Cool Products: Star Trek Toys by Konami, Gurren Lagann figures, and pictures of factories!

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.

	SF Movie Selection Star Trek vol.1 Set of 6. Over the years, we've sold some pretty awesome products at J-List, and one of my all-time favorites have been the super-detailed Star Trek miniatures. Now Konami is bringing their incredible attention to detail to the Star Trek universe, releasing a set of ships based on the Star Trek films. These Trek ships are now in, and they're the best we've ever seen, larger and more detailed than even the Furuta lines of the past. Order your now because they won't last very long!
	Gurren Lagann Konami Figure Collection Full Set of 6. Also, the Konami Gurren Lagann figures have been released, and they are really well made, just begging to be displayed on your room or office. Full sets, basic and individual boxed figures are both in stock.
	Back Ground Visual Material 1 -- Factory District. It's hard to say why pictures of eerie, twisting factories are so cool to look at, really. But the shots in this new photobook, featuring nothing but glorious industrial imagery, are almost too cool for words.
	Dengeki Comic Gao! April 2008 ~ Final Issue. Outstanding new issue of Dengeki Gao!, the super thick book of manga that provides over 500+ pages of high quality visual entertainment for you. Sadly, this is the last issue of Gao that will be published -- thanks for all the happiness and good times, guys. Gao means "roar" in Japanese, as you know from reading today's update.
	Perfect Kanji ~ Kakitori Kun vol. 1. Here's another innovative way to learn Japanese using your Nintendo DS: a game that teaches you to write kanji correctly, with the proper stroke order to reinforce good writing habits. Two versions in stock, one for elementary school and an advanced that takes you through Junior High.
	Transform Transformer -- Bumble Bee (Bumble). Also, one of the coolest Transformers ever, Takara has brought back the original Bumble Bee, whose name was just "Bumble" in the Japanese version.
	Bleach Ball Pointed Pen Strap -- Gremmjow, Rukia Kuchiki. Got two more Bleach phone straps in stock, which look like samurai swords but which are really ball-point pens instead. An awesome item you can attach to your phone, camera, Nintendo DS, etc. etc. (you know the drill).
	Bubblicious Gum -- Strawberry & Kiwi Flavor. To me, Bubblicious gum brings back memories of the 70s, of waking up on Saturday morning and watching those silly cartoons while eating Sugar Corn Pops while a commercial came on about two "gumfighters" in the old west fighting it out with bubble gum. This is a cool flavor only sold in Japan -- strawberry and kiwi fruit!
	How to Draw Manga -- Colorful Costumes, School Uniforms, Guns & More. Learn to draw manga like the pros with this successful book series by Manga University, in which top artists help you tackle difficult subjects like, how to draw women in various cute uniforms, how to draw the female form ni various poses, and even how to sketch guns and military hardware. Restocked at great new price!
	Hello Kitty Chrimen SAKURA Blue Tote Bag. Sanrio fans should take a look at this new Hello Kitty Tote Bag made of beautiful blue chirimen fabric. We just love the meshing of wa (which means Japan) and kawaii (which means cute).
	Hello Kitty Duster for Japanese School. In Japanese elementary schools, there are certain things kids must bring at the start of the school year, and one of them is a thick towel (called zokin) for doing cleaning. This is a Hello Kitty version of this classic towel, complete with a place to write your name and grade/class.
	Genki Textbooks, Workbooks, Student CDs. We've gotten in a huge restocking of the #1 selling Japanese study aid in J-List's history, used by more students of the language than any other tool. We've restocked both Genki I and II, with the workbooks, student CDs and answer keys all in stock for you.
	Lots of Restocked Snacks. Today is Pretz Day or something, as we've gotten in several flavors of that delicious pretzel snack from Japan, Enjoy Baker Pretz in Bacon Cheese flavor (it's good!), Strong and Regular Tomato Pretz, Harumachi Ichigo Chocolate, and super-tart Ramune Shigekix. Delicious!
	X Idol -- Kotono. The lovely Kotono is the star of this mind-blowingly gorgeous new hardcover photobook, with glossy pages capturing the beauty of this model in all her natural glory. Don't miss this one.
	Because You Whisper To Me -- Sayaka Ogata ~ Kimi Ga Sasayaku Kara. Fantastic glossy photobook. I can't get enough of some of the pictures in this book, featuring Sayaka Ogata.
	Girls Girls Girls! ~ EE Illustration Collection. Another restocked artbook, this presents the best anime girls from the popular bishoujo magazine E2, with all illustrations presented in full page glossy format. I could look at these for hours.
	Bust Emperor 3rd Season Summer Vacation. Those Japanese are so darned wacky -- making "trading torso" bust figures of beautiful womens', er, busts. Buy them and trade them with your friends!

