Japanese vs. American houses, and lots of fun with Japanese onomatopoeia sounds

(It looks like Wednesday's update had some trouble going out to everyone. If you missed it, please go to the J-List main page and scroll down to read it.)

There are many differences between my house in Japan and our home in San Diego. My Japanese house includes a large genkan (a lowered area by the front door to take your shoes off), a tatami room (for receiving guests, although it's usually cluttered with stuff), and a wide veranda (for hanging clothes out to dry, as Japanese don't usually use clothes dryers). There's no basement or attic, as these are difficult to build in Earthquake-prone Japan, and we lack central heating, too. Another big difference is the lighting in our house: while our San Diego home is lit with a variety of lamps and a few built-in spotlights here and there, almost every room in our Japanese house sports at least one oversized fluorescent light in the ceiling, which makes the room very bright. The Japanese are big fans of fluorescent lighting, due (I've heard) to the government promoting the use of low-energy lighting after an Earthquake in the 1970s caused gas and electrical fires. I prefer to have lots of light when I'm sitting in a room, and the Japanese have developed soft yellow fluorescent lights that are very pleasant.

It's fun to learn Japanese onomatopoeia, which come up in anime quite a lot and are very colorful. If someone guesses the correct answer to a question, you can say pin-pon! which is a verbal represenatation of the "correct answer" bell on game shows (it sounds like the English word Ping Pong, but is totally unrelated). The opposite of "pin-pon!" is a low-pitched buuu! buzzer sound. Animal sounds also have onomatopoeia assigned to them, and they sound different to Japanese ears than they might to us: nya nya, wan wan and "kero kero" correspond to "meow meow," "ruff ruff" and "ribbit ribbit." Instead of saying "moo moo," Japanese cows say moh moh, and one of the classic jokes in Japanese is to draw a cow saying something like moh yamete! ("please stop, already"), since the cow sound moh sounds like the word that means "already." I've seen quite a few political posters making use of this famous Japanese pun.

Similar to onomatopoeia, which are based on our perception of actual sounds, are gitaigo, words which sort of assign a sound to describe a state or action. If you go to the doctor because you've got a headache, he might ask you if it hurts gan gan (a pounding pain), jiito (a constant, slow pain) or perhaps zukin zukin (a throbbing). If you're very happy about something, you might use the word uki uki (OO-ki OO-ki) to describe yourself, but the feeling of frustration would be ira ira (EE-ra EE-ra). Japanese are very health conscious, and there are TV shows informing people what they should eat if they want their blood to be sara sara (smooth-flowing) instead of doro doro (thick and syrupy). These words often add information about how how an action is performed, for example, koso koso (sneaking around), kotsu kotsu (slowly, one step at a time) and giri giri (doing something in the nick of time). Don't worry, these won't be on the test.

J-List brings you our amazing Japanese T-shirts and hoodies, with cool messages printed in kanji. It's really cooled off, which means it's a great time for you to consider one of our high quality hoodies, soft cotton hooded sweatshirts that will provide plenty of warmth during the cooler months. By customer request, we've added a new hooded sweatshirt
to our lineup: sake-bito ("alcohol-person"), a parody of the famous Okinawan shima-bito ("island-person") shirt which could be translated as "I love alcohol" -- great for anyone who likes to throw one back now and again. Our hoodies are soft, warm and very well made.

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.

	Fascination ~ Natsuhi Ueno. Another lovely photobook, this is Natsuhi Ueno, whose first name is calculated to evoke "summer's day" (natsu no hi) I presume?
	Quality Look -- Strawberry and Soy Milk Cream. We just don't have enough chocolate covered strawberries with tofu cream in our lives, you know?
	Christmas Type Hidamari no Tami -- Limited Ver. A new limited edition Hidamari no Tami for Christmas, this is a great solar powered toy who will rock his head back and forth until the sun burns itself out. Quite a bargain!
	Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Kubrick & *Golden Ticket* Bearbrick 2 Piece Set. We loved Charlie and the Chocoalte Factory, and so did the people at Medicom Toy, since they've released a limited edition Willy Wonka and Gold Ticket Bearbrick.
	Japanese Hooded Sweatshirt "Sake-bito" (I Love Alcohol). I really like this kanji message -- it's stylistically pleasing and is amusing to everyone who sees it. This is a warm hoodie (hoody? never could figure out the proper spelling of that word) for those who want to keep warm this season.
	BLACK Impact ~ Origin Picture Fan Book. Very nice artbook by Azuki Kurenai showing his superb creations andd characters, and all in color. Azuki Kurenai is one of the top-selling manga artists in the history of J-List.
	Closed Room and Kiss and Sex -- Nana Natsume. Nana Natsume is the #1 indies adult video star in Japan these days, and looking at her perform, I can see how she'd attract a lot of loyal fans. She's really something, absolutely beautiful body with style, grace, and a real sense of sexuality.
	CFNM ~ Clothed Female Naked Male 19 (region 2). The CFNM series continues, featuring clothed females and naked males. It's great fun to see how the two sexes interact with the men are naked and shy and the women are laughing, touching and poking.
	SS ~ Small S vol. 2 Aug 2005. Small S is a magazine for artists by artists, and it's filled with some of the most incredible works. Lots of great creations by Japan's pro and amateur manga and doujinshi creators.
	Totoro Bento Box -- Morning Glory. Need bento? Here's a nice Totoro bento box that's got a nice illustration of the Chuu (middle sized) Totoro on it.
	2006 Nyanko Wall Calendar -- Cherry. When a normal wall calendar isn't cute enough, why not try this San-X plush wall calendar, featuring Nyanko cats that are so cute. After the year is done, you can put pictures inside for display.
	18 Prohibited Maid Story. The Japanese have always been fascainated with the concept of maid uniforms, and have engineered it into their Gothic and Lolita culture very nicely. Here's a new adult video from Soft on Demand

