A Paradigm for Understanding "Free" America vs. "Non-Free" Japan

Back when I was an English teacher. I had some interesting discussions with my students about why they wanted to learn English, and often the answer I got was something like, "I love English because America is free, unlike Japan." While the concept is freedom has many definitions, in the case of my students it usually referred to freedom from school rules and uniforms, no school on Saturdays and late-night juku studying, and fewer restrictive social rules that dictate what people could do and be. One interesting paradigm for comparing the two countries is how school reports are written. In English we'd boot up a word processor and start typing in a blank file, but in Japan an extremely restrictive form called a genko yoshi (manuscript-writing form) is always used, with students putting one kanji or kana character in each box and rewriting whole pages if they want to make edits. (Computers are almost never used for schoolwork as laboriously writing reports by hand builds character, or something like that.) The idea of writing a report in a "free" style without any formatting framework might cause Japanese students to freeze up like a deer caught in headlights. Job applications are a similar situation: Japan always use a strictly formatted form called a rirekisho or employment history form to record their job and school history, and the average person would have a terrible time learning how to write an open-ended resume or European-style CV.

Understanding Japan through handwritten forms.

Golden Week 2012

Tomorrow marks the start of Golden Week, a cluster of Japanese holidays that usually fall near each other. In theory, the holiday week should provide a relaxing break for overstressed Japanese families, but for one problem: the other 127 million people in Japan all have the week off, too, so attempting to go to Tokyo Disneyland or the trendy tourist town of Karuizawa will result in crowding and traffic jams so terrible you'd happily commit hara-kiri rather than face them. This year the holidays are extra long thanks to the convenient arrangement of the calendar, and it's hoped that the additional days of leisure will provide a boost to the local economy as people get out and spend money. If you live in a city popular with tourists, don't be surprised if you notice an influx of Japanese this week, as an estimated 580,000 tourists are scheduled to leave Japan and head overseas.

Many Japanese will travel abroad for Golden Week.

Japanese Abbreviations in Anime

The Japanese language is a syllable-based system in which you can pronounce the sounds ka, ki, ku, ke and ko, for example, but never a "k" sound by itself. This makes some words long and unwieldy to use, and the Japanese have developed a tradition of abbreviating many words using English letters, though they can be confusing at times. How many of these can you figure out?

During GW I took a trip to Lake Kizaki, hopping on the IC then stopping at a PA along the way to eat. I happened to see an actor filming a CM, but he made an NG then forgot his TPO and got angry. On an anime forum I got into a debate about which series had the best OST (I voted for HOTD), and which shows have the best OP and ED. My favorite VA is Rie Kugimiya because she plays all the cute DFC characters, and I'd like to play a VN with her in it, but I couldn't find a PV for one on YouTube. What's your favorite AMV? Mine definitely is the Touhou Bad Apple video.

(To view answers, highlight the text below.)

GW = Golden Week	IC = Interchange (i.e. freeway onramp)
PA = Parking Area (a freeway rest stop)	CM = Commercial Message (a TV commercial)
NG = "no good," meaning an on-camera blooper	TPO = "time, place, occasion," i.e. one's social setting
OST = original soundtrack	OP / ED = opening and ending themes
VA = Voice Actress	DFC = Deliciously Flat Chest
PV = Promotional Video	AMV = Anime Music Video

Cool Products Friday, April 27, 2012

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.

