Our Summer Trip: Pt. 2

Well, that was quite a trip. Over five days my son and I managed to hit some of the more interesting spots in the American Southwest, experiencing the scorching temperatures of Death Valley, the thrill of posing for photos outside the Area 51 gate, driving old stretches of Route 66 and the awesomeness of Penn & Teller, two of my favorite magicians. We managed to put 1500 miles (2400 km) on my mother's 2002 Miata convertible, and had a blast.

During the trip, my son learned a lot about the U.S. He was surprised that the majority of the other tourists we encountered in our travels were from other countries, mostly from Europe but also plenty from China, Japan, Russia etc. (There was one group of old dudes from Switzerland that were touring the U.S. on rented Harleys, how awesome is that?) I explained to him that people around the world have a fascination with America and like visiting famous places, just as many gaijin visitors to Japan feel awe when making that first pilgrimage to Kyoto, Akihabara or whatever places are special to them. ("Like Obi Wan said, it all depends on your point of view," was his reply.) Another observation he made was that you could tell you'd crossed a state line by subtle differences in the roads or on the signs, and he was right. Going from California to Nevada or Arizona, you immediately feel that a different set of rules has been applied to the roads, like the grooves along the road in Arizona (but nowhere else), or the proud "Grand Canyon State" signs. In contrast, Japanese prefectures are boringly uniform, with road surfaces, signs, traffic signals and pretty much everything else standardized by the national government in Tokyo, with very little variation from place to place. (One exception are traffic signals, which hang horizontally in most Japanese cities but vertically in the colder regions to the north, to keep snow from piling on top.)

U.S. states each have a unique "feel" to them, unlike Japanese prefectures.

How to Say "No" in Japanese

Japanese is a very subtle language, and I thought it'd be interesting to examine the many ways you can express the word "no." The Japanese word for "no" is iie, pronounced "ee-EH," but it's considered too direct for most everyday uses. A more common way to reply negatively to a question might be to use the word chigau (lit. "wrong") or iya (pronounced "ya"), a fairly common general negating word that sounds softer to the ear. One phrase that will also get the job done is dame (dah-meh) or dame desu, but this often carries a strong nuance of "it's no good" or "it's not allowed," so it's easy to use it wrong and cause offense. The Japanese are very good at answering a delicate question in the negative using words so subtle, poor gaijin like us might not know what's being said. If asked whether a piece of cake was delicious, you could delicately reply chotto... (which just means "a little..."), and the overall meaning would be understood without anything being said openly. One good way to get a feel for the subtleties of Japanese is to read a lot of manga. Since 90% of the text in manga consists of dialogue being spoken by characters, it's a good way to expose yourself to "real" (thought somewhat stylized) Japanese. Best of all, many manga volumes we sell feature furigana (hiragana written above or beside the kanji characters), making them easier to read.

Many ways to express "no" in Japanese.

Cool Products Monday, August 1, 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.

