A new appreciation for American medicine, all about the word 'baka' and a really annoying girl in a yellow dress who I can't stop listening to...

It was Thomas Paine -- a possible ancestor of mine, although I somehow doubt it -- who uttered the words, "These are the time that try men's souls." Strike the word "men" and insert "gaijin" and you know what it's like to be sick in a country like Japan. Although I resisted as best I could, it seems I've managed to pick up the bug that my wife and daughter had, and now I'm pecking away at the computer while wearing one of those Japanese health masks, and feeling quite miserable. No matter how much I may like Japan, one of the fundamental rules of human beings is that when you're feeling under the weather, you want familiar remedies that you know will work. Japan has plenty of cold and flu medicines on the market, with names like Benzablock, Paburon, Ruru and even a local version of Contac, but they just don't seem be strong enough for my oversized American body. There are differences in how medicines are sold, too -- I'll never forget the first time I got sick in Japan, trekking feverishly to the supermarket to buy medicine because that's where you go in the U.S., then being told that I had to find a drug store instead. Happily, I always keep a small stockpile of American medicines in the house, from Nyquil to Dimetapp and Vicks Vapor Rub and so on, so hopefully I'll be okay in no time.

Without a doubt, one of the most famous words of Japanese is baka, the all-purpose insult that takes the place of many more anatomically colorful words in English. Meaning "stupid" or "idiot," the word is used by Japanese of all ages, from three-year-olds to the elderly. Someone nearly hits your car in an intersection? Let fly with a baka yaro! ("stupid jerk!"). Your gaijin husband who shall remain nameless mistakes a mimikaki ear scoop for one of those spoons used in Japanese tea ceremony? The proper response to this would be, baka ja nai? ("what are you, stupid?"). The word is also used to describe someone who goes overboard with love of something, like "oya-baka," parent-fool, the word for mothers and fathers who are absolutely ga-ga over their own kids; and "tsuri-baka," meaning fishing-fool, someone who likes to fish so much that he does it whenever he can. The word is also found in Japanese proverbs, like Baka ni tsukeru kusuri wa nai," or there is no cure for stupidity." The word baka (馬鹿） is written with the characters for "horse" and "deer" and there's an interesting legend about how this word came to be. It seems that in ancient China there was an Emperor who was not very well liked by his retainers. One day, one of his underlings presented the Emperor with a deer, instead of a horse as was customary back in those days. When the Emperor pointed out that it was a deer, the man insisted that no, it's a horse. He kept this up until he convinced his lord that the deer was, in fact, a horse, and thus Emperor became famous throughout the land for being so stupid that he couldn't tell the difference between the two animals.

Another trait I respect about the Japanese is their tendency towards kinben (KEEN-ben、勤勉), or diligence and hard work. The famous image of an industrious Japanese salarymen is one that everyone is familiar with, but children in Japan are encouraged to work hard, too, with a general culture that expects kids to put in 1-2 hours of studying per evening, on top of any juku night classes they may attend. Several times a week there are quiz shows that aim to interest the minds of young people, like Test the Nation, which presents questions to viewers and lets them keep track of their own scores. We're big fans of TV Champion, a show that usually pits teams against each other doing things like baking bread in the shapes of famous buildings or making works of art out of origami. Last night's episode involved four very smart kids who underwent an amazing battery of quiz questions before a winner was finally determined, and our whole family was hanging on every question. One of my favorite food items sold by J-List are Shigekix (shi-geh-kicks), super tart "hard gummy" candies in flavors like lemon, cola and ramune. In their newest series of TV commercials, which I've posted in the product descriptions on the site, a strange but irresistible girl in a yellow dress sings a song inside the brains of students, tying the BCAA Amino Acids and Gaba in their products and the stimulation of the tart taste to students hoping to do better in their studies.

Shigekix, my favorite snack, and now my favorite commercial...

