My son goes to a "juku," funny English the Japanese create, and various Halloween related stuff

My son has joined the millions of Japanese kids who attend a juku, the famous cram schools where students go in the evenings to take extra lessons. Actually, "cram school" isn't a very good term, since it implies students do nothing but cram for tests, when in fact my son just takes extra lessons in math, social studies, and his worst subject, kokugo (Japanese language). There are tens of thousands of these after-hours-and-weekend schools throughout Japan, with different reasons for the existence of each. Some just help students keep up with their normal classwork, effectively giving them a place to do their homework with a teacher's supervision, while others lay the groundwork for future academic achievement, eventually helping the student get into a high-ranking high school or university. My son mainly wanted to go to juku because his friends were going, but he also enjoys studying. One of the most famous juku systems in Japan is Kumon, which has quite a good track record for helping students raise their academic scores. Kumon has even successfully brought their study method outside Japan, with Kumon Learning Centers (there's even one near my house in San Diego).

Mastering Japanese involves learning hiragaka, katakana, and kanji, but you also have to re-learn some English, since the Japanese sometimes change the language beyond recognition. If you ask your boss for a raise, but he says no, it's "NG," which stands for "no good." A "blooper" on TV is also called an NG. The letter "W" stands for "double" to the Japanese, and there's a TV commercial for a video camera starring Maria Sharapova in which she says "W-OK" ("double okay"), referring to the fact that you can take still pictures and video at the same time. If you want to check your weight, ask for a "health meter" -- the English word "scale" is used in Japanese, but only meaning something's size in relation to something else, not as a way to check your weight. We're putting the finishing touches on an Obi Wan Kenobi costume for my son, and my wife emailed my mother in America asking how to fasten the "magic tape" (she meant velcro). If you want to tell someone to not worry about something, you can say "Donmai, donmai!" which comes from "Don't mind." Similarly, when someone is backing their car up, you can tell them it's okay to come back further by saying "Orai!" which comes from "Alright." Sometimes Americans are confused by strange English that's really British in origin -- for example, the Japanese call the hood of a car a "bonnet" just like the Brits.

Halloween is not too far away, and J-List would like you to think of us when looking for that perfect or wacky costume. In addition to adding some great new costume-themed products to the site today (see below), we've restocked popular items, such as the Hello Kitty kigurumi (full head) mask, the Jizou Buddha mask, the Shinto Shrine Maiden (aka Kikyo from Inuyasha) costume, our tattoo shirt that makes you look like a yakuza, our wacky "unchi" hat and more! Of course we recommend that you order them via EMS to make sure the items arrive in time. We also have excellent stock of Japanese candy if you want to splurge on something special for the neighborhood this year.

J-List works hard to bring you great original T-shirts with wacky designs on them. One of our favorite recent designs is our "Japanese words" shirt that presents fifteen educational Japanese words of cultural value. To compliment this shirt, we've made a new limited edition design which teaches you every "naughty" Japanese word you've ever wanted to know. The shirt is designed so that people who have no idea what the words mean won't be offended, but those who do will laugh their butts off.

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.

	Japanese T-shirt "Japanese Bad Words" - Standard. Ever wanted to know a bunch of "bad" words in Japanese? Well here you go, with the new J-List "bad words" T-shirt that tell you such naughty words as chikan (pervert on a train), manko (the female sexual oriface), 3P (manage-a-trois) and so on.
	S Cawaii - Super Cawaii Oct. 2004. In-stock issues of the popular fashion magazine S Cawaii, which is always filled with great pictures, great ads, and beautiful Japanese people like Amuro Namie (on the cover). This book is thick, with lots of good stuff to check out.
	Gentle Sex -- Toko Ushikawa. I've had a soft spot for Toko Ushikawa for the longest time. She's an attractive Race Queen, and this is her new hardcover photobook. It's a shame that the title, Gentle Sex (as in, the gentle sex) is lost on Japanese, who will only see it as "having sex that is gentle."
	Spiral-Wound Cotton Swabs (80 swabs) ~ White. J-List is a business, of course, and we've got to make a living at what we do. But we also love bringing great items like these to people all over the world. These things feel great in your ear!
	Godzilla Dream. If you are a Godzilla fan, if you've ever been a Godzilla fan, buy this book and figure set. It's really outstanding, a collection of the best monster models you've ever seen. The book also features Godzilla with Gamera, which is a rarity since the studios are different.
	Pinky St *Post Pet Ver* -- PKA006 ~ Pink Hair & Post Pet T-shirt. A very nice modern-day Japanese girl rendered into a cute figure. Why isn't Pinky:St. making more of a splash? They are so cool, and you can change their clothes (well, their bodies).
	Pink See-Through Sailor Uniform. Another fun item for Halloween, this is a pink sailor costume that's, er, rather see-through. Wear something under if, or don't, we don't mind.
	Ah Tokimeki no Classmate -- L Ah, My Heart Throbs For This Classmate (School Uniform Costume). Another fun item for this Oct. 31st, this is a high school girl costume. Not to be confused with the higher-quality Matsukameya costumes we sell.
	Golden Buddha Mask. Lots of Halloween stuff on the site today. This is a mask that looks like the Golden Great Buddha of Nara, the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world. Very cool.

