Cool Items: Dragon Destiny figure, New Manga, School Days Hug Pillows

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.

	Snapp's Saber - Private Costume, Armor Ver. Snapp's (which is apparently pronounced "Snappies") is a high quality line of figures by Toy's Works which are extremely posable and cool to display, and we've just gotten in the Saber figure, which comes in "normal" clothes and "armor' versions, both outstanding.
	Kotonoha Katsura Pillow Case ~ School Days Ver. 1. A fantastic dakimakura or live-sizes anime hug pillow cover, this is a must-own for School Days fans. Features Kotonoha, the gorgeous girlfriend of the main character Makoto, who gets rather unglued towards the end.
	Sekai Saionji Pillow Case ~ School Days ver 2. Or you could choose from the other fabulous hug pillow for School Days fans, Sekai, the classmate of Makoto's who is responsible for getting Kotonoha and Mokoto together. What happens between them is one of the most fascinating stories in recent history, which caused Japanese TV stations to pre-empt the last episode in the Nice Boat debacle.
	Dengeki G's Magazine Apr. 2008. A fantastic magazine for anyone who loves Japan's amazing characters from anime and games, this is Dengeki G's. In addition to great visuals from Japan's most popular characters, you get a cool limited figure from Fortune Arterial, free!
	METAL MODE Silver ~ Men's Lunch Box / 900 ml Tight Box & Chopsticks. This is a really special item: a deluxe bento box for men, specially designed for heavier eaters who are still hungry after a normal bento lunch. Comes with a huge main section with separate parts for rice and okazu (that is, whatever you eat with your rice), internal chopsticks, ice packs, and a thermal case for keeping your food hot/cold.
	Meiji Takoyaki Shop Gummy. And for all who'd love to try one of the more enigmatic foods from Japan, try this fun Takoyaki candy set. To make, just add the gelatin powder with water to the tray, add the gummy octopus parts (which is peach flavored, don't worry), let harden, and eat.
	Kiseru -- Japanese Traditional Pipe. An extremely popular item from Japan, this is a metal and wood traditional pipe for smoking loose tobacco.
	Hello Kitty Slippers. Here's a cool item for Hello Kitty fans, a pair of slippers featuring your favorite Japanese cat. Large size for big adult feet. Great for taking with you on a trip, too.
	Pythagora Switch DVD Book 1 This is hard to explain. You remember the funny machine in the opening shot of Back to the Future, with balls and levers that activate an invention? This is a whole book and DVD of that kind of coolness.
	Study Card - Opposites, Verbs. We're posting two boxes of fun study cards for learning Japanese. One presents opposites (big/small, etc.) in Japanese with pictures, while the other asks the question "What are you doing now?" to get you to answer.
	Soot Sprites. Also, see the classic Soot Sprite (whose name in Japanese is Makkuro Kurosuke), restocked today. Comes with a suction cup so you can attach him to the inside car windows and take him on trips.
	Womens Black Geta Gourd Sandals. See fresh stock of popular geta sandals that are made of real wood. These are the "gourd" style wooden sandals, smooth lacquered with a beautiful chirimen (kimono fabric) strap.
	Restocked Japanese Study Aids. Trying to learn Japanese? We've gotten in some great tools to help, including First Lessons in Japanese, JPTP Super Drill for Level 2, You Can Pass the Japanese Study Abroad Test, and a great dictionary that helps you understand through pictures.
	The Sagara Family, Pick Me Honey (Bad Case Discount). We have some copies of two popular games, The Sagara Family and Pick Me Honey, with defective cases that didn't hold the CD-ROM in place as they should. As a result, the discs came out of the cases and got slightly scratched, so we're selling these at a big discount. We fully guarantee that the discs will install in your system, so it's a great opportunity to save some green!
	New Manga Volumes In Stock. Today we've got some grat new manga for you, starting with a collection of quality parody doujinshi of Haruhi Suzumiya that's fantastic, then followed by Ero Cology, a fantastic work combining sci-fi with Japan's best "H" manga.
	Comic AG Super Manga Anthology vol. 78. The new issue of Comic AG is in, and it's another winner, with 80 pages of extremely detailed (no mosaic!) and accurately translated English "H" manga. You can purchase this issue individually or as part of our popular AGSET product, sets of 5 issues of AG for a special price.
	Uncho Kanu 1/7 Cast Off Figure Mogdan ver.~ Dragon Destiny *Preorder*. Here's a real treat for fans of "cast off" figure: Uncho Kanu from Ikki Tousen/Dragon Destiny as imagined by the popular artist Mogdan, who we like a lot. Fantastic detail in, ahem, all areas.
	CFNM ~ Red-Faced Doki Doki Tekoki. Next, see extremely cute girls as they shyly and with red faces perform tekoki with lucky guys. Great for fans of CFNM, which means clothed female, ..... male.

