J-List side blog

450 Words on Why Japan is Pretty Good

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:35:00 +0000

I recently came across a blog post by an American who'd lived in Japan for several years, but who'd suddenly decided that he hated it here. Reading through his post in which he listed everything he disliked about Japan, I found myself nodding at some of the frustrations a foreigner can encounter here, from having more smokers around you than you may be used to (especially if you're from California like me) to the odd tendency of Japanese city planners to never put trash cans where you expect them to be. As great a country as Japan is, the fact that 90% of the people here are often on the same wavelength about things can present challenges to "outsiders" (what the word gaijin actually means), which is why you can find six brands of 4.3% milkfat milk at the store but sometimes no lowfat and never any skim milk -- the Japanese just love their milk as creamy as possible. So while my first response to his diatribe was to say "if he doesn't like Japan he should probably go home," I found could sympathize with some of his points.

On the other hand, living in a foreign country will always involve trade-offs, a fact I learned at the tender age of six when my family went to live in New Zealand for a year. For cultural reasons, the Japanese just aren't into the vegetarian lifestyle, and it can be hard to try to live completely free of animal products unless you're prepared to cook it all yourself. The writer mentioned that he felt pressured to drink alcohol at company parties, but in my experience ordering "oolong tea" is all the signal others need that you don't want them to pour beer for you. Sometimes the little cultural differences can seem irreconcilable, though: when I worked for my city in the role of Coordinator for International Relations (cool job title, eh?), I was taking over for a foreigner who'd left suddenly. One of his reasons for going home, I was told, was frustration that all the tea here contained caffeine, which his religion forbade, so he couldn't even have a cup of green tea while he worked. These days, any possible inconvenience one might feel about living in a homogenous country like Japan is totally countered by the vast store of convenience that is...the Internet. The ability to order English books from Amazon or keep my home stocked with American foods I may want to order through the Foreign Buyers' Club make Japan almost the perfect country, for me.

(The rant in question can be seen here. Warning, it's a long read.)

So what do you think?

Japan can seem "culturally inflexible" to outsiders. Would you like more tea?

Names in Japanese

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:31:00 +0000

Just about any aspect of Japan can provide an interesting cultural lesson, even names. In Japan, everyone has a family name and a given name, always listed with the family name first, although this doesn't apply for non-Japanese (e.g. I am still pii-taa pein in Japanese). Japanese never have middle names, but they understand the Western concept and sometimes choose exotic-sounding names for anime characters just for fun, like Louise Françoise De La Bamue Le Blanc De La Vallièr from Zero no Tsukaima. Japanese names may be written in hiragana or katakana, but the vast majority use kanji, and just as there are alternate spellings for English names, Japanese parents can choose between different kanji characters to capture just the right nuance they want for their baby. Names follow trends just like in the West, and sometimes names that sound strange to the ear will become popular. In case you're wondering, the top three names for boys this year are Hiroto, Shota and Ren; for girls, it's Rin, Sakura, and Hina.

(Another interesting note...the names Ren (Len) and Rin could be said to be Vocaloid-derived, although those characters use katakana and not kanji, and of course Shota has a special meaning in fandom. Japanese wouldn't think of this at all by the way, as the vowel is longer and the kanji is different. )

Studying how names work in Japanese is interesting.

Hello Kitty From Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 +0000

J-List always has something kawaii from Japan for you, like the hard-to-find Hello Kitty products we carry. There are a lot of really nice "traditional" Hello Kitty items, like the chirimen tote bags we restocked today, and I really like the style of the Wagara Hello Kitty Bento Box, our most popular ever. We also stock fun bento related items, like a Hello Kitty furikake bottle and the popular Hello Kitty Training Chopsticks. You can browse all Hello Kitty items via this link, or click here to see the top 50 items ranked by popularity.

Cool Products Friday, March 12, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:29:00 +0000

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.

