Yubikiri Genman, or the Pinky Promise

Do you know the Japanese Pinky Promise? It's a similar to the "Make a promise/Hope to die/Stick a needle in your eye" song I learned while growing up. Hook your pinky with someone else's and chant the song, which goes, "Pinky Promise, if you lie, I will make you swallow 1000 needles." (If you want it in Japanese, it's Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu.) You then say "Yubi kitta!" (I break the pinky connection!) as you pull your fingers apart, and you've made the most excellent promise you can make in Japan, at least if you're in elementary school. The Pinky Promise shows up quite a lot in anime, often to show a promise made between characters while they were younger, although the origin of the custom is somewhat less innocent. Supposedly, the Pinky Promise began back in the Edo Period as a gesture of devotion that prostitutes would make with their favorite customers. The "cutting" of the pinky signified the women severing her own finger as a sign of eternal affection for her partner, essentially saying that she loves him enough to commit shinju, or ritual lovers' suicide with him. Kind of adds a new dimension to watching your favorite cute anime series, doesn't it?

The Japanese Study Japanese, Too

I wrote recently about how Japanese ESL students were sometimes surprised that Americans have a subject in school called English, and wondered what on Earth we could possibly be studying there, since we obviously all know the language automatically just by being born. For the record, the Japanese study "Japanese" in school, too, although the subject is called kokugo, (国語) literally "national language." In this class, Japanese children start the task of learning to read and write their language properly, jumping right in with the first 80 or so kanji characters in first grade and completing the 1006 joyo or "common use" characters by the end of the sixth grade. In addition to Chinese characters, of course, Japanese read a lot, and develop their cultural identity in part through such classics of Japanese literature as "Run, Melos!" by Osamu Dazai (the story of a man in ancient Greece who has just three days to attend his sister's wedding then run back in time to save his friend), or the poem by Kenji Miyazawa "Not losing to the rain/Not losing to the wind" that's about as famous as "And miles to go before I sleep" in the U.S. Just as I had to read hard-to-understand works like Beowulf and Chaucer, the Japanese are required to slough through classics like the Tale of Genji, the story of a fictional Japanese Emperor in the Heian Period that has more than 400 characters in its dramatis personae. The Japanese know that their educational system stresses rote memorization too much, for example tying the date of the Kamakura Shoganate (1192) to the phrase "let's build a good country" (ii kuni o tsukurou) rather than understanding the event critically, and increasingly there's been a trend towards having students write more essays and do class presentations to show that they really understand the material in question.

Hope this image below isn't offensive. It's one of the examples good old Debito Arudo, the defender of gaijin's rights, lists as something that foreigners should be upset about, despite the fact that it's, well, quite an accurate portrayal of what we foreigners look like when we walk abound like fools, unable to communicate. I guess we should all be as sensitive as possible...)

Summer Trends in Japan 2008

You never know what the next "boom" of the summer will be in Japan. One year it might be a trend towards girls making their own jewelry, the next they'll be wearing sneakers with ridiculous 10-inch high soles. This year fashionable clothing maker Uniquo, often thought of as the "Gap" of Japan, has scored big with a line of tank tops for women that feature bra cups built into them, allowing women to feel completely free as they go around town this summer. Other fashion trends you see this year are extra-colorful skirts and tops known as "Brazil-kei" which represent Japanese copying the stylish Brazilian-Japanese population living here, and "gladiator sandals," which go all the way up the leg like something the ancient Romans might have worn (they really look quite silly). Remember that J-List offers monthly subscriptions to some awfully cool fashion magazines, if you want to keep up with what's going on in the fashion world in Japan.

Cool Items: Friday, August 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.

	Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. Trilogy Box (Blu-ray Disc) ~ First Press Limited Edition. First, a real treat: the incredible Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Blu-Ray Box, featuring four discs loaded with great high-resolution Blu-Ray goodness in true 1080p HD. Enjoy the entire Laughing Man arc, the Individual Eleven arc, as well as the Solid State Society movie, and a bonus disc. Total of 676 minutes of hard-hitting SF as only Shirow Masamune can bring it. Supports English and Japanese titles, English or Japanese dubbed track, and full compatibility with U.S. Blu-Ray players including PS3.
	iView 1800HD HDMI Upscaling DVD Player w/ DIVX & Karaoke. J-List is happy to announce our newest region free DVD player, the iView 1800HD, which features HDMI upscaling of DVDs to 720p or 1080i, support for viewing DIVX and AVI movies on the player, the ability to watch movies through USB drives or even SD cards, support for karaoke, and more. Best of all, the player is even cheaper than the last model we carried, making this the best choice for region-free DVD playback ever!
	Sunshine Buddies (Hidamari no Tami) Wedding Type. Here's a special gift to get for anyone you know who's getting married: a pair of husband and wife Sunshine Buddies that loll their heads in a relaxing way, and never use batteries because they're powered by the sun or the lights in the room you're in. A great limited edition item both for collectors and anyone in love!
	The Net's Most Popular Recipes ~ Net de Hayatteiru Ryori Matome Bon. Here's a very special cookbook for otaku that brings you all the most famous foods that are being talked about on the Japanese internet. From recipes that involve leeks to the fried egg on bread that Pazu eats in Castle in the Sky Laputa to something called Aquafresh Rice Bowl, this book is a treasure!
	Fraulein Revoltech No.008 Rei Ayanami Bandage ver. *Preorder*. The awesome "bandaged" Fraulein has been restocked. This is one of the coolest figures to come along in a while, since Rei-chan can be posed in any way you like, and she's got that awesome "battle damage" thing going.
	Revoltech Yotsuba ~ Yotsubato. Also, one of the coolest toys EVAR is the Yotsuba Revoltech, which is back in stock today. The official mascot of our homiez over at 4chan. This item has been restocked.
	Lacquered Cloth Based Bento Set ~ 2 tiers Bento Box & Chopsticks Set. J-List carries the best selection of bento boxes you'll find anywhere, and here's a brand new offering from Prime Nakamura that's extremely colorful. Features 2-tiers, the bottom for white rice and the top for the meat and vegetables you'll eat with the rice, and matching chopsticks w/ case.
	DX Men's YUKATA (two new styles). Yukata are the cotton kimonos that are so cool in the summer, and which look great at any time of year. We've posted two really excellent yukata for our customers which are so cool, they come with full English instructions on how to put them on properly.
	Hiragana Times Aug 2008 No. 262. Hiragana Times is a great way to learn about Japan. It's a magazine of articles on what's currently hot in Japan, translated into both English and Japanese, with furigana over the kanji for people studying the language. This issue covers JERO, the black Enka singer from the U.S., the mystery of Mt. Fuji, and much more.
	Hello Kitty FURIKAKE ~ Individual Package of 20 pcs with 5 flavors. Furikake literally means "sprinkle over" and describes a popular food that you sprinkle on white rice and eat. This is great Hello Kitty furikake that give you 20 packets in five types, including tarako (cod roe), katsuo (bonito fish, delicious), tamago (dried scambled egg), sake (salmon, my own favorite) and nori (sushi-type seaweed).
	Asakusa Kaminari Limited Snack. We've been on a roll recently, bringing you limited-edition snacks you can only normally buy by coming to Japan. One of the most famous tourist spots in Tokyo is Asakusa's Kaminari Gate, and this large lantern-shaped canister of traditional crackers will make you think you've been there!
	Restocked Evangelion Head Interface ~ Rei Ayanami ver. These little hair clips, which let you become Asuka or Rei from Evangelion, are awesome because anyone can wear them for instant cosplay. We've managed to get both versions back in stock for you.
	Restocked Hello Kitty USB Optical 3-button Mouse / Mousepad. The Hello Kitty optical 3-button mouse has been restocked, too. Comes with a really cute mousepad, and works with both Windows and Mac with no driver needed.
	Other Bento Accessories. Then see other bento related items, including our Colorful Fish Shape Soy Sauce Bottles that are so popular we have trouble keeping them in stock, and more of those Animal Lunch Picks for your bento lunch.
	Jibril Zero 1/8 Figure by Alter Episode 3 *Preorder*. Here's a figure of Jibril Zero from the popular game Jiburiru the Devil Angel, this is a gorgeous 1/8 scale figure that just begs to be displayed by you. Preorder it now.
	Aya Red Bikini version 1/7 Figure ~ Onei Chanbara vorteX by Orchid Seed *Preorder*. Who says beautiful anime girls wearing bikinis and cowboy hats while wielding dual samurai swords is passe? Not us, that's for sure. You can preorder this gorgeous 1/7 scale figure now and get it as soon as it comes in.
	Restocked KADO-KESHI Erasers, Pens. The Kado-Keshi (lit. "corner eraser") is the best eraser in the world because it features dozens of corners to make removing pencil marks easy, and we've restocked several types today. Also, see fresh stock of our Snack Parody Markers which smell like your favorite Japanese snacks!
	Insult of Suzumiya Hiharu. A great parody DVD for fans of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, this presents the fabulous Yuka Osawa doing serious cosplaying of all characters from "Hiharu" for the enjoyment of her fans.
	Gal Royale 2 -- Hikari & Marimo. Then enjoy these incredibly hot gal types (a Japanese word describing super fashionable modern Tokyo girls) as they do battle to see which can get off the lucky actors who get to perform with them better.If you're not offended by this sort of thing, click over and look at how clean and stylish these girls are, so unlike their counterparts in the corresponding U.S. industry -- this is what I love about this particular aspect of Japan.

