The Japanese Love Lists

Quick, do you know how many Great Lakes there are on North America? The answer is five. The reason I know this is, the official name of the Great Lakes in Japanese is "Go-daiko" or the Five Great Lakes. The Japanese can be really organized at times, and they like to codify things into little lists to make them easier to manage, not unlike the classic Seven Wonders of the World ranking. Have you read the Four Great Tragedies of Shakespeare? I didn't know there were only four of them, but this is the term the Japanese use to describe Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and King Lear. These "most famous" mini lists are positively legion in Japan, and no matter what subject you're interested in, there's probably a "best whatever" list for you. If you're planning a trip to Japan, you might want to hit the Nihon Sankei, the Three Most Beautiful Views of Japan, which are the gnarled Japan Pines of Matsushima, the floating arch at Miyajima near Hiroshima and the view from the top of Amano Hashidate Mountain in Kyoto (which, by tradition, you're supposed to look at upside down, looking between your own legs). How about the Three Rare Delicacies of the World? Caviar, foie gras and truffles. The Three Great Soups? Bouillabaisse, Shark's Fin and Tom Yan Kung. How about the Three Great Guitarists of the world? Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. There is even an official listing for the Three Great Brands of Ham in the world.

This is really how you're supposed to do it.

Mistaken Perceptions of Other Countries

It's funny how wrong perceptions of other countries and languages can sometimes be, like the time I was asked if I could translate Vietnamese, with the idea being that since Japan and Vietnam are both in Asia, maybe the languages were similar. (They're not.) Then there are people who think Spanish is spoken in Brazil (it's Portuguese) or who say things like, "You're Taiwanese? Do you still have family in Thailand?" While there'll always be some confusion when dealing with other places -- who among us hasn't confused the Hindi and Urdu alphabet from time to time -- it's important to interact with others with an open mind and fix these mistakes. The Japanese have their share of erroneous perceptions too. I once met a lady who asked me if we had McDonald's in the U.S., and I taught English to a 6-year-old boy who believed that ninjas originated in the U.S. for some reason. (I was also asked in all seriousness if, because I have blue eyes, I perceived the world with a blue tint.) In the K-On! Movie, the girls of the Light Music Club plan a trip to the U.K., and I love the scene where Yui says, "No silly, we're not going to England. We're going to London."

Mistaken perceptions of other countries are all too easy.

Diplomatic Crisis in Asia

Tensions are running high in Asia these days over territorial issues which are starting to affect politics and economics in the region. The Japanese government recently sent inspectors to survey the Senkaku Islands, done in preparation for the government to buy them from their current private owners so they can be controlled by Japan directly. The Senkakus are uninhabited islands that were claimed by Japan as terra nullius in 1895 and developed in the first half of the century (Japan had a fish processing factory there from 1900-1940), and were administered by the U.S. along with Okinawa after the war then formally returned to Japan in 1972. The islands have been claimed by China and Taiwan since 1970, after it was discovered that the region held oil and natural gas reserves, and every couple years China is wracked by demonstrations resulting in rocks being thrown through the windows of Japanese businesses. Then there's Dokdo / Takeshima, two ugly islands claimed by both Japan and South Korea which were unilaterally occupied by South Korea in 1952 (in violation, it must be said, of U.S. postwar policy and the Treaty of San Francisco). The average Japanese hadn't spared two seconds to think about the islands before, using the Japanese mantra shikata ga nai ("it can't be helped"), but when President Lee visited the islands and made disparaging comments about Japan's Emperor, people here got extremely angry, no doubt switching from kimchee imported from Korea to domestic brands. The real problem is that there are two disputes. I believe Japan could reach an agreement with South Korea, but this would weaken it's position in the more important Senkaku issue...hence nothing can move forward.

A crisis over useless islands in the Pacific.

2013 Anime Calendar Season Begins!

We've got great news today: the real start of 2013 calendar season. We've updated the J-List site with dozens of gorgeous 2013 calendars, with all the most popular series represented, from Sword Art Online to Fate/Zero to Super Sonico and My Neighbor Totoro. This year is extra special because there are offerings by Japan's top artists, including Tony Taka, Twinkle and our favorite, Kantoku. Browse all 2013 Japanese calendars now, and get your preorders in early!

Cool Products Friday, September 7, 2012

For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. You can view all new J-List products by clicking this link.

