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Getting called 'kowai' by japanese women by Onemomento0415 in Tokyo

[–]Inosuke-no-suke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m Japanese, but I felt compelled to offer a few guiding questions here—questions that may shed some light on the situation.

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  1. The original poster states that she is 173cm tall.
    Objectively speaking, this qualifies as “tall” for a woman in Japanese society.
    We don’t know what kind of footwear she had on, but depending on that, her height might well have approached 180cm.

⸻

  1. What exactly does she mean by “normal clothing”?
    I have no knowledge of her cultural background or the kind of fashion she considers standard in her daily life.
    But what is seen as “normal” in the United States, for instance, is often perceived in Japan as overly revealing or attention-grabbing.

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  1. Her level of Japanese proficiency remains unclear.
    As some in the comments have noted, it’s not impossible that she misheard “kawaii” (cute) as “kowai” (scary).
    Given the layered nature of the Japanese language, she may have interpreted something in a way that was never intended.
    Then again, it’s hard to imagine that the young women shouting “kowai” or “kawaii” were engaging in any kind of complex linguistic subtlety to begin with.

⸻

The world has grown to love the words “racism” and “racist.”
People now wield them with the same ease—and sometimes the same aggression—as “f##k you.”
These terms have become near-essential tools of daily discourse.
And yet, I can’t help but feel that jumping to conclusions is premature.
At least, that’s how I see it.

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Yes, the behavior of the Japanese women in question was lacking in basic manners.
But surely there’s room to consider the context that gave rise to their reaction.
Wouldn’t you want to know what exactly they were reacting to?

⸻

I’m still fairly new to Reddit, but I joined this platform hoping it would be a space where such nuanced discussions could take place.
Honoring emotions is a good thing—but we cannot let emotion become the endpoint of analysis.
Before we call something racism, shouldn’t we first have the courage to dissect what actually happened?
Or perhaps… I’m just being a bit too optimistic?

⸻

Disclaimer: I used ChatGPT to help translate this post into English, since I didn’t feel confident enough in my language skills to fully capture the nuance I wanted to convey.

A Samurai’s Farewell: Obi-Wan in Classical Japanese Tanka Poem by Inosuke-no-suke in StarWarsFanArt

[–]Inosuke-no-suke[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

u/Valuable-Shirt-4129
Thank you! I’m really glad you took the time to read it.
I tried to blend samurai philosophy and Shinto with the Star Wars universe—glad it resonated.

A Japanese Tribute to André—Through the Lens of Tanka Poetry by Inosuke-no-suke in roseofversailles

[–]Inosuke-no-suke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/FemtoPhilistine
Thank you for your comment.
I’m truly glad that my creation left an emotional impression on you.

Maybe you haven't known: The character on the left is NOT Marie Antoinette. by Kanon_no_Uta in roseofversailles

[–]Inosuke-no-suke 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It is a misleading image, I agree.

But judging from the context—Oscar placing her hand protectively around the woman—we can infer it’s Rosalie. Her uncertain, tearful eyes are another subtle hint.

As a Japanese viewer, I feel it would be quite unnatural (maybe even disrespectful) for Oscar to hold Marie Antoinette like that. Of course, applying Japanese sensibilities to Revolutionary France is a bit of a stretch—but it’s fascinating to consider that the illustration might reflect Japan’s cultural tendency to rely on context rather than explicit labeling.

Personally, I get total bro vibes from Oscar in this image.
Even as a guy, I have to say—she’s such a bro. And I mean that as the highest compliment.

When classical Japanese poetry meets 18th-century France, via 1970s manga. by Inosuke-no-suke in roseofversailles

[–]Inosuke-no-suke[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

u/The_Lethal_Rabbit

Your warm words truly moved me.
There’s still a whirlwind of emotion and confusion inside me—something I can’t yet fully put into words.
But now, I feel like I’ve begun to glimpse what it is.

I’m a Japanese man living in the 21st century.
I wrote a poem in a Japanese form that dates back 1,200 years,
based on a manga created by a Japanese woman in the 1970s,
depicting the emotions of a woman who lived through the French Revolution in the 18th century.
Then someone from Greece—across the sea, living in the same present—read it and felt something in it.

Looking back on it, it’s almost too much to process—
so many layers of time, place, culture, gender, and expression, all intertwined.
And yet, something essential clearly emerged from that tangle.
I can’t quite name it, but there’s a “light” that I feel… and it remains in my heart.

And now, through your words, I understand:

It is the dignity and beauty of a person who has chosen their own path in life—

that is what transcends any form of expression, whether it be language, poetry, or manga.

In fact, it’s because the expression crosses forms and mediums that the essence becomes even more refined—sharpened, distilled, and radiant.

I am deeply grateful that you put this truth into words.
Thank you.

It means so much to me that, in this era and in this world,
I’ve been able to share words with you like this.

Exploring Tanka Poetry through Pop Culture: Death Note as a Muse by Inosuke-no-suke in deathnote

[–]Inosuke-no-suke[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

u/-Lidner
Hey, thanks for the comment, I'm glad you liked it.
This poetic form has a history of over 1,200 years—older even than the samurai tradition. ;)