A Girls and Panzer New Years...

January 2, 2014, 6:55 pm

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One of the joys of being an anime fan in Japan is visiting the real places seen in your favorite anime series, which is known as 聖地巡りseichi meguri in Japanese, lit. "making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land." My first visit to a real place in anime was in Shinjuku, standing in front of the hallowed Studio Alta TV from Megazone 23 then exploring the station to find the City Hunter "xyz" blackboard. (Yes, I rock my anime old school.) These days most every anime are set in real locations for added realism, and if you should want to eat taiyaki in front of the train station from Kanon, walk up the sakura tree-lined road from Clannad or enjoy a pleasant afternoon of boating on the lake from Please Teacher/Please Twins and the final scenes from Ano Natsu de Matteru, it's possible to do so. One of the most popular places for otakus to ring in the new year this year was Oarai, Ibaragi Prefecture, the setting for the popular moe tank anime Gals und Panzer, and many fans traveled there to see the first sunrise of the new year.

Many Gal-Pan wishboards were hung at the temple in Oarai.

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The Source of Engrish

January 2, 2014, 6:56 pm

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One of the more well-known linguistic issues related to Japanese is its lack of L/R sound differentiation, which is where a lot of that cute and amusing "Engrish" comes from. In Japanese the sounds らりるれろ ra ri ru re ro exist, but the actual pronunciation is somewhere in between the L, R and D sounds in English. This issue is the reason my daughter snickers while reading user-submitted fan fiction websites that ask you to click the "clap" button (to show that she liked the story), though they write it "crap" most of the time, or why a Japanese friend of mine refuses to discuss politics because she knows she'll eventually need to use the word "election" and she's terrified of getting the L/R sounds mixed up. Of course, all languages have features that are challenging for learners from other countries, whether it's gender for nouns in French and Spanish or tonal pronunciation in languages like Chinese. Some of the challenges English speakers face when learning Japanese include internalizing the difference between long and short vowels (少女 shoujo, with a long first vowel, means "girl," while 処女 shojo with a short vowel, is "virgin"), or getting used to the mechanics of how information like formal/informal, past tense, conditional and passive voice can all be encoded into the form a verb takes. Remember, if you want to learn a little Japanese or a lot in 2014, J-List can help!  

I feel sorry for the Japanese. English is frigging hard.

Happy New Year from J-List

January 2, 2014, 6:56 pm

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Hello and ake-ome to all of us from Japan. This is a fairly recent slang way to say 明けましておめでとう akemashite omedetou, or Happy New Year, since even Japanese find their own syllable-based language unwieldy at times.

As usual, we had a nice quiet holiday here in Japan, eating the traditional New Year's bento called osechi ryouri as we looked through the nengajo New Year's Greeting cards we received. Sending New Year's Cards is a fun tradition that helps keep open certain connections that might disappear otherwise. Nengajo are sent in late December and delivered by the post office on the morning of January 1, and it's always fun to see how many you get. Not everyone can receive a nengajo card however: families that have had a death that year are officially in a state of mourning and can't receive them, so you have to be careful who you send the cards to lest you make a social faux pas. (The worst time to have a family member die is in the last days of December when friends have already sent their New Year's Cards to you.) I've been posting examples of moe-kei New Year's Cards from Pixiv on the J-List Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook feeds -- most featuring art from Kantai Collection, since that game is the most popular thing in Japan these days -- if you want to "like" or follow.

Now my family is off on a vacation to Cebu in the Philippines. It's part of a region that was badly damaged by Typhoon Haiyan in November, and we'll be happy to spend lots of tourist dollars and help them recover. While we're gone the J-List staff will diligently fill all orders and keep the site updated. See you all in a week!

Osechi-ryouri is a traditional bento for eating on New Years Day. Moe girls sold separately.

Cool Products Friday, January 10, 2014

January 10, 2014, 2:18 am

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For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. You can view all new J-List products by clicking this link.

Today's New & Restocked Items

Comptiq Feb 2014 It's time for a new issue of Comptiq, a wonderful magazine full of great art and latest info of your favorite anime and games. This issue features awesome content for fans of Kantai Collection (KanColle), Type-Moon, Strike Witches, Vocaloid, Girls und Panzer and more! As omake (free stuff), you get an exclusive 2014 Kantai Collection calendar and pinup poster plus a Miku Hatsune artbook. Supplies limited, so act now! view this product »

	New Japan Fashion Magazines S Cawaii (Super Cawaii) is a wonderful Japanese fashion magazine following the latest trends in Tokyo, and we just got the new issue in stock.		Maken-Ki! En ~ Hiromitsu Takeda Artworks Great news for Maken-Ki fans. The ultimate Maken-Ki artbook is here! Featuring oppaitastic illustrations by Hiromitsu Takeda plus fun ecchi freebies.
	Free! Perfect File Fans of KyoAni's Free, here's a very special artbook just for you. It's packed full of wonderful art of your favorite handsome guys in the swimming club.		Gorgeous Artbooks Restocked A nice update of beautiful artbooks from Japan, including Kamiyamaneki's beautiful artworks, Queen's Blade, Senran Kagura + more.
	'Watamote' and Touhou Manga Follow the life of cute loner girl Tomoko Kuroki as she tries to become popular in high school. We've all been there...		Spotted on the iTunes Japan store See the new Free! Character Song Collections, or check out the latest Outbreak Company song tracks.
	Anime, Moe and Ecchi 2014 Calendars Although many calendars have sold out for good, we've still got some great ones, from Shirow Masamune to Karory to Coffee Kizoku...browse them all now.		2014 Totoro Calendars are Selling Fast Every year Studio Ghibli delights its fans by creating original 3D desktop calendars. See the new Totoro calendar and schedule books!
	Ichigo Pantsu, Other Cosplay Items Restocked Cosplay is more fun when it's personal, and we love the ecchi products we restocked today, from shimapan to strawberry panties + more.		Split-Toe 'Ninja Socks' Restocked Tabi are the split-toe socks which are found in Japan, sometimes called "Ninja Socks." Browse the new items we posted today.
	Also: Fundoshi, Hachimaki + More Fundoshi (pronounced foon-doh-shi) is the traditional underwear worn by the samurai, which we've restocked. Also: kanji headbands!		Fun T-Shirts in Stock in San Diego We've got some awesome J-List T-shirts in stock, including our Sailor Moon "Biker" shirt, Evangelion x SNK and "Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend."
	New Figures In Stock We have the awesome Danganronpa Monokuma figure in stock, plus Kingdom Hearts Action Figures and more!		Restocked Evangelion Stainless Steel Tumblers This extra tall EVA&LOGOS dual brand tumbler will keep your coffee or tea hot all throughout the day. Great for camping too!
	New Official Sword Art Online Wallets Show your love for SAO and keep your money safe & secured with this cool Sword Art Online Wallet!		My Neighbor Totoro Playing Cards If you love Totoro, as we do, you'll find some great products by Hayao Miyazaki on the site. My kids and I still love our Totoro playing cards.
	Awesome Coffee & Tea Cups from Japan See legendary tea and coffee cups from Japan, from our Attack on Titan tea strainer to the Cup Noodle Mug Cup and more.		Luna and Artemis Pair Mug Cup Here's a super-cute and nicely designed pair mug cup featuring Luna and Artemis from the phenomenal magical girl anime Sailor Moon!
	New Health Products Help keep your body free from nasty germs and viruses, thanks to this high quality Japanese facial mask.		Fizzing Bath King Tablets We've got a great selection of bath products including Bath King fizzing bath tablets and more. Vocaloid girls sold separately.
	Amazing Japanese Pens From study pens to art pens, we've got one of the best selections you will ever find. There is a pen for every purpose, and we've restocked the best today.		Make 2014 the Year of Studying Japanese We have many fun tools to help you learn Japanese this year, like the popular Kanji Practice Notebooks with kanji posters inside.
	Today's New Japanese Snacks See great new Japanese snacks, including delicious caramel flavored "Village of Bamboo" bamboo spout-shaped cookies + Horowaka Sesame cookies.		Morinaga Kinako Caramel Another wonderful treat from Japan, this is the new Morinaga Kinako Caramel -- a delicious caramel with real Kinako (soybean flower) caramel flavor.
	Traditional Kyoto Tea, Other Fun Japan Items A cute set of two maiko doll tins, one filled with traditional candy and the other with high quality Kyoto tea.		Mountain Dew Cheetos, More Restocked We've restocked our favorites including the new Cheetos infused with the flavor of Mountain Dew. Check out other wacky Japanese snacks as well.
	Traditional Bento Boxes Restocked Jump into the cute and artistic world of bento lunches, now with even more cuteness thanks to these fun restocked boxes.		Cute Kitchen, Bento Accessories We posted a nice update of fun bento accessories, great for making "Deco" (decoration) bento. Also, those 3D cookie/toast cutters for making cute shapes.
	Miso Soup Bowls, Other Kitchen Items We have a wide variety of miso soups and bowls just waiting for you to try! A nice restocking of items today.		SAKURA Tea Time Cup w/ Saucer - SETOYAKI A very nice tea cup with a sakura design, painted by hand here in Japan.
	Super Sonico 1/7 Figure Mouse ver. Feast your eyes on this breathtaking figure of the beautiful Super Sonico, mascot of NitroPlus. Fans will surely want to have this figure on their desks!		Laura Bodewig 1/8 Figure ~ I.S (Infinite Stratos) Fans of the mecha fanservice anime Infinite Stratos will want to preorder this new figure of Laura Bodewig dressed in a black bikini.
	Sakuya Mode: Violet 1/8 Figure ~ Shining Ark From the popular Sega RPG Shining Ark, here's a beautiful preorder figure of Sakuya in her Violet Mode. Absolutely fantastic!		Homura 1/7 Cast off Figure ~ Senran Kagura Check out our great selection of sexy cast-off figures including this gorgeous preorder figure of Homura from the ecchi ninja girl anime, Senran Kagura.

