Cool Products Wednesday, February 15, 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.

	Comptiq Mar 2012 Grab the latest issue of one of Japan's best anime and game magazines, loaded with art, info, and cool omake like giant pinup posters and promotional trading cards. This month's issue features the moe detective girls of Milky Holmes, so fans should be sure to check it out. View products »
	Animage Mar 2012 You'll also want to take a look at this new issue of Animage, the magazine that invented the word "anime." Comes with eight beautiful posters!
	Comic REX Mar 2012 Enjoy 24 awesome manga in this new issue of Comic REX. Features the excellent Kannagi, fanservice extravaganza Senran Kagura, and more.
	Panda Hoodie Vest J-List brings you the best in warm and kawaii winter fashion with this fabulous panda-eared hoodie whose cuteness level is over 9000.
	Japanese School Swimsuits, Shimapan & More Also great for cosplay or casual wear (?), authentic Japanese style school swimsuits and those great striped panties restocked. Oniisan no ecchi!
	Tales of Innocence R for PS Vita Put your brand-new Vita to good use with this awesome port of the hit 3DS RPG. Features amazing graphics, great gameplay, and cute girls.
	IdolMaster, White Album, Other PS3 Titles We have tons of great PS3 titles for fans of kawaii girls, like Idolm@ster, White Album, Ninokuni, and more! Click to browse our selection.
	PlayStation Network Card (3,000 YEN) Get the most out of your PSP, PS3, or PS Vita with this prepaid PlayStation Network card. You also get access to all free demos once you create an account.
	New Anime Songs on iTunes Japan The opening themes to the new Mouretsu Space Pirates anime is, well, bodacious, and you can get it now. Or try this playlist of the top anime of this season.
	Random Toys Restocked Check out the Mayuri Nendoroid from Steins;Gate and the awesome Ningen Gakki that makes music using your body's own electricity, now restocked.
	SCOPE NODE, Other Elecom Items We are big fans of the computer peripherals from Elecom, and we've restocked their slick Scope Node USB mouse, kana keyboards and more.
	Taiyaki in the House ~ Taiyaki Pan For all our Japanese snack lovers out there, we have this fun item that will let you make your very own taiyaki! This is *full sized* Taiyaki by the way.
	Electric Takoyaki Makers, Too Our very popular Takoyaki maker is now back in stock, so you can satisfy your desire for Osaka-style octopus batter balls any time. Yum!
	Kawaii Red Cheek Panda Chopsticks Rest This kawaii panda is snoozing away. Put his plump little body to use supporting your favorite pair of chopsticks.
	MASUNEKO Sake Cup w/ Inviting Fortune Lucky Cat The true sake connoisseur drinks from a square cup. Try this classy wooden cup, complete with a cute "beckoning cat" to bring you luck.
	Great Mameshiba, San-X Products Mameshiba and San-X have the cutest mascots around, and we've got great products, including a Mameshiba note pad and pencil case.
	Hello Kitty Miniature Sushi, More Bring two pillars of Japanese culture together with this set of Hello Kitty sushi miniatures, plus a Hello Kitty ningyo-yaki maker and more!
	Fun Totoro Products Restocked Enjoy today's Totoro & Ghibli items including the Totoro Mini Towels (aka washcloths), plus the Totoro no Dondoko Odori light for your room.
	Gorgeous Artbooks from Japan Restocked See great restocked artbooks on the site today, including the Pixiv Girls Collection, so pleasant to look at page after page.
	Fun New Snacks from Japan Today Enjoy the tasty and fun Kracie Puchitto grape candy, a candy that you eat like real grapes! And that's just one of the many treats sold on J-List.
	Traditional Kyoto Candy Restocked For fans of traditional konpeito candies, we've restocked several delicious flavors straight from Kyoto. Try Kyou Nishiki, Hana Noren, Mix, and more.
	Restocked Traditional Food Drops Speaking of "Food Drops," we've also restocked several flavors of popular traditional candy, including Matcha Green Tea, Harajuku Banana Crepe and more.
	Other Fun Snacks Restocked Also: enjoy Takoyaki making mix, unique Neri Ame liquid candy you "knead" (neru) with chopsticks, plus Rose Essence gum & candy and more.
	Hinoki Slim Wappa 2 Tier Bento Box Are you looking for a new bento box? Try this slim and elegant two-tier box designed to resemble Japanese Hinoki wood. Great for work.
	Modern Bento Restocked Or try these other elegant bento boxes, including the Men's 2-tier Nutritional Balance Bento, Metal Mode Bento Box and Custom Mode lunchbox series.
	Fruits Measuring Spoon & Beans Container Add some colorful fun to your kitchen with these measuring spoons shaped like delicious fruit. Also comes with a pea-shaped serving container.
	Japanese-Style Bento Cutters for 'Deco Bento' "Deco Bento" means decorated, beautiful bento, and we've restocked several fun bento food shapers and cutters for making interesting food creations.
	Fun Sushi Related Products Restocked See other restocked bento items, like awesome onigiri shapers and a mold for making the perfect sushi shapes and more.
	Make Ramen in the Microwave See our popular Microwave Ramen Bowl, restocked again, which our customers rave about on Twitter all the time.
	Study Japanese with Haruhi Study English with Haruhi, with the bilingual Haruhi novel books we restocked today. Lots of other nihongo benkyou products in stock too.
	Basic Japanese Meals Learn how to make tasty and nutritious Japanese meals with this excellent cookbook. A great way to learn Japanese while watching your diet.
	Epic Japanese Pens Restocked Japan makes the coolest tools for writing and drawing in style. See the Will Line marker set, NEO CRITZ 2-way pen case many other new items.
	Other Fun Restocked Products See our Cup Noodle coffee cup, great for enjoying coffee or noodles, plus the wacky harisen fan for hitting people in a comedic way.
	Fun Bath Products Restocked The Japanese know how to take awesome baths, and we restocked the Hot Pepper and Ginger for Bath, plus other items too.
	Traditional Japanese Phone Straps, More Lucky Cat phone straps, a super Beer Mug phone strap, plus ninja shuriken strap, a Lucky Koban coin from the Edo Period and good luck charms.
	Erio Towa, Meiko Honma Moe Figures *Preorder* Two of the most kawaii girls in anime are coming to you in figure form. Check out this barely-clothed Erio and super-genki Menma, now for preorder.
	Sena Kashiwazaki, Laura Bodewig *Preorder* And for those of you who like your girls in bikinis, we have these sexy Beach Queens figures of Haganai's Sena and Laura from Infinite Stratos.
	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.
	Love Body Aki & Related Products Love Body Aki is a blow-up doll you can dress and accessorize to meet your own personal preferences and wants. Many awesome items restocked.
	Little Busters! Ecstasy If you feel like your life lacks awesome minigames, wacky friends, and lots of cute girls to fall in love with, then this is the game for you. Great eroge!
	Yumina the Ethereal *Preorder* From the team that brought you Aselia the Eternal comes a new RPG experience full of challenging gameplay and romantic fun. Preorder now.

