Moe Moe Gun Culture: Upotte!

Japan is a country with no guns at all...or so I thought when I arrived here in 1991, and learned to my surprise that a Japanese friend of mine loved Remington rifles and had a large collection in his home. Private ownership of firearms is strictly controlled through Japan's Firearms and Swords Control Law, although licenses for hunting rifles may be obtained -- I've got an American friend who got his Japanese hunting license, which is something you don't see every day. For various reasons, Japanese are often fascinated with gun culture, and when I taught English my students were sometimes disappointed to hear I didn't own any guns back in the States. One of the stranger new anime series this season is Upotte!, which tells the story off four girls who are the moe embodiments of famous assault rifles like the American M16A4 or British L85A1, with the personalities of the girls mirroring the features of each weapon. It's a strange but fun show, and it's interesting to see moe moving in a new direction. If you're a fan of the show, we've got the Upotte! manga in stock today!

Exploring moe gun culture with Upotte!!

May Eroge & Visual Novel Sale!

It's a new month, and time for a new sale at J-List! We're declaring May to be Eroge and Visual Novel Month, and are giving 2x points for the purchase of all English H-games, dating-sims and visual novels, either as download purchases or in shrinkwrapped packaged format. There's never been a better time to stock up on a few titles now! (To avoid lots of confusion, the sale is for currently shipping games only and does not apply to preorder game titles.)

Totoro Products for Mothers Day?

Mother's Day is less than two weeks away, and J-List has hundreds of really special items your mother might love to receive, from fun traditional Japanese products on our Interior and Seasonal page, to ridiculously cute plush toys from Japan and more. My mother was always a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki's Totoro, and was always happy to receive Totoro blankets, music boxes and other fun Ghibli products. What will you get for your mother?

Cool Products Wednesday, May 2, 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.

