Hello again from Japan, where the Sapporo Beverage Company has just released a beer with added fiber (for people who don’t get enough roughage in their lives).
Japan is overjoyed with the excellent showing of their favorite son, Hideki Matsui, in his first year in the Major Leagues. Nothing makes Japanese happier than to have one of their own recognized internationally, and the admiration the Japanese feel these individuals borders on worship. Writers Yukio Mishima and Yasunari Kawabata, directors Kurosawa and Miyazaki, scientists like malaria researcher Hideo Noguchi and Egyptologist Sakuji Yoshimura, and athletes like Nakata, Ichiro and now Matsui all have a special place in the hearts of the Japanese people for improving the image of Japan in the eyes of the world. Since the Meiji Restoration, when Japan began rapid modernization, one of the major goals of the country has been the creation of a nation that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of America and Europe. The Japanese secretly wish they were part of Europe — that’s why Japan and Europe have the same DVD region. So Japan pays a lot of attention to its international image and is happy when one of their own does good overseas.
One of the more interesting parts of learning Japanese are the many varieties of descriptive sound words, similar to onomatopoeia in English. There are two groups of these words, giseigo (literally “mimic-voice words”) and gitaigo (“mimic-situation words”). Giseigo are words that mimic the sounds of animals — the sound a small dog makes sounds like “kyan kyan” but a larger dog sounds like “wan wan.” A cat says “nya nya” and a rooster “kokekokko.” Pigs say “buu buu,” and in the anime show Chibi Maruko-chan, there’s a boy in Maruko’s class who looks like a pig, and every thing he says ends with “buu.” Gitaigo are a little harder to grasp: they are words that describe a situation. When it’s pouring with rain, the sound is “zaa zaa,” and someone whose heart is all a-flutter in a romantic situation might be “doki doki.” When something is spread all over the place (like parts from a toy or something), it’s “bara bara,” and if your car is old and dilapidated, it would “boro boro.” Learning Japanese is fun!
Poor Daisuke. He was lifting something heavy in his apartment last weekend when he heard a snap in his knee — and now he’s on his back in the hospital, waiting for surgery on his fractured kneecap. We hope Daisuke can get back to J-List soon, but in the meantime, the other staff members will work hard to pick up the slack and not fall behind with processing of orders.
Every country has its list of “taboos” and Japan is no different. Don’t stand your chopsticks up in your rice (tachi-bashi), as this is only done during funerals (as a final offering of rice to the deceased). Likewise, don’t sleep with your head pointing north (kita-makura), because the dead are laid out with their heads facing that direction before cremation, so it’ll bring bad luck if you do it. Don’t enter someone’s house without taking your shoes off, and remember not to commit ritual disembowelment (hara-kiri, aka seppuku), either. Now we’ve got a bizarre new T-shirt that helps you keep these helpful behavioral tips in mind when visiting Japan. A great new “warning” shirt that will get you lots of attention! All sizes in stock, from S through 3XL.
We’ve updated some of our email addresses at J-List to help battle unwanted mail. Old address such as [email protected], [email protected] have been updated to tomo2003, yasu2003, and so on. Please update your addresses if you’ve got old entries in your address books.
For the new update, we’ve got some excellent products from Japan for you. They include:
- For Star Trek fans, we’re happy to announce preorders for the new Series 2 of Furuta’s Star Trek Replicas. After the wild success of the first series, we know many fans
- For Final Fantasy X-2 lovers, we’ve got the dynamite Official Final Guide, a massive all color book with600 pages of dynamite information, art, walkthroughs and more for the game
- We’ve got yet another dynamite color Domo-kun towel, this time with a full color printed image of Domo-kun and all his friends
- For Totoro and Spirited Away fans, we’ve got a cute Soot Sprite (e.g. Makkuro Kurosuke), the perfect mascot for your car
- If you like our wacky Japanese snacks from Japan, we’ve got some cute animal crackers, delicious gummi Anpan Man (Bean Paste Bread Man) treats, fresh stock of great original Pocky, and more
- By customer request, we’ve restocked the really fun Bandai Soft Cream Shop kits, which allow you to make delicious mini ice cream
- Also, we’ve gotten in fresh stock of Lotte’s famous coffee gum, back in production after several years, as well as other popular Japanese gum
- From Sunrise, we’ve got a great new series of very cool miniature anime heroine figures, including Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop (limited stock of full sets are available)
- Then, a superb item for Laputa fans: a very rare Laputa tape dispenser that will be a treasure of yours forever
- The lovely “CM Idol” (a pretty girl who appears in TV commercials) Ami Ikenaga is delightful to look at in her new glossy photobook, a wondeful swimsuit idol at the top her game (she looks great in a denim bikini, too)
- For fans of Happa-Tai and their Yatta! commedy DVD, we’ve got fresh stock for you (region free)
- Also, fresh stock of the original Gamera the Invincable and Godzilla 1954 releases on DVD, great items for serious collectors
- Breathe in a stream of “minus ions” (negatively-charged ions) with a great new minus ion mask — relax and refresh!
