J-List side blog

The History of Akihabara

2012-01-27T20:04:00.000+09:00

Akihabara is the area of Tokyo famous for its Electric Town shopping district and for being the international center of otaku culture. It's a popular destination with foreign visitors to Japan, and you can always tell the train has arrived there because all the gaijin will get off suddenly. But Akiba, as it's often called, hasn't always been the Holy Land for anime and computer nerds. In 1869, after a devastating fire in the area, the Meiji Emperor ordered a temple built for prayers against future fires, which people started referring to as Akiba-sama, a Shinto/Buddhist deity believed to protect against fire. When the area was ordered cleared of trees to prevent further fires from reaching the more populated areas of the city, the field (hara) that resulted was named Akihabara, the Field of Autumn Leaves. After World War II, shops selling vacuum tubes to students attending a nearby technical school appeared, and this formed the base of the electronics retailers that are so famous now. During the 1990s, home electronics and computers were available just about anywhere, making Akiba less important as an electronics hub, and shops specializing in anime CDs and videos, doujinshi comics and PC dating-sim games started to take over.

Some background on Akihabara, one of the most internationally famous parts of Tokyo.

Random Nihongo: Particles

2012-01-27T20:03:00.002+09:00

When I started studying Japanese I was anxious because I knew the grammar would be unlike anything found in English or the smattering of Spanish I'd taken in high school. Happily I found that, to me, the grammar and syntax wasn't that bad -- I learned to memorize base sentences and switch out the nouns, verbs and adjectives until I was comfortable using them, and of course I read lots of manga to pick up new vocabulary words. One unique aspect of Japanese is that there are grammatical "particles" which mark certain words, clearly indicating the sentence subject, object, etc. Here are a few examples in case you're curious:

wa and ga	The "subject" and "topic" markers of sentences, and if this sounds a little vague, join the "confused by wa and ga club." In a nutshell, wa is the master subject marker of a sentence, and ga is used in certain situations, including questions or when you need emphasis. Example: Nihongo wa muzukashii. Dono hen ga muzukashii? (The Japanese language is difficult. What part is difficult?)
o	The object marker for sentences, by happy linguistic chance, is "o." Can they get any more convenient? Example: Kinou eiga o mimashita. (Yesterday I saw a movie.)
ni	Filling the role of "to" (as in where you're going, or to whom an action is directed), and "into" for verbs like to enter. It's "in" spelled backwards so it's another easy one to remember. Example: Neko wa hako ni hairu. (The cat goes into the box.)
ka	A marker for questions. Example: Kore wa zombie desu ka? (Is this a zombie?)
ga, keredomo, keredo, kedo	These all mean "but," ranked from most polite to most informal. Example: Ugoite mo ii keredo, totemo kiken yo. (It's okay to move, but it's very dangerous.)

It's often the case that words a person chooses to use say a lot about their character, like a tomboy who uses the first-person pronoun usually used by males. In the anime Bakemonogatari (and the new sequel Nisemonogatari), it's common for characters to always use the word keredo (above, meaning "but"), which provides an oddly formal and precise quality to everything the characters in the show say, though no one really talks like that.

Characters in anime often speak in unique ways.

Crime in Japan

2012-01-27T20:02:00.002+09:00

I've written before about how one of the more pleasant aspects of living in Japan is that people tend to be honest and upstanding, and chances are if you lose your wallet or camera it will be turned in at the local "police box," as the tiny two-man police stations that dot Japanese cities are called. That's not to say there's no crime in Japan: as with all countries, there are thefts, assaults and the occasional murder, but in general the chances that crime will affect a given person are low. Sadly, one type of crime is still too common, the bank transfer frauds known as Ore Ore Sagi or "It's me, it's me! Scams." Usually they take the form of an elderly Japanese person receiving a call from a "grandson" with a cold (hence the change in his voice) who says, "It's me, it's me! Don't you know your own grandson?" The swindler then proceeds to tell some lie about how he's gotten in an accident or made a costly error at work and needs $5000 transferred to his bank account right away to fix things. The problem is bad enough that police are often posted by bank ATMs to ask patrons if they've received any suspicious calls, and the ATMs themselves display warnings when transferring money. These types of crimes are reportedly less common in the Osaka area because criminals can't mimic the Osaka-ben dialect as easily.

Bank transfer scams are still a problem in Japan.

Still Time to order Chocoalte for Valentine's Day

2012-01-27T19:56:00.004+09:00

Valentine's Day is not far off, but there's still plenty of time to order if you want to get some good chocolate and other items from J-List. We recommend the awesome lineup of Japanese Kit Kat we've posted this week, along with favorites like Meltykiss. Also recommended is the new Pocky Decoration Mold -- just melt chocolate in your microwave, add a Pocky stick and let it cool. You'll have the most delicious Japanese treat around!

Cool Products Friday, January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T19:56:00.001+09:00

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 'Chocopa' Products from San-X (Choco Panda) If there was an award given for the cutest product of the year, we'd have a winner! These adorable new creations from San-X feature Chocopa, the Chocolate loving panda, with some amazingly cool accessories like cell phone cases and accessory bags. View products »
	Fruits Mar 2012 NO 176 The magazine that brings you the best in Tokyo streetwear in a no-frills package that gives you hundreds of HQ photos of authentic fashion.


	New Kirino, Shining Hearts Figures In Stock Great new figures in stock today. Check out the swimsuit version of Urayukihime from Shining Hearts and three moe versions of OreImo's Kirino.
	Evangelion Neko Mimi Hoodies for Preorder Proclaim your love of Eva to the world with these great nekomimi hoodies designed to resemble the Evangelion units. The latest in otaku fashion.
	Evangelion Mug Cup ~ Eva Unit 01 Give your coffee that extra kick when you serve it with this amazing mug cup featuring Unit 01 from Evangelion.
	Itazura Cat Coin Bank, Other Cute Products Restocked J-List has tons of cute ways to save money, like our popular line of Itazura Cat coin banks featuring cute pop-up kittens and puppies. Now restocked.
	Monster Hunter Headphones and Other Items Get your Monster Hunter groove on with these stylish headphones styled after the cute game mascot cat-creature Airu. Restocked today.
	Lace Decoration Over Knee Socks The perfect addition to any girl's assortment of over-the-knee socks, with stylish white lace on black. Great for gothic cosplayers too.
	Wonderful Japanese Fashion Items You'll find at we have a huge selection of great fashion items, perfect for those who are in love with Japanese fashion and trends, newly stocked.
	Fun Cosplay, OL Pantsu Restocked Lots of great ecchi cosplay items back in stock, like sailor uniforms, swimsuits, panties, shimapan, pantyhose, kneesocks, and more!
	Awesome Japanese 'Keep Out' Tape Restocked Mark the barriers of a no-intrusion zone or a box you want to keep sealed with this great tape from Japan that really makes a statement. Restocked.
	Japanese School Bags Restocked It's the kind of thing Japanese people take for granted, but those school book bags they carry in anime are pretty awesome. Now you get your own!
	Restocked Anime Artbooks Artbooks are the best, and we've restocked the new Steins;Gate dating-sim game fanbook plus the Otona no Anime Yearbook and Hetalia guide to Italy.
	Amazing Diablock 'LEGO' Shoes for Kids LEGO-style building blocks are one of the world's most popular toys, and that's true even in Japan. Let your kids take the joy of LEGO everywhere they go with these colorful Velcro sneakers from Diablock, Japan's premier building block manufacturer. View products »
	Chi's Sweet Home 2012 Calendar Our 2012 anime calendars are going fast, but we've got good news: we got in a few units of the Chi's Sweet Home calendar for fans of Japan's cutest lost cat.
	Madoka Magika Calendar Update Also we posted internal photos of the pages in the Madoka calendar for this year, one of the most popular anime calendars. Grab one while they're on sale!
	Totoro Bento Box, Other Ghibli Items Restocked See the great Microwave Safe Tight Totoro Bento Box we restocked today, plus high quality playing cards (or "trump" as the Japanese say) of Totoro and Jiji.
	Pocky Decoration Molds, Pocky Chopsticks! I knew the silicon mold that allows you to decorate Pocky sticks would be a hit, and we sold out fast. We got more for you, though!
	Today is Japan Kit Kat Day, Apparently Preorder Japanese Kit Kats are among our most popular products, and our customers love to taste the unique types of Kit Kat made for the Japanese market by Nabisco. In addition to the Sakura Green Tea Kit Kat we got in last time, we've posted Kit Kat Message Packs for students taking tests, plus Tokyo Sky Tree limited Kit Kat! View products »
	Meiji Horn Chocolates In Stock, Too Also enjoy new flavors of Meiji Horn chocoaltes, which quality and elegant chocolates from Japan that will lift your spirits when you eat them.
	Ramune, Mario Mints & More in San Diego Enjoy some sour candies in Super Mario tins, authentic Japanese ramune in multiple flavors, essential treats and more, now shipping from San Diego.
	Chopper 2 Tier Bento Box ~ ONE PIECE A great bento box for lovers of the One Piece series that comes with everything you would ever need, from chopsticks to bento band.
	Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked When you want to show off your lunch to your co-workers or friends, do it with a box that will awe and impress. Several nice ones restocked today.
	2 Sizes Triangle Onigiri Maker ~ Dual Dize! Create your own Japanese style onigiri (rice balls) with this easy to use shaping kit. The perfect way to make a delicious lunch.
	Bear Shaped Cooking Cup Are you into bears? This great silicon cooking cup is very versatile, allowing you to create foods like bear onigiri to bear cupcakes.
	Healthy Sparkling Bath Tablets BUB Restocked No one knows bathing like the Japanese. Enjoy our healthy and fragrant sparkling bath tablets, now restocked in three delightful aromas.
	Restocked Stationery, Traditional Brush Pens See the popular Coffret du Couturier Letter Set restocked, plus an those traditional fude brush pens that let you write Japanese calligraphy.
	Gorgeous Japanese Idols Photobooks See fresh stock of the kawaii Maki Goto, former star of Morning Musume, plus a really gorgeous photobook offering from Yoko Kumada.
	Beach Queen Kobato and Ryugu Azusa Preorder Great new figures up for preorder. You'll love the adorable Beach Queen version of Haganai's Kobato, and also the beautiful Azusa from Idolm@ster.
	Tales of Vesperia, AnoHana Figures Preorder We also have an awesomely dynamic figure of Rita from Tales of Vesperia and AnoHana's Anaru in a delectable one piece.
	Even More Awesome Preorder Figures Also: see this gorgeous new Metroid figure plus plush toys from Uta no Prince-sama, a great Sayaka Miki figure, Fate/Zero more.
	Otonyan vol. 6 ~ Joso Boy Special Magazine For fans of the popular joso trend in Japan today, meaning boys wearing female clothes, here's a great issue of Otonyan magazine. This is a great item if you're a fan of "trap" themes and think Hideyoshi from Baka Test is awesome. View products »





