Senpai and Kohai in Japan

I write a lot about the Japanese concepts of senpai, an upperclassman in a school or a senior in an organization, and kohai, the opposite, and how important these concepts are for understanding the country. Foreigners in Japan unconsciously pick up on the senior/junior system, too, and try to help newly arrived visitors get their "gaijin legs" as quickly as possible, just as they were helped by others when they got here. Back when I was an English teacher, a friend of mine and I took a newly-arrived teacher at our school out for drinks so we could get to know him. I suddenly realized the situation we were in, and said to my friend (in Japanese, so the new teacher wouldn't understand), "You and I are the senpai here. We have to pay for these drinks." He nodded, aware of the social obligation of our situation, and the two of us picked up the tab over the protests of the new guy. The role of a senpai is a complex one: you get extra respect, but you must act as a mentor and help those under you.

What was your first senpai anime? I'd have to go with the classic Orange Road.

Internet-Influenced Advertising in Japan

It's interesting to see how the Internet continues to change the world we live in. In Japan, it's common for print advertisements and TV commercials to present viewers with a computer search box suggesting a keyword they might use to find the company's website later, a practice called uebu yudo or "web guidance" in the advertising industry here. I guess there's something "organic" about customers doing a search for a product themselves compared with typing a URL in manually or clicking a link, though since so many companies are employing this technique, I have to wonder how effective it is. Another variation: ads that present an interesting story then end with the phrase, "To see the rest, visit our website," like the SoftBank commercial in which the cute dog Otosan saves a girl from being hit by a piano, after which viewers must access the company's website to see if the dog was killed by the piano or not. Recently I noticed another new change leaking from the net into realspace: right-to-left scrolling comments, the kind seen on Nico Douga, Japan's local answer to YouTube. In Nico videos, users can type in comments (like "Nice Boat") which will scroll by while other people watch the video, a visual annoyance to some yet an interesting way to feel like you're contributing to the wider shared popular culture. I caught a variety show adding these scrolling comments to video it was showing in an attempt to make its program more interesting to web-savvy viewers. Could this be the next big mega-trend from Japan?

Could Nico Video-style scrolling comments be the Next Big Thing?

Japanese Test English

The other day my son took a standardized test to measure his academic ability compared with other students in Japan. While he aced the math and science sections, his English test result was a surprising 86%. How could a boy whose English is so good he can watch any movie without subtitles and appreciate the subtle humor of Monty Python have gotten anything but an A? It turns out that in Japan, "test English" is a unique subject unto itself, completely separate from the living language used to communicate ideas to people, and when students translate a sentence from English into Japanese they need to follow certain forms to show they understand the underlying grammar. For example, there are different ways to translate "I will study tomorrow" and "I'm going to study tomorrow," although the two concepts are pretty much the same, and not knowing how to do this hurt my son's score. Now that he's starting juken hell, preparing for his high school entrance exams, I'm sure he'll have questions about the correct use of English grammar that I won't be able to answer to his satisfaction. For example, the Japanese spend a lot of time learning the proper use of the pronoun "whom," yet at least in my dialect of English (West Coast United States), it's a totally dead word, only used in certain specific situations (e.g. "To whom it may concern").

Japanese test English is quite unrelated to the living language you or I use.

Cool Products Monday, September 7, 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.