	Nyantype June 2012 Cover your walls with cute anime girls courtesy of Nyantype magazine. This issue comes with 18 posters from shows like AnoHana, Nyarko-san, Hyouka, and Queen's Blade, so there's guaranteed to be something for everyone. These posters aren't just awesome free gifts for you to collect, they're a slice of anime history and will be great to own years in the future. There's also a special treat for Nanoha fans, so get it while supplies last! View products »
	Dengeki G's Magazine June 2012 Visual novel buffs know that Dengeki G's is the best magazine for cute art, in-depth previews, and cool omake. Comes with an OreImo Kirino figure!
	Comic Alive June 2012 For the latest moe manga from Japan, there's no better magazine than Comic Alive. Includes Haganai, Infinite Stratos, and other great series.
	Gorgeous Anime Figures In Stock Now shipping from J-List - Shaomei from Shining Hearts, a Bakuman Eiji Nendoroid, and the ultra-sexy race queen version of Ikki Tousen's Kan'u!
	Persona 4 Can Pen Cases Wow your friends with a super-cool pencil case sporting art from the hit Persona 4 anime. Comes in two awesome flavors!
	Touhou Super Deformed Series 800 ~ Tewi Inaba If rabbit yokai are your thing, then check out this keychain + figure set starring Tewi Inaba. No feeding required.
	Touhou Colorful! Cirno Strap Figure ~ Full Set (Set of 6) Why settle for boring old blue when you can have your favorite ice fairy in six different colors? Enjoy this great strap set for Cirno fans.
	Batman & Superman Silicon Ice Trays The San Diego Comic Convention is coming, and you could do worse than serve your guests Batman and Superman shaped ice cubes. They make chocolate too!
	Han Solo in Carbonite Card Holder Securely lock your value credit cards in this high quality, nearly indestructible carbonate case.
	Street Fighter X Tekken ~ Defeat at the Crossroad Meet the challengers in this stellar artbook that features 270 pages of perfect detail about the fighters. For hardcore fans only.
	Gokusai Syonen ~ Adekan illustration works ~ Nao Tsukiji This top-quality artbook is dedicated to men and boys so beautiful that even women turn green with envy. Great for crossdressing aficionados.
	Doki Doki Nyan Egg NEKO TAMAGO Restocked Nyan! -- we love cute neko cats, especially when we can take them home. Enjoy our selection of soft, plushy cat toys.
	Bath King Cool Type ~ Lime, Grapefruits, Orange, Mint Cool your body with the invigorating scents of lime, grapefruits, orange and mint bath salts.
	CONCEPTION ~ Please Give Birth to My Child! The title says it all. Your goal in this PSP RPG is to make babies with a dozen cute girls and lead your children in the fight to save the world. Get to it!
	PACA PLUS ~ minus This prequel to the groundbreaking doujin game tells the story of Kazuma's romance with Yukari, a cute girl doomed to transform into a giant alpaca.
	Standard Black Knee High Socks A great fashion never dies. Check out these new knee high socks, the perfect fashion item for trendy girls this summer.
	J-POP, K-POP Available from iTunes Japan Explore great new music through iTunes Japan, including great K-POP tunes and the newest album from Girl's Generation.
	Ghibli Plush Toys, More Restocked It's always nice to have some Totoro plush toys in your life, and we've restocked several today, including the Ghibli Plush Keychains.
	Cute New Hello Kitty Products Posted Trick-out your ride with some Hello Kitty flare with these cool License plate accessories, plus enjoy a classic Kitty-chan plush toy.
	Genki Japanese Textbooks, JLPT Books Study Japanese like a pro when you use these amazing study materials, designed to help every student become a natural at speaking and reading.
	Awesome Study Tools Restocked The Japanese are great at coming up with ways to memorize information, and today we've restocked the Zebra Check Set memorization system + vocabulary books.
	Delicious Matcha Enjoy Fujiya Milky Green Tea hard candies shipped directly from Japan, plus other many amazing candies and snacks.
	Restocked Japanese Snacks Enjoy all flavors of Calorie Mate, plus Sake Candy, Pokemon Assorted Candy, Kracie Fruit Candy, and Nittou Royal Milk Tea. Yum!
	Ume Blossoms Black Jubako Container This beautiful plastic case is perfect for displaying your recently bought J-List food and snacks at your next party.
	Kawaii Panda Bento & More Restocked Lots of great bento boxes for panda lovers, like the Nino Nino Panda Ball, the Panda Onigiri Case, and the 3-color Panda Bento set. All restocked today.
	Gyoza Maker, Other Random Kitchen Products Plus we have a wide array of very cool products that make cooking fun and easy. Your friends and family will be amazed.
	Popular Microwave Rice, Spaghetti Cookers Now you can steam food in the microwave! These innovative cookers let you make rice, spaghetti, and more with maximum speed and convenience.
	Katori-Buta Mosquito Killing Pig, Mosquito Coils Fight off those nasty summer bugs with powerful Japanese goodies like mosquito-killing incense and a cute pig holder for your mosquito coils.
	Other Traditional Items for Summer Then see a smaller, cuter version of the Katori Buta in a wonderful wind chime form, plus fans and other awesome things for a Japan-style summer.
	Revoltech Jehuty & Vector Cannon *Preorder* Jehuty from Zone of the Enders is one of the coolest mecha around, and now its awesomeness can be yours with this Revoltech action figure.
	Posable Buddha Statues, Other Action Figures Plus, check out these other super-posable Revoltech action figures, like wooden-styled versions of fearsome Buddhist gods.
	Canopuri June 2012 Featuring the work of popular artists like LINDA and Shirow Masamune, every issue of this ecchi manga magazine is fabulous, with plenty of new and never before seen posters and other great content for you to drool over. Pick up this month's issue for 17 juicy erotic stories that cover fetishes from fellatio and huge breasts to threesomes and creampie. So gorgeous to see! View products »
	Sonsaku Hakufu Cast off Figure IKKI TOUSEN *Preorder* Here's a tantalizing figure of that cute vixen Sonsaku Hakufu. Her defenseless pose will draw you in, and don't forget to remove her shirt...
	Amazing Mizuho Kazami Cast off Figures *Preorder* These A really sexy figure from Japan that would look great in your room. Super detail, and very large size. They feature the most amazing "cast off" features ever!
	Love Body Miyu These mini sized adult toys are perfect for traveling or those who want to have one handy, but in a secret location. Available in several different versions, with a wide selection of optional accessories like stick-on nipples and scented body spray. This new version is designed for guys who like petite girls, with special attention paid to her innocent face, perky breasts, and slender legs. A very popular product. View products »
	Parody Anime, Catgirl Onaholes Restocked How cool can a stress toy be? These amazing items really push the limit, representing everything about one of our favorite things for you.
	Fighting Girl Onahole Toys The Ikki Tousen toys are popular because they're large, realistic, and based on our favorite ecchi characters. Several types restocked today.
	Illusion Best Collection ~ Midara Fans of 3D eroge will love this collection of over 60 erotic scenes starring 20 heroines from Illusion's best games. Includes interactive scene generator!
	Restocked Import Eroge from Japan Enjoy excellent import H-games, like Little Busters, Your Diary and Summer Rain by Kantoku (!!), Yuri Ghost on the Rooftop, and Those Who Are Sung.