New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products

Wide Variety of New Adult Magazines in Stock! Start the year with super hot new adult content, featured in the new magazines we have in stock, including tanned gals, hot blondes, AV stars + free DVDs!

Girls' Anal Photobook 2014 Here's an amazing photobook in which 20 beautiful Tokyo girls bare everything to the camera, allowing us to see their most shameful places.

Sailor Moon, Touhou, Evangelion Doujinshi & More We have some unbelievable doujinshi for you today, each jam-packed with ecchi goodnewss for you. Browse them now! Whether you want to see Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars hooking up for some good times, explore the new Asuka from the Evangelion 3.0 universe or taste some Touhou ecchi, we've got cool books in stock. view this product »

	New 'Imouto' Ero Manga We go a new ecchi manga about a high school student named Ichika who was forced to marry a cute girl who is like a little sister to him.		Toro Kano ~ Milky Sticky Girl Erotic artist Minami Osaka presents 200 pages of hard-pounding sex starring a variety of hot and sexy girls who know what they want.
	Ecchi Manga Restocked A nice update of ero manga including Welcome to the Apartment of Everlasting Spring, Houkago Tin Time, My Sister and more.		Gorgeous Sexy Artbooks Restocked We have a nice update of ecchi artbooks, including Tony Taka's legendary Fault! + Super Pose Books for artists and more.
	Super Realistic 'Imouto' Onahole Toy A life size silicon hips packaged together with an extra soft realistic onahole, and lubricant. Are you curious about this?		Attack on Oppai, More Restocked Various parody toys restocked, incl. Sailor Moon and Attack on Oppai. Relieve your stress in the Name of the Moon!
	Other Onahole Toys Restocked See other male stress toys, including onaholes that simulate pure, good girls who like to have sex just like the bad girls.		Ecchi Cosplay Products Restocked See our big update of ecchi cosplay items, including ichigo pantsu, swimsuits, shimapan and other fun stuff.
	Glow in the Dark Condoms? J-List carries awesome and wacky condoms from Japan, like the glow-in-the-dark condoms we restocked today.		Personal Lotion from Japan See fresh stock of our popular personal lotion, which are just the thing when you need for things to be slippery for a while.
	Get Any 3 English Eroge Titles, Get 15% off! We've been involved in licensing and translating great H-games for years. You can get an instant 15% off your total for getting 3 or more games!		Import Eroge from Japan We always have awesome Japanese ecchi games. One of the most amazing comes with a USB powered toy and 3D Custom Girl eroge!
	Plug Suit Children HD (Blu-ray) Featuring Hibiki Otsuki, Ren Ayase and Meisa Chibana, fans of AV and Evangelion will love this new Blu-Ray from TMA featuring plug suit action!		Genuine Time Stop Wristwatch 2 The wacky Japanese AV of stopping time and changing reality for one's own selfish, perverted whims is back. Such a great series!
	Sex within 4 Seconds - Yuma Asami New Mosaic Alice Japan release a remastered and remosaic version of this awesome Yuma Asami release, with less mosaic in the way! A treasure for all fans!		Lewd Beautiful OL Lesbian Office The SOSORU delivers another hot lesbian release featuring sexy and horny OLs, starring Erika Kitagawa and 4 other hot Japanese gals.

Restocked Ecchi DVDs and Blu-ray Titles Finally, a nice updating of super ero titles, including the high-budget amazing Shogun's Wife samurai period drama, Hot Wind with Tina Yuzuki, 8 hours each with Rio Hamasaki, Momoka Nishina and Yuuki Itano, Love Lesbian Special 199 minutes, Virgin Love Miku and Young Wife Best 4 Hours, Zenra Ballet, plus the AV debuts of Mayu Sato, Mihino Sakaguchi and Aimi Yoshikawa. Yum! view this product »

Mountain Dew Cheetos and More from Japan

January 10, 2014, 2:19 am

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At J-List we use the phrase "a wonderful toybox of things from Japan" to describe out little company, and we think it sums up what J-List is pretty well: a magical portal where random things from Japan will pop out without warning. Some of these things are delicious, like the rare flavors of Japanese Kit Kat, Japanese Oreo cookies or Japanese Doritos we stock. The biggest hit product to come along in a while is Mountain Dew Cheetos from FritoLay Japan, which manage to taste exactly like that. We've been selling about 500 per day, so if you want to try some hurry and get your order in, lest they disappear like good old Morning Rescue did. Click to browse the top Japan snacks, as ranked by our intelligent, attractive customers.