	Megami Magazine Sep 2011 The always amazing Megami magazine is back with the September issue, with all the information you want to know about the Madoka Magika movie, Idol Master for the PS3, Steins;Gate and tons more. Always bursting with great posters and extra omake (Japanese for "free stuff"). View products »
	Monthly Anime Style vol.4 *Preorder* The wildly popular Monthly Anime Style, which gives you a great original figure with each issue, is coming soon. Get the Ruri Hoshino Nendoroid!
	Kuro Neko Figma Action Figure Seldom has an anime character won the hearts of fans like Ruri, aka Kuroneko, from Oreimo. Here's her Figma, but it won't be in stock for long.
	Maya Kumashiro 1/8 Figure Excellent Model An eerily cool figure of Maya Kumashiro from Seikimatsu Occult Academy! Unfortunately our customers bought most of our stock, I hope she's available for you.
	Dancer Marryan 1/8 Figure *Preorder* It's the cute Marryan-senpai from the game ToHeart2 Dungeon Traveler, and she's kawaii as usual! And only slightly psycho!
	Kuroko Shirai 1/6 Figure Maid ver. Surveys show that Kuroko is the favorite yuri character of 76% of fans. And anime bloggers make up 97% of statistics. New figure hotness is in stock.
	Touhou Ibarakasen ~ Wild and Horned Hermit Check out the newest addition to the world of Touhou, Ibarakasen. With great artwork by Azuma Aya, we're sure you'l enjoy it.
	Green, Blue, Orange, and Pink Shimapan J-List wouldn't be J-List without these fun shimapan (horizontally striped underwear), and we're happy to announce several new styles and colors. We've got Mio Blue, cute pink, orange, Miku Hatsune green, plus sizes for, er, otokonoko. View products »
	Restocked Fashion & Cosplay Products Great Japanese fashion and cosplay items, like our striped "over knee" socks and flowery one piece dress, plus many more.
	Pokemon Open Ball Mascot BW Set of 6 Celebrate your love of Pokemon (aka Pocket Monsters), with these great gashapon Pokeball straps with cute mini characters. We love these!
	Monster Hunter Smart Phone/MP3 Case Wow, these cool Monster Hunter cases for your smartphone are weatherpoof and have great style. A very cool product, even for non-monhan fans.
	Today's Preorder Figures Check out Nymph from Sora no Otoshimono (Heaven's Lost Property) which is a fun show. This is a gorgeous prepainted figure for you.
	Restocked PSP Games The PSP has blossomed into the perfect platform for anime gaming. See Queen's Blade, ToraDora, ToHeart2, Hetalia, and more.
	How to Draw Manga Restocked To become a famous mangaka, first you must learn how to draw life-like characters and luscious, expansive landscapes. Great books restocked.
	Cute One Piece Products Restocked Adorable, wacky and awesome One Piece stationary in stock today, incl. the Chopper Man Furry Pen Case and B5 Craft Notebook.
	Evangelion & Logos Stainless Mug Cup ~ Red Nerv  Also: enjoy your coffee the NERV way, with the stainless steel coffee mugs we restocked today. Do your Gendo pose while you drink.
	Takoyaki Cookers Restocked We've got everything you need to make delicious takoyaki (octopus balls), the official snack food of Osaka. Also makes pancake and sausage balls, yum.
	Japanese Shaving Ice Machines for Summer These official Japanese ice shavers are great tools for making traditional summer kakigoori, or Japanese shave ice. Click to see!
	Today's New Japanese Snacks We've got some crazy snacks today, with Umeboshi Tyrant Habanero, Pudding Cookies, and Tomato Chips. We're big fans of learning about Japan through its delicious snack culture, so click to browse our newest items. View products »
	Restocked Calorie Mate We love selling Calorie Mate, the balanced food that makes dieting easier (when's the last time you saw an overweight Japanese person?). All flavors restocked.
	Other Restocked J-Snacks Other snacks restocked too, including Popin' Cookin' Happy Kitchen Doughnuts and Cup Cake, plus Meiji Assortment, Frisk Black and Okonomiyaku sauce.
	Restocked Bento Boxes, Too We have other bento boxes restocked too, including the traditional Delicieux 2 Tone bento and the stylish Pink x Black SAKURA bento!
	Pink Cat Face Bento Bag Change any bento into a cat bento with this cute bag that is easy to use and clean. We like the kawaii ears especially.
	Reusable Silicon Cups and Other Bento Goods ECO is the word of the future, and these ECO cups make us feel like we are living in the future. These new silicon bento cups are great.
	Fun Traditional Items from Japan Fun traditional items restocked today, including our hachimaki Japanese headbands so you can show your ki-ai plus cat tea cups and more.
	Panty 1/7 Figure ~ *Preorder* Take home Panty from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, in her sexy angel form. All you need now is the music and you can re-create your favorite scene from the TV series.
	Tiger & Bunny Stereo Headphones *Preorder* Speaking of music, Tiger and Bunny fans have a great reason to get their credit card out, cool headphones you can preorder now.
	Friday's Preorder Figures And in case you missed them, here are the (outstanding, if I may say it) preorder figures we posted over the weekend. Asuka in her "test" plugsuit, Mio Sakamoto from Strike Witches, two darling new Oreimo figures and more. View products »
	BJ ~ Bejean Sep 2011 The marvelous JAV magazine BJ is back with tons of great features and gorgeous girls waiting to take off everything for the camera. As usual, it's a real treat to have such quality magazines from Japan to post on the site. View products »
	Restocking of 'H' Photobooks See fresh stock of several of our naughtier photobook offerings, including Aya Kanei's gorgeous Anri plus H Cup Anna Natsuki, wow!
	And Other Photobooks From focusing on women's fashion and uniforms, to eroi Japanese idols, there are plenty here to check out and take home.
	Puru Puru Hearts Enjoy the erokawaii adventures of these girls in many different cosplay outfits, like bunnysuits, maid outfits, kimonos and more. Great new manga.
	Hanjuku Kanjuku Sisters This moe moe love comedy is filled with great art from Daiichi Chuni that we can't stop looking at again and again. Gorgeous and delicious.
	Loisirs Creatifs ~ Amane Soh illustrations Then, wow, a new artbook by the talented Amane Soh, featuring his female creations that are beautiful beyond belief.
	BAND GAL! Parody Stress Toys New anime stress toys in stock, including the popular K-On! parody toys, modeled after your favorite characters from the hit anime series.
	The Most Advanced Stress Toys from Japan Japan has invented some of the best ways to relax and work off stress. See the legendary R-1 and A10 Cyclone both restocked.
	Other Restocked Stress Toys Got fresh stock of several of our most popular products, too, including a fantastic "Meiki" hole and Miku Hatsune simulator.

