Cool Products Wednesday, May 18, 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.

	GeMaga ~ Game Magazine June 2011 This latest issue of GeMaga, the magazine with a focus on all-ages bishoujo titles for all platforms, is a super awesome one you won't want to miss - featuring Nitroplus's Super Sonico in a ton of unique extras from her upcoming 'communication' game! View products »
	Girls Touch Painting Calendar Wow, an amazing new item with a unique concept from Japan - the passing of time as written on the bodies of beautiful Japanese girls.
	Illustrations of Real Campus Girls If you've ever wondered about campus life on Tokyo's most famous universities, especially the co-eds, wonder no more! Beautiful illustrations here.
	Rei Ayanami Figma, Other Figures In Stock Oh neat, a new Figma for Eva fans, featuring a gorgeously designed Rei. She even has a chair to sit in! Now in stock.
	Evangelion Revoltech, Fate/stay night Figure Enjoy amazing new Revoltech action figures from the Eva lineup, and Dark Saber from Fate! Both figures are in stock and available now.
	My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute Blu-ray Enjoy the ultimate release of Oreimo on the highest quality format available, packed with beautiful extras in a slick presentation! Each disc comes with a bonus music CD and art cards included. Discs 4 and 5 now in stock! View products »
	OreImo Capsule Toy Figures Set of 5  Speaking of Oreimo, check out these great figures of the entire cast of the show, you can get the entire set assembled here with no duplicates!
	Other Restocked PSP Games Don't look now, but we've got the DX OreImo game, the fun To LOVE-Ru and Toradora! game (with proper Minorin ending!) restocked for PSP.
	The Reminiscence of Haruhi Suzumiya ~ PSP & PS3 The new Haruhi games are in stock for PSP and PS3, continuing the story beyond "Disappearance." What will happen? God knows.
	Samurai Girls Blu-ray Discs Restocked The action packed fanservicey sendup of feudal Japan with sexy female characters in historical roles is back in stock in gorgeous Blu-ray!
	Skull Head One Piece ~ See through shoulder Another great new fashion item from Japan, this striking motif emblazoned one piece is bound to attract all the right attention this summer.
	Hello Kitty Face Die Cut Vinyl Bag Here's a large Hello Kitty bag in the new Gothic Lolita-esque style known as "Lovely Monotone." Carry all your stuff in kawaii fashion!
	Geisha Sexy Yukata, Gymnastics Uniforms We've got all your cosplay and sexy Japanese outfit needs taken care of at J-List, incl. the Geisha Sexy Yukata and more.
	Hetalia Character CG Complete Guide For Hetalia fans we've got fresh stock of the Character CD Complete Guide, which even comes with the sheet music to the character songs -- awesome.
	New Stationery from Japan ~ Letter Set, Notebooks A lovely new stationery item that makes a wonderful writing journal, or for beautiful paper for hand-written letters (remember those?). Exchange this book with a friend and write notes back and forth, a great place to record all your precious memories. View products »
	Today's Awesome Totoro Stuff See the last Totoro blanket restocking until next winter, plus...Totoro plush baby rattles? What a great way to start your small one off right.
	Introduction to Zen ~ Eigo Taiyaku ZEN Nyumon Experience the wonders of zen meditation through this introductory guide to the most famous form of Japanese Buddhism. Bilingual for study too!
	Kanji Name Stamps, Stamp Pads Custom made Japanese hanko name stamps, legal for use in Japan, with your name in kanji. We've also restocked the ink pads today.
	Today's New Snacks from Japan See awesome Beer Pretz that go great with a cold one, Edamame chips and the delicious but bizarrely named "Watering Kiss Mint" gum.
	We Love Miso Soup We have a wide variety of miso soups and bowls just waiting for you to try! Taste the authentic flavor of Japanese cuisine in beautiful kitchenware.
	Homemade Pudding Mix with Caramel Make your own pudding at home with this authentic Japanese pudding mix! More accurately called caramel cream pudding or flan, it's a great taste from Japan!
	Restocked Japanese Snacks We have cool Japanese cookies, Cubyrop Fruit Candy, Meiji Sushi Gummy, Shigekix in "Energy Drink" flavor, plus Morinaga caramels!
	Great Bento From Japan, Restocked We've restocked that awesome hiragana bento box, one of my favorites, plus more traditional bento boxes from Hakoya.
	Awesome Egg Shapers from Japan Also: the epic Dream Land Egg Shaper is joined by Niko Niko Nori Punch which makes smiling rice balls, and more. Always something fun at J-List.
	Restocked 'Fude' Pens from Japan Super awesome pens restocked on the site, incl. "fude" pens for writing Japanese brush calligraphy. We love selling these.
	Kawaii Japanese Pen & Pencil Cases Also: Japan is home to the cutest and most outstanding pen and pencil cases. We've restocked some kawaii ones today!
	Kanji Drill Workbooks, Other Study Items We always have fun Japanese study tools, and today we're restocking the Basic Kanji Drill series, plus study cards.
	Lucky Cat, Other Traditional Items See awesome traditional products for you, like the Lucky Cat Inviting Love Display, the Sleeping Lucky Cat and the Make a Wish! Temple Bell Strap.
	Awesome Madoka Magika Cushions, Plush *Preorder* We have to warn you: today is Madoka Magika day at J-List. We're kicking things off with the most amazing and kawaii cushions featuring all the girls in the series, plus a fantastic Kyubey face cushion that you can sit on! View products »
	Madoka 'Omamori' Charms *Preorder* Finally, good luck charms which are appropriately themed to each character from the show, including a talisman against decapitation!
	Even More Madoka Preorder Products Also, don't be sure to miss the great Madoka character keychains and coin purses which will give you the dose of Puella Magi for your day!
	NUDE POSE LAB 2 Duo Here's a dynamite photobook that shows amazing women posing together. Both a delicious feast for any fan of Japanese photography and a great tool for artists.
	Super Gorgeous Photobooks Restocked See fresh stock of the popular JESSICA 1st Photobook, plus the lovely H-Cup Anna, on the site today. We like very much.
	Super Sonico Cast Off Figure Anime is all about freedom...the freedom to have a story where characters die or fall in love, or hawt figures like this, with clothes that can be removed.
	Tsun Ero ~ Tsundere Onahole (Kagami Version) We admit it -- we love tsundere girls, and the way they are angry (in Japanese, tsun tsun) is so deliciously balanced by their kind, loving side (dere dere). Here's a fun hole toy for fans of Kagami from Lucky Star. "It's my first time, so be gentle with me!" View products »
	Onahole w/ Drama CD, Power of Love The amazing onahole that comes with an ecchi drama voice CD is great fun, plus see the Power of Love toys restocked.
	Bible Black Onahole Toys The ever-popular Bible Black series of novelty toys is back in stock! Great stress relief holes to simulate your favorite characters from the anime.
	DAITEIKOKU ~ Great Empire We're big fans of the eroge by Alice Soft, and love their titles a lot. Enjoy the new game, DAITEIKOKU, a great new title for collectors!
	Demonbane Available for Download Purchase We're happy to announce that you can order the epic Demonbane via convenient Internet Download Edition as well as our shrinkwrapped DVD-ROM edition.

