Cool Products Wednesday, April 13, 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.

	Comic Yuri Hime Jan 2011 Comic Yurihime is back in a brand new sparkling format, sure to appeal to fans of romantic stories of female x female pairings. Get your regular dose!
	Cure vol. 91 April 2011 Enjoy the magazine for all things punk, J-rock, gothic and Visual-Kei in the Japanese music and fashion scene, with all the latest news and styles!
	Wonder JAPAN Vol. 2 & 3 Amazing photos and accounts from some of Japan's most unique landmarks and tourist destinations, packed into a rare collector's set of issues.
	AKB48 ~ Yu Satsu ~ Red Album, Blue Album When pop idol unit AKB48 decides to make a photo album of wonderful casual snapshots among friends, you know they're going to be serious about their fun! The entire ensemble is packed into not one but two books, with hundreds of photos of these charming young women in their daily lives doing what they enjoy. Essential for any AKB fan! View products »
	Ghost in the Shell SAC ~ PIA Mook Just in time for the theatrical release of the new GitS: SAC Solid State Society 3D movie, you can enjoy this new artbook with everything SAC!
	One Piece Chopper Dancing Speaker A great novelty item from Japan, it's the 'dancing speaker' in the shape of a can that plays music from any device and has a great One Piece design!
	New Anime Figures In Stock See fresh stock of the awesome Black Rock Shooter Dead Master and BRS figures, plus Fate Testarossa from Nanoha The MOVIE.
	Bakemonogatari, Evangelion Figures Restocked Check out these great figures straight from the new Evangelion movie, as well as epic moe from Bakemonogatari back in stock!
	Punyo Punyo Pudding, for Stress Relief It looks like pudding, but you won't want to eat it! It's actually a gooey slime toy that's great fun to squeeze and play with, and is also scientifically shown to reduce your stress levels while you play with it, too. Work off frustration and strengthen your hands with this wacky slime toy from Japan! View products »
	Ninja Hachimaki ~ Japan Ninja Headband If you find yourself wondering whether you are a ninja (or others question your skills), you can wear this headband to make your job perfectly clear.
	Wacky Japanese T-Shirts We love to sell T-shirts and hoodies with kanji on them. One of our favorites is, "In Case of Emergency, Commit Seppuku Along the Dotted Line."
	Kawaii T-Shirt One Piece, Other New Fashions Enjoy some great new fashion items from Japan today, including a one piece/t-shirt combo plus many others in stock.
	Nekomimi Parka One Piece with Pink Ribbon and Tail Also: the last stock we'll get in this season of the Nekomimi Parka with Cat Ears. These are always a popular item, they are so kawaii.
	Stripe Panty ~ Shimapan PINK The holy grail of anime cosplay are shimapan, worn by the cutest anime girls. Today we've got pink ones in, for fans of Kagami and Kirino and all the others.
	Striped Japanese Tall Socks, Sock Glue For fans of those tall Japanese socks, we've restocked our most popular styles. Also: "socks glue" to hold them up!
	Japanese School Bags Restocked If you watch a little anime, you'll probably see these "sports style" school bags being carried by the K-On! girls and all your favorite anime characters.
	Japanese Style Eye Patch for Anime Cosplay - Evangelion Whether you've had an actual eye injury (ouch!) or are looking for the perfect cosplay accessory, these handy patches are just the thing.
	DX Basic TABI Socks, Traditional Waraji Sandals See fresh stock of popular traditional footwear, including tabi (the split-toe "ninja shoes") plus traditional woven shoes for a summer festival.
	New SOBA-CHOKO ~ Genuine Earthen Ware Cups A high quality earthenware cup/bowl that's made with Japanese craftsmanship so you know it's the best available. Perfect for your meal needs.