SDCC Pictures 2008

Here are some pics from the San Diego Comicon I had in my camera. Enjoy!

But first, some images of San Diego. We have basically the best weather in the world, generally a balmy 70 degrees while the rest of the country is -20 in the winter. It's nice when we're not burning down with wildfires anyway.

This is our historic roller coaste, which is a lot of fun to ride.

I am often surprised by things I see in my home country, like Deep Fried Twinkes or this. I know America is all about "freedom" and all, but still... Shouldn't there at least be some kind of tax on stuff we really shouldn't be eating as a people?

Setting up for the con now. People regularly come and ask us to sell them our little Japanese flags, and we always decline politely.

Some of the nice things we were selling. Smart customers know that we often have stuff at the cons that we've sold out of on the site, and come to check if the item they missed buying before happens to be in stock. This is because we ship the items over in February so items can subsequently sell out in Japan but still be available in the U.S.

It's so funny to see the ultra-pretentious bars in the Gaslamp District beggar themselves to the geek crowd during con, happy to seat Stormtroopers and Klingons in their normally too-hip spaces. Comicon is totally the final victory of the nerds of the world over all else.

We got a bunny girl at our table. She did leekspin for us!

On Saturday night, I had to go to a Midnight Madness at Toys R Us to get that really nice Millennium Falcon. I thought, ha, how many people can there be in line? There were hundreds, many of whom were dressed in costume. Here's a rebel soldier with a remote control "mouse droid."

The best Boba Fett I've ever seen, too. He friggin' had his laser blaster with a computer read-out displaying Imperial letters.

Almost there... Almost there...

It's away! At around 2 am I got inside and got my Falcon(s). I would be tempted at the AT-TE if I'd been a kid, but my lack of space to store these things is already chronic.

Back at the show. The Han Solo across the row from us kept taunting me all convention long. If this were just a little cheaper...

Vocaloid cosplayers. They were being interviewed by a camera crew that just did not know what they were talking about, so I had to let them know what the whole Vocaloid/Leek Spin thing was all about.

This looks nice. I am a huge fan of this book by Stephen King, the best he's ever written.

Dude dressed up as a Myspace page. Funny, but when you're causing a massive traffic jam in the most crowded room anyone there had ever been in, it's not cool.

Show's over, time to leave.

So, while we're waiting for the forklifts to bring us out, I happen to be standing right there when one of them drops a big glass case full of stuff. It shattered quite musically.

Funny ad. I had to LOL.

Okay, back to Japan for me. You know, theose ziplock baggies they give you put stuff in at the airport checkpoint are awfully nice? I helped myself to a few, they don't have cool baggies like this in Japan.

Banzai, $1 Coins!

Because I only visit the U.S. once or twice a year, I'm always noticing things I might not otherwise. It's a big surprise to me whenever they change the U.S. money, for example redesigning the bills to add anti-counterfeiting features. This time I started receiving those new $1 coins, which feature different presidents printed on them and which have a nice gold color that makes you want to go out and buy a pirate's chest. Although most Americans no doubt like having the $1 unit in paper form, the fact is that governments spend millions to print these bills only to have them wear out in a few years, and it makes sense for the U.S. to follow Europe, Canada and Japan in retiring its lower-denomonation bills in favor of coins. Japan gave up its 100 and 500 yen paper notes long ago, with the main result being that if you have a pocketful of change you can probably buy half a tank of gas, and once you get used to the new money, it's not a nuisance at all. So I say, bring on the $1 (and eventually, $5) coins!

