The history of family names in Japanese, why there are so many last names in use here, and the Japanese connection with Auld Lang Syne

Names in Japanese are quite different from what we're usually used to in the West. Right off the bat, the family and given names are reversed, so if you're going to talk about "kawaii" bikini idol Yuko Ogura in Japanese, you'd need to get used to calling her Ogura Yuko. There are no middle names in Japan, and over the years I've been asked quite a lot by my students about my own middle name (Rowland), which they find interesting. Japanese also never name sons after fathers, as my own father did with me, and part of the mystique of the famous thief Lupin III is that he's the third generation to hold that name despite being of mixed Japanese ancestry. In the States, expectant mothers will buy a book of baby names that contains information on the etymology of each (for example, my own name comes from the Greek word for 'rock'), and books which present various kanji names are popular in Japan, too. It's common for Japanese to consult their local Shinto shrine for advice when choosing a name, but my wife's family is a little more Buddhist than most, so we visited our family Buddhist temple instead. We had been all set to name our son Kazuma, written with the characters for "peace" and "horse," but the priest warned us that choosing animal names was a bad idea, as our son would be headstrong and never listen to us. It can be fun to study how Japanese surnames work. One of the mysteries of family names in Japan is the large number of different ones that exist, around 120,000, compared with a few thousand in China and only 249 in Korea. This is caused partially by how late Japan was in adopting universal surnames, which only became required in 1870, and a lack of a specific tradition of naming families up to that point. It'd be hard to imagine a neighborhood in the States where everyone was named Smith, but nearly everyone who lives around our house has the same last name as us, Yanai, and nearby there are patches of houses where everyone is named Hosoi or Ishida, yet no one is related to anyone around them. Part of this is due to the fact that we live in a small rural city in the exact center of the country where no one ever sells their land, because if you sold your land and moved to another part of the country, what would you do with your family gravestone? Your ancestors would be so lonely. One amusing aspect of living in Japan is hearing people with names like Tanaka ("in the rice field"), Yamada ("rice field on the mountain") and Nakamura ("in the village") argue vehemently that their ancesors were samurai warriors despite their agrarian sounding names.

It's funny how different inputs -- such as a simple song -- can push different emotional buttons depending on what culture you hail from. When most North Americans hear the Scottish folksong Auld Lang Syne we probably immediately think of New Year's Eve, of saying goodbye to the old year with a large beer in our hands. Hotaru no Hikari, or Light of the Fireflies, is the title of the Japanese version of this song, and in Japan it's sung at graduations. The chorus tells the story of hard-working students who wanted to study so much that they read books by the light of fireflies captured in a jar, or the moonlight reflected off snow. It can bring a tear to the eyes of Japanese who hear it sung, and a totally different image from one we might conjure up. Incidentally, the song is also played by stores as they're about to close, and if you've ever visited Japan and wondered why they were playing Auld Lang Syne over the store speakers, it was a polite request that you complete your purchase and leave the store. Here are the words to the first section, in case you're curious:

hotaru no hikari, mado no yuki fumi yomu tsukihi, kasane tsutsu itsushika toshi mo, sugi no towo aketezo kesa wa, wakare yuku

Light of fireflies, snow by the window Many suns and moons spent reading Years have gone by without notice Day has dawned; this morning, we part