	Announcing Awesome New Touhou Products Big news! Touhou has scored a new distributor for awesome Touhou products, and we're now offering rare Touhou products (figures, keychains and what not). These are very rare items that are difficult to obtain, usually only sold at doujin events and never through distribution channels. You will love the high quality Touhou items we've posted, but don't wait too long to order, as they cannot be restocked. View products »
	Shonen Ace June 2012 A great monthly manga magazine, with Nichijou, Steins;Gate, Code Geass, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, BakaTest, and more.
	One Piece Silicon Ice Trays / Chocolate Molds And you'll find a new assortment of silicon molds of popular characters and designs, like One Piece and Star Wars.
	Nanchatte Beer Cup ~ Never-Ending Beer Pretend like you are the office drunk with this wacky joke cup that turns any drink into a glass of beer.
	Awesome Waterproof Curtain, Noren Posted And for anime fans, we're also got a huge selection of anime themed curtains, suitable for any room in your home.
	Japanese 'Noren' Door Curtain ~ Lucky Owls (Noren) A very cool Japanese noren style curtain, just like those found at real sushi and ramen restaurants.
	Steins;Gate Sequel ~ First Limited Edition Romance your favorite Steins;Gate girls with this new, limited edition PSP game that comes with a pair of cute Upa headphones.
	PapaKiki First Limited Box Set Saddled with the responsibility of taking care 3 cute younger girls, what would you do? Experience the fun in this Japanese PSP game.
	Steins;Gate - Soushi Souai no True Memories Are you in love with the beautiful girls of Steins;Gate? Then you'll want a copy of this amazing artbook. Comes with exclusive swimsuit pinups!
	Gorgeous Artbooks Restocked We have some of the most beautiful artbooks in Japan, including Yuki Hime, Steins;Gate True Memories, and Fate/Complete Material, now restocked.
	Evangelion Mug Cup, Other Fun Coffee Cups Give your coffee that extra kick when you serve it in this amazing mug cup featuring Unit 01 from Evangelion.
	Japanese School Bags, Cosplay Items Our popular high school bookbags are back in stock, along with the outstanding cosplay items we've got in stock. Need anything for summer?
	Japanese Bloomer set (Navy) ~ size M, 5L Great for cosplay or just for daily exercise, these matching pair gym clothes are the standard for all Japanese high school students.
	Great Anime Figures In Stock See the popular Sonic the Hedgehog Nendoroid figure, plus the gorgeous Dog Days and Ikki Tousen figures you will droll over to see.
	Fun Bath-Related Products from Japan Our favorite fizzing bath tablets are back -- put one under you in the bath and let the bubbles travel up your back! Also, amazing soap for couples?
	Fun Totoro Products Restocked Enjoy today's Totoro & Ghibli items including the Totoro Mini Towels (aka washcloths) and handkerchiefs plus plush toys and more.
	Rilakkuma! And don't forget our large selection of cute Rilakkuma goods, like this eye wear stand and cute plushies.
	Kyoto Candy Warabe (Konpeito etc) Enjoy these traditional candy treats from Japan, in kawaii decorative boxes, perfect as a fun party treat. Actually made in Kyoto!
	Tons of Restocked Japanese Snacks Enjoy some outstanding snacks restocked today, incl. Sakuma Drops, Kracie Gummy Fishing and Fruit Soft Candy, Happy Kitchen Soft Cookie, Meiji Choco Banana, Pocky Panda and more!
	LEGO-Style Stackable Bento Boxes Cool. There stackable blocks can be used for bento, snacks or whatever. Built for being toted around, but great for display too.
	Kawaii Red Cheek Panda Chopsticks Rest There are a lot of cute panda products for your kitchen, and we've restocked the Red Cheek Panda Chopstick Rests, so kawaii and awesome.
	The Most Awesome Bento Cups Ever Bento cups keep your food from mixing with each other in your bento box, and we've added stock of some of our most popular varieties. Click to browse now!
	Free Anime-Related iOS Apps from Japan Spotted on the iTunes Japan store: the new Queen's Blade OP and ED, and a playlist of all new songs from this season.
	Solar Powered Japanese Cat with Moving Tail  If you live in an apartment or dorm, you might feel lonely without a pet to great you when you come home. Not anymore!
	Lucky Cat Tea Cups, Samurai Sword Keychains Live like it's Meiji Era Japan with our cool accessories, gifts, and interior design items. Stylish teacups, sword keychains, and more, just beyond this link.
	Stocking 1/8 Figure *Preorder* Gainax's comedy/action series is back with an amazing figure of Stocking. Own one half of the most sexy angel duo around!
	Bakemonogatari, Queen's Blade Figures *Preorder* Queen's Blade, Bakemonogatari, and Accel World fans will love these amazing figures now available for preorder.
	Black Rock Shooter Nendoroid Figure *Preorder* And here's a cute and cool Nendoroid of Black Rock Shooter from the recent anime series. Awesome!
	Miki Hoshii, Makoto Kikuchi, More We conclude today's preorders with these figures of three moe girls from Idolm@ster and the Atelier RPG series. Highly recommended.
	Dengeki Moeoh June 2012 All you moe fans get ready for another great issue of Moeoh (The King of Moe). Tons of amazing artwork inside from some of the best moe artists in Japan, covering both popular eroge titles as well as anime and more. Fans of Koi Kishi and the Disgaea series will be particularly happy with today's issue. Comes with beautiful posters too! These issues always sell quickly so grab one before they're gone. View products »
	Gorgeous Ecchi Artbooks Posted Stellar artwork, perfect for a side table collection. Beautiful and more than a bit "H".
	SILKY BODY SOAP This is a fun new item: rare Japanese soal that's made with lotion, making it the perfect thing for you to use with that special someone.
	Mobile Denma Vibrators, More Small personal massagers that really get the job done, brought to you by SOD. Also, we've restocked several of our Hello Kitty "shoulder massagers."
	Tsundere, Other Fun Onahole Toys Restocked We've restocked some of our most popular parody onahole toys, from the tsundere double-fun toy to Diva and Hatsune Miku. Enjoy!
	The Amazing TENGA Spiral Series Restocked TENGA makes some truly beautiful stress toys, each as sleek as a piece of modern art. Click to browse the pleasurable Spiral series, now restocked.
	Tre Donne Crudeli ~ Satsuriku no Django Villainy abounds as three deadly beauties race to claim a buried fortune in this spaghetti western with a sci-fi twist. From Urobuchi Gen and Nitro+.
	The Best Visual Novels from Japan We have amazing games from top developers like Nitro+ and age. Click to see Muramasa, Muv-Luv, Steins;Gate, and more.

