 Greetings from J-ListFriday, November 20, 2009 Although I've been in Japan for 18 years, there are some things I've never really mastered, like eating nattou, the famous fermented soybeans that my kids love to have for breakfast. I can't read "air kanji" that a Japanese person will write with their finger, and I have trouble perceiving the secret messages Japanese see in numbers, like November 22nd being the official Happy Married Couples Day, since 11/22 can be read ii fuufu, meaning a married couple that's very close. I was also never able to master the Japanese art of yankii-zuwari, or "squatting like a yankee." In Japan there's a class of semi-delinquint young people who like to show their rebellious nature by dyeing their hair blonde (which usually comes out orange), and these people came to be called yankii, no doubt because they looked like Americans with their interestingly colored hair. There's a certain squatting pose these tough boys are famous for which is especially difficult for foreigners to pull off without rolling over like a daruma. The reason the Japanese can sit comfortably in this pose for hours is that Japanese-style toilets lack seats, and are basically flat recipticles you squat over to use, so these squatting muscles are well developed from a young age.  
Japan's unifiers show up in popular culture in interesting places like video games; can you "squat like a yankee"? The three most important names in Japanese history are the "three unifiers" who brought the country out of its chaotic "warring states" period, and today these three men are so popular that you can find self-help books on how to pattern your life after theirs. First was Nobunaga, who nearly unified the country before his death. He was famous for being calculating in everything he did, and if you manage yourself using the Nobunaga Method you divorce yourself from emotion in single-minded pursuit of your goal. Nobunaga's lieutenant Hideyoshi was a peasant who managed the unlikely feat of becoming the most powerful man in Japan. He excelled at forming social bonds with others, so if you live your life by the Hideyoshi Principle you should maintain close relationships with those around you. Finally there was Ieyasu Tokugawa, who defeated his enemies at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, becoming the Shogun ushering in 250 years of peace known as the Edo Period. He was famous for boldness tempered with caution, and also for working to build a "big tent," as he did when he allowed his former enemies to keep their fiefs after he defeated them. These famous names from Japan's history show up in popular culture in interesting places, for example re-imagined as characters in video games. The other day my wife asked me, "Is it 2008? Or 2009? I forget." This would probably be difficult to do outside of Japan, but here it's possible here due to the Japanese calendar system, which marks years by the current Emperor. The current year is Heisei 21, the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Akihito -- although don't expect any Japanese to know that name, as he's always called "Emperor Heisei" in Japanese -- and any kind of official document will always refer to this year as Heisei 21 rather than 2009. Having two systems to remember important dates in can be a challenge -- for example, I came to Japan in Heisei 3 (1991), my kids were born in Heisei 7 and 8 (1995 and 1996), and my car's sha-ken (a maintenance check-up you have to get every 2 years) is due in March of Heisei 23 (2011).    
There's almost an unlimited number of gift ideas at J-List. One good place to start looking might be our extensive selection of Totoro and Ghibli products, or our new Hello Kitty & Sanrio page. In addition to our printable PDF J-List gift certificates, you can now give iTunes Japan Music Store credit as a gift to someone. Sometimes the best gifts are ones they don't expect, like wacky snacks or kawaii traditional items. You might help someone get started studying Japanese with our Japanese in Mangaland or our White Rabbit kanji flashcards -- it will certainly be a gift they remember for a long time. Of course, adding the J-List Wishlist Addition RSS feed to your RSS reader of choice is a great way to get a constant stream of random and fun items.
Will you be at Anime USA, the anime convention held in Arlington, Virginia this weekend? If so, please come by the J-List booth and see our friends, who have tons of T-shirts, games, manga and more. Tell them Peter sent you and get free Japanese pocket tissue!