Back from the Philippines

January 10, 2014, 2:23 am

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My family and I are back from our trip to the island of Cebu in the Philippines. We had a great time, snorkeling in warm waters and recharging our batteries sitting by the pool doing what's known in Japanese as ゆっくりする yukkuri suru, meaning "take it easy and do as little as possible," which is always a good thing to do if you can get away with it. We learned many things about the Philippines, including that they enjoy playing Christmas music until February, and we discovered many unique foods such as chicken inasal, spam, egg and grilled cheese sandwiches plus something called "banana ketchup." Last year we visited the island of Penang in Malaysia, which is a Muslim country, so naturally we were prepared to see things like women wearing headscarves. We didn't particularly expect to see religious imagery in the Philippines, which is why I was surprised when the store we were in (the department store inside the SM City mall) played the Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary over the store speakers at noon, which would be quite surprising in the U.S. Anyway, Cebu was great fun, and we recommend it if you're looking for a wonderful vacation destination in Asia.

As usual with visiting another country, there's more to see than just the country itself, and I found myself having fun people-watching the other tourists, which included visitors from Australia, Northern Europe and Russia along with Japan and South Korea. I was surprised to see quite a few people swimming in the pool while wearing long-sleeved hoodies and hats, something I'd never noticed before. "They are Koreans," my wife explained. "Maintaining perfectly white skin is really important in Korea now, and they're making sure they don't get any sun at all, even while at the pool or beach." Because there were visitors from so many different countries, the hotel offered a wide range of cuisine, including local Filipino dishes, kimchee (spicy Korean pickled vegetables), Indian curry and flatbread and Vietnamese noodles. It was hard finding room for it all.

We had lots of fun relaxing in Cebu, the Philippines.

The Japanese are Good at Humility

January 10, 2014, 2:24 am

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I write often about the concept of 国民性 kokumin-sei, a word which can be translated as "national character," and one thing I like about the Japanese is their tendency towards 謙遜 ken-son (pronounced with a long second syllable, rhyming with "bone"), meaning "humility." I've been rushing to get through the previous anime season because a new one is starting already, and one show I wanted to finish was Outbreak Company, about the discovery of a doorway that leads from Japan to a fantasy kingdom in another dimension, and the government of Japan's attempts at winning over the hearts of the people there by introducing them to otaku culture. In one scene, the half-elf maid Myucel, also known as "the main reason to watch Outbreak Company," says to the main character, "I'm really stupid and have no education or culture...but I know that you are a kind person, Master." I don't know about your country, but I haven't met many in the U.S. who were capable of describing themselves as being stupid or lacking intelligence, despite occasionally strong evidence to the contrary. I have, however, encountered quite a few Japanese (students, friends, etc.) who went out of their way to describe themselves as baka (stupid) and apologize ahead of time for any inconvenience their stupidity and slow-wittedness might cause me. This tendency for the Japanese to be self-effacing and humble is one of the most unique things about living in Japan, though it takes a little getting used to.

The Japanese are very good at humility.

Cool Products Monday, January 13, 2014

January 13, 2014, 2:43 am

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For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. You can view all new J-List products by clicking this link.

Today's New & Restocked Items

Newtype Feb 2014 Grab the latest issue of the number one magazine for anime fans! You get tons of feature articles on the hottest shows this season, including Nobunaga the Fool, Chuu2Koi Second Season, Kill La Kill, and Space Dandy, with beautiful full-color art of all the cute girls you love. You'll also enjoy an exclusive Idolmaster fanbook and double-sided Kantai Collection (KanColle) Poster. view this product »

	Dragon Age Feb 2014 Dragon Age is the best magazine for all your ecchi fanservice needs, with over 25 chapters of delicious manga starring cute girls. Check it out!		Dengeki Girl's Style Jan 2014 Dengeki Girl's Style is a bimonthly magazine dedicated to all the awesome otaku girls (fujoshi), who we love of course.
	Fate/EXTRA CCC, Yotsubato Manga Posted Fans of the ultra popular video game, Fate/EXTRA CCC, will love this anthology packed with hilarious gags, fanservice & cute girls. Also see Yotsubato!		More To Love-Ru Darkness, More Manga Restocked We love the To LOVE-Ru series, and have restocked some of these great books and other products today. Nosebleed warnings apply.
	Super Sonico Snack Time Special Figure It's snack time for the mascot of Nitroplus! Enjoy this new Super Sonico prize figure in her sexy casual wear with knee high socks.		Vocaloid Earphone Jack Accessories Decorate your phone, laptop, and other accessories with these Vocaloid earphone jacks! Eight in all, a great deal for Miku, Rin, and Len fans.
	Jewel Carnelian Artworks ~ Limited Edition We found an awesome artbook of Carnelian, the wonderful female illustrator that gave us Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito and Touka Gettan.		UTB Feb 2014 ~ Up To Boy vol. 218 Immerse yourself in Japan's idol culture with a new issue of UTB. Recommended for fans of AKB48, and all cute Japanese girls.
	Kyoto Animation Calendars, Too If you love Kyoto Animation, you should browse the 2014 calendars soon. They'll disappear in a short time as they can't be reordered.		Great Studio Ghibli Calendar for 2014 This year's Studio Ghibli calendar is popular as usual, featuring original art from the top Hayao Miyazaki films. We restocked the calendar but no more stock will come in.
	New Knee High Socks! You can see these on fashion magazines, movies, and even the girls walking down the street. A fabulous fashion trend that never seems to get tiring.		J-List's 'Yandere' T-Shirt One of my favorite shirts, a "Yandere" shirt for fans of anime girls who love you so much, they'd kill you. A fun shirt with lots of kanji.
	Restocked Shimapan, Other Cosplay Items Cosplay lovers, many of our popular girly items have been restocked, like striped underwear for cosplay or other use and more.		Evangelion U.N NERV Pen Case Ammunition Container Style (Metal Box) Store your pens, pencils, scissors, or other school supplies in style with this awesome Evangelion Pen Case.
	Pokemon Figures and Other Products Enjoy the gorgeous Mewtwo D-Arts figure that every fan should own, plus see fresh stock of Pokemon Bento and more!		Cute Totoro 'Tsumu Tsumu' Stackable Toy Play a game of stack with the ever adorable Totoro and his cuddly friends with this cute Totoro Tsumu Tsumu Stackable Toy. An official Ghibli product!
	Taiyaki Maker for Making Anime Treats More fun items restocked: the electric Taiyaki maker, for making delicious fish-shaped pancake-like snacks, so popular in anime.		Other Fun 'Mug Cups' Speaking of cups, we love to find rare coffee cups from Japan and post them to the site. Browse today's restocked items now!
	Excellent Japanese Study Products Posted Are you studying Japanese this year? These popular Japanese study products would be great for the Japanese focused person.		Cute Pokemon Pens, Notebooks, More Who among us has gone to get some Pokemon graph paper, only to find none on hand? We've got all your Pokemon notebooks needs covered + Japanese pens!
	Evangelion Valentine Chocolate + Gift Set Valentine's day is just around the corner, and so without delay we've got some very special gifts made for Evangelion fans.		Rilakkuma Gift Chocolate Show your sweetheart your sweet heart when you give him/her this cute box of chocolate fineries from Japan, shaped as the adorable Rilakkuma and friends.
	ANMITSU in a Tin The authentic taste of real Japanese anmitsu, a healthy desert of fruits, sweet beans and syrup.		Happy Kitchen Doughnuts, Other Kracie Snacks Lots of cool DIY snacks from Kracie posted, plus more popular chocolate products, back in stock and ready for you.
	Popular Bento Boxes Restocked Today Plus we've got a ton of awesome Totoro and Ghibli bento boxes, along with other kawaii character bentos.		Restocked Bento & Kitchen Items Enjoy fun bento accessories, too, like silicon bento cups you can re-use for years, or our popular tamago-yaki pan for making egg sushi.
	Make Cute Sandwiches, Onigiri Rice Balls We've restocked some of our other popular sandwich shapers, which seal your sandwich closed for you and cut it into a cute shape.		Microwave Potato Chip Maker! When we started carry the Japanese Microwave Potato Chip Maker, we had no idea it'd become one of our most popular products ever. Restocked today!
	Traditional Products In Stock See great traditional products restocked, including our Japanese traditional pipes and other fun items, Koban Money Bank, and more.		Bicycle and a Girl 1/7 Figure Vol.02 ~ Atomic Bom Cycle Enjoy this great new figure from the Bicycle and a Girl series by top figure maker Kaitendou. A great addition to your moe figure collection.
	Momo Velia Deviluke 1/7 Figure Check out this impishly cute figure of Momo from the super interesting anime To Love-Ru Darkness. Extra moe, for the discerning collector. Preorder now.		Inori Yuzuriha 1/8 Complete Figure Yukata ver. Inori from Guilty Crown is one of the most beautiful characters we've ever seen. Have her all to yourself with this beautiful preorder figure.
	Komari Kamikita Nendoroid Figure ~ Little Busters! From the popular visual novel and anime Little Busters comes this cute Nendoroid figure of Komari Kamikita. So kawaii!		New Beach Queen Anime Figures *Preorder* It's always summer with these cute and sexy Beach Queen figures. Each one portrays a different anime girl in her best swimwear. Check them out!

