The kappa is one of the most famous of Japan’s mythological creatures. It is sometimes called an imp in the West. This scaly water creature is a mix of a turtle, a monkey, and a frog. About the size of a child, the kappa is said to wait in water for a hapless victim to…
Author: Chris Kincaid
Kimono in a Mono Cultural World
The kimono is Japan. At least it is one part of Japan the West instantly recognizes. The kimono is mostly relegated to special occasions like weddings, funerals, coming-of-age days, and tea ceremonies. Kimono provides a contrast to the sharply westernized modern lifestyle of women and men. Originally the word kimono meant “a thing to wear.”…
Love, Chunibyou, & Other Delusions
Love, Chunibyou & Other Delusions, Japanese title Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai!, is the romantic-comedy story of first year high schooler Yūta Togashi, and his misadventures with a girl named Rikka Takanashi, a strange girl with chūnibyō, or “junior high second grade illness.” Those “afflicted” with chūnibyō suffer from delusions of a fantasy world where…
Samurai Harem
The title of this anime pretty much explains the show. As anime goes, Samurai Harem is junk food. It isn’t very filling and actually doesn’t taste all that great, but I watched it anyway. Samurai Harem starts with Yoichi Karasuma being sent out of the mountains by his father to train at a dojo owned…
Anime and Manga Blogging Primer
Anime and Manga blogging is a common hobby for those of us who are interested in sharing our thoughts with the rest of the online community. However, the Net is littered with the debris of good intentions and burned out writers. This article seeks to provide a little advice on how to create a successful…
The Two Frogs: A Japanese Folktale
Once upon a time in the country of Japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a ditch near the town of Osaka, on the sea coast, while the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran through the city of Kyoto. At such a great distance apart, they had…