	Gorgeous New 'Cast Off' Figures If you like women with truly enormous breasts, then you'll want to check out this amazingly sexy figure of Masaki Mizuhara's ultra-busty Reira.
	OTOKONOKO? ~ Futanari Stress Toy This body-shaped stress relief toy is one of a kind, being the first futanari onahole toy we've ever seen. Why not?
	Bokkin Boy Beast (Ring) Give your manhood a shonen power-up with these "girth enhancement rings." Slip one on and listen to your partner's screams of ecstasy.
	Restocked Onaholes for Otakus Wow, popular stress toys featuring Azunyan, Anaru from AnoHana and more, which will make your otaku life more enjoyable.
	Fun Oppai Toys Restocked The Oppai Onanie Hole is back, one of the most amazing inventions for self-pleasure we've seen, plus the welcoming mounds of Mami from Madoka.
	Amazing Personal Lotion from Japan Spice up your private time with our selection of personal lotions, including varieties specially formulated to increase your moe moe kyun.
	'Futanari' H-Games & More A lot of J-List customers love the aesthetic genre known as futanari, literally "the two, being one." This game is loaded with these themes!
	Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S - Majikoi S The sequel to Majikoi is here! Pick up where you left off with your favorite Majikoi heroine or romance one of 5 new girls in this fun erotic game.
	Japanese Eroge Restocked, Too Then enjoy Delusion Virtual Character Trouble w/T-CAM, Yurikako Yori Tenshi Made, the BL-tastic Chiral Amusement Disc, Do Love Me Seriously! and Rance Quest.

The Japanese News Media

2012-01-25T19:54:00.002+09:00

The Japanese news media operates in much the same way as in other countries, reporting news events to consumers on television and in printed form. Unlike other countries, Japanese still get most of their news from the newspapers -- my father-in-law somehow manages to read four different ones a day while waiting for customers in his rural liquor shop -- and the top five newspapers in the world by circulation are all here. While the mainstream Japanese media does a good job of reporting the news, there are some problems, such as their willingness to self-censor on delicate issues, like the time Google inadvertently published historical maps which showed the regions where Japan's old "untouchable" classes lived (a big taboo), which was widely discussed online yet ignored by the media. One aspect of news programs on television I like a lot are shows in which hard-hitting issues are publicly debated. Recently I caught a show that tried to tackle one of Japan's biggest problems, the lack of competent leadership in politics, overseen by Ota of the comedy team Bakusho Mondai (his IQ is about 250), and various ideas were presented from a wide range of intriguing guests in a way that I've not seen on news in the U.S.

Ota (left) doesn't look like much but he's got a a sharp mind to cut through problems.

Anime: It's All About the Character

2012-01-25T19:53:00.005+09:00

If the anime of the 80s can be summed up as stories about mankind's grand future in space (Gundam, Macross, Gunbuster) and the 90s as a golden age when companies reached their commercial peak making psychologically driven stories (Evangelion, Lain) or re-inventing classic genres (Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura), the decade of the 2000s was largely about exploring the characters themselves. Of course, anime characters are no more real than the action heroes seen in Hollywood films, being caricatures of personality types created for the endearment of viewers: the dojikko girls in anime are more cute-clumsy than any meatspace person could be, the tsundere types too predictably angry then full of love at just the right moment to provide a payoff for fans. Still, sometimes realistic elements creep in. In the anime Working!! there's a character named Maya Matsumoto who's obsessed with being perceived as futsuu, meaning normal, average and no different from anyone else. I've actually known some Japanese people like that, including a girl who got offended when I told her she was kawatteru ("a little different") and an eroge programmer who legally changed his name to Abe Reiji because he loved the English word "average."

Maya from Working!!, the ultimate "normal" girl.

Today is Steamed Chinese Meat Bun Day (Nikuman no Hi)

2012-01-25T19:53:00.002+09:00

Being from a warm place like San Diego, winter definitely isn't my favorite season, and part of getting used to living in Japan involved not just adapting to the colder climate but learning to deal with the limitations of Japanese houses, which are are usually built with thinner materials (back during the bubble era everyone tore down their house every 15 years and built a new one), with no custom of central heating at all. Still, there are some aspects of winter I like a lot, including the first prayer for good luck on New Year's Day and sitting with my legs inserted into kotatsu heater table while eating mikan oranges and playing with my cat. Another good thing about winter is nikuman or "steamed Chinese meat buns," a delicious treat sold at convenience stores during the colder months, which are a joy to bite into while standing on a freezing train platform. The Japanese love assigning days to random products, and January 25 has been designated nikuman no hi or Steamed Meat Bun Day. This day in 1902 saw the coldest temperature ever recorded in Japan (-42 degrees C/-41 degrees F), which made it as good as day as any to encourage everyone to eat something delicious and warm.

Taiga gives the gift of hot nikuman in winter.

Kawaii Products for your Kitchen and Bento

2012-01-25T19:52:00.003+09:00

J-List carries fun bento accessories and other items for your kitchen. Do you need a really cute sponge shaped like a smiling onigiri rice ball, or a sandwich cutter that creates awesome heart-shaped sandwiches with the sandwich insides "sealed" for you? We also carry furikake which you sprinkle over rice plus awesome bento cups by Torune, one of our favorite companies.

Recommended Visual Novel: Demonbane

2012-01-25T19:52:00.001+09:00

One English-translated visual novel/eroge I recommend a lot is Deus Machina Demonbane, one of the greatest games J-List has ever had the privilege to bring out to fans. It's a full Cthulhu Mythos game with gorgeous characters and art, and the current package version is the "DX" (deluxe) edition with included artbook. Click here to see all the English visual novels and eroge on the site.

Cool Products Wednesday, January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T19:51:00.001+09:00

	WONDA X HARUHI Canned Coffee w/Figures Haruhi is forever! Show your love for the immortal series with these exclusive Haruhi-themed cans of WONDA coffee. Each comes in an illustrated box with an adorable figure of one of the Haruhi heroines. These are extremely hard to obtain in quantity and won't be available for long. View products »

	Photo Kano Love and Happy Book If you're stoked for the upcoming Photo Kano game from the makers of Amagami, then you'll want to check out this artbook with great omake posters.
	Kawaii Figures In Stock See the extremely kawaii Nendoroid figure of Erio Towa (aka E.T.) from Denpa Onna, plus the amazing TEKKEN figure, both in stock.
	Evangelion iPhone Cases Our most popular iPhone case ever is the Evangelion NERV case, now in stock along with the Rei plugsuit, Asuka plugsuit, and other great iPhone cases.
	Fate/EXTRA (PSP the Best) The awesome Fate/stay night spinoff RPG is now in stock at a new low price. Pick your servant and battle for the Grail!
	Miku Hatsune Project DIVA Games Restocked Then for fans of Hatsune Miku, we've restocked all three of the Project DIVA pantsu simulators, I mean dancing games, plus K-On! and ToHeart.
	Mimicry Pet Lop Ear Rabbits Restocked These super kawaii bunnies love to copy what their owners say. Not only soft and fussy, but smart too!
	Great Restocked Crafts from Japan Make some amazing creations with kits from Japan to make your own key chains, erasers, cell phone decorations and more.
	Totoro Schedule Books, Calendars On Sale Just a reminder: we're closing out all our 2012 anime, JPOP, idol and other calendars. The last of the Totoro schedule books are priced to move, too.
	Great Parody Anime T-Shirts When it comes to creating awesome anime T-shirt designs for our customers, please don't say we are lazy! Click to see our newest wacky offerings.
	Japanese School Book Bag, Authentic Uniforms Live the school life of your dreams with these authentic uniforms, custom made to your size by Matsukameya of Nagoya. Also: Japanese bookbags restocked today.
	GATSBY ~ Men's Hair Wax / Spiky Edge One of the most popular products in our fashion lineup are the Gatsby Hair Wax products, which make you look like Takuya Kimura or Arashi.

	Great Anime Songs @ iTunes Japan Recently found on the iTunes Japan store: a great single for Symphogear and Nana Mizuki fans, plus the OP for the new PapaKiki anime.
	Taiyaki Microwave Maker Uguu! Enjoy fresh, hot taiyaki that you make in your microwave, the most convenient way to make this traditional fish-shaped Japanese snack.
	Restocked Random Items for your Kitchen We've got love for takoyaki too, and have restocked several fun items for making authentic Osaka-style octopus balls. Yum!
	Nestle Kit Kat Sakura Matcha Latte Preorder If you asked me to pick the J-List products that represent Japan, Green Tea Kit Kat would be on the list, right after Hello Kitty, er, shoulder massages. We've got the epic new Sakura Green Tea Latte Kit Kats in stock, but they'll only be around a short time before we run out or the summer heat makes us remove from the site. Don't wait! View products »
	Meiji Pokemon Chocolate Heart Get ready for Valentine's Day by grabbing a couple boxes of these delicious chocolate hearts from Meiji. Great for Pokemon fans!
	Real Ukon I love this: the marriage of Real Gold (my favorite Japanese vitamin drunk) with Ukon, a magical herb for getting rid of hangovers. Thank you, Japan!
	Japanese Bento & Kitchen Items A product we're proud to evangelize is Bull-Dog Sauce, the amazing Japanese sauce that tastes great on any fried food, and heavenly in a fried egg sandwich.
	Awesome New Snacks from Japan See Sushi no Ko powder, Kracie's Neru Ame liquid candy, Volcano Candy that really explodes, FritoLay Takoyaki and Ginger Pork Cheetos, and Neru Neru Nerune!
	Zojirushi Dot Thermal Bento Box set An amazingly helpful set for the food lover on-the-go, this deluxe thermally insulated bento box keeps your hot items hot and cold items cold. It is the perfect size for anyone wanting to have a delicious and hot meal away from home. I love the high sense of design seen in this high quality modern bento lunchbox. View products »
	More Totoro Themed Bento Boxes Not only are these bento boxes cute, they are super practical, allowing for safe transport of your delicious meal. Many new items.
	HANA-KEROSAN Frog Bento Restocked Bring a little bit of cute froggy to your lunch table with this super cute pink bento box, complete with matching chopsticks, fork and spoon.
	Food Shapers and Molds for Bento Make your lunches even more kawaii after you've used our food shapers to make cute animals, sakura, hearts and more.
	Make Delicious Gyoza Dumplings at Home Gyoza (oddly known in the U.S. under the name "pot stickers") are a delicious Chinese dumpling that's great with soy sauce and vinegar poured over. Try some!
	Awesome Sake Cups from Japan You aren't really drinking sake unless it's from a square cup, or one with great ukiyoe art on it. Become a master of sake with these fun items.
	Miso Soup Bowls, Other Kitchen Items We have a wide variety of miso soups and bowls just waiting for you to try! Also enjoy a tool for making Grapefruits Sours and other fun kitchen items.
	Mahjong Mini Set ~ Mini Jan Enjoy mahjong wherever you go with this miniature mahjong set. Now you can destroy your enemies like Akagi, Koizumi, and other mahjong heroes.
	Magical UKIYOE Transforming Towels Another fun "transforming towel" from Japan featuring Mt. Fuji and a picture of a woman who, as, changes when the towel gets wet.
	Samus Aran Figma ~ METROID Preorder Metroid fans will definitely want to take a look at this awesome new action figure of Samus Aran. The level of posability here is incredible!
	Kyubey Ceramic Coin Bank Preorder This is frankly the coolest Kyubey item I've seen: a ceramic coin bank for saving your pennies or quarters. No contract required to get your money out, either.