At J-List, we love the DVD format, and carry a huge stock of interesting Japan-related products. Although most of our titles are region free, meaning you can play them on DVD players from anywhere in the world, many of the "indies" studios and all of the Studio Ghibli anime DVDs are zoned for region 2. To help our customers get around these frustrating limitations, J-List sells inexpensive region free DVD players that are great for playing discs from every country in the world, including PAL and SECAM discs from Europe and other parts of the world. Today we've posted a great new region free player that's loaded with features, including full region free playback, component and 5.1 ch output, VGA output for playing on a standard computer monitor, and full support for DIVX/MPEG4 movies, MP3 DVDs and so on.

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.

	eOnna Oct 2006 vol. 34 ~ e onna with DVD Region ALL. New issue of eOnna, and a lovely one at that.
	Cross -- Chiharu Komatsu. Lovely nude photobook from Japan.
	Rjtech RJ-200 DVD Player w/ DIVX playback. New DVD player, loaded with features. I especially love the VGA port, and the 5.1 ch ports right on the back ready for immediate hooking to your stereo speakers.
	British Romance. Got a lot of new doujinshi in for you. This is really rare and exciting -- a work dedicated to the popular manga and anime Emma about a British maid in the 18th century. Go fig.
	Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Best Shot. Really cool artbook featuring the best scenes from DOA Xtreme 2.
	You are loved Earnestly ~ Anata wo Aishite Yamazu. Really, er, strong looking guys in this manga for yaoi fans .
	Seeing Japan. Wow, this book captivated me. It's a photobook, filled with beautiful pictures of Japan, but it's also a collection of information on all segments of the country. Fantastic.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 50. New issue of Comic AG too. I am extremely proud to say that they got the rights to The Spirital of Capitalism by Maguro Teikoku (Tuna Empire). Yes!
	Bride for a Week -- Riku Shiina. Riku-chan is ready to become your bride for a week. Would you like that?
	Everyday Life in Traditional Japan. Another book about Japanese traditions in daily live in Japan
	Tanuki Toothpick Holder. A cute toothpick holder featring the tanuku, raccoon dog, with the big balls.
	Sakura Business Card Holder -- Black. The most excellent business card holder ever to grace Japan.
	I Love Hawaii -- Full Set *Set of 9* ~ Rement Puchi Sample Series. This is cool -- a set of miniature souvenirs from Hawaii, with everything that you love to buy there!
	Grilled Mayonnaise Rice Cracker. J-List is proud to present you with the most delicious product bearing the words "Grilled Mayonnaise" in the title.
	Mai Hime Collection Figure - Mai and Natsuki. Mai Hime is cool, and here's a set of figures for you to display proudly.
	Kiss Mint Passion - Passion Fruit Flavor. New flavor of Kiss Mint, in a convention new package.
	Sakura Key Chain Medicine Case -- Black. Cool keychain that can be used as a pill holder, or store just about anything else in it (or hack your iPod to fit inside).
	The Symbol of Japan "Handsome Tofu" Magnet -- Full Set *Set of 9*. The most manly tofu brand in Japan has a magnet line, so you can display these cool slogans proudly. Did I mention this was a tofu company?
	Activated Carbon Layer Masks. We sell health masks, mainly because I was wearing one and got on Jun's case to get some in for the site. Now you can order them yourself!
	How to Draw Manga -- Girls Life Illustration File. Fun book on how to draw manga, back in stock. This is, er, the most popular book in the series.
	Exodus Guilty 3. The third part of the Exodus Guilty DVD based game is available for preorder.
	Mikakuto Shigekix Super Lemon. Very chewy since they're "hard gummy" that's fun to eat. PLEASE click through and see the funny movie I've posted -- I can't get that damn girl out of my head! Shigeki-no-geki, Geki! Geki! Geki!
	Carrenoix *Black ~ Praline & Sliced Almonds. Delicious chocolate treats made with pralines and almonds. Does anyone know what a praline is? I've lived in Japan too long to know anymore.

More random pics that I'm not sure if I've posted yet. This is just about the most attractive building in our city, a little community center and bus stop. This is where our bus goes to/from when we go to Narita .

