When Did Japan Discover its Fascination with Oppai in Japan?
One thing I like to do on J-List is study popular tropes in Japan and investigate their origins. Like the way the imouto younger sister fascination in anime can be traced to a 1983 anime called Miyuki, or the way Japan’s fetish for pantsu comes specifically from Marilyn Monroe’s famous upskirt scene in the Seven Year Itch, which was scandalous her eat the time. I got to wondering about the history of oppai in Japan. Women in Japan wore bust-hiding wafuku (Japanese style clothing including kimono) exclusively until after WWII — the modern brassiere was introduced in 1948 — and slowly society became more Westernized trough American TV and films. In the 70s, Hawaii-born American gravure (swimsuit) idol Agnes Lum exploded onto the scene , singlehandedly popularizing the bikini in Japan and inspiring Lum from Urusei Yatsura. Today there are many ways to celebrate oppai in Japan, whether from the new Prison School life-sized mousepad we posted today, or through the incredible works of Hitomi Tanaka, or through fun games like Boob Wars. You can even keep one in your desk at work for when you need something soft to squeeze.
(A user on Twitter asked, “Are Japanese men switching their preference from breasts to butts like we are in the West?” I’d say to say I can see no major evidence of such a change, meaning that we might be headed for a major boobs vs. butts cultural rift in the coming years. I’ll keep abreast of the oppai in Japan situation for you.)
One thing about Japan: they take their seasons seriously, and are likely to go out of their way to tell you how great their country is for having four distinct seasons, unlike America. (Naturally these are people who have only visited California.) As summer winds down, Japanese companies are switching into “autumn mode,” bringing out products for the cooler months. Among these are Aki Aji (“The Taste of Autumn”), a seasonal beer Kirin brings out every year this time of year, and I always get two cans and share one with Mrs. J-List to mark the change of the season. Fall is my favorite time of year in Japan: it’s cool and pleasant, and there’s nothing like seeing the leaves turn color around you.
People loved the limited edition Megumi stickers we gave out at this year’s summer anime conventions, and today we’ve got good news for our customers! All orders from September 1 will receive one of our limited Megumi stickers! Here’s how it works: Browse our shop and treat yourself to some products and we’ll include one random limited Megumi sticker with your order! Make an order now!
