Turning Japanese

The other day I met an American friend for drinks. Because his wife is from China, their kids grow up learning three languages, Chinese, English and Japanese, which always fascinates me. "But didn't I tell you? My wife is Japanese now. She took citizenship." Taking the citizenship of another country is a very special thing -- it means that you've accepted the language, culture and values of your adopted nation and are willing to be counted as one of their number, a decision my friend's wife had made. Although it's one of the most homogeneous places on Earth, foreigners can take Japanese nationality if they meet certain reasonable requirements, including having lived in Japan continuously for five years and having at least basic ability in the language. It's even easier too, now, thanks to a policy change that doesn't require foreigners to take a Japanese name and kanji (although some foreigners like to see their name in kanji). Athletes often take Japanese citizenship for one reason or another, such as the Hawaiian or Mongolian sumo wrestlers who want to run their own sumo stable one day, and gaijin tarento (foreign TV stars) like Bobby Ologun from Nigeria often become Japanese citizens. I'm often asked by J-List customers if I've gotten my Japanese citizenship yet, and I tell them no, I'm quite happy with the permanent residence status I've got now. Mrs. J-List says I would make a kakko warui (lame) Japanese and should stay an American.

It's nice to know there are few barriers to becoming a Japanese citizen, in case it ever becomes an issue.

Want To Learn Japanese? Hai, so desu.

When you start to learn Japanese, the first thing you need to tackle is hiragana, the basic writing system that lets you express sounds in writing. Back in my college days there were more people wanting to take Japanese 101 than could fit in the room, so my teacher declared that everyone who wanted in had to learn hiragana within a week, which got the class size down to a more manageable level in a hurry. Then it's time to roll up your sleeves and start learning vocabulary and getting used to sentences that are ordered differently from English, with the subject at the front of the sentence (when it's not omitted just for fun) followed by the object then the verb. One of the interesting things students discover is that the word "so" is exactly the same in Japanese as in English, e.g. so desu ka? Is that so? hai, so desu Yes, that's so. This took some time for me to wrap my brain around.

J-List has some good suggestions for learning Japanese.

Green Tea Kit Kat, Fukubukuro and More

I try my best to post good Christmas gift suggestions in this space, but it can be a challenge since we have so many items, all of which would potentially be a good gift for someone, depending on what they're interested in. In celebration of International Day of the Ninja (Dec. 5), we've got lots of awesome ninja-related items that would be fun to share with others. If you love Japanese snacks like we do, you'll be tickled at the Limited Matcha and Wasabi Kit Kat in gift-able large boxes, which probably won't last long. Our "Lucky Bag" random grab bags are flying off our virtual shelves, and we've added San Diego-based grab bags with anime toy and ecchi items for you. If you're picking up any San Diego-based items, you can buy a spiffy J-List printed bag (as seen at the conventions this year), great either for putting gifts in or just for using, since it's a really awesome bag. Finally, we are loaded with cute and affordable traditional Japanese items you couldn't find outside a classy gift shop in Kyoto, like the Eco Washi Daruma and Lucky Cat figures we posted, which contain your fortune...and a seed to plant a tree!

Quentin Taratino Joins the Softbank Family

One of the more interesting aspects of living in Japan is seeing famous faces from back home starring in local TV commercials. Like Tommy Lee Jones playing an alien observing human behavior while he drinks Boss Coffee, or Charlize Theron frolicking in the bath, or Harrison Ford downing a cold Kirin Ichiban Shibori beer then wiping the foam from his mouth. The '24' commercials in which Jack Bauer chases terrorists through Tokyo then takes a quick Calorie Mate break are classic, and they even brought Audrey Hepburn back from the dead to plug Afternoon Milk Tea. There's a word in Japanese -- miihaa -- which describes a person who can't resist the latest trends and who goes ga-ga over seeing a famous person. Some companies develop reputations as miihaa too, when they use famous foreigners in their TV commercials a lot. The "King of Miihaa" in Japan has got to be Softbank, which has paid millions to stars such as Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz -- she got $3 million for six hours of work, for example -- to plug its cell phones. Now Quentin Tarantino has joined the ranks of famous gaijin in Japanese TV commercials, showing off his kung-fu prowess beside the cute white dog Otosan ("Dad").