	Hello Kitty Pink Picnic 'Leisure Sheet' The perfect pleasant size to spread out, sit back and relax, this will cover the ground for you wherever you roam and you want to sit outdoors.
	Wacky Japanese...Tape?  Mark the barriers of a no-intrusion zone or a box you want to keep sealed with this great tape from Japan that really makes a statement.
	Awesome New Chocolate, Gum & Other Snacks You'll love the new tiramisu and green tea flavored chocolate we have today - order soon, warmer weather is coming that won't let us ship it!
	Restocked J-Snacks Awesome Ninja Food Gummi that makes you smarter, Morinaga Milk Caramel, Himo-Q "gummi" string that's 1/2 meters long, Double Coffee Chocolate and Japanese gum.
	My Favorite Traditional Bento Restocked My favorite traditional bento box on the J-List is back in stock, and I recommend it for anyone who loves amazing bento boxes from Japan. It's special for another reason: the exact same bento box was used in an episode of K-On!, when Tsumugi makes bento. So you can enjoy your bento on many different levels! View products »
	Restocked Wiener Shapers for Bento We've restocked several cute Wiener Cutters which turn boring sausages into cute flowers, penguins and other shapes, which are so much fun.
	Microwave Potato Chip Maker? Then: Why buy store-bought potato chips when you can make your own at home, using this wacky microwave potato chip maker from Japan? Restocked today.
	Genmaicha ~ High Grade Brown Rice Tea Powder Enjoy genmaicha, the delicious green tea that's made with toasted rice kernels, just like they serve in the best sushi restaurants.
	Tea Chakoshi Strainer If you brew tea loose-leaf, this is an indispensable item to make sure the leaves don't filter through the close-knit mesh strainer.
	SCOPE NODE, Other Elecom Items For years we've carried the awesome computer peripherals from Japan's Elecom, and today we have some nice items restocked. See the SCOPE NODE advanced laser mouse, Retro USB Game Pad and Overhead Headphones. View products »
	Japanese Study Books Restocked Then: fresh stock of the Japanese kanji drill books used by Japanese children, with several back in stock.
	Translucent Sake Set w/ Sakura Enjoy your next glass of sake in style with one of the elegant sake servers we're restocking today. It makes drinking with friends more fun!
	Awesome New Disgaea Figures *Preorder* Check out this new figure of Etna drawn by that Cirno artist, and a great Rasberyl too! Preorders open today.
	Mega Man Dot Strap Collection Full Set of 8 *Preorder* Relive the classic Mega Man games with these epic pixel perfect phone straps, great for tagging any of your gear. Preorder today!
	My Little Sister Can't Be This Tight And next, an item that needs little explanation beyond the title... this Oreimo anime parody item for novelty stress relief purposes is just what it claims. Great for Oreimo fans or anyone with a taste for fantasy stress relief! View products »
	Extreme Impact ~ Samurai Girls Parody Toy Fresh stock of the innovative deluxe onahole based off both Hakufu from Ikkitousen and the new Samurai Girls. You get twice the fun, too!
	Love Body Ren Pillow, Air Doll Girls Collection Next, enjoy the full body insertable action of the collection of air dolls and other compatible novelty items we have in stock waiting for you.
	Yuzuki 1/6 Cast off Figure A massive-chested castoff figure based on the artwork of Mogudan in the ecchi anime Bakunyu Maid Hunting?! On our "Cast Off" figure page now.
	Ama Ama Futa Mata Sandwich!!! A new game from Mink and illustrated by the peerless INO, gain a live in girlfriend and experience 'sweet thigh paradise'! Great Japanese game.
	Big Restocking of 'Naughty' PSP Eroge Titles Play eroge on your PSP with these UMD disc-based games -- portable ero in the palm of your hand! Some of our best titles restocked.

