Elections in Japan, a run-down of what politics are like here, and using Japanese "honorific" markers for fun and profit

It's my least favorite time of year in Japan right now: election season, when dozens of politicians drive around in loudspeaker cars shouting "Please support me in the election!" or that eternal Japanese phrase Gambarimasu! (I will work hard for you!). The current elections are for prefectural representatives, and down in Tokyo (which is organized as a prefecture with cities, towns and villages operating inside it), Japan-That-Can-Say-No author Shintaro Ishihara is battling to hold onto his job as governor, using the city's bid for the 2016 Olympics as part of his platform. While he may be the Japanese politician foreign residents of Japan love to hate due to a few negative statements he's made in the past, I admire his success at making Japan's capital function more efficiently, for example cutting through the old red tape to allow films like Lost in Translation to be made.

Being used to the American way of doing things, Japan's political system has always been quite confusing to me, with the Diet being subject to dissolution by the Prime Minister at any time, which incredibly doesn't plunge the country into civil war. I often hear Americans say they wish there were an alternative to the two-party system at work in the U.S., and if so, maybe they should take a look at Japan. There are five major political parties here, the largest being the mammoth Liberal Democrat Party, pro-agriculture and pro-business, which has stayed in power almost without exception since the end of World War II. It's so powerful that there have traditionally been factions inside the group, essentially sub-parties within the overall party that decided the real issues, although former Prime Minister Koizumi dismantled a lot of this. The three opposition parties are the Democratic Party of Japan, who love to produce "Manifestos" about investing in our children's future; the Communist Party of Japan, currently agitating for elimination of the 5% consumption tax; and the declining Social Democratic Party, which took a body blow in recent years over its policy of promoting friendly ties with North Korea. Finally there's the New Komeito, part of the current government coalition, which acts as the unofficial political arm of the Sokka Gakkai Buddhist Movement, roughly analogous to the Mormon Church having their own national political party. Last time I mentioned that the word for rice is "gohan." The first syllable of this word -- go, more commonly pronounced o-- is an interesting aspect of the Japanese language, an "honorific marker" that you put on some words to show respect for them. As a general rule, important concepts like money (okane), relationships like mother or grandmother (okaasan, obaasan) and some everyday blessings like tea (ocha) or a hot bath ("ofuro") take the honorific "o" when speaking or writing. If you were going for total accuracy you could translate a word like oyu as "honorable boiling water," but this is tedious, to say the least. It's interesting to notice the patterns of words that take this honorific syllable: words having to do with death or Buddhism tend to take it (otera = temple, okoh = Buddhist incense), yet words related to Japan's Shinto religion usually don't. English don't usually get the o prefix, but sometimes a waitress will use the word obiiru when bringing you the beer you ordered. Adding the honorific o to a word tends to soften it, so words related to children or babies tend to take it (omaru = child's potty, omutsu = diapers, oshiri = butt). It's always acceptable to use these words without their honorific syllables on the front, although it can make the speech sound rough or uncultured. For example, a person who refers to his mother as kaasan sound like a hillbilly shouting "Ma!" Interested in Japan's music scene? Got an iPod, or iTunes on your computer? Then we recommend the prepaid Japan iTunes Music Cards J-List sells, the only way to buy music from Apple's iTunes Store here unless you happen to have a credit card with a billing address in Japan (and even I don't have one of those). The iTunes cards are incredibly easy to use -- just lot out of your current iTunes account if you have one, select the Japan store in iTunes, click Redeem, make a new account tied to the iTunes Music card's number, and you're good to go. The music works fine with the iTunes and iPod you're currently using. I personally have been enjoying the original music of Joe Hisaishi, the composer to nearly all of the music from Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, which are all available in the Japan iTunes Store. 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.

