Is Japan "Behind" the U.S.?

One Twitter user asked me, "Is it true that coming from Japan to America feels like traveling 20 years back into the past?" This is a tricky question to answer. It's true that, stepping off the plane at Narita Airport, the gleaming clean surfaces of the Shinkansen can make you feel you've time warped a decade into the future to a magical place where vending machines mix you a frothy cappuccino then bow to you in thanks. While Japan holds its own where technology is concerned, Japanese society is widely seen by Japanese people as being a decade or so "behind" the West. Whenever a new social trend appears in the U.S., for example the major bans of cigarettes in California in the late 1990s, I know Japan will follow the trend about ten years later, almost to the year. And even technology changes can take Japan by surprise. For years the country's sleek cell phones were the envy of the world, yet while they were cool, you can do so much more with a modern iPhone or Android phone. Japanese cell phone companies were totally unprepared for American companies to come in and turn their industry upside down, and have been scrambling to recover their balance ever since.

Cell phone technology can change in a very short time.

Peter's Trip Back East: Time to Go Home

Hello again, this time from Boston. My son and I have completed our East Coast tour and are heading back to Japan soon. We've had a blast visiting various sites in Washington D.C., had an exciting time in New York at Coney Island and Times Square, stayed in a quaint Bed & Breakfast in Rhode Island that made me wonder if I might not experience Groundhog Day 15,532 times, then walked all over the "Kyoto" of America. We got to experience New York pizza from a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and learned that what they say about Boston drivers is true. Now we're tired, though, and more than ready to get back to our more peaceful life in Japan.

One place I made sure to bring my son was Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, since I feel that it's a place every American should visit, even if he happens to be half Japanese. It's a powerful shrine, and my son was amazed at the solemnness and history all around him. Of course, there's no place like Arlington in Japan -- there are no national icons to visit, no memorial to the Japanese war dead in the Battles of Midway or Leyte Gulf or Iwo Jima, as Japan was the loser in the conflict and is now very embarrassed at their past. Since he hasn't spent years in the U.S. absorbing our historic legends, it's been a challenge for my son to pick up the nuances of some of what we've been seeing, for example Paul Revere, whose actual deeds have been heavily fictionalized (he's as famous as he is in part because his last name rhymes with the word "hear"). Fortunately my son is familiar with Japanese history and the legends that have grown up around, say, the pivotal historic figure Sakamoto Ryoma, so he was able to understand the historic background pretty well.

I made sure to take my son to visit Arlington National Cemetery; we had an exciting time back east.

New Domo-Kun T-Shirt & Hoody and Sale!

J-List has been "friends of Domo-kun" ever since the old days when we were all laughing about an Internet graphic about God and a kitten, and we've carried the most excellent Domo-kun T-shirts, hoodies, hats, figures and other goodies for years. This month we're having a cool 2x J-List Points sale on all Domo items, including the just-released Vintage Domo T-shirts (for guys, plus a fitted one for girls) and a really awesome hoodie. Click to see the newest Domo products now and take advantage of the extra discounts!

Cool Products Thursday, July 26, 2012

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.

