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GREETINGS FROM J-LIST! Wednesday, May 23, 2012 |
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Although I do my best to be a gentleman, there are times when I've inadvertantly been less than chivalrous to the opposite sex during my years in Japan. I learned early on that reading manga was a good way to help my Japanese improve since it offers "living" examples of spoken language you won't find in a textbook...though the series I chose was the post-apocalyptic Fist of the North Star, which lead to some embarrassment when talking with Japanese females while I un-learned all the hilariously manly-sounding words. Gaijin-in-Japan Rule #26 states that the likelihood of mis-pronouncing the word "mango" goes up the prettier your waitress is, and most foreigners in Japan have made this particular faux pas. For women the line between oneesan (meaning older sister, or a young woman aged 18-25 or so) and obasan ("aunt," or any older woman above the age of 35) can be a fine one, and I've accidentally caused offense by choosing the wrong word for a person I was addressing. Then a couple of months ago I was walking in Akihabara and happened by a shop where two female employees were showing off Apple's iPhone 4S. I'd been meaning to try the just-released Japanese version of the Siri "voice assistant," so I asked the girls to show me Siri...which lead to a gasp of shock, since Siri (pronounced shiri) means "butt" in Japanese, and the shop employees apparently had not known about this feature of the iPhone.
 
Siri (shiri) means "butt" in Japanese; the Japanese eat some interesting "Western" foods.
You probably don't think of Japanese foods like omurice (an omelet served over rice with a ketchup heart drawn on top) or katsu (Japanese pork cutlet) as "Western" foods, but in Japan dishes like this are all referred to with the word yohshoku, meaning foods from Europe or the U.S. The yoh kanji (which literally means "sea") is found in quite a lot of common everyday words, like yohfuku, which the Japanese use to mean "clothes" though it actually denotes Western style clothing, e.g. shirts, jeans etc.; youma, a Western-style living room with a sofa and chairs instead of tatami mats; or yohshiki, meaning "Western-style" like a toilet you sit on rather than squat over. The opposite of yoh is wa, a character that denotes peace, harmony and Japan, and if you want to eat Japanese food, the word you want is washoku. If you're interested in exploring Japanese variations of "Western" foods, we've posted a new cookbook you might want to check out.

The U.S. presidential election is going strong, with candidates trading barbs in the news media about their various policies. Elections in Japan are much different than in the U.S., and I thought I'd talk about them today. First of all, Japan is organized around a British-style Parliamentary system, so people vote for the representative of their chosen party, with the Prime Minister being chosen by whatever party wins a majority. Just as companies aren't allowed to make direct comparison to other products in advertising, it's rare that Candidate A would specifically tell you why he was better than Candidate B, and few of the really negative aspects of U.S. elections are seen in Japan. In the U.S., an advantage is given to whichever party is best able to use new technology to get their message out, but in Japan candidates are forbidden from using services like email, Facebook or Twitter...though I'd prefer these methods to the current "drive around in a loud-speaker car shouting your name outside Peter's house" way. Another big difference between Japan and the U.S. is that religion of a candidates is never discussed, and is totally unknown except with politicians affiliated with the New Komeito Party, which was founded by the Sokka Gakkai, a young "evangelical" Buddhist religion founded in 1930. I wondered whether this policy extended to the U.S. election and sure enough, none of the Japanese staff of J-List had heard that Mitt Romney was a Mormon, and that this was a rare event in U.S. political history.

There sure has been a lot of good news for fans of English visual novels. First we announce the School Days Deluxe Collector's Edition, and now we've got more happy news: the epic English eroge Koihime Musou, the smash hit eroge from MangaGamer, is in stock and shipping in San Diego. This fantastic game, which recreates the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms story with cute bishoujo characters, is one of the best games ever released in English. The game is 100% DRM free, and restores the excellent voice cast in the game which was removed from the initial release due to licensing issues. It's got an all-star voice cast, too, including Norio Wakamoto. Order Koihime Musou now!
