Private Import Japan Blog

This year, Sanrio celebrates 40 years of their adorable mascot, Hello Kitty. To help commemorate Hello Kitty's most momentous birthday yet, Sanrioannounced several new lines of collaborative merchandise at their SanrioExpo 2014 on February 7. While some might think that Hello Kitty is just for the younger kids, Sanrio has made sure to include a little something for everyone, including teaming up with Japanese Boy Band SMAP for their latest album. Read more

A journey that almost ended three years ago when Yuzuru Hanyu watched in horror as the ice cracked beneath his blades and the ground shook violently, culminated in glorious triumph 8,000 kilometres away at the Sochi Olympics.

That magnitude 9.0 earthquake near Hanyu's home city of Sendai in March 2011 not only destroyed his training arena but also set off a massive tsunami and nuclear disaster that ultimately claimed nearly 20,000 lives in Japan.With memories of the day when he had to crawl off the ice to flee the collapsing building still fresh, he said he had been close to giving up the dreams that led him to become the first Japanese skater to win the men's Olympic title."It's a very difficult subject for me to talk about," said the 19-year-old, who became the second youngest man after Dick Button in 1948 to win the top prize."I lost my skating rink because of the earthquake and I was literally struggling to live at that time, let alone to try to keep skating. I really thought about quitting skating then. Read more

The son of the anime studio's founder Hayao Miyazaki will direct "Ronja the Robber's Daughter," based on a Swedish children's book that was previously adapted for the big screen.

TOKYO – Studio Ghibli is to produce its first TV anime series, to be directed byGoro Miyazaki, son of recently retired studio founder Hayao Miyazaki. A 3D CG adaptation of Swedish author AstridLindgren's children's book Ronja the Robber's Daughter (Sanzoku no Musume Ronja), it will be produced in collaboration with Polygon Pictures, Dwango and NHK Enterprises. The show is scheduled for broadcast in Japan this fall. Read more

Olympus is going to release an underwater case PT-EP11 intended for exclusive use with their mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera "OM-D E-M1" (released in October 2013) on February 21. Read more

Check Olympus products on PIJ

A representative of Kyoto Animation's KA Esuma Bunko imprint revealed that the main characters of Kōji Ōji's High Speed! novel enter middle school in the second volume. Ōji's original novel inspired the Free! television anime series that premiered last July.

KA Esuma Bunko also revealed that many new characters who are mostly boys appear in the novel. Haruka and Makoto have new encounters and face conflicts. Nagisa's relationship with his friends changes little by little as he remains in elementary school after they graduate. Rin thinks about his upcoming study abroad trip. Read more

Bid for free! goods on PIJ

Hello Kitty Twin Tail Design Series was released on Feb 13, 2014. I noticed it today, and the plush has been sold out already... OMG!! Sanrio may restock, so try to keep checking Sanrio Online Store. If you want to order it, visit PIJ and make orders by this way.

Those cute items often appear on PIJ. Let's check it here.