I ducked into the Toys "R" Us to see if they had new Star Wars figures (they had nothin'). They did have a cool item for Yamato/Star Blazers fans, including a real Wave Motion Gun for you to shoot.

My camera. Whee.

SIgn in our local soba restaurant.
"Please smoke as little as possible."

Update on the Ferris Wheel project -- thanks to reporting from these fine people at TBS, it looks like the project has been scrapped. Banzai!

The history of Valentine's Day in Japan, thoughts on why the Japanese are so harmonious, and a really cute picture of the Yamato

You probably know that they do Valentine's Day a little differently in Japan than in the West. Here, Feb. 14th is a day for women and girls to give chocolate to men and boys, and all throughout Japan, millions of fathers, husbands, boyfriends and would-be-boyfriends look forward to scoring some chocolatey goodness. In Japan, you never receive a gift without giving one in return, called o-kaeshi, and March 14 has been designated as "White Day" when males give something back to females who gave them chocolate the month before. (In South Korea they've taken this a step further with "Black Day" on April 14th, a day when single males who didn't receive chocolate bitterly eat black noodles, wallowing in their single-ness.) My son and I were looking forward to some delicious handmade chocolate today but we're out of luck, as both my wife and daughter are bedridden with this year's bout of influenza that's going around. Zan-nen! (ZAHN-nehn, meaning "what a bummer!")

In case you'd like to know the history of Valentine's Day in Japan, I'll tell you. The first Valentine's Day advertisement in Japan appeared in Showa 11 (1936), when a chocolate shop in Kobe called Morozoff promoted its wares as being perfect for lovers to enjoy together. World War II got in the way, and it wasn't until after the war that people could think about anything as frivolous as chocolate. In 1958, the manager of the Isetan department store in Shinjuku got the idea of having a Western-style Valentine's Day chocolate sale, but it was a total flop -- they sold just five boxes of chocolates! Attempts to raise awareness of the day continued with poor results, but in the 1970s, chocolate maker Morinaga hit on the idea to promote Valentine's Day as a day for women to give chocolate to boys and confess their love, and the rest is history. Currently, 60% of females in Japan report giving chocolate to someone, which makes for a lot of happy fathers, husbands, boyfriends and would-be-boyfriends.

I've talked before about what the Japanese call kokumin-sei (koh-ku-meen- SAY), a kind of "national personality" that's basically the essence of what makes Koreans so Korean and the French so very French. One of my favorite aspects of the Japanese is their dislike of confrontation and general willingness to get along with each other on a daily basis. By and large, you won't find yourself being hassled much in Japan, and even some of the scarier people you might encounter, like yakuza in the public bath with their full-body tattoos, are quite polite as long as you're polite to them. This harmonious attitude extends to the legal system, too, making lawsuits extremely rare. When there's an automobile accident, for example, the two insurance companies work it out between themselves, weighing the various factors before coming to an agreement on how to divide fault between the two parties, and it's virtually unheard of to have issues decided in a courtroom. There are quite a few identifiable mechanisms that help the Japanese get through the day harmoniously, like the mantra sho ga nai" which means it can't be helped," and the basic golden rule of society that you should never cause meiwaku (inconvenience) to others. There are some possible theories about why the Japanese are so good at getting along. Perhaps it comes from having to learn to live in a small country with many people around, or maybe it has to do with Japan's decision to become a peaceful country after their defeat in World War II, or just maybe it's a by-product of the long period of absolute rule by the Shogunate during the feudal Edo Period. My own theory comes from the ethnic name of the Japanese people, the Yamato, which is also Japan's first name for its own country, dating back to the 4th Century. The characters literally mean either "Great Peace" or "Great Harmony," and it seems natural to me that a country with such a name would value getting along with one another in a peaceful way.