This month's "Manga Artist of the Month" is the talented Maguro Teikoku (Tuna Empire), the celebrated erotic manga-ka known for such works as Sister for the Summer, How To Guide for the First Date and the classic Spirit of Capitalism, which you can now read in English in Comic AG. He got started as an artist by accompanying a friend who wanted to draw erotic comics; his friend wasn't hired, but he got an offer from the company instead. His pen name comes from the fact that he was quite lazy, and his parents threatened to sell him to a tuna fishing boat. Remember that J-List carries the incredible Fuccons, aka OH! Mikey, the wacky Japanese comedy series acted out with mannequins who parody an American family living in Japan. From Mikey and his sinister cousin Laura, cute girlfriend Emily, mother Barbara, father James and the annoying twins from England Tony and Charles, you will laugh so hard you might have to go to the hospital. We also recommend the hilarious Vermillion Pleasure Night series, the bold late-night film short series that got OH! Mikey started. These are available on DVD and are fully subtitled in English. Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work" (a yes/no verification screen will be displayed to filter products from our mature site). To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Mecha Ii Nov. 2006 -- Emiru Momose. Wow, this girl is really beautiful in the new Mecha II (meh-CHA EE).
	Milk -- Sayaka Numajiri. Gorgeous hardcover photobook featuring one of our favorite models.
	Graffiti of Otaku Generation (Anime no Bideo) ~ Misty May. Otaku no Video is the definitive anime about all of us becomming, well, otaku. This is the beautiful figure from the series.
	Swimming Suit 4 Hours. Girls in swuimsuits are becomming a huge fetish in Japan. What do you think? Is this cool, or just weird?
	Ichigo 100% 1~3 set. I am a fan of this anime, and am glad to have the manga for you in case you are too. The ultimate harem show, and a great item for fans of "strawberry pants."
	Megami Magazine Deluxe vol. 8 . Gorgeous new issue of Megami Magazine!
	Castles of the Samurai Power and Beauty. Beautiful book on the most famous castles in Japan. Lots of pictures and great explanations of what is what.
	Hiragana Times Apr. 2007. New issue of Hiragana Times, the bilingual magazine of news and culture from Japan.
	Game Commander Mouse. A really cool gaming mouse from Elecom that fits great in the hand and has great hardware inside
	Kera May 2007 vol. 106. Fabulous magazine about Harajuku culture and all forms of Goth-Loli. Love it.
	The Idol Master Precious Album. Idol Master is the popular game where you train virtual pop idols, for Xbox 360. This is the definiteive Percious Album.
	Erika Seihouin 1/7 Cast-Off Figure -- Miraroma *Preorder*. Another really amazing anime figure. This is a "cast off" figure, meaning you can make her, er, nekkid.
	WA ~ Fragrance Oil * MIYABI / Elegance*. We've gotten in some nice fragrance oils, including one that promises to capture the smell of your first love. Wow.
	Celebration Envelope (Kotobuki ~ Long Life!) -- Red. A beautiful envelope for giving cash gifts.
	Built-In Mechanical Pencil (40 Leads). Mechanical pencils, which are called "sharp-pen" in Japanese, don't ask us why, are very nice to use, but keeping extra leads with you is a pain. Well, this pencil has 40 leads inside the pen -- outstanding!
	Monster Hunter Weapon Collection Vol.1 Exra Edition ~ Full Set + 2 Secrets (Set of 10). I am not familiar with Monster Hunter, but here are the weapons from the game, recreated in perfect miniature.
	Cotton Swab & Ear Pick Combo ( 60pcs ). Really innovative cotton swabs with "mimikaki" built into them.
	JAPAN Eraser Set. They didn't have cool erasers when I was a kid.
	Wiener Shaper-- Penguin. If I've learned one thing in Japan, it's that the ultimate way to enjoy cute bento is to cut your sausages into little penguins.
	Standing Type Nausicaa and Laputa Fox Squirrel -- Kitsune Risu. This is the classic Fox Squirrel from Nausicaa and Laputa, an adorable and huggable little plush toy.
	Gothic Taste. One of the classic books that has decined Goth-Loli over the years.
	Sun-Star Paper StitchLock Zn. Never use staples again, thanks to this realyl elegant (and really heavy) StitchLock Zn. The Zn stands for Zinc.

