Goldfish Scooping

There are some interesting things to be found on Japanese TV, like a show in which a comedian goes into a Bikkuri Donkey family restaurant and orders every item on the menu then tries to eat it all while the cameras watch, or a reality show that follows groups of people who are given $100 to cover all their expenses for the month, to see what innovative ways they come up with for saving money. The other day I caught a variety show in which a group of different "talents" (the catch-all word for famous people who appear on TV) were playing a Japanese game called kingyo-sukui or "Scoop the Goldfish." A staple at Japanese festivals, the goal is to scoop up a goldfish with a special net made of paper, and you have to be very delicate or the paper will break. In the show, one man came out in a small power shovel with a goldfish net attached to scooping arm, and demonstrated his great skill at scooping up a fish by manipulating the machine's levers. It was pretty cool to see.

Kagami has caught herself a goldfish.

Marketing Anime in the 21st Century

The rapid changes brought by the Internet have forced just about every industry to adapt. Anime is no different, and large and small animation studios are still trying to come to grips with how to flourish in a world where fans don't spend $800 for a series on Laserdisc anymore. (Yes, kids, that's what anime used to cost.) One result has been anime studios getting smarter about how to turn a profit in the 21st century, which is why the new Evangelion movies feature plenty of Doritos® corn chips and UCC Coffee® sold in Lawson® convenience stores, product placement that helps the studios' bottom lines. Pizza Hut has made an art out of tying itself to popular anime shows like Code Geass, Macross Frontier and OreImo, likely getting a sizeable boost in awareness outside Japan through YouTube and blogs, and this month customers who go into Seven Eleven will see many One Piece products on display, thanks to a cross-marketing agreement between the convenience store chain and the publisher. Of course I don't want to see my beloved anime imitating Hollywood too much, since the uniqueness of the medium is part of its attraction. Still, anime studios coming up with innovative new ways to market their products can't be a bad thing.

So what do you think of product placement in your favorite anime? 

Anime has gotten better at modern marketing itself in the 21st cenury.

Today Is Yukio Mishima Seppuku Awareness Day

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the suicide death of one of the most enigmatic Japanese men in recent history, Yukio Mishima, an acclaimed writer and poet who created such works as The Temple of the Golden Pavillion, about the obsessed Zen Buddhist monk who burned down the 552-year-old Kinkaku-ji temple in Kyoto in 1950. As is true with all Japanese who improve the image of Japan in the eyes of the world, Nobel Prize-nominated Mishima's fame abroad made him a legend inside Japan, but as his politics became more right wing (which in Japan means being pro-Emperor, pro-military, and anti-U.S.), people started to realize he was quite off his rocker. On November 25th, 1970, he and several members of his private army Tate no Kai (the Shield Society) visited a Japanese military base and took the base commander hostage, demanding that the men be gathered to listen to a prepared address, during which he tried to incite the Self-Defense Forces to rise up against the current government and restore the Emperor to power militarily. When he received only jeers and laughter from the soldiers below, he went back inside and committed seppuku (ritual disembowelment). (For more on Mishima, we recommend this book by Donald Keene, or cut to the chase and get one of those awesome hachimaki headbands.)

Yukio "Most Epic Death of the 20th Century" Mishima, 1925-1970.

"All I Want for Christmas Can Be Found at J-List"

The rapid changes brought by the Internet have forced just about every industry to adapt. Anime is no different, and large and small animation studios are still trying to come to grips with how to flourish in a world where fans don't spend $800 for a series on Laserdisc anymore. (Yes, kids, that's what anime used to cost.) One result has been anime studios getting smarter about how to turn a profit in the 21st century, which is why the new Evangelion movies feature plenty of Doritos® corn chips and UCC Coffee® sold in Lawson® convenience stores, product placement that helps the studios' bottom lines. Pizza Hut has made an art out of tying itself to popular anime shows like Code Geass, Macross Frontier and OreImo, likely getting a sizeable boost in awareness outside Japan through YouTube and blogs, and this month customers who go into Seven Eleven will see many One Piece products on display, thanks to a cross-marketing agreement between the convenience store chain and the publisher. Of course I don't want to see my beloved anime imitating Hollywood too much, since the uniqueness of the medium is part of its attraction. Still, anime studios coming up with innovative new ways to market their products can't be a bad thing.

So what do you think of product placement in your favorite anime? 

Anime has gotten better at modern marketing itself in the 21st cenury.

Cool Products Friday, November 26, 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.

