Friday the 13th and superstitions from Japan, thoughts on how to approach learning, and my take on Heroes and Japanese actors

Hello and happy Friday the 13th, often considered to be a day of good luck in Japan, since many festivals begin on the 13th of the month. Superstitions are often a big part of life in Japan, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some of them with you. First, never cut your fingernails at night, or you won't be able to be with your parents when they die -- an interesting Buddhist twist on "step on a crack," I guess. Whistling at night is out, too, unless you want snakes to pay you a visit. The number 13 is considered unlucky in the West, but in Japan the number to avoid is 4, due to the fact that the number, read shi in Japanese, also means "death" (airline counters omit both numbers for good measure). When you buy a new pair of shoes, be sure not to wear them for the first time when it's raining, or else every time you put those shoes on it will rain. Superstitions about salt are apparently common all around the world, too -- in Japan it's sprinkled over the body to purify you before entering your home after attending a funeral, which keeps dead spirits from inhabiting your house, or something like that.

Learning a foreign language is a difficult prospect. Modern teaching methods make it easier, of course, using approaches such as the Communicative Method (learning using communication-centric activities rather than, say, rote memorization of grammar) or the Natural Approach (mimicking how children acquire language by building listening skills and vocabulary before they start to produce speech). The way information is organized is important, too. For example, one area of English that's especially challenging for foreigners are two-part idiomatic verbs, which embed complex meaning in very simple words, and it makes sense for students of English to tackle these problems as a group. What's the difference between sleep over or oversleep? Act up and act out? Are drop in and drop out opposites? I had a Japanese friend who drank too much and proclaimed she was about to "throw off" -- then she couldn't understand why everyone was rolling on the floor laughing at her goof. Grouping linguistic concepts can help for students of Japanese, too. For example, a lot of words in Japanese incorporate no ko (child of...) and it can help to learn these together. A mushroom is a kinoko (child of a tree), bamboo sprout is takenoko (child of bamboo), caviar/fish roe is kazunoko (child of cod), and the powdered vinegar you sprinkle over rice when making sushi is known as....sushinoko (child of sushi). Learning them together like that makes them more likely to "stick" in your brain.

I'm currently hooked on Heroes, the NBC show that puts a new spin on the idea of comic book-style super powers. It's a lot of fun in part because of the two characters who speak Japanese throughout the story, including Hiro Nakamura, the clock-watching salaryman who developed the ability to stop time. It's great to be watching a story involving actual Japanese people, since it's all too common to see Koreans or Korean Americans playing Japanese roles, like Linda Park as Hoshi Sato on Enterprise or Sung Kang in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift -- the unspoken implication is that Japanese are so bad at English that Koreans must step in and portray them on film. Although Heroes show does a great job at showing the Japanese side of the characters accurately (including my mon George Takei, he don't shiv), for the record I've yet to meet a single Japanese person who makes Star Trek cultural references in his speech. It'd be much more common for the average Japanese on the street to utter, say, the famous line that Kenshiro of Fist of the North Star says before he kills an enemy -- "You are already dead!" / Omae wa mo, shinderu -- than to ask Scottie to beam them up. But that's just me being pedantic again.

J-List has been involved in licensing and translating Japan's unique PC dating-sim games for a long time -- an incredible *ten years* in fact, a full decade of helping fans enjoy these amazing story- and character-based love sims games in English. To celebrate this special event, we're announcing a limited edition JAST USA Memorial Trading Card collection, a series of 55 beautifully printed laminated plastic cards depicting scenes from the great English-language bishoujo games from G-Collections, Peach Princess and JAST USA. While supplies last, you'll get one of these beautiful foil-wrapped cards with each game purchased -- and if you're buying our download editions, you'll have the option of having the free card sent to you via postal mail for a nominal shipping fee. In addition to the cards, we've printed up some gorgeous bishoujo game posters with catalogs of our current and future titles on the other side, which you'll also get free with each order.

