Cool Products: Zelda keychains, new Replicant, and Wasabi Doritos FTW!

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.

	The Legend of Zelda Hour Glass of Phantom Soundrop Full Set of 6. The Soundrop keychains are great, an electronic keychain with a button and speaker that emit a loud, clear sound or spoken phrase when you hit the button. Here's a killer item, the Legend of Zelda Soundrop series, featuring all the sounds from the popular game.
	Replicant vol. 31 Winter 2008. One of the best sources for seriously drool-worthy pictures of the best anime figures ever made, Replicant is a perfect-bound all-color magazine we can't recommend highly enough. Includes a pull-out poster of an upcoming Shunya Yamashita figure.
	Wasabi Doritos. It's a rare product that can actually bring tears to my eyes, and in the case of the new limited-edition Wasabi Doritos it's coming from the strong hot taste of the wasabi baked into the chips. Highly recommended for wasabi aficionados as well as collectors of rare items from Japan!
	Other Delicious Japanese Snacks. Discover the mystery of what the Japanese call melon-pan or "melon bread," a round bread that doesn't taste like a melon, although it looks like one. This is the newest flavor of Bakery Flat Style Pretz! Then get in on Japan's mango boom with these delicious mango & orange treats, loaded with collagen.
	Seifuku Danshi - Young Men in Uniform. Here's an innovative photobook that captures dozens of ikemen (EE-keh-men), or good-looking guys with handsome faces, in various uniforms, from waiter to chauffeur to policeman and even the guy who bags your food at the Lawson convenience store.
	Shakugan no Shana 1/8 Figure Candy Bikini ver. We love the gorgeous figures from Shakugan no Shana, an anime series that was character designed by Ito Noizi, who brought us Haruhi Suzumiya. Love the pose, and love the samurai sword.
	Hello Kitty Drawing Board. Wow, this is fantastic -- a fun magnetic drawing board for kids that lets them create art then start over by flushing the image with the eraser lever. A really fun item from Japan.
	DORAEMON and My Melody Clear File Document Protectors. Protect your documents the kawaii way with these plastic "clear file" pockets that store all your important papers without letting them get damaged. Plus they're darned cute.
	Domokun Mimobot USB 2.0 Flash Drive ~ Ninja 2GB. There are USB flash drives, and then there are the cool Domo-kun flash drives that give you 1, 2 or 4 GB of storage in a great Domo-shaped package. We've restocked several of these, including the 2 GB "Ninja Domo" that's just too cool.
	Japan Underground vol. 1-3. The popular photobook series Japan Underground has been restocked. If you're looking to see a side of Tokyo you've never imagined, this is for you. All volumes are in stock now!
	FUROSHIKI ~ Japanese Chirimen Kimono Patterned Multi Cloth. A furoshiki is an innovative Japanese cloth that can be used in several ways. First, you can wrap items in it for easy carrying, and this has been done in Japan for centuries. Also, it's a beautifully printed chirimen cloth that can be used as a scarf to add color to any outfit. Two different varieties posted today.
	DX Genuine Lacquered 2 tier Bento Box with Butterfly motif. You already know that J-List has the best selection of bento boxes anywhere. Now we're adding a gorgeous new bento made of real lacquered wood, for an incredible feel and look. Yet it's still very functional, with separate interior sections that are easily washable, plus it's fully microwavable.
	Naruto Anbu Mask . The Anbu Masks from Naruto have been a hugely popular item with J-List customers, hand assembled and using the best materials. The masks are very thick, too, hard injected plastic as opposed to the thin material in masks we had for Halloween when we were kids. These are back in stock in San Diego.
	Writing Katakana ~ An Introductory Japanese Language Workbook. Start learning Japanese today with this great textbook that teaches you katakana, the writing system used for writing foreign names and loan words like "amenity communicator." We're also restocking the Bilingual Atlas of Tokyo and a great book on Bonsai.
	Various Reposted Items. We discovered that some items had been flagged so that they weren't appearing on the JBOX.com PG site, only the J-List site. These include the oh-so-cute Relax Bear bobbleheads and the "Kamikaze" collection of vehicles used by the Japanese during World War II, great for collectors.
	Melissa Selafi Nendoroid Figure *Preorder*. Check out this cool Nendoroid figure of Melissa Seraphy from the game Wagamama Capricco, no doubt one of the most original toys in this innovative toy line. Pumpkins rock!
	Restocked Kompeito, Sakura Kit Kat, and More. Restocked snacks include Hello Kitty Strawberry Pretzel (very Pocky-like), Meiji Coffee Beat, Kompeito traditional candy as seen in Spirited Away, and the very popular Strawberry Kit Kat and Sakura Kit Kat "Lucky Little."
	Ichikawa San -- Yui Ichikawa. We love hardcover photobooks like this because the quality is so high, with page after delicious page of gorgeous photography for you. This is a great photobook for fans of Yui Ichikawa, the legendary swimsuit idol and all-around pretty girl from Japan.
	Angel and Demon Visual Fanbook ~ Tenshi and Akuma. A great artbook filled with beautiful images of gorgeous female characters in the form of tenshi (angels) and akuma (demons). Which will you choose?
	Queen's Blade vol. 11 ~ Nanael. Got a new Queen's Blade artbook for you today, this one being the gorgeous character Nanael. Do battle with the other characters in the popular book-based combat RPG, or just enjoy the 64 pages of fabulous glossy art.
	Kanu (Aisha) 1/8 Figure *Preorder*. Here's a gorgeous figure of Kanu, aka Aisha, from the legendary "H" game and anime Koihime, also known as Mystical Princess. This is the character Kanu, one of the most popular from the series. A fantastic "ero" figure that can be totally cast off.
	Jukujo Sports Instructor 3 -- Midori Takase. The female body builder Midori Takase has won many fans, and nothing seems to be able to stop her from clawing her way to the top of the JAV indies mountain of popularity. Enjoy her new release, featuring her amazing feats of strength and "ero."

On the Endless Road Construction in Japan

I went to the dentist the other day to get my teeth checked. Normally, it's a ten minute drive, but I ran into no less than five teams of men digging up the road between the J-List office and my destination. It's all part of living in Japan, of course: the end-of-year road work, when government agencies hurry to use up their budgets before the Japanese fiscal year ends March 31. Japan is a country that's addicted to construction, and by law all car- and gasoline-related taxes must be used to build roads and only roads, even if there are other priorities. As a result, March always marks a huge increase in road work throughout the country, despite there being no actual benefit to anyone. Because roads are usually more narrow in Japan than in the U.S., it's common for construction areas to employ one or two "road guides" whose job it is to guide cars safely around the site, holding a flashlight to indicate whether it's okay to go or if you need to wait for a car coming from the opposite direction to go past. The only thing you can say about roads in Japan is that they are well maintained -- I do believe I've never hit a single pothole on a Japanese road.

Little Mis-Pronounciations of English in Japanese

The Japanese, of course, use a lot of English in their daily lives, even if serves mainly as a decoration, like a businessman showing his intelligence by peppering his speech with haughty-sounding katakana words like "compliance" "collaboration" or "initiative," the reverse version of American businessmen using trendy Japanese buzzwords. But because the Japanese have a limited phonetic range compared to English, and because words have been brought in over a space of many years, English words are sometimes imported "wrong," at least as far as my Californian-American English ear is concerned. The other day I asked my wife to get some yogurt from the refrigerator for me, specifying that I wanted the "Bio Yogurt" that was there. Since I was speaking Japanese, I said the word "bio" with its Japanese pronunciation of "be-oh," and this gave me a little shiver of weirdness since it's not said that way in my native tongue. Some other English words that are often changed compared to American English include "micro," which is pronounced "mii-cro" about half the time; energy, which sounds like "eh-neh-ru-GEE" with a hard "G"; and cocoa and aloe, both of which get their final silent syllables pronounced. There's nothing for it but to get used to these alternate pronunciations, and it's really not that hard -- before I know it I'm talking funny in English.

Douglas MacArthur and the Japanese

You probably don't think about Douglass MacArthur very much, but to the Japanese, he's quite a figure. As Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific, he battled the Japanese throughout the region, and his was the hand that officially received the surrender on the USS Missouri, ending the war. But to the Japanese, it was in the postwar period that MacArthur did great things, guiding the rebuilding of Japan as a "kind and loving father" to the nation, not entirely different from the Founding Fathers of the Meiji Restoration 78 years before. He brought in many democratic reforms, writing a new anti-war constitution. He broke up the zaibatsu conglomerates and redistributed five million acres of land to individual farmers, which no doubt helped contribute to Japan's healthy middle class today. More than anything, I think that MacArthur knew the importance of not "stepping on the face" of the Japanese, to borrow a phrase from their language. They were defeated, but the General took care to protect the Imperial Family from responsibility for the war, which was an important symbol to the people. I can find no evidence of "Abu Ghraib" like events during the Occupation, possibly thanks to the policy of choosing soldiers who had not fought in the Pacific theater, and thus had no special grudges. A lot of the plans he implemented were undone after the Occupation ended, such as the ban on all forms of martial arts and Kabuki plays, but the important changes stuck. The generation growing up after the war ended has the most reverence for the man. When I asked my wife's mother what her impression of him was, she practically gushed. "It's because of MacArthur that Japan is here today."

Cool Products: Robot manga, Wii Sports attachments, Nendoroid, Lucky Star manga

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.

	robot 10 ~ Super Color Comic. Wow, the new issue of "robot" (damned disappearing capital letters) is a great one, filled with gorgeous color manga artwork by top artists in Japan, like Range Murata, Okama, Mami Itou, Imperial Boy, Neovision, Yasuto Miura, and more -- 24 artists in all!
	Wii Remote Control Attachment -- Tennis ~ Elecom. Got a Nintendo Wii? Like the awesome sports games? Well Japanese computer peripheral maker Elecom has something for you: a fabulous line of attachments that turn your Wii controller into something more. This is a cool tennis attachment that makes the tennis games in Wii Sports so much more fun. Made of Nerf-like material that's sort and flexible.
	Wii Remote Control Attachment -- Baseball & Golf. Check out the other two Wii Sports attachments we're posting, which change your Wii controller into a realistic golf club or a baseball bat, also soft so you won't hurt someone if you hit them with it. What a great idea!
	Yuki Nagato 1/8 Cat Girl ver. ~ Metamo Figure. The figure of Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya dressed in catgirl cosplay is finally in stock now. The suit is designed to change color depending on the surrounding temperature -- wow.
	Al Azif Nendroid Figure ~ Demonbane. We love the Nendoroid (from nendo meaning "clay" + droid) toys because they're so versatile, and you can outfit them with alternate clothes and other attachments. Here's a super-cute Al Azif from the game and anime Demonbane. Comes with cute cat ears as well as several other alternate add-ons to her body.
	Re Mie Nendroid Figure ~ Zoid Genesis. Also got a great Nendoroid figure of Re Mie from Zoid Genesis, for fans of the popular Zoids universe. Comes with many attachments including her robot mascot Lanstag.
	Delicious New Japanese Snacks. Get ready for the newest type of Pocky, delicious Rum Raisin, a chocolate covered stick of deliciousness that we highly recommend. Each box comes with four four individually wrapped packages of Pocky so you can eat just as many as you want and the rest will stay fresh. Also, enjoy a great idea, March of the Koalas cookie snacks with -- wait for it -- Honey Pancake flavoring inside, as well as a new flavor of Cheeza crackers.
	JUZU / Buddist Prayer's Beads Strap with BONJI / Sanskrit Letter. Wow, here's a cool item: a phone strap that can be attached to your phone, keys, Nintendo DS or what have you, which is based on Buddhist prayer beads, essentially the Japanese version of a Rosary. Totally cool.
	80's Classic Hello Kitty Bento Trio Set. Get your Sanrio Bento mojo on with this Hello Kitty "trio set" which of course means a spoon, fork and chopsticks in a handy case that you can take with your bento. This is a limited edition item, unavailable for reorder, so bag it while it's in stock.
	Samurai Strategies. We've restocked this popular book which is filled with information on just what makes the Japanese special when it comes to business and success. Features case studies of many famous samurai in Japan's history.
	Directory of 800 Train Station Bento ~ Shun no Ekiben Meikan 800. Then, ekiben or bento lunches sold in train stations is one of my favorite things about Japan. Here's a book cataloging 800 different delicious train station bento lunches sold all over Japan.
	Haruhi Suzumiya Figma Action Figure ver. *Preorder*. From Max Factory comes this great preorder Figma figure featuring Haruhi Suzumiya. She can do just about anything thanks to her many points of articulation, and the included stabilization arm lets her assume poses that would be impossible without falling down otherwise.
	Saber Figma Action Figure Armor ver. ~ Fate/stay night *Preorder*. Also, dig on this Figma figure of Saber, perhaps coolest single anime action figure we've seen. All those poses! All those ways to hold the sword! I am floored by what the anime toy sculptors are able to create these days.
	iTunes Japan Music Cards. We happened to see that Apple had passed Amazon and was now the #2 seller of music. We think this is pretty cool, and you can get it on it too with a prepaid card from the Japan iTunes Music Store, the only way to browse and buy great JPOP music, anime soundtracks and everything else on the Japan iTMS. Best of all, the cards are fully compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and you can even buy music online with your prepaid card right from your small device.
	"Looking For a Japanese Girlfriend" - Fitted Girl's Tee. J-List sells our popular T-shirts and hoodies for men that say "Now accepting applications for a Japanese girlfriend," and we have "boyfriend" versions too. By customer request we recently brought back our oh-so-kinky "girlfriend" shirt in a fitted tee from American Apparel, for females looking for females. Go get 'em.
	Sukusui vol. 16 Jun. 2007. We like this dedicated photomagazine a lot because of its strong theme -- really pretty girls in (and out of) high performance swimsuits. This is the kind of thing we live to sell at J-List -- stylish and elegant.
	All of You -- Yu Kitajima. Relive that first stolen afternoon with a girl with this great hardcover photobook by Yu Kitajima (also written "You"). Gorgeous photos on every page, including many sexy poses by this lovely actress and model.
	Parody Star ~ Paro Suta (Parosta). We love "H" manga from Japan, and nothing is more fun than a satisfying parody of an existing anime license. Enjoy this great anthology of doujinshi from Lucky Star, featuring all the cute girls in many situations. Then enjoy the Celebrity In the House, detailing the secret lives of famous but lonely idols in Japan.
	Queen's Blade ~ Airi. It's time for another fabulous Queen's Blade series, a book-based combat game based on the Lost Worlds series from the U.S. (really old school), although most fans just collect the hardcover photobooks to gaze dreamily at the 64 glossy pages of character art. This is the sexy maid Airi, although this isn't really a "hentai" book at all (the art is all as tasteful as can be).
	Panda "H" Style Mug Cup. Then, looking for a really unique coffee cup? We recommend our line of coffee, tea and sake cups that shows the 48 traditional positions.
	Under Skirt 4 hours. Those Japanese AV studios are so darned creative. They've come up with a bold idea for a video, with 4 hours of nothing but super cute girls and "Under Skirt" themes.

