Japanese history is well known for celebrating homosexuality. Well, what we in the West call homosexuality. During the feudal era, homosexuality wasn’t an identity as it is today. The celebration of male love changed with many other aspects of their society during the Meiji Reformation. Like the protections single mothers and women enjoyed, homosexuality declined…
Author: Chris Kincaid
Manabeshima Island Japan
Manabeshima Island Japan is a whimsical, warm stay at one of Japan’s small islands. Populated by 300 people, Manabeshima’s small size allows the artist Florent Chavovet sketch all aspects of life, from the insects to the residents and even to the gangs of cats that control the island. Chavovet’s art contains gentle humor and an…
Midoricon 2015 (Meh-doricon?)
Midoricon 2015!!! Amazing isn’t it, just a few short years ago this small convention started at Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, OH, made it to its fourth year overall, and enjoyed its second year at the beautiful Maumee Lodge in Oregon, OH. I would like to start this, by saying that I do love…
Gender Roles of Men in Japanese Society
Many trees have died to research the effects of Japan’s patriarchal society on women. I also did my part by killing digital trees. Surprisingly, not as much research has been done on men. Patriarchal societies may appear to be a man’s paradise, but these societies place a heavy burden on men, perhaps even heavier than…
How a Man Got the Better of Two Foxes
This story comes from the Ainu, a group of people native to the northern islands of Japan. The Japanese fox, called kitsune, comes from China, but long before the Chinese fox crossed into Japan, the Ainu told stories like the one below. If you want to learn more about kitsune and read more stories like…
Arpeggio of Blue Steel
It is common to refer to ships as female. Now what would happen if warships and submarines were equipped with sentient artificial intelligence? Arpeggio of Blue Steel is one of the more unique anime I’ve watched. The Fog is a fleet of sentient warships and submarines equipped with technology that is centuries ahead of anything…