	Comptiq with Lucky Star Calendar Awesome new issue of Comptiq, beloved of moe fans everywhere. You always get great free stuff with these magazines, and this issue is extra special, with the free Lucky Star monthly calendar.
	Ge Maga ~ Game Magazine Apr 2010 New issue of Ge Maga, or Game Magazine, which follows all the hottest games, including all the top consoles and portable games. Info on the Miku Hatsune arcade came in this issue!
	Rilakkuma iPod Cases are Kawaii! Our line of iPod product is really exploding, and today we're posting several kawaii Rilakkuma cases for the current iPod nano. Have the most original iPod case anywhere!
	Yotsubato Daily School Calendar 2010 Great news -- we got the Yotsuba 2010 calendar in stock today, and it's a really special item. Bad news -- 94% of them sold to preorder customers, so we only have a few left. Don't miss this outstanding item!
	SUMMER WARS (Blu-ray Disc) The anime film everyone is talking about is Summer Wars, one of the most original and beautiful films since Spirited Away -- it's that awesome. And we just happen to have the new Blu-Ray boxed set for your viewing enjoyment.
	Anime Artbooks Restocked Then see fresh stock of some nice artbooks, including the Moe Moe Military Encyclopedia, the Gurren Lagann Official Movie Fanbook, plus several gorgeous Queen's Blade books.
	Kanji Practice for Adult ~ Revised Edition Learn Japanese with your Nintendo DS, using the newly revised kanji training program we just got in stock.
	Restocked DS Games, Too Also, see fresh stock of the kawaii Shugo Chara DS game and The IDOLMASTER Dearly Stars games, which we got in stock today.
	Hokuto Musou *Preorder* Fist of the North Star is the legendary fighting manga/anime from the 80s that's part homage to The Road Warrior, and all awesome. The new PS3 game is going to rock our world, so we're posting it for preorder now.
	KAO LIESE Hair Designing Jelly ~ Multi Accent J-List caries some really amazing Japanese hair-care products, and the new Hair Designing Jelly from KAO is in stock for you today. See them on the Fashion & Beauty page.
	New Snacks from Japan Be healthy with the new BalanceUp fiber bars w/ cream in the middle -- Black Sesame flavored! Also, Milk Caramel Pocky, Strawberry Ramune Candy and an awesome item, Lotte Xylotol Ginger Ale Gum!
	Kitakata Noodle FURIKAKE (Fukushima) Yum! A new flavor of furikake powder that you sprinkle over rice, this time with the flavor of Kitakata Ramen from Kyushu. Also restocked, several flavors of Food Drops candies, including Cherry Boy (heh).
	Hello Kitty Slim 2 Tier Bento Box, Sanrio Chopsticks Got another Hello Kitty bento box for you, a nice 2-tier model with everything you need for a satisfying bento lunch experience. Also: matching chopsticks w/ case.
	Restocked Bento Boxes, Too Other popular bento boxes are restocked today, including the amazing stacking bento boxes from Hakoya and the kawaii Panda Paws bento from Prime Nakamura.
	NORI-PIYO Egg Carrying Case Neat! It's an carrying case for a hard-boiled egg for bento fans that's modeled after my favorite onigiri bento case, the Norio Angry Face item.
	Deco Onigiri and Chirashi for Beginners Here's a super Japanese book that shows you how to make "deco" (decoration) onigiri in many cute shapes, using great ingredients like rice, nori and vegetables to create cute shapes.
	Totoro Bento Boxes, Plush Toys Restocked The nice Totoro Tight Bento Box is back in stock, which is great since it's one of my favorites. Also, several great Totoro and Cat Bus plush toys back on the site.
	Hello Kitty Bento & Kitchen Products We love Hello Kitty items for your kitchen, and today we're posting some really special items, including the Hello Kitty Sandwich Shaper which "seals" your sandwich closed in a cute shape, plus Hello Kitty Training Chopsticks and the Muffin Mold.
	Mousse-chan Fuwa-Fuwa Paper Clay Refill ~ Basic White For fans of our "paper clay" mold toys, which make it fun to create your own detailed toys in many shapes, enjoy this refill clay.
	Back King Bath Tablets Also, see fresh stock of the fizzing bath tablets that also make your bath a very pleasant experience. To use, fill the bath and then get in, dropping one of the tablets in the water. As it fizzes, the bubble will make you feel great. 20 tablets included!
	Japonica KOKUGO / Japanese Writing Notebook J-List carries books to help you practice your Japanese, like the new kokugo (lit. "national language," e.g. Japanese) book for practicing Japanese writing.
	Restocked Study & Traditional Items Fun random Japanese items for you, including the Natural Wooden Study Puzzle for learning hiragana, a Ninja Phone Strap, Shinsengumi Happi kimono and shodo calligraphy set.
	Simple Stripe Rice Bowl Sometimes simple is best, like this really nice rice bowl for enjoying any kind of Japanese food.
	Magical UKIYOE GEISHA Transforming Towel An interesting towel from Japan which features a beautiful image of a geisha -- the towel actually transforms when it gets wet.
	Samurai Sword Keychain You never know when you'll be attacked by little ninjas, so be prepared with the ornate Samurai Sword Keychain we're posting today, which is also great for opening boxes, letter and stuff.
	Hello Kitty Chirimen SAKURA Tote Bag See fresh stock of our popular Hello Kitty plush bag that's large enough to be a main take-anywhere bag for most women. It's made of chirimen, the fabric kimonos are made from, and it's fabulous. Four colors are back in stock.
	ToraDora! Strap Collection Set of 7 Preorder I am a huge fan of Toradora!, the show about life, love and tsundere, and we've posted these cool keychains featuring 7 different characters.
	Awesome Queen's Blade Figures, Artbooks Then, for Queen's Blade fans we have not one but two artbooks posted for preorder, the lovely dwarf twins and Fighting Lady Lili, plus a super ecchi figure of Leina.
	Saya Tokido 1/8 Figure ~ Little Busters Preorder Next, a dynamite figure from Little Busters, this is Saya who is holding a gun and wearing a torn school uniform, a pretty awesome combination.
	EROS 1000 Complete set ~ Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka is the "God of Manga" who created everything from Astro Boy to Jungle Emperor Leo (Kimba the White Lion), but he also created a lot of awesome ecchi works, which are compiled into these two volumes (1000 pages). Neat!
	Yuri Manga from Japan Also, we love yuri, the genre of girls who fall in love with other girls, and we've posted a sweet new work called Sky-Colored Girlfriend Rikachi.
	Japanese Eroge In Stock Check out the delicious Image-Ex, a photorealistic CG animated game made by a doujin software studio -- full motion! Also see fresh stock of Real Kanojo.
	Sumire Portrait Studio An innovative stress relief novelty toy that lets you be with your virtual girlfriend Sumire (su-mi-reh, it means "violet" like the flower). Super realistic feel, lotion and collectible cards inside.
	Bible Black Stress Toys, More Restocked The popular Bible Black novelty toys are restocked today, including the Kaori Saeki Cup simulator, plus the A10 and R-1 advanced toys from Rends.

The Academy Show, As Viewed from Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:02:00 +0000

The Academy Awards ceremony is closely followed in Japan, where it's kind of a combination of the Kohaku Red-and-White music pageant held each New Year's Eve and the most important English lesson ever, as Japanese fans try to understand the words of their favorite stars directly. While my wife and I were watching this year's show, she remarked, "Everyone is saying such nice things about everyone else. Japanese people could never do that. We're not good at praising others." Her observation seemed to be an accurate one: for some reason in Japan, no matter how respected an individual might be in his community, there'll be a tendency for some people to want to tear him down, perhaps for the crime of rising above everyone else. You see this most acutely in politics -- the moment a new Prime Minister arrives on the scene, everyone starts actively working for his downfall -- but even in less visible situations, there's an odd tradition of Japanese refusing to unanimously unite behind a single individual, even if it's just for one night.

Jeff Bridges receives the Best Acceptance Speech Performed While Drunk Award.

Anime Thoughts: Yuri > Yaoi?

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:01:00 +0000

Getting into anime means exposing yourself to a world of new ideas, some of which might be potentially confusing at first. Like the tendency for animators to create stories about characters whose gender is not entirely set in stone, such as female characters pretending to be male for some reason, Ranma-esque characters who actually change their gender, and even classical examples like Lady Oscar from The Rose of Versailles, raised as a swordsman although she's a girl. One of hallmarks of 90s anime series like Evangelion or Gundam Wing was adding a strong yaoi element to the story, creating tension between male characters and exploiting the drama and comedy generated from that tension to bring in more fans. These days, it seems that anime with strong themes of yuri -- stories about girls infatuated with other girls -- have really taken over, with just about every mainstream show featuring these themes on some level. It's hard to say when the "yuri tipping point" was -- Maria is Watching Over Us, perhaps? -- but the seeds were planted back when fans started noticing something funny about Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon.

"Yuri" themes are increasingly present in anime these days. Which is fine with me.

The Great Tokyo Air Raid

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:56:00 +0000

Today is the 65th anniversary of the Great Tokyo Air Raid. On this day, 300 B-29 Superfortresses flying out of Guam dropped 2,000 tons of incendararies over the most densely-packed residential parts of Tokyo, causing 100,000 deaths, greater than from the individual atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nakasaki. It was a very sad event, the tragedy of which can be appreciated by watching the excellent Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies, which I plan to watch with my kids tonight as part of their dual American/Japanese heritage. Note that the Touhou character in the picture below is saying, "Lucky Strike!!" This is related to an odd Japanese urban legend that the iconic Lucky Strike cigarette logo is supposed to represent the mushroom cloud of Hiroshima as seen from above. (The logo actually dates from 1917.) Interestingly, this common belief doesn't stop Japanese smokers from reaching for the brand, nor do Japanese artists consider it odd to draw cute moe art of the B-29 Superfortress, which presumably caused so much pain to the Japanese. (This kind of reminds me of Astro Boy's Japanese name of Tstsuwan Atom and his sister Uran, e.g. Uraniam.)

It speaks volumes that Japanese artists can create moe art like this.

Spotlight: the Queen's Blade Series

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:54:00 +0000

J-List carries dozens of fun products for fans of Queen's Blade, the popular anime series which started out as a book-based RPG called the Lost Worlds battle system. In addition to the awesome Queen's Blade artbooks -- and the sister publication Queen's Gate, with female fighters from other games, we carry dozens of figures from the series, including some with clothes that can be *ahem* "cast off." Another product I like a lot is the Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos game for PSP, a superb fighting game with all characters as well as the patented patented "Armor Damage System" which causes their clothes to fly off when they take damage. Stay classy, Japan!