Remember that you can get all the great anime, manga, toy/hobby, fashion, and other magazines in Japan sent to you each month, thanks to J-List's popular Reserve Subscription service. Here's how it works: for most items, you have the option of either paying month-to-month or paying for a full year in advance. If you choose the former option, we'll reserve the current issue of the magazine(s) you want each month, charging them to a credit card on file if like, or else by check/money order or Paypal. The amount charged is the same every month, e.g. $8.50 each issue of Newtype Japan, plus the shipping. If you want to choose the annual payment option, you can pay for all the issues and SAL shipping together and get a discount. The annual option is great for anyone who wants to pre-pay for the issues (including libraries and universities who use our services), and our convenient month-to-month option is recommended for anyone who wants the flexibility to stop or change subscriptions at any time.

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.

	Sabra Magazine 002 Feb 2007. New issue of Sabra, featuring the gorgeous Jun Natsukawa , born by a river in the summer during the month of June (okay, I just made that part up).
	Kagura Japon -- Megumi Kagurazaka. Fabulous photobook featuring thee lovely Megumi-chan!
	Oui, Mon Amour -- Rika Ishikawa. Rika Ishikawa shines in her photobook, too. I've always loved this girl, even more than Gomaki, and that's saying something.
	Origami Treasure Chest. Lots of origami information here, and unlike some of the items we sell, it's not in Japanese.
	60's Infamous Fancy Shop. Wow! Another reason why I like Japanese AV! This is a fantastic 60s themed collection of performances, with the producers really going all our to make the settings and costumes look perfect. Is there this much innovation in the U.S.?
	*Gashapon* New Super Mario Soundrop -- Full Set ~ Set of 8. Killer new item for Mario fans -- Soundrop keychains that make cute Super Mario sounds when you press the buttons. Full sets are in stock, but I have to warn you that this is so popular in Japan we couldn't get our initial order filled, so we're way understocked.
	Dengeki Layers vol. 11. FABULOUS issue of this great magazine. The Rozen Maiden cosplay was enough to pay for the whole book.
	Tachikoma Soft Vinyl Figure. Wow! This giant Tachikoma soft vinyl figure is positively to die for -- get yours now!
	Coffee Beat. Enjoy these coffee bean-shaped chocolates, which are fun to eat.
	Rubber Sole Setta Black Hanao. Cool new sandals for larger feet. These are very stylish.
	Miniture Ohina-Sama on Peach Tree. Lots of really cute little decorations for the coming Hina Matsuri (March 3) are on the site now.
	Frog Healing Eye Mask. You can be healed through the amazing power of this, er, frog mask?
	Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary ~ Japanese-English, English-Japanese. A killer dictionary for gaijin like you and me. Furigana are the hiragana characters written over kanji to show you how they're ready (my textbook made a really awful joke to the effect that they were called "hurrygana" since you were in a hurry and didn't have time to look up the kanji).
	Suprise Wild Swan. It takes a real man to put an inflatable swan between his legs.
	Domo-Kun Deluxe Character Strap Keychain - DOMOKUN TV. Just a remiinder that all but a few of our Domo-kun items are nearly sold out, and that if you want to score some cool Domo-kun items you should buy quickly.
	Lotte "No Time" Gum. It's hard to describe the 'natsukashii' feeling I have about this gum, which I chewed when I first came to Japan. It brushes your teeth for you.
	digi KISHIN -- Chiaki Kuriyama. Ah, Chiaki, you beautiful latent anime otaku you, I love you so much...

Some friends of ours just built a new house (on top of a restaurant), and invited us over. It was built by our friend Mr. K.

Is this not cool? It's like a showroom for Pier 1 Imports, but in a good way.

Like many in Japan, they had only a little room to work with, so their tatami room is only a 4-jo. You measure rooms in Japan using tatami mats, e.g. this room is quite big, it must be a 20-tatami (jo) room, and so on.

Picture from in front of our favorite soba noodle restaurant. This is the same racoon-dog thing as in the Ghibli film Raccoon Wars.

My, he is happy to see us! This is just one of the many ways Japan can confusing poor gaijin. Supposedly the testicles on these raccoon statues are good luck, although I couldn't comment on the penis.