If You Visit Japan, Try a Capsule Hotel

Back when I was single, I did a fair bit of traveling around Japan, hitchhiking or riding trains on "Youth 18" tickets, which allow you to go anywhere in Japan for around $25 a day, as long as you don't mind taking the slow local trains. (Poor gaijin like me who live in Japan don't get to buy the spiffy Japan Rail tickets that tourists coming in from overseas have access to.) During my travels, I've stayed at various places, including conventional "business" hotels, youth hostels, minshuku (a kind of Japanese bed & breakfast), and "saunas" (a public bath with a sauna and a large central room where you can sleep on the floor for free). But perhaps the most unique overnight experiences I had were staying at capsule hotels, the miniature honeycomb-like hotel rooms found in larger Japanese cities. Inside your capsule you have everything you need: bed, blanket, pillow, a little TV, radio with alarm, and a curtain for privacy. Capsule hotels generally have large communal baths and saunas. They're cheap, too: you can stay in the heart of Tokyo's Shibuya district for around $35 or so. If you visit Japan, be sure and plan at least one night in a capsule hotel!

Capsule hotels, a unique experience you can have in Japan.

Learning About the Japanese Through their Feet

Is it possible to understand the Japanese through the relationship they have to their feet? Let's give it a try. First of all, the Japanese famously remove their shoes before entering a home, and many companies including J-List also have a genkan (recessed foyer for removing shoes) as well, which keeps most of the outside dirt from coming in. Shoes are always considered kitanai (dirty), and if I were to ever wash dirty shoes our family's washing machine I'd be sleeping in the doghouse, and buying my wife a new washing machine. It's interesting to see how Japan's custom of removing shoes sends out cultural signals that might be puzzling to us at first, for example an anime or drama story in which a girl can drop by a boy's apartment and see he's entertaining female company just by looking at the shoes left by the door, or a character like Taiga from Toradora who's personality is demonstrated in the way she discards her shoes wantonly.

You can learn about Japan through...feet?

PS Vita Games, PSN Japan Prepaid Cards from J-List

We're very excited about the Sony PS Vita, the replacement for the PSP, currently the best platform for anime-related gaming and pantsu simulation the world has ever seen. In addition to stocking Japan-only PS Vita games, which are region free and will work fine in units from North America or Europe, J-List has started offering the PlayStation Network prepaid cards. In the same way as our popular iTunes Japan Prepaid Cards, you can use the code we'll send you to sign up for a Japanese PSN account that's compatible with your PS Vita, PSP or PS3 and get access to awesome Japan-only anime games, demos and more.

