Rokudenashi Blues and Ginga Densetsu Weed

Rokudenashi Blues - Summer Time Offer!

I just posted a special limited manga offer on http://japanese-games-shop.com/manga.html.

Rokudenashi Blues is a popular manga series by Morita Masanori it focuses on a delinquent Japanese high school student called Taison Maeda who is into boxing, street fights and motorbikes. His name is a combination of wrestler Akira Maeda and former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

The manga originally ran in Japan's Shonen Jump comic, a weekly comic that has run many of Japan's most famous comic stories.

The story is very popular in Japan but it has not been serialized in English so it is quite difficult to get hold of outside of Japan.

I have been meaning to add this series to my manga listings at $3.50 a pop. For the time being, however, I'm running a summer time THREE FOR FIVE DOLLARS offer.

As manga go, this series is relatively easy for the Japanese language student to read. The Japanese is not so difficult, and all the Kanji in the speech bubbles come with furigana to assist reading. The stories are fast paced and easy to follow. The series makes for excellent Japanese reading practice and are enjoyable to read in themselves - much better than "Nihon No Kiso" and other classroom textbooks!!

If you'd like to take advantage of the offer head over to http://www.japanese-games-shop.com/manga.html

Ginga Densetsu Weed - More Volumes Now Available

Until today fans of the canine animation series Ginga Densetsu Weed were only able to buy volumes 1-10 directly from my manga site.

The good news is that I have finally got around to making the first forty volumes directly available from my site.

The forty-fifth volume has just been published, so as you can see, I am trying to keep as up to date as possible with this popular series.

Now You Can Shop For Japanese Manga and Books On Amazon.co.jp

For Ginga Densetsu Weed fans who want to get the very latest GDW volumes, or any other Japanese manga or book for that matter, I am in the process of launching an "Amazon.co.jp buying service" so you will be able to buy new stuff direct from Japan.

Head over to http://japanese-games-shop.com/manga.html and run a search on one of the Amazon.co.jp portals. When you find what you want, send me the link and I will purchase it for you and ship it to you.

If you can't use Japanese script let me know what it is you are looking for and I will search for it for you.

I will shortly be adding all the details of this new service to the manga site. In the meantime, if you'd like to know more about what is on offer and the fees involved, drop me a line and I will send you full details.

In the meantime, best wishes from hot and humid rainy-season Japan!

DH
japanese-games-shop.com
3rd July 2007

Japanese Anime Card Decks

Two Japanese t.v. cartoons that have recently gained nationwide popularity and are all the rage with kids but also appeal to adult viewers are Lilly Franky's "Oden-kun" and Tetsuo Yasumi's Zenmai Zamurai.

Nowadays you can find a lot of spin-off goods based on those animations in the shops. As I number myself among the fans of these two whacky anime, I have been meaning to introduce them to visitors of hirohurl.net and today I finally got around to it! I have added a page to my site offering playing card decks featuring characters from Oden-kun and Zenmai Zamurai. They will make the perfect present for game-playing afficionados of Japanese popular culture!

So what are the two cartoons all about?

Oden-Kun

Oden-kun is set in a world that exists at the bottom of a Japanese stew pot, a place where the stewed eggs, potatoes, sausages, rolled cabbage, fish-paste tubes, and other weird and wonderful Japanese culinary concoctions go about their daily lifes until a large pair of chopsticks rends the soupy firmament and plucks one of them up and onto a customer's plate in the human world of the Oden stall.

However, once consumed by a ravenous customer, the plucky little oden characters go on to fight the various diseases and disorders they encounter inside the humans...

And as soon as the Oden stall owner gets around to preparing some replacement items, and popping them into the stew pot, the characters miraculously reappear back in the village at the bottom of the stew pot.

Zemai Zamurai - The Clockwork Samurai

In his early days Zenmai Zamurai was a warrior thief and to atone for his sins he has been sent to the future world of "Karakuri Oedo" - a kind of "greater Edo" - by Daifuku no Kami, the God of Good Fortune.

To keep tabs on the little samurai Daifuku no Kami took the precaution of sticking a clockwork key in Zenmai Zamurai's head to keep track of his good deeds. Zenmai means "clockwork" in Japanese.

Zenmai Zamurai carries a sword with four dango stuck on it. When he draws his sword and strikes at his enemies they swallow the dango and are turned into happy goody-goodies.

Oden-kun and Zenmai Zamurai Cartoon Character Playing Card Decks

Get yourself a piece of the latest Japanese animation craze! Two crazy, colourful playing card decks featuring Oden-kun and Zenmai Zamurai are now available at:

http://japanese-games-shop.com/japanese-animation-decks.html.

Luxury "Ran" Mahjong Set with Bamboo Backs.

The "Ran" mahjong set that is - or rather was - available on my mahjong site at http://www.japanese-mahjong.com/mjgoods.html has gone out of production.

Apparently, the artisan who produces those sets is retiring.


However, the company that employed him is seeking someone to replace him and to produce a different version of the set, with hand-made bamboo backs complete with the traditional dove-tail joint that fixes the bamboo to the back of the tile.



