Gaijin Talents vs Korean Talents

There's some interesting psychology going on when it comes to ex-pats living in Japan, like the Three Stages of Eye Aversion we go through when encountering other gaijin on the train when we first arrive in the country. Then there's the built-in resentment of other foreigners who have been here longer than us and/or who speak Japanese better than we do, which I learned about when I came here after studying the language at SDSU for four years. This confused the Americans, Canadians and Brits I encountered here, and they weren't sure how to categorize me. (I know now that that I was violating the wa of the senpai/kohai relationship by brashly speaking better Japanese than people who had been in Japan longer than me.) Foreigners living in Japan can be especially jealous of the "gaijin talents" who get to be on TV just because they can be funny and/or insightful while speaking the language, though this is slowly changing. While you can still get your daily dose of Dave Spector's Hollywood gossip on the morning "wide show" -- we all hate him because he dyes his black hair blonde to appear more "foreign" to the Japanese -- the rise in Korean stars in has has pushed out a lot of Western foreign talents out of the limelight. Which is okay with me -- I love the cute accents of those KPOP singers when they speak Japanese.

Dave Spector is the American gaijin love to hate.

Exploring Stereotypes About Japan

Stereotypes are a part of all of us, for better of for worse, and when we hear that a person is from a certain country we're likely to call up preconceived images of what that place is like, even making judgements about the person based on this limited information. We know these images are highly subject to error, of course, but it can be hard to revise your way of thinking. Before I came to Japan, I imagined an extremely high-tech country where everyone performed their jobs with meticulous efficiency. In reality, there's plenty of "low-tech" present in everyday life here, a fact the J-List staff is reminded of every afternoon when we hear the old man driving around our neighborhood selling stone-baked sweet potatoes. Japan often has little use for efficiency, and when it's time for J-List to make our monthly payment to our local bank, our banker comes to our office to pick it up himself rather than us sending it directly to their account, which is done to preserve the old-timey feeling of of community banking, or something. Below is a fun image by a Japanese artist showing famous stereotypes of Japan by foreigners...although since he's expressing his own stereotyped views of what we love about Japan, it's quite an interesting image to analyze. (The full sized version of the picture is on the J-List Tumblr if you want it.)

So what are your stereotypes of Japan?

It's fun to explore our stereotypes.

Pettanko, the Delicious Flat Chest Girls in Anime

Anime is a highly stylized art form featuring characters designed to appeal to viewers on different levels, and it's fun to explore why some of these archetypes work so well. You've got the extremely dedicated osana-najimi (childhood friend) character type, the mysterious blue-or-purple-haired "emotionless girl," and several variations on tsundere, yandere or kuudere (this last one describes a girl who acts cold and uncaring towards a male main character but in fact has strong feelings for him). Another classic character type is the pettanko, a Japanese word that literally means "flat as a pancake," and there's a long line of oppai-challenged anime female characters who are very popular with fans. The attraction we feel for these characters may take many forms, but I love the inherent cuteness and potential for comedy when a pride-filled DFC ("Deliciously Flat Chest" in fanspeak) is forced into an embarrassing situation. 

So, who's your favorite DFC?

"When you hug a flat-chested girl, you're closer to her heart."

EMS Sale Update

Another reminder: we're continuing our popular sale on all Japanese chocolate products this month, giving you 2x J-List points on all Kit Kat, Pocky, Every Burger, plus a great sale on TENGA and anime themed stress toys, too. Don't forget the great bonuses you get for ordering EMS from Japan -- up to $25 back for an order of $200 or more. Depending on the weight of what you're ordering, that's like getting free shipping. What awesome products can J-List send you today?

Cool Products Monday, February 20, 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.

