"Little Miss Sumo" follows Hiyori, a young female sumo wrestler, and her journey in a sport that's traditionally for men only. Her story is both inspiring and eye-opening, as I had no idea that there were female Rikishi (力士, pro sumo wrestlers) at all.

People often ask me what inspired me to pursue a Master's in Japanese Studies, especially since I hadn't set foot in Japan until after I graduated. It's true—my journey started with Oshin!

An often repeated scene in our household: I say for example rinGO (りんご - apple) and then my husband says oh you mean RINgo? Then he'll invariably make some joke about my Kansai versus his Kanto accent.

I recently started watching The Inheritance Detective, and while the acting is a touch over-the-top for my taste, the storyline is both intriguing and fun.

There are 60 levels in WaniKani, and I just made it to level 40 for the first time since I joined Wanikani in 2015. Yep, that's right, that took me 10 years, just a little while longer than the 'just over a year' in the ad below 😂

More stuff to watch & learn at the same time: Golden Kamuy is an exciting film and series that combine action, adventure, and a touch of history. Based on the manga by Satoru Noda, it’s set in early 20th-century Japan, right after the Russo-Japanese War.

I really liked the Kingdom movie series, based on the popular manga by Yasuhisa Hara. I thought it was interesting to see Japanese movies about ancient China during the Warring States period.

This 10-episode first season of “House of the Owl” stars Min Tanaka as a powerful political fixer, or “kuromaku,” who has a troubled relationship with his adult children, particularly an idealistic son played by the single-named Mackenyu (nice eye-candy for sure 😉 ).