Older Japanese Men Say "Deh"

Over the weekend I needed a DVI to HDMI adapter so I could attach a monitor to a computer that only had an HDMI port on the back. I went to a computer store near J-List called Pasocon Land (the slogan on the side of the building is "Power Up Computing Life!") and told the clerk there what I needed. He was an older man, in his sixties, and when he said, "You're looking for a DVI to HDMI adapter? Okay, let's see what we can find," it was amusing because he pronounced the letter "D" as "deh." For phonetic reasons, you can express the sounds da, du, de and do with the katakana writing system, but in place of a character for the di sound is an archaic character that's pronounced ji, so Japanese in the Showa Period got used to substituting de for the di sounds used in English, and te for ti. This resulted in words like "Deh-sneyland" for Disneyland, "Teh" intersection for a T-intersection, and "panteh" for the English word "panty," which sound strange to the ear now -- about as odd as saying "saki" for sake, I guess. In the postwar years the Japanese added a way to write "di" and "ti" sounds to katakana, but older Japanese never learned this, and go their entire lives using the old words. Since words like DVI, HDMI or HD-TV are cool and high-tech sounding, it's especially funny to hear them spoken in "Japanese old man dialect."

Older Japanese men say "deh" instead of "dee".

New Problem in Japan: Jishiku (Self Restraint)

Today marks one month since the terrible earthquake and tsunamis that caused so much devastation in Japan. It's been a month of great sadness for many, but also a good time for counting one's blessings and realizing the importance of not taking life for granted. Although things in our part of Japan and Tokyo have largely returned to normal, you can still see signs of recovery all around. Companies are trying to save power by darkening electrical signs, turning off escalators in train stations, and even turning off the interior lights inside train cars, since plenty of light comes in through the windows. Even Osaka, unaffected by the earthquake and the current power problems, scaled back its power use in a show of solidarity, and the famous Glico "Running Man" sign went dark for a few weeks.

Now Japan is facing a new problem. In the face of so much sadness, it's hard for people to cut loose and have fun, and many Japanese are practicing jishuku, or self-restraint, avoiding going out for meals or spending money. Advertisers deemed it "inappropriate" to show television ads during these sad times, and for weeks there were almost no sponsors for TV programs, resulting in a stream of bizarre public service commercials from Japan's Advertising Council (aka "AC") , and the loss of advertising must be hurting the television networks terribly. April is also the season for hanami (flower viewing), spreading a tarp and having a party with friends beneath the sakura trees, and many vendors are economically dependent on this custom. This year most formal flower viewing events have been cancelled, with signs posted asking individual groups to show self restraint with their own private celebrations. I certainly understand where they're coming from, but I'll be doing my best to do the opposite, enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms and spending as much money as I can on beer and yakisoba noodles. Me not taking my family out to see a movie or to eat at our favorite ramen restaurant isn't going to help people in Tohoku, and will only make the economic recovery that much more difficult.

"Self restraint" is hurting Japan's economic recovery.

The Most "Wishlisted" Products on J-List

Sometimes I like to browse the most popular products on J-List and see which random items our customers are adding to their wishlists most often. Currently I see the legendary Bull-Dog Sauce, which tastes great on any fried food, is quite popular, and many customers are checking out our electric Taiyaki and Takoyaki makers. Since spring is in the air, some sakura-themed products are popular, including the sakura tree that blooms while you watch. What interesting products from Japan are you adding to your wishlist?

Cool Products Monday, April 11, 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.

