A Suggestion for Japan and India: the Curry Alliance

One of the biggest challenges Japan faces in the decades ahead is shoshika, or the reduced number of children due to the low birth rate. Japan's population is just about 127,700,000, peaking in 2009 before starting a slow decline as deaths outpace births. One reason for the decline is increased education and work opportunities for women, which means they get married later (age 28 today, compared with age 23 in 1950) and have one child on average, compared with 2-3 in previous generations. Japan has very little immigration today, but it's eventually going to have to open itself to the outside world to keep its economy running, perhaps signing a free labor agreement with another country. I'm thinking India would be a great candidate: they've got a young population of well-educated citizens, and since curry is the unofficial national staple food of Japan (we eat it 2-3 times per week at our house), there's a basis for cooperation already in place. They could call it the "Curry Alliance." 

Well, what do you think of my suggestion?

Moe curry is the best curry.

A Great Symbol of Winter in Japan: Kamakura

The Japanese are a very seasonal people, fond of doing different activities in each season, some of which are quite unique and colorful. In the spring they enjoy hanami flower viewing under the cherry trees (there's nothing better than having a sakura petal drop down into your beer), while summer is time for beautiful festivals like Tanabata, and autumn a great chance to visit the temples around Nikko when the leaves are starting to turn. Winter has its share of unique Japanese customs, too, and one of my favorites is kamakura, a traditional Japanese igloo made of snow that's cozy and warm inside thanks to candles and charcoal heaters, or in some cases electric kotatsu heater tables that have been wired very carefully. Kamakura snow huts are made all over northern Japan, but the best place to see them is in Yokote, Akita Prefecture (where Akita dogs come from, presumably), during the 400-year-old Kamakura Snow Festival in February, when more than a hundred dot the town.

Kamakura snow huts are a traditional image of winter in Japan.

Colorful Onomatopoeia in Japanese

All languages make use of onomatopoeia, words that are derived from the way they sound such as quack, snap, zip and crunch, and Japanese is no exception. There's something very elemental about these words, as if they were tied to a deeper part of the brain than other language, and it took me several years to stop rejecting wan wan, nyan nyan and buu buu as perfectly valid alternate versions of "woof woof", "meow meow" and "oink oink." The Japanese take the idea of onomatopoeia a step further with a system of creative sound words that describe actions and states of objects in unique ways. For example, a person's eyes shining brightly makes the "sound" kira kira; pika pika means "brand new," literally describing the sound of gleaming streaks of sparkling newness; bishi bishi means working fast and efficiently while dara dara is moving slowly, lazily; eating quickly is paku paku, where Pac-Man gets his name from; someone who is bilingual in a foreign language speaks it pera pera (fluently); and there's a "sound" for someone staring at you intensely (jiiiii!) and even one for silence (shiiiin, pronounced like "sheen"). Onomatopoeia often add flavor to Japanese sentences, and in lieu of having separate words like cry, sob, wail etc., they'd use the generic word for "cry" and add a sound word like shiku shiku, which is the sound of someone sobbing. One onomatopoeia that comes up often in anime and visual novels is is doki doki, which describes the feeling of being nervous or excited or full of anxiety about something. It's one of my favorite words.

A doki doki moment for Mio and Ritsu.

Kawaii Products from Japan at J-List

J-List specializes in kawaii products from Japan, and if it's cute, there's a good chance you will be able to find it on our site. From irresistibly cute anime figures to awesome Hello Kitty items to the Gothic Lolita vampire cat Nyanpire and other adorable items for your kitchen, J-List has a few hundred products you might want to browse and add to your wishlist for later. Click here to see the cutest items from Japan, as ranked by our customers.

Cool Products Monday, January 30, 2012

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.

