Cool Products December 31, 2010

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.

	Lucky Star Okiraku Kaiun and Goukaku Kigan set The New Year and "good luck" go together in Japan, and here's an awesome Lucky Star box filled with fun and luck items, including an omamori charm, good luck phone strap, arrow target and more. View products »
	Nyantype vol. 15 After Megami Magazine, the magazine we love the most is NyanType. Tons of free posters plus an epic free 2011 calendar!
	Young Ace Feb 2011 Next enjoy the epic Young Ace, one of our favorite manga mags, w/Evangelion, Haruhi, plus starting this issue, Fate/zero! Free Eva calendar too.
	2011 Fuku-bukuro Grab Bags Restocked There's no tradition quite like fukubukuro, the "lucky bags" filled with random and awesome products. We've restocked our lineup of these grab bags, with anime, toy, cosplay, bento and more. View products »
	Rilakkuma Number Plate Bolt Cap Turn your boring normal car into an awesome Rilakkuma character car with these Number Plate Bolt Caps, very very kawaii.
	Products for Shrine Maiden Fans J-List carries products for fans of miko, the unique shrine maidens that help purify a Shinto shrine for important celebrations. Click to see!
	Nami 1/8 Figure Excellent Model We always have great One Piece products in stock, and today we have the cute Nami figure available for you.
	Fraulein Revoltech Restocked: Mari Illustrious Makinami Mari is the newest addition to the Evangelion universe, and she brings a new mystique to the series, in addition to megane and pantsu.
	Epic K-On! iPhone 4 Cases *Preorder* Oh my, a huge volley of awesome K-On! cases for iPhone 4, with all your favorite girls available: Mio, Yui, Mugi, Ritsu, and Azu-nyan. More than one iPhone will be purchased just so fans can use these cases, I imagine... View products »
	Moeru iPhone Dokuhon Another sign of how iPhone has captured the imaginations of Japanese artists, a moe moe artbook filled with cute anime girls and iPhones.
	Restocked PSP Games Another big restocking of anime PSP games, incl. Little Busters!, Tales of Phantasia, and the epic new Monster Hunter 3.
	Nyan Nyan Nyanko Books For another look at Japan's adorable kitten-loving culture, check out the Nyanko cats from San-X. You'll be enchanted!
	Moco Moco Warm Pants ~ New Style Haramaki A haramaki is a wrap for your abdomen to keep you warm in winter. This is a re-thinking of this concept, warm shorts that keep you toasty!
	Awesome Knee High Socks, Gothic Cosplay There are awesome "absolute zone" socks restocked at J-List, all's right with the world. Also high school uniform cosplay and Ribbon Lace Mini Skirt.
	AKB 1/48 Fall In Love With An Idol ~ Official Visual Book A great book for AKB fans which documents all the best members one at a time. Which will you fall in love with?
	The Ultimate Journey Through Japan Another random but awesome photobook, this takes you on a journey through Japan's most beautiful sights.
	FritoLay Wasabi Cheetos, More Oh yeah, that's what I'm takling 'about -- got your official Wasabi Cheetos in stock right now, and they are delicious! Spicy delicious! Enjoy enjoy amazing Choco-dutsumi traditional treats plus amazing Sweets Gum, which tastes like a delicious dessert yet is sugar free! View products »
	Big Restocking of Japanese Snacks All the new Pocky for 2011 is restocked, plus Meltykiss Whips, Wasabi Potato Chips, Hello Kitty Candy and Real Gold sports drink.
	Other Sushi, Bento Products Restocked Not only can you make awesome heart-shaped rolled sushi, we have restocked other bento accessories, including baran fake food separating grass.
	Rilakkuma Bagel Lunch Box  What a great idea -- a kawaii bento box designed to hold a bagel sandwich and more. Plus it's got Rilakkuma printed on it.
	Awesome Bento Boxes for Men Featuring larger sizes and traditional or modern designs rather than kawaii imagery, we've got great bento boxes for guys in stock.
	Rabbits and Bento Go Together Nicely 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, so look for great rabbit-themed bento items on J-List. Here are some we restocked today.
	Totoro Bento Boxes Restocked Studio Ghibli provides what may be the most heartwarming bento set we've ever seen, which keeps your food warm and stored in a compact package.
	Japanese Sweets Picks ~6pcs These are cool -- traditional picks for wagashi or Japanese sweets, which you can use for serving anything.
	Samurai Sword Chopsticks Restocked Only Japan could make chopsticks that look like historically accurate samurai swords. Restocked today.
	Pan De Pack Mini The Japanese hate crusts on bread, and they love making interesting sandwiches like these.
	Restocked Japanese Study Books Some fun Japanese study books, including the First Kanji Dictionary for kanji, a JLPT reading textbook and information from all parts of Japan.
	Restocked Japanese Pencil Cases, Notebooks Fun pencil cases incl. One Piece and Tyrant Habanero, more interesting Japanese notebooks and pens!
	Deco Tape ~ Beautiful Decoration Tape The popularity of the beautiful decorative tape we've been carrying has surprised us. Here are some more cute variations.
	Lucky Charm for Safety Driving A new year is a good time for taking stock and making plans for the future, and Japanese love to buy omamori during this time, to protect the ones they love. We've restocked several today, incl. the Good Luck Charms Origami (w/English instructions) and the popular Lucky Charms for Safety [sic] Driving. View products »
	Traditional Japanese Ear Cleaners You haven't lived until you've had your ears cleaned by a Japanese bamboo mimikaki. Awesome product restocked today.
	More Traditional Items in Stock More traditional products, incl. the Sakura Lover's Miso Soup Bowl, Natural Stone Calligraphy Set, and more awesomeness.
	'Ore no Imouto' Air Freshener *Preorder* A fun new item for your home or car. "There's now way my younger sister could smell this fresh!"
	Evangelion Plugsuits Glasses Cases *Preorder* This has been a good year for people who wear glasses, and now we've got official Eva glasses cases!
	One Piece PansonWorks Cushions So oft and awesome! Here are cushions that will make any One Piece fan happy, whether you're going to take a nap with one, sit on them as Japanese people do or use them to decorate your excellent otaku room. View products »
	A Certain Magical & Scientific Parody Toys We are often floored by the creativity of Japanese products. Here are two parody onahole stress toys for men which recreate Mikoto and Index from A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun. Turn them around to try anal sex. For novelty use only. View products »
	Miku Hatsune, Vocaloid Parody Stress Toys Bring your love of Miku Hatsune to the next level with the Future Loid toys we've restocked today. Several types restocked, plus True Heart Kasumi.
	Meta Groovy Then for our female customers, a really outstanding personal massager from Japan for taking the edge off after a long day at work.