	Criminal Girls Play as a guard and help criminal girls out of the dungeon where they're kept (and punishing them when they misbehave!) in this ecchi PSP RPG.
	Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA ~ The MOVIE 1st The definitive Blu-ray high definition edition of the retelling of the Nanoha story, with twists you'll love to see. English subtitles included!
	Love Hotel ~ Satellite of LOVE Next, get an intimate look at some of Japan's most intimate rooms, the famous and distinctive hotels where couples get away to make love.
	Nice Restocked Artbooks The train-riding girls artbook is back, plus several Moe Moe Encyclopedia books combining fascinating information with moe girls!
	Year of the Rabbit Traditional Pair Display ~ 2011 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, and what better way to celebrate Japanese culture than with this traditional display of kanji-emblazoned ceramic/earthenware rabbits. Two cute traditional rabbit display items posted today. View products »
	Hello Kitty Face Drawing Board Indulge your artistic side with this cute magnetic art board featuring the face of Hello Kitty. A great tool to sketch your latest Kitty inspiration.
	Other Fun Hello Kitty Items The season of giving continues with more great Kitty items, including our Hello Kitty doctor playtime set, microphone, sushi shop, and fishing game.
	Hello Kitty Vibrating Shoulder Massagers In other cool news, J-List has restocked the popular Hello Kitty vibrating personal massagers, one the products that defines us!
	Fun San-X Products, Too Fun San-X items in stock today, including those over-ear Rilakkuma headphones and the cute fizzing "Bath Balls" with Mamgoma toys inside.
	Gorgeous Anime Calendars for 2011 Remember that it's 2011 Calendar Season right now, and we're loaded with excellent anime, idol, photo, men's and other calendars. In stock today: Evangelion 2.0, Hetalia, cute idols and more! In addition, the J-List staff has been working hard adding photos to our product pages, so browse them now! View products »
	Leg Warmer Pon Pon x Knit The winter season means cute clothes and fashions that combine warmth and style. Leg warmers are "in" again this year, and we've got yours here!
	GATSBY ~ Men's Hair Wax / Spiky Edge If you're an "herbivore man," see fresh stock of the GATSBY hair wax, UNO Charcoal Ultra Black Wash for Men, and more!
	Authentic School Briefcase Also, want to carry an authentic Japanese school bag to school? We've restocked the fabulous bookbag from Matsukameya of Nagoya today.
	'Seeking a Certain Japanese Girlfriend' Shirt Our new "Looking for a Certain Japanese Girlfriend" T-shirt is a hit, which makes us happy. Today we've added a 2XL option for our larger customers!
	Big Restocking of Totoro Products Our cute Totoro Doll Collections toys, Totoro pen case, plus several of our favorite ceramic Totoro and Jiji the Cat music boxes for Christmas.
	Japan iTunes Cards for  Remember, in addition to getting great Japanese music and apps for yourself, you can now gift 3000 yen iTunes Japan store credit to others!
	One Piece Fragrant Pens, Notebooks Restocked Indulge your inner One Piece fan with fun writing gear that pleases both the senses of the eyes and nose at once! See other great stationery also.
	Mousse-chan Paper Clay Items Restocked The fun kami nendo or "paper clay" molds featuring the cute character Mousse-chan are restocked today. A popular item this Christmas!
	Today's New Japanese Snacks Nice selection of J-snacks today, including both flavors of the epic new Meiji Rich Chocolate, strawberry and matcha (green tea), which are both heavenly. Also try Fuuwa light chocolate snacks and Basil and Cheese...Pasta snacks? View products »
	High Ball (Cocktail) ~ Japanese Food Drops The traditional flavors of Japan come alive through food drops candies in the classic metal tin. Try the new "high ball" whiskey cocktail flavor!
	Furikake, Onigiri Rice Flavoring Then: sekihan is a red-colored rice with delicious azuki beans that's eaten after weddings. We have this, plus great furikake flavors too.
	Restocked Traditional & Other Snacks We have great dagashi snacks from the Showa Era, like Neri Ame liquid candy you knead with chopsticks, plus traditional Kyoto Candy!
	Restocked Snack & Gum Items From Bubblicious Gum, Morinaga Azuki (sweet red bean) Caramel, Oreo Soft Cookies, Japanese Kit Kat and Black Black caffeine gum.
	Popular Bento Boxes Restocked Bento portable meal culture is a huge part of Japanese daily life, and we're proud to bring so much of it to you here. See popular bento boxes restocked, including the Rabbit Slim Lacquered Wooden bento and 950ml Volume Bento Set for guys. View products »
	Japanese Flower Style Bento Food Dividers When assembling your bento with many different flavors and food types, it's handy, tasty, and cute to separate the food with these baran dividers!
	Restocked Bento Accessories You can never have too many fun bento accessories. Enjoy cute bento picks, onigiri shapers, soy sauce bottles and more.
	Easy Bread Shaper ~ 4 shapes  Turn boring sandwiches into fun shapes for kids with the new Easy Bread Shapers we're posting. Hearts, cats, trains, fire engines, this series is great!
	Taiyaki Microwave Maker and More Uguu! Enjoy fresh, hot taiyaki that you make in your microwave. Other wacky microwave products, too.
	Books to Study Japanese With Restocked study books include the Illustrated Dictionary of Sound Words, so important for communication in Japanese.
	Popular Traditional Items From Japan Then check more amazing traditional items: our popular yokobue flute, lucky omamori charms, a Lucky Cat Display for Happiness and more.
	Evangelion Nerv iPhone 4 Screen Protectors Register your iPhone with Nerv HQ and show your Evangelion pride with this striking red iPhone cover and screen protector. All's right with the world!
	Revy 1/4 Figure ~ Black Lagoon *Preorder* The sexy sharpshooting Revy from Black Lagoon is one of the sexiest gun-toting anime heroines from the past decade, and this figure of her is epic!
	Awesome Moe Items for Preorder If you've been bitten by the moe bug of all things bishoujo, cute and adorable in Japan, we've got the preorder goods lineup for you.
	Import Visual Novels from Japan Several popular import eroge titles today, including Scar ~ Kizuato by Key, EF ~ the first tale and December When There Is No Angel.
	Awesome Eroge for Winter, Too Get into the spirit of winter with great dating-sim games from J-List. One we like a lot is Snow Drop, great story and characters. Just $14.95 via download.
	Fun K-On!, Haruhi Parody Stress Toys Whether you love Yui from K-On! or Haruhi Suzumiya, we've got fun anime-themed holes restocked today.

