Top Buzzwords of 2011 in Japan. Edarimasho!

Every year dictionary publisher U-CAN announces the most popular buzzwords for the past year, slang words which appear suddenly and are likely to fade away just as quickly, and the official list for 2011 was released yesterday. The list of popular new words included sumaho, an abbreviation for smartphones, which really took off this year; Nadeshiko Japan, the soccer team that won the FIFA 2011 Women's World Cup; and "Tiger Mask," which began when an anonymous kind soul donated school backpacks to orphans under the name of a classic anime character, and was quickly imitated by many others. Buzzwords related to the terrible earthquake and tsunamis of March 11 were well represented in this year's list, like keikaku teiden ("scheduled blackout") for the period of rolling blackouts in the month after the disaster; "after 4," referring the new free time employees enjoyed when their companies went switched to earlier schedules to save power (including J-List); the verb "Edaru," named after hardworking Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, meaning to work really hard; and Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. military rescue mission, which had many Japanese laughing at its goofy name before making them tear up with emotion.

One of the more awesome moments in U.S.-Japan relations.

Driving in Japan

Although Japan is a land crisscrossed by trains, cars are still needed to get around unless you happen to live in a large city like Tokyo. While younger Japanese seem to be less interested in owning cool cars than previous generations, many Japanese take great enjoyment in owning a car and perhaps joining an owner's club, like the Mazda Roadster (Miata) club in J-List's home prefecture. Over the weekend there was a terrible multi-car pile-up involving a group of high-end car enthusiasts driving from Kyushu to Hiroshima, which happened when the first car spun out unexpectedly. In the space of a few seconds, eight gorgeous Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benzes and a classic Lamborghini Countach were turned to scrap. Happily no one was seriously injured, but the losses are expected to total $2.5 million.

A sad accident involving some awesome cars.

K-On! Goes to London

This past weekend saw the "roadshow" -- what a movie release is called in Japan, from an old movie distribution method used in the U.S. through the 1950s or so -- of the K-On! movie, and I did my duty as a Japan blogger and went to check out the film. It was great seeing Mio, Yui, Ritsu, Mugi and Azunyan on the big screen for the first time, and in no time my yuri meter was over 9000. In the film the girls take a graduation trip to London (Yui says, "No, we're not going to England, we're going to London!"), where they visit the birthplace of many famous musicians, walk across the Abbey Road intersection and are confused by British sushi. The film accurately captures the thrill Japanese people experience when they leave their safe island nation and venture out into the wider world with nothing but a guide book and a little English. I write a lot about how the anime industry has had to get "smarter" in the 21st century, bringing in new ideas like product placement since they can't expect fans to pay $600 for a series like we used to. In the film, the girls stay at the Ibis Earl's Court Hotel, which may be the first example of a company outside Japan paying to be included in an anime. (Pizza Hut Japan does it all the time, but they're a domestic company.)

The Light Music Club takes a trip to London.

J-List's EMS Sale Continues

Remember that we're having a great J-List EMS Sale, to help customers rushing to get products sent in time for Christmas from Japan. You'll get a $15 coupon for an EMS order over $100 (not counting shipping), or a whopping $40 back for an EMS order of $200 or more, which gives you a great excuse to browse our site now for great Japanese snacks, super Totoro items, Hello Kitty, Touhou, K-On!, and make an order now. This offer expires at midnight on Monday, December 12th.

Cool Products Monday, December 5, 2011

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.