New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products

	The Best Magazine Special Feb 2014 NO. 247 February 2014 issues of The Best Magazine Special are available, including superb digest content and pictures, live action DVDs and more! Other H-magazines too.		18's Summer - Tomoe Nakayama Tomoe Nakayama is an 18 year old gravure idol who dares to push the limits of nudity in this chakuero themed production.
	Yuuwaku Emotion A nice erotic manga about super hot lonely wives who use their bodies to tempt young men. Click to see.		New Ero Doujinshi In Stock You'll also want to check out our doujinshi section, now updated with some choice works for fans of Kantai Collection (KanColle) and Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.
	Great H-Manga Available Enjoy great restocked works including I Love Nyu, Too Cute Boy, Muchi Muchi Harmonics, Love Kano Bitch, Ketsuen Jukujo, and more.		Ero Artbooks Restocked Today We've got great ecchi 2D artbooks restocked today, including Toukou Hinamatsuri's best works ever, Peas Soft 10th H Collection + more.
	J-Hole! ~ Ryo Saitani Using the newly developed shizukudama capsule lotion technology, this new breed of adult stress relief onahole is sure to please, giving an extremely natural feeling experience.		Anime Onahole Toys Restocked See popular stress toys restocked, incl. Chu2koi, Oreimo and more. Bring your love of anime to a new level!
	Realistic Onaholes Restocked We stock amazing personal stress toys so realistic, you might just buy them dinner. Click to see our amazing stock now.		Restocked 'Alternate' Onahole Toys Sometimes a man wants to experiement, and we've got some fun toys that let you explore anal play and more.
	Ecchi Cosplay Products Restocked A nice see through ecchi cosplay swimsuit, in white and blue colors from Tamatoys, a great addition to your ero life for one or two to play in.		Today's Recommended English Ero RPG Today's recommended English eroge is Brave Soul, a great full featured RPG with combat, parties magic items and "H" art by Mogudan!
	Nangoku Sakunyuu Milk Island Musume In this juicy erotic game by MBS Truth, you are stranded on a tropical island with 10 cute and sexy girls, all of whom hunger for your vital essence!		New Japanese Eroge, Also On Sale A fun eroge starring cute girls who have "Princess Syndrome," w/c shifts their personalities dramatically. You, the Prince must stop them from wreaking havoc.
	52 Costume Play Festival HD 16 Hours ~ Touhou Parody (Blu-ray) The folks at TMA's are at it again, turning fun and games into sexually sinful pleasures that the original creators never intended them to be.		SILK LABO ~ More Beautiful! The adult video label for women, SILK LABO, has released another great drama, w/ 2 erotic stories featuring girls who fall for their hot hair dressers.
	Shocking Sex - Erina Nagasawa This is Erina Nagasawa's 3rd release to-date, so it is appropriate this video is also her first time having a 3P (3-way), along with other new experiences.		Love Juice Addiction - Iori Kogawa It's only been a year since Iori's debut, and now she's ready to push her limits, spraying out sweet juices as she goes on without break in this production.
	Appreciation of Lesbian If you have a fetish for cute Japanese nurses, school girls, or just general lesbian fun, this is the perfect collection.		Lots of Restocked Hentai Blu-rays Then see restocked "H" anime Blu-rays, including Hypnosis Humiliation School, Harukoi Otome, Discipline ZERO, and many more. Click to see.

Finally, Amazing Ero DVD & Blu-ray Titles Restocked Finally, a healthy update of the best ecchi titles from Japan, including the amazing popular live-action Tentacle Ecstasy series, Ishukan Gakuen, Welcome to the Shameful World, Blonde Soapland and Eastern European Bishoujo, Passionate Wife Lesbian Battle, Prestige Premium Best with Yui Akane and Aozora Yamakawa, Zenra Sex Education and Rental Tokyo Girls Best 8 Hours! view this product »

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Anime Chocolates for Valentine's Day

January 13, 2014, 2:45 am

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Just a reminder that Valentine's Day is about a month away, and as usual we've got great anime-themed chocolates for you to order. This year we've got awesome Evangelion chocolate + gift sets, which come with cool metal keychain/phone straps, plus Rilakkuma Valentine's Day chocolates. Browse the new Japanese chocolate items now!

Long vs Short Anime Series

January 13, 2014, 2:46 am

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There are generally two kinds of anime series these days: those that run for 12 weeks -- a single anime "season" -- and series that are double this length, running for 24-26 episodes or so. One observation I've made, both as a fan and as an anime retailer, is that shorter series tend to have much less impact on fandom than longer shows, and it's all too common that an excellent 12-episode series which got lots of attention from fans while it was airing will be forgotten the minute the last episode arrives. When's the last time you thought about Ben-To (an anime about finding half-priced bento at supermarkets), Kannagi (Shinto spirits become real girls who do moe things), Mayo-chiki! (a "reverse trap butler" anime with great character design), NakaImo (a mystery anime in which one of the girls in a harem is secretly the main character's younger sister), or Chu-Bra! (a show about, er, cute girls and their bras). Individual fans might carry the torch for these shows for years, but as a group fandom seems to forget about them all too quickly, which means fewer figures and other products that allow the animation studios to recover their costs. The series that stay in our hearts for years tend to be longer, like Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online, Clannad and Toradora. Of course there are exceptions to the 12-episode-series-are-forgotten-quickly rule, including AnoHana, Angel Beats and Madoka Magica...so maybe the key to making a memorable shorter anime series is to make fans cry? I had found the Kyoto Animation series Chuunibyo Demo Koi ga Shitai to be one of the best-executed shorter anime series ever, with a tight story that entertained on every level, so I was certainly happy to see another season show up!