Japan, China and "Kampo" Medicines

Roughly speaking, Japan's historical relationship to China is similar to that of the West and ancient Rome and Greece: the Middle Kingdom has always served as a model for culture, literature and science, and the average Japanese person has quite a lot of respect for China, short-term squabbles over certain islands notwithstanding. The Japanese are great fans of the traditional Chinese herbal medicine called Kampo ("Chinese way"), and many products, from energy drinks and hangover remedies to Yomeishu (a kind of medicinal form of sake loaded with Chinese herbs) advertise themselves as making use of the magical power of Kampo medicine to make you healthy. Lately there's been more interest in traditional Kampo medicines by companies in the U.S. and Europe -- the trendy energy drink you had this morning probably had some Kampo herbs in it -- which has had the unfortunate effect of pushing prices for Chinese medicines up by 300% or more in recent years.

Traditional Kampo medicines from China are growing in popularity.

Mango Juice, and Other Easy to Confuse Words in Japanese

With any language, there are certain words that are guaranteed to cause problems for foreigners -- our brains excel at looking for patterns based on what we already know, which can be a bad thing when processing information that's new. Some of the more famous linguistic slip-ups in Japanese include mixing up kawaii (cute) and kowai (scary), kirei (pretty, clean) and kirai (hate), konyaku (a wedding engagement) and konyoku (mixed male/female bathing), or anko (sweet beans, see above) and unko (er, poop). Of course Dr. Freud is never far away when speaking a foreign language in a social setting, and I avoid ordering mango juice (too close manko, the only really "bad" word in Japanese) and saying the Japanese title of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (消失 shoushitsu "disappearance" is similar to 喪失 soushitsu "loss of virginity"). Japanese have their own issues when speaking English of course: I have a friend who refuses to talk politics with me because she knows she'd eventually have to use the word "election," which can be disastrous if you get the L and R sounds wrong.

It's easy to step on linguistic land mines, which I've stepped on many times.

Big Restocking of Awesome Japanese Snacks Today

J-List believes there are many ways to learn about Japan: through its language, study of its traditional arts, or submerging yourself in its popular culture. You can even learn about Japan through its delicious snacks, exploring its fun chocolate, candy and gum. We have a huge restocking of Japanese snacks today, including the really popular ones like Happy Kitchen Hamburger and Popin' Cookin' Sushi Candy and Neru Neru Nerune, which had been sold out. So browse our Japanese snack page and enjoy!

