On Reading Japanese

One of the great mysteries of learning a non-Western language like Japanese is when your brain actually starts "reading" it normally. We all know that Japanese is just another language with its own unique grammar and writing system, but the first time we look at the characters, they can look like snakes squirming on the page. When I started studying Japanese at SDSU, I was sure I'd have to drop the class because the Japanese characters were too difficult for me to read. And yet, as I practiced with my hiragana flash cards and kanji practice notebooks, things started to get easier. Before I knew it, my brain was starting to read Japanese in the same way it read English, clumping information together in easy-to-digest visual groups, in the same way you process a word like "constitutional" without being aware of the individual letters.  Kanji was refreshingly logical once you looked closely, with the character for "tree" incorporated into related characters like sakura (cherry tree), desk, pillar or village, helping you memorize everything. As usual, we have plenty of Japanese study products for you to explore, as well as stock of popular manga to practice reading with (which was my own study method of choice).

Fun Japanese Advertising: the One Piece Train Edition

Advertising in Japan is incredibly creative, and I sometimes find myself enjoying the way a message is delivered even though I might not care about the product being offered. Often advertisers will try to come up with a label for a certain group, to make it easier to reach that group with its advertising. Clothing retailer Aoki invented the word "freshers" to describe the new crop of fresh, young university graduates who are just entering the workforce, and JR targeted the profitable segment of women over the age of 50 who take vacations in groups with the positive-sounding word "nice middy." Train advertising is also very creative, and one way to get your message into the minds of a lot of people is to "jack" (hijack) a train, which is when a company reserves every inch of ad space, making it impossible to look at anything else while you ride. Recently the Interwebs were buzzing with pictures of the "One Piece Train" which publisher Shueisha launched to commemorate the manga's selling 200,000,000 copies (enough to reach 4000 km into space, if you're keeping score).

A popular Japanese advertising strategy is "train-jacking."

Macross Frontier: The Wings of Goodbye

The new Macross Frontier "Wings of Goodbye" (Sayonara no Tsubasa) movie opened yesterday, and being a dedicated Japan blogger and long-time Macross fan, I decided to go see it. Like the first installment, the movie was great, providing an outstanding new layer of story, character and music over one of my favorite series in recent years, with all new animation, too. My son also likes the Macross Frontier series, so I brought him along, and we had fun deconstructing the themes and memes of the Macross saga and comparing them to the somewhat drier and more realistic Mobile Suit Gundam series, plus Star Trek and Star Wars. Father-and-son nerd togetherness is fun!

Yack deculture, the new Macross Frontier movie is great.

Totoro Products @ J-List

J-List loves My Neighbor Totoro and all the creations of Hayao Miyazaki, and carries every Totoro related product we can find, from Totoro bento boxes to the high quality china made in Japan by Noritake. If you ever need something warm to hug, we've got Ghibli plush toys made by Sun Arrow, and we have other fun items, like our line of Totoro rubber stamps and even Totoro music boxes. See all Studio Ghibli products here, or else view the top 100 Ghibli products.

Cool Products Monday, February 28, 2011

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.