The Science of "Kawaii" First Person Pronouns in Japanese

One of the cuter -- or possibly creepier -- things that Japanese girls do is refer to themselves in the third person. A good example of this in anime is the character Fuko from Clannad, who says "Fuko" in reference to herself despite disliking it when people treat her like a child, which is of course part of her moe charm. Usually, female children will use their own names in place of a first-person pronoun at a young age, then when they start school and begin interacting with other girls will switch to atashi, a feminine version of watashi, the most common word for "I" in Japanese, or possibly the slightly masculine-sounding boku if she's the tomboy type. Since my own daughter still calls herself by her own name despite being in junior high school, I thought I'd ask her about it. "Well, I can't go around calling myself atashi [I]," she told me. "It would sound too grown-up, and it wouldn't go with my personality at all. It sounds much cuter to just use my own name." It's really amazing how the Japanese have been able to make a simple concept like "I" so incredibly complex.

Fuko refers to herself in the third person. It's quite kawaii.

It's Not Polite to (Not) Slurp your Noodles

Although the Japanese generally are very polite and considerate, there are times when foreigners like me might consider what they do to be rude. First of all, the Japanese love to read over a person's shoulder, and if you're typing something in Japanese on a laptop, well, don't be surprise if a crowd gathers to read what all the interesting things this gaijin is typing -- it's just not considered rude by them. My mother taught me not to reach over people's plates when eating dinner together, but to ask for someone to pass the item to me; apparently the Japanese didn't get that memo, as it's common here to reach across the table to get what you need while eating. Similarly, Americans don't usually drink soup out of bowls, however picking up the bowl and drinking deeply is the accepted way to enjoy miso soup, ramen and so on. Oh, and while eating any noodle dish like ramen or soba (note, not spaghetti!), you're expected to slurp your noodles as loudly as possible, and not doing so will likely elicit comments from everyone around you.

People will ask what's wrong if you don't slurp your noodles.

J-List Points Overview and Other News

Remember, J-List recently rolled out our awesome J-List Points system for all customers. Here's how it works: you get points for any products you purchase from J-List, with occasional bonus points on some items, like anime figures, kitchen accessories, English-translated eroge and DVD/Blu-ray titles. You can always use these points with next order for a discount, or optionally you can save up 5000 points for an upgrade to $10 worth of points, or save 12,000 for a jump up to $25 worth of points. You can see the current points in your account by viewing your account page while logged in. Note that you must use a regular J-List customer account for the points to work, it's not available with "guest checkout" orders. So why not browse our newest items now?

Are you at Otakon? If so, come visit the "J-List East Coast" booth to see awesome games, manga, T-shirts and other items we have for you. Free J-List glasses with purchase, while supplies last.