Problems in Japan's business world, boneheaded moves by Seven-Eleven Japan, and all about futons

There's a fight brewing in Japan's business world, as investment fund Murakami Asset Management, the largest shareholder of the popular Hanshin Tigers baseball team, tries to take the team public. His goal is to allow Tigers fans to show their support by becoming shareholders, and of course earn his fund a nice return in the process. He's encountering significant resistance from the directors of the team, who don't want to see their crown jewel mishandled, and purist fans in Osaka are also angry about the cold world of business intruding on their love of baseball. The situation is similar to that of T-shirt-wearing president of Livedoor, Takafumi Horie, who had difficulties executing a leveraged buyout of Fuji TV, something that isn't done very often in Japan. The fact that there can be a controversy about something like this at all brings into question concept of "ownership" of a stock in Japan. The Hanshin Tigers won the Japan World Series this year and has been incredibly popular with Japanese fans.

In other business news, a staple of the Japanese retail industry is falling on hard times. Ito Yokado Group, the company that operates the national chain of department stores Ito Yokado as well as owning all Seven-Eleven and Denny's in Japan, has been having a bad couple of years. Sales at the company's flagship department stores have been falling, and 80% of the profit the $6 billion group earns comes from the 10,000 Seven-Eleven stores in Japan. There is nothing more finicky and hard to satisfy as a Japanese consumer, who demand both exceptional quality and low prices in everything they buy, and Ito Yokado is having a tough time of finding the right mix of fashion and value to delivery to its customers. It may be just me, but I think part of their problem might have to do with the boneheaded idea of changing the company name to "Seven & I Holdings" and replacing the famous dove logo on their department stores with the Seven-Eleven image. "Holdings" sounds like so much corporate felgercarb, and the idea of buying clothes from a building with a Seven-Eleven logo on the outside is just bizarre. Jack in the Box restaurants used to be operated by Ralston Purina, but if they put the famous dog food maker's logo on their restaurants, sales would fall pretty fast, I think.

Do you sleep in a bed or on a futon? Both are popular in Japan, although the trend is definitely towards Western beds among young people. Futons are sleeping mats large enough to sleep one person comfortably. They fold up into three sections for easy storage, and are useful to keep around when guests drop by unexpectedly -- just pull a spare futon out of the closet. Futons must be hung out to dry every few days or they'll accumulate moisture inside, which is unhealthy, and the Japanese believe the sun shining on your futon kills germs (they're certainly nice to sleep in after they've been hung out to dry). The Western "futon" is usually comprised of a large stuffed pad and a wooden frame, but like California Rolls, this is a completely made-in-the-the-West concept.

We've got another big volley of 2006 calendars in stock, with 40 or more anime, swimsuit idol, traditional and cultural, and men's calendars in stock and ready for your immediate order. Browse our stock right now!

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.

