East Asian Studies librarian recently retired and enjoying time to read picture books, take long walks, and chat with my dogs. I will always make time for former students and folks with quirky questions about Japanese toilets or books.https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3mnapvgcdak2nEnjoy a purely natural Massachusetts swamp with me.01 Jun 2026 18:35 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnapvgcdak2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3mmymk6fpgc2lFinally got my hands on an article about Yukitaca Osaki published in the Providence Sunday Journal in 1955. Whew! No wonder there is so much confusion about the guy. The author says he has a Ph.D. from Oberlin and was a former cabinet minister before becoming Gillette’s valet. :) Love research.29 May 2026 13:14 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmymk6fpgc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3mmvzwaacms2wI haven’t posted anything for a long time, but if I still had students working on Meiji Taisho women’s history/literature I would absolutely send them to the Internet Archive. This amount of well curated material is amazing. Kudos to the folks uploading. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 May 2026 12:35 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmvzwaacms2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3mmvzvvs6ak2wI haven’t posted anything for a long time, but if I still had students working on Meiji Taisho women’s history/literature I would absolutely send them to the Internet Archive. This amount of well curated material is amazing. Kudos to the folks uploading. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 May 2026 12:35 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmvzvvs6ak2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3mkznq6rwsc2jI woke up thinking about the remarkable Léonie Gilmour (mother of Isamu Noguchi) and that led me to this article by a scholar who points out the differences between the Japanese biography of Isamu by Masayo Duus with its translation by Peter Duus. https://inagashigemi.jpn.org/uploads/pdf/110331what_the_son.pdf04 May 2026 12:18 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkznq6rwsc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3m65f77pvds2uWoohoo! This wonderful English translation by Avery Udagawa is the Libby Reads! At Boston Public Library. I loved this book in both languages.21 Nov 2025 13:28 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3m65f77pvds2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lwjhmq6jgc2nFriends, does anyone recognize what this was before it was broken? Tucked inside a jewelry box belonging to Yukitaka Osaki. The black pieces kind of felt like ink stone to me but I couldn’t make sense of the inscriptions.16 Aug 2025 13:22 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwjhmq6jgc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lv47gtsmyk2qI'm pretty sure everyone, at least once, wonders about where the poop goes when they flush the toilet on an airplane. JAL is happy to show you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TomV_J54X0w29 Jul 2025 13:26 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv47gtsmyk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3ltxsbqdv622jCeramic tea cup by Ikuko Iwamoto. Gift from a former student. Much appreciated.15 Jul 2025 01:54 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltxsbqdv622jhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lrxzqgr24s2pI would love to see research on the popularity of Japanese valets/manservants in the USA between 1868 and 1945.19 Jun 2025 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrxzqgr24s2phttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lpwsyjffl226Anyone working on Japanese actors performing in New York City during the 1890s? I am looking for anecdotes, playbills, newspaper articles on Yukitaka Osaki （尾崎行隆）Yukio Ozaki's little brother who was interested in theatre and later became the dresser/steward/manservant to William Gillette.24 May 2025 18:54 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpwsyjffl226https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lpmgtmbqf224Friends, could somebody remind me how to check if someone graduated from Keio in the 1880s and if it is possible to access the files from overseas?20 May 2025 15:49 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpmgtmbqf224https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lp7e673k522sIn the midst of going down a rabbit hole. Ozaki Yukimasa 尾崎行正 had 4 sons - Ozaki Yukio 尾崎行雄, Osaki Yukitaca 尾崎行隆, Ozaki Yukitake 尾崎行武, and Ozaki Yukimasa 尾崎行昌.15 May 2025 10:57 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lp7e673k522shttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lirhfkqhzs27Good morning. Avoid the news and let’s do a woods walk instead.22 Feb 2025 13:46 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lirhfkqhzs27https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lf42lwz7lk25Someone is in a hurry for good things to happen in 2025.06 Jan 2025 21:16 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lf42lwz7lk25https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3le4wztvzgc2kWho