	New Totoro Items In Stock Christmas is in the air, and J-List has a huge stock of fantastic products that would be great to give to that special Ghibli Fan this year. We've posted some great new products today, including cute "Gamaguchi pouches" shaped like Totoro and the Cat Bus, which you can use to securely carry your money or other important things. View products »
	Restocked Totoro & Kiki's Delivery Service  Also: see a big restocking of Totoro and Kiki's Delivery plush toys, since we believe in promoting world peace through Ghibli toys.
	Soft Totoro Blankets Restocked It's getting cold out there, so we've also restocked our warm and snuggly Totoro blankets. They will become a treasure in your family.
	Cutie Dec 2011 Today's awesome fashion magazine is Cutie, full of gorgeous girls showcasing the hottest styles and trends in Japan. Comes with a free HbG bag!
	Drift Tengoku Dec 2011 We sell all the best Japanese magazines via monthly subscription, including ones for fans with specific interests, like Drift Heaven.
	Gift Certificate for the One You Love Nothing says "I think you're nerdy-cool and awesome" like the gift of J-List this holiday season! Gift certificates are sent in printable PDF form through email.
	Anime, JPOP & Traditional Art & Photo Calendars J-List has a great selection of 2012 calendars from Japan, which are printed on huge sheets of glossy paper and look great. Spend the year with your favorite characters, from Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn, Blood C, Working!, Astarotte, Freezing, or Infinite Stratos. There's one problem though: we had more than 150+ calendars in stock last week, but already a dozen or more have sold out. Don't let that awesome Chi's Sweet Home calendar get away! Calendars make great gifts, too. View products »
	Hello Kitty Ice Cube Tray We've got a lot of Hello Kitty products for you today, including the 3D Hello Kitty ice cube maker, which makes the cutest Sanrio-themed ice for your bourbon.
	Great One Piece Anime Products We stock lots of One Piece anime products because we love them. See a fun coloring book in stock, plus One Piece Bath Salt?
	Kissing Long Sleeve Shirt ~ Black or Pink Got elegant Japanese fashions on the site today, with two elegant stops that feature kissing lips on them. Choose from black or pink.
	More Cat Ears from Japan Get ready for Halloween by going to this year's party as a cute catgirl (or catboy). We've got lots of kawaii items restocked today.
	More Shimapan from Japan We've got our striped pantsu back in stock as well today, great for fans of Mio from K-On! and Miku Hatsune. Which will you choose?
	DECO mini Tape 3pcs ~ Message (Keep Out Tape) This is great: authentic Japanese tape that says "Keep Out," just like the anime meme popularized by Persona 4 and Drrrrrr.
	Pen Type Video Camera ~ micro SD Type Spy on your friends with this pen-sized video camera and microphone! The possibilities are literally endless.
	Smart Phone Mobile Gloves If you're tired of taking your gloves off to use your iPhone, these warm gloves are just what you need! Designed to work with all touch screens!
	Green Tea Toothpaste, Other Awesome Products See toothpaste made from real matcha (green tea) leaves, plus health items like our Bamboo Charcoal Strong Deodorizer.
	Make Beautiful 'Deco' Snacks with Okashi Factory These are cool: fun kits that enable you to create "deco" chocolate that is incredibly beautiful. Make decorative versions of Japanese snacks with these!
	ZEROHARI Paper Stitcher, More We always have fun stationery products from Japan. See the ZeroHari magic stapler, Secure Stamper for hiding personal info, and more.
	iTunes Prepaid Cards You can celebrate the new K-On! Movie by browsing all the songs over on the iTunes Japan store, including the new songs for the film.
	K-On! Replica Instruments Remember that we've got replicas of the K-On! instruments, which are truly awesome to display and play with. Real knobs and strings, plus a display stand!
	Hello Kitty Regional Limited Caramel Set of 3 We love caramels from Japan, and are happy with the delicious ones we have in stock today: Hello Kitty Caramels in melon, corn and "moe" strawberry flavor.
	Power Drop ~ Japanese Food Drops We love the Traditional Food Drops candies from Japan, and sell hundreds every month. Here's a new flavor: "Power," flavored like popular energy drinks.
	Amazing Snacks Restocked Restocked snacks include Japanese Oreos, awesome Neru Neru Nerune in Ramune flavor by Kracie, Pocari Sweat powder, Pocky and more.
	Epic Microwave Products from Japan Wacky microwave products restocked, including our Microwave Potato Chip Maker, Microwave Waffle Maker and even Takoyaki. Yum!
	Chocolate-style Bento Set It looks like an ice cream sandwich, but it's really a great 3-level bento box that's totally fun to eat out of. What will you put in each section?
	Blue Perfect Onigiri Style 2 Tier Bento Box Here's a great triangular bento box with built in fork, the only bento you need for grabbing a delicious lunch on the go. A great starter bento.
	Restocked 'Metal Mode' Bento Several popular bento boxes restocked today, incl. the Metal Mode Men's 1000 ml Bento for guys. (This is the bento I use).
	Kawaii Bento Restocked, Too Got cute bento too, including Totoro, Nina Nino Panda, plus the most popular bento bag we've ever carried, Pink Cat Face Bento Bag.
	Traditional and Modern Dishware, Bento Great traditional items, including our Sakura Lovers's Miso Soup Bowl Gift Set, portable chopsticks and more. Fun to look through these.
	Bento Cups, Sandwich Cutters, More Also: fantastic sandwich shapers which make the most interesting sandwiches ever, bento cups for separating your lunch and more.
	Genki Textbook Series for Learning Japanese The Genki textbook series is the most popular way to study Japanese in the world, and we've restocked all volumes on the site today.
	Awesome Japanese Coffee Cups We've restocked the most popular coffee cup in our history, the Cup Noodle Mug Cup, along with other great items.
	Awesome 'Hachimaki' Headbands Channel the spirit of Japan or use these to focus your concentration in study or in life -- these headbands will put you in the right frame of mind!
	Traditional Products from Japan See our popular Kiseru tobacco pipe, plus yokobue flute, traditional Japanese tops and a Natural Flink Magatama, from old Japan.
	Suzaku Kururugi - Code Geass Figure *Preorder* Here's an awesome figure of Suzaku from Code Geass R2 in his Knight of Zero uniform, complete with badass cape and cool sword. Amazing detail!
	Ano Hana Collection Figure Set of 7 *Preorder* More cute AnoHana stuff for you! Here's a set of chibi figures featuring all of the main characters plus a secret prize! Menma...!
	Delusion Lovers ~ Ria Horisaki Today's gravure offering is the first nude photobook from Ria Horisaki, a cute and sexy new idol with "girl next door" appeal.
	The Most Amazing Anime Stress Toys Bring your relationship with the K-On! girls to the next level with the fun parody onahole toys we've restocked today. Yui-chan!
	Other Fun Stress Toys Restocked See restocked stress toys, including the 'sexy twins' simulators, so realistic you'll be tempted to buy it dinner. Fresh stock of TENGA Flip Hole, too.
	Awesome Import Eroge Restocked Today's restocked titles include For My Precious Sweetheart, The Best Thing I Can Do, Custom AI-Droid Ai, A Little Queen of Kingdom, Shion's Blood Family, more.
	Secret Wives' Club for NTR? One game I like a lot is Secret Wives' Club, a game in which you must become the "teacher" of three married women whose husbands aren't doing it for them.