	Sabra Magazine 005 Mar 2007. Gorgeous photography in this issue of Sabra, with many lovely models here for you, as well as a DVD.
	SAKURA -- Sakura Ayukawa. Gorgeous current Race Queen decides to take it all off for her fans.
	Popular AV Idol's Real Sex 4 Hours (region 2). Gorgeous collection of JAV stars in this *4 hour* release, a rarity for Moodyz.
	Valkyrie Anthology Comic. Another manga of gorgeous AD&D style fantasy hentai.
	SOS-Dan Cosplay Collection *Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu*. Totally cool Haruhi Suzumiya set featuring atternate versions of the three girls -- Mikuru in her P.E. uniform or frog suit, cheerleader Haruhi with two modes, and two great variations of Yuki.
	Burst Angel Meg 1/7 Figure. I loved this show for the subtle way it ripped off Bubblegum Crisis and to an extend, Eva. The fan service was outstanding, as you can imagine.
	Egg Dec. 2006 vol. 122. We carry various fashion magazines from Japan, and Egg is one of the most popular. Great new issue in stock for you.
	Karate for Kids. Lots of information on karate for kids in this book.
	Tokyo For Free. This is an outstanding book -- things that you can do in Tokyo for FREE. It's won many awards for best guide book for the city, and I can see why.
	Kabaya Ume Stick - Wakayama Kisyu Ume. Delicious tart ume Pretz snacks, yum.
	NARUTO Mini Ring Memo. A really special item for Naruto fans.
	My Melody Mask Bento Box. You have to admit this is a pretty cool bento box.
	March of Koala Mini Decoration Tape (3.5m). This is, er, decoration tape for your favorite Japanese snacks. Get off your Japanese snack fence and make a choice!
	Hello Kitty Coffee Filter Drip *Pink*. Enjoy some Hello Kitty coffee with this high quality ceramic coffee filter holder.
	Chain ~ The Lost Footprints. This month's Bishoujo Game of the month, on sale at a special price.
	Domo-Kun Plush Keychain. Just a reminder that we're going to be all out of cool Domo-kun plush toys, most likely by the summer at the rate we're going. If you've been pining for a cool Domo-kun plush keychain, we recommend you buy sooner rather than later.
	Pocket Condoms -- Pokecon ~ Pokemon Parody. A bizarre item, back on the site.
	Basic Kanji Drill -- 1st Grade. Learn kanji just like Japanese first graders do. Recommended for someone with other sources of Japanese study (like a Japanese textbook or girlfriend).

I'm totally amazed, but my son turned twelve today. Twelve! That's 4380 days! Because they got an overdose of good Asian food culture in Malaysia they wanted good old pizza, which is what we got.

Here's my son hiding under his "rira-rira." It's a long story...

My daughter baked a cake. It was good, with chocolate covered bananas inside.

My son got a really nice chess board and was happy with it. Of course, when your son get a chess board for his birthday that can mean only one thing...

Yes, it was time for me to get my ass handed to me royally. Every time he ended the game I kept saying no! let me do that move over. The result was that I got beaten about 5 different ways in this one game. Sheesh...

On the relationship of foreigners and the Japanese, the "gaijin samurai" and an unexpected crime wave in Japan

All countries have foreigners living in their midst, whether its a Swedish college student working for a season at a ski resort in Arizona or an Iranian assembling windshield washer motors at a factory in Nagoya. Japan's 1.6 million foreigners currently make up around 1.5% of the population here, which sounds like a lot until you consider that the foreign-born populations of countries like Germany and the U.S. is 9% and 11%, respectively. As you probably know from reading J-List, the Japanese word for foreigner is gaijin (GUY-jihn) which could also be translated as "outsider" since the characters literally mean "outside-person." Because the word can carry negative connotations, you'll always hear the more polite word gaikokujin or "outside-country-person" used on the NHK news and in formal situations. Japan's first encounter with Westerners came in 1543, when Portuguese sailors washed up on Tanegashima, an island near Kyushu. To the Japanese, these foreigners were Bigfoot-sized giants, disgustingly unhygienic and very hairy, and they were called Namban (Southern Barbarians) and thought to be the embodiment of Tengu, legendary long-nosed spirits who lived in the mountains and who loved to cause havoc. We do, don't we?