"Uncle Quentin" is the newest addition to the Softbank family.

The Standing Prime Minister is Nailed Down

One of the most famous phrases related to Japan is deru kui wa utararu (de-ru KOO-ee wa oo-TAH-reh-roo), which means "the standing nail is driven" and describes the tendency of Japanese to want to "hammer down" anyone who rises above others, or who stands out. This concept comes up in politics quite often, and the minute a new Prime Minister takes office, he quickly finds himself assailed from all sides. Prime Minister Hatoyama is in hot water over over not properly declaring financial gifts totaling 900 million yen ($10 million) from his mother, who is the daughter of the founder of the Bridgestone Tire Company. It's leading to a lot of jokes about the Prime Minister getting his cash stipend to families with children early -- poking fun at the Democratic Party of Japan's promise to divert money from public works projects and dole it out to families instead. Apparently Mr. Hatoyama isn't the down-to-earth everyman, sitting around reading Kani-Kousen (Crab-Canning Ship, the famous anti-Capitalist novel that's been getting popular in Japan in recent years) he was painted as.

Hatoyama answers questions before the Diet.

Origin of the Atari Name and Logo

There are many benefits of learning Japanese. You get to interact with some of the friendliest people in the world and share your ideas with them, and learn about Japan on a new level. Another fun aspect of studying Japanese is finding out what all those company names mean. Like how Subaru is the Japanese word for the Pleiades star group, which was logical as it was formed when seven smaller companies merged into one. Or how Nintendo's kanji name is a shortened version of a Chinese proverb which translates as, "Man does what man can do then awaits the verdict of heaven or fate." Or how many company names like Asahi and Hitachi mean "sunrise," a famous image of the country. Another interesting name is Atari, which company founder Nolan Bushnell chose when no one liked his first pick, Syzygy. Originally a term in the Japanese game of go that's similar to "checkmate" in chess, the verb ataru means to hit (as in to hit something with your body), to try something, or to be successful at something. If someone guesses the correct answer to a question you've asked, you can say "Atari!" to mean "that's correct!" When you learn the kanji for ataru you get another surprise, as it looks very much like the company's logo.

The iconic Atari logo was derived from a Japanese kanji for ataru.

My Daughter, the Dojikko

I've always thought my life would make a good basis for a 4-koma (4-panel) manga, perhaps called "Papa wa Gaikoujin" (Dad is a Foreigner). I think there'd be a lot of potential humor in a comic about an American who runs a company in Japan, and how his Japanese employees adjust to working for a foreigner who pulls out Gundam quotes at random. The comic would also feature my wife, who pretends to be an average Japanese woman despite having married me, and my overly-analytical son, a "physics otaku" given to pointing out everyone's faults like Meru Otonashi from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. But the star of the comic would be my daughter, who is the classic Japanese dojikko or clumsy lead character, like Sailor Moon or Doremi from the magical girl anime. Her love of reading manga instead of studying, tendency to fail to know any English or Japanese word at the most embarrassing moment and general ability to make everyone else in the family say nyoro~n! a lot (essentially meaning "oh, I am so upset") would be funny to read, I think.

Magical Girl Doremi (center) is an example of a dojikko or clumsy character, like my daughter.

Today is Awesome Bento Day at J-List!

We're declaring today to be Awesome Bento Day, when we bring you some of the most excellent bento boxes from Japan, perfect either for giving as a gift or to use for yourself. See beautiful traditional bento boxes, fresh stock of our best-selling Totoro Thermal Bento Box Set, plus a huge selection of bento accessories. You can see all our bento boxes here, browse bento accessories like those fun onigiri makers here, or scan the top-selling bento items on the site here and here.

