T-shirt has gotten since we released it last time. By customer request we've added 2XL as a size. However, i- it's not like we're adding the new size shirt because we like you (joke).
	Bee Kawaii earphone ~ Pink Next, here a cute pair of standard earphones shaped like little bees, which will work with your standard music players, computers and so on. Even the packaging these come in is cute.
	Fun Cosplay Items Restocked J-List customers love our cosplay items, whether they're for girls, for guys, random and fun cosplay accessories or what have you. See the Haruhi uniform in 5L size, restocked today.
	Japanese Wagashi Magnet set ~ set of 10 Liven up your white board at work with these traditional Japanese sweets magnets, which capture traditional Japanese foods in cute magnet form. Also great for your fridge.
	Happy Message Lucky Cat Phone Straps I love these ceramic Lucky Cat phone straps -- which you can attach to your phone, camera, keys, Nintendo DS or Sony PSP -- which feature Lucky Cat and a happy message in Japanese. See many restocked items today.
	Restocked Kimono, Happi, Yukata Asami was out last week so we're still posting restocked traditional to the site. See a great restocking of awesome kimono, short happi coats and warm yukata for men.
	Asakusa T-shirts Restocked, Too Also, we've restocked some of our most popular made-in-Japan kanji T-shirts, with beautiful images of Japan. Click to see what we've got.
	Kairo ~ Japanese Warming Pads Another great way to stay warm in Japan's cold winter are kairo, the amazing heating pads that stay warm for up to 12 hours, which our customers tell us are absolutely great to use. These warming pads come in stickable and non-stickable versions and are just .50 cents each.
	Index 1/8 Figure by Good Smile Company *Preorder* Continuing our official "Certain Magical Index" day at J-List, we're adding this awesome figure of Index, the girl who has 103,000 magic books stored in her mind.
	Lynn Minmay, Mylene Jenius *Preorder* Then for Macross fans, we've got two awesome figures for your consideration: the classic Lynn Minmei plus Mylene from Macross 7, both designed by Haruhiko Mikimoto himself.
	Cat Girl Alliance *Preorder* We're posting a great new PC dating-sim game for fans on the site today, which will be released in the coming months. When you discover the secret world of futanari Rumi and her friends, your life will never be the same! This game is solidly in beta testing mode right now - why not preorder it for free shipping with the disc is ready?
	'Sex Style' Sake Bottle, Coffee Cups, More You probably know about our wacky coffee cups and other items that demonstrate the traditional 48 positions. We've restocked this great line, with several sake bottles, mug-style coffee cups and Japanese yunomi (green tea cups) all back in stock.

ESL Teaching

When I look back on my 8-year career teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Japan, I can't think of another job that could have brought me into contact with a wider range of people. Because I spoke Japanese well, I never had a shortage of job offers, which is kind of odd when you think about it since my abilities as an English teacher would presumably be more important -- whatever. I taught a wide range of age groups, including kids so young my only real role was to get them used to the idea of being around a foreigner. I taught older Japanese at community centers, too, and would smile when they brought me vegetables they'd grown in their garden. The wealthiest student I ever had was the wife of a former president of the Sapporo Ichiban Ramen Company, and we'd regularly hold "classes" while drinking green tea and admiring the momiji trees turning red in the autumn. I also taught English to a great group of handicapped people at a facility in our neighborhood, and learned a lot about competitive wheelchair racing.

Teaching English in Japan wasn't a walk in the park, but I did meet a lot of people.