A new season of Chuunibyo Demo Koi ga Shitai.

Murder in Japan

January 13, 2014, 2:47 am

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One good thing about living in Japan is that it's a very safe country where you're unlikely to meet with violence and death. Yesterday I was reading through my RSS feed and saw the good news that murders in Japan had fallen to just 936 for 2013, the lowest number since World War II. It isn't all sweetness and light in Japan however, since when murders do happen, there's a tendency for the crimes to seem especially shocking and brutal, like the woman who killed her sleeping husband then sawed his body up, distributing the parts in various parks in Tokyo, or the tragic slaying of a 12 year old girl by her classmate in Sasebo, Kyushu, which gave rise to the "Nevada-tan"Internet meme. Ironically, right below the article about the low number of murders in Japan was a report about a 73 year old woman who was killed by a neighbor using a sickle of the kind Rena likes to wield in When the Higurashi Cry, which is a very sad thing to happen. Of course, remember that news reports about Japan from the Internet are always warped, since bizarre news stories are over-reported, the same way you're more likely to find articles about how the Japanese love squid ink flavored ice cream when in fact the most popular flavor here is vanilla.

Japan's murder rate is the lowest since WWII.

Japanese Don't Expect Gaijin to Speak English

January 13, 2014, 2:48 am

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One theme I write about a lot is that Japanese don't always expect Westerners to speak Japanese, and will occasionally reply in barely intelligible English despite the fact that you're speaking normal Japanese to them. Over New Year's we visited my "J-Family," and my wife's uncle wanted to tell me about some renovations he'd made to his house the previous year. The only word of English he knew was "house," so he spent an hour talking to me in Japanese, but using that word in English whenever he needed to refer to his house. When I came to Japan I was so fired-up about learning Japanese, I'd refuse to speak English with Japanese people under any circumstances. Once a Japanese businessman kindly gave me the coin locker he'd been using, saying "please use this" to me in English, and I thanked him with fluent, polite Japanese. Later I felt bad: he'd probably only had this one chance to talk with a foreigner that entire year, and I should have graciously thanked him in English.  

A nice picture of a house. You are looking at the house, right?

 

Cool Products Wednesday, January 15, 2014

January 15, 2014, 2:22 am

≫ Next: Big sale on 2014 Japanese calendars!

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For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. You can view all new J-List products by clicking this link.

Today's New & Restocked Items

Otomedia Feb 2014 Catch up with the hottest characters in anime today in a new issue of Otomedia! Tons of cool art and exclusive info for otaku girls everywhere. Features info on the newest anime such as Yowamushi Pedal, UtaPri, Gundam Build Fighters, Diabolik Lovers and Kill la Kill, plus art and more from all the newest otome games. You also get tons of free stuff, like posters and other exclusive fan collectibles! view this product »

	Bomb Feb 2014 Welcome to the February edition of Bomb magazine, a super offering for fans of Japan's lovely bikini idols. Hurry before it sells out!		GORILLA One Piece Color Walk 6 ~ Limited ver. One Piece fans rejoice! If you've been following the manga or anime, this artbook is packed with tons of gorgeous illustrations you'll love.
	Sakura Trick J-List is happy to provide Sakura Trick, the popular 4koma yuri manga w/ ongoing anime adaptation about cute girls kissing other cute girls!		Super Sonico, Other Figures In Stock Today We've got Nitroplus's mascot Super Sonico wearing a cute bikini, enjoying some snacks and playing with her... cats. Also UtaPuri figures and more.
	Steins;Gate Figma Toys Restocked Nice -- we got the popular Steins;Gate figma action figures restocked. Now is your chance to get Okarin and Kurisu right now!		Great iPhone & Android Phone Products If you love Demon Queen Maoyu, we've got a great new phone stand that's so cute, plus other iPhone & Android products.
	Reduced Prices + 2014 Calendars Thanks for making calendar season great! Enjoy a huge price drop on all 2014 calendars, plus 25% off if you get 2 or more!		Anime, Moe and Ecchi 2014 Calendars There are some outstanding art calendars this year, including Kantoku, Tony Taka, Shirow and more. Don't let your favorite calendars sell out!
	Classic White Pantsu for Cosplay Cosplay is more fun when it's personal, check out those new high school girl white panties from Tamatoys!		Pony and Stars Knee High Socks You can see these on fashion magazines, movies, and even the girls walking down the street. A fabulous fashion trend that never seems to get tiring.
	Awesome Anime T-shirts In Stock In addition to our world-famous J-List T-shirts, we stock shirts from Japan, like the gorgeous "If My Heart Had Wings" full color shirts that are gorgeous.		Attack on Titan 6 - First Limited Edition (Blu-ray) The popular Attack on Titan anime is now available on Blu-ray with 1080p HD graphics and tons of special features!
	New PS Vita Games! The popular hostess club dating sim game is now available on the PS Vita with tons of added content! Plus dungeon crawling fun with Demon Gaze!		Other Fun Anime Games for PS3, PSP and PSVita Enjoy super awesome import anime games for the PS3, including IdolMaster 2 The Best, K-ON! After School Live, Miku Hatsune and the pantsu game, Galgun!
	New Kotatsu + Futon Blankets In Stock We have stylish new futons (blankets and bottom sets) for your kotatsu, a great way to keep warm all winter long. But hurry, winter will end soon!		Sakura Scent Diffuser A wonderfully scented sakura (cherry blossom) aroma will fill your room with this great diffuser from Japan.
	Boba Fett Ice Cube Trays? We finally found something cooler than Boba Fett -- these Star Wars ice cube makers, the perfect blending of nerdy and practical.		Get Your Sailor Moon Preorders In Early Remember that Sailor Moon products often sell out and are removed from the site. To make sure you get the items you want, preorder them now!
	MoeKanji, Other Study Products Restocked Learn basic kanji with Mirai Suenaga and the cute characters of Culture Japan! Make 2014 the year you start learning kanji!		Zebra Check Set Memorization System Restocked Also: memorize anything with the Zebra Check Set memorization system, which my . It's easy to quiz yourself and learn any information!
	Pens, Other Stationery From Japan Too Plus we've restocked our great Japanese pens, just in time for summer; unique writing tools like brush pens and pro manga artist markers.		Pokemon Water Coloring Book We stock lots of Pokemon products because we love them. See the fun new water coloring book in stock.
	New Official Evangelion Chocolate Valentine's Day is just a few days away, and we've just gotten in fresh stock of the awesome Eva chocolate, which Rei, Asuka and Mari want to give you.		Meiji Bitter Porte We have other fun snack items too, including Meiji Bitter Porte chocolate cookies, bonito flake that goes great on tofy, and otokonoyaki sauce!
	Chocolate Snapper Gift Basket Comes with 3 chocolate fish in a basket, this cool set of chocolate looks cute little snapper fish.		Japanese Kit Kat, Other Fun Snacks Restocked Secure your place in the university of your choice with our awesome Japanese Kit Kat, restocked today. Other fun snacks too!
	Other Restocked Bento Boxes A nice update of bento boxes just in time for our spring sale, with traditional + Totoro bento boxes plus related items.		Home Swan Mini Rice Coocker If you eat a lot of Japanese rice, why not cook it in your own rice cooker? This is a great electric rice cooker that will make rice for your bento!
	Microwave Waffle, Doughnut Makers We have random products for your kitchen like awesome Ice Cube makers, our microwave waffle maker and more. Click to browse.		Traditional Coffee, Tea Cups See popular traditional Japanese tea cups made with the setoyaki porcelain baking method, restocked today. I love selling these!
	Ninja, Other Traditional Products Restocked See a big update of traditional products too, from yokobue flutes to delightful traditional things for your desk and more.		Attack on Titan Survey Corps Headphone Get your Attack on Titan groove on with these stylish headphones decorated with the Survey Corps symbol. Preorder now!
	Kill la Kill Mug Cups We carry a lot of interesting "mug cups" (coffee cups), and we have two designs you can preorder for Kill la Kill fans that we think you'll love.		Attack on Titan Survey Corps Large Shoulder Bag w/ Reflector Here's a great Attack on Titan bag for preorder that you can use to store all your stuff, from personal items to things you need when traveling and more.
	Cerberus 1/7 Figure ~ Rage of Bahamut Wow! Look at this amazing figure of Cerberus from the popular mobile game Rage of Bahamut. Such a work of art just waiting to be added to your collection.		Kamen Rider Gaim Orange Arms S.H. Figurearts Preorder this fantastic S.H. Figurearts featuring Kamen Rider in the newest iteration of the series: Kamen Rider Gaim.

