Greetings from J-List June 20, 1998

Hi, everyone. This is a quick update, since I had time to put the new Ureccos and Jo Mag issues onto the list. These magazines are very nice -- the Urecco issue has the "1997 Urecco Grand Prix, in which they present the results of the most-popular-om-Japan survey. Who will take the coveted #1 best in AV" slot? Or the "best in Swimsuit" category?

Well, I'm thirty today, the big three-oh. That's 10, 958 days (counting the last eight leap years), although it doesn't feel a day past 8000. Tonight Chiharu and I are going to our favorite French restaurant in Maebashi (the Japanese, historically believing themselves to be a European country, are quite fond of French cuisine), and then it's off to Ota for Deep Impact, which starts today.

Have a nice weekend!

Greetings from J-List June 19, 1998

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Greetings from J-List June 17, 1998

Well, all this heat and humidity is better than the alternative, constant rain, which usually plagues Japan (except Hokkaido, which is so far north) during June and July. I do miss San Diego, which is right on the sea, and warmed with hot winds from the desert, which remove all the humidity from the air.

I'm off to Tokyo this evening, to meet some people, so I'm doing the update now. To save money (and because I like the place), I stay in a 24-hour sauna, which is basically a nice sauna/bath that you can enter any time, 24 hours a day. At night, you can sprawl out on a little mat, or in one of the reclining chairs they prepare for you. You have to be able to endure the snoring of 40 other middle-aged Japanese guys in the room with you, but it's the only way you can sleep in the heart of happenin' Shibuya for just $26.

Tonight's update brings another 25 or so items to the list, on the magazines and shashinshu pages. There are some very nice items on the photobook page especially, some nice items including a great black & white photobook of Gotoh Kumiko, and many more. Check the new items out fast, since they'll go quickly.

Be sure to stop by and check out the really cheap items on the magazine page (3) and the video pages (3 and 4). We've got a ton of really great items at close-out prices, like $5 for Ureccos, $25 for Iijima Ai "the Last Ai Collection" series, videos by Chinese star May Fa, and more. Kaori is always getting on me to get items out the door, so we can make more space in the stock room so that she can get the place organized. Give Kaori a break and check out the close-out items. Thanks.

Greetings from J-List June 16, 1998

Hi from Japan. We had a nice day today -- Japan's rainy season gave us a day of respite, enabling us to spend some time on our finally-completed sun deck. We've added a wooden swing, and a small barbecue. It's wonderful. The new deck should be a good place to try out the telescope Chiharu bought me for my birthday (yes, I turn 30 this Saturday, the big three-oh).

Unfortunately, after over a year of faithful service, my Fuji DX-7 digital camera has apparently died. I wanted to post some pictures of the current state of the J-List office (the foundation is done, and the steel frame will be erected by this Friday), and the sun deck, but my camera is dead. I took some video images and posted them here and here.

We've got another update for you. It's a similar update to the one posted on Friday -- another 30 or so "one shot" books, items like Ureccos and Photoshots and Top Tens and Madaonnas, many from a few years ago. The items went very quickly on Friday, so hurry and check out the list if there are any items you think you want.

Greetings from J-List June 12, 1998

Hi, from the country of raw fish, strawberry sandwiches and elevator girls. I'm enjoying a class of red wine from Chile, while Chiharu snoozes on the couch as usual (this time it was Allie McBiel that put her to sleep). Japan is having quite a boom in red wine these days.

Kaori has not been herself for the last couple of days, because of getting one of her wisdom teeth pulled. Poor Kaori.

We've got a lot of nice new items tonight, mostly on the magazine and shashinshu pages. The new items include about 30 "one shot" magazines, some cool items from a few years ago, as well as recent items: Ureccos and Photoshots and Top Tens and Penthouse Japan's, and other items. Check them out soon!

Also, we've made a few changes to the J-List page. First, we've added a "magazine page 3" page, to allow us to spread out the stock items out so that they can be browsed more easily by everyone. Also, we've broken our DVD items away from the Video CD page, and onto their own page.

Greetings from J-List June 10, 1998

Hello again, from rainy Japan. It was actually a nice day today. Construction of the J-List office (we're going to call it "J-List Towers, although it's quite silly), and they're going to be raising the roof in another week. It's quite exciting to go to the site and see the concrete -- our concrete! -- being poured.

We've got a bunch of new items, including various new magazines and shashinshus (including cool issues of the popular Photoshot). These are mostly one shot" items that will be quite popular, so please check the list soon if you're interested.