	Hetalia AXIS Powers Artbook Boxed Set, Calendar Hetalia fans take note! Your favorite personifications of the nations of WW2 are embodied in the unique adorable style of Himaruya Hidekaz, in a new April '11 - April '12 page-a-day "school calendar," as well as an amazing limited boxed set artbook packed with goodies you'll love. View products »
	Cosmode 038 Mar 2011 The latest issue of Japan's premiere cosplay fashion magazine, packed with photos and tips to make your outfits come to life!
	Miku Hatsune ~ Project Diva 2nd Complete Album Despite being called an album, it's actually a comprehensive fan book featuring all the info on the 2nd PSP Project Diva Miku game. Epic win!
	Revoltech Queen's Blade Figures in Stock Enjoy the endless possibilities of full poseability in these cute and sexy figures from the Queen's Blade anime and combat artbook series!
	Mio Akiyama Figure K-ON! Kigurumi We always have fun K-On! products for you. Click to see the Mio Kigurumi (full head cosplay) figure, it's so kawaii.
	High School Of The Dead Full Color Edition Also: enjoy a *full color* printing of the Highschool of the Dead manga, a wonderful new release that's B5 extra large size with furigana phonetics for easy reading. An epic edition of an exceptional manga! View products »
	One piece and Cardigan set ~ Black A super cute fashion item from Japan, check out this adorable one-piece and pullover cardigan combo from Y's Enterprise.
	Cat-Fun Fuwa Fuwa iPad Case ~ Gray This is surely the most striking iPad case we've seen, made of faux fur to mimic the impression of stroking your favorite feline companion.
	Ore no Imouto, Miku Hatsune Live Blu-ray We've got restocks of the popular limited edition Oreimo Blu-ray disc sets, and the epic Hatsune Miku live concert too. Nice!
	Totoro Plush, Rubber Stamps, More For Totoro fans (like us), the Cat Bus Plush is restocked, plus Totoro Ocarina Mascot and more of those awesome wood and rubber Totoro stamps.
	New Japanese Snacks Mmm, ne Strawberry Fran "Premium Hard" (we think they mean extra-crunchy), semi-sweet Oreo cookie bars, plus awesome Grapefruit Hi-Chew. View products »
	Marumiya Pocket Monster Ochazuke ~ Nori Flavor Enjoy the taste of dried seaweed nori on your rice with a Pokemon twist in this fun new way to spice up your meal!
	Chaburashka Japanese Food Drops *Carmel & Milk) The Chaburashka mascot is featured on the latest nummy caramel and milk-flavored food drops from Sakuma Drops. Try it today!
	Restocked Snacks, Too Enjoy dagashi snacks like Neri Ame, plus Calorie Mate, Lotte Tiramisu Chocolate, Japanese Doritos and Cheetos, plus the last (?) Winter Pocky White.
	Restocked Japanese Pencil Cases, More The epic Parody Milk Chocolate Mirror is back, plus the 3M Donut Shaped Tape Dispenser. Also fun pen cases, like Natchan an Tyrant Habanero.
	OURAN ~ Sakura Bento Box With Chopsticks (red or black) A bold new bento set in a traditional sakura pattern style, great for all your lunch box needs. Includes matching chopsticks! View products »
	Hello Kitty 3D Metal Spoon & Fork We've got the awesomest Hello Kitty merchandise in the universe here at J-List, including this 3D emblazoned spoon and fork!
	Random Restocked Kitchen & Bento Sandwich shaper for making Japanese sandwiches, our most popular miso soup bowl w/lid, that microwave ramen cooking bowl, and more.
	The Kihon 200 - The Basics Recipes The 200 basic recipes of Japanese cuisine are detailed in this great new recipe book - all you need is here!
	The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook See restocked Japanese study books, too, including the best phrase book I've seen, for learning Japanese situationally.
	BUB ~ Healthy Sparkling Bath Tablets We have fun things for your bath at J-List, like the BUB fizzing bath tablets that take away your stress instantly.
	Traditional Products from Japan See various traditional products, too, including omamori good luck charms, and an ukiyoe towel that gives you a surprise when you get it wet.
	Panty & Stocking Nendoroid *Preorder* Check out these great new Nendoroid action figures that really capture the spirit of the Panty and Stocking characters from the popular Gainax anime.
	Other New Nendoroid Figures *Preorder* Also known as Noumi Kudryavka, the popular character from Little Busters! is here in an adorable Nendoroid form. Also see Totori-chan.
	Avion ~ Mihiro (5000 Limited Edition) Fresh stock of the dreamy photobook of one of Japan's most beautiful angels ever, Mihiro. Caution, may cause nosebleeds.
	Super Awesome Moe Anime Magazines See fresh of some of our best moe books, highly recommended for fans because of all the free stuff they give you. Click to see.
	'Glamorous Butterfly' Condoms Japanese condoms are the best in the world, and we're posting some great new types for you and your special partner to try. With the highest manufacture quality, you'll both be protected and happy. View products »
	Restocked Stress Relief Toys from Japan Fresh stock Bible Black onahole toys, so you can get to know your favorite character. Also: the popular Angelica toy for those who've wanted to love an elf.
	Kotonoha, Setsuna Mouse Pads In Stock Japan floors us with awesome today! Enjoy two School Days HQ mouse pads, the "hip" of Kotonoha and the "oppai" (such as they are) of Setsuna. You gotta love Japan...
	Iromonogatari Vol. 1 & 2 ~ doujin animation This is cool: original doujin animation, showing us all the close-and-personal scenes from Bakemonogatari we wanted to see.
	Resotcked Eroge from Japan Great eroge from Japan: Dungeon Crusaderz 2, Remember 11, Delusion Virtual Character Trouble with included T-CAM camera, plus the 3D game Real Kanojo.
	English Eroge for Preorder Just a reminder: you can preorder upcoming popular games from us, including Da Capo, the Golden Master Demonbane, or My Girlfriend is the President.
	Fun H-Game: Let's Meow Meow! On the other hand, why wait when we've got great games available for download purchase, like the fun Let's Meow cat girl game!
	Yagyu Jubei 1/7 Cast off Figure *Preorder* I love Samurai Girls, and I love anime figures with clothes you can remove. So you can guess that I think this new figure is pretty cool.