All about dogs and dog names in Japan, and many way to say "I like you" in Japanese

Yesterday was November 1, designated as Inu no Hi (ee-NOO-no-HEE), or Dog Day, the official day for dog owners and their pets, because 11/1 sounds like wan wan wan or a dog's bark. People here really love canines of all types, and it's quite common to see shoppers walking around with their "brand dogs" (famous breeds like Shiba Inu, Akita Inu, and Chihuahuas). Products that help you pamper your dog abound in Japan, right down to the Louis Vuitton Pet Carriers. The ranking for dog names in Japan, if you happen to be curious, is as follows:

10. Mocha
9. Sora (meaning sky)
8. Nana (meaning nothing in particular)
7. Rin (ditto)
6. Koko (ditto, just sounds cute)
5. Hana (flower)
4. Sakura (cherry blossom)
3. Marron (French word for chestnut)
2. Momo (peach)
1. Choco

Suki desu ka? One of the first useful words a student of Japanese learns is how to say "like" (suki), which is pronounced quickly so that it sounds rather like "ski," leading all students to immediately say Sukii ga suki desu ka? (Do you like to ski?), since the words sound similar. The word suki is often a student's introduction to the concept that a word or idea in one language might have many possible meanings in another language, depending on the situation. Right off the bat, suki can mean "like" (in the context of your favorite food or hobby) or "love" (when said in reference to another person). Like all Japanese words, there can be some ambiguity involved, which is the subject of more than a few melodramatic misunderstandings in anime or television dramas. "(I) like (it)" is Suki desu, and "Do (you) like (it)?" is Suki desu ka? Often Japanese speakers will fill in who is liking what (e.g. Boku wa ninjin ga suki desu, "I like carrots"), but it's usually too cumbersome to add all those words and grammatical particles when the person you're speaking to will understand what you mean anyway. Other phrases you might encounter include suki na hito ("a person you're in love with") and dai-suki (meaning "big like," for when you really like something), although guys should be careful about over-using the latter, since it tends to be onna-kotoba (language used by females). A couple of years ago I saw a variety show in which former JAV actress-turned-novelist Ai Iijima walked around New York, asking Americans Kyonyu suki? which sounds like "Can you ski?" in English, but is really asking if they prefer women with, er, shapely figures. It was funny to see the Americans on the show nodding their heads for the camera. Try it on your friends!

Mars is very close to the Earth right now, so I'm taking off early today, packing the kids into our Mazda Bongo Friendee and heading up to the mountains to visit the Gunma Prefectural Telescope, where we can go gaze at the heavens. See you when we get back!