	2006 Calendar -- Michi ~ Proverb (1 Tube). This is always a popular genre of caendar at J-List -- beautfully written messages in kanji, which are great on many levels. This one has hiragana readings by the kanji, good for students who want to study.
	2006 Calendar - Nude Onsen Girls -- Lone Journey. Another popular calendar series is always the Nude Onsen (hot springs) Girls, and this year's is as lovely as ever. A great way to enjoy the beauty of a nude woman and Japanese culture at the same time!
	RED Impact ~ Origin Picture Fan Book. Azuki Kurenai is one of the most popular H manga artists in Japan today, and here is a nice new item: a color art book that's filled with his breathtaking characters.
	Fetish Romance ~ Fechi Romansu. When you are around hentai as much as I am, it becomes interesting to analyze the psychological aspects of these fantasies. Here's an H manga about women who are fawning over male characters, a very nicely done collection of fantasy stories.
	Lotte Original Crunky Chocolate. We all know there's some weird English to be found in Japan, but Crunky, a crunchy chocolate by Lotte, is up there with the best of them.
	Evangelion Star & Constellation Mini Figures -- Set of 4 *Full Set*. Set of four wacky Evangelion "Super Deformed" figures, including my favorite character, Hikari (the class president, or whatever iincho is in English.
	Mihiro photobook NAMA with DVD. Mihiro is back in a new nude photobook that's very nice -- see Japan's most lovely JAV starlet in a variety of great places and poses. And it comes with a 70 minute DVD.
	"Pata Pata" Tea Dog Mascot w/Chocolate Snack. Tea Dog (Ochaken) is a line of character toys based on types of tea (green tea, oolong tea, etc.), and here's a cute character mascot keychain for you. Comes with delicious chocolate cookies, too.
	Black & Semen -- Momo Iizawa (region 2). Moodyz continues their popular series that pits a Japanese girl against several big black guys from the U.S.
	Wa Zakka - Japanese Sundries -- Full Set *Set of 5* ~ Re-ment Puchi Sample Series. Another series of extremely detailed miniatures from Re-Ment, this is Wa Zakka, translatable as Japanese Sundries. Very cool series (full sets are in stock).
	Mizuho Kazami *White* Wedding Dress -- Onegai Teacher. Here is the lovely Mizuho Kazami dressed in her wedding dress, both long and "mini skirt" versions. She's pretty hot for an alien.
	Black 26.5cm Genuine Tabi (Ninja Shoes) . Among the wacky things J-List sells, we have authentic tabi, the boots with separated toes which were worn by ninja, and are worn by Japanese dykes, by which I mean daiku, which are carpenters.

December tests in Japan, my favorite place in my prefecture, and a cool Japanese artist

The month of December means many things: Christmas, spending time with loved ones, and what the Japanese call "shiwasu," that extra-busy two weeks at the end of the year when no one has enough time to do the things they need to do. December is also the month tens of thousands of foreigners will go to Tokyo or one of several other large cities in and outside of Japan to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (in Japanese, Nihongo Noryoku Shiken, 日本語能力試験). There are four levels to the JLPT, starting with level 4 (hiragana, katakana and around 100 kanji) all the way to level 1 (2000 "general use" kanji, along with listening, reading and grammar), and level 1 is what you need to get if you want to go to a Japanese university. I got level 1 a couple years after arriving in Japan, and it was nice to achieve that particular goal. I used to think of getting level 1 of JLPT was the ultimate goal a learner of Japanese could have, but I've had to revise this estimation as I encountered other challenges in the course of living in Japan. Currently, the most difficult thing I've had to do in Japanese is give the first (and longest) speech at the weddings of J-List employees, but one day I happened to witness what must truly be the ultimate test of a gaijin's Japanese ability, when I saw a foreign reporter asking a question of Emperor Akihito in Japanese at a press conference. Sadly, the poor gaijin didn't phrase his question well enough, and the Emperor had to ask him to repeat it in front of everyone. I could really feel that poor reporter's pain! (For anyone wanting to study for the JLPT, see our site as we have many resouces for you.)

