J-list Blog

Japanese T-Shirt "It is Forbidden to Urinate Here"- Men's standard

For whatever reason, Japanese men think nothing of stopping to urinate outdoors wherever they might be, along the side of the road or into a rice field, even while passing a beautiful Buddhist Temple. Here's a cool shirt that says "It is forbidden to urinate here," that's modeled after real signs you can see in Japan. A lovely image of a Japanese arch is shown on the shirt, for that extra classy touch. This is a standard men's T-shirt, in red. Sizes S-XL are available. (More like this) 15% off...

Basic Japanese for Students - Hakase 2

Beginning learning Japanese is a daunting task, and one is always on the search for a textbook that not only teaches the basics in a clear and understandable way, but interesting enough so that one doesn't lose interest along the way due to difficulty or boredom. Three Network's "Basic Japanese for Students" steps up to the job -- a book intended for foreign students studying in Japan who need a good crash course in the language. A combination textbook-workbook all in one, this book has all you...

Tenori Mamegoma -- Shiro Goma *White*

Mamegoma is a cute character collection from San-X (Tarepanda, Nyanko, Rilakkuma) that features an adorable seal with a trademark smirk and large eyes that make you want to pick him up and cuddle him. This plush doll features Mamegoma in a pure white version which measures 12 cm (5 inches) long and filled with a soft cushion. Perfect as a travelling companion in your car or someone to keep you company while you slave away at work. (More like this)

WA ~ Fragrance Sachet with Hook *SAKURA Scent*

Enjoy a fresh breeze of relaxing scent with this Fragrance Sachet that comes with a built-in cardboard hook so you can hang it wherever you want to add some pleasant fragrance in your space. This is the delightful Sakura fragrance, with a traditional scent Cherry Blossoms that you can put anywhere. Just pull up the hook, hang it and it will keep the surrounding area smelling like a shower of Sakura Blossoms. (More like this)

We Mean Business Cassette Tape set - Japanese for Business People ~ Shoudan no tameno Nihongo Cassette Tape set

For those interested in learning Japanese from a business perspective, it is important to understand what kind of language is used in a business situation, especially in Japan where business acumen is measured by how well you can master the phrases and subtleties of the language, and with separate forms of language used with conversations within a company vs. outside a company, and with superiors as opposed to people of the same rank and below you, it can be daunting. The Japanese For Business...

Chirimen Hello Kitty Omamori -- Yellow for Money

At Japanese Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines it's customary to buy "omamori" or Japanese good luck charms, which are for a specific purpose such as success in tests, love, easy childbirth or the safety of members of your household while traveling. We're glad to have these cute charms for you now! This cute good luck charm, not only is made out of authentic chirimen (the fabric that kimonos are made out of) but features the adorable Hello Kitty as a cute culture version of the lucky cat...

Our plan to "reform" (remodel) our house in Japan is continuing apace, as we prepare to redo our bath area, enlarge our living room slightly and make the downstairs more "barrier free" for my wife's elderly parents. As is the practice here, we made sure to start the bath part of the construction on one of the "lucky days" according to a Buddhist calendar designated for this purpose. This is especially important because mizu-mawari (parts of the house related to water) have a lot to do with a family's good luck, for reasons that are beyond this poor gaijin's ability to comprehend. The construction is being done by Japanese carpenters who are coincidentally called "dykes" (daiku). One of the rules about getting any kind of contracting work in Japan done is, you're supposed to bring the workers drinks and cakes at 10 am and 3 pm, which helps to help ensure they do a good job on our house.

There's no doubt about it: sometimes Japan can really throw you for a loop. Like the occasional intersection that will show drivers a red light along along with green arrows pointing left, right and up, guaranteeing confusion for everyone. Then there's this Japanese friend of mine who loves old American World War II movies set in the Pacific theatre, despite the presumably negative light these films put the Japanese in -- and ditto for fans of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which features an embarrassingly stereotyped Japanese character played by Mickey Rooney. Japanese sometimes choose names that we'd never consider using in the West, like the rock band Yellow Monkey or the popular talent agency Yellow Cab. The Japanese are a very polite people, and it's actually possible to hear a fight between an older person (senpai) and his underling (kohai) in which the younger person is using polite speech even while he yells at the top of his lungs. Finally, one of the oddest things I've seen all week: Astro Boy's Japanese name is Tetsuwan Atom, literally "Iron-Armed Atom" (which I knew), but it turns out his sister Astro Girl's name in Japanese is Uran, which means "uranium." When I heard this it seemed like some kind of twisted, black joke, coming just seven years after the bombing of Hiroshima, but if the Japanese are okay with the names, I guess it's okay with me.

Taking citizenship of another country is a very special thing -- it means that you've accepted the language, history, culture and values of your adopted nation and are willing to be counted as one of their number for the rest of your life. Although it's one of the most homogeneous places on Earth, foreigners may take Japanese nationality if they meet certain reasonable requirements, including having lived in Japan continuously for five years and having at least basic ability in the language. Athletes often take Japanese citizenship for one reason or another, such as the Hawaiian or Mongolian sumo wrestlers or Brazilian soccer player Alessandro Santos, and the richest man in Japan is a naturalized citizen, too, Yahoo Japan mogul Masayoshi Son, of Korean descent. I'm often asked by J-List customers if I've gotten my Japanese citizenship yet, and I tell them no, I'm quite happy with the permanent residence status I've got now. I'd like to extend congratulations to Carlos, the hardworking J-List employee in our San Diego office who hand prints our cool Japanese T-shirts and hoodies. He's worked very hard to get his U.S. citizenship over the past five years, and today he officially becomes an American citizen.

Speaking of T-shirts, J-List pioneered our line of wacky kanji shirts that let you wear your fascination with Japan on your sleeve, er, I mean on your chest. We've got a new wacky offering for you today, featuring the legendary Ramune, that drink that comes with a glass ball stuck inside the bottle. It's been a part of Japan's history for over a hundred years, appearing in the 19th century (the name is a mispronunciation of "lemonade") and achieving worldwide fame with the rise of anime and manga culture. Now you can sport this famous image of Japan on a cool kanji T-shirt, made just for you!

Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work" (a yes/no verification screen will be displayed to filter products from our mature site). To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link. We also recommend watching our "new products" RSS feed

Nekobus w/ Red Mushroom -- Cominica Totoro Keychain

Here's a really cool keychain from the hit movie Totoro My Neighbor (Tonari No Totoro), featuring the cat bus as it launches itself into the air, grin on face. Highly detailed it even has the forest name printed as the destination as it faithfully reproduces the character from the film. Also comes with a green acorn. Recommended for Studio Ghibli collectors! (More like this) (Direct link to this product)

Alice Pink File -- Nao Oikawa

Alice Japan is one of the top AV companies (as well as one of the longest running) production companies that dominate the world of AV. It's proven it's worth throughout the years, having started the careers of many legends of AV such as Asami Joh, Jun Kusanagi, and even the popular Aoi Sora (Sola). In their latest series known as "The Alice Pink File" (complete with a pink colored DVD case) the producers work to bring new life to their previous productions utilizing the brand new mosaic...

Japanese Nuance in Plain English! ~ Nihonrashisa wo Eigo ni Dekimasuka?

One of the first Western reactions to the Japanese language (by a priest in the 16th century), was that it must have been created by the Devil to make people suffer. A more accurate description of Japanese is that many of the words in the language are "loaded" - that is, they have meanings that differ from the simple dictionary definition. The term "loaded" is commonly used in reference to a question that is meant to trap or trick someone - i.e. "a loaded question." However, the primary nature...