Judo

None of this "ninya" business.

Perks

There are still only about 3,500 Japanese people in Berlin, which makes me quite a minority...

Pervo

In Japanese it can mean anything along the lines of perverted or dirty or kinky in varying degrees of perviness.

Culinary Comfort Zone

Consistency

Pretty darn good description, if I may say so myself!

First Dream of 2018

In Japan, first dreams of the year (hatsuyume) are said to foretell what the dreamer's year is going to be like. It's commonly known that the three most auspicious things you can dream of are Mt. Fuji, hawks, and ... wait for it: eggplants. I have no idea how dreaming of an eggplant can mean that you're going to have a great year, but this was my first dream of 2018:

The fact that I'm pregnant could be because I was reading Rosemary's Baby (And no, I'm not actually pregnant). 

"The Cute"

I've said this before . . . but there is no escaping the cute in Japan.

Research

I'm mostly reading some autobiographical ones I picked out at random, Osamu Tezuka (Black Jack), Taiyo Matsumoto (Sunny), and Shigeru Mizuki (Gegege no Kitaro). So interesting to see how different the comic culture is in Japan.

Not that weird

Sorry for the irregular updates! I haven't quite organized my thoughts and impressions on being back in Japan for the first time in 3 years, but so far it hasn't been that strange. It also may be because I'm in a town I don't know that well (and not Tokyo) and things are a lot quieter here, but it's nice to see my parents and eat lots of Japanese food. But I do miss G and Berlin already . . . !

Rip van Winkle

Next month, I'll be going back to Japan for the first time since I moved to Berlin---3 years ago. I'm so out of touch with Japanese news and pop culture and politics and trends when I'm abroad that I always feel super-disoriented when I go back...kind of like a bear just coming out of hibernation. I'm already excited about all the reverse-culture-shock comics I'll be able to draw!

Don't know Rip van Winkle? It's basically about a man who falls asleep and wakes up decades into the future. There's also a similar (but even trippier) Japanese fairy tale called Urashima Taro. Anyone know any other variations?

The Germans of Asia and the Japanese of Europe

Today also happens to be my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mama!

Ramen

Ramen is just one of those things I can eat no matter how full I am.

Asian Mother: On Sale!

In other news, copies of An Idiot's Guide to Dining with an Asian Mother are now for sale! Whoop!

An Idiot's Guide to Dining with an Asian Mother is a little booklet about the dos and don'ts when meeting and dining with an Asian mom for the first time. I think my inspiration for this came from a scene in Amy Tan's novel Joy Luck Club where one of the daughters brings home her all-American boyfriend home for what ends up being a disastrous dinner. The best part of it all was how oblivious the boyfriend was to the fact that he'd made a horrible first impression on her family. As someone whose boyfriends have mostly been non-Asian, this was a pretty relatable scene. (Though it's never been that bad, fortunately.)

Eating is a hugely important concept in Japanese and most other Asian cultures. My Japanese friends are constantly uploading photos of food on Facebook. 70% of the conversations between my mom and me is food-related. Whenever my family travels, it's for one sole reason: good food. (Okay, not true of Scotland...but still!) This is why I think that by far the easiest way to set a positive (or negative) first impression on Asian moms is at the dinner table.

Obviously I couldn't include everything I wanted to cover in a little 18-page booklet, but I picked and chose the funniest and the most basic rules. Some tips are particular to Japan (ie. the bowing rule doesn't apply to all Asian countries) and some are international, but yes. Hopefully it's somewhat helpful. And entertaining.

Wow. tl;dr? Here's how you can buy my baby book:

My babies! Woot.

They are hand-bound with love (love!) and cost 2 euros each + shipping (0.90 euro within Germany and 1.45 euro elsewhere). By the way, the shipping will be the same if you purchase 2 copies to be sent to the same address. (A-mazing!) So yes. Buy two and give the other one to your (Asian, non-Asian, or inner-Asian) mom. Or just buy one. And I'll write/draw something nice in it for you.

Anywho. If you're interested in purchasing a copy, message me at horibe (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and email address, and I'll send you a PayPal payment request. Thanks!

*****

私の初ミニコミック An Idiot's Guide to Dining with an Asian Mother、発売開始しました！

このミニコミックを作ろうと思ったきっかけは中国系アメリカ人作家のエイミー・タンの小説「ジョイ・ラック・クラブ」。中国系アメリカ人の主人公が白人(アメリカ人)の彼氏を実家に呼ぶシーン。食卓でのタブーを連発し最悪な第一印象を残した上、それに気づきもしない彼にあきれる彼女に私は深く同情したのを覚えている。

いままで（というか今も）日本人じゃない彼氏がほとんどだったが、親に彼氏を紹介するにあたって身にしみて感じたのが、「第一印象は食卓で決まる」。そこで大事ないくつかの基本的なルールをおもしろおかしく描いてみたのが今回のミニコミック。そんなに深い内容のものではないけど...面白ければ結構！日本人と付き合っている友達にでもあげてください。:)

値段は一冊２ユーロ+送料で、ドイツ国内は+90セント、その他は1.45ユーロです。２冊までは送料は変わらずお送りできます。お問い合わせは horibe (あっと) gmail.comまで。お名前、送り先住所とメールアドレスもお知らせください。

Japanese Pop Culture 101: Understanding Anpanman