	Young Ace Aug 2012 Grab an all-new issue of Young Ace, loaded with awesome manga like Fate/Zero, Last Exile, Boys meets Girls and much more! This is one of the best monthly manga magazines, with dozens of great stories all fans will love, so we recommend you pick up a copy now. View products »
	Cosmode The Nation 01 A special issue of Cosmode Magazine, called Cosmode The Nation that focuses on awesome the cosplay culture thorough the world with awesome pictures.
	Figure Maniacs Summer 2012 Another superior issue of Figure Maniacs, focusing for the summer, featuring all the latest figures in gorgeous oversized pictures. Awesome.
	Super Sonico Bed Sheets ~ Moe Moe Kyun! Share your bed with the beautiful and sexy Super Sonico with the new sheet. This is an epic item that will make you dream of Sonico!
	Limited Ver. Schick x Evangelion Figures Get a shave slicker than Pen Pen's rear with this great, limited edition Evangelion shaver set. These items sell out fast, so make sure you act fast.
	Fate/Zero, Super Sonico Car Sunshades Keep your car protected with awesomeness, with these super anime sunshaded from Fate/Zero and Super Sonico. We love them both!
	New Domo-Kun Hoodies, T-Shirts ~ and a Sale! We love the response we've had to our new Domo Vintage T-shirt for guys, and today we're announcing a hooded sweatshirt and girl's fitted tee!
	Frog Mirror & Coin Bank  Keep your coins and savings in a safe place where nobody would think of looking, inside a kawaii frog mirror.
	Restocked Smile Slime Plush, Other Figures We have other items in stock, incl. Smile Slime plush, Bakemonogatari and Tiger and Bunny figures, something for Muv-Luv fans and more.
	Kokoro-Connect The now popular novel series, Kokoro Connect gets its manga and anime adaptation, and J-List is proud to introduce you to this funny "exchange" story.
	Kera Sep 2012 vol. 169 Enjoy a new issue of this wonderful fashion magazine, showcasing the latest in gothic and punk lolita fashions. Great for fans of Tokyo youth culture.
	Pretty New Japanese Fashion Products We have new Japanese fashion items posted, including the Dot Ribbon Sexy Outfits in several colors. They're random and kawaii!
	Japanese Swimsuits for Summer and Cosplay Summer is time for swimming, and we've restocked our most popular swimsuits, including the Hatsune Miku shimapan bikini and Hideyoshi swimsuit.
	Gorgeous Japanese Over-Knee Socks Restocked J-List loves the over-knee socks which, when combined with short mini-skirts, create the "sweet three centimeter" space known as "the absolute zone."
	Macross ~ Do You Remember Love? In Stock We have great news: the Macross the Movie Blu-ray DX boxed set is in stock, with the remastered film plus many extras, including rare artbooks and other fun items plus a PS3 game that you will not want to miss, oh and the legendary Macross 2012 Flashback on Blu-ray (!!). Let's all Yak Deculture together...but hurry, as we don't know how long this will remain available to us. View products »
	.hack//The Movie ~ .hack//Versus The latest installment in the popular series on Hybrid Pack (Blu-ray Disc). a great limited item from Japan.
	Make Cutely Shaped Nori for Bento Spice up your bento life with the nori cutters and shapers, for making extremely cute Japanese food to eat.
	Pocket Monster Best Wishes! Hiragana Learning This marvelous textbook with teach the beginnings of Hiragana via cute Pokemon characters. Sounds good to us!
	The Best Pens (and Scissors?) from Japan Our most popular pens are restocked, including the classic Sarasa pens from Zebra, and those "Pen Type Scissors" which are so handy to have.
	Delicious New Snacks from Japan Posted We have new Japan-only flavors of Pringles potato chips, including Tasty Salt and Sweet Tomato Sauce. Other new snacks posted too.
	Restocked J-Snacks Restocked snacks include Mystery Neri Ame, Sakura Mochi Candy, rare caramels from all around Japan, Wasabi Rice Crackers, plus traditional Kyoto candy!
	Restocked Japanese Snacks in San Diego See new Japanese snacks and drinks stocked in San Diego, including UCC Melon Soda, Ramune, Sonic the Hedgehog Energy Drink and more.
	Make Osaka-style Takoyaki! Make your own Takoyaki (breaded octopus balls) with this new awesome Takoyaki Maker from Japan. Thanks for making this such a hit product.