	Japanese T-shirt - Shibuya 109-kei Shibuya has become the "Mecca" of fashion culture in Japan, and we've made a great T-shirt that's a tribute to Shibuya visual culture. Our "Shibuya-kei" shirt just for girls is great for anyone who loves the culture flowing from the area.
	Kera Sep 2009 vol. 133 Another wonderful issue of Kera, the fashion magazine dedicated to Tokyo's street scene, covering both the latest in goth-loli and gothic punk. Just check out the retro Brit-pop motif on the cover!
	Neon Genesis Evangelion ~ Battle Orchestra An awesome Evangelion fighting game in which you engage in realistic combat between Eva units and Angels. A great game that lets you engage in head-to-head combat with up to 4 friends at once, there's even a story mode with original arcs for Shinji, Asuka, Toji, Kensuke or Rei that you can play.
	Evangelion Interface Earphones Also for Evangelion fans, see fresh stock of the popular earphones featuring the distinctive red or white "head interfaces" of Asuka and Rei. Compatible with any standard music player such as the iPod / iPhone.
	More Awesome 2010 Japanese Calendars We're pushing out another 20 or so 2010 calendars for you to check out, and preorder if you like. From Japanese models like Yuko Ogura to awesome anime calendar like Space Battleship Yamato and Gundam 00, there's plenty of to love here.
	MP9 Digital Pocket Video Recorder 2GB This sure turned out to be a popular item: a pen that can record up to 2GB of full frame video and audio. To access the video you recorded, just plug the pen into your computer's USB port.
	Miko Chan Costume set ~ Large Ribbon Type Halloween isn't that far off, and J-List wants you to think of us for all your cosplay needs. Today we're posting a complete Miko Shrine Maiden costume, great for playing any number of your favorite anime characters.
	Traditional Moe Happi ~ Blue Then, a happi coat (often called a "Happy Coat" by shops selling to foreigners) is a short kimono worn at festivals. Here's a really nice one that's perfect for anime fans, featuring the kanji for Moe.
	JK Hello Kitty High School Bag Our authentic High School Bookbag is a popular item with J-List customers. Now here's another item we think you'll like: a regulation school bag approved for use in Japanese schools which features Hello Kitty. Awesome design, and very rugged for years of use.
	Hello Kitty Ice Cube Tray Also for fans of J-List's interesting Sanrio products: fresh stock of the legendary Hello Kitty Ice Cube Maker, which makes great 3D Sanrio-shaped ice cubes for you instead of boring square ice cubes.
	New Candy, Gum from Japan Awesome new soft candies from Sanrio, in the form of Hello Kitty (cola) and Cinnamoroll (ramune) which are fun to eat. Plus, see Lotte's new Plus X sugarless gum in delicious Kiwi Fruit flavor, which is really good (I'm chewing some right now).
	New Japanese Food Drops Today's new flavors of the "Food Drops" candies are special. First there's Buta-Don, a Teriyaki pork-on-rice dish from Obihiro, Hokkaido, which is delicious. Then try "Going to Hell" Spicy Drops, for fans of spicy foods. Amuse your friends...or enemies!
	DX Genuine Lacquered 2 tier Bento Box ~ Rabbit This is a nice new bento box that's made from lacquered wood, which features beautiful rabbits on the cover. Comes with two tiers for organizing your bento lunch.
	Lunch-de-DON Bowl (DONBURI) Bento Another fun way to enjoy Japan's visual culture of boxed lunches, this is the Lunch-de-DON bento box that smartly stores your lunch in separate sections for rice, the rest of your lunch and even has built-in soy sauce holders.
	Dream Land Egg Shaper, Bento Food Pencil You can do some amazing things with eggs, which shoppers at J-List will be familiar with. Enjoy fresh stock of the wildly popular device that makes uniquely shaped yolks inside sliced eggs.
	HANAZEN ECO My Bottle Thermos Japanese stainless steel thermoses are the best in the world, and we've added an elegant new back one to the site today. Also, see fresh stock of the kawaii Hello Kitty Stainless Water Bottle.
	New & Restocked Bento Books We've gotten in a great new bento book called More Our Bento, loaded with even more examples of good bento in action. The book is in Japanese but the visual format is very easy to understand. More Delicious Bentos for Kindergarten is also restocked.
	Cooling Pad for Fever ~ Netsu Sama Sheet This is an innovative Japanese product for you, special "cooling pads" that you use to bring a fever down fast. Just open the foil packet and place it on the forehead of the afflicted person, to help cool them quickly. This is a DX pack featuring 14 pads.
	Totoro Pencil Sharpener Next, our popular Totoro Pencil Sharpener is back in stock. Features a cute Totoro smiling on a tree stump, with the pencil sharpener unit in the back.
	Restocked Traditional Items Other fun restocked products today, including our most popular wooden Kokeshi doll, an awesome round traditional Japanese comb, our Sleeping Cat Chopstick Rest set, a Lucky Shamoji (rice scoop) featuring the Seven Gods of Happiness, plus our popular Natural Bamboo Cool Pillow.
	Rice Bowl Strap See several popular netsuke phone straps restocked, including the Rice Bowl Strap and Salmon Sushi Strap. Also, the cute tradtitional drum "Den Den Daiko" is back in stock.
	Queen's Blade Ruro no Senshi COMPLETE *preorder* This is a great new Queen's Blade artbook that's a must-buy for collectors. Features tons of new and never before seen art from the artbooks, with commentary from the creators and more.
	Chouzou Queen's Blade Col. Figures *Preorder* Also for Queen's Blade fans, there's a fun new series of three figures for you to snap up. Includes Airi, Nanael and Melona, three of my favorite characters, in normal and alternate colors.
	Yui Hirasawa 1/8 Figure ~ K-on *Preorder* Another very tempting figure for K-On fans, this is a super detailed version of Yui, the main character from K-On! You can really feel the effort the company put into getting the figure right. Preorder her now!
	Nanoha Takamachi 1/8 Figure *Preorder* Also, a dynamite new figure from the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Movie, this is a very detailed figure with super features and awesome 3D anime hair going every which way. Amazing detailing, comes with many additional parts and a stand.
	Queen's Blade The Live -- *Preorder* Order this great upcoming photobook, in which sexy idol Yuri Morishita performs super cosplay as Airi from Queen's Blade. What a great concept this is!
	Restocked Artbooks We've got the extremely popular Dendrobium artbook by Nishieda back in stock, until it disappears again anyway, as well as the gorgeous Bible Black Visual Artworks.
	Moero Downhill Night Series *Preorder* Remember that the upcoming Moero Downhill Night game, which lets you experience Japanese downhill racing with cute girls, has gone Golden Master, making it a great time to preorder the game now.
	"Bad Case" Discounted CD-ROM Also: we've added some games to the site which were made with defective CD-ROM cases, that didn't hold the disc securely. 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 on some great games.
	Faith/stay knight A super item for Fate/stay night fans, this is an ero parody in which you can see all your favorite characters performing for you.

