Welcome to Hanashi
Welcome to Hanashi!
If you’ve followed me as Curious Ordinary on social media over the years, you’ll know I love sharing daily snippets of Japanese folklore, yokai, art, and moments I’ve captured during my travels in Japan. I love sharing this content and now I’m also looking for a way to dive a little deeper into the topics I’m passionate about. I’d like to share my own experiences of visiting and learning about Japan and explore how they have enriched my life. I hope to provide you with the occasional book review, interview and some other information that may be of interest. I am also planning to create a subscriber chat for questions and discussions.
A little bit more about me
I’ve been sharing content online as Curious Ordinary for about seven years now and along the way it has become a huge part of who I am in the world, despite it remaining a passion project, rather than an occupation. I am a very private person, but I feel that now is the time to be a bit more open so I can have a greater connection with others who share my interests.
There are some things about me that I think it’s important to clarify. I am not Japanese, I don’t live in Japan, and despite my ongoing efforts I’m still only an absolute beginner when it comes to learning Japanese. I live in Australia but also lived in Scotland when I was in my 20s, which is rather a long time ago now. I’m a mum to both adult children and cats. Professionally I am an ex-teacher who mostly worked in the diversity space before training as a career counsellor. The thing that gets me out of bed each day is the possibility of learning something new.
While I am not an expert, I’m most definitely an enthusiast when it comes to traditional Japanese folklore, religion and culture and I have a relentless drive to learn as much as I can. For me, part of the joy of learning involves sharing what I discover with others, which is the motivation for Curious Ordinary and now this newsletter. I’d like to create a space here that is informative and also welcomes curiosity and fosters discussion.
Why Hanashi?
In Japanese, hanashi (話) has several translations which include talk, conversation, and story. This brings together the essence of what I hope to do here. I enjoy talking about Japanese folklore and culture, I want to create a space for conversation between fellow enthusiasts, and I hope to explore how the different threads of my interests can be woven together into their own story.
What’s next?
My aim is to write semi-regularly about the things I love. I’m not exactly sure yet where it will lead, but I’m excited to see how Hanashi unfolds. If you are curious about Japanese folklore, religion or culture, I welcome you to take the journey with me.
Subscriptions to this newsletter are absolutely free and will remain that way. Setting things up this way ensures the information is available to everyone regardless of their financial means. However, if what I share is of value to you and you want to support my work, you can always make a donation via Ko-fi. If I generate any income from this project, I will use that to dedicate more time to research, writing and creating content.
Please be patient with me as find my feet and get my head around how this platform works. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Angela (aka Curious Ordinary)
This newsletter is completely free and will remain that way. If you want to support my work, donations will be most gratefully received via Ko-fi.