Greetings from J-List September 26, 1998

Hello from Japan. It's 1:30 Saturday morning as I write these words -- I had to leave work early to assist with a project my wife had started, the assembling of some very difficult bunk beds for the kids. I've finally got the update ready to go out now, though...

I took another trip to Tokyo today, my second in three days -- whew! It was hot, but the chance to hit Starbucks was worth it. In addition to running around the city looking for great stuff for J-List, I managed to almost complete my Star Wars figure collection (still need to find some Ewok figures though). I have a bookcase with three shelves, so I'm displaying the best of my figures inside. Does anyone know a good way to keep Star Wars figures fastened to a flat surface so that they don't fall down?

We have a fistfull of new items for you today. First, weve finally gotten a bunch of new "available by order" videos from our distributor, with lots of great new releases by Chiasa Aonuma, Yuki Maiko, Kanazawa Bunko, Fujisaki Minami, and the now legendary Kano Mizuho (aka Kusanagi Jun). We'll stock many of these video as soon as we can, but ths is your chance to check out the newest releases and pre-order your copy so that you can be among the first to get it. There are also new videos, on the in-stock page (including some that were "lost" by being put on the wrong page). We've added a bunch of new hardcover photobooks (including the hard-to-find Chiasa Aonuma photobook), and some new magazines (D-Cup Japan). Finally

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Greetings from J-List September 24, 1998

Yesterday was pretty hectic. Chiharu, Kazuki and I took a day off to go down to Tokyo to buy our Saturn. We got a cool one, a SW2 short wagon with beige leather interior. (Click here for a picture of what Saturn's wagon is like.) We pick it up in two weeks.

It took us a long time to decide if we wanted to get a Saturn or not, mainly because the price of many domestic cars here in Japan has fallen along with the economy. However, because we are rather a unique group of people (or think of ourselves as such), we knew we wanted to be one of the few people in Gunma Prefecture with a Saturn. It'll be fun to drive it around.

We have a nice pre-weekend update for you tonight. First, there are new videos, including more copies of the popular High School Lesbian Diary title. Then, we have a nice new selection of new Video CDs, and one DVD. Saegusa Miyu fans should note the excellent Best Collection Then, we have some new toys -- there are some excellent figures from the classic anime show Devilman, and a nifty "real figure" of Tetsujin 28. Finally, there are a bunch of new hardcover photobooks on the shashinshu page.

We have other pages updated, too. First, the About J-List page has been updated, with new pictures of all of us (in our nice new office

Greetings from J-List September 21, 1998

Hello, all. We've had a busy Monday today, mostly with cleaning and arranging the J-List office. Monday is our designated day to clean anything, anyway, but we had a lot of extra work because the rest of our furniture (a small sofa that Chiharu insisted we get for the downstairs, since all Japanese companies have a small sofa near the front door for guests to sit down at) arrived today.

In sports news, Yomiuri Giants coast Nagashima has said he will not retire this year, but will continue to coast the most popular Japanese baseball team. Why? Word is, his retirement would cause many baseball fans to lose interest in the sport, which could exacerbate Japan's recession. Nagashima, a nice old man by now, is by far the most popular Japanese sports figure in the country.

Today's update is a nice little one. On the magazines/photobooks pages, we have added four different Photoshot issues to the page. Photoshot is one of the most popular of all Japanese magazines. With its square back, its large, glossy pages and his high photographic quality, it's more like a high-class hardcover shashinshu than a magazine. Very nice...

Then, we have more anime toys, including some that I am personally very in love with. For Ultraman fans, we have several Ultraman toys, including a deluxe giant-size replica of the original Ultraman. We have Kamen Rider soft vinyl toys, a super-cool detailed replica/figure of the flying turtle-monster Gamera, soft rubber key chains from To Heart, and more. The really cool one is the cast-iron figure from Ashita no Joe -- perfectly detailed and heavy in the hand, this is one dynamite item for fans of campy Japanese pop culture.

Please stop by and see all the cool new items.

Greetings from J-List September 18, 1998

Hi-ho, from the land with cars with names like Super Saloon, Today, and Sunny." It's been a busy week for us here at J-List, and we're happy to see it come to an end. As soon as today's update is posted

Life is moving right along for us. With the office pretty much squared away (we still await delivery of one set of chairs for our big conference table, but everything else is hooked up and running smoothly), we are putting energy into fixing up the kids room. Pictures will undoubtedly be posted at some point in the future, when we get further along.