Innovation and Recession

It's interesting to see the way economic hard times bring out new innovation in people and companies. I read a news report that the convenience store chain Lawson was going to join forces with a popular line of drug stores to allow customers to buy medicine more conveniently. There are many laws that govern how medicine is sold in Japan, and even "over the counter" medicines can only be carried in stores that employs a licensed pharmacist to give advice about this product or that. Under the new plan, there'll be a pharmacist on site at your local convenience store, ready to help answer questions and give basic medical advice -- maybe it will catch on and be the Next Big Thing in convenience stores. I've been through so many economic downturns here in Japan that I'm convinced that Japanese companies are unable to discard their business-as-usual attitudes and innovate at any other time.

Lawson is "Your Town's 'Hot Station.'"

Pop Stars and Jidai-geki

The other day I turned on my TV and was greeted with an unexpected sight: popular SMAP singer and "talent" Tsuyoshi Kusanagi -- yes, the guy who got arrested for public nudity in a Tokyo park at 3 am a few months ago -- dressed up in full samurai armor as he promoted his new film. Jidai-geki, or samurai period dramas, are a big part of popular culture in Japan, and there are several quality historical dramas on every week, such as the ongoing adventures of Mito Komon, a traveling cloth merchant who is secretly an agent of the Shogun, and who pulls out his official Tokugawa crest exactly at 8:46 in every episode since the series began in 1969. Virtually every major actor or actress comes to a point in their career when they'll be called on to perform in one of these historical dramas, and it's quite interesting to see how stars like Gackt will translate historical personas into their own style on camera. One interesting subset of the jidai geki genre is the "time traveling samurai drama," such as the Sengoku Jieitai movies in which Japan's modern military is conveniently transported back to the country's "Warring States" period where they have a chance to change history with their advanced weapons. In Kusanagi's new film, he plays a warlord who is visited by a Japanese boy who has accidentally time-slipped into the past from modern-day Japan. (Hmm, that sounds kind of familiar.)

Scenes from the upcoming time-slip samurai drama Ballad, said to be the "Titanic" of Japan.