	Amagami Parody Onahole Toys We love the Amagami anime, with its great cast of moe girls. That's why we're bringing you these parody stress relief toys based on your favorite Amagami heroines. These high-quality onaholes are based on oh-so-proper class representative Tsukasa, quiet swimming club member Ai, or your cute classmate Rihoko. Naturally, the inside of each toy is totally unique and special, just like the girls themselves. View products »
	A Certain Magical & Scientific Parody Toys Also: we've restocked the Index/Railgun parody toys, which are so popular they sell out every week, plus the Sexy Twins Perfect Body toys.
	Toys for JAV Fans: Ozawa Maria Edition If you're feeling down in the dumps, maybe you need an incredible experience with a famous JAV actress. Happily, Maria Ozawa is willing and eager.
	The Most Advanced Stress Toys from Japan Also, browse our wide selection of cutting-edge stress relief toys from R-1, makers of the Predator Wand and UFO nipple stimulator.
	Tomo Yamanobe Figure ~ Qwaser II Preorder Are transparent clothes better than no clothes at all? You be the judge with this stunning cast-off figure of Qwaser's big-breasted heroine Tomo.
	Appare! Tenka Gomen Japanese folk heroes get a moe makeover! If you've got a hankering for cute girls with swords, look no further than BaseSon's newest game.
	Great Games by Nitroplus Remember that we're bringing out great games by Nitroplus, like the awesome "sword opera" Hanachirasu or the Cthulhu mythos game Demonabe.

Funny English in Japan: Corporate Slogan Edition

2012-01-23T19:13:00.002+09:00

"You know you've been in Japan too long when you are jealous of your friend because the camera strap that came with his new Minolta camera says 'With you for the best scenes of your life' and yours doesn't." Japanese people do have a special relationship with the English language, since nearly all of them study six years, or up to ten years if they go to college. While most don't become fluent in the language, the fact that people are familiar with it is not lost on companies, who have gotten quite good at creating poetic "Image English" to push their products. Just as the creators of the Swatch brand came up with that name because they didn't realize it sounded kind of silly in English, Japanese creators of English slogans can be quite creative, and the slogans can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Here are some fun ones:

For Beautiful Human Life (make-up company Iona)
Feel Your Beauty (Kanebo, the parent company to Kracie, one of our favorite companies)
A happy present from the earth (a stationery company)
Urban Contemporary Wave (slogan of hair gel maker Mandom)
Inspire the Next! (slogan of Hitachi)
For Your Just (annoying slogan of Yamada Denki)
For your happy and joyful morning (a local radio station's wake-up slogan)
Feel Wood (Sumitomo Forestry)
For Precious Life (toilet maker Inax)

I "feel wood" just about every morning, if you know what I mean.

Studying Japanese with Karaoke

2012-01-23T19:12:00.003+09:00

There are many ways to help a program of Japanese study be successful, including taking an active interest in popular forms of media like anime, films or TV dramas, reading manga or light novels, or exploring traditional art forms like martial arts. Another useful tool for learning Japanese is...karaoke. Yes, going to karaoke is a great for anyone studying Japanese since ir provides a stream of kanji and vocabulary words on the screen (providing reading practice) and allows for social feedback from others if you sing the song well, and transcribing or translating songs you want to master is a great way to permanently input new vocabulary into your brain. Plus, if you forget a word when speaking, you can sing the song to yourself in your head until you recall it -- yes, this really works. Last Friday J-List had our official New Year's Party, to celebrate the start of the new year and deciate ourselves to bringing awesome wacky products to everyone this year, and afterwards we went out to the karaoke box to belt out some tunes. It was a blast.

Karaoke is a fun way to learn more Japanese.

Japan, Costco and Dr. Pepper

2012-01-23T19:12:00.000+09:00

On Sunday I went to Costco, the American warehouse retailer that recently opened a store near the J-List office here in Japan, which took some courage as I knew how crowded the Japanese stores can get on the weekends. I was there to pick up certain bulk items which are hard to find in Japan, including large bags of Starbuck's coffee for the J-List staff (we're a very caffeine-motivated company), various types of cheese (Japanese supermarkets have an amazingly bad selection of the stuff) and various other random items. Surrounded by the familiar Costco fixtures and signs advertising USDA CHOICE BEEF, done both for uniformity of customer experience as well as appearing kakko ii or "cool" to Japanese shoppers, I started to feel unsure whether I was in the U.S. or Japan, as if I'd stepped through a portal back to San Diego somehow. Rounding the corner in the drink aisle, I saw the store had started carrying Dr. Pepper, sold in giant 24-can packs, somewhat hilarious since you don't even see six-packs for sale in stores very often. I was surprised: despite the emergence of the drink as a fun Akihabara-related meme in Steins;Gate and other anime series, most Japanese seem hard-wired to dislike Dr. Pepper in the same way they almost univerally detest root beer and Mexican style refried beans. Maybe Dr. Pepper is going to be the Next Big Thing in Japan.

Is Dr. Pepper going mainstream in Japan?

Anime Snacks In Stock at J-List

2012-01-23T19:11:00.003+09:00

Anime is more fun when you can eat it, and J-List carries dozens of awesome Japanese snacks that you can see in your favorite anime series. From the legendary Sakuma Drops seen in Grave of the Fireflies to the official caramels of the Totoro universe to fun snacks for One Piece and Pokemon fans, we've got lots of fun items to browse. Click to see the most popular anime-related snack items from Japan now.

Fun Eroge in English: Snow Sakura

2012-01-23T19:11:00.001+09:00

One thing I like a about the visual novels and eroge from Japan is the great variety, which is mirrored in the English games we sell on J-List. One game you might want to try is Snow Sakura, a fun title in which you play a Japanese youth who moves to Hokkaido, Japan and find yourself surrounded by attractive girls (naturally). When you hear the mysterious tale of a sakura tree that blooms even in the cold of winter, it's the beginning of a great story... A nice iyashi-kei game (lit. a "healing" game, without any dark themes), Snow Sakura is a great game for winter. Click here to see all the English visual novels and eroge on the site.

Cool Products Monday, January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T19:10:00.002+09:00

	Prince Animage 2012 Winter Every page of Prince Animage is designed with the fan girl in mind, featuring only the most popular male characters and series. Filled with 12 awesome posters of some of the cutest anime boys, plus a special omake gift from Uta no Prince-sama. View products »
	Ika Musume Shinryaku Houkoku Ki The definitive guide to the lovable girl from the sea, Ika Musume, in her newest TV animated season.
	Hiragana Times Feb 2012 The magazine that both enlightens about Japan and teaches you Japanese with an intuitive phonetic approach combined with kanji, another great issue!
	Cute Monster Hunter Plush Toys Super kawaii plush figures from the Monster Hunter series that is sure to make any monster fan very happy.
	More Awesome Monster Hunter Toys And for something a little more epic, we've got the next installments of the Monster Seitaizukan model series, numbers 5 and 6, in stock.
	Nyanpire Plush Ball Pen, PSP Case Collect these cute items features our favorite vampire kitty, Nyanpire, today with a new plushy pen and PSP case for you to own. Kawaii!
	Restocked Japanese Tall Socks We've got some great new and restocked fashion items, like the amazing knee high stocks that are so popular in Japan. We even have "socks glue" to hold them up.
	Restocked Moe Moe Encyclopedia These great encyclopedias use beautiful moe art to explore all sorts of topics, like dragons, swords, and monsters. So nice and moe.

	J-List is Loaded with Awesome Calendars Just a reminder that J-List's 2012 anime, JPOP, classic photo and other calendars are all going fast, like Madoka and Eva and Totoro. All on sale!
	Perpetual Calendar Restocked That "eternal calendar" that can be used year after year is restocked -- it's stylish and awesome and would go well in your room or office.
	Totoro Dishwasher Safe Cup A very kawaii way to enjoy your favorite juice, with this kid-friendly cup featuring the delightful Totoro.
	Restocked Totoro Plush Toys and More We love Totoro and Ghibli and have restocked some of our most beloved products, from classic Totoro plush toys to Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service and more.
	Kawaii Madoka Magica Products We love to carry popular anime products like the Madoka Magika music boxes, which present beautiful versions of your favorite Madoka music.
	Free Anime Apps for iOS, from iTunes Japan There are free apps in the iTunes Japan store that you can access if you get an account (i.e. buy at least one prepaid card from us), like the new official Lagrange app!
	3D Cake Shop Origami ~ Folding Paper Bring a smile to a sweetheart's face this Valentine's Day when you present them a delicately folded origami cake.
	Japanese Plum Aroma Oil Enjoy the traditional scents of Japan, today featuring the relaxing and unforgettable aroma essence of ume (Japanese plum).
	New Meltykiss Chocolates, for Valentine's Day Check out our selection of delicious chocolate treats from Japan, like today's Meltykiss Whips and Meltykiss Dew, both with delightful caramel flavor, which can make February 14th (or any day) extra special for someone. Click to see all the new and restocked J-snacks today. View products »
	Chocolate Decorating with Pocky ~ Wow! With this easy to use silicon tray, change your tasty pocky sticks into super mega deluxe chocolate explosions of cuteness and flavor.
	Restocked Anime Snacks, Too Enjoy traditional kompeito star candies, Kuro Ame Black Sugar candy, great senbei rice crackers, UHA One Piece candy and more.
	Clover Motif Wooden Style Volume Bento Box Capable of holding 900ml delicious rice, meat, vegetables etc, this is a great bento box for anyone with a larger appetite.
	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.
	Niko Nori Punch, More A fun way to decorate your lunch is to use one of our nori punches to cut sheet seaweed into cute and funny shapes. Very popular with our customers.
	Interesting Chopsticks & More While not quite as unique as those chopsticks we posted last time, we've got great extra-long cooking chopsticks, cooking spoons and more for you today.
	Make Anything in the Microwave See fresh stock of microwave products from Japan, including the Microwave Easy Spaghetti Maker, Food Steamer, rice cooker and more.
	Flavor Your Food the Star Wars Way 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, such a fun addition to your kitchen.
	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!
	Nice Japanese Good Luck Charms Restocked For lovers of the traditional and beautiful, check out our supply of Japanese traditional items, for both good luck and decorative display.
	Ikaruga Oppai Mousepad Preorder We know you've been hankering for a new oppai mousepad. Try this one featuring a massively-endowed moe ninja. Her expression is too cute!
	Fun New Monster Hunter Plush Toys Preorder Fans of Monster Hunter will love our new selection of plush toys from the epic MMO, including kawaii stuffed animals and cellphone straps.
	Dengeki G's Festival vol. 24 This issue of the number-one eroge magazine is packed with Majikoi S art and comes with an awesome dakimakura cover that has squeezable oppai! It's an amazing deluxe box with magazine that's filled with stuff you want, but be warned, as only a few are left in stock. View products »





