Sometimes Living in Australia is just yelling at the wildlife sleeping in your back yard to make sure the animals are asleep and not dead, so you don't have to try to get the council to come and deal with kangaroo and/or wallaby corpses on the second day of the year ....

I heard 🦋 like cats. A merry whatsit and a very much better than this year 2026 from Daphne Elizabeth.

The Australia-Japan Society of Tasmania held a reception at Government House last night to celebrate its 55th anniversary. Our members and friends gathered together to celebrate not only our long and extraordinary history, but also the strength of the relationship between Tasmania and Japan.

UNHINGED COSPLAY MASHUPS Lü Bu bu

We already pay as much rent as mainlanders, food is more expensive and wages are lower. Going to big events isn’t possible for most. We’re becoming one of those tourism destinations where the locals can’t afford to do anything. The stadium will massively accelerate that process. #politas #auspol

Reposting so I can find this for my translation theory course next year ....

MiniDisc deserved better

Last day of teaching today. Off to Canberra on Friday for the Canberra Nara Candle Festival 🕯 to host the cosplay competition with Sam from Gateway to Anime... Sign ups still open! See you in our nation's capital

PAX AUS PANELS Friday 10.30 Kookaburra Theatre Join @soylentcosplay.bsky.social, Sam from Gateway to Anime ASH for the FANDOM UNIVERSITY panel. We'll be talking about how to make your degree about the things you love and how to carry that further into higher research.

Heading to @paxaus.bsky.social ? Interested in getting an MA or PhD and becoming a super villain?* Join us in Kookaburra Theatre on Friday at 10.30 @utas.edu.au *many super villains have higher education degrees, but not all ....

Thrilled to be joining A Prof Barbara Hartley in the launching of"Gender,Costume,Textile,Technique"from @degruyterbrill.bsky.social 2025 Launched by Prof Tessa Morris Suzki on a very early 9am Saturday day 2 (3?) session #JSAA #JSAA-conference-2025 (Peep @vyecos.bsky.social from our MNCC days!)

...I maybe spent most of yesterday writing my Kimutakau as Oda Nobunaga before giving in at 5pm,so didn't post anything... Thank you to Jason Jones (UMonash) for chairing. Please enjoy this image of 90s Oda Nobunaga and his bros pissing off a cliff(bros!male bonding!)which didn't make it the talk..

Apparently my super star image of Prof Tessa Morris Suziki giving her boaty boats key note from Friday night didn't post? A great way to kick off JSAA 2025! #jsaa2025 #JSAA-conference-2025

I got to chat with @michellehsho.bsky.social about this incredible book today. Very excited to pick up a copy <4

In this week’s Private Eye. How long before other big agencies follow suit?

Just listened to/watched @newsfromnihon.bsky.social talk about jhorror on the Cinema Scope podcast and it's always a pleasure to hear/see pure expertise on display. So good! #Jhorror

There is still much to be done to fix university governance but nonetheless a huge win for the thousands of NTEU members who have campaigned tirelessly to build better unis. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

In the opening editorial for #TWC46, coeditors @melstanfill.bsky.social and Poe Johnson focus on diversifying "the scholarly grounds upon which we do our work" and aim to "make room for the fandom killjoys (Pande 2018) & troublemakers who can unsettle those foundations"! Read more:

A while ago, Lincoln Geraghty, @acafanmom.bsky.social, @memorieschild.bsky.social & myself did a special issue on “The Past, Present & Future of Fan Fiction”. This is now being reprinted in book format, & available for download for free #FanStudies www.mdpi.com/books/reprin...

Just published the roundtable introducing work by three emerging scholars on student-led activism against sexual assault. Sita Dewi on Indonesia, Bea Patricia Devesa on the Philippines, and Misha Cade on Japan. I learned so much working with them — www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I'm still trying to get into the 🦋 posting rhythm... At the moment, I'm just crawling back to shameless promote things from time to time

Judith Butler: "It is important to refuse the notion that this is just how things are right now, invoking a feckless realpolitik that justifies complicity with a brutal and rising authoritarianism."

studyinternational.com/news/world-c... (I'm just a very tired academic trying to be a whole Japanese department, but sometimes I'm reminded that I get to do some cool stuff)

Looked at my data collections for state-backed activity. If the report were a picture:

*breathe in* I am not a dumpster fire. *breathe out* I am a dumpster phoenix.