Tonight's update is a nice one. First, there are new magazines -- a new Best Video, among them. These are added to the rather formidable bunch of magazines that were posted earlier in the week. Then, we have -- a bunch of hardcover photobooks! The softcover Wet Dreams item (see right) is one of my favorites. To that, we are happy to add a cache of in-stock videos, ready to go out to you right away. Among the items added are more copies of Miura Aika's very popular PIA video, and more copies of the #1 all-time Japanese video in J-List's history, Fubuki Akira's "Baby Oil."

(And don't forget the sale on JAST USA games... Thanks.)

Greetings from J-List September 15, 1998

Hello from Japan. Today is Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday. Considering that there are a many older people here in Japan, especially in smaller communities like Isesaki, where we are, it should be an important day. Judging from the crowds in the Toys R Us in Maebashi, everyone was spending time doing things for their kids instead of older people in their lives. We were shopping for a toy chest and some shelves for Rina and Kazuki's room (the old J-List office is going to the kids' room).

The weather forecast for the week is rain, thanks to the latest seasonal typhoon. (See a sattellite photo here if you like.) It sounds like a good week to shut all the windows and get caught up on my email. Summer has finally broken its hold on Japan, but it's still just muggy enough to require the air conditioning.

Today's update is a nice one. We have a whole bunch of great new magazines going into the list tonight, including Bejean (Kusanagi Jun alert!), great new issues of Dela Beppin, Gokuh, and Video Boy, and some specialty items like Nippon Mini-Suka Club. There are over 150 new items added, so please check them out. We've got more of the wonderfully cute Pikachu stuffed animals (Kaori recommends these to everyone), too. Thanks.

Also, don't forget that we're having a big sale on JAST USA games right now. You can save $5, $10 or $20 on 1, 2 or 3 JAST USA games. And we still offer free shipping on any J00x game if you buy another item from J-List at the same time (so if you order all three games, you have to buy, say, three other magazines, in order to get thr free shipping on the J00x games).

Well, gotta go eat dinner. Enjoy the new items!

Greetings from J-List September 12, 1998

I'm enjoying a nice quiet Saturday morning in the office, drinking coffee and finishing up the latest update to the J-List homepage. I got the sudden urge to re-arrange the furniture in my office, so I am about an hour behind schedule. It looks much better now, though.

I noted with sadness after returning to Japan on Monday that Japanese film director Kurosawa Akira died -- on my father's birthday. Kurosawa is one of the Japanese responsible for putting this country on the map internationally, and it's sad to see him go.

Japan is currently under a wave of poisonings. It started with sodium cyanide in some curry rice at a summer festival a month ago (this turns out to have been done to defraud an insurance company), and since then someone has died drinking Oolong tea that had been poisoned, and there have been several incidences of poisonings in schools. What a zany country.

In J-List news, we've got -- a nice update! In addition to five or so new magazines (including the June Urecco, the "lost" March issue of Gal's Dee, and more), we have new in-stock videos (about 10 new videos in all), new soft vinyl toys (including the bizarre "Santa Girl, above), new issues of Windows 100% and MPEG CD Soft Catalog, and -- even more dojinshi! Please enjoy the new items.

Greetings from J-List September 2, 1998

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Greetings from J-List August 31, 1998

Well, Summer is officially over, more or less. It was a great time for us, and a hot time. Zipping back and forth over the Pacific four times sure made it fly by fast.

Japan is recovering from the latest typhoon, typhoon number 4 (they don't name them here, but assign them numbers instead), a real whopper that claimed 15 lives in Tochigi Prefecture (near where we are), in addition to hundreds of cattle, I saw on the news last night. In other news, Apple's iMac has arrived, to great public attention. I saw my first iMac at the Mac-kan in Takasaki the other day, and they are very svelte.

Tonight's update is a nice one. First, we have about 15 new videos, including , more titles by the lovely Miura Aika, Suzuki Minami, Misaki Mao, and more. We also have more copies of nearly all of Kanou Mizuho's very popular videos, including Super Nyumanji, Huge Bust Dynamite, and more. Finally

Greetings from J-List July 16, 1998

Hello to all. This week so far has seen an interesting change in the weather here in Japan -- it's actually gotten cold. It's currently around 15 degrees Celsius, quite uncomfortable to be outside in a T-shirt and shorts. It's late Wednesday night in Japan as I type this, and I've just reached the end of my current Allie McBiel tape. Remember, if you're in the U.S. or get American TV and don't watch this great show, give it a shot.