Trains in Japan

One of the best aspects about living in Japan are trains, an incredibly convenient way of getting around cities. Within just a few months of living in Japan I was hooked on the convenience of trains, and found myself paying attention to things like, where the best place to board the train is if I want to be at the top of the stairs when I arrive at my destination. Japan is a very precise country that likes to be on time, and this is reflected in its rail system, in which trains are never late except in the occasional cases of "bodily injury accidents," the code word for someone committing suicide by jumping onto the train tracks. Today happens to be the third anniversary of the terrible train derailment at Amagasaki, near Osaka, in which a commuter train jumped its tracks while rounding a sharp curve and slammed into an apartment building. The crash came about because the driver was trying to make up time and avoid being late for the next scheduled stop, and he'd pushed the train up to 108 kph despite the speed limit for that section of the line being a mere 70 kph. With 106 passengers killed including the driver, it was Japan's worst rail accident in three decades.

Funny Words in Japanese

One of the first things you do when learning a foreign language is, of course, to investigate all the "naughty" words. But this usually isn't too exciting in the case of Japanese, as the language lacks the satisfying range of curse words and anatomical references you find in English. Most of the "bad" words aren't even that bad, with the "s" word (which is kuso in case you were curious) used regularly on Japanese children's shows, and the average insults being along the lines of baka! "Stupid!" or sashimi yaro! "You cold fish without rice!" (Actually that last one was a joke.) Instead of focusing on the naughty words, some students instead find themselves giggling over words that sound "goofy" to the English ear for one reason or another. One such word I encountered early on was the word for "sometimes," toki-doki, written using the kanji for "time" twice. The word sounded so similar to "okee-dokee" that I couldn't stop using it in every sentence, to the great annoyance of my Japanese friends. Some other Japanese words that stood out because of the way they sound included haha, which means "my mother"; ware-ware (WAH-reh WAH-reh), a formal word meaning "we"; doki-doki, the sound of your heart beating in anticipation of something; and mokkori, which is defined as the sound something makes when it protrudes or sticks out suddenly (i.e. pitching a tent).

Please Do Not Smoke Unless You Really Have To

Today I ate soba noodles for lunch, and I was amused at a sign I saw above my head, which said narubeku kin'en, translatable as "No Smoking As Possible, Please." I found it quite amusing for the restaurant owners to ask customers not to smoke "if they can possibly avoid it." Although smoking rates have been falling in recent years, the Japanese do smoke quite a lot, with 41% of males and 12% of females currently lighting up, which compares to 27% and 24% in the U.K. and 24% and 18% in the U.S., respectively. Tobacco was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese during the 16th Century, and it took hold quickly, with a traditional pipe called a kiseru very popular throughout the Edo Period. Today cigarettes enjoy a rather unique status, since the Japanese Ministry of Finance is the majority stockholder in the country's largest tobacco company, and regional economies get 50% of the taxes collected on cigarettes by law. One area where the industry here has shown vision has been preempting some of the negative feelings about cigarettes by promoting good smoking manners, as with the "Ah! Delight" and "Smokin' Clean" campaigns that show smokers being considerate of others. Japan often seems custom-built to confound Westerners, and it's interesting that a country that smokes as much as it does still manages to enjoy long life spans, something that generally goes against expectations in the West.

Cool Items: New Revoltech, Haruhi Figures, Green Tea Milky Candy, Big Totoro 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.

