The Japanese concept of "joshiki" (common sense), why there are rice fields everywhere in Japan, and would you pay $3500 to meet Michael Jackson?

One concept that's always interested me is joshiki (JOH-sh'kee) the Japanese "universal common sense" or knowledge that all reasonable people are supposed to possess here. The Japanese have a vast storehouse of this knowledge and it's one of the reasons why Japan seems to be such a harmonious place when viewed from the outside. Have a traffic accident? The insurance companies will work out the percentages of who was at fault according to guidelines the industry has established, so there's never a need for a lawsuit. Going to have a baby? Virtually all babies are born in traditional hospitals, and you almost never hear of alternate birthing methods. Quite a lot of people around the world have chosen a vegetarian lifestyle, but in Japan, it's joshiki that a meal will generally include meat or fish along with vegetables and white rice, and so there are almost no vegans here at all. When I go to the U.S. this summer, one thing that's on my list to do is straighten out my legal affairs and make a new will, something every family man should consider doing regularly. My wife was curious about why I needed to do this, though -- it seems that the Japanese common sense system covers death quite tidily, with all assets distributed in a logical manner, and there's seldom any cause for someone to have a written will in place.

A new Mediterranean-style restaurant opened near a built-up part of our city, so my wife and I went to give it a try. On one side of this restaurant was a bank, a convenience store, and a gas station. On the other side was...a large rice field with a farmer in it, busily preparing his field for the coming planting. Japan is funny that way, mixing industrial, commercial, and agricultural land in ways we wouldn't ever consider doing in the States. Even in Tokyo you can find agriculture going on in areas that seem way too urban to support it. Because there's only a little bit of land to go around, the laws that govern how you can use land are quite strict, and agriculture is given a special status. For example, the area where J-List is located is officially designated as agricultural land, only to be used for growing crops, except for certain circumstances such as plots of land that face the road or individuals building a business that contributes to society, such as a school. When representatives of companies J-List does business within Japan visit us, they're invariably surprised to see a high-tech IT business standing in the middle of fields of swaying rice, which definitely appeals to our rebellious nature.

Would you pay $3500 to see Michael Jackson? That's what several hundred Japanese fans did last night, attending a dinner with the former star and getting to talk with him briefly, and pose for photographs, and most of the attendees said it was a bargain for the chance of a lifetime. The former King of Pop arrived in Japan this week to the cheers of thousands of fans who had camped out at Narita Airport to greet him, and he was soaking all the attention up. He also made a surprise appearance on the popular TV show SMAP x SMAP, in which the five-member "talent" team cooks an exquisite meal on camera while they talk with the guest. You cant have a famous visitor to Japan without Queen of Movie Subtitles Natsuko Toda at his side, and she was there, translating for Michael and the SMAP members as they did their best to make him feel welcome in Japan.

As an dyed-in-the-wool old-school anime fan, I've had some pretty fun moments, from standing for the first time in front of the Studio Alta TV in Shinjuku to that first visit to Tokyo Tower, the icon featured in most every CLAMP anime. I've posed in front of the Shibuya 109 building, slept in my car so I could be among the first 5000 in line for the Comic Market, and even sung the Yamato theme song on the top of Mt. Fuji, in Japanese of course. Another event in my life as an anime fan came when we got the incredible Space Cruiser Yamato 1/350 scale toywe're posting to the site today in, one of the coolest items we've ever carried at J-List. A huge model of Japan's most famous battleship, it's loaded with features, from guns that move by remote control to a Wave Motion Gun that fires. Check it out now!

Remember that J-List has great PC dating-sim games you can buy, with many titles available as Internet Download Editions starting at just $24.95. We're extremely proud of the lineup of great games we've built, and hope you'll try this fun way of interacting with Japan on a new level. We've got games that are humorous and games with highly defined stories and even games that can make you cry. Check out our lineup of PC dating-sim games today!

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" (a yes/no verification screen will be displayed to filter products from our mature site). To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Yuru Yuru -- Hitomi Aizawa. Hitomi-chan looks wonderful in her hardcover photobook.
	Welcome to Max Soap -- Tina Yuzuki. Tina Yuzuku is incredibly popular at J-List. She's half Japanese, half-Portuguese, and all beautiful.
	Love Tights Delicious 4. For men who love women in dark tights.
	Road to Las Vegas -- Akane Souma, Yoko Kawahara. Two beautiful women on the road to Las Vegas. Great photography throughout.
	*Shinku (Pure Ruby)* ~ Rozen Maiden Traumend Puni-Cole *Preorder*. Rozen Maiden is a great anime about, well, gothic-lolita style dolls that are animated through some kind of curse. It's quite deep and explores Japan's current psyche even as it entertains.
	*Suiseisaki (Jade Stone)* ~ Rozen Maiden Traumend Puni-Cole *Preorder*. This is Suiseki, one of the most popular characters from the series. I love her eyes being different colors.
	Space Battle Ship YAMATO 1/350 scale Plastic Model. Wow, is all I can say. In ten years of running J-List, we've never gotten in a product with so much raw impact. I've got to get one of these for myself ^_^
	Drift Tengoku Reserve Subscription. Cool new magazine for fans of Japanese cars.
	Maritan's Concentrated Drill 2 ~ Maritan Shuchu Kaihei 2 Nensei ver.. Wow, this is fantastic/ Learn English with cute bishoujo characters. However, it's English that would turn your grandmother beet red.
	Ninja Sword Letter Opener. You need this ninja sword letter opener!
	Disposable DX Bamboo Chopsticks *40 pairs . Great chopsticks, made with environment-friendly bamboo, too. Plus they're easy to hold.
	Lotte Sasha *Sakura Flavor. Yum, sakura and chocolate, sounds delicious.
	Sesame Street -- Elmo Sepia Version. This is totally cool, a "Sepia" version of Elmo, the perfect collector's item!
	Sesame Street -- Cookie Monster Sepia Version. Cool "sepia" version of Cookie Monster, sold only in Japan.
	Hello Kitty Oil Absorption Paper *Retro ~ 50 Sheets. Remove oil and be kawaii with this nice item from Japan.
	Sakura Mayonnaise Cup. New mayonnaise cups for your bento life.
	Pocari Sweat Powder. An oldie but a goodie, this is the powder that makes real Pocari Sweat drink mix. Which doesn't, you know, contain any sweat, trust us.
	Genkai DNA - Limit DNA -- Yoko Matsugane. Yoko Matsugane is one hot lady. Thisis one of her most popular photobooks, back on the site after a while.