Invisible Buddhism in Japan

Soon after arriving in Japan, I walked to a Seven Eleven to buy some onigiri, those triangle-shaped rice balls that are similar to sandwiches in the U.S. While I enjoyed my lunch, I wandered behind the convenience store and was surprised to see a beautiful Buddhist temple nestled in between a beauty shop and CD rental store. People were walking by, not paying the slightest attention to the small temple despite it looking to my outsider's eyes as out-of-place in a modern glass-and-asphalt city as a UFO. That's largely what Buddhism is for many in Japan, it seems to me: it's all around you, like the air, but is generally unseen until your life takes you to some point where it shifts to the foreground, such as the death of a family member. Buddhism has been a part of Japan for almost 1500 years, and you can see its footprint in many interesting areas. When Japanese people clean their homes on December 31st so they start the new year with a clean slate, they're reenacting an ancient Buddhist temple-cleaning ceremony, though no one is consciously aware of it. It's very important to make sure you don't position your bed so that your head is facing north, as this is called kita-makura ("north-pillow") and it's only for the dead at funerals. Even the common Japanese phrase itadakimasu, said before eaten any meal in Japan, is originally a Buddhist term humbly thanking the animal that died so you could eat it.

In neighboring Takasaki there's a 5-storey Buddhis Kannon statue that constantly watches us.

Japanese Love Gaijin Who Love Japan

I write often about how the Japanese love it when foreigners take an interest in their culture, and nothing is more fascinating to them than seeing a gaikokujin who knows more about a certain subject than Japanese do themselves. I recently caught another TV show that introduced these kinds of unique foreigners called "Like! Japan" First there was a traditional enka singing competition in New York followed by a spirited trivia contest because hardcore foreign fans of AKB48, then a father-and-son combo in Italy who love Japanese trains and could name all the train stations on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line. Finally there was a competition between four Americans who could best be described as "Japanese history otakus," possessing a huge amount of knowledge of Oda Nobunaga, one of the most famous names in Japanese history. They were able to answer such tricky questions as, "When Akechi Mitsuhide brought his army into Kyoto to assassinate Nobunaga, what did his say to his troops before fighting?" (The answer was Teki wa Honno-ji ni ari! "The enemy awaits at Honno-ji temple!")

How's your knowledge of Oda Nobunaga history?

We [heart] Fangirls

One of the best things to happen to anime fandom has been the rise of the fangirl. Back in the 80s, when the popularity of anime subculture was growing and fans were beginning to organize themselves around clubs on university campuses -- this was before Akira, also known as "the first anime movie a guy could maybe discuss with a girl" -- anime was a very male-dominated affair. As the medium hit the mainstream in the 90s, several key innovations brought in female fans by the truckload, including "hybrid" series like Sailor Moon, which appealed to fans of all sexes and ages, and Gundam Wing, which compelled female fans to spend hours debating the comparative hotness of Heero x Duo and Trowa x Quatre online. Neon Genesis Evangelion was a groundbreaking series in many ways, not least because of the character Kaworu, who created a renaissance in yaoi doujinshi that brought fangirls in for years. The "BL" revolution of the 90s launched a generation of female fans who are now called fujoshi, a word originally meaning "young miss" but written with characters that mean "rotten girl" (the term is somewhat self-mocking, not unlike our "I Like What I Like so Get Off My Back!" yaoi girl's T-shirt). Of course girls who like the bishounen character design style but not the yaoi content can explore otome games, another popular girl-centric genre that a lot of fans enjoy. Fandom today is an incredibly rich and complex world in which everyone can find something worthwhile no matter what they love, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Fandom is a much better place with fangirls in it, don't you think?

Evangelion is In the Air

Can you feel it in the air? The third Evangelion movie is coming out soon, and there are naturally lots of great Eva products being released in Japan, which we are happy to carry on the site. Whether you're looking for the 2013 Evangelion calendar, great new iPhone case and officially licensed character cups, our Eva + Pikachu parody T-shirt or Calbee Eva potato chips with a trading card inside, you should browse the site and now. See the top Evangelion products, as ranked by our customers.

Remember, Pocky Day is Almost Here!

This Sunday, November 11, is a special day for Pocky fans. It's been designated by the Ezaki Glico company as Pocky Day, since 11/11 looks like four Pocky sticks lined up, ready to be eaten. To help celebrate all Japanese snacks including Pocky and Pretz, Nestle Kit Kat and more, we're having a sale on all food products through Monday, so get your order in now! Click here to see all J-List's Japanese snack sorted by popularity!