	More Ecchi Artbooks If you are a fan of Moe artwork, enjoy the restocked Exhibition at Walhalla ero artbook set, plus other gorgeous books restocked.
	Imari Kurumi 1/6 Cast off Figure ~ Bible Black Preorder Fans of the Bible Black series will be drooling on their keyboards when they see this magnificent cast-off figure of Kurumi in leather. W- Wow!
	Private Beach - Mie Cast-off Figure Preorder Fall in love with Mie in this exquisite cast-off figure from Orca Works. Gorgeous curves and excellent craftsmanship. Preorder today.
	Gorgeous Onahole Stress Toys Browse our huge catalog of exquisite Japanese toys for male stress relief, including the Power of Love nurse "stroke holes" and Himekishi toy line.
	Bible Black Stress Toys Restocked We've got some amazing relaxation toys available, from one of the most infamous "H" series, Bible Black, now back in stock.
	Restocked Eroge from Japan Also: a healthy restocking of import eroge incl. Real Kanojo, Fate/stay night, Fate/hollow ataraxia, Starless and Devil on G-String. All so gorgeous!
	Snow Sakura, a Great Game for Winter Want to visit Hokkaido and find love? Then enjoy Snow Sakura, the English-translated eroge. Super characters and story that will warm you this winter!

Changing for Foreigners Living in Japan

2012-01-20T18:04:00.000+09:00

Some good news for foreigners living in Japan: a new Alien Registration System is coming which will make it easier for gaijin residents here. The new system has several new benefits, the most welcome being the elimination of the "reentry stamp" system, a $60 official stamp foreigners had to get in their passports if they wanted to be able to re-enter the country after going abroad, which was both inconvenient and potentially a big problem since it was easy to find yourself with an expired stamp suddenly. (We refer to it as the "gaijin tax" usually.) Since the problem of Japan's declining population is only going to get worse -- this year the number of "new adults" turning 20 years old was just 1.2 million, exactly half the peak of 2.4 million back in 1970 -- I believe the country should take real steps to encourage people to immigrate to Japan permanently. Just to be clear, I'm not knocking the treatment foreigners in Japan receive currently, as I know that we gaijin have it better here than foreigners in almost every other country. But making changes that make it easier for foreigners to live easily in Japan, like getting rid of that annoying re-entry stamp system, is a positive step forward in my book.

This is the current Alien Registration Card, which will be renewed soon.

Japanese Cultural Icons Around the World

2012-01-20T18:03:00.002+09:00

It's funny the way some Japanese cultural icons spread to the outside world, eventually becoming famous symbols of Japan. Growing up I remember being aware of the Three Wise Monkeys ("See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"), which I eventually learned came from a 17th century woodcarving at a famous temple in Nikko, probably entering our cultural consciousness during the Allied Occupation. Other well-known images include the Japanese torii arch, teru teru bozu dolls children hang by the window to wish for good weather tomorrow, origami cranes, and those disturbing tanuki raccoon dog statues with certain exaggerated features. Another famous image of Japan is Lucky Cat, those statues of cats with a paw raised, which is a friendly gesture meaning "Come in!" In Japanese they're called maneki neko ("inviting cat") since they're thought to invite good luck into your home or business, and companies like J-List will often display one next to a Daruma doll to help our business grow. No one is sure where they originated from, but according to one legend, back during the Edo Period a wealthy lord was taking shelter from a storm under a tree near a Buddhist temple. A cat belonging to the temple priest beckoned for the man to come near, and the moment the man moved away from the tree, lightning stuck -- the cat had saved him. The lord lavished many gifts on the temple in thanks, and when the cat died, the first Lucky Cat statues were carved in his honor.

Japanese cultural images are famous all over the world.

How to find Good Food in Japan

2012-01-20T18:03:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I went to Akihabara on business, which is always more fun than sitting behind a computer screen at the J-List World HQ. I arrived near lunchtime and decided to find something to eat, though Akiba is not exactly known for its broad selection of quality food choices, being a "Mecca" for electronics and otaku culture rather than cuisine. I spied a small curry shop with a queue of customers in front, and decided to go there, since a restaurant with customers lining up to eat is the sign of good food in Japan. Yes, something about the Japanese people -- their kokumin-sei or "national character" which I wrote about a couple updates ago -- makes them more than happy to wait in line for food, and J-List's manga, artbook and magazine buyer Yasu once told me, "If I don't need to wait in line, I don't want to eat it." There are a lot of food-related shows on Japanese TV, some of which do nothing but seek out restaurants with lines of customers in front and find out what makes the food so good.

When looking for good food, look for a line of waiting customers.

iTunes Japan Cards, for Anime Songs, JPOP And More

2012-01-20T18:01:00.005+09:00

The newest single by virtual singer Hatsune Miku has reached the #1 slot on iTunes Japan, causing fans . Remember that you can find the best anime songs, JPOP and more, for example the fabulous songs of Mizuki Nana or Megumi Hayashibara, all the new K-On! songs and much more. The iTunes Japan cards J-List sells are easy to use, and compatible with all iTunes/iPhone/iPod/iPad systems anywhere in the world, working seamlessly alongside your current account. So why not pick up a 3000 yen iTunes Japan card today?

Edelweiss Deluxe is in stock!

2012-01-20T18:01:00.003+09:00

As we mentioned last time, two outstanding games from MangaGamer are in stock now. One of them is Edelweiss Deluxe Set, a great game about a school on an exotic island that teaches students the secrets of alchemy. When Kazushi and his friends arrive, they're overjoyed to find that all the students are female, and extremely cute. The game features an updated translation with additional routes, and the all MangaGamer package editions are 100% DRM and activation free. Click to see the new MangaGamer titles now!

Cool Products Friday, January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T18:01:00.001+09:00

	Star Wars Light Saber Umbrellas Keep a young padawan's head dry on a rainy day with one of these official Star Wars umbrellas from Japan. Show off your choice of Lightsaber: Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Yoda -- with details down to the hilt design and saber color. Yet another fun product from Japan to delight us. View products »
	Hobby Japan Feb 2012 The latest issue of Hobby Japan will have you drooling with page after page of awesome mecha models and beautiful bishoujo figures.
	Comic Yuri Hime Mar 2012 Yuri fans will want to grab the new issue of Comic Yuri Hime, packed with sweet and sentimental manga about cute girls in love with each other.
	Gorgeous Anime Figures In Stock Check out our latest kawaii figures to come in stock, Astarotte Ygvar from Astarotte no Omocha and a Taiga Aisaka Nendoroid from Toradora.
	Kyubey Playing Cards Keep your games of poker honest with these cards featuring the ever-truthful Kyubey. All cards sport beautiful art of the Madoka Magica characters.
	Nyanpire Nekomimi Hats, Gloves Restocked Great news for all our Nyanpire fans! We've restocked our adorable nekomimi hats and gloves, just the thing to stay warm and kawaii this winter.
	Doki Doki Nyan Egg NEKO TAMAGO Restocked Nyan! -- we love cute neko cats, especially when we can take them home. Enjoy our selection of soft, plushy cat toys.
	Tiger Eye & Black Onyx Magnetic Bracelet Give a better flow to your body's energy by using this magnetic bracelet, designed with elegant "power stones."
	Neko Mimi Cat Ears, Striped Knee Socks Make your costume complete, or just play around the house, as a kawaii cat girl with this awesome cosplay accessory set.
	Me-me Danshi - Girly Boys Prepare to be awestruck by the beauty of these eight boys, who thanks to the magic of makeup and fashion look just like ultra-kawaii girls.
	How To Draw Manga Character Posing Book Whether you want to learn to draw like a professional manga artist or just look at Japanese girls making poses in their underwear, these books can help.
	White Rabbit Kanji Poster Restocked The ultimate took to help keep you motivated for studying Japanese, this is an awesome poster with every kanji you'll ever need to learn. This is truly an awesome achievement, with all the kanji you need to learn in order to be considered literate, and it's coated with glossy plastic so it'll last for years. View products »
	iTunes Japan Prepaid Music Cards You can find awesome songs on iTunes Japan, like the new Hatsune Miku hit single or the newest single by Mizuki Nana.
	Dr. Ion Stylish iPhone Case We have a lot of fun iPhone cases from Japan, and one we like is this sturdy case from Dr. Ion, with a carabiner and everything.
	Charcoal, Green Tea Toothpaste & More Get your teeth sparkling clean with the power of natural charcoal (it works!), plus other restocked health items from Japan.
	Fun Phone Straps Restocked The Japanese love to attach phone straps (also known as netsuke) to their phones, and we carry a lot of these fun items.
	Totoro Nap Pillow Restocked Imagine the dreams you will have with the Totoro Nap Pillow that we've restocked today -- it's just perfect for using on a lazy afternoon.
	Hello Kitty & Other Bento Accessories Nothing can make us smile like a really kawaii Hello Kitty bento box, and we've restocked some fun items today!
	Origami Crafts from J-List Japan's most widely known art form, origami, is more than just making cranes. Here's a great origami set for creating some of the most famous images of Japan in paper form, including Lucky Cat, Daruma, a carp of good luck, and two Japanese dolls. Plus it comes with instructions in English, very helpful! View products »
	Glico Cratz Fondu Chicken Gratin Set of 3 Enjoy some crazy snacks from Japan, like these new Chicken Fondu Cratz or Chocolate Medicine, plus tons of restocked deliciousness.
	Big Restocking of J-Snacks Enjoy Pokemon Assort Candy, Ramune Candy, Takoyaki Puff Snacks from FritoLay Japan, Sake Candy, Japan Kit Kat, Super Ramune Shigekix and more!
	My Melody Face Bento Box So kawaii, My Melody is the cool bunny character from Sanrio, this time with her own bento box.
	Great Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked Also, some of our most elegant traditional bento boxes are restocked, including the Blue Rabbit x Moon bento (both colors).
	GLIT & BRILLIA Bento Products Restocked We've got some very stylish bento boxes available too, like these modern ones from GLIT & BRILLIA.
	Home Made Kawaii TAIYAKI Mold w/ microwave Easily make delicious, bite-sized Taiyaki (fish shaped pastries) using your microwave, thanks to this great kitchen item. Such a great idea!
	Awesome Egg Shapers from Japan Also: the epic Dream Land Egg Shaper is restocked, great for fans of amazing eggs in unique shapes. The Japanese are into that.
	Restocked Japanese Cookbooks Too The 200 basic recipes of Japanese cuisine are detailed in this great new recipe book - all you need is here! A great Japanese cookbook.
	Magical Erasable Ball Point Pens FRIXION pens are remarkable, using special magic ink the "erases" when exposed to heat, like a rubbing motion or fire-breathing dragon.
	Jewelry Making Sticker Pens Restocked We carry a lot of fun crafts on J-List, and the popular pens that allow you to make your own stickers for decorating stuff are back in stock.
	Kanji Drill Workbooks We always have fun Japanese study tools, and today we're restocking the Basic Kanji Drill series. Study the way Japanese children do.
	Bilingual Manga Restocked We've gotten the bilingual Ghost in the Shell manga -- which features all the content cut from the U.S. release. Also: more Oreimo!
	Restocked Traditional Items See fun Lucky Cat products restocked, including the Nyan-Pon Phone Strap Netsuke figures, plus many other traditional items from Japan.
	Alien, Face Hugger, Chest Burster Chopsticks? Woah, these are so cool! Enjoy your next meal with these Alien inspired chopsticks. Great for everyday use or themed parties. Preorder now.
	New BAKUMAN, Charlotte Figures Preorder More great bishoujo figures up for preorder. Check out the adorable Miho Nendoroid from Bakuman and the sexy Charlotte from Infinite Stratos.
	Persona 4 Figure Collection Set of 8 Preorder Grab a whole set of chibi figures featuring all your favorite characters from Persona 4. Comes in two versions -- with glasses and without. So totally cute.





