Greetings from J-List July 14, 2004

Hello again from Japan, where buildings have funny names like "Apartment Cream Soda." We apologize for the delay with the mail server -- this is yesterday's update, going out today. The server is fixed so all should be fine in the future.

Whenever you learn a language, you have to deal with the fact that words in one language don't always match up with words on a second one. A simple concept like "cold" in English is covered with two words in Japanese, samui for coldness of the air around you and tsumetai for something that's cold to the touch. Similarly, the word for cold water is mizu, but hot water (o-yu) is a totally different linguistic concept, just as "curb" and "curve" are separate ideas to us but the same to the Japanese. Some Japanese words have complex nuances that make them fun to learn. The English word "heart" has three words in Japanese: shinzo (the part of you that's beating now), haato (the English word heart, which describes the heart shape and is used in songs and advertising to signify affection and gentleness), and kokoro (a word encompassing the philosophical elements of the human heart, similar to "spirit" or "mind"). Another word that can't be translated easily is "love." There are two words for the concept in Japanese: koi, which is young, romantic love and ai, a word for the deeper love between family members, or a husband and wife who have been married many years. A third word for love, ren'ai, is the kanji for koi and ai used to form a compound word similar to the romantic koi. If you ever want to fluster a Japanese person, ask them to define the difference between words like koi and ai in English, then sit back and watch them flounder.

Although you may think of certain foods as sushi, sashimi, tempura and sukiyaki as popular Japanese dishes, the national food of Japan has got to be curry, or as the Japanese call it, curry rice. Curry spread to Britain during the 1700s and from there went all around the world, a gift from the British Empire. In Japan, curry is eaten on steamed white rice, and became popular at the start of the 20th century -- and now it's enjoyed more than any other kind of food. Japanese curry is thicker than the soup-like Indian curry, and many companies here compete to make the best blend of curry to appeal to consumers, making products with names like House The Curry, Vermont Curry, and Java Curry. Although Thai food is quite popular in America, it's not very common here in Japan outside of big cities -- but Indian restaurants are everywhere here.

It's common for bilingual speakers to switch between languages when they know the person they're speaking to will understand either one; this is called "code switching." Sometimes kids do it accidentally, because they haven't learned which words go with which language. When my kids were younger, they often would use English words with the Japanese teachers at their preschool, causing confusion. I remember when my son Kazuki went to the local public bath with me, back when he was two years old or so. He told me that the cold-water bath was "cold-katta." I didn't understand what he meant, but then it hit me: he had mixed the English word cold with the past tense ending in Japanese (-katta). The Japanese for "it was cold" would have been tsumeta-katta. My son is now nine, and is looking forward to spending three weeks in San Diego relearning the English he learned last summer but has since forgotten.

Of the 2000+ products J-List has for you, we offer hundreds of varieties of fun Japanese snacks, from traditional "bubble ball" fizzing candies that have been loved by Japanese for decades to super tart Shigekix gummi candies. Due to the extreme heat and humidity of Japan in the summer months, we remove chocolate products like Pocky temporarily to keep them from melting. Usually we have to go all summer without any Pocky on the site, however we're happy to announce a new Pocky, called Pocky Reverse, that features cookie on the outside and chocolate on the inside (so it won't melt). We've got this amazing new taste on the site right now -- order 5 or more boxes and get a 15% discount, too.

For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. They include:

• First, we love the detailed miniature toys that are popular in Japan right now, called "candy toys" because you usually get candy inside the box -- newly in stock are replicas of miniature Japanese gardens, great for all gaijin
  
• Hello Kitty fans, we have a great set of Kitty glasses that are ultra cute and fun to drink out of
  
• Also for Kitty lovers, super cute plush Kitty plush chair protectors that keep your chairs from scratching the floor
  
• In addition to the new Pocky, we've got other great snacks for you, including whistling ramune candy that's been sold in Japan for decades, tasty chicken corn snacks, and more
  
• We've got a great restocking of snack items too, including Black Black Tablet caffeine candy and gum, Pretz Roast flavor (my own favorite), more Sushi Gummi, delicious sake candy and Okinawa Black Sugar caramels from Morinaga
  
