Cool Products Wednesday, February 23, 2011

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.

	Bomb Mar 2011 The rebuilt, expanded version of Bomb magazine continues with a brand new issue packed full of all the great gravure and bikini models we love.
	Many New Figures in Stock Haruhi "Disappearance" school uniform version, Black Rock Shooter Nendoroid, that delicious Tsumugi by Kotobuki, and other awesome items in stock.
	Totoro Annual Plate 2011 Limited Edition Be one of the few to own this rare commemorative plate celebrating the legacy of Studio Ghibli's landmark creation of Totoro, and the warm feelings he's brought to fans around the world. Genuine Noritake china, made in Japan. View products »
	Totoro Blankets, Pillows, Plush Toys Also, the last stock of the season of our Totoro blankets, plus awesome Totoro pillows, and an "anatomically correct" Cat Bus plush for your car?
	Epic Hello Kitty Products Everything from waffle irons to silicon cake molds to berry scent dispensers and much more, the universe of Kitty will add kawaii to your life!
	Border Break Modeling Works ~ Hobby Japan Special The world of the Border Break arcade game and model series is celebrated in this Hobby Japan exclusive, complete with extra parts!
	Gakken Otona no Kagaku Science Kits Recreate the amazing kinetic sculpture Strandbeest with the new Otona no Kagaku science magazine + kit. Instructions now in English!
	Moe Moe Encyclopedia ~ Armor The latest volume of Moe Encyclopedia showcases the world of traditional armor from around the world, as worn by beautiful 2D girls.
	Restocked Artbooks & More Whether you're looking for traditional shunga, girls in school uniforms, K-on! artbooks, or Masamune Shirow, it's restocked today!
	Rilakkuma Dock Connector Neck Strap Keep your phone or Apple music player secure and in reach with this cute strap. Works with all dockable iPods and iPhone.
	Rilakkuma Silicon Cooking Mold, Plush Toys Japan's "relax bear" may not bring zen enlightenment, but he will make you slow down and enjoy life more. Cooking ring and plush speaker restocked.
	Geisha Sexy Yukata, Gymnastics Uniforms We've got all your cosplay and sexy Japanese outfit needs taken care of at J-List, from kimono and yukata to those anime gym uniforms. Cosplay is fun!
	The Pose Book of Girls in Pretty School Uniforms Whether you're an aspiring artist or a fan of school uniforms this book is the perfect resource for deeper investigation of the genre.
	Genki I (Second Edition) New Edition for 2011 The tried and true solution for Japanese learners for years, the Genki Japanese textbook series has been updated for 2011 and this is the brand new flagship edition of the first volume - the perfect introduction to the Japanese language for any serious or casual student. View products »
	More DS Japanese Study  Learn hiragana and katakana with Doraemon and Anpanman, test your kanji skills, and make your kanji more beautiful.
	JLPT Level Grammar Plus! (Internet Download) Another great way for students to improve is to study specifically for the JLPT test, and now you can learn with classical music in the background.
	Green Tea Kit Kat, Other Japanese Snacks Oh baby...it's time for Green Tea Kit Kat, finally announced and available in a nice large bag you can enjoy with the whole family. Also enjoy Meiji Tasty Cinnamon Chocolate (wow), and Hi-Chew "Golden Pine" (we're pretty sure this means pineapple). View products »
	Moe Food Drops from Okinawa Enjoy delicious Chura Moe Pineapple Milk "Food Drops" from Okinawa, Japan's exotic southernmost prefecture, plus Okinawa beer and Awamori sake.