One of the most influential foreigners in Japanese history would have to be William Adams, an Englishman who arrived in Japan with a Dutch ship in 1600 and who was befriended by Ieyasu Tokugawa, the third of the three unifiers of Japanese history. Adams' arrival was good timing for Tokugawa, who put the 19 cannon on the ship to good use at the Battle of Sekigahara, the watershed victory that made him the Shogun (military general) of all Japan and ended Japan's Warring States Period. Adams showed the Japanese how to build the first Western-style ships, and freely shared his knowledge of astronomy and navigation. As he rose in rank in the service of the Shogun, he eventually became his personal advisor and translator. In thanks for his service, he was made the only gaijin samurai in history, given honorary swords and a fief with retainers in present-day Yokohama. If you've read your James Clavell, you know that this is the basis for the book Shogun. Japan is experiencing an unexpected crime wave, as the rising cost of metals is causing unsavory elements of society to steal anything that's not nailed down. All throughout the Kanto area there are reports of metal pipes, aluminum siding, wires and other metal objects being stolen from homes, factories and other public places, presumably for shipping for sale to hot markets like China. Even something so lowly as the steel gratings on roads are in demand, and yesterday our city was on the national news when it was reported that sixteen heavy grates had been stolen over the past few days. Additionally, there's been a rash of thefts of traditional solid copper fire bells that are hung outside at Japanese fire stations, some of which are more than 100 years old. We hope the culprits are caught soon. J-List sells a line of unique Japanese-themed T-shirts, warm hoodies and embroidered hats, with wacky and fun original designs on them. Today we've got a new T-shirt that celebrates one of my favorite things, Japanese beer, with a wacky parody logo that looks great. Let everyone know you love delicious Japanese beer with this wacky new J-List T-shirt. Neon Genesis Evangelion, the ground-breaking anime series from 1995, is popping up everywhere here in Japan. The Japanese post office has even gotten Eva fever with a rare issuing of Evangelion stamps featuring characters from the series. We've managed to get our hands on some of these stamp sets, for fans looking for something really special to add to their collection, on the site 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.

	Mini Skirt Illustrated DVD vol. 86 ~ Minisuka DVD Dec 2006. Great item for leg, stocking, and mini-skirt fans. Comes with a DVD!
	Gay Erotic Art in Japan vol. 2 ~ Transitions of Gay Fantasy in the Times. This is quite a book, for fans interested in exploring Japan's traditional gay erotic art.
	Hitomi no Lesson 123 -- Hitomi Ito. Super cute gymnastics idol in her new photobook.
	Zenra Lady's Chiropractic Clinic. Great new Zenra title from SOD. We just love this concept.
	The Sportful Exercise. There's a big base of fandom for cosplay, and here's a collection of four gorgeous girls in sports-related outfits, including leotards.
	Neon Genesis Evangelion Stamp Set *Rare Limited Edition . Evangelion stamps, available now only.
	Japanese T-shirt - Japanese Beer (Men's standard). I love Japanese beer, and now we've got a T-shirt that lets the whole world know this!
	NEON GENESIS EVANGELION CHARACTERS TYPE-F -- Full Set *Set of 5*. Cool new Eva figures, now in stock.
	Momoko Doll ~ Love, Yukata Summer. Another Momoko Doll, a large-scale doll featuring a beautiful kimono figure.
	Seeing Kyoto. Excellent Japanese photobook of Kyoto that's also filled with English explanations of Japan's most amazing city.
	Comic AG Super Erotic Manga Anthology vol. 51. New issue of Comic AG, now featuring one of my favorite manga, the Spirit of Capitalism (!).
	Pocky Decore -- Chocolate. New Pocky flavor, yum! This is the very thick, rich Decorer Pocky.
	Puchi Blythe -- Shy Bear ~ Tip Toe. Blythe is back on J-List with a cool new doll that's so stylish.
	Cinnamoroll with Magnet ~ White. Cinnamoroll is cute Sanrio character that's part rabbit, part cinnamon roll (?).
	Takoyaki Maker Set. Score! We've gotten in the cool takoyaki makers back for you again, by massive customer request.
	Hello Kitty Emblem - Chrome Plastic. Now you can turn your car into a Hello Kitty Limited Edition, just like they have in Japan.
	My Neighbor Totoro Deluxe Cuckoo Clock. Back in stock -- one of my all-time favorite J-List products ever.
	Hello Kitty DX Ice Tray. Also back on the site, the best-selling Hello Kitty Ice Cube Trays
	Neko Bus *Knitting* Doll -- Totoro. We've restocked those cool hand-knit style Totoro plush toys, too.