History Lesson on the Mitsubishi Zaibatsu

One concept you get used to when living in Japan is the ubiquitity of certain famous companies in many different industries. Take Mitsubishi, for example, a sprawling conglomorate of companies (keiretsu) that engages in everything from building cars to shipping to operating nuclear power plants and Japan's largest bank. (They also built the Zero during World War II.) The history of Mitsubishi began in 1870, when Iwasaki Yataro founded a trading company that would become Mitsubishi Shokai, a large shipping and trading interest, which soon diversified into coal mining, banking, insurance and military procurement. The name of the company comes from mitsu (three) and hishi (water chestnut), which is shaped like a diamond, and the famous logo is based on Yataro's family crest. The company grew quickly, eventually becoming one of the "big three" zaibatsu, along with Sumitomo and Mitsui, which wielded so much economic power that they could influence the political direction of the entire country. After World War II, all of the old zaibatsu were broken up for their role in the conflict, but all survive today as loose groups of associated companies.

On Traditional "Sento" (Public Baths) and Street Fighter II

If you ever come to Japan, you really should be sure to sample the bathing culture here. Although onsen (natural volcanic hot springs) are more famous, bathing was traditionally done in public baths known as sento, a word which literally means a place you can take a bath for a sen, an old coin equal to 1/100 of a yen, although they cost about 400 yen now. Sento have been around for centuries, with the first opened inside Edo Castle in 1591, and these traditional bathing places have been depicted in ukiyoe art for centuries. In more modern times, sento bring up images of the Showa Period, when most Japanese didn't have baths in their homes, and the picture of young apartment-dwellers walking to the sento with their bath kits under their arm is a classic one from the postwar era. Sento are famous for the extensively detailed Japanese art on the walls for customers to enjoy, as well for these yellow buckets that advertise a headache medicine called Kerorin; a glimpse of these buckets is enough to make most any Japanese person extremely natsukashii (NOTS-ka-shee), or nostalgic. Two of the most famous Japanese public baths in popular culture outside of Japan include the E. Honda level from Street Fighter II and the baths seen in Hayao Miyazaki's fim Spirited Away.

Street Fighter II FTW! I am really natsukashii now...

Understanding Kanji: The Basics

The Japanese writing system is based on kanji, the pictographs evolved by the Chinese starting around 2500 B.C., and China serves a similar role to Asia as Rome does in the West as the primary basis of writing and culture. Although learning to read kanji is a challenge for Westerners, it's actually quite a logical when you get used to it. First, the simplest characters are stylized representations of everyday objects, like mountain (yama) or rice field (tanbo), both of which look so much like what they mean you might be able to guess them just by looking. One of the most famous kanji characters in the West is naka (also read chu), which means "inside" or "middle" and can be seen on the costume of the Greatest American Hero and in the film Red Dragon, as well as in the name for China itself ("the country at the center of the world"). Kanji is composed of "radicals," essentially characters within characters which help to organize things. For example, the kanji for "to say" (iu) looks like a stack of books, and many kanji with similar cognative meanings, such as to read (yomu) or language (go) feature this character on the left half. In the Chinese speaking world there are two standards for characters, Traditional (used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) and Simplified (used in mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia). Since kanji have been used in Japan since the 6th century B.C., Japan uses the former, with the result being that I can probably read a menu with little problem in Hong Kong (although I couldn't prounce anything correctly), but I'd be quite lost in China proper.

Cool Products: Lucky Star Fanbook, nude Please Teacher figures and more!

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.

	Lucky Star Official Fanbook ~ Konata no Houteishiki. A real treat for Lucky Star fans, here's the official fanbook that's filled with great content, including an episode guide, =bio and art pages for all characters, and page after page of full-size artwork fro the show. Fabulous!
	Onegai Teacher Hot Spring ver. Set of 6. I am no small fan of Please Teacher and Please Twins, having made a pilgrimage to Lake Kizaki, where the anime series were "filmed." So I'm glad to see this new set of figures featuring all the characters from the two series about to take a bath in traditional hot springs.
	Meiji Panky Whip Milk Flavor. Any product with a bizarre name like Panky is okay in my book. This is a new flavor of the popular snack, Whip Milk flavor. Yum.
	Other New Snacks. Other snacks from Japan include a new Genki Shigekix super tart "hard gummy" candy that increases your stamina with BCAA and vitamin B, as well as a fabulous traditional Black Sugar Chelsea, blending butterscotch with the traditional candy of Okinawa.
	WA ~ Fragrance Oil *MIZU / Water*. We always have fun Traditional Japanese Items for you, and today we're posting a new variety of wa Japanese fragrance oil for you, which captures the smell of "mizu" (water).
	Hello Kitty Little Taps. The latest electronic gadget craze from Japan are Little Taps, cute characters that tap dance when you turn them on, playing music. Best of all, you can hook this up to other Little Toys and they'll all dance together. Kawaii!
	SUMO Game ~ Classic Wooden Sumo Game. Here's a really cool item: a wooden sumo wrestling game that lets you do battle against other opponents and try to knock them out of the ring. Made in Japan.
	Round 2 tier Bento Box Bowl & Chopsticks w/case -- Blue. We've restocked various items for your kitchen, including the niKyoro smiling blue bento box, and our Lacquer-style Square Sake Cup.
	The Samurai Sword (A Handbook). We've also restocked the gorgeous complete handbook on Samurai Swords, featuring a wealth of information of the world's most advanced blades. Also, Japanese Homestyle Dishes is back in stock.
	Hello Kitty Toilet Paper -- pink & green. Nothing says "I love Hello Kitty" than this official Sanrio toilet paper, which features their famous character not only on the high quality plastic printing on the outside of the toilet paper, but on each sheet as well. Great for decorating the guest bathroom in a new motif.
	Code Geass Figures - C.C. and Karen Stadtfeld. Fans of Code Geass, we've gotten the gorgeous C.C. and Karen Stadtfeld 1/8 scale figures in stock. As is often the case, both nearly sold out as a preorder item so bag yours before they're gone. We should have ordered twice as many -- we hang our heads in shame.
	Claymore No.47 Claire 1/8 Figure by Toys Works *Preorder*. Awesome upcoming figure for Claymore fans, a really excellent sculpting of Clare with her sword at ready. Features a removable cape, too.
	Arisa 1/7 Cast-Off Figure Another Color ver. Illustrated by Shunya Yamashita *Preorder*. Arisa is a character created by Shunya Yamashita and turned into a fabulous PVC figure by Toy's Works. This incredible figure, which is cast off-able, is being reissued in a new color!
	More and More! -- Megumi Haruka. Enjoy this great full color magazine dedicated to the lovely Megumi-chan, with no other girls featured. In addition to her beautiful full color spreads, enjoy a 2 hour DVD of her best works. Also, a pull-out large-format poster!
	Cutie H -- Hitomi Kaikawa. Apparently the word "cutie" is booming in Japan right now. Here's a really gorgeous hardcover photobook featuring Hitomi Kaikawa, who offers you her beautiful body in these
	Restocked Toys for Men. Japanese men without girlfriends will supposedly, ah, use a cup of ramen to console themselves, don't ask us exactly how. We've restocked the wildly popular parody product that's a great twist on Cup Noodle.
	ZENRA NIPPON JIN 2 - Yellows Style Japanese. The Zenra Nippon Jin series is a tribute to the classic Yellows photobook series from Akira Gomi, which documented hundreds of beautiful Japanese women. This series continues, with some added thrills for fans.
	Dirty Word -- Mihiro (region 2). Mihiro has been one of our favorites ever since she debuted in Cream then moved onto to a successful career doing softer content. Now this full-fledged JAV actress delights you with a 170 minute new release from Maxing. Because she's "indies" now, there'll be more thrills and more daring performances for you.

Aizuchi, the Japanese Tradition of Saying "yes" All the Time

Leave it to Japan to turn concepts as simple as "yes" and "no" into something more complex than it needs to be. But because of the differences in language and culture, sometimes even these simple ideas can cause confusion. "Yes" in Japanese is hai, and in addition to affirming a statement or question, it's also used to let the person whose talking to you know you're listening attentively. This is called aizuchi, words of agreement that a Japanese will say while listening to another person. It's not uncommon for gaijin to assume that a person saying hai...hai or so desu ne (yes, that's so) to us is actually agreeing with what we're saying, when in fact the opposite may well be true. A classic example of this this tradition to insert words of agreement in the middle of what someone else is saying are folk songs in which one singer sings the lines of the song, interrupted by a chorus of shamisen-playing background singers who shout out their agreement to what the first singer has just said. I learned soon after arriving in Japan that to not give this verbal feedback to someone who's talking to you can be rude, and they're likely to stop what they're talking about and ask, "Are you listening to me?"

Car Names: Naked, Every, Sunny Bluebird, and "That's"

Although Japan is famous for its extensive rail network, allowing people living in large cities like Tokyo to get by without owning a car at all, most families in less urbanized areas do own automobiles. Some of the cars sold here have names that sound extremely strange to gaijin, like the Daihatsu Move Latte I saw driving on the road the other day. Would you be caught dead in a car called Naked? What about an Every, or Sunny Bluebird, or maybe a Thanks Chariot? Or the Honda That's -- I'm not kidding, "That's" is the name of the thing. Or maybe a Life Dunk, which I guess is supposed to make you think of the most excellent game of basketball you ever played. Although drivers perceive English to be very kakko ii (cool), it's increasingly common for car companies to mine languages like Spanish or Italian for car names, which gives us such interesting cars as Demio (Spanish for "of mine"), the Familia S-Wagon ("family sporty wagon") or the Spacio ("space"). One of the few names derived from a Japanese word is the Toyota Camry, which comes from kanmuri meaning "crown," part of the company's strange fixation with this word. Other cars in this series include the Corona (Spanish for "crown"), the Corolla (Latin for "small crown") and their current flagship luxury model in Japan, the Crown Royal Saloon.

(This is the Honda Vamos. I just love that name.)

The Pachinko + Speed Racer Connection

Japan's Pachinko industry continues to innovate in interesting ways as it tries to appeal to new kinds of customers, and the current trend of tying new machines to famous anime series seems to be going strong. The latest offering is a Speed Racer Pachinko game no doubt designed to capitalize on the upcoming film by the Wachowski Brothers. The game goes beyond traditional Pachinko by adding video game elements on an LCD screen, urging the customer to keep playing so he can finish the current race and displaying new screens of art as the player shoots the metal balls into the machine. There are several game types, including a special "Battle Reach" mode that lets the Mach 5 do some of its signature tricks when you play well. Personally, I love the marriage of anime with pachinko, even though I'm not exactly a fan of the game itself, as it gives popular manga-ka a chance to update their characters, like the gorgeous redesign of the Galaxy Express 999 universe by Leiji Matsumoto. Other pachinko machines with interesting themes you can find in Japan include the 70s anime classic A Dog of Flanders (watch poor Nello and Patrasche ascend to heaven with angels all around them as you play), the Korean drama Winter Sonata, and that campy classic Knight Rider, which was such a hit in Japan back in the 80s.

Cool Products: Hello Kitty Watches, New Anime Magazine, Art Books

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.

