As you know from reading J-List's updates, there are some pretty odd things in Japan. Beer for kids to drink, just like Daddy (non-alcoholic, of course). Regular news reports on the cherry blossoms or autumn leaves for each region of the country. Corn, squid and mayonnaise on pizza. Or "Knee Pillows" that let you pretend you're laying your head on your girlfriend's lap. Another bizarre thing I've encountered here and there in Japan are fake policemen, essentially mannikins made to look like uniformed police officers, who stand by the side of the road looking official as people drive by. The idea is that if you're speeding, the sight of a police uniform is likely to get you to slow down, even if it's obvious it's not real. There are several variations on this theme, such as signs with reflective material on them to make them look like a patrol car waiting to catch you for speeding when headlights hit them. Japan's high population and national love of road construction mean that you often have to deal with road work while driving, especially near the end of the fiscal year in March, and by law construction crews must hire uniformed guards to stand by the side of the road and direct the flow of traffic around the construction area as needed. Sure enough, they've also invented automatic robots who mechanically wave a signal to let drivers they should proceed forward with caution.
Do you know the story of Tokyo's most famous dog? His name was Hachiko, an Akita inu who was owned by a university professor in the 1920's. Every day, Hachiko accompanied the professor to Shibuya Station, and in the evenings, the man would come back to find the dog waiting faithfully at the station, a happy expression on his face. This continued for years, until one day, the man died suddenly. Loyal Hachiko waited for his master to return for ten years, wagging his tail in front of the station every day until he, too, eventually died. Tokyo residents have erected a bronze statue in Hachiko's memory, which you can see at the Hachiko exit of the station if you're ever in Tokyo (there's also a Hachiko train line, but that's getting a little silly, if you ask me). The statue is so famous that it's useful as a meeting point for friends -- just say "meet me at Hachiko" and everyone will know where to find you. It looks like Hachiko will be a lot more famous it the future -- Richard Gere is set to star in a U.S. film about the famous dog, to be released in 2008.
The Japanese have some interesting customs when it comes to their cars, which looked odd to me when I first arrived here. First of all, auto theft is quite uncommon here, so it's not at all rare to see someone leave his beautiful Nissan Fairlady Z parked in front of the conbini (convenience store) with the engine running. The idea that his car might be stolen just doesn't enter into the thinking here, so it's perfectly safe. Japanese cars have the steering wheel on the right side of the car, as in England or Australia, and drivers here have perfected the art of starting the car without getting in it, since the ignition is easily accessible on that side of the car. When stopped at a light at night, it's considered good manners to turn your headlights down to "park" so you don't blind the person in front of you, and when someone lets you go ahead of them in traffic, flashing your emergency lights at them once or twice conveys your thanks -- although this is done by polite Tokyo drivers, not Gunma locals, who are rather famous for having bad driving manners.
By the time you read this, I'll be en route to New York for the New York Anime Festival, Dec. 7-9 at the Jacob Javits Center. If you're planning on attending this great anime convention, please come by and say hello to us. We'll be at the Domo Nation booth (#408) with our fun Domo-kun T-shirts, hoodies and hats, and we'll be handing out lots of those fun Japanese pocket tissues that you get with each J-List order ^_^ We'll also have a satellite booth with our other products, including dating-sim games and other products, too. We hope to see you in New York!
Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.