Japan's shock over Virginia Tech, how Japanese names work, and on the psychology of foreigners in Japan

Japan is numbly watching the aftermath of the sad events at Virginia Tech as they unfold. Much like Europe, it's illegal for most people in Japan to possess guns, and as a rule real firearms are a distant part of life for Japanese. The subject of guns has come up in my English conversation classes many times over the years ("How many guns did you own when you lived in America?"), and I always did my best to present the complex issue in a way that my students could understand, which was not always easy since they don't have a feel for our history. While incidents of gun-related violence are less common in Japan, they're not totally unheard of, a fact that we were all reminded of when Mayor Ito of Nagasaki, an outspoken opponent of nuclear weapons, was shot in the back by an irate yakuza boss on the same day as the tragedy in Virginia. The gangster in question had managed to run his Mercedes Benz into an open ditch at a construction site several years ago and had tried to make the city take responsibility for the repairs, and his frustration finally came to a head. This isn't the first time a Nagasaki mayor has been targeted: the city's previous mayor was shot by a right-winger in 1990 after he made remarks blaming former Emperor Hirohito for the events the war. You may know that Japanese, like other nations in Asia, reverse the order of the family and given names, so that the name Hayao Miyazaki in English would be Mizayaki Hayao here. Essentially, the ideas of "first name" and "last name" are useless in Japanese, replaced by the family name and namae (nah-mah-EH), or the given name, which is so close to the English word "name" that it's spooky. Like learning to say your phone number in Japanese, it can be quite a challenge to make your brain un-learn a name memorized using one language when you need to use it in another. When you learn the name of Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa, the name takes up one gestalt part of your memory, and having to say the name in the reverse order causes your brain to do some fast calculation. Although the family name comes first with Japanese names, this rule doesn't apply to foreigners, whose names are always used as they are in English.

Living as a gaijin in a place that's as homogeneous as Japan brings out some interesting responses in people, and one could write a book studying the psyche of foreigners in Japan. For example, there are the "three states of eye aversion" they seem to go through when it comes to looking at other foreigners around them, not wanting to directly meet the gaze of a an unknown foreigner on the street. There are many gaijin from various countries who appear regularly on TV speaking fluent Japanese and giving an "outsiders view" on things, but foreigners living in Japan often hate these TV personalities, if for no other reason than because their Japanese is better than ours. Among the foreign-born "talents" you can see on TV here are Bobby Orogon, the bumbling Nigerian comedian who makes Japanese language mistakes on purpose to get laughs; dashing bilingual Italian Gioramo, always there to provide his views on travel shows or documentaries about the Roman Empire; and the eternal Dave Spector, the most famous American in Japan, who has his own gossip section on the morning TV news where he reports on what all the American stars are doing this week. Remember that J-List carries all the greatest PC dating-sim games from Japan, but translated into English. With a huge catalog of games for all tastes, there's something for everyone, whether you want games with incredibly cute characters, story-centric dramatic games, hilarious comedy dating-sims, all-ages titles or whatever. The upcoming YUME MIRU KUSURI :: A Drug That Makes You Dream has been declared Golden Master and will be shipping in a very short time. Why not preorder it for free shipping when it's printed? Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work" (a yes/no verification screen will be displayed to filter products from our mature site). To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Urecco DVD Jan 2007. The new issue of Urecco is in too, for fans of the new format with included DVD.
	Gekkan -- Remi Kawashima. Gorgeous model in this new photomagaznie.
	Lesbian Kiss 4 Hours. 4 hours of beautiful Japanese lesbians doing nothing more than kissing. Less is more.
	Show Biz Celebrity KOTONO Debut. The trend of former pop idols and actresses become JAV stars continues with Kotono-chan, just lovely.
	Shiba Wanko Japanese Spirit ~ Nagomi Box (region 2). This is an amazing item -- an anime series that teaches you Japanese manners and respect for culture through cute Shiba doggies.
	Very Lemon -- Ayuko Iwane. Wow is all i can say. Ayako Iwase is a beautiful angel from Japan.
	Egg Jan 2007 vol.123. And we have another issue of Egg for fans of Tokyo's gorgeous young fashion culture.
	Dengeki Comic Gao! May 2007. Great new issue of this comic, with 500+ pages, nearly all of which are interesting. Gao! means "Roar" in Japanese.
	Daruma The Lucky Dolls ~ Kaiun Daruma Daihyakka. Daruma are an amazing symbol of Japan, and here's an excellent book for you to see pictures in.
	Elina (Konoe Taicho) ~ Queens Blade *Preorder*. Gorgeous prepainted figure you can preorder.
	Maximum Penalty ~ Ryojoku Kei. Amazing ero manga action in her new book from Femio Tenma.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 54. The new issue of Comic AG is in stock too. Remember that you can order this via our monthly subscription and save hassle ^_^
	Suzumiya Haruhi Official Fanbook. Great official Fanbook, filled with tons of art, information and more.
	King of Mr Samurai T-shirt ~ LL Size. A cool new shirt in our made-in-Japan T-shirt line.
	Meiji Wata Pachi Grape. Wata Pachi cotton candy with Pop Rocks inside. Yum.
	Revoltech Eva-00 Proto Type (Blue Color) *Neon Genesis Evangelion*. This is a great series of affordable and high quality robot toys from Japan. Today we've got the Eva series going up
	Wedding Celebration Hello Kitty Plush Set. Super cute plush Hello Kittty and Dear Daniel! Great for anyone you know who's getting married.
	Lacquer-style Square Sake Cup / Kotobuki. Enjoy some sake in this traditional "masu" cup.
	Tatami Mini Pillow *Blue* . Then stretch out with a pillow made of authentic tatami material (igusa grass).
	Lunch Monkey Mayo Cup with Banana Spoon . Your bento life will be cuter with this fun Mayo cup.
	Morinaga DX Koeda Pistachio. We've got more snacks as usual, including a delicious Pistachio treat.
	Snoopy Ice Cube Tray. Hello Kitty ice cube trays? Got 'em. Now we've got Snoopy too!