The Phonetics of Advertising in Japanese

In Japanese there are some amusing phonetic conventions that get used in advertising, which are interesting for a gaijin to observe and catalog. First of all, the word zoh 増 means "more" (as in "50% more free"), but in the form of 象 (same pronunciation) it's also the word for elephant, and it's not uncommon for a TV commercial to make use of elephants to reinforce the image of getting more free buy buying such-and-such brand. Similarly, rakuda is the word for camel (駱駝, though these kanji are archaic, so it's usually written in katakana as ラクダ), but it also means "[this] is very comfortable and convenient" (楽だ), so it's common to see TV commercials featuring a camel basking in comfort because of some product he purchased. Dogs say "woof!" in English, but to the Japanese the sound is wan! ワン, and some companies create cute dog characters showing that they're "number wan" in their respective industries. Finally, the word mou もう means "already" but it's also the local version of "moo" -- and so, it's common for commercial messages to be communicated using cows saying things like, "Stop wasting your money on brand X, already!"

Now with 50% more Miku Hatsune!

The Smell of the Seasons in Japan

My home town of San Diego has just two seasons: sunny and slightly less sunny. In contrast, Japan has very distinct seasons, with hot, humid summers, freezing winters, two rainy seasons and so on. Each season in Japan has different smells associated with it, and turning on your kerosene heater for the first time in winter will make you very natsukashii (nostalgic) for winters past, for some reason. It's starting to heat up in Japan now, and mosquitoes are buzzing noisily inside our house, so my wife broke out the katori senko, "mosquito-killing incense" (mosquito coils) which burn for hours giving off a pleasant smoke that kills the flying pests. Burning mosquito coils have a unique smell associated with summer that always makes me reminisce about good times in days gone by. Though mosquitoes feast on my wife constantly during the warmer months, I am lucky: for some odd reason they don't seem to find my gaiijn blood tasty and generally leave me alone.

I love the smell of mosquito coils in the morning.

Demonbane is Shipping! Long live Demonbane!