Transliterating and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Effect

Transliteration is the act of moving from one writing system to another, which is never an easy task. When expressing Japanese in English, there are a lot of questions to consider, including which Romanization method to use. The "Hepburn" method results in words that are close to how non-Japanese pronounce them, for example shitsurei, meaning rude, while the "Nihonshiki" method forces syllables into consonant + verb pairs (e.g. siturei) despite the fact that no one pronounces words that way. One way to make Japanese words easier for English speakers to digest is to break them into smaller chunks with hypens, something the creators of Yu-Gi-Oh! got right, since Yuhgioh / Yuugiou / Yuhgioh / Yuugioh would not have stuck in people's brains as well. I generally write the word for "childhood friend" as osana-najimi with a hyphen, since osananajimi is a big jumble of hard to read letters, and we're pretty sure that our Japanese "Lucky Bags" are easier for our customers to remember when we write fuku-bukuro instead of fukubukuro.

A conversion chart between Romaji and hiragana.

The Elements of "Moe" in Anime

I write a lot about the theory and practice of moe (mo-eh), since it's a subject that's dear to me. Although the kanji literally means "sprout" (like a plant poking through the soil), my personal definition for the word is, "the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when contemplating your favorite anime character." Moe is many things to many people, however, and when I asked my Twitter and Facebook followers what the word meant to them, I got a range of answers. One replied that moe is all about the incredibly shy reactions the characters make when they get embarrassed by something, and others are charmed by how helpless moe girls are without someone to rescue them, while some loved the inner conflict in a good tsundere, angry and haughty most of the time, but with a payoff of loving tenderness later. I find myself fascinated by the flaws that are found in every good moe character, like the dojikko clumsiness of Yui from K-On!, or those cute crooked teeth, called yaeba (yah-eh-bah) and illustrated as a single rogue tooth in the corner of the mouth, which make me feel all tingly inside.

I love the yaeba fang as a "moe charm point."

Japan Loves Nostalgia

One thing I've noticed about the Japanese: they're very good at is appreciating nostalgia, and on any given day you're likely to hear someone exclaim natsukashii! (nots-ka-shee!), which can be translated as "that makes me so nostalgic I look like one of those manga characters with a tear rolling out of my eye!" Whether watching a variety show featuring the 50 best J-POP songs of the 1990s (iTunes Japan link) or appreciating the simply beauty of classic cars of a bygone era, the Japanese seem hardwired to love the old days. The heart of nostalgia to the Japanese is the Showa Period, the name for the reign of Emperor Hirohito which lasted from 1925-1989, which saw war and destruction followed by the rebuilding of the nation's dreams and toilet seats that wash your butt for you. Today the imagery of the Showa Period is loved by many as a simpler, better era, and you can travel there by visiting a dagashi shop, which sells the traditional candy popularized in the years before after World War II. We've got many of these in stock for you to try, from liquid candy you knead with chopsticks to Kompeito star-shaped candy and Sakuma Drops can Grave of the Fireflies.