My Nerdy Summer Trip

I'm taking a bit of a vacation with my son, with the two of us traveling to places that are impossible to visit when we're in Japan. First we headed for Death Valley to sample the 120 F / 50 C degree temperatures while we searched for film locations from Star Wars: A New Hope. (The majority of the Tattooine scenes were filmed in Tunisia, but several shots, including the R2-D2 and Jawa scenes, were shot in Death Valley.) A warm thank you to the Target in Apple Valley that had the foresight to stock an R2-D2 figure for us -- we forgot to bring one, but they came through for us. We then visited Area 88, I mean Area 51, before arriving in Las Vegas to catch the outstanding Penn & Teller magic show, a favorite of mine. On Sunday we'll drive some patches of Route 66 and search for ghost towns on our way home. The two of us have really been awed at the massive open spaces we've found around us, which could swallow Japanese cities and even prefectures with ease. It's inconceivable in Japan that a person could drive on a 50 mile stretch of road without a single soul around, but that's what we've been experiencing on this trip.

A nerdy trip to Death Valley and points beyond.

Cool Products Friday, July 29, 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.

	365 Days of Danboard *preorder* How fun is this? An upcoming photobook of everyone's favorite cardboard robot Danboard (in Japanese, Danbooru). A fabulous photobook for Yotsubato fans. Click to view the interior pages now, and preorder it. View products »
	Great Anime, Manga & Hobby Mag Subscriptions It's not hard to find great anime magazines via monthly subscription at J-List. The hard part is choosing which ones to get!
	Awesome Fashion & Cosplay Magazines We also have some awesome fashion & cosplay magazines and other items from Japan. Many come with cool free stuff.
	Our Most Awesome Traditional Items from Japan Browsing J-List is like visiting a wonderful gift shop in Kyoto, and we will never stop bringing you amazing products to be delighted by.
	DC Bishojo Wonder Woman 1/7 Figure *Preorder* Shunya Yamashita is at it again, redesigning our favorite women to make them even better. I'm going to get a nosebleed...
	One Piece 'Scissors' Bag in Stock "Scissors" bags make great holders for a wallet, phone, or MP3 player and so on. A great One Piece one now in stock.
	Get 'Anime Eye Glasses' Free! Remember, you can get a random pair of J-List's wacky "Anime Glasses" with any order from our site. It's fun to wear the glasses (which have holes you can punch out to allow you to see) and become an anime character. Plus, you might just win a $250 gift certificate if you send us a cool picture! While supplies last. Details here. View products »
	Hello Kitty Miniature Sushi A Kitty-themed set of adorable "conveyor belt" sushi miniatures? Japan, you know the way to our hearts. We love this to death! Restocked today.
	Other Kawaii Hello Kitty Items Also: browse our most popular Hello Kitty products, as chosen by our customers, so you know the items are worth looking at.
	Danny Choo T-Shirts J-List has paired up with Danny Choo to bring you two awesome T-shirts featuring his popular Mirai-chan character. Click to see them now!
	Other Popular J-List T-shirts While you're here, why not browse our fun J-List T-shirts, which capture the wackiness of Japan and anime. I love our Nissan parody shirt.
	'Shimapan' Striped Panties from Japan I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy selling authentic shimapan striped panties for anime cosplay, which are a meme that's been running in anime for quite a few years now. Click to see your favorite colors in stock. View products »
	Pretty Angel White and Light Blue Striped Socks Or if you like, go for the "Absolute Zone" (which is what the space between over knee socks and a skirt is called), with these Panty & Stocking stockings.
	Authentic High School Uniforms from Matsukameya One item I'm proud to carry are the high school uniforms from Matsukameya. The boys' uniform is especially popular -- great for anime conventions!
	Popular Sony PSP Anime Games The Sony PSP platfor has become the most popular way to play anime related games. Click to see our most popular titles in stock!
	Tiger and Bunny Official Hero Book I am thrilled at this upcoming artbook for Tiger & Bunny, which will thrill fans of the series no end. You can preorder it now.
	Tentacle Grape In Stock in San Diego! The legendary grape soda is now available form J-List! A delicious and refreshing drink that's great whenever you're thirsty, this is extra awesome thanks to the tentacle on the package. Order extras -- some to drink, and one to display on your desk at work! View products »