Do you know a colleague who has produced an edited volume, exhibit, performance, or other impactful project on Japan? Nominate them for the Sumie Jones Prize for Project Leadership in Japan-centered Humanities by October 1! buff.ly/TLZ39yn

‼️ Resharing my article on unfair moderation practices for adult content involving non-realistic characters following the new Itch.io and Steam policies 👇👇👇

Having women remove themselves from public is no solution to gendered online violence & abuse. I repeat, the solution to men abusing women is not, and never should be, for women to be less visible or less vocal. The issue is men being abusive. Men need to hold abusive men to account, not women.

Excited in particular for Sophia Staite's chapter: "Superhero Toys, Nostalgia, and the Assassination of Abe Shinzo"

No winners for the Naomi or Atukagawa prize this year! Japanese literature is having a tough one... I do like the official message of "Feel free to buy the losers anyways..."

The best part of teaching is my students. The worst part of teaching is student evaluations.

“For too long, universities have acted like corporations – chasing rankings and surplus targets – while governance boards rubber-stamp decisions that have harmed the people who make education and research possible.” @alisonbarnes.bsky.social Read full report: nteu.info/bellcurve

No vision. No strategy. No confidence. As more opposition mounts against #ANU job cuts, @nteunion.bsky.social will be holding an open rally in Kambri against job cuts today at 12pm. ✊

I got to chat about cosplay, SMASH, WCS, and ye olde Madman National Cosplay Championship youtu.be/ENsd_GChnDI

In this week’s ABC TassieCast, Airlie Ward and Fiona Blackwood discuss the Independent Review of Education in Tasmania, featuring myself and @sauleslake.bsky.social #politas podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/a...

Little Guys vs Critical Role.

The following thread contains 201 open access articles, books, chapters & reports written and led by First Nations’ researchers. We write our own research across all areas. The order is random and ranges across disciplines, because of course it does. #201FirstNationsArticles

Want to publish your next great paper on Japanese comics? Through July 1, @mechademia.bsky.social is accepting papers for the "Graphic Narratives" issue. Explorations of "form, that is, how visual and linguistic aspects work together to make meaning"! www.animemangastudies.com/2025/06/15/c...

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... The students have created a petition to fight the cuts to Humanities at Utas (including Languages, Philosophy, History, Theatre, Fine Arts, Sociology and more) Please sign and share widely.

Good read from NTEU Adelaide University Branch President Kit MacFarlane on how Australia’s public universities have become stacked with unelected members brought in from big business. Join our campaign to end bad governance for good: betterunis.nteu.au www.indailysa.com.au/news/opinion...

Sitting in the Virgin lounge (10+ years commuting between countries and your spouse/work has perks????) and amazed at the people doing "work" I just got into the country at 4am. Any emails I send to peers or students at this point are going to be far too honest Or just odd More so than usual

NTEU supports the Australian Council of Trade Unions call for an end to the occupation of Palestine and a just and sustainable peace. Read the full statement here: nteu.info/actustatement @australianunions.bsky.social

If you are at Osaka Expo tomorrow, keep an eye out for the Manyoushu/Asuka tea ceremony. My sister just sent off the calligraphy this morning @/houkuu.shoart on Instagram

My third year chairing @asah-sydney.bsky.social's Emerging Scholar Award. Great papers from across AUS/NZ ECRs. My deep gratitude goes to this year's judging panel members (Dr @emeraldlking.bsky.social, Dr Lewis Mayo and Professor Robert Cribb) for their commitment. josah.org/emerging-sch...

“It’s a disgrace that so much money was being spent on consultants while management claimed the only option for savings was for people to pay with their livelihoods.” - Dr Damien Cahill, NTEU General Secretary @damiencahill.bsky.social

Absolutely thrilled to have been a part of @jppinfo.bsky.social "Reimaginig a Global Field" symposium. Definitely a lot to think about - it's bleak at a lot of institutions y'all, but there are also glowing success stories in Indonesia and SE Asia.

Absolutely forgot that I'm heading to Japan next week Argh