So I’ve started a Substack to post all my other random essays and short stories that I spare you from here. Most of the essays languishing on my file server focus on Christianity and Zen and where they intersect. Other unrelated essays and short stories will also meander to this Substack, depending on whatever strikes…
The Usefulness of Japanese Proverbs
Proverbs and folklore preserve the wisdom and hard-learned lessons of the common class. Both pass down orally, taking on regional flavors over time until someone comes along and writes them down. Proverbs, because of their pithiness and use of metaphor, tend to remain in regular speech long after folktales become literature. Sometimes proverbs become folded…
Japan’s Rice Shortage Problem
In Japan’s history, rice was once a currency and a commodity. Rice remains a staple grain throughout Japan and Asia. No doubt you’ve heard about Japan facing a shortfall of rice supply against their rice demand, causing prices to rise. But this problem has been gaining momentum since at least 2023 for a variety of…
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated!
Isekai has developed a shojo villainess subgenre where the protagonist is reincarnated or otherwise become the villain in an otome, or female-targeted romance video game. Most often, the protagonist aims to avoid the villainess’s fate in the game, such as My Next Life as a Villainess. In the process, they shift the game’s love interests…
Only Time Will Tell: Mechanized Time in Old Japan
A day divided into 24 hours of 60 minutes, which are each 60 seconds in length, feels natural. But at one time, daylight didn’t divide so mechanically. Many mistakenly think people didn’t care about timekeeping even just a century-and-a-half ago. The idea: agriculturally based economies didn’t need hourly timekeeping and instead focused on seasonal and…
Dan Da Dan’s Sakuga
Sakuga is a term within the anime community used to describe animated scenes with fluid, detailed animations. Sakuga usually highlights important fights or scenes for a story. These scenes have more frames than typical animated scenes. Sakuga scenes require more budget to produce, so the costs are balanced by other tricks. This balance also helps…