Types of Anime Characters

As a long-time anime fan, it's been interesting to see how the characters in anime and dating-sim games change and grow. Over the past decade or so there's been a huge increase in the genre known as moé (mo-EH), which is written with the kanji character for "sprout" and which could be translated as "the woozy, happy feeling you get when contemplating your favorite female anime character." It also seems that every character can be categorized neatly into one archetype or another, no matter how original the character might seem. Some of the most common types of anime/game characters include meganekko (meh-gan-NEH-ko), or Girl With Glasses, the often related dojikko (doh-JI-ko), or Clumsy-in-a-Cute-Way Girl, and osana-najimi (oh-sa-na na-ji-mee), the Childhood Friend that comes to wake you up every morning and who is secretly in love with you. One of the most common recent genres of anime characters is tsundere (TSOON-deh-reh), which comes from tsun tsun (angry) and dere dere (soft and tender) and which describes characters that give everyone the cold shoulder yet are actually very vulnerable inside (like Haruhi or Shana). There's just no end to these cute character categories. Some others include Rich Girl who is the Daughter of a Wealthy Zaibatsu Family; Girl Who Talks in the Third Person; Girl Who Works at her Family's Shinto Shrine as a Shrine Maiden, and a recent trend, Girl Who Is So Jealous She'd Kill Her Boyfriend Rather Than Let Him Go With Someone Else (known as yandere). Which anime character type is your favorite? (I'm fond of the Class Representative myself -- they're so organized, so concerned about everyone else, I just love them.)

(Of course, everyone remembers the story of School Days, a rather violent anime based on a game. The day before the last episode was to be aired, some girl killed her grandmother, and the authorities were sure the two must be related, so they cancelled the last episode and showed pictures of a Nice Boat instead.)

(I'll avoid showing you too much of School Days since it's such teh awesome.)

Taking Charge in America

Every summer, we arrange to have our kids spend some time in the U.S. to help them learn English and generally get some "fun time" in, since America is a very fun place to them, with Disneyland and Girl Scout Camp and other enjoyable things to do. Making the plans is always a challenge, since their summer vacation is only around five weeks long, compared to three months in the U.S. My daughter arrived in San Diego a few days before I left for Japan, and in no time she had been transformed into a giggling American girl, watching Hannah Montana and SpongeBob Squarepants. Before I left, I took her aside and reminded her of something we'd discussed before: that America is a country where you have to take charge of things for yourself. In Japan, it's pretty much a given that parents will pamper their children, putting breakfast in front of them without even being asked, or noticing when they're hungry and making a snack, but you have to take more responsibility for yourself in the States. When my son was six or seven he went to a day camp in San Diego, and when it came time to eat lunch he didn't know where his had been put. Instead of speaking up and asking for help, he quietly waited for someone to notice his distress, but no one did, and he went hungry all afternoon. It was a valuable lesson for us about about being assertive and taking responsibility for one's self, like Americans do -- or at least that's the way things loook from the viewpoint of Japan.

Strangeness Back in Japan

Well, I'm back in Japan, having journeyed halfway around the world for the nth time. Even while still at the airport, I was subjected to little culture shocks at being back here, like a cleaning lady patiently tidying the men's bathroom while men did their business a few feet away, or that bizarre statue of an "American" hot dog covering himself in ketchup and mustard, located in the arrival lobby of Terminal 1. When traveling from Japan to the U.S., I get a day "free" thanks to the International Date Line, but coming back, I had to surrender it, so that both Monday and Tuesday were completely used up traveling. Well, it's nice to be back, and I hope to be over my jet lag soon!

The Famous Narita Hot Dog Guy

Cool Items: Wednesday, July 30, 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.

