Our plan to "reform" our home in Japan, the joys of getting citizenship, and times when Japan just throws you for a loop

Our plan to "reform" (remodel) our house in Japan is continuing apace, as we prepare to redo our bath area, enlarge our living room slightly and make the downstairs more "barrier free" for my wife's elderly parents. As is the practice here, we made sure to start the bath part of the construction on one of the "lucky days" according to a Buddhist calendar designated for this purpose. This is especially important because mizu-mawari (parts of the house related to water) have a lot to do with a family's good luck, for reasons that are beyond this poor gaijin's ability to comprehend. The construction is being done by Japanese carpenters who are coincidentally called "dykes" (daiku). One of the rules about getting any kind of contracting work in Japan done is, you're supposed to bring the workers drinks and cakes at 10 am and 3 pm, which helps to help ensure they do a good job on our house.

There's no doubt about it: sometimes Japan can really throw you for a loop. Like the occasional intersection that will show drivers a red light along along with green arrows pointing left, right and up, guaranteeing confusion for everyone. Then there's this Japanese friend of mine who loves old American World War II movies set in the Pacific theatre, despite the presumably negative light these films put the Japanese in -- and ditto for fans of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which features an embarrassingly stereotyped Japanese character played by Mickey Rooney. Japanese sometimes choose names that we'd never consider using in the West, like the rock band Yellow Monkey or the popular talent agency Yellow Cab. The Japanese are a very polite people, and it's actually possible to hear a fight between an older person (senpai) and his underling (kohai) in which the younger person is using polite speech even while he yells at the top of his lungs. Finally, one of the oddest things I've seen all week: Astro Boy's Japanese name is Tetsuwan Atom, literally "Iron-Armed Atom" (which I knew), but it turns out his sister Astro Girl's name in Japanese is Uran, which means "uranium." When I heard this it seemed like some kind of twisted, black joke, coming just seven years after the bombing of Hiroshima, but if the Japanese are okay with the names, I guess it's okay with me. Taking citizenship of another country is a very special thing -- it means that you've accepted the language, history, culture and values of your adopted nation and are willing to be counted as one of their number for the rest of your life. Although it's one of the most homogeneous places on Earth, foreigners may take Japanese nationality if they meet certain reasonable requirements, including having lived in Japan continuously for five years and having at least basic ability in the language. Athletes often take Japanese citizenship for one reason or another, such as the Hawaiian or Mongolian sumo wrestlers or Brazilian soccer player Alessandro Santos, and the richest man in Japan is a naturalized citizen, too, Yahoo Japan mogul Masayoshi Son, of Korean descent. I'm often asked by J-List customers if I've gotten my Japanese citizenship yet, and I tell them no, I'm quite happy with the permanent residence status I've got now. I'd like to extend congratulations to Carlos, the hardworking J-List employee in our San Diego office who hand prints our cool Japanese T-shirts and hoodies. He's worked very hard to get his U.S. citizenship over the past five years, and today he officially becomes an American citizen. Speaking of T-shirts, J-List pioneered our line of wacky kanji shirts that let you wear your fascination with Japan on your sleeve, er, I mean on your chest. We've got a new wacky offering for you today, featuring the legendary Ramune, that drink that comes with a glass ball stuck inside the bottle. It's been a part of Japan's history for over a hundred years, appearing in the 19th century (the name is a mispronunciation of "lemonade") and achieving worldwide fame with the rise of anime and manga culture. Now you can sport this famous image of Japan on a cool kanji T-shirt, made just for you! 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. We also recommend watching our "new products" RSS feed

	Sabra Magazine 010 June 2007. New issue of Sabra, loaded as always with beautiful womoen and more.
	Tachikoma Figure -- Ghost in the Shell S.A.C 2nd Gig ~ Heavy Rotation LED Type. Perhaps the most excellent Tachikooma figure we've ever gotten in.
	Super Low Angle VIP. The Japanese are a creative people, and they've turned something as harmless as a camera angle into something so much more.
	Japanese Ink Painting Lessons in SuiBoku Technique. Learn all about creating art with Japanese ink and brushes.
	Illustrated Dictionary of Japanese Onomatopoetic Expressions ~ Nihongo Gitaigo Jiten. This is a great book, which will teach you all kinds of wacky and fun Japanese sound words.
	SHOXX May 2007 vol. 171. New issue of Shoxx, with lots of picture of japan's top bands, as usual.
	Haniwari ~ Hani Wari ~ Split Decision. Gorgeous book about that popular topic, futanari.
	Scarlett Visual Fanbook. Gorgeous artbook from a bishoujo game I wish we could sell you in English.
	Nihongo Journal June 2007. I studied with Nihongo Journal and got a lot out of each issue. I recommend it to you!
	Ayu Tsukimiya 1/8 Figure ~ Max Factory -- Kannon *Preorder*. This, this is the figure to end all figures, as far as I'm concerned. Ayu from Kanon is the greatest girl. To understand why, go watch the anime. I'll wait.
	Japanese T-shirt "Ramune" . New Ramune T-shirt for your enjoyment. Show them all how much you like Ramune.
	Tatami Mini Pillow * Green *. Enjoy your summer afternoons more with this firm tatami pillow.
	Deluxe "TENMARI" Bento Box Set -- Red. This is a great new bento set that featurs everything you need for delicious bento life!
	Mao 1/8 PVC figure ~ Shining Tears *Eye Scream*. Just love girls with animal features, don't know why. This is the new Mao figure we've gotten in.
	Hello Kitty Kimono "Warabe" Doll with Fan -- Blue. New porcelain Hello Kitty dolls wearing kimonos.
	Inrou -- Tokugawa Aoi Family Crest. Fantastic item from Japan. This wooden box is what agents of the Tokugawa Shogun would carry around to prove their authority.