Ah! Amagami-sama!

I continue to enjoy Amagami SS, the anime series based on a PS2 dating-sim game that probably best defines the moe genre today. In the series, the main character Junichi -- as usual, an average Japanese everyman, the better for fans to identify with him -- falls in love with six different girls, with the story restarting every four episodes as each girl's path is completed. (I've got a theory that Junichi is really a Godmind capable of stopping and restarting time, similar to Haruhi in the Endless Eight episodes.) It's interesting to reverse-engineer the show and see how cleverly they constructed the girls along established moe-archetypal lines. First is the senpai (upperclassmen) Haruka, the more experienced older sister type, followed by dokyusei (classmate) Kaoru, who Junichi has known for years and doesn't usually think twice about. Next come two girls who are one year younger than the main character, super shy Sae and teasing Ai. Rihoko is Junichi's osana-najimi, a deep concept that means "childhood friend" and describes a relationship that's so close it's taken for granted by both sides, thus it's difficult for Rihiko to get Junichi to notice her romantically. Finally there's Tsukasa. the class representative who is always proper and organized, another well-established character type since Hikari from Evangelion or so.

Amagami covers all the moe bases nicely. Which one is your favorite?

Country Kanji Names

I wrote recently about how the Japanese use the katakana writing system to phonetically represent foreign place names like "Grand Canyon" or "Los Angeles," quite different from Chinese which must assign unique characters for each place in the world. The current usage of katakana as a writing system for foreign loan words is actually quite recent, dating from postwar educational reforms. (It's quite common to encounter a word that violates modern usage rules such as the English word "coffee" which can be written in kanji, because it's been around so long.) Back in the Meiji Era, all the countries of the world received a kanji character which was used to represent that country. Sometimes the meaning is logical -- nichi (sun) represents Japan while chu (center) stands for China -- although most are arbitrarily assigned based on pronunciation. The system is somewhat archaic but is still used by government bodies and newspapers, since it's possible to write complex words like "The Symposium on U.S./Japan Trade Relations" in just a few characters. The other day I went out to a steak house and saw a sign advertising "gorgeous-country beef" (gohshu-gyu) and I wondered if that was somehow related to Kobe beef. Then I remembered the kanji for Australia is "gorgeous" and the restaurant was promoting that their meat had been imported from there. Incidentally, if you're looking for ideas for one of those custom kanji name stamps J-List sells, getting one with your country's kanji is a good place to start.

From left, Japan, China, England, France, Germany, America, Australia.

Things I Love About Japan...

