All about the Japanese and shoes, the benefits of living in another time zone, and understanding the world through its taxis...?

You probably know that the Japanese take their shoes off when they enter a house. Shoes are considered to be extremely dirty objects which must never be brought inside unless they're thoroughly cleaned first, and my wife keeps our old washing machine outside our house specifically for shoes, since washing them in our normal machine would be unthinkable. I once had the gaul to stand on a bench with my shoes on and got yelled at by my students for causing inconvenience to the next person who wanted to sit there, something that had never entered my mine before that point. Shoes are always left in the "genkan," a recessed area by the front door which is officially considered part of the outside of the house (in the old days, the genkan was much larger and animals were kept there). One staple of TV dramas and boy-meets-girl anime involves a girl who comes to her boyfriend's apartment only to see another female pair of shoes already there, an interesting dramatic twist that would be difficult to translate culturally to the West. The other day, my daughter came out to carry some bags from the car without putting her shoes on, which caused me to realize what a gaijin my little girl was. Because the soto (outside) of a house is so much dirtier than the uchi (inside), it's all but unheard of for Japanese children to walk around outdoors barefoot.

You can view the world in many ways, from the standpoint of history, politics, the arts, or if you're like me, comparative popular culture. Or if you like, you could focus on taxi cabs. Although we all take taxis for granted, they're often an interesting symbol of each respective country, from the iconic Black Taxis of London to the multi-cultural mish-mash that are taxis in New York City. When my son went to Malaysia he was fascinated to see that all the taxis there were vehicles made in that country, apparently required by law, which caused us to start paying attention to taxis whenever we went somewhere new. If you ever come to Japan, be sure and take a lot of taxi rides, as it's a real treat. Just as taxis in Germany are usually well-apportioned Mercedes Benz vehicles, 90% of Japanese taxis are the Toyota Comfort, made by Japan's most famous automobile company specifically for the industry. Japanese taxis are extremely clean, and when they're not driving someone to a new location, taxi drivers are usually lavishing care on their vehicles to keep them spotless. The most interesting aspect of Japanese taxis for foreigners are the passenger side doors that open and close automatically, using a hydraulic mechanism the driver can control. It's the ultimate in convenience.

One issue of living in Japan and running an international company like J-List is dealing with the time difference between here and the rest of the world. Japan is 16 hours ahead of California, which means that when people on the West Coast of the U.S. are sitting down to dinner, we're all just starting our morning the next day. Being ahead of everyone else has several benefits, including the ability to forget birthdays or Mother's Day without penalty, since you can be a day late but still be in the zone. It's a benefit for Mac users, too: I got to get Leopard, Apple's new OS, 16 hours ahead of most of the world. Although people grumble about having to remember to set their clocks for Daylight Savings Time, it's not a problem here since Japan never adopted the system. While not having to spring forward or fall back is nice, having it get dark at around 4 pm then going to bed while the morning sun peers through my window is kind of lame.

J-List customers know that we always have a huge selection of products for fans of Studio Ghibli, the animation company of Hayao Miyazaki responsible for all his most celebrated films. From Totoro music boxes to plush toys and bento and the super warm blankets we posted last time, the quality of every Studio Ghibli product is without peer. Today we've got a real treat for you: a line of fabulous umbrellas featuring art and characters from My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. As you might guess, these umbrellas are extremely well made, with sturdy construction and thick, high quality materials throughout. You can feel this quality when you look at the all-wood handle and shaft, which combine to form an organic creation that was approved by Mr. Miyazaki himself. We're overjoyed to have these great Totoro and Jiji the Cat anime umbrellas for you!

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. We also recommend watching our "new products" RSS feed