needs Santa to decide if you have been naughty or nice when you have these judgmental buggers at home.25 Dec 2024 12:20 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3le4wztvzgc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3ldygnjga5k2fDamn it. It shouldn't be so hard to track down biographical information about fascinating American women from the early 20th century. These stories need to be told.23 Dec 2024 17:16 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldygnjga5k2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3ldqwrd2rgs2kYou know that sense of sadness when you see typos in books because even if there had been a human proofreader, the person didn't know the original Japanese to be able to spot the error.20 Dec 2024 17:43 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldqwrd2rgs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3ldmbzde6js2kDoing a bit of research on Japanese toilets. A Japanese scholar pointed out that given the premodern diet, Japanese excrement would have resembled that of a goat so using bamboo strips would have kept them plenty clean. No need for soft paper:) Just FYI.18 Dec 2024 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldmbzde6js2khttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3ld4g3nuzks2wExcavated from this morning’s cleaning. “for all sensuous people”12 Dec 2024 13:51 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3ld4g3nuzks2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lcy5dyrggc2dWhat is a reasonable number of book bags to keep for a retired librarian? I swear I have donated dozens and dozens to my local library, but still I find more every time I turn around.10 Dec 2024 21:04 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcy5dyrggc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lbvizyvwbs2kCurrently reading (and enjoying) Taiwan Travelogue, but I really want to see pictures of all the dishes being mentioned. I wonder if it could be adapted as a graphic novel. Or maybe a cookbook.27 Nov 2024 02:30 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbvizyvwbs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lbrfry5dks27Audible has a nice selection of Japanese lit. Search engine is not the easiest to figure out, so try typing in your author 上橋菜穂子　村上春樹　川上美惠子. You can also search by genre (light novel) and filter by language.25 Nov 2024 11:21 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbrfry5dks27https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lb7zakjkq224Speaking of Japan Foundation, please sign up for their digital library card and borrow ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines for free using the Libby app. Love the fact that it isn’t just English but also Japanese. www.jflalc.org/libby https://www.jflalc.org/libby18 Nov 2024 13:21 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lb7zakjkq224https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3lb2yf6za4c23Thanks to the Japan Foundation newsletter, I was reminded about the Japan Film Festival and able to sign up to watch some really great films being streamed. en.jff.jpf.go.jp https://en.jff.jpf.go.jp16 Nov 2024 13:23 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3lb2yf6za4c23https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3kyr5mbdntu2nReading a dissertation turned book and temporarily flummoxed by the writers' constant use of East-Asian ... when the book is about Vietnam. Then it occurred to me that I have never considered how Vietnamese tend to align themselves in terms of regional cultures. New rabbit hole!02 Aug 2024 20:08 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3kyr5mbdntu2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3kyq7pbn7ui2fJust a periodic reminder that Japan Foundation's Libby collection gets better each month. I just discovered Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen's bilingual My First Book of Haiku Poems. Perfect companion to the first cup of coffee.02 Aug 2024 11:13 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3kyq7pbn7ui2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3kvmxw4rkpa25Probably an odd question coming from a Japanese librarian, but can anyone suggest authors/titles of Japanese love stories that have been translated into English? Nothing comes to mind at the moment.24 Jun 2024 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3kvmxw4rkpa25https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3kvdyalnxip24https://youtube.com/watch?v=ytMYkA4Id0o If only we could start each morning with a wonderful read aloud, oh wait, I think we can. Here is one to enjoy with your morning coffee.20 Jun 2024 10:12 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3kvdyalnxip24https://bsky.app/profile/sharonthelibrarian.bsky.social/post/3kjompsdecd2uI am enjoying Hit Parade of Tears by Izumi Suzuki, translated by Sam Bett, David Boyd, Daniel Joseph and Helen O'Horan, way more than I thought I would. On audiobook I can’t tell that the stories were done by different translators. Really smooth, lovely translations.23 Jan 2024 22:43 +0000at://did:plc:r7o7r77dh4uspagausasrack/app.bsky.feed.post/3kjompsdecd2u