	One Piece Chopper Puccho Case & Puccho Oh man, this is a delicious mix of fandom if we have ever seen it. Here are three Puccho dispensers, similar to PEZ dispenser but for the big Puccho candies, that are shaped like your favorite One Piece characters -- Luffy, Chopper and Trafalgar. This is an item that has a lot of collecting potential, and we hope to see more of them in the future. View products »
	Gorgeous Figures In Stock Check out this stunning figure of Hatsune Miku, now in stock on J-List. She shows us that you really can change the world through the power of song.
	Figure King NO. 167 The latest issue is packed full of amazing figures from just about any work of fiction you can imagine. Special focus on Black Rock Shooter.
	Nendoroid Petite ClariS Set in Stock The starlet JPOP duet who perform the song "irony" from Ore no Imouto and the Madoka OP song have figures now! Kawaii!
	Kawaii Nyanpire Products Restocked Browse our huge selection of kawaii Nyanpire products, including keychains, dishware, plushies, clothing, and more. Now restocked.
	Awesome Artbooks from Japan J-List wouldn't be J-List without gorgeous artbooks in stock for you. Click to see the most popular items on the site now, as ranked by our customers.
	Restocked Tiger & Bunny Artbooks For Tiger and Bunny fans, the popular Official Hero Book is restocked, a great collection of awesome art and information on the series.
	Capcom Girls & Hero Calendar All our outstanding 2012 anime and other calendars are on sale. We've posted internal pages for the fabulous Capcom Girls Calendar too!
	Stripe Panty and Half Top Set We love shimapan as most of you know. Today we've got a new panty + bra set in stock, which is size 5L, for Hideyoshi fans.
	Kawaii Fashion Items Restocked More great fashion items including the ViVi Kawaii Poncho Top and Hello Kitty Hood Mufflers, so kawaii and awesome.
	Huge Restocking of Touhou Games Touhou isn't just the best shooting game ever made. It's also a fountain of Japanese popular culture, and J-List has restocked the games today.
	Fascinating Photobooks from Japan We like to surprise you with awesome photobooks you never expected to see. Today visit the ruins of Battleship Island, enjoy 365 Days of Danboard and more.
	Awesome Kanji T-Shirts at J-List J-List is famous for our Japanese kanji T-shirts. One of our favorites is the classic "Now Accepting Applications for a Japanese Girlfriend" shirt.
	New and Restocked Totoro Products See great Totoro products today, including the last of the 2012 calendars plus those wonderful wooden keychain music boxes, and more.
	Japanese Ways to Keep Warm this Winter I love the kairo heating pads they have here, which keep you toasty warm for hours. The Hello Kitty hand warmers are restocked today.
	Random Products Restocked Spring is just around the corner, so we've restocked our awesome fly trap, plus the wacky but useful Handy Toilet for those times you have to go.
	Samurai Sword Umbrellas Restocked Life is too short to carry boring umbrellas, which is why we've restocked our awesome Samurai Sword umbrellas, which have realistic sword handles to hold.
	Transforming Pen Case This pen case seamlessly converts into a pen holder, for easy access to all your writing instruments. Perfect for manga artists and students.
	The Best Pens in the World Restocked Also see more Japanese pens, which are the most advanced in the world. See the Uni 0.18 Signo, PILOT Hi-Tec Gel Ink, and Surari Emulsion Smooth Ink pens.
	Glico Pretz ~ Onion Gratin Set of 3 Another amazing new flavor of Pretz coming at you today, Onion Gratin, along with a restocking of other delicious snacks too, like Tyrant Habanero.
	Delicious Chocolate Snacks Restocked Lots of chocolate products restocked today, just in time for Valentine's Day (order with EMS). Meltykiss are the most delicious chocolates we've ever eaten.
	Other Restocked J-Snacks Also, see Tyrant Habanero, Fuwarinka Rose Essence Gum, Green Tea caramels, Glico Salad Pretz, plus Choco Zutsumi in dreamy Tiramis flavor -- wow.
	Chopper Chopsticks & Case Set ~ ONE PIECE  A fun treat for One Piece fans today, a set of chopsticks that are perfect for the home and on the go, featuring Chopper. Use with any bento you like.
	Beautiful Bento Boxes & Chopsticks from Hakoya We're big fans of gorgeous bento boxes from Japan at J-List, and love finding fun Japanese lunchboxes for our customers. Today we've restocked several of the most popular offerings from Hakoya including the DX Simple Men's Lacquered bento, the EDO Style Wooden Bento Box and more. They really capture the awesomeness of old Japan in their design. View products »
	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. So cute!
	Restocked Traditional Awesomeness Today we have fresh stock of our elegant lacquered cases for storing your tea leaves and other delicacies, plus traditional Kompeito candy from Japan.
	HANKESHI-KUN Eraser Original Hanko Making Kit Create your own individually styled hanko (name stamp) with this easy to use kit, or any other stamp your heart desires.
	Small Kiseru ~ Japanese Traditional Pipe Now you can smoke a pipe just like they did in ancient Edo times, with a real kiseru. A great gift for smokers who are samurais at heart.
	HYAKUNIN-ISSHU ~ Traditional Card Game Other traditional products restocked, including beautiful Ukiyoe Playing Cards, plus traditional tanka cards to test your knowledge of poetry.
	Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Figures *Preorder* Media Factory is coming out with two new moe figures of Yozora and Sena from Haganai. Give these cute but eccentric girls a new home.
	Ui Hirasawa 1/8 Figure ~ K-On!  Ui needs love too! Grab this figure of Yui Hirasawa's adorable sister and take her for a trip to the beach. Her swimsuit couldn't be cuter.
	Izanagi and Shadow - P4 Figures *Preorder* Show how big a Persona 4 fan you are with this awesome set featuring the super-cool Izanagi and a bizarre-looking shadow. Fantastic!
	2012 Calendars for JAV fans are On Sale! Got a bunch of delicious calendars for fans of Japanese AV stars in too. Rio aka Tina Yuzuki, Sarah, Jessica Kizaki and more, all on sale!
	Bokkin Boy Beast Increase the power of your sexual beast with a power enhancing ring that adds extra texture and girth to your rod. Note: Dragonball hair not included.
	Railgun, Index & Ika Musume Parody Toys Products for stressed-out otaku are restocked too, including A Certain Magical/Scientific Parody Toys plus "Tako Musume" (Octopus Girl).
	Fun Toys for JAV Fans Restocked Check out our excellent selection of relaxation toys for our J-List fans, featuring the bodies of stars like Maria Ozawa, Yen Ju Lee, Sarah and more.
	Restocked Personal Lotion & Other Products Also: see the Virgin Spray for Love Body scented lotion, the amazing Nipprun stick-on buds for your favorite love doll, and more.
	White Album 2  Hearts will be broken and tears will be shed in this incredible story of a love triangle and the decision one man must make. Tissues mandatory.
	Raidy: a Yuri Dungeon Crawling Game? We love the Lightning Warrior Raidy game because it includes so many nice things: sexy girls with swords, fun yuri action, and great gameplay.