The Language of Sake and Beer in Japan

There's no way around it: alcohol is often an important part of social life in Japan, and there's even a word for the special kind of interchange of ideas that occurs over beers after work: "nomunication," combining the Japanese word for drink (nomu) with "communication." One interesting phenomenon is how quickly foreigners coming to Japan pick up vocabulary related to drinking, since drinking socially is often one of the first things you do in a new country. One of the first phrases I learned after arriving here was toriaezu biiru (toh-ree-AH-eh-zu BII-ru), meaning "Let's start with beer," a good way to order while letting your server know you'll be adding some food items to the order presently. You quickly learn words like bin biiru (beer in a bottle, good for pouring drinks for each other in a group) and nama biiru (draft beer in a big mug). Any food that you munch on with your beer is called otsumami (oh-tsu-mah-mii), and the Japanese love to eat exotic izayaka foods like asparagus wrapped in bacon, yakitori chicken cooked on skewers and a fish called hokke (HOK-keh), which the Internet tells me is called Atka Mackerel although I never knew what it was called in English. Of course, beer isn't the only beverage consumed: sake (pronounced SAH-keh, never "saki") is also popular. Known by its formal name nihonshu, one of the most popular ways to drink it is hot, which is called atsukan (AHTS-kahn). Incidentally, we stock some rather interesting products related to beer and sake, if you want to browse them.

Some random thoughts on beer and sake in Japan.

How to Think in Japanese

The Holy Grail of language study is, of course, learning to think in that language without translating everything from your native tongue in your head first. It seems like an impossibly difficult goal, but just as with learning to read your first non-Roman writing system, be it hiragana or the Hebrew alphabet or whatever, it can be quite exhilarating when things click into place. What I find interesting about language is the way you develop separate personalities when speaking different languages, and my Japanese self is quite different from my English side, probably more considerate of others, able to apologize more honestly if I screw something up, and so on. I happened to see an article that tested problem solving when using other languages, and the result was that some problems can be tackled more effectively by considering them in another language. It seems some errors of judgement we may be prone to making our native language are lessened when we approach the problems using a second language.

Solving problems by thinking in another language.

Yahoo Japan vs Yahoo! Inc

I saw on the Internet that Yahoo had reported some good news: increasing profits thanks to strong online advertising sales and an increase in the dividend paid to investors. This wasn't actually Yahoo, of course, but Yahoo Japan, a separate Japanese company in which Yahoo! Inc. owns a 33% stake, with the majority being controlled by Softbank, the Japanese cell phone company headed by the enigmatic zainichi (of Korean ancestry but born in Japan) Son Masatoshi. While Yahoo has largely been eclipsed by Google in search and Facebook and Twitter in social media, here in Japan the majority of Internet users are still loyal Yahoo users. Part of this has to do with Yahoo Japan's lineup of useful services, from weather to maps to the handy earthquake reporting site that was so helpful last year, but another part is the lack of technical savvy on the part of the average Japanese Internet user. For many, the Yahoo Japan homepage basically equals "the Internet" the way AOL did for your grandmother back in the 1990s, and in a country where merely mastering Microsoft Word and Excel is considered quite a technical feat and almost no one has a favorite Linix distro, Yahoo Japan fills the bill reasonably well.

