Thank you, Pope Francis, for being a touchstone of truth in a topsy-turvy age when so many claim the mantle of Christians while standing up to be counted with the antithesis of everything Jesus taught. You went home too soon. Peace be upon you.

"When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order."

—Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Laureate

Happy Setsubun! This is Japan’s version of the Chinese New Year, when people ensure good luck for the coming year by casting out demons with beans. (Traditionally by throwing them, although some have come up with more innovative methods.)

simongreybooks.com/2020/02/04/i...

✨News!!✨My Yōkai Oracle Deck is coming out later this year🎉. I gathered all the wise words, proverbs, idioms, phrases, & other distinctly Japanese adages that I've fallen in love w/ in my 35+-yrs of living in Japan & paired them to a yōkai whose soul matched that vibe.

#preorder

amzn.to/3WGKlsD *

One bishop, in one church, literally just asked the president to be nice and him and everyone in his circle been melting down for a week.

These aren't strong people. They're very, very weak people. They can be beaten.

If your Christianity causes you to be offended by someone asking the most powerful person in the country to be merciful towards the powerless, then you have profoundly misunderstood the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Farewell to the Dragon! Prepare for the Snake!

Destroy this myth. Please share if you have visited and researched in a library this past year! RT And give a shout out to your favorite library you have ever visited.

Ever wanted to learn Japanese martial arts from a truly LEGENDARY instructor? Nobody beats a tengu - the bird-like yokai said to have trained some of the greatest warriors in Japanese history. This guide tells you everything you need to know to apply for a spot in Tengu Dojo:

Takiyasha-Hime: Wicked witch or freedom fighter?

Utagawa Kuniyoshi's painting of the giant skeleton is well known to admirers of Japanese art, but who's the woman controlling its puppet strings? An exclusive interview with the legendary Takiyasha-hime!

Many thanks to Tony Vega of the Japan Station broadcast for a delightful conversation about the surprising intersection of yokai lore and the secret history of Kyushu! Check it out here:

Against a tyrannical lord and his reign of terror in the name of the Emperor, a mystical youth said to be the Chosen One foretold in prophecy arises to lead a rebellion. Star Wars? Harry Potter? No, a real episode in Japanese history:
simongreybooks.com/2024/07/02/a...

Hello, BlueSky! Another ex-user of X-Twitter, here to connect with fellow lovers of high adventure in haunted Japan!

The saga of high adventure in haunted Japan continues! SIMON GREY AND THE CURSE OF THE DRAGON GOD now available: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...