	Batman 2 Tier Bento Box w/ Elastic Band A fantastic two-tiered bento set featuring a distinctive Batman design. We love the new Batman bento items and hope the trend continues!
	Gorgeous Traditional Lacquered Bento, More We have a huge update of traditional bento boxes, from great lacquered bento with rabbits and sakura to stacked jubako bento boxes.
	Fun Traditional Items Restocked See our most popular yokobue flute, plus a great way to product your tables with tatami power, all restocked today.
	Genki Textbooks Restocked J-List strongly supports your efforts to learn Japanese, which is why we've restocked the excellent Genki textbooks and other study aids. Highly recommended!
	HIRAGANA Study Card Learn all the basics of the Japanese language with this fun and easy to use study card set. A great way to learn Japanese through visual cards!
	Tsumicole Tachikomania *Preorder* Fans of cute robots, check out this set of adorable Tachikoma figures from the hit cyberpunk series Ghost in the Shell. So much fun to build new shapes.
	Cirno Nendoroid Plush *Preorder* Touhou Project fans know products for the popular shooting games can be hard to obtain, since they're usually sold in small numbers at doujin events. But not today!
	Infinite Stratos Puchikko Figures *Preorder* We love the moe harem anime Infinite Stratos, and we lvoe these new figures too. Get the whole set and display them.
	Asuka is the Drill that Pierces the Heavens This may be the coolest Asuka figure we've ever seen. Look at her face, her expression, her eyes. A very special item for hardcore fans.
	Finally, Even More Preorder Figures Finally, we've got the Renne Nendoroid from the Falcom classic, a Monster Hunter figure, and more for you to browse. We literally can't fit them all in.
	Latest Bejean and The Best Premium issues Two awesome adult magazine for you today, with oversized pages and many beautiful girls, but also free panties and DVDs included!
	Rina Ito's Gorgeous Photobook Restocked Rina Ito's first photobook, newcomer zenra model and AV idol wanabee who just started her career in April. Tons of beautiful pictures inside!
	Classy Cranberry's ~ Happoubi Jin Artworks The Artbook for the game Classy Cranberry illustrated by one of the most talented ero artist, Happoubi Jin, is finally here and it's mind-blowing.
	Today's New 'H' Manga Volumes Artist Kazuya Yoshiura delivers an awesome thick hentai manga with cute and erotic female characters, including 10 elaborate long sex stories for you.
	New Futanari Doujinshi Posted See new hardcore doujinshi by the BehindMoon circle, involving trap, futa and other fun things for fans to enjoy.
	Tamaki Kousaka Puni-M Mouse Pad ~ Toheart2 ToHeart2's Tamaki Kousaka, affectionately known as Tama-nee, is one of Japan's most beloved heroines. You will never mouse the same again.
	Sexy 'Cast Off' Figures In Stock And if you're looking for something to get the juices flowing, try this smoking hot figure of Ikki Tousen's Ryomou in a super-sexy bunny suit.
	Maou no Kuse ni Namaiki da! There's a saying that a male virgin who turns 30 becomes a mighty wizard. What if it really happened? That's the premise of this great import eroge.
	Gorgeous Import Eroge Restocked, Too Enjoy classic titles like Sora to Kumo to Kimi no Koi, Prismatic Princess, Dousei LoverAble, Happy Family Club and Legend Seven.
	Gucho Nure Monster ~ G A new amazing onahole toy for men, from Omanect designed to relieve stress and help you reach ecstasy with its complex curves and soft feel.
	Popular Parody Onahole Toys Enjoy wonderful stress toys for fans of famous anime series, like Madoka, Homura and Mami-san from our favorite magical girl show, and more.
	Sweat Scent, Interesting Personal Lotions Restocked We restocked some fun products for "love doll" fans, which provide the ultimate realism needed to make your fantasy com true.
	School Swimsuit H The Best 4 **240 MIN** Fans of tight swimsuits and hot Japanese girls, rejoice, we have a new 4h HD best-of featuring hot "H" action with girls wearing swimsuits. Nosebleed warning!
	Premium Flat Tits Idols Complete Works Those who crave for sex action with small and Japanese idols with cute tits will love this 4 DVDs, 16hours compilation by TMA, at a really reasonable price.