I found this self-proclaimed "tidbit" while searching back through the page-referrers to my new blog. With the blog only up and running for a few days now, I'm very pleased that "Eric D. Knapp.com" is on the "Blogs I'm reading" list of a complete stranger over at On My Mind.
The very interesting thing is that this site holds a lot of interest with me; it is run by a Gaijin (foreigner) who lives in japan. Of course, those who know me also know that I am fascinated by japanese culture. My wife is slowly learning to speak Japanese from a friend here in the US, and my own interests in Martial Arts and my love of sushi have led me to explore Japanese culture in several different ways. One of which is Japanese Animation — which I've been hooked on ever since I saw Akira on a large-format 70mm projection screen in Keene NH. It re-kindled memories of "Star Blazers" ("Space Battleship Yamato") from when I was a kid, and opened up new avenues of creativity for me. At the time, I was studying film production and computer animation. This was well over a decade ago.. and the thought of using animation to push the limits of what is visually possible against the constraints of what is socially acceptable just blew my mind.
...anyway, to make a long story short I spent some time on "On My Mind" and I am now full of questions about living life in Japan as a Gaijin. In particular, how in the world could I be polite when as OMM's author puts it Grammer is Essential... I mean, my japanese is limited to a few select words that I've picked up from anime and/or from helping my wife study. I know the word for "nose" and I'm very familiar with baka. But I can't just walk around japan calling everyone an "idiot-nose", can I? I guess I could always take Batman's approach and pummel everyone about the head and shoulders.