We're extremely happy to announce that the long-awaited eroge Deus Machina Demonbane is finally shipping! One of the most awesome games ever released by the famous Nitroplus, this Cthulhu-mythos game is both a visual feast and a fascinating game to play through. It's the story of Kurou, an Arkham City detective whose world is turned upside down when he's hired to find the Necronomicon, the city's best hope in the fight against the evil Black Lodge -- a syndicate that terrorizes the city with acts of violence and destruction. On the way Kurou meets the mysterious girl Al, shelters with the benevolent nun Leica, and matches wits with the city's heir and protector, Hadou Ruri. Only you can guide Kurou to the heart of the labyrinthine plot behind Black Lodge and save Arkham city from destruction. View to the product page to order (J-List side only), or visit the Deus Machina Demonbane Officail Site for more information!

What is "Romantic" to the Japanese?

I like analyzing the little cultural memes I see in Japan, for example what kinds of things are considered "romantic" here. The Japanese consider two people walking under an umbrella together to be quite a romantic image, and a popular visual meme that shows up in anime and manga is aiai-gasa or "love-love umbrella," a doodle of an umbrella with two names or faces underneath. A couple walking on a cold morning with a "muffler" (what the Japanese always call a scarf) wrapped around both their necks is the sign of a happy relationship, as is a couple who listens to a song together by sharing earbuds, one in each person's ear. There's ude-makura, when a woman lays her head on the man's "arm-pillow," though I personally prefer hiza-makura, when a man rests his head in his girl's lap, preferably while she cleans his ears with a traditional Japanese ear cleaner. A man carrying a woman in his arms might be romantic in any culture, but I like the Japanese name for it: hime-sama dakko, or carrying a woman "princess-style." Some other popular romantic images include a man eating a bento lunch his wife prepared for him (aisai bento, or "loving wife" lunch) and the simple act of a woman standing on her toes to kiss her husband (called senobi kiss). An unexpected cultural symbol of a happy married couple is hot miso soup, and an accepted way to propose to a woman is to say, "I want to drink your miso soup every morning for the rest of my life."

"Love-Love Umbrella," a popular image of love in Japan.

Cool Products Monday, May 16, 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.