	Hot Cake Drink, Various Snacks Restocked The Pancakes in a Cat drink is restocked, plus Steak Doritos, Akiba Green Tea Manju, Cool Berry and Fit's gum plus Potelong potato snacks. Om nom nom.
	Dragon Ball Lunch Box  A blast from the past with this nostalgic and awesome Dragon Ball themed bento 'ball,' with its own carrying bag!
	Pokemon Bento Restocked, Too Also: the legendary Pokeball Bento Box is restocked, too, one of our favorite anime-themed lunchboxes (lunchballs?) ever.
	Other Fun Bento Boxes Restocked Whether Japan's 'lucky cat' is your fancy, you like schoolbus bento or traditional kanji/kimono patterns, we've got the boxes in stock for you!
	TAMAGOYAKI Mini Square Pan, More Make perfect scrambled egg sushi with this perfectly shaped pan. Or try your hand at takoyaki with the delicious griddle perfect for it!
	Awesome and Stylish Computer Products from Elecom Power your electronic devices in style or accessorize your peripherals with the awesomely engineered lineup of tech enhancements from Elecom.
	Gradational Diary Notebook ~ 36 pages A "diary"-style notebook explicitly purposed for recording your memories and daily experiences in a one-of-a-kind way, great for journal keepers!
	Portable Ball Point Pen with Carabiner Clip Never lose your pen again with this handy carabiner-equipped writing utensil! Extra useful for anyone on the go. A great idea.
	Other Pens, Erasers, More The quirky and useful Japanese stationery and writing utensil industry never fails to delight, with 'ear' pens and 'endless corner' erasers and more!
	Basic SENKO / Buddhist Incense Stick Then, we've gotten in some elegant senko (incense) sticks which can be used either to bring a bit of Japanese atmosphere to your home.
	Restocked Traditional Products Squeeze your way through the 108 impure thoughts that humans are subject to with this fun stress toy, or enjoy Lucky Cat keychains & key covers.
	Other Awesome Preorder Figures *Preorder* Yui from K-On! by Max Factory, Nendoroid Lynette from Strike Witches, a new Hatsune Miku figure and more, all up for preorder today!
	Awesome Fate/stay night Figures *Preorder* Saber and Rin from Fate parade onto your desk or shelf in these gorgeous bikini versions! Preorders open today.
	Restocked Photobooks We've got tons of hot photobooks back in stock for you today, including A-Trip with Anri Okita, an extremely healthy, beautiful Japanese female.
	Dengeki G's Festival Comic vol. 16 If you like a stylish behind the way we do you'll love the hug pillow extra that comes with this issue of Dengeki G's Festival Comic. It's another super popular issue, so now's your chance! View products »
	Ignis, Tamaki Kousaka Cast Off Figures *Preorder* The beautiful Ignis from Jingai Makyou returns in castoff figure form, along with Tamaki Kousaka from To Heart 2. Preorder today!
	Gorgeous 'Cast Off' Figures In Stock, Too From the popular manga Hishoka Drop, comes the ultra lusty character Kyoko Kaneda in her "cast off" business suit. Also enjoy the Uncho Kanu suntan figure!
	Love Body Aki Costume, Ren Restocked Fresh stock of the popular Love Body Ren doll with matching onahole, plus a new costume for Love Body Aki to wear. Amazing...
	Realistic Onahole Toys for Stress Relief When realism is what you seek, check out the meiki hole based on Risa Kasumi's real body, or the Snow Moon Flower sisters.
	Demonbane Goes Golden Master   One of the most epic eroge ever is coming in English, the Cthulhu-mythos title Demonbane. A massive game that faithfully adds to world created by H.P. Lovecraft, the translation is beautiful and the game is great. The limited edition comes with an artbook! View products »