	Konata Izumi Figma Action Figure Winter School Uniform ver. Figma fans, today is your lucky (star) day: the fabulous Konata Figma figure, a perfect recreation of Konota-chan with many points of articulation, allowing her to recreate (for example) all of her signature poses from the opening credits of the series.
	Miku Hatsune Nendoroid Figure. One of the most popular items in recent J-List history is back: 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 do leekspin with her!
	Hello Kitty Battery Fan -- Pink Color. Bring some summer cooling with this handy Hello Kitty electric fan, which runs for hours on standard AA batteries. The fan is child safe, with a large Hello Kitty shaped cover over the fan itself, and you can take it anywhere thanks to its handy size. Comes in standard and pink color.
	Onnanoko Database 2008 ~ Fashion ver. - How to Draw Manga. A super book in the How to Draw Manga series, this gives you a huge amount of reference data for drawing girls, including a large number of female face and body types as well as accessories girls use, like clothes and (of course) cute underwear.
	Mousse-chan Fuwa-Fuwa Paper Clay Set ~ Bakery. Japanese kids love to play with a kind of clay called kami-nendo or "paper clay" which is a lot like Play-Dough. This is a fun set that gives you everything you need to make your own freshly-baked bread, doughnuts, sandwiches and more. Molds can be used with other kinds of clay, too.
	Talking Smart about Japan: All You Need to Know ~ Speak Japan. J-List likes to carry the bilingual books from Kodansha, which feature both English and Japanese translations side-by-side. Here's a great book that gives you various information on Japan that can help you have interesting conversations with others.
	Moetan Milk Coffee Pie "Midnight Snack." Another rare snack you can usually only get by journeying to Akihabara, this is a boxed set of delicious Coffee Pie snacks for fans of the anime series Moetan. Be a part of the internationalization of Akiba and otaku culture! They come in a box suitable for giving as gifts, too.
	Woman's Buddhist Prayer Beads . Here's a cool item from Japan: authentic "juzu" prayer beads, used in Buddhist prayers not unlike a Rosary. You can also use it as a great fashion accessory.
	HIKARI Combined Miso Soup, Furikake. Nothing tastes as good as a bowl of steaming miso soup in the morning. Here's a package containing a mixture of both types of miso soup ("red" and "white"). Also see tarako (lit. child of cod, e.g. cod roe) furikake to eat over rice.
	Domo-kun Plush. Just a reminder that J-List has the last-ever stock of the original Domo-kun plush toy, made famous in that "God kills a kitten" graphic that, ahem, you may have seen on the Internet. This is the original Japanese NHK Domo, not the new plush toys created for the U.S. market. We're down to less than 20 of the plush toys in stock in Japan, so get yours before they're gone forever.
	Japanese Art Books. Then see some great restocked artbooks, including Gurren Lagann YOKO Portraits, featuring the best visuals of the show's most enigmatic character, the Haruhi Suzumiya Official Fanbook, Girls Girls Girls! 2, and (speaking of the student body president genre of anime), Best Studio Council.
	ECO Portable Own Chopsticks ~ Goth Princess, niKyoro. Have some cool chopsticks that can be taken anywhere and used any time just by opening the included case and assembling the chopstick halves. We're posting great items featuring the niKyoro smiling series as well as a nice Gothic Princess one.
	Traditional Items Restocked. We're restocking our Lucky Lover's Cat Display, a fantastic pair of ceramic Lucky Cats who are deeply in love, along with a great SAKURA Earthen Aroma Display with Oil for experimenting with Japanese aromatic oils, as well as a gold Omamori keychain that promises to help you focus on good health.
	NORI / Seaweed Punch ~ Star / Heart Shape for Decoration Bento. Bento is incredibly popular all around the world (J-List has been written up in a French newspaper on the subject recently). For bento fans, here's a new level of coolness: a "nori punch" that lets you make heart or star shaped seaweed for decorating your bento. Back in stock!
	DX Hand-made Large KOKESHI ~ HARU-NO-HI / Spring Day. Wow, this is one of the best kokeshi traditional wooden Japanese dolls we've ever carried: a large hand-carved wooden doll wearing a kimono that'd be great for adding a touch of Japan to any home. Comes with a display sign and is packed in a protective box.
	Hello Kitty Ice Cube Tray. We sell, ahem, rather a lot of fun and wacky Sanrio products around here, and two of my all-time favorite products are these ice cube trays (one for Hello Kitty specifically, another for all Sanrio characters) that make 3D ice cubes that will have all your friends talking.
	Nendoroid Shana Blazing Hair~ Shana of Blazing Eyes II *Preorder*. Fans and collectors of Japanese toys know that the Nendoroid (from nendo meaning clay and the English word droid, transliterated with a bit of Japanese pronunciation) is one of the coolest toy lines out there because you can do so much with it, display the figures in so many ways. Preorder this great Shana of the Blazing Eyes figure now!
	Totoro Plush Toys. See some great restocked Totoro items, including the Plush Totoro Tree House with Totoro that can fit inside (I just love this!), along with other cute Totoro plush toys for you to squeeze.
	Ninja Sword Letter Openers, Keychains. J-List sells many items from Japan that are certainly fun, but one of the our favorites are the Ninja Sword letter opener type items, which let you open your letters or boxes while pretending to take down an enemy ninja. See fresh stock of several items today.
	Pilot 0.3 mm Color Pen Sets, Blue Dragon Notebooks. Enjoy some cool Pilot Hi-Tec 0.3 and 0.4 mm 5 color pen sets for writing extremely fine lines, along with fresh stock of the Blue Dragon notebook from Japan.
	Comic AG Super Manga Anthology vol. 85. Vol. 18 of the fabulous Comic AG is out, and it bring another 80 pages of translated "H" manga goodness to fans, including more Scarlet Desire by Blue Eyes creator Tohru Nishimaki, What I Can Do by Kei Matsuzawa, Violet and Sunflower and more. Just $4.99 for all this incredibly detailed translated manga is great.
	CFNM ~ OL Kinkeri - Strong Female Office Lady Ball Kicking Special. You know that the Japanese are very creative when it comes to thinking of new genres of "H". Here's one you might be surprised at: beautiful OLs, that is female office employees wearing smart-looking uniforms and stockings, abusing their co-workers by kicking them where it hurts.