Hello from Japan, where even the feminine products have printed Hello Kitty on them.
One thing I’m often impressed with since coming to Japan is the “steadiness” I often see here. When I married my wife and moved to Isesaki, I noticed a man in a nearby field, spending his Sunday afternoon with his RC helicopter (one of the expensive ones), flying it around the field and landing it. Well, it’s been six years since that day, and that man is still in that field every Sunday afternoon, playing with his RC helicopter. Over the past six years I’ve gone through many changes and evolutions, but I have to respect that man for his steadfast adherence to his hobby.
Likewise, this steadiness can be seen in Japanese TV, with anime staples that have been on the air for decades and thousands and thousands of episodes — mainly Doraemon (the “robot of cat type” who comes from the future to be with his friend, Nobita-kun) and Sazae-san (which follows the happening of the Isono family every week, brought to you by the Toshiba Corporation). The longest running movie series in history is also from Japan — “Otoko wa Turaiyo” (“It’s Tough Being a Man”) followed the traveling salesman Tora-san around Japan year after year, for a total of 48 installments (it’s in the Guiness Book).
But as with all observations about Japan, there are the exceptions. In America, consumers expect trusted brands, and most of the products you see — from Milky Way and M&Ms to Coca Cola and Rice Krispies — have been around for dozens of years. In Japan, however, companies are under pressure to come up with new products — Morinaga’s Choco Flake may have been “the delicious chocolate snack enjoyed by consumers since 1963” but when retailers want something new to attract consumers, it “out with the old, in with the new.”
Tonight’s update is a nice one, with lots of nice new additions, including:
- An excellent selection of key holder/phone straps, including a keychain of “Street Licca” (the kogal version of Licca-chan), Godzilla 2000 and the Dancing Baby from Ally McBiel (on the anime & toys page)
- Haru, a wonderful hardcover photobook of the lovely and delicious Yoshikawa Minami, the “second Aonuma Chiasa”
- Great new magazines, including new issues of Panstopia and two different issues of D Cup Japan
- Excellent new idol videos, including Final Beauty videos of Yamada Mariya and Yoshida Satomi, and a new Race Queen video offering
- For fans of the excellent videos from Soft on Demand, we’ve got new “costume play sex” that have been very well received — as with all SOD videos, they really push the envelope and show lots of detail
J-List customers tell us that word of mouth is the #1 one way they hear of us. If you know someone who’s interested in Japan, please tell them about J-List. Thanks!