	Galgoog ~ Koji Tabe illustrations We love the art of Koji Tabe, whose manga Trance Girls is hugely popular on J-List. Check out this full-color collection of his sexy gyaru artwork.
	Puru Puru Oppai Finale We love Japan for being so innovative when it comes to the ero products. Get a paizuri with this stress relieving wonder.
	Restocked Anime-Themed Onaholes, Lotion Then see the most innovative oppai toy ever, products that allow you to experience your favorite anime characters both ways, plus more lotion for otaku.
	Panchira Office Lady ~ Scented OL Pantsu For yourself or your friend, see our restocked OL underwear, already scented with the perfume of a Japanese office lady. Another quality product from Tamatoys.
	Dendrobium Sisters Viole Figure In Stock Take a look at this super-sexy figure based on the voluptuous Viole from Dendrobium. The proportions on this girl are mind-blowing. Wow!
	Dies irae ~ Acta est Fabula Fight to save the world from superpowered Nazis in this epic visual novel. Great for fans of incantations, gratuitous German, and insane power levels.
	Today's Top English Eroge Titles Check out the hottest "H" game titles available, like Edelweiss Deluxe, My Girlfriend is the President, and Da Capo 2, plus many others.

Space Saving in Japan

2012-01-18T20:04:00.002+09:00

Japan is a small country, which has to fit slightly less than half the population of the U.S. into an area just 1/25th the size. This makes it important for people to use less space, and you can see many ways in which the Japanese go about doing this in their cities. First, many businesses such as family restaurants or electronics retailers are built up high, with the ground level clear for cars to park, which saves a lot of space. Houses with business built into them are quite common in Japan, like Seven-Eleven convenience stores with apartments above for the manager to live in, or my own house, which contains the small liquor shop that my wife's family has operated for fifty years. Gas stations need to save space, too, and many have their pumps located in the roof, with hoses that can be dropped down from above, allowing for more space for cars waiting to be refueled. For parking a lot of cars in a small area, the Japanese have automated car storage systems (essentially "car elevators") that will whisk your car away and store it while you shop, then return it to you when you insert your parking stub. Of course, building up always gives you more room with work with, but it's not always possible to do that in earthquake-prone Japan, which puts extra pressure on engineers to come up with ways of doing more with less space.

A Japanese gas station with hoses that come down from the ceiling, saving space.

All About Japanese Name Suffixes

2012-01-18T20:04:00.000+09:00

Last time I wrote about how the name a person calls another says a lot about their relationship, whether they use the person's family name with an honorific name prefix like -san (indicating distance or formality) or boldly call them by their first name, like Haruhi does to Mikuru despite Mikuru being a year older than her. Since Japan's complex system of name endings can be complex, I thought I'd go over them them for you.

-san	The "basic" name suffix that everyone has heard of. It is polite, and is used to create some distance between the person you're speaking with. Can be used with the family name (e.g. Fujita-san), and also with the first name (Tomo-san) to show politeness while also showing some familiarity.
-chan	Used when addressing females you're close to, and female children. Always used with the first name, e.g. Kana-chan. Pronounced with a long "ah" vowel sound as in "Khan," not short as in "plan." Also used for family members of any sex (e.g. oniichan as a term of endearment for one's older brother). Males adding -chan to female names in workplace settings is frowned upon as rude.
-kun	Usually used for male acquaintances, though in some settings it can be used for females, such as the military or university campuses. Fun fact: the second syllable of the word "tycoon" is this word, from an archaic title for the Shogun of Japan.
-sama	A term of formality and respect. A good example of a word you'll hear in anime all the time which is never used in modern spoken Japanese, though it comes up in formal written Japanese.
-senpai	A name suffix and general term for an upperclassman in a school or senior in a company. The opposite is kohai, though this is never used as a name suffix when addressing people.
-sensei	A term of respect for teachers, also used with politicians, attorneys and...accountants? Literally means "born before me."
(first name only)	Called yobisute (lit. "throwing a name away"), using a person's given name without anything on the end is done between close friends or dating couples. I once caused confusion by talking to the mother of a female student of mine, and since I used the girl's first name, the mother thought I was involved with her daughter. Awkward!
nicknames	In Japan, virtually everyone from Brad Pitt and Arnold Schwarzenegger get cute little names attached to them, and many characters in anime stress out if they're not being called by some cute unique name by their friends. My own nickname is "P-Chan," a name I inhered from an old cat we had, not from where you'd probably expect.

Haruhi fails to show respect to her senpai, Mikuru, but it's okay because she's God.

All About "Maru" (Circle) in Japan

2012-01-18T20:02:00.000+09:00

The current anime season in Japan continues to impress with its great lineup, which forces me to reschedule other activities in order to keep up with all the shows. We've got an outstanding "moe horror" tale (Another), a sequel to Bakemonogatari (Nisemonogatari), plus what appears to be the marriage of AnoHana and Please Teacher, called Ano Natsu de Matteru (aka Waiting in the Summer), which I'm a big fan of. Another breakout show has been Rinne no Lagrange, the story of a cheerful girl named Madoka (no, not that Madoka) who likes helping people and, this being Japan and all, piloting a giant robot. There's a strange gesture she makes whenever she does something good, drawing a circle in the air with her finger. This is called maru (no, not that Maru), Japanese for "circle," and to the Japanese it means "good," "correct" or "yes." It's actually a potential source of confusion, since circles have no deep cultural meaning in the West, and the first time I got a test back in Japanese class with red circles drawn all over it I thought I'd done terribly...but of course circles indicate correct answers. The Japanese maru causes confusion when playing Japanese PS3 or PSP games since the function of ⚪ and ✕ are reversed (the first one is "yes" to the Japanese while the second is "execute" to us). Similarly, our American coffee maker vexes new Japanese employees, who see a 1 and a 0 by the power switch and assume the latter is the "on" position.

A circle (maru) means "good" or "correct."

Anime and Ecchi Artbooks @ J-List

2012-01-18T19:59:00.000+09:00

One thing the Japanese are good at is creating beautiful art in the form of glossy artbooks, which are a great way to enjoy your favorite artist's works captured forever in high quality printed pages. In addition to having the most amazing illustrators anywhere in the world, printing technology in Japan is second to none, and the quality of these artbooks is amazing to see. Browse the newest anime artbook offerings here, or see the most popular Japanese artbooks here.

Good News! MangaGamer games in stock!

2012-01-18T19:58:00.001+09:00

We've got good news for fans of great visual novels and eroge in English: the all-ages Go! Go! Nippon! and eroge Edelweiss Deluxe Set are in stock now, and ready for you to order. Go! Go! Nippon! is a visual novel about a foreigner coming to Japan to visit, and interacting with two cute girls while he's here. The game teaches you a lot about Japan, and since it's bilingual, you can pick up some nihongo from it. Best of all, the package editions are all 100% DRM and activation free. Click to see the new MangaGamer titles now!

Cool Products Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T19:57:00.002+09:00

	Otomedia vol. 6 Grab an all-new issue of Otomedia, the number-one magazine for all your bishie needs. Packed with tons of cool guys from shows like Persona 4, Tiger & Bunny, and Uta no Prince-sama, plus exclusive pinups you can only get in this month's issue. It's a great time to be a fujoshi fangirl! View products »
	Kera Feb 2012 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.
	Gothic Bustier Skirt, Other Fashions Restocked And what better way to look awesomely fashionable than with this gothic bustier skirt? Works both for cosplay and for everyday wear.
	Nyanpire Plush Toys Restocked What's cuter than a cat? A cat who's a cute vampire, as in the Nyanpire anime series. These popular plush toys have been restocked!
	Popular Cosplay Products Restocked See fun cosplay and fashion products restocked, including our Eva-style Japanese Eye Patch, as seen in the new horror anime "Another."
	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?
	Knee-High Striped Stocking Socks Then check out cool new stocking/socks that will make the perfect addition to any stylish girl's dresser. Japanese socks are the best!
	Go! Go! Nippon! ~ My First Trip to Japan Now In Stock! Two cute girls teach you all about Japan in this fun and unique visual novel from MangaGamer, now in stock on J-List! In the game you visit two friends in Tokyo, who you think are male, but they turn out to be extremely cute females. They take you all around Tokyo and Kyoto and let you experience what being in Japan would be like. View products »
	Steins;Gate - Soushi Souai no True Memories Are you in love with the beautiful girls of Steins;Gate? Then you'll want a copy of this amazing artbook. Comes with exclusive swimsuit pinups!
	Hatsune Miku Figma, Haqua Nendoroid In Stock Some great new figures in stock today. Check out the ultra-cool Hatsune Miku Figma action figure and the adorable Haqua Nendoroid.