Carnivore Zentraedi

It's fun to observe how the social trends of each era are reflected in the anime being produced at the time. Back in the 80s, it was common for pop idols like Seiko Matsuda to go out of their way to act ridiculously cute as a way of winning fans. This was called burikko or "false girl," and you can clearly see this pattern in the original Macross series with Lynn Minmei. Today two words heard in the media a lot are nikushoku joshi and soshoku danshi, literally meaning carnivore women and herbivore men, which describe the recent tendency for women to become more assertive about everything from their careers to sex while many men become more mellow about life, less ambitious and in some ways more effeminate. In the new Macross Frontier series, one of the more interesting characters is Klan Klang, a giant Zentraedi female warrior who is the epitome of a strong, heroic woman, at least when she's in her macronized state. She's an interesting foil to the main character of the series, Alto, a former kabuki actor who played female roles on stage and whose nickname is "Princess Alto."

Klan Klang is one bad-ass Zentraedi, although her micronized (loli) form is less so.

The Concept of "Enryo," and Pizza

Last time I talked about how Japanese will (usually) avoid confronting someone directly if the individual is doing something they don't like. This behavior is part of a wider social pattern called enryo (ehn-ryoh), which means showing restraint or discretion, or used as a verb, to refrain from doing something. In general, it's considered good manners to stoically endure an inconvenient situation and defer to others when interacting socially, and most Japanese have this so deeply ingrained in them it can be difficult to turn off. The classic enryo situation is that last piece of pizza, which goes to waste because everyone in the room is too busy being polite and saying "no, you eat it" to each other. One "cure" for this overly polite behavior is the English language itself, since by its nature it forces Japanese to break their own thinking patterns, use informal speech and talk to people using their first names rather than using the -san name ending, which can create unwanted formality. So when I want to get the Japanese staff of J-List to loosen up during our annual karaoke night after our official Year-End Party, I can start speaking English and watch them relax.

Eating pizza with Japanese people is good because you usually get more for yourself.

Images of Japan Seen Through World War II

World War II was a tumultuous time, and it's interesting looking at the various ways our current image of Japan was formed by the experiences of those who lived through it. Japan's warrior soldiers served as the inspiration for more than one non-human race in popular culture, most famously the Klingons of Star Trek, whose bushido-style system of honor and feudal society are based on Japan. The original novel of Planet of the Apes was written by Pierre Boulle of France and was based on his experiences in a prison camp during the war. (He also wrote Bridge Over the River Kwai.) Images of Japan during the war have filtered through in interesting other ways. For example, everyone knows about the hachimaki headbands the Japanese wear, which declare for all to see your intention, whether it's to defeat your enemies at all costs or pass that difficult test.

J-List Christmas Update

Remember that J-List is in full "Christmas mode," ready to get any order out to you in record time. There are thousands of unique items on J-List that would be great for your holiday list. Like some fun ways to enjoy traditional Japanese sake, relaxation toys that move back and forth through the miracle of solar power, the best selection of bento boxes and related items anywhere, plus this year's excellent crop of anime calendars and Studio Ghibli schedule books. Another fun way to get ideas for gifts is to add our J-List customer wishlist addition feed to your RSS reader. And good news: J-List is extending our special offer this year another week, giving you $5 back for every $100 you spend on the site (shipping excluded) in the form of an electronic coupon you can use on the site at any time, with no limitations.

Random Driving Tips for Japan

Although large cities like Tokyo have extensive public transportation systems, out here in Gunma having a car is really a requirement. Driving in Japan can be a hectic experience at first as you get used to driving on the left side of the road, yet another example of Japan copying Britain during its period of modernization, but you get used to it quickly enough. Here are some other random tips for driving in Japan. If possible, don't drive behind those small "K" cars with the yellow license plates, as their engines can't go very fast. Don't have an accident when laughing at the fake police mannequins standing by the side of the road, which are there to scare drivers into slowing down. And if you see a car with Kobe license plates, make sure you keep your distance. Supposedly a lot of yakuza gangsters from the Kobe area like to get into accidents on purpose then make you pay for imagined injuries, which is called atariya or "professional accident faker."

