Typhoon update, life in Gunma Prefecture, and ways that the Japanese walk to their own beat

Florida is getting pummeled by Hurricane Katrina, but Japan just got walloped by Typhoon No. 11, which dumped tons of water on the country before heading out to sea this morning. I was in Tokyo for the day but decided to cut my trip short and head home, lest the rain and high winds cause Japan's train system to shut down, stranding me. As summer winds down, Japan will enter its typhoon season proper, and we can expect to see one or two every week (shudder).

J-List is based in Gunma, located in the center of Japan's main island of Honshu, about 100 km from Tokyo. It's small -- just a little larger than Delaware -- but has more than 2 million residents, mostly spread throughout the major cities of Maebashi, Takasaki, Isesaki and Ota. I like my prefecture a lot -- we have access to Tokyo via normal train and Shinkansen, yet we don't have to endure the pressures of usagi-goya (rabbit hutch) living in Japan's capital, and mountains and skiing are just a short drive away. Currently, Gunma is enjoying center stage on NHK, Japan's public television network. In addition to creating such varied works as samurai dramas (Yoshitsune, Shinsengumi), anime series (Cardcaptor Sakura, Nadia) and cute characters (Domo-kun), NHK broadcasts a popular daily drama for 15 minutes each day. The current 15-minute drama is called Fight!, the story of a headstrong girl (Yu-chan) and the troubles her family endures when her father's company goes bankrupt. Since the drama is based in Gunma, people here are bursting with pride at being seen from all over the nation. Japan is a unique country, truly an island nation among the other nations of the world. Often, the joshiki (joh-SHKI, meaning "common sense") that operates in the U.S. and Europe just doesn't function the same way here. First of all, the way products are priced in stores defies my humble gaijin's logic -- when you see a can of beer on sale for 200 yen, you know instinctively that a six pack of the same beer will cost you 1200 yen, with no discount for buying bulk. Sometimes two sizes of canned coffee are sold in the same vending machine, for the same price, and many Japanese choose the smaller can. Because products such as books and CDs are sold at list price, the laws of supply and demand are often stifled as the prices of products that are less popular can't fall below list price to meet the matching level of demand. Finally, it's a given that many industries will function with very low efficiency here, even in this modern Internet-enabled world we live in. I'm currently reading the weekly re-issue of manga classics Touch and Miyuki, and when I missed buying an issue in the stores, I called the company's back issue hotline to find out how to get the one I missed. It turns out that I have to go through a laborious method of wiring money to them through a bank, since they have no website and don't accept credit cards. Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work." To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Tempest 2. This is a really amazing manga, the kind of book we look for to sell. It's a comic that weaves hentai stories out of Shakespeare, Brothers Grim and other stories. Totally cool, and it's got tentacles, too!
	robot vol. 3 ~ Super Color Comic 3. We're big fans of Japanese art, and the Robot series (or more accurately, the robot series, with a lower case r) always delights us.
	Understanding Basic Japanese Grammar ~ Kiso Nihongo Bunpo Kyohon. A nice textbook for learning Japanese. The books says it's for beginners, but since there are a lot of kanji and hiragana you should have the basics before you attempt this, or work with a teacher who can bring you up to speed on the kana at least.
	Diva 13 -- Yu Kitajima. Another nice Diva book, a photobook (or photomagazine) with a DVD that are both great. This is one beautiful girl from Japan, who I think we'll be seeing more of in the future.
	Mini Pinch Hanger. J-List aims to bring you great products from Japan, including things you've never seen before. This is a mini plastic hanger that lets you hang your clothes when traveling, etc. Features ten clothespins.
	Natto Soap -- Japanese Soap. Soap made of Natto? Yes, it's true, this is soap that features natto inside it, although the soap doesn't actually smell like Japan's famous fermented soybeans. Also available are green tea, tofu and sake soap. This company may be on to something!
	Trigun Maximum 1/8 Scale Figure -- Vash the Stanpeed. An amazing figure any way you look at it, this is the newest Vash figure for Trigun fans. Very nice detail, with extras in the box (including a rubber nose and glasses you can put on him).
	Tableware Collection -- Full Set *Set of 13* ~ Rement Shokki Collection. A nice new item from Re-Ment, this is a collection of extremely detailed miniature toys. Great for collectors of dolls or dollhouses.
	DX Kitchen Cupboard -- Rement Puchi Sample Series. And where would you put your tableware but in this amazing kitchen cupboard, which is custom made by Re-Ment to allow you to put all your cool food and dishes away.
	Blue Eyes DX English Ver. vol. 2, When the publisher of AX took over Blue Eyes, I was very happy, as the first version wasn't the best thing I'd ever seen, and it was clear they weren't going to be able to continue with the series. Now you can preorder the complete English volume 2, a super story with great art and, er, characters.

While I was in Maryland, I did some sightseeing in beautiful Annapolis, a really amazing city filled with grandeur.

One of the original 6 copies of the Declaration of Independence. I wish my kids had been with me so they could have seen some of the cool old stuff.

Annapolis is where Kunta Kinte came to the U.S., and there's a statue of him.

I live in Japan now, and have been in Californais since the age of 10, both of which are Earthquake-zones and don't allow building with bricks. I was amazed at the millions (billions?) of bricks I saw while in Maryland.

These are great words! I totally believe in this statement, and can truly say that J-List utterly absorbs me and makes me complete.