	Hello Kitty Velcro Sports Type Wrist Watch -- White. These watches are great, extremely cute sports watches featuring Sanrio's most famous creation, and high quality bands that use "magic tape" (what Velcro is called here). Watch movement made by Citizen here in Japan.
	Nodding Cinnamoroll. Here's an incredibly cute item for the Sanrio shelf in your room, a cute "nodding" Cinnamoroll, who nods his (?) head lazily as he sits there watching you, eventually closing his eyes.
	HANA-NAMI Simple & Compact Bento Box Set - Blue, Red. Here's a really nice bento box set that has everything you need: a good sized two-tier bento lunchbox with separate areas for your steamed white rice and the rest of your lunch, matching chopsticks and a nice cloth bag to carry your lunch in.
	Tattoo Lifestyle vol. 19 Nov. 2007. This is the popular magazine that documents the current state of the art in Japan's irezumi (tattoo) culture, with tons of examples of the best tattoos being made in Japan right now, on both men and women.
	Glico Bakery Pretz Flat Style -- Bacon Cheese Sandwich Flavor. We're big fans of Pretz, the fabulous baked pretzel stick snack from Glico. Now there's a new version, Baker Pretz Flat Style, a delicious flattened pretzel with a great cheese taste.
	Kanji Practice Notebook 84 squares - Doraemon, Pocket Monster. The best way to learn to write Japanese is to write it -- and write it, and write it. Here are two kanji practice books with 84 squares per page, a good size for writing. These notebooks feature Doraemon and the Pokemon characters.
	Kodansha's Dictionary of Basic Japanese Idioms. This is a really outstanding book, a dictionary of useful idioms used in Japanese all the time, explaining what they mean and how they're used.
	Japanese Folk Tales ~ Book 3. Here's an interesting bilingual book for learners of Japanese, featuring old Folk Tales of Japan (Mukashi-banashi) which you can read in English or Japanese. Includes listening CD.
	Calpis Walkie Bits. One of the most popular products in recent years has been the Walkie Bits robotic turtles that are so much fun to play with. We've restocked several more types today, including the popular Calpis Limited series.
	Fist of the North Star Figures. Fist of the North Star is one of the most enduring anime / manga series from the 1980s, and the Seikimatsu ("End of the Century") series is the best toy line ever made. We've restocked Kenshiro and his brothers Raoh and Toki.
	WA ~ Stainless Vegetable Cutter - Japanese Leaf Shape. Here are two cool sets of "vegetable cutters" for bento, which will take a boring carrot and turn it into a beautiful bento beautification objet d'art that's shaped like traditional Japanese leaves. Also use it as a cookie cutter if you're so inclined.
	Dragon Yukata ~ Japanese Cotton Kimono. We've been on a roll with our traditional yukata (cotton kimonos), and we're posting another one today.
	Kiki & Tombo Propeller Bicycle ~ Tomica Limited Collection *Preorder*. Another awesome upcoming toy from Tomica, this is a figure of Kiki and Tombo on the propellor bicycle he built. A really special item for Studio Ghibli collectors.
	Yuiko Kurugaya 1/8 Figure ~ Little Busters *Preorder*. A fabulous figure of Yuiko from the popular PC game Little Busters, from Key, the company that brought us Kanon, Air and Clannad. What is it about half-undressed Japanese girls clutching samurai swords that I find so appealing?
	SUPPLIO ~ Aroma Mechanical Pencil & Leads -- for Refresh. A fantastic idea: mechanical pencils with leads that product subtle mind-improving aromas as you write with them! We've got two different pencils, which offer "healing" and "refresh" aromas.
	Dengeki Moeoh Reserve subscription. We're adding a new "reserve subscription" item you won't want to miss: the popular Dengeki Moeoh, or King of Moe, a super magazine that brings you Japan's amazing anime and game visual culture, with a constant focus on the beautiful girls in the genres. Each issue comes with lots of good free stuff, from posters to figures -- a magazine we highly recommend to everyone. Because this is a revolving subscription you can cancel at any time. Sign up now!
	Sabra Magazine Mar 2008. Aficionados of beautiful Japanese women know that Sabra is a great magazine, with each issue filled with fabulous girls, like Ai, or Anna Tsuchiya, or Maiko Inoue. Each issue comes with a DVD too.
	Bon Voyage -- Aino Kishi. A gorgeous hardcover photobook starring this beautiful Japanese idol and model who shocked fans by releasing this "hair" book that shows everything. Features beautiful photos of the star in many fun settings (on a yacht at sea was one of my favorites), of course with the incredibly high quality printing the Japanese are known for on every page.
	New Manga Volumes. Wow, some really good new "H" manga for you today. First, enjoy Sukufuku, a festival of "moe" (mo-EH) featuring cat girls who are also maids, girls with classes, and much more. Next, a collection of great stories surrounding the Japanese fascination with "oneesan" (older sisters, a term which applies to any older, more experienced, girl as well).
	Queen's Blade ~ Menace. We love the Queen's Blade books, which can be used as a book-based combat game, attacking and defending by calling out page numbers, or you can just collect them as seriously drool-worthy artbooks. 64 glossy pages and hardcover!
	Rondo Leaflet ~ Official Visual Fanbook. Here's an amazing item, an artbook from a popular PC dating-sim game set in Victorian England -- wow! Fantastic art that you never thought to see in an "H" game.
	Petra 1/7 Cast-Off Figure Illustrated by Shunya Yamashita. The awesome figure of Petra is in stock finally, and available for order. Unfortunately it was so popular that most of our stock sold out as preorders, but we have a couple left.
	Smoking Girls. Wow, here's a video featuring nothing but gorgeous Japanese girls smoking, and then smoking some more, all while wearing very little in the way of clothes. A fantastic concept from TMA for men who find women smoking to be sexy.
	Ero Nurse vs Black Man -- Io Asuka. Here's a really amazing release featuring drop-dead gorgeous Io-chan (pronounced EE-oh) going up against some big black dudes from the USA. Lucky dogs.

Money in Japan

You've been in Japan too long when, on a visit home, it takes you three tries to write a check. It's funny but true. Japan is a very cash-based society, and there are no such things as using personal checks to pay for goods. On payday, employees at many Japanese companies in Japan get a fat envelope of 10,000 yen notes as their monthly salary, which would be unthinkable in the U.S. A couple of years ago we bought some land in order to expand the J-List facilities, and I remember going to the owner's house to pay them for the land in cash, which was certainly an interesting experience. As a result of this lack of personal checks, foreigners who live in Japan for a long time completely forget how to write them and have to re-learn it every time they go home. When you need to pay for something in Japan, you usually do a direct transfer to their bank account, called furikomi in Japanese. It's inconvenient and the bank fees are high (around $6 to send $200 for some hard drives I bought recently), but that's the system that's used most commonly in Japan.

Do the Japanese Say "I Love You"?

Do the Japanese say "I love you"? It's an interesting question that touches on cultural issues as well as linguistic. There are several ways to express the concept of love in Japanese, with the most casual being suki desu ("I like you") or dai-suki desu ("I 'big-like' you"), both of which imply romantic love when used with a person as the object; or the phrase ai shiteru, which specifically means "I love you." As a general rule, Japanese couples verbally express love for each other a lot less than is done in the West. Part of this is just the culture here -- strong feelings like love are not displayed openly since (I've been told) saying a thing over and over again can rob it of its real meaning. Instead, Japanese couples in love rely on a concept baffling to foreigners called mugon ryokai, or "wordless communication," a kind of telepathic text-messaging that enables an idea to be perfectly understood by both parties even though it's never stated overtly. The concept of love can seem quite abstract in Japanese, and there are multiple Japanese words for the term. The word koi usually describes romantic love, while ai is a higher kind of love that is used for family or anyone who's very dear to you, or the steady, slow-burning love of marriage. These two words are combined into a compound word to make a general word for love that marries both sides, which is ren'ai.

On Being Unique: Japan's First Black Enka Singer

If you're thinking of breaking into Japan's tarento (talent) world, here's a bit of advice: you gotta be original. Japan's entertainment world is filled with singers, comedians and other famous people who often occupy mind-share with fans based on their originality, like the interesting twist that small-bodied cute girl Gal Sone brings to the TV screen as she shoves twelve plates of sushi down her throat. The foreigners who have found fame in Japan also depend on being unique, such as Bobby from Nigeria, who can really spice up a variety show about cooking, or the most famous Japanese-bilingual Italian in Japan, Girolamo Panzetta, who happens to be the only Japanese-bilingual Italian in Japan. The general rule is, if there's already a foreigner who can make jokes in the dialect of rural Yamagata prefecture, there's no need for a second one, so it's important to have a Unique Selling Proposition if you want to make it big. Now the world of enka, the eerily beautiful traditional music of Japan, is getting an injection of soul with the debut of the first black enka singer this week. His name is JERO, short for Jerome, and the quarter-Japanese, three-quarter African American singer has been nicknamed Kurobune by the Japanese press, after Admiral Perry's Black Ships. He grew up listening to his Japanese grandmother's enka records, and he came to Japan after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with the specific goal of becoming a singer in mind. His first single is Umiyuki, a song that captures the loneliness of the Sea of Japan in the winter, and it's available on the Japan iTunes Store along with lots of other great Japanese songs from every genre.

Cool Products: New Queen's Blade figure, bento, art books and more

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.

	mu-bot Robot Earphones. Wow, this is cool: a cute little robot called Mu-Bot that's really advanced earphones for your iPod or other music player. His arms detach into headphones that you can put into your ears, and you can wear him around your neck.
	Sabra Magazine Reserve subscription. Fans of extremely beautiful Japanese women photographed by the country's top photographers know that Sabra is something special. Now available as a revolving monthly subscription from J-List!
	JU-BAKO style Square Bento Box Set -- Rabbit & SAKURA ~ Red. This is a gorgeous new deluxe bento box set, in the "ju-bako" (stackable box) style. Includes 2-tier bento box, chopsticks with case, protective belt to keep your bento from opening at the wrong time, and a cloth bag to put it all in. Nice big size, too.
	Ceramic Handy Lucky Cat, Lucky Rabbit. Cute little ceramic figures for displaying, which come with protective boxes, See a traditional Lucky Cat along with an attractive Lucky Rabbit figure, both of this can give you a massage!
	Girls Girls Girls! 2 Japan Local Girls -- E2 Illustrations. Positively gorgeous collection of pictures of girls from various regions of Japan, with art contributed by dozens of top-name artists. The section showing beautiful bishoujo girls from Japan's various prefectures is especially cool.
	Egg Mar. 2008. Keep your finger on the pulse of Tokyo's most fashionable district Shibuya with Egg, the magazine that features awesome street fashions being worn right now. Includes pictures from Tokyo's Asakusa, too.
	Japanese Study Books. Various restocked study items on the site today, including the Genki I textbook that's been the most popular study related item in our history, as well as the Genki Answer Key. Also, one of my favorite books is back in stock, Catchy Japanesae Phrases, for excellent situation-based learning.
	Restocked Bento Items. Sanrio fans, we've restocked the popular Hello Kitty Bento Box Set and Slide Trio Set.
	Authentic Japanese Loose Socks. Yasu would like me to tell you that loose socks, those extra-baggy socks that Japanese high school girls wear, have been restocked, too. A great way to bring some Japanese to your character!
	Female Paladin Figure ~ Etrian Odyssey *Preorder*. From the popular game Etrian Odyssey comes this great Female Paladin figure that you can preorder now. Fabulous detail everywhere.
	Totoro Retro Bus ~ Tomica Limited Collection *Preorder*. Here's a really esoteric item for the Studio Ghibli collector: a gorgeous die-cast replica of the old Showa-era bus that the family's father arrives on in the scene at the but stop. There's quite a lot of nostalgia for these old buses, and creating a toy version of the bus from Totoro is just fabulous. Preorder it now.
	Mag-nup Board ~ Stylish Magnet Board. We love to carry stylish things from Japan. One item we like a lot is the Mag-nup Board, a replacement for your bulletin board that's got metal below the soft outer surface so you can stick notes, reminders and anything else to it with the included magnets, or use your own favorites.
	Pentel New Slim & Knock Type White Board Maker ~ Red & black. If you have a white board at work, here are the pens you should be using: great capless "knock type" whiteboard markers with tips that live inside the pen and slide out when needed, just like a ball point pen.
	Beautiful Legs Race Queen and Campaign Girl DVD. Race Queens and Campaign Girls are the beautiful models who promote F-1 racing in Japan, and their sexy uniforms are world famous. Here's a collection of super naughty Race Queens, showing what happens when the gorgeous girls get off work. Comes with a 240 minute DVD as well as the color magazine!
	Railway and Girl. Outstanding collection of photographs of beautiful girls standing on or around trains, this is a photobook you won't want to miss. The mix of really beautiful girls from rural Japan with lonely train stations in the middle of nowhere is amazing.
	New Manga Volumes. Enjoy some great new ero manga today, starting with Sweet Thang, a collection of fabulous stories of gorgeous girls and "moe" (mo-EH) couplings. Then try Mochi Mochi Flour Dumpling, a collection of twelve stories of huge "oppai" and milky cow cosplay.
	Sweet Dreams ~ Shunya Yamashita. Shunya is da man around here, creator of beautiful art that become really fantastic sculpted anime figures. His first art book is now back in stock.
	Cattleya 1/8 Cast-off Figure Excellent Model Core ~ Queen's Blade. It's not every day we get a figure in like this, that's for sure. A gorgeous 1/8 scale figure of the character Cattleya (as in bovine) from the popular Queen's Blade book-based combat system. One of the most incredible "cast off" figures we've ever carried.
	Ex-Nezumikko Club Ami Yamazaki Perfect Collection. Former member of the popular JPOP group Nezumikko Club Ami Yamazaki made a big splash when she debuted as a JAV actress. Here's her collected best works all in one place, a super release from SOD's Natural High label. 230 minutes.
	CFNM ~ A Study with Innocent Girls 6. For fans of CFNM, which means clothed female, nekkid male, we offer a new "study" video in which girls get a good close-up look at something they usually don't see with the lights on. Their shy reactions as they poke and prod the men are priceless.
	New Yulia Nova DVDs. Remember that J-List carries the DVDs and photobooks of the amazing Russian model Yulia Nova. The two newest releases of this lovely angel have come in stock and are ready for you to order right now.

Who Are the Role Models of Japanese Women?

It's interesting to watch the evolution of the various female role models in Japan over the years. Everyone has actors, singers, writers or others that they look up to for one reason or another, and in Japan these famous faces provide inspiration to millions of females throughout the country. Often the current female role models can be tracked by watching how many TV commercials they're in, and you can tell right away that a lot of young Japanese girls really love model and actress Yuri Ebihara (Ebi-chan), who always looks genki in her commercials. Angelina Aki is another popular role model who is half-Japanese and half-American and who grew up in rural Japan. She's made a great career for herself by letting her American side show while she sings, which of course makes her seem quite exotic to fans. Then there's the enigmatic Ataru Nakamura, a popular singer who was born male but suffered from Gender Identity Disorder, which drove her to finally receive reassignment surgery and become female. The unique story of Ataru's decision coupled with her one-of-a-kind singing voice has won her many fans throughout Japan.

 

On the Alien Registration Card for Gaijin

All registered foreigners living in Japan carry one of these, a Gaikokijin Toroku Shomeisho, aka the Alien Registration Card, which you get from the City Office in your local town when you first come to Japan to live. It lists the name, current address, employment status and photograph of the person in question, and generally provides whatever information authorities might need access to. It's quite an analog system, actually -- when information needs to be updated, the changes are hand-written on the back of the card by a City Office employee, along with a special stamp that proves that an authorized official has made the change. Theoretically, any policeman can ask to see the registration card of any foreigner, but I've never been asked to show mine and have always found Japanese policemen to be very courteous and nice.

Do you like my Alien card? ^_^

Japan as a Communist Country?

I've often wondered at how Japan was able to become such a successful Communist country despite being free-market at the same time. Although it's a surprising statement, there are quite a few areas in which Japan seems to have the trappings of a Soviet-style state, right down to those drab public university buildings which always seem to make me think of Chernobyl. Japan's economy has always been famous for government intervention, such as the old MITI, a government ministry that set industrial policy for the nation during the postwar decades and guided the decisions of Japan's corporations. Many markets still seem to operate in this "command economy" model, for example all rice and wheat is bought and sold exclusively by the government to keep prices stable. Japan has a health care system that's pretty good, covering 70% of health costs to everyone who doesn't have existing insurance and forcing health care costs to grow slowly by nature of the caps its puts on various services. Yet despite this, taxes here are generally in line with the U.S. rather than the higher rates paid in Europe. Instead of the Soviet Union or China, it's Japan that ended up with the "classless" society, at least judging from the 80+% of people who consider themselves to be "middle class" (despite the BMW 5-series sedan sitting in the driveway). It's as if Japan was somehow able to take the best parts from both Capitalism and Communism for itself.

