#articles in japanese

[dokushoclub]

The middle of September is the time for the Japanese tradition of moon viewing. It's said that the September moon is especially pretty and round in Japan and of course there are some delicious related foods for the occasion as well.

I've gathered some articles and blog posts about 月見（つきみ）that were written for learners of Japanese in simple language. Most of these stories have a reading level fitting for JLPT N5 and N4 readers. If you are interested in learning about the traditions in Japanese, have a look - all texts are freely available online!

The Japan Foundation Kansai

This text is 8 pages long, graded as A2 and is available as a direct PDF download through the link below.

https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/kansai/clip/images/page/yomyom/002_tsukimi.pdf

Hirogaru Nihongo

Hirogaru Nihongo's article is only a few sentences short, but they also include a video on Tsukimidango and there's a reading comprehension quiz at the end.

https://hirogaru-nihongo.jp/hoshi/article/tsukimi/

Meika Sensei's Blog

Meika Sensei's blog for beginner readers has short, simple sentences that each add a bit more information. There is also a version for intermediate readers.

https://meikasensei.com/beginners/night-of-the-full-moon-and-moon-viewing-2/

Nihongoschool Nihongoblog

The blog post by Kazue Ono has two parts, one aimed at beginners and one for intermediate readers. It's a good practice to start with the beginner text and then try and read the more difficult one as well.

https://www.nihongoschool.co.uk/post/%E3%81%8A%E6%9C%88%E8%A6%8B%EF%BC%88%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8D%E3%81%BF%EF%BC%89-the-moon-viewing

Matcha Magazine

Honorable mention for Matcha Magazine: Their article isn't only for Tsukimi, but all Japanese traditions and celebrations taking place from September to November. Their articles include some translations in the main text to help with following along.

https://matcha-jp.com/easy/1348

[kensatou]

good thing from jp twitter this week is queen of old man yaoi michiru sonoo discovering the term old man yaoi

update: somehow it got impossibly more wholesome

quick translation: おかえり: welcome home あ 終わった 終わった: ahhh, it's over! it's done! コーヒー? お茶?: coffee? tea? コ~ヒ~ ありがと: coffee, thank you~ ネクタイレア★★ ネクタイ取るレア★★★★: seeing him with a tie on, rarity level ★★, seeing him take a tie off, rarity level ★★★★ にあうな~: it suits him~

also please do follow: AraigumaSha: sensei's twitter account marureviere: maru, who does such valuable work highlighting bl manga for an international audience

[adairtrashart]

i did a little manga redraw thingy for @xmajordumps awawawawa

page i referenced under the cut (dont know which manga its from but i do know that yoshiko nishitani drew it)

[papier-ciseaux]

I want this guy to start enacting french rural courtship tradition. Like putting a whole tree by someone's window in the night.

The tradition is mostly known as "l'arbre de mai" [may tree] but the trees can also just be called "Mais". You may know the german "Maibaum", but it's also a tradition in France, with variants depending on where you live. Basically, in the night of the first of may, young men will bring decorated trees (usually birch in germany and beech in france, but some trees can have additional meaning) to the window of unmarried girls from their village. This is done anonymously and the girls can try to figure out who did that. It's also linked to marriage.

In some region, instead of a small tree, all the young men bring a large tree to the village center and use the branches to make bouquet to leave on the window sill of girls.

There are many variants.

[crispy-art-on-fire]

I had an idea about the Yokai-Cat au; sometimes (not always) Nekomata are born from cats being so loved/loyal to their human companions they don't want to leave even in death. At least that's one interpretation I've heard of them. So idk maybe lil shrine girl Sari (plus the rest of Team Purrime) helping keep Bee safe from the scary fox at the temple gates helps Bee get his second tail?

Oh but why give Shockdad what he wants when there are two equally good candidates who canonically die :]c

[amemiru]

oikawa-san sending tobio life updates to provoke him is very welcome, actually

[haneentifosa005]

"McLaren's hands were tied" They literally planted, watered, then harvested the cotton, made the rope from scratch with their own hands, proceeded to tie their arms behind their backs to a metal chair after blindfolding themselves and putting on earmuffs to shut out the voice of reason.

[ketrindarkdragon]

Reala Doodles

[papayafiles]

lando norris on the media

[regina-del-cielo]

Lawrence Barretto you get One (1) Right for this

[rigelmejo]

This person is learning Japanese through comprehensible input, the way Dreaming Spanish suggests! I am so grateful they linked the stuff they used, and made an updates.

I'm going to follow their path at some point!

