J-list Blog

Monokuro Boo "Kuttari" Plush *Black

"Monokuro Boo" (Monokuro means monochromatic, and Boo is really Buu in Japanese, the "oink" sound a pig makes, hence this translates as "Monochrome Oink") are the latest cute creation by San-X, two identical pigs except they are chromatic opposites. Always appearing in pairs, these cuddly pigs make great mascots, especially for the gothic crowd. This latest offering features the black pig version as a soft rounded plush that measures 13 cm (5 inches) and is filled to the brim with a soft...

Mamegoma Toilet Paper Roll Holder

Mamegoma is an adorable baby seal mascot franchise from San-X (also Tarepanda, Nyanko, Rilakkuma) that features cute and happy seals. This Mamegoma toilet paper roll cover is the perfect touch for cutening up your bathroom with some extra plush. Gives your plain ol' toilet roll a face to keep you company while you powder your nose. Reinforced plush cover with pink polka dot inner lining. Has a loop for hanging. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)

Hello again from J-List. Once again we've made the hop from San Diego to Japan, traveling the 5443 miles (8759 km) from our American home to our Japanese one. The flight was fine, although bumpier than normal due to the extra turbulence in the skies in winter.

We've returned just in time for our favorite time of year, oshogatsu, or the New Year's Day holidays. Unlike the happy, boisterous fun that is New Year's in the U.S. and elsewhere, Jan. 1 is a very solemn day in Japan. Today is New Year's Eve, and everyone is rushing around doing everything they need to get done before the holidays, like finishing up their o-soji ("big cleaning") so they can face the new year with a clean house, and readying various decorations for the home. It's customary to eat Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles on the last day of the year, which supposedly helps everyone enjoy long lives, and December 31st is the busiest day for restaurants that serve noodles. But the most important activity that takes place on New Year's Eve is watching Kohaku, the Red and White Song Battle, an annual live show put that's been put on by NHK every year since 1951 in which female singers (the red team) battle male singers (the white team) to see which side can put on the most extravagant performances. The Kohaku show is "the" music event of the year, comparable to the Academy Awards in the U.S., and virtually every top star will be there, from Leah Dizon to Gackt to the singers in Hello! Project and enka greats Saburo Kitajima and Sayuri Ishikawa. After the Kohaku show ends at 11:45 pm, NHK broadcasts Yuku Toshi, Kuru Toshi (Year Going, Year Coming) showing solemn images of people making their way to beautiful Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, Christian churches and Muslim mosques to do hatsu-mode (ha-tsu MOH-day), the first prayer for good luck and happiness of the New Year, overlaid with the sound of a bell that chimes 108 times. Then, the TV display flashes "0:00," letting you know the New Year has silently arrived.

Japan is nothing if not the land of the "boom," and you never know what will become popular next. Right now, thousands of cell phone users are displaying an image of the enigmatic Yoshihiro Miwa as their screen wallpaper, which is rumored to increase a person's luck with regards to money, what with yellow being the feng shui color for wealth and all. A survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing who went to Tokyo to become a famous cabaret singer, Miwa was very close to writer Yukio Mishima, the guy who tried to bring about a pro-Emperor coup by the military then committed seppuku when the soldiers laughed at him. Author of 20 books and an accomplished stage performer and director, Miwa-san may be most famous internationally as the voices of the wolf goddess Moro and the Witch of the Waste in Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. If you're curious to see if this Japanese superstition is correct, try setting your cell phone's wallpaper to this picture and see if you get more money in 2008!

One thing I really like about the Japanese is the tradition of kinben (KEEN-ben), or diligence and hard work, as an ideal for people to aspire to, essentially the local version of the Protestant Work Ethic. By and large, this diligence is usually measured in terms of time rather than raw effort, and doing an hour or two of overtime each day is probably the norm for most Japanese companies, allowing employees show their hard work to their colleagues in a unit that everyone can easily recognize, time. The highest expression of kinben is the tetsuya, the all-nighter, working so hard that you work all night long to finish your important project. If an employee in Japan works all night on a project, he will probably gain a lot of respect from his boss and coworkers (the term also applies to studying all night for a test). Recently I asked my wife what the "worst" job in Japan was considered to be, the one parents tell their kids they'll end up doing if they don't study hard (when I was a boy it was "ditch digger" but it may have changed since then). She told me that Japanese don't usually speak ill of a profession like that, since someone has to do it after all, and in fact, many of the jobs some might consider to be "bad" such as road construction or the guys that empty the BOT-ton toilets in older homes that don't have pluming yet, are actually good in a way, since they pay much higher due to the fact that few people are willing to do them.

