Cosplay Fetish Academy Official Site Up!

J-List is happy to announce that Cosplay Academy, our newest English-translated PC dating-sim game, has gone Golden Master and will be shipping soon. It's a fun and wacky title about a boy named Ryouji and his twin cousins who all get sucked into a bizarre alternate dimension where all the girls wear the skimpiest costumes you can imagine. With a great cosplay-based story and gorgeous art by the artist for Lightning Warrior Raidy, this will be a game no fan will want to miss. Preorder now for free shipping when the game is ready! Also: we've added an option to order both the shrinkwrapped package version and the download for just $5 more, allowing you to get the download version sent to you as soon as it's released, rather than waiting for the package version to arrive. (If you're preordered the game already, please contact us to add the $5 download option.)

Suki: All About the Word "Like"

If you watch anime in Japanese at all, one word you will probably become aware of quickly is suki which means "like," usually pronounced quickly so that it sounds like "ski." This compels all students of the language to say sukii ga suki! (I like skiing!) as soon as they learn the word since it sounds funny to the ear. The proper usage would be something like watashi wa sushi ga suki desu, literally "as for sushi, I like it," but since the Japanese love to omit words, a more common phrase would be just sushi ga suki, "[I] like sushi," since the subject is generally understood. When one person confesses their feelings for another, suki desu is what they'll probably say, although this is actually using the word for "like" rather than "love"; in at least one manga I can think of, a character had to revert to English -- "Like or love?" -- to get around the vagueness that seems built into the Japanese language. A variation of suki ("like") is dai-suki ("big-like"), usually said by a cute female anime character before they glomp a male character violently in a big bear-hug.

In the manga ending to Kimagure Orange Road, Madoka has to ask for clarification: "Like, or Love?"

Google Touches a Cultural Nerve

Google has revolutionized the world, adding ten points to the collective IQ of humanity by allowing us to summon up the information we need quickly and efficiently. When the company added a cool feature to view classic maps with its Google Earth software, it faced a backlash from some users, as the maps in question show areas of Japanese cities where Japan's lowest caste used to live. Since the days of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the infamous almost-Shogun who started out as a peasant farmer yet became the most powerful man in the country, Japanese society had been divided into four sections: samurai warriors, farmers, artisans and merchants. (The merchants were supposedly on the bottom, but since they leant money to everyone else they were actually quite powerful.) There was one more class of people so low they didn't even merit inclusion in this social system, called the burakumin, who did "unclean" jobs like tanning leather and cremating the dead. (Similar classes of outcasts existed in other Buddhist countries, such as Korea to Thailand.) Today the subject is a huge taboo, almost never discussed openly, and using the old burakumin system to discriminate against people is forbidden under article 11 of the Japanese constitution. I was interested to see that, although the Google issue has been widely reported on by the International press and the blogosphere, it's been ignored by the domestic masu-komi, as the news media here is called (from "mass communications"). None of the Japanese staff of J-List had even heard about it until I told them.

Google goofed by using maps that reveal the secrets of the past.

Japan, where Gender Surprises Are Commonplace

Getting into anime means having your horizons broadened, learning about strange and new concepts like senpai and kohai (senior/junior in a school or organization), something that doesn't exist in English. It also means getting used to some gender-related surprises, thanks to the extensive Japanese tradition of stories involving males assuming female roles or vice-versa. Appreciating the comedy and/or drama of mixed-up gender roles goes back very far, to the kabuki plays of the Edo Period in which extremely talented male actors would fill female roles, or the Takarazuka Revue, the all-female troupe that's put on on a variety of shows with women expertly playing male roles since 1913. Anime is rife with stories that break gender rules, from the classic Rose of Versailles, which follows Lady Oscar, raised as a boy, throughout the events of the French Revolution, or the Rumiko Takahashi classic Ranma 1/2, about a boy cursed to change into a girl whenever he gets wet, usually with hilarious results. Even the dating-sim games we've been involved with have been known to bend a gender or two, such as the X-Change series. Perhaps the highest expression of the mixing-up of gender roles is Maria Holic, centered around a boy who dresses up as a girl to attend a prestigious Catholic school at the behest of an eccentric grandmother.

Maria Holic, the pinnacle of the Japanese tradition of gender-mashing.

