150,000 fans later, learning about Japan through the kanji for "child," and comparing movies between Japan and the U.S.

Well, one weekend and a staggering 150,000 people later, the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con is past. It was a wild show, and we handed out an estimated 12,000 J-List tissues to people who came by to say hi. If you were one of them, thank you! Now I'm headed back to Japan, and it will certainly be good to be home, although our "reform" (remodeling) work is still proceeding, which means the house is likely to be a bit torn up. I'm leaving the kids behind to get their annual concentrated dose of English, as they attend various summer camps -- Girl Scout and Skating Camp for my daughter, Chess Camp and a fun camp where they explore various parts of San Diego for my son. They'll probably come back speaking better English than they speak Japanese again this year...

It was a real rush, having so much going on during the convention. I was extra-busy because in the evenings I was trying to see all the great movies playing in theatres here in the U.S. with my kids before it was time for me to jaunt back to Japan. We went to late showings of Harry Potter on Friday and the Simpsons Movie on Saturday, and both were great. As usual, I can't go out the door without seeing something to compare between Japan and the U.S., and the trips to the theatre were no different. My kids were surprised to see that, in both films, the audience was very active, laughing at jokes and applauding at every turn, barely able to sit still. Compared to the silent, passive way that Japanese audiences take in movies, it was like a night at the Rocky Horror Picture Show. They were also amazed that there'd be anyone else in the theatre past 7 pm. In Japan, movies are usually watched in the afternoons, and almost no one goes to the movie theatre late at night.

Everyone remembers firsts, like that first time on a bicycle, or the first time you kissed a girl or boy. I remember the first kanji character I became aware of from trying to puzzle out written Japanese. The character was ko (子）which means "child" (an alternate reading is shi), and it's most commonly found in names of Japanese girls, like Keiko, Ayako or Sachiko. It's quite a flexible word, being found in scientific words like denshi (電子, child of electricity, i.e. an electron), or genshi (原子, child of origin, or an atom). Most "baby" names of animals can be made by putting ko in front of the name, like koinu (koh-EE-noo) for puppy, and if you're an astute fan of the classic anime series Macross, you might have noticed that the Zentraedi alien Miriya has a baby they call Komiriya -- a great little joke. there. The "ko" word is often used to delineate a group of people, for example Edokko (江戸っ子, eh-doh-KKO, with a small pause at the double consonant), a label worn proudly by families who have lived in the Tokyo area since the days when it was named Edo, or kagikko (key child, 鍵っ子), the Japanese term for latchkey kid. My wife was a misekko (店っ子) or "shop child," a child whose parents ran a shop and were thus too busy to play with her or take her places, which is why she watches so much television, she tells me. You can see the kko ending in the labels of many otaku-related concepts, like meganekko (meh-gah-neh-KKO, again with the pause), meaning cute girls with glasses, or burikko (boo-REE-kko), the annoyingly cute way that Japanese girls act like helpless children as a way of charming men into doing their bidding.

Remember that J-List specializes in "wacky things from Japan," like our totally cool "ninja boots," which are authentic rubber-soled boots with the split toe that were really worn by ninjas in ancient Japan, and more recently by carpenters and other professionals who sometimes need extra balance when walking on wooden beams, which normal shoes can't provide. Our tabi boots are available in various sizes, and instructions on how to measure your feet are given.

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.

	Urecco DVD March 2007 vol. 268. Nice new issue of Urecco, which now comes with a killer DVD.
	Gekkan -- Inrin of Joytoy II. Inrin, also known as Yinling, is a red-hot Taiwanese Race Queen that is showing more than she's ever shown before in this new Gekkan ("monthly") photomagazine.
	Zenra Beach Volley. Um, the Zenra series has reached its pinnacle, as far as I'm concerned.
	Nosewasure ~ Lay Your Worries On Me. Nice ero manga from Japan, with great art.
	Megami Magazine May 2007 vol. 84. Megami is the magazine dedicated to going out of business giving lots of cool posters and other stuff to its fans. New issue in stock for you (it's also available by subscription).
	Juicy Fruits (English Edition). Yay! Juicy Fruits ia now available in English. This is one of the top books ever brought out in English, we recommend it a lot!
	KIE vol. 16 ~ Kateigaho International Edition Summer 2007. New issue of Kateigaho Internationaly, now smartly renamed KIE. It's loaded wiht Japanese culture for you.
	Shoxx vol. 170 April 2007. Killer new issue of the J-ROCK magazine Shoxx. Are you shocked?
	Belldandy 1/8 Figure ~ Oh My Goddess *Preorder*. Dynamite new figure you can preorder now. It's Belldandy, one of the best anime femmes ever created.
	Hello Kitty Chirimen Strap with Bow -- Pink. Put a little Hello Kitty on your phone, or your camera, or your keys, or your DS...
	Kanji Mug Cup ~ 'Mizu' (Water) . Cool kanji cup with the symbol for water on it.
	Gundam Zippo Lighter-- Haro 2nd ver.. Gundam fans, this is the most excellent lighter you'll see in a while.
	Hare Hare Swing 2 ~ Full Set (Set of 5) -- Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. And here's another neat item for Haruhi fans, "super deformed" keychains.
	Lacquered Wood GETA For Women -- Pink Kimono Pattern Hanao . Really nice wooden geta sandals for your feet.
	Natural Bamboo Charcoal Air Cleaner. A really nice way to clean your ears, Japan style.
	Pinky with Messerschmitt KR200. Wacky Pinky St. w/ vehicle toy from Japan.
	Calbee Jagarico -- Tuna & Mayonnase. Yummy potato snack with

It's time for a con! Amazingly, I worked three major anime cons this month, which were AX, Otakon and Comicon in San Diego. I am officially tired and would like to rest now.

Catbus, check. Anbu masks, check. Setup was terribly delayed on Wednesday, and we were feeling very rushed on premier night. We'll do better next time.

Roses are #FF0000, Violets are #0000FF, All my Base are Belong to You. Do you get that? If so, you're really 1337!

If you haven't been to Comicon yet, you haven't been to a really huge convention. Basically, they have everything imaginable there, from comics to Star Wars to anime to Asian film and even oddly cool stuff like the covers of romance novels from decades past.

On Thursday I took the kids to see a live performance of Star Wars music. It was pretty fun, especially the Yoda Ventriloquist Dummy guy.

Cool "Battle Damaged" Storm Trooper here.

Costumers were everywhere, although in truth, the cosplay is nothing compared to Anime Expo, mainly because of the high number of "normals" at this show.

Domo, Domo-kun. More updates and pics when I get back to Japan-land...