Also, we've got two great new Otaku Publishing anime games on the games and CD ROMs pages. OTK10106, Paradise Heights (now shipping!), is a great new game about a wacky, erotic apartment complex. The sequel, OTK10107, Return to Paradise Heights (shipping in July, taking pre-orders now), carries the story even further. These two games are great items from Otaku Publishing.

Greetings from J-List June 7, 1998

It's a cold, gloomy Saturday in Japan, although we've been spared rain long enough for me to finish the sun deck. It's nice to have completed my first carpentry project, although it'll be a while before I undertake anything like that again.

Our big news is the official start (finally!) of construction of the J-List Office. The workmen actually started on Thursday, and have done quite a bit so far, digging out the space for the foundation and filling it with concrete, leveling the ground, and so on. It's been a long battle, and we're really happy to have the building underway. It'll be completed in September.

First of all, we've got about 30 new videos on the Video Catalog pages, including hot new videos by Kanazawa Bunko, Yuki Maiko, Fujisaki Minami, Kano Mizuho, and more. There are also about 50 new "in stock" videos on the Video Warehouse pages. Then, we've got new magazines -- a bunch, including new issues of Milky Tsushin, Sakuranbo Ekisu

Greetings from J-List June 4, 1998

Heigh-ho. I'm enjoying another night of watching American TV on videos sent from Mom, while Chiharu snores peacefully on the sofa. A day of working hard followed by an evening of half-understood X-Files episodes has put her to sleep once again.

We've got a fistful of great new additions to the list tonight. First of all, there are a bunch of great new items on the shashinshu page, including Vivian Hsu's wonderful photobook "Angel, and two by the gorgeous Kusanagi Jun/Asami Narua (two names for the same lovely woman). These are truly great items that we're happy to have been able to find for you.

Then, there are dozens of new items, courtesy of Kaori and Tomoe's efforts to clean out the stock room and find all the items that have fallen through the cracks. There are, as a result, about 50 new" items, magazines, dojinshi, photobooks -- many of which are rare, and will go very quickly.

Greetings from J-List May 30, 1998

It's Friday here in Japan, and I just got done watching the #1 drama on Japanese television. It's called "Meguriai, and it's basically a hammed-up dorama by the Fuji Television Network about the lives and loves of four people -- but I love it. Now we're watching some late-night show in which an ugly New Half" (a man who has become a woman) is interviewing cute Japanese women about something. Wacky Japanese television.

Kaori, my wife and I are all excited about the TRF concert tomorrow. TRF is a Japanese band, one of the "Komuro Family" of musicians and bands (produced by Tetsuya Komuro). It's nice to not have to go all the way into Tokyo for a concert -- TRF has come to Maebashi for us.

The new items we have for the weekend include the wonderful illustration book by Satoshi "Plastic Little" Urushihara, Cell Works. We've got more copies of the popular nude hardcover photobook by Kanno Miho, new magazines, the new Windows 100% CD ROM & magazine combo, and more. Enjoy the new items!

Greetings from J-List May 26, 1998

Well, it's Monday here in Japan. My daughter Rina is exactly one and a half today. She's in the J-List office right now, sitting in Kaori's chair (for some reason she loves chasing Kaori out of her chair when she comes to visit us).

Japan is bustling about the victory of Waka-no-hana, one of the most popular Japanese sumo wrestlers, at the spring Sumo Tournament that ended yesterday. He defeated Hawaiian wrestler Musashino-maru (the guy who looks like an Italian pizza delivery boy -- all of the other Hawaiian wrestlers could pass for Japanese on the street, but ). Waka-no-hana's second straight victory enabled him to reach the rank of Yokozuna, the highest in the sport, joining his brother, Taka-no-hana, and the top-ranked American, Akebono.

The other big news in Japan is the marriage of pop star Matsuda Seiko in a small ceremony in Tokyo. Her new husband is her daughter Sayaka's dentist. Seiko, an extremely famous star who has been a force in the Japanese music scene for more than fifteen years, has made several attempts to break into American music as well. The women many Japanese love to hate, I love her because she's a strong, ballsey woman. She got divorced from her first husband, the actor Kanda Masaki, earlier this year.

There are lots of new items for you all today. First, there are new JPOP CDs (about 25 singles), including great ones by TRF, My Little Lover, Matsutoya Yumi, and more. Then, we have new items on the anime page -- seven new soft vinyl figurines from the Sentimental Graffiti game series. These are extremely realistic-looking anime dolls that you can collect and display. New magazine on the magazine pages include Jo Mag, Gal's Dee, and more. And don't forget that we've got lots of close-out magazines, some going for as low as $3

We've also made a long-overdue change to our video pages. In the past, we've had four pages of "available-by-order" videos, and two pages of "in-stock" videos. The problem is that we've got far more in stock than are on the by-order pages. We've not swapped the two, so that there are four "Video Warehouse" pages and two "Video Catalog" pages. This allows us to put less videos on each page, reducing load time for everyone. As always, the newer additions to the in-stock videos will be on the first page, and close-out bargain videos will be on page 4.