The History of Akihabara

Akihabara is the area of Tokyo famous for its Electric Town shopping district and for being the international center of otaku culture. It's a popular destination with foreign visitors to Japan, and you can always tell the train has arrived there because all the gaijin will get off suddenly. But Akiba, as it's often called, hasn't always been the Holy Land for anime and computer nerds. In 1869, after a devastating fire in the area, the Meiji Emperor ordered a temple built for prayers against future fires, which people started referring to as Akiba-sama, a Shinto/Buddhist deity believed to protect against fire. When the area was ordered cleared of trees to prevent further fires from reaching the more populated areas of the city, the field (hara) that resulted was named Akihabara, the Field of Autumn Leaves. After World War II, shops selling vacuum tubes to students attending a nearby technical school appeared, and this formed the base of the electronics retailers that are so famous now. During the 1990s, home electronics and computers were available just about anywhere, making Akiba less important as an electronics hub, and shops specializing in anime CDs and videos, doujinshi comics and PC dating-sim games started to take over.

Some background on Akihabara, one of the most internationally famous parts of Tokyo.

Random Nihongo: Particles

When I started studying Japanese I was anxious because I knew the grammar would be unlike anything found in English or the smattering of Spanish I'd taken in high school. Happily I found that, to me, the grammar and syntax wasn't that bad -- I learned to memorize base sentences and switch out the nouns, verbs and adjectives until I was comfortable using them, and of course I read lots of manga to pick up new vocabulary words. One unique aspect of Japanese is that there are grammatical "particles" which mark certain words, clearly indicating the sentence subject, object, etc. Here are a few examples in case you're curious:

wa and ga	The "subject" and "topic" markers of sentences, and if this sounds a little vague, join the "confused by wa and ga club." In a nutshell, wa is the master subject marker of a sentence, and ga is used in certain situations, including questions or when you need emphasis. Example: Nihongo wa muzukashii. Dono hen ga muzukashii? (The Japanese language is difficult. What part is difficult?)
o	The object marker for sentences, by happy linguistic chance, is "o." Can they get any more convenient? Example: Kinou eiga o mimashita. (Yesterday I saw a movie.)
ni	Filling the role of "to" (as in where you're going, or to whom an action is directed), and "into" for verbs like to enter. It's "in" spelled backwards so it's another easy one to remember. Example: Neko wa hako ni hairu. (The cat goes into the box.)
ka	A marker for questions. Example: Kore wa zombie desu ka? (Is this a zombie?)
ga, keredomo, keredo, kedo	These all mean "but," ranked from most polite to most informal. Example: Ugoite mo ii keredo, totemo kiken yo. (It's okay to move, but it's very dangerous.)

It's often the case that words a person chooses to use say a lot about their character, like a tomboy who uses the first-person pronoun usually used by males. In the anime Bakemonogatari (and the new sequel Nisemonogatari), it's common for characters to always use the word keredo (above, meaning "but"), which provides an oddly formal and precise quality to everything the characters in the show say, though no one really talks like that.