Hamburg Steak, the Other Red Meat

Before I came to Japan I had many preconceptions about the place. For example, I expected everything to be sleek and modern, yet in reality the country is both technologically advanced and very old-fashioned, with gleaming glass buildings standing next to delapidated old homes made of corrugated tin, and women pecking away on cell phones while wearing a traditional kimono. For some reason, I also assumed the Japanese would not eat meat very often since it surely must cost too much. In reality, one of the cornerstones of the Japanese diet is the "hamburg steak" (e.g. Salsbury steak), made from hamburger (no, not that kind), seasoned bread crumbs and sliced vegetables, and whether it's covered with a French demi-glace or a Japanese-style sauce made from grated radish, it's a delicious and affordable meal for families. The name is quite interesting by the way: to the Japanese, a "hamburg" steak is made from hamburger meat and lacks bread around it, while a "frankfurt" is a frankfurter eaten alone, without a hot dog bun around it. If you're interested in learning to make Japanese home-style dishes, J-List happens to have a large number of bilingual recipe books in stock -- browse them now!

I swear, I am not going to write about food anymore -- I'm starving now!

Hamburg steak is a popular dish in Japan, and great with steamed white rice.

Cool Products Friday, September 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.

	Awesome 2010 Calendars for Preorder Don't look now, but we've added another few dozen awesome 2010 calendars for preorder to the J-List site. From popular idols like Azusa Yamamoto and to cute characters like Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll to kawaii animal calendars like The Dog, we've got a great lineup for you.
	More 2010 Anime Calendars, Too Then enjoy the new 2010 anime calendars we've posted, including two gorgeous Fullmetal Alchemist, Toradora! and more are ready for you to order.
	Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Blu-ray Disc) I'm extremely happy to announce that we've posted the first-ever Studio Ghibli Blu-Ray disc to J-List for preorder, for the upcoming Ponyo release. Fully compatible with Blu-Ray players in North America, and features both subtitled Japanese and the U.S. English dubbed track.
	Ponyo, Totoro Bamboo Fude Pens Then: one reason we love to carry Studio Ghibli products is the organic feel everything has. Here are two fude brush pens featuring Totoro and Ponyo made out of natural bamboo -- wow!
	Hi-bird Plush ~ Katekyo Hitman Reborn A super cute plush toy from the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, or Home Tutor Hitman Reborn!, this is Hi-bird (also written Hibird). Put him on your shoulder!
	Golgo 13 Figma Action Figure The baddest Lone Wolf in Japan is now an amazingly posable Figma action figure, which will look great in your character collection. Now in stock, but as usual, it was very popular as a preorder item so we only have limited stock left.
	Touhou Bunkacho ~ Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red This essential tome of Touhou lore reads like an almanac, with an eclectic selection of features with text written and production supervised by ZUN, the mastermind of the Touhou project. A great item for Touhou fans.
	Love Plus Dating-Sim for DS Good news for fans of dating simulator games: we've gotten in the new Love Plus for Nintendo DS, with 3D animated girls who talk and move, and even cut their hair so you'll like them more -- woah. Use it to learn Japanese, or just find a little love.
	FRUITS Sep 2009 J-List customers know that we love to carry fashion magazines that capture the real street fashion of Harajuku. See the new FRUiTS in stock now -- no ads to get in the way of your enjoyment of the beautiful fashions.
	Hello Kitty Picnic Sheet Then, make you next picnic special with this Hello Kitty Leisure Sheet, super for spreading out and taking in the cherry blossoms, grabbing a quick nap, or whatever.
	Optical Egg Mouse Mini ~ Elecom J-List is happy to carry the fine computer peripheral products from Elecom, and today we're posting two high quality optical "egg" mice that are great either for travel or for everyday use.
	NINJA Matoryoshika Nesting Doll Then, a Ninja Nesting Doll -- what a great idea! Open the ninja doll and find -- more little ninjas! I am floored with the awesomeness of this item.
	Gundam Cup Noodle w/Plastic Model We have a special item for the discerning Gundam collector next: a wonderful Cup Noodle instant ramen meal that comes with a special Gundam puramodel (plastic model), free. Which awesome Gundam will you build?