New J-List Email Format, Demonbane Golden Master

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Fun Japanese Snacks: Taiyaki

One of the more unique snacks in Japan is taiyaki, essentially a fish-shaped cake made with pancake batter and containing sweet Japanese anko beans. (The word tai refers to a sea breem, but I had to google that since, in accordance with the Treaty of San Francisco, all foreigners living in Japan will forget the names of fish in their own language.) In recent years, taiyaki has become a popular meme in anime, and there are several characters whose "moe vector" is defined in part by their love of the fish-shaped sweets, including Aya from Kanon, Azusa from K-On! and Kyoko from the "dark" Magical Girl show, Madoka Magika. You can make your own taiyaki, as J-List has a great new electric taiyaki cooker on the site now. Put sausage inside and make awesome fish-shaped pancakes, too...

Uguu, Taiyaki is a fun treat from Japan, especially eaten on a cold winter day.

Eating Ethnic in Japan: Chinese and Indian Food

Over the weekend we went to our favorite Indian restaurant for curry, tandoori chicken and that heavenly naan bread that is the cause of so many bad jokes made by gaijin (since nan desu ka? can mean "What is this?" or "Is this Indian naan bread?"). Curry is a popular ethnic food in Japan, both in its proper Indian form as well as "curry rice," which was imported through England as a "western" food and is eaten 2-3 times a week at our house. The other major ethnic cuisine in Japan is Chinese, although there's so much intermixing of culinary traditions that it can be difficult to separate things. Certain foods the Japanese eat commonly are obvious imports from China, written using kanji not usually used in Japanese or katakana, like those dreamy gyoza dumplings. Other foods feel "Japanese," like soba (thin grey buckwheat noodles), udon (fatter noodles made with flour), and the local version of chow mein noodles, called yakisoba. The venerable noodle dish ramen is a Japanese creation based on Chinese noodles, but while Japanese will always insist ramen is "Chinese food," in China ramen is known as "Japan style pulled noodles." The idea of going out to a "Chinese restaurant" is rare in Japan, since the menus at most restaurants are already heavy with Chinese cuisine.

Japanese and Chinese foods are closely intertwined, and it's hard to tell them apart sometimes.

A Good Thing About Living in Japan: Service! Service!

One of the joys of living in Japan is the high level of service you generally experience in restaurants and shops, despite there being no tradition of tipping. Again and again, I find myself impressed with the professional manner of nearly everyone I receive service from here, from waitresses in restaurants to clerks in shops and so on. To some degree, good service is atari-mae (ah-tah-ree MAH-eh), something that's naturally expected or taken for granted, and a business that didn't provide good service to customers wouldn't be around long. You can also expect good service at "gasoline stands," which are nearly always full service rather than self-service, with three smartly dressed attendants who greet you as you pull in, washing your windows and offering you a clean towel to wipe down the inside of your car before taking away any trash you want to get rid of, like in America during the 1950s. Gasoline is expensive -- around $1.60 per liter, or $6 per gallon right now -- but at least I get something for my trouble.

I'm impressed with the level of service offered in Japan. Saabisu, saabisu!

Preorder Da Capo LE from J-List

2011 is shaping up to be a great year for fans of eroge and visual novels, with new titles announced by us (My Girlfriend is the President, ASELIA the ETERNAL) and other games which will be shipping soon (Demonbane), plus even more news coming soon. Our good news today is that we'll be carrying the upcoming Da Capo Limited Edition Boxed Set, published by MangaGamer and Hendane! The game will come with lots of great extras, and you can preorder this epic game now from us, and get free shipping!

Cool Products Monday, February 21, 2011

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.