- For Hello Kitty fans, we’ve got a super Kitty mug featuring a ceramic figure of Kitty perched on top, so cute
- Finally, we’ve got more wacky items from Japan, including a super cute pencil case (“Hello!”), a great item for labeling your keys,
For our adult customers, we’ve got many new 18+ products. They include:
- First of all, we have the dynamite new issue of Urecco, the #1 selling magazine at J-List, just filled with fabulous Japanese adult video models and nude actresses photographed by Japan’s top photographers
- Also, enjoy a great issue of More and More, featuring the delightful sex of Kaori Shimizu — comes with a 120 minute DVD! (region 2)
- Groups (or “units”) of really cute idols are very common in Japan, and the newest and cutest is “Punyu Punyu” (the sound of something soft and warm going “boing”) — enjoy their first dynamite photobook
- For photobook fans, enjoy some great new hardcover offerings including the sweet nude of Hitomi Yuki, Garo Aida’s lovely Mizuho, and more
- Also, check out the cool “fetish bondage card collection” we’ve got, featuring some of Japan’s most sexy models
- One of the “keywords” of erotica in the 1990’s was bodycon, short for body conscious, or women who were extremely shapeley and well-toned — now you can enjoy this great concept again in a new leg, panty and up-skirt fetish photobook from Shinkosha
- And for Sola Aoi (Sora Aoi) fans, we’ve restocked her superb Gorgeous vol. 1 photobook
- For hentai manga lovers, we’ve got some great books for you, starting with the dynamite Holy Liquid by Mujin Comics, an anthology of cosplay sex manga, uncensored bukkake manga, and more
- Also, a great update of hentai and yaoi manga, including Self Defense Force Girl G Tester, Nami SOS, Comic Maker, and Three Wolves’ Mountain
- We’ve also got some great new doujinshi, including two great new Mobile Suit Gundam Seed parody books
- For DVD fans, we’ve got some great erotic works for you, starting off with 4 HOURS of Rina Takase (region free)
- We love the hopelessly cute Ran Monbu (whose name sounds like the French pastry Mount Blanc, because she was scouted while working in a cake shop), and she’ll be your virtual girlfriend in a new release from Million (region free)
- Ichigo Milk, the beautiful Japanese adult video star with a slender body and beautiful red hair, explores the other side of sex in Lesbian Hospital 7 (region free)
- Then, Chiharu Moritaka accepts the “Gokkun Bazooka” in a bold new release from SOD, in which she fulls your bukake cosplay fantasies (region free)
- We’ve got a new installation of the “Clothed Female, Naked Male” series frmo Moodyz, with girls who want to see and touch and tease men’s penises (region free)
- Then, enjoy supreme mini-skirt, leg and panty fetish with “The Temptation of a Lady in a mini-skirt 2” featuring 17 super sexy models for you to enjoy (region 2)
- Then, we’ve got some freshly restocked DVD titles, including Mourning Dress Sisters, Would you like to be Cured by Lewd Nurses, and more reduced-price DVDs with free shipping!
Remember that J-List carries virtually all English-language Japanese dating-sim games available, so you can find all the best games in one place, and at great prices. Peach Princess, G-Collections, Hobibox Europe, Himeya Soft, JAST USA and Milky House, we’ve got them all and all are in stock in our warehouse in San Diego. If you’re unsure which games you think you’d like, feel free to email us for a recommendation! Order 4 or more games and get 20% off, too!