(There's a scene in Gunbuster where they're up in a space station in a Japanese style sento back, washing using the yellow buckets with ケロリン stamped in red letters in the bottom. The irony of being in space while using such a famous object from the Showa Period is something only Gainax could have managed so well.)

Japan is a country that loves nostalgia.

Announcing the J-List EMS SALE!

J-List is loaded with awesome products for all the people on your holiday list this year, but there aren't that many days until Christmas. We decided to help our customers by having a week-long J-List EMS Sale, during which we'll give you cash back when you order using EMS. Need to make an order of unique bento products for your significant other, or score a selection of rare Hello Kitty or Totoro items, or maybe something special for the bedroom? Then order now! This offer expires at midnight on Monday, December 5th. What do you think?

Cool Products Friday, December 2, 2011

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.

	NyanType Jan 2012 First, we have this month's selection of awesome magazines full of cute moe girls. NyanType leads the way with lots of posters and cool omake free stuff! The posters in this issue are extra-awesome, a snapshot of everything that's good about anime this month. Grab a copy now! View products »
	Dengeki G's Magazine Jan 2012 Next is the huge Dengeki G's, with tons of pictures from shows like Idolm@ster and K-On! Free super-cute figure of Haruka included with the issue!
	Shirow Masamune Calendar 2012 We got the last stock of the 2012 Shirow Masamune calendar today. Last year's sold out fast, so don't let it get away this year! Click to see all our calendars.
	Japanese Anime T-Shirt ~ Angry Choco A fun new T-shirt just in time for the Holidays! Chocobo is angry at Cactaur and is going to smash him into a pulp! Grab this fun shirt now.
	Hatsune Miku, Mirai Suenaga, Horo! Then enjoy fresh stock of some kawaii figures, including Hatsune Miku, Mirai Suenaga plus Horo the awesome wolf girl.
	Gifts They'll Never Forget From our popular line of Fuku-bukuro traditional grab-bags filled with random items to the official Hello Kitty vibrators, I mean shoulder massages.
	go to natura... ~ Maki Goto Maki Goto (Gotoh) is the talented former Morning Musume star, and we're happy to have her final photobook in stock. (Please see on the "R" side).
	Tokyo Fashions Restocked Enjoy some cool restocked fashions, including the Neck T One Piece Dress, Bohemian Top for Fashion plus those elegant striped socks. Nice!
	Nice Restocking of Shimapan See a nice restocking of shimapan for girls and guys, plus other awesome products like the school uniform for Hideyoshi fans.
	Totoro Organic Cotton Bath Towels, Washcloths We have the honor of being able to bring out customers the most awesome products from Studio Ghibli, and today see some of the best Totoro towels and washcloth products we've ever seen. Fabulous quality, great for gifts or to make your guest bathroom really special. View products »
	Restocked Totoro Plush Toys We've got a nice selection of restocked Totoro plush toys too, including the Totoro and Ponyo no Sanpo plush toys that "walk" when you pull their strings.
	Wake Up to Totoro Every Morning Also, our popular Miyazaki-approved real wood Totoro alarm clocks, that Totoro China Tea Cup plus awesome Ghibli cushions.
	PSP Black Rock Shooter Limited Edition Only a few copies left of this awesome limited edition Black Rock Shooter game, which comes with an exclusive Figma and more!
	Maji-Koi!! on Blu-ray Disc! The first volume of Maji-Koi is here, and it's full of awesome special features! Follow the wacky adventures of five beautiful samurai girls!
	Macross Blu-ray + PS3 Game, PSP Anime Games Big restocking of PSP and PS3 titles, including Hatsune Miku, Weiss Schwartz Portable plus my favorite, the Macross Frontier 2nd movie w/ PS3 game (!!).
	Gorgeous Artbooks from Japan Restocked See great restocked artbooks on the site today, including the Pixiv Girls Collection, so pleasant to look at page after page.
	Hello Kitty Glasses Stand Pink Heart ~ Megane Holder Our customers love our first Hello Kitty Glasses Stand so much, so we're happy to have this alternate version. Kitty-chan will wear your glasses!
	Hello Kitty Miniature Sushi, Kawaii Violin A Kitty-themed set of adorable "conveyor belt" sushi miniatures? Japan, you know the way to our hearts. We love this to death! Now in stock.