	Mini Skirt Illustrated DVD vol. 90 ~ Minisuka Daizukan DVD Aug 2007. One of the best magazines published in Japan today, featuring lots of innovative photography.
	Bible Black: Revelations - Vol. 4. We've gotten in the Bible Black DVDs back in stock, for all the pervs reading this.
	Gekkan -- Hitomi Aizawa. Hitomi-chan is looking mighty good in this photomagazine.
	Summer Days Visual Guide book. I am really into School Days right now (actually the post today was inspired by the scene when Kotonoha goes to visit Makoto and Sekai's shoes are already there). Actually I have to stop watching it becasue my wife wants to see the rest of the episodes.
	Tsuruya-san Maid Costume 1/8 Figure Max Factory~ Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi *Preorder*. Although she's a minor character (and not even an esper, android or alien -- that we know of , hmm), Tsuruya-san from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a very popular character.
	Makoto Sawatari 1/8 Figure ~ Kanon *Preorder*. I *love* this figure from Kanon. In fact, I want to nominate it for the unofficial Firefox web browser mascot, as this is related to this girl's story in the anime. Who's with me?
	Lazy Sakura ver. ~ Nendoroid Figure . Cute remix of Sakura from Fate/stay night.
	Aru Love Pillow Cover　~ Miageta Sora ni Ochiteyuku. Our Hug Pillows are very popular, in fact they keep selling out. Here's a new until until our reorder of the others comes in again.
	Hello Kitty Stationery Gift Set ~ Notebook, Pencil w/Case, Mini Case, Mini Tissue. Cool item for Sanrio fans.
	Lacquer-style Square Sake Cup with KANJI ~ FUKU / Fortune. Gorgeous square cup for drinking sake.
	My Neighbor Totoro Umbrella -- Green. *Great* umbrella for Totoro fans. Totally awesome construction, all hardwood, with beautiful printing.
	Kiki's Delivery Service Jiji Umbrella -- Navy. This is the Jiji the Cat umbrella.
	Nonoko~Moon~1/6 Figure White Costume. I don't know why, but this original character figure is just so enigmatic. Like a librarian gone totally berserk with geekiness.
	Dueli Diamond Gummy -- Cassis Soda Mint Flavor. I'll bet you haven't come across any Cassis Soda gummy anywhere else today?
	Whiteen Pliola Gum -- Rose Peach Flavor. The boom in rose flavored products continues.
	Gothic Lolita Deluxe Japan Bento Box Set CUTE COSPLAY. Ah, our Goth-Loli bento box is back in stock.
	Asakusa Bag ~ Maiko. This is an amazing item -- a large cloth bag printed with beautiful imagery of Japan.

Thoughts on innovation and cameras in cell phones, the "next" Brad Pitt as an Otaku, and update on all those lovely fires...

Is teen heart-throb Zac Efron, the so-called "next Brad Pitt," an otaku? That's the question asked in a Japanese magazine I happened to come across the other day. Zac is getting a lot of press in Japan because of the popularity of the High School Musical films which made quite a splash here, and he's accumulated a sizeable base of screaming female fans. The article was especially interested in whether or not Zac's love of anime like Dragonball Z, Death Note and Evangelion qualified him as a bona fide otaku or not. Zac is quite taken with Japan, and whenever he's here he reportedly heads to Akihabara for some serious shopping. In a way I guess it's no mystery that Zac's name goes hand-in-hand with anime in the minds of Japanese fans, since he's named after one of the most famous mecha from the Gundam universe, the MS-05J Zaku, the backbone of the Principality of Zeon. The Japanese certainly are no strangers to cute male idols. Between the constant flow of new "boy talents" from the Johnny's Entertainment management agency and the current crop of South Korean male idols hoping to make it on Japan's lucrative idol circuit, Japanese fans have a place in their hearts prepared for Zac.

As in most other parts of the world, the cellular phone has taken root in Japan in a big way, and a lot of the innovations we now take for granted came about as a result of the stiff competition in the "keitai" (portable phone) market here. Take the humble in-phone digital camera, a feature that just about every unit sports nowadays. The first phone to feature a built-in camera was the Sanyo J-SH04, released back in 2000 by J-Phone, formerly Vodafone and now part of Yahoo Japan mogul Masayoshi Son's Softbank empire. This feature started the era of "Sha-Mail" (picture mail), allowing people to email 80x160 pixel postage stamp-sized pics to each other, surely a landmark in the progress of mankind. Which brings me to one more big difference between Japan and the U.S. -- patents and how they're used. While all modern countries allow for new ideas to be patented for a period of time so that the owners can realize benefit from their inventions, I've seen some pretty bizarre patent claims over the years, including individuals asserting "ownership" of the concept of the mouse click, a virtual shopping cart, and the hierarchial menu. Somehow, the Japanese manage to get by without these kinds of "patent wars," and it's very rare that the subject comes up at all. When Nissan comes up with a nifty new way to add storage space to a sedan, they don't try to patent it to keep Toyota from copying it, and when the first camera was put inside a phone, no company tried to get a own the concept of "A method for mounting a CCD censor in a communications device." Yet somehow, the Japanese economy seems to move along pretty well, with competition making sure the best products are chosen most often by consumers. I wonder what it is the Japanese are doing differently when it comes to patents?

