Texan in Tokyo, Blog & Books

Referral Saturday

Mineta drawing

Japan in general and Tokyo in particular fascinate me. When I found Texan in Tokyo by Grace Buchele Minta, I read all her posts, bought the three books then out, and began drumming my fingers waiting for her to write more.

Part of the appeal is her writing and her honesty:
I (still) get hate mail because I married someone who isn’t white

For me, the majority of the appeal is the vicarious travel:
11 Awkward signs found on Trains in Japan
Why Are Japanese Kids So Calm? Parenting in Japan VS America

In the Kickstarter campaign for her latest book, one of the tiers had the option for a personal sketch. “.. + Drawing of you/your loved ones! Send me photos and I will draw whomever you want on the inside page of the book.” Meh. I wanted to support the artist, but had no desire to see myself in comic form. Aha! I asked her for something at the intersection of horses and Japan: statue, racing, cartoon, whatever. She went with yabusame, a form of traditional mounted archery. More info, Wiki: Yabusame & A Modern Girl, Yabusame: The Japanese Art of Horseback Archery . Cool.

Mineta cov pic