Unfortunately, these sets are very few and far between and I am not sure that they will be able to find anybody with the skills needed to make the tiles.



Just before the artisan retired he made a few of the new style sets. I was able to obtain a very small number of them. Right now I have only one left!

I have no idea whether or not it is the last one that will be produced and I keep badgering my supplier to see if he can ferret out any more sets that may have been squirreled away somewhere, but so far without any luck.

The set also features a strikingly unusual calligraphic style most evident in the design of the Wind and Dragon tiles, as you can see in the photograph.

So, if you would like to own a hand-finished bamboo-backed Japanese mahjong set of unusual design, drop me a line at hirohurl@hotmail.com and I will send you more details, if it is still available, that is!

HerbaGreen Teas Now Available at Japanese-Games-Shop.com!

In April 2007 Japanese-Games-Shop.com affiliated with SFI marketing group and has recently added their range of HerbaGreen Teas to Japanese-Games-Shop.com.



Naturally sweetened with lo han fruit extract--which promotes fat burning and soothes the digestion process - HerbaGreen Teas also contain lotus leaf (rich in isoflavones), kudzu (for promoting circulation), and 100mg of polyphenols, equivalent to at least 15 cups of the strongest brewed green tea.



PLUS - HerbaGreen Teas contain NO calories or caffeine.


Each bottle equals 60 servings.

Choose from among Original flavor, Heavenly Honey Lemon, or Mandarin Mango Swirl. Then, simply add a dropper full to hot, warm, or cold water and stir for a naturally delicious, wonderfully healthy drink!


BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA POLYPHENOLS:
* Maintains healthy cells, cell growth and development.
* Supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
* Promotes healthy weight control by blocking carbohydrate absorption.
* Fights damaging free-radicals, which attack healthy cells and promote aging.
* Supports the immune system.
* Helps the body maintain its toxin-free condition.
* Promotes healthy blood sugar balance.
* Supports dental and optimal gum health.


CONCENTRATED HERBAGREEN TEA VS. "TEA BAGS"

Scientific documentation has shown that the majority of the therapeutic benefits of green tea are due to the polyphenols. Steeping a tea bag in hot water is a very inefficient means of extracting these polyphenols. HerbaGreen Tea contains concentrated extracts, with over 90% polyphenols. One serving provides 115 mg of plyphenols, the equivalent of more than 15 cups of brewed "tea bag" green tea.


Furthermore, a lot of green tea from tea bags contains caffeine, which many people want to avoid. HerbaGreen Tea has only caffeine-free green tea extracts. You get ALL the benefits of green tea polyphenols with HerbaGreen Tea!


Finally, each small bottle of HerbaGreen Tea is a much more convenient source of healthful antioxidants for a busy lifestyle. Just add a single dropper into your water bottle and enjoy while working out, walking, or on the go... or add some tea into your water while dining out.

Shipping Costs of Pilot Pens Fixed $5! - No Matter How Many You Buy!!

Yes folks, its true!

I've been meaning to do it...

I've been promising myself to do it...

I've never quite got around to doing it...

Well, I had some free time today and you know what? -

I FINALLY BLOOMING WELL DID IT!!

From May 2007 you can buy as many pens as you like and just pay $5 shipping and handling! Buy one Pilot pen, or one hundred, and you'll pay the same fixed $5 for ALL shipping and handling, Paypal and packaging, sweat-of-the-brow and shoeleather charges!

Oh, and I also fixed the "turning Japanese" Paypal order form phenomenon - or at least it looks good from where I'm sitting here in Hiroshima right bang smack in the middle of Golden Week.

Thanks to J. J. from San Francisco for the feedback that finally spurred me into action. Free pens will be winging their way to you with your next order!

Happy Golden Week!

DH

Hand-Carved Shogi Pieces in a Dynamic New Style

The very best Japanese chess pieces ("shogi koma") are hand carved by craftsmen who each has his own particular style.

Styles vary in elaboration and cursive style as well as in the depth and thickness of the cut.

Apparently one of the craftsman who specializes in carving the deep-cut (fukabori) style pieces has changed his style and also now only works with the finest Japanese boxwood (tsuge). Japanese boxwood is the most prestigious of all the different types of wood used to make shogi pieces.

The new style is quite stunning, more dynamically cursive than the old. These two photos show the old style (left) and the new style (right). The old style is more angular and carved on Siamese boxwood.

Japanese boxwood is warmer in tone and with a finer grain (especially noticable on the rear edge of each piece). When you place a Japanese and a Siamese piece side by side the Siamese piece, beautiful though it is, pales in comparison with the warm lustre of the Japanese boxwood.

The old Fukabori Koma were priced at $280 a set but are no longer available. The new Fukabori Koma, carved on the most prestigious Japanese tsuge wood in a new dynamic style will be priced at $320.

However, I'd like to make it available for the month of May at the same price as the old set - $280 (plus shipping and handling) to readers of this blog.