Characters in anime often speak in unique ways.

Crime in Japan

I've written before about how one of the more pleasant aspects of living in Japan is that people tend to be honest and upstanding, and chances are if you lose your wallet or camera it will be turned in at the local "police box," as the tiny two-man police stations that dot Japanese cities are called. That's not to say there's no crime in Japan: as with all countries, there are thefts, assaults and the occasional murder, but in general the chances that crime will affect a given person are low. Sadly, one type of crime is still too common, the bank transfer frauds known as Ore Ore Sagi or "It's me, it's me! Scams." Usually they take the form of an elderly Japanese person receiving a call from a "grandson" with a cold (hence the change in his voice) who says, "It's me, it's me! Don't you know your own grandson?" The swindler then proceeds to tell some lie about how he's gotten in an accident or made a costly error at work and needs $5000 transferred to his bank account right away to fix things. The problem is bad enough that police are often posted by bank ATMs to ask patrons if they've received any suspicious calls, and the ATMs themselves display warnings when transferring money. These types of crimes are reportedly less common in the Osaka area because criminals can't mimic the Osaka-ben dialect as easily.

Bank transfer scams are still a problem in Japan.

Cool Products Friday, January 27, 2012

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.

	New 'Chocopa' Products from San-X (Choco Panda) If there was an award given for the cutest product of the year, we'd have a winner! These adorable new creations from San-X feature Chocopa, the Chocolate loving panda, with some amazingly cool accessories like cell phone cases and accessory bags. View products »
	Fruits Mar 2012 NO 176 The magazine that brings you the best in Tokyo streetwear in a no-frills package that gives you hundreds of HQ photos of authentic fashion.
	New Kirino, Shining Hearts Figures In Stock Great new figures in stock today. Check out the swimsuit version of Urayukihime from Shining Hearts and three moe versions of OreImo's Kirino.
	Evangelion Neko Mimi Hoodies for Preorder Proclaim your love of Eva to the world with these great nekomimi hoodies designed to resemble the Evangelion units. The latest in otaku fashion.
	Evangelion Mug Cup ~ Eva Unit 01 Give your coffee that extra kick when you serve it with this amazing mug cup featuring Unit 01 from Evangelion.
	Itazura Cat Coin Bank, Other Cute Products Restocked J-List has tons of cute ways to save money, like our popular line of Itazura Cat coin banks featuring cute pop-up kittens and puppies. Now restocked.
	Monster Hunter Headphones and Other Items Get your Monster Hunter groove on with these stylish headphones styled after the cute game mascot cat-creature Airu. Restocked today.
	Lace Decoration Over Knee Socks The perfect addition to any girl's assortment of over-the-knee socks, with stylish white lace on black. Great for gothic cosplayers too.
	Wonderful Japanese Fashion Items You'll find at we have a huge selection of great fashion items, perfect for those who are in love with Japanese fashion and trends, newly stocked.
	Fun Cosplay, OL Pantsu Restocked Lots of great ecchi cosplay items back in stock, like sailor uniforms, swimsuits, panties, shimapan, pantyhose, kneesocks, and more!
	Awesome Japanese 'Keep Out' Tape Restocked Mark the barriers of a no-intrusion zone or a box you want to keep sealed with this great tape from Japan that really makes a statement. Restocked.
	Japanese School Bags Restocked It's the kind of thing Japanese people take for granted, but those school book bags they carry in anime are pretty awesome. Now you get your own!
	Restocked Anime Artbooks Artbooks are the best, and we've restocked the new Steins;Gate dating-sim game fanbook plus the Otona no Anime Yearbook and Hetalia guide to Italy.
	Amazing Diablock 'LEGO' Shoes for Kids LEGO-style building blocks are one of the world's most popular toys, and that's true even in Japan. Let your kids take the joy of LEGO everywhere they go with these colorful Velcro sneakers from Diablock, Japan's premier building block manufacturer. View products »
	Chi's Sweet Home 2012 Calendar Our 2012 anime calendars are going fast, but we've got good news: we got in a few units of the Chi's Sweet Home calendar for fans of Japan's cutest lost cat.
	Madoka Magika Calendar Update Also we posted internal photos of the pages in the Madoka calendar for this year, one of the most popular anime calendars. Grab one while they're on sale!
