Like many people in Japan, I am a furo-bito, or a person who likes taking baths in natural hot springs. Like Finland and their famous saunas (two million units in a country of just five million residents), volcanic hot springs are almost a national treasure in Japan, and I love hitting the onsen as often as I can. Most hot spring baths have a official-looking sign posted somewhere describing the chemical make-up of the water and affirming that it is a true volcanic hot spring, since some establishments have gotten in trouble buy promoting water heated in a boiler as natural. Each bath usually features a metal plate boasting of all the ailments that will be cured if you sit in the water, such as rheumatism, chills, muscle or joint pain, skin problems, cramped shoulders, sleeping disorders, and even anemia. The long list of cures can get quite silly, in fact since merely taking a bath could never fix so many problems, but reading through the list you can sense the pride the Japanese feel at their culture of relaxing for hours in the bath. One famous image associated with Japan's culture of bathing is the onsen mark, the official icon used to denote the presence of a public bath on maps. This character came into official use in the Meiji Period, when German engineers arrived in Japan to take the first modern surveys of the country and adapted the local image to their maps, although the first use of an onsen mark goes all the way back to 1661, on a map of our own prefecture of Gunma. Being an officially recognized character in the Japanese language, the onsen mark is present in any Japanese-language computer font, almost as if it were an alternate kanji character.
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Would you like to learn to speak Japanese fluently? If so then you want to become pera pera, an odd but fun Japanese onomatopoeic word that means "able to speak a foreign language very well." After a trip to the beach, don't you hate the feeling of sand in your shoes? That's zara zara, which every Japanese immediately recognizes as the gritty sound of sand. Then there's one you hear in anime quite a lot, doki doki, the "sound" of a nervous person's heart racing, perhaps as they prepare to confess their love to someone special. While there's a whole class of "normal" onomatopoeia that mimic actual sounds like cats and dogs (nyan nyan and wan wan, in case you were curious), the Japanese take these concepts a step further by creating highly descriptive sounds for abstract ideas as well, and because they're so unlike anything we have in English, it's fun for students to learn about them. Something that's brand sparkling new is described as pika pika, while old and run-down is boro boro. If you work fast and efficiently (bishi bishi), your boss might give you a bonus, but if you're slow and lazy (dara dara) he or she might fire you. Eating quickly is known as paku paku, which is where the famous video game character got his name from, while the useful phrase giri giri means "barely," as in barely arriving on time, barely having enough money to buy something, or (in some situations) barely having clothes on. Then there's suu suu, which describes feeling especially drafty: in the classic episode of Strike Witches, the anime about World War II-era magical girls who wear mecha to fight powerful alien enemy, there's an episode where the playful Italian Francesca Lucchini makes off with Yoshika Miyafuji's underwear, forcing her to prepare for battle without her skivvies on. Poor Yoshika complained loudly using this colorful phrase ("suu suu suru!").<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2LCLYKKzz0U&amp;hl=ja&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2LCLYKKzz0U&amp;hl=ja&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object> <object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8fTuhT72tmg&amp;hl=ja&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8fTuhT72tmg&amp;hl=ja&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
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Not much info on this as of now, but more info to come as available. Details: CD Title: Macross F Nyan Tama ♀ (Nyan Bullet(?) ♀) Release Date: December 3, 2008 Price: 3,800 yen Catalog No.: VTCL-60100/1 Two catalog numbers mean two CDs? Hmmmm… And what does the female (♀) sign mean? That there are songs sang by females?
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The second Macross Plus OST album was a bit more of a mixed bag than the first, with fewer standout tracks and more oddities. Not so with the second LP-length outing for Frontier though: this disc is every bit as good as its predecessor, and possibly of even higher quality if I make allowances for [...]
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ALBUMS **1 132,772 Expressions 竹内まりや (Takeuchi Mariya) **2 102,331 マクロスF O.S.T.2 娘トラ。菅野よう子 (Nyan Tora) Nyan Tora lost out to Takeuchi Mariya in the end as expected. I’m happy Mariya’s 4-CD best of compilation is selling so well (it’s in its second week), sure to get past the 500k mark now. Not bad for a 53-year old o-baba ^^; [...]
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The Yokohoma Big World China Musuem has just recently offered Macross Frontier themed manjuu(steamed buns) which goes on sale till the 19th of October. Various show related merchandise were also on sale, along with cosplay costume rental.
