J-list Blog

I've written about how Japan's society often seems to follow behind the U.S. in many areas, usually running about a decade or so behind. Well, spending time at home has shown me that America might be taking more than a few ideas from Japan, too. The other day one of the nice ladies in Costco offered me some Melon Mint gum -- essentially, it was gum that tastes like cantaloupe and mint, which as far as I'm concerned is up there with the Japanese "salt n' citrus" flavored popcorn we posted on Monday, or that wild "Let's Order Some Bacon" artificial bacon-flavored snacks we sell, in terms of general strangeness. I think that weird company names are creeping into American life, too. The other day I saw a sign for a company called ToolUp!, a name that sounds about as odd to me as the Japanese used bookstore chain BookOff!, or their sister chain that sells various forms of computer, game console and other "hardware" called HardOff! It's funny the way Japan and the rest of the world influence each other...

If there's one thing that the Japanese tend to believe, it's that their native language is the most difficult in the world, and this is quite a point of pride with them. Various reasons why Japanese is "harder" are cited, including the multiple writing systems used -- the hiragana and katakana syllabaries, used to express Japanese and foreign-loan words; kanji from China, used to express complex concepts in writing; and the "unofficial" fourth writing system, the Roman alphabet. But another reason why Japanese can be considered more difficult is its famous vagueness. When my wife wants to know I'm ready to go to lunch, she comes into my office and asks Iku? which literally means "Go?" -- parts of the sentence like who is going, where are they going, etc. are all omitted since they're clear from the context. One phrase you'll learn if you watch anime is suki desu (pronounced like "SKI-dess") which literally means "like." But who likes whom, or what? While it's possible that this line could mean "that girl likes watermelon" if the speakers had been discussing that subject previously, the most common meaning is "I like you" (and since the real way to say "love" in Japanese is way too romantic for shy Japanese to ever use, the phrase essentially means "I love you"). But it's not uncommon for a story to center around a character saying suki desu to the person they're secretly in love with, and then suddenly adding a word that changes the object of their liking to something else, like suika (watermelon), creating drama between the characters about what the character really meant the first time. This vagueness of speech is one of the most subtle areas of learning Japanese, and I still have trouble following the flow of a conversation sometimes.

What color are your eyes? All Japanese people have brown eyes, although if you ever ask them what color their eyes are, they'll tell you "black" (because the center of the eyes are indeed black). Japanese are often interested in the eyes of foreigners, since they come in different colors, something totally unknown in Japan (although they do have color contact lenses). When I tell Japanese that my eyes change color depending on what I'm wearing, ranging from green to hazel to blue, they usually don't believe it's possible, but it's true, as far as I've always been able to verify. Once, I was asked by my former Spanish teacher, a Japanese woman who grew up in Peru, if I saw the world through a blue or green tint because of the color of my eyes. I filed this question under "weird things people have asked me in Japan," alongside "how many guns did you own when you lived in America?"

I've made the hop from San Diego to Baltimore, getting ready for Otakon, which I'll be attending. We'll have lots of goodies for you, including our world-famous English-translated PC dating-sim games, so if you'll be at the show we hope you'll drop by booth 611 to say hi (we'll also have at least one surprise for anyone who drops by). Otakon is one of our favorite conventions anywhere, a fantastic opportunity to experience the pure energy of anime fandom in today's youth culture. If you miss me in the dealers' room, I'll be roaming the halls, just people-watching.

For the new update, we've got some excellent new and restocked products, including more "Sake Brand" items with authentic sake logos on them, cool business card holders with images of sakura on them, deluxe bento box sets, study items, various Tachikoma and Walkie Bits toys, Nausicaa and Totoro toys, anime figures like Koko Tsukishima from D.C. and Mitsuru Kijirou from the Personal3 RPG, and more. For our 18 plus customers, enjoy many new and restocked tiems too! Click here for our work-safe products, or click over to this page to see all products (including adult items).