The "Princess Di" of Japan, about Japan as a "vertical" society, and I can see the Sphinx from my house

There's a minor hullabaloo going on between Japan and Australia right now after the publication of a controversial book on Princess Masako, the Harvard- and Oxford-educated woman who became "Japan's Diana" when she married Prince Naruhito, the future Emperor. In the book, author Ben Hills argues that Masako has been made a "Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne" and delves into the various problems she's had to deal with since joining the Japanese Royal Family in 1993 (I have a special commemorative 500 yen coin from back then in my house somewhere). While he overplays things a bit for their dramatic value, it's true that the past 14 years haven't exactly been a Cinderella story for poor Masako-sama, who had visions of reforming Japan's Imperial Household Agency with modern, Western-influenced ideas before the weight of 2000 years of tradition wore her down. The book has brought about quite a backlash from Japan, which highlights one of the odder aspects of this otherwise free-thinking democracy: one does not criticize the Imperial Family. Now that a male heir has been born to Naruhito's younger brother, a lot of the pressure is off poor Masako to get pregnant again. Japanese history is measured in eras that go with the reign of each emperor, with the Showa Era (1925-1989) being the reign of Emperor Hirohito, and the current Heisei Era (1990-present) being the current Emperor Akihito, who is getting on in years. I wonder what the next era will be called?

