You sit in Paris and talk of computer pictures? www.youtube.com/watch?v=euEX...

Oh geez. So many thoughts.

Never quite understood the deal with Japan and cicadas. We have cicadas in the Deep South. They’re loud. They last all summer. I love them!

Even though Yu Miri has always lived in Japan… even though her father always lived in Japan… even though she speaks almost no Korean, she is a citizen of South Korea instead of Japan. And even so, the Akutagawa winner represents the best of what it is to be Japanese. 1/5

The World of Coke is only worth visiting to try the international sodas. Futurama pegged the experience of trying to get to the soda during the visit:

Just finished Fish + Water. So cute. All the feels. The story was commissioned to tell stories about food—real flash backs of Dungeon Meshi, except foods that are actually cookable. Contrary to the English summary, at of the characters seems to have known he was gay. NBD. Anyway… recommend. 👍

I just finished Gengoroh Tagame’s Our Colors (trans Anne Ishii). It hits hard. An absolutely beautiful story about coming out—both early and later in life—and queer community.

Fellow Georgians, what option do we think they failed to ask about so that they missed the entire coast from GA to VA? “Sir” and “ma’am”? (Also curious about the NW and NE corners, there.)

Now *this* is a cult classic!

Did not know the Plaza was on Bluesky, but that’s an instant follow!

“[Sculptor Kousei] Hashimoto explained that, because the sculpture was made from cardboard, cats kept coming around and using it as a scratching post so he had to constantly make repairs. What’s more, he would find cats sleeping with it in order to keep warm during the cold winter months.”

Sigh. I spent two hours of my life on Friday undoing an “itinerary” a travel agent built using ChatGPT for that not only totally messed up the Kumano Kodo and had the guests hiking *past* their hotels by an extra 17 km (!!!!) but it also entirely messed up the ropeway in Hakone.

My spouse is so supportive he set up all the tech for my podcast and remains the webmaster. He’s my sounding board for all my episodes. My mom isn’t actually interested in JLit, but donates to my Patreon and reads every transcript. Even my MIL faithfully listens to each episode.

1.) Don’t be an idiot with fireworks. 2.) Recent findings indicate mortality rates actually go *down* in July because of close supervision. 3.) You may not know it, but you can generally ask not to receive a given treatment from a resident.*

#ChronicIllnessAwarenessMonth #DisabilityPrideMonth I am a writer and mom of four disabled by my chronic illness and I have a short book of #poetry for you! Written over a year in which I got progressively more sick and tried to wrap my head around that! (more purchase options in thread) Bookshop

Christianity *is* anti-capitalist. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

Allies including GA Voices United and STAND have been busy today—along with some Indivisible ATL members!—getting water and ice packs to the unhoused in and around Atlanta during these killer temps. They’ll be at it all week. If you would like to contribute money, you can do that here. 👇

I’m in the Dekalb Co sliver of Atlanta, but I enthusiastically voted for Rohit last year, and I’ll be voting for him in my dreams in November!

Mood

If you study children's literature, do yourself a favor and apply for this scholarship in this magical place. #Kidlit #AcademicSky

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Celebrate Pride and Anti-Prime Day with this list of Japanese Literature by LGBTQ+ Authors at @bookshop.org. bookshop.org/lists/japane...

Anti-Prime Day is happening now! North Americans, you can support RJL or your favorite local bookstore *and* receive free shipping.

RJL Episode 50 is now available! - The history of new religions in Japan, inc Aum Shinrikyo - Haruki Murakami's Underground - 7 stories show Aum's continuing influence Translations by @brianbergstrom.bsky.social + @ginnytkmr.bsky.social readjapaneseliterature.com/Podcast/Epis...

Explore some queer history during Pride Month with these retro magazines.

Muppet Scarlet Pimpernel. Sir Percy is the human, disguising himself poorly as a muppet to hide from the French authorities.

Advertise your bluesky account with a Simpsons meme

OMFG. *This* is the technology taking creative peoples’ jobs? And also, presumably a human being still *approved* this. 😩 alt text: Screenshot of the top portion of an online news story—Starbucks Korea sacks CEO over controversial “Tank Day” promotion

In Japan, if your cat lives too long it can transform into a kaibyo--a magic cat. This is not a good thing. There are several species of kaibyo. The nekomata is identified by its twin tails, and its proclivity of hunting and eating humans. amzn.to/44jGGnS #folklorethursday #catlore #Mizukishigeru

🎶 Once upon a time In a school in outer space There was a class of misfit kids From all around the place. 🎶 They snuck aboard a mystery ship, And soon went through a spatial rift, And now they’re stuck on a long, strange trip… (I definitely remember Snorks, though.)

I've been trying to get up and move every 30 minutes. I told my husband about the NPR story that made me start this new habit. His response, "Oh! I guess with all the funding problems, they're trying to keep their audience alive." 🫠

Taruho Inagaki is best remembered for his stories about erotic and romantic relationships between adolescent boys. Today, his work is considered an important influence on the yaoi genre more frequently called “boy’s love” or “BL”.

12yo is looking for a new TV show with a strong female protagonist. May be—but doesn’t have to be—anime.

Nacho cheese, I think.

Presented without comment

My family doesn't care about soccer at *all*, but we are now 100% Cabo Verde fans! 😅

Our redistricting toolkit is freshly updated with more things to learn and more ways to help. Share with your friends, especially in red parts of the state.

My state senator said trans rights are a losing issue. And her voters had no choice but to accept her stance. Months of bad optics later, she didn’t run for reelection after all. My state rep is up for her seat. So Bentley will probably be my state rep in 2027. Trans rights can win.

I was at a summer nerd camp. I took on running a student-led Bible study (because it was GA in 2002) and friends simultaneously invited me to play D&D. Worlds collided with members of the Bible study wanted me to help them take down the D&D group. 🫠 (gif alt text: Smug dude rolling a giant d20.)

CS Lewis wrote his own version of The Divine Comedy is which this is literally hell.

I start the story of my gender identity with “I’m just slightly too old for Tumblr” for a reason. It’s hard to imagine how much a book display with Genderqueer or Trans History from Ancient Times to the Present Day could have changed my life.

I hate when content I want to share shows up on Substack. 😩 I would be very happy to show anyone how to set up a Patreon account if they’d like a way to charge for a newsletter that doesn’t fund right-wing extremism.* Or a Wordpress if you aren’t charging.* 1/

I order from Amazon so rarely, it defaulted to the 2021-23 rental house address. I hauled my ass down there to knock on the owners' door + ask for my packages. They were still on the porch. Lights are out. Awesome! I'll just grab my packages. Owner is totally home. Caught red-handed. 1/

RJL has you covered for Pride with a 2-episode series on the history of M/M and F/F love in Japanese lit. - Part 1 covers some of the earliest writing in Japanese through the end of the Meiji Period in 1912. - Part 2 covers Taisho Japan through some of Japan's contemporary queer writers.

God is fucking sexless! He is non-corporal. This is… like… basic theology! I wouldn’t *necessarily* choose NB, but that’s closer to correct than male.

I’m over 40 , and I’m somehow *still* the target audience for Sparknotes clickbait. 🫠 www.sparknotes.com/blog/quiz-ca...

MAGA: 👀

46% of voters in this past primary were not white. No matter how much Republicans will pretend their gerrymandering efforts are politically motivated and not racial, the numbers tell a different story.

And also… there *is* affirming trans + genderqueer lit. It exists in the same genres that produce most affirming lit—ie not literary fiction. I read a lot of queer romance. Fantasy that takes place in queer-normative worlds. Stories where characters’ transness doesnt even have to be addressed. 🤷