Yahoo Japan is still on top of the Internet here.

Mother's Day Stuff @ J-List

Mother's day is not far away (it falls on May 13 this year), and if you've got the kind of awesome mother who's interested in unique things from Japan, why not get her something from J-List? We've got thousands of products that she might like, from kawaii products for her kitchen to awesome Lucky Cat related products and those fizzing bath tablets that feel so great.

Cool Products Monday, April 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.

	Megami Magazine June 2012 We have some great magazines for you today, starting with a new issue of Megami! Make room on your walls for another 8 double-sided pinups of your favorite anime girls, plus 2 gigantic B1 (that's 39 x 28 inches!) posters of Nanoha A's and Saki! Limited stock, so don't delay! View products »
	E2 vol. 34 Next, check out the latest issue of E2, a wonderful magazine filled with illustrations from the best moe artists. Comes with a Kantoku DVD!
	Persona Magazine vol. 6 And for Persona fans, we have a brand-new issue of the magazine you love. Enjoy tons of art, previews, and exclusive content. A wonderful new item for P4 fans!
	More Large Anime Tapestries and Noren Curtains Our selection of Japanese noren wall scrolls keeps getting bigger! See three huge new K-On versions added today.
	Phantom of Inferno DX Hug Pillow Case This deluxe dakimakura cover features the cute and deadly heroines Ein and Drei from the hit visual novel and anime Phantom of Inferno.
	More Touhou Figures, Keychains Posted Touhou fans, click here for a treasure trove of wonderful products featuring your favorite hats and the girls who wear them. We have cute chibi keychains and stunningly beautiful figures, plus books, manga, games, and more. Today, we've added four new keychains and a wonderful Yuyuko figure. Check them out! But hurry: as with the keychains we posted on Friday, these items cannot be restocked once they sell out. View products »
	Hiragana Times May 2012 NO. 307 Hiragana Times is an outstanding monthly magazine full of interesting articles in both English and Japanese. A great way to study.
	Get Your Own Kanji Name Stamp Random cool thing from Japan: a custom kanji hanko name stamp with your name in kanji. Legal for use in Japan!
	Black Striped Long Border Tops  J-List loves the style of stripes, made famous by shimapan. Get ready for spring with this cute top that can also be a sexy dress.
	Panther Eye Glasses Cat Long Tee Shirt Out on the prowl, this shirt is perrrfect for ladies who are cougars, leopards or kitties at heart.
	Vocaloid Bikini Swimsuits Restocked... For Now Our Vocaloid-inspired striped bikinis sold faster than we could believe. Good thing we have more! Stock won't last long, so get 'em while you can.
	Popular Pantsu Restocked Take your cosplay to the next level with these great underwear sets from Tamatoys. We've restocked several of your favorite products, including shimapan of course.
	Street Fighter x Tekken Artworks Experience the most epic crossover ever with this very special, muscle packed artbook, featuring over 200 pages of stunning illustrations.
	Hetalia Axis Powers Artbooks Restocked All your favorite Hetalia characters are represented in this wonderful artbook. We especially like the cosplay section!
	Hello Kitty Silicon Salt & Pepper Shaker These are fun: salt and pepper shakers featuring the image of "Kitty-chan," as she's called in Japan. You can store other spices inside too, according to taste.
	Hello Kitty Ice Cube Tray We've got a lot of Hello Kitty products for you today, including the 3D Hello Kitty ice cube maker, which makes the cutest Sanrio-themed ice for your bourbon.
	Restocked Totoro Plush Toys and More We love Totoro and Ghibli and have restocked some of our most beloved products, from the Totoro backpack and "Smile" plush toys to the Totoro Alarm Clock.
	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.
	Refreshing Mugicha (Barley Tea) for Summer! A 12 oz can of soda has the sugar equivalent of two Cadbury Eggs in it. A healthier way to live is to drink delicious unsweetened Japanese tea, like mugicha, restocked today!
	Restocked PSP Anime Games Also see new PSP anime games, including Photo Kano (Photo Girlfriend), Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side, plus the updated Aselia for PSP, so nice!