	Revoltech Kuro X. Another fantastic creation from Revoltech, this is part of the "Doko Demo Issyo" (translated as Always With You) game and character line for the Playstation. High Revoltech quality and posability make this black cat awesome to display.
	Haruhi Suzumiya Figma Action Figure ver. 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. Now in stock!
	Monokuro Boo Kuttari Plush -- Ramune, Pink. Incredibly soft plush toys for fans of Monokuro Boo, or Monochrome Oink. Super cute "ramune" color, as well as pink, in stock now.
	COSMODE 020 ~ Super Cosplay Magazine 20. COSMODE is the #1 magazine when it comes to the subject of Japanese-style anime cosplay, and each issue is loaded to the hilt with fascinating costumes made by Japan's best cosplayas. This is the 20th anniversary issue (the 20th issue, that is).
	Sola Visual Fanbook. Really cool artbook for the popular show Sola, featuring all the art and characters from the anime series, an episode guide, and storyboards.
	Green Tea Milky Candy. One of my favorite Japanese candies is Milky, the chewy, milky goodness from Fujiya. Now they've released a great new version, Matcha Milky, for fans of the delicious taste of Green Tea. Yum!
	Other Fun Japanese Snacks. Next, enjoy a fantastic Honeydew Melon Crunk chocolate, flavored with melons from Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu. Then we have a delicious new flavor of Pinky mints, in Lime flavor.
	Hello Kitty & SAKURA Chirimen Strap ~ Red, Pink. More cute plush Hello Kitty phone straps, which you can attach to your phone, camera, keys, Nintendo DS and so on. Made of beautiful chirimen (kimono fabric).
	Giant Totoro Plush Toys, More. We've gotten in some great Ghibli items, including the "really big" Totoro plush toy, the ultimate item for an anime fan, and our popular Totoro wall pocket organizer for keeping your room nice and tidy.
	Wooden Japanese Study Puzzle ~ Japan Map. This is a cool item: a map of Japan in the form of a puzzle, showing all four islands and all prefectures, Great for both puzzle fans and anyone trying to learn kanji.
	Black Mugen Puchi Puchi Endless Bubble Wrap - Maid, Childhood Friend, Younger Sister. For fans of the Endless Bubble Wrap electronic keychains, which simulate popping real bubble wrap, are a huge hit product at J-List. Now we've restocked the moe (mo-EH) versions which emit cute voices sounds as you pop the bubble wrap.
	Japanese Traditional Fans - Red Fuji, Sakura. Summer is coming, and you can keep yourself cool with these high quality Japanese folding fans. Choose from a beautiful image of sakura (cherry blossoms) or the famous "Red Fuji" painting by Hokusai.
	Lucky Cat Family (Three Cats) Solar Powered. Speaking of Lucky Cat, we've restocked the popular solar-powered Lucky Cat toy that brings good luck into your life through the magic of solar power. Never needs batteries!
	Checker Style Bento Set & Accessories. Also. we've restocked our cool "Checker Style" Bento lunch box, which looks so good you could display it as some form of modern art.
	Happi-Coat ~ Japan's Entertainers. Also, see fresh stock of our cool short Japanese summer kimonos, called happi or "Happy Coats." Silly name, but they are awfully cool.
	Colloquial Kansai Japanese. It's one thing to learn Japanese, but to learn the Kansai dialect spoken in Osaka, that's another thing entirely. Now you can entertain your Japanese friends with this very useful book!
	Caiman Figure ~ Dorohedoro *Preorder*. Here's a really amazing figure from a fascinating manga called Dorohedoro in which mutants fight each other for survival. This is a fantastic figure that you can preorder now.
	Motoko Kusanagi Action Figure ~ Ghost in the Shell S.A.C "Preorder". Then for fans of the legendary Ghost in the Shell (which is going to be remade as a live action film by Steven Spielbeg if you can believe that), enjoy this deluxe large prepainted action figure with many points of articulation and a removable leather jacket.
	Restocked Snacks. Finally, today's restocked snacks include UHA Schwa Puccho in Ramune flavor, super-tart "hard gummy" (gummy candies which are super chewy) in cola flavor, and the popular Meiji Petit Assortment, containing small boxes of chocolate favorites enjoyed by Japanese for decades.
	Poison -- Sayaka Ando. Sayaka Ando is back again with her glossy new photobook Poison, filled with amazing photographs of this delicious Japanese goddess showing you how beautiful she can be. This fantastic photobook is 1.5x the thickness of most other books, too. Highly recommended item.
	EVAN -- Nao Ayukawa. A super parody of Evangelion starring Nao Ayukawa as Rei Ayanami, who wears all the great costumes from the anime series as she shows you her stuff, including "battle damaged" Rei with bandages and an eye patch.

Image of Foreigners in Japan

When Japanese think of foreigners, they think of overly tall, blonde Americans or Europeans with huge feet, trying to find their way to the right subway line. Even though some of us aren't that tall (I'm only 5'9"), they apologize for having such small cars when you sit in the passenger seat, and likewise apologize for living in such a tiny hovel when you visit them at home, whether or not their house is really that small. It's also assumed that every foreigner will speak English, and it's not uncommon to be told "sorry, I can't understand!" by a Japanese person even though you're speaking to them in their native language. In actuality, the vast majority of foreigners living in Japan are not Westerners, but are from both Koreas, Brazil, Peru, and China. Officially, 1.5% of Japan's population are resident foreigners, although that number doesn't take into account people who are here illegally, so the number is probably higher. Isesaki, the city we live in, has a much higher foreign population (3%) than average due to a lot of factories based here, which means a lot more choices when you want to eat ethnic. One of our favorite restaurants is a Peruvian place that serves the most heavenly pollo a la brasa.

