Japanese are Creative with Language

The Japanese strike me as a very creative people, and I'm often amused by the things they bother to come up with names for. Having your significant other sleep while using your arm as a pillow is known as ude-makura (oo-day mah-koo-rah) or "arm pillow," and the word for "waking up and doing stuff then going back to bed afterwards" is nidone (ni-doh-neh), or "second sleep." This creativity extends into the realm of English, too, for example the beer I had last night called Asahi Strong Off, a name which perfectly reflected the strong taste and lower calorie content. Some businesses with interesting (if odd-sounding) names include Heartful Life (a home renovation company) and a "used fishing tool shop" called Tackle Berry, which shows a picture of Huckleberry Finn pulling in a fish with his fishing rod as its corporate logo. Very weird, but very creative, too.

There's nothing like a Strong Off at the end of a hard day's work.

Strange Fashions in Japan: Pair Look

It's funny, the way fashions can seem like the coolest thing to people one year yet be embarrassingly outdated a decade and a half later. Like the pictures of my mother from the 1960s with a hilarious hairdo held in a "U" shape by liberal amounts of hair spray, or any shot of George Cloony from his "Facts of Life" days. In the 80s there was a bizarre fashion trend in Japan called "pair look" in which couples would actually wear matching outfits on dates, and it's threatening to come back in style, if the Tokyo fashion blogs can be believed. (It's very popular in Korea, too, especially with couples on their honeymoon.) Supposedly the newest fashion trend in Tokyo is...guys wearing skirts. Called sukaato danshi or "skirt boys," the trend consists of men wearing long skirts (really more like aprons) over their clothes as they go about the day. If you want to follow what's new and cool in the Japanese fashion world, keep your eyes glued to our Fashion Magazines and More page.

Japan has many strange fashions, like "pair look" that's threatening to come back.

Out-of-the-way Tourist Spots in Japan

The Japanese government has rolled out a new logo and slogan designed to encourage more tourists to come and experience, "Japan. Endless Discovery." But what places should you visit once you're here? Everyone knows about great tourist destinations like Kyoto, Nara or the Ghibli Museum, but as long as you're in Japan, why not find some of the more out-of-the-way tourist spots to explore? Like a town in Chiba Prefecture that brands itself Japan's version of England's Dover Cliffs, for some reason. Or if you like bizarre museums, check out the Tobacco and Salt Museum, which tells you the history of, well, tobacco and salt in Japan. You could visit the "koto-playing sand" at Kotobikihama Beach, which sings as you walk on it, or find a "Melody Road" that plays music as your car drives over lines dug into the road surface. There's even a desert of sorts, the Tottori Sand Dune, a 16 km stretch of sand which looks like it could have come straight out of Tunisia -- the local tourist board has even imported a camel for you to ride. Or you could visit Gunkan-jima near Nagasaki, the eerily beautiful "Battleship Island" that was a miniature city housing coal miners and their families from 1887 to 1974. When the mines became unprofitable, everyone left overnight, leaving one of the most striking examples of haikyo (modern ruins) in the world.

What are some other unique places to visit in Japan? Post answers in the comments.

Did you know there was a desert in Japan? 

Spotlight on J-List's Kanji & Anime T-Shirts

Whether you're Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend, want to show the world your love of Bento Boxes or don Domo-kun for all to see, J-List has a great line of interesting original T-shirts and hoodies. We're really happy with the newly release anime T-shirts, like our tribute to Tsundere voice actress Rie Kugimiya, our great K-On! + Beatles parody, or our wonderful Toradora! parody shirts. All shirts are made in San Diego by our professional local staff (not mass-produced in Asia) and all shirts are full U.S. sizes. Click here to see all T-shirts and hoodies, or here to view the top 50 items this week.

Cool Products Wednesday, April 7, 2010

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.