J-List T-Shirt Sale is Still On

Remember that J-List is having a a really big sale on our close-out Japanese T-shirts since we've got too many shirts that need to go so we have room to print awesome ness ones. We've got our epic Highschool of the Dead shirts up, our "neat" tribute to Hikikomori, our Beware Panty Thieves and more. Lots of shirts for girls and hoodies, too, especially in size S and 2XL. Prices starting at $9.95, with the full 15% discount for 3-or-more shirts in place, too. Thanks in advance for helping us get rid of these close-out items!

Valentine's Day Report, 2012

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, when millions of Japanese males will wake up hoping to receive chocolate from their wives, girlfriends, mothers, daughters, female co-workers and any random girl who may be in a chocolate-giving mood. The story of how February 14 became a day for females to give chocolate to the men in their lives (as opposed to the other way around) is an interesting one. The first Valentine's Day advertisement in Japan appeared in Showa 11 (1936), when a chocolate shop in Kobe called Morozoff promoted its wares as being perfect for lovers to enjoy together. World War II got in the way soon after, and it was a long time before anyone could think of anything as frivolous as chocolate. In 1958, the manager of the Isetan department store in Shinjuku got the idea of having a Western-style Valentine's Day chocolate sale, but it was a total flop (just five boxes of chocolates were sold); however things picked up a few years later when Morinaga started promoting Valentine's Day as a chance to "give chocolate to the people you love." It was around 1975 when the meme of women giving chocolate to men took off, as girls decided to take the initiative and confess their feelings to boys they liked, and also show thanks to the men in their lives who help and support them. There are two kinds of chocolate, honmyo or "real heart" chocolate, received from someone who really cares for you, and giri or "obligation" chocolate, given by female office workers to their bosses or male co-workers because they feel it's expected of them. If you don't score some chocolate this year, remember that J-List will be continuing our Japanese chocolate sale through the end of the month.

Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate chocolate and hopefully love.

Cool Products Monday, February 13, 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.