Cool Products: Hina Matsuri Dolls, Study Items, and lots of Tsuruya-san

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.

	Dengeki Comic Gao! Mar 2008. The new issue of the monthly manga magazine is another winner, with 500+ pages of top quality manga, including popular works like Our Tamura-kun, Kemeko Deluxe, Toradora, Ef and Venus Versus Virus. 18 different features in all. Plus you get a cool limited edition Ef figure -- not bad a tall.
	Tsuruya-san Maid Costume 1/8 Figure Max Factory~ Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi *Preorder*. Ahem, today is really shaping up to be Tsuruya-san's day. 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. The figure has come in stock, although we only have one left, so don't waste time in getting it if you like it.
	P:Chara Monster Hunter Pinky Street - Monchan and Hunter Leia. We've posted two more of the deluxe Monster Hunter Pinky Street figure sets to the site, which come with a huge host of accessories for each character, including alternate bodies, armor, weapons, and bases for displaying. This is a really special toy release so don't delay getting your set.
	Cotton Washable Antibacterial Health Mask ~ DORAEMON. Here's another cool Japanese health mask, a high quality cotton mask that features that cute robot cat, Doraemon.
	HINA-ARARE ~ Rice Snack for Girl's Day. March 3rd is a special day in Japan, known as Girl's Day, a day to celebrate girl children throughout the land. As part of the celebration, Japanese eat this traditional puffed rice candy called Hina-Arare, and if you're a Dr. Slump fan, yes, that's where Arare-chan gets her name from. Available on the site for a limited time only!
	Super Micro Ohina-sama /HINA Doll for Girl's Day in JAPAN. Or you could get this delightful miniature Micro Hina Doll set that can be displayed instantly -- just flip the lid open and a beautifully detailed set of five dolls pops up. Just beautiful!
	Meiji Hokkaido Choco Potato Box Tasty Crunch. Hokkaido is Japan's northernmost island,and the "breadbasket" of agriculture for the country. Here's a unique new Japanese snack that combines Hokkaido Potatoes with, er, delicious chocolate for a great new taste.
	R5-D4 Microdroid w/ Remote Control. Being big Star Wars fans, we're always happy to get a cool Japan-made collectible item in stock. We've got the really cool R5-D4 and R5-X2 remote control droids back on the site now.
	Lucky Cat Tea Cup. Our line of Lucky Cat Tea Cups which can be inverted and used as cups or displayed as traditional luck-bringing statues are a hit. We've restocked the yellow Lucky Cat today.
	More Study Items. J-List is always happy to help people around the world learn more about Japan the best way possible, by learning its language. The Genki series, published by the Japan Times, is the leading Japanese textbook in the world, and we've restocked several of the books including the students CDs.
	Kairo ~ DX Stickerble Large Warming Pad (Individual). Here's a Japanese joke you can tell your friends: "Why is it so hot in Egypt? Because they have Kairo* there." Kairo (no relation to the city) are Japanese hot pads that are a godsend for anyone who hates being cold. Just open the plastic and the pad will start to get warm, reaching up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Lasts for 12 hours. You can buy these individually or by the pack. (*This joke is not funny.)
	Geometry Yukata ~ Japanese Cotton Kimono. Also, we've restocked our popular cotton kimono with cool patterns on it.
	Tsubomi -- China Fukunaga. Meet China, whose name is pronounced "CHEE-na" and is unrelated to the country. She's an extremely beautiful model who really shines in her newest hardcover photobook release. You'll love all the photos of her printed on the glossy pages.
	New Manga Volumes. Today we've got a real treat for futanari aficionados: a brand new T.S. I Love You release from The Amanoja 9, with the most "chicks with..." art you may ever see. Then enjoy Wings of Cloudiness, featuring the story of Azanaeru, a beautiful angel who appears to Tachibana to make all his dreams come true.
	Your Rose Colored Lips. Yaoi fans know that J-List carries dozens of great tankobon (keep-forever graphic novel format books) by their favorite manga artists. Enjoy Your Rose Colored Lips by Ashika Sakura and June Comics, back on the site.
	Baldrbullet Revellion Visual Fanbook. Here's the awesome official artbook for the "H" game Baldrbullet Revellion, a popular PC dating-sim that's currently turning the industry on its ear with its beautiful visuals. Features all the "naughty" images from the game.
	Tsurutani-san - Haruhi Suzumiya Parody Cosplay Special. Wow, it's Tsuruya-san Day or something today. This minor character has proven one of the most popular from the series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and now Ifrit has brought out a great "ero" anime parody featuring this great character doing all kinds of naughty things for the camera.

Japanese Word Abbreviations

The other day I was taking my 11 year old daughter out to lunch when she said to me, "Oh, can we go by Toys R Us? I'm looking for a new 'Dizu-puri' toy." Being a parent, I fully expect to not understand what my kids are talking about, but I figured I had a few years to go yet. Seeing my confusion, she told me that "Dizu-puri" was an abbreviation for "Disney Princess," and suddenly things were much clearer to me. Just as we come up with lots of acronyms in English, the Japanese make words easier to work with by abbreviating them, often by taking the first two katakana sounds of each word ("Famicom" and "Pokemon" are examples of this). This tendency to abbreviate words seems to be especially common among fans of video games and anime, and there are many titles that have been shortened by fans, for example the popular game and anime The Eternity that you Wish For is nearly always shortened to Kimi-Nozo, and Gainax's clunky This Ugly But Beautiful World is much easier to say as Kono-Mini.

On the Lack of Home-Grown National Organizations in Japan

Last time I talked about how Japan functioned pretty well as a modern democracy, despite some irksome problems. One area that's always struck me as odd is the lack of large-scale domestic organizations in Japan. Groups like Greenpeace, AARP, the NRA or the ACLU work to further the various political or social goals they've set for themselves, but when I try to find a similar large-scale national organization that tries to increase the visibility of a particular cause in Japan, I frankly come up short. I can only think of a few national-level groups, such as Japan Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Japan Lions Club, or the Japan Rotary Association, and all of them are imported from other countries. It seems counter-intuitive to say that the group-oriented Japanese aren't good at making groups, but it does seem that "organic" groups conceived in Japan tend to not grow beyond a certain size. I'm not sure why this is, although the general "top-down" nature of ideas in Japan, with change always emanating out of Tokyo rather than from the outside in, probably plays a big role.

History lesson: Japan's First English Teacher

It's interesting, looking at Japan through some of the "firsts" in its history. Like John Kendrick, the ship's captain who participated in the Boston Tea Party and fought in the Revolutionary War then went on to be an explorer, eventually becoming the first American to visit Japan. Or Horace Wilson, a teacher at the predecessor of Tokyo University, who thought it'd be fun to teach his students to play baseball back in 1873, which was the beginning of the long history of the sport here. The first English teacher in Japan, if you're curious, was a half-Chinook, half-Scottish man with the unlikely name of Ranald MacDonald. After hearing of the plight of three fishermen who washed ashore in Washington State but were unable to return to Japan because of their country's sakoku (closed country) policy, he started to feel a strange kinship with the Japanese people, which is interesting since we now know that American Indian and Japanese are indeed connected by blood. He decided to go to Japan, despite the fact that it was death for foreigners to enter the country, and booked passage on a whaling vessel that would take him close. Pretending to be a survivor from a shipwreck, he was rescued by the aboriginal Ainu and handed over to the local Samurai lord, who shipped him off to Nagasaki. The Japanese had a long relationship with Dutch traders, but none of them could speak English, despite the recent rise in power of England and the United States, so the officials got the idea of having MacDonald teach English to a class of fourteen students. The studies paid off, and when Admiral Perry showed up in 1853, students trained by MacDonald were able to communicate. Today there's a commemorative statue in Nagasaki thanking Mr. MacDonald for his contribution, and if I know Japan, I'm pretty sure they sell little cakes or rice crackers with his face on them, too.

Hello Kitty plushes wearing Kimonon, Hello Kitty sushi, and more Sakura Kit Kat

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.

	P:Chara Monster Hunter Bone Equipment ver. Pinky Street Figure. A bold new Pinky Street line, this feature incredibly cute versions of characters from the popular game Monster Hunter. In addition to an incredibly cute figure, you get all kinds of additional accessories to deck your Monster Hunter out.
	Otoko Kaoru Mens Fragrance Gum. You wouldn't associate smelling like roses to be associated with manliness, but this is a popular line of gum that is made with actual extract of roses, which promises to make you smell better. A very mysterious product from Japan, to say the least.
	Other New Japanese Snacks. I have to admit, I love Meiji's Panky chocolate line because of its wacky name. I mean, any product that makes you think of the word "hanky panky" is okay in my book. Then enjoy new Tsubu Tsubu (chunky) Hi-Chew, in "health drink" flavor. Trust us, health drinks actually taste good here.
	Hello Kitty Plush in Kimono - Large. There's something about the juxtaposition of Hello Kitty with traditional Japanese themes, and we love products like these large Hello Kitty Kimono Plush toys, with real chirimen kimonos that have all features, including a detailed obi.
	Hello Kitty Ribbon Face Wrist Watch -- Pink. Here are two really elegant Hello Kitty watches, which stylishly tell the time, with a high quality band and cute image of "Kitty-chan" (as she's known here) in the center. The outside of the watch even has a Kitty-style ribbon. Citizen movement, made in Japan.
	Hello Kitty Sushi Shop. Then, have some fun with this Hello Kitty Sushi set, which comes with everything you need to display delicious looking sushi. The sushi pieces are held to the rice by "wasabi" velcro, a pretty cool idea.
	Sumo Yukata, Lucky Cat, More. Yukata are cotton kimonos, worn in the summer and after a bath and just about all the time by sumo wrestlers, and we've got one for you today. Also, restocked Lucky Cat Coin Banks for Avoiding Bad Luck and a tenugui (in case you want to try the leek thing).
	Siesta Love Pillow Cover - Zero no Tsukaima. Then take a siesta with our gorgeous dakimakura of Siesta, who is the maid at the Tristain Magical Academy, from Zero no Tsukaima.
	Revoltech Danboo ~ Yostsuba. We've also restocked the very popular Revoltech figure of Danboo from Yotsuba, which sold out in record time before. Damn this thing is cool.
	KAREN ~ Pentel Women's Stylish Jewel Ball Pointed Pen. Pentel has launched a new pen for women line that's quite nice. This three-color pen (with separate 0.5 mm tips that write black, red and blue), the pen is extremely easy to hold. Also, it features a "jewel" at the top of the pen.
	Easy Green Tea Powder Stick --- 5pcs . Enjoy green tea anywhere with these innovative "green tea sticks." Rip one open and find the rich green tea inside, to which you just add hot water.
	Restocked Japanese Snacks. Finally, see fresh stock of the new Sakura Kit Kat and Kit Kat Lucky Little treats for Spring, delicious Fuwarinka soft candy and gum that smell like roses, and Lotte Ume (Plum) Gum.
	How to Eat Yuko Ogura Deliciously. Wow! A brand new hardcover photobook starring Yuko Ogura, one of the most popular faces in Japan. If you've seen the YouTube video with the polar bear that lunges at a Japanese girl dressed up as a seal, that's her.
	Iris -- Ayame Misaki. A gorgeous "gravure idol" (which means bikini model), Misaki-chan hails from Kobe, Japan. She's got a 92 cm F cup, is 163 cm high, and loves singing and playing sports. Oh, and her blood type is "B." Her nice glossy photobook is back in stock.
	Queen's Blade ~ Echidna (Ekidona). We're regularly floored at how beautiful the art in the Queen's Blade artbooks are. This is the Echidna offering, allowing you to play the book-based combat game (based on the classic 80s Lost World game, which is really old school), or just take in the 64 glossy pages.
	Alice Pink File -- Kaede Matsushima. Wow, I love Kaede (kah-eh-deh), and am thrilled to see her best works compiled in this 4 hour Alice Pink release, newly remastered for ultra detail.

Remember that J-List is still having a great "free shipping" sale on our close-out T-shirts, giving you free shipping (U.S.) or half priced shipping (international) on the shirt designs we're closing out to make room for cool new ones. If you're on the small side or larger than most it's an especially good opportunity to get a cool wacky Japanese T-shirt at a low price, since these sizes are the ones most often still available. We're also posting a new design to the discount list, our stylish "Tired Salaryman" shirt, which shows exhausted office workers riding home on the train after work. But hurry, since once items sell out we can't get them back again.

Japan as a Functional Western Democracy

On the whole, Japan is pretty functional as a Western-style democracy. Politicians make laws which are executed by the nation's army of komuin, public employees who function as a British-style bureaucracy that provides the actual "body" of the government. There is corruption, of course, but it's limited to comparatively rare cases involving high-ranking politicians, never on an individual level, and it's taken for granted that every person you interact with during the course of the day will be honest. This is quite different from countries like India, where (I'm told) the speed that the phone company installs your phone line is proportional to the size of the bribe you paid the clerk. Still, not everything is perfect in Japan. Although the number of (largely wasteful) public works projects was reduced significantly during the era of Prime Minister Koizumi, Japan still spends $71 billion a year on roads, bridges, dams, etc. Another problem are the constant streams of hakomono, essentially "pork barrel project in a box," conceived by politicians so their friends who own construction companies can make money. A textbook example of this was the plan by our city's mayor (who lives next door to us, by a really strange coincidence) to build a second Ferris Wheel in our city, despite the fact that we already have a perfect good one. Happily, that wasteful project got national media attention and the project was withdrawn

How Japan has Changed for Foreigners

Japan has really changed for the better over the past decade and a half in terms of how easy it is for a gaijin to live here. When I arrived in Heisei 3, the third year of the reign of Emperor Akihito (i.e. 1991), it was quite difficult to find a bit of "home" -- when I'd get homesick, I'd go and eat Egg McMuffins at McDonald's, just about the only thing that was exactly the same as it was back in the States. Slowly, Japan opened up and let just about any product in, and now consumers have a lot more choice, from Doritos to Subway sandwich shops to AM/PM Mini Marts. The Internet has obviously helped improve the lives of foreigners living here, allowing expats like me to do things they could never do before, like buy books from Amazon or log into a SlingBox and catch the Superbowl live. There's been one setback for Americans living outside their home country, however: last year the United States Post Office stopped offering surface mail service for packages going out of the U.S., meaning that my mother can't throw some Thanksgiving goodies into a seamail box and send them to me. It's been quite an inconvenience -- now she has to send the items by airmail or else call shipping companies like Yamato for container shipping quotes. (Note that seamail shipping into the U.S. is still going strong, and you can choose it as an option when purchasing from J-List as long as you're not in a hurry for the items.)