Things I love about Japan: buying a hot can of coffee or corn pottage and drinking it on the train platform. The way the water-filled rice paddies reflect the sky like sheets of silver glass during rice-planting season. Connecting to the Internet via a high-speed wireless network as the old man selling stone-baked sweet potatoes drives by in his truck. I also love the steaming hot towels which are given to customers when they sit down in most restaurants, called oshibori in Japanese. They're especially nice when it's cold out, and you can warm yourself with the hot towel before taking it out of its wrapper and cleaning your hands. It's kind of bad manners, especially for young guys who don't want to look like ojisan (middle-aged men) in front of their friends, but a hot towel also feels great on the face. The Japanese are among the most creative people I've ever encountered, and many are adept at making oshibori art, sculptures made out of folded hot towels similar to origami. It's a time-honored practice when trying to nampa (pick up) a girl in a bar to start a conversation by showing off the objects you can make out of your hot towel, including some suggestive ones...

The Japanese are good at making art out of anything, including phallically-shaped oshibori hot towels.

J-List Black Friday Sale Update

J-List's Black Friday sale started early this year, and it's in full swing right now. Hundreds of J-List customers are shopping for awesome Hello Kitty products, bento boxes, T-shirts and hoodies, 2011 Japanese calendars and other fun items for the lucky people on their Christmas lists. During the sale, we're giving you $5 back as a store credit for every $100 you spend (shipping not included), which gives you a great excuse to add a box of Black Black Caffeine Gum or an awesome Japanese umbrella to your order to put you over the top for the next $100 amount. We also have our convenient J-List Holiday Shopping Guide with products our staff thinks would be good for your Holidayshopping, updated daily by the J-List staff!

Cool Products Wednesday, November 24, 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.