Linguistic Confusion in the Bath

I write often about how vague and imprecise the Japanese language can be, and how easy it is for foreigners to not know what's being said, but native Japanese speakers can sometimes run into trouble with vagueness, too. From the time my kids were small I took them to the local onsen hot springs bath every week, and when my daughter got too big to come into the men's bath with me, she started going into the woman's bath by herself. One day a woman was talking with her and said, Okaasan inai no? which could mean "Isn't your mother here with you?" or possibly "Don't you have a mother?" My daughter misunderstood the woman's nuance and answered in the affirmative, causing the woman to think my daughter had no mother due to death or divorce. Now every time she goes to the bath she knows the woman will be there, fussing over her and asking her if she's getting enough to eat, etc. She didn't correct the misunderstanding right away, and too many years have passed by now to ever do so.

The Least Polite People in Japan: the Boso-zoku

One impression foreigners get when they come to Japan is how nice and polite most Japanese people are, always saying shitsurei shimasu (excuse me) and showing concern for others in ways few would likely do in the U.S. or Europe. While I do believe the Japanese are the most polite people on the planet, a lot of this perception by foreigners comes from the fact that they're usually viewed as okyakusan, or "guests" during their stay in Japan, and are likely to be treated with additional layers of deference for that reason. The least polite group in Japan would have to be the boso-zoku, the noisy street gangs who love to drive through cities on motorcycles modified to be as loud as possible -- kind of like the biker gangs in Akira, but a whole lot less interesting. Despite their scary appearance, they're generally harmless, content to make noise and rage against Japan's overly conformist society, not seeing the irony of their conforming to smaller sub-groups while doing so. Happily it seems these colorful-but-annoying biker gangs might be on their way out, with a new report that says the number of gang members has dropped below 10,000, down from a high of 42,000 in 1982.

Real boso-zoku are less interesting than in Akira

Cell Phones and Japan

My high school entrance gift to my son was to get him an iPhone 4, so the other day we went down to the Softbank store together.Cell phones have become incredibly important to all of us, but in Japan, where many people lack technical skills we generally take for granted such as being able to use spreadsheet software on a PC, they're indispensable. It's a tumultuous time for the Japanese cell phone industry as companies are forced to change their business models due to pressure from the outside. Everyone was sure the iPhone would be a flop in Japan, a country where people loved clamshell phones with numeric keypads that allowed them to type in Japanese faster than they could with a QWERTY keyboard. But the usefulness of the iPhone slowly changed their minds, and now you see them everywhere in Tokyo. Android is also starting to take off, thanks to KDDI marketing the platform with Lady Gaga and the handsome boy-band Arashi. While modern smartphones are awesome, I still like checking the rows of regular phones to see what new gimmicks manufacturers have thought up. Some of the current ones include phones with high quality digital cameras built into them, easy-to-use GPS phones for children or the elderly, and Sony Bravia® or Sharp Aquos® phones for people who want to carry the same brand of cell phone as the TV in their living room for some reason.

