Lexus is coming to Japan, the concept of Idioms in Japanese, and more about OH! Mikey

A new car company is coming to Japan, but Japanese consumers are already quite familiar with their products. After years of speculation, Toyota is finally bringing their Lexus brand of luxury automobiles to the domestic market, opening a nationwide network of dealerships here in an attempt at stealing some of the thunder from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The funny thing is, the cars sold under the Lexus moniker have always been available in Japan, with names like Windom (ES330, advertised on television with the slogan "Are you Windom?"), Soarer (SC430, "Soarer for mind cruising") and Harrier (RX300, "Stylish, but formal"). A lot of people are wondering if Toyota can build a successful brand identity for Lexus here, when the newly introduced vehicles will mainly be spruced up versions of already available cars, but with fatter price tags. Unlike in much of the world, where the name Toyota originally meant small, fuel efficient cars, Japanese have never had a problem buying a large range of vehicles under the name Toyota. We never think about idioms in our own language, but to non-native speakers such as the Japanese, learning the meanings of phrases like to leave no stone unturned or to stick your neck out for someone is a challenge. There are idioms in Japanese, too, including many that make use of parts of the body in different ways. The phrase koshi ga hikui (lit. "one's lower back is low, near to the ground") means a person who is very humble and always apologizing (a good thing in the context of Japan), but shiri ga aoi ("one's rear end is blue") means they're too young or lack experience, since babies born in Asia have a blue spot on their rear ends until the age of two or so. If someone can't keep a secret, they are kuchi ga karui ("their mouth is too light"), but if they are kuchi ga umai ("their mouth is skilled") then they're good at making jokes or getting others to agree with them. The eyes in Japanese are called me (pronounced "meh"), and some idioms that make use of eyes include me ga takai (lit. "your eyes are high"), meaning someone who can recognize quality when they see it, and me ga ten ni natta ("my eyes became little black dots"), meaning, I was so surprised, my face looked like a character out of a manga. J-List carries dozens of English-translated dating-sim games from Japan, which let you interact with pretty girls and try to win their hearts. Now for fans of yaoi, we've got a great announcement: the first two English-translated "BL" games, which let fans of yaoi in on the fun, too. There are two titles we're posting for preorder now, the first being Enzai - Falsely Accused, a story of betrayal set in Napoleonic Europe in which you play the part of Guys, a youth sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Next is Perfect Obedience - Zettai Fukuju Meirei, a game combining a complex game system and cool-looking military uniforms (can't go wrong, there). For all fans of the wacky OH! Mikey, the popular Japanese drama about an American family living in Japan that uses mannequins as actors, we've got a treat: OH! Mikey Hard Core, a brand new DVD that's loaded with great stories, and features both subtitles on the Japanese episodes and some English-dubbed episodes, too! It's the best Mikey ever! (region 2) 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.

	Black Toppo -- Bitter Chocolate. When no one else is around at J-List, I have been known to sneak downstairs and grab a box of these delicious snacks and munch them while I work. They're really great, basically a long pretzel stick with chocolate inside, all baked. Mmmm...
	Maneki Neko *Goro Nyan* Type. I don't know what it is about this stylized Lucky Cat, but it makes me laugh out loud when I look at it. This is a really cool item that would look great near your front door.
	Ki Ma Ji Me -- Ami Tokito. One way of understanding Japan is through its fetishes, and one very established fetish is meganekko, or girls with glasses on. I would have to plead guilty if asked whether I have a fetish for glasses -- they look so cute!
	MIKAN -- Mikan Kirisawa. Here's a nice new nude model, appearing in her first photobook. I chose this item for the blog today since it's representative of the tasteful nudes that you can find in Japanese photobooks. Really, the only word you can use is "elegant."
	2006 Calendar -- Star Diary ~ Japanese View *No Tube*. In addition to lots of 2006 calendars this year, we're selling daily planners, which allow you to organize yourslef in Japanese style. They have nice pictures printed inside, too!
	ONA Mates -- Manaka Sato, Naho Ozawa and Akiho Yoshizawa. Now, I am kind of perlexed by these girls -- they re so very beautiful, so nice to look at, than I have to wonder why they're doing what they're doing? A new JPOP-style idol team that doesn't bother with singing.
	OH! Mikey HARD CORE (region 2). If you've never seen OH! Mikey, do try to pick up one of the discs. They are so funny you won't believe it. This is a brand new Mikey set, which includes all the old characters and some interesting new ones. Also, English dubbed Mikey!!
	Traning Mark Trunks Pants -- L Size. This is, uh, a rather deep joke. When you get your drivers' license, you have to put a magnetic sticker on your car called Beginner's Mark, to show other drives you're new at this. The text says, "Please use care and understanding with inexperienced people."
	A-one - Evangelion Hentai Special. This is a hentai artist named Izurumi, and boy, they are so good at what they do you'd think it was from Gainax. The artist has a major fetish for Asuka, so most of his amateur comics are about her.
	Fruit of Natsume -- Rio Natsume. This amazing busy idol from Japan seems unstoppable, She's got thousands of fans all over the world, and every time we post a new DVD of hers, we sell out in a day.
	Enzai - Falsely Accused. Soon after we started creating the market for English-translated dating-sim games, we started getting requests to do yaoi versions of the games. It took a while, but we finally found a company willing to work with us -- the popular Langmaor. The first two titles, which have stories that are just fascinating, are up for preorder. This is the first game that will come out, Enzai - Falsely Accused.

Okay, the last of the Otakon pics, then I'll move on to something else. This lady was lovely so I snapped her picture.

We had a belly laugh over this -- Lava Berry Explosion Pop Tarts. Here, Anakin, have some lava, it's good. Watch out, it's hot.

What would a convention be without a giant Domo-kun?

Back in Japan, in the place where all gaijin go to die, Akihabara. Here a gothic lolita girl hands out tissues or something (I couldn't pay attention to what she was hawking since she was so cute).

My wife and I are on a major 24 kick, as in, watching 6 hours or so a night because the show is so addictive. I've even started to drink Calorie Mate Jelly.