Douglas MacArthur and the Japanese part II

Speaking of MacArthur, here's an ad for a Takarazuka production about him that I saw. Bet you've never imaged anything like this ^_^ Takarazuka is the all-female production company started in response to Kabuki being all male.

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.

 

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.