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.

Learning Kanji Isn't As Hard as it Looks

The Japanese language has three writing systems to communicate the written word: hiragana, the syllable-based system used for expressing basic words and grammatical particles; katakana, a mirror of hiragana that's used for foreign words and place names; and kanji, which expresses more complex meanings. While learning kanji seems like a daunting task to anyone who didn't happen to grow up in a country that uses Chinese characters, it's not nearly as bad as it looks. First, kanji are organized in logical sets called "radicals" that are all related to each other -- for example, words like cloud, snow, fog and lightning/thunder all have the character for "rain" in them. The official list of "general use kanji" contains 2,136 characters, but mastering the first 1000 (which Japanese learn through the 6th grade) will cover 98% of anything you're likely to do -- I managed that in a few months by reading manga and going to Japanese karaoke restaurants evern weekend. Due to the popularity of computers and cell phones, virtually no one writes kanji by hand anymore, and it's permissible for students to focus on reading mainly, which is much easier than writing. Finally, the Japanese are good about keeping their language "clean," and regularly remove unused kanji -- for example, there are archaic characters for every type of bird and fish (all the characters below are names of fish), but these are no longer taught and no one is expected to be able to read them.

Don't worry, kanji isn't as hard as it looks. No, really.

The Japanese Love Towers

It seems that a Japanese city can't be complete until it has a big tower for tourists to visit and take pictures of, and virtually every major Japanese city has one to serve as a destination for visitors and couples out for a romantic late-night drive. Some of the more unique Japanese towers include Kyoto Tower, essentially a clone of Seattle Space needle; Yokohama Marine Tower, the largest lighthouse in the world when it was built in 1961; (ugly) Osaka Tower, built in 1887 but melted down to make tanks during World War II; and of course Tokyo Tower, a 333 meter replica of the Eifel Tower, built because the Japanese secretly wish they were part of Europe rather than Asia. This year construction was finally completed on the grandest tower yet, Tokyo Sky Tree, a sprawling ziggurat that reaches 600 meters into the sky which provides television and radio coverage for the Japanese capital as well as spectacular views for visitors to Tokyo's Asakusa area. Unsurprisingly, there are "tower otakus" in Japan who study every facet of the history of these structures and make frequent visits, and I'm sure they'll be lining to to visit Japan's newest tower when it officially opens in May.

Giantess Miku has finally finished her Tokyo Sky Tree Plamo.

Japanese Convenience Stores

One thing I love about Japan are convenience stores, which are a great place to find hundreds of products when you're in a hurry. Japanese conbini, as they're called, offer a few improvements over their American counterparts, which specialize in frozen burritos, Pop Tarts and hot dogs that have been cooking on those rollers since 1991. In addition to an extensive selection of freshly-delivered bento lunches and any variety of onigiri (rice ball) you might want, Japanese convenience stores offer healthy salads, different types of bread including curry pan and melon pan, plus those heavenly nikuman steamed meat buns. You can find all the usual products (milk, cereal) as well as ice, beer, and 72 varieties of bottled tea, as well as banking services and the ability to pay your phone bill at the cash register. Japan's love affair with convenience stores began in 1973, with the opening of the first 7-Eleven franchise store. It has to have been one of the most successful business ventures in history, since the Japanese licensor grew so large and successful it bought out the parent company in the U.S. Like other convenience store chains, 7-Eleven has been courting anime fans with unique tie-ins with popular anime and game series, since moe is big business in Japan.

Convenience stores offer many products, including moe.

Japanese Study Products from J-List

Whether you're interested in trying to learn Japanese seriously or just want to take on the basic writing systems to better understand the country, J-List can help. We've got hundreds of products for students of nihongo, from the popular Moekana hiragana study cards and sleeves to the outstanding flashcards and kanji poster by White Rabbit, the legendary Genki textbook and workbooks and even a bilingual guide to Japan with Hello Kitty. Click here to browse the most popular Japanese study products!

Cool Products Monday, April 23, 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.