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In a slightly complicated piece of Macross inspired marketing; the show’s Nyan-Nyan maguro-man (tuna “manjuu”) are prepared by a comely qipao sporting lady cosplaying Ranka Lee, with packaging and similar inspired by the show, and with the added draw of a certain familiar look… The buns are said to be normally delicious (the tuna ones). Various additional [...]
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Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link. Mikuru Asahina 1/4 Figure Red Bunny ver. ~ Freeing. There comes a time in every anime fan's life when he must pick up the most awesome, the most special figure he'll ever see. And here she is: a *1/4 scale* recreation of the time-traveling Mikuru in her bunny suit from the famous illustration from Megami. Battle Dress Girls by Solid Works Collection DX -- Full Set of 7. This is a great series: beautiful bishoujo females in various real military battle uniforms, from female Self Defense Forces officer to infantry to jet pilot and more. Full and partial sets in stock, with no duplicates. Figure Maniacs vol. 29 Otome Gumi 2008. Fabulous new issue of Figure Maniacs, the all-time best anime figure information photobook, which documents Japan's best prepainted figures from the most famous countries. This issue focuses on Shana, Figma, Code Geass, Roasria x Vampire, Clannad and much more. Nanoha Takamachi Figma Action Figure Barrier Jacket ver. ~ Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. I cant' remember when I've seen a Magical Girl show done so well, and Lyrical Nanoha has tons of fans who love toe show's depth and characters. We've restocked the awesome Figma of Nanoha today. Dengeki Maoh Oct 2008. Need some manga? How about 600+ pages worth? That's what you get every month in Dengeki Maoh ("Electric Shock Magic King"), the gorgeous monthly magazine of manga and more. Features popular manga like Spice and Wolf, Sengoku Basara 2, Tales of Symphonia, Hanged Man, and more. One of our most highly recommendable manga. Plus, difficult kanji inside have hiragana beside them, making it great for students. Dengeki Layers vol. 20 Aug 2008. Just in time for the biggest cosplay event ever (Halloween), here's a new issue of Dengeki Layers, covering Japan's top cosplayers with lots of photographs of anime costumes for you to gaze at and copy. This issue comes with anime hair color-matched hairpins, free! Let's Make Eraser with Microwave ~ Cake. More fun erasers you make yourself using the included microwavable eraser stuff and molds. Make your own little cake shop! All the molds can be reused with other kinds of clay as well. Morinaga Cookie Gift Set for Special Occasion. Here's another great gift set from Japan, filled with delicious cookies that are fun to eat. This boxed set is specially made to be given as a gift, and it comes with an outer shrinkwrap and picture to show you what's inside, but this can be removed, leaving the inner wrap inside. The container is made of metal too, so you can reuse it, and the cookies are individually wrapped. New Japanese Snacks. "Crunky" is the popular chocolate that's so much fun to eat, not least because of its weird English name. We're posting two awesome flavors, Cafe Latte and Caramel Latte. Try them frozen, too! Also, delicious Mochi treats, enjoyed by Japanese kids since before World War II, in Green Apple, Ramune and . (They're only .50 per package, too.) WAGARA Winnie the Pooh Bento Set ~ Box & Chopsticks & Bag. A really cute "traditional Japanese" Winnie the Pooh bento box . This comes with everything you need to enjoy a cute, healthy lunch. Lovely Bento Cup ~ Race Pattern / 20 pcs . Bento is fun to eat, but not when your rice mixes together with the okazu (that is, whatever main course you eat with your rice). Keep this from happening with these attractive bento food separators. Buddhist Lucky Bells Omamori. A really fascinating item from Buddhist Japan, these are bells that are on a stick. Shake them to summon the spirits of the dead. The bells have a very Buddhist look to them but could also be used to make some great Jingle Bells sounds. Purple Hello Kitty Fountain Pen. People liked the Hello Kitty Fountain Pens we posted recently that we decided to post a bunch more. These pens are very high quality and feature fountain pen type tips for many years of smooth writing. Purple, pink and black posted today. Chirimen Strap ~ 2009 Year of the Cow. 2009 is the Year of the Cow, and we've gotten in two amazing phone straps (which can be use just about anywhere) featuring plush Japanese "Lucky Cow" figures that are made of chirimen fabric. Outstanding, and they have little bells on them too, which helps you not lose your keys, phone etc. Pink or white. Nyan Nyan Nyanko Hot Springs. We've got a grade 1 kawaii alert, with