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Greetings From J-List

8/20/2012

One of the proudest days in the lives of parents is going shopping with their child to buy a school backpack, which will be used during elementary school to carry textbooks and study supplies as well as the hopes and dreams of mom and dad. Called randoseru (from the Dutch word ransel, meaning backpack), these school backpacks have been a symbol of growing up going back to the Meiji Period. Because the backpacks need to last all six years of elementary school, they're extremely well-made and can be quite expensive, and it's common for grandparents to step up and buy them as a gift for their beloved grandchild who's about to start school. One of the biggest problems facing Japan today is shoshika, the declining number of children brought about by Japan's low birthrate, and this has caused Japan's school backpack industry to heat up with increased competition as companies chase fewer children. The Japanese school year doesn't start until next April, but already manufacturers are advertising heavily and slashing prices to make sales. If you're interested in these randoseru Japanese backpacks for that Mayoi Hachikuji cosplay you've been planning, we've got one on the site now.


A lightning strike at a concert in Osaka; a Japanese school backpack symbolizes growing up.

All things considered, Japan is a pretty safe country to live in, generally free from a lot of things that can kill you. The number of murders in Japan each year is slightly more than that of New York State, deaths from traffic accidents are low, and generally Japan is very heiwa (peaceful). There are some dangers of course -- as we all learned a year ago, earthquakes and tsunamis can take a terrible toll if you're caught in the wrong place without a clear evacuation plan. Then there's lightning, so frequent on hot, sticky summer afternoons, which proved tragically fatal over the weekend. Two 22-year-old females were attending an outdoor concert in Osaka when the light drizzle turned into a sudden "guerrilla thunderstorm" (gerira raiu, a very colorful Japanese term). The two women moved closer to a tree to try to get out of the rain when lightning suddenly struck the tree, killing both of them. In a separate incident, a 15 year old boy in Shiga Prefecture near Kyoto was struck by lightning while jogging, and is in critical condition.

One of the interesting aspects of Japan is that it's one of the most pro-American countries on the planet, with most people having a positive view of the U.S., occasional issues over the bases on Okinawa notwithstanding. Compared with Japan's more restrictive society, Japanese often view America as more "free," and learning English and immigrating to the U.S. is a popular option for Japanese who don't fit in with society here for one reason or another. (My wife has a Japanese friend who always says whatever she's thinking no matter who will be put off by it, because "that's what Americans do"...I could see why she'd have problems living in Japan.) Japanese are usually favorable to American brands, viewing them as kakko ii -- meaning "good style" or "cool" -- which allows companies like Jack Daniels and Harley-Davidson and Costco to win many loyal customers here. There's a booming business for American companies that license their names for use on unrelated products, and if you're looking for a bicycle in Japan, you can find one bearing the Chevrolet or Ford Mustang or Coleman logos. I bought a Zippo bicycle for the lulz, because I like the company but don't smoke.

J-List carries a lot of random cosplay products from Japan for you. First are our wonderful selection of shimapan, the striped panties that have become such a popular meme in anime, which we have in several colors. We also love the over-knee socks known that create an awesome space between the top of the socks and where a girl's skirt begins, which is known as zettai ryoiki, or the Absolute Zone. Of course, socks that fall down would be terrible, so we stock Japanese Socks Glue, too. Click to see our awesome selection of Japanese fashion items and cosplay products now!

Today's New & Restocked Items

Comptiq Sep 2012

Comptiq Sep 2012

We've got another nice issue of Comptiq, the popular anime and game magazine, with 350+ pages of great information, visual art and moe manga! It's one of the classiest 2D moe anime magazines in print and we love it a lot. Since most of these issues already went to monthly subscription customers, grab a copy before someone else takes yours! VIEW PRODUCTS