Greetings from J-List May 21, 1998

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Greetings from J-List May 19, 1998

Ah, summer. It's come to Japan with a vengeance, although it's still a month off according to the calendar. The temperature isn't all that high, but the humidity is through the roof. We officially activated our office air condition -- thank god for the gifts of the 20th century.

Every year, the Japanese news reports on which Japanese pay the most income taxes (and thus, had the highest income). The famous Japanese music producer Tetsuya Komuro (who has discover/created such Japanese musicians as Amuro Namie, TRF and Kahala Tomomi -- his many musical creations are known collectivel as the "Komuro Family" here in Japan) is in the #4 of all Japanese, paying roughly US$8 million in taxes. He was #10 last year, so he's doing well. The top-paying actor/entertainer was Taka from Tunnels, who plays the Japanese baseball player in the Major League Baseball movies (the guy who shouts "You have no marbles!").

Lots of nice new items on the list for you tonight, including new issues of Dela Beppin, Bejeans, Video Boy and Best Video. These magazines have great photographs and excellent quality (and some have Andoh Aya), so check out the new offerings -- thanks!

Greetings from J-List May 15, 1998

Hello, and Happy Friday everyone. It's been very quiet around here all afternoon, mainly because Kaori took the afternoon off to get her teeth worked on. I took some time off myself to take the kids for a long bicycle ride. Now that the rain has stopped, it's been nice every day.

The famous sumo wrestler Konishiki, the first Hawaiian wrestler to reach the level of ozeki (the second highest level in the sport), has retired. He's starring in a line of whisky commercials by Suntory in which he uses his great body (upwards of 450 pounds) to imitate bottles of Suntory whisky.

We've got a ton of great items for you today, starting with the February issue of Urecco, which features the beautiful and luscious Asami Narua, who has a 92 cm bust yet a tiny 52 cm waist. The latest issues of Milky Tsushin and Sakuranbo Ekisu are on the list now, as are many more copies of the popular Jo Mag January 1998 issue, featuring the beautiful catlike Andoh Aya. Finally, the new MPEG CD Soft Catalog (without almost two hours of AV on two CD ROMs) is in -- grab it before they sell out, as last month's did so quickly. Finally, more price reductions in our video and magazine pages for you -- enjoy, and have a nice weekend!

Greetings from J-List May 10, 1998

Hello, all. Chiharu and I are enjoying a Saturday evening of Japanese television. First was "Hit Parade!, a cool show that has top Japanese singers singing songs of other singers, which causes some interesting combinations. Then we watched Much Ado about Love, in which famous Japanese comedian Samba has funny conversations about love and sex with pretty women. And now we're watching old episodes of 90210 that NHK keeps on the air. It's great to meet other ex-pat Americans living in Japan who wouldn't admit to watching the show before coming to live here.

The sudden suicide death of Hide, of the popular Japanese rock band X Japan, is current in the news right now. His death has shocked and galvanized his fans, including my wife, who has been a fan of this group ever since she happened to meet Toshi, the lead singer, in a karaoke bar in Los Angeles.

We have a small update tonight, mainly more magazines and photobooks. Especially recommended are the Asami Mao the Nagai Madoka shashinshus. Also, we've knocked down even more prices on magazines and videos that we have too many of, so please check out those pages if you have time -- thanks.

Greetings from J-List May 8, 1998

Hi. I'm going off to Tokyo tomorrow, so Kaori and I worked today to get a nice update out today. We've got a ton of great stuff for you, on the magazine, shashinshu, and manga pages: wonderful magazines such as Mini & Mini Ska, Nippon Mini-Skirt, Body Body, Jo Mag, and more.

Japan is huming along today. Lots of news about the earthquake off the coast of Okinawa. Miura Kazuyoshi ("Kaz"), the most famous Japanese soccer player, turned 30 today. Alien 4 and Starship Troopers have finally wandered into movie theatres here, so I've got some movies to take in on the weekend.

Well, that's all for now -- have a nice Friday.

Greetings from J-List May 6, 1998

Well, Golden Week is finally at an end. Kaori had a nice week off, which means that I was, er, rather busy make sure the emails got out on time. It's funny how your perception of holidays changes when you run a business. ^_^

I have a new virtual pet. It's called Teku Teku Angel, and it's essentially a simple electronic device for recording the number of steps you take during the day, to encourage you to walk more. But it's got a Teku Teku Angel virtual pet living inside it, and if you don't get enough exercise, your pet will eventually wither and die. Hopefully this will get me away from the computer a little more. Is this the next wave of trendy things from Asia?