Hello Kitty Standardized Test

The Japanese love to take standardized tests, and many people use them as a tool to better themselves over the course of their lives. While most of the tests are pretty run-of-the-mill, qualifying a person's abilities at speaking English, say, or using various software tools in a business environment, there are quite a few interesting ones, such as a test for calculating numbers rapidly with an imaginary abacus, your fingers moving over wooden beads that aren't there. There are tests for speedy and accurate operating of a cash register in a supermarket, a test for memorizing a train schedule, and (good for us gaijin), the Standard Kanji Test and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. My wife is what's known as a shikaku getter or someone who loves to "collect" random qualifications. She's got a license to prepare sushi and sashimi, is legally able to operate a forklift, and has a certification for handling dangerous materials, in case J-List ever wants to open a gas station as a side business. Now there's a bizarre new test to study for, if you like: the Hello Kitty Standardized Test, commissioned by Sanrio to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Japan's second most famous cat. I assume the test consists various trivia like, how tall is Hello Kitty? (as tall as five apples) and so on.

If you know your Hello Kitty trivia, maybe you can pass the test.

Who's Your Favorite Tsundere?

It's fun to watch anime and pay attention to the various character archetypes that show up. Like the ojosama (rich girl) who is the daughter of an international zaibatsu trading group, who generally comes in "cute and naive" or "laughing evil villain" flavors. Or the good-natured female childhood friend who always comes to wake up the main character every morning. One of the most popular genres of anime characters of the past few years has been tsundere (TSOON-deh-reh), which describes (female) characters who are angry and confrontational one moment, then all sweetness and light the next. (The word comes from tsun-tsun meaning "angry" or "cranky," and dere-dere meaning "heads-over-heels in love.") Some of anime's most popular characters conform to this classic mode, including Taiga Aisaka from Toradora!, Louise from Zero no Tsukaima and Shana from Shana of the Blazing Eyes. The cool thing about these characters is, they're all voiced by legendary voice actress Rie Kugimiya, who has a huge following by fans around the world. This gave us the idea to honor Ms. Kugimiya with a really cool J-List original T-shirt featuring some of her characters' most famous lines, like, Urusai! Urusai! Urusai! ("Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!") or Damare! Soshite kusare! ("Shut up! And go rot!") with a cool kanji design. It's in stock now and ready for you to order.

Taiga from Toradora is my own favorite tsundere-chara. Who's yours?

All About J-List T-Shirts

When J-List brought out our first "Wacky Japanese T-shirt" in 1997, we didn't know what we were starting. We just liked the way kanji looked, and thought that wacky messages like "Now Accepting Applications for a Japanese Girlfriend" seemed like something people might like to wear. Twelve years later our fun line of anime- and kanji-themed shirts, warm hoodies and hats have really proved themselves popular, which makes us happy. You can browse all our wacky T-shirts, view shirts for girls and kids, check our awesome hoodies (which are the higher quality 80/20 blends that stay soft for years, not the inferior 50/50 blends other stores sell), or see the top 50 T-shirts on the site now. All shirts printed by our professional staff in San Diego (not mass-produced in Asia), and all are full U.S. sizes.