Cool Products Wednesday, March 10, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:53:00 +0000

	Young Ace vol. 9 Gorgeous thick manga filled with the best and most interesting stories for you to read, this is Young Ace. Celebrating Evangelion with an fabulous free Eva manga and pencil board inside.
	Dengeki G's Festival Comic vol. 10 Got the new issue of Dengeki G's Festival for you too, the amazing thick manga that just happens to come with a full sized dakimakura anime body pillow -- amazing!
	Rilakkuma Dara Dara Fan Book Rilakkuma ("Relax bear") is the cute character from San-X who wants us all to slow down and take life a little less seriously, and this is his official fanbook.
	Mameshiba / Edamame Animal Ring Note Book For fans of the cute Mameshiba (whose name means "bean shiba dog," there's actually a breed called this in Japan), we have an awesome notebook for writing down useless trivia!
	Kawaii Butterfly iPhone Case Japan is really embracing the iPhone in a big way, which is great news because it means cool iPhone stuff for us to grab for the site. Today's awesomeness: GothLoli/Ageha style iPhone cases in multiple colors.
	Bee Kawaii Earphones Those darling bee-shaped earphones are back in stock, too. They're fully compatible with any music player you may have, and are cute as heck -- even the tube-shaped package they come in is kawaii.
	Natchan Water-in Pencil Case, Pentel Shake Pencil More quality writing tools from Japan today, including an amazing mechanical pencil (which the Japanese called "sharpen," from "sharp pencil"), and a cute Natchan! pencil case with a water-game built in.
	Pentel AQUASH Painting Fude Pen Set This is neat: a fude (writing brush) that you fill with water and then use to create beautiful works of art using the included watercolor based paints.
	Fairly Life Miracle Days Have you ever wondered what life would be like in a world where inanimate objects have come to life with personalities of their own - as cute girls? Welcome to the world of FairlyLife. Other restocked games too: Nanoha, Lucky Star Net Idol Meister and TokiMemo 4.
	Restocked Moe Moe Encyclopedia, Touhou Manga See fresh stock of the dreamy Moe Moe Encyclopedia artbook series, this time about the most famous fairies in history and literature. Also, the Touhou Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red manga is restocked.
	Hello Kitty Tartan Check Ribbon Bag, Pouch Be cute and fashionable but don't spend a lot of money on famous brands thanks to these Hello Kitty brand goods. We have a dynamite "Tartan Check" bag and matching pouch to hold all your stuff.
	Reserve Subscription Magazines We always have some random issues of Japan's best magazines, like the Hobby Japan or Hiragana Times issues we're posting today. Of course, the surest way to get the J-magazines you want is to go for arevolving monthly subscription.
	New Snacks from Japan Today's new snacks from Japan are a lot of fun. First there's Texas BBQ flavor Japanese Pringles in a cute can, plus Glico Strawberry Caramels and Meiji's "Hard Baked" almond chocolates.
	Yokan Wagashi Drops ~ Japanese Food Drops Wagashi is the traditional sweets of Japan, and the newest flavor of Traditional Food Drops is yokan, a sweet bean paste in "Grave of the Fireflies" food drop form. Restocked flavors too!
	Akihabara Canned Bread ~ Fullmetal Alchemist Our Akihabara Bread-in-a-Can is a hit, as many customers pick up this wacky treat which you can usually only find in Japan's otaku Mecca. See fresh stock of the Fullmetal Alchemist Vanilla Bread today.
	Rice Burger Maker Are you still making hamburgers using outdated bread buns? Upgrade to the rice burger with this fun item which presses rice into onigiri-like flattened shapes, which can be used to hold your meat. Yet another wacky item from J-List.
	Studio Ghibli Bento Box, Other Items Restocked Any day I can type the words "Totoro bento boxes" is a good day, and today we're restocking our two most popular items, which carry the Hayao Miyazaki seal of approval (as do all Ghibli products).
	Moon & Rabbit Lacquered Style Onigiri Bento Box Also, see fresh stock of those awesome traditional onigiri cases, which essentially function as smaller bento boxes with separate sections for rice and the rest of your lunch.
	Hello Kitty Bento Accessories Also, life is just a little more fun when you're eating a hard boiled egg that's shaped like Hello Kitty. See fresh stock of the Hello Kitty Boiled Egg Shaper, plus the Vegetable Cutter and Onigiri Shaper.
	Our Bento ~ Watashitachi no Obento One of our favorite bento books is back in stock: Our Bento, which is cool because it's loaded with color photographs that look good enough to eat.
	Cup Noodle Mug Cup One of our hands-down coolest items for enjoying coffee at work would be our Cup Noodle mug cup, which is a perfect replica of a cup of ramen, except that this is made of ceramic and will hold your coffee. Back in stock today.
	Ghibli Music Boxes J-List [hearts] Totoro, and today we're restocking the wooden bento boxes featuring Totoro and Jiji the Cat. Both open to hold your stuff so they will always be a treasure for you.
	Tora Dora! 3 ~ Toradora 3 The best way to learn Japanese is to read it all the time, and what could be more fun than reading the new Toradora! manga, which has just been released. Features furigana to make the kanji easier to read.
	Sakura Chopstick Gift Set, More Spring is the Season of the Sakura, and today we're posting the gorgeous sakura-themed "Omotenashi" gift set of chopsticks and small plates, plus a sakura holder for standard 500ml drink bottles.
	Macross Frontier, Idol M@ster Figures for Preorder I'm no small fan of Macross Frontier, the outstanding sequel to the 1984 "Love, Do You Remember?" movie, and the "cast off" Sheryl figure we have is awesome. Also enjoy the Takane Shijou Idol Master figure we have posted.
	Crocodile, Sanji, Brook 1/8 Figures ~ Preorder Then, three fabulous One Piece figures are up for preorder, which will no doubt be a real treasure for fans of the popular manga and anime series.
	Restocked Japanese Pens, Wacky 3M Tape Restocked pens and other fun items, too, including the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Color Gel Ink Pen in "Sakura" color, the gorgeous KAREN Jewel Pen for women, and Scotch tape from 3M that's designed to look like a doughnut.
	Yuri Hime Wild Rose vol. 5 Yuri themes are more popular than ever at J-List, and today we're posting the outstanding new issue of Yuri Hime Wild Rose, high are higher level of "girl meets girl" intensity.
	New Ero Parody Doujinshi Doujinshi are a fun way to explore Japan's ero anime culture. Today we've got a great Pretty Cure book, plus for an all-color Ranma 1/2/Inuyasha/Touch book -- rock on, old school anime fans!
	'Futanari' H-Games Of the most common trends in PC dating-sim games, manga and AV is futanari, a word which means "the two, being one" and which describes girls who have male parts. The awesome Cat Girl Alliance explores these themes, as do Yin-Yang, Let's Meow Meow and other great titles.
	Restocked Saki Otsuka, OL Toys, Lotion See fresh stock of the fabulous toy that accurately recreates one of the most important parts of lovely Saki Otsuka, the AV star who has performed while her husband watched, plus the awesome TENGA Air Cushion Cup and Sophia Pink vibrator for women, made in Japan.