	Nori Shio (Salt + Seaweed) Potato Chips Restocking some fun snacks from Japan, including a favorite of mine, potato chips flavored with salt and nori seaweed. Yum!
	Restocked Instant Noodles, Soba Then, see a big restocking of our most popular yakisoba noodles and ramen, which you can eat while slurping!
	We Love Japanese Gum From Black Black Caffeine Gum to "No Time" gum that brushes your teeth for you, we've got an awesome lineup!
	Restocked Japanese Snacks See Calbee Pizza Potato, Black Sesame Caramel, Ramune bottle Candy, UHA Shigekix Cola Favor, Morinaga Fanta Orange Hi-Chew and more!
	Today's Restocked Bento Boxes A great bento box for men, designed with a sleek modern shape and plenty of storage for those with a hefty appetite. Two different colors restocked today.
	We Love Taiyaki & Takoyaki If it shows up in anime, we'll carry it on J-List, and we recently restocked our Taiyaki making machines. Got Takoyaki makers in stock, too.
	'Baran' Food Separators for Bento We've always got something unexpected for your bento box or kitchen, including the "fake grass" that decorates your bento lunch.
	Kawaii Animal Die-cut Bento Sauce Bottle  Then, fresh stock of those cute little bottles for carrying soy sauce in your lunch, which look like little animals or trains.
	Star Wars Lightsaber Chopsticks, Too Also, feel the Force with these amazing Star Wars Lightsaber themed chopsticks, in various colors to go with your favorite characters.
	Japanese Study Tools In Stock We want to help you learn Japanese, whether it's the basics like hiragana and katakana or a higher level of study.
	Super Awesome 'Fude' Pens from Japan These brush pens make you think you're writing with a Chinese writing brush. Several popular styles restocked today.
	Japanese Traditional Kokeshi Dolls We love to carry fun traditional dolls too, since our home prefecture of Gunma is known for them. Click to see our new stock.
	Shikinami Asuka Langley 1/6 Figure *Preorder* Evangelion fans will love this great new 1/6 scale figure (large!) of Asuka from the new Evangelion movie. Her test type plugsuit is...rather nosebleed inducing, if you know what I mean. View products »
	Mio Sakamoro 1/8 Figure ~ Strike Witches *Preorder* Moving right along, we have a new Strike Witches figure, featuring Mio, one of my favorite characters from the series.
	Kirino, Kuroneko Petanko Figures *Preorder* Then check out the awesome Kirino and Kuroneko "Pettanko" figures, a new series that will be tempting to Nendoroid collectors.
	Elucia Nendoroid Figure *Preorder* If you're a fan of The World God Only Knows, here's a great Nendoroid of Elucia that will have fans eager to buy.
	Christie Monteiro 1/7 TEKKEN Figure *Preorder* Finally, a super sexy TEKKEN figure for you to add to your collection of awesome figures. I am so amazed at the detail of this figure.
	Amazing Ero Magazines from Japan J-List stocks the most popular naughty magazines from Japan because we love the photographic quality and the free stuff you get inside. Who can resist awesome Japanese women photographed in such a superb way? View products »
	Restocked Ecchi Photobooks Several amazing ecchi photobooks restocked too, including Juicy Moon with Risa Tsukino and Jessica Kizaki's amazing 1st photobook.
	Our Favorite Sexy Photobooks Also, several sexy photobooks restocked, including the "Absolute Zone" photobook, Schoolgirl Complex and more.
	Awesome Artbooks Restocked Artbooks from Masamune Shirow have been restocked, too, which are really amazing items for any fan of his works to own.
	Our Favorite Parody Anime Toys Restocked Combining a superbly made stress toy with an anime fantasy, wow. Kirino, Kuroneko, Ayase, ah...
	Restocked Stress Toys for Otaku Other popular toys restocked too, including the tsundere hole for Lucky Star fans, the Shin Meiki Musou onahole and more.
	Pururun Angel Bust 2, Risa Kasumi's Onahole Then, sometimes a person needs to squeeze something soft and warm, and we've restocked our most popular oppai products!
	Restocked Eroge from Japan Several popular import eroge are back in stock on the site, including Slave Class President, School Mate 2, 3D game Artificial Academy and more.
	My Girlfriend is the President Preorder The epic eroge My Girlfriend is the President is coming soon, fully translated to English and uncensored. Did you preorder your copy?
	'H' Games by Download, Too Also remember that we carry dozens of outstanding eroge titles available as Internet Download Editions. Here are the most popular.