Whenever I have friends visit from overseas, I take them to one of my favorite places, the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History, which takes visitors through the 50,000-or-so-year history of our little corner of Japan. Crane-shaped Gunma is located smack in the center of the main Japanese island of Honshu, and while the lion's share of the cultural points of interest can be found in the Kyoto/Nara/Osaka area, our prefecture can hold its own when it comes to stuff that's a little more old school. Back in the Jomon Period, when the inhabitants of Japan were using flint knives and making the first pottery, Gunma's culture was very strong, and a nearby town called Iwajuku contains the oldest human artifacts found yet in Japan. Gunma was also very big on burial mounds back during the centuries before Chinese characters were imported from Korea, and often as not, when you see a small hill in our prefecture it's really an 1800 year old burial mound.

I've always been fascinated by the art of Mitsuo Aida (1924-1991), who created beautiful poetry using Japanese calligraphy. He crafted his amazing works using Chinese writing brushes, making creations which are pleasing to the eye and which express Zen-inspired short observations and messages about life, the universe and everything. We've got the Mitsuo Aida Museum's 2006 calendar on the site right now and hope you'll consider this beautiful example of his unique art!

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.

	Panda-Z Giant -- Urban ~ Camoflage Ver. Is this not cool? A giant "block figure" of a Panda robot that is a parody of Mazinger Z (showin in the U.S. under the awful name of Tranzor Z). There's little Pantaron on top. Three colors to choose from!
	Running Neko Bus Music Box. A Neko Bus (Cat Bus) music box, from Sekiguchi. These are the kinds of things we like to carry, really special if you're a collector.
	Inu Yasha 1/8 PVC Figure. If you're a fan of Inu Yasha, this is your figure. It's a very large pre-painted PVC figure that really is cool.
	Radical Scanty 3 I really added this because the title is just so odd -- Radical Scanty? If you're a fan of 80s anime or manga you might check this out because the artist has been around for an age or two, and it's interesting to compare his art style with what's being m today.
	Macross Collection *Part 3* -- Set of 7 ~ Full Set + Rare Item. Yes! A new Macross toy series! Having cut my teeth on Macross, I am a big fan of the series, and am happy that they've made more figures, including some good ones from the first gen.
	Meiji Rich Fran -- Strawberry Chunk & Vanilla Milk. Fran is a Pocky variant from Meiji, which features chocolate over a tasty cookie stick. This version, Rich Fran, features two coatings of chocolate, in this case Strawberry and Vanilla Milk. Yum.
	Mini Sign -- Urinate Kid. If I can tell you one thing about Japan, it's that they are positively happy about Mannekin Pis, the famous peeing boy statue in Belgium. Here's a little plastic sign that tells people they're not allowed to do tachi-shon, which means peeing outdoors, here.
	Cob & Heen Burarin Keychain -- Howl's Moving Castle. A nice Howl's Movine Castle PVC figure of Kabu (the scarecrow that looks like an incarnation of Totoro to me) and the athsmatic dog Hin.
	Lain illustrations -- Yoshitoshi ABe. Wow! Despite having taken in hours of anime, I've never seen Lain, but I plan to fix this after seeing the Lain Illustrations book. It's just amazing. By Yoshitoshi ABe (sic).
	Bitter Honey -- Mitsu Amai (region 2). Enjoy some bitter honey with Mitsu Amai, whose name means Sweet Honey (thus making the name of this DVD somewhat confusing). Anyway, she's just beautiful, and looks great in this indies release from Waap.
	The Festival of the Fan Gratitude -- Madoka Kikuhara, Megu Hagiwara. Look at the girl on the right, Megu Hagiwara. Isn't she hot enough to melt you where you stand? This is a new "Magic Mirror Bus" release in which JAV stars travel around Japan and thank their fans for their support. Guess how they thank them?

What ordering a "tako" in Japan will get you, fun ways to learn Japanese, and our new kanji T-shirts

There are many interesting foods in Japan. One of our favorite treats is takoyaki, especially popular in the Osaka region. In stark contrast to the English word taco, tako is is Japanese for octopus; to differentiate the crustacean from the Mexican food, the Japanese always use the plural word "tacos" (takosu) for referring to the latter, even if they're talking about just one taco. Takoyaki are basically fried balls of batter that contain a piece of cooked octopus meat inside, painted with a delicious sauce. If you ever find yourself in Osaka, be sure to go to Otakoya, a takoyaki shop near the famous Glico neon sign in the Dotonbori area. Be warned though: you may have to stand in line for a couple of hours to be served -- that's how popular takoyaki is. Once in rural Japan we happened across a takoyaki vendor who decided to call his shop Tako Bell. My wife and I were completely floored with laughter at this unexpected sight. (Incidentally, we have some takoyaki making supplies on the site today.)