How Japanese Sound Word (onomatopoeia) Can Change a Gaijin

One of the surprising things about living in a country like Japan is, is how you can get used to the local giseigo, literally "mimic-voice words," also known as onomatopoeia. To English speakers, dogs go "bark" of "woof" and cats "meow," but of course these are different in Japanese, where a small dog makes sounds like kyan kyan but a larger dog sounds like wan wan, and cats say nya nya. A rooster may cock-a-doodle-doo in English, but in Japanese he makes the sound keko-koko, and while the Japanese manga called Gao! might sound odd to you, everyone here understands it as a dinosaur or a lion roaring. The extent to which you can become accustomed to this differerent system of sound words is amazing, proving that the brain really can accept and adapt to anything.

Patriotism, Japan Style and Kimigayo

I've written before about how the question of "patriotism" in modern Japan is a tricky one. In the U.S. we have many opportunities to show our patriotic spirit, enjoying hot dogs and fireworks on the Fourth of July or saying "oo" and "ah" as we take in an air show at a nearby military base. However, it's quite difficult for the average Japanese person to enjoy this experience. The sad fact is that many of the traditional symbols of the country, from the Japanese flag on up, are often associated either with Japan's wartime past or with modern-day right-wing extremists who drive around in speaker cars playing World War II songs like idiots. The official national anthem is another sticky spot. Written in 1880, Kimigayo (warning: sound link) is a brief, solemn anthem based on a poem from the Nara Period which calls for the Emperor's reign to last for eight thousands years, until the pebbles grow into boulders with moss growing off of them. Although that sounds very militaristic to us today, it was originally written as a Japanese version of God Save the Queen, and nothing more. Recently the government has been trying to force teachers to sing the song during school events, but there's been a lot of opposition to this on the grounds of protecting freedom of expression. What would you do to bring a reasonable sense of patriotism to Japanese young people?

Duality in Japan: Shrine Water and KFC

When you live in a place as different from the U.S. or Europe as Japan is, you have to get used to some changes, and something that I kept noticing back when I first arrived here was the great "duality" the country kept presenting me with. This tendency for things to divide into two contradicting halves goes beyond the obvious mix of old-and-new, of highly advanced electronics co-existing beside an old guy who drives around in a truck selling stone-baked sweet potatoes on the road, or drinking water from a centuries-old Shinto shrine to wash down the KFC you just had for lunch. One source of this perceived duality is the kanji writing system used by the Japanese, which usually has two readings or each character, the original Chinese one (the on reading) and the Japanese one (the kun reading). As a general rule, characters appearing by themselves will use the Japanese reading, for example words like ki (tree) or mizu (water), but compound words will use the more complex Chinese one, e.g. mokusei (wood + produce = made of wood) or suido (water + road = water pipe). This neat little system goes out the window when it comes to writing names for places or people, though, making it nearly impossible to accurately pin down the correct way to pronounce a kanji name without getting it wrong at least once. Since there are two answers to "how do I read this kanji?" and neither one is entirely wrong, it can all make your brain feel like it's being pulled in two different directions.

Cool Products: New Magami Magazine, Tony Hug Pillow, iTunes for Spring 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.