More Strange Observations about Language

It's funny how words change as they move from one language to another. The word "sabotage" supposedly came from the wooden shoes worn by factory workers in Europe, which were thrown into factory machinery when workers rioted against the factory owners. This word has come all the way to Japan where it means "to stay home from school without permission" (e.g. to sabotage your own education by playing hooky). When the Allies occupied Japan from 1945-1952, they brought back a wave of imported Japanese words like honcho and "skosh" (meaning "just a little"), plus a few that were pronounced rather oddly, e.g. the rice wine sake being pronounced "saki" and ritual suicide by self-disembowelment hara-kiri becoming "hairy-carrie." Sometimes we can never figure out why words mean what they mean. To a font geek like myself, a "serif" is a decoration on certain kinds of fonts, but in Japanese the word serifu denotes a quote or a spoken line, most specifically a spoken line from a play or TV performance. Over the past decade the Japanese have begun to use the English word "bitch" as a colorful slang phrase, and a trivia show pointed out that nineteen of the 20 players on a soccer team from Yugoslovia had "bitch" in their name. (Well, it was the name ending -vich, but it's all the same in katakana.)

American GIs brought back some interesting Japanese words with them...and some bad pronunciations.

Daruma Dolls in Japan, Making Your Wishes Come True

One of my favorite images of Japan are the Daruma, the unique red dolls that are seen everywhere around this time of year. Originally a representation of Bodhidharma, a historical figure from India who's considered the father of Zen Buddhism in China and Japan -- he meditated for so long that his arms and legs atrophied and fell off, which is where his unique shape comes from -- the Daruma doll has become closely associated with New Year's in Japan. The Japanese equivalent of making a new year's resolution -- say, to make 2011 the year of learning Japanese for example -- is buying a a new Daruma doll and painting one of its eyes black when you make your wish for the new year. If your wish comes true, color the other eye black as a sign of having achieved your goal. Much like Lucky Cat, the cat that beckons good luck into your home or place of business, the Daruma can be considered a popular business-related kami, and most every business displays one of thse dolls proudly, J-List included. Happily, our home prefecture of Gunma is famous for Daruma dolls, and when we ride the train into Tokyo we even get to eat Daruma train bento!