	Sound Fit Muff Headphones Whether you're looking for a set of cute earmuffs or a stylish pair of headphones you can wear through the cold winter, these are the perfect fit.
	One Piece Wall Clocks Every hour of the day is pirate hour with this bold One Piece themed pirate clock! Features all your favorite characters in a large friendly display.
	Awesomely Nerdy iPhone Cases from Japan Make your iPhone look like a vintage Nintendo controller or a cassette tape with these awesome cases! Also see the new Range Finder camera and Twin Lens Reflex Classic camera style cases, with bold designs that will make your phone the topic of conversation. View products »
	Anime Picture Book ~ Totoro, Ponyo Two new Ghibli picture books are now in stock! Written in easy Japanese with phonetic characters, these are also perfect study tools for beginners.
	Awesome Totoro Products Restocked This plush Totoro backpack has your back, and it's restocked on J-List today, along with Totoro bento, a pencil case and that kawaii baby bib.
	To Love-Ru and Toradora PSP games Specially priced versions of the PSP Toradora and To LOVE-Ru games, so much fun to play. You won't believe some of the endings, too...
	Macross Frontier Blu-Ray, Games Restocked The Macross Frontier Blu-ray + PS3 game, plus my favorite anime game, Macross Ultimate Frontier (seriously, get it), and Tales of Phantasia.
	Shinkansen Sushi Remote Control Toy Dining at Japan's kaiten-zushi or "rotating, conveyor belt" sushi restaurants is a unique experience where food is delivered to you on individually priced plates. One of the most fun styles of delivery puts the plates on the back of a model Shinkansen, or bullet train, and now you can replicate this wacky experience in your own home with this great train set -- perfect as a toy, or to add a Japanese touch to your meal setting, and an epic gift for the holidays too. View products »
	Hello Kitty Deodorizer Premium Berries Here's a really awesome Hello Kitty product, which will add elegance to any room, and a nice smell too. Restocked today.
	Fun Traditional Phone Straps, More See cute Lucky Cat phone straps, Japanese-style oil absorbing sheets, easy-to-use colorful chopsticks and omamori lucky charms!
	Hiragana Times Nov 2010 A great bilingual Japanese study magazine with articles in both languages. "For relaxing times, make it Hiragana Times."
	Waterproof Flash Cards, Memo Pad Japanese are nothing if not innovative when it comes to studying. See our waterproof flashcards and memo pads, which can be used in the bath!
	Gorgeous Artbooks In Stock We can't get enough of Shirow, and the awesome Pieces 4 is in stock for you. Also, Takeshi Okazaki's REBOOT artbook, so gorgeous.
	More Unexplored Train Station Photobooks Photobooks documenting lonely rural and haikyo (modern ruins) train stations, a great series, showing you a side of Japan you can't easily see.
	Fun New Snacks from Japan Meiji The Corn pottage snack sticks (yum), a killer new flavor of CRATZ almond snacks, plus Choco-saku, a crunchy, fun chocolate from Lotte.
	Excellent Restocked Snacks Rice Crackers w/peanuts, fortune-telling gum, Shigekix Hard Gummy in Energy Drink flavor, Morinaga Baked Chocolate, Barley Sugar Candy and more!
	GummiX 1 Gummy Insect Maker Japanese boys love insects, and you can make your own beetles and other creepy crawlies -- but these can be eaten!
	Onigiri Shapers, tor the Perfect Rice Balls Avoid the embarrassment of improperly shaped onigiri rice balls with the fun shapers we've posted today.
	Pocket Monster Bento Box Restocked Based on the amount of buzz in J-List's Twitter feed, this is one of the most drooled-over items of the season.
	NATURAL LUNCH TIME Bento Items Restocked Fresh stock of the popular Natural Lunch Time bento series, a great place to start your bento collection.
	Rilakkuma Is Taking Over the Kawaii World Rilakkuma ("Relax Bear") Microwave Rice Cooker, Silicon Cake Mold, and awesome Overhead Headphones.
	New Bento Accessories See a cute bento box band with a plush rabbit, plus awesome bento cups that teach you hiragana!
	Chopsticks Rest Set ~ Ume & Heart 4 Dogs  Then, these little dogs keep your chopsticks clean and give them a place to rest. Plus they're cute!
	Samurai Sword Chopsticks Restocked Only Japan could make chopsticks that look like historically accurate samurai swords. Restocked today.
	Awesome R2-D2 Soy Sauce Bottles, Pepper Mill Although we love anime, Star Wars is a part of our DNA too. Today we're restocking the nerd-tastic R2-D2 Soy Sauce Bottle!
	Restocked Bento & Japanese Food Books See fresh stock of the Japanese Food Phrasebook, books with bento ideas, and First Kanji Dictionary.
	Portable Paper Soap Restocked Then there are the sheets of soap you can carry with you, so you can always clean your hands no matter where you find yourself. Back in stock today!
	Interesting Japanese Pens We have more Japanese pens for you too, including the Mild Liner set of 3 colors and the ENERGEL 3-in-1 amazing pen.
	Oreimo iPad, iPhone 4 Cases *Preorder* Turn your lame, boring iPhone or iPad into an awesome Ita-device, with the OreImo cases we're announcing for preorder today. They fit standard iPhone 4 and currend iPad devices all over the world and will set you apart as a very special otaku. There's no way my iPhone or iPad can be this cute... View products »
	Today's Preorder Anime Figures A truly epic Rin Tohsaka figure (just look at that detailed hair!), plus sweet Ui and Jun from K-On! in biknis for you.
	Misaka Sisters Eye Mask ~ Index *Preorder* This is ingenious -- an eye mask that lets you cosplay as one of Misaka's younger sister clones and catch up on your sleep at the same time.
	Avion ~ Mihiro (5000 Limited Edition) If you had to live out the rest of your life on a desert island with just one beautiful Japanese woman, who would you choose? Make ours Mihiro!
	LoveLove & ChuChu vol. 5 It's another volume of the popular, sexy "H" manga series that brings together the best artists of Japan to show off their skills in the hottest ways possible. This volume focuses on kimono and traditional dress, tatami rooms and very "Japanese" themes, so those looking for a taste of Japan, ero-style, will love the many different takes on it from all these wonderful artists. View products »
	G-Best ~ G-Taste Best Selection The G-Taste artbook series by Hiroki Yagami was epic. Now enjoy the best of the series with an ecchi DVD + artbook!
	Pepee OMEGA 3 Personal Lotion Personal lotion products from Japan are the best in the world, and today we've got a new variety of Pepee ("peh-peh") lotion, as seen in all the best AV videos. Not only is it the best lotion in the world, it's also a symbol of Japan's unique sexual freedom of thought. Contains no strange chemicals, either. View products »
	Haru Nyan mini! vol. 2 ~ Yuki Nagato Parody Toy Next, if you're a serious fan of Yuki Nagato from Haruhi, we've got the new parody toy of her. Haruhi and Mikuru are also available.
	Bible Black, Sumire Portrait Studio Onahole Fresh stock of popular Bible Black onahole toys, plus the awesome Sumire, the girl who works in a portrait studio.
	Marmalade Illust Works An awesome new artbook presenting the gorgeous works of eroge brand Marmalade. Super artwork throughout.
	Restocked 'Ecchi' Artbooks See a big restocking of awesome anime artbooks from Japan, including the Nitroplus game Jingai Makyou, Push!! Illustration Archives and more.