little cats from San-X's "Nyankoverse" bringing extreme cuteness to Japanese hot springs. This popular book has been restocked. Restocked Genki CDs, Dictionaries. We've gotten in a huge restocking of the #1 selling Japanese study aid in J-List's history, used by more students of the language than any other tool. Today the Student and Teacher CDs are restocked, along with the Illustrated Dictionary of Japanese Onamatopoetic Expressions, which helps you learn to express idea like the sound of "nothing" or silence in Japanese. (It's shiiiiin.) Waku Waku Oekaki Bento. J-List customers know that we've got more bento boxes and related items than you can shake a chopstick at. Today we're restocking this popular art bento book which gives you tons of examples of things you can make, from Godzilla Bento to Santa Claus to anime characters. Japanese Fleece Hoodie "Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend" (red circle) -- Unisex. Our popular original T-shirts and warm hoodies pop up in the strangest places, like a customer of ours who was interviewed on Japanese TV while wearing his "Now Accepting Applications for a Japanese Girlfriend" sweatshirt -- awesome! Now is a great time to think about what warm hoodies you want to pick up for the coming colder months, and we've got them all in stock in San Diego. GETA ~ Okaku Black. Geta are those wooden sandals that are seen in so many popular anime series, and we've restocked our most popular pair, the Geta with black or white strap. Other Fun Traditional Items. Fun restocked items today include our Classic Wooden Sump Games, our stylish Asakusa Bag, samurai sword keychains, miso soup bowls and more. Godzilla 1954 3D Post Art ~ Real Artwork Series *Preorder*. Oh my, this is awfully cool -- a "3D" Godzilla poster that features the 1954 original monster doing battle with military forces. It literally jumps out at you! This preorder item is the ultimate item for the Godzilla collector. Feng Shui Sunshine Buddies -- Green. We could all use a little good fortune these days, and Tomy offers it to you in the form of the feng shui Sunshine Buddies, aka Hidamari no Tami, cute little figures that help you relax by lolling their heads from side to side through the miracle of solar power. See Lucky Fortune and Good Relationship, back in stock today. Sabra Magazine Oct 2008. Gorgeous new issue of Sabra for you, featuring a lot of top names from Japan's idol world, including Satomi Ishihara, Emily, Yuka Hirata, and more. Pull out giant poster, DVD too. New "H" Manga. Got some amazing new manga for you today. First, enjoy Complete Declaration of Oppai, a superb work by Kazuo Kikkawa that centers around really cute girls and really round, welcoming oppai. Then see Magical Moe Girl Lyrical Rininka, a super twist on the magical girl genre. Anime "Initiation Paddle" - YAOI. By customer request, we've gotten those wacky anime "Initiation Paddles" for fans of yaoi and yuri, a great way to spank your way into the heart of that someone special. Kurumi Imari 1/6 Cast off Figure "Kuro no Kourin" *Preorder*. Here's an outstanding item for Bible Black fans, a dynamite figure of Kurumi recreated in super large 1/6 scale. She's being held by a demonic horror, and can't get away. Muhahaha! Of course, a figure this detailed and nice wouldn't be enough if it weren't cast off as well.
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The lyrics here are those that haven’t been transcribed/translated in a CD single before. Transcriptions and translations are very much welcome Triangler (fight on stage): Anata no Oto Ao no Ether Aimo OC Nyan Nyan Service Medley Comments
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While most people in the U.S. probably opt for a shower to get clean, in Japan hopping in the furo (bath) is the norm, a nice custom that gives you time to relax after a hard day, although it does mean you need to wash your bathtub every other day or so. (Japanese baths come with heating units to allow water to be re-heated and used the next day, which is possible because you always wash yourself outside of the bath, keeping the water ostensibly clean.) This unpleasant task usually falls to me, since my kids are masters at disappearing the moment I go to ask them to do it. The other day I went shopping for various things for the home, including a new bath sponge, and I was surprised to see that the universal concept of kawaii (cute) was alive and well even in such mundane industries as cleaning supplies. Looking at the sponges the store offered for sale, I saw one that had a cute happy face that smiled back at me, so of course that was the one I reached for. Incidentally, J-List has many cute things in stock for you, including cute items for your bath, in our Wacky Things from Japan section.
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