	2012 Japanese Idol Calendars Going Fast With the "50% off the 2nd calendar" sale we're having now, the 2012 anime, JPOP and other calendars are flying off the shelves. Browse our selection quickly!
	Restocked 'Socks Glue,' Too Keep your knee high socks where they should be, around your knees, with this Japanese High School girl secret, sock glue.
	Restocked Totoro Plush Toys Our customers love the squeezable Totoro plushes from Sun Arrow. Browse our large selection of types and sizes, now restocked.
	Red Checked Hello Kitty Letter Set Show your friends how much you love them by writing them letters on super kawaii Hello Kitty stationary. Lots of great designs!
	Chocolate Medicine for the Love Sick (Set of 3) Valentine's Day is coming up, and you know what that means. Treat the many symptoms of love sickness with these delicious chocolates. A great idea!
	Sushikko! Joke Massagers...? How realistic can a Japanese toy be? These amazing vibrating sushi really push the limit of Japanese wackiness. They look delicious though!
	Mikakuto Shigekix Pirate Magical Fruit (Set of 3) A true pirate seeks only the most delicious booty. Grab these sour magical fruit candies and make all your pirate friends "Yar!" in envy.
	Kawaii Restocked Snacks Enjoy Kracie Dinosaur and Insect Making Gummy, Tomato Pretz, Rich Salt Karu Jaga snacks, Dars Chocolate w/Maria Ozawa, plus Pocky Panda and Cookies!
	Restocked Bento Boxes, DX Chopsticks We have several restocked bento boxes today, including the elegant Ice Cream Sandwich themed bento plus a traditional chocolate-themed lunchbox.
	Make Ramen in the Microwave See our popular Microwave Ramen Bowl, restocked again, plus other random items for your kitchen.
	Awesome Bento Cups, Food Separators See restocked bento food cups -- including one that teaches you <>hiragana! -- plus other fun ways of keeping your food separate in your lunch.
	Fun Bento Accessories Then: see other bento items, including anti-bacterial sheets, since no one wants bacteria in their bento lunch, and <>kawaii rice ball wrappers.
	Huge Volley of New and Restocked Japanese Pens Life is too short to write with lame pens, we always say, and we carry the best writing instruments Japan has to offer. Today see the FRIXION erasable pens including the first ever erasable highlighting pens we've ever seen. Also enjoy the SELFIT Mechanical Pencil, Zebra 2WAY Pen + Pencil, and Compact PenType Scissors. View products »
	DARUMA CHO-CHIN ~ Japanese Traditional Lantern Keep evil spirits out of your household with this traditional Japanese lantern. A great way to give your room a nice touch of old Japan.
	Awesome Traditional Products Restocked From kitsune (fox) masks and kiseru pipes to bamboo flutes and koma spinning tops, J-List has everything your Japanese spirit demands.
	Fun Tentacle Products Restocked 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.
	Cordelia Glauca Nendoroid ~ Milky Holmes Preorder Wow, another gorgeous Nendoroid figure to delight fans! This makes us happy with kawaii design and many posing options. Preorder now.
	New Revoltech Preorder Figures Posted Nobody makes figures like Revoltech! Click above to preorder amazing action figures like Edward Elric from FMA and Woody from Toy Story.
	Persona 3 & 4 Figures Preorder The Persona games are full of memorable characters. Take a look at these figures of the adorable Kuma from P4 and the Thanatos persona from P3.


	Afternoon Slave Club 2 ~ Houkago Dorei Club 2 And here's a great anthology about beautiful, voluptuous women who'll do anything to satisfy their desire for hot sex. Hours of naughty fun! We're huge fans of the works of Maguro Teikoku (Tuna Empire) and having a new volume in this popular series is great news! View products »


	2D Dream Magazine illustrations 3 This 80-page artbook is bursting with erotic art from some of the best artists in the industry. A must-have for the true eros connoisseur.
	Shigeo Hamashima Artworks, Other Artbooks Shigeo Hamashima is an amazing erotic artist, and we've restocked his popular artbook for eroge fans and collectors. Warning, this will burn your eyebrows.
	Restocked Love Dolls, Onahole Toys We've got some of our favorites back in stock, like the Paizuri, Oppai Onahole, Love Body Risa, Bubble Shake Onahole and more.
	Huge Restocking of Personal Massagers In addition to those wacky Sushi Massagers, enjoy some quality personal time with the classic Pink Rotar and e-Rotor. Also, nipple vibrators.
	Restocked Japanese Personal Lotion We've also got some stellar lotions and other accessories for your adult toys, all high quality products of Japan. With a nice "2D" theme of course.
	Grisaia no Kajitsu ~ Le Fruit De La Grisaia Earn the love of five cute and quirky girls in this highly-praised erotic visual novel featuring beautiful artwork by the Bakemonogatari artist.
	Edelweiss DX Edition is in Stock! Romance beautiful girls, train your very own maids, and visit Japan with these great titles from Mangagamer, now in DRM-free package form.

The Great Hanshin Earthquake Struck 17 Years Ago

2012-01-16T19:40:00.003+09:00

Today is the 17th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which destroyed the city of Kobe and greatly damaged nearby Osaka and Kyoto, causing more than 6400 deaths. The 1995 earthquake was a mere 6.8 magnitude, a walk in the park compared the unbelievable destruction of the 9.0 magnitude quake last March, but because the Hanshin (Kobe and Osaka) region of Japan has historically enjoyed lower instances of serious earthquakes compared with the Kanto (Tokyo) area, the building codes were less strict, which resulted in many collapsed buildings. As with the terrible disaster last year, Japanese came together to help one another, with no rioting or hoarding of food or other problems. I remember one story about a man who ran a public bath, who allowed everyone to bathe for free since the earthquake had damaged the water pipes, leaving most people with no water in their homes. While the rebuilding of the Tohoku region is still progressing slowly, hopefully people in the area can look to the shining example of Kobe and realize that, someday, the slow process of rebuilding will be over.

Just as Kobe showed us, Japan will definitely rebuild and bounce back.

Defining the "National Character" Of Japan

2012-01-16T19:40:00.000+09:00

One thing that's good about living in a foreign country is the way you come to understand the people around you, especially their 国民性 kokumin-sei. This is a Japanese word translatable as "national character," and it describes the common elements that make that group of people unique. Every country is different -- what makes Koreans and French special is totally different from what makes Japanese or Mexicans who they are. From the Japanese point of view, Americans are always thinking big, both in terms of ideas as well as (ahem) food or drink portions, and my wife (who is very precise in everything she does) is often frustrated by my ability to say I'll be there in 10 minutes then show up 2 hours later. From where I sit, Japanese are a very patient people, always willing to wait in line for an hour at a popular ramen restaurant, and they dislike confrontation of any kind, happy to wave away problems using the magical phrase sho ga nai ("it can't be helped") rather than deal with them head-on. When we went to Taiwan we were surprised to see very few vending machines, which is odd since they're everywhere in Japan. When we asked our tour guide why this was she said, "Taiwanese hate buying from machines, finding it impersonal and cold. It's much more pleasant to buy from a real human being in a convenience store instead, where you can have a brief friendly conversation. It's part of who we are." As a result, Taiwan has the highest density of conbini in the world, and walking in Taipei about every third business we saw was a convenience store (really).

Since part of kokumin-sei involves you coming to know your own country from the viewpoint of outsiders, how would you describe your own country? The Japanese can go on for hours describing (usually criticizing) themselves in this way.

Defining a country through its convenience stores?

"Another" Horror Anime From Japan

2012-01-16T19:38:00.004+09:00

I started watching Another last night, a dark horror-themed anime which caught my eye because the characters were created by Noizi Ito, who did the Haruhi character designs. It's called Another because it's yet "another" damn anime series that I positively have to watch this season -- I can't remember when there have been so many must-see shows on at the same time. In a scene in the first episode, the main character Kouichi Sakakibara is visited in the hospital by some classmates who have questions about why he's come to the secretive town of Yomiyama. They address him as "Sakakibara-kun," the neutral/slightly polite way to address a male classmate, until the bold class leader Izumi says, "No, it's Kouichi-kun, right? Can I call you Kouichi-kun?" By using his first name, usually only done between established friends, she broke down a social barrier of politeness which would allow them to become closer...though I imagine this might not always be clear to us gaijin when watching. If you want to follow all the newest anime from Japan, we recommend a subscription to the excellent anime magazine we offer, like Megami Magazine, Nyantype, or Newtype. You'll find out about anime being broadcast in Japan right now, and the free posters and other stuff the magazines shower fans with are really great. The month-to-month revolving subscriptions can be cancelled or changed at any time, too.

"Another" new anime series to watch.

Bento @ J-List

2012-01-16T19:38:00.001+09:00

We're big fans of bento culture here at J-List, and carry hundreds of fun bento boxes, and we've been really happy with the worldwide response from customers all over the world. Whether you're interested in traditional bento boxes that make you feel like you're in Kyoto, or kawaii anime-themed bento lunchboxes, we've got a huge selection for you now. We also make sure the site is well stocked with fun bento accessories and Japanese cookbooks that give you lots of ideas for making fun-to-eat creations.

Cool Products Monday, January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T19:37:00.003+09:00

	Dragon Age Feb 2012 The latest issue of Dragon Age is here! Enjoy another 800 pages of the latest and greatest manga from Japan, including Highschool DxD, Maken-Ki, and Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? And you'll definitely want the moe Zombie calendar that comes free with this awesome magazine. View products »
	Animedia Feb 2012 Also, enjoy a brand-new issue of Animedia loaded with beautiful art from the most moe shows this season. Comes with posters!
	Animage Feb 2012 And here's another great magazine with even more posters to cover your walls. This issue of Animage features K-On and the upcoming Code Geass spinoff.
	Madoka, Stocking, To LOVE-Ru Figures In Stock If you're looking for some cute and/or sexy new figures for your collection, look no further. We have Madoka, Stocking, To LOVE-ru's Yami, and more!
	Catherine 1/7 Figure ~ Catherine Also, that gorgeous figure of Catherine from the hit ATLUS game has come in stock, complete with her amazing "drill hair." Click to view it now.