Cool Products Wednesday, May 6, 2009

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.

	Chara Mel vol. 8 2009 A great new magazine dedicated to popular anime characters, say hello to Chara Mel. Inside you'll find excellent visuals on all the best shows and games, always with a focus on capturing what makes the characters so special.
	Japanese T-Shirt "Hikikomori" (NEET) Then a new T-shirt for you, recommended for all hikikomori (hee-kee-koh-moh-ree), or extreme anime fans who love to stay indoors and interact with computer games, watch anime generally shun the outside world as much as possible. We think the new design is really NEET!
	Foxmark ~ Kanokon Art Works Kanokon is the fun anime and manga about a 400-year old fox spirit who takes human form so she can go after Kouta, and try to make him hers. This is the gorgeous artbook by Koin, illustrator of the original light novel series and manga.
	Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 16 Limited Goodbye, Mr. Despair is the most awesome story ever, about a teacher whose name can be read "despair" when written a certain way, and his amazing students. Enjoy this special edition w/ DVD.
	Famitsu DS Plus Among the many great magazines from Japan we stock, Famitsu DS plus Wii is great because it gives coverage and information on all the great Nintendo games that exist. Best of all are the free stuff in each magazine, like Animal Crossing stickers. Several back issues on the site today.
	Restocked Smile Slime, Other Video Game Toys We have some fun items for gamers, too, including the Smile Slime plush toys, awesome plush toys of that would look great displayed on your desk at work.
	Meiji Shu Cookie, Watering Kiss Mint Gum I recently wrote about the delicious cream puffs called shu cream in Japanese, and we've got some great chou cookies for you to try. Also: a new flavor of Watering Kiss Mint gum.
	Crayon Shin-chan Chu-Kamu Gum Crayon Shin-chan, or "Shin" as he's called in English, is the Bart Simpson of Japan, and we've gotten in some delicious tube bubblegum in two flavors that's fun to chew.
	Robo Q RQ-02 - Pure White, Future Black Then we have more of those cute walking robots from Tomy Takara that you can actually control. Great retro design. Two new colors in stock, and they come with controllers/chargers.
	Totoro Thermal Bento Box Set Then: the popular Bento Box w/ case set that was so popular is now available in a gorgeous Totoro edition! This is the ultimate bento experience: a large canister for your rice and two separate compartments for your other foods, plus chopsticks. Awesome!
	Various Traditional Bento Boxes Also, see fresh stock of our other popular sakura-themed bentos, including the Sakura Square and "Koban" shaped bento, plus fresh stock of the niKyoro onigiri case.
	Rabbit PAW Chopsticks & Chopsticks Case Then, to go with your Rabbit Paw Bento we highly recommend this new Rabbit Chopsticks and Case set, which really breaks the kawaii barrier.
	Women's FUNDOSHI Traditional Underwear J-List has sold traditional fundoshi underwear for men for years, and it's a very popular. When Wacoal created elegant fundoshi for women, our customers asked us to carry it, and now we do!
	Hello Kitty Mini Memo Pad ~ 12 patterns Make all your notes to yourself much cuter with this classic Hello Kitty memo pad. Features 12 different color patterns on the pages, so every note you write will be bright and new.
	Woman's TATAMI Setta Sandals w/ Kimono Pattern Then, some really outstanding tatami sandals for women made with the same material that Japan's famous indoor mats are made from. Several sizes and styles posted to the site.
	Hiragana Times Apr 2009 We evangelize Hiragana Times a lot because reading Japanese is one of the best ways to improve your level, and this excellent magazine lets you read articles on modern and traditional Japan in both (easy) Japanese and English. Browse our stock of Nihongo Journal, too!
	Mobile Suit Gundam ~ Battle Chronicle Gundam fans, here is your Gundam game! An excellent action-packed simulation that lets you use any of 140 different Gundam mechs from the classic U.C. universe (the original through Double Zeta, plus Char's Counterattack, 0083 and so on).
	Hiragana Message Candles Also see more of those cute candles that spell out Happy Birthday and I Love You in Japanese, great for that special birthday party or similar event when you really want to make an impression.
	Touhou Project 1/8 Figure Series *Preorder* Touhou is the hugely popular character pantheon based on an old 2D shooting game, and we've posted four gorgeous prepainted figures for your consideration. They drop in August.
	Miku Hatsune Light Brown Frame *Pre-Order* Also: an alternate version of the upcoming "World is Mine" 3D figure w/ frame, featuring the popular Miku Hatsune in a light brown natural wood frame.
	Toradora! Figures Full Set of 7 *Pre-Order* I'm a big fan of Toradora, the anime that documents the relationship between Taiga and Ryuji. Enjoy this great series of prepainted figures we've posted for preorder now.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 103 The new issue of Comic AG is a great one, with 80 pages of high quality ero art for you, meticulously translated into English and reproduced from the original artist pages. Lots of futanari in this issue, so it'll be a popular one.
	Queen's Blade & Queen's Gate Artbooks This is the Year of Queen's Blade, and we've restocked some excellent books for you, including Mai Shiranui, Millum, Melfa, Annelotte and Iroha from Samurai Spirits.
	PC Dating-Sim Games for Everyone There are some real gems to find in our extensive lineup of English-translated H-games, including really affordably priced titles. Like Critical Point, a tribute to the best SF anime shows of the 1980s, or Gibo, in which you must target your new stepmother and make her yours.
	Galmen AV Debut ~ Boy's Love Speaking of gender confusion, here's the newest release for fans of galmen, beautiful girls who pretend to be boys, going after girls. It's all quite confusing, but fascinating at the same time. These are girls revering their normal roles -- quite amazing to see!