A meal I ate the other day. I am a major Sukiyaki buff, and a restaurant that we go to often has it has a lunch item.

They say that Japanese food is very healthy, but if you pay close attention you see a lot of refined grains, lots o sugar even in foods you figure wouldn't contain any, and so on. Teriyaki sauce, which isn't eaten in Japan much at all (go figure), is soy sauce mixed with sugar, I think.

Near the cash register of the restaurant. Good Kobe beef!

Ah, curry, the basic food of Japan!

Funny English is everywhere!

Even more funny English!

Funny English in Japan, teaching about America through Easter Eggs, and confusing Japanese company names explained

Japan can be such a funny place. You could be going along, minding your own business when suddenly, bam, the country will hit you with English that's so bizarre you have to stop what you're doing and gaze at it with amazement. I took my kids to the onsen (public hot springs bath) over the weekend, and while I was getting dressed I looked up to see an air filter with "Clean-Poo" written on the side. In neighboring Takasaki (sister city with Kelloggs home Battle Creek, MI, in case you were curious) there's a swimming school called Koma which decided to be cute and write its name with a "c" instead of a "k," resulting in Coma Swimming School -- not exactly where I want my kids learning to swim. The letters L and R are the same phonetic concept in Japanese, which causes a lot of confusion when speaking English, and most bilingual Japanese I know go out of their way to avoid the word "election" for this reason. A couple of years ago there was a poor restaurateur who built a large Texas-style steak house in our city with a giant sign that proclaimed RONE STAR -- I never did find out if he got the name wrong on purpose to show his originality or if it was an accident. I don't have to go very far to find funny English: the rural liquor shop that my wife's parents run has a delivery van with RIQUOR SHOP YANAI printed on the back.