	Animage Mar 2010 Great issue of Animage, an anime magazine so awesome it actually gave us the word "anime." Tons of great visuals for fanboys and fangirls, plus free omake stuff too. Also: Prince Animage for girls restocked!
	Gelatin Color Original Comics -- Spring 2010 A fabulous color manga for collectors, this excellent artbook-format book pulls together some of Japan's most talented artists to create something really special. The new issue is in now!
	mini Apr 2010 A really great magazine for anyone interested in Japanese fashions, this is "mini" (written in lower case, which rubs the English major in me the wrong way).
	J-List Supports Your Knee High Socks Life J-List loves the trend in "over knee socks" and short mini-skirts, and today we've restocked thighhighs plus several other fun items. If you find your socks fall down you can do what Japanese girls do and glue them in place with "socks glue."
	Stripe Panty and Half Top set -- Shimapan set See some fun restocked some complete school uniform cosplay sets, plus real shimapan, the striped underwear worn by such characters as Miku Hatsune, Mio from K-On! and the super-cute Lucchini from Strike Witches.
	Awesome Cosplay Eye Patch Restocked Also, one of the most popular anime cosplay items in J-List history, the awesome Japanese eye patches for Evangelion or Ikki Tousen costumes.
	Shiryu Shoun 1/8 Figure Closing Eyes Version Japanese high school uniform, check. Samurai sword, check. Another winner from the Ikki Tousen (aka Dragon Destiny) universe, which retells an ancient Chinese historical tale remixed as warring high schools, with lots of fan service.
	High School Uniform Encyclopedia A serious work for artists as well as general moe enthusiasts that documents real high school uniform types and features of each.
	DEAD OR ALIVE Paradise Enjoy one of the sexiest games ever made with DoA Paradise for the PSP. Featuring ten different gorgeous girls, you get to play much more than beach volleyball -- there are mini games like poker, idol photography and more.
	Awesome PSP, DS Anime Games See fresh stock of the extremely popular Queen's Blade PSP game, which lets you fight your favorite QB characters and enjoy the patented "Armor Damage System" (heh). Also, we have the Ikki Tousen PSP game and Prince of Tennis love-sim for DS.
	Japanese Common Sense Training ~ Joshiki Training We talk a lot about how Japan has joshiki, translatable as "common sense.". This is a DS game for helping increase a person's common sense, good for students of the language.
	More Touhou Project Games We're stocking even more awesome Touhou shooting games, which are great because of their high design, awesome music and the Touhou characters. See Phantasmagoria of Flower View and Shoot the Bullet in stock.
	Gunkanjima Odyssey Archives Take a trip to the most desolate and mysterious place on Earth, Japan's Battleship Island. Gorgeous photographs for fans of haikyo photography.
	Oshibari Girls Phone Strap These are wacky: phone straps that featuring little figures bound up with rope, bondage style. Attach them to your phone, camera, keys, Nintendo DS or PSP.
	PUNYO ~ Knit Style Kawaii Cleaning Sponge You already know that J-List sells the cutest darned sponges this side of the Pacific. Now we've got another awesome offering based on ASCII art from the Japanese BBS 2ch.
	Lotte Acuo Gum Turns Girls Into Haruhi Can having fresh breath turn random girls into anime characters? That's the promise of Lotte Acuo, gum that changes girls you talk to into Haruhi, Mikuru and Yuki. In stock now!
	Great New Snacks from Japan Today we're posting Morinaga Biz in Cookie and Cream flavor, delicious UHA Puccho in Cream Soda flavor (?), plus Jagabee potato snacks in "soy sauce butter" flavor (yum).
	Akihabara 'Moe' Lollipops, Watermelon Candy Then: see "Akihabara limited" moe candy in stock, plus awesome watermelon flavored candy from Kumamoto, great for tasting the real Japan.
	Sakura Tight Sealed Vertical Style Bento Box Set A delightful new "vertical style" bento box that comes with everything you need: two large sections for your rice and the rest of your lunch, plus bento bag, belt and more.
	Traditional Bento Restocked That awesome 3-tier "picnic style" bento is back in stock, too, such a great product from Hakoya. Everything you need is included: three sections for rice and other foods, chopsticks, frame to carry it and a belt to keep it closed.
	DECOLE Kawaii White Bear Bento Or if you like kawaii bento products with funny English on them like "Syrup o'Clock," then look no further than the White Bear series we restocked today.
	3 Variety Deco Onigiri Shaper Make amazing onigiri rice balls with different shapes with this rice shaper that comes with three caps for making different "deco" (decoration) patterns.
	Various Bento Accessories There's nothing like opening a bento to see your name spelled out, or "LOVE" or "STUDY HARD." You can write these messages with the popular Alphabet Bento Shapers we've restocked today.
	Electric Takoyaki Maker & Accessories Also: good news for fans of takoyaki, the traditional batter ball that contains a piece of cooked octopus meat inside: we've restocked the electric takoyaki makers today.
	Awesome Totoro, Cat Bus and Soot Sprite Toys Whenever we get stock of Totoro plush toys in, it's a happy day indeed. Today we've got the really awesome Neko Bus with Totoro that can ride inside, plus makkuro kurosuke Soot Sprite soft toys.
	Mousse-chan Kira-Kira Paper Clay Restocked Make fun items out of kami-nendo or paper clay, a lightweight clay that Japanese artists love to make stuff with, which we've restocked today. Also more Let's Make Eraser with Microwave and that amazing Beetle Tip Marker pen.
	Japanese Study Books Restocked Then, when I came to Japan I studied the language using study materials used by Japanese children, which worked very well for me. Today we've restocked the popular Kanji Drill books used by elementary school students, plus our popular book on learning Japanese onomatopoeia.
	Eva Manga, Moe Moe Encyclopedia, More Got some nice manga and artbooks for you today, including a preorder of the just-release Evangelion official manga, vol. 12, plus Hatsukoi Unlimited, and several Moe Moe Encyclopedia books.
	Fun Traditional Items from Japan We always have lots of fun and random traditional Japanese items, and today we're restocking the Kyoto Fragrant Bath Salts, the Natural Stone Magatama Strap, Happy Tanuki Sake Set, Kokeshi Dolls for Four Seasons, and fun Sushi Magnets.
	Fundoshi -- White ~ Traditional Men's Underwear Fundoshi (pronounced foon-DOH-shi) is the traditional underwear worn by the samurai, and in modern times, by people in Japanese shrines. These fun items are back in stock.
	Komachi & Eirin Touhou 1/8 Figures *Preorder* The Japanese indies game Touhou continues to work its magic on Japanese subculture, and today we've got two more awesome figures you can preorder now.
	Frankie, Boa Hancock 1/8 Figures *Preorder* Then we have not one but two gorgeous prepainted figures for One Piece collectors: Frankie and Boa Hancock.
	K-On!! Toysworks Collection 4.5 Full Set *Preorder* Got a fun set of K-On! figures for you too, featuring all the girls from the series and their instruments. Preorder them now.
	UTB Feb 2010 ~ Up to Boy Feb 2010 We stock great magazines like Up To Boy and Bomb which feature all the top models in japan, including C-ute and AKB48. Stock is limited, so if it sells out, why not consider a regular monthly subscription?
	Queen's Blade Anthology Comic If you love the fighting women of Queen's Blade, enjoy the two new Anthology Comics we've posted, which feature awesome art for all fans of the series.
	Kanokon - The Girl Who Cried Wolf Vol. 1 *Preorder* The awesome ecchi anime Kanokon is coming out soon, and you can preorder it from J-List. We'll be carrying all volumes for you.
	Amazing Stress-Relief Toys from Japan Today's restocked dolphin polishers include the legendary Tenga Flip Hole series, the Sweet Chocolate Passion Hole, remote-control wireless massager so couples can have fun in public places, and the special PLESTO from Toy's Heart.
	'H' Games by Internet Download Browsing the top 50 download "H" games shows and you can see many of our customers are snapping up the new Crowd game downloads, like the X-Change series. Why not try a game or two today?