	FMA - The Scared Star of Milos Fanbook Fullmetal Alchemist fans will definitely appreciate this awesome artbook and guide to the blockbuster FMA movie. Contains tons of behind-the-scenes info like storyboards and design sketches. You also get an interview with Kazuya Murata, the director of the spectacular FMA Brotherhood series. Best of all, the printing is gorgeous -- naturally, since it's printed in Japan. View products »
	Yuki Hime 2012 Winter And if you've got a hankering for more of the lovely Super Sonico, you should take a look at this artbook featuring Sonico and other moe girls. (Please see on the J-List site.)
	New Japanese Figure, Car Magazines For our car and figure enthusiasts, we have the latest issues of Drift Tengoku and Figure King. Each is packed with tons of hot info and cool photos.
	Super Mario Mushroom Salt and Pepper Shakers Nintendo fans who are also food lovers, you will want to have a set of these neat Super Mushrooms in your kitchen, either power-up or extra-life.
	Madoka Magica Nendoroid Petite Full Set of 11 Check out this set of super-cute Madoka Nendoroids featuring all of the show's magical girls in two different poses each. And of course, Kyubey!
	Kawaii Nendoroid Figures In Stock We also have plenty of other kawaii Nendoroids for your enjoyment, like Kirino from OreImo, Taiga from Toradora, and more!
	New Shimapan + Half Top Sets (incl. size 5L) Are you a shimapan (striped panty) lover? Then browse the new sets we posted today, in many different colors and including 5L size.
	Fuwa Fuwa Panda Poncho, Rabbit Ear Hoody Make this winter more... kawaii with this fluffy, super soft poncho with a hood that will make you look like a panda.
	Kawaii Striped Socks, Goth-Loli Accessories Add some cute gothic style to your wardrobe with these striped socks, arm gloves, and other accessories in a variety of colors and sizes.
	Portable Paper Soap Restocked Then there are these sheets of soap you can carry with you, so you can always clean your hands no matter where you find yourself. Back in stock today!
	Rilakkuma, Sushi Vibrating Massagers? These miniature vibrating keychains are the perfect way to grab a quick massage with Rilakkuma. Sushi vibrators restocked too.
	DX Rilakkuma Plush (Lying on Stomach) Speaking of Rilakkuma, we've restocked some of the most kawaii Rilakkuma plush toys today, which are very huggable.
	Evangelion iPhone Cases Our most popular iPhone case ever is the Evangelion NERV case, now in stock along with the Rei plugsuit, Asuka plugsuit, and other great iPhone cases.
	Region Free Anime Games for PSP Restocked Enjoy the best anime games on PSP, including Queen's Blade and Ikki Tousen (yay ecchi fighting games), plus Magical Girl Nanoha, Railgun and more.
	Wonderful Totoro Products We love to bring you delightful Totoro products from Japan and have restocked several items, including the Wooden Totoro Music Box. Nice desu!
	The Most Awesome Thumbtacks You Will Ever See J-List has a lot of fun items for creative minds, and we've restocked our popular Sakura Thumbtacks, easily the most beautiful you will ever see.
	Japanese Study Books Restocked Also, fresh stock of the Japanese kanji drill books used by Japanese children, with several back in stock. Study like the Japanese do!
	Delicious 'Food Drops' Candies Fun -- we restocked the cute Mameshiba Food Drops candies, which may or may not cause you to start spouting interesting trivia.
	March of Koala ~ Creamy Cafe Latte  Lotte is out with a new flavor of kawaii koala-shaped cookies in delicious cafe latte flavor. Also, Tomato Chocolate...?
	DORAYAKI Making Kit ~ Pancake Mix & Azuki Bean Make delicious traditional Japanese dorayaki and treat your guests to a delicious breakfast or mid-day snack.