Nippon, Nippan, Nissan, Nisshin. What's up with those similar-sounding Japanese names? The name of Japan in its own language is Nippon or Nihon, with the former having a little more official-ness by virtue of it being the term used by NHK, Japan's version of the BBC. The name means "origin of the sun" (日本) and was bestowed on the country by China, which names itself the "kingdom at the center of the world" （中国). Since the Japanese communicate ideas with kanji characters rather than an alphabet as we do, it's natural for words to be created by combining kanji the way we make acronyms in English. Since no one wants to bother trying to remember a name like Nihon Shuppan Hanbai Kabushiki Gaisha (日本出版販売株式会社), it's was natural for Japan's second largest book distributor to adopt the more reasonable name of Nippan. Ramen powerhouse Nisshin took a famous slogan meaning "to live a pure life every day" and boiled it down to the most important two characters to get their name. Japan's famous automobile maker Nissan's name originally was "Japan Industrial Corporation Ltd." (日本産業株式会社) but in its abbreviated form (日産) it essentially means "Made in Japan," about as direct a name as you could ask for. Often, a company will come to view its kanji name as outdated and will re-brand itself with cooler English-sounding name, which is what happened when Nippon Denki Kabushiki Gaisha (日本電気株式会社）, aka "Nichiden" （日電） decided that it would call itself NEC instead. Although it sounds corny, I do consider myself to be a kind of ambassador for the U.S. in Japan, and I like to spread awareness of all things American when I get the chance. On Sunday we had a late Easter with my daughter's Girl Scout troop, decorating eggs and making Easter Baskets and doing all that stuff that you might take for granted, but which is very exotic and mysterious here in Japan. The girls had loads of fun learning to color the eggs and arrange everything nicely, and the new Brownies were especially thrilled since they'd never seen anything like it. Since the Japanese aren't too keen on eating something that's been on the ground, we used foil-wrapped Cadbury Eggs for our egg hunt, and the kids all had a blast. We had one small cultural break-down when my Japanese mother-in-law boiled the eggs we were to color only partially, thinking that they were to be decorated but not eaten, so that everyone who opened one of their eggs got oozing egg yolk all over the place. Remember that J-List sells a magazine that's personally done a lot of good for me, Nihongo Journal, a monthly periodical featuring Japanese lessons for many levels, from beginner-intermediate on up, covering a variety of language areas, from business Japanese to conversational speaking to preparing for the JLPT. We carry the magazine via our popular "Reserve Subscription" service which lets you get Japan's most interesting magazine sent to you each month, paying on a month-to-month basis or for a year at a time. We have dozens of other effective tools for studying Japanese, from textbooks like the Genki series and kanji workbooks and great flashcards for learning hiragana, katakana and kanji. Why not browse them all now? Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work" (a yes/no verification screen will be displayed to filter products from our mature site). To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	eonna Nov 2006 vol. 35. Another issue of eOnna, the magazine of "ii onna" (hot women), who don't need to take their clothes off, they're so pretty.
	ff ~ Fortissimo -- Carrousel Maki. Wow, is all I can say. If a women who may be a grandmother can look this good, then anything in the world is possible.
	My Love Sign -- Mai Ayane. Absolutely amazing photobook from a Japanese angel.
	Motto Ii? -- Naomi I 1st photobook. Another drop-dead gorgeous photobook from Japan.
	Elevator That Rises To Heaven. Japan is all about fetishes, and here's a fetish focusing on being trapped in an elevator with girls and having sex with them.
	Kera Maniax vol. 8. Gothic Lolita fans, this is a great magazine for you to check out.
	Saber DX Figure ~ Hyper Fate Collection *Fate/Stay Night. Wow, this is the coolest Fate item I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot, working where I work and all. Absolutely perfect detail, and she comes with a "human" face too!
	Japanese Nuance in Plain English! ~ Nihonrashisa wo Eigo ni Dekimasuka?. This is a great book by my favorite gaijin author, Boye Lafayette De Mente.
	Fantasy Harem. Japan's manga artists have been on a fantasy kick of late. Here's a new anthology book.
	Mai Shiranui 1/6 PVC Figure *Fatal Fury & King of Fighters* ~ Max Factory. *Fabulous* figure from Japan. The first production run of this sold out in record time, less than 2 hours.
	Bubble Man Soda Bottle Pen . Innovative pen with a carbonated drink (?) built into it.
	Naruto Eraser - Type A *green* . Naruto fans, we've got more wacky things for your school bag.
	Hello Kitty Red Chirimen Memo Pad w/Pen. This is a great item! A little Hello Kitty notebook with built in pen, made of kimono fabric. Wow!
	Doraemon Hanging Plush w/Takecopter. Doraemon fans, this is one of the coolest items we've ever gotten in at J-List.
	Nestle Kit Kat Pack -- Green Tea & Azuki. Wow, new Green Tea Kit Kat this late in the season. Enjoy this great treat!
	Mikakuto Juntsuyu Candy. This is something many customers have asked for, and we're happy to oblige.
	Animal Friends Picks (10pcs). Fun items for your bento box.
	Dengeki G's magazine reserve subscription. Looking for a great magazine to read every month? I like Dengeki G's mix of art, manga, posters and other good stuff, always focused on anime and game charactres.
	*Dark Grey* Totoro Plush Doll -- L. We've restocked a bunch of Totoro plush toys!