Conscription for Japan?

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:17:00 +0000

I saw a blog post that said the out-of-favor Liberal Democratic Party was considering issuing a bill to create military conscription for 18-20 year olds along the lines of European countries or South Korea. It's a total fantasy, of course -- Japan's pacifist constitution (which America wrote) wouldn't allow it, and no one here would support such a suggestion -- but it was interesting to hear the idea being discussed. I've often thought that Japanese young people could do with two years of mandatory public service of some kind, for a couple of reasons. First, the country has an extreme lack of basic, reasonable patriotism that other countries take for granted, and even something as simple as singing the National Anthem becomes a major issue, with some teachers refusing to sing it at official events. Also, Japan suffers from what's known as heiwa-boke (hei-WA boh-keh), literally meaning "stupid from too much peace," which is what happens when you live in an extremely safe island country. Performing some kind of required public service -- perhaps a Peace Corps-like organization where individuals went overseas to help poorer countries -- would teach Japan's spoiled young people about the rest of the world, and they'd probably realize what a great country they live in.

Artist's impression of a Japanese person in a military uniform.

Apple and Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:15:00 +0000

While Japan represents the second largest market for Apple's Macintosh computers, making headway here hasn't always been easy, which is reflected in the lower market share of about 3.5% in Japan compared with the current 7.5% in the U.S. Apple started selling Macs in the Japanese market way back in 1986, and I have un-fond memories of hacking my computer to work with kanji fonts while we waited a year for the Japanese version of System 7 "Kanjitalk" to be released. (OS X's support for every language on one install disc is a real win for multi-language users.) Despite Apple's lower market share numbers, it's interesting to see the impression Apple's designs make on other products. When the original iMac was introduced in 1998, Japan experienced a boom in iMac-colored products made of see-through plastic which the Japanese referred to as "skeleton," and for years there wasn't a product you couldn't find in Bondi Blue or Tangerine Orange. After a slow start, the iPhone has really begun to catch on here, grabbing 46% of the smartphone market and causing the popular boy-band SMAP to cancel their contract selling NTT Docomo's phones and switch to Softbank so they could sell the iPhone. Now, just about every product you can think of is copying the iPhone, from the new Canon IXUS camera with iPhone style finger gestures to a host of new candybar phones with iPhone app-style gimmicks built in, of course missing the whole point, since there's no flexible OS, no marketplace for apps, music stores that are so closed they make iTunes look Linux and so on.

Apple designs have a tendency to influence Japanese products.

Real Places in Anime

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:14:00 +0000

One of the first things I did after arriving in Japan in 1991 was head down to Shinjuku, Tokyo, the setting for so many awesome 80s anime series, where I basked in the glory of the giant Studio Alta TV from Megazone 23 then roamed Shunjuku station looking for the "XYZ" chalkboard from City Hunter. (I'm old school, I know.) This tendency for animators to increase realism by setting their stories in real places continues to this day, and if you're so inclined you can drive the mountain roads in Initial D (happily located in J-List's home prefecture of Gunma) or visit the beautiful Edo Period castle where the new film Summer Wars was based -- heck, you can even eat taiyaki while walking around the town in Osaka where the Kanon anime was "filmed." When anime fans found out that the school seen in K-On! was based on a real place -- the decommissioned Toyosato Elementary in Shiga Prefecture -- the school instantly became hallowed ground, and if you go there on a Sunday you can see dozens of other otaku on pilgrimages to show off their cool itasha anime cars. Allowing your location to be featured in a popular anime seems to be lucrative, as the Washinomiya Shrine from Lucky Star has discovered -- the limited goods the shrine sells have brought in millions of yen.

This leads to the question: where the hell is the Eve no Jikan cafe and how do I get there??

The places in your favorite anime series probably exist in real life.

Good Snacks from Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:13:00 +0000

J-List always strives to be a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture in a complex world, but we also love to find interesting Japanese snacks for you. While we naturally carry all the exotic Japan Kit Kat and Pocky in Japan, like the outstanding Sakura Green Tea Kit Kat on the site right now. We love to sell wacky versions of foods that are familiar to you, like the heart-shaped Love Doritos or Kimchee Cheetos from FritoLay. Want to learn about Japan through candy? Then sample some of the Japan Food Drops, which let you taste amazing foods from around Japan. Finally, we've always sold the popular Calorie Mate cookie bars, and today we're posting one of my mother's favorite J-snacks, BalanceUp Healthy Diet Bars. You can browse all our Japanese snacks here, or see the top 50 organized on this page.

Cool Products Monday, March 8, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:10:00 +0000

