Japanese Comics and the Death of Toshimichi Okubo

Yesterday was a good day. It was