Love Plus Comes to the iPhone (If You Have a Japan iTunes Prepaid Card)

You probably know you can get access to the awesome JPOP music and anime songs using the popular iTunes Japan prepaid cards that J-List sells, which are fully compatible with iPod/iPhone/iTunes all over the world. Happily, the cards also give you full access to software applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and new iPad not available outside Japan. Like the brand-new Love Plus games, which give you a virtual version of the three girls from the Nintendo DS dating-sim who interact with you, with full CG animation and voice. They'll do things like move and talk, tell you the time and if you have something coming up on your calendar, and react to on-screen touches with content that changes depending on the season. Each game costs just 600 yen, and they're available here if you have purchased a prepaid card from us. (If logged into to a non-Japanese account, please log out as they won't display).

Twitter, Anime Fandom and English Education

Like many, I've gotten into Twitter, posting my random thoughts on life, the universe and everything while passing along information on stuff we've posted to the J-List site. It's interesting to see the amazing variety of people who follow me -- Japanophiles from the U.S. and Europe of course, but also out-of-the-way places like Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and even an anime fan from Saudi Arabia. It's great to be able to have random conversations with people about various topics, and I often throw out questions as I'm blogging to get input and ideas from around the world. I've also gotten quite a few Japanese followers, which I think is great since Twitter is the perfect vehicle for Japanese to put the many years of English they've studied to use as a "living" language. The problem with Japan is that in the past, the only time knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary has really been needed is during university entrance exams, and there was almost no opportunity to actually use the language. So if you're on Twitter already or would like to give it a try, follow me and let's chat!

Of course there had to be Twitter fan art for me to post here, now nice.

