Vocabulary list: Classical Japanese kanji
In this post I give a list of words which contain kanji not commonly used in modern Japanese anymore, as a way to help those wanting to get into reading classical literature that is 50+ years old.
Category Archives: culture
Ki-Aikido Lessons: learning from everyone
In this post I talk about something I’ve experienced in my Ki-Aikido training: the idea of being able to learn from others, regardless of their level.
Japanese Literature Translation: Excerpt from “My Life”, an essay by women author Hayashi Fumiko (林芙美子)
I published my translation of the essay “My Life” by Hayashi Fumiko (林芙美子), a notable woman Japanese author of the early 20th century.
Japan’s amazing “Braille Blocks” for the visually-impared (点字ブロック）
In this post I talked about Japan’s “Braille Blocks”, a system that is employed throughout Japan to assist the visually-impaired.
Japanese literature paperback release: “Fast Forward Japan: Stories by the Founding Father of Japanese Science Fiction” by Juza Unno
I’ve just released a paperback book of classic Japanese science fiction works by Juza Unno, including “Eighteen O’Clock Music Bath”, the first modern Japanese dystopian story.
Japanese literature translation: 風の又三郎 (Matasaburo of the Wind) by 宮沢賢治 (Kenji Miyazawa) [Part 2]
I translated the second part of Kenji Miyazawa’s famous story “Matasaburo of the Wind”, which happens to be the same story referred to in the song “Matasaburo” by the rock band Yorushika.
Beware of fake Japanese proverbs
When learning a foreign language, it’s generally a good idea to learn some proverbs, what we call “kotowaza” (諺) in Japanese. It’s not just because they are a fun way to learn new words in context, but also because proverbs can express meaningful ideas in a concise form that often reflects that country’s history and… Read More »
An eclectic interview with Edward Lipsett of Kurodahan Press, publisher of Japanese literature
I posed a series of questions to Edward Lipsett, one of the founders of Kurodahan Press, a publisher that focuses on new translations of Japanese literature as well as reprints of classic texts. We touched on a variety of topics, including learning Japanese, Japan’s culture, translation checking, and the daily activities of a publisher, so I think there’s a little something for everyone.
Japanese Literature Release: “The Masquerade Ball” by Edogawa Rampo (Bilingual Edition)
I’ve released an ebook of “The Masquerade Ball” in bilingual Japanese/English format. It’s written by Edogawa Rampo, master of classic Japanese mystery.
Japanese women’s literature book release: “Days and Nights” by Hayashi Fumiko
I’m proud to announce my next release of classic Japanese’s women’s literature: a collection of Hayashi Fumiko’s short stories titled “Days and Nights”.