Japan's big news right now is that the prime minister, Hashimoto, has resigned to take responsibility for losses the Liberal Democratic Party (Jiminto in Japanese) suffered in Sunday's election. Losing a head of state in this fashion is nothing for Japan, indeed there have been eight prime minsters in the short eight years I've lived in Japan. I don't claim to understand the process by which the country moves forward at times like this, but apparently it happens all the time. Personally, I'd like to see a prime minister young enough to have ever used a computer come into power.

We've got a nice mid-week update for you. First, there are about 20 "one shot" magazines on the list, great items ranging from "way back when" issues of Dela Beppin and Video Boy to great recent amateur magazines. Also, on the manga page, there are a dozen or so "wide edition" adult mangas that we're offering -- some are quite good. and all are cheap, so check out the new items. Also, the April Urecco is really wonderful -- I have posted new scans showing some of the highlights.

Response to the J-List Summer Video Sale has been excellent so far. Remember, you get $1 off for one in-stock video, $2 each for two (i.e., $4), $3 each for three, and so on, up to five videos. Considering that many of the items are reduced and/or come with free SAL shipping already, you are basically getting some great stuff for almost free while helping us out. We're moving the videos out so that we'll have less stock to move over for our upcoming move. Kaori would appreciate it if you'd check out the great videos we have in stock -- thanks!

Greetings from J-List July 14, 1998

Hi from Japan. The big news from this side of the ocean is that Godzilla has finally hit here -- to monster-sized yawn, according to most accounts. My wife and I were quite disappointed with the the film, not just because they turned one of the major film genres of the 20th century into Jurassic Park III, but also because of the lack of respect for the original work they showed. Except for Godzilla's piercing screech and the flashing Toho picture before the start of the movie, nothing survived the transition -- not the uplifting and unique original's musical score, not the themes of Godzilla as a protector of Japan, not the slow-moving campiness. All had been sacrificed for flashy CG and a love interest between Ferris Beuler and a blonde Betty Boop that was apparently inspired by the movie "Twister." (Japanese director Shusuke Kaneko pointed out in a Jiji Press article that it was interesting that the Japanese Godzilla "stoically braves missile attacks" which cannot harm him, but the American film-makers "seem unable to accept a creature that cannot be put down by their weapons.")

The film is really one of the best examples of how different Japan and America are. My wife, with all her wisdom, once observed that "if an American has a choice between a small, delicious piece of cake, and a big one that tastes awful, he'll take the big one every time." (Apologies to anyone who's offended by any of this...but my wife and I were up til dawn after watching the American Godzilla, so I wanted to pass on some of her thoughts to the list...) In Japan, a major aesthetic theme is that of wabi and sabi, which can be summed up as "less is more" or "simple is best." This can be explained best by a scene I saw in Hideyoshi, a great samurai drama that was on NHK a couple of years ago about the life of Hideyoshi Toyotomi

Announcing the J-List Summer Video Sale

Because we've got to clear our large stock of videos out in time for our forthcoming move, we're having a Big Sale on all in-stock videos. In addition to current prices and free-shipping offers. J-List will give you

$1 off if you order one video
$2 off per video if you order two videos
$3 off per video if you order three videos
$4 off per video if you order four videos
and $5 off per video if you order five or more videos!

This means you can get $25 off an order of five already-reduced videos, or $500 off if you order just 100 videos (well, that's getting a little carried away, but you know what we mean). You'll be happy, since you'll get some great Japanese AV and save a bunch of money, Kaori will be happy because it will free up the stock room -- everyone wins! Considering that there are some close-outs on the Video Warehouse pages as low as $25, with free SAL shipping included, this offer brings the prices to ridiculously low levels. Now is the time to stock up on all the Ozawa Madoka and Yoshino Sari videos you need to get you through the summer...

The sale only applies to in-stock Japanese AV videos, and only until the end of July.

