All about New Year's Eve and Oshogasu in Japan, the big Kohaku TV event, and a New Year's Card from us!

Hello again from J-List, where the country is preparing to say goodbye to the current year and ring in the new one. Dec. 31st is a busy day as people rush to get everything ready for the New Year, buying food to make traditional dishes called "osetchi" that are made to keep for several days so housewives can take a break from cooking during New Years, and buying various decorations for the home. It's customary to eat Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles on the last day of the year, believed to help everyone enjoy long lives, and December 31st is the busiest day for restaurants that serve noodles. But the most important activity that takes place on New Year's Eve is watching Kohaku, the Red and White Song Battle, an annual live show put that's been put on by NHK every year since 1951 in which female singers (the red team) battle male singers (the white team) to see which side can put on the more extravagant performances. The Kohaku show is "the" music event of the year, a veritable institution in Japan's music scene, and virtually every top star will be there from Ayumi Hamasaki to Kumi Koda to Orange Range and enka great Saburo Kitajima (I always make sure to catch his slot). After the Kohaku show ends at 11:45 pm, NHK shows solemn images of people making their way to beautiful Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples and Christian churches (and maybe a mosque?) to do hatsu-mode (ha-tsu MOH-day), the first prayer for good luck and happiness of the New Year, overlaid with the sound of beautiful bells until the display flashes "0:00," letting you know the New Year has arrived.