	Doritos Air -- Pepper Steak Flavor J-List customers have been enjoying the Japan-only flavors of familiar treats we offer for years, and today we've gotten in new Pepper Steak Flavor Doritos Air. Buy a few bags to sample before they're gone!
	Yaki Curry (Mojiko Limited) ~ Japanese Food Drops Yaki Curry is a delicious "baked curry" treat born in Mojiko, Kita-kyushu City on Kyushu, the food captures the early days of the Meiji Era when exotic Western delicacies like curry were becoming popular with the Japanese. Also restocked: Sapporo Beer Drops.
	Mousse-chan Fragrant Deco Topping J-List customers must love making beautiful crafts, or the Mousse-chan Paper Clay toys we sell wouldn't be such a hit. Today we have a new offering, special decorations for making your creations all the more fun to look at.
	Awesome Totoro Bento J-List carries hundreds of Totoro and bento products, so it's natural that Totoro bento boxes would be a popular item with our customers. Today we're restocking the gorgeous Totoro Thermal Bento Box Set.
	Awesome Bento Books Then, ekiben or bento lunches sold in train stations is one of my favorite things about Japan, and we've restocked the ultimate guide to train station bento. Also see Basic Bento restocked.
	Eerie Smiling Bento Boxes Also, we've restocked several bento boxes from Prime Nakamura today, including the niKyoro (from niko niko or smiling and kyoro kyoro or eyes looking around) series lunchboxes, plus the awesome traditional Koban Lacquer Style Bento for men.
	Cool& Hot Foot Relax Pillow Then, enjoy the feeling of pandas-between-the-toes with this foot relax pillow, which you can chill or warm ahead of time depending on your mood. The Frog Type is restocked today, too.
	Anime 4 GB USB Memory USB memory sticks are more fun when they're shaped like anime characters, and we've gotten in stock of Rei from Evangelion, Konata from and Ranka Lee -- kawaii! Each gives you 4 GB of high-speed flash memory to copy all your stuff to.
	Clear Case for iPhone 3G for Phone Strap Restocked Japan has an incredibly rich culture of netsuke decorative objects attached to drawstring money bags, which have been updated as "phone straps" for cellular phones in the modern era. The great iPhone case that allows you to attach Japanese phone straps is back in stock today.
	Japanese Grammar, JLPT Study Books There are only 93 days to the next Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December. Are you ready? We've restocked a handy grammar book designed to help you succeed in your study goals, along with the actual JLPT tests from 2008.
	Moyashimon Children's Books, Manga He's Japan's cutest bacteria, and his name is Moyashimon. Today we've stocked some awesome items, including a colorful book for children or students of Japanese, plus his official manga.
	Handbook for Living in Japan, More Considering living and working in Japan? Then the popular Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants to Japan will help answer the many questions you might have. Also see fresh stock of some awesome "bilingual books" with advice on living in Japan.
	Megami Encyclopedia ~ Moe Daizen vol. 1 We love the "Moe Daizen" series of artbooks, which blends beautiful anime-style art with really interesting subjects. This explores all the "goddesses" of history, from Athena to Aphrodite and everyone in between.
	Awesome Sake Bottles from Japan Make life a little better with the sake bottles and cups that we've just posted to the site. Sushi, naughty panda bears and other fun ways to enjoy either hot or cold sake.
	Taiga Aisaka 1/8 Figure Toradora! *Preorder* I love the Toradora! anime, and am happy to offer the upcoming Taiga figure of her in her Culture Festival dress. Very kawaii.
	Seira Orgel 1/8 Figure Chaos;Head *Preorder* And if you're a fan of the gorgeous Nitro+ game Chaos;Head, don't miss this amazing "cast off" figure of Seira, with clothing that you can reconfigure for additional display options.
	Cute Notebooks from Japan Also: see fresh stock of the Mameshiba notebooks, featuring the little Shiba dog inside a bean (mame) that happens to know really strange trivia, plus the Naruto Coloring Book w/ awesome character index and Doraemon Hiragana Learning Book.
	Family Project ~ Kazoku Keikaku v1.1 Patch Family Project is the extremely popular game that's been called the best eroge ever made. We're happy to announce that the v1.1 text patch has been released, for fans who have picked up this excellent game.
	Reira -- Satoshi Urushihara *preorder* We can all talk about how we like this hentai illustrator or that, but when all is said and done the master is Satoshi Urushihara, who's been bringing us amazing art since the Plastic Little days. Enjoy his gorgeous (and very detailed) new artbook, up for preorder now.