Day 2
In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, crazy times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.Twenty-odd years ago I was hugely into several fandoms (like X-Files) with very active slash communities. Through their MLs I was vaguely aware of something called "yaoi," that was like comics, only in black and white, that you could just buy in a store, and that people created for their jobs. It seemed cool, but far removed from any reality I inhabited.
Fast forward five years and I'm newly arrived in Japan. On a whim, I decide to go into some store called Book-Off on the strength of its humorous name, and while I'm there my brain goes,
Hey, remember hearing about that yaoi stuff?And somehow, without having any idea of how Japan' publishing industry works, or a Japanese bookstore is organized, or how the Japanese language is alphabetized, or even the ability to read above a fourth grade level, I managed to find a 100 yen copy of Naono Bohra's
A Bird in a Dream.
I spent hours each night over the next two months hunched over a dictionary trying to figure out kanji compounds, slang, verb conjugations, and grammar patterns. But that was the start of learning to read Japanese like a native, and better yet, my entry into a subculture in which I've made some of my best and most lasting friendships, to people all over the world. A totally excellent return on investment for 100 yen and a couple of one-off references on an ML.
これで以上です。
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