Ah, they finally came. I think I've entered that magical world known as "Nerdvanna."

Thoghts on learning Japanese back in 1987, the many nuances of Japanese name suffixes, and being romantic under an umbrella

I sometimes find myself thinking back to my college days when I first started learning Japanese, and it never fails to make me feel natsukashii (nahts-ka-SHEE), meaning nostalgic. It was 1987 and the Soviet Union was still very much alive, yet year by year people seemed to be growing more aware of Japan instead, as the nation grew in stature in the world. During the first week of classes there were twice as many students wanting to take Japanese 101 than could fit in the room, but the teacher had a great solution to that problem: everyone who wanted to stay in the class had to learn the hiragana writing system within a week, which really got the number of students down to a manageable level in a hurry. In class, the teacher required us to call each other by our last names with the Japanese name suffix -san, e.g. Payne-san, Smith-san, and so on. The system of Japanese name endings is quite complex and interesting, and if you're curious, I'll tell you more. First, there's -san ("sahn" with a long vowel), the "basic" name suffix, used in polite situations with neighbors or car salesmen or business partners or coworkers, just about anybody. It can be used to refer to organizations as well, and when we order products from distributors in Tokyo they address us collectively as "J-List-san." The next two most common name endings are -chan and -kun, used for girls and boys respectively, for example Hanako-chan or Taro-kun. Although these terms seem straightforward, there's a lot going on under the surface that can be hard for a foreigner to grasp, since both name endings imply a certain closeness to the person being referred to, and confusion can ensue if you use them wrong. For example, if you called a girl you don't know very well by her name with -chan on the end, she might think you're being cheeky by acting like you're closer to her than you are, and calling a male you're good friends with using -san instead of -kun might make him think you don't really consider him a friend after all. The -chan ending is okay for girls who are below the age of 15 or so, but in office settings it can be considered sekuhara (sexual harassment) to add the ending to a female's name. Another name ending is senpai, which describes someone who is your senior in a school or company, although the corresponding term kouhai (junior, underclassman) is not used as a name ending. If you watch too much anime like I did, you probably know the name ending -sama, used for addressing high-ranking persons, samurai lords and so on, although in practice this word is almost never used in Japanese outside of certain phrases or when sending formal wedding invitations. There's an endless number of these name endings -- some others you might come across here include senshu (used for professional athletes), yogisha (suspect, added to the names of people who are officially under a police investigation), sensei (used with doctors, teachers and karate instructors), and one of the stranger ones, anaunsaa (announcer), the official name ending when referring to a TV newscaster.

