J-list Blog

Puccho Gummy -- Ramune & Melon Soda

UHA rolls out nother yummy gummi candy with this new version of Puccho -- a soft chewy candy that's mixed in with real bits of gummi inside for a unique snack, in what can only be described as a 'funny' dispensing container. This delicious treat is a the ever popular gumi with soda and melon soda flavors that are wildly popular with the kids in Japan. These are a fun candy with a unique taste that you'll enjoy sharing with friends. And it's fun using the container later, too! (More like this...

Pink Feng Shui Lucky Cat Family Coin Bank for Love / Southeast

Spruce up your energy flow with this romantic Feng Shui Lucky Cat trio coin bank from Sun Art Japan. Nicely painted and made of a high quality porcelain material. This Lucky Cat trio is standing on a red felt mat (sitting pillow) and holding a translucent red crystal ball that corresponds with the Southeast direction, enhancing Southeast energy in a way that builds your luck in love. About 3 inches tall. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)    

Lotte Fusen no Mi Gum -- Blueberry

A bubble gum with a touch of "Russian Roulette" to it -- this is Fuusen No Mi Gum! In this cool plastic dispenser are beads of sweet bubble gum which you can chew to your heart's delight. However -- in every package there are three bigger sour gums waiting to unload their super-sour flavor in your mouth! Great fun in a bubble gum -- just close your eyes, shake and pop in your mouth! This isblueberry flavor, with three sour green apple gum balls inside. (More like this) (Direct link to this...

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.

Japan is a country that likes to embrace new things, and whatever new and bizarre trend comes along, J-List will be there to report it to you. The latest cool thing in Japan might just be hot, as Kirin introduces its new "Hot Beer" that's consumed in a steaming cup like coffee. Based on the company's Ichiban Shibori Stout dark beer, the drink is served with a stick of cinnamon and sugar cubes on the side. The heat of the beer is supposed to bring out flavors not present when served cold, including a deep aroma not unlike that of coffee. The beer is being test-marketed at the Kirin factory in Yokohama, but the company suggests that curious beer aficionados can try it by microwaving beer to about 120 degrees Farenheit (50 degrees Celsius) and stirring it rapidly to give the beer a Cuppochino-like foamy head on top. It's supposedly good poured over vanilla ice cream, too.

There was a minor dust-up on the Internets in Japan this week after the government suggested that it might add a Japanese language requirement for long-term foreigners living here. Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura suggested that requiring foreigners renewing multi-year visas or applying for permanent residency status (which generally means foreigners who have been in Japan for 5+ years at least) to meet minimal linguistic requirements would help encourage the foreign population better fit in and be good for Japan's society overall. Some bloggers and others are crying foul at the suggestion, though, saying that it shows a xenophobic side to Japan's government, but I support the idea 100%. It goes without saying that someone trying to live in Japan will get a lot more out of their time here if they can communicate with people, and if the government can find a way to encourage foreigners to study the language, it can only lead to more understanding between gaijin and nihonjin. (Note that normal visas for jobs such as English teachers, which are issued on a year-to-year basis normally, would not be affected by this plan.) A lot of the comments I saw online had to do with whether or not getting foreigners to learn Japanese would lead to them actually being "assimilated" into Japan's society. That's a difficult question, since I know that even after seventeen years of living here, I could commit seppuku in front of the Imperial Palace and still not be considered Japanese, and I'm okay with that -- I'm just an American who happens to like living in Japan. For myself, I know that you can't learn a language without internalizing the values held by that linguistic group, and and the more foreigners take an interest in learning Japanese, the happier everyone will be together.

The J-List staff had fun at our New Year's Party on Friday, and afterwards we engaged in that famous Japanese past time, karaoke. While most people outside of Japan might imagine getting up and singing in front of a lot of strangers on "Karaoke Night" at a bar, in Japan people usually go to a karaoke box with individual rooms so groups can sing together privately, which mitigates a lot of the embarrassment of belting out songs in front of others. Karaoke uses extremely advanced technology in Japan, with a networked system that streams the songs and video to the machine you're singing with from a central location, which allows the most popular songs to be accessible to everyone immediately after a song's release. Looking at the selection of songs available, I was amazed at how much Japan had changed since my arrival back during the first Bush Presidency. Back then, there was a tiny section of "Anime & Hero" theme songs towards the back of the song book, but with the mainstreaming of anime and video game culture over the past decade, the number of anime-related songs available to sing has exploded. In addition to the main book of Japanese songs and a second book that listed offerings in English, Korean, Chinese and Tagalog (pretty international for Japan), the karaoke box we were at had a third book filled with songs from anime and video games. No matter what minor or esoteric song we searched for, from all the Final Fantasy themes to Dance Dance Revolution tracks and even some songs from the dating-sim games we publish in English, we found them all in the song book. Clearly, the age of the singing otaku is here.

VIE AU JAPON 12 ~ Nihon e toki Jiten 12

J-List carries many bilingual books which present various important subjects in dual languages for easy study. This book brings internationalism to a new level by teaching you all about Japan with all book content in French and Japanese. Great for French-speaking customers who desire to learn about Japan in exciting new ways, this is a really useful book that's full of information on many aspects of things you'll see in Japan. Published by JTB.  

VIE AU JAPON 12 ~ Nihon e toki Jiten 12

J-List carries many bilingual books which present various important subjects in dual languages for easy study. This book brings internationalism to a new level by teaching you all about Japan with all book content in French and Japanese. Great for French-speaking customers who desire to learn about Japan in exciting new ways. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)  

VIE AU JAPON 12 ~ Nihon e toki Jiten 12

J-List carries many bilingual books which present various important subjects in dual languages for easy study. This book brings internationalism to a new level by teaching you all about Japan with all book content in French and Japanese. Great for French-speaking customers who desire to learn about Japan in exciting new ways. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)