Day 3 
Finished the first of twelve chapters of クマのプーさん。I forgot how silly the writing is haha. I’m going to end up learning a good amount of onomatopoeia.
vocab
- ぶらぶら
- カシの木
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February 3rd!
Today I read Chapter 42 of Happiness and Chapter 57 of Mitsuboshi Colors.
It was slightly weird reading one and then the other because they are vastly different types of story 
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Home 
February 3rd
ジョジョの奇妙な冒険8
84 - 162
Lisa Lisa is such a cool badass 
I love that she even tells Joseph that she’s not training him to help him live, she’s training him to kill the Pillarmen. Take his egocentric butt down a few notches 
I was getting tired of reading Joseph’s, Caesar’s, and the Narrator’s unvoiced monologues, so I tapped out for the night.
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Day 34: February 3rd
What did I read?: ペンギン・ハイウェイ
How much did I read?: 7.5 pages
How long did it take me?: 54 minutes
I love how the penguins just kind of casually come and go 
Like, they’re just chillin’. Just vibin’, wandering around. Popping up occasionally. I want to live in a place where that happens? 
So far my speed is remarkably consistent I feel like this is very slow though 
Like spending an hour on a book only to read 8 pages seems…not that much. Like 2% of the book per day. Then again, I’m almost on page 40 and it’s only been a few days of reading, which feels like a pretty decent amount of progress? Idk, I don’t know how to feel lmao At least it doesn’t feel like a big struggle to get through a page, like it’s maybe a little more effort than manga but not as much as I would have expected. I actually feel like I can enjoy the story, which is nice 
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February 3 
Home Post
Read a little more 山猫, but mostly I played more Steins;Gate. Today was a day of puzzling out pop culture references from like 15 years ago and also physics so all is as expected really. It continues to generally be a bit slower going than anything else I’m reading, but I’m enjoying it so it’s all good!
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February 3rd 
狐火の辻, 30-38%
I had a hard time concentrating yesterday, nothing to do with the book itself. It’s one of the reasons I don’t want to track time: I don’t even know how long I just stared at the page taking nothing in because I was thinking of something else entirely. Even though I wanted to read. Some days are like that. Oh well, I did manage to read a decent amount in the end, but not as much as I could have.
This a 100%
(Okay, also I’ve never had so many books going on at the same time, and it’s also nice to be able to see at a glance how much I’ve progressed from say, half a year ago. But basically, pretty graphs!)
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February 3
Busy day so I just snuck in like 30 min of BU$TAFELLOWS even though I probably should have been sleeping. Oh, well.
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Read a chapter 極主夫道 vol 2 but between binging My Hero Academia (anime) and 鬼滅の刃:World Tour(move?) I didn’t make time for reading today.
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Day 35, 4th of February
It’s another Kiki day! I stopped at a point where two really difficult sentences were making my life hell, but this time I decided to not bother trying to understand what is said exactly and I understood so much more! I’ll do some more summaries below to keep track of my understanding of the text.
And no spoilers please! If I didn’t get something I’ll try again on another read-through.
So the sentence last time with the many plants was just talking about how many different plants are planted in this garden, and how there is a nice smell wafting all throughout.
Next there is a bronze (did i remember that vocab correctly?) pot in the kitchen, from which the strongest smell emits.
Something about there being pictures and photographs on the living room wall, but I was missing a lot of vocab here so didn’t get the rest.
The voices of the family can be heard coming from the living room, and it seems it’s tea time.
The mother says something, but I have no idea what.
Kiki: “That story again… I’m alright. I’m my mothers daughter. I’m a kleine Hexe (cute how hashikure is also used for Schnipsel). I’ve thought about it really seriously.”
The father says something along the line of it being no use when Kiki has made up her mind.
Next the mother says something about worrying, but I see that there are a lot of vocab I’m not familiar with, so I think I’ll stop here and reread it later.
And that’s one whole page (plus the two others I reread today) of Kiki! Three more and I’ll be done with the first chapter. I really underestimated how many words I need to learn upfront. I suppose I’m glad I’m learning them in order of appearance and not frequency, that would take even longer.
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February 4th
Aria: the masterpiece volume 3 – progress report
Yesterday: Read up to page 214, finished chapter 26.
Today: Continued up to page 236.
Not sure if Akari’s summer heat induced daydream of sorts will turn out to be reality after all – I suppose, I’ll find out tomorrow.