New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products

	Hot Gals from Prestige and gorgeous OLs... Check out our new arrival of adult magazines featuring the hottest gals in the industry, along with erotic OLs. Tons of digest pictures + free sample DVDs.		'How to Draw' Ecchi Photobooks Restocked Enjoy the Unbalance offering of hot MILF Marina Shiraishi, plus "How to Draw Manga" photobooks, which happen to be very sexy.
	Beautiful 2014 JAV Calendars We got in a big volley of the most popular ecchi 2014 calendars, with all your favorite JAV stars and sexy models.		Today's Hentai Manga Check out our Hentai Manga category for latest additions to our library, featuring volumes filled with juicy ecchi action!
	New Ecchi Yuri Manga Posted If you're a fan of yuri manga about girls who love girls, we've got some fine ones restocked for you today. No men to be seen anywhere.		Restocked Ero Manga + Doujinshi Then see a nice update of ero works including Rennyu Tales, Wagamama na Tare Chichi, TiTiKEi and Happy Work Girls.
	Electric Vagina Vacuumer This is new: a device for women that simulates having their boyfriends go down on them. Another public service brought to us by Japan!		I Can't Believe my Parody Onaholes Are This Fun Great news: the "Kirino" version of the Oreimo parody stress toys is back in stock, so you can relieve all that stress you've got built up.
	Other Onahole Toys Restocked See other toys in stock, including the Passionate Gimmick, a really well made toy, and Deko Boko Mou Mou, plus parody anime toys.		Your Favorite JAV Actresses in Onahole Form We love stress toys that replicate your favorite female JAV stars, and today we have Maria Ozawa, Shiori Kamisaki and Tsubomi!
	Ecchi Cosplay Products - size 3L One of the more enjoyable fetishes to come from Japan has been the white panty, loved and worn by high school girls under their lovely skirt, seen in anime a lot.		Rare Fuku-bukuro Collector's Sets for Eroge Fans Enjoy these special sets of rare "hentai" and related products, which include extremely rare and out-of-print games.
	English Eroge Bundle Packs Our fans hate it when games go out of print, so we've got a great 2-in-1 game combo that lets you get two awesome games for one low price!		Sen Goku Hime V ~ Gorgeous Limited Edition See the latest installment of the hit game series that features Japanese historical leaders and warriors represented as cute and sexy girls!
	S1 x Yuma Asami 2013 8 Hours Special (Blu-ray) Fans of Yuma Asami, rejoice! S1 has released this awesome Blu-Ray best-of 2013, gathering 10 movies and 30 sex chapters with Yuma, in full HD!		Double Proposal ~ AV for Woman/Couples The Tokyo Luv Trendy label releases this awesome movie for lovers, starring one woman and two men in a "how to make love" training video.
	Japanese Sex Monster x South Island Beach Popular Nana Ogura reveals her tanned skin and much more in this 2 hours outdoor beach sex production.		Nasty Gal vs Beautiful Female Teacher The GARCON label delivers its new episode of the Lesbian Battle popular series, this time opposing a nasty gal student against a gorgeous teacher.

Delicious Restocked 'H' DVD and Blu-ray Finally, we have a satisfying volley of restocked "H" titles, including the Forbidden Lesbian Gakuen 2nd Season 8 Hours, Maria Ozawa 12 Hours, Hitomi Tanaka as the Ero Cowgirl, Akiho Yoshizawa as the naughty Zenra Bara Manager, tons of Yuma Asami goodness for fans, plus Waap Super Best 8 Hours! view this product »

Big sale on 2014 Japanese calendars!

January 15, 2014, 2:22 am

≫ Next: New Yuri Anime: Sakura Trick

≪ Previous: Cool Products Wednesday, January 15, 2014

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J-List is happy to announce our big 2014 Japanese Calendar Sale! We still got an excellent lineup of popular anime, Japanese idol, art and photo and ecchi calendars from Japan, which are printed on huge glossy poster-sized pages that are great to hang on your wall. We lowered the prices of all calendars today, and as an extra bonus, you get an additional 25% off your total for grabbing two or more calendars. Kantoku, Tony Taka, Shirow Masamune, and Totoro are still in stock, but only a few copies are left, so hurry!

New Yuri Anime: Sakura Trick

January 15, 2014, 2:25 am

≫ Next: Entrance Exam Hell 2014

≪ Previous: Big sale on 2014 Japanese calendars!

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So far the winter 2014 anime season is shaping up to be a good one, with several decent shows I want to follow. In addition to a Super Sonico anime and new seasons of the moe-tastic Saki and Chuunibyo, there's a new girl's love show in town. Being a card-carrying fan of yuri, or anime, manga or games about the drama that's created when girls fall in love with other girls, I was happy to see Sakura Trick, a no-holds-barred show about girls who become obsessed with each other and with kissing. There are several approaches to telling a good yuri story, for example with uplifting and stylized characters (Revolutionary Girl Utena), showing us the realistic nitty-gritty of relationships (Aoi Hana), or delivering both emotional and physical satisfaction, a trademark of the Sono Hanabira ~ A Kiss for the Petals series. You can also base your show around fun slice-of-life gags like Yuru Yuri, which seems to be the approach Sakura Trick is taking. While watching yuri anime is always fun, you can enjoy these themes in just about any anime thanks to the tradition of fans creating romantic relationships where none exist, which is known as "shipping" in case you're not familiar with the term, a word that comes from "relationshipping" which supposedly got started on X-Files discussion boards back in the 90s. Some usage examples include "I can't stop shipping Toshino Kyouko and Sugiura Ayano, orz" or "a certain swiming anime has changed the meaning of 'free shipping' forever." If you want to see some great yuri fanart pictures, follow J-List's Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter feeds!

