Actually did quite a bit today! I started out with some ่ฑๅญใใ and read about a volumeโs worth; Iโm getting close to where Iโve read up to in English, and oh boy have there been events. ใใใโฆ Then I failed to resist the desire to start the next ๅฑฑ็ซ book despite being in the middle of so many things already rip so I read some of ่ๅใฎใฆใญใใญใน which is very intriguing so far plus itโs just nice to see all the characters again, ๅฑฑ็ซโs nonsense is a great time as always lmao. I also played some more Genshin Impact because of course I did; itโs still a lot of fun! Very conducive to my love of exploring shiny things and ignoring actual missions
Meant to reply to this earlier whoops; unless thereโs something else specific Iโm unaware of, Iโd imagine thatโs just slurred ่กใใพใใ, yeah. ใกใ is a pretty common contraction of ใฆใฏ, so thatโs essentially ใใใซใใฆใฏใพใใ, which is similar but Iโd say is more along the lines of like โitโs bad to be hereโ rather than โmust not be hereโ if that makes sense!
chapter 4 down! this one was thankfully much easier than the last two, both in theme and writing style. much more fantastical too, with an inkstone thatโs actually the dormant body of a ่ฒ that usually lives in the clouds and eats precipitation. also (tw: body horror? ig?) some children end up vomiting smoke out of their ears and mouth at one point.
words that stuck out: ็กฏ (ใใใ, inkstone. ever want to learn this word, read this chapter), ๅ็ณ (ใใใ, fossil), ๅทฅๆฟ (ใใใผใ, workshop, studio)
yeah! that was the vibe i got, but i was also sleepy and my brain wasnโt working thanks for taking the time to reply!
January 25th
ๆฐๆธๅคช้ฃ่จ progress: 04.26% // Volume I: 49.39%
Pretty much halfway through the first volume now, I had hoped to read a volume a month, but I think that might have been a tad too ambitious of a goal.
Words found under the kotatsu
้กๅฏใใใใฟใคใใผ Combination of Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism ๆๆทใใณใใใใใใผ Nimble; quick; agile ่ๅผใใใใฆใใใผ Younger brother; underling (Yakuza); junior male peer ๆๅชใใใใณใใผ Picturesque ่ฆๅฎณๅ ๅบใใใใใใใใใใผ Impregnable/unassailable fortress
Forms
ๅฐ็ฆฝ ๏ผ ๅฐ้ณฅใใใจใใ(small bird)
Character Name List
Probably some spoilers, but this is a historic novel, so can spoilers really exist for things that have (for the most part) actually happened
Family
ๆจไธๅผฅๅณ่ก้ใใใฎใใ ใใใใใ- Father
โ โ ไน่ฅใใใจใใใ- Old friend
็ญ้ฟๅผฅใใกใใใฟใใผ Step-father
ๅคงๆฟๆใใใใพใใฉใใใ// also ใๅฅๅ ใใใชใใใผ Mother
ใใคใฟ - Older sister
ๅฐ็ซนใใใกใใ- Baby brother
ๅ ่คๆธ ๆญฃใใใจใ ใใใพใใ// also ๅผพๆญฃใใ ใใใใใ- Ojisan (only distantly related (before marriage))
โ Married to: ใใใค (sister of ใๅฅๅ )
Friends & Acquaintances
ไป็ใใซใใใ- Big kid friend
ๆผ็ฆใใใตใใ(Nickname - full name: ็ฆๅคช้ใใตใใใใ) // ๆฅๆฏ็ฆใใใใใใตใใ(Chinese name/birth name) - Timid kid friend (older than Hideyoshi)
โ ไบ้ๅคงๅคซ ใใใ ใ ใใใ// ็ฅฅ็ใใใใใใใ(Chinese name) - Father
โ ๆขจ็ดใใใใใ- Mother
ๆจๆฌก้ใใใฆใใใใ- Previous servant to ไบ้, later the adoptive father of ๆผ็ฆ, and owner of a tea ware shop - and employer of, and master to, Hideyoshi
Hachisuka Clan
่้ ่ณๅฐๅ ญใใฏใกใใ ใใใใ(also ๆญฃๅ ใใพใใใคใ) - Head of the Hachisuka clan
โ ไธๅ ใใชใชใใ- Younger brother
โ Married to ๆพๆณขใใพใคใชใฟใ
โ โ ไบไธใใใใใกใ- Son
โ ๅฝๅใใใซใใใ- Gunsmith/blacksmith
โ ๆธก่พบๅคฉ่ตใใใใชใน ใฆใใใใ- Deserter - Nobushi (Nephew to Koroku)
โ ้ฃๆณขๅ ่จใใชใใฐ ใชใใใ- Spy disguised as a Komuso
โ ไป็ฐๅฝฆๅใใซใฃใ ใฒใใใ ใใ- Subordinate
(่้ ่ณๆญฃๅฉใใฏใกใใ ใพใใจใใ- previous head of the Hachisuka clan)
Saito Clan
(Alliance with the Hachisuka clan)
ๆ่ค ้ไธใใใใจใ ใฉใใใใ- Head of the Saito clan
โ ๆ่ค็พฉ้พใใใใจใ ใใใใคใ(also: ้ซๆฟใใใใพใใ) - Son
Oda Clan
็น็ฐไฟก็งใใใ ใฎใถใฒใงใ- Daimyo
โ ็น็ฐไธไธ้ใใใ ใใใถใใใ- Younger brother
Shiba Clan
ๆฏๆณข็พฉ็ตฑใใใฐ ใใใใญใ- Head of the Shiba clan, at Kiyosu castle
้ฟๅไปฒ้บปๅใใใน ใฎ ใชใใพใใใผ Japanese scholar & poet (700s)
็ฝๆฅฝๅคฉใใฏใ ใใใใใผ Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: ็ฝๆฅฝๅคฉใใฏใ ใใใฆใใin Japan. (Late 700s)
้ๅ ใใฉใใใใ(or ้ๅ ็ฆ ๅธซใใฉใใใ ใใใใใผ Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (also known as ๆ ่ฅฟ็ฆ ๅธซใใใใใ ใใใใ) (Early / mid 1200s)