Cell phones are extremely important to the Japanese.

J-List [hearts] Prepainted Anime Figures

One reason we like working at J-List is the awesome anime figures we get to play with sell. J-List has hundreds of gorgeous prepainted figures either in stock or available for preorder, from cute "super deformed" Nendoroid and highly posable Figma figures to rare "prize" figures normally only obtainable from UFO Catcher crane games and sexy "cast off" figures with clothing that can be, ah, "reconfigured." I especially love the Gothic Lolita figures we posted today, which I could stare at for hours.

Cool Products Friday, February 25, 2011

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.

	Animedia Mar 2011 My Little Sister Can't Be This Animedia?! The Oreimo craze rolls on in this month's issue of the fun anime magazine that focuses on the fans and everything they love about all the current anime in Japan. Stay current with this new issue, plus great bonus posters! View products »
	Evangelion Motorcycle Gloves, 'Itasha' Car Stickers If you're like us and you can never have enough Eva in your life, check out these sleek NERV-themed gloves and Eva girl car decals!
	Oreimo 2011 School Calendar, Mug Cup "My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute," but she can be on your desktop through the Japanese school year - also on a comfy cushion, preorders open now!
	Mini Mar 2011 The magazine that brings all the hot fashion trends to the fore and shows off the merits of each, packed with news on clothes and accessories!
	Momoeri Romantic Panties (G-Magic) While we're on the topic of fashion, check out these amazingly cute and ero lace panties from Momoeri.
	Hiragana Times 293 March 2011 The magazine that both enlightens about Japan and teaches you Japanese with an intuitive phonetic approach combined with kanji, another great issue!
	iTunes Japan Prepaid Music Cards Find awesome anime or JPOP songs, or Japan-only anime games like the free Moe Capsule Toy Game.
	Restocked Totoro Bento Boxes Do you like Totoro? We love our friendly neighbor from Studio Ghibli, and try to keep great products like these bento in stock for you at all times.
	Fox Squirrel, Totoro Plush Toys Other adorable items from Studio Ghibli are back in stock today, from the Nausicaa fox-squirrel to plush Totoros that you'll love.
	Happy Maneki Neko Display ~ Lucky Cat The 'lucky cat' is an icon of traditional Japanese culture that is sure to bring good fortune and prosperity, an adorable new version here today!
	Daruma Bell Key Chain  Lucky cats aren't the only traditional symbols of good fortune, with cute daruma heads serving the same function. Keychains, too!
	New SAND de PANDA ~ Clover ~ Push Style Easy Sandwich Maker No, this isn't sand made of pandas - "sand" is "sandwich" and "panda" is "pan da!" meaning "it's bread!" These great bento tools will get your meals looking more fun than ever, with clover-shaped crust removers as well as heart sandwich sealers to bring out your most creative lunchmaking style. View products »
	Super Anime & Otaku T-Shirts Overheard on Twitter: "I ran into someone wearing J-List's 'Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend' shirt, and I was wearing my 'Yukkuri' shirt."
	Awesome T-Shirts for Girls, Too In addition to our standard shirts, we have a line of popular girl's fitted tees, like, "I Like What I Like So Get Off My Back" (which we got from a BL game).
	Amazing Snacks from Japan Got a great lineup of new snacks today. First enjoy "gourmet" Doritos from FritoLay Japan, in Soy Sauce & Mayonnaise flavor. Then we have Suntory Sparkling Soda in...chocolate flavor. Plus awesome Mango Chocolate, Samurai Cookies in the shapes of famous warrior families from Japan's history. View products »
	Restocked Japanese Snacks 'Real Gold' energy drink, Lotte Strawberry Chocolate, Bourbon Fruit Candy, Crunky Strawberry, and much more, back in stock today!
	First Kiss, Green Tea, 'Moe Melon' Food Drops "Food drops" in the classic tin inspired by Grave of the Fireflies are all the rage, in the most amazing flavors imaginable. "Moe melon"? Heck yes!