	Megami Magazine Deluxe vol. 10. Megami means "goddess" in Japanese, and that's a fitting title since it's dedicated to worshipping female anime characters. This is special issue published separately from the monthly magazine. No ads and gorgeous original art throughout makes every issue of Megami Deluxe really special.
	Lelouch Lamperouge Action Figure Figma BP ~ Code Geass. Code Geass is a really popular anime that's kicking butt in the marketplace in Japan right now. Here's a really cool figure of Lelouch Lamperouge that was so popular, most of our preordered stock has sold out. Get yours fast!
	Puka Puka Haro -- Green. Haro is an icon in the anime world, the cute floating robot from the Mobile Suit Gundam series. This is a cute waterproof version that you can put in the bath and watch him swim around! Or display him like a cool friend in your room.
	Perfect Kanji Power. A great tool for intermediate learners of Japanese to improve their kanji, this is basically Brain Training for Japanese learners, allowing you to quiz yourself on the correct use of the 1945 "general use" characters that are learned through Junior High School. Compatible with all Nintendo DS units.
	Hello Kitty ECO My Own Shopping Bag with Small Case. Go "eco" with Hello Kitty, with this handy take-anywhere nylon shopping bag that folds up nice and neat into a small case with handle when not in use. Two cool retro versions in stock.
	Transform Transformer -- Starscream. The retro Transformers toys keep coming from Takara. This is one of the most popular characters ever, good old Starscream, who really transforms from jet mode to his cool robot self.
	iTunes Japan J-POP Spring Shuffle. Interested in Japanese music? The Japan iTunes Store has a great pre-set play-list of great songs for Spring, from beautiful tunes about sakura to the songs about graduation and parting with school friends, another theme of April in Japan. You can purchase these with our convenient iTunes Prepaid Cards, the only way to buy music from iTMS Japan without a credit card registered in Japan. Compatible with iTunes and iPod/iPhone from any country, Mac or PC.
	NEON GENESIS EVANGELION CHARACTERS TYPE-F -- Full Sets. Dynamite series of Eva figures, with full sets and no-duplicates sub-sets back in stock, allowing you to get exactly the awesome Eva toys you want.
	Pig Paws 2-tier Bento Box. More cute bento offerings from the niKyoro people, makers of animal-shaped lunch boxes and more. This is Pig Paws, a cute bento lunchbox that features two sections, one for rice and the other for the rest of your lunch, as well as a hand to keep the sections from opening at inconvenient times.
	Japanese Custom Made Stamp ~ Square 0.5 inch Hanko. Remember that J-List sells cool custom hanko stamps, making it easy for you to get a cool stamp with your name, your favorite kanji, just about anything. J-List helps you choose the kanji you want to use to express yourself at no extra cost.
	My Neighbor Totoro Umbrellas. Also, we've restocked the *awesome* Totoro umbrellas, extremely well made with real wood handles and shafts, a treasure for any Hayao Miyazaki fan. If the "Ghibli Aesthetic" is in your DNA as it is in ours, snap up one of these umbrellas now.
	Floral KOKESHI Ear Cleaner w/ Kokeshi Doll ~ Green, Blue, Purple. Now you can match your mimikaki (traditional Japanese ear cleaner, which feel great) with your favorite Jedi's light saber. Different colors are now in stock.
	Learn Japanese from Gundam. Learn all of Char and Amuro's famous lines in English, like the iconic "Even my dad never hit me!" Back in stock...for now.
	Japanese Recipes 60 ~ Washoku no Kihon. Also, one of the most popular "bilingual books" we carry is a cookbook that presents 60 delicious Japanese recipes you can challenge at home.
	Mikuru Asahina 1/8 Figure School Festival ver. by Max Factory *Preorder*. Here's a new upcoming anime figure for you to preorder: Mikuru dressed in her School Festival maid's costume, and darned cute. Comes in "serving tea" mode as well as optional "cat girl" ears and tail.
	Shana 1/6 Figure Noir Waitress ver. ~ Shana II *Preorder*. Shakugan no Shana, or Shana of the Blazing Eyes, is a hit anime show by the character designer of Haruhi Suzumiya, which is a big part of its popularity. Just look at how cute Shana is! This is a new preorder figure that's really special because it's so detailed, and also because of its large size.
	COPIC Sketch ~ Professional Model Double Marker Set in 12 Basic Colors with Super Brush. COPIC is the premier maker of fine pens and art paper in Japan, and our customers really like their products. This is a set of high end "double marker" pens specially for coloring sketched art.
	DMM Oct 2007 with DVD (Region ALL). Gorgeous new issue of DMM, the professional magazine of the Japan AV industry, filled with top name stars like Mihiro, Sasa Handa, Ai Kurosawa, Rika Asao, and Himeno Ai. Nice thick printing with lots of content, including on-the-set photography, as well as a 2 hour DVD.
	New Manga Volumes. Today's new ero manga includes Daisuki Dayo ~ I Love You Very Much, a collection of stories of love and "H," as well as Wife Keiko's Apartment Complex, where naughty married women will play.
	A Wish for My Sister. A great English manga from Icarus Publishing about the special relationship between Kei and his older sister. Fully translated, and of course featuring the high detail that Icarus is always famous for.
	Hug Pillow Case Illustrated by Tony. Wow, is all we can say about this amazing dakimakura or "Hug Pillow" pillow case, illustrated by the famous Tony Taka with one of the most amazing images we've seen yet (and dual sided, to boot). This is a treat that true otaku will want to proudly display in their rooms. Never sleep alone again!
	Shunga Ukiyoe Sake Shot Glasses -- Set of 5 ~ Ukiyoe. Look for fresh stock of our Shunga sake cups, featuring the "naughty" ukiyoe are that's been depicted in Japan for centuries. Restocked today.
	Welcome to Mzinald's! Come to a very special fast food restaurant, where you can delicious food, beautiful girls doing the "M" pose, which looks like two sexy legs. Whether they're serving food or providing more personal services for their customers, a smile is always free at Mzinald's!

