The history of family names in Japanese, why there are so many last names in use here, and the Japanese connection with Auld Lang Syne

Names in Japanese are quite different from what we're usually used to in the West. Right off the bat, the family and given names are reversed, so if you're going to talk about "kawaii" bikini idol Yuko Ogura in Japanese, you'd need to get used to calling her Ogura Yuko. There are no middle names in Japan, and over the years I've been asked quite a lot by my students about my own middle name (Rowland), which they find interesting. Japanese also never name sons after fathers, as my own father did with me, and part of the mystique of the famous thief Lupin III is that he's the third generation to hold that name despite being of mixed Japanese ancestry. In the States, expectant mothers will buy a book of baby names that contains information on the etymology of each (for example, my own name comes from the Greek word for 'rock'), and books which present various kanji names are popular in Japan, too. It's common for Japanese to consult their local Shinto shrine for advice when choosing a name, but my wife's family is a little more Buddhist than most, so we visited our family Buddhist temple instead. We had been all set to name our son Kazuma, written with the characters for "peace" and "horse," but the priest warned us that choosing animal names was a bad idea, as our son would be headstrong and never listen to us.

It can be fun to study how Japanese surnames work. One of the mysteries of family names in Japan is the large number of different ones that exist, around 120,000, compared with a few thousand in China and only 249 in Korea. This is caused partially by how late Japan was in adopting universal surnames, which only became required in 1870, and a lack of a specific tradition of naming families up to that point. It'd be hard to imagine a neighborhood in the States where everyone was named Smith, but nearly everyone who lives around our house has the same last name as us, Yanai, and nearby there are patches of houses where everyone is named Hosoi or Ishida, yet no one is related to anyone around them. Part of this is due to the fact that we live in a small rural city in the exact center of the country where no one ever sells their land, because if you sold your land and moved to another part of the country, what would you do with your family gravestone? Your ancestors would be so lonely. One amusing aspect of living in Japan is hearing people with names like Tanaka ("in the rice field"), Yamada ("rice field on the mountain") and Nakamura ("in the village") argue vehemently that their ancesors were samurai warriors despite their agrarian sounding names.

It's funny how different inputs -- such as a simple song -- can push different emotional buttons depending on what culture you hail from. When most North Americans hear the Scottish folksong Auld Lang Syne we probably immediately think of New Year's Eve, of saying goodbye to the old year with a large beer in our hands. Hotaru no Hikari, or Light of the Fireflies, is the title of the Japanese version of this song, and in Japan it's sung at graduations. The chorus tells the story of hard-working students who wanted to study so much that they read books by the light of fireflies captured in a jar, or the moonlight reflected off snow. It can bring a tear to the eyes of Japanese who hear it sung, and a totally different image from one we might conjure up. Incidentally, the song is also played by stores as they're about to close, and if you've ever visited Japan and wondered why they were playing Auld Lang Syne over the store speakers, it was a polite request that you complete your purchase and leave the store. Here are the words to the first section, in case you're curious:

hotaru no hikari, mado no yuki fumi yomu tsukihi, kasane tsutsu itsushika toshi mo, sugi no towo aketezo kesa wa, wakare yuku

Light of fireflies, snow by the window Many suns and moons spent reading Years have gone by without notice Day has dawned; this morning, we part

This month's "Manga Artist of the Month" is the talented Maguro Teikoku (Tuna Empire), the celebrated erotic manga-ka known for such works as Sister for the Summer, How To Guide for the First Date and the classic Spirit of Capitalism, which you can now read in English in Comic AG. He got started as an artist by accompanying a friend who wanted to draw erotic comics; his friend wasn't hired, but he got an offer from the company instead. His pen name comes from the fact that he was quite lazy, and his parents threatened to sell him to a tuna fishing boat.

Remember that J-List carries the incredible Fuccons, aka OH! Mikey, the wacky Japanese comedy series acted out with mannequins who parody an American family living in Japan. From Mikey and his sinister cousin Laura, cute girlfriend Emily, mother Barbara, father James and the annoying twins from England Tony and Charles, you will laugh so hard you might have to go to the hospital. We also recommend the hilarious Vermillion Pleasure Night series, the bold late-night film short series that got OH! Mikey started. These are available on DVD and are fully subtitled in English.


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.

	Mecha Ii Nov. 2006 -- Emiru Momose. Wow, this girl is really beautiful in the new Mecha II (meh-CHA EE).
	Milk -- Sayaka Numajiri. Gorgeous hardcover photobook featuring one of our favorite models.
	Graffiti of Otaku Generation (Anime no Bideo) ~ Misty May. Otaku no Video is the definitive anime about all of us becomming, well, otaku. This is the beautiful figure from the series.
	Swimming Suit 4 Hours. Girls in swuimsuits are becomming a huge fetish in Japan. What do you think? Is this cool, or just weird?
	Ichigo 100% 1~3 set. I am a fan of this anime, and am glad to have the manga for you in case you are too. The ultimate harem show, and a great item for fans of "strawberry pants."
	Megami Magazine Deluxe vol. 8 . Gorgeous new issue of Megami Magazine!
	Castles of the Samurai Power and Beauty. Beautiful book on the most famous castles in Japan. Lots of pictures and great explanations of what is what.
	Hiragana Times Apr. 2007. New issue of Hiragana Times, the bilingual magazine of news and culture from Japan.
	Game Commander Mouse. A really cool gaming mouse from Elecom that fits great in the hand and has great hardware inside
	Kera May 2007 vol. 106. Fabulous magazine about Harajuku culture and all forms of Goth-Loli. Love it.
	The Idol Master Precious Album. Idol Master is the popular game where you train virtual pop idols, for Xbox 360. This is the definiteive Percious Album.
	Erika Seihouin 1/7 Cast-Off Figure -- Miraroma *Preorder*. Another really amazing anime figure. This is a "cast off" figure, meaning you can make her, er, nekkid.
	WA ~ Fragrance Oil * MIYABI / Elegance*. We've gotten in some nice fragrance oils, including one that promises to capture the smell of your first love. Wow.
	Celebration Envelope (Kotobuki ~ Long Life!) -- Red. A beautiful envelope for giving cash gifts.
	Built-In Mechanical Pencil (40 Leads). Mechanical pencils, which are called "sharp-pen" in Japanese, don't ask us why, are very nice to use, but keeping extra leads with you is a pain. Well, this pencil has 40 leads inside the pen -- outstanding!
	Monster Hunter Weapon Collection Vol.1 Exra Edition ~ Full Set + 2 Secrets (Set of 10). I am not familiar with Monster Hunter, but here are the weapons from the game, recreated in perfect miniature.
	Cotton Swab & Ear Pick Combo ( 60pcs ). Really innovative cotton swabs with "mimikaki" built into them.
	JAPAN Eraser Set. They didn't have cool erasers when I was a kid.
	Wiener Shaper-- Penguin. If I've learned one thing in Japan, it's that the ultimate way to enjoy cute bento is to cut your sausages into little penguins.
	Standing Type Nausicaa and Laputa Fox Squirrel -- Kitsune Risu. This is the classic Fox Squirrel from Nausicaa and Laputa, an adorable and huggable little plush toy.
	Gothic Taste. One of the classic books that has decined Goth-Loli over the years.
	Sun-Star Paper StitchLock Zn. Never use staples again, thanks to this realyl elegant (and really heavy) StitchLock Zn. The Zn stands for Zinc.