[moonrosegirl]

Magical girl and Superhero tend to have a lot in common (both are pretty broad descriptors though) but one thing I’ve noticed is that there can be a subtle difference in how the “self” is viewed.

Both magical girl and superhero have the civilian and superhero self come into conflict with each other, but in my experience, magical girl views both identities as the true version while superhero tends to pick one.

For example, Superman is Kal-El, the last Kryptonian. He’s a strong alien and Clark Kent is his secret identity. Bruce Wayne is Batman and Bruce Wayne is the thing he does when he isn’t Batman. There’s usually a hierarchy.

Meanwhile, magical girl doesn’t tend to pick one. Sakura is the card captor and the normal girl as a singular identity. For Sailor Moon, Usagi has an arc in both the 90s anime and the manga where she feels conflicted between if she’s Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium, Sailor Moon the guardian of justice, or Usagi Tsukino the normal girl. And the conclusion of this arc is that she’s all of these at once, not just a singular one.

I think this comes down to how the self is historically viewed across cultures. In the west we tend to consider a “true” unchanging self, while most eastern philosophy doesn’t consider a singular true self. I wouldn’t say this is a conscious bias in either case, but a lot of cultural concepts can still be traced back to historical philosophy. Superhero comics originate in the west and magical girl comics originate in the east, so both genres generally reflect their respective historical philosophies.

[i-heart-hxh]

Killua drawing by Togashi, which was a gift for Yumiko Seki from Sakurazaka46 for her graduation from the group. So beautiful!

Here's the tweet on this from @yyh4ever:

[animefeminist]

Folktales, gender and transformation in Where the Wild Ladies Are

Content warnings: discussions of sexism and physical abuse

Matsuda Aoko’s award-winning folklore collection, Where the Wild Ladies Are, is a feminist retelling of traditional Japanese ghost stories. Each short story offers a different perspective on a mysterious company which employs both the living and the dead. The stories often veer into the supernatural in unpredictable ways and even if you’re trying to guess how the plot will connect to ghosts, Aoko’s lively imagination will surprise you.

Transformation is key throughout the collection, with characters’ inner journeys embodied by shifts into spirits, ghosts, and animals, and these transformations are integral to Aoko’s commentary on both ancient and modern gender expectations.

Women and Passion

Throughout Where the Wild Ladies Are, Aoko explores how women are socially discouraged from pursuing challenging work. Kuzuha, the protagonist of “A Fox’s Life,”is one of the collection’s most frequently recurring characters. She is exceptional at everything she does, with nothing demanding real effort from her. Yet Kuzuha fears that misogyny will render her talents pointless, and as such decides not to explore her potential. One poignant section of her story reads “She knew that however hard she tried, the road ahead would be blocked to her at some point. History proved it, society proved it, various statistics proved it. […] Could anybody really blame Kuzuha for concluding that it was, in fact, wiser not to dream big and become instead a person who didn’t offend anyone?” When Kuzuha refuses to go to university, her belief that it is unwise for women to “dream big” is validated by the reaction she receives: “Well, I guess she is a girl, after all.” It’s a common refrain that extends to real life.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[strawberrystarrdust]

Ringo Starr in Tokyo, Japan; 1976

"Hello Friends! The Real Face of the Funny Ringo"

"It's been 10 years since he last came to Japan as a member of The Beatles. At that time, he couldn't even step outside, so I didn't know what he was really like, but now that he's here, I've learned a lot. He's always friendly, playful, and full of service. Yes, it's like Ringo from "HELP!" has come out of nowhere. He spins around imitating the hands of a clock so that the many photographers can take pictures equally, imitates the Japanese of the people asking questions, and even when he gets asked unpleasant questions, he quickly recovers, and is a real actor. Speaking of making records, it makes sense why all the top people flock to Ringo. He's well-liked. Ringo."

"Ringo Star makes a grand visit to Japan

For TV commercial shoots and record campaigns"

"On October 17th, Ringo Starr came to Japan for the first time in 10 years since they came to perform in 1966 as The Beatles. Ringo, who appeared at the press conference dressed in all black with a new hairstyle, said, "I still get along well with the other three, but there's no way we'll ever get back together," and showed off his passionate side with his fiancée, who accompanied him. He spent two weeks in Japan, mainly shooting a five-day TV commercial near Sapporo and at the mouth of the Ishikari River (the diary is on page 124), and promoting his first album since changing record companies. He is planning a concert tour next year, so it may not be long before we see him on stage in Japan."

Translations via Google; photos via eBay

[sarentries]

Full article on my Substack: The Girl In The Rain