Also, today we're posting the outstanding new games we announced at Anime Expo for preorder. First, there's Princess Waltz, a ground-breaking bishoujo game that combines an incredible story with a unique card-based battle system, one of the most popular titles of the past year. Then, announcing one of the most requested titles ever in G-Collections history, the incredible Family Project ~ Kazoku Keikaku, voted the #1 dating-sim game on EroGameScape. With a huge story written by the creator of Kana - Little Sister and Yume Miru Kusuri and a soundtrack by I've Sound and Kotoko, this is a game the likes of which the English market hasn't seen yet. We're hard at work on both games, and they'll be ready in the coming months. You can help show your support for English bishoujo games by preordering both titles now.

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.

	Mini Skirt Illustrated DVD vol. 88 ~ Minisuka DVD Aug 2006. Always a pleasure to have a new issue of Mini Skirt Illustrated back on the site.
	Independent -- Izumi Yokoyama. Then enjoy the lovely photobook by Izumi-chan.
	Sex Service Spirits -- Sasa Handa . Sasa Handa is one of the most beautiful girls in the JAV world, a real jewel of the Soft on Demand corporation.
	New Half Club vol. 55. Those Japanese, they're so wacky with their fetishes and all that.
	100 Tough Questions for Japan ~ Eigo de Hanasu Nihon no Nazo. Tough questions, printed in both English and Japanese, right on the page. A great concept.
	Shining Musume 6 Limited ver. -- Shiwasu no Okina ~ Rainbow Six. Shiwasu no Okina is a long standing successful artist around here, and we're happy to see the latest Shining Musume book.
	Nendroid Tachikomans Tachi-Silver *Preorder*. Killer new Tachikoma that you can preorder now. (We love Ghost in the Shell mecha around here, in case you couldn't guess.)
	Domo-kun (Three Circles) - Standard Men's. Domo-kun fans, we've gotten in yet another killer shirt for you.
	Hello Kitty Monogram Tote Bag -- Brown. Stylish Hello Kitty item for the ladies.
	Mao 1/7 PVC Figure *Shining Tears ~ Max Factory. Love the design of this character.
	Snake Hanao Setta with Leather Sole ~ Size LL. Great pair of leather-soled Japanese setta sandals, for extra large gaijin feet.
	Raoh from Fist of the North Star ~ Seikimatsu Gekitouroku Figure Collection vol.1 No.2. Raoh is truly the baddest mother in the world, the oldest brother of Kenshiro and master of the Hokuto Shinken fighting style. Also one of the most popular villains of all time in Japan, definitely up there with Darth Vader. Dig on this really nice figure.
	Totoro 3D Mascot 2-Tier Bento Box. New Totoro bento box. Love it!
	Hello Kitty Tatami Pillow. This is also cool: a pillow made of igusa grass, what tatami mats are made from, great for lounging around on a warm afternoon.
	WX10 - Wireless Remote Control Vibrator. J-List carries rare and wonderful toys for grown ups, including this little number that allows you to have some fun from far away.
	Glico Cratz -- Jane's Krazy Mixed-up Salt! Delicious Japanese snack that goes great with beer.

On reverse culture shock, phases kids go through in Japan, and all about Japanese TV

It's always fun being back in the U.S., because I get to experience that rarest of sensations, reverse culture shock, when things I see in my home country surprise me because of my years spent in Japan. Today I caught a radio ad for AM/PM Mini Mart whose message was essentially that we should all live the "good life" and treat ourselves to a candy bar today, and that "more is more, at AM/PM." It was similar to the commercials from Taco Bell promoting "fourthmeal," a meal between dinner and breakfast that supposedly we should all be eating. Advertising approaches like this probably wouldn't fly in Japan, a country where bottled unsweetened oolong or green tea is preferred three to one over Coca Cola and where, when given a choice between small and large cans of canned coffee that cost the same money, many will pick the smaller can because that's all the coffee they feel like drinking just now. Even though I'm a big American, when I go to Wendy's I'm content to get the smallest Frosty they sell, which is bigger than the large at Wendy's in Tokyo.