There are many ways to learn a foreign language: the Grammar-Translation method, the Communicative Approach, the Natural Method, Total Physical Response, and so on. Another time-honored way to learn a language is to "get attention" method, which I've labeled the Social Feedback Method to give it a cool-sounding name. Using this method, you learn enough phrases and words to passably communicate with the target group in such a way that you always get positive feedback, be it getting laughs from Japanese at a party, impressing cute Japanese girls, what have you. I had a friend who had taught English as a Second Language all around Asia, and he got incredible mileage from the phrase Shumi wa nan desu ka? which means "What is your hobby?" Another phrase you might try out is naruhodo, which means "I see" or "that's right" and implies having been convinced that the opinion of the person you're listening to has just made an impression on you. Another staple is honto (HONE-toh), which means "really" and can be used as a question (Honto?) or as an affirmation (Honto!). Another phrase that can be fun to know is "hen na gaijin" (lit. "strange foreigner"), but more on that below...

In Japan, instead of signing documents, you usually stamp them with a red "name stamp," called a hanko, that features your name in kanji, or in the case of a corporation, the company's name in kanji. While these name stamps can seem pretty odd to foreigners -- after all, what's to stop someone from stealing your stamp and taking all your money out of the bank? -- all in all the name stamp system seems to work pretty well. We've made two cool Japanese T-shirts that feature the unique name stamp design. The first shirt is for everyone who secretly wishes they had been born in Japan: Nihonjin ni naritai, "I Wish I Were Japanese." The second T-shirt features a phrase that all foreigners who come to Japan manage to learn within 24 hours, Hen na gaijin, "I'm a strange foreigner." Both shirts are in stock in standard sizes and ready for your order!

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.

	Totoro Door Melody. I was totally impressed by this item: a hand-made wooden Totoro that features beautiful strings and hammers that make a pleasant sound when you close a door. Very nice item from Japan.
	PSE Products #02 Trinode -- Range Murata. This is another high-end figure for fans of Range Murata, and I love it. To see his art is amazing, but for his characters to come alive like this is really a treat.
	Full of Love ~ Ai ga Ippai. A nice H manga by Sakyo Nakamura about a man with a magic touch, who makes women want him by touching them. Mmmm...
	Come in -- Megumi Kagurazaka. Dynamite photobook featuring Megumi Kagurazaka, which just drips with pure elegance in every photo. She's an I-cup if you follow those things, and looks remarkably like the cover of our bishoujo game, Gibo
	Japanese T-shirt "Hen na Gaijin" (I'm a Strange Foreigner). Our new name stamp T-shirt, which features Hen na Gaijin as a message. This is, for whatever reason, pretty much the first phrase that a foreigner who comes to Japan learns.
	Japanese T-shirt "Nihonjin ni Naritai" (I Wish I Were Japanese). Then there's a hanko shirt for people who secretly wish they'd been born Japanese, so they could read all those kanji and watch all that anime without having to struggle to figure it out.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 20. The new issue of Comic AG is in, and it looks great as always. Features lots of great H artwork and super stories that you can actually read, since they're all in English.
	Kit Kat -- White Maple Syrup *Japan Limited*. Kit Kat is popular in Japan, and they make some great flavors for the Japanese market that you can only buy here. This year's newest flavors are Cafe Latte and Canadian Maple Syrup. Yum!
	Takoyaki Maker w/Rolling Stick. I mentioned takoyaki today, and here is what you need to make your own fried octopus balls! Such fun!
	Kitsune Risu Kuta Kuta Magnet - Fox-Squirrel. Here is a treat, a "Fox Squirel" from Nausicaa (and also Laputa) that's really cute, which has a magnet inside him, allowing you to decorate your fridge, white board, etc. with him.
	Escargot Skin vol. 2. Talk about cool, this is a photobook containing the current state of the art of Gothic & Lolita in Japan today. Very nice photos, showing the interesting evolution of goth life.