	Amazing Japanese Snacks Restocked See today's new snack and gum offerings, incl. Matcha Milk Caramels (yum!), delicious Hi-Chew candies, Sushi no Ko for making sushi rice, and more.
	Awesome Gum from Japan, Too Also try exciting Lotte Blueberry and No Time toothbrush gum, Fusen no Mi "secret" bubblegum, and Uranaikko Gum that tells your fortune.
	One Piece Chopper Bento Box, Cup & More Great for holding lots of yummy goodies, this four box set are designed to be compact as well as stylish. Plus other great One Piece products too.
	Other Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked And get yourself a lunch box that shows off your cultured nature, like one of these traditional Japanese style bento boxes.
	Kawaii Japanese Soy Sauce Bottles Make your lunch extra cute with our restocked bento accessories, including those insanely cute little bottles for carrying soy sauce in your bento.
	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!
	NORI / Seaweed Punch ~ Heart Shape for Decoration Bento Make your breakfast, lunch or dinner more fun by adding a smiling face, thanks to these amazing food cutters from Japan.
	Japanese Anime T-Shirts in San Diego J-List T-shirts are an institution, and we've got dozens of great ones in stock, from Angry Choco to Tsundere to Science! and more.
	Onsen Bath Salt, Fizzing Bath Ball w/Toy Make your bath into an onsen, with bath salts and minerals taken from hot springs from different regions of Japan.
	Soft Rubber Shuriken, Other Items Restocked They look awesomely realistic, but these ninja shuriken are made of soft rubber. Also restocked, our favorite Miso Soup Bowls w/chopsticks and more.
	Iris Figure - Shirow Masamune *Preorder* Do you like sexy girls packing serious heat? Then you'll love this figure of Shirow Masamune's Iris. Comes with no fewer than three guns.
	High School DxD Bathroom Poster *Preorder* Hang this waterproof poster in the shower and image yourself bathing with the sexy ladies of High School DxD. Another great moe invention.
	Mawaru Penguindrum Mug Cup Triple H *Preorder* Here's a cute cup that will brighten your day. Features art of Triple H, the fictional pop trio that sings Penguindrum's ending songs. And penguins!
	Osamu Tezuka Towels Vol.1 Set of 6 *Preorder* Six popular artists like Ito Noizi pay homage to the great Osamu Tezuka with this set of tradable towels featuring art based on his most famous works.
	The Best Magazine April 2012 NO. 172 Another amazing issue of The Best magazine, filled once again with Japanese lovelies, this time in sexy office outfits and stockings. I'm a big fan of this magazine, the best ero magazine published in Japan, because the quality of the photography is so high -- they really nail the awesome camera angles we want to see. It doesn't hurt that the girls are all gorgeous, too. View products »
	Minami Kaze ~ Minami Kojima With a charming smile and a body to die for, we are very excited to see Minami doing a photo book, giving us all a sexy girlfriend experience.
	Saeki Ai Cast-off Figure ~ FAULT! *Preorder* This scrumptious figure is based on a Tony Taka character design, and you won't be able to look away from her beautiful body. Too hot!
	TOTSUGEKI MAX Japan once again takes adult toys to the next level with this vibrator that works on both men and women. You'll never run out of uses.
	Restocked Tsundere & Other Parody Toys See the awesome tsundere toy for Kagami fans, plus the amazing Sexy Twins toy series and something special for Ika Musume fans.
	Nice Restocking of Import Eroge We love carrying import eroge for fans and collectors, and have restocked some fun titles today, including Artificial Academy, with a full 3D CG interface.
	Recommended English Eroge: Tsuki Possession I'm a fan of the games by Zyx, which feature great art and ero content. One game with some darker themes you might like is Tsuki, with animated "H" scenes.