The Honesty You Find in Japan

One of the nice things about living in Japan is the honesty and integrity people generally possess. A couple weeks ago, some friends and I went to the Park Hyatt in Tokyo to drink in the bar from Lost in Translation, intending to try the whiskey that Bill Murray's character advertised in the film. We accidentally ordered the wrong drink, choosing a $29-per-glass high-end whiskey, but our waiter steered us to the actual drink used in the film, which was only $19 per glass. This impressed me since he could have said nothing and gotten a larger bar tab. When fast hikari fiber (fiber optic) Internet finally came to our part of the city, I was so overjoyed I was ready to sign up for the most expensive dedicated line they had. Instead of selling me the costlier service, the NTT salesman talked me out of it, telling me that the standard shared line would be more than fast enough for us -- and he was right. Then there was the time I was shopping for a Minolta camera, the old kind with the silly pre-programmed cards that enabled certain camera effects. I was ready to buy a bunch of these optional cards with the camera, but the salesman at the store shook his head, telling me that they weren't worth the money, losing an additional sale but certainly gaining my trust.

Mitsukoshi, the 400+ Year Old Department Store, and Other Happy News

It's a day for congratulations in Japan. The mega department store chains Mitsukoshi and Isetan are getting married, formally tying the knot in a merger that should see a combined sales of the two store chains reach $15 billion this year. The news appeals to my history-challenged American brain because Mitsukoshi has been around since 1673, when Takatoshi Mitsui opened a kimono shop in Edo (Tokyo). He brought many innovations to the business world back in those days, introducing the first customer-friendly retail shop with pre-made products sold at clearly labeled prices, an improvement over the then-common custom of making products in a customer's home after an order was received. His lowly shop would eventually blossom into the Mitsui zaibatsu (business conglomerate), involved in everything from shipping to to mining and founding Japan's first private bank -- not bad. There's some other happy news in Japan today: in Sapporo a chimpanzee named Gacha has given birth to a baby chimp. The surprising thing is Gacha's advanced age: 41 years old, or over 70 in chimpanzee years. Mother and child are reportedly doing fine.

On the Japanese Custom of Taking Responsibility

One concept you encounter quite a lot in Japan is sekinin (seh-kee-neen), meaning responsibility or duty. While the James Clavell cliches of Japanese who are bound by the bushido-esque code of honor aren't very accurate when applied to the country today, I have noticed that the idea of sekinin o toru, or taking responsibility for something, does seem to be an important aspect of the Japanese character. This can take many forms, with one of the most visible being the way students take responsibility for cleaning their own classrooms, including the toilets. Virtually all cleaning in Japanese schools is done by the students, who must learn to either take pride in their cleaning skills or study in a dirty classroom. The idea of sekinin is important in a business environment, too, and when some new job presents itself to us at here at J-List, I'm always interested in the way our Japanese staff divides the work into logical sections and assigns different parts to each person, so everyone knows who's in charge of what. Having a person's name associated with a job is one way to create a sense of pride, and in restaurants it's common to see a little clipboard hanging in the restroom indicating which employee has last cleaned, so everyone knows who is or isn't doing his job properly if there's a problem. I often wonder whether some of these little innovations might not be imported back to the West?

Cool Products: Haruhi Pinky Street, New Pocky, Lucky Star, Macross Toys 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.

