animerevue

One of the first things you learn as a foreigner in Japan is that people here will assume you're intimately familiar with every word written in katakana, the writing system used for expressing foreign words, just by being a native speaker of English. Although the majority of foreign-loan words do come from English, many are taken from other languages, such as the medical terms that were imported from German during the early 20th century, or various everyday words like ankeeto (questionnaire, from the French d'enquete) or arubaito (part time job, from the German arbeit). I remember trying to make curry back in my bachelor days and stumbling because I didn't know what the "ruu" the instructions called for was. (I now know it's roux, the French word for cubes of curry or consomme.) This assumption that every foreigner knows everything associated with America and Europe goes beyond words, too. I was asked by the PTA of the special English school my son attends if I thought the International Baccalaureate program would be a good base for students wishing to attend university in the U.S. I'd never heard of this system, which seemed to confuse the PTA members. I was a gaijin, wasn't I? How could I not know? They were disappointed when (after doing some research) I told them the IB program, which is widely accepted in Europe and elsewhere, wasn't officially recognized by most mainstream U.S. universities the students would likely attend, since Japan considers itself an honorary European nation.

Here's my proof: Japan and Europe have the same DVD region code!

I saw a report that said Americans throw away an average of 27% of available food, an unfortunate reality in a world where not everyone has enough to eat. Being a prosperous nation, Japan has a similar problem, with a large amount of perfectly good food being disposed of instead of eaten, dispite the loud protests of members of the generation that grew up immediately after World War II, when the country knew real starvation. There are various reasons for this waste, such as unsold food being disposed of in supermarkets and convenience stores at the end of the day, food being tossed due to the expiration dates having passed, or food being left behind in a restaurant by patrons. (There's no custom of taking home a "doggie bag" in Japan and most Japanese would be horrified at the thought of asking for one.) Still, there's a big difference in the potion sizes between Japan and the U.S. with the average plate of food here probably about 25-30% smaller than in the States, and it's surprising how easy it is for foreigners living here to get used to this. Among the benefits of these smaller portions are by ability to be satisfied ordering a "child's" ice cream or frozen yogurt when visiting the States, since the size is just right.

My whole family would be happy sharing something this huge:

Bachelor Jan 2008

A popular magazine in Japan for fans of Western women, including beautiful blondes, brunettes and huge breast models from America and Europe, this is Bachelor. A terrific international mixture of both professional and amateur models with all body types and backgrounds dressed in a variety of sensual cosplay attire and posed perfectly to feed your visual senses. Also includes previews of the latest Japanese large breast models and their AV (Adult Video) DVD's to tempt you even further. Full...

It's always interesting to compare the differences between Japan and the rest of the world. In America, many products like Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Wrigley's gum and Tootsie Rolls have been around for over a century, some since the Civil War, and they continue to dominate in their respective categories decade after decade. Japanese consumers, however, seem to favor new products when they shop, forcing manufacturers to come up with fresh ideas at a faster pace. While there are some solid Japanese standbys that never change -- Original Pocky, or Peko-chan Milky Candy -- any visit to a Japanese conbini (convenience store) is sure you bring you into contact with a dozen or so products you've never seen before, like the brand-new Fanta Furu-Furu Shaker, a can of orange Fanta with gelatin in the can that makes it rather difficult to drink. The Japanese beer industry is another example: even in the small-town liquor store that my wife's parents operate, I constantly see new twists on Japanese beer being sold, like beer formulated for ladies, or beer with dietary fiber added, or beer that tries to appear "green" and somehow friendly to nature. I've been told that this is because the Japanese themselves have short attention spans, and move onto the next big thing rather quickly. While it's always nice to find an innovative new flavor of Kit Kat or a new twist on Doritos, it's also good to have a core of old favorites that never change.