	Otomedia vol. 2 A magazine by girls and for girls and those who love games and anime featuring them, it's the second issue of Animedia special publication Otomedia! Enjoy coverage of Starry Sky, Hetalia, Basara, Black Butler, and much more. View products »
	GELATIN ~ Puru Puru Color Comics Whoever said that Japanese art is all black and white hasn't seen the epic work in Gelatin, high quality glossy color manga for you.
	Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls 5 & 6 (Blu-ray Disc) Enjoy the latest installments of the feudal/modern ecchi action mashup in the style of Queen's Blade and Ikkitousen -- in beautiful Blu-ray!
	Cutie May 2011 A super new issue of the Japanese fashion magazine for all lovers of kawaii fashion, Cutie! Packed with all the latest accessories and fashion tips for you, straight from the streets and boutiques of Japan. With AKB48 star Tomomi Itano on the cover, this issue will go fast. View products »
	Skull Head One Piece ~ White Check out this stunning and high impact dress from Japan with a fashion you won't find anywhere else! Amazing design from LeLe Style.
	Restocked Romantic Pantsu from Japan Speaking of romantic, we've restocked the awesome Momoeri Romantic Panties, plus Yuko Ogura's panties...we mean lingerie that she designed..
	More Awesome Japanese 'Over Knee Socks' If you're aiming for the height of fashion, cosplay, or just want to look dashing in a set of fine hosiery, check out our Japanese tall socks, restocked today!
	Authentic 'Socks Glue' From Japan But wait, you can't buy really awesome Japanese socks without picking up some authentic "sock-tachi" or glue to hold your socks up.
	Japanese Style Eye Patch for Anime Cosplay Whether you've had an actual eye injury (ouch!) or are looking for the perfect cosplay accessory, the Japanese eyepatches we restocked today are perfect.
	'Sengoku' Samurai Sword Umbrellas Journey back to the feudal Sengoku or tumultuous Meiji period of Japan with these amazing umbrellas patterned after historical samurai!
	Mini Magic Sakura Tree You can recreate your own hanami flower viewing at home with this amazing mini 'magic sakura' tree! This popular item restocked today!
	KINCHO Katori Senko Mosquito Coils This is a great way to kill mosquitoes, a "mosquito killing incense" that kills them by blocking their air ducts. A famous brand since 1890!
	Popular J-List T-Shirts for Girls We love selling fitted T-shirts to our female customers. Enjoy Giga Pudding, Hipster Hello Kitty, Totoro and more. Click to browse the most popular shirts.
	Popular Magazine Subscriptions Did you know that you can subscribe to your favorite Japanese magazines at J-List, and we'll ship them to you the day they come out? Click to see the most popular items.
	Today's New Snacks Oreos Soft Cookies New Package version, Meiji Xylish Gum Tropical Cola, Bourbon Petit Case Condensed Milk Cake, and more. We must have more Japanese snacks!
	Restocked Kompeito, Other Snacks Kompeito traditional candy, Meiji Wata Pachi cotton candy w/pop rocks inside, Sakuma Drops candy, Black Sesame Caramel, epic Morinaga Hi-Chew and more.
	CUSTOM MODE Blue Volume 2 tier Bento Box with Chopsticks Check out this awesome new bento box with a distinctive style, black and dynamic blue that reminds you of something from the Tron universe. Carries your lunch perfectly! It's also a very large bento box, so it's great for guys who wouldn't be full with some of our smaller offerings. View products »
	KIKU Flower Art Lacquered Bento, Chopsticks Next, a new lovely bento box for you, with a great traditional flower pattern and sleek lacquered design. They look gorgeous!
	Totoro & Ghibli Bento Boxes Restocked Also see a huge restocking of your favorite Totoro bento boxes and accessories, including the DX Totoro Thermal Bento Set. We love Totoro!
	Nori Punches Restocked. Too The nori punches that let you make cute faces on your rice balls, decorate bento and more -- restocked! Extremely popular with J-List customers.
	Fun Bento Items Restocked See our Antibacterial Sheets for Bento, re-usable Silicon Bento Cups, Bento bands, and other fun products for bento enthusiasts.
	Round Shaped SOBA Tray, Sauce Bowl for Summer Chilled soba is a summer delicacy in Japan, and you'll love to eat it on this bamboo tray that's made for keeping your noodles cool.
	New SOBA-CHOKO ~ Genuine Earthen Ware Cups Also: some awesome soba bowls to put the soba soup in. They're gorgeous enough to display as works of art, but they're handy to use, too.
	Japanese Practice Notebooks Also, see new stock of the useful kanji practice notebooks, great for writing kana and kanji characters until you've memorized them.
	Shikishi / Paperboard for message ~ 3pcs Sturdy thick pressed boards for autographs and illustrations are called Shikishi. Great for getting autographs by your famous artists!
	Lacquered CHAZUKE Rice Bowl  A lovely bowl for your rice in the traditional Japanese style, enjoy the harmony of Japanese dining aesthetics with dinnerware from J-List.
	Restocked Traditional Items Then, we've restocked those wacky "geisha" towels that have a surprise for you when they get wet. We're amazed at how popular these are.
	Electra, Ichigo Kurosaki Figures *Preorder* Great new figures from Bleach and the Yamashita Shunya x Marvel Bishoujo series lineup, Ichigo and Electra! Preorders now open.
	Fun Monster Hunter Products, Too *Preorder* Check out these great pouches featuring the cute Monster Hunter mascot Airu and company, straight from their village in the forest! Preorder open.
	Hana Hiraku ~ Tsubomi photobook (3000 Limited) A superb limited edition photobook featuring the beauty of Hana Hiraku, in which she puts everything on display for the viewer. Hurry to own this part of AV history, as only 3000 copies will ever be printed! This awesome photobook is 2x the thickness of other photobook offerings. View products »
	Demonbane is In Stock Now! The awesome Cthulhu Mythos game Demonbane is finally in stock, and it's truly a special game. Combining the depth of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu novels with the storytelling chops of Nitroplus -- the company behind Madoka Magika -- this is a game all eroge fans should play! Comes in a limited slip case w/artbook. View products »
	Restocked 'H' Games From Japan Also, super restocked import games, incl. Sengoku Rance, Kanon the Memorial Edition, Tears to Tiara and BOIN ~ Super Pack. Nice!
	Yukkuri Panic: Escalation *Preorder* We're happy with the response to our new all-yuri game, which is really two games in one -- a complete ADV multi-scenario eroge plus a fun aaction game!
	Air Doll Asuka Kirara ~ The Best Edition Asuka Kirara is one of Japan's most "genki" AV stars, and we love watching her perform energetically for her fans. Now you can get to know Asuka-chan in a whole new way, with this full sized "love pillow" that's the next best thing to having her in your bed. View products »
	Amazing TENGA Toys Our customers love the TENGA stress toy products, and buy them by the truckful. See several restocked today, including the amazing Hole Warmer!
	Love Body Aki Doll, plus Costumes Inflatable dolls are also a popular category of stress toy at J-List, especially the Love Body Aki series. See fresh stock of the outfits, too!