For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. You can view all new J-List products by clicking this link. | Today's New & Restocked Items |  | | Dengeki Girl's Style June 2012 It's time for a new issue of Girl's Style, the number one magazine for fans of otome games and yaoi / BL games for girls. Comes with tons of cool stuff, like posters, CD jackets, and more! If you're a fujoshi, this is pretty much the magazine you need to be reading now. view this product » | |  | Animage June 2012 You'll also want to check out the new issue of Animage, packed with beautiful art from this season's best anime. Best of all, more free posters! |  | Sheryl Nome FINAL ~ Macross F Visual Collection Dozens of beautiful illustrations of your favorite interstellar diva in this amazing artbook. Highly recommended for Sheryl fans. |  | Hiragana Times June 2012 NO. 308 Study Japanese while brushing up on current events with a new issue of our favorite magazine for Japanese learners. A great way to learn Japanese! |  | A Geek in Japan, Other Books About Japan Immerse yourself in Japanese culture with some of our great guidebooks and study aids, like A Geek in Japan, The Japanese House, plus study books. |  | Cool Overhead Headphones We've got some amazing headphones for lovers of music and Bakemonogatari that fold for extra portability. |  | Persona 4 Anime Plates? Awesome! What better way to show off your Persona 4 fan spirit than with a set of decorative plates sporting your favorite characters. Click to see! |  | Goth-Loli Apron Show off your cute body with equally cute apron that can double as cosplay wear. |  | Black Open Ribbon Knee High Stockings Becoming one of the top fashion items in Japan, these long stockings will make your legs look slim and beautiful. |  | Denim Short Pants ~ size XL Check out these cool short shorts, stylized for that vintage look. Goes well together with out large selection of Japanese stockings. |  | Restocked Shimapan, Other Fun Cosplay Items And for all you lovers of Japanese cosplaying and fashion, we've got Shimapan in stock in a variety of colors and sizes, even for men (ahem). |  | Several New Figures In Stock Two of the most kawaii girls in anime are coming to you in figure form. Check out this barely-clothed Erio and super-genki Menma, now for preorder. |  | Darth Vader Star Wars Ice Cube Trays, More The power of the dark side is strong in this drink, with Sith shaped ice cubes from Japan. Also check out the Star Wars Hanafuda cards restocked, I love these! |  | Evangelion iPhone Cases Our most popular iPhone case ever is the Evangelion NERV case, now in stock along with the Rei plugsuit, Asuka plugsuit, and other great iPhone cases. |  | Rilakkuma Vibrating Personal Massagers? Massage those painful places on your body with a portable personal massager. Great for relaxing tense muscles anywhere you may encounter them. |  | Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Book ~ Kyary Born Known for her wacky style and fun music videos, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a new JPOP sensation rising to the top of the charts. |  | Gorgeous Photobooks Restocked Then see fresh stock of some of our favorite photobooks, including random "Oppai" in Tokyo, Iho Hasegawa's Sun Shower, and other glossy photobook goodness. |  | Today's New All-Ages Manga The gorgeous new "Caught in the Carnage Between my Girlfriend and my Childhood Friend" plus fresh stock of I Am Your Father (PapaKiki) and the new Haganai. |  | Awesome Japanese...Umbrellas? J-List carries the awesome generic clear umbrellas that can be found everywhere in Asia -- an ironic way to keep dry just like the Japanese do. |  | New OreImo PSP Game In Stock Enjoy hours of fun with Kirino, Kuroneko, and all the OreImo girls in this awesome game for PSP. How many endings can you get? |  | Big Restocking of Popular PSP, PS3 and PSVita Games Also see fresh stock of GALGUN (the pantsu game for PS3), the best dating-sim and ecchi titles for PS Vita, K-On! for PSP and more. |  | The Best Pens from Japan Japanese pens are the best in the world, and we've restocked several today, including the Zebra Sarasa (my own favorite) and Tombow AIR PRES. |  | Hiragana Practice Notebooks, More In Stock See fun Japanese notebooks that help you learn Japanese, plus that Cutting Edge Business Notebook w/iPhone and Android App for accurate scanning. |  | FritoLay Yakitori Corn Snack Two Flavors (Negima & Tare) Enjoy Japan's love for skewered BBQ chicken at home with these fun snacks from Frito-Lay. They're totally fun to eat! |  | Tiger & Bunny Wafers (Set of 2) Collectable and edible, this is the perfect treat for fans of the Tiger and Bunny series. You get delicious chocolate wafer cookies plus Tiger & Bunny cards! |  | Delicious Food Drops Candies Restocked Learn about Japan with fun traditional food drops. Today we have Osaka-style Kushi Katsu, Okonomiyaki and other flavors for you to try. |  | Happy Kitchen Doughnuts, Other Snacks Restocked See Puccho Ball Ramune, Meiji Wata Gum cotton candy gum, awesome Shigekix Super Ramune, FritoLay Izakaya Menu Cheetos and classic Kyoto Candy! |  | Pink Rabbit 3D 2 Tier Bento Box w/ Elastic Band ~ Usagi We always enjoy seeing super kawaii bento boxes on display, especially when their insides are as delicious as their outsides. |  | Gorgeous Lacquered Bento Boxes I love a well designed bento box, and the Onigiri Style Bento Box, which stores three rice balls for you. Other great bento boxes