Although my adopted country is always fun, I still have love my real home town of San Diego -- the beautiful weather, the laid-back attitude, being able to go to the beach in January. Unfortunately the warm Santa Ana winds that make California such a nice place most of the time to be are causing absolute havoc right now, as fires engulf hundreds of thousands of acres. San Diego has several fires still burning, and winds are still whipping the flames to incredible temperatures, causing tragedy for many and forcing a mind-blowing 300,000 people to be evacuated. Our thoughts are with everyone caught up in these events, and we hope things will start to turn around soon. While J-List's San Diego office isn't in danger, several of our employees are affected by the flames, including two who can't get to work because of closed roads. We're striving to make sure any delays in shipping products are minimal while firefighters get the flames under control, and we thank everyone for your understanding in advance.

We have some good news to tell fans of PC dating-sim games: the newest English-translated game title, Bazooka Cafe, is in stock and shipping now! A super game by G-Collections, Trabulance and talented artist Kohaku Sumeragi, it puts you in the role of a young man surrounded by some of the most beautiful females ever seen. When your aging father collapsed, you dutifully quit your office job to take over running his cafe with the help of your beautiful gaijin waitress Cocoa (she's from some exotic South Pacific island). One day, your former coworker Mizuki comes in an announces that she's going to work at your cafe, then before you know it, two other gorgeous beauties -- childhood friend Narumi and former boss Yayoi also join the staff. It's like a dream come true! The game includes the Bazooka Cafe Valentine Special, a bonus game featuring all-new art, too. Order this great title right now!

Announcing the beginning of Totoro Blanket Season! Every year Japanese toy maker Sun Arrow releases fabulous Studio Ghibli blankets that are incredibly soft to the touch, and they've become quite a favorite with J-List customers. The new Totoro blankets for the 2007-2008 season are great to look and warm to snuggle under with their high quality acrylic materials, and they're so soft you'll find yourself going out of your way to keep one nearby. We've gotten in three convenient sizes for you, so whether you want to enjoy a good night sleep with Totoro, curl up on the sofa or keep warm at work, you will love these new items! They make great gift items, too.

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. We also recommend watching our "new products" RSS feed

	Aya Sensei -- Aya Nakata. Gorgeous photobook for fans of beautiful Japanese girls.
	Himekuri ~ All Girl Photobook Special. This is a photobook featuring women posing together, no guys allowed in any photograph. I love the approach the photographer takes.
	Bazooka Cafe. This outstanding game, a cool "maid cafe" dating-sim, is finally in stock and shipping. Fascinating story and characters!
	Patlabor on Television vol. 1 ~ Perfect Establishment Data. Great Patlabor item for fans of the show.
	Sweet Girls ~ Dengeki Hime Illust Collection. Indeed, this art book is filled with sweet girls. Love the art in here.
	The Ring Finger Honey ~ Kusuriyubi Honey. While most "H" manga creators are guys, this artist is a female, and I love her unique work.
	Ai Enma Hug Pillow ~ Hell Girl Body Pillow. A giant Hug Pillow for you, featuring Ai Enma from Hell Girl, one of the strangest (yet most beautiful) anime shows I've seen in a whiile.
	Nihongo Journal Oct 2007. Learn Japanese with this helpful monthly magazine.
	Totoro Fluffy Blanket -- 140 x 200cm. If you haven't touched one of the extra-soft Japanese acrylic blankets ever, this is a great time to consider it. They're so soft and so warm, you'll treasure your Totoro blanket for years.
	Karen Stadtfeld 1/8 Figure ~ Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion *Preorder*. Great new figure for Code Geass fans to preorder.
	Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary 350mm Canned Potion. Final Fantasy fans, we've gotten in limited stock of the canned potion, which is far more suited to actually drinking than the other one.
	Kit Kat Little. A new Kit Kat variation is on the block.
	Street Fighter II 1/7 Figure ~ Chun-Li. Chun-Li, looking really stylish, and in stock now.
	Nadia 1/10 Scale Figure ~ Nadia The Secret of Blue Water. I am a big Nadia fan, and the prospect of a "cast off" Nadia figure is just too much.
	Meiji Melty Kiss -- Green Tea. The new Meltykiss for the 2007/2008 season is in stock now!
	Ghibli Short Short Special (region 2). This is a collection of all the short films Ghibli has done over the years, including their great TV commercials and the legendary music video with Chage and Aska.
	Zebra Japonesque "Minna" Pen -- Blue (Bell Flower). Really cool pen that's small enough, you'll always have it with you.
	Fuwarinka Soft Candy -- Rose Flavor. A huge hit at J-List, candy and gum that makes you smell nicer from the inside out, with the power of roses.
	2008 Calendar -- Domo-Kun . Domo-kun's 2008 calendar is finally in stock! Get your copy of this really cool item right now!

