Blog
Going back to Medium (again)
I’ve tried Medium once before and I didn’t like it. I came back here and tried to settle down. And now I’m going back to Medium again……! medium.com/@QueerESL Please follow me over there 🙂
Blog
All my non-text creations will be posted on Instagram
I’ve used SoundCloud, YouTube, note.mu, Tumblr etc. to post my music, illustrations, photos etc. but now that Instagram has IGTV where you can upload video up to 10 minutes (60 minutes if you’re an influencer), I’m going to start using my Insta as a place to put all my non-text Read more…
Blog
Language, culture, and identity——a translation tip that I learned after watching a lot of Doctor Who
Language is a weird thing. It’s external but also integral to our human psyche. By the time you’ve learned to speak, you become situated, recognizably to all including yourself, in the world. But if language has such a formational functionality, it must mean that when we learn a second language, Read more…
Vlog
A gay man’s opinion about yaoi/BL
Consumers and creators of BL are often the target of online harassment and attacks. But I think there's misogyny and homophobia behind that. (This video is in Japanese but subbed in English.) (more…)
Vlog
I make music and this is a song I wrote – “Intersect”
Music has always been my passion since I started taking piano lessons at 10. I got my first Mac (the rounded, classic CRT iMac!) at 14 in 1999 and started making music on it. I was once in a surf music band playing tenor sax. Now I'm mostly back to computer music and creating J-Pop- and kayokyoku-influenced music. This song, Intersect, is about social labels and how we're all human being, like how we minority people walk among the rest of the society. (more…)
Vlog
Why You Need To “Unlearn” Your English (or any second language)
How do I say "bless you" in Japanese when someone sneezes? Why do Japanese people say "itadakimasu" (I shall take/eat it) before eating something? Well, language and culture are closely tied to each other. And to really speak a second language naturally, you need to learn the culture as well. But, what if that second culture contains something bad, like discrimination? (more…)
Vlog
LGBT: Educate Yourself Before Educating Others
There is a growing number of educators, public speakers, workshop organizers etc. who publicly talk about LGBTQ issues. But not all of them are good. In this video I share with you some common mistakes those people make in their lectures/workshops, and explain why they are wrong. (more…)
Vlog
Debunking myths about LGBTQ politics & cultures in Japan
"Hate crime is nonexistent in Japan," "Japan only recently started having pride marches," "homosexuality is accepted in Japan because of the traditional male-male shudo sexual/romantic culture," "Japanese media are LGBT-friendly," and "Taiga Ishikawa is the first openly gay politician in Japan" are all false! (more…)
Vlog
Interview: Filmmaker Graham Kolbeins (“Queer Japan”)
Queer Filmmaker Graham Kolbeins talks about interviewing queer people, funding for queer documentary filmmakers, creative freedom vs focus, the Western gaze, the male gaze, the issue of representation of minorities, and his upcoming project Queer Japan. (more…)
Vlog
Is homosexuality orientation or preference?
There's a debate on whether homosexuality is a preference or orientation. But is one better than the other? Let's take a moment to go back in history to see how the idea of homosexuality was born. (more…)