• For fans of Japanese chewing gum, delicious new whitening gum from Lotte that has Xylitol in it (this is a famous sweetener from Norway that improves the strength of teeth)
  
• We love the aesthetic beauty of kanji, and have cool framed kanji messages in stock for you, very traditional and cool
  
• Delight your guests by giving them a clean, unopened toothbrush just for them -- we have packs of these convenient disposable toothbrushes in stock
  
• Next, are you learning how to use chopsticks? We recommend the beginners chopsticks we have, very easy to practice with
  
• From Jun Planning, a dynamite full-sized doll in their Pullip line, best described as "Blythe meets Gothic & Lolita Bible"
  
• Next, more items for Japanese Girl Nagomi fans -- beautiful station sets featuring the artwork of Seiichi Hayashi
  
• For fans of unique computer products from Japan, we've got new "Bit Grast" portable USB mice in stock, along with the excellent beige laptop case from Elecom
  
• Also, fresh stock of the popular Groomy line of computer plush pets -- they're soft and cute and have soft leather undersides which you can clean your computer monitor with
  
• Then we have some awesome Japanese headbands for you with messages like "I will Pass the Test"
  
• For smaller sized customers, we have the excellent Japanese tattoo shirts which will make you look like a real yakuza
  
• Fans of the very popular Go Go Pinky Street toy + photobook series, we've restocked this for you too
  
• Finally, cute characters in the "Usagi Collection" series, excellent sushi erasers, more funny signs for your car, and more!
  

For our 18+ customers, we've got many new products. The new items include:

• For fans of one of Japan's most famous video genres, we have the new Gal's Shower, a great new issue for you (but stock is limited)
  
• Fans of gorgeous women from Europe and North America, enjoy the new issue of Bachelor, filled with amazing photographs from around the world
  
• For photobook lovers, we have a dynamite offering by Sakura Shiratori, an amazing angel from Japan
  
• Then enjoy the superb bikini photos of Yoko Kumada, one of our favorite cute idols in Japan right now
  
• Also, we've got fresh stock of at least a dozen previously sold out magazines and photobooks on the site, including some $5 magazines and many rare photobooks that are out of print
  
• For H manga collectors, we have the long-awaited vol. 7 of Blue Eyes, filled with incredibly gorgeous artwork and stories by Tohru Nishimaki
  
• Also, other dynamite new manga works, including a new Female Panther series book and a great work from Winterlong, "I cannot shout love at the bottom in the world"
  
• We've got a bunch of restocked manga for you too, with a dozen or more excellent works like Michael Plan, Oshiri ni Oborete and Shining Musume, back in stock for you to order
  
• Yaoi lovers, we've also got a great item for you, with the new issue of b-Boy Luv, featuring works from nine different talented manga artists and 240+ pages
  
• For our DVD customers, we have some dynamite items for you, starting with 4 hours of the elegant and popular Karen Kisuragi's performance, by Million (region free)
  
• From Dogma, enjoy a great "triple manko" offering with three gorgeous JAV idols (region free)
  
• From SOD's Hibino label, the triumphant return of Miki Sawaguchi, a star who was famous when J-List was getting started back in 1996 -- she's back again and as gorgeous as ever (region free)
  
• Then enjoy a whopping 240 minutes of the best scenes of Kyoko Ayana, a bright and cheerful F cup angel from Japan (region free)
  
• Next, meet Rin. (another girl who always puts a period as part of her name, like Nao. and Morning Musume.), a bright and energetic girl who will delight you (region 2)
  
• Then from Moodyz, see the unbelievably cool Naughty Dancing Queens of Tokyo's top-name discos, a real treat to see (region 2)
  
• Finally, enjoy some great newly restocked DVDs, including Momo Iizawa's Gock'n Roll, Miki vs. Black Guys, Mirei as an "M" actress, and more low-cost Concentration DVD titles.
  

J-List customers tell us the #1 way they hear of us is through recommendations from friends. If you've got friend who may be interested in our unique brand of wacky Japanese pop culture, we hope you'll give them our URL or tell them about us. Thanks in advance!