Being Sign in Japan, and How to Make Tamago-Zake

It's funny how being sick makes you revert to what you know best. I've got the flu that's been going around the J-List office, so yesterday I headed home early, took some of the various U.S. cold medicines I stock, and laid down to rest. For dinner I wanted noting other than good old Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, which we'd brought back with us from our last trip. (The Japanese don't know what Chicken Noodle Soup is, the only soups they eat here being miso and corn potage.) When Japanese get sick, they naturally turn to their own cultural remedies. Supposedly, it's common to broil a leek (which they insist on calling a "long onion") until its soft, folding it inside a tenugui (a traditional hand towel), then they wrap that around their neck and go to bed. Then there's shoga-yu, which is hot water with grated fresh ginger in it and a little honey to improve the taste. The most famous folk remedy is probably tamago-zake, or egg and sake. To prepare it, put one cup of sake in a pan with a beaten egg, and heat it until just before boiling. Stir in some sugar if you like, the drink it back, and you'll be feeling better in no time. Or so they tell me anyway.

My Melody Lego Figures, Death Note, and More

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.

	My Melody, Kuromi Block Puzzle Chara Builder. And for fans of the Hello Kitty Lego-style set we posted last time, we've got two new fun Sanrio block puzzles that let you build My Melody and his evil twin, the "gothic" Sanrio character Kuromi. Compatible with Lego blocks.
	Death Note Real Action Collection - Full Set. Big great for Death Note fans, a new set of gorgeous PVC figures from the series, with miniature versions of L, Ryuk, Remu, Misa and Light Yagami. These figures are ready to display in your home or office, and there are several cool color variations.
	Lucky Daruma Bell Key Chain. The Daruma is one of the most famous symbols of Japan, a round, red figure that brings good luck to you. This is a cool "suzu" bell shaped like a Daruma figure with a keychain. Because it makes a pleasant sound when you move it, it's helpful for keeping you from losing your keys, since you can remember where the last time you heard the sound was.
	Yamaguchi Akira Works. Here's a fantastic item: a collection of beautiful paintings by Akira Yamaguchi that attempt to show a bizarre futuristic Japan using the Edo Period art style known as ukiyoe. From airports to horses with cybernetic attachments and motorcycle wheels and modern military weapons alongside samurai armor, this book is fantastic.
	Relaxed Totoro ~ Small. The new Totoro plush toys for 2008 by famous Japanese toy maker Sun Arrow are great. This is the smaller "Relaxed Totoro," which is very huggable and has individually articulated claws on his hands and feet.
	Let's Examine Social Studies! Who among us hasn't wondered what the massive turbines that power Tokyo look like, or how deep the subway tunnels run, or what the factories used to build jet planes look like. A fascinating book that shows you the underbelly of our society. Also good for fans of "modern ruins."
	Egg Feb 2008 vol. 136. Another lovely issue of Egg, the J-Fashion magazine that tracks the current state of street fashions in Shibuya, that oh-so-hip part of Tokyo, with a special focus on "kogals," the fashionable, slightly spoiled female generation.
	Tattoo Girls Design Book vol. 3. The Tattoo Girls series continues, with this great book that shows the cutting edge of female tattoo work in Japan today. Great color pictures of amazing tattoos, we like this book a lot.
	Kanu Uncho Hug Pillow ~ Dragon Destiny Body Pillow. Our life-size dakimakura have been extremely popular, and we've finally gotten the sold-out Kanu Uncho hug pillow cover back in stock, a great item for fans of Ikki Tousen / Dragon Destiny. In stock now!
	Check Tape Set. The Japanese are very good at coming up with innovative ways to help them memorize information for tests. Here's one way, the Zebra Check Tape, a roll of specially colored tape and a plastic sheet you can use to "blank out" words on a page for quizzing yourself. A great idea!
	Nestle "Melty Kit Kat" --Green Tea. We've gotten in fresh stock of the popular "Melty" Green Tea Kit Kat, which will sadly be disappearing soon as the warmer months approach. Remember that you can buy this great Japanese treat by the sealed case and save 15%.
	Eternal Beauty -- Ryoko Mitake. Next, we've gotten in a brand new hardcover glossy photobook featuring Ryoko Mitake, and boy does she look beautiful in these photographs. Elegant unclothed photography for a more civilized age.
	Bazooka Cafe. Call us romantics, but we've decided to have a special Valentine's Day sale on the great PC dating-sim Bazooka Cafe, which includes a separate game called Valentine Special, great for celebrating this special day for lovers. Available on CD-ROM or as a download.
	TMA Cosplay Drama Collection 8 Hours. Wow, this is a fantastic DVD offering for all fans of anime cosplay parody "H" performances, which have become so popular. This 2-disc 8-hour collection from TMA includes outstanding live-action scenes with famous actresses dressed as Haruhi Suzumiya, the girls from Lucky Star, Fate/Stay Night, Rozen Maiden, Rumble Roses, Final Fantasy and more. Highly recommended!

Valentine's Day in Japan 2008

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and all throughout Japan men are looking forward to receiving the gift of chocolate from females around them, in keeping with the local custom of women giving chocolate to men. There are two kinds of chocolate a man can receive, the most common being giri choco or "obligation chocolate," which females might give to males they work with or to teachers or male relatives because they feel it's expected of them. A lot of this is the result of good marketing, since virtually every convenience store in the country is decked out with decorations reminding shoppers that February 14th is around the corner. The best kind of chocolate is honmei choco, "true heart chocolate" that's given to a loved one, and all across Japan men will be looking forward to eating hand-made chocolates, cakes or other treats from our wives, daughters or girlfriends who want to show their love and appreciation.

Incidentally, since there's giri choco I thought I'd be cute and ask if they made ninjo choco as well. You've never seen such anime-like expressions of confusion on the J-List staff...

Tricks You Can Do with a Lemon and Chopsticks

The Japanese, of course, use chopsticks at almost every meal, whether they're eating rice, noodles, fish or meat. (Certain foods like curry rice or steak, of course, call for Western cutlery). Chopsticks are very easy to use: you just hold one stick between your middle finger and thumb, then hold the second with your forefinger and thumb so that you can create a "scissor" action that allows you to pick up food. With practice, it's very easy to pluck the last grain of rice from the bottom of your bowl when eating. The use of chopsticks is taught to children at around the age of three, and it's common for parents to want to make sure their kids learn to use them properly before they start preschool, making chopstick use one of the first forms of pressure children are subjected to in Japanese society. In Japan there's exactly "one" correct way to do things, a concept that extends to the holding of chopsticks as well, and it's common for conversations over beers at an izakaya restaurant to turn to how strangely one of the people at the table is holding their chopsticks. To me, the ultimate test of how good you are at using chopsticks is being able to wring the juice from a slice of lemon without getting any on your hands. Just slide the chopsticks into either end of the lemon slice and twist in opposite directions, extracting the lemon juice. Incidentally, J-List stocks many kinds of chopsticks from Japan, including ones with rough patches at the ends (to make them easier to eat with), and we even have a great line of "training chopsticks" for beginners.

All About Factories and Other Cool Things

You never know what will become the next interesting mini-boom in a place like Japan. Over the past few years, many Japanese have decided that the coolest thing is...factories? Amazingly, the strange industrial beauty of factories and other dark places like electric power plants does have a certain charm, and there have been a string of popular photobooks dedicated to capturing these eerie places. There's a variety show on TV that features objects being made in factories while famous TV personalities try to guess what's being manufactured, writing their answers on digital screens that are later revealed so the audience can laugh at all the wrong answers. It's quite fascinating to watch nylon fibers being spun and coated in plastic that turns out to be a fire house, or watch as long rods of steel are fed into a machine which clips pieces off and stamps them into pachinko balls. I was also fascinated to see how Mitsubishi makes pencils -- I couldn't take my eyes off the bizarre stream of wood as it was shaped and wrapped around the graphite leads.

Today's New Products: Cute Poop for Godo Luck, All Nude Waterskiing, and more!

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.

	FREEDOM vol 1 & 2 (Region 2). What started out as an innovative way to promote Nissin's Cup Noodle ramen has grown into a huge project, a sprawling story of a future when all surviving humans live on the moon. Featuring character and mecha designs by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo, it's a fantastic treat you won't want to miss. Vol. 1 & 2 of the Japanese release DVDs are in stock.
	Dr. Slump Handy Soft Poop for Good Luck. Poop is considered quite lucky in Japan, because the word for it, unchi, sound similar to the word for good luck, unki. Here's a pair of really cute pink colored "poop" toys from that classic bellwether of good taste, the Dr. Slump anime.
	Polyphonica Fan Book. Gorgeous fan book dedicated to the popular dating sim game anime series Polyphonica, which has won many fans in Japan. Gorgeous art on every page, this book is very thick, too, with approximately 80 pages of material for you to enjoy.
	Corticarte Apa Lagranges 1/8 Figure ~ Polyphonica. And here's a fantastic figure from the same series, the main character, rendered for you in beautiful PVC. This is the beautiful spirit Corticarte, who makes a contract with the main character Tatara be remain by his side. Fabulous detail in this very nice figure, by Good Smile Company.`
	Tabekko Animal Biscuit. Wow, seeing this really makes me natsukashii (nostalgic). This is a line of delicious butter cookies in the shapes of animals. Because the Japanese like to start their kids off early learning English, the cookies have the animal names baked into them. Generations of Japanese children have grown up with these cookies, and now you can try them, too.
	Bust Up! Drink -- Peach Flavor For ladies who feel they need a few more centimeters in the right places, the Japanese have come up with Bust Up! Drink. Gosh, these people never cease to amaze me...
	R2-D2 Wastebasket. I've had one of these cool R2-D2 trash cans made from Japan ever since they came out, and it's been the pride of my office ever since. While our first shipment sold out in a day, we were able to get more in stock for you. This item will be sent to you by EMS. It goes rather well with our R2-D2 Soy Sauce and Pepper Mill items.
	Rilakkuma Desktop Cleaner -- Normal ver. A cute way to keep your desk clean, this is a little desktop vacuum cleaner made in the image of Rilakkuma, aka Relax Bear, who wants us all to relax a little more.
	Hello Kitty Block Puzzle Chara Builder. Here's a fantastic item: a Lego-style Hello Kitty Block Puzzle that you can put together and display in your home or office. Kitty-chan looks great rendered in these toy blocks. A totally cool idea from Diablock and Sanrio.
	Lucky Charm for Safety Driving -- "HANNYA" Car Window Mascot. We've posted two beautiful "HANNYA" omamori luck charms specifically ,made to promote "safety driving" [sic]. They are window mascots that attach to the inside of your car with a suction cup, and feature a chromed gold Noh mask.
	Traditional Parasol. Nothing says 'Japan' like a parasol, even though that word comes from French. This has been such a popular item we keep running out of stock. It's back on the site again though, so check it out now!
	DX Long Study Flashcards for Sentence ~ Set of 2 pcs. The Japanese are good at studying, a part of this is because of the tools they've evolved to help memorize better. Here's a set of two deluxe long-type study flashcards that you can put to great use, whether you're studying Japanese, history or just about any subject. They feature keyrings so you can keep them with you all the time.
	Mikuru Asahina 1/8 Figure Maid ver. ~ Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi *Preorder*. Super upcoming Mikuru figure dressed as a maid. Mikuru is the time-travelling girl who has knowledge of the future and works with Yuki and Koizumi to plan what to do about the "godmind," Haruhi. This is a gorgeous 1/8 scale figure that you can preorder now.
	Sushi Magnets. Studies have shown that 42% of refrigerators and other metal surfaces can be improved by attaching sushi magnets to them. Also, 27% of bloggers make up statistics.
	Japanese Brush Pens, Other Items. Fude pens are the cool Japanese brush writing pens that let you write in calligraphy style, and we've restocked the DX 12 color set from Sun-Star that's just fantastic. Also, the thickest magic marker you've ever seen, for when you absolute positively have to write a fat line.
	Bejean Sep. 2007 vol. 167. Gorgeous new issue of Bejean, the flagship magazine of the Eichi Publishing Company, and filled with some of Japan's most beautiful models, from I cup covergirl Mari to Yoko Matsugane to out fave, Yuko Ogura. Don't miss the giant poster of female ninja Kotono!
	Gekkan Double. Outstanding "mook" (photomagazine) dedicated to the model known as Double, a fabulous woman who really shines on each page of this cool item. The "Gekkan" series is a monthly photomag that's dedicated to one model in each issue
	Paradise -- Rina Akiyama. We're big fans of Rina Akiyama around here, and love all her great photobook releases. Enjoy fresh stock of Paradise, her best-selling classic that is loved by many J-List customers.
	Comic AG Super Manga Anthology vol. 74. It's time for another awesome issue of Comic AG, the super manga magazine that brings you 80 pages of translated "H" comic art from Japan, shown with full detail and no nasty mosaic to mess up your fun. This new issue is a great one with futanari and much more in its pages!
	Juicy Honey 6 Authentic Visual Collection Trading Cards. Here's a treat for JAV fans: a collection of beautiful laminated trading cards featuring Japan's most popular actresses, from Hotaru Akane to Sasa Handa to Yuma Asami and more. These things are fantastic!
	Zenra Surfing, Sketching, More. The Japanese never fail to entertain, and the "Zenra" line of sports videos from Soft on Demand is one of our all-time favorites. We've restocked several titles, including the great Zenra Surfing & Water Skiing, and Zenra Rough Sketch, featuring an artist drawing and painting while being serviced from behind.