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Word or expression of the day:
真っ盛り - (まっさかり) - height of, middle of, full bloom
Honourable mention(s):
白昼夢 - (はくちゅうむ) - daydream, waking dream
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4th feb
did the 後書 and おまけ from vol 4 of 蟲師 and though 狐 being handwritten somehow managed to fool me again (for those keeping track at home that’s three times now you’d think i’d learn) i managed mostly okay. was only three pages, but i’ll take it
how is it? i liked the anime but don’t know if i want to commit to the series (or at least multiple volumes)
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It’s a blazingly quick read. The first 2 volumes are on Kindle Unlimited. Not worth buy full price imo. The art is great but dialogue is really sparse in that first volume. Second one I just kind of read a chapter assuming I wouldn’t read today.
Played FFIX for about 45 minutes, and that was almost all reading. So I guess I made up for it.
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2 月 4 日
まめねこ あずきとだいず p.0 → p.17
Today a Book Off find! 
With the cutest cat duo! Strangely enough only the first 8 pages are colored and the rest are black and white. I’m learning a lot of onomatopoeia which I have not been studying enough to be honest. Although I know it’s a big big part of the Japanese language and reading manga…
A side story
Went to Book Off to look for おでかけ子ザメ and 魔女と猫の話 but had no luck and left with three other manga (or comics? since they weren’t at the manga section for some reason) and one novel for a total of 800 yen.
Besides the one I already started, here are the titles:
- ねことじいちゃん
- うちの猫がまた変なことしてる
- 世界から猫が消えたなら
Note to self: Beware of Book Off. It’s a trap! Especially the cat section… 
I’m happy to be extending their lifespans though! Even if two of them are probably way beyond my league and will be sitting on my shelf for a while…
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Feb 4, Sat of Week 6 of Winter Q1 2023 
- はたらく細胞 Black Vol.8 Ch.47+last Ch. (end series)
Honestly, I don’t always prefer happy ending. Bitter sweet is a little more tasty.
- うたわれるもの
A little sleepy, so I might not get many vocabularies today, although I might become a little more awake towards the end. 1 substory took some time.
Words of the day
- ふらつき = lightheadedness; unsteady gait. Verb form is ふらつく.
- 漂泊 = drifting / wandering = 彷徨うこと
- 着実 = steady; solid; reliable; trustworthy
- 新陳代謝 = metabolism to convert substances / replacement; renewal
- 腫瘍 = tumor
- 失語症 = dysphasia
- 視野欠損 = visual field defect. 視野 = field of vision; range of view
- 頭蓋骨 = skull; cranium
- 硬膜 = dura mater (below skull, covering brain). Other layers are 蜘蛛膜 and 軟膜.
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The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den
February 4th
新書太閣記 progress: 06.81% // Volume I: 79.02% 
Today’s reading was full of lots of short back and forth dialogue - the complete opposite of yesterday.
Words found under the kotatsu
猛者「もさ」ー Fearless fighter; tough guy; wild guy
無遠慮「ぶえんりょ」ー Rude; presumptuous; outspoken
遠路「えんろ」ー Great distance
格天井「ごうてんじょう」ー Coffered ceiling
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 
Volume I: 1535 - 15??
(Currently 1554/5)
日吉「ひよし」- Hideyoshi (as child)
Nicknames: 猿「さる」/ 針売り「はりうり」
Family
木下弥右衛門「きのした やえもん」- Father
– – 乙若「おとわか」- Old friend (serves under 織田)
筑阿弥「ちくあみ」ー Step-father
大政所「おおまんどころ」// also お奈加「おなか」ー Mother
おつみ - Older sister
小竹「こちく」- Baby brother
加藤清正「かとう きよまさ」// also 弾正「だんじょう」- Ojisan (only distantly related (before marriage))
– Married to: おえつ (sister of お奈加)
Friends & Acquaintances
仁王「におう」- Big kid friend
於福「おふく」(Nickname - full name: 福太郎「ふくたろ」) // 楊景福「ようけいふく」(Chinese name/birth name) - Timid kid friend (older than Hideyoshi)
– 五郎大夫 「ごろ だゆう」// 祥瑞「しょうずい」(Chinese name) - Father
– 梨琴「りきん」- Mother
捨次郎「すてじろう」- Previous servant to 五郎, later the adoptive father of 於福, and owner of a tea ware shop - and employer of, and master to, Hideyoshi
Hachisuka Clan
蜂須賀小六「はちすか ころく」(also 正勝 「まさかつ」) - Head of the Hachisuka clan
– 七内「なない」- Younger brother
– Married to 松波「まつなみ」
– – 亀一「かめいち」- Son
Retainers:
稲田大炊助「いなだ おおいのすけ]
青山新七「あおやま しんしち」
長井半之丞「ながい はんのじょう」
松原内匠「まつばら たくみ」
Others:
国吉「くによし」- Gunsmith/blacksmith
渡辺天蔵「わたなべ てんぞう」- Deserter - Nobushi (Nephew to Koroku)
難波内記「なんば ないき」- Spy disguised as a Komuso
仁田彦十「にった ひこじゅう」- Subordinate
(蜂須賀正利「はちすか まさとし」- previous head of the Hachisuka clan)
Saito Clan
((questionable) Alliance with the Hachisuka clan)
斎藤 道三「さいとう どうさん」- Head of the Saito clan
– 斎藤義龍「さいとう よしたつ」(also: 高政「たかまさ」) - Son
明智 光秀「あけち みつひで」(common name: 十兵衛「じゅうべい」) - serves under Dosan
– 又市「またいち」- Underling / foot soldier
堀田 道空「ほった どうくう」- Chief retainer
弥平治光春「やへいじ みつはら」- Retainer (cousin to Jyubei)
– 明智光安「あけち みつやす」- Father
春日丹後「かすが たんご」- Military commander
Oda Clan
織田信秀「おだ のぶひで」- Daimyo
– 織田与三郎「おだ よさぶろう」- Younger brother
– 織田 信長「おだ のぶなが」- Son (Successor to the Oda clan)
(Married to the daughter of Saito Dosan)
Retainers (Under Nobuhide rule):
平手 政秀「ひらて まさひで」
林 秀貞「はやし ひでさだ」(common name: 新五郎「しんごろ」)
青山 信昌「あおやま のぶまさ」(common name: 与三右衛門「よそうえもん」)
内藤 勝介「ないとう しょうすけ / かつすけ」
Others:
市川大介「いちかわ だいすけ」- Archery master/instructor
平田三位「ひらた さんみ」- Master of military strategy
Shiba Clan
斯波義統「しば よしむね」- Head of the Shiba clan, at Kiyosu castle
Imagawa Clan
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo
Retainers:
松下之綱「まつした ゆきつな」(common name: 加兵衛「かへい」)
飯尾豊前「いのお ぶぜん」
多賀能八郎「たがのう はしろう」(nickname: 能八「のうはち」)
Takeda Clan
太郎義信「たけだ よしのぶ」- Commander
(Married to the daughter of Imagawa Yoshimoto to tie the clans)
Non-affiliated
上泉 信綱「かみいずみ のぶつな」(also: 上泉 伊勢守「かみいずみ いせのかみ」) - Founder of the 新陰流「しんかげりゅう」school of Kenjutsu
– 疋田小伯「ひきた しょうはく」- Disciple
– 神後五六郎「かんご ごろくろう」- Disciple
塚原 卜伝「つかはら ぼくでん」- Kensei; legendary swordsman
Historical People
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阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (700s)
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白楽天「はく きょい」ー Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: 白楽天「はく らくてん」in Japan. (Late 700s)
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道元「どうげん」(or 道元禅師「どうげん ぜんじ」ー Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (also known as 栄西禅師「えいさい ぜんじ」) (Early / mid 1200s)
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空海「くうかい」ー The one and only Kukai or Kobo Daishi - a Buddhist monk. Posthumously given the title of: 弘法大師「こうぼう だいし」born as: 佐伯 眞魚「さえき の まお」(late 700s / early 800s)
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源頼政「みなもと の よりまさ」ー Prominent poet and warrior (1100s)
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平 重盛「たいら の しげもり」ー Military commander and court noble, claimed to be an ancestor of Oda Nobunaga (Mid-1100s)
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桓武（天皇）「かんむ（てんのう）」ー 50th Emperor of Japan, claimed to be an ancestor of Taira no Shigemori, thus ancestor to Oda Nobunaga (Mid-Late 700s)
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シャドーハウス Volume 5 (0% ➨ 12%)
からかい上手の高木さん Volume 10 (53% ➨ 64%)
かがみの孤城 69% → 82%
So I haven’t posted here for ages… but I’ve continued reading かがみの孤城, even if not every day! Tonight I procrastinated until 2am to start reading, then couldn’t stop, lol. Definitely a page-turner. I’m hoping to finish the book tomorrow.
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Day 33
I just read some Tsugumomo vol.3 but only a few pages.
2571 pages read 17429 to go
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February 3rd & 4th (Days 34 & 35) 
I was travelling yesterday and could only cram in a teeny bit of reading (perhaps a page or so of 1Q84).
Today I’ve completed chapter 3 of 1Q84, and oh boi… The plot thickens 
I may continue reading later before I go to sleep. Also been considering joining the advanced book club for
この本を盗む者 - though not quite sure yet.
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Home post // Feb 4
・薬屋のひとりごと３ (6% → 7%)
So not just table (卓子) but page too 頁. I’m sure there are more. (I remember seanblue didn’t like these, but I found them interesting.) Seems like 頁 is more common in the sense that it loses the furigana after the first time it shows up in a while. But table never drops the furigana from what I can see. In this book at least.
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