Emily

Happy Lunar New Year btw

Yeah of course

Everyone in Japan on some cringey weeb shit, performatively speaking Japanese all day long to show off how they watch anime without subtitles.

Do the D-A-N-C-E 💃🕺🪩
One 1️⃣, two 2️⃣, three 3️⃣, four 4️⃣, fight 👊
Stick to the B-E-A-T ☝️
Get ready to ignite 🔥

Can we please talk about how cute and romantic the Japanese term for a one-night stand is? ワンナイトラブ (one night love)! Like 一期一会 but for romantic encounters specifically.

Someone at the tanka group wrote one about how you can tell two different flowers apart from each other based on how their petals fall. "Just like humans", another member says. "They'll look identical to each other, but the way their lives come to an end will be different."

Just found out my 24-year-old roommate doesn't know shit about chess. What the actual fuck?

we're so back

Japanese public housing tenants' nationality data to be gathered Japan's land ministry has recently asked municipalities to gather information on the nationality and residency status of foreign tenants moving into public housing, to help ensure community rules are ...

"Japan's land ministry has recently asked municipalities to gather information on the nationality and residency status of foreign tenants moving into public housing, to help ensure community rules are understood and evacuation instructions conveyed effectively during disasters."

オリンピックでLGBTQコミュニティのために声をあげた米フィギュアスケート選手、誹謗中傷に金メダルで回答【ミラノ・コルティナ】 LGBTQ+コミュニティの一員であるフィギュアスケートのアンバー・グレン選手は、トランプ政権を批判したことでSNSで誹謗中傷の被害に遭ったことを明かしていた。

“LGBTQ+コミュニティの一員であるフィギュアスケートのアンバー・グレン選手は、トランプ政権を批判したことでSNSで誹謗中傷の被害に遭ったことを明かしていた。”

Palestinian poets see their work fuel debate when used in Japan school exam - The Mainichi NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- During an entrance exam for a top middle school in Japan in January, students were asked to read two poems depicting life in Pales

"During an entrance exam for a top middle school in Japan in January, students were asked to read two poems depicting life in Palestine and write responses to key passages."

YouTube video by 「週刊西田」 「衆院選で自民党が歴史的大勝利！その要因とは何か？」西田昌司の政策議論「西田ビジョン」【週刊西田】

You can dispute whether Takaichi won because of her conservatism and discuss how much her governing agenda will be guided by it but the idea that it's not appropriate to call her a conservative when her closest allies are talking about her victory like this is just wrong.

youtu.be/ZoMimwcEqyU?...

At least 645 Dutch nationals served in Israeli military during Gaza war, records show At least 645 people holding Dutch nationality were serving in the Israeli military in March 2025, during the height of Israel’s war in Gaza, according to figures released by the Israeli army in respon...

"At least 645 people holding Dutch nationality were serving in the Israeli military in March 2025, during the height of Israel’s [genocide] in Gaza, according to figures released by the Israeli army in response to information requests by investigative organizations."

Whenever I listen to Porter Robinson's "dullscythe", I understand, if only for a brief moment, what it feels like for a car window to have the coarse ice scraped off on a cold winter morning by the right guy with the right ice scraper that scrapes in exactly the right way.

Imagine having a male political party leader in 2026.

Castles In The Sky x Dreamin Chuchu x Language (DJ NOT Porter Robinson Mashup) [REMAKE] Choco la ta ta ta ta Ian Van Dahl ft. Marsha - Castles In The Sky emon(Tes.) ft. Megurine Luka - Dreamin Chuchu Porter Robinson ft. Bright Lights - Language Castles In The Sky (Virtual Self Edit) re

Banger

If I could fall
into the sky
do you think time

would pass me by?????

The invisible 18-year-olds: Special-needs graduates in Japan A December 2025 report by the Mainichi Shimbun revealed that Japan’s Ministry of Education had not included graduates of special-needs schools in its official count of the “18-year-old population,” a ...

Omission of special-needs graduates from official Japanese government data about the country's "18-year-old population" does not appear to reflect deliberate exclusion, but it nevertheless carries negative symbolic and practical consequences.

The Energy Blind Spot in Japan’s National Security Strategy Following her decisive Lower House victory, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae signaled plans to devote greater resources to strengthening Japan’s defense posture. Given the Liberal Democratic Party’s newf...

Japan’s defense strategy assumes stable energy access—but what if that assumption fails?

Helen Cecile argues that upcoming NSS revisions under PM Takaichi must integrate energy security to ensure Japan’s defense plans are operational, not aspirational.

Japan Opposition Party Reiwa Shinsengumi Suffers Steep Loss; Drops to Just 1 Seat in House of Representatives <p>Reiwa Shinsengumi was down to just one seat in the House of Representatives after Sunday’s election, falling from the eight it held before the official campaign period.</p>

"Reiwa Shinsengumi [is] down to just one seat in the House of Representatives after Sunday’s election, falling from the eight it held before the official campaign period."

Revisiting the “Comfort Girls” of Report 49: Race, Sex, and Information in Asia’s War for Empire Abstract. In 1944, a Japanese American intelligence officer stationed in Ledo, India, unwittingly composed a famous historical document: “Japanese Prisoner

They fixed it! My article is now open access. academic.oup.com/ahr/article/...

Except the turnout among 18- and 19-year-olds was merely 43.11%...?

That's only marginally higher than in 2024, when it was 43.06%.

杉田水脈氏が大阪5区で落選、比例復活もなし　首相との近さアピール：朝日新聞 自民党元職で衆院議員を3期務めた杉田水脈氏（58）が大阪5区で落選の見込み。杉田氏は比例区と重複立候補していたが、復活当選もならなかった。　杉田氏は2016年に国連の会議に参加した際、「チマ・チョゴ…

Despite the LDP's overwhelming victory yesterday, Mio Sugita, an LDP politician known for her hateful remarks towards LGBTQ+ people, Ainu, Korean people, and other groups, has failed to win a seat.

YouTube video by chess in kino Misha Osipov (3 yo) vs Anatoly Karpov (2016)

I shed a couple of tears over a video of a 3 y/o boy losing a match against former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov.

Just ate a kebab wrap. Will head to bed soon. Goodnight bluesky people.

怖い。マジで怖い。

Seat predictions by TBS

Japan’s LDP Set for Landslide Victory, Securing Sole Majority <p>The Liberal Democratic Party is set to win over 233 seats to gain a majority on its own in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, according to exit polls by The Yomiuri Shimbun and others.</p>

"The Liberal Democratic Party is set to win over 233 seats to gain a majority on its own in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, according to exit polls by The Yomiuri Shimbun and others."

Expletives.

Thinking about the friends and acquaintances with non-Japanese roots I've seen crying and expressing anxiety about the rise of xenophobic politics, as I wait impatiently for the exit polls.