Hello from Japan. We have been busy here, but now it’s time to update the site and go out to one of our favorite restaurants, Miya, a steakhouse. (Yes, there is steak here in Japan…)
The first calendars are in! Yes, the first batch of 75 or so calendars are in, and customers whose calendars are ready have been notified by email. It was our first chance to see the insides of some of the calendars, and I really must say that the Fubuki Akira calendars, the Shin Bishojo Densetsu and the Madoka Ozawa items are all truly lovely, with the inside pages as good or better than the covers. I urge you to order your copy soon — since the deadline for ordering is just a few days away. They are truly high-quality items.
J-List’s email replies will be slow over the next few days, for two reasons. The first reason is, I am taking Kaori, Tomoe and my wife on a bunch-deserved “shain ryoko” (company vacation). We’re headed to Kusatsu, on the other side of the prefecture from where we are, to a nice onsen (hot springs hotel). Usually onsens are very Japanese places, where you wear cotton yukata and eat very Japanese-style food, while drinking beer and sake and bellowing out songs on the karaoke machine. The place we are going to is a pension, actually, so the food is western. I will have a report for you all when we get back.
The second reason is, my grandfather has died, and my mother is flying from San Diego to Ohio for the funeral, so credit card processing will be delayed slghtly. My grandfather was 78, and died of a brain hemorrhage after a long chain of strokes, so we are all frankly glad he has finally gone on to a better place. Incidentally, he was the only member of my large family to oppose my marrying a “Jap” — I never held it against him, of course, since he did fight in World War II, and everyone is entitled to a little narrow thinking sometimes.
Thanks for checking out J-List, and see you again soon!