It's always interesting to compare the differences between Japan and the rest of the world. In America, many products like Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Wrigley's gum and Tootsie Rolls have been around for over a century, some since the Civil War, and they continue to dominate in their respective categories decade after decade. Japanese consumers, however, seem to favor new products when they shop, forcing manufacturers to come up with fresh ideas at a faster pace. While there are some solid Japanese standbys that never change -- Original Pocky, or Peko-chan Milky Candy -- any visit to a Japanese conbini (convenience store) is sure you bring you into contact with a dozen or so products you've never seen before, like the brand-new Fanta Furu-Furu Shaker, a can of orange Fanta with gelatin in the can that makes it rather difficult to drink. The Japanese beer industry is another example: even in the small-town liquor store that my wife's parents operate, I constantly see new twists on Japanese beer being sold, like beer formulated for ladies, or beer with dietary fiber added, or beer that tries to appear "green" and somehow friendly to nature. I've been told that this is because the Japanese themselves have short attention spans, and move onto the next big thing rather quickly. While it's always nice to find an innovative new flavor of Kit Kat or a new twist on Doritos, it's also good to have a core of old favorites that never change.

Tachikoma 1/24 Scale Pre-painted Figure Metal Finish ver.w/Ishikawa *Wave High Advanced Model*

For fans of the childlike Tachikoma A.I. robot tanks, this is a great 'Tachikoman' figure and a must have for all die hard GiTS fans. 'Ghost in the Shell' continues to be very popular and a standard of cyberpunk anime, also with the manga by Masamune Shirow being one of the most popular translated collections in America. This particular pre-painted Tachikoma figure is made of a highly glossy PVC that looks almost like metal. Nice detailing on the Tachikoma and scale Ishikawa figure. Comes...

Tachikoma 1/24 Scale Pre-painted Figure Metal Finish ver.w/Ishikawa *Wave High Advanced Model*

For fans of the childlike Tachikoma A.I. robot tanks, this is a great 'Tachikoman' figure and a must have for all die hard GiTS fans. 'Ghost in the Shell' continues to be very popular and a standard of cyberpunk anime, also with the manga by Masamune Shirow being one of the most popular translated collections in America. This particular pre-painted Tachikoma figure is made of a highly glossy PVC that looks almost like metal. Nice detailing on the Tachikoma and scale Ishikawa figure. Comes...

Dick Jan. 2008 DVD Special

The Japanese are fascinated with American women, with blonde hair and big breasts and great bodies. See the excellent nude photography of America and Europe through the eyes of the Japanese in Dick, a popular adult magazine in Japan. Although it goes against logic, we get quite a few requests for this magazine, perhaps because there are appearances by stars you don't normally get to see, from Eastern Europe and Russia and Brazil. This issue includes a lesbian session with Adele Stevens and...

My family is going through our annual "what are we going to do about summer?" decision-making process, trying to make plans for our kids to go to the U.S. Figuring out what to do with kids during summer vacation is a challenge for any parent, I'm sure, but in our case it's extra difficult due to various cultural and scheduling differences between Japan and America. First of all, summer vacation is very short in Japan, being only six weeks long, so the time we have to work with is quite limited. We like to find activities for our kids that will help them maintain their English skills, like Girl Scout Camp for my daughter and various science-related camps for my son, but choosing the right program is never easy. While I think summer should be a time for kids to relax and have new experiences at a leisurely pace, my wife always goes into kyoiku mama ("education mother") mode, insisting that anything we choose for the kids to do have serious academic value. While the idea of doing homework over the summer break is totally alien to American children, kids in Japan aren't so lucky. In addition to everything else, we've got to factor in about 20-30 hours for the mountain of homework my kids will have to work through before school starts in September.

Bachelor Dec 2007

A popular magazine in Japan for fans of Western women, including beautiful blondes, brunettes and huge breast models from America and Europe, this is Bachelor. A terrific international mixture of both professional and amateur models with all body types and backgrounds dressed in a variety of sensual cosplay attire and posed perfectly to feed your visual senses. Also includes previews of the latest Japanese large breast models and their AV (Adult Video) DVD's to tempt you even further. Full...