Cool Products Friday, November 9, 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 Dec 2012 It's time for another fresh volume of Young Ace, Kadokawa's vivid monthly manga serial packed with dozens of popular titles in easily readable format, with furigana kanji readings throughout! Because this issue has free Evangelion stuff in it, we expect it to sell out quickly, so grab a copy if you want one. view this product »

	B's Log Dec 2012 for Fujoshi It's time for a new issue of B's Log, the top magazine for art and info from the latest games and anime for girls. Comes with posters and more!		Insane Tissue Boxes from Japan A tissue box that looks like steaming ramen? A tissue box in the shape of the Easter Island statues? We love you, Japan.
	Rilakkuma Christmas Stocking + Snack + Slippers An adorable Christmas stocking item from Japan, featuring the lovable bear Rilakkuma. Start your Christmas shipping now and save on shipping!		Nyanko Sensei Lap Blankets! These extremely soft and warm small blankets shows the character of Nyanko-sensei, as seen on the anime Natsume Yujin.
	Sword Art Online, Other Desktop Calendars Every year J-List offers hundreds of gorgeous 2013 anime calendars from Japan, and this year's lineup is the best ever. Have you made your order yet?		Other Awesome 2013 Calendars In Stock Plus, we've got a ton of amazing calendars for the coming year, from anime to photography, you're bound to find something you like.
	I am Maru Calendar 2013 We also got in more stock of the popular calendar for Maru, the Japanese "cat idol." These sold really fast last year, so grab one if you love Maru.		Kyoto Animation Calendars Selling Fast We've got the Kyoani calendars in stock now, but they're selling fast, so grab one if you wan tone. These cannot be restocked after they sell out.
	Accel World Kuroyukihime & Black Lotus Figure Set This awesome set for Accel World fans is now in stock. Get two figures of Kuroyukihime - one in her school uniform and one as Black Lotus!		Sanya V. Litvyak Figma Action Figure *Preorder* Another highly detailed figure from the world of Figma, this time of Sanya from Strike Witches. Just in time for the theatrical release.
	K-ON! Highschool Can't get enough Azunyan? Then pick up the K-ON manga sequel that follows Azusa and her friends through over 100 pages of new adventures.		Restocked Manga Volumes Too Macross the First, Touhou Sangetsuei, Touhou Gumon Kuju, Black Lagoon, and Maria Holic. These and more fine manga, restocked today!
	More 8-bit Sunglasses from Japan Show your retro gamer spirit with our classic 8-bit sunglasses. Now available in five cool color combinations.		Great Cosplay Products Restocked See a nice restocking of our most kawaii cosplay items, including our P.E. uniform and real sailor uniform. Also, shimapan, because why not?
	Microwave Taiyaki Maker ~ Renji de Fukkura Create your own yummy Japanese taiyaki in your microwave with this simple and easy cooking device.		Microwave Potato Chip Maker, Takoyaki Cooking doesn't have to be hard, especially when you've got some innovating cooking tools from Japan that use your microwave.
	Kanji T-Shirt: I Love Imouto (Younger Sister) A lot of anime series featuring imouto (younger sister) characters, and they've become incredibly popular. If you love imouto, here is a T-shirt for you!		Japanese T-shirt 'I Love Yaoi' (girls' fitted tee) If you love Yaoi, then here is your T-shirt! This fitted shirt is a classic design you should have in your collection. See our other girl's shirts too.
	Roudoku Shoujo ~ Shiori no Photo Nikki w/CD This artbook and CD combo celebrates Shiori, the cute girl who reads to you in her soft and soothing voice. A great item for fans of bookish girls.		Sony to Sell Music on iTunes Japan Great news: Sony has started carrying its music on iTunes Japan, so you can now get great music like ClariS and SuperCell with our prepaid music cards!
	Hello Kitty Mini Case Strap This cute mini case features the adorable Hello Kitty in a shade of pink with a purple sparkley bow.		Hello Kitty 'Anything' Case Participate in the wonderful world of Japanese cute culture with this cute Hello Kitty case. You can store just about anything in this!
	Awesome Umbrellas from Japan Fight off the rain and each other with these "authentic" samurai sword umbrellas. A fabulous sword umbrella from Japan!		Fun Bath Products Restocked Enjoy fun bath products like the fizzing tablet that has a toy dinosaur inside, which kids love, plus sumi (black) bath salt and Kyoto products.
	Evangelion Potato Chips, Other New Snacks With the upcoming Evangelion movie, everyone in Japan is getting excited, so even Calbee, the snack maker, wanted to get in on the celebration.		Restocked Japanese Snacks + Pocky! See our popular Pocky snacks restocked before Pocky Day, plus Meiji Choco Banana, Coffee Beat, Neru Neru Nerune and Black Black HARD caffeine gum.
	The Bento Box Gotham Deserves... The ultimate piece for fans of Batman, this high quality jubako style family bento box shows off Batman in a Japanese flare.		Kutsushita Nyanko Bento We love the cute new kitty Kutsushita Nyanko from San-X, and have restocked his cute official bento lunchbox and plush toys.
	Restocked Traditional Bento Some of our most elegant bentos are back in stock, including the MAGE-WAPPA natural wood box, the lacquered Jubako box, the Hinoki Slim, and more.		Popular Reusable Bento Cups Restocked Bento cups keep your food from mixing with each other in your bento box, and we've added stock of some of our most popular varieties. Click to browse now!
	Finger Food Grabbers ~ Apple Bowl (Set of 2) This is so cool: apple-shaped bowls for eating various snacks, which come with special "grabber" clips so your fingers won't get messy.		Kawaii Products for your Kitchen See a nice restocking of random cute things for your kitchen, including our popular cute sponges, laundry products and more.
	Japanese Study Books Restocked The JLPT test is just right around the corner. Get prepared with these great resources that are sure to help you pass and get a score of 'over 9000'.		Restocked Traditional Items from Japan We posted many traditional products, including our authentic Daruma dolls, Lucky Cat and Lucky Owl display for good luck, and more.
	Totoro Kotatsu Futon 200cm 200cm *Preorder* Warm your heart as well as your body with this comfortable Totoro futon. The perfect thing to go with you new kotatsu!		Akari Akaza 1/8 Figure *Preorder* Today's first preorder figure is Akari from YuruYuri. Click to see some pictures that will melt your heart. Too cute for words!
	Azuma Miura 1/7 Figure ~ IDOLM@STER 2 *Preorder* Next, here's a beautiful figure of idol Azuma Miura in a really cute costume. She comes with optional parts for different poses.		Arisia 1/8 Cast off Figure Excellent Model CORE *Preorder* And for fans of busty warrior girls, here's a figure of Arisia from Queen's Blade with plenty of optional parts. Smoking!