	Elegant Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked We've got some of our best bento boxes back in stock today, with fine traditional designs to bring a touch of class to your lunch presentation.
	Deco Bento Furikake 5 Colors Furikake is any dry food you sprinkle over rice, and we've restocked several types today, incl. "Deco Bento Furikake." Fun!
	Shaped Rice Balls Onigiri are the rice balls the Japanese eat like sandwiches, considered the "soul food" of Japan. See fresh stock of the Pikachu rice ball shaper!
	Hello Kitty Bento Accessories &More We also carry fun Hello Kitty bento items, since nothing is more fun than combining those two things.
	Simple Brown B5 Notebook ~ 6mm ruled 30sheets Fans of Japanese stationery will enjoy the simple, functional appeal of the notebooks we carry like this one, great for home or school writing needs.
	StitchLock Paper Stitchers, Scissor Pens, More J-List stocks epic pens, erasers and more from Japan. See our StitchLock Zn which "stitches" sheets of paper together for you, our Pen Type Scissors + more.
	The Manga Cook Book, Manga Sisters See fresh stock of the popular Manga Cook Book loaded with information on Japanese food and bento, plus Manga Sisters and Manga Moods.
	Restocked Traditional Products Hello Kitty omamori charms, traditional miso soup bowls, chopsticks, and much more are among the traditional items back in stock today!
	Raquel Gothic Figures by Vispo *Preorder* Wow, words don't describe how awesome this new Vispo-sculpted figure is - just look at those wings. An epic preorder figure that's sure to be popular!
	Final Fantasy Action Figures *Preorder* Cloud and the other Dissidia Final Fantasy characters star in this great new Play Arts action figure collection, up for preorder today!
	Anime Car Sunshades *Preorder* There's no way my car sunshade could.... you know the rest. Oreimo and Index fans will love these sun shades. which will make your car the most awesome one in the lot at the summer anime conventions. View products »
	Dengeki Moeoh April 2011 The definitive collector's artbook magazine of all things moe and cute in Japan, you'll love this brand new issue of Dengeki Moeoh stuffed full of cute bishoujo illustrations from the best artists in the industry, and great extras too! View products »
	My Lovely J Cup ~ Yui Serizawa The amazing Yui Serizawa shows off her impressive assets in this full nude photobook that shows us every angle we'd want to see.
	Yulia Nova Photobooks Restocked Also enjoy fresh stock of the gorgeous photobooks of Yulia Nova, Russia's most beautiful woman, or at least that's how the Japanese see it.
	irenka ~ Kagami Visual Works One of the most popular eroge artists around, Kagami presents well over 300 pages spanning 2 artbooks of dripping ecchi goodness!
	Tony Taka Artbooks Restocked Master illustrator Tony Taka's epic artbooks are back in stock, among the best hentai works Japan has ever seen.
	TENGA FLIP LITE US The master engineers at SOD know how to sculpt a stress relief device. The "U.S." in the name means it's larger, for "gaijin size."
	TENGA FLIP LITE LOTION ~ White or Black And here the lotion to go along with it, in an equally stylish presentation. Tenga knows what they're doing when it comes to keeping things fluid!
	Classic Pink Rotar, DENMA Restocked The classic pink "Rotar" [sic] massager is restocked, plus the legendary DENMA series, for our female customers who need to let off some steam.
	Also: Fera Zoma, Pepee Lotion A mouth-shaped love hole is back in stock for you to enjoy, along with restocks of Pepee lotion in a robust volume for multiple uses.
	Tears to Tiara The epic RPG from Leaf, makers of To Heart 2, and inspired by Welsh Legend! Play as the demon Arawn and romance the game's moe heroines.
	Import Eroge Restocked, Too Enjoy the elegant Fortune Arterial, the great BALDR SKY Dive 1, Princess Hunting Dungeon Master, plus the very popular Sky Beach ZERO 3D game.