The Toyota IQ is a spiffy-looking car, but you don't want to drive behind one in traffic.

Japan and "Juken" (Test-Taking)

Raising kids in Japan inevitably means guiding them through juken, or "taking an important test." Both my kids had to pass difficult entrance exams to get into their current schools, which we prepared for for several weeks, and it was an interesting process for me to observe as an outsider. Japanese are very good at getting into "juken mode," spending hours not only studying the subject matter but coming up with concrete strategies for passing the test based on their own strengths and weaknesses. (Sometimes they wear these while they study.) Helping your kids prepare for tests brings the dramatic moment when you hear the results. My son recently took "pre-level 1" of the "Eiken" standardized test of English, which is so difficult that many college students couldn't manage it. Receiving word that he passed the test was one of the high points of his life, and we were all very happy. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is just nine days away, and if you'll be taking the test, J-List wishes you good luck!

Some students wait to see if they've passed their university entrance exams.

Even More Gift Ideas from J-List, Sale Event Reminder

Remember that J-List is in full "Christmas mode," processing orders with great speed and getting them out the door to you with no delay. We've got thousands of great items for making your gift-giving extra special this year, including beautiful traditional products like our Lucky Cat tea cups, fine Totoro plates from Noritake, awesome Japanese Snack Gift Sets, delightful Hello Kitty products from Japan, and more. Remember: Through Monday, we'll send you a coupon for $5 for every $100 you spend on the site as a special way of saying thanks for making J-List your favorite wacky shop in Japan.

Are The Japanese Too Polite?

The Japanese have developed a reputation for being among the most polite people in the world. Perhaps this is related to the country's high population for its land area -- 834 people per square mile, compared with just 86 in the U.S. -- or perhaps it has something to do with living in houses with paper doors. Japanese tourists are consistently ranked the world's most polite, and the local version of the "men at work" sign expresses deep apology for the inconvenience the construction is causing everyone -- isn't that cool? But could it be the Japanese are too polite for their own good? When Japanese people have a problem with something someone is doing, they'll usually have a discussion among themselves about it and never, ever ask the individual to change their behavior. While at a stoplight, it's common to turn your headlights off to avoid blinding the person across the intersection from you, and the idea of leaving your car in the parking lot of the "coin laundry" while you run into the post office next door would be scandalous, so they park along the dangerous street instead. This strange politeness exists in the business world, too. When J-List contacts a distributor whose products we want to sell, they always ask if we've already got a relationship with another distributor in their industry, and will avoid doing business with us if the answer is yes. You'd think that companies would try to win customers from their competitors by offering better products and services, but Japanese distribution companies are sometimes too honorable for their own good.

Even the road construction signs in Japan are polite.

Japan, Conformity and Thanksgiving

I've written before about how Japan seems to be a very harmonious place, where people are more or less on the same wavelength about most things. While this leads to a happier, more stable society all around, it also creates a certain degree of "tyranny of the masses" in which, say, it becomes difficult to find low-fat milk in stores because the Japanese love to drink the 3.7% milk-fat stuff instead. Sadly for this time of year, the list of foods that are difficult to find in Japan includes turkey, which the Japanese never developed a habit of eating, and this can make trying to have a traditional Thanksgiving difficult for an American in Japan. We'll muddle through however -- I forsee a big bucket of KFC in my family's future.