J-List Special Sale Continues!

J-List is continuing our special End of Fiscal Year for another month, since we'd much rather sell the excellent bento, snack, anime figure, plush toy and other products to you rather than count it during inventory day. For every $100 you spend on cool products from Japan, we'll give you a gift coupon for $5, which gives you quite a nice excuse to add another few packs of Black Black Caffeine Gum (or whatever) to your shopping cart if you're near the next $100 point. Coupons can be combined and they never expire. What great products can J-List send you today?

The Nice Guy of Japan's Entertainment World Has a Bad Month

Singer, comedian and all-around nice guy Tsuyoshi Kusanagi has been a fixture on Japanese TV for the past two decades as a member of the popular group SMAP, appearing in many drama and variety shows and even learning Korean so he could be a bridge of comedy between Japan and South Korea. Given his squeaky-clean image, fans were shocked when was arrested for public nudity at 3 am in a park in Tokyo a few weeks ago. He'd been drinking heavily and had apparently thought he was at home, as his clothes were removed and folded neatly beside a bush. His arrest caused shockwaves in the Japanese entertainment world, and got the poor guy yanked from some high-profile advertising contracts as the media engaged in an unprecidented feeding frenzy. Happily, Tokyo prosecutors have stated that they won't be "sending the documents" (a Japanese idiom that means to officially file charges) against the singer, mainly because he'd shown remorse and reflection for what he'd done. While his future career is still up in the air, some years ago another SMAP member got in trouble for running away from a police officer who was trying to give him a parking ticket, injuring the officer, which got him banned from the group for six months. Hopefully Tsuyoshi will be able to get back to work soon.

The ii hito (nice guy) of Japan's "talent" world got in trouble after drinking too much.

Happy Ramune Day

Today is Ramune Day, marking the 137th anniversary of the famous Japanese soft drink's manufacture in Japan. A carbonated beverage with a lemon-lime taste, Ramune is fun to drink because of the glass ball at the top, which closes if you try to swig it too fast. While a fun novelty now, using a glass ball to seal in carbonation was quite high tech back when it was invented by British engineer Hiram Codd in 1872, quickly spreading to Japan through traders. Originally a corruption of the English word "lemonade," Ramune was a favorite of sailors in the Imperial Navy during World War II, and is closely associated with summer festivals today. The sign of a Ramune bottle is sure to cause Japanese to exclaim natsukashii! (nots-ka-SHEE), meaning "nostalgic," and I've known many Japanese to fondly tell me of the days when they were so poor all they had to play with were the glass marbles from Ramune bottles, which makes me wonder if this isn't some kind of shared group memory or something. The Ramune brand isn't owned by any one company but (like the Kewpie Doll) is generic, manufactured by several different bottlers throughout Japan. While we don't sell Ramune itself (too difficult to ship glass bottles internationally), J-List has dozens of great Ramune-themed items, from our logo T-shirt to delicious snacks and gum, and even the fun Ramune-scented parody pen.