J-List would like to wish everyone a safe, warm and wonderful New Year's holiday tomorrow. Within the month of December, you wish someone a Happy New Year by saying yoi o-toshi o (YO-ee oh-TOH-shi oh), which literally means "[have a] good year." After January 1st arrives, you switch to akemashite omedeto (ah-keh-MASH-tay oh-meh-deh-TOH), literally "congratulations on opening the New Year." It's polite to use this second greeting the first time you see a Japanese person after the new year arrives. Well, until next time, yoi o-toshi o, everyone!

Since we're giving the J-List crew some much-deserved time off, I'm presenting a few of my Most Favorite Things today, some items I think are especially cool to show you. You can view all J-List products updated in the last three days by clicking this link.

	3D Oppai Mouse Pad. Have you noticed that anime is getting more interactive? Now not only can you play anime games with multiple endings (as in our dating-sim games), but you can even, er, touch your anime in new and interesting ways.
	Cool Traditional Japanese Shoes. J-List carries a huge selection of traditional items, and some of our favorites are the setta (sandals) and geta (traditional wooden shoes) from Japan. See our selection now.
	See Our Most Popular Traditional Items. J-List now has constantly updated category listings which show you the most popular items in a category. Our best-selling traditional items include our awesome Lucky Cat Tea Cups, an incredibly popular series. Click to see the 50 best-selling traditional items!
	Black Goth Style Cat Bento Box Set. Japan's culture of visually-pleasing boxed lunches (bento) is popular all over the world, and J-List offers a huge selection of bento boxes for you to browse. I love our new Goth-Loli Cat style bento box series.
	Top-Selling Study Items. J-List genuinely wants to promote study of the Japanese language and interest in all aspects of Japan. See the top 50 study related items, including "bilingual books" with Japanese and English printed side-by-side.
	Hello Kitty Computer Speakers, USB Mouse, More. We love to bring you kawaii products from Japan, including hard-to-find items like Kitty-chan speakers for your iPod or computer, the Hello Kitty mouse, Hello Kitty vibrating shoulder massager, mayonnaise cups, and so on.
	Japanese T-shirt "Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend". It turns out that more than a few men in the world are interested in the idea of dating girls from Japan, and this wacky T-shirt might just be the conversation starter you need to make it happen. The exact translation is "Now accepting applications for a Japanese girlfriend."
	iTunes Japan Music Card, Elecom Items. J-List carries the popular pre-paid iTunes Japan Music Cards that let you buy Japanese music and play it on PC or Mac with iTunes or any iPod. It even works with the online iTunes store and iPhone / iPod Touch. We also carry dozens of great items from Japan's electronics maker Elecom, with lower prices on the Mogmo Kun flash drive cases.
	2008 Calendars. Of course, J-List still has a good selection of 2008 calendars printed for the domestic market here, a great way to add a little slice of Japan to 2008. Browse are anime, JPOP, sexy idol, men's and other calendars now!
	Preorder Anime Figures. J-List recently began offering anime figures and other toys via preorder, allowing you to make sure you get that ultra-cool Fraulein Revoltech or Bible Black figure before they all sell out. Orders are often shorted by our distributors, and in cases like these we give priority to customers who have preordered figures.
	Studio Ghibli Plush Toys. J-List has carried plush toys and other items for fans of Hayao Miyzaki since we started our humble little company back in 1996, and we love the joy we've brought to many fans by these great items. Manufactured by Sun Arrow, a toy maker with a hundred years of history.
	Top-Selling J-Snacks. Click here to see the most popular 50 snack items on J-List right now. My own favorites include the Melty Kit Kat (with melted center), Tomato Pretz, and Rose Flavored Gum.
	Top-Selling Dating-Sim Games. J-List has been involved with evangelizing Japan's PC dating-sims from the very beginning, and we've got the best selection of English-translated "H" games on the planet. See the top 50 games in order of sales over the past 7 days.
	Cast Off Figures. We just love the recent trend in Japan of "cast off" anime figures, with clothes you can remove either partially or completely. This is Fiitan, the super-cute mascot of an otaku blog in Japan, which can be displayed in several configurations. So sexy!
	Karami Photomagazine Series. We're big fans of beautiful photography from Japan, and you can't get any better than the Karami series, a great collection of photo-magazines with each issue dedicated to a single beautiful model, like Yua Aida, Mitsu Amai, Hitomi Hayasaka, and many more. No ads, either, making for a totally satisfying visual experience.
	Great "H" Manga from Japan. Of course J-List has always been a great place to get Japan's best "ero" manga, and we've got hundreds of volumes in stock right now. Click here to see the top 50 manga items that J-List customers have chosen over the past 7 days.
	Futanari Products. One of the most visually enticing trends in Japan is futanari, which means "the two becoming one," and is a nice way of saying "chicks with..." From amazing doujinshi and CG by Behind Moon to great manga releases to innovative AV DVD productions, J-List has many items for futa lovers.
	Artbooks. We also carry dozens of top artbooks from top illustrators, including artists like Tony Taka, Tetsuya Ishida, Happou Bijin, Katsuya Terada and many more. Also see the School Days artbooks!
	Japanese Condoms, More. From unique Japanese parody condoms to our Hello Kitty massager products to bizarre items like Treasure Taste World Magic Hole and all-natural lotion products, J-List offers amazing novelty products for couples.
	Huge Selection of DVDs from Japan. J-List has hundreds of Japan AV (hint: it doesn't mean audio visual) DVDs featuring Japan's top pro and indy studios, like Soft on Demand, Alice Japan, Moodyz and TMA. Click here to see the top 50 DVD products on the site right now.

