Japan and its paper doors, young people who imitate James Dean, and bilingualism tricks with kids

Japan's come a long way from the classic image of "paper houses," but paper is still commonly used in modern Japanese homes. Shoji are sliding wooden doors with paper glued to them, allowing you to separate rooms and provide privacy and insulation. The doors slide sideways, so they don't take up any room in cramped houses, and they bring a healthy Japanese touch to any room, even western-style ones. Shoji have a tendency to turn yellow when they get old, so every few years you should replace the paper. Tearing the paper off the doors is just about the funniest thing in the world, and our kids are all too happy to help us do this when called upon. The shoji paper market is quite large, with many different companies competing to sell you the best paper for your shoji doors. Variations include shoji that are hard to tear (they've got cotton fibers in them), shoji you can hang by just running an iron over the paper, and shoji with various interesting patterns woven into the paper.

When I first got to Japan, I had an interesting experience: while sampling the local "Kentucky" I saw two high school girls standing around smoking and trying to look tough. They noticed me, and one boasted, "We are furyo!" I didn't know the word at the time, but the joy of kanji is that you can often understand concepts by working out what the characters would mean when put together. Fu is "not" and ryo is "good," and the combination (pronounced foo-RYOH, in kanji, 不良) means "bad" in a juvenile delinquint sort of way. From the rockabilly boom of the last decade to the more ominous boso-zoku street gangs who drive down the street on motorcycles modified to be extra loud and annoying, a lot of Japanese young people seem to be dedicated to this James Dean-esque idea of acting tough, of rebelling against mainstream Japanese society by smoking, cutting school uniform skirts very high, and (gasp!) dying their hair brown. Another word for these mostly-harmless street punk types is yankii (YAHN-kee), which is often thought to be related to the word "yankee" (because of their "American" colored hair), but it actually comes from a word in Osaka dialect. Whenever there's a Japanese festival you'll see these tough-looking kids out in force, standing around in their funny baggy clothes and looking vaguely scary. I used to make a point of approaching them and starting improptu English conversation classes with them, since their shy reactions when asked to speak English were priceless.

It's funny, the way children pick up language. As my kids were growing up, I spoke English to them, although they'd usually speak Japanese back to me despite my efforts to pretend I didn't understand. When we'd go to the U.S., my kids would get a real dose of English from the other family members, and (being kids) would double their vocabularies every day. One day when my son was about four, I asked him, "Would you mind if I went to dinner with your Mom tonight?" I intentionally used a phrase using "mind," which is the bane of Japanese people since you have to answer "no" if you mean "yes" and vice-versa, to see if he understood the question. To my surprise, he knew about this and answered me correctly ("No, I don't mind, you can go"). Somehow the kid had internalized a difficult grammatical structure that still torments his mother from time to time.

We've got a new treat for people who'd like to learn how to draw anime or manga-style art: the here book, a really well-done book with lots of articles on how to improve your art, use tools like Photoshop to color, and really build your own style as an artist. We've got it on the site as a downloadable item -- it's really great!

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.