Last time I talked about how Japan's society is more ordered than the U.S. or Europe, organized in a way that literally creates a pecking order from the lowest to the highest, from the neighborhood dog that comes around sniffing for scraps all the way up to the Emperor himself. There are mechanisms found in Japanese society that reinforce this up-down nature, such as senpai and kohai, a person's senior or junior in a school or organization, a heavy focus on treating people who are older than you with more respect and receiving this respect from those younger than you, and a system of polite language that we could never conceive of in English. In practice, Japan becomes a "vertical" society, where the U.S. is theoretically more "horizontal," and almost nothing is allowed to mess up the tidy little system that exists here. When my sister entered the second grade, the teachers decided she was too advanced and moved her to the third grade, something that would never happen in Japan, as it would mess up the balance that people depend on throughout their lives. One by-product of this up-down structure is that there are barriers of politeness in place that keep me from being "friends" with someone who is much older or younger than me when speaking Japanese with them -- although there's no problem if we converse in English. Near our house, we can see the Sphinx, the Statue of Liberty, and many other interesting wonders of world. These are pachinko parlors, a major source of entertainment for many Japanese men and women in Japan. An odd game which I don't pretend to understand, you basically buy a bucket of balls for $50, then sit for hours trying to hold a controller in just the right position to make most of the balls go into certain holes in the pachinko machine. Since "gambling" is illegal in Japan, except for certain events like horse, boat and bicycle racing, you don't win money if you get more balls than you started out with -- you get valuable prizes which you redeem for cash at a shady building next to the pachinko parlor. (Remind me to talk about the concepts of tatemae, the way we pretend things are, and honne, the way they are in reality.) Pachinko is quite a competitive business to be in, and operators (who always seem to be getting involved with some crime or another) work very hard to bring in the newest machines in -- with little video screens or cute anime-style characters printed on them, for example, or recently, pachinko machines based on famous anime series. J-List loves PC dating-sim games, a great way to interact with beautiful girls (or guys) on your Windows computer, and we carry virtually every title available in English for fans, with many titles available in Internet Download Editions. We've recently gone through and added opening and demo movies for many popular games that you can watch, including Brave Soul, Heart de Roommate, the X-Change saga, Yin-Yang!, Pick Me Honey!, Bazooka Cafe and more. Check them out now! J-List sells a unique line of original kanji T-shirts, with designs that range from hilarious to aesthetically beautiful to just plan cool to wear. We've added several T-shirts and Hoodies to our discount page, which we're closing out to make room for future designs. It's a great opportunity to pick up a great original shirt that won't be available again and get it at a great price too, but you should hurry as quantity is limited and sizes do sell out. If you're a big person you should also check out the site, as we've got several XXL and XXXL sized shirts there for you, all at great prices, too. Remember that J-List carries over 3000 amazing products you can only find in Japan. One of our specialties is Domo-kun, the super cute plush toy that is the official spokesmonster of NHK, Japan's public broadcasting network. Unfortunately nearly all of the products we carry are out of production and can no longer be stocked by us, meaning that if you'd like to score a Domo-kun pen, plush keychain or the infamous "whenever you ... God kills a kitten" plush toy. So...check our Domo-kun lineup 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." To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Re2200 1/9 Scale PVC Figure -- Mecha Musume. World War II mecha...cat grls...I must be in Japan!
	Tight Fit ~ Super Legs and Hips. Another leg-centric book that captures the beauty of the female form in a fresh new way.
	Futanarikko Love 6. Like it or not, Futanari (politely translated as "the two being one") is the primary genre in Japan's "H" world today, and we've gotten in an outstanding new book in stock for you all today.
	Airashiku Kagekini -- Aiko Aoyama. Beautiful photobook kitten for j00.
	Mirai -- Shunji Igarashi. For the ladies, here's the latest heartthrob from the current Ultraman show. We've all come along away in 40 years, haven't we?
	Tachikoma Silver Pendant (Limited). Here is an amazing item for the true anime fans: a beautiful solid sterling silver Tachikoma pendant that's extremely rare. This is such a cool item!
	The Roommate 1 ~ Kininaru Roommate 1. Just love the dreamy art in this manga, and the title -- "The Roommate I Can't Stop Thinking About" -- is just great.
	AG Super Erotic Anthology - Winter Teaser Special. Comic AG is a great bi-weekly-or-so manga anthology that brings out tons of quality art by Japan's top artists, fully translated into English. In case you're sitting on the fence about whether you should become a subscriber, here's a great Winter Teaser Special that's just $1.25.
	Bamboo Charcoal Men's Mint. Men's Mint -- only for men, sorry, no women may purchase. Kind of like Men's Pocky
	Furikake - Wasabi ~ Japanese Horseradish. Delicious furikake (which you sprinkle on white rice) is back at J-List. And wasabi favor, wow!
	Japanese T-shirt - Made For iHentai (Men's standard). We've reduced the prices of some shirts to move them out, including our limited edition "iHentai" shirt and some of our other designs that we need to move out to make room for new offerings. So why not browse our iems and take advantage of the lower prices?
	*Pink *Hello Kitty Monogram Cosmetic Pouch . I don't know why but I totally love these Louis Vuitton-style Hello Kitty items. They're such a good idea.
	Kirarin Revolution Aluminum Pen Case. Super cute anime that has such compelling art I'm considering taking a dive into it myself. Can anything be more kawaii than this?
	Calcifur Magnet -- Howl's Moving Castle. Dude, a new Calcifur item! He really makes Howl's Moving Castle great.
	Kanji Sticker -- Hen (Strange). New kanji stickers on the site. This is one that I can recommend to some people I can think of...
	Japanese Limited Original Kit Kat Set 2007. Yum! A full set of Japan Kit Kat for you, with all the 2007 flavors ready to order.
	Rune Doll ~ Naomi (Black Kimono). Spooky but beautiful, these are Rune Dolls designed by Runa Naito.
	Girlfriend Knee Pillow -- Red~ Hiza Makura (EMS). It's back! For men without girlfriends who will let them rest their heads on their laps, a handy replacement!
	Lucky Charm for Safe Drive -- "Mikoshi" Car Window Mascot ~ Black. Enjoy "safety driving" with this Japanese omamori.
	Green Tea Soap. J-List always strives to be different, as you can see by our Green Tea Soap.
	Catchy Japanese Phrases ~ Nihongo Maruanki Cho. I'd have loved to have found this years earlier. It's a really good situation-based Japanese guide, and very well made.