	Totoro Bento Box, Other Ghibli Items Restocked See the great Microwave Safe Tight Totoro Bento Box we restocked today, plus high quality playing cards (or "trump" as the Japanese say) of Totoro and Jiji.
	Pocky Decoration Molds, Pocky Chopsticks! I knew the silicon mold that allows you to decorate Pocky sticks would be a hit, and we sold out fast. We got more for you, though!
	Today is Japan Kit Kat Day, Apparently *Preorder* Japanese Kit Kats are among our most popular products, and our customers love to taste the unique types of Kit Kat made for the Japanese market by Nabisco. In addition to the Sakura Green Tea Kit Kat we got in last time, we've posted Kit Kat Message Packs for students taking tests, plus Tokyo Sky Tree limited Kit Kat! View products »
	Meiji Horn Chocolates In Stock, Too Also enjoy new flavors of Meiji Horn chocoaltes, which quality and elegant chocolates from Japan that will lift your spirits when you eat them.
	Ramune, Mario Mints & More in San Diego Enjoy some sour candies in Super Mario tins, authentic Japanese ramune in multiple flavors, essential treats and more, now shipping from San Diego.
	Chopper 2 Tier Bento Box ~ ONE PIECE  A great bento box for lovers of the One Piece series that comes with everything you would ever need, from chopsticks to bento band.
	Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked When you want to show off your lunch to your co-workers or friends, do it with a box that will awe and impress. Several nice ones restocked today.
	2 Sizes Triangle Onigiri Maker ~ Dual Dize! Create your own Japanese style onigiri (rice balls) with this easy to use shaping kit. The perfect way to make a delicious lunch.
	Bear Shaped Cooking Cup Are you into bears? This great silicon cooking cup is very versatile, allowing you to create foods like bear onigiri to bear cupcakes.
	Healthy Sparkling Bath Tablets BUB Restocked No one knows bathing like the Japanese. Enjoy our healthy and fragrant sparkling bath tablets, now restocked in three delightful aromas.
	Restocked Stationery, Traditional Brush Pens See the popular Coffret du Couturier Letter Set restocked, plus an those traditional fude brush pens that let you write Japanese calligraphy.
	Gorgeous Japanese Idols Photobooks See fresh stock of the kawaii Maki Goto, former star of Morning Musume, plus a really gorgeous photobook offering from Yoko Kumada.
	Beach Queen Kobato and Ryugu Azusa *Preorder* Great new figures up for preorder. You'll love the adorable Beach Queen version of Haganai's Kobato, and also the beautiful Azusa from Idolm@ster.
	Tales of Vesperia, AnoHana Figures *Preorder* We also have an awesomely dynamic figure of Rita from Tales of Vesperia and AnoHana's Anaru in a delectable one piece.
	Even More Awesome Preorder Figures Also: see this gorgeous new Metroid figure plus plush toys from Uta no Prince-sama, a great Sayaka Miki figure, Fate/Zero more.
	Otonyan vol. 6 ~ Joso Boy Special Magazine For fans of the popular joso trend in Japan today, meaning boys wearing female clothes, here's a great issue of Otonyan magazine. This is a great item if you're a fan of "trap" themes and think Hideyoshi from Baka Test is awesome. View products »
	Gorgeous New 'Cast Off' Figures If you like women with truly enormous breasts, then you'll want to check out this amazingly sexy figure of Masaki Mizuhara's ultra-busty Reira.
	OTOKONOKO? ~ Futanari Stress Toy This body-shaped stress relief toy is one of a kind, being the first futanari onahole toy we've ever seen. Why not?
	Bokkin Boy Beast (Ring) Give your manhood a shonen power-up with these "girth enhancement rings." Slip one on and listen to your partner's screams of ecstasy.
	Restocked Onaholes for Otakus Wow, popular stress toys featuring Azunyan, Anaru from AnoHana and more, which will make your otaku life more enjoyable.
	Fun Oppai Toys Restocked The Oppai Onanie Hole is back, one of the most amazing inventions for self-pleasure we've seen, plus the welcoming mounds of Mami from Madoka.
	Amazing Personal Lotion from Japan Spice up your private time with our selection of personal lotions, including varieties specially formulated to increase your moe moe kyun.
	'Futanari' H-Games & More A lot of J-List customers love the aesthetic genre known as futanari, literally "the two, being one." This game is loaded with these themes!
	Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S - Majikoi S The sequel to Majikoi is here! Pick up where you left off with your favorite Majikoi heroine or romance one of 5 new girls in this fun erotic game.
	Japanese Eroge Restocked, Too Then enjoy Delusion Virtual Character Trouble w/T-CAM, Yurikako Yori Tenshi Made, the BL-tastic Chiral Amusement Disc, Do Love Me Seriously! and Rance Quest.