The 65th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Yamato

Tomorrow is the 65th anniversary of the sinking of the Yamato, the most famous Japanese battleship of World War II. Growing desperation had caused the Japanese to organize the first kamikaze air units around October 1944 -- in Japanese they were called tokkou (toh-KOH), which means "special attack forces -- but despite an amazing 2,525 suicide attacks made by Japanese pilots, the Allied forces continued their advance. By the start of the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945, the Japanese fleet was only a shadow of its former self as war planners decided to send the Yamato and eight support ships on a "special attack" mission despite the lack of fuel or air support, which predictably ended with the sinking of the ship and loss of 90% of her crew. My wife has an uncle who fought in World War II, stationed on the battleship Ise, which would have been sent off with the Yamato's squadron if it hadn't been too damaged. Whenever I get the chance I take my son to hear the fascinating tales he can tell us.

Moe Yamato-tan says, "War is bad. Peace is good." 

Yakiniku, Awesome Korean BBQ in Japan

Yesterday was my son's birthday, and in our family that usually means going to our favorite Korean BBQ restaurant for a special meal. Called yakiniku, Korean BBQ is a popular dish with Japanese families, who eat it about as often as Americans will enjoy Chinese or Thai. At the restaurant you order what kind of meat you want -- kalbi beef, chicken, pork, plus vegetables -- and then everyone fries it up over the fire located in the center of the table, taking pieces off and eating them as they cook. It's a fun social way for everyone to eat together, but you have to be good with the chopsticks, or someone else will steal the piece of meat you had your eye on. Japanese believe you can tell a lot about a person from their blood type, and it's not rare for Korean BBQ meals to turn into conversations about this phenomenon, with my wife saying, "Look at the way Peter hoards the pieces of meat near him. That's standard behavior for a person with B-type blood." 

Of course, the Japanese adapt Korean BBQ to their own tastes somewhat, adding a delicious sauce for dipping the meat in that Koreans don't use, and when we ask "real" Korean establishments if they have any, they just yell at us about how Korea invented kimchee and not Japan. Also, in Korean BBQ establishments in Korea or the U.S., the meat is usually cooked by a restaurant employee rather than the customers themselves.

Japanese love to eat yakiniku, or Korean BBQ.