Little differences between Japan and America like sandwiches, crime and honesty in Japan, and vending machine costumes?

Sometimes it's fun to notice the little differences between Japan and the U.S., like the way packaging of products is much sturdier here, with two or three layers between you and that Kit Kat bar and drinks in steel cans thick enough to stop bullets. Another difference I came across recently involved the preparation and consumption of sandwiches. Last night I decided to make grilled cheese for dinner, something I don't usually do since the only sliced cheese available here is a bland-tasting Mozzarella called "melty cheese." I asked my wife and daughter how they'd like their sandwiches cut, launching into a slightly obsessive explanation of the many ways to approach the cutting of bread, and how I personally preferred a single diagonal cut from corner to corner, or in the case of grilled cheese cut into four triangles so you can see the melted cheese as it slowly cools. My family stared at me with blank expressions, though, and it dawned on me that the Japanese, who eat rice far more often than bread, have less "sandwich culture" than us. That's not to say sandwiches don't exist at all here -- popular varieties include ham, egg salad, whipped cream and strawberry, cucumber and mayonnaise, and one of my favorites, Katsu-Sand, or a fried pork cutlet with that heavenly sauce called "sauce" on it inside bread. In keeping with the Japanese traditional of ensuring that all females are constipated all the time, sandwiches are usually served with the crusts completely cut off (to avoid roughage).

If you checked the Internet over the weekend, you may have caught one of the dozen or so blogs that linked to a wacky image of a person dressed as a Coca-Cola vending machine, from a piece last week in the New York Times. The article stated with a straight face that fear of being assaulted while walking down the street was causing Japanese females to disguise themselves as vending machines to feel safe, which immediately compelled me to check my calendar to see that I hadn't somehow time-slipped to April 1st. For the record, the Times reporter got this one wrong, taking a parody creation intended as social commentary for a product people would actually use. It is, of course, easy to get the wrong idea about Japan, a country that seems at times to be specially created to perplex Westerners. I remember as a child hearing about the paper walls in Japan and wondering how they kept rain and wind out -- but of course, shoji doors are only used inside, and there are sturdy walls of wood and concrete between you and the elements. Before I came to Japan, I got some advice from an older gentleman in a barber shop to "Stay away from those geisha! They'll get ya!" I've yet to find anything resembling real geisha in modern Japan, although I drank beer with a Shinto shrine maiden once. And those weird Japanese inventions you may have seen, like tiny umbrellas for your shoes or a small electric fan you attach to your chopsticks to cool your noodles as you eat them? They're a long-running gag called "chindougu," or "useless Japanese inventions" and they don't exist, although we always get a few requests for them at J-List.

For the record, Japan is statistically quite a safe country when it comes to crime, and visitors here probably have nothing to fear (as long as you watch out for those geisha). Murders are so rare in Japan that when one occurs, it's often discussed for days, and the idea of a murder not being reported in the news because it was "too normal" is unheard of. Japan has been rumored to be a country so honest that you could forget an expensive camera on a park bench and go back for it the next day to find it still there, and this has proven to be true for me on several occasions -- also, a gaijin friend of mine managed to lose his wallet in three different parts of Japan yet it was returned to him through the police all three times. It doesn't always work that way of course -- I once managed to have an expensive Zero Haliburton case taken off a train in "safe" Japan, then a week later in the U.S. my wife lost her purse with $800 in cash inside (silly Japanese females, will they never learn?), yet it was returned to her with all the cash inside. If you're planning a trip to Japan, you should have nothing to fear as long as you take certain precautions. Avoid bringing too much cash, of course, and keep valuables close to you, and if a place looks seedy and dangerous, it may well be -- use common sense and try to go with a local friend as a guide if possible.

J-List specializes in Japan's excellent PC dating-sim games, which feature intricate stories and beautiful anime-style characters you can interact with in many ways. One of our favorite titles is also one of the most unique: Casual Romance Club, a game that was released in English and the only game in which the girls will chat with you in beautiful (Japanese accented) English as an option. It's one of the most realistic "dating-sim" games ever conceived of, since that's what you do, interact with the girls in the "dating club" and find out what makes each girl tick, then ask them out for a date -- but watch out, since the girls can be quite jealous of each other, just like in real life. For a limited time, you can get this game sent to you with free shipping, quite a savings since it ships from Japan in a large heavy box with the most beautiful computer manual you'll ever see in a PC game.