Ramune is a popular icon of the past in Japan, and for us gaijin, of how fun and wacky Japan can be.

John Manjiro, the First Japanese Man in America

The first Japanese person to set foot on American soil was Manjiro Nakahama, a 14-year-old fisherman who was rescued in 1841 by an American whaling vessel and brought to the U.S., where he received a full education in English. This was during the era of sakoku ("chained country"), when Japan was officially shut off from contact from the outside world except for a single Dutch trading outpost in Nagasaki, and it was death for a Japanese person to travel abroad or have contact with foreigners. After 12 years of living outside Japan, "John" Manjiro went home, determined to try to convince his country to end its isolationist policy. When Admiral Perry's Black Ships arrived in 1853, John Manjiro became an important figure, acting as translator and interpreter between the two parties and communicating what he'd seen in the U.S. to the Shogunate, including American ideals like on democracy. He went on to teach English, mathematics and ocean navigation, and was a major inspiration to future reformers like Ryoma Sakamoto, the "Che Guevara" of the Meiji Restoration. His contribution to the positive relationship between the U.S. and Japan in those early days can't be overrated. I read recently that the home he lived in in Fairhaven, Mass., will be opening as a museum in honor of the first Japanese to live in America, on May 7. If you're in the area, go check it out!

John Manjiro is the first Japanese to live in the U.S., and was an important bridge between the two countries.

Cool Products Monday, May 4, 2009

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.