	Queen's Gate, Queen's Blade Artbooks Fans of Queens Gate (or Queens Blade) will want to see these gorgeous restocked artbooks, with all your favorite characters plus some new ones.
	The Star - One Piece Dress and Top Set Straight from the fashion hub of Japan, this cool double dress + top set will set you ready for any upcoming event where you want to look amazing.
	Japanese School Bags Restocked If you watch a little anime, you'll probably see these "sports style" school bags being carried by the K-On! girls and other lovable anime characters.
	Mof Mof Earmuff ~ Doki Doki Kaomoji Keep your ears warm and show that you're on the cutting edge of Japanese internet culture with these cute earmuffs sporting Japanese emoticons.
	Get Clean with the Power of Charcoal Charcoal (sumi in Japanese) get things clean, and we've restocked our most popular face and skin products from Japan.
	SHOXX Glipo Poster Magazine vol. 2 Next, get all the awesome photography you've come to expect from the magazine that focuses on the J-Rock and visual scenes in Japan!
	Anime Calendars On Sale We're closing out our entire stock of 2012 calendars, which means that Madoka and Naruto and Pokemon fans, now is the to score that calendar and save a ton!
	iTunes Japan Prepaid Cards 2011 was a great year for anison (anime songs), and iTunes Japan has made a nice link to the best anime hits of 2011. Click to visit now!
	Random Bath Items from Japan See our waterproof flashcards and memo pads which I use for recording ideas in the bath, plus washable bath crayons for kids, fun!
	Fun J-List T-shirts We've got dozens of fun J-List T-shirts in stock in San Diego, and one we like a lot is this tribute to Hachiko, the most loyal dog in Japan. Great design!
	Yukipon Brothers Ice Bar Maker Kawaii little things often flow out of Japan, like these handy DIY flavored ice juice maker that features adorable yukidaruma (snowmen).
	Today's New Japanese Snacks, Traditional Gum Flavors Your tongue will think you've gone on a vacation to Kyoto with these new "wa" flavored gums, plus the always delicious Morinaga Caramel in a new flavor.
	Restocked Japanese Snacks Too Enjoy Meiji 100% Juice Gummy, Kracie Gummy Fishing, Black Sesame Caramel, Pocari Sweat Powder, Morinaga Milk "Totoro" Caramel, plus Choco Banana!
	Red Fuji Mt. Fuji Lacquered 2 Tier Bento Box Few things are more distinctly Japanese than the sight of Mount Fuji glowing red in the light of the setting sun. Now you can take this piece of the Japanese national identity wherever you go with this elegant bento box by Hakoya. View products »
	Other Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked We've got great restocked bento boxes that look classy no mater where you take them including the 950ml Volume Bento for men, Hiragana Man bento and more.
	Anime Bento Restocked We have anime bento too, including Evangelion, One Piece and Totoro, restocked today. Click to browse these fun items from Japan.
	Traditional Rabbit Bento See some fun bento accessories restocked, including our popular bento bags and a cute rabbit-themed bento belt.
	We Must Have More Hello Kitty Bento Accessories We have restocked our favorite Hello Kitty onigiri maker, a fun item for creating works of kawaii art in your next bento creation.
	Manga Cookbook, Other Bento Books Japanese food is delicious, healthy, and looks great too! Learn to make some classic Japanese dishes for your bento with these wonderful cookbooks.
	Fun Photobooks from Japan We carry many random photobook capturing unexpected yet awesome aspects of Japan, like this book showing random deserted alleyways in Tokyo.
	Lucky Cat Message Display, More If you need more luck in your life, these cute little Lucky Cat figurines can help. Each has a different kanji message written on his tummy.
	Other Traditional Items Restocked See some of our most beloved traditional Japanese items, including yokobue flutes that our customers love and more.
	Ai Nanasaki Nendoroid ~ Amagami SS Preorder Which Amagami SS girl is your favorite? While I love Haruka, I'd probably have to choose Ai-chan, who trolls so nicely with her swimsuit under her skirt.
	Other New Preorder Figures Also enjoy a cool One Piece plush figure that's just amazing, as well as something special for Ruroni Kenshin fans and other preorder figures.






	Tony Taka's Epic Artbooks Master illustrator Tony Taka's epic artbooks are back in stock, among the best hentai works Japan has ever seen.
	Other Innovative Stress Toys from Japan A pair of panties specially made to hide a surprise inside, great fun for couples to experiment in public with. Also the Bubble Shake onaholes.
	Advanced 'Air Dutch' Dolls from Japan Japan leads the way in stress relief technology for the discerning gentleman. Take, for example, the amazing Air Dutch series of dolls with built-in onaholes for your manly pleasure and all around stress relief. Comes in "doggy style" and "horse riding" types -- wow! Best of all, these dolls can wear clothes. View products »
	USB ONACON & 3D CUSTOM GIRL By popular demand, we've restocked the awesome Onacon stress toy. Live out your 2D fantasies or discover a new way to enjoy your favorite rhythm game!
	Awesome 'Oreimo' Parody Toys Too We can't believe there are so many great Oreimo parody onnacup toys. Take your pick between parodies of Kuroneko, Ayase, or Kirino.
	Restocked Import Eroge from Japan Enjoy excellent import games, like Love 0 Kilometers, Strawberry Nauts, Custom Ai-DRoid, Sengoku Rance and Little Busters! (with an English patch).
	Manga Gamer Games ~ DRM Free! You can buy outstanding English-translated eroge titles from MangaGamer at J-List. Great news too: the preorder games will be in San Diego tomorrow!

Why You Should Learn Japanese Using Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji

2012-01-13T19:07:00.005+09:00

When I was at Narita last week I went into a bookshop to browse for Japan-related books we might want to carry on the site. I picked up one book on Japanese grammar but put it back on the shelf immediately, as it was a book I knew I'd never want to sell on J-List. The reason was that the book taught Japanese using romaji, that is Romanized Japanese, or Japanese sentences written using the English alphabet rather than hiragana, katakana and kanji. The reason learning from a book that teaches you through Romanized Japanese is bad is that your brain has difficulty separating the rules of English pronunciation from Japanese, and this will greatly harm your ability to speak the language naturally. Near J-List there's a river called the Tone River, pronounced "toh-nay," but if you learn the name through romaji rather than proper written Japanese because you might pronounce it "tone" like the English word. In English we have "silent e" on the ends of many words, which the Japanese call "the magic e" (maho no E) by the way, but this would get in the way of saying the family name of Mami Tomoe from Madoka Magika correctly (it's toh-mo-eh, not toh-mo). Finally the number 10,000 is used in Japanese a lot, since it's the basic unit in the Sino-Japanese numeric system, but if you read ichi man in Romanized Japanese you're likely to pronounce it like "itchy man" rather than "ee-chi mahn." This is why we recommend books like the Genki series and White Rabbit kanji cards which force your brain to learn properly using kana and kanji, or books that at least offer both on the page, like the Hello Kitty bilingual guide book we posted today.

Getting Ready for Chocolate Season in Japan

2012-01-13T19:07:00.002+09:00

Valentine's Day is not far-off, and Japan is starting to get into "chocolate mode," with lots of TV news pieces discussing the trends in chocolate this year. For reasons unique to Japan, February 14th has become a day for women to show their devotion to the men in their lives by giving them chocolate, a custom I'm rather happy with, being a guy and all. For casual giving there are hundreds of prepackaged chocolate gift boxes sold in stores, and often female office workers will give small boxes of giri choco or "obligation chocolate" to male co-workers or bosses to make them feel happy. Girlfriends, wives and daughters will often make handmade chocolates for their special men to show their love and thank them for working hard. If you'd like to give this a try this year, we've got a selection of chocolate molds and related products that you can pour melted chocolate or cake mix into, and J-List also sells dozens of amazing chocolate treats from Japan, from Japan-only Kit Kat varieties to Pocky and much more.

Japan is starting to think about chocolate.

The End of TV "Jidai Geki" Period Dramas in Japan?

2012-01-13T19:06:00.005+09:00

One aspect of Japan I've always been impressed with is the way popular culture is closely tied to history in the form of jidai geki or samurai period dramas, which is incidentally where we get the word "Jedi" from. It's not at all strange for an average Japanese person interested in modern forms of media like anime and video games to also love watching intense stories about historical figures in the Edo Period. Sadly, the last few decades have seen the decline in commercially produced jidai geki on television, with the number of weekly shows falling from a peak of 32 in 1972 to just one today, as Japanese viewers get older and sponsors show less interest in funding the programs. Long gone are such gritty classics as the blind swordsman Zatoichi, or Lone Wolf and Cub, the tale of a man whose family is killed, forcing him to flee with his young son. Even the venerable Mito Komon, the tale of a Japanese lord who roams Japan disguised as a kimono cloth merchant solving problems for people he meets and dispensing the Shogun's justice, ended last month after an incredible 42 year run. Although commercially-produced period dramas have fallen on hard times, they're alive and well over at NHK, Japan's version of the BBC, where shows like the massive-budget Taiga Drama are made every year.

Sadly, the era of broadcast period dramas has ended.

Remember the J-List 2012 Calendar Sale

2012-01-13T19:06:00.002+09:00

More good news: we're having a an awesome sale on all our 2012 anime, JPOP, Japanese idol and ecchi calendars. Now we're having a great sale which lets you buy one Japanese calendar and get the second one for half off (total discount is 25% off the total of any 2 or more calendars, allowing you to get as many as you like and get the discounted price). Want to score one of this year's Lucky Cat traditional art calendars before they're gone, or spend a year with the awesome girls of illustrator Tony Taka on your wall? Now's your chance, before the calendars you want are gone forever.

Moe Moe Presisdent Ohama Jokes

2012-01-13T19:06:00.000+09:00

Remember that download orders for our popular eroge visual novel My Girlfriend is the President are open now, so you can choose between a fast and convenient Internet Download edition version of the game, or go for the shrinkwrapped game in DVD-ROM format. Enjoy the hijinks of your girlfriend President Ohama, the super-cute Russian President Putina, a moe starship called Ell, and more! Click here to see English-translated eroge available by download.