Today's New Items
| | |  Momotaro Moehon White -- KEI Then, see a classic Japanese story illustrated by non other than KEI, the creator of Miku Hatsune. It's the tale of Momotaro, or Peach Boy, and it's a great hardcover artbook for you to collect. View Product |  More Training with Hinako Training with Hinako is the ultimate exercise video for us otaku types, featuring the hard workouts of Hinako, the cute and sexy girl who seems ready to fall out of her workout clothes at any moment, The official artbook of the video has just come in stock! View Product |  Youkai Daizukan ~ Shigeru Mizuki Japan highly stylized world of yokai or "folk monsters" is simply fascinating, and this is a new book featuring all the scary creations of Ge Ge Ge Kitaro creator Shigeru Mizuki, complete with cross-sections of the demons and spirits. View Product |  Gift Certificates, iTunes We've officially turned on the "Santa Megumi" picture for our J-List Gift Certificates, since the Holidays are getting closer. This year we've got a new option for you: the ability to send a printable and emailable iTunes Japan gift certificate to that special person! View Product | | |  Blazer High School Uniform Here's another item for your cosplay collection, a standard "blazer type" school uniform that's great for anyone who wants to transform themselves into a real Japanese high school girl but want a more affordable option than our Matsukameya of Nagoya offerings. View Product |  HANTEN ~ Warm Winter Kimono ~ Blue I beat the cold in the winter by wearing a hanten just like this. It's basically a warm short kimono that's worn over your cloths or pajamas, and it's really toasty and warm. See the LL-sized hanten we've posted to the site today. View Product |  Hello Kitty Kimono Dolls Also, I'm overjoyed to announce that the Hello Kitty Japanese Dolls, high quality ceramic kimono dolls for displaying, are back in stock after a long absence. A superb item for your Holiday list. View Product | | |  Pretty Cure All Stars DX An excellent color comic for fans of Precure (Pretty Cure), this gorgeous 190 page book creates a great manga experience from the popular anime series. View Product |  New Snacks From Japan I'm sure you've often thought to yourself, "Why doesn't Kit Kat come in ginger ale flavor?" Well, we've got you covered today with the new Kit Kat we're posting, plus teriyaki chicken Jagarico potato snacks and a new Fuwarinka soft collagen candy. View Product | | |  Bento Elastic Bands, Bento Bags Also: J-List stocks many bento accessories like bento bags, bento belts to keep your lunch securely shut and more. Browse the new items on our newly reorganized Bento Accessories page. View Product |  Various Bento Items Restocked See some fun items restocked bento related accessories, including the Sand de Panda and Panda Sandwich Case for eating Japanese-style sandwiches, plus the elegant "Mottainai" bento box and Waku Waku! Character no Bento book. View Product |  Hello Kitty Special BENTO Making Set See fresh stock of one of the most excellent Hello Kitty bento items ever, a collection of all the best accessories for making the most awesome and kawaii boxed lunch ever. Freshly restocked today. View Product |  Studio Ghibli Ceramic Music Boxes Got another treat for you just in time for Christmas: a big restocking of the ceramic Totoro and Ghibli music boxes, which are fabulous for any fan of the works of Hayao Miyazaki. View Product |  Totoro Plush, Jiji the Cat Calendar & More Got some great Ghibli items in stock, including four of our most popular kawaii Totoro plush toys, including the Really Big Totoro. Also, the gorgeous Jiji the Black Cat 2010 calendar, which becomes a picture frame when the year is done. View Product | |  Unazukin Toys & More in San Diego Then: some awesome "surprise stock" of the Unazukin interactive toys which nod yes or shake their heads no when you talk to them, in stock in San Diego. Also, the last-ever stock of the Miku Hatsune soft leeks. Don't let them get away... View Product |  Updated Images for 2010 Calendars We've got a huge stock of awesome calendars from Japan, and to help you pick the one(s) you want, we've been updating the calendar pictures. See the newest calendars here, but make sure you get yours before the ones you want sell out. View Product |  Mugen Banana Peeling, Other Fun Items See wacky and inexpensive gift ideas on J-List, like the Endless Banana Peeling keychains that let you experience the joy of removing a banana peel forever, plus the last-ever stock of the Endless Soybean keychain -- fun! View Product |  Lucky Cat Tea Cups See many restocked traditional items, including many that would be great for giving as gifts. We've got the Lucky Cat Tea Cups, Sushi Non-slip Chopstick Set, 5 Ukiyoe Chopsticks with Gift Box, and the Japanese Paper Doll Omamori with 5 Yen Coin for good luck. View Product | |  Books About Japan J-List has many popular books about Japanese language, culture and how to live here, if that's something you're interested in. See Getting Along with the Japanese and other popular books restocked. View Product | | | |  High Quality COPIC Pens, Paper See fresh stock of several COPIC items direct from Japan, including the Multi Liner Pigment-based 7-Tip Pen Set, the Ciao! Basic Double Market Set in 12 Colors, plus more Copic paper. View Product |  Finally, Tons of Restocked Snacks Then see a boatload of restocked items, including the new Meiji Meltykiss for 2010 (all flavors), Meito Royal Milk Tea, Glico Dessert and Crush Pocky, Japan-made Oreos and more unique flavors of Mentos. View Product |
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