One Way of Understanding Japan's Culture: Kata (Form)

One way of approaching an understanding of Japan is through the word kata, which means "form" and describes the many aspects of life in Japan that follow a specific, pre-determined structure which society at large has agreed on ahead of time. Without a doubt, the Japanese are a people who like to follow fixed forms in many aspects of their lives, and it can be amazing how naturally people fall in step in these situations. I was reminded of this a week ago when the brass band that my son performs in at his school participated in a recital along with ten other elementary schools, an event that required everyone to be completely in sync with each other. First, there is a "greeting" speech by the chairman of the organization that put on the event, followed by comments from other high-ranking members. Then the performances came, perfectly executed by each school's band, as the audience clapped. Finally, the nice lady who was most responsible for making the whole recital come together received the largest bouquet of flowers I've seen in my life from her students, which seemed spontaneous but was also part of the overall form of the event. You see this tendency to closely adhere to pre-approved forms in many different settings, from weddings and funerals to the way the average Japanese person interacts with teachers, doctors and anyone else they want to show respect to. Incidentally, Nintendo sells a trivia game for the DS platform here in Japan to help players learn the "common sense" associated with these events and avoid embarrassment -- that's pretty smart.

(You can see my son way in the back with his Bass Clarinet that's as big as he us)

Signs that Japan is Getting Older

Japan is getting older, and it's interesting to see the way society evolves and changes. Even during the 16 years I've been in Japan, I've noticed quite a change in way products are marketed, with a lot of companies embracing the coming market for services for the elderly. It seems every third TV commercial on daytime television is for companies selling products to older Japanese, including ways to remodel your house and make it "barrier free," a term the Japanese have coined meaning a living space that's free of stairs and other obstacles that make it hard for mobility-challenged people to live. Diapers for adults are also advertised openly on TV, as are hair-loss products aimed not just at men, but women. Insurance companies like Zurich and AFLAC have found a profitable business in Japan selling supplemental insurance to elderly Japanese who worry about being hospitalized and not having enough insurance to cover the costs. Then there's the I-Pot service that home electronics maker Zojirushi operates, which is essentially an electric pot for boiling water that's linked wirelessly to the Internet, which can be configured to send you an email every time your elderly mother makes a pot of green tea, to reassure you that she's okay. Aww, that's nice.

Reflections on Beef Bowl and Japanese Culture

Over the weekend I took my son out for a bowl of gyudon, steamed beef over rice, the most popular form of fast food in Japan. The restaurant was crowded, so I added my name to the list, writing "Peter" in the katakana writing system that's generally used for foreign names and loan words, and sat down to wait. "Everyone else wrote their last name," my son observed. "Why did you write your first name?" This was an interesting question, and I didn't have an answer for him right away. Ostensibly, names in Japan are written in family name, given name order, so someone named Taro Yamada in English would be Yamada Taro in Japanese. But by unwritten rule, Westerners nearly always continue to use their name in the same order as they do back home. When I was a teacher, I was universally known as "Peter-sensei" by my students, never "Payne-sensei" as you'd expect. I'm pretty sure this is done unconsciously -- the Japanese staff at J-List, who are used to me asking them difficult questions when I'm posting an update, all said they'd never noticed this phenomenon -- and probably because English teachers are supposed to be as "fun" as possible. Having my students use my first name certainly did seem to bring them a little closer to me, so it was never a problem. While Japanese never use English name order for themselves while in Japan, it's not uncommon for TV "talents" (comedians, actors etc.) to choose stage names that sound more like English. When the Los Angeles-born son of legendary martial arts film star Sho Kosugi started his own career on TV here, he debuted using the name of "Kane Kosugi" (in English word order) which underscored his American-ness and the fact that he could speak English fluently, and added a bit of spice to his appeal with fans.

New items posted: the Leek Girl T-shirt is hot!

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.

	"Leek Girl" Miku Hatsune Vocaloid T-shirts. You never know what will catch on and become wildly popular in Japan. Currently anime fans here are mad about the "digital idol" Miku Hatsune, a computer software application that can be taught to "sing" any song, which has really made a splash on the YouTube circuit holding a leek (onion) and singing Loituma, a popular song from Finland. Now available as a great T-shirt for guys and girls from J-List!
	Dengeki Maoh Mar 2008. This is the only manga you need to read to keep your finger on the pulse of Japan's industry. Featuring a staggering 600 pages of the most beautifully illustrated stories popular in Japan right now, it represents an incredible value. Free artbook for Spice and Wolf, the popular new manga and anime, too.
	Hello Kitty Pink Dot Health Mask ~ 3pcs. For the stylish and health conscious, here's a great three-pack of Hello Kitty health masks, used by the Japanese during cold and flu season to keep germs from flying onto others. Also great for the next SARS outbreak.
	Glico Collon -- Double Chocolate. Most of us would think that a snack called "Collon" wouldn't be issued in a chocolate flavor, but that's what has happened with the new Double Chocolate flavor of this great round cookie snack from Glico. A very popular item.
	Other Delicious Japanese Snacks. We've also gotten in some other great Japanese snacks, including Cho-Pan Millefeuille, little cookie treats floating in a boat made of chocolate, wow. Then there's Meiji Banana Chocolate, a delicious combination of two awesome tastes.
	Revoltech No.36 Strike Valkyrie VF-1S ~ Macross. For Macross / Robotech fans, we've gotten in fresh stock of the Valkyrie VF-1S Skull-1 special. Because it's by Revoltech it's super posable, meaning you can display it in hundreds of configurations.
	Ninja Phone Straps, Ninja Weapons, Much More. Restocked traditional items today include a "jitte" keychain featuring the defensive weapon of ninjas, a Lucky Cat coin bank for saving money in, a great Sakura Key Chain you can store things like medicine in, and our Go-Ninja Action Strap.
	ANIME PARA PARA MAX US MIX vol. 1-3. "Para para" is an extremely energetic style of dancing that's very popular in Japan right now, and this is a series that takes the most famous anime theme songs and turns them into tunes you just can't stop dancing to. I *highly* recommend this series for anyone who ever got a Dance Dance Revolution song trapped in their head.
	DX SAKURA JUBAKO Bento Box ~ Pink. We've also gotten in a great pink color version of the Deluxe Sakura "Jubako" style bento box, a 2-tier box with stackable, sealable containers and a beautiful top decorated with cherry blossoms.
	Chopsticks Training Set. Here's a great item: a set of "training chopsticks" designed to teach you the proper way to hold the sticks while you eat. Comes with cute little fish shaped erasers that you can practice picking up.
	Hello Kitty Slide Trio Set -- Chopsticks, Fork & Spoon. Also, this great "trio set" of spoon, fork and chopsticks in a cute Hello Kitty case has been restocked. Great for anyone interested in Japan's bento culture.
	Restocked Hello Kitty Fluffy Hood. Keep warm this winter with the ultimate Sanrio item, a warm and fuzzy Hello Kitty Fluffy Hood that ties around your chin and protects your ears and head from non-cute coldness. Back in stock!
	Newtype Japan Reserve Subscription. We were extremely sad to hear the news that Newtype USA was ending publication. But remember that Newtype Japan is still going strong, and each issue is better than ever, with great free posters and other stuff inserted for you. Revolving monthly subscriptions are available from J-List so you never need miss an issue.
	Miniature Tokyo Tower 555 cm. Tokyo Tower is a scale replica of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris that has become a famous image of the city, as well as a magnet for Godzilla attacks and CLAMP anime characters. Now you can have your very own miniature Tokyo Tower that lights up, perfect for your home or office. Freshly restocked!
	Sky Diver "Reijin" ~ Sky Girls *Preorder*. For fans of the Mecha Musume series, which combines beautiful girls with World War II mecha, here's a creation from a new series, the Reijin from Sky Diver. Essentially a robot based on the Zero planes with a beautiful bishoujo girl piloting it. Available for preorder now!
	SHODO Calligraphy Brush. Shodo ("the way of writing") is the art calligraphy brush writing, and J-List has many products for people interested in this art. Here's a nice deluxe brush for calligraphy writing that's back in stock.
	Tamagochi Chewing Candy. We've been impressed with the popularity of the Tamagotchi Chewing Candy, sticks of elongated soft candy that look like gum until you chew them and realize they're something totally different. Each pack features a sticker with art from the legendary Tamagotchi universe, hugely popular here.
	Restocked Japanese Snacks. Finally, we have a bunch of restocked Japanese snacks. Enjoy traditional Matcha Ame green tea candy, Ramune Bottle Candy that's fun to eat, Choco Ball in classic Caramel flavor, and Lotte Fusen no Mi Gum with rare "lucky" pieces hidden inside.
	Pai King ~ The Big Bust Legend PIE KING. The word oppai should be familiar to most J-List readers. It's often shortened to just pai, which sound like the English pie. If you like pie, that's exactly what you'll get in this incredible all color magazine + DVD combo item.
	Yinling of Joytoy no Rinsho Jikken -- Experiment with Fire. We've been fans of Yinling, the Taiwan-born sexy Race Queen and gorgeous idol, for years. This is her new photobook, filled with beautiful pictures of this outstanding woman.
	New Manga Volumes from Japan. You can always see Japan's best ero manga at J-List. Today we've got Revo-Lovers, an amazing tale of a Japanese young man whose body releases scents that cause all the women around him to go crazy for him. Then enjoy Ripe Exclamation, the story of a housewife with giant "oppai" who really needs to get out of the house more.
	Ero Hip Special 4 Hour. In Japanese, the word "hip" has come to refer to the rear end, and Wanz Factory has brought you a really outstanding 4 hour collection of the most satisfying "back" focused "ero" you could imagine. 20 of the most delicious ass-tastic Japanese actresses for you.
	G-cup Storm -- YU-KA. Fans of Japanese women with incredibly large oppai should make sure they don't miss the new release by YU-KA (also written Yuuka), whose G cup spheres of loveliness (which the Japanese insist on calling "bobbers") will entice you like a succubus.
	Leon Kadena DVDs. One day, Yasu looked up and said, "Today I've seen the most beautiful girl in the world." We laughed, but when we saw who he was talking about -- Leon Kadena, a popular sexy idol from Japan, we had to agree with him. Both of her gorgeous DVDs are back in stock now!

Site Improvement Announcement

We're happy to announce some new features on the site. In the upper left hand corner of the J-List and JBOX.com websites you can see the new Account button which takes you do a series of screens that lets update any aspect of your account information, including changing your password or email address. You can review your order history over the past six months, too, a feature that we've wanted to bring you for a long time. In addition, we're launching a new service that let you know what the current status of your order right in the order history screen. For example, when our staff process your order and starts the packing process, the status will be reflected on the order history for that order, and when, say, a shipping label is printed, that will be posted too. The system is still "beta" but we think it will provide a lot of useful feedback for you, making it easy to see what the current state of your order is. Enjoy the new features, and as always, your feedback is very welcome!

Fun with Japanese Numbers

"You've been in Japan too long when you're speaking English with your gaijin friends, but all references to money are in Japanese." This is a funny phenomenon, but true: even when speaking English, foreigners living in Japan will tend to use Japanese for numbers and yen money amounts. The reason is that the Sino-Japanese numeric system, which came from China, is clunky when converting to the Arabic numeric system. The number system revolves around the unit 10,000 (man, pronounced mahn), rather than 1,000; thus, the number 10,000 is 1 man (ichi mahn、一万), 20,000 yen is 2 man (ni mahn、二万), 100,000 is 10 man (juu mahn、十万) and so on. The conversion from one numeric system to the other is just frustrating enough that most foreigners will be happy to leave their numbers in Japanese, if the person they're talking with understands the words. If you think it's difficult learning to think in units of 10,000, you should try doing math with the kanji-based numbers that come after man, which are oku (億、equal to 100 million), cho (兆、1 trillion) and kei (10 quadrillion, which is so high that I never bothered to learn the kanji for it).

One Small Problem with Japan: Concrete and Asphalt

Japan is a great place, and I love living here. The country is beautiful, the culture always new and fascinating, and the people are very kind. One of the drawbacks to life in Japan, however, is the abundance of concrete and asphalt around me. Roads seem to criss-cross every inch of Japan, even high in the mountains in the center of the country, and it's common for the Japanese government to cover the sides of mountains in concrete to guard against falling rocks, so you can't even see the mountain you're currently driving on. Virtually every river in the country has been extensively "engineered" to guard against dangerous floods, which can make them look quite unnatural, with reinforced concrete slopes on both sides. We have a "vacation mansion" up in the mountains around Karuizawa, which sounds really cool until you learn that the word "mansion" in Japan means an apartment that is owned as opposed to being rented. As we were driving home one weekend, I caught a really nice view of Mt. Asama, a large volcano that's erupted several times over the last century. It was spectacular, with steam coming out of the top and everything, but I was having a terrible time snapping a picture of the mountain without getting a power line in the picture. Kind of lame.

Thoughts on the Japanese fascination with Europe and the U.S.

Just as many in the U.S. and Europe have a fascination with all things Japanesque, the Japanese have their own fixation with the West. A lot of this comes from Japan's unique history: for 250 years it was a "closed country," and it was punishable by death for anyone to leave Japan or for foreign barbarians to enter. The only exception was Dejima, a tiny artificial island in Nagasaki Bay, where the Dutch were permitted a trading colony. When Commodore Perry sailed into Yokosuka Bay and forced the Shogun to open his doors to trade, it was a culture shock for Japan that was not entirely unlike what we'd feel if UFOs suddenly landed at the United Nations. As the Japanese fervently studied the West they gained great respect for its accomplishments, which can take some pretty interesting forms today. For some reason Manekin Pis, that statue of a boy peeing in Belgium, is extremely famous in Japan, and there was even a punk band that named themselves the Piss Kids in homage to this, translating from the Japanese name of the statue. The story of Anne Frank is also extremely well known here in Japan (you can read it in manga form), as are stories like Anne of Green Gables. The Japanese have expressed their fascination with the city of Paris by building a scale replica of the Eiffel Tower (Tokyo Tower) and a miniature version of the Palace of Versailles, erected as a residence for the Crown Prince. And don't get me started on the copy of the Statue of Liberty in Odaiba, across the bay from Tokyo. It's all quite silly.

Today's Coolest Product: Plush Seal Dressed as a Maid

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.