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 -- Light of Beauty ~ Idols in Kimono. A nice calendar that's proven one of our most popular this year. Features lovely idols who usually wear sexy bathing suits, this time wearing kimonos.
	2006 Calendar -- Gackt. Gackt is one of the brightest stars in Japan's JPOP world, a very talented singer who also designs in his spare time. Enjoy this calendar before we sell out again.
	Cotton Swabs Moistened with Virgin Olive Oil (15 Sticks). We love to bring you wacky stuff from Japan. Here are cotton swabs that clean your ears with virgin olive oil. Smooth and satisfying.
	Compact Folding Stereo Headphone -- White ~ Elecom. A nice pair of headphones from Elecom, they are handy, fold up into a very small package, match the iPod, and sound great.
	Toy Story Baby Kub -- Medicom Toy. Babekub ("babe cube") is a breakaway line of toys from Medicom Toy's Kubrick line of block figures, the original block figures, actually. Very wacky and cute trio of Toy Story figures that should be of value to any collector.
	Camomile -- Reiko Suho. Reiko Suho is one sweet woman, and here is her hardcover photobook. A very nice example of the high printing quality that you find in these photobooks from Japan.
	Dreamy Days -- Yoko Kumada. Another popular lovely from Japan, Yoko Kumada is appearing more and more on TV, following in the footsteps of her senpai, Yuko Ogura.
	idog -- My pet loves music, too! iDog (or idog, they can't seem to make up their mind) is a cute little robot dog that dances, communicates with you through colors, and is generally fun to have around.
	Hiragana Times No. 224 Jun. 2005. One of the most popular magazines in our "reserve subscription" service, Hiragana Times is filled with bilingual article son contemporary Japan, with lots to learn, whether you read the articles in English or Japanese.
	Tekoki Air-Line. A new fetish from Japan, SOD taps the rich vein of stewardess uniform lovers and crosses it with fans of tekoki (hand job). Where do they get the airplane to film this?
	Thick and Strong Chopsticks for Men. We didn't name these chopsticks this, honest, it was printed on the package. These are really thick, hard, satisfying chopstick that are especially right for men. Trust us.
	Mr. Cook *Red* -- Puchi Kitchen ~ Display for Re-Ment Puchi Sample Series. For those who need even more detailed miniature kitchen toys from Re-Ment, we bring you Mr. Cook, a cool replica of a sink and cupboards that you can open and store all your cool miniature food, plates, cups, and cleaning supplies in.
	White Christmas Asuka I know, you can't believe they've made yet another pair of Rei and Asuka figures. Well, this time it's Rei and Asuka dressed as beautiful Christmas bunnies, and the figures are really outstanding. Put them next to your Rei and Asuka Tennis and Rei and Asuka Ninja figures.
	White Christmas Rei Ayanami Rei's figure. Incidentally, if you'r an Eva fan, do consider playing Season of the Sakura, a classic bishoujo game that's basically built from Evangelion, Rayearth and an anime from the mid 90s called St. Tail.

A picnic up in the mountains. Our car is a Mazda Bongo Friendee, which is a really cool sort of MPV which has a top that opens up.

Us having our lunch in our car.

My son eating his bento. You can buy bento at convenience stores, which is quite convenience.

Trying to photograph my wife through the "communication hole" between the top section and bottom.

Halloween in Japan, some funny Japanese English words, and all about Daylight Savings Time

Happy Halloween from all of us at J-List. Yesterday was the big Halloween Party at my son's experimental elementary school, where 70% of the classes are taught in English although the school itself follows the standard Japanese curriculum. Despite the fact that all the students are Japanese and Halloween is a very foreign idea here (the Japanese love of cosplay notwithstanding), it was a big success, and all the kids had fun dressing up in various costumes. When my kids were younger, we made a special trip to the U.S. in October so they could experience an American-style Halloween, and they just loved it. Somehow the school managed to rustle up some orange pumpkins (which are usually hard to find in Japan, as the Japanese idea of a pumpkin is green and squash-shaped) and the kids got to carve them. My son smelled that oddly sweet smell of candle-burning- pumpkin-flesh and declared that this smelled like America to him (kind of like the smell of Mr. Bubble bubble bath). I'm happy to report that my son, who was dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi, won the award for best hand-made costume.

Language is a fluid thing, and every country makes use of words that suit its particular needs and sensibilities. Often I've encountered "English" words in Japan which didn't make any sense to me for one reason or another, and it took me a while to remap the words in my mind. A person's fanny will often be referred to as the hip in Japan, while a woman who is well-endowed is called glamor (guramaa), which always sounded like the word grammar to my ear (quite unrelated). Like the British, the Japanese use the word "muffler" to describe what you wear around your neck to keep warn in the winter, what I'd always called a scarf. If it's hot out, you turn on the cooler (also known as aircon), and if you need to dial a # key on your phone, be sure and hit the "sharp" button (as in musical notation). When reaching for a screwdriver, you can choose between minus (regular) or plus (Phillips), which is quite logical, really. If you park your car so that it blocks your neighbor's driveway, he might come over and claim (kureemu) -- somehow the English word claim shifted slightly in meaning, so that it now refers to verbally complain about something. A mansion is Japanese-English for an apartment or condominium that is owned, not rented. And if you practice dema you are spreading lies about someone (from the English word "demagogery").

If you're in North America you probably set your clock an hour back on Sunday. Most people grumble about having to remember to set their clocks forward and back in the spring and autumn, this isn't a problem in Japan, the only industrialized country that has not adopted the Daylight Savings Time system in one form or another. Instead, we have to deal with the other extreme -- if I stay up past 3 a.m. watching Japan's bizarre late-night TV, I often have to fall asleep while ignoring the sun lightening the sky outside, which isn't much fun.