Cool Products Monday, November 16, 2009

Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Japanese T-Shirt - Tsundere Tribute A super T-shirt that's a tribute to the best tsundere voice actress of them all, Rie Kugimiya, who gave life to such characters as Louise from Zero no Tsukaima, Shana from Shakugan no Shana and Taiga from Toradora. The shirt features phrases, including "Baka! Baka! Baka!" (Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!) and "Shut up! And go rot!" On the back of the shirt is printed, in extremely difficult kanji characters, "Kugimiya Virus Hypersensitive Cerebral Corticalitis," which describes the odd state all tsundere fans are in when she verbally abuses us (ah...). Standard black T-shirt, available in S, M, L and XL.
	Hello Kitty Christmas Ornament Chocolate Next, we've got even more awesome Hello Kitty Christmas items for you: a Christmas Tree and Wreath shaped collection of chocolates! Give as gifts, or Christmas cards. Get an automatic discount for buying 3 or more, too.
	Touhou 3 ~ Strange and Bright Nature Deity 3 It's yet another awesome official Touhou manga by ZUN himself, printed on very high quality paper and featuring a music CD from the popular line of indies games.
	Yu Yu Shiki 1 ~ Yuyushiki 1 A super Japanese comic from Komata Mikami, this is a fun 4-koma (4-panel) manga that follows three high school girls: Yuzuko, Yui and Yukari. Cute and fun to read.
	Restocked Hell Girl, Shana Cosplay Sets Cosplay is getting more and more popular at J-List, and today we're restocking the Hell Girl and Shana of the Blazing Eyes complete costume sets -- enjoy! Also see fresh stock of the shimapan bag for otaku girls.
	Cosplay for Guys, Too J-List has tons of awesome complete cosplay outfits and accessories for guys, too, including Naruto, Bleach, Ouran High School, Lelouch of the Rebellion and more. Browse our affordable offerings now.
	Spice and Wolf Perfect Guide Spice and Wolf is an enigmatic anime about a harvest goddess in the form of a wolf-girl, and the adventures she has with a trader. This is the perfect guide book for fans of the series, and we've restocked it today.
	Shirow Masamune Artbooks Shirow Masamune's popular artbook Pieces vol. 1 has come in stock again, and we highly recommend it for fans of his art. He is the creator of the Ghost in the Shell original manga, and thus a source of inspiration for The Matrix.
	Moyashimon e hon ~ Itadakimasu Moyashimon is the cutest manga about microbes you will ever find, and this is a great picture book for fans and collectors alike.
	Purisaga! Portable It's great to be able to experience the best dating-sim games and visual novels on a platform that's got a gorgeous screen like the PSP. This is a new dating sim called Purisaga!, which is short for Pretty Wife wo Sagase! or "Search for a Pretty Wife."
	Amazing Snacks from Japan Next see some amazing snack items from Japan, including the brand-new Japan Kit Kat in Chocolate & Yaki-imo, or baked sweet potato flavor -- yum! Also, FritoLay Japan has spicy snacks for us, made with real wasabi from Nagano Pref.
	Sauce Katsu (Aizu Limited) ~ Japanese Food Drops Sauce Katsudon is one of my favorite foods. It's a cutlet (katsu) of pork that's breaded and fried then simmered in a sauce and served on white rice (making it s don or rice bowl). Enjoy this great flavor in the form of traditional Food Drops candy!
	Shiso Pepsi, Evangelion UCC Coffee That delicious (?) shiso (a Japanese herb similar to basil) Pepsi is back in stock, but for the LAST time, so pick up a bottle or three if you're a fan of rare Pepsi products from the other side of the world. Browse our newly-created Japanese drinks page to see more!
	Hamburger-shaped Bento Boxes You know that J-List won't rest until we've delighted you with new bento box offerings every day. Today we've got two different bento boxes that look like delicious hamburgers and square sandwitches, but which are highly functional lunch-delivery systems.
	Restocked Nikyoro Bento Boxes Then: we've gotten in more wacky creations from Prime Nakamura, including one of my favorites, the Bread Shaped 2-tier Bento Box, plus the Nikyoro Egg Case for storing your hard boiled eggs.
	Hello Kitty Ice Cube Tray Also for fans of J-List's interesting Sanrio products: fresh stock of the legendary Hello Kitty Ice Cube Maker, which makes great 3D Sanrio-shaped ice cubes for you instead of boring square ice cubes.
	Hello Kitty Bento Items Also, see some great bento accessories restocked, including the Hello Kitty DECO Bento Set which makes cute Sanrio-shaped onigiri and furikake images, one of our most popular Sanrio products.