My Favorite Word: Amanojaku

I've written before about how, while studying Japanese, it's easy to find yourself latching on to words or kanji characters as being especially kakko ii, a word that means "good style" or "cool," and one word I've always liked is amano-jaku, pronounced "Amano Jack." Originally the name of a shape-shifting Shinto/Buddhist deity known for tempting mortals into doing naughty things, today the term applies to anyone who is extremely contrarian in nature, and who avoids doing things that are popular simply because they're popular. For example, I've never in my life seen the movie Top Gun, because back when it was in the theatres it was so popular that I felt pushed away by that, unable to watch a movie that everyone was raving about so much, and in this the term definitely applies to me, and to anyone who hates being trendy. The opposite of an amano-jaku is mii-haa (like Me! Ha!), someone who loves popular things because they're popular, which happens all too often in Japan's group-oriented society.

What is a Freeter?

A lot has changed in the 17 years that I've lived in Japan. I arrived here in 1991, also known as Heisei 3, being the third year of the current Emperor's reign. Although this sounds really cool if you imagine it in Star Wars terms, with the Emperor sitting in a high-backed chair or something, in reality the Japanese Emperor doesn't do that much. Back then, the Tokyo land bubble, which saw the value of Japan's capital climb higher than that of the entire USA, had just burst, but the economy was still humming along fairly well. Back in those days, it was a given that most young people entering the workforce would take a full-time job with a large company where they'd enjoy de-facto lifetime employment. Well, for males, anyway -- in those days, as now, the majority of women chose to quit their jobs within a few years after getting married, often despite spending years on their educations beforehand. After the roller coaster ride of the past decade and a half, however, many things have changed: for example the staff of J-List find themselves working in a company founded by an American, with a highly competent female (my wife) as company president. Today no one expects to be able to work at the same company throughout their career, making Japan a little more like traditional economies in the West. Perhaps in response to this general change in thinking, a sizeable class of young people who choose not to bother with full-time employment at all has appeared. They're called "Freeters," people between the ages of 15 and 34 who live at home and who are happy to bounce between part-time jobs without beginning a formal career. In order to spur the economy, the government is trying to come up with ways to get more young people to see the benefits of working full-time, including stability, opportunities for personal growth and higher income. Personally, I've long thought that Japan should institute a draft of persons between the ages of 18-20, as countries like South Korea and Switzerland do, to give Japan's youth some purpose and toughen them up for the challenges that await them in life. Young people in Japan are extremely heiwa-boke, a word that literally means "soft in the head from too much peace," and maybe serving a couple years in the Self-Defense Forces would do them some good.

Cool Items: Domo and Totoro Plush Hats, Miku Hatsune, Revoltech, and Dragon Destiny Wackiness

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.