	Million Land (DVD 150min). Million has published a magazine w/ DVD of their best scenes from 2005.
	Megami Magazine vol. 64. Anime fans, if you don't know Megami Magazine, by all means try one of these single issues before you go for a subscription. It's the to-die-for anime magazine, filled with posters and other good stuff.
	Art of Otaku - How to Draw Anime. A nice e-book that you can download which will teach you how to draw and develop as an artist. We liked it so much we now distribute it for the authors ^_^
	Moe Cos Twins. More fun with Airi and Meiri, two real twin sisters who are appearing in an adult film together. Kinda makes you want to ask their parents, WTF???
	Mejiri -- Mihiro. The lovely Mihiro is just about the top name in the AV world (which means "adult video" in case you're confused). She got there by being smart and keeping her legs closed until she built up so much popularity with fans that she could make the career change successfully.
	Obscene Wife ~ Boin Tsuma. Nice erotic comic from Japan, by Daisuke Sawada.
	Happy Tanuki Green Tea Cup w/ Lid ~ Black. We've been carrying a lot of really nice porcelain green tea cups and other items -- this is one of the coolest, a special cup with lid that's a traditional Japanese taniki raccoon!
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 26. The only thing better than hentai manga, is hentai manga that you can understand the stories in.
	Please, Neighbor! ~ Onegai Otonarisan! . Amano Jack (which means someone who is "going my way" or who lives life without concern for what others think) is the premier "futanari" artist in Japan today.
	Sakura "Koban" 2 Tier Bento Box -- Pink. A really cool bento box with sakura coloring, great for Spring.
	JAPAN As It Is ~ Nihon Tate Yoko. Another "bilingual book" with Japanese on one side the English on the other. A very interesting book with articles on Japanese history, culture and traditions.
	Lotte Strawberry Crunky Chocolate. Crunky, by Lotte, is the oddest name of a Japanese candy product I can think of. Well, I forgot about Melty Kiss.
	Omamori Kewpie Netsuke *Red* -- Limited!. The perfect blending of a Shinto good luck charm and a kewpie doll.
	Key Chain Style Portable Ash Tray -- Mikaeri. I've never seen these in the U.S. but they're little metal ashtrays that you can use to keep your ashes and cigarette butts from dirtying nature. Smokin' clean, baby, smokin' clean!
	Yura Yura Unazukin -- Individual Box. New item for Unazukin fans. They're so cute!
	Doraemon Ring Watch. Um, this rocks -- a little "ring watch" that you can put on your finger (or bookbag, or phone). It's a functional watch!

The buzz around Horie's arrest, Horie as a "standing nail," and info on Japanese names

Japan is all abuzz about the arrest of entrepreneur Takafumi Horie and his staff on investor fraud charges. A highly visible public figure, Horie (pronounced ho-ree-EH) is the Michael Dell-esque Japanese businessman who dropped out of the prestigious Tokyo University to start a website-creation company that would grow into Livedoor, a sprawling Yahoo clone with more than 50 businesses. In open emulation of American business practices, Horie grew his empire by acquiring other companies, and even launched an almost unheard-of hostile takeover bid for control of Fuji TV. Clearly a member of Donald Trump's "brand yourself and toot your horn" business philosophy, he was a regular fixture on television, and wrote books that were very influential with the younger generation.

A core concept that any pop Japanologist needs to know is the often-quoted- by-gaijin-who-are-experts-on-Japan phrase deru kui wa utareru (DE-ru KOO-ee wa oo-TAH-reh-ru), which translates as "the standing nail is driven." This describes the tendency of Japanese society to react unfavorably to those who don't conform as they should, and force them back in line -- individuals who stick out too far are "hammered down" and put in their place. The term certainly applies to Horie, who would meet high-ranking Sony executives while wearing jeans and T-shirt and who openly showed his lack of respect for established "old Japan" media companies. Horie-shacho was arrested under suspicion of various degrees of book-cooking, including announcing the purchase of companies whose shares he'd already bought secretly, to profit when the stocks then rose in value. While certainly no Enron-grade scandal, it's enough for Japan's Big Media to give him the smack-down they've been saving for him for some time. Unfortunately the scandal has caused a big drop in the market here (which has been termed "Livedoor Shock").

You may be familiar with the fact that, in Japan, family names are used before first names -- therefore the famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa is known as Kurosawa Akira here. It can get confusing when you're switching from English to Japanese and back again, and once you get used to names being said one way, it feels very odd to go and reverse the order. The whole name order thing is all made even more confusing because of the fact that Westerners don't usually get their names reversed, so that I am Peter Payne even in Japanese (not Payne Peter). Even some Japanese use the English order for names, if they want to go out of their way to emulate stars in the West and sound kakko ii (cool): there's an action star in Japan who grew up in the U.S., and he goes by the name of Kane Kosugi just to sound like a gaijin.

Some bugs crept into our RSS feed, which allows you to track the newest products on J-List or JBOX.com using any RSS-reading application. We've gotten the problem fixed though, and both feeds are back up. The link for the feeds can be found along the left side of our website main page.

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.