	Totoro Plush Items, More Restocked Since Totoro is at the top of a lot of fans' Christmas lists, we're stocking up on some delightful items, from the Giant Totoro and Cat Bus plush toys to the Ghibli Storage Box and more. Don't forget to browse our Totoro blankets, too!
	My Neighbor Totoro Wrist Watches Then, we've restocked the elegant My Neighbor Totoro watch, which sports an elegant design featuring Totoro with his umbrella, plus a real leather strap and matching box.
	WIRELESS SCOPE NODE -- Black ~ Elecom The SCOPE NODE USB mouse is so cool, we write its name in ALL CAPS. But seriously, this mouse has really gotten praise from J-List customers, which makes us happy. See fresh stock of the wireless version today. Based on a design by Shirow Masamune.
	Hello Kitty Portable Toothbrush Set Brush your teeth while maintaining your inner cuteness with these Hello Kitty portable toothbrush sets, which come with everything you need to keep your smile bright. If you like, why not browse our new Hello Kitty & Sanrio product page?
	Magical Spot Stick for Beautiful Skin An interesting Japanese beauty product that's popular with women, it's a special scraper for removing spots on the skin and unclogging pores. Two tips for different kinds of skin problems. Restocked today.
	Egg Dec 2008 Egg is the premier magazine of street fashion culture from hip areas of Tokyo like Shibuya and Harajuku, and a new issue is in stock. Stock of these issues is always limited, so why not consider a revolving subscription so you never miss an issue?
	Solar Powered Japanese Chirimen Cat Lucky Cat is popular on J-List, and solar powered toys are also popular. Why not combine the two?
	Restocked Netsuke Phone Straps & More J-List has a huge selection of netsuke, the traditional charms hung from money bags in Old Edo, now repurposed as cell phone straps. See the Lucky Cat, Lucky Owl and Lucky Rabbit Pair Netsuke, as well as our Handmade Ninja Sword and wooden Kokeshi doll for winter.
	Hello! New Baby Unazukin Set Also: the super Unazukin nodding electronic toy is fun to play with -- ask it a question and it nods yes, or shakes his head no, to answer you. This set comes with a cute Unazukin toy with a space to put a picture of a cute baby. Great gift idea?
	Amanda Werner Figure *Preorder* Here's a really nice figure that's just begging to be taken home by you: Amanda Werner from Blassreiter, which is so hot and juicy it makes us wish we were 1/8 scale too.
	Restocked Snacks & Gum Finally, a big restocking of some of our best snack items, including Glico Pocky in Milk Coffee flavor, Uranaikko Gum that tells you fortune and looks like the sticks you pull out of a box at a Shinto shrine, Meiji Mini Assortment, Hi-Chew, Watering Kiss Mint Gum and more.
	Naked Love -- Yoko Kumada Veteran idol Yoko Kumada is on top again with her latest hardcover photobook, regrouping more than a hundred full page pictures for you. Also: fresh stock of the sweet hardcover photobook of Ami Tokito.
	Dengeki Moeoh Dec 2009 Dengeki Moeoh is the awesome moe magazine filled with art and comics for you to enjoy, with posters and other good presents for you. Enjoy the brand-new issue on the site now.
	Restocked Artbooks We've got the awesome Dendrobium artbook by Nishieda back in stock, which is simply the most incredible "H" artbook I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Plus the incredible collection of oppai themed art by Ryota Magaaki.
	Al Azif 1/7 Figure ~ Demonbane *Preorder* This is fascinating twist on the character of Al Azif from our upcoming game Demonbane, with the lithe character redesigned to be a gorgeous buxom woman. Features super "cast off" action, too.

Transliteration in Anime

Transliteration is the act of moving a word from one writing system to another, and by its very nature it's a difficult process since no two languages mesh up with each other perfectly. Having different approaches to the problem of how to write, say, a Chinese name in the Roman alphabet are why you may have grown up knowing the name Mao-Tse Tung then wondered why it's suddenly changed to Mao Zedong, or why Peking is also known as Beijing, or why Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi supposedly has 37 (!) possible English spellings for his name. J-List sells the fun Queen's Blade artbooks and figures, and when we first added the products to the site we had a problem: there was no "official" English spelling for the female character names. In order to decide which names to use as "canon," we had to look at the source code to the official Japanese site and read the filenames the website used.

There was more to the great "Minmei or Minmay?" fan-wars of the 1980s than we knew at the time