The Request Box
Leave me a word. Some words become essays.
These essays keep reaching for Japanese words that English does not have. If you have met one that stayed with you, this is the place to hand it to me.
The box, and the few small rules that come with it, are below for paid subscribers.
How it works
Leave your word as a comment on this post. One word per comment is easiest for me, though you are welcome to come back with more. And if you remember where you met the word, tell me that too. The scene where a word found you is often worth more to me than its dictionary definition.
I read every request. I cannot promise to write about every one. Some words need a season, and some need a memory I do not have yet. But when a requested word becomes an essay, I will say so in the essay, and your name will travel with it, unless you would rather it did not.
The box never closes. Come back whenever a word finds you.
Do appreciate how you make a point to discuss some of the pitfalls of certain norms.
Thinking it might de-idealize Japanese culture a bit to explore some terms which are critical of certain kinds of behavior.