	Afternoon Jan 2010 If you're looking for a really outstanding manga filled with the most awesome stories from Ah! My Goddess to Vinland Saga and more, check the new Afternoon out. 1000+ pages!
	NARUTO Shippuden ORIGAMI & Sticker This is a fun item: official Naruto origami folding paper (18 sheets) and stickers that come in the package. Make awesome creations out of folded paper.
	K-ON! Anthology Comic vol. 1 Here's a great official anthology for fans K-On!, the cute manga and anime about five girls who try to make the best high school band they can. Great art and new 4-koma manga stories.
	Mio Akiyama Tote Bag Take the super cute Mio-chan anywhere with you with this excellent tote bag from COSPA which is printed with a great image of the bass player and the K-On! logo.
	Gothic & Lolita Ensemble vol. 1 Here's a great special issue of the new GothLoli Ensemble, which celebrates 10 years of awesome gothic cosplay fashion with the best pictures, the most frilly outfits, and the most awesome information ever.
	LUCIDO-L Designing Pot Hair Wax For fans of Japan's high quality hair-care products from Japan, we've got a new series of excellent products, this time from Lucido, a sister brand to Gatsby made by Mandom. Five types of hair wax.
	Alphard, Ein Nendoroid Figures In Stock We love the Nendoroid figures from Good Smile Company because of the many ways you can display each. We've gotten i n the Alphard figure from the Canaan Type-Moon game and anime, and Ein from Phantom of Inferno. Love them both!
	CROSS CHANNEL ~ To all people A superb game by Yamada Hajime -- who created Family Project and YUME MIRU KUSURI that we sell in English, now available for both the PSP and PC!
	Awesome Restocked Artbooks We think the high-quality artbooks published in Japan are just awesome, and we've restocked several today, including the Pixiv Girls Collection 2010, the Japanese Sword Girls book, and Tony Taka's epic new release.
	My Melody Pencil Case, Pen From Sanrio we have a fabulous soft My Melody pencil case that's awesome to hold in your hand. There's also a matching My Melody pen for writing cute lines with.
	Yamanote Bath Towel -- Harajuku The Yamanote (yama-no-teh) line is the train line that runs around Tokyo, and all the most famous parts of the city have stations there. Wrap yourself in the awesomeness of this Yamanote-themed towel, restocked today.
	Totoro Catbus Plush Studio Ghibli fans know that J-List has tons of really cute Totoro items. Today we're restocking that fabulous Fuka Fuka Cat Bus Plush, one of my favorites.
	Meiji Village of Bamboo Shoot -- Green Tea Milk Awesome new snacks from Japan for you today: Village of the Bamboo Shoots chocolate covered cookies in matcha flavor, Chelsea Peach Milk "Butterscotch" and for fans of Calorie Mate, the very nice BalanceUp Fiber Bars w/ cream inside, which my mother loves.
	Ningyo Yaki (Tokyo Limited) ~ Japanese Food Drops See fresh stock of our fun traditional "food drops" candies, including ningyo-yaki from Tokyo's famous Asakusa sightseeing spot, Miso Ramen from Hokkaido, Strawberry from Tochigi Prefecture, plus the amazing Potato Chips Drops (from America?).
	EDO Style Wooden Lacquered 2-Tier Bento Box Set Once again, Hakoya has made me stop what I was doing and rave over their new bento box for several minutes. This lacquered wood bento box is large to accommodate hungrier eaters, and looks awesome.
	Restocked Bento Boxes, Too We have fresh stock of other popular bento boxes, too, including "Hiragana Man" (which is known as "HENOHENOMOHEJI" to the Japanese), plus the fabulous Silver Press Style Bento.
	Easy Bread Shaper ~ 4 shapes Turn boring sandwiches into fun shapes for kids with the new Easy Bread Shapers we're posting. Hearts, cats, trains, fire engines, this series is great!
	Wiener Shaper -- Crab, Penguin, More We've restocked several cute Wiener Cutters which turn boring sausages into cute flowers, penguins and other shapes, which are so much fun. These are among the most popular bento products we've ever carried.
	Other Fun Restocked Products Then, here's a really awesome way to bring hard boiled eggs with your bento. Just pop open the cute smiling egg case and put your boiled egg inside, and it'll be ready for you to eat at lunchtime!
	Mousse-chan Fuwa-Fuwa Paper Clay DECO Tool Set You can make the most amazing creations with the Mousse-chan Paper Clay mold toys that J-List sells if you use this set of tools that have just been released. A really great idea!
	'Let's Make Eraser with Microwave' Restocked Also: see a general restocking of the eraser molds that let you create your own amazing erasers using your microwave oven. Sushi, doughnuts, cake and chocolates have all been restocked.
	Beautiful JAPAN Bell Strap ~ Lucky Cat This is one of the coolest phone straps I've ever seen. Featuring classic imagery of Lucky Cat, it's a large netsuke strap that can be attached to your camera, DS/PSP, or even iPhone. It has a bell inside, which will help keep you from losing stuff!
	Restocked Phone Straps Speaking of cool phone straps, we've restocked several others, including the soft Fresh Baked Bread straps, the popular Rice Bowl Strap, and more.
	Lucky Cat Toilet Paper, Kompeito Candies Lucky Cat is one of the most famous symbols of Japan, and we love to find fun products to find for our customers. Today we've got the Lucky Cat Toilet Paper and Kompeito traditional candies for you.
	Sheena Figure Swimsuits ver. Shining Wind Preorder Awesome figure of Sheena from the Shining Wind PS2 game, rendered in beautiful 1/7 scale for our enjoyment. Preorder her now and we'll send her to you in July.
	Evangelion iPhone Battery Preorder Next, the Evangelion iPhone cases have been a huge hit with J-List fans, and now there's something even better: a backup battery case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS that's Evangelion themed! Click to view both of them now.
	EvaFuda (Evangelion Hanafuda) Preorder Another really cool item: Evangelion Hanafuda cards, based on a classic game enjoyed for over 1000 years. I love the art on these cards.
	Nozomi Sasaki in Tenshi no Koi (Angel's Love) Got more love for Nozomi Sasaki, the popular fashion model who has gone mainstream with her sexy gravure photos that are so pretty, everyone in Japan is going ga-ga over her.
	Dengeki Moeoh Apr 2010 Dengeki Moeoh is the awesome moe magazine filled with art and comics for you to enjoy, with posters and other good presents for you. Tons of information on the newest anime series, plus a free mouse pad right in the magazine!
	Restocked Visual Novels See the 18+ version of Cross Channel, created by one of the best scenario writers ever. Also, the legendary game Fate/stay night (full DVD-ROM version with extras) is restocked.
	QUEEN'S BLADE Blu-Ray Discs Got the first two volumes of Queen's Blade Second Season for you on Blu-Ray, which are a real treat to watch in high 1080p resolution. These are fully compatible with Blu-Ray players in North America, including PS3.

Dragon Dictation Mad Libs

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:31:00 +0000

Like many people, I have an iPhone, and I carry it with me everywhere, stroking it lovingly and calling it my precious in a guttural Gollum-like voice. The other day I downloaded a program called Dragon Dictation, which promises to transcribe spoken text by uploading it to its servers for quick processing. I have to say, the app works great, and I was able to get nearly 100% accuracy almost immediately. My wife asked me to let her try, but due to her Japanese accent, the results were, well, different. The text I'd used as a base was:

Cafe Verona. Rich, romantic and well-balanced, with the dark cocoa texture and roasted sweetness.

But despite her best efforts, pronouncing the words slowly and carefully, the program returned text like this:

LMAO my rates become not romantic and well-balanced come up with tobacco cool exterior and roasting meat.

Of course, the program wasn't designed to parse non-standard accents of English, and it does its job very passably with native speakers. I felt kind of sorry for my wife -- although she can use English without any problem when in the States, the program couldn't transcribe her words properly at all.

The Dragon Dictation system is great, unless you have a strong accent.

Stuff to See in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:31:00 +0000

I'm always happy to offer random advice about what to see when planning a trip to Japan. While the Kansai (Kyoto-Osaka) area is frankly the best place to go for quality sightseeing, there are some nice places to visit in the Kanto (Tokyo) region, too. One of my favorites is Nikko, pretty much the most beautiful complex of temples and Japanese gardens in Eastern Japan, where you can see where Ieyasu Tokugawa's ashes are interred as well as those "see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys. Another place I like to recommend to people is Tobu World Square, conveniently located near Nikko, which is a theme park filled with super detailed miniatures, all recreated at 25:1 scale. Walking through the park you see all the most famous buildings in the U.S., including the World Trade Center standing tall, then stroll past the Pyramids and the great cathedrals of Europe, see the Long Castle of 10,000 Leagues (as the Great Wall is called) and visit all the famous temples in Japan in miniature form. You can even see a replica of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the new broadcasting tower that will stand more than 630 meters when it's completed in 2012.

I'm a fan of Tobu World Square, an amusement park of realistic miniatures.

The Loving Arms of NHK

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:30:00 +0000

"You've been in Japan too long when NHK warnings about landslides, heavy rains, and other disasters make you feel reassured that someone is benevolently watching over you." NHK is Japan's public broadcasting network, essentially a clone of the BBC, and aside from giving us cool things like Domo-kun they provide news, culture, and the best samurai dramas around. They're also at the center of Japan's rather extensive Emergency Warning System, which provides information on earthquakes and other natural disasters. After the tragic earthquake in Chile, there was fear that a large tsunami might strike Japan, and all day long NHK and the other TV stations displayed a large warning graphic telling people to avoid the sea. When the wave finally hit, it was just 30 cm high, which caused anger among Japan's otaku on 2ch who weren't happy about having their favorite anime series "marred" by a large map of Japan taking up half the screen. The television stations weren't the only ones well prepared for disasters. When I got in my car that day, my navi (er, computerized GPS thingey, whatever it's called in proper English) warned me, "An emergency situation has been declared. Please drive your car to a safe location immediately." I felt like I was in an SF story.