	Sabra 001 Jan. 2006 with DVD. Another nice issue of Sabra. I'd forgotten how good Chinatsu Wakatsuki could look when done up right.
	Gothic Lolita Bible vol. 19. Newest issue of Goth-Loli Bible, the always cool magazine that created the gothic fashion boom in Japan.
	Sharapova first photobook. Maria Sharapova is a big hit in Japan, and it's not hard to see why -- bright smile, beautiful blonde hair, sexy body. She has all the bases covered. As a sometimes-San Diego resident I liked the scenes of Maria decked out in a Charger's uniform.
	Debut! -- Yui Ikawa. Yui Ikawa is the latest offering from Soft on Demand, and we think she's really lovely. See her very first time in front of a camera in this new release.
	Could you take a hot spring with only a towel? 4. Another bizarre idea from Soft on Demand, poor girls are made to go into the men's bath (onsen, or hot springs) wearing only a towel. Naturally the naked men inside perk up at this.
	Keroro Puppet *Green* -- Keroro Sergeant. Sergeant Frog, aka Keroro Gunsou, is an alien frog who has come to invade the Earth. This is a very well made frog puppet (with his two sidekicks) that you can play with or display.
	Hello Work ~ Feasts of beautiful Office Ladies. New manga about Japan's long-running OL fetish (OL = "office ladies").
	Giant Lucky Cat w/Five Petit Lucky Cats No.7143. A "really big" Lucky Cat figure with mini Lucky Kittens to go with it.
	Getting Along with the Japanese. This is a book I recommend for anyone living in Japan, or planning to live here. Very good, sold info all through, although maybe a bit much for those only just curious about the ins-and-outs of Japanese politeness and culture.
	"Vinegar is Good For Your Health" Soft Candy. My wife still gives me a glass of vinegar (with water, of course) after dinner. Now you can know the joy of a vinegar-based lifestyle, too!
	Aerobica - Tobacco Package Chocolate. A wacky item indeed, this is a box of tobacco that are really made of chocolate.
	Kitty Mini Stickers -- Red. Another cool item -- retro Hello Kitty stickers for your retro Hello Kitty life.
	Khaki "Kasuri" Noren. Another noren (noh-REN), a handy curtain you can use to divide rooms.
	Triple Lucky Cat Strap. More Lucky Cat goodness, this time in the form of a phone strap. Pretty cool.

Shinto funerals vs. Buddhist ones, what to wear to a funeral, and the three ages of anime

I attended a Japanese funeral over the weekend, after when the father of a friend passed away at the age of 84. Japan can be a very death-centric place, and when a person goes to that ramen shop in the sky there's a complex rulebook of customs that automatically kicks in, letting everyone know how to act as they express their grief and condolences to the bereaved. This funeral threw us a curve ball, however, since it was a Shinto ceremony rather than Buddhist. As a general rule, the Japanese intermingle these two traditions over the course of their lives, tending to turn to Shinto rites for happy events like baby christenings and the first prayer of the New Year, and solemn Buddhist ones for funerals and ceremonies remembering the dead. A Japanese wedding, when it's not done Western-style, is always Shinto -- think of Arnold's wedding from Happy Days, if you remember back that far. Shinto funerals stress happier images of the deceased's life, make use of evergreen plants as an icon of returning to nature, and play a beautiful Japanese instrument called the sho. Since Shinto funerals are far more rare then Buddhist ones, my wife and mother-in-law (to say nothing of me) weren't sure how to conduct themselves, when or how many times to bow, which was to hold the little camellia leaf they handed out, and so on. As at most such events in Japan, money was involved, with an old 10,000 yen note presented in a special envelope for this purpose, to help the family copy with their loss. You have to use an old bill though -- giving new, crisp money implies the death was anticipated, which is very rude in Japan.

The "uniform" for formal events is the "reifuku" ("ceremonial clothes"), a standardized black suit that looks similar to a tuxedo to Western eyes. The reifuku is a great invention because you can wear it to weddings (with a white tie) or to funerals (with a black tie). There's never a concern for fashion, no worrying about what to wear -- just keep a reifuku suit in your closet and you'll always be set for any formal occasion.