Calendar season is in full swing at J-List, and we've currently got over 200 great 2006 Japanese anime, JPOP, bikini idol, sports, and other calendars on the site. As usual, this year the anime calendars lead the pack, with the always popular Studio Ghibli 2006 Calendar (which includes twelve fabulous *all original* illustrations from Hayao Miyazaki's films) again our top seller. Other hit anime calendars this year are Mahou Teacher Negima, Howl's Moving Castle, and all the Naruto calendars. On the JPOP scene, Gackt is in the top spot, followed by Aya Ueto, and the always-cute Morning Musume. For our "beautiful women of Japan" category, Idols in Kimono is the surprise hit, followed closely by Yuko Ogura, Reon Kadena and Misaki Itoh. Finally, our "impressions of Japan" calendar category are very popular this year -- top sellers are Japanese Heritage (traditional scenes of Japanese culture), Haruyo Morita's amazing contemporary kimono girls, and Garden of Four Seasons and Castles of Japan.

Remember, you can easily check the top J-List products using any RSS reader via our XML/RSS feed, which is a very handy way to watch your favorite websites to see when they've been updated. The links to the J-List/JBOX feeds are along the left side of the screen.

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.

	Domo-kun Stuffed Toy -- Large. This is the "really big" Domo-kun, as in, the one that's so big, most kids can't even pick it up. It's a great large sized plush that will forever change whatever room you put it in. Back in stock!
	Dengeki Layers vol. 7. The new issue of Dengeki Layers, the popular magazine for all fans of cosplay in all its many forms. Filled with example pictures of really good Japanese anime costumes, for all fans.
	P:Chara -- The King of Fighters ~ Pinky Street. A new set of Pinky:St., aka Pinky Street, characters from King of Fighters. I am really fllored by how good these look, and hope we see more similar items in the future!
	Miniature Shuki Set -- Tokkuri & Ochoko. This is a miniature sake set that you can enjoy making atsukan -- that is, heated sake drank hot -- with. Looks very nice, too.
	Pop Palvo Mouse -- Astro Black *Medium* ~ Elecom. A really nice mouse series from Elecom, one of Japan's top computer peripheral makers. These mice are very nicely detailed, are just the right size, come in many colors, and don't need drivers with Mac OS X or Windows.
	Shall We Do Cos & Fetish Play? ~ Cosfechi Play wo Meshiagare. A nice new manga from Hiroshi Kodaira, this is sort of Halloween themed because of the costume aspect (well, I admit that I'm probably stretching this point a bit). This is a darned nice H manga.
	Charm -- Sayuri Anzu. Sayuri Anzu is a startlingly beautiful model from Japan, one of those women who looks better in a cowboy hat than Roy Orbison. Enjoy her new photobook.
	Muse ~ Megami -- Yume Kotoku. Another nice photobook from Japan, this is the great hardcover offering of 19 year old Yume Kotoku. Her glossy photobook is really beautiful to look at.
	More and More -- Sola Aoi (Sora Aoi) with DVD 90 min. Aoi Sora is one of the top adult video idols in Japan becasuse she's so beautiful, yet is pure and simple in a girl-next-door type of way. I wish I had her in my ESL class back when I was teaching English. I'd really work on her oral skills.
	Air Crunky Chocolate -- Green Tea. If the term "Crunky" doesn't drive you a little bit insane, congratulations. This is Air Crunky, that is, Lotte's chocolate that's"puffed" with rice inside, so it's sort of like Nestle Crunch. Only it's green, since this is green tea chocolate instead of regular chocolate.
	Dokodemo Issho Rubick's Cube Mascot *Green*. Dokodemo Issyo, which means Always With You, is a popular Sony character from some of their Playstation games. Now it's a phone strap, which comes with a really spiffy Rubik's Cube too.
	Z Gundam 1 ~ A New Translation - Zeta Gundam First Movie. Ah, a great item for old school Gundam fans -- the first Zeta Gundam movie, which tells the first third of the best story of the famous Sunrise series. You will love breathing in the new character designs!

Son hanging out with his friends

Pretty pathetic haul by American standards. I told the kids there how I used to take a pillow cover and fill it with candy, since it was the only thing sturdy enough to avoid ripping.

Kazuki won the contest for best hand-made costume!

Wow, what a great costume, I thought, seeing this mother with a Thing 1 shirt on. I am a bit Seuss fan. Sadly, it was just a shirt she bought somewhere.

Sometimes a single TV commercial can make long-term waves in Japan's culture. These horses are a reference to a TV commercial for some product (I can't remember what it was) that showed back in 2001 or so. They look really good...