Today is a great day to enjoy some Japanese tunes from Apple's iTunes Japan online store. Apple's iTunes Music Store sells music all around the world, but unfortunately for fans of JPOP, there's no way to purchase unless you have a credit card with a billing address in Japan, unless, of course, you use the excellent iTunes Japan prepaid cards that J-List offers. You can buy music in 1500 and 3000 yen amounts, and choose to either have the physical card sent to you from Japan, or just have the numbers on the back scanned sent sent to you, allowing you to start buying cool JPOP music quickly. I've been on a binge myself recently, buying music from Joe Hisaishi (the composer from all the Ghibli films) as well as various songs I've wanted to track down over the years. The songs are 100% compatible with the version of iTunes you've already got on your computer, and work with any iPod, too.

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." To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

This is my neice, who was visiting San Diego. We took her out to eat her first ever sushi.

And this is my nephew, Nick. He is preparing the chopsticks like a bushido warrior.

Eat that sushi, Nick! We found out that Edamame are great for babies becausae they're fun to open and they taste good. He ate about 8000 of them. The sushi he liked less, but he tried it before tossing it aside, which is more than I can say for some of my other family members.

This is that gum, in case you're wanting to track some down. I think that it wasn't that bad, but a huge box of it would start to get old, fast.

The iPhone was nice to have on the plane, as I got through my whole first 5 hour flight watching videos. I've seen almost no discussion of Haruhi Suzumiya and the Hyperion novels by Dan Simmons, which is a part of the story (this is the book Yuki gives Kyon, and the male character meeting an older, sexier version of his girlfriend theme comes from the books. Add that to my "how America and Japan influene each other" list... Anyway, if you're a Haruhi fan, hunt down the four Hyperion novels (they also happen to be the only SF novels written in the Chaucerian tradition).

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...

Wasabi ~ Authentic Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)

One of the most delicious and unique tastes from Japan, wasabi (Japanese horseradish) is one of the spiciest things on earth. Here's a tube of delicious, spicy wasabi from Japan, made by one of the most trusted Japanese food companies, House. Great for sushi, sashimi, soba or any kind of noodles, and more. It's even good on steak, or mix it with mayonnaise and make "Wasabi mayonnaise." (More like this) (Direct link to this product)

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...

An Erotic Toy Office ~ Inwai Gangu Eigyobu

Big breast lovers will go ga-ga for this new offering by hentai artist Yoshifumi Yamamoto and Angel Comics. A clear cut mix of big breasts and working women, this is a true classic. Get your orgasm on with this awesome mix of older women (onesan girls) who enjoy lingerie, cosplay, glasses, standing doggie, girl on top sex, shared dildos, multiple partners and much more. It's a sensual variety you won't want to miss. 184 pages including 8 full color pages. (More like this) (Direct link to this...

Raging Breasts Day of Adultery ~ BakuNyu Sokanbi

For those who enjoy pocchari woman art, Kei Kitamimaki has created this ten story hentai manga short story collection featuring women of incredible design, wide hipped and kyonyu breasted. "Wana" is a dark story about a man who has secretly wired the boarding house he lives in, with cameras in all the rooms so he can watch the goings on in all the rooms, including the shower and the bedroom! However, he takes the game further when he decides to blackmail the female tennants for sexual favors...

Lotte Black Black Candy

One of the most popular items in the history of J-List has been Lotte's Black Black spicy caffeine gum, which keeps you awake with its strong taste and jolt of real caffeine. (Claude van Damme has advertised it in Japan, speaking Japanese in the TV commercials.) This is the Super Menthol hard candy version of of the popular Japanese icon. A great candy for any time you need to stay awake, such as while driving or taking a test. Each pack holds 11 individually wrapped pieces. Delicious taste...

Lotte Black Black Candy

One of the most popular items in the history of J-List has been Lotte's Black Black spicy caffeine gum, which keeps you awake with its strong taste and jolt of real caffeine. (Claude van Damme has advertised it in Japan, speaking Japanese in the TV commercials.) This is the Super Menthol hard candy version of of the popular Japanese icon. A great candy for any time you need to stay awake, such as while driving or taking a test. Each pack holds 11 individually wrapped pieces. Delicious taste...