Remember that J-List is fortunate to be able to carry the high-quality plush toys made by Sun Arrow, a Japanese toy company founded back in the Taisho era, with a hundred years of history to their name. For many years they've been the trusted partner and licensee of all Studio Ghibli toys including Totoro, Spirited Away and more. The plush toys they create are the best we've ever seen, soft to touch and furry to hold, far inferior to the anime plush toys you may have seen for sale in the U.S. (which are, alas, usually Taiwanese pirate products). We hope you'll browse our extensive selection of Studio Ghibli products!

Greetings from J-List July 12, 2004

Hello again from all of us at J-List!

Another Japanese election is behind us, and all across the country you can hear the sighs of relief from foreigners happy that they won't have to endure politicians in loudspeaker cars shouting at them for a while. The big winner in Sunday's election was the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, which picked up the most seats as Japanese voters showed their anger at the deployment of the Japanese self-defence forces to Iraq and nervousness over the future of the National Pension Program. The ruling LDP still maintain their hold on the government thanks to their alliance with the Komeito (a political party that was started by the Sokka Gakkai religion, modern flavor of Buddhism not unlike Mormons), but it's a blow for Prime Minister Koizumi, who is working hard and beginning to turn the Japanese economic situation around. A big part of the problem for Mr. Koizumi, my wife says, is that he's too charismatic for his own good. There's a famous Japanese saying that "the standing nail is driven" (deru kui wa utareru), which means that individuals who stand out too much in Japan will be hammered back into place by their peers, and Koizumi, who is tall, unmarried and likes rock music, is the closest thing to JFK Japan may have ever had. Because he stands head and shoulders above his opposition, something you're not supposed to do in a country where 80% of people consider themselves middle class, he presents a big political target for everyone.

The Japanese do like English, and use it to add spice and cuteness to their speech. A lot of the English words the Japanese use are simplified so much that their meaning would be hard to puzzle out. A convertible is an "open car" and a mortgage for a person's home is a "my home loan." A child's crib is a "baby bed," and the universal word for full-time employees is "salaryman." Screwdrivers come in "plus" and "minus" varieties, and when a man no longer wants children he's likely to get a "pipe cut." Titles of Western movies can also be hard for Japanese to remember, so they're sometimes reduced into simpler English. "You've Got Mail" was released here as "You Got Mail," and "Apt Pupil" became "Golden Boy."

The Japanese are a meticulous people, and one famous area where their attention to detail really shines are the delicious wax food replicas you see in windows in Japanese restaurants, placed so that customers can see how good the food is before going in. These food replicas are hand-crafted by Japanese artists who train for many years, and Japanese wax food is famous all over the world (the miniature food replicas from Re-Ment are a direct homage to this uniquely Japanese art form). Now we've got something new and unique for you: incredible sushi clocks, which feature superbly detailed wax sushi in place of numbers and chopsticks for the hour and minute hands. An amazing new category for serious Japanophiles, each hand-crafted for you by the famous Maizuru of Tokyo. J-List genuinely loves Japan, and we're happy to be able to bring sushi aficionados another memorable product from Japan!

J-List is your source for unique wacky Japanese T-shirts with funny messages and cute, aesthetically beautiful kanji designs. Now, if you buy 3 or more of our world-famous T-shirts, you get an even bigger 15% off. We've got dozens of amazing shirts and hoodies for you, all printed on 100% cotton 6.1 lb shirts in San Diego. Remember that we're always closing out designs to make room for new shirts, so if you've got your eye on a shirt or three, don't wait too long or it might be gone.

For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. They include:

• For Star Wars and Lego fans, we've got the first-ever only-released-in-Japan Star Wars Lego toys, a set of three classic vehicles (X-Wing, Slave 1, TIE Interceptor)
  
• We have another dynamite item for you: Mononofu series III, featuring extremely realistic replicas of samurai swords that must be seen to be believed (full sets in stock)
  
• Just in time for summer, we've got wonderful Japanese "Happi" short kimonos, called Happy Coats sometimes, for your little ones: they're made out of washi paper and are very affordably priced
  
• For fans of our new traditional category, we've got another dynamite soba set, that allows you to enjoy tasty Japanese buckwheat noodles all summer long
  