Understanding Culture through Beans and Pickles

Part of Peter's Unified Theory of Japan is that to really understand a culture, you have to learn to love two basic foods from that culture: beans and pickles. For some fundamental human reason, beans and pickles are the foods that are most closely associated with a given country, and as a result, might not always be enjoyed by outside visitors. Japan has a highly evolved culinary tradition of eating sweet beans like anko and azuki, and it took me several years to learn to appreciate the sweeter taste of these beans. Similarly, when Japanese go to the States, they invariably dislike the refried beans used in Mexican food, and you can tell how long a Japanese person has lived in the U.S. by asking if he wants to go out for burritos. The Japanese love tsukemono (pickles), and will pickle everything from eggplant to daikon radishes (aka Mugi's eyebrows) and even squid intestines, and it's no surprise that most of these are not to my taste, though I could eat kimchee all day long (definitely the soul of the Korean people). When I went to Australia I encountered pickled beetroot with a strong, pungent taste, and I was sure I'd found something that that was very near the heart of Australia.

Beans and pickles are at the heart of every culture.

Cool Products Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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.

	Dengeki G's Festival Comic vol. 23 Pick up the latest issue of Dengeki G's Festival Comic for 350 pages of the best manga based on your favorite games and anime, such as Little Busters, Rewrite, Sengoku Rance, and Majikoi. You also get an awesome shower poster of the beautiful Kuroyukihime from Accel Saga. Supplies are super-limited, so act now! View products »
	B's LOG June 2012 For the latest news in otome games and BL, B's Log is your number-one source. This issue brings you more art, previews, and omake goodies.
	Girl's Scenery ~ Haruhiko Mikimoto Artworks Feast your eyes on over 160 pages of cute girls by one of Japan's most famous artists. Also includes amazing artwork of contemporary characters like Yuki Nagato.
	Hatsune Miku Nendoroid In Stock, Too The Young Jump Hatsune Miku Nendoroid is in stock, so get ready for some wacky Vocaloid action. Plus, check out other great Miku products.
	Gorgeous Anime Figures In Stock We also have these excellent figures in stock. See Figmas of Robocop and the adorable Ika Musume, plus a beautiful figure of AnoHana's Menma.
	Natsume Yujin Cho Plush Pouches In Stock See new stock of the cute and cuddly Nyanko-sensei plush pouches, available in Tempura and Kuro Neko designs. Plus, other fun plush items.
	Anime Canned Bread Restocked Canned bread is one of the coolest things to come out of Japan, and we've restocked several varieties featuring your favorite anime characters.
	Restocked Anime Noren Curtains We're also pleased to report that we have new stock of the beautiful noren wall scroll curtains that have been selling like hotcakes. Click to see.
	AKB48 Kisekae Sticker Book set (Team A+B+K) Dress up your favorite AKB48 girls with this set of three sticker books. Features dozens of cute girls and stylish outfits to choose from.
	New Fashion Magazines Posted Egg's Beauty is a wonderful magazine for everyone who admires Tokyo's cute and stylish gyaru girls. Look inside for fashion tips and amazing photos.
	Caution T-Shirt One Piece ~ Gray And lots of cool fashion items from Japan too, like these fun shirt style dresses for, with an appropriate warning for "bad girls".
	Spats Dream ~ Anime-Style Spats from Japan A brand new world to explore: beautiful Japanese women wearing "spats," a Japanese word that means spandex pants or bicycle shorts.
	Shimapan, Cosplay Items Restocked Next we've restocked some interesting shimapan and sukumizu (school swimsuits) in all sizes, including 5L for "trap" fans because, why not?
	Otona no Kagaku ~ Science Projects for Adults Build a working planetarium in your bedroom, an awesome Edo Period traditional Japanese clock, or a folding origami lamp! Such awesomeness from Japan.
	The Cyber Slayer ~ Kikokugai They murdered his sister and left him for dead. Now Kong Taoluo is back for vengeance in this hardcore cyberpunk kung-fu thriller by Urobuchi Gen.
	New Madoka Game, Restocked Type-Moon Also, check out a fun doujin puzzle game based on Madoka Magica, plus new stock of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru from the author of Fate/stay night.