	NewType Mar 2012 It's that time again! Grab the latest issue of NewType and get tons of art and info from the latest anime, manga, and games. As always, you get awesome omake in the form of two giant double-sided pinups, document protectors, an exclusive Last Exile booklet, and even a DVD full of amazing promos! Copies are limited, so get yours while you can. View products »
	Dragon Age Mar 2012 For fans of awesome manga, we have the latest issue of Dragon Age, with over 800 pages of fun series like High School DxD and Maken-Ki.
	nano A (Ace) vol. 10 Mar 2012 And if you're into hilarious comedy manga, you'll want to grab this issue of nano Ace for the newest issues of Lucky Star, Nichijou, and more.
	PlayStation Network Card (3,000 YEN) Get the most out of your PSP, PS3, or PS Vita with this prepaid PlayStation Network card. Signing up is easy, and there are tons of games to buy!
	Great New Games for the Sony PS Vita Vita owners will be happy to know that J-List is stocking the best new games from Japan, like Blazblue Continuum Shift and the Dream Club dating sim.
	Super Cosplay Magazine This month's issue of COSMODE comes with cosplayers from popular anime and game titles like Final Fantasy, Black Rock Shooter, Ika Musume and more.
	Gothic Bustier Skirt, Other Fashions Restocked Great new anime cosplay and fashion items restocked, including a great frilly gothic skirt plus the shimapan our customers love so well.
	Touhou T-shirt ~ Bad Apple (now in XXL) Our Touhou "Bad Apple" T-shirt is a hit, so we decided to offer it in 2XL so more customers could enjoy it. If you love Reimu, Marisa and Cirno, get it now!
	Close-Out T-Shirts in San Diego from $9.95 Also: we're having a great sale on our close-out T-shirts, and you can help us clear out our inventory. Dozens of shirts on sale from $9.95, browse now.
	Japanese Socks, Socks Glue and More We love the 3-cm space between a girl's over-knee socks and where her skirt begins, and we've restocked Japanese socks, sock glue and more.
	Great New Totoro Products Enjoy fresh stock of the epic Totoro Triple Towel Boxed Gift Set, great for giving or receiving, plus the Totoro Nap Pillow for lazy afternoons.
	Star Wars Silicon Ice Cube Trays Restocked These awesome Star Wars silicon molds are selling fast! Now restocked, so grab a few and start making Han Solo ice cubes (or...chocolate?).
	Sakura Water-in Moist Lip Balm Make your lips moist and as beautiful and sakura (cherry blossoms) with a brand name you can trust, Shiseido.
	Great 'Tatami' Sandals Restocked Your feet will feel like they are walking though Kyoto with these relaxing and comfortable traditional sandals. Large size for gaijin too!
	MIZUNO Z Slim Pen Case Hold yourself together man! Be organized for your studies anywhere you go, with a penci/pen case that is stylish and functional. Stay awesome, Japan.
	More Awesome Pens from Japan Then enjoy the AQUATEC Fadeless & Waterproof Pen Set, Frixion Magical Erasable Pen, plus highlighter pens you can also erase if you want -- wow!
	Tohato Tyrant Spicy Chicken, and More A blast of flavor from every bite, we love these new Tohato Tyrant spicy chicken flavored potato sticks, each one packed with immense flavor that can only come from the crazy snack world of Japan. Plus, check out our other crazy snacks too when you have that urge for something unusually delicious. Click to browse all our fun new snack items. View products »
	Sushi and other Food Drops Restocked Also see fantastic traditional "Food Drops" candies restocked, with flavors like Sushi, Shirokuma Ice Cream, Sapporo Beer and Kobe Cheese Cake.
	Japanese Kit Kat, Other Products Restocked Enjoy awesome Japan-only Kit Kat flavors like Red & White and Green Tea, plus Pokemon Chocolate Hearts, Green Tea Cookies & Chocolates, Pocky, and more.
	2-Tier Bento Box w/ Elastic Band & Chopsticks Marked with style and cuteness, this wonderful two-tier bento box shows off adorable usagi (bunnies) dancing around a backdrop of sakura.
	Traditional-Modern Bento Boxes Restocked Big restocking of several bento boxes today, including the WAON Traditional + Modern plus the Ouran Sakura Bento sets. So nice!
	Mama's Assist Silicon Vegetable Okazu Cup  Add some cute, reusable containers to your bento that promote healthy eating, with these fruit and vegetable shaped mini containers.
	Niko Nori Punch, Other Amazing Items Restocked A fun way to decorate your lunch is to use one of our nori punches to cut sheet seaweed into cute and funny shapes. Very popular with our customers.
	Taiyaki Maker for Making Anime Treats More fun items restocked: the electric Taiyaki maker, for making delicious fish-shaped pancake-like snacks (uguu), so popular in anime.
	Silicon Cooking Mini Spoon & Fork Chopsticks Sometimes you need a fork, a spoon, or chopsticks. We like these new products that combine all three, plus we have "normal" utensils too.
	Nobody Makes Cute Sandwiches Like Japan There's no sandwich like a Japanese sandwich, and we've restocked our sandwich makers which make your lunch kawaii. Highly recommended.
	GANBARE NIPPON Lucky Cat, Others Restocked Fun Lucky Cat products restocked today, including the awesome cat that tells Japan to ganbare! ("don't give up, do your best!") plus bowing Lucky Cat.
	Reimu & Marisa Petanko Figures ~ Touhou The Touhou games have the cutest characters! Check out these adorable chibi figures of Reimu and Marisa. Also: a Hine Kagiyama figure too!
	Princess Shirahoshi - One Piece *Preorder* Don't miss this truly outstanding figure of Mermaid princess Shirahoshi from One Piece. So beautiful, you'll stare at her for hours.
	Great Restocked Photobooks We have some outstanding photobooks, including Tsubasa Amami's popular release plus that we restocked for you, great for JAV fans.
	Queen's Blade Artbooks Restocked See fantastic artbooks from Japan, including several Queen's Blade Bitoshi Gaiden (outside story) books. Quite ecchi and awesome.
	DX 4 Holes ~ Elly Akira ~ Amazing! Why spend the weekend alone when you can bring home a date that is willing to go all the way, with 4 different "ways" to experience.
	Restocked Tenga Flip Hole The most popular Tenga stress toys have been restocked, including the Tenga Flip Hole, one of the most advanced products ever.
	Other Amazing Dolphin Polishers Restocked We've restocked the great "female announcer" and Azunyan parody stress toys, plus other great holes to give you the moe moe feeling you crave.
	Kanu Cast-off Figure ~ Ikki Tousen *Preorder* Check out this ultra-sexy figure of the smoking hot Kanu Uncho. Wow! You can tell she wants it bad. Features cast-off top for enhanced eroticism.
	More Import Eroge Restocked, Too Enjoy the gorgeous Sexy Beach Zero, Dies Iriae, Appare! Tenka Gomen, The Devil on G-String plus La Fruit de la Grisaia, so nice to play!
	J-List Recommends: Raidy One of our top yuri eroge, has enough dungeon crawling and erotic monster fighting to make any monster hunter jealous. It's a great series.