Anime has been with us for a long time, and just like American comics, you can slice it up into different eras. The Golden Age of anime would be the true old-school classics of the 60s and 70s, from Atom Boy and Heide, Girl of the Alps up through the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, the first show where the characters were more important than the robots. Silver Age, it seems to me, would be the 80s, when anime grew in scale and took its place in the minds and hearts of fans all over the world. The Modern Age would be the 1990s through today, when anime truly arrived as a major worldwide industry, influencing everything from Hollywood films to video games. One of the first anime series to enthrall me way back when was Space Cruiser Yamato (aka Star Blazers), which featured fascinating characters that evolved as the story progressed to its conclusion. I'm honored to have a really cool item for Yamato fans -- a giant model of the ship by Bandai that you build in section.

J-List loves the Internet since it makes it easy for us to reach out and meet so many cool people who are fascinated with Japan. On the other hand, we hate one corner of the Internet -- Yahoo's free mail service -- for consistently failing to deliver mail properly to or from our websites, to say nothing of being a source of email scams. If you're using Yahoo's mail service, we highly recommend that you switch to Gmail, Google's reliable, free service. If you'd like us to send you a Gmail invite (which is required to get an account with Gmail), shoot us an email and we'll get one out to you right away!

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.

	Welcome to Max Airline -- Mihiro. Nice new release from Mihiro in the Max Airline series by Max-A. As you can surprise, there is a well developed stewardess fetish in Japan.
	Decamelon Sep 2005 vol. 15. Of all the Japanese fetishes, one I can kind of get behind is the OL thing, prim and proper office ladies with their uniforms looking just so.
	Super Beautiful Body -- Anri Suzuki (region 2). One of the things we have at J-List is a script that tells us what people are searching for, so we can bring you things you want to find. Out of nowhere, Anri Suzuki has shot up near #1 on our daily list. Here's her newest release from Moodyz!
	Uniform for Labor DX ~ Seifuku Deluxe. Cosplay and uniform fetish are alive and well in Japan.
	Zenra Illusion. Soft on Demand pioneered the "zenra" (all nude) series a decade ago, and they're still the best. Here's a new concept: Zenra Illusion, a magic show put on by real nude girls!
	Cat Ear & Hip Job. Cat Girls are big in Japan now, and this is a nice DVD exploring this important genre.
	Kera Maniax vol. 5. New issue of Kera Maniax, on the heels of the one we posted last time. Filled with really cool photographs of gothic outfits as well as general goth culture.
	Soujizukino Dekita Onna ~ Bakunyu Fullnerson. We've been carrying a lot of doujinshi, which are amateur-created comics that usually parody anime. This is one from a show I'm watching now, Emma, a cool show about a maid in England a century ago.
	Straight ni Koi Shite ~ Love Me Straight. There are hentai manga for every taste, and this one is basically a "lady-komi" (lady's erotic comic) created by a female artist for consumption mainly by female fans.
	Space Battleship Yamato Mechanic File -- Full Set *Set of 8*. Yamato fans, I present you with the coolest item you'll see in an age: a perfect replica of the Yamato that you put together piece by piece. Each part can be opened and inspected, and you have things like the Wave Motion Engine Room, the bridge, the Astro Fighter (Japanese title: Astro Zero) bay, and so on.
	A Practical Guide To Mimetic Expressions Through Pictures ~ E De Wakaru Giongo Gitaigo. There are many "mimetic expressions" in Japanese, similar to onomatopoeia, which are sound words that describe a situation. Learn them using this handy book!
	Ai Yori Aoshi Visual Collection. We are big fans of this anime and game (we have the Ai Yori Aoshi game in stock). This is a collection of illustrations from the show, with a giant poster for your wall, too.
	Unazukin -- White. More varieties of Unazukin, the little toy that nods (unazuku, in Japanese) or shakes his head when you talk to him. A cute little electronic friend!
	Darling Blythe. There's more cool Blythe pictures than you can shake a stick at in this new book of Blythe, the eerily cool doll that's so popular in Japan.
	White Mini Omamori (Lucky Charm) Strap -- Get Well Soon. More cool omamori, which are suitable for use as a phone strap too.
	Power of Coffee Candy. I love the name of this -- the Power of Coffee. It's a pleasantly strong coffee candy with 2x the normal caffeine.