During times of trouble, NHK is a calm hand on your shoulder.

Sorry for Server Issues, Here's some Bento

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:28:00 +0000

First of all, many apologies for the off-and-on server problems we've been experiencing over the past couple of days. We're hard at work on a permanent fix, and believe the issues will be behind us soon. If the site ever does stop responding for you while you're using it, come back in a few minutes and it should be working again.

J-List carries a huge selection of bento boxes from Japan, for our customers who want to take part in the worldwide explosion of Japanese boxed lunch culture. A lot of the bento boxes we carry are a beautiful blend of traditional and modern Japanese themes, like the Blue Rabbit and Moon bento box, a top seller on the site right now. We also love the bento box offerings from Hakoya, since they really know how to capture the soul of Japan in their lunchboxes. We have more Hello Kitty bento boxes than you can shake a stick at -- heck, we've declared today to be the International Sanrio Bento Day for no particular reason -- and bento boxes that hold onigiri rice balls are another really cool item. Click here to see all our bento items, or here to check out the top 50 bento boxes on the site right now. We also have plenty of fun bento accessories, which you can see see here.

Cool Products Friday, March 5, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:26:00 +0000

	Animage Original vol. 6 Here's a special issue of Animage, the legendary magazine that actually gave us the term "anime" which focuses on awesome works like Bakemonogatari and Eve no Jikan.
	Dengeki Maoh Apr 2010 It's time for yet another thick and satisfying manga from Japan, in the form of Dengeki Maoh, which gives you 640 pages of a manga awesomeness like Persona 4, Toradora!, Spice and Wolf and more.
	Mameshiba iPod Nano Case Then, this Mameshiba iPod case for the current generation of iPod nano is just too cute for words. Considering what most boring iPod cases sell for, the price is reasonable, too.
	Mameshiba Earphone But wait, what if you want even MOAR cuteness? Then feast your eyes on these little gems, high quality Mameshiba earphones that fit in your ear snugly and are compatible with all iPod/iPhone/whatever.
	Ein Figma Action Figure An excellent figure based on the gorgeous Requiem for the Phantom anime, which was based on the eroge that made Nitroplus famous. Restocked today.
	Fabulous Macross Revoltech Toys Restocked Also restocked: really outstanding Revoltech Macross toys, including the 1984 limited edition of the Super Valkyrie plus Battle Pod.
	Restocked Ouran High School Uniforms, Ninja Mask The Ouran High School uniforms were so popular, we had to get more of them for our customers, which we did today. Also restocked, the really cool Naruto/Kakashi ninja mask.
	Restocked Striped Panties, Swimsuits Today we've restocked the popular shimapan striped panties, worn by so many cute anime characters from Mio of K-On! to Lucchini of Strike Witches. Also restocked: the actual swimsuit worn by Izumi from Lucky Star.
	Moe Moe Encyclopedia ~ Real Weapons Collection Another gorgeous artbook that teaches you useful information with illustrations of cute moe girls. See the new book illustration famous weapons from history, plus fresh stock of War Girls and Satoshi Urushihara's illustrations.
	A Certain Magical Index Manga Restocked The official manga serialization of the popular anime Toaru Majutsu no Index, or if you prefer the title in Latin, Index Librorum Prohibitorum, which is pretty coo). Features furigana for easy kanji reading.
	Moonlight Cradle ~ Yoake mae yori ruri iro na This is a tale of the time when the earth and the moon were much, much closer, and there was a magical kingdom on the moon. What would you do if a princess of that country came to "homestay" with you?
	CARMINE -- Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Illustrations Preorder Here's a special artbook that's being posted for preorder: the finest ever artbook collection of artwork by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the talented artist who brought us such Gainax favorites as Evangelion, Aim for the Top 2, FLCL and more. Preorder the normal version of this awesomeness now!
	Sakura Green Tea Kit Kat! Today is a fun day for Japanese snack fans, because the Sakura Green Tea is in!Our customers have been buying this by the case, so get yours ASAP. Other new snacks include Cheese Rice Crackers and a new flavor of Ottoto!
	Chocolate Banana Crepe Food Drops (Harajuku) One of the best tastes in Japan is a Choco Banana Crepe, so delicious to eat on a Sunday afternoon in Harajuku. Now you can taste this in the newest flavor of traditional Food Drops candies!
	Akiba Moe Marshmallow ~ Moe chan no Hoppe Then, enjoy another outstanding Akiba gift item, fun "moe marshmallows" with cute girls on them. Usually only available in Akihabara's gift shops.
	Hello Kitty Ningyo Yaki Maker Another fun item we're posting today is a Hello Kitty ningyo yaki maker for making the fun cakes that are famous in Asakusa, Tokyo. Make them in a microwave!
	Today is International Sanrio Bento Day Actually, we just made that up, but it sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Got three amazing bento boxes for you, including Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Star.
	Awesome Bento Boxes for Men We've restocked several of our stylish bento boxes that are suitable for guys, too, like the DX Men's Stainless Bento Set, frankly one of the most awesome products J-List has ever carried.
	NORIO Onigiri Bento Case We love carrying bento boxes that have lots of character, and this super-cute onigiri style small bento box is so darned cute. Restocked today.
	Pocky Chopsticks Also back in stock: the cool Pocky chopsticks, which come in chocolate or strawberry versions. These are also very durable, made out of hard lacquered bamboo and easy for us gaijin to grip food with.
	Hello Kitty Cooking Ring & Powder Stencil Then: another product I was born to sell, this is a ring for making the most awesome Hello Kitty shaped pancakes, or fried eggs. Use the included stencil to draw Kitty-chan's face and whiskers with cocoa powder. Restocked today.
	New Totoro Rubber Stamps, Other Ghibli Items One of my favorite Totoro products are these wood-and-rubber stamps, which feature images of Totoro and messages in Japanese. See new stamps, plus fresh stock of awesome plush toys!
	Hiragana Times No. 277 Read about world events or local Japanese culture in both English and Japanese with Hiragana Times, a fantastic study tool. A great new issue is in stock.
	New & Restocked Japanese Pens Next, we have an awesome new pen, the Uni 0.7 Power Tank Pen, plus the popular Supplio Aroma Healing mechanical pencil, the most advanced eraser in the world and more.
	Restocked Japanese Books from Tuttle Studying Japanese? Then J-List has your back, with great books to help you learn. Today we've restocked the Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese, the Complete Japanese Verb Guide, and Japanese for Beginners.
	Japanese Study Books Also, today we're restocking Catchy Japanese Phrases, which present a "situational" way to learn the language that's something I'd have loved to have back in the day. Both volumes are in stock.
	SAKURA Pouch with Chirimen Rabbit Mascot Usagi (rabbits) are a famous symbol of Japan, and we've gotten in two all-purpose pouches made of chirimen (kimono fabric) and featuring cute rabbit mascots. I love selling stuff like this.
	Soft Rubber Shuriken, Other Items Restocked They look awesomely realistic, but these ninja shuriken are made of soft rubber. Also restocked, the Ukiyoe Chopsticks Gift Box, Kokeshi Dolls of Four Seasons, a miniature randoseru backpack and the Paper Globe Peach Balloon.
	DECOLE Kawaii Fragrant Car Window Sign Plate This is cute: cute Japanese signs that warn other drivers that you have a baby or child in the car with you. Stay safe and be kawaii at the same time.
	One Piece T-Shirts from COSPA Preorder It's shaping up to be the Year of One Piece, and COSPA is bringing out even more awesome T-shirts for you. Click to view the new offerings.
	Other Preorder Items Other preorder items: this fabulous 1/6 "cast off" figure of Tamaki from ToHeart, plus the "Flying Pantsu" kit that you can make and really fly.
	Tons of Restocked Snack Goodness Finally, we've gotten the incredibly popular Kit Kat "Gokaku" (Pass the Test) coffee cup sets in again, plus Sake Chocolate w/ Sake Cup, traditional Pure Mist Candy, Lotte Winter Pie no Mi, Hi-Chew and a favorite of mine, Bull-Dog Sauce!
	Fiesta -- Rio photobook 5000 limited Edition Then, the superb half-Japanese, half-Portuguese AV actress Rio -- also known as Tina Yuzuki -- appears in a limited edition photobook that we've just gotten in stock. This woman is amazing!
	Love Flag Girls J-List carries yuri manga, which are fabulous for all fans of girls who love other girls. Got a nice new steamy manga for fans here today.
	Japanese Eroge In Stock J-List now carries Japanese import games, and we've restocked that awesome Real Kanojo virtual CG dating-simulator, plus Zettai Maou.
	Asahi Beer Parody Onahole These look like cans of beer and chuhai, but they're really funny joke products for stress relief for guys. Innovative and fun products abound at J-List.
	Other Restocked Toys Can an onehole also quality as art? Looking at the lay/D Body Torsos we restocked today, I have to think yes. Also see the WX10 Wireless Remote Control Vibrator and fresh stock of the Flog Pillow.

