Hello again, on this fine Saturday afternoon (Japan time). I’m putting the finishing touches on today’s update, and then I’m going to do some Saturday-type things, like go shopping and wash the Saturn. (Yes, we live in rural Japan yet drive a Saturn, the first sold in the prefecture…)
It’s often said that Japan is anywhere from 10 to 25 years behind the U.S., socially. Looking at the delayed adoption of child carseat laws, it seems to hold true most of the time. It was just about ten years ago that the concept of “political correctness” entered the English mindset, and sure enough, I see slow signs of it taking root here. First, it’s become slightly taboo for the teachers at my kids’ school to say “mother” or “father, since some of the kids come from single-parent families. Instead, the generic word hogosha” (care-giver) is the new term. Also, the Japanese have finally figured out that “skin-color” (hada-iro) is not really a suitable name for a crayon.
Still, Japan remains a pretty stable place, where 90% of the people pretty much agree on the way to raise kids and get things done from day to day — this is “joshiki” (common sense). Babies are born in hospitals, all kids go to school, and the father in a family is the “daikoku-bashira” or the large, black pillar that holds the house up — i.e., he is the central provider for the family. Ideas that are seen as radical, such as homeschooling, just don’t take root here. Another concept that just never got a foothold in Japan is American-style feminism. My wife recently watched a Japanese show about Gloria Steinem, which detailed the views and positions of the American movement. To say that she
- We’ve been lucky to get some additional copies of the wonderful Fubuki Akira last photobook, So Long — a very special item that will not last long. See it on photobooks page 1
- Also on the photobooks pages, several back-in-stock items, including more copies of Miura Aika’s Last Song, and a great item for leg fans
- For dojin fans, we’ve got a slew of excellent new dojinshi, but they’ll go fast, so check them out soon — be sure and check the “dojin soft” game and CG collections on the dojin-soft page, too
- If you love Japan’s unique erotic manga, check out the new volumes on the Manga (new releases) page
- The new DVD & Video CD Soft Catalog is in stock — this is a great all-color magazine which includes two full Video CDs of Japan AV sampler “quickies.” It’s nearly 2 hours of footage for a very cool price
- Since we love the cool videos and attitude of Soft on Demand, we’ve got some new ones for you: Go! Go! Magic Mirror Box Car vol. 1 & 2 (three lovely girls take men into a special truck outfitted with one-way mirrors then have sex with them in seeming full view of everyone), the new installment of First Les, starring Makino Saori, and a wonderful “tekoki assistance” video with Okazaki Mio
- We have more stock of the surprisingly popular “Japanese congratulations envelopes” (which are used in Japan when giving money but can be used for any ornate purpose) and the reflective “it is forbidden to urinate here” stickers (torri version)
- Finally, a new item: a Japanese long-necked shoe-horn, which allows you to put on your shoes without handing way down, as with normal shoe-horns. This item has been requested by J-List customers, so we’ve obliged. Find this item on Wacky Japanese Stuff-> Fun Stuff.
That’s all for now — thanks for being a part of J-List, and we’ll see you on the web!