Cool Products Monday, April 5, 2010

Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Megami Magazine Creators vol. 19 Megami Creators is the magazine for serious fans of anime characters and the people who bring them into being. This perfect bound magazine is loaded with beautiful pages of art for you.
	Ultra Jump Jan 2010 Then: a new issue of Ultra Jump, the extremely professional and elegant monthly magazine that gives you 540 pages of high quality Japanese comics, including Tenjou Tenge and Bastard!!
	Little Devil Ageha ~ Koakuma Ageha Super new issue of the perfect-bound Little Devil Ageha, for fans of the super-glitzy fashionable girls of Shibuya, Tokyo. Ageha (ah-gay-ha) is a kind of butterfly that's as gorgeous as these women.
	Matoryoshika Kawaii ECO Bag with Die-cut Fluffy Pouch Japan has been having a "Russian Nesting Doll Boom" lately, with many kawaii products coming out for fans appreciate the design sense of the traditional toys. Here's a cool "eco bag."
	Hayate The Combat Butler Costume J-List stocks awesome complete anime cosplay outfits from Japan, and today we've gotten in a great Hayate costume that comes with everything you need.
	Authentic School Briefcase Don't look now, but we've restocked the Japanese school bag that's used by thousands of real high school students in Japan every day. Made by the famous Matsukameya of Nagoya, who also create the authentic school uniforms we sell.
	Cattleya Revoltech, Fate Testarossa Figma Also, got that sexy Revoltech figure of Cattleya in stock, made with dozens of points of articulation so she can be placed in any pose you like. You can make her fight Fate from Nanoha, we also got in.
	Luka Megurine Pull-Dash Tuna Car We love the awesome Vocaloid toys from Japan at J-List and today we've gotten in the fun Luka-chan toy car that's shaped like a tuna.
	iTunes Japan Prepaid Cards Fans living outside of Japan can buy great JPOP tunes by AKB48 or fun anime songs like music from Baka to Test, but you also get full access to apps like the new Love Plus games, too (log out of existing account to see).
	Touhou Project ~ Imperishable Night J-List has another awesome doujin shooting game from the Touhou universe, which has come to define Japan's subculture. Great fun to play!
	Today's New Japanese Snacks First, enjoy Fujiya's Green Tea Milky soft candy, one of my favorites. Then we have Japanese Firsk mints that Sharpen You Up, plus amazing senbei rice crackers -- yum.
	Japanese Edible Ukiyoe Picture Candy From the company that made the amazing Japanese Food Drops candies, we have the first-ever Japanese lollipops you can eat. They taste great!
	Square Totoro Tight Bento Box Brown By customer request, we've got more My Neighbor Totoro bento for you. This is an excellent split-section "tight" bento which seals to keep your lunch from spilling. Looks great too.
	Family Size SAKURA JUBAKO Bento Box Then, enjoy spring with this jubako stacking bento box, which sold out in record time last week, although we were able to get more for you. It's large enough for your whole family to use, or make it the centerpiece at parties.
	Other Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked Other amazing bento boxes have been restocked, with the amazing lacquer-styling that makes them look so special. Click to see the gorgeous bentos, which are large sized for guys who have bigger appetites.
	NORIO Onigiri Bento Case We love carrying bento boxes that have lots of character, and this super-cute onigiri style small bento box is so darned cute. Restocked today.
	Kawaii Boiled Egg Shapers The Japanese love Disney as much as we love Hello Kitty. See fresh stock of boiled egg shapers for "Pooh-san" (as Winnie the Pooh is called here) plus Stitch.
	Beautiful Kompeito Candy Case Konpeito is a traditional star-shaped candy eaten in Japan for centuries, which was seen in the film Spirited Away. That cute traditional dish for storing the candies is back in stock.
	Totoro Baby Rattle We posted two great Totoro baby bibs last time, and today we're following up with an awesome soft Totoro rattle to get your little one started off right. Also: the Take a Walk with Totoro plush toys are restocked.
	Little Twin Stars B5 Notebook Kiki and Lala are the Little Twin Stars, the popular twin angels that Sanrio introduced to the world in 1976. Here's a great notebook for Sanrio collectors.
	Restocked Japanese Study Products See fresh stock of one of our most popular books, the bilingual Ghost in the Shell, with both languages presented side by side and no censorship. Also: books for learning kanji and grammar by studying 15 minutes a day.
	Japanese T-shirt 'No Gaijin Allowed' Every once in a while a gaijin encounters a sign saying, "No foreigners allowed." Here's a wacky T-shirt that has this message on it, great for surprising Japanese people! But don't do what I did, wearing it through immigration at Narita Airport...
	Red x White Celebration Rabbit Magnets Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets that are beautiful to look at, here today we're posting some cute rabbit-shaped magnets from Japan.
	Traditional Tea Cup, Sake Cup & Tray Next. see a bunch of random traditional products, including traditional tea and sake cups, plus a great sakura-themed tray.
	Qwaser of Stigmata, Shining Wind Figures *Preorder* Oo, more preorder anime figures for you. First we have the enigmatic Ekaterina Kurae from Qwaser of Stigmata, looking good. Then a Tony Taka figure from Shining Wind. Nice!
	Nanoha Nendoroid, Evangelion Figma Figures Or preorder the new Nendoroid Petit Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha figure set, such a great offering for collectors. Or the excellent Fraulein Revoltech for Evangelion fans.
	Touhou Figures for Preorder, Too Love Touhou? Well we've got two new figures for you, which are meticuloiusly prepainted and ready to be displayed. Kaguya and Yamaxanadu both look great.
	Restocked Japanese Pens, StitchLock J-List always carries awesome Japanese pens for you, and today we've restocked the Pilot Hi-Tec Gel Ink Pen in three different point sizes. Also: the Paper StitchLock, which never needs staples!
	Shining Sky -- Miho Miyazaki AKB48 Another superb item for AKB48 fans who want to appreciate the members while they wear as little as possible, this is the super photobook of Miho Miyazaki.
	Restocked Photobooks, Too Restocked photobooks, too, including the delicious former Race Queen Airi Nagasaku, who has become one of the top gravure idols in Japan, plus Miu Nakamura's lovely body.
	Muramasa Visual fanbook Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa is the newest game from popular H-game maker Nitroplus, and we're happy to have the gorgeous full color artbook in stock for you.
	Awesome Artbooks Restocked See other great artbooks restocked, too, including the Bible Black Visual Artworks, one of the most popular books we've ever carried, plus the legendary Dendrobium by Nishieda.
	The Most Advanced Stress Relief Toys The most amazing "H" toys in the world are the "R-1" series by Rends, and we've restocked all of these amazing items, from the Starter Set to the Predator Wand, the A10 Cyclone and the super Feel Mont Blanc.