• For fans of our amazing Japanese snacks, enjoy traditional Morinaga Hi-Soft chocolate caramels, amazing Poiful jellybean candies, new garlic potato snacks, and more
  
• We've also restocked many snack items, including Peko Milky Candy, gummi candy with juice inside, traditional Japanese bontan ame candy, and more
  
• Also: restocked full sets of the Frog Style tablet holders, which are delicious mints in incredibly beautiful frog-shaped cases, great for collecting
  
• Next, we've got some amazing traditional Japanese stickers capture amazing Japanese images -- stick them on your letters, or use them as body art
  
• We have the glossy hardcover photobook of Eriko Satoh, the gorgeous and talented Japanese idol who is playing in the new live-action Cutey Honey
  
• Japanese are very hygiene-oriented, especially women -- we've got some cute facial razors that make it easy to trim eyebrows or remove facial hair
  
• Next, some stylish and cool glue pens, great for all those times when you needed glue handy
  
• Love Hina fans, we've got stock of the excellent Kaolla Su and Sarah MacDougal figure sets that have been reissued in Japan
  
• Also, great new figures from the Panda-Z universe, including the evil Dr. Jangarly and Mougyu
  
• For Hello Kitty fans, the biggest, softest Kitty plush you're ever going to see, a great item from Sanrio
  
• Hayao Miyazaki fans, we've restocked some great Ghibli items for you, including Laputa plush toys and figures, fresh stock of the soft Totoro Doll Collection toys, and more
  
• Finally, look for restocked Tomica toys, more stock of the wacky Salmon moving keychain, more awesome gum erasers that you can mold and shape, and more!
  

For our 18+ customers, we've got many new products. The new items include:

• First, we've got a perfect-bound magazine for fans of OLs (Japanese "office ladies") with beautiful mouths
  
• Next, enjoy the amazing "Monthly Sonin," a new photobook that captures the grace and beauty of this popular Korean-Japanese idol
  
• For fans of magazines with DVDs inside, we've got a great new offering a special focus on what the Japanese call "back"
  
• Then a real treat: the first Yinling of Joytoy photobook is back, capturing the amazing Soviet-style photographs of Hiraokanovsky Kuratachenko (aka Hirao Kurata)
  
• We have some dynamite H manga for you too, including a super anime parody work by Masaki Kamitou, the deluxe Joy by Cherry Monkey, and an incredible new offering from Yukio Shijima
  
• For yaoi fans, we've got a great new item too: a color fan book of Our Kingdom, as well as various restocked books
  
• For our DVD customers, we have some great new titles for you, starting with Miyuki Uehara as your very own high-grade soap lady (region free)
  
• Next, Rei Suzuki and Dogma director Hitoshi Ninomura bring you an amazing cosplay fantasy, with dental assistant, bus guide, sultry secretary and more (region free)
  
• The "Anytime 24 Hours" series from SOD puts gorgeous JAV idols in a small apartment, where they may be called up by a roomful of men at any minute during the 24 hour period -- we've got a great Super Edition featuring the best moments of the popular series (region free)
  
• From Soft on Demand's Hibino label, a new twist with "body conscious mature ladies" (region free)
  
• Then from Moodyz, a brand new all-digital Dream Clinic, featuring gorgeous nurses who will do anything to heal their patients (region 2)
  
• Then, the sizzling Momo Iizawa stars in a dynamite new "gokkun" themed release from the masters of their art, Waap Entertainment (region 2)
  
• Finally, fresh stock of popular DVD titles, like Stairway to Heaven & Highway to Hell, Zoom Up Parts, Girl School 4, Stewardess Best 4 Hours and more!
  

The JMATE.com website has been updated again, with two, count 'em, two new interviews with JAV idols Nana Natsume and Senna Kurosaki. Read about why they got into their line of work, and what they think about performing in Japan's AV world. The URL is http://www.jmate.com/

Remember that J-List carries some amazing toy magazines like Figure Maniacs, a fabulous magazine filled with pictures of the most amazing anime figures, cold cast statues, PVC figures and more. We strive to keep back issues in stock, but most of the issues we have in stock now are likely to go out of print soon. If you like these amazing toy photobooks, we hope you'll pick up your copies before they sell out.