Daruma dolls on New Year's Day.

The Most Famous Poop in Japan

Although the Japanese generally have both feet firmly on the ground, there are times when they can be extremely superstitious. They dislike the number 4 because it has the same pronounciation as "death" (shi), and older department stores and hospitals will omit the 4th floor for this reason (airline ticket counters, too). If you wanted to improve the layout and energy flow of your living room you might pick up a book on feng shui, the Chinese aesthic study of direction and placement/color of objects, but Japan's 1400-year fascination with feng shui has determined the location and orientation of its national capitals of Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) to ensure maximum good fortune for the nation. One expected source of good luck in Japan is...poop, due to the similarity of the word for the bodily function (unko) to the word for "good luck" (unki). That's why when a seagull happened to release an unpleasant package squarely on my daughter's head one day, my wife exclaimed, "That's great, Rina! I always knew you were lucky!" The most famous poop in Japan is the Asahi Super Dry Building near Asakusa. While the company insists the "golden flame" represents the frothy head on a glass of Asahi beer, everyone knows it's a talisman to bring good luck and money to the company. It's common for people to improve their personal luck by carrying a good luck charm in the shape of a poop, and we've got a golden poop phone strap on the site for you today, to help you get more money in 2011!

The most famous poop in Japan, the Asahi Beer Headquarters in Asakusa.

New English Dating-sim Game Announced: My Girlfriend is the President

We're looking ahead to 2011 already, and we think it's going to be a great year, with many fun and interesting products from Japan for you. It'll also be a great one eroge, the interactive Japanese visual novels and dating-sim games, too. We're happy to have our first new game license announcement, and it's one that fans have been requesting a lot, called My Girlfriend is the President. One day, aliens arrive on Earth and brainwash everyone into thinking that your childhood friend Yukino is President of New Japan, complete with her very own Wh*te House. It's a hilarious game with many awesome moe characters which you'll love playing. You can visit our product page to preorder now (NSFW), see the basic My Girlfriend is the President Official English site that's been launched, or go right to the hilarious game trailer on YouTube (SFW).

Cool Products Wednesday, December 29, 2010

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.