็ฉบๆตทใใใใใใใผ The one and only Kukai or Kobo Daishi - a Buddhist monk. Posthumously given the title of: ๅผๆณๅคงๅธซใใใใผใ ใ ใใใborn as: ไฝไผฏ ็้ญใใใใ ใฎ ใพใใ(late 700s / early 800s)
ๆบ้ ผๆฟใใฟใชใใจ ใฎ ใใใพใใใผ Prominent poet and warrior (1100s)
Card Captor Sakura volume 8 โ progress report Yesterday: Read up to page 130, finished chapter 32. Today: Read up to page 162, finished chapter 33.
While itโs too early in real life, the current chapter is about Valentineโs dayโฆwith a hint of Eriol and liar-kun teaming up to tell even bigger lies.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ Word or expression of the day:
ใใฏใคใใใงใณใฌใผใ - white chocolate I was not aware that the loanword โwhiteโ is written like this in Japanese
In the story today weโre still following along with our travelers. Last time two of them were flirting over the cooking fire, now theyโre flirting while playing dartsโฆ it turns out these two are the couple we read about in another story, where Kim fought a wolf to protect Jack and then they got married. Itโs the story which made me build the mnemonic for babies โ ่ตคใกใใ โ little red riding hood.
In the next story we meet a ใใผใซใไบบ(???). I guess ใใผใซใ is a place? We learn what different rooms in a home are called. I especially like the living room: ๅฑ ้. The sitting room. Pretty self-explanatory, right? There is a pretty nice illustration in this one.
Next story has some very abrupt change to a searing red color background. The king we meet is just as dreadful. Was a bit confused about his name, is it ใฌใ ใน (Remus) or ใฌใใน (Remas)? Or is one of them the prince? Itโs really unclear.
That would be ใใผใ. ใใผใซใ has no dictionary entries and basically no relevant Google hits, so I lean towards โtypoโ (though I have no idea what for).
Day 22-24 Progress: ในใญใผ ใซใผใ - 34-37่ฉฑ ไบๅทปๅฎๆ!!!
Feels like itโs been ages since I last posted. Still pretty sick and still going to work but getting better. Iโve been backsliding these last few days regarding studying, reading, and even making regular posts on the thread unfortunatelyโฆ itโs been a pretty demoralizing feeling for sure.
Seems plausible. At first I thought maybe Barbados? (I would expect a country name in that sentence.) But that would be ใใซใใใน - that would make for one hell of a typoโฆ
Iโm looking forward to it:) Iโm really drawn to the art style and I enjoy surreal comedy, but Iโm hesitating a bit since it doesnโt have furigana for all the kanji (aslo, infering meaning from context might be harder given the surrealism? Thoughts?). I donโt think โ that will be too much of a problem but around this time last year I started my first manga, Yotsuba vol1, and spent months struggling through it, and besides Satori Reader I havenโt read too much since then so my confidence isnโt the greatest. But now Iโm somehow reading a couple manga volumes a week with tolerable comprehension so Iโm sure Iโll get around to it soon enough (gonna read all the ones with furigana first though ).
Unfortunately, Iโve only read Shimeji Simulation in English so I canโt really comment on its difficultyโฆ but I just checked and actually WK has had a book club regarding the series semi-recently.. Itโs listed as beginner but it definitely seems like people have had trouble with comprehension due to how bizarre the series can get so yeah might be worth shelving until you feel a bit more prepared for it.
As for no furigana I think the biggest effect of that is honestly it just takes you a bit longer to look up words you donโt know. Which can definitely end up causing fatigue to accumulate but itโs definitely more tedium than challenge!
Home Post
Then I failed to resist the desire to start the next ๅฑฑ็ซ book 
plus itโs just nice to see all the characters again, ๅฑฑ็ซโs nonsense is a great time as always lmao. I also played some more Genshin Impact because of course I did; itโs still a lot of fun! Very conducive to my love of exploring shiny things and ignoring actual missions 
รรใงใ้ญๆณๅฐๅฅณใซใชใใพใใ? Volume 1 (43% โจ 44%) (Backstory exposition can be exhausting to read.)
ๅคขใฟใๅคช้ฝ Volume 4 (79% โจ 91%)
The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den 
).