New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products

	Push Dec 2012 Push is our magazine of choice for all the latest info on upcoming visual novels and eroge. Pick up the latest issue for cute girls and free stuff!		Otonyan vol. 9 ~ Joso Boy Special Magazine The joso boom of boys dressed as girls continues to spread, and the latest excursion comes in the form of a direct competitor to the popular WAaI!
	27+3 ~ Yoko Mitsuya Over 75 pages of full-color photos starring one of the sexiest women in Japan. Yoko Mitsuya has everything you're looking for in a girl.		New 'H' Manga For our Customers Today's new ero manga are posted. First see She is My Class Maid, with great art and themes, plus the awesome Hagura Yuusha no Kikuchi, so beautiful!
	Restocked Hentai Manga Titles See gorgeous restocked ero manga, including Sekilala Kanojo by LINDA, Sarakedashi Onnanoko, Beautiful Woman Comic Artist and Immoral Assistants + otokonoko.		Epic Artbooks Restocked Several of our best-ever artbooks, including Tony's Fault! Collection and the gorgeous Kaptina Kagami x Bishop Artworks.
	Anal Insertion Direct Get a deep, vibrating pleasure from this new Japanese toy, specially designed in Japan for a completely new feeling.		Sword Art Online, Accel World Onaholes See our great new onahole toys from the these popular anime series, a great way to relax after at hard day at work.
	Popular Parody Onahole Toys We also restocked the popular Madoka Magika series, so you can get to know Madoka, Homura and Mami-san much better.		Innovative Products from Tamatoys See other innovative products, including Premium Perfume of Oppai, the Power Silicone Ring for long-lasting nights and more.
	More Import Eroge Restocked, Too See a big restocking of import visual novels, including Sportswear Complex (I love that one), Sexy Beach Zero, Zettai Maji-Iki and more.		Gorgeous 'Cast Off' Figures In Stock We've got even more naughty anime figures for you, including Shimei Ryomou plus the nosebleed-inducing Imari from Bible Black.
	Yuki Maeda 8 Hours Special Collection Folks at Crystal Eizou released this awesome 8 hours best-of starring the hot Yuki Maeda, with 8 hours of her best work in full HD!		Kyonyu Bikini Bus in Midsummer From Deep's comes this wacky release entirely filmed on a bus, filled with 20 hot girls with big chests, wearing micro-bikinis.
	Alice Japan Debut! ~ Seira Mizushiro Alice Japan introduces their new F-Cup bishoujo star, Seira Mizushiro. Yet another girl who makes us ask, why are gorgeous girls doing this for a job?		Bishojo Lesbian Diary Best **2 Discs & 8 Hours** Lovely schoolgirls secretly in love with each other get intimate in this 8 hours Bishojo Lesbian Best-of from Peters. No relation to Peter.

Today's Restocked Ero DVD & Blu-ray Titles Finally, enjoy some of our signature H-releases, including Female Announcer Bukkake x Nakadashi, Woman Admirer Lesbian and other dreamy girl's love works, the "AV for girls" Silk Labo series, Yuzu Ogura's Charming Ultimate Body, plus the amazing Premium Flat Tits Idols 16 Hours, Working Woman's Legs Complete Box and TMA Cosplay Drama Box (15 discs each). view this product »