Today's New & Restocked Items

Young Ace Oct 2012 A beacon of light for manga fans, the newest issue of Young Ace is now here. We've never been disappointed by an issue, always loaded with awesome manga like Fate/Zero, Boys meet Girls, Last Exile and more! Freebies included. This month it is a special cellphone cleaner strap from the Evangelion series. Awesome. view this product »

	2013 Anime Calendars Begin! Anime like Saki, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Fate/Zero, Super Sonico, Sword Art Online, Pocket Monster, Totoro, One Piece and more.		2013 Art Calendar by Tony Taka, More! An amazing calendar featuring the prized work of Tony Taka, known for his moe style of drawing, is now available for preorder.
	Studio Ghibli Calendars, Too Every year we sell hundreds of the Studio Ghibli calendar too, which is extra special since all the art is 100% new and original. Totoro, Spirited Away, and more!		2013 Artistic Calendars Photography of Japan's best locations and art by Japanese finest, plus a few random ones for color, we've got some excellent 2013 calendars from Japan.
	Haiyore! Nyaruko San Visual Fan Book Fans of Cthulhu, this is the fan book you've been waiting for, a full color piece featuring a gorgeous art gallery, character profiles and more!		The Gothic World of Nyanpire 2 The kawaii Nyanpire series finally gets its manga series, filled with cute cat vampires, cat angels, cat demon hunters and many other memorable characters.
	All-Ages Manga Restocked We stock lots of fun manga volumes from Japan, and today we've got Ika Musume, Triage X, OreImo and more.		Ghost in the Shell Bilingual Manga A brilliant new translation of the classic sequel to Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow. Study Japanese with both languages side by side!
	Super Sonico Big Bath Towel Check out these cool towels, featuring the ultra sexy Nitro+ maiden, Super Sonico. It's just like taking a bath with her.		Fun Anime Toys & Figures In Stock See various anime products posted, including One Piece Den Den Mushi toys and awesome playing cards plus a gorgeous figure for Mayo Chiki fans.
	egg Oct 2012 Egg is THE Japanese magazine of youthful kogal fashion and style, filled with lovely fashion photos of Tokyo's charming teens.		Restocked Gothic Punk Fashions, Shimapan Cosplay lovers, many of our popular girly items have been restocked, like striped underwear Gothic Punk fashions.
	Another great game, Persona 4, has released a spin-off of its epic RPG sagas to release this arcade style fighting game. Sweet.		AnoHana Portable ~ Limited Edition Step into Jintan's shoes and interact with Menma, Anaru, and all your friends. Multiple new endings for the story for you to experience!
	Hatsune Miku, Other PSP & PS Vita Games See great Hatsune Miku games, including the new PS Vita game that has a "augmented reality" mode that lets you go on virtual dates with Vocaloid! Thanks, Japan.		Fun Silicon Ice Trays Restocked Then see our famous silicon ice cube trays for making Star Wars, Batman, Alien and Rilakkuma ice cubes (or chocolates).
	Fun Smile Slime Products In Stock Tons of fun products are coming out featuring the smiling slime from Dragon Quest. We have cups, coin banks, plush -- tons of stuff restocked!		Fun Japanese T-Shirts Get into style with some great fashion items exclusively here, your favorite site, in sizes for men and women.
	Fun Ways To Learn Japanese Keep on top of learning the basics and advanced levels of Japanese with these great resources. The Pokemon Hiragana Book comes with free stickers.		Rilakkuma Vibrating Personal Massagers? Massage those painful places on your body with a portable personal massager. Great for relaxing tense muscles anywhere you may encounter them.
	Kracie Happy Kitchen ~ Decoration Cake Make your own delicious and fun mini cake meal sets, that taste just like the real thing. Imagine the fun you can make making this cake!		Meiji Roll Cake Gummy A yummy candy with a twist -- it's a gummy inside a gummy of a rolled crepe cake. This is totally fun to eat.
	Salty Watermelon Pepsi Our customers ask, so how we can refuse? We've got the popular Salty Watermelon Pepsi back in stock, but it's the last stock we'll get in, so hurry.		Restocked J-Snacks Too We have Japan-made Oreos, DIY Microwave Panda treats, Kracie Insect Making Gummy, Black Caramel Gummy (these are great!), Takoyaki Pretz and more.
	Deluxe Bento Lunch Cup This deluxe set of bento goodies holds everything you need to enjoy a delightful meal while on the go.		Awesome Traditional Bento Boxes, Too Take home a bento box, either for your or your friends. With many great designs to choose from, you're sure to fine one you love.
	Kawaii Bento Bags for Carrying Your Lunch Change any bento into a cat bento with this cute bag that is easy to use and clean. We like the kawaii ears. Other items restocked, too.		Japanese Sandwich Cutters, Onigiri Shapers How can you possibly eat a normal square sandwich when there are these fun SAND de PANDA sandwich shapers for you to use instead?
	Awesome Chopsticks, Other Bento Accessories We restocked our popular Keitai Hashi, portable chopsticks that can be screwed together so that they take up almost no space at all.		KATAMETE-PON ~ ECO Powder to Dispose Oil "Eco powder" that you sprinkle over oil you've used, and it becomes hard instantly, so you can throw it away without harming the environment.
	Also: Fundoshi, Hachimaki, More Fundoshi (pronounced foon-doh-shi) is the traditional underwear worn by the samurai, which we've restocked. Also: kanji headbands!		Lucky Cat Tea Pot, More Restocked Making some tea? Why not do it in our awesome Lucky Cat Tea Pot, which we've restocked today. Click to see all our Lucky Cat items!
	Mikan Tachibana Hello Kitty Figure *Preorder* Hello Kitty's Sanrio parodies of Kiki's Delivery Service in this super kawaii figure of Mikan Tachibana.		NERV Headquarters Humidifier *Preorder* For the anime otaku who is concerned about their health, this fully functioning humidifier is designed after the NERV headquarters in the series Evangelion.
	BAYONETTA 1/7 Figure *Preorder* An amazing figure of Bayonetta -- every inch of her exquisite body is crafted with perfect detail. I love this amazing woman.		Mikado 1/8 Figure Swimsuits ver. *Preorder* Alicesoft's Empress of Japan from Daiteikoku is showing off her skin in the beautiful bikini swim suit figure.

