Natural Languages Silvia Ferrara’s new book, The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts (translated wonderfully by Todd Portnowitz) Katherine Russell Rich's Dreaming in Hindi Ann Patty's Living with a Dead Language: My Romance with Latin Maria Heim's Words for the Heart: A New Book from... Continue reading

Notes: I. Japan 1) Like the Jesus Prayer in the Ch... Continue reading

“Does anyone know where exactly we’re going?” asked a woman, breaking the silence. We all edged forward, squinting at the map. It was July. But cold enough to wear my puffy jacket. “ Somewhere south of Port Heiden.” someone ventured…" “M'amour, m'amour what do I love and where are you?... Continue reading

Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait by Bathsheba Demuth In what is easily the best book I’ve read this year; Demuth’s Floating Coast is a deep dive into the ways that differing economic and social systems have shaped the land in Beringia. And in Demuth’s telling, there... Continue reading

The first part of the story is from an essay I wro... Continue reading

My beautiful bowl. It was sold as an artifact foun... Continue reading

To Read: Hojoki, by Kamo-no-Chomei, translated by Yasuhiko Moriguchi and David Jenkins (Also, about Hojoki: William LaFleur's Karma of Words) Alison Watts' beautifully written essay in Words Without Boarders: Literary Journeys: Living Through Art in the Wake of Disaster Ghosts of the Tsunami, by Richard Lloyd Parry: It's easy to... Continue reading

Tea Ceremony Introductory Video Showa Period Tea C... Continue reading

Kashmir 1989 What a difference a year makes: In early 1990, the vast majority of Kashmiri Hindus fled the valley in a mass-migration. According to several scholars, approximately 100,000 of an estimated Kashmiri Pandit population of 140,000 left in the span of a few weeks in February–March 1990. Continue reading

Michael Cherney: Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie By... Continue reading

Presenting Oranges section (center left) of Three ... Continue reading

From Museum to Perfume In 2019, Buly partnered with the Louvre Museum in an exceptional artistic project: to bring a masterpiece alive by creating its perfume. Free from compositional bonds, eight famous noses of French perfume tradition convey mastery and emotion in the fragrant conversion of some of the greatest... Continue reading

Photo by Liam Wong Chapter One Glossary: Sakura 桜:... Continue reading

Japanese is composed of three forms of writing. So, in addition to kanji, you need to master the two syllabaries, hiragana and katakana. Just do what all Japanese school children do. Start with hiragana. There are 46 letters (they are not actually letters). 40 consonant-vowel combinations, 5 vowels and 1... Continue reading

Japanese Language The Japanese Language by Haruhiko Kindaichi tops my favorite Japanese language books list. Tokyo/Edo The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City by Anna Sherman Tim Screech's Tokyo Before Tokyo: power and Magic in the Shogun's City Amy Stanley's award-winning Stranger in the Shogun's City... Continue reading

Watching the opening of the Netflix show Midnight ... Continue reading

Japan The Great Passage by Shion Miura Review The ... Continue reading

This year was hummingbirds, flowers and Holbein. M... Continue reading

Holbein, 1536 or 37. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool The King's Painter: The Life of Hans Holbein by Franny Moyle Holbein: Capturing Character Getty Museum Catalogue Portrait of Simon George of Cornwall, c. 1535-1540, Hans Holbein the Younger Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel and... Continue reading

A Garden of Words Part One Exhibition Catalog: A G... Continue reading