Mamegoma Toilet Paper Roll Holder

Mamegoma is an adorable baby seal mascot franchise from San-X (also Tarepanda, Nyanko, Rilakkuma) that features cute and happy seals. This Mamegoma toilet paper roll cover is the perfect touch for cutening up your bathroom with some extra plush. Gives your plain ol' toilet roll a face to keep you company while you powder your nose. Reinforced plush cover with pink polka dot inner lining. Has a loop for hanging. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)

Monokuro Boo Plush Pen

Monokuro Boo is a pair of monochrome (monokuro) square pig (bu) plush characters that come in many sizes, this time on the top of a pen which happens to be completely covered with a sheath of soft plush. Possibly the next best thing to fuzzy dice. A truly luscious writing experience. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)

Louise 1/8 Figure ~ Zero no Tsukaima (The Familiar of Zero) by Charaani

The Familiar of Zero, is a comedic adventure series of light novels and anime written by Noboru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka. The series revolves around the students in their second year of magic school, of which, Louise is attending. Absolutely horrible at magic, Louise is quickly named "Louise the Zero" (zero representing her rate of success she has when casting spells). In a sacred ritual where the students summon their familiars (eternal protectors), of which many receive...

Mirim Ixus 1/8 Figure Maid Costume ver. with Soft Breast Feature ~ Crimson Grave

If you read Dragon Age manga, you'll come across tons of great stories from legendary artists in the making. One story entitled Crimson Grave features a young female heroine named Mirim Ixus, that has been caught the eye of many fans. Much to their delight, Toys Works of Japan was licensed to release a fun figure featuring the character in her maid rendered version with a trademark pose (having a broom stick somehow caught underneath her clothing). This 1/8 scale statue not only features a cast...

Red Hello Kitty DX Chirimen Eyeglass Case

Here's a rare and oshare ("oh-sha-leh" is Japanese for stylish) accessory from Sanrio's Hello Kitty empire -- a very well made eyeglass case that you will treasure for years to come. With beautiful chirimen fabric (used for making kimonos) and a scratch-free lens cleaning cloth included, this is one of those Hello Kitty items that stands out like a gem in the jungle of cute culture. It's cute, high quality and traditional. The case has red, gold and pink sakura with Hello Kitty logos. The case...

Kiki's Delivery Service -- Jiji No Sanpo

There's something ingenious about these mini Studio Ghibli plush toys we just cant put our finger on -- oh wait that's right they vibrate! What's not to love about a cute little toy that shakes and whirrs in the palm of your hand and goes for 'a little walk' when you pull the string and put it on a smooth surface. Kawaii!! About 3.5 inches tall. This is the Jiji the Cat version, from the anime Kiki's Delivery Service. 4 inches tall. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)

Monokuro Boo "Kuttari" Plush *Black

"Monokuro Boo" (Monokuro means monochromatic, and Boo is really Buu in Japanese, the "oink" sound a pig makes, hence this translates as "Monochrome Oink") are the latest cute creation by San-X, two identical pigs except they are chromatic opposites. Always appearing in pairs, these cuddly pigs make great mascots, especially for the gothic crowd. This latest offering features the black pig version as a soft rounded plush that measures 13 cm (5 inches) and is filled to the brim with a soft...