New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products

2013 Nude Calendars 2013 calendar is here, and you know what that means...new ecchi photo calendars for JAV fans. Get ready for the new year with some hot new nude calendars, with girls like Yume Kana, Akiho Yoshizawa, Cocomi Naruse, RIO and more. view this product »

	Fetish Sports Woman A fantastic Adult Magazine for the active woman lovers, filled with oversized pictures of hot girls in sportswear caught in the wild doing it!		The Best Magazine Special Oct 2012 Then see the new issue of The Best, a magazine that's well named because both the girls and the photography inside are...the best. Free DVDs for you too.
	Gorgeous Photobooks from Japan Our giri giri H photobooks are almost too erotic for Japan, featuring many themes and stars like Julia, Riho Hasegawa, Haruki Sato and more.		Kusuguri Shojo Emaki From Ero novel writer BeniMatsu comes this amazing erotic illustrated novel/artbook hybrid. 6 Japanese erotic stories illustrated by the best artists.
	New Fantasy and Joso hentai manga in stock Head towards our Hentai Manga section and find our selection of the best adult comics produced in Japan, with 2 new additions today!		Awesome Restocked H-Manga Too See several restocked manga titles, including a fascinating one about female ninjas, Older Sister is a Cat Girl, Moetion Graphics and Wives ~ Waifuzu.
	Transparent Girl An amazing inflatable air doll, with great proportions and shaped so you can fit her right on top of you. Supports many types of onaholes too!		Love Body Risa + Love Body Accessories Also, a big restocking of the popular Love Body Risa dolls and matching onahole toys, plus the ever-popular "Spray for Love Body" and Nipprun.
	Get to Know Maria Ozawa Much Better Check out our excellent selection of relaxation toys for our J-List fans, featuring the bodies of stars like Maria Ozawa, Chika Eiro and Zhang Xiao Yu.		Moero Downhill Night Blaze *Preorder* Great news: We're hard at work on this 3D driving eroge that was delayed by the tsunamis last year. Beta testing has begun, so preorder it now!

Huge Restocking of Ero DVDs & Blu-ray Discs Plus a huge (*wink*) restocking of some classics and popular DVD and Blu-ray titles, like Hitomi Tanaka's Jogging Mrs. 3, J-Cup Super Bakunyu Instructor and 500 Semen Baptism, Sora Aoi, Mihiro and Tina Yuzuki (12+ hours each), Azusa Nagasawa and Hitomi Kitagawa, School Lesbian Battle, Sisters Together with Riko and Riku Yamaguchi (former AKB48 star), plus the awesome Kirara Asuka Prestige Premium Best. view this product »