Greetings from J-List July 11, 1998

Greetings from still-hot Japan! My first week back in Japan is over, and we're ready for the weekend here at J-List. On Saturday the Tanabata Festival begins in Maebashi, so we'll be taking that in. This is a modern festival based on an old Chinese legend involving a prince (the star Vega) and a princess (some other star in the same constellation) who are doomed to meet each other only once a year. In reality, it's an excuse to walk around in a cotton kimono and eat food from stalls that are run by the local

Big update for you this evening. First, the new Paradise Lost manga is in (vol. 7). This is a great item for any fan of Japanese dojinshi, as it offers 200+ pages of great erotic Evangelion dojinshi art with a great cover and price. Then, we've got the new Urecco, which is really an excellent issue (Akane Ichinose is not to be missed). Finally, fans of Japanese CD ROMs should not miss the MPEG Soft Catalog (which provides nearly 2 hours of Japanese AV action and a magazine, all for just $25) and the All Pasocom CD Soft Catalog (three CD ROMs with tons of Japanese AV stuff, all for less than the price of a video).

I hope you all have a great (and cool) weekend. Stop by the page if you have a moment. Thanks!

Greetings from J-List June 29, 1998

Well, it's election time again here in Japan, and here, that means candidates driving around in trucks from 8 am with speakers mounted on them, announcing their platform and asking for the support of the neighborhood. The issues in this election center around the economy, as you can imagine, and mostly how to help stimulate the economy here out of the recession. The Japan Communist Party's platform, for example, supports reducing the consumption tax (sales tax) from 5% back to 3%.

The two-man team of commedians (one Japanese, one from Hong Kong) who are hitchhiking from the bottom of Africa to the top of the Scandanavian Peninsula have entered Kenya after five months on the road. Their trek is broadcase every Sunday evening in Japan and in Hong Kong. And Nasubi, the man who is trying to live off of things he wins by sending out thousands entries (he ran out of rice for a while, and had to live off of some dog food he had won), has moved, due to his top-secret location being discovered by some reporters. He has won approximately $4000 worth of prizes so far, and has only $6000 to go.

We've got some excellent items to add to the list today. First, there are a bunch of new Video CD and DVD titles, including some really excellent items. Fubuki Akira's premier on Video CD is here in a great title from Bauhaus. It's a soft porn performance that is just beautiful. As if that weren't good enough news, Kusanagi Jun's excellent soft-porn Video CD "G-Cup Danger" is a wonderful treat. Then there are new Video CD and DVD items by Aida Momo, Kanazawa Bunko, Ozawa Madoka, Shirakawa Marina, a Bust Video Gold Video CD compilation, and more. Momo Aida's compilation DVD (2 hours!) is especially recommended for fans of this great woman.

Then we have more magazines -- including the new issue of the excellent Dela Beppin (Kanazawa Bunko and Suzuki Momoka fans take note -- this issue is good), the new Pixie 17, the excellent Panstopia, and more.

Well, have to dash out the door. Hope you all had a good weekend.

Greetings from J-List June 27, 1998

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Greetings from J-List June 25, 1998

Hello, all. Another update from the land of cars with names like Super Saloon, Soarer, Mitsubishi Thanks Chariot, and Bongo Friendy.

We had a nice surprise today: 40 copies of Kusanagi Jun's excellent photobook, Kubire (the word describes the inward curve of a woman's hip, which Jun-chan has in spades, with her tiny waist). We had been told by our distributor that the book was in limbo, waiting to see if it would be re-printed by its publisher, so we had removed it from the photobooks page. We're happy to report that it's back on the list now.

There are many other newly added items, including a cache of photobooks, including two excellent ones by photographer Goro. New magazines include Nippon Mini-suka, Panst Dream, the deluxe Mini-suka Collection, Be Back, and more. There are about 75 new items added in all.

JPOP fans should also stop by the JPOP page, to see the 5+ new albums and 30+ new CD singles that have been added. Speed's "My Graduation, new items by Amuro Namie, dos, TM Revolution, and more.

Be sure to see the video pages, if you haven't since yesterday, and see the new items that have been added. Remember, there are lots of bargain items to be had, like Ureccos and other magazines for $5, Iijima Ai's videos series for $25, and more.

P.S. Wow! As I write these words, watching the Japanese news, we just had a big earthquake here on the Kanto plain. I'm not sure of the magnitude, but it was a 3" rating according to the Japanese scale.

Greetings from J-List June 23, 1998

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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.