Common Euphemisms Used in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:02:00 +0000

As a general rule, Japan is very "about" -- an English word the Japanese use to mean subtle, vague or imprecise -- and a lot of information is not overtly stated. This can be a challenge to foreigners who aren't used to having conversations in which the subjects of sentences are silently assumed by all parties. The Japanese also make use of euphemisms to stand for concepts they don't want to talk about directly, like the famous word ecchi, the letter "H" said with a Japanese accent, which works as a general stand-in for anything sexual. If a guy thinks about girls too much, he is ecchi, and the most common way to refer to that particular human act is ecchi suru, lit. "to do H." (If you watch the Japanese version of CSI: Miami, Horatio's nickname of "H" is changed to "chief" for this reason.) Female menstruation is another subject that's never talked about directly, and the usual way to refer to the subject is seiri, which just means "biology." This word is so pervasive that I never learned the proper word in Japanese...until I discovered it by putting my foot in my mouth. I'd been talking with some friends about a brand of sake called Gekkei-kan but I mispronounced it, so that it came out gekkei, which just happened to be the Japanese word for "menstruation" (insert facepalm).

"That explains why Japanese tourists... *glasses* ...always look at me funny."

American Animation vs. Japan: Which Is Better?

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:48:00 +0000

The other day I came across a site asking in all seriousness which country's animation was better, the U.S. or Japan. I posted the question to my Twitter feed, and there was a spirited discussion about the benefits of each, with the general consensus that the two are so different that trying to compare them is useless. One thing I especially love about the animation from Japan is the huge range of creativity you find, like the closing credits of Sora no Otoshimono which shows a flock of girl's panties flying through the sky as if they were birds. (We even have a pair you can fly yourself.) Last week I watched a gorgeous series called Eve no Jikan, or the Time of Eve, about a future in which humans are served by advanced androids. But even robots want to feel like people, and there's a special coffee shop where humans and androids can interact without barriers. My favorite androids at Eve no Jikan are Rina and Koji, a couple who are always fawning over each other. Although they're both androids, each believes the other to be human, an idea which caused my head to explode.

So what do you think? Obviously you have to qualify the question -- are we comparing Pixar to Ghibli, CG based 3D animation to quality 2D? Or only 2D to 2D? I sometimes think that anime is fresher than, say, Disney animated films which closely follow an established pattern, but then I realize that Dragonball Z has its own pattern its following, too. Any thoughts?

"Are you enjoying the time of EVE?"

The Rolling Fields of Green Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:47:00 +0000

If kimchee embodies the soul of Korea, then green tea serves the same role here. Green tea has been a part of Japan's culture ever since it was introduced from China in the 9th century A.D., and like many other words that represent especially important concepts to the Japanese, the honorific prefix o is bestowed on it (o-cha). There are, of course, more types of "green" tea than encompassed by the English word, including ryoku-cha for the traditional light green drink that's most familiar to everyone, the darker matcha made from tea powder, plus other varieties such as roasted hoji-cha or genmai-cha with toasted rice in it. One thing I love about Japan are green tea vending machines which dispense green tea for free, often found at hot springs or "parking areas" (rest stops) along the freeway. Green tea is very healthy, and studies suggest it can improve cognitive function, reduce cavities and keep more serious diseases away, and rightly or wrongly, the Japanese attribute much of their famous longevity to the drink. Incidentally, J-List has some awesome green tea related products for you, if you want to check them out.

A beautiful image of green tea groves in Shizuoka, with Mt. Fuji in the background.

Green Tea Goodness from J-List

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:46:00 +0000

J-List always strives to bring a slice of Japan to you, wherever you are in the world. The most popular flavor of Kit Kat on our site right now is the upcoming Sakura Matcha Kit Kat, which combines two of our favorite tastes in one awesome package. You can preorder it here, and may we remind everyone that chocolate products will be removed next month as things start to warm up in Japan. Other fun foods that feature green tea are the Matcha Food Drops or that wacky Green Tea Bread in a Can from Akihabara -- oh Japan, never stop being so wacky. Finally, if you want to transform your body into a giant bottle of green tea, we've got a T-shirt for that.