Another example of Japan appearing perhaps "too" unified is the separation of gomi (trash), which becomes quite important when you have a country with half the population of the U.S. living in 1/25 the area. Depending on your city's local rules, trash must be separated into categories such as burnable -- called moeru, which sounds like an anime term although it's a different word altogether -- cans (steel and aluminum must be separate), plastics, "natural resource" items like PET bottles and newspapers, and "dangerous items" like light bulbs. Trash must be left in the designated place at 7:30 am, and the pick-up day for each kind of trash is different. Everyone will know if you're not careful enough at separating your trash, since people are required to use designated clear trash bags and (depending on local rules) write their names on the side. Not following the proper gomi procedures or trying to -- gasp! -- put your trash out the night before won't earn you a fine by the police or anything, but something much worse: the silent disapproval of your neighbors, which is a very difficult thing to bear.

Do you get this joke? Moeru sounds like a cool moe anime, although the kanji is different. Mr. Yaranaika is moenai gomi or something that I just can't get into, although the real meaning of moenai gomi is "trash that will not burn."

Japanese gomi comformity can be a challenge for anyone.

Lucky Grab Bags, Much More from Japan

J-List is stocked to the brim with awesome products from Japan, which you can order and receive in plenty of time for Christmas. We've got rare toys, charming traditional products from Japan, awesome 2010 calendars, warm hoodies and T-shirts and fun Japanese snacks that'd be fun to give to others. Today we're posting our popular Fuku-bukuro, aka "Lucky Bag" grab-bags filled with random fun products at a great price, which are customers love. And more good news: Through Monday, we'll send you a coupon for $5 for every $100 you spend on the site as a special way of saying thanks to you.

I love using the Internet because it lets us interact with people from all over the world in a way that's very personal. I have embraced Twitter, and use it to throw out thoughts on Japan, anime and also J-List-related site news. You can follow my normal Twitter account, I've added some automated feeds that let you see when new products are added to J-List, including @jlist_anime (anime & toy items), @jlist_bento (bento related), @jlist_HK (Hello Kitty items), @jlist_snack (new snack items), and @jlist_18_books and @jlist_tenga (both NSFW). Just follow these feeds and see products as they pop onto the site.

Get Married in the Georgian House

When you drive in the city of Takasaki, located next to J-List's home of Isesaki and the Gunma prefectural capital of Maebashi, you can tell there's something different about the place. The roads are much more cramped and narrow than normal, enough so that I actually get tired when driving there. The reason Takasaki's roads are much harder to navigate, I've been told, is that the city was never bombed during World War II, which meant that the city center was never redesigned to be more modern and easy to use. Driving in crowded Takasaki, therefore, you might be surprised to see a beautiful old-style manor home right near the train station, which looks like something transported from 18th century England. It's a wedding hall called The Georgian House, one of the most popular places to get married in our prefecture. Couples can choose exactly the kind of traditional British (?) wedding they want, complete with a ride in a Rolls-Royce. For extra realism, you can have your wedding ceremony performed by a gaijin minister, who oddly enough looks just like the guy who teaches English conversation around the corner -- imagine that.

You can get married in a beautiful 18th century British manor in Japan. Is this what British weddings are like?

Macross Frontier Movie Report

It's not every day a Macross movie comes out, so my son and I headed down to our local theatre to check it out. It was the theatrical release of the Macross Frontier series, which tells the story of the 25th colonial fleet to depart after the final Zentraedi battle of 2009. The movie was great, with new animation , many changes to the story and characters, all the requisite "fan service" scenes, and since it's Macross, lots of new songs. (If it had been Star Trek, there'd be lots of new space anomalies.) As usual, it was fun to compare movie theatres in Japan with the ones back home. The theatre we were at was new and clean, and they offered little extras like lap blankets for customers who got cold in the theatre, and Yebisu beer at the concession stand, bless them. Japanese movies are expensive, however, costing $20 for an adult ticket at the current exchange rates, and the last showing is usually around 9:00 pm, since Japanese never got the habit of going to movies late at night. If you're the kind of person to laugh heartily at jokes, you might find yourself laughing alone, since Japanese are generally very quiet while viewing a movie.

The new Macross Frontier movie is great, with 90% all new animation compared to the series.