January 1st is a day to sit home and relax, reading through the New Year's Cards that arrived and eating mikan oranges while putting your legs inside the kotatsu to keep warm. Or you could turn on the TV and watch the New Year's Day Marathon, which through another inconceivable coincidence is held in our city, with a route that takes the runners right by our house (we get on TV a lot, considering how boring our city is). In the afternoon it's off to the Shinto shrine to pray for good luck, health and happiness. This year my wife is yaku-doshi, an unlucky year according to some Japanese tradition or another, so we'll probably be skipping our usual Shinto shrine (the one with 108 cool Japanese arches that you walk through to get to the shrine itself) and visiting one that specializes in neutralizing bad luck years. Then we'll go visit our favorite relatives, my wife's uncle, the one who fought in World War II and saw the Yamato sliding out of port as it went off for its final mission. I love to get him to talk about the old days when my kids are there so they can know how much things have changed. (Speaking of New Year's Cards, here's ours. Print it out, secure in the knowledge that you got yours before anyone in Japan did, as we were late getting them out the door.) It's the end of another year, our tenth since starting J-List, and looking back, I couldn't be more pleased. We've brought a slice of Japan to hundreds of thousands of people through my "Postcards from Japan" emails, and shipped tons of cool products to those not fortunate enough to live in this fascinating country. We've encouraged many to learn more about Japan, either through our Japanese language textbooks and other study aids or through many more indirect means. We've always loved the slogan "World Peace Through Shared Popular Culture," and we like to think that our efforts to make Japan more accessible to people all over the world. J-List plans to make 2007 our best year ever, with lots of new products to delight you and help you come closer to Japan. And so we say from the bottoms of our hearts, kotoshi mo yoroshiku, which roughly means "thanks in advance for your friendship and support this year, also." Right now the J-List page is stocked with more than 3000 cool products from Japan, from kanji T-Shirts and hoodies to anime calendars to bento boxes to wacky things that you probably don't need, but are cool anyway (samurai sword keychains come to mind). You can view the products updated in the last 3 days easily with our 3-day update link, browse all products on the site in order of update, of course view each product category separately, or even browse using our zippy Text Tree Mode. Why not visit J-List now and see what new things we've gotten in for you recently? Thanks again for a great year, and you'll see lots of us in 2007! 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 - Girl & Mona Neko Cats - Fitted Girl's (Pink Limited). We have a new limited edition Mona Neko T-shirt in stock too, for the girls.
	2007 Calendar -- Domo-Kun. The Domo-kun calendar is on its last legs, with less than 5 in stock now. I'm just sayin'.
	Domo-kun Stuffed Toy -- Medium. This is the most popular Domo-kun item ever carried at J-List, but all stock of these puppies is limited to what we've got on hand as they're out of production. Avoid "Hello Kitty Vibrator Syndrome" by buying yours now, since we will be running out sometime in 2007.
	Yin-Yang! X-Change Alternative. Remember, the totally popular new PC dating-sim game is posted, Yin-Yang!, featuring great characters, story, and futanari.
	The Sagara Family . You know, if you are interested in PC dating-sim games, you can't do better than The Sagara Family, a fabulous game with every aspect of the genre covered. Why not buy the download edition today?
	2007 Calendar -- Yuko Ogura. Yuko Ogura is the #1 sexy model in Japan, and she's 24 or 25 years old despite her pouting, young look. Enjoy her amazing calendar before it's gone.
	Megami MAGAZINE Reserve Subscription. Every month we get in the new issue of Megami Magazine, filled with anime posters and other goodies for you. One of our most popular magazine subscription items.
	High School Uniform skirt (summer skirt). J-List has been the exclusive partner of Matsukameya of Nagoya for years, and their authentic high school uniforms -- as in, the real deal -- are second to none. We've *never* gotten a single negative comment from our customers who have bought these great uniforms, which makes us happy.
	Hiragana Times Reserve Subscription. I've always been amazed at how popular this magazine is withour magazine subscription readers. It's a great way to stay on top of Japan, with articles in both languags.
	Socks Glue "Pita" for Loose Socks. Glue your loose socks to your leg for that special "kogal" look.
	Japanese Setta LL-Size -- Black Hanao ~ Rubber Cushioned Sole . Beautiful Japanese leather sandals for large gaijin feet.
	2007 Calendar -- Tonari no Totoro. What a great way to cheer yourself up in 2007 -- a super Totoro calendar!
	Japanese T-shirt "Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend". What can we say? This is our most popular Japanese T-shirt. Ever. And it's even helped our customers get Japanese girlfriends from time to time!
	Authentic Japanese Super Loose Socks ~ 120 cm . Looking for authentic loose socks from Japan, the kind high schools wear? Look no further!
	Seven Samurai Figures -- Black & White Ver. ~ Full Set *Set of 9*. Dude, a set of Seven Samurai Figures, with a figure of Akira Kurosawa too!
	"O-Tachi" Long Samurai Sword Keychain -- Silver. Life would be less interesting without these little samurai sword keychains.
	Namco Figure w/ Sound -- Set of 6 *Full Set* ~ Dots. Cool retro video game toys.

This was our day to go see some waterfalls in Guam, no doubt billed as the Niagara of Guam in some Japanese tour guide, and see the famous Yokoi Cave, where "Hero Yokoi Shoichi Soldier" waited 28 damned years after the end of World War II, sure that the war was still going on.

This is a picture of his cave. Bloody guy was smart, using bamboo in his cave to absorb moisture, making a chimney for smoke to exit.

Commemorative plaque.

A beautiful Buddhist shrine someone had created, in memory of Mr. Yokoi and his two comrades who stayed with him for many years, but who died before being discovered.

Here is the cave. Pretty funky to see it for reals.

Another picture.

The other highlight of the place (other than some rides that were so laughable we didn't go near them) was a little history museum that showed the history of Guam, from the visit by Magellan, abuse by Spain for hundreds of years, the island's becoming a U.S. territory after the Spanish-American War, invasion by the Japanese, and re-invasion by the U.S. in 1944. Dig this seppuku action.

They had a good gift shop. I was compelled to get his for my son.

And for the record, the Japanese are bad at English, but other folks are bad at Japanese. This sign is terrible, advertising "Ice Cake" (whatever that is) and mis-writing the word for shaved ice. Course the English was universally bad here too.