When you're learning about Japan through anime or manga, it's always fun to pick up some of the small, unimportant details along the way. One of these I like is called Ai-ai-gasa, which literally means "walking together under an umbrella" but it sounds phonetically like it means "Love Love Umbrella." Supposedly, the idea of a boy and girl walking in the rain under the same umbrella is quite romantic to the Japanese (although I've always been more of a sitting-in-the-car-in-the-rain type of person, myself), and this concept is expressed by a cute little doodle that's drawn by elementary school students, the Japanese equivalent of a boy and a girl carving their initials in a tree surrounded by a heart or the old "...sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G" song. In this modern age that we live in, most cell phone are able to take pictures and overlay any image you like, and one of the options you can select is a cute Ai-ai-gasa umbrella so you can feel a special bond to the person you're posing with. Are you looking for a Japanese Girlfriend? Then we've got just the T-shirt for you. Our oh-so-wacky T-shirt is the #1 selling design in J-List's history, and it's so cool it's been featured in a "test your geek chic" quiz in Newsweek. The exact translation is "Now accepting applications for a Japanese girlfriend," and it's a great potential ice-breaker between you and someone from Japan, even if it's just to banter about what the T-shirt says. We've got alternate versions of the design, including an oh-so-warm hoodie, a "Japanese boyfriend" version, shirts with the message written in a calligraphy brush style, and even a spiffy embroidered hat. Our Japanese Girlfriend T-shirts have even been known to work on a few occasions, and we've got a wall in San Diego showing customers who have sent in pictures of their newfound loves. Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work." To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Mini Skirt Illustrated DVD vol. 85. I love the polish of this magazine, and the beautiful women inside. One magazine I can recommend to all stocking and leg fans.
	First Kiss -- Sayuri Otomo. Gorges sexy idol photobook featuring Sayuri-chan's lovely photos.
	The Watcher's Seat of Public Bath. So, what does go on in the girls' section of public baths, anyway? A cool new concept from SOD.
	Cosmode 014 ~ Costume Model Magazine . Great new issue of COSmode, the voce of cosplay lovers all over the world.
	Seisen Hime ~ Soul Gear. I have to say, I'm extremely impressed by the amazing art and quality of this work -- I mean, tentacle manga can be hit or miss, but this is really fantastic, in my book.
	Super Mario Brothers Coin Bank ~ Red. Baby, these are cool -- Super Mario mushrooms that you can store your money in, or use it for a quick power-up.
	53 Views of Tokaido Night Scenes - Tokaido YAKEI 53 Tsugi. Beautiful scenes from a traditional part of Japan.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 49. New issue of Comic AG, which finishes up several of the stories in the book. Don't miss out.
	Zebra Compact Check Pen and Film Set. Use this handy study pen and quit sheet to successfully study any subject!
	Kerori Omamori -- Full Set *Set of 5* ~ Bandai Gashapon. This is fun -- Japanese omamori good luck charms with Next Day Kerori, the cute San-X frog, on them.
	Peeing Statue Ashtray - "Manneken Pis". The Japanese love the peeing boy statue from Belgium, and now he can pee on your cigarette!
	Oreo Strawberry Crunch. Yum, I wish I were eating this right now. I need some Strawberry Oreo Crunch.
	DX Dirty Pair Figure -- KEI & YURI. I am old school, as most of you will know, and you can't get older school than Dirty Pair (well, you can, but you might not want to). The original lesbian girls of anime are back in this cool PVC statue pair. Stock is totally limited though, since these are hard has heck to find in Japan.
	"Sakazuki" ~ Sake Cup for Celebration. Enjoy some sake with this great sake cup.
	Kitty *Buden* Shoulder Bag -- Dark Blue *Gamaguchi Type*~ Business Success. We keep selling out of these retro Hello Kitty items as fast as we get them in. I think this one is especially cool.
	Kuttsuki Mamegoma. Mamegoma is back, joined with -- another Mamegoma! His name, in case you're curious, means "Bean Sesame Seed." Sounds cuter in Japanese.