	Animage April 2011 Check out this brand new issue of Animage, the perfect bound magazine that looks great and brings the latest anime to your fingertips! Packed with great Hetalia extras and fold out posters from new shows like Hanasaku Iroha. View products »
	COSMODE May 2011 ~ Super Cosplay Magazine 039 Get all the best cosplay advice and pictures from the latest trends and events in Japan in the new deluxe May issue of Cosmode!
	Kawaii Security ~ Moe Moe Encyclopedia Learning about computer viruses and security measures against them has never been more fun than with this moe-illustrated guide!
	mini April 2011 Check out the latest cute fashions from Japan in the monthly guide to all things chic. Tons of photos and how-to guides, plus free stuff!
	Some Awesome Japan Fashions for Spring Speaking of Japanese fashion, we've got some great items in stock for you from the Y's Enterprise catalog, just in time for spring.
	Little Red Riding Hood Mug Cup & tea Strainer & Umbrella Lid An absolutely adorable accessory for the tea drinker in your life, with a 'cute and pop' Japanese design featuring Red Riding Hood from the fairy tale and a wolf who's friendly enough to hold up an umbrella for her. We love carrying awesome kawaii products from Japan like this -- it keeps us warm at night! View products »
	Felt Camera Case ~ Pink Regardless of the color of your camera it will look super cute packed in this soft felt case! Great for many point-and-shoot digital camera models.
	Hello Kitty USB Optical 3-button Mouse J-List carries many USB computer mice from Japan and other computer products. The fun Hello Kitty mouse is restocked today.
	J-List T-Shirt Ranking This Week Browse our most popular T-shirts, from Touhou to Highschool of the Dead to our Danny Choo Mirai earthquake tribute shirt!
	Evangelion iPhone Cases, Earphones There's never been a cooler way to shield your iPhone from the Third Impact than with these stylish plug suit cases, Rei Ayanami earphones, too.
	Gorgeous Visual Novels from Japan J-List loves the visual novel genre, and we carry many fun games direct from Japan. Today we've restocked the new Clannad Memorial Edition and more.
	iTunes Japan Prepaid Music Cards It's fun to browse the top 100 anime songs on the iTunes Japan store to see what's popular now. 100% compatible with iPhone/iPod all over the world.
	Awesome USB Bento, Canned Drink Warmer Then, the popular USB Bento Box Warmer is restocked, a great way to warm your lunch no matter where you are. One of our most popular USB items.
	Keep Your Computer or Phone Clean With these handy animal-themed plush cleaning tools, the Moppets, the cutest way to clean your computer monitor, cell phone or what have you.
	We Love Ghibli Plush Toys See two Jiji the Cat plush toys restocked, plus the Totoro Neko Bus with suction cups so you can attach it to your car. Bonus: he's anatomically correct!
	My Neighbor Totoro Train Pass Case, Pen Case We've got some great new Totoro-themed items in today, a pass case for easily carrying your cards and a pen case for... you guessed it!
	Mini Magic Sakura Tree You can recreate your own hanami flower viewing at home with this amazing mini 'magic sakura' tree! Restocked today.
	Awesome Japanese...Umbrellas? J-List carries the awesome generic clear umbrellas that are everywhere in Asia, an ironic way to keep dry just like the Japanese do.
	Japanese Traditional Kokeshi Doll ~ Sunset Cranes  Next is a gorgeously painted Japanese traditional Kokeshi doll with crane pattern kimono, produced in Japan in the style of northern Tohoku artists.
	Traditional Japanese Bean Gun Add a bit of mischief and fun to your life courtesy of this Japanese traditional toy. Kinetic power in action!
	Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Plush Check out the unique Honekoneko plush taken straight from the Panty & Stocking anime! Great for cuddling or use in a Stocking cosplay. We can't get enough of the new groundbreaking anime from Gainax, and recommend it highly. View products »
	Today's New Japanese Snacks Apple Cider Puccho candy, PuPurun Gummy Grape flavor, Meiji Village of Bamboo Shoot (actually chocolate!), and much more for you today.
	Restocked J-Snacks, Too Back in stock snacks for today include Black Sesame Caramel, Butter & Soy Sauce Jagabee, Wata Pachi Grape, Ramune Gum, and more!
	Gorgeous Traditional Bento Boxes from Japan Spring has sprung, and that means it's picnic season! No better time to show off your fun bento than when lounging in the grass for an outdoor lunch. We've got the great traditional Japanese bento boxes to go with any meal, so check out our selection today! View products »
	Star Wars Lightsaber Chopsticks Set Restocked Relive your favorite moments from the Star Wars saga while you engage your meals in epic combat with these amazing Star Wars chopsticks!
	Kawaii Things for your Kitchen From the adorable 'onigiri' and 'banana' sponges that make washing up fun, we've got all the handy kitchen helpers you need!
	Kitsune 'Fox' Mask Restocked Enjoy a really cool selection of traditional products from Japan, including the Kitsune (fox) mask from Higurashi, made in Japan!
	Other Traditional Items Restocked Also: our classic Yokobue (yoko-boo-eh) flute is restocked, plus traditional daruma products, naughty sake cups from the Edo Period and more.
	Yomi Takanashi Figma Action Figure *Preorder* It seems to be Black Rock Shooter Figma week, and we can't complain -- this new action figure of Takanashi Yomi is stunning. Preorder open!
	Bad Ass Anime Figures to Preorder Check out these two new preorders as well -- Tsubasa from Bakemonogatari and Motoko AKA the Major from Ghost in the Shell!
	Miss Pig Princess ~ Doujin Soft with Doujinshi If you're more in the mood for hardcore gaming, check out this super lewd new doujin from the appropriately named group "Orc Soft."
	BOIN ~ Super Pack The game that started the Happoubi Jin art revolution is undoubtedly BOIN, with heroines so amply endowed with his signature art style you're sure to love every moment spent with them. This pack contains both the original and Resort Boin, and the doujin anime games too! View products »
	Restocked Eroge from Japan We have several other great import visual novels and bishoujo games back in stock today for you, including Leaf's Utawarerumono!
	Lightning Warrior Raidy Looking for one of our great bishoujo games in English? Check out the yuri-themed Lightning Warrior Raidy RPGs! We love it.
	T-Back Kun Kun ~ Thong + Vibrator, Love Juice It's not every day that Japan invents a new variety of stress relief novelty item, but when they do, you know we'll be on the case. Two products: a T-back (thong bikini) with space for a very small, very strong vibrator, and another with amazing "love juice." View products »
	Amazing Stress Relief Toys Also: the amazing Fera Zoma mouth simulator, our Real Scale Air Figure doll, plus a way to become very friendly with Maria Ozawa.
	Awesome Japanese Vibrators Restocked The classic pink "Rotar" [sic] massager is restocked, plus the multi-functional PLESTO [sic again], which has many awesome features.