 | HAPPY CHRISTMAS Display ~ Lucky Cat Santa & Snowman. I definitely think that one of the best items we've got for Christmas this year are the Santa Lucky Cat display sets, with ceramic cats and beautiful holiday motifs. |
 | World Famous "Poop" Hat. Around here we like to bring you bizarre and fun items you may not need, but which are cool for one reason or another. A plush hat that looks like you've got poop on your head certainly falls into this category -- newly restocked! |
 | Microwave Potato Chip Maker. I find it's fun to give gifts that are bizarre yet useful, and this certainly fills the bill -- make your very own potato chips in a microwave oven. Now that's wacky. |
 | Tachikoma Toys, Calendars. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the excellent lineup of Tachikoma toys we carry on the site, with a dozen or more different toys of every size and detail level. Also, the 2008 Tachikoma calendar is something Shirow Masamune / Ghost in the Shell fans won't want to miss. I mean, little heart-covered Tachikomas for Valentine's Day? |
 | First Kanji Dictionary: Look & Remember. This is a really popular book, a kanji dictionary that shows you characters with large visual images that help you match the characters with what they mean, i.e. morning, night, and so on. Stroke order is also taught, and helpfully, it's all in kana/kanji as opposed to romaji, which helps you avoid learning bad pronunciation. |
 | Fun Traditional Items. Today's back-in-stock products include Onegai JIZO, a lucky Buddhist statue based on statues you see by the sides of the road in Japan; a Pink Mini Omamori to give you luck in love; a beautiful noren door curtain; and that awesome Autumn Moon Rabbit display, showing rabbits making mochi rice cakes. |
 | Castles of the Samurai Power and Beauty. How cool is this? A great book showing you everything you've ever wanted to see from Japan's ancient castles. They're all here, from the Black Crane castle of Matsumoto to the gorgeous Himeji Castle. |
 | Snack Sets. A lot of customers order Japanese snacks and assemble them into gift baskets as gifts, which sounds like a great idea to us. J-List has several gift sets too, so you can create just the item you want for that special someone. Remember that many snack items can be ordered by the shrinkwrapped case with a discount. |
 | 2008 Anime Calendars. Remember that J-List currently has 170+ amazing 2008 calendars in stock, ready for your order. I've got my sights set on several this year, including the Claymore calendar, as well as the Evangelion, Clannad, and Domo-kun. Which calendars are you picking up this year? |
 | Bento & Related Items. In addition to fresh stock of the Thomas the Tank Engine Bento Box set, we've added stock of various chopstick + chopstick rest sets and those PITATTO Animal Lunch Pics, which are incredibly popular now. These or similar bento items (sausage cutters / soy sauce bottles) would make great gifts. |
 | Think Domo-Kun. Nothing says "Japan" like Domo-kun, the weird-but-cute monster character who is the official mascot of NHK, Japan's public broadcasting network. J-List has the world's best supply of Domo products, from plush cubes you can put your stuff in to our world-famous hats, T-shirts and soft, soft hoodies. |
 | Japanese Calligraphy T-shirt - "Sake-bito" (I Love Alcohol). Of course our wacky Japanese T-shirts are always nice to consider as a gift (whether for someone else or yourself). This is one of my favorite designs, SAKE-BITO, a remix of the Okinawan shirts that changes "island-person" to "alcohol-person" (for those who really love to throw some back). |
 | New Anime T-Shirts. We thought our new Fox Squirrel and Calcifur Fire Demon T-shirts would be popular, and they didn't disappoint us -- we've had to reprint them already. These are just two of the cool anime themed shirts we have for you. |
 | Soft Totoro Blankets, Cushions. Another item very high on the "Peter Definitely Recommends" list are the soft Totoro blankets and pillows we've got in stock right now. This year's crop is especially soft and warm, with dual linings in the blankets and soft fur-like fabric in both the square sitting cushion and the sleeping pillow. |
 | Restocked Universal Design Products. Universal Design is an initiative by Kokuyo to bring some good design into our desks, and we've restocked the Keshi-Piyo correction tape dispenser that looks like a bird, and stapler that looks like an egg. Damn this series is cool. |
 | Gift Certificate from J-List. One of the most convenient gift ideas at J-List is our classic Gift Certificate, which lets you give any amount to your recipient allowing them to buy whatever they want. The gift certificate can be used on either site, and you can opt for either physical delivery or convenient PDF delivery, so your gift can be emailed and printed either by you or your recipient. |
 | New Hello Kitty Vibrating Shoulder Massager ~ All Color Set. You wouldn't think of vibrating shoulder massagers as a Christmas gift item, but then you'd be wrong. We've seen a huge run on these this season as people look for something fun to gift to friends. |
 | A Bunch of Restocked Manga. We've gotten in a bunch of quality "H" manga back on the site for you by the way, including some fun SOS Brigade parody works for Haruhi fans, the awesome Confession of Mrs. by Azuki Kurenai, Ero Toy Office, and the hilariously-named You Are Suffocated By Unknown Big Oppai. |
 | Shock Gifts from Japan? I don't know about you, but I like to give gifts that are shocking and/or wacky to my friends, like the year I presented everyone I knew with nose-hair clippers. Here's an inexpensive gift item -- trading torsos of beautiful rear ends -- that would be loads of fun to give out. |
 | JAST USA Memorial Collection ~ Three Classic Bishoujo Games. Oo, writing about Season of the Sakura made me all natsukashii (nostalgic) for it, so I'll throw it up here. It was one of the first three dating-sim games we brought out (back in the DOS era), and I still find fans of the game telling me how great it is. These three titles are available on one disc with an updated engine that's compatible with modern Windows. |
 | 2008 Calendars for Men. J-List's calendar lineup isn't just anime and Sanrio and JPOP. We've also got some really amazing calendars featuring the natural beauty of top stars like Mihiro, Sasa Handa and Hotaru Akane. Browse our selection now! |