	Megami Magazine Feb 2011 The new year is upon us, and with it another crop of delicious moe anime! Megami Magazine is here to celebrate with another issue packed with over twenty large A3-size posters for you to enjoy, and a 2011 12-month calendar too! As usual, Megami is one of the most awesome products J-List sells and we recommend it to everyone! View products »
	Chaos;Head & Steins;Gate ~ Artbook Nitroplus and 5pb created a new genre of "science adventures" bishoujo games, and this book is the definitive guide to both of them!
	Touhou Project Oppai Mouse Pad ~ Inaba Reisen Udongein Inaba, the popular "moon rabbit" from the Touhou project shooting games, is here in a very comfortable form for you to enjoy!
	Phone x Phone iPhone Stand Take advantage of the touchpad feature of your iPhone while you're talking with this handy docking station that provides a real phone attachment.
	Fun San-X Products, Too Fun San-X items in stock today, including those over-ear Rilakkuma headphones and the cute fizzing "Bath Balls" with Mamegoma toys inside. Kawaii!
	Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls 02 (Blu-ray Disc) When feudal sengoku Japan meets the modern day in a fanservice action epic you get the dynamite series that is Samurai Girls. Packed with Blu-ray extras!
	Disappearance of Haruhi, More Restocked These discs sold so fast, we were looking at the Disappearance of the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Happily they are restocked + Nanoha & Macross.
	Little Busters Costume Mantle Cloak and Hat set Noumi Kudryavka, the signature character from Little Busters, is here in this costume for you to portray her with all you need to get the look perfect!
	Restocked Striped Panties, Leg Warmers, Cosplay See awesome cosplay items, including shimapan striped panties, our popular Red Scarf School Swimsuit, plus epic leg warmers for winter.
	Various Anime Figures In Stock Enjoy the ecchi Sasami from Little Busters, the amazing Yoshika Figma from Strike Witches, plus pucchi (petit) Queen's Blade figures and moe, er, we mean more. Click to see our awesome lineup of epic figures now. View products »
	Nendoroid Petite K-ON! Full Set of 11 K-On! fans, one of the coolest sets of toys we've ever seen is here. A massive set of 12 kawaii Nendoroid K-On! figures!
	Jason and the Argonauts Skeleton Revoltech Then, let's all bow before the awesomeness of the Skeleton Army Revoltech figures which just came in. Get these guys some K-On! instruments!
	Ceramic Art Experience with Oven Build your own ceramic creations with all you need right here in this awesome craft set. Make traditional Japanese dishes!
	DX Women's Satin Kimono Sakura & Temple ~ Black A beautiful yukata-style Kimono that's appropriate for year-round wear with light fabric and durable printing that looks just gorgeous.
	Crystal Lucky Cat Display  One can never have too much luck, and this cat is here to make sure your have your share! An adorable and skillfully crafted piece of Japanese culture.
	Golden Poop and Toilet Keychain Some things in Japan defy description. This is one of them -- the glorious golden poop good luck charm -- which promises to bring you money-related happiness.
	Restocked Daruma, Traditional Items Take the Daruma Initiative with these traditional round dolls from Japan, restocked today, great for setting goals for 2011. We also have awesome sake cups and other fun items for New Year's. View products »
	2011 Japanese Calendars Just a reminder that we've still got 100 awesome Japanese calendars from your favorite anime, JPOP groups, JAV idols and more. But they're selling fast...
	Jiji Pouch - Kiki's Delivery Service Every day we get new Studio Ghibli products in is a good day, and today we've restocked some fun Jiji the Cat items, incl. a pouch to hold your money.
	Wacky Things from Japan J-List loves Wacky Things from Japan (tm), and today we've restocked that Piko Piko Hammer which Beat Takeshi hits guests on the head with.
	Super New Japanese Snacks A delicious package of traditional shoyu-painted rice crackers, winter-limited Cho-pan by Meiji, plus a new flavor of Ninja Food that makes you smart!
	Super Restocked Snacks Bontan Ame traditional candy you can eat the wrapper of, Morinaga Milk Caramel (Cat Buses love these), Pumpkin Pocky, Country Ma'am Soft Cookies and more.
	Family Size SAKURA JUBAKO Bento Box Nothing says togetherness like having a family or group meal using this giant family-sized bento box, great for entertaining or picnicking, too!
	Other Restocked Bento Box Sets Also restocked: the super-cool WAON Bento Box sets, which blend the traditional with the awesome.
	Perfect Sushi Molds, Gyoza Makers Then, make sushi the right way with these excellent sushi molds. Gyoza and onigiri shapers restocked, too.
	Hello Kitty Face Lunch Tray We always have a large stock of rare Hello Kitty items for you, like the restocked Hello Kitty Lunch Tray, plus fun bento items.
	Health and Physical Education for Over Thirty This book is a health manual for 30 or older which describes how to get along with the opposite sex, if you know what we mean. Great for hikikomori types!
	More Gorgeous Photobooks from Japan The awesome book of rural towns around Tokyo is restocked, plus the fun Children's Advertising in the Showa Era. We love random photobooks.
	Restocked Japan-Related Books The popular handbook for living in Japan is restocked, plus the ultimate guide to Ekiben, or train station bento lunches. Yum!
	Super Awesome Stationery from Japan "Fude" brush pens for calligraphy in all sizes and widths, StitchLock magic staplers, the gorgeous Zebra La Flleche fragrant gel ink set, and more.
	Kuroneko, Super Sonico Figures *Preorder* Lovely figures of Super Sonico, the Nitroplus mascot, and Kuroneko from My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute! Preorders open today.
	Sci-fi Revoltech No.024 Mark VI (Iron Man) *Preorder* Wow, this one was an awesome surprise - Kaiyodo's Revoltech action figure lineup does Iron Man, and he's looking amazing! Preorder now available.
	My Girlfriend is the President *Preorder* A big announcement from JAST USA! They've got the license to produce "My Girlfriend is the President," the hit game from Japanese maker ALcot, with an English uncensored release coming in 2011. Preorder your copy today for free shipping, and check out the official site here. View products »
	Amazing Stress Toys for Guys Got some amazing restocked stress toys, including the Sexy Twins Perfect Body series, the epic Gal Get Chu Digital Vibrator and e-Rotor, plus Zhang Xiao!
	Tamaki Jyumonji 1/7 Cast off Figure *Preorder* A sexy Santa girl designed by the artist of Angel Djibril?! "Cast off", too, which means there something under that outfit for you to see...
	EROS 2.0 Evangelion Onahole: Asuka, Rei, Mari An epic line of stress toys that can only be called art, this is an Evangelion-themed onahole featuring a laser-etched image of Rei, Asuka or Mari inside, which you...well you "enter" in a metaphysical and physical way. Adding to the awesomeness, they come with "LCL" lotion. View products »