	Mawaru Penguindrum ~ Perfect Guide Book Own the official guidebook to one of 2011's coolest anime series. Mawaru Penguindrum is the story of two brothers on a quest to save their precious sister's life, seeking out the enigmatic Penguindrum at the command of an extra-terrestrial penguin hat, and now you can relive the entire series with beautiful artwork and behind-the-scenes info that you won't find anywhere else. Click for 190 pages of Penguindrum goodness. View products »
	New Anime 'Noren' Door Curtains (Gegege no Kitaro) Inspired by the very popular Gegege no Kitaro series, try to find the very small reference to in the design. Gorgeous, and very Japanese!
	Anime Interior Decorating We also posted new micro fiber rugs for your room, a very special item for K-On! fans that go well with the new anime noren curtains we stock.
	New Magazines: S Cawaii, Comic Coro Coro Checkout our awesome selection of magazines, like the S Cawaii, all about young women's fashion, and Comic Coro Coro, with great manga titles.
	Panchira Japanese Girl ~ Pink or White Tamatoys brings us even more awesome Japanese pantsu, which are strictly for anime cosplay use. These have the little ribbons on the front, so cute!
	Awesome Cosplay Products Restocked Then enjoy fun male school uniforms for cosplaying at the summer conventions, plus our Gothic Lolita Cat Girl Maid Outfits in several sizes.
	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.
	Ninja Hachimaki ~ Japan Ninja Headband Channel the spirit of Japan or use these to focus your concentration in study or in life -- these headbands will put you in the right frame of mind!
	Restocked iPhone & Android Products We stock outstanding products for iPhone and Android phones, and today we have the Mini Joy Stick and Dr. Ion cases restocked.
	Free Anime-Related iOS Apps from Japan With an iTunes Japan account you can get free anime apps like the Ika Musume Calculator de geso, or Shanghai Musume, a really fun "strip" mahjong game.
	Kutsushita Nyanko, Rilakkuma Restocked Fans of Kutsushita Nyanko (Socks Cat) and Rilakkuma (Relax Bear) will be happy to know that we've restocked many items featuring these adorable characters.
	Random Gift & Anime Snacks J-List has been carrying fun Hello Kitty products for years, and we love to find cool new offerings. Today see our Hello Kitty Gift Bucket of Cookies and more!
	Great Totoro Plush Toys Restocked Some of our favorite Totoro toys are back in stock too, like the wonderful Tree House in two sizes and a wide variety of window mascots. Click to see.
	Gorgeous All-Ages PC Games Restocked Lots of great PC games from Japan in stock, like Remember 11 from the Infinity series (Ever 17), Nasu Kinoko's Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, and dozens more.
	Origami Book w/English Instructions Study Japanese while learning origami with this fantastic bilingual how-to book. Contains 63 pages of amazing origami designs.
	OMOKESHI Sushi ~ Japanese Parody Erasers Set  I've said it before and I'll say it again: Japan has the world's best erasers. Today we've restocked sushi and wagashi, so detailed and fun!
	UHA Puccho Gummy, New Hi-Chew Flavors Delicious fruit flavored Japanese snacks from brands our customs love like Puccho and Hi-Chew, each with a unique assortments of flavors.
	Amazing Japanese Snacks Restocked See today's new snack and gum offerings, incl. Matcha Milk Caramels (yum!), rare FritoLay Japan snacks based on izakaya pub food and Organic Onion Chips.
	Little's World Puppy's Pink Bento Container A fun little pack for carrying around your lunch maybe even a snack, with a cute wan-chan (doggy) design on the lid.
	Kawaii Totoro Bento Boxes Restocked Love Totoro all over again, in a whole new way with these very cute bento boxes and accessories, now newly restocked.
	One Piece, Other Character Bento, Too And check out these cute bento featuring One Piece's Chopper and Kutsushita Nyanko (Socks Cat). Too cute!
	GLIT & BRILLIA Bento Items Restocked And don't forget to pack a lunch. We've got everything a wise chief, onigiri maker or sushi roller would want.
	Food Shapers and Cutters for Bento Make your lunches even more kawaii after you've used our food shapers to make cute animals, sakura, hearts and more.
	Restocked Random Items for your Kitchen We've got love for takoyaki too, and have restocked several fun items for making authentic Osaka-style octopus balls. Yum!
	Pocky Decoration Molds, More Decorate your favorite Japanese stick snack with the silicon chocolate molds we stocked, or browse our Star Wars ice cube trays.
	Traditional Japan Products Unlock Your Inner Samurai See our popular kiseru pipes which are incredibly popular with our customers, plus great new wooden geta sandals for summer.
	Docolla Hatsune Miku Doll Mini Size *Preorder* Miku Hatsune will be landing on your desk like a concert stage as a new posable SD doll. From Pullips this summer.
	Yui Kotegawa Cast off Figure ~ To LOVE-RU *Preorder* Here's a barely work-safe figure of the cute and sexy Yui from To LoveRU. Comes with two interchangeable outfits - school uniform and skimpy bikini.
	Evangelion Reversible Car Sunshade *Preorder* Let the girls of Evangelion protect your car from the heat of the sun. A great OTACOOL product.
	Evangelion x Hello Kitty Bath Towels *Preorder* I'm sure you've often asked yourself why there aren't more Hello Kitty + Evangelion crossover products. The answer is that they're just too cute!
	X bomb bomb ~ HITOMI 1st photobook (3000 limited) Hitomi is now in book format, in this large-book print format, filled with amazing color photography of our favorite J-cup vixen. Expect plenty of fishnet stockings and tight leather as Hitomi strikes poses that will have you standing taller than you can believe. This girl redefines "hot." View products »
	Lily Star Cast-off Figure *Preorder* A deliciously kawaii figure from Apple Tea of Lily Star, with an outfit so revealing she might as well be naked!
	Yuyukana ~ Under the Starlight ~ Visual Fanbook A great visual book just for fans of Yuyukana, the super ero-kawaii "H" game. Over 120 pages of the finest moe art around.
	Gorgeous Artbooks Restocked Browse our fine selection of top-quality artbooks from erotic artists like Toshihide Sano and Urushihara Satoshi, now restocked.
	Air Dutch Dolls & Related Fun Products Enjoy fun "Air Dutch" (apologies to our friends in The Netherlands), with several dolls restocked, along with "Sweat Scent of Virgin Spray" if you like.
	Love Body Aki Products, Too 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.
	More Love Doll Products Bring your fantasies to life with these additional accessories that will make your dakimakura, dolls or toys feel even more realistic.
	Popular Onahole Toys Restocked We've also restocked some of our most popular onahole toys, including the Bubble Shake series plus some unconventional ways of relieving your personal stress.
	Big Restocking of TENGA Products, Too No one blows off steam like the Japanese. That's why we carry quality toys for male stress relief, like the TENGA EGG and the Air Dutch Doll. Click to see.
	Find Love in a 2D Visual Novel Remember, you can find sweet love in a 2D world with the translated eroge J-List brings you. New game combo packs this week!
	Sumaga ~ Star Mine Girl In another great game from Nitroplus, you are flung into a world of magic, wonder, comedy and sex. Buy the JP version and get the English download when ready!