Raising kids in Japan is certainly an educational experience, and I've enjoyed watching my kids go through many phases in their lives so far. For my son, there was the fascination with Shinkansen trains that every Japanese boy goes through, and together we learned the names of all of them, from the blue and white Hikari that runs between Tokyo and Kyoto to the Tsubasa, the only bullet train that can run on normal tracks when needed. Around the age of eight he started his "bug phase," staying out for hours to catch beetles and keep them as pets -- his favorite was the Hercules Beetle, but I always liked the coloring of the classic scarabs. When Yu-Gi-Oh came along, my son turned his friends on to collecting the American cards, and they'd sit for hours comparing the differences between the Japanese and American versions. I wonder what his next phase will be?

Television in Japan is quite different from the U.S. First and foremost, there are a lot fewer channels to choose from in Japan, although more and more choices come along every year. The majority of television is provided by the "big five" commercial networks, Fuji TV, TBS, TV Asahi, Nippon TV and TV Tokyo, which create the sports, news, "doramas" (what Japanese TV dramas are usually called by fans, due to how the word is pronounced in Japanese) and anime programming that everyone enjoys watching. Japan is slowly switching from analog to digital broadcasting, and there are satellite and cable options, too. The past decade has seen a lot of investment from American companies, resulting in choices like local versions of Cartoon Network, the Discovery Channel and CNN International, and the cable-only version of Fox has been a big success as Japanese TV fans get hooked on U.S. shows. Not all of these television imports from the States have been welcome: lately it's hard to flip channels without running into lame American infomercials dubbed into Japanese, advertising exercise devices and weight loss gimicks and whatever. All things considered, I could do without that little piece of home.

J-List brings you many fun and wonderful products from Japan, including the super cute monster who happens to be the official mascot of Japan's public broadcasting network (NHK), Domo-kun. Today we've gotten in a cool new Domo-kin T-shirt for guys and girls, featuring an outlined version of our favorite monster. Check it out now!

This month's "Game of the Month" is Tokimeki Check in! One of the most memorable titles from Peach Princess, this outstanding game puts you in the role of owner of a traditional hot springs inn, hosting beautiful women to come to take relax in the bath. The first true blockbuster bishoujo game to be ported to English, this game has it all -- gorgeous characters, a huge story with a mind-blowing 17 possible endings, music by I've Sound and more -- plus, it's a wholesome game that will teach you a little about Japan as it entertains you. One of the best dating-sim games ever translated, the game is available at a special price this month -- check it out now!

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.

	Pent-Japan vol. 132 Mar. 2007. New issue of the Japanese version of Penthouse. It's interesting, with all-Japanese content.
	Asa-Yuma -- Yuma Asami. Gorgeous new photobook by Yuma-chan, a really lovely woman.
	Lifting of Nakadashi -- Mihiro. Mihiro is one of the true enigmas of the JAV world. Originally a model from Cream, if you remember back that far, shewas softcore only for a long time. She then shocked her fans by becoming a full fledged JAV actress. As a fan of her, I'm intrigued, and can't wait to get back to Japan and watch this newest offering ^_^
	Nintendo Classic Controller Golf Game -- Mario version. Super item for Mario fans. This looks like a lot of fun!
	Fun with Katakana ~ Sutekina Katakana. Enjoy learning katakana, the writing system for foreign loan words.
	Gush Mania EX ~ Danshi Ryo H. Great item for yaoi fans, with lots of great work by various artist.
	Cure vol. 41 Feb 2007. J-Rockers, here's a new issue of Cure for you, filled with color photos of Japan's rockingest bands.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 60. New issue of AG means another 80 pages of top quality "H" manga for you.
	Eroi Neko ~ Naughty Pussycat. Great manga about beautiful, massagable soft things.
	Tachikomans Tachi-Silver 1/24 Scale *Wave High Advanced Model* Tachikoma w/Daisuke Aramaki. New Tachikoma for collectors -- the first ever silver model released at this quality!
	Working Yukata ~ Japanese Traditional Working Suit ~ Samue/ Green . This is just too funky. A traditional "working kimono" used in many jobs.
	Spinning Light Pen . A handy pen with a light that's built in.
	Kanji Mug Cup ~ 'Kaze' (Wind) . Enjoy coffee and a little peace with this kanji coffee cup.
	KIDS Red Tatami Sandal with Hanabi/Fire Works Hanao ~ 19cm . New tatami sandals for the little ones.
	Odin from Final Fantasy lX ~ Final Fantasy Master Creatures 2. FF9 fans, here's a cool new monster that would look great displayed in your home or office.
	Chili Squid Pretz -- Soy Sauce Flavor. You say J-snacks are too boring, do you? Well try some of these!
	Domo-kun (Black Outline) - Girls' Fitted. New Domo-kun T-shirts for you today!
	Domo-kun (Three Circles) - Standard Men's. And here's the men's version. Domo!