Went to a new restaurant, and thought I'd record the meal I had. I am quite a baka for sukiyaki, and whenever I can eat it like this, I do.

Wow, this place is good -- chopstick instructions in English. I guess writing them in English would be kid of silly.

I don't know if Americans eat much in the way of raw egg (been living in Japan way too long), but it really makes good sukiyaki great for me. Take the boiled meat, put in the egg, and then...

...put it on the rice, so that the egg and soup from the sukiyaki falls down on the rice. Repeat.

They finished off with really good coffee in a really cool Japanese cup. The cost for this meal? Something like $7. And as long time readers may remember, I judge every restaurant by its ice coffee, which was quite good, a solid 8 or 8.5. So I had no complaints at all.

A Yakuza gang war in Tokyo, my trip to the concrete jungle of Tokyo, and how the wisdom of China is at work in Japan today

Japan has a reputation for being a peaceful place with very little in the way of violence, giant monsters emerging from the sea and smashing Tokyo notwithstanding. This happy image was somewhat shaken this week when a minor gang war broke out in Tokyo, with several shots fired back and forth and one gang boss killed. Japan's Yakuza have been around for centuries, and usually go about their business in a very orderly fashion, with the major groups -- Yamaguchi-gumi in Osaka and the smaller Sumiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai in Tokyo -- respecting each others territory. This harmony was broken when some members of the 3rd-ranked Inagawa Group of Tokyo allowed the traditional protection money collected from restaurants and bars in Roppongi to go to the Yamaguchi group, which amounted to the Osaka mafia muscling in on territory that wasn't traditionally theirs. Some arrests have been made so hopefully we've seen the last bit of fighting. The Yakuza like to pretend they're modern day Robin Hood anti-heroes, but their various criminal enterprises, including ultra-high interest loans and protection scams, cause great harm to people. The term Yakuza is a phonetic play on the numbers 8, 9 and 3, which add up to 20, representing the worst possible hand you can get in a traditional card game played since the Edo Period.

Yesterday I went to Tokyo on business, just a 45-minute Shinkansen ride away. Whenever I visit Japan's capital I experience a brief period of localized culture shock as I adjust to having that much concrete and steel around me, and having my own personal space cut down to a fraction of what it is in our home prefecture of Gunma. My eyes always go a little wide when I see the, er, extremely beautiful and fashionable women riding trains or crossing the famous "scramble intersection" in Shibuya, so different from the more down-to-earth females back home that it seems to my eyes like the difference between regular television and HD-TV. Even the men are image-conscious in Tokyo, reading magazines like Smart or Myojo and no doubt being subtly influenced by the endless stream of boytoy "talents" from Johnny's Entertainment, Japan's most successful talent management company. Passing through Shinjuku, I spied one extremely fashionable youth who was busy playing with a pink Nintendo DS, and it occurred to me that in Japan today men and women are in open competition to see which set can be more fashionable and stylish -- an odd phenomenon that probably wouldn't happen in the U.S., unless I've really been away too long. In a very real sense, the culture of Japan flows from China, just as everything in the West from laws and courts to roads originally came from ancient Rome and Greece. China is so much a part of Japan's history that you couldn't express ideas without thinking in kanji, the pictographs that Japan imported along with Buddhism in the 6th century A.D. (this is in contrast to the two Koreas, who have largely decoupled their language from kanji in favor of the "purity" of the home-grown hangul writing system). Just as elements of classical languages survive in our speech ad infinitum, the Chinese language pops up in Japanese from time to time, for example in the poetic phrase shimen-soka (she-men-SOH-kah), which means "being surrounded by enemies on all sides and totally betrayed." The wisdom of China also survives in the form of proverbs that the Japanese have imported, such as the old standby ningen banji saiou-ga-uma, which means "All human affairs are like Saiou's horse." This refers to an old Chinese story about a man named Saiou whose horse ran away, making everyone say how unfortunate he was. "How do you know this is a bad thing?" he asked. His horse came back, bringing another horse this time, and when people congratulated him on his good luck, he asked, "How do you know this is a good thing?" He then or bad happens, no one can say for sure if it is truly a good or bad thing in the end. It's kind of like marrying an 80-year-old billionaire -- in the end, who can say if it will be a good thing or not? Today is February 9th, which according to the usually-incomprehensible- to-gaijin Japanese numbering system is "Meat Day" (Niku no Hi, 肉の日), since 2/9 can be read ni ku meaning meat in Japanese (refer to Yakuza, above). Today is also my wife's birthday, so we're off to enjoy Korean Barbecue, a popular delicacy in Japan. Have a nice weekend! Remember that J-List provides a great service for our customers: a custom calligraphy message on a Japanese shikishi writing board, which lets you get anything written in Japanese, from your favorite slogan to a message of love to a cool kanji for use as a tattoo or you name rendered in kanji or katakana. The message boards are very nice, featuring high quality thick paper, and are suitable for framing or just displaying in any room. 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.