	Higurashi ~ When they Cry Great all-ages games from Japan in English, including the Higurashi ~ When They Cry series, Aselia the Eternal and more. We love them all.
	Tentacle Mustache...Why Not? What's up with tentacles this year? From the Tentacle Grape carbonated soda we stock to the wacky Tentacle Fingers, this year as really been a good one for tentacle-themed products. Click to see the ultimate item, a tentacle mustache. View products »
	Okinawa Limited Puccho Soft Candy More fun treats you can only get in Okinawa, including delicious Puccho in Pineapple and Shikwasa flavor. Delicious and fun to eat.
	Big Restocking of J-Snacks Then see Winter Pocky (my favorite!, I love the cocoa powder), Monster Hunter snacks, Ramune treats in a gift box plus Pokemon candy!
	Traditional 'Dagashi' Snacks The traditional snacks of the Showa Period are in stock and waiting for you to order now. Try Kompeito, Sakuma Drops, or my favorite, Ramune Mochi.
	Fun Japanese Snacks Shipping from San Diego In addition to our popular Tentacle Grape, we're starting to carry other Japanese snacks and drinks in San Diego. Click to see our selection here.
	Evangelion Bento, More Restocked In addition to the popular stainless steel Evangelion cups we've been posting to the site, enjoy the best Evangelion bento boxes ever.
	Sakura Bento Box With Chopsticks We carry a complete bento sets which come with everything you need including chopsticks. See these traditional bento boxes, restocked today.
	Kawaii New Soy Sauce Bottles, Bento Cups Some nice new bento items too, including Hello Kitty soy sauce bottles (kyaa! Kawaii!) and bento cups featuring Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma.
	Onigiri Shapers & Other Bento Accessories Also: random bento items restocked including our most popular onigiril shapers, so you can avoid the embarrassment of improperly shaped rice balls.
	Hello Kitty Bento Accessories & More We love Hello Kitty and we love bento. Enjoy the Sanrio DECO Bento Set with onigiri shapers and mayonnaise cups and more, plus that Die Cut Mug Cup.
	Easy Microwave Rice Cooker Our popular Microwave Rice Cooker is back in stock, which saves you from having to buy an expensive electric rice cooker. Great for college students!
	Back King Bath Tablets See fresh stock of the fizzing bath tablets that also make your bath a very pleasant experience. The fizzing bath tablets are my favorites.
	Rubber Ninja Shuriken, Other Traditional Items From realistic looking rubber Ninja throwing stars to traditional items for your room, we've got a lot of nice items. Tokyo Sky Tree too!
	Kawaii 'Beach Queen' Anime Figures *Preorder* It's always summer with these cute and sexy Beach Queen figures. Each one portrays a different anime girl in her best swimwear. Check them out!
	More Awesome Preorder Figures Preorders are open on lots of great figures, like Kyouko from Madoka Magica, Sonic the Hedgehog, Iron Man, and more!
	Fuku-Bukuro Adult Set (Japanese Lucky Bag) from San Diego Great news: we've got fuku-bukuro grab bags in stock in San Diego now, as wella s Japan, a great way to grab a bunch of naughty products for a great price! The set includes several "H" DVDs, a full English eroge chosen at random, a Tenga stress toy, H-manga and more. View products »
	Dengeki Hime Dec 2011 Then enjoy the new Dengeki Hime, back on the site after many months. Filled with awesome information on the newest eroge and anime.
	Restocked 'H' Photobooks Too See fresh stock of gorgeous photobooks and 2012 calendars, which JAV fans should not miss out on. Ai Haneda is so angelic and beautiful...
	Epic 'Cast Off' Figures Available Again There's nothing like a good "cast off" anime figure to get your blood pumping, if you know what I mean. See the restocked ecchi figures today.
	Shirow Masamune's 'Pieces' Restocked Shirow Masamune is a legend in the manga world, and today we've restocked his gorgeous Pieces 7 and other ero illustration works.
	Stress Toys for the Other Side, Too We've restocked the toy that lets you know your favorite anime characters and JAV stars in a whole new way. Click to see the restocked items.
	'I Have Few Friends' Parody Stress Toys Then, great news for fans of the hit anime Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, also known as I Have Few Friends. Which girl will you choose?