	P:Chara Haruhi Suzumiya Pinky Street. 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. Now in stock and shipping!
	Comp Hs vol. 9 ~ Comp Heroine 9. Comp Heroines is one of the most popular magazines at J-List because each issue is filled with page after glossy page of gorgeous bishoujo ("pretty girl") anime art. Lots of free stuff in this issue as always, including a Clannad document protector, Lucky Star paper dolls and *7* posters (or 14, if you count each side).
	Transform Transformer -- Optimus Prime (Convoy). Here's an awfully cool pair of Transformers toys from Takara: "Convoy," whose name was thankfully changed to the more badass-sounding Optimus Prime in the U.S., and his nemesis, Megatron. Fully transforming!
	Bleach Ball Point Pen Straps. Bleach fans, got in two cool phone straps that look like swords, but are cleverly concealed pens -- how's that for cool? Choose from Zanpakuto, Toushiro Hitsugaya or Ichigo.
	Lucky Lover's Cat Display ~ Invitation for Good Karma. A fantastic pair of ceramic Lucky Cats who are deeply in love, this is a great item to add a touch of Japan to any room. It might just bring you luck in love, too.
	Hello Kitty Baby CHIRIMEN SAKURA Card Holder. We've gotten in two new colors of our cool card holder, which you can use to hold your credit cards, train pass or money. Made from real chirimen, the fabric many kimonos are made from.
	Glico Dessert Pocky -- Orange Double Chocolate. I have to say, this new Pocky Dessert Orange Double Chocolate is one of the most delicious things to come out of the Glico company in a long time. Fabulous deluxe Pocky that can only be described as eating a decorated cake on a stick.
	Lucky Star Okiraku Box ~ Kagami Hiiragi. We've got the excellent Lucky Star boxed sets that give you lots of special items. This is the box set dedicated to Kagami, and you can all kinds of cool stuff to display and have fun with.
	Nyan Nyan Nyanko ~ Nyanko Cafe no Maki. The last word on the subject of kawaii (cute) may well have been written in this super Nyan Nyan Neko book from San-X. Little cats inside cake, cream puffs, and banana parfaits? That's pretty cute.
	Ninja Phone Straps, Other Traditional Items. Put a little ninja action in your life with our restocked Go-Ninja Action Straps, which you can put on your phone, camera, Nintendo DS and so on. Also, see more beautiful Kokeshi dolls celebrating different seasons, and more!
	The Manga Cook Book. What a great idea! Learn to cook traditional Japanese food and bento treats through manga! A great new idea from the Manga University Culinary Institute.
	Kanji DS Dictionary restocked. We've been floored by the popularity of the Nintendo DS dictionary, and sold out in record time. Happily we've got fresh stock of this fantastic fully functional E-J, J-E, Japanese and Kanji dictionary, with many advanced features.
	Pocco Action Figure Illustrated by Shunya Yamashita ~ Fraulein Revoltech No.4. 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. Because it's an action figure, you can move her in many ways, in keeping with the Revoltech line. In stock now and is ready for you to order!
	Revoltech No.051 Regult ~ Macross *Preorder*. Here's a really cool toy from the Revoltech line: the Zentraedi Battle Pods (aka Regult) from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, the breakthrough anime from 1982. Because it's by Revoltech, there'll be about 500 ways to move and configure this cool toy. I know I'm getting one!
	Revoltech No.050 Gurren Lagann *Preorder*. Then enjoy one of the most awesome anime to come along in an age, Gurren Lagann, from the masters at Gainax. This is the Revoltech series toy that comes with multiple ways to move and configure the mech -- awesome!
	Sabra Magazine April 2008. Really elegant and beautiful women, that's what you'll find in this new issue of Sabra, which has the highest level of female photography in all Japan. See Miu Nakamura, Maomi Yuki, and the hot women of Japan's Field Hockey team!
	Natsu Mail -- Natsume Sano. Natsume (NAT-soo-meh) Sano is a gorgeous model who really shines in her new photobook, featuring all manner of sexy shots of her in various settings. Great for fans of high quality female photography, Japan style.
	Restocked Manga. Wonderful restocked manga today, including Idol Manager Chinami Chan, Futanarikko Love 8, Let's Eat Oneesan, Blooming Rapture of a Body, and my favorite, Samurai Girl Anthology Comic.
	Japanese Pure Lotion ~ Clear. J-List carries many rare and wonderful things from Japan, including products for grown-ups. This popular personal lotion is used by many Japanese for all their special needs. It's better than the lotions sold in the U.S. because it's all natural, made out of seaweed. Available in various interesting fragrances too (we recommend "melon" for the sheer Japanese-ness of it).
	Melancholy of Suzumiya Hiharu 240 MIN Special. Haruhi Suzumiya is the legendary anime about a girl who's only interested in meeting aliens, time travelers or people with super powers...so naturally she encounters all of the above. This is a special treat indeed, a collection of 4 hours of the best "H" with Haruhi, Mikuru and Yuki, with all the costumes you love from the show.
	Zenra Kendo. The wacky Zenra Sports series from Soft on Demand keeps on going with the newest release, Zenra Kendo! Yes, watch as the beautiful Ami Hanamiya, an accomplished kendo sword fighter, as she shows you one of Japan's most famous sports in a way you've never anticipated!