	Gokuh Sep 2006 vol. 182 - Final Issue! The last issue of Gokuh -- I am really sad, actually, as I've been reading this magazine off and on for many years. Hrrm, for J-List related purposes only, of course. The articles, you know.
	ai -- Ai Takahashi. The lovely Ai Takahashi of Morning Musume, in her bold and cool photobook.
	Azuing -- Azusa Yamamoto. Really cute Japanese idol and actress. If you happened to catch the '24' Calorie Mate commercials, she was the one driving the van ("I have to get to Shinjuku!").
	Pole Dance Sex -- Mina Fukuhara. Mina Fukuhara is really an amazing thing to behold in ths new DVD release.
	Love Exercise -- Rola Sato (Laura Sato). Rola Sato's latest release. She's popular because she looks a lot like Aya Ueto.
	Getting Wet ~ Adventures in the Japanese Bath. Ha! A cool book that tells you every about the onsens that I love so much.
	Rei Ayanami PVC Figure -- Evangelion. Dynamite new Rei Ayanami igure. Love it.
	Tenori Mamegoma -- Panda Goma . I've never thought of how cute a cross between a baby seal and a panda might be. Now I know!
	BLEACH Characters Figure 4th Edition -- Full Set *Set of 5*. Cool new Bleach character toy line, with full sets in stock.
	Figure Tsushin vol. 1 ~ with DVD A new figure magazine has been launched, with loads of pctures and a DVD to enjoy.
	Techno Line Ball EX Ball Pointed Pen -- Light Green. Enjoy some stylish Japanese pen action from Zebra.
	Akihabara Electric Appliance Store -- Full Set *Set of 5*. Wow, cool new series from Re-Ment. I mean, any toy line that gives you a miniature flat screen TV and takoyaki maker is cool.
	Kanji Quiz Toilet Paper. Quiz your Japanese skills while you poop. Back in stock!
	Venus Pillow -- Oppai Breast Pillow. Hehe, I love the thought that somewhere, J-List customers are using this wacky item to bring some calm into their lives.

Some random images. I have in my home a brand new Magic Window from 1973, which set me back a bit on eBay. Just thought I'd show it to you.

Made and printed in the U.S.A. Pretty spiffy.

Not a great picture of my setup at home (which will be upgraded to a Mac Pro if Apple would *deign* to get a new machine out for us). I've never seen these Japanese notebook computer racks that hold your laptop upright for cooling purposes. They're quite nice to use.

That's?

Kicking back at the family restaurant we go to a lot for lunch, called Joyful, a name which somehow makes me happy. This is the steak part of the menu.

Of course, at a cheap place like this a "steak" is always a "hamburg steak."

Of course, the highlight of the manu is, Yuko Ogura appearing in it. Don't ask me, I don't know what she has to do with Hamburg Steak.