are restocked today too! |  | Restocked Sauce Bottles for Bento We love those cute little bottles for bringing soy sauce, mayonnaise and other condiments, and we also have "anti-bacterial sheets for bento" in stock. |  | Kihon no Youshoku ~ Japan-style 'Western' Food So if you want to learn how to make delicious Japanese versions of "Western" foods, here is one of the many great books we have for international chiefs. |  | Hats from J-List In addition to a great line of professionally embroidered hats, J-List stocks awesome felt beanies of Domo-kun. Now available at a lower price! |  | Restocked Traditional Awesomeness Today we have fresh stock of our elegant lacquered cases for storing your tea leaves and other delicacies, plus traditional Kompeito candy from Japan. |  | Kneesocks Figure ~ Panty & Stocking *preorder* Wow! Check out this huge and detailed figure of a smoking hot demon babe. Guaranteed to make your mouth water and your nose bleed. |  | T-elos Figma ~ Xenosaga Episode III *Preorder* If you love hot robot girls, then don't miss this sexy and posable figure of T-elos from the Xenosaga RPG series. | | New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products |  | Real Ecstasy MAX ~ Maji Kyouran Gorgeous AV action all packed together with a 210 minute DVD, packaged to the brim of ecchi excellence. Great quality! |  | Enjuku no Utage ~ Banquet of Ecchi Pleasure Follow one beautiful woman as she explores the limits of pleasure. A superb new manga release by one of our favorite artists, Azuki Kurenai! |  | Boku no Kanojo Ga Eroi Wake 3 Here's a fun ero manga dedicated to every man who dreams of having his own harem of beautiful, devoted women. Great story and art! |  | Classic 'Futanari' Works Restocked Also, be sure to browse our selection of top-quality futanari doujins and manga for fans of girls with a little extra. Great works posted today. |  | Huge Restocking of English Ecchi Manga! We had a surprise shipment containing some of the best English-language ero manga ever release from Icarus, incl. many titles long out of print. |  | Awesome Restocked H-Manga Too See several restocked manga titles, including a fascinating one about female ninjas, the awesome Shameless Swimming Club and more -- lots of stuff to browse. |  | Super Sonico's 'Cast Off' Figure Super Sonico is the headphone-wearing moe idol of Nitroplus, and a revealing figure featuring the character has just been released. Are you moe moe kyun-ing yet? |  | New 'Cast Off' Figures for Preorder Plus we've got some excellent NSFW figures for preorder, like Mukai-san, Yuniko and many others, which will get your blood pumping. |  | Perfumed Natural Pantyhose of Working Woman Add on a new layer of reality to your toys with this pantyhose set that comes complete with a women's scent. |  | Fighting Girl Onahole Toys The Ikki Tousen toys are popular because they're large, realistic, and based on our favorite ecchi characters including Koihime Musou. |  | 'Shakuhachi' Simulators While a shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese flute, it's also slang for a girl giving a very special gift to a man with her mouth. Fun toys restocked. |  | New Air Dutch Dolls In Stock Enjoy your spare time even more when you can share it with an amazing companion like Minami, the stylishly sexy air doll. |  | Koihime Musou DX Edition In Stock! The popular eroge is finally in stock in San Diego, so order your copy now. Deluxe packaging w/extras, plus no DRM and full voice restored! |  | Dousei LoverAble Move in with a cute girl, no strings attached! Five cute and sexy girls are waiting for you to join them in the romantic life of your dreams. |  | Perofella HD (Blu-ray Disc) We're always suckers for a great JAV parody of a popular game or anime, and this is no exception. Persona fans take note! |  | Super High Class Soapland A "soapland" is a place where men go to be cleaned by a pretty girl, like Miku Hasegawa, in this great video production by SOD. |  | Too Ero Body ~ Yuzu Ogura A very special gift from Yuzu Ogura -- 113 minutes of pure "H" excellence, with all the action you've come to expect from such a great actress. |  | Forbidden Girl x Girl Office Fans of yuri pairings will love this new video featuring steamy forbidden scenes between a two office workers. | |  | | Many DVDs & Blu-ray Discs Restocked Finally, enjoy a large restocking of ero JAV discs, including Japanese male AV actors vs. blonde women from Eastern Europe, the Best of Million 19, Nanami Sakura BIJIN, the History of Stripe Panty JAV w/ Real Shimapan, Girl x Girl Esthetic Compilation, Mister K-POP plus several of the popular tentacle live-action releases. view this product » | |
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ABOUT J-LIST
J-List is an online shop in Japan that carries tons of fun Japan-related products, from Totoro plush toys to bento boxes to delicious J-Snacks and tasteful "H" products. You've got a friend in Japan!
J-List is available through jlist.com (featuring all products, including NSFW) and JBOX.com (PG products only), so everyone can enjoy finding cool stuff from Japan!
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FOLLOW J-LIST ON TWITTER!
Here are our Twitter feeds: @jlist (Peter's tweets about life in Japan), plus product updates @jlist_anime, @jlist_bento, @jlist_HK (Hello Kitty), @jlist_snack, and (NSFW) @jlist_tenga (TENGA toys) and @jlist_18_books (manga & artbooks)
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