More on the language of men and women, the Jerusalem of Otakuism, and all about sex and nudity in Japan (cool!)

There are subtle nuances in how we use language, and the speech we choose to use says something about all of us. In English, men and women speak differently in subtle ways, choosing varying words or inflections or coloring their speech differently (e.g. cursing, using feminine-sounding intonation, using less or more slang). In Japanese, the line between male and female speech is much more pronounced, with separate words for the first and second person, e.g. watashi as "I" for girls and the more masculine-sounding boku for boys. There are grammatical "particles" that go on the ends of sentences, too, stressing a statement or asking for agreement from other listeners, and several of these, such as wa (note, わ not は, i.e. the end-of-sentence wa, not the subject-marker wa, or the trendy-word-meaning-harmony wa either for that matter) or ne are generally used by women, or (don't ask me why) men from the Osaka region of Japan. The big challenge for male learners of Japanese is to find the right balance when speaking, to avoid picking up feminine Japanese (difficult when learning from female teachers/girlfriends/wives), while getting input in "male" Japanese that's right for your age (picking up slang from junior high school kids isn't much use when you're 35).

Last week there was a big demonstration in Tokyo's Akihabara region, with otakus of every creed, color and cosplay taking to the the streets to demand freedom to pursue their love of anime, manga and the related arts in their chosen homeland. The demonstration was lead by groups such as the Revolutionary Moeist Union -- who may or may not have been aware of the great joke they made using the word moe (萌え、mo-EH), roughly translatable as the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when contemplating your favorite anime or video game character -- and they were rallying against the recent otaku-unfriendly changes in Akihabara. Tokyo's plan to turn the area into a hip tourist spot has seen many large retailers moving in, including the mammoth Yodobashi Camera store that opened a few years back, pushing out smaller shops that catered to the "otaku spirit." Originally known as Tokyo's "Electric Town," Akihabara has grown beyond electronics to become the Mecca for everything from manga to anime to maid cafes to, well, mecha, and if there's a Jerusalem for anime fans, this is it. Indeed, the word "Akiba-kei" ("related to Akihabara") refers to otaku culture in all its many forms, not to duty-free electronics stores that have been established since the 1960s. The demonstration was mostly for fun, of course, a chance to dress up like your favorite anime character and take part in something spontaneous, but some of the participants really seemed to be getting into it, hiding their faces like PLO guerillas and beating their breasts as they demanded freedom to be otaku in their chosen part of Tokyo.

Japan is not happy, it seems, if it's not constantly presenting foreign visitors with conflicting images of itself. On the one hand, the country can be considered quite open when it comes to subjects like nudity and sex. Public bathing is still quite common, and while male/female mixed bathing (called konyoku, as in our wacky "mixed bathing" T-shirt) has become somewhat of a rarity -- I've only managed to find one such bath in all my years of onsen- hopping, and I'm been paying really close attention-- getting naked in front of strangers of the same sex is still something Japanese never bat an eye at. Occasional nudity on television is by no means shocking, even during prime time, and late-night television in Japan can still give Benny Hill a run for his money when it wants to. Sex has been expressed in art for centuries, and the subset of ukiyoe known as shunga ("spring pictures"), which included the first "naughty tentacles" depiction, dates back to the Edo Period. On the other hand, Japan can be an extremely conservative place at the same time. The roles between men and women are still trapped in the 1950s in many ways, with some girls ernestly wanting to be nothing more than housewives when they grow up. Alternative lifestyles are generally not shared with others, and although the English word "coming out" exists in Japanese (カミングアウトする）, it's almost unheard of in practice. When my wife and I went to Thailand with some other Japanese tourists, there were many Europeans there, sunbathing with their tops off, but the idea of trying this was positively scandalous to all the Japanese tourists.

