A short poem by Mantaro Kubota, who I’d never heard of till I tried to write his poem in my Shodo class. Pretty cool though. It reads: shiragikuno yuukage fukumi someshi kana しらぎくの夕影ふくみそめしかな -久保田万太郎の句 Do the white chrysanthemums, in the evening shadow, seem tinged red
Happy Year of the Mouse! Apparently in China, they call it the year of the rat, but I’m in Japan… and I like mouse better. Every year, I do a Hatsumode (pronounced hah-tsu moe-day ) , a little pilgrimage to the local shrine. Literally, pilgrimage is what the “mode” part of Hatsumode means. I think … More Japan is Awesome – Hatsumode
I feel like Red Leader in Star Wars. I started Shodo about 4 years ago. I focused mostly on kanji and kana. Surprisingly, I’m progressing in kana more than kanji, which surprised my Sensei as much as me. I just took a level up test, and reached 2nd dan in kana, which is amazing. With … More Almost There, Stay on Target
Been in Japan long enough to be able to read quite a bit now. But English still has a more direct line into my brain. I see the meaning without having to process the words. With Japanese, I have to concentrate, go from top level words to lower level meaning. So if I see a … More Japan is Awesome – Translations
Japanophiles are probably aware, but for the rest of the world it might come as news that the current emperor is going to step down in May. That means a change not only in Emperors, but also in the current era in Japan. The period during which the emperor rules has a name. You might … More A New Era – Reiwa
If you every thought that Nancy Reagan’s campaign in the 80’s to Just Say no to drugs was at best a joke, welcome to Japan. Below is a poster that shows you the best technique for refusing drugs. I kid you not, eat udon noodles instead. Because “If you feel like smoking, you should slurp … More Just Say Yes to Udon Noodles, and No to Drugs
Kanji this month was tough. I had a trouble looking up the following on the internet. 妍因俗易 I could be way off, but my best guess of a direct translation is: beauty changes with custom or, in more modern terms beauty is in the eye of the beholder (maybe?) Kana is another waka. あしはやに、くる春ならむ、雲竜の、やなぎ一度に、ふくれきにけり ashi … More Beauty in the Eye