Cool Products Wednesday, March 3, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:46:00 +0000

	Megami Magazine Apr 2010 If you're not subscribing to Megami Magazine, the amazing anime mag that gives you dozens of free posters in each issue, you're missing out on some serious awesomeness. The new issue is in stock, but as usual it will probably sell out before some customers get theirs...
	COSMODE Super Cosplay Magazine No. 32 Then, a gorgeous new issue of Cosmode, the magazine of cosplay culture from Japan. Featuring a metric ton of high quality cosplay, from K-On! to Clannad and more.
	Nanoha Takamachi The Movie 1st ver. Nendoroid Figure I love the Nendoroid toys from Good Smile Company, and the new Nanoha figure is really cute. Make many different poses and facial expressions with the included parts.
	CLAMP Mokona no KIMONO When she's not making awesome manga and anime, Mokona of CLAMP also designs kimonos -- how awesome is that? Here's a book with information and photos of her beautiful creations.
	Evangelion iPhone & iPod Cases Restocked Nice desu! Those popular Evangelion cases for iPhone and iPod are back in stock, so if you've got an iPhone 3G or 3GS or the new iPod nano, click to see.
	Decoration Mini Mouse Here's a great optical USB mouse that will really put the bling in your computer life. It's standard USB compact mouse with beautiful jewels on the surface. Needs no drivers!
	Mini Sumo Wrestler Solar Powered Relaxation Toy J-List has a lot of fun products that run on solar power, and we're posting a new item, a sumo wrestler who dances for you but never needs batteries. You won't be able to take your eyes off him!
	Lucky Cat Omamori Mascot for Safety Driving The Japanese are big fans of what's known here as "safety driving," and this is a great traditional Shinto omamori (good luck charm, talisman) featuring Lucky Cat for your car.
	Mameshiba / Edamame Animal Die-cut Origami Letter Mameshiba is the cute bean-shaped Shiba inu dog that knows a lot of fun trivia, like, "A pink flamingo's mother's milk is also pink." We've gotten in some awesome omamori letter sets of Mameshiba, and his tiger-striped friend.
	Rilakkuma DX Evolution Pencil Case Another really outstanding Japanese pencil case, with many compartments and ways to organize all your writing instruments. Rilakkuma will always help you to be more relaxed.
	Moe Choco & Moe Gum (Akihabara) The moe boom is taking over Japan, and we've gotten two awesome new items you can normally only buy in gift shops in Akihabara. Enjoy Moe Choco (in signature strawberry flavor) and Moe Gum, two delicious ways to feel like you're in Akiba now!
	Azumanga Daioh, K-On! Products In Stock If you love Azumanga Daioh, then snap up the Osaka figure we just got in today, since most sold to preorder customers. Or check the K-On! fan that came in today, totally kawaii!
	Aquarian Age ~ Perpetual Period A superb example of Japan's visual novel culture that you can sample on the Nintendo DS, this is Aquarian Age ~ Perpetual Period, a game in which you have the ability to bring out latent esper powers in cute girls.
	Study Japanese with your Nintendo DS See fresh stock of the most popular Japanese study tool we've ever sold, the Kanji DS Dictionary, which has 240,000 words and every dictionary you could need -- it's great! Also, we've restocked Beautiful Kanji Training.
	Restocked Queen's Blade Artbooks Got some great Queen's Blade / Queen's Gate artbooks restocked, including Dizzy from Guilty Gear and the Bitoshi Gaiden Tales of the Wandering Warrior.
	Moe Moe Encyclopedia Restocked The Moe Moe Encyclopedia series is so popular because it combines really useful information with moe moe cute art. See fresh stock of the Lingerie guide as well as famous megami (goddesses) in history and literature.
	DX Green Tea Bath Gift Set from KYOTO Another great product that brings the heart of Japan to you, this is a set of matcha scented bath powder and tablets that you can put in your bath to turn it into a wonderful onsen hot springs experience. Made in Kyoto.
	Culturally Significant T-Shirts And since today is Green Tea Day, I thought I'd plug our fun T-shirt, which turns your body into a giant bottle of Ito En green tea. "If you want to know Japan, enjoy green tea!"
	Fujiya Country Ma'am -- Rich Chocolate Today's new snack items include a delicious Rich Chocolate flavor of Country Ma'am soft chocolate cookies, each individually wrapped because this is Japan. Also Pankish, a fun snack made with real bread dough.
	Restocked Green Tea, Other Food Drops The traditional "food drops" from Japan that we carry are both beautiful to look at and fun to eat. Today we've restocked the Matcha Food Drops with ukiyoe art on the can, plus Takoyaki from Osaka, Tonkotsu Noodles from Kumamoto, and Shochu (a kind of sake)!
	Kiki's Delivery Service Bento Boxes We're always on the lookout for special anime-related bento products for our customers, and today we've gotten two really superb lunchboxes featuring Jiji the black cat from the Ghibli masterpiece.
	Springtime is the Bento Time! Also, celebrate spring with restocked sakura-themed bentos, including the Sakura Square and "Koban" shaped bento, as well as the "Waon" traditional/modern bento box.
	Hello Kitty Nori Punch, Onigiri & Bento We always have awesome Hello Kitty related bento products for you, and today we're restocking some nice ones, including the Hello Kitty Nori Punch for making Kitty-chan's face in onigiri rice balls, plus other "deco bento" items.
	Lucky Cat Tea Cup, Pot One of the most awesome items we've ever carried are the Luck Cat tea cups, which cam be turned over and used as normal cups -- great. We've restocked these, as well as the matching Lucky Cat Tea Pots!
	Kanokon Manga Restocked Kanokon is the story of a Japanese boy who met a girl, but it turns out the girl is really the immortal spirit of a fox deity who's in love with him. See all volumes of this series restocked today. They feature furigana so the kanji are easier to read!
	Other Traditional Items from Japan You never know what cool items from Japan you're going to find on J-List, like the Chirimen Paper Dresser Style Jewel Box we've restocked, awesome mimikaki traditional ear cleaners, Pocky chopsticks and a tiny Hina Doll to display.
	Nowa Revoltech Queen's Blade No.010 Preorder Another outstanding Queen's Blade figure from Revoltech, this is cool because you can put her in any pose you like, including the bizarre ones from her artbook. Positively awesome!
	Macross, One Piece Tote Bags Then: more good stuff available from COSPA, we're posting the official Macross U.N. SPACY messenger bag, plus two new One Piece tote bags featuring your favorite characters.
	Bomb Dec 2009 Then, a new issue of Bomb, the legendary magazine of cute Japanese idols. Virtually every idol you could care to name is here, waiting for you to find her. Stock is limited, so apologies if this issue sells out.
	Shirow Masamune's Jashin Hunter If you're a fan of Ghost in the Shell creator Shirow Masamune, you really should consider picking up the Jashin Hunter novels (vol 1 & 2), illustrated by the master "H" artist. Back on the site today. Click to see the new scans.
	STARLESS Preorder The newest game from Sei Shojo, the creator of Bible Black and Discipline, is coming soon, and you can preorder this hotness from J-List now.
	Amazing Cast-Off Figures We're posting two cast-off figures, which have clothes you can, er, "re-configure." First there's the incredible Tomo Yamanobe from The Qwaser of Stigmata. Then enjoy Masane Amaha from Witchblade, who is holding a cold brew for you.

Raising Kids and Beetles in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Peter in Japan) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:10:00 +0000

Being a father to kids in Japan can be a unique experience. For example, boys around a certain age will usually decide they love trains, especially the fast shinkansen, and I had a great time with my son as we learned the names of every train in Japan and even made a special trip to Nagoya on the Nozomi 700, the fastest bullet train. A few years later Japanese boys go through a phase where all they want to do is catch large beetles to keep as pets, and my wife and I spent more than a few hours wandering through woods at night trying to help my son snag a kabutomushi, or a rhinoceros beetle. When I saw the new GummiX Gummi Bug Making System, which you make realistic-looking bugs and other crawlies using included gelatin powder and common drinks like cola or ramune soda, I had to applaud the company for its great idea. The bug-shaped molds are quite versatile and you can use them with the popular "Mousse-chan paper clay" toys we carry or even mold chocolate using them.

Making insects and frogs out of edible gelatin is fun!