	Japanese Plush Beanie - "Domo-kun Face." J-List is happy to announce our newest product line, plush beanie hats! One of the most often-requested items ever, these hats are of very high quality felt, soft and warm. This felt Domo-kun beanie hat looks great, and we've got them in stock right now in San Diego!
	Japanese Plush Beanie - Totoro (Blue or Grey). Also: fans of the super-cute My Neighbor Totoro, that huggable spirit of the forest, can wear him proudly on their heads with our new high-quality felt beanie hats, which feature separate ears with stiff pieces inside to keep them perky. Available in blue or grey.
	Nostalgia for Ruins. The Japanese just love books documenting old, ruined places from modern times, and here's a really special book with dozens of pictures of dilapidated amusement parks, factories, schools, and more. Eerie and beautiful.
	P:Chara Mikuru Asahina Pinky Street. I don't know about you, but I'd love to have green tea served to me by Mikuru from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, who is a time-traveler. (Note, for the full Haruhi experience, read the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.) This popular figure set is now in stock!
	Miku Hatsune Nendoroid Figure. Then, the most popular figure of 2007 has without a doubt been the Miku Hatsune Nendoroid figure from Good Smile Company. Although our stock sold out immediately last time, happily we've been able to get a few more for you. Comes with her awesome leek so you can leekspin!
	Revoltech No.048 Jun. Totoro is the cute Sony Cat character from the game Doko Demo Issyo (Always With You) that has so many fun facial expressions to display. Now his friend Jun has been made as a highly posable toy too, with dozens of potential ways to build him out.
	Revoltech No.049 Suzuki. Also, see the awesome robot Suzuki, a multi-faced robot friend of Toro whose body can be posed in dozens of ways, and his many bizarre faces will keep you always coming up with new ways of displaying him.
	SAKURA Pattern Bamboo Charcoal 2 Ways Mini Pillow. When I first came to Japan, one thing I was amazed by were the traditional Japanese pillows which were soft on one side, and firm on the other, with small bits of charcoal inside the pillow to help support your head. Here's a great version of this pillow, a rolled head support that can be unrolled and used as a zabuton (sitting cushion). Two beautiful colors to choose from.
	egg April 2008 vol. 138. We love every issue of Egg, the fashion magazine of wild and cute kogals who are active in Tokyo's hip Shibuya district. The newest issue is in stock now!
	Animage Sep 2007 vol. 351. Got another issue of Animage in stock too, which is usually only available as a revolving monthly subscription, so it's a special treat. Find plenty of information and visuals from Gundam Seed, Clannad and much more. Freebees in this issue include a Code Geass pull-out artbook and a mask from Zero no Tsukaima!
	Nintendo DS Study Aids. We've restocked two popular Nintendo games that help you learn to learn Japanese. First, learn hiragana and katakana with Anpan Man, a super hero whose head is bean-filled bread. Then see the smash hit Kakitori-kun, a program that quizzes you on how to write kanji correctly. Fully compatible with Nintendo DS units in any country!
	DX Chrimen Cloth Origami. Everyone knows about origami, the beautiful folded paper art from Japan. Here's an amazing new twist, with fabulously colored sheets that are made of chirimen, or kimono fabric, with a layer of starch added to make them easy to fold. I can't believe how cool this item is!
	Genuine Tabi (Ninja Shoes). Also, in addition to our cool line of geta sandals, setta (leather sandals in varying styles) and "tatami" shoes made from the same material as tatami mats, we have these awesome tabi or split-toed boots that were worn by ninjas in the days of old. Several sizes restocked today.
	TAKE-TOMOBO ~ Japanese Retro Toy Bamboo flying Propeller. Although Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to bring the idea of a helicopter to the West, "TAKE-TOMBO" (lit. bamboo dragonflies) have been popular children's toys for more than 2000 years in China and Japan. Here is a set of two fun propellers that will fly high in the sky, back in stock now!
	ZEBRA Super Marble Pen ~ Blue-Pink-Yellow. Here's a cool pen that writes in multiple colors, as you write! It's a cool "Marble Pen" that has different ink wells inside it which mix randomly as you write.
	Restocked Japanese Snacks. Finally, we've got some very special Japanese snacks for you, including what will almost surely be the last Sakura Kit Kat Lucky Little and Meiji Rich Matcha Chocolate of the season (it'll start getting warm here soon), as well as Meiji Kaon in Mango flavor, UHA High Conc. Milk Candy, and Shigekix in Umeboshi (tried plum) flavor.
	The Top DVD Magazine Dec. 2007 No. 112. The Top DVD is a great color magazine that tracks all the top professional JAV models in Japan, from Yuka Akai to Marina to Ai Takeuchi and Nana Natsume. Comes with a DVD with 200 minutes of great content for you.
	Yuzuki no Kareshi -- Yuzuki Aikawa. Kawaii! is what you'll say when you see this photobook of the stylish Yuzuki Aikawa, who assumes the role of your virtual girlfriend in this photobook that's shock from the point of view of someone beside Yuzuki-chan. Lovely pics.
	Ikki Tousen Secret Limited BOX *Preorder*. The Dragon Destiny product to end all Dragon Destiny products: the Ikki Tousen Secret Limited Box, due to come out in April. You get all kinds of super rare goodies you can't find anywhere else, including two gorgeous patches, a really beautiful "bust" of Hakufu (pun definitely intended), a 3D mousepad of Kanu, and the cute bear underwear of Hakufu as well. Wow, man, just wow. And it's in stock now!
	SOD Debut! -- Jun Kiyomi. The gorgeous Jun Kiyomi (both words that mean "pure" in Japanese) is a wonderful star who is moving from the "pro" AV studios to the indies world, making her debut on Soft on Demand. This means that fans can see even more amazing "ero" from this lovely woman than ever before.