	Fun Totoro, Jiji and Ponyo Products Restocked We love Hayao Miyazaki around here, and today we've restocked some wonderful Totoro products including our awesome baby rattle. Start them off right!
	Rilakkuma Silicon Cake Mold We're big fans of the kawaii products of San-X and have restocked several items ttoday, including our popular Rilakkuma cake mold, plush and more.
	Kanji Practice Notebooks, More Restocked Head back to school with stationary from Japan like pens, pencils, notebooks, pen cases and more. Lots of cute characters like Hello Kitty too.
	Amazing Japanese Pens, Erasers Restocked These cool Japanese style pens an item you shouldn't leave at home. Carry it in your laptop case or purse.
	Morinaga Matcha Caramel Bag See fantastic new Japanese snack items today, starting with the new Morinaga Green Tea Caramel, a great item for Matcha fans.
	Kyoto Candy Bento w/ Kompeito! Wow, these are extremely candies that come in an adorable bento-style gift box, including those cute kompeito candies.
	Huge Restocking of Top Snack Items We love Kracie's products, like the Happy Kitchen Hamburger Set that lets you make your own tiny burgers and the Neru Neru Nerune gummies. Restocked today.
	Nestle Kit Kat World Variety Set Restocked Finally, this amazing set of worldwide Kit Kat flavors are back, along with our wide assortment of other Kit Kats and chocolates.
	Brighten Your Day with Hello Kitty Bento And don't forget we've also got some great Hello Kitty Bento items, ready for you to take home, in all sizes for all types of hungry tummies.
	Ciaotutti Yellow Bear Chopsticks & Case Set A cool Japanese pair of chopsticks for children, with little bears inside a bear case.
	Nagatanien Ochazuke Rice Bowl & Yunomi Cup There are soup bowls, and then there are the really good ones. This is one of the good ones, made for Japanese Ochazuke.
	Amazing Boiled Egg Shapers, More You can even shape eggs now! Just stick a boiled egg in one of these shapers come out with a cute and delicious treat.
	Random Kitchen Items Restocked We have fun items for your kitchen as well, including our popular spoons for eating ramen with plus microwave cookers for steaming vegetables!
	Awesome Sake Cups from Japan You aren't really drinking sake unless it's from a square cup, or one with great ukiyoe art on it. Become a master of sake with these fun items.
	Super Sonico Car Sunshades *Preorder* Our latest moe car sunshades sport beautiful art of Super Sonico, the sexiest gravure idol you've ever seen. Choose from nurse uniform or string bikini!
	Erio Towa 1/8 Figure *Preorder* We love Erio Towa, the self-proclaimed alien from Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko. Show your love with this spectacular figure.
	Nen Nen Figure by Shunya Yamashita *Preorder* And here's a sexy figure of a beautiful and deadly Chinese girl. Take her home and you can have her all to yourself.
	Hibiki Tachibana Nendoroid & Figma *Preorder* Fans of that crazy awesome show Symphogear won't want to miss these Hibiki action figures. Available in Nendoroid and Figma versions.
	Girls Syndrome ~ Akie Harada (3000 limited) A gorgeous hardcover photobook featuring the ex-JPOP idol Akie, whose body you will enjoy in these amazing glossy color photographs which will really get your juices flowing. We love the AKB48-style cosplay too! Japan is nothing if not outstanding at creating erotic photography, and if you're a fan of high quality ecchi books that you will treasure for years, grab a copy of this. View products »
	TRAP ~ Otokonoko no Wana A fully ecchi adult video to immerse yourself in Japan's crossdressing (joso) lifestyle.
	Pero-Pero Parody Onahole Toys Enjoy the Pero Pero (licking) Azunyan deluxe onahole stress toy, plus a unique toy that lets you explore Anaru from AnoHana.
	Amazing Japanese Personal Lotion, More Restocked Bring your fantasies to life with these additional accessories that will make your dakimakura, dolls or toys feel even more realistic.
	Trample on Schatten!! ~ REVOLUTION PLUS There is no problem that cannot be solved with the power of love and a strong pair of lungs. Shout and kick your way to victory in this hot-blooded eroge!
	Restocked Visual Novels from Japan, Too We also carry Fate/stay night, Venus Blood - DESIRE, Sengoku Rance, Little Busters, and many other top-quality visual novels from Japan.