So if you would like to own a unique piece of Japanese craftsmanship, something that will last a lifetime and retain its lustre for future generations, act now! Go to

http://hirohurl.net/horikoma.html

and order via the "Matsu Fukabori, Siamese Tsuge, $280" Paypal button. I will upgrade the order to a "Matsu Fukabori, Japanese Tsuge, $320" set for no extra charge.

Hand Made Ceramics by Two Master Craftsmen from Hiroshima.

A section dealing with Japanese arts and crafts has recently been added to Japanese-Games-Shop.com. The first page to be uploaded introduces the works of two noted Hiroshima ceramics craftsmen.

Every item they produce is hand made.

The father, Nishimoto Eisen, works in the traditional style of the Jomon era, producing ceramics reminiscent of those of pre-historic Japan.

Nishimoto Eisen's son, Nishimoto Naofumi, works in a contemporary style to produce ceramic vessels for everyday use as well as vases and more abstract ornamental pieces.

Both potters have received several prizes for their ceramics in Japan and on the international stage.

Samples of their works can be viewed at: http://www.japanese-games-shop.com/geijutsu/nishimoto.html

Nintendo's Yakuman "New Ivory" Mahjong Set now available at Hirohurl!

Nintendo's deluxe Yakuman "New Ivory" mahjong set must surely be the best modern Japanese mahjong set on the market today.

Most modern mahjong tiles are made using some sort of nylon or plastic polymer, but the difference in quality between the cheapest and the most expensive sets is immense.

When looking for a quality mahjong set careful consideration should be given to the tiles. How substantial do they feel in the hand? Usually, the more substantial the tiles feel, the better their value. Cheap tiles have a light toy-like feel to them.

Colour quality is another important consideration. Good quality mahjong sets do not have a the bright sheen of cheap plastics. Good tiles tend to be creamier of hue rather than gloss white. Standard mahjong sets recreate the ivory-and-bamboo combination of antique sets through the use of white or cream plastic for the main body of the tile and a bamboo colour for the back. More expensive sets reproduce the off-white shade of ivory. The very best sets, such as Nintendo's "New Ivory" set, shown above, recreate the striations that run through ivory. It goes without saying that to achieve this effect on, or in, a plastic tile while at the same time reproducing the tile character on top is a complex procedure.

Another key point is the design of the characters on the face of the tiles. How clearly delineated are they? How accurately has the paint or dye been applied? Many of the more exclusive sets also use original designs. If you are familiar with standard Japanese mahjong sets you may notice a certain amount of effort has been put into giving the Nintendo sets featured on my website a certain distinctive style - such work is usually most evident in the cursive quality of the Character suit.

Some mid-range sets go in for quite flashy detailing to point up their uniqueness. The Nintendo sets occupy a classier cachet; the detail on the tiles is distinctive but understated.

To find out more about the Nintendo Yakuman "New Ivory" set as well as the other Japanese mahjong sets now in stock at the Hirohurl Jshop, click here. You can view close up photos of the "New Ivory" set here.

Backlog Cleared! Mahjong Shop Expanded!

Backlog
Good news folks! The backlog that accumulated while I was away for a couple of weeks has now been cleared. The last big batch went out this afternoon...

Mahjong Shop
I have just added several Japanese mahjong sets to the range over at http://japanese-mahjong.com/mjgoods.html.

So now, as well as the classy "all black" mahjong set, the quirky "Sushi mahjong" set and the popular "bog-standard" Japanese set there is also a range of premium and deluxe mahjong sets to choose from.

The new sets are all made in Japan to Japanese specifications and a variety of styles.

Here is a selection of what is on offer:

• "Family" Mahjong Set - a well-finished standard set.
  
• "Bara" Black-Backed Mahjong Set - a set with black backs and white faces.
  
• "Yamato" Mahjong Set - a classic mid-range set
  
• "Hikari" Mahjong Set - a stylish green-backed set with a special "diamond bonus" tile.
  
• "Ran" Mahjong Set - a deluxe set with a high quality finish in a special calligraphic style.
  
• Two deluxe sets in baize cases by NINTENDO.
  
• Big Tile Mahjong Set.
  

Back from my hols...

I have just got back to Japan after spending a couple of weeks on holiday in England. Inevitably, another backlog of orders has accumulated and I shall spend the rest of this week clearing it...

If you have purchased anything from the shop in February...

Taihen omataseshimashita! (Sorry to have kept you waiting!)

Then, in March, hirohurl.net is set to expand, with new products being added to the existing range and also a couple of new sections which will take us into uncharted territory!

Among other things, the existing range of Japanese games and gaming accessories will be expanded to include:

• a series of exclusive high-quality Japanese mahjong sets.
  
• more shogi sets.
  
• cloth and leatherette roll-up shogi boards.
  

Two new sections are to be added to hirohurl.net. They will feature original works of Japanese art and craftsmanship:

• Japanese pottery: traditional and modern handmade items from the workshop of Eisen Nishimoto and Eisen Naofumi.
  
• Original Japanese woodblock prints.
  

As well as those projects, I am hoping to be able to add several other items to the existing range of products, so keep your eyes glued to hirohurl.net for the new and exciting developments in spring 2007 folks!