	Mamegoma Plush Keychain Maid ver. In the "this could come from Japan" department, we've got a plush Mamgoma toy from San-X that's just a little different: it's wearing a maid costume! A super combination of popular genres, we think Mamegoma Seal Maid is cool! Includes a keychain so you can attach it to your keys for convenience.
	Relaxed Totoro ~ Medium. There's a new Totoro in town, and he's really relaxed. The new Totoro plush for 2008 from famous toy maker Sun Arrow offers 30% more huggability, and is very soft all around. This is the light grey Totoro, a very large plush toy that stands 32 cm (12.6 inches). Perfect for displaying or hugging when you need a friend. Features real claws on his hands and feet.
	Disgaea Figure Collection Basic Set of 6. Awesome set of figures from the popular game series Disgaea, a popular game for the Playstation. This is the full set of these really well made pre-painted PVC figures. In stock now!
	T-elos 1/8 Figure ~ Xenosaga III. Allow us to rave about how awesome this figure of T-ekism a battle-android from the popular Xenosaga game series, created by Alter. This large figure is perfectly detailed and is just trying out to be displayed.
	Puccho Gummy -- Grape & Yogurt. The Japanese are excellent at using package design to really make a product special. The Puccho Gummy series is one example, delicious gummy treats that come in a strange bulbous plastic container. The new Grape + Yogurt flavor is in, and it's yummy
	Other New Japanese Snacks. Also, don't miss the other new treats we have for you. First there's Cho-Pan Green Tea Millefeuille treats, made with Uji Matcha, the most famous green tea in the world, based on the outskirts of Kyoto. Then celebrate the coming of season with Look "Happy Spring a la Mode" chocolates. Isn't that product name just awesome?
	KIE 2008 Winter Issue vol. 18 ~ Kateigaho International 2008 Winter Issue. Kateigaho is one of the coolest magazine subscription items we carry, an outstanding glossy magazine published quarterly that covers Japan's arts and culture, and is amazingly available in English. This issue features traditional Japanese archery, an extensive guide to the ancient city of Nara, and much more.
	Fundoshi -- White ~ Traditional Men's Underwear. Or how about a pair of fundoshi (pronounced foon-DOH-shi), the traditional underwear worn by the samurai. In these modern times it's worn to festivals or in various types of cosplay.
	Restocked Japanese Study Tools. One way you can learn Japanese is by memorizing popular songs, and we've restocked a textbook that help you do just that -- a really great idea. Also, see fresh stock of our most popular book on Business Japanese.
	Hello Kitty "Donburi" Bowl. A great large bowl with Hello Kitty shaped like Japan's most famous feline, this is a really special item that's fun to eat out of. We love fun items that capture Japan like this.
	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. See fresh stock of our popular plush Poop Hat!
	Japanese-Japanese, Four Character Word Dictionary. Here are two mini dictionaries that are quite handy for students of the language. First, enjoy a dictionary of four-character compound words, which are incredibly common and which are fun to study. Next, a Japanese dictionary for looking up words the proper way, in Japanese!
	Pocco Action Figure Illustrated by Shunya Yamashita ~ Fraulein Revoltech No.4 *Preorder*. Shunya Yamashita is the talented artist who has created so many beautiful characters, and now the girl from the cover of his best-selling art book is arriving as a Revoltech Fraulein pose-able figure. Preorder it now!
	Siesta 1/8 Figure ~ Zero no Tsukaima by Alter *Preorder*. The character Siesta is a maid working at the Magic Academy in the popular anime Zero no Tsukaima, and she's one of the most popular characters from the series. This upcoming figure from Alter is going to be a really special one. Preorder it now!
	Popular Japanese Pens. Japanese pens are an incredibly popular category at J-List, and we have to work hard to keep these products in stock, they sell so fast. Look for fresh stock of the SLICCI Stylish Color Gel Ink Pens from Pentel, with a tip that's just 0.25 mm in size but which glides over any surface.
	Karami SP 04 -- Mihiro. The Karami (lit. "intertwining") series is a popular line of photomagazines (or "mooks" as the Japanese would say, a cross between a magazine and a book) with each issue dedicated entirely to one gorgeous actress. This time we've got a real treat for you, with some of the best pictures of the drool-worthy Mihiro spread out for you to enjoy.
	Kaoru Private Collection II ~ Renai Shashin. The photobooks of Aida Garo are legendary among fans of Japanese female photography, and the series featuring the model Kaoru are some of his most famous. This incredibly beautiful photobook is available again -- highly recommended!
	Skin Conscious Airbrush Series - vol. 1 & 2 set. Looking for something new? We humbly recommend Skin Conscious, two CD-ROMs that we published a few years ago. It's a mind-blowingly huge collection of airbrushed art that were original made to be the covers of pulp "ero" novels. They're all hand-created airbrush art but they look so good you'd think they were photographs.
	Yulia 100-Shiki Cast-Off Figure. The biggest thing in Japan these days are "cast off" figures, with clothing that can be removed to add new dimensions to the figures. This is Yulia Type 100, the star of a popular manga about a future with super advanced robotic female companions. In stock now!
	Mini-skirt Plus Boots Collection 4 Hours 2. Next, for fans of beautiful girls wearing short mini skirts and tall boots, we've got a fantastic second collection from TMA for you. The girls are all hot as they show off their cute fashions and then willingly allow themselves to be used while the camera watches.

Sony Life Insurance? Panasonic Home? Kanebo Gum?

One thing you get used to when you live in Japan is companies selling products that are, well, unexpected from the point of view of a Westerner. Dell makes computers and Ford makes cars, but if Ford started making computers we'd all wonder what was in their drinking water. But it's quite common for Japanese companies to enter a wide range of businesses under the same brand, a concept I was introduced to at the age of five when I saw a commercial for Yamaha lawnmowers, and wondered how the company could also make the electric organ we owned at the time. You know Sony for their home electronics, but in Japan, Sony is also famous for life insurance, online banking, high-end make-up products, as well as being the licensor for Thomas the Tank Engine products. Building homes is big business in Japan, and companies like Panasonic and Toyota own companies that build homes under those brands -- there's even a builder called TBS Housing, operated by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, of all people. Mitsubishi is famous for their cars, but they're also busy making trains and home electronics and selling securities, and they are the leading manufacturer of pencils in Japan. Oh, and make up company Kanebo also markets chewing gum and medicine under the same brand. Weird, eh?

Rising Divorce Culture in Japan?

It's often said that Japan's society follows a decade or so behind the U.S., and looking at such areas as the adoption of laws about smoking in public places or child safety seats in cars, that statement seems to be pretty accurate. Sadly, Japan's divorce rate has also followed this trend, and the number of couples calling it quits is higher than ever. Currently there are 2.3 divorces per thousand people in Japan, compared with around 3.6 for the U.S, 2.2 for Canada, and 2.8 for the U.K. These numbers sound pretty much in line with the rest of the world, except when you consider that just a generation ago Japan's divorce-per-thousand was under 1. The social pressures that have been driving the increase are many, including less economic reliance on the husband by women and a decrease of stigmas about being batsu-ichi, or "one strike out," a common slang for someone who has been divorced once. A big trend is the rise in jukunen rikon, or "middle-aged divorce," when couples find their marriage can't survive the husband retiring and hanging around the wife and her friends all day (the term for such husbands is nure-ochiba, noo-reh-OH-chi-bah, a wet leaf that sticks to your shoe and won't come off, no matter how hard you shake it). This trend has been aided by recent laws making it easier for women to claim half their husband's pension if they were together for a certain number of years, which has lead to many books and articles advising women on the best "divorce strategy."

(Click this, it's funny)

Gyoza Troubles in Japan

Japan is in an uproar right now over a food poisoning scare involving frozen dumplings called gyoza -- you may know them by their North American name of "potstickers" -- imported from China. The dumplings were tainted with toxic pesticides which made dozens of consumers sick, including a five year old girl who nearly died. The Japanese are a very group-oriented people, and when there's a general movement in one direction others are willing to follow, and right now everyone is falling over themselves to avoid all frozen foods, even products that weren't made in China. The ruckus is making itself felt in Japan's business world, too: a proposed three-way merger between mammoth Japan Tobacco and two smaller makers of frozen foods is in danger of being called off because JT was the company that distributed the problem dumplings. The whole thing kind of reminds me of the period after 9/11, when Japanese tourists stayed away from Hawaii in droves out of fear of terrorists, quite a silly thing to think, all things considered. Poison aside, gyoza is one of my all-time favorite foods in the world, and I love to obsess over the ratio of soy sauce, vinegar and spicy sesame oil that I dip them into before eating them. While the food poisoning scare has hurt makers of frozen foods, supermarkets and Yokohama's Chinatown distract, business was booming at our local ramen-and-gyoza shop when we went there last night. The "Master" (what you call the owner of any kind of small shop in Japan) seems to be doing a very brisk business right now, with many families coming to eat food they can trust.

Steaming, hot, gyozai.

"Gyoza Campaign Girls" (don't ask)

Anime Girls in their Underwear, Other Cool Products

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.

	Akatsuki Mishiro 1/8 Figure ~ Shuraki Trinity Box 01. This is a really cool original figure that's wielding not one, but two samurai swords as she does battle with a foe. From the popular Shuraku Trinity original series, this figure comes with tons of other stuff, including two CDs and an included mini artbook. Comes with alternate "ripped" clothing, too, for cast off fans.
	Bushido Girl Figure. This is a cute figure of the Bushido Girl from the popular came Sekaiju no Meikyu, released in the U.S. as Etrian Odyssey. Features an awesome samurai girl with removable sword and sheath that's ready to be displayed.
	Ryomou Shimei 1/6 Cast-Off Figure Maid and Bunny Suit ver. ~ Dragon Destiny. The Ryomou Shimei figure that had been on preorder for a couple of months has come in, and we think Ryomou looks great in her maid uniform, with eye patch, of course. Only three are left after we processed the figures we'd had on order, so don't wait too long if you want to snap up one of these. The uniform can be cast off.
	Moetan 3 - Return of the Little Witch. An incredibly wacky way to learn English, if you're Japanese, or Japanese if you speak English.
	Revoltech No.34 Super Valkyrie VF-1J ~ Macross. Macross / Robotech fans, this is something for you -- a fabulous VF-1J from the original series, which comes with armor to make an Armored Type -- cool! Back in stock by customer request.
	Glico Tomato Pretz -- Tomato Dressing Flavor. One of our top ten favorite Japanese snacks is Tomato Pretz, the lightly flavored pretzel stick with the taste of real tomato on it. This is a new version for 2008, with a delicious tomato-based dressing flavor dusted on the outside of each baked pretzel stick. Yum! Available by the case at a discount, too.
	New Super Mario Soundrop -- Full Set of 8. Mario fans, we're happy to report that the Super Mario Soundrop keychains are back in stock. One of the most popular Soundrop keychains ever, it's cool because it puts the most famous Super Mario sound effects in your pocket. Jump whole pressing the jump keychain button. Kiss your significant other while pressing the "1UP" button. The possibilities are endless!
	DX Lacquered Soup Bowl -- Texture Base. This is just about the coolest bowl we've ever carried. Suitable for enjoying miso soup as well as rice or any other dish, it feels so good in the hand, thanks to its high quality real wood texture.
	Restocked Blue Dragon Bento, More. Today's restocked bento items include the Blue Dragon Bento Box that's been a top-selling item, along with the Bear Paws 2-Tier Bento that's so cute. Also, our assortment of Mini Soy Sauce Bottles has been restocked.
	TATAMI Mouse Pad ~ Green. Tatami mats are always a fascination for foreigners, and this is a cool concept: a mouse pad made out of the woven straw material. These are also useful as general decorations for adding a touch of Japan to any room.
	POCARI SWEAT Parody Glue. Here's a handy item: a bottle of all-purpose glue that looks like Pocari Sweat, the popular Japanese sports drink. A handy way to bring a bit of wacky Japanese flavor to your workplace.
	Domo-kun Plush Toy. J-List has always been a great place for Domo-kun fans to find great products, from T-Shirts to phone traps and more. This is just a head's up to let you know that the most popular Domo product in our history, the Domo plush toy from the "God kills a kitten" graphic, will be sold out soon, so don't wait to get yours.
	Japanese T-shirt "Baka Gaijin" (Stupid Foreigner). The "Wacky Japanese T-Shirt of the Month" is our classic design, great for getting the attention of Japanese people who look your way.
	SUPPLIO ~ Aroma Mechanical Pencil & Leads -- for Positive Mind. Here's a great idea from Pentel: a "sharp-pen" (what a mechanical pencil is called in Japan) that uses pencil leads that give off a subtle aroma as you write with them. Designed to give you a positive outlook while you work, the pencil leads use essence of rose petals, a popular item in Japan right now.
	Finally, Restocked Snacks. Look for some great restocked snacks from Japan today, including Japanese Lucky "Omikuji" Gum that looks like fortune sticks in a Shinto shrine but is really cola flavored gum. Also, Fuwarinka Rose Gum, Hi-Chew in Green Apple flavor, Cola Cotton Candy Gum, and the popular "Save the Goldfish" snack game.
	Office Ladies vol. 3 ~ OL Secret Overtime. "OL" is a common Japanese term for an "office lady" or a professional female office worker. Since Japanese salarymen don't get out as much as they'd like, female employees in offices become a major source of fascination in their personal fantasy lives, which you can tap into in this great magazine + DVD.
	Lina Sings -- Lina. Wow, this is a positively fantastic hardcover glossy photobook in which you get to see the private body of Lina, a very lovely Japanese model. Really top quality photographs throughout here.
	Queen's Blade vol. 2 ~ Wasteland Picaroon Risty. Queen's Blade is a book-based combat system built around the Lost Worlds series which got popular in the 1980s, but it's been re-imagined using incredibly gorgeous female characters by Japan's top artists. Use this book to play the turn based combat game or just drool over the 64 pages of art.
	Peach Princess's "X-Change 3." Without a doubt, the X-Change saga is one of the great PC dating-sim game series ever. The story of Takuya, a boy who gets changed into a girl through a series of bizarre chemistry accidents, it's one of the best titles we've ever brought out. Get the third game for a special price this month only!
	Metamorphosis -- Erina Toda. Erina-chan is an incredibly lovely young thing who performs in this great release from Million, featuring six scenes including Intelligent Mistress, Obedient Office Lady an Careful Cutie Maid. A gorgeous bad girl from Japan.
	Alice Pink File -- Mizuho Kanou. Here's a treat for old school JAV fans: 4 hours of the lovely Mizuho Kanou, also known as Jun Kusanagi, performing her best works for you. Best of all, this DVD has been totally remastered, allowing you to see everything you want to see with more detail than ever before.