List loves the genre known as bishoujo games, aka PC dating-sim games, and we've got dozens of English-translated gatitlesmes available for every possible genre, with games for all ages, too. The newest game from G-Collections will be Pretty Soldier Wars A.D. 2048, a fresh and new concept that involves both strategy and traditional dating-sim gameplay with beautiful "Biosoldiers" who must fight the evil enemy Yoju. This game has been declared "golden master" and will be back from the duplicators soon, but you can still preorder and get free shipping when it's ready. This game is being offered at just $24.95, so it's a great title that every fan should pick up. The challenging game includes a full printed game manual along with lots of other bonuses. Thanks for supporting the creation of English bishoujo games!

Remember that J-List now offers a great "wish list" feature that makes it easy for you to save various items you'd like to check out later so you won't forget them. Products can be moved in and out of your wish list to your shopping cart easily. Best of all, you can make your wish list available for public viewing by checking the appropriate box, so friends, family, blog readers etc. can see what you'd like them to get for you. You can even make comments beside each product so they know why you think it's cool, what size you'd need, etc. I love to watch the Recent Wish List Additions RSS feed to see what peopple are adding to their public wish lists and what they're saying about them.

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.

	Karami SE Erotic Style. This is a really amazing photobook filled with gorgeous pictures.
	Hello! Leah! -- Anna Kanzaki. More Leah Dizon look-alike action here. This is actually quite common. Most of the Morning Musume JPOP idols, for example, had AV stars who looked like them at one time or another.
	Koi Millennium -- Akina 2. Nice offering from Aida Garo, one of the most famous photographers in Japan. (Satoshi Kizu of Yulia Nova fame sometimes likes to talk B.S. about him, it's fun to listen to.)
	Spirit of Capitalism. This is one of the most legendary manga ever sold at J-List, and available now in English. What an amazing event!
	Megami Magazine vol. 83 April 2007. Megami Magazine is the top selling anime magazine because they give you tons of posters of cute anime girls in each issue.
	Virtual High School Girl. This is amazing -- an artbook that comes with a dress-up game you play on your computer.
	Hiragana Times July 2007 vol. 249. Read articles in English and Japanese. Great for students.
	The Pink Coral 11 ~ Momoiro Sango 11. The popular Pink Coral series continues.
	Blancneige 1/8 Figure Shining Tears ~ Shining Tears *Preorder*. Shining Tears is really getting popular, and this is a new figure from the game.
	Warugaki (Bad Boy) T-shirt with Shisa - L Size ~ Black. New T-shirt from Japan, featuring beautiful images of the "Warugaki" (Bad Boy) kanji.
	Bamboo Mini Spice Tray with Tongs. A unique item for your dining room table.
	Mini Terrarium for Insects / Fish . All Japanese boys are just ape over bugs, don't ask me why. This is all you need to go capture your own Hercules Beetles tonight!
	UKIYOE Setta with Black Hanao -- M size. Funky sandals with ukiyoe art on them. I love these things.
	Ryuna 1/8 PVC figure ~ Shining Tears *Eye Scream*. Gorgeous new figure, in stock. From Shining Tears.
	Hello Kitty Bonchi Age. Traditional rice cracker for Hello Kitty fans.
	Kanji Square Geta w/Kasuri (Splash) Pattern ~ Varnished Paulownia . We've got more cool wooden-style geta for you today too. Love the kanji on these things.