def in Japan: a comic diary

[nahadef]

You just need to find some excuses to visit Tokyo more often. There's a Taco Bell there now. I hear it's delish.

I know! There's three or four! I'll be there in November.

But as for more often? Once or twice a year is all my body can take.

 

[nahadef]

End of the Vancouver stuff:

 

[nahadef]

Falling even more behind as I prepare the first month collection for print. Cover work and fixing all the bad Japanese.

 

[Layatrand]

I honestly had forgotten about this website and this comic, until I had saw an ad on facebook I believe you had made for it.
It was complete dejavu and I spent a while trying to remember the name of this website haha. Thank you for these, I've always found them interesting and I've fell in love with your art style.

 

[nahadef]

I honestly had forgotten about this website and this comic, until I had saw an ad on facebook I believe you had made for it.
It was complete dejavu and I spent a while trying to remember the name of this website haha. Thank you for these, I've always found them interesting and I've fell in love with your art style.

Awesome you saw it there, nothing to do with me, the site owners need to promote it as they have to. Thanks for reading and for wanting to read further!

I'm coming to the end of this series, and will take a break again, but will inevitably start up again, since I do this for love, not for any other reason. I'll probably post new stuff here, largely out of respect for the admin Thomas, who is a decent, balanced guy, from all my experience with him. Year by year, I realise I have little in common with most westerners living in Asia, much less those who have never but want to live in Asia, so participation in any forum has become... I don't want to say a draw on my time since I like them in concept, but an exercise in futility. The Internet will probably always be this way for all people: 5% a deep connection with people, and 95% intense frustration.

I will always be consistent on Facebook, so please follow there if you're interested.

I'm finishing off August, and will have a 92 page collection in hand. Two more pages to get it done. I've been slow, but I always am, in that last 20％.

 

[nice gaijin]

Not sure if I or others have mentioned this, but I like how you handle doing the comic bilingually by placing the spoken language first and the translation after. It's an elegant solution

 

[nahadef]

Not sure if I or others have mentioned this, but I like how you handle doing the comic bilingually by placing the spoken language first and the translation after. It's an elegant solution :

Thanks! The translation issue is a big deal for those of us living in Japan, not particularly worrying about selling in the West. At the show this month, I sold pretty well, which is to say, I paid for the printing and tables with sales, with enough left over for dinner. Having the language integrated makes a world of difference, and I think it's easier to read than the typical translation solutions used in Japanese/English manga.

Last two pages, time for a little break. Will return later when I have something Japan-related to share.

 

[nahadef]

The book is printed, a lovely 92 page book. The Japanese has been edited by a native speaker and tweaked and rewritten as needed. It'll be available for sale at sometime in English, but I don't care too much about sales I just make 'em.

Debut at the Kaigai Manga Festa this Thursday!

 

[nahadef]

Memoir from Tokyo

 

[nahadef]

New Japan-related strip

 

[thomas]

Great to see you sharing your work again! A very thoughtful Heisei wrap-up.

 

[nahadef]

I share lots, but the stuff I share here is only the stuff related to Japan

 

[thomas]

I share lots, but the stuff I share here is only the stuff related to Japan

Thought so!

 

[mdchachi]

Then... what is your primary topic these days? Seems like living in Japan would give you plenty of fodder. Or are you beyond that living in Japan thing now?

 

[nahadef]

I write stuff I feel like writing, basically. Japan is lots to write about, but I need to be deep into it. I've had plans to write about onsens, kobans and other unique stuff, but the motivation to write wasn't there.

My last long story was talking about the cool and not cool stuff I did in high school, and how I feel about it now. It's already printed, but these last two pages are a good companion to it, since I'm feeling like that is definitely a different phase of my life.

 

[mdchachi]

I write stuff I feel like writing, basically. Japan is lots to write about, but I need to be deep into it. I've had plans to write about onsens, kobans and other unique stuff, but the motivation to write wasn't there.

My last long story was talking about the cool and not cool stuff I did in high school, and how I feel about it now. It's already printed, but these last two pages are a good companion to it, since I'm feeling like that is definitely a different phase of my life.

Makes sense. The gaijin in Japan thing is a bit of a trope. I suggest keeping it personal. Leave a nice legacy for your daughter.

 

[nahadef]

A couple strips about working in the government system. The government contracts work out more and more, to remove itself from social responsibility. As a result, services get a much lower quality. I think the number one problem in Japan is the fear of taxes, I'd happily pay a few points more to keep things running smooth. Japan has legislated that foreign English speakers must work in schools, but most cities contract that out to profit-oriented dispatch companies. The result is that teachers who do a good job do it out of self-respect and love for the job, by the dispatch companies have nothing to do with teacher quality. This year, my experience of teaching in Japan hit its nadir, as I had a meeting where we spent the first part of it discussing ways to look busy while desk-warming ("if you want to check your cell phone, lie it on the desk so it isn't obvious"). This is government money going to a company that calls this training. It really should be a scandal, but it takes to much effort to get the Japanese populace motivated on almost all issues. I still love teaching, I still love linguistics, and do my best, but I'm thrilled to say I'll be officially self-employed as of 2020. Teaching for the sake of teaching, not for the sake of contract fulfillment.

If you're teacher in Japan, these strips kill. If not, they might just read as weird.

I'm working on a new thing now, it's flowing along. It's not Japan related, but I may post it anyway. I enjoy this thread that's been here so long, seeing just how different my strips have gotten over the past 6-7 years. It's really shifted.

 

[nahadef]

New work, not Japanese themed per se, but I doubt I would have even started writing it if I wasn't a fan of zen. There's going to be lots more zen in the story.

I'm just rolling with it, not stressing out. Eight pages of about 30 or so done. All the art will likely be tweaked before printing.

 

[thomas]

I'm glad to see you posting again, @nahadef, I missed your strips!

 

[nahadef]

More done!

 

[nahadef]

Corona art!

 

[nahadef]

Continuing to get work done on my Corona "holiday". The world's falling apart, so this feels a little trite, but I'm not equipped to offer solutions to the economic and racial problems of the world.

And happily, I may have finally figured out this forum's sizing techniques! I don't deliberately post massive images!

 

[nahadef]

Doing some sketches around the city this summer

 

[nahadef]

Sapporo, east ward

 

[thomas]

Thanks for sharing them, @nahadef!

Silly question, but do you sketch them on-site or do you take pictures?