Japanese High school baseball update, things I've learned from teaching ESL, and the next "boom" to hit Japan -- Vinegar Beer?

You never know where the next interesting "boom" will come from in Japan. Maybe it'll be a strange new fashion trend, like the Bob Marley craze a few summers ago when young Japanese thought they should dress in Jamaican colors, or the more recent Brit-Punk fashion trend inspired by the popularity of the manga Nana. (I'm hoping for the return of the heso-dashi summer, when all the cute girls wore half-shirts that showed their belly buttons.) Or maybe it'll be a food-related explosion in popularity, like when everyone was lining up to buy Belgian Waffles, or this summer's boom in mango-flavored foods of every type. With our house being renovated, I've been hitting the local onsen (hot spring public baths) pretty hard, and in one I happened across a poster advertising what might just be the next big thing: a cocktail of beer and delicious vinegar. There were two flavors for you to try, made with apple and grape vinegar, and both looked like they might actually be reasonably tasty, as far as those things go. Vinegar is considered quite healthy in Japan, and most mornings my wife presents me with a glass of diluted "black vinegar" (kurozu) made from unpolished rice, to reduce the acid content in my body, or something. Next to the Vinegar Beer was a poster advertising another new item: Ramune flavored "soft cream" (soft-serve ice cream), with the taste of that famous Japanese marble-in-a-bottle soft drink. Sounds delicious!

It's August, and that means it's time for another report on the High School Baseball Championship going on right now at Koshien (koh-she-en) Stadium near Osaka. High school baseball is really big in Japan, and teams from each of Japan's 47 prefectures try all season long to win the right to go to the championships. To go to Koshien is the dream of every young ball player, and it has a positive effect on the future careers of thousands of young men every year, whether they go on to play professional baseball or not. The high school baseball championships are followed closely on TV and in Japan's many sports-only newspapers (my father-in-law manages to read three of them every day), and fills a similar role as college sports in the U.S. The drama of a Koshien race is captured in manga and anime such as the classic Touch, a comic I used to study Japanese with while at SDSU. Thanks to one of the many bizarre coincendences that seem to happen only in Japan, the city I came to live in just happens to be the birthplace of Touch creator Mitsuru Adachi, and my wife has the same birthday as him -- go figure. This year our prefecture is once again represented at Koshien by Maebashi Commercial High School (abbreviated "Maesho"), Adachi-sensei's old alma mater (and also the school that our own Yasu graduated from). They're doing well, too -- if they win today's game they'll be in the top 8. Go, Maesho!

Before I started J-List, I did what many English-speaking foreigners before me have done, working as a teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) and imparting my native language to students of all ages. Once thing I've noticed, at least when dealing with junior high and high school age students, is that they view English has having two sections that are only casually related. "English" is an important scholarly study, consisting of grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension, and it's needed to succeed in school and pass university entrance exams. This English is rather similar to mathematics, and there's only way "correct" answer to any given question, one "right" way of translating a given paragraph. The touchy-feely "English conversation," on the other hand, is optional, and only needed by Japanese who plan to live overseas or do a lot of traveling. Since the Japanese are so precise about their English, they take it for granted that all native speakers know every single English word ever, including complex medical terminology. They're also mistrustful of native English-speaking teachers who can't answer the question "why?" Why does this sentence need a gerund instead of an infinitive verb? Why do you say 'on a ship' when you're actually inside it? Being a teacher in Japan really led me to come to understand my own language on a new level.

J-List loves the PC dating-sim games from Japan and work hard to stock every English-translated title for fans. A lot of great new games have recently been announced, and will be released in English in the coming months, and we're happy to report that our next two titles are solidly in beta testing now. First is Bazooka Cafe, a great game about a guy who takes over his father's coffee shop, assisted by several beautiful women who can't do enough for him. Then there's Snow Sakura, another really outstanding game in which you play the main character who finds love in a land of cold and snow -- but can you discover the secret of the cherry blossoms that bloom in the cold of winter? Both games can be preordered right now for free shipping when they're ready. In the meantime, we've got dozens of other excellent titles for you try!

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.

	Bejean May. 2007 vol. 163. The new Bejean is a treasure of beautiful women, photographed by top quality professionals.
	Tinacle -- Tina Yuzuki. Tina Yuzuki, you Half-Blood Princess, tempting us with those beautiful Portuguese-Japanese eyes...
	Cosplay Idol Collection 4 Hours. You can really satisfy your cosplay fetish with this.
	W Cast Heaven -- Tsugumi Nagasawa & Kaho Kasumi. Tsugumi-chan and Kaho-chan team up in two fresh and exciting new releases. This is the "Heaven" version...
	W Cast Hell -- Tsugumi Nagasawa & Kaho Kasumi. ...And this is the naughty "Hell" version.
	B-BOY Phoenix 6. We thought this book imprint got its name since the company went backrupt but came back stronger than ever, but it turns out it had been around since before then.
	Ikki Tousen vol. 12 ~ Limited Edition. Gorgeous volume of the manga with a limited edition figure.
	YUBARI ~ Kensuke Kazama photographic . This book is fabulous, documenting a really old, beautiful but sad town in northern Japan.
	Gothic Lolita Bible vol. 25 Summer 2007. The new issue of Goth-Loli Bible is on the site, and it's a great one as usual.
	Hare Hare SOS Dan Anthology Comic. New item for fans of Haruhi Suzumiya Hentai. This is the most amazing show you've ever seen by the way -- I'd hunt it down on YouTube if you have an interest. Basically, it is the first anime series to out-Evangelion Evangelion.
	Cocona 1/7 Figure ~ Designed by Shunya Yamashita *Preorder*. Excellent new figure created by Shinya Yamashita, who is just about my favorite artist by now.
	Lucky Daruma Cat Statue. This is such a cool item for Lucky Cat and Daruma fans.
	Feng Shui Lucky Cat Strap ~ Pink. Also very cool, this is a feng shui strap for yourphone.
	Tongue Sticky Memo . We sell so many fun thing that are weird at the same time.
	Hello Kitty Theme Mug. This is the cutest Hello Kitty item I've seen in a long time. And that's saying something.
	Rellakuma Desktop Cleaner -- Normal ver.. A cute way to keep your desk clean.
	Totoro Giant Beach Towel -- Glancing Back 85 X 115cm ~ Large. Giant Totoro beach towel, also used as a summer blanket. This rules!
	Ayu Tsukishima 1/8 Figure ~ Kannon *Kotobukiya*. This is the star of the top notch anime Kanon, which was recently redone from scratch by Kyoto Animation. She's holding Taiyaku (fish shaped waffle like thing with bean paste inside) that she just stole.
	Kuru Kuru Crepe Shop. Enjoy fun Japanese crepes -- so fun to eat!