Remember that J-List carries tons of wacky Japanese T-shirts, with designers that use the aesthetic beauty of kanji to create a great original look for you. Whether you're looking for wacky messages like "Support the Emperor and Expel the Foreign Barbarians" (a popular 19th century political slogan), subtle messages like "Warning: Rated H" or are more interested in shirts with cultural appeal, we've got plenty of designs for you, with both standard men's shirts as well as stylish fitted T-shirts for girls from American Apparel. Also, now that it's starting to get cooler, we humbly suggest you check out our line of extremely warm hoodies, which are made using the best quality 80/20 cotton blends available for years of softness.

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. We also recommend watching our "new products" RSS feed

	Momojyuji Hospital's Kega Idol ~ Kegadol. If Evangelion has taught us nothing, it's that pretty girls in bandages are even prettier.
	Big Bust 90cm G-cup -- Niine Ozawa (region 2). Memorable 90 cm G cup actress. Her name is pronounced "NII-neh."
	Fighting Girl. For fans of Erika Nagai (ahem, you know who you are) and the general fetish of women beating up men, kicking them when they're down, and so on, here is a great new offering for you.
	S cawaii Sep 2007. Super cute magazine, S Cawaii!
	Little My Maid ~ Limited Edition. Great new "H" manga from Chataro!
	Mao Hanyu Love Pillow Cover　~ Miageta Sora ni Ochiteiku. Since our Hug Pillows were so popular that we sold everything out over the weekend, we've got another awesome offering, the cute maid Mao Hanyu (aside, no Japanese people don't thin of Mao Zedong when they encounter names like this) for your pleasure.
	Rei Ayanami Plug Suit ver. 1/6 Figure ~ Kotobukiya *Preorder*. Rei Ayanami figure, coming soon. Preorder it now.
	Louise Koakuma ver. 1/6 Figure ~ Zero no Tsukaima -- Kotobukiya *Preorder*. Super cute Louise from Zero no Tsukaima.
	Senko no Ronde SP & Rev.X official Data Pure Temperance. Gorgeous artbook for a game a popular game.
	SAKURA Jelly Stickers. Sakura stickers for your windows, which make pretty light shine through.
	Pentel Handy Line S - 3 color set ~ Click Guard Marker. These are highlighting pens that fit inside the pens themselves, so they won't dry out and you don't need to keep caps handy. This is called "knock" type for some reason.
	No-Smoking Helper -- Mint Replacement Cigarette. A wacky item to help you stop smoking.
	Nikyoko ~ Ju-Bako Style DX Bento Box . The cutest darned bento box I've seen in a while. The name Nikyoro combines niko niko (happy and smiling) with kyoro kyoro (the sound of eyes looking left to right).
	TATAMI Mouse Pad ~ Green. While it's honestly not the best mouse pad ever for optical mice, the concept is so darned cool we had to carry this.
	Mine BluE #00 Private Material Romanthis ver. Figure. Mine Blue, a character I was unfamiliar with -- but just look how cool this figure is!
	Revoltech No.36 Strike Valkyrie VF-1S ~ Macross. How cool is this? A detailed Valkyrie VF-1S Skull-1 special. Because it's by Revoltech it's super posable.
	Kit Kat -- Caramel Flavor. Delicious flavor of Kit Kat from Japan.
	Casual Romance Club. A really great game, that I've played for many hours. Comes with the most beautiful printed game manual you'll ever see, and characters who speak cute accented English (or Japanese, optionally). We're offering free shipping on this game!

By request, I present pictures of our "reform" (remodeling), at least as far as my wife will let me take pictures of, since the house is dirty and all that. We mainly did two things, replace the "unit bath" and tore out the ceiling in our living room, leaving a big space and making a little guest room up there.

This is the tatami room, which we retooled to use square "Ryukyu-datami" Okinawa-style tatami which we like better because we just gotta be us. Our builder cleverly wrapped natural wood pillars around the old ugly ones, making everything look cool. My wife insisted on a big red wall in the background, to break up our otherwise colorless home.

Since shoji doors came up today, here are ours. They're much more functional, since they slide into the side parts so they're completely out of the way. The bottom rails where the doors slide on is also "barrier free" so you won't stub your toe on them.

Close-up of the Okinawa-style tatatmi mats.

The little room upstairs is quite unused right now. We call it the Uno room since that's all we do up there, play Uno, but we'll get some kind of chairs up there later.