Natsukashii, the Nostalgic Japanese

We recently bought dot matrix printer, of all things, which is needed to automate shipping of EMS orders (the forms from the post office are six sheets thick and need to be printed using a special kind of printer). Hearing the unique screeching sound of the print head moving over the paper as it printed really made me natsukashii (nots-ka-shee), a word translatable as "dude, that makes me so nostalgic that I must look like one of those manga characters with a giant tear rolling out of my eye." Remembering the word natsukashii made me even more nostalgic, since it was one of the first words of Japanese I learned, back in the good old days of 80s anime. The Japanese are big fans of the word natsukashii and of the bittersweet emotions that come from hearing a beloved old song, looking at an old photograph or walking through an old Japanese house, and appreciation of nostalgia is one of the defining aspects of the Japanese people. Maybe that's why dagashi -- traditional candy from the Showa Period -- is still so popular decades later.

Dagashi, the traditional candy from the childhood days of...everyone in Japan.

Denny's Japan

I like to use Twitter (and Facebook, and Google+) to keep up with our customers and send random links about Japan as well as updated J-List products. The other day a report of a shooting fatality in a Denny's in Chiba Prefecture popped up in my RSS feed, so I tweeted it out to my followers. Gun violence is quite a rare thing in Japan, and nearly always limited to spats between yakuza crime gangs, thanks to an unspoken social rule against violence to innocent third parties which Japan's gangsters are too polite to break. The reaction to my tweet was interesting -- there was more surprise that they had Denny's restaurants in Japan than at the shooting itself. For the record, Denny's has been a fixture in Japan's famiresu (family restaurant) industry since 1973, offering a unique selection of Western and Japanese dishes, usually with a bit more wafuu (traditional Japanese style) elegance than their competitors like Skylark, Gusto and Coco's. The restaurants are operated by 7&i Holdings, the parents group that also owns 7-11 convenience stores, and when the company executed a corporate redesign a few years ago they got the really bad idea of putting the 7-11 logo on the Denny's sign, which always makes me want to order onigiri rice balls when I'm there. Like just about every other company in Japan, Denny's recently started licensing anime to bring in customers, like last year's tie-in promoting the K-ON! movie.

Denny's Japan is owned by 7-11 and always lets you know it.

The "Tension" in Tokyo Tower

Yesterday I took a day off from work and went down to Tokyo for an appointment I had. As the taxi took me to my destination, I was delighted to find that it was located directly across the street from Tokyo Tower, the iconic scale replica of the Eifel Tower that proves Japan secretly wants to be part of Europe. The taxi driver told me, "You really should go up to the top of the tower if you haven't been yet. The 'tension' is really amazing up there." This word (tension) is one of several English words the Japanese use in a slightly odd way, in this case to mean fun or excitement. Here are some other "English" words that might not mean what you think they mean in Japan.

• "fight" means do your best, don't give up (Fight-oh!)
• if there's a girl you like, you should "attack" her (attack = to vigorously pursue love)
• plug your computer into a "consent" (a power outlet, from "concentric plug")
• don't trust the "masukomi" (what the news media is called, from "mass communications")
• if a sporting event is called due to rain, hold a "revenge" challenge later (meaning "a second attempt")
• move to Tokyo and buy a "mansion" (what a condominium is called)
• "glamor," which refers to a woman with a buxom figure
• "feminist," which somehow refers to a man who's very polite and gentlemanly towards women (updated to"herbivore male" these days)
• "free size" (Japanese for "one size fits all" -- we've got some of those on our Japanese fashion pages)
• "rinse-in shampoo," shampoo with "rinse" (aka conditioning) inside
  
  
  
  I hear the "tension" is really great up in Tokyo Tower

Yumina the Ethereal is Coming!

Our upcoming bishoujo RPG Yumina the Ethereal not only has beautiful art and cute girls, but also some of the most in-depth gameplay I've ever seen. Your goal is to get the hardworking but academically-challenged Yumina elected student council president so she can avoid being held back a year. Explore dungeons, customize your characters, and defeat your enemies in a crazy "debate battle" system where arguments take the form of dazzling special attacks. It's one of the most amazing RPGs to come out in English -- preorder it now!

J-List Sale Reminder

Valentine's Day may be over, but J-List is continuing our popular sale on all Japanese chocolate products this month, giving you 2x J-List points on all Kit Kat, Pocky, Every Burger and other fun chocolate items. And in case you're not in the mood for chocolate, we've also got a fun sale on all TENGA and anime themed stress toys. Don't forget the great bonuses you get for ordering EMS from Japan -- up to $25 back for an order of $200 or more. What awesome Japanese products will you pick up before the sale ends?