Sakura Trick is a new yuri kissing anime I like a lot.

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Entrance Exam Hell 2014

January 15, 2014, 2:26 am

≫ Next: Playboy Clothing Brand in Japan

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January marks the start of 受験シーズン (juken season), when thousands of Japanese high school students take the most important tests of their lives, the dreaded university exams, and junior high school kids also take exams to enter high school. These tests are so difficult that students prepare for them for a solid year (if not longer), and when my son did his "juken hell," he wasn't able to go see the newest Harry Potter movie with me because of his studies -- can you imagine being that focused on a goal at the age of 15? While many Japanese have to endure these tests twice (once to enter high school and again to go to university), my son had the good fortune to get into a high school affiliated with a university, so he's got a direct route in. Instead of an entrance exam, he had to write a long graduation thesis, and he chose to do an analysis of how different kinds of tastes are perceived, with a focus on the ramen served at his school's cafeteria. During his research he read several books related to nutrition and became quite annoying, constantly critiquing the nutrional value of the meals my wife cooked.

Japanese students are entering juken hell.

Playboy Clothing Brand in Japan

January 15, 2014, 2:27 am

≫ Next: Cool Products Friday, January 17, 2014

≪ Previous: Entrance Exam Hell 2014

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There are some fundamental differences between Japan and the West, for example the way there are no anatomically-based swear words in Japanese, with the most common insult being 馬鹿 baka (stupid). When my daughter started junior high school, she went online with her mother to buy some clothes she needed for the coming school year, including brands like Beverly Hills Polo Club, School Scene, and of course, Playboy. Say what? It turns out that in Japan, the famous bunny logo is extremely popular with young girls, who think it looks oshare (oh-SHA-reh), or stylish, elegant and chic. Hiding my surprise, I asked her what "Playboy" was, and she replied, "It's a famous maker of girls' clothes. Don't you know anything, Dad?" I shrugged -- if the symbol was removed from its special meaning in the U.S., I guess it didn't matter if some 13-year-olds had little bunnies sewn into their socks. Of course sometimes it doesn't work out so well. A few days ago the Japanese internet reacted with shock when someone realized that one of the performers in a children's TV show had offensive English printed on her clothing (link NSFW).

Japanese don't think anything of a young girl with Playboy socks.

Cool Products Friday, January 17, 2014

January 17, 2014, 12:58 am

≫ Next: Did you pick up new calendars for 2014?

≪ Previous: Playboy Clothing Brand in Japan

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For the new update, we've got some excellent products from Japan for you. You can view all new J-List products by clicking this link.

Today's New & Restocked Items

Animage Feb 2014 Animage is the premier magazine of anime and related popular culture, and this new issue is loaded with the hottest shows in Japan right now, including Kuroko no Basket, Kill la Kill, Doki Doki Precure, Attack on Titan, Free!, Danball Senki Wars, Inazuma Eleven, and Aikatsu. Free clear files featuring Free!, Danball Senki Wars, and Doki Doki Precure inside. Grab one today before they disappear! view this product »

	Dengeki Girl's Style Feb 2014 A new issue of Dengeki Girl's Style, the bimonthly magazine dedicated to you awesome otaku girls. Comes with tons of great articles and free stuff.		Senran Kagura New Wave P-ART WORKS! We have a new magazine set w/ lots of freebies featuring the sexy ninja girls from the fun ecchi video game and anime series Senran Kagura.
	Date A Live Swimsuits Box 2.5 Figure x 3 Here's a rare treat for Date A Live fans, a Date A Live Swimsuit Box 2. It's loaded with goodies and stuff you will want, so get your copy now!		Restocked 'Moe' Artbooks from Japan See some great restocked artbooks, including gorgeous works by Kantoku + anime and game related works for all fans.
	Mamesuke Official Photobook ~ MAME SHIBA DOG Mamesuke is the lovable Shiba Inu puppy from the popular TV show Wafuusouhonke. Dog lovers will enjoy this cute photobook.		How to Draw Anime Background For those interested in creating those breathtaking backgrounds seen on anime, this how to guidebook will teach you via the digital way.
	Kuroneko 1/8 Figure Neko-mimi ver. ~ Oreimo Wow! Check out this extra-kawaii figure of Kuroneko dressed in her gothic lolita dress. Unbelievable quality.		Spotted on the iTunes Japan store You can find the Arpeggio of Blu Steel OP song on iTunes Japan, or see the complete Beyond the Barrier soundtrack + song collection.
	2014 Anime Calendars We're having a big 2014 calendar sale, and there's no better time to score the Tony Taka or Shirow or IdolMaster calendar. But hurry!		Other Japan-Related Calendars All 2014 calendars are reduced in price, including the beautiful Kyoto temple, Japanese castle and Lucky Cat calendars.
	Cutie Feb 2014 For the cutest fashions in Tokyo today, there's no better resource than Cutie. Each issue is packed with photos of only the trendiest Tokyo girls.		'Expel The Foreign Barbarians' T-Shirt A famous slogan of the Meiji Restoration, read as sonno joi to rid Japan of the Western nations, is in stock in our San Diego office.
	Restocked Sexy Socks, Other Japan Fashions See fresh stock of our popular Soft Nylon Over Knee Socks plus Kawaii High Heel T-Shirt + other random fashions from Japan.		Japanese School Bags Restocked for Fall Carry your school books or gym clothes in this cool Japan-style book bag, as seen in just about every anime in the last decade.
	Itazura Cat Coin Bank, Back in Stock See more stock of the little cat who steals your money, the cutest coin bank ever. Also available in cute dog and panda versions.		Fun Solar Powered Toys, Balancing Games Restocked The popular Neko-Darake and Panda-Darake games are now back in stock. A fun and cute party game for the whole family to enjoy.
	Cute Plush Toys Restocked See some cute plush toys from Japan restocked, including Buruburu Panda and Kutsushita Kuttari cat plush.		'Let's Make Eraser with Microwave' Restocked! Japan loves its erasers, and we have a big restocking of the fun erasers you make yourself using the microwave and included molds, incl. chocolates!
	Great New PS3, PS Vita Anime Games Rediscover old friendships in a new adventure from the team that brought you Rui wa Tomo o Yobu.		Legendary All-Ages Visual Novels See new stock of our most popular all-ages games from Japan, incl. Steins;Gate, Rewrite, Air, Kanon and Clannad.
	Training, Bathtime & Sleeping With Hinako Then, get your cardiovascular system pumping, with the fun and sexy exercise video series Training with Hinako. Others restocked too!		Hello Kitty Guide Books in English and Japanese See restocked 'bilingual' books including the Hello Kitty guide to Japan, with lots of information inside. Bilingual cookbooks too!
	Restocked 'Genki' Japanese Study Books See a big restocking of popular study books, including the Genki series, the most popular Japanese textbook in the world.		Restocked Japanese Notebooks and Study Aids From Japanese notebooks to help you study vocabulary words to the Pikachu kanji notebook, we've got fun things in stock.
	Hello Kitty Gift Chocolate Show your sweetheart your sweet heart when you give him/her this cute bag of delicious bakery fineries from Japan.		HINA-ARARE Enjoy these traditional rice cracker (arare, pronounced ah-ra-reh) puff snacks that are only sold during the Hinamatsuri season.
	We Love Japanese Kit Kat Japan's first official Kit Kat store opens in Tokyo this weekend. If you're not able to visit, at least you can order from us!		Restocked Japanese Snacks Enjoy other Japanese snacks including Meiji Fran stick snacks, Coffee Beat chocolate coffee beans plus awesome Morinaga Choco Ball...potato snacks?
	KIKI'S Delivery Service 3 Tire Slim Bento Box Enjoy today's new restocked bento boxes too, incl. Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service + more. Approved by Hayao Miyazaki.		Other Kawaii Kitchen Accessories Enjoy random bento and kitchen accessories, like the popular Nyanko Tongs which look like cat's paws and official ramen spoons.
	Wonderful Traditional Tea Cups from Japan Our customers love our high quality Japanese tea cups, and the Sakura Tea Cup made with setoyaki ceramics is a hit!		Traditional Sake Cups & Display Pieces From gorgeous flatware and cups to fun lucky cats and summer bells, take a look at our selection of traditional goods that are made in Japan.
	Cool Gundam Products for Preorder Check out our huge selection of Gundam products from Gundam themed pointers to memos you can insert in your keyboard. Click to browse.		Sasami Tsukuyomi 1/8 Figure Yukata ver. Here's an adorable 1/8 scale preorder figure of Sasami from the popular anime Sasami-san@Gambaranai. So moe.
	Taiga Kagami 1/8 Figure ~ Kuroko's Basketball Kuroko no Basket fans will want to preorder this excellent figure of Seirin High's ace and power forward, Taiga Kagami.		Mikoto Misaka Cu-poche Posable Figure The moe Level 5 Esper from A Certain Scientific Railgun gets a super kawaii Cu-poche figure. Preorder Mikoto now.

