Culture shock for foreigners coming to Japan, reflections on the Japanese word "nantonaku" and test culture as a Great Democritizer in Japan

When a foreigner comes to live in Japan, he or she is in for some changes. I remember my first hours in this country back in 1991, gazing out the window of the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo and thinking -- stupidly -- how the beautiful "kawara" tiles on all the houses made them look, well, very Japanese. My next bit of culture shock was seeing more vending machines in one city block than were installed in my entire university back home -- and that's not even counting the ones selling beer. Japanese homes are smaller than those in the U.S. and make use of space more efficiently, however this means that stairs tend to be steeper and much more dangerous if you have a fall. There are plenty of other large and small surprises for a gaijin moving to Japan. People riding bicycles while holding an umbrella over their heads, or using umbrellas in the snow. Toilets with a faucet in the top to let you wash your hands with the clean water as it flows into the tank. The strange custom of crosswalks to play "Comin' Through the Rye" when it's time to cross, as an aid for blind people. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is how used to Japan a person can get, a thought that occurred to me last night while I was sitting at the kotatsu wearing my yukata, enjoying a beer and some saki-ika, dried, shredded "squid jerky" that gets more delicious the longer you live here.

When you learn a language as different from English as Japanese is, you sometimes run into words or phrases that can't be easily translated from one side to the other. My wife, who is not mechanically inclined, bought an Alpine car stereo for her BMW but complained to me that it didn't have a CD player. It took me less than a full second to look at her stereo, guess that there must be a front panel that hides the CD slot, and verify this by pushing the panel out of the way, revealing the slot. "How did you know to do that?" she asked me, and I replied, "Nantonaku." This is a word that's very hard to pin down in English, and itself speaks volumes about how full of subtle nuances the Japanese language can be. Literally meaning "somehow" or "some way," nantonaku (pronounced NAHN-toh-NAH-koo) is used in vague situations when you can't pin down a concrete reason for something. It could be translated as "without thinking about it" "without deep consideration," or in the case of me figuring out my wife's car stereo, "I just knew." If you love movies directed by Ron Howard but aren't sure why, you might use the phrase "nantonaku suki," or if the dreamy art of Japanese illustrator Range Murata calms you, you might use the phrase in that situation, too. It's probably a word most Japanese wouldn't expect a foreigner to know, so if you want to surprise a Japanese person, try pulling out the word and watch the look of shock on their faces.

February is month of Valentines Day, when girls and women throughout Japan will be thinking about which chocolates to give to their boyfriends, husbands and fathers. It's is also the height of Juken Season, when millions of Japanese students will be taking their college entrance exams that will determine what university (for current high school students) or what high school (for current junior high students) they will attend. It's one of the most important moments in the life of a Japanese person, and students aiming for the best schools have studied for years in preparation. Japan has had a long tradition of requiring tests to gain admittance to universities, government jobs, and other high-ranking positions, and while the system isn't perfect, it's certainly better than letting the son of whoever has the most money or power get special treatment -- by and large, the tests are a real mechanism of Democratization here. Another benefit of Japan's test culture is the effect it has on young people, forcing them to set goals and really reflect on their education during some very impressionable and potentially dangerous years. I'm convinced all human beings have a "bad judgement gene" that kicks in between the ages of 16-22 or so, when young people will be compelled to do things that aren't in their overall best interests (apologies to young people reading this, who will insist that there is no such gene, but will then realize that I was right when they get to their mid-20s or so). Because of the focus on tests, a large number of Japanese are busy dedicating themselves to their studies when they might otherwise be out getting into trouble.

We've got a new wacky Japanese T-shirt for fans of Japan's "otaku" culture, a word which describes the current generation of fans of Japanese anime, manga and other forms of popular culture from the Land of the Rising Sun. Our new shirt features a replica of a sign visible in every train station in Japan, showing "Otaku" as the current train station, with O-Daiba (the area where the famous Comic Market doujinshi convention is held) displayed as the previous station and Akihabara (Tokyo's electronics and otaku culture Mecca) as the next stop. A great new kanji shirt design for otakus all over the world -- check it out now!

J-List sells a wide selection of Japanese dating-sim games for PCs in which your goal is to find the keys to unlock the hearts of beautiful girls. We're happy to announce that the upcoming Peach Princess release, YUME MIRU KUSURI :: A Drug That Makes You Dream, is in "heavy beta" testing now and is moving towards "golden master" status. A stylish game that explores Japan's modern society, you get to interact with the beautiful Mizuki (a good student who secretly hates herself), the mysterious Aeka (the transfer student with a strange secret), the popular and powerful Kyoka, the mysterious cat girl Nekoko Catseye, and more. Coming soon to a computer near you -- order now and get free shipping when the game is ready!

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.

	Bejean Sep 2006 vol. 155. Love to see a new issue of Bejean every month. This is fast becoming my favorite "H" magazine from japan...
	Japanese T-shirt - "Otaku Train Sign". Our newest T-shirt, featuring a cool "Train Man" style tribute to otaku culture.
	She-so... Rina Matsumura. This totle is really odd. It basically combines the word "seesaw" in Japanese with phrase "she so..." since this model is so, so...
	Anicos Japan -- Mihiro. Man, Mihiro is really cool in this new anime cosplay fetish release. She dresses up in some cool anime outfits, including Haruhi Suzumiya, Saber from Fate/stay night, and more.
	Mai ing 3+ ~ Maicching 3+. Um, wow, is all I can say at these Linda Project doujinshi we've gotten in. Don't delay if you want to grab one or more, since we only have a few of each.
	Fruits No. 112 Nov 2006. Cool, a new issue of Fruits for fans of Tokyo's hip grunge culture.
	Leviathan ~ Umi Gami. Really nice ero manga from one of Japan's top artists. Fabulous art inside, including tentacle themes, always popular.
	Fate/stay night Production Drawings ~ Gengashu. A nice artbook for the show, filed with all the production and design sketches from the anime.
	"Harumachi" Strawberry Chocolate. New treat for ichigo (strawberry) fans...
	Bleach Omikuji -- School Ver.. These are cool -- little figures for Bleach fans that you can put onyour phone, etc., and they also tell your fortune, or something like that.
	Rei Ayanami *School Swimsuits* Figure -- Evangelion. Rei-chan in elementary school mode. Or super deformed,I can't really tell.
	DX Monochrome Kitty Bento Box Set. New bento set for Hello Kitty fans. Added to the red one we posted last time.
	Kitty *Soccer* Band Aid -- Bukatsu Series ~ w/ Keychain Type Can Case. We've gotten in more of these cute Hello Kitty sports-themed keychains, which contain band-aids (yes, they're cute, too).
	Soryu Asuka *School Swimsuits* Figure -- Evangelion. Cool "chibi" version of Asuka.
	"Masu" ~ Sake Cup. Drink to your health with this square Japanese sake cup. Totally cool. Of course you can be boring and put stuff in it, too.
	Cinnamo Roll Mug Cup. Have the most kawaii coffee cup at the office.

More pictures from Japan, just for you, Dear Reader. This is the view of Asama-san, just about the biggest volcano in the Kanto area, as srrn from our balcony in Karuizawa.

Testing the zoom on my new digital camera. Yes, that's smoke rising from the cone.

Daughter Rina enjoying some snow.

Japan's "Strawberry Boom" is in full swing!