	Fun New Japanese Snacks Lots of fun new snacks today, including Puku Puku Taiyaki, delicious fish-shaped treats which contain chocolate, plus Double Hyper Mizu Ame, "liquid candy" you mix and have fun with, plus amazing candy that tastes like Lychee, a popular fruit in Japan. We believe Japan is more fun when you're eating wonderful and delicious snacks from the country! View products »
	New and Restocked Japanese Snacks in San Diego See new Japanese snacks and drinks stocked in San Diego, including UCC Melon Soda, Ramune, Sonic the Hedgehog Energy Drink and more.
	Lots of Restocked Snack & Food Items Enjoy Lotte Fusen no Mi gum, baked Toppo, Shigekix in several flavors, FritoLay Japan's awesome Takoyaki puff snacks, plus Bull-Dog Sauce!
	Little's World Kitten's Pink Bento Container And continuing on the cat theme, check out this new bento box and leftover container that features very cute kittens on the lid.
	Gorgeous Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked Enjoy some of our most elegant traditional bento boxes back in stock, including Red Fuji. Fujin & Raijin, Temari Ball and Black Kiku (chrysanthemum).
	Kutsushita Nyanko Stackable Bento, Chopsticks We love the cute new kitty Kutsushita, so we're very happy to have even more goodies features this delightful neko, like bentos and plushies.
	Fresh Stock of Kawaii Bento Accessories A bento by itself is fine, but with great accessories like cups, separators, and cutters, you'll really show off the cuteness of your creations.
	Kawaii Wiener Shapers We've restocked our wiener and vegetable cutters which turn everyday food into kawaii flowers, penguins and other shapes. Do not confuse with Tenga.
	Onigiri Shapers & Other Bento Accessories Also: random bento items restocked including our most popular onigiri shapers, so you can avoid the embarrassment of improperly shaped rice balls.
	Samurai Sandals Restocked We've got all the accessories you need to cosplay as a Meiji Era samurai, from woven traditional sandals to yukatas and more.
	Traditional Handkerchiefs, More Restocked Fly back in time with products that speak from a different era of artistic beauty, like these very nice handkerchiefs.
	Touhou, ToHeart 2 Figures *Preorder* Two beautiful new bishoujo figures for preorder. See a wonderfully detailed rendition of Touhou's Yuyuko and a sexy Harumi from To Heart 2.
	Nyanko Sensei Bowls, Cups, and More If you're a fan of the adorable Nyanko-sensei, then check out this selection of cute bowls, cups, plushes, and more. Something for every room in the house!
	Dengeki Hime June 2012 Visual novel fans, don't miss the newest issue of Dengeki Hime, the magazine that brings you art and info from all the hottest moe games in Japan today, plus some truly excellent omake. This month, enjoy a large bath towel with art of Da Capo III's Sara naked in the shower. The perfect thing to rub all over your body! View products »
	SHING 1/6 Cast-off Figures Posted *Preorder* Warning! These figures will blow your mind. Two different versions of the same ultra-sexy heroine, with cast-off shirt revealing her amazing oppai.
	Kitou Musume ~ Glans Licking Girl Another innovative idea from Japan, this is a "glans only" toy which features a small but power vibrator to provide unbelievable stimulation.
	My Girl Yuria ~ DX Love Doll Realistic dolls have been getting more and more popular, and here's Yuria, an anime-style doll that can comfort you on lonely nights, wear clothes and more.
	Huge Restocking of Popular Parody Onaholes The Madoka Magika parody onaholes are back in stock, along with the popular Twins Sister Sandwich and Pantsu Plus toy + pantsu. Tiro finale!
	Our Most Popular 'Oppai' Toys Restocked Sometimes a guy wants to grip something soft, round and warm, and today we restocked the popular Puru Puru Oppai Finale, and other related items.
	Legend Seven ~ Snow White and the Seven Heroes A thrilling re-imagining of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with epic battles, hotblooded heroines, and steamy adult content.
	Today's Recommended Eroge: Demonbane The English eroge every fan should own is Demonbane, a fabulous Cthulhu-mythos story with a great story. The DX version is in stock but won't be reprinted, order now!