Cool Products Friday, January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T19:02:00.002+09:00

	Newtype Feb 2012 It's time for a new issue of Newtype, the number one magazine for fans of awesome anime and moe girls. Get an exclusive look at the new season of anime, with shows like Aquarion EVOL and Guilty Crown, plus the upcoming Nanoha A's and Eureka 7 movies. And of course, you also get free stuff in the form of posters, calendars, and more! View products »
	Comptiq Feb 2012 Check out the latest issue of Comptiq, another awesome magazine for fans of moe anime and games. Get a free Lucky Star calendar and more!
	Puella Magi Madoka Magica Collection The complete collection of Madoka Magica gashapon figures is now in stock. Get Madoka, Homura, Mami, Sayaka, and everyone's favorite, Kyubey!
	Arsene ~ Tantei Opera Milky Holmes Fans of Milky Holmes are going to be amazed when they finally get their hands on this Arsene. Also enjoy a Final Fantasy XIII-2 figure.
	Revoltech, Figma Figures In Stock You'll love these awesome new action figures, featuring Robocop, Hatsune Miku, and three versions of Gurren Lagann!
	I Have Few Friends vol. 1 (Blu-ray Disc) Grab the first volume of Haganai on Blu-ray and enjoy tons of special features, including a limited edition artbook and drama CD. A collector's dream!
	Restocked Anime Artbooks Super anime-kei artbooks restocked today, incl. the Nanoha the Movie 1st Visual Book, the Bungaku Shojo artbook and...oppai?
	2012 Anime Calendars On Sale! We're loaded with epic anime calendars right now, including the 2012 Evangelion calendar. We posted interior pictures today, and they are gorgeous!
	Perpetual Calendar Restocked That "eternal calendar" that can be used year after year is restocked -- it's stylish and awesome and would go well in your room or office.
	Japanese Hoodie - Sakamoto Nyan You'll love this original J-List hoodie featuring Sakamoto Nyan, the cutest and most lovable kitty this side of Japan, and naturally made with high quality sweatshirts, not the inferior blends you see in shops. This is a limited hoody so you should pick one up before they sell out. Another great original J-List product, made in the USA. View products »
	Random iTunes Japan Links It's fun to look for random things on the iTunes Japan store, like traditional enka tunes or the dreamy music from Ghost in the Shell: SOC.
	Awesome Totoro Blankets Restocked Every year the super-soft Totoro blankets we sell drive customers to say things like, "I can't believe how soft and warm it is. Thank you J-List!"
	Nintendo DS Software to Learn Japanese Great Japanese study software for the DS restocked, including Kanji Test DS 3, Kanji Test for 2.5 Millions, Kanji Training, Perfect Kanji and more.
	New Japanese Pens, Awesome Camera Case Our new Pilot FRIXION pen is an erasable ballpoint, perfect for taking notes. We also have a stylish camera case that all your friends will envy.
	Yubisashi x Hello Kitty JAPAN English Edition Let the eternally adorable Hello Kitty be your guide to Japan with this great bilingual phrase book and study aid.
	Restocked Japan-Related Books Restocked books, including the popular handbook for living in Japan someday, plus many great Japanese study books (kinds various).
	Nestle Kit Kat Sakura Matcha Latte Preorder The latest flavor of Kit Kat is green tea latte with a touch of cherry blossom, for the cultured palate. A seasonal special, so get it while it lasts!
	Glico Winter Pocky Coffee (Set of 3) There's always a new flavor of Pocky to try. Grab these winter-exclusive sticks for a rich chocolate taste with a hint of coffee. The rage in Japan.
	Neru Neru Nerune Restocked, Too Then see Ramune Neru Neru Nerune, the bizarre Japanese powdered candy you mix and eat. It's fun and very random! Brought to you by Kracie.
	Restocked Japanese Snacks, incl. Kit Kat! Japan's Kit Kat flavors are famous all around the world, and we've got them all, from Kyoto Green Tea to Yokohama Strawberry Cheese Cake!
	Traditional-Modern Bento Boxes Big restocking of several bento boxes today, including the WAON Traditional + Modern and Kerria Ellipsoidal Genuine Lacquered bentos boxes.
	Push Style Easy Sandwich Maker (Heart) Nothing makes a child smile more than a handmade sandwich in the shape of a heart. Of course many adults find it cute as fun as well.
	Microwave Taiyaki Maker Takoyaki Makers Discover some amazing cooking that is also easy, thanks to the miracle of the microwave oven. Taiyaki and Takoyaki are restocked today.
	Ridiculously Frog & Panda Mug Cups, More We defy anyone to find a cuter panda or frog coffee cup than the awesome ones we're restocking today. Other cute kitchen items posted as well.
	5 Famous Japanese Onsen Bath Salt Set Feel like you're in a Japanese onsen (hot spring) when you drop one of these bath salts in your tub. Makes your skin feels silky smooth.
	Ninja, Samurai Products Restocked Many traditional products restocked today, including our most popular samurai sandals, the Ninja Retracting Parody Blade, and Wooden Ninja Sword.
	Beautiful Kimonos and Yukatas from Japan Live the life of a samurai or geisha with these cool, authentic kimonos from Japan, for both men and women.
	Popular Traditional Items Restocked This is cool: a wooden case with the official seal of the Tokugawa Shogun, you can flash it at Japanese people like they do in Mito Komon. Holds stuff too.
	Momo Deviluke Figure ~ To LoveRu Preorder Check out this impishly cute figure of Momo from the hit harem anime To LoveRu. Extra moe, for the discerning collector. Preorder now.
	Tiger & Bunny Figures by Figurearts Preorder Then take a look at these awesome action figures of Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks from the "henshin hero" anime Tiger & Bunny. Too cool!

	Awesome Photobooks Restocked See some delicious photobooks restocked, too, featuring kawaii and ero-kawaii Japanese models. We also of a pose book for artists.
	Huge Update of Awesome Ero Doujinshi We have some unbelievable doujins for you today, each jam-packed with erotic goodness for your consumption. Taking center stage is a massive 300-page anthology of Monster Hunter doujins from Udon-Ya. Huge breasts and skimpy armor abound. We're also offering an amazing full-color Evangelion doujin with all three of the heroines from the new Eva movies. And there's plenty more, so take a look! View products »


	Cure Girl - Coffee Kizoku Artworks Enjoy some amazing erotic art with this artbook from the popular moe eroge Cure Girl. Over 100 pages of cute girls in sexy situations.
	Restocked Ecchi Artbooks, Too Got some nice "H" artbooks on the site today, including one that gives an in-depth look at all the wonderful oppai in your favorite anime. Click to view.
	Paizuri Special Toy Many of you will have had fantasies of slipping yourself between the warm flesh of a woman's enormous breasts, but finding a woman who will lie still for long enough can be a challenge. The Japanese have come through with a new toy that promises to let us experience this feeling any time we want. Inside the toy are little soft oppai to make you forget your worries. Made in Japan. View products »
	Shakuhachi Musume Oral Pump What will the Japanese think of next? This new onahole will give you the experience of a thorough oral experience, without the necessity of a date.
	Anime Parody 'H' Toys Relax with a product that will give yourself a relaxing vacation from the stress of your daily life, with parodies of favorite anime characters.
	Love Body Mini This mini sized adult toy is perfect for traveling or those who want to have one handy, but in a secret location. A very popular J-List product.
	Great Oppai Products Restocked J-List prides itself on its wide variety of oppai products for lovers of soft breasts. Try Angel Bust, the oppai hole, and more!
	Hitomi - My Stepsister We've got dozens of outstanding English-translated dating-sim games for you, like the popular Hitomi My Stepsister, such a fun naughty story.

Beat Takeshi's Unbelieveable Miracle TV Show

2012-01-11T19:03:00.000+09:00

One interesting Japanese TV show I watch sometimes is called "Miraculous Experience Unbelievable," a drama-variety show hosted by famed director and comedian Takeshi Kitano (universally known as "Beat" Takeshi inside Japan) which presents true stories of human trial and triumph each week. An episode I caught the other day told the story of the "Bionic Heart woman," an American girl who had to live for several months on a portable mechanical heart while she waited for a donor to be found. In a scene where a doctor was telling the woman and her parents about her serious condition, my Japanese father-in-law asked, "What is the doctor doing, telling the woman she might die at any time? Doesn't he know he should tell the parents separately and keep the problem a secret from the patient?" This is an old Japanese tradition that says doctors should never share information with seriously ill patients, but tell their family (especially the oldest son, if there is one) and let them decide whether to share the information or keep it secret. It's quite a big cultural difference from the way things are done in the U.S.

There are a lot of cultural differences bewteen Japan and the West.

Kanji in Japan vs. China

2012-01-11T19:02:00.003+09:00

Last time I wrote about our trip to Taiwan, which was both chaotic and fun. While I couldn't make myself understood to anyone if they didn't happen to speak English or Japanese, the fact that I could read Chinese characters made it possible to identify most items on a menu, tell which shops were restaurants from the street and so on. While it's not that hard for me to identify certain words in kanji, there's quite a lot of room for weirdness when it comes to what they actually mean. For example, a vacant toilet in Taiwan shows the characters null + person, but in Japanese this word (mujin) would only be used for an uninhabited island, not for a restroom. The characters for hand + paper mean a letter (tegami) in Japanese, but the same characters in Chinese are toilet paper -- both are kind of logical, if you think about it. Finally, a public bath is sentoh in Japanese, literally meaning hot water you can enter for only one sen, an old coin that's worth 1/100 of a yen, but in Chinese this word means "soup," which can really be confusing.

Japanese speakers can read Chinese, though meanings can differ.

A Big Fuckin' Sale in Osaka

2012-01-11T19:02:00.000+09:00

You never know what random Japan-related thing will become popular on the Internet next. One day it'll be a TV commercial about a cute bowl of custard pudding who eats his own head with a spoon, then it'll be a cat who flies through space on a rainbow. Last week a department store in Osaka held a very interesting sale with a sign that went viral on the Internet almost at once, for obvious reasons. This hilarious sale shows us several things, first and foremost that the Japanese primarily view English as a decoration that's kakko ii (meaning cool, good style) rather than as a serious vehicle for communication, and don't think too deeply about what they write. It also shows that the word in question has no power to shock when the context is changed to a place like Japan, where people know the word through Hollywood films but don't care if it's used around them. (In this context its meaning in Japanese is something like sugee, pronounced "suu-GEH," a colloquial version of sugoi meaning "amazing, incredible" sale). I learned first-hand how some of these words lose their power while raising bilingual kids in Japan. Since Japanese people don't understand the "bad words" in English anyway, my son never showed the slightest interest in using them.

A very unique sale in Osaka.

My Girlfriend is the President Download Edition is Shipping!

2012-01-11T19:01:00.001+09:00

We've got good news for fans of the popular new eroge visual novel My Girlfriend is the President: download orders have begun! Now you can choose from a fast and convenient Internet Download edition version of the game, or go for the shrinkwrapped game in DVD-ROM format. The game is great, fully translated into English and fully uncensored, with nothing removed or changed from the original. Enjoy the hijinks of your girlfriend President Ohama, the super-cute Russian President Putina, a moe starship called Ell, and more! Click here to see English-translated eroge available by download.

2012 Calendar Sale at J-List!

2012-01-11T19:00:00.004+09:00

We've had great fun selling the awesome 2012 anime, JPOP, Japanese idol and ecchi calendars this year. Now we're having a great sale which lets you buy one Japanese calendar and get the second one for half off (total discount is 25% off the total of any 2 or more calendars, allowing you to get as many as you like and get the discounted price). Want to score one of this year's Studio Ghibli large-format calendars before they're gone, or spend the year with the lovely anime ladies of the Freezing anime on your wall? Now's your chance, before the calendars you want are gone forever.