We have some great new items for everyone today. First, there are about 50 new JPOP CDs, with some great albums (Matsuda Seiko, Akina Nakamori, Nakayama Miho) as well as excellent recent CD singles by such bands as My Little Lover, Globe, Amuro Namie, and more. Then, we've got a few excellent magazines and photobooks for fans of these items, including great items for fans of Nagai Madoka

Greetings from J-List April 30, 1998

Well, Golden Week has started here in Japan. Golden Week is a bunch of Japanese holidays (Green Day, the former Showa Emperor's birthday, Constitution Celebration Day, Boy's Day, and so on) that usually fall very close to each other. All of Japan goes wild trying to experience leisure, which means that anywhere you go in Japan during this time, you find crowds of people. Chiharu and I are going t hunker down, maybe take in a movie at our favorite American-style movie theater in Ota (home of the Subaru Corporation), and relax.

We've got a ton of new items for you, mostly on the magazine, shashinshu, and video warehouse pages. We've got a bunch of Photoshot and NoWon "shashinshu type" magazines, about 50 new videos, several older and rare magazines, and more. We've got some cool shojo manga on the anime page. There are also about 7 "new" dojinshi on the dojinshi page -- although they are repeats of items that had been posted in the past. Thanks, and have a nice Golden Week!

Greetings from J-List April 28, 1998

Another Monday has come to Japan. The weather is still rather dreary, but I managed to get a little bit of work in on the sun deck we're building on our verandah.

Kazuki and I enjoyed the trip to Shizuoka Prefecture. We went to a wonderful onsen (hot springs) hotel near Lake Hamanako, and bathed in the hot springs while looking out over the lake. Kazuki was thrilled to be able to ride a Shinkansen for the first time. He has memorized all the names of the various Shinkansen (Hikari, Nozomi, Tsubasa, etc.) that run in the Kanto region of Japan -- not bad for the age of three.

The two-man team "Yan-pai" (a Japanese comedian and a man from Hong Kong who are hitchhiking from the Cape of Good Hope up to the top of Europe, on the Japanese television show Denpa Shonen) are in Zimbabwe right now (they couldn't cross through Angola because of civil war there), and working their way north. Great television like Denpa Shonen is part of what makes living in Japan fun.

We've got some nice new items for you today, including about 75 new in-stock videos (Matsukawa Ayumi and Fubuki Akira fans take note). We've also got a small mound of new JPOP and anime CDs, including some of the most popular CD singles in Japan right now. Check out the new items if you have time.

Greetings from J-List April 28, 1998

Another Monday has come to Japan. The weather is still rather dreary, but I managed to get a little bit of work in on the sun deck we're building on our verandah.

Kazuki and I enjoyed the trip to Shizuoka Prefecture. We went to a wonderful onsen (hot springs) hotel near Lake Hamanako, and bathed in the hot springs while looking out over the lake. Kazuki was thrilled to be able to ride a Shinkansen for the first time. He has memorized all the names of the various Shinkansen (Hikari, Nozomi, Tsubasa, etc.) that run in the Kanto region of Japan -- not bad for the age of three.

The two-man team "Yan-pai" (a Japanese comedian and a man from Hong Kong who are hitchhiking from the Cape of Good Hope up to the top of Europe, on the Japanese television show Denpa Shonen) are in Zimbabwe right now (they couldn't cross through Angola because of civil war there), and working their way north. Great television like Denpa Shonen is part of what makes living in Japan fun.

We've got some nice new items for you today, including about 75 new in-stock videos (Matsukawa Ayumi and Fubuki Akira fans take note). We've also got a small mound of new JPOP and anime CDs, including some of the most popular CD singles in Japan right now. Check out the new items if you have time.

Greetings from J-List April 24, 1998

Hello, everyone. The weekend is here, and Kazuki and I are preparing to head down to Shizuoka Prefecture tomorrow to visit a friend of mine. Kazuki is so happy to be able to ride his first Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and go to a hot springs hotel. Unfortunately we both have come down with freak colds -- I hope we're not too miserable tomorrow.

I'm very happy to announce that the latest JAST USA title, Runaway City, is finally shipping, along with RCY America's premier release, Nocturnal Illusion. It was a long battle, and we ended up many months behind schedule, but they are finally out the door. If you don't know about the interactive anime role-playing game for adults category of game software from Japan, I recommend that you check out one of the new titles.

Well, have a good weekend. See you when we get back from Mt. Fuji!