Happy Friday, from Japan, where drivers practice “safety driving.”
It’s said that Japan is 25 years behind the U.S. in terms of social development and awareness. Looking at Japan’s recent enactment of a law require that babies ride in infant carseats (or “baby-chairs” as they’re called here), it’s kind of true. Japan is one of the few countries that actively cares about the opinions of its foreign population, and much of the progress in Japan, from Bullet Trains to freeways to laws banning photography of minors and health warnings on cigarette packages is brought about directly because Japanese want to impress foreigners who come here, and avoid bad impressions from negative areas.
Another area Japan lags behind the U.S. are movies. The biggest hit movies with big stars in them are often released here at the same time as in the States, but most movies show up here 6-12 months later. The Blair Witch Project is currently playing in Japanese theaters, although I’ve already got the DVD from the States. By far the most powerful player in Japan’s movie industry is Toda Natsuko, the #1 translator of movies. Having her name in credits at the end of a movie is a status symbol for film studios, and her schedule personally decides what and when Japan see at the movies. Audiences go out of their way to see films she’s translated, although my gaijin friends and I were enjoying nit-picking through her translation for Star Wars: Episode 1 during the summer.
There’s a nice update for J-List, just in time for the weekend. First and foremost, there’s a big selection of collections of CG artwork on CD ROM, published by budding CG artists at the Comic Market — see these on the dojinshi page. There are a half dozen or so new hentai manga on the manga page, including some nice new items for large-breast fans. We’ve also added several lovely new photobooks, both on our normal photobook page (new items go on page 1 as always), but also on the new fetish/S&M photobooks page. Fans of S&M and the various hard-to-find Japanese sexual fetishes should check out these new items. Finally, there’s a big update of in-stock Japanese adult videos, courtesy of Kaori. Lovely new titles by Komuro Yuri, Shiina Mai
I’ve updated MyJapan.Net, my personal homepage, with an interview with Fubuki Akira, and more. Also, we’ve updated CM-Watch, where you can download Japan’s best TV commercials. Feedback is always appreciated!
Well, that’s our update. Have a great weekend, and see you on the web!