	Training with Hinako (Region 2) The latest fitness craze among Japan's otaku is this excellent training video, in which the beautiful Hinako helps you get your heart rate up. Let's training with Hinako! The DVD is region 2 (Japan and Europe), so if you're in North American may we recommend the excellent upscaling region free DVD player we stock?
	B's Log May 2009 Keep your finger on the pulse of the "BL" and otome games with B's LOG, the glossy perfect-bound magazine for girl gamers. Limited stock of this issue is in now. Features cool free stuff inside! Available as a revolving monthly subscription, too.
	Code Geass ~ Heroine's Tribute We're big fans of Code Geass, the amazing anime series from CLAMP. Enjoy this great artbook featuring a focus on the heroines in the book, with art contributed by some of Japan's top artists. Wait til you see Satoshi Urushihara's Karen illustration!
	Haruhi Suzumiya Official Fanbook Got some fun Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya items back in stock for you too, including the legendary Official Fanbook, the Figma of Kyon, the great Haruhi Classroom Diorama, and more.
	Bleach 1/8 Figures ~ Excellent Model Series Bleach fans will love the new 1/8 scale Excellent Model Series figures we've gotten in, prepainted and ready for display on your shelf. See Yoruichi and Ichigo in stock.
	Revoltech Figures ~ Yoko, Mikuru & More See some great Fraulein Revoltech figures on the site, too, including super-posable Yoko from the Gurren Lagann movie, Mikuru in her cute waitress costume, and more.
	Kera May 2009 vol. 129 Another wonderful issue of Kera, the fashion magazine dedicated to Tokyo's street scene, covering both the latest in goth-loli and gothic punk, along with the newest trends that are just around the corner.
	UNO Charcoal Ultra Black Wash for Men Here's a great facial wash for guys, made with sumi (charcoal) so it gets your face as clean as it can be. Goes great with our Gatsby hair care products and Japanese shampoo that customers have been asking us to carry more of.
	Dengeki Layers vol. 24 Make a splash at the summer conventions with a great anime costume! The excellent cosplay magazine Dengeki Layers will help. Tons of great examples to copy, from Vocaloid to Naruto to Bleach and more. Perfect bound, very high quality printing.
	Delicious New Snacks from Japan More fun snack items from Japan on the site, starting with Rakka Ame, a traditional candy made with peanuts and Okinawa "black sugar," Lifeguard Gum in "original bionic" flavor (?) and amazing Hot Cake snacks, miniature pancakes with maple syrup between them.
	Fun "Ramune" Products from Japan Remember that J-List has dozens of fun products celebrating Japan's famous ramune taste, from our awesome T-shirt to candy and much more. Celebrate Ramune Day with J-List!
	Convenient USB Chargers for iPhone, PSP, DS These are great: inexpensive adapters that let you charge your iPhone, Nintendo DS or Sony PSP using a standard Mini USB connector. Great for adding an emergency charter in your computer bag!
	Char's Zaku Phone Headset ~ Gundam Then see more stock of the fun Gundam-themed headset with earphone and microphone, that you can use with Skype or any similar service. Pretend you're Char Aznable doing battle with Amuro Ray. Sieg Zeon!
	Banclock ~ Money Saving Alarm Clock See fresh stock and new colors of the alarm clock that can make you rich! When the stylishly designed clock rings in the morning, you need to insert money into the top to turn it off. A great idea for the age we live in!
	Great Music from Japan J-List brings a magical world of J-POP and anime music to you, courtesy of the iTunes Japan Prepaid cards that we offer. Find cool things like this collection of anime songs made popular by Nico Nico Douga, or this great album of organic re-mixes of Ghibli movie soundtracks, or this most excellent collection of dreamy songs by Okinawan singer Rimi Natsukawa.
	DX Basic TABI Socks Tabi are the split-toe footwear worn in Japan for centuries. In addition to the "ninja boots" type, we've gotten in the more traditional tabi socks worn with kimono
	HANNYA-SHINKYOU ~ Buddhist Sutra Book Avoid the embarrassment of not having a Buddhist prayer book with you, with the two attractive sutra books we've added to the site. They come with plastic protectors, and the kanji have furigana beside them to make them easier to read.
	Restocked Bento Boxes See some very nice bento boxes for both moderate and heavy eaters today, including our best-selling Prime Nakamura niKyoro line. Also, the cute stackable "Petit Copain" bento set.
	Cinnamoroll Die-cut Mug Cup Kawaii! This is a great Sanrio cup that's perfect for little juice drinkers, or bigger ones. Very solid and made of flexible plastic so it won't shatter or break if dropped.
	Japanese Study Aids There are only 216 days until this year's Japanese Language Proficiency Test! This means the best time to start motivating yourself to study is right now, and we've restocked some helpful items, including the JLPT level 3 study guide, Japonica kanji practice notebooks, and more. Benkyo benkyo!
	Lucky Gold Book Mark with SUSHI In tandem with the Japanese government's "Welcome to Japan" (Nihon e Yokoso!) campaign, here's a really excellent bookmark with chromed metal piece of sushi to make your reading more satisfying.
	Awesome Traditional Items Restocked Then see a cool Ninja happi coat, baked wood geta sandals for summer, and our popular His-and-Hers Sake Set which comes with a kiln-baked sake bottle and matching cups. Also: samurai sword ear cleaners!
	Kotonoha 1/8 Figure ~ School Days *Pre-Order* School Days is the excellent H-game and anime about the love between Makoto and Kotonoha, and the 10+ other girls that get in between them, resulting in much murder and mayhem. Comes with the blue gym bag from the final episode, too!
	Lanka Lee 3D Oppai Mouse Pad *Pre-Order* Next, fans of Macross Frontier will be overjoyed at these two oppai mouse pads that you can order now, featuring realistic renditions of Ranka Lee and Sheryl Nome. D- Deculture!
	Japanese Pens, Wacky Microwave Erasers We've restocked some Japanese pens that our customers love, including the Signo JUMPOP One-Touch Ball-Point Pen series and the Signo Erasable Pens in 8 colors. Also: more of those wacky Japanese erasers you make in the microwave, including Sushi and Hamburgers.
	Cosplay Fetish Academy Fans of our PC dating-sim games, we've got some good news: Cosplay Fetish Academy, the amazing game about a boy and his twin cousins who get warped into an alternate dimension of pure cosplay, will be the next title released in English. The official site is now online and ready for your perusal. Be sure to preorder it if you haven't!
	lay/D BODY-TORSO Toy I have to take my hat off to the makers of the lay/D (lady, get it?) Body Torso stress-relief toy line. It's really a work of art, expertly sculpted female figures that actually wear clothes. Underneath is an amazing toy for men, with three distinct interiors to, ah, explore.