My Favorite Japanese Food, "Nabe"

It's winter in Japan right now, the season for one of my favorite dishes, nabe (NAH-beh). The word means "pot" and refers to any kind of food you make in a big open pot and eat with everyone gathered around, conversing while taking things out (boiled meat, fish, tofu, vegetables, etc.). There are many varieties of nabe, from spicy Kimchee Nabe (as they are wont to do, the Japanese have adopted the national food of Korea as one of their own) to the famous Chanko Nabe from Nagasaki that sumo wrestlers eat. Another famous variety of nabe food is Sukiyaki, one of my all-time favorite dishes. Aside from being delicious and a great way to warm up in the colder months, nabe is the ultimate "social food" which makes for great conversation, since everyone sits around the pot to take food out of it rather than eating from their own plate. It also allows uniquely Japanese concepts like enryo, the tendency for people hesitate when taking, say, the last piece of tofu before asking of anyone else would like it, to work in the group. (We do have some great bilingual books on how to make Japanese food like nabe, although most are out of stock due to their popularity. You can backorder any of them and we'll send the when they come in.)

Thoughts on Japanese Politics

The U.S. Presidential race is on, with the various candidates debating the issues publicly as they jockey for votes on Super Tuesday. With American politics being followed internationally -- I've gotten into some fascinating discussions with friends from Australia, Canada and the U.K., who all understood U.S. politics a lot better than I understood theirs -- the issues being discussed in the U.S. right now are probably familiar to many around the world. Japanese politics, on the other hand, are a little more subtle, so I thought I'd talk about that subject today. There are three major political parties in Japan: the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled the country almost continuously since the end of the war; the Democratic Party of Japan, which currently controls one of the country's two legislative houses; and the New Komeito Party, which still has unofficial ties to the Sokka Gakkai religion, the closest thing to "Evangelical Buddhism" there is here. It's hard to define what being conservative and liberal might mean in the context of Japan, but for the most part conservatives are pro-business, favor close ties with the U.S. even if it means having to take part in overseas conflicts that most Japanese citizens are against, support rural farmers in exchange for their political support, resist pressure over Yasukuni Shrine, oh, and they naturally revere the Emperor. On the other side of the fence are mavericks like Tokyo Mayor Shintaro Ishihara, who literally wrote the book on Japan saying "no" to outside pressure from the U.S. and who has run Tokyo well even if he steps on the toes of some commercial interests. (There are some flavors of socialism, including a Japan Communist Party, but they have so little traction with voters it's almost funny.) Currently there's a spat going on inside the ruling coalition over how funds collected from taxes on gasoline should be used. Under the current law, automobile-related taxes may be used only for building of roads, despite the fact that there are plenty of perfectly fine roads already made. Conservative members of the legislation are fighting tooth-and-nail to ensure that every yen of road taxes be used for more roads, even if it means projects people won't benefit from, while their opponents push for either a lowering of gasoline taxes or loosening of restrictions on what the money can be spent on.

Understanding Tokyo vs. Rural Life through Power Rangers

The relationship between the various regions of Japan and the capital city of Tokyo -- which is really like a prefecture itself, divided into 23 sections similar to New York's boroughs -- is a complex one that's interesting to observe through the eyes of an outsider. J-List is based in Gunma, in the exact center of the main island of Honshu, far from the sea, which can make it difficult to find really fresh sushi. We're about 100 km north of Tokyo, and people living here consider themselves to be culturally close to Japan's capital, although Tokyoites might snicker at the quaintness of this idea. Tokyo, of course, is the "Mecca" of all business and commerce in Japan, a sprawling megacity of 35 million if you add up the neighboring cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama, and there's much to offer people and companies based there. Rural regions of the country, on the other hand, work hard to point out the many benefits of life in a smaller city, from the lower cost of living to the higher quality of life and "vibrant greenery" in order to try to get Tokyoites to consider doing a "U-turn," the term for leaving Tokyo and settling in a more rural area. A talent agency based in our prefecture has come up with an innovative way to promote life here, creating a Power Rangers-style team called Super Speed Warriors G-FIVE, who put on shows for kids in which they battle evil minions and talk about how great life in Gunma is. The members are named after famous mountains in our prefecture -- Akagi Red, Haruna Yellow, etc. -- and they participate in a wide range of public services, including working with local police to help educate people about public safety and how to avoid common types of fraud.

Really Cool Products for Friday, February 1, 2008

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.

	Louise Bustier ver. 1/8 Figure ~ Zero no Tsukaima. Louise is the quintessential tsundere (TSOON-deh-reh) character, meaning she's angry at you one moment, then fawning shyly the next, a popular genre in anime right now. This is one of the best figures of her we've seen, featuring the popular magic-user in a dress called a bustier (heh).
	Rin Tosaka Bad Girl ver. ~ Nendoroid Figure. The really nice Rin Tosaka Nendoroid figure up for preorder. This is the "Yasagure" or "Bad Girl" version, showing what Rin would be like if she were lazy and smoking. In addition to the detailed figure and separate parts, you also get a little car for her to drive.
	Yuki Nagato SD Nendoroid Version. Gorgeous super-deformed statue of Yuki, the Dan Simmons-reading android sent from the galactic Integrated Data Entity to keep an eye on Haruhi Suzumiya. (This mind-bending anime is partially based on his novel Hyperion, amazingly.) This is a fabulous Nendoroid figure that we've finally gotten in stock for you.
	Dengeki Comic Gao! Feb 2008. Dengeki Comic Gao! is the popular monthly manga that features 500+ pages of quality manga for you to enjoy, with great stories like Kemeko Deluxe, The 100th Knight and Gurren Lagen -- all really outstanding. Plus, you get a limited edition figure from Ef in this issue -- wow!
	Japanese Hoodie - Ecchi (Ecko Parody). It's cold, cold, cold outside, but you can be toasty and warm in our newest wacky Japanese hooded sweatshirt. This features the kanji words ippiki okami (ee-PEE-kee OH-kah-mee), meaning Lone Wolf, indicating a person who plays by his own rules at all times. By customer request, now printed on a really soft hoodie.
	New Japanese Snacks. Today we've got some great new Japanese snacks, including Cola Up! Gummy from Meiji, a name so bizarre you know it could only come from Japan, and delicious Choco-Zutsumi (meaning 'wrapped in chocolate"), made with strawberries and "mochi" (very chewy rice)
	Sakura Kit Kat Lucky Little. One of our most popular snack products every year is Sakura Kit Kat, a fabulous Japan-only flavor of the popular chocolate cookie snack from Nestle. Now we've added a new version, Sakura Kit Kat Lucky Little, which are bite-sized Kit Kat chunks that come in pink and white. They taste like Spring!
	Egg Jan 2008. Here's a new issue of Egg, the magazine that tracks Japan's street fashion culture like no other, focusing on "kogals" (also know as "gals"), or the ultra-tanned and stylish from Tokyo.
	Poop Pointer w/ Ballpoint Pen. J-List prides itself on our "Wacky Things from Japan" products, but sometimes we out-do even ourselves. This is a bizarre item called the Poop Pointer, a standard stainless steel telescoping pointer that has a soft vinyl "poop" on the end, which is considered to be lucky by the Japanese because the word "unchi" (poop) sounds similar the word for "luck."
	SHODO ~ Natural Stone Mini Calligraphy Set with Wooden Box . Here's everything you need to try your hand at Shodo, the Japanese "Way of Writing." This real wooden box contains a natural stone ink holder and ink stick as well as a brush. An awesome product for J-List customers!
	DX SAKURA JUBAKO Bento Box ~ Brown. This is a great new bento box in the "jubako" or "stacking box" style, with two sealed compartments for holding your rice and other lunch foods and a cover that fits on top. The whole thing is sakura-shaped, and looks great.
	Hello Kitty Monochrome Health Mask ~ 3pcs. The Japanese are really into manners, and wearing a face mask when you've got a cold or allergies is just common sense. Here's a cute set of three Hello Kitty masks that is also great for your cosplay collection.
	P:Chara Haruhi Suzumiya Pinky Street *Preorder*. This is a really special item for Haruhi fans, the upcoming P:Chara Pinky Street release, which comes with multiple bodies for Haruhi to "wear" and many fun accessories, too.
	Laputa 2008 Schedule Book, More Calendars. One of the smash hit products this calendar season was the gorgeous Castle in the Sky Laputa 2008 schedule book. By customer request, we were able to get a few more before they're gone forever, so don't delay. Also, see the *last* stock of still available 2008 calendars, from the popular Bleach to the Doraemon schedule book, newly restocked.
	Suntory Final Fantasy Premium Potion Set ~ Shinra Company version. The popular Final Fantasy potion set is back in stock! It comes in a large box, containing a gorgeous glass & metal potion that you can really drink, and a cool book. The potion bottle is refillable, too. Our restock sold through in less then two weeks, so we've gotten in even more of these potions.
	Easy to Easy -- Aki Higashihara. Wow, I really like the hardcover glossy photobook release of popular model and actress Aki Higashihara, and we think you will too. Features many nice bikini and other shots taken in beautiful Japan.
	Restocked Manga. Today's restocked manga include both volumes of the best-selling Hana's Holiday from Saigado, RED Impact and BLACK Impact from the legendary Azuki Kurenai, and Fude Oroshichaimashita, meaning "I put the writing brush down," which is a euphemism for losing it.
	Queen's Gate -- Alice (nitro+). For fans of Queen's Blade, the book-based combat game that's been transformed into the most excellent expression of "moe" (mo-EH) and anime art we can think of, here's a new Queen's Gate book featuring the character Alice from Ni-shi, a popular character designer with Nitro+.
	Chu Chu Astram Cast Off Figure ~ Chu Chu Idol *Preorder*. A really nice "cast off" figure based on a game called Chu Chu Idol, in which the main character finds out that the pretty girl in his class is really a pop idol in disguise, and that she's a vampire, too! The sound "chu chu" refers to sucking blood. This is a "cast off" figure, so you won't want to miss it.
	Oppai Ball *G Cup*. One of the most popular items in J-List history, this water-filled soft boob is the perfect "stress relief" item. Keep it in your desk and give it a squeeze when the world starts to get you down. Back in stock!
	KICHIKU ~ Devil Beast -- Rio. Half-Portuguese, half-Japanese Tina Yuzuki is one of the most popular JAV idols around these days, and we love her gorgeous face and "ero" body. This is her newest release under her alternate stage name of Rio.

Different Kinds of "Green Tea" from Japan: Ryoku-cha, Matcha, and Beyond

Although coffee and Western tea are popular in Japan, many prefer the wide variety of Asian teas that would likely be perceived as "green tea" to most Westerners. The word for tea in Japanese is cha, and like many concepts that are especially important to every day life here, the word usually gets the "honorific" prefix o, making ocha. Popular varieties of tea enjoyed regularly include ryoku-cha, a slightly weak green tea; mugi-cha, a pleasant-tasting tea made from barley that's enjoyed in the hot summer; or genmai-cha, tea with roasted grains of unhulled rice in it. Oolong-cha, a dark refreshing tea from China, is perhaps the best-selling bottled beverage in Japan; it's nice because it cuts through oil, washing down anything greasy you've eaten, and the Chinese use it to clean the fingers while eating. Coca-Cola became the leading drink maker in the Japanese beverage market by being very smart about local tastes, and their popular Sokenbi-cha, which blends many different types of tea, is one of the top-selling bottled teas on the market. The other type of green tea is matcha, a bitter tea made from powder, used in the Japanese tea ceremony and is also a popular flavoring for ice cream and traditional sweets. The best matcha tea comes from Uji, a town a few kilometers outside of Kyoto, and this year's Matcha Kit Kat goes out of its way to advertise Uji Matcha on its box.

Japanese People think Americans Know Every English Word Ever Made

Before I started J-List, I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to a wide range of Japanese students, including kids, OLs (female company employees) and even some elderly learners. Because I spoke Japanese, my services were quite in demand, since of course the first thing you look for in an English teacher is that he be fluent in Japanese -- kind of makes you understand why they aren't better at English than they are. For a while I had a weekly class teaching some retired women, and we had a lot of fun, with them telling me all the things that Americans seem to be interested in when they come to Japan, like what part of the city was bombed during World War II. During one lesson one of the ladies was telling me about the various charities she was involved in, including the local Rotary Club and UNESCO. "I'm also a Soroptimist," she proudly told me. This word was unfamiliar to me, so I asked her what it meant, and I'll never forget the look of shock on her face. How could I, a native speaker of English, not know this word? Didn't every speaker of English know every word? Getting over her surprise, she explained about the Soroptimist Society, an international organization that works to improve the lives of women around the world, which is also active in Japan. This tendency of Japanese to assume that every English speaker knows every word in the language happens with doctors, too, who spend years amassing knowledge of medical conditions in English then want to try them out on foreigners they encounter.

Funny Japanese place names: Eromanga??

There are some pretty hilarious place names in the world, like Hell, Michigan, Hookersville, West Virginia or Lord Berkeley's Knob, Scotland. There are some that sound funny to the Japanese, too. The second largest city in Idaho is Nampa, which happens to be a common slang term that roughly means "girl hunting," what bored young people in Japanese cities usually do on weekends. The Boyne Valley near Dublin, Ireland causes snickering when rendered into katakana, since boin is the sound of soft, round things going, well, "boing." In Holland there's a town called Scheveningen, which comes out sounding like sukebe ningen in Japanese, meaning "depraved human being" (I'm sure they could use some of our T-shirts there). In Texas, Michigan and Alaska there are towns with the name of Onalaska, which happens to sound like onara-suka, which is "Did you have flatulence?" in polite Japanese. The prefecture of Siliana in Tunisia gets more attention than it otherwise would, since it sounds like shiri and ana, a person's rear end and hole, respectively. The most common "catch-all" Japanese insult is baka, meaning "stupid," but in Osaka they prefer the term aho, and I'm sure the town of Ajo, Arizona gets at least a few additional tourists each year because of this name. But the strangest accidental place name would have to be Eromanga, a mining town that's the farthest point from the sea in Australia, with a name that sounds like manga comics that are naughty. Similarly, there's an island near Australia named Erromango, which got miss-transliterated as Eromanga in the Nintendo Wii weather program, making it an instant legend in the eyes of Japanese gamers.