	K-ON! Memorial Album ~ TV Animation Official Guide Book A gorgeous artbook featuring all the production art and promotional images from the K-On!! TV series, with over 200 pages packed with beautiful art collected for the first time here. Includes voice actress photos and interviews and much much more! View products »
	Cutie Feb 2011 The Japanese fashion for kawaii is stronger than ever, and Cutie magazine is at the forefront of all the latest trends!
	Black Shirt and Black One-Piece Set A black shirt and one-piece pullover sweater set that Japanese fashion-followers will love - check out the pictures!
	Sora no Otoshimono Forte ~ Dreamy Season Take your Soraoto Heaven's Lost Property fandom even further with this story extension and "touch communication" sim for the DS!
	Restocked PSP Anime Games Some great restocked PSP games, incl. "Ore no Imouto," the K-On! musical performance game and A Certain Magical Index (both versions).
	Sengoku Samurai Sword Chopsticks Eat your food with a historical flavor with these wacky and fun Sengoku chopsticks, each modeled after the (sheathed) blade of a historical figure.
	Cassette Tape Style Camera Case  Need a fun, wacky case for your handheld camera? Check out this canvas case with a fun retro cassette motif.
	Japan is the Home of Cute Japan is the home of cute, which you can see by browsing most any part of J-List. One of our favorite characters is the huggable Rilakkuma, aka Relax Bear, who wants you to relax and enjoy life a little more. See various restocked items, including Rilakkuma Ice Cubes, Microwave Instant Ramen Cooker, and more. View products »
	SAKANYAH Back Wash Sponge This fish-shaped, vaguely emoticon-cat inspired item roughly translated as "fishpurr" is adorable and a great item to accompany your bathtime!
	Restocked Totoro, Jiji the Cat Toys Enjoy the Soft Fluffy Totoro Plush, one of our most popular products, and a Jiji plush too. Also, restocked Totoro pen cases.
	Amazing Hello Kitty Products While many J-List customers have fallen in love with our Morinaga Pancake Essence drink, others will want to keep it traditional, and Hello Kitty shaped.
	Hello Kitty Vibrating Massager The most popular Hello Kitty product in J-List history is the Hello Kitty vibrator vibrating shoulder massager. Restocked today.
	Japanese Eye Patch, Socks Glue J-List supports all your wacky accessory needs, and today we've restocked the Japanese Eye Patch as well as Socks Glue for those awesome Japanese socks.
	Restocked 'Shimapan' Striped Pantsu We've got our striped pantsu back in stock as well today. in "Mio" and "Miku Hatsune" style.
	iTunes Japan Prepaid Music Cards In addition to awesome anime music like the new Angela album or a Certain New Album Release by Fripside. I've been having fun with apps like the free Calculator Girl (a cute anime girl who does math for you) or the new Notification Girl alarm app who wakes you up in high moe fashion. View products »
	Kawaii Bento Boxes Looking for an indispensable guide to preparing your own cute bento? Check out this all-English guide from authors with years of experience!
	Other Bento & Cookbooks Too Our most popular English language bento book is restocked, along with the epic Izakaya Cookbook, the Manga Cookbook and more!
	Today's New Japanese Snacks Enjoy the epic new March of Koala Cheesecake, delicate Lotte Sasa caramel chocolate that melts in your mouth, plus Look Ichigo French Dessert.
	Hina Matsuri Cotton Candy Enjoy a taste of the Hina matsuri festival with this authentic spun cotton candy, ready to eat right out of the bag - a delicious treat!
	Restocked 'Food Drops' Candies Epic flavors of "Food Drops" candies restocked, incl. Osaka Takoyaki, Kobe Cheesecake and Green Tea Ukiyoe Art Candy.
	Restocked Snacks are Restocked See Meltykiss Whips, Ramune Bottle Candy, Japanese Oreo cookies (yum), Morinaga Choco Ball, traditional Pure Mist candy, and Yamayoshi Beef Bowl Potato Chips.
	Large Stackable Bento Boxes Restocked Nothing says togetherness like having a family or group meal using this giant family-sized bento box, great for entertaining or picnicking, too!
	NATURAL LUNCH TIME Products Restocked The popular Natural Lunch line of bento boxes and matching accessories is restocked today. What kind of awesome bento set will you build?
	Sankaku Corner Net for your Sink Don't have a garbage disposal or want to live more green and "eco" in general? Trap your food waste and dispose of or compost it instead!
	Sakura Decorated Clothespins ~ 8pcs Yet another adorable innovation from the land of kawaii these cute clothespins will make hanging up laundry a joy.
	Japanese Pens, and More Japanese Pens Japanese pens are both well made and fun to use. See the Zebra Clip-on Slim, Uni 0.18 Signo, KURU-TOGA Spinning Pencil, Pentel Shake and Air Press.
	Buden Shoulder 'Scissors Bag' w/ Kanji A handy shoulder bag with a great kanji logo, perfect for holding electronics, note pads, etc. A unique look of Japan for your fashion style!
	Restocked Daruma, Traditional Items Take the initiative and add some Daruma good luck to your life. See several sizes restocked, plus a magatama with natural flint, and more.
	Today's Preorder Figures Check out Nymph from Sora no Otoshimono (Heaven's Lost Property) and the JEHUTY from Zone of Enders in today's figure preorders!
	AMISO!! ~ Sayaka Isoyama Sayaka Isoyama represents with a gorgeous gravure photobook that will tease you with her dripping sexiness on every page!
	Also, Awesome Shirow Masamune Artbooks Shirow Masamune is an amazing illustrator whose skills are second to none. See a major restocking of his most ecchi artbooks.
	Tamaki Kousaka 1/6 Swimsuits ver. ~ ToHeart2 Tama-nee, the 'older sister' character from To Heart 2, is a super popular character for figures and she's here again in a busty swimsuit version!
	Restocked TENGA Stress Products Our most popular stress relief toys are the sleek TENGA line, and we've got several models back in stock for you today! They will really take the edge off.
	Other Fun Stress Toys See the high quality Mellow Wave and "high design massager" e-Rotor, plus the wacky Pururun Angel Oppai.
	Da Capo Limited Edition Boxed Set Manga Gamer's Da Capo English release comes to a limited package edition! Preorder now for release in March; see more on the J-List side.