New and Restocked NSFW / 18+ products

	High Class High Quality Girls Collection vol. 8 See amazing digest magazines filled with mind blowing live action pictures, featuring the hottest Japanese AV girls. Free DVDs to pick up!		The Large Clitoris Junkie From the self proclaimed "Hentai Prince," Akuma, comes his first thick erotic volume featuring sexy anime girls with big clits.
	Today's New Doujinshi Check out our large selection of doujin works from Japan, with parodies from series like Haganai, Sailor Moon, Super Sonico, KanColle, and more.		Awesome H-Manga Restocked Enjoy our new restocked hentai manga, including PANDRA, Rinjo no Hainin, Inran Seifuku Hame Nikki and Battleship of Hell.
	We Love Yuri Manga We always have lots of products for yuri fans. Browse the new and restocked girl's love and lesbian items today.		More Ero Artbooks Restocked A super update of ecchi artbooks, including Miyazama Zero, Kantoku and Coffee Kizoku [heart].
	Sexy Figures from Japan We stock amazing sexy figures from japan, like the Dragon's Crown amazon 1/7 scale figure we posted today.		Tortoise Shell Girl We have a fun new stress relief onahole toy that you could tie up with a rope for an authentic Japanese S&M experience. Check it out.
	Real Deep Throat, More Restocked Also enjoy these toys that recreate the experience of receiving a blowjob, a great way to relieve stress at the end of the day.		'Stealth' Male Stress Toys and More Hairwax you say? No. This is a new stealth stress relief toy for men hidden in a small hairwax container! Other stealthy toys are restocked too.
	Girls Fragrance ~ Girls Secret If you're a fan of Japanese love dolls, we've restocked several items, including the authentic "girl's fragrance."		The Last Fuku-bukuro Grab Bags We've got the last of the ecchi grab bags on the site for you, a great opportunity to enjoy lots of "H" for very little money!
	Root Harem! The ultimate game for harem fans is here! Enjoy hours of hilarious and erotic antics with five cute and sexy girls.		Fun H-Game: Let's Meow Meow! We have dozens of outstanding English-translated eroge for you =. If you like cat girls (and who doesn't?) why not try this one?
	New Face Debut - Rena Sasaki (Blu-ray) Maxing introduces another cute newcomer, Rena Sasaki, former youth actress in TV dramas, she retired and made an unexpected jump to AV!		New Face Debut - Yuria Mano (Blu-ray) Fans of former AKB48 member Itano Tomomi won't believe their eyes when they see this newcomer introduced to you by Maxing in this new Blu-Ray.
	Lewd & Sensitive Body - Mio Morisaki Company Matsuo, recognized as a master of the hamedori JAV (first person POV), gives us a great new work starring Mio Morisaki.		Race Queen Maniax - Miyo Tsukino Japanese Race Queens are the hottest, and this new production by Rocket is a treat to watch.

Finally, a Big Restocking of Ero DVDs and Blu-rays Finally enjoy restocked ero titles, including Female Director Haruna's Lesbian Nampa, Whaleshower Endurance with Nana Ogura, the ultimate ecchi cosplay for fans of Kuroneko from Oreimo, 52 Costume Play Festival 16 Hours, Love Live! cosplay, Blonde Girls in L.A., plus the fun Time Stop Wristwatch series. view this product »

Did you pick up new calendars for 2014?

January 17, 2014, 12:58 am

≫ Next: The French Soldier Who Changed Japan

≪ Previous: Cool Products Friday, January 17, 2014

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J-List is happy to announce our big 2014 Japanese Calendar Sale! We still got an excellent lineup of popular anime, Japanese idol, art and photo and ecchi calendars from Japan, which are printed on huge glossy poster-sized pages that are great to hang on your wall. We lowered the prices of all calendars today, and as an extra bonus, you get an additional 25% off your total for grabbing two or more calendars. Tony Taka, Shirow Masamune, and Coffee Kizoku are all in stock, but only a few copies are left, so hurry!

The French Soldier Who Changed Japan

January 17, 2014, 12:59 am

≫ Next: Popular Cars in America vs. Japan

≪ Previous: Did you pick up new calendars for 2014?

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It can be fun to pick random people in Japan's history and examine them. Like Ranald MacDonald, the first English teacher in Japan, a bank employee who became obsessed with Japan's policy of national isolation, so in 1848 he caught a ride on a whaling ship and entered the country pretending to be a shipwrecked sailor. He was caught and imprisoned in Nagasaki where he taught English to government officials for several months before being sent home. Another interesting foreigner who played a role in Japan's history is Jules Brunet, a French military officer sent to Japan by Napoleon III to help modernize the army of the Shogun at the end of the Edo Period. When the "revere the emperor, expel the foreign barbarians" movement succeeded in symbolically "restoring" the Japanese emperor to power in 1868, a conflict called the Boshin War broke out, and Jules was right in the thick of the fighting. The pro-Shogun forces eventually fled to Hokkaido where, at Jules' suggestion, they declared a Western-style independent republic complete with elections and a president, though things came to an end a year later with the Emperor's forces invaded. While I love the age of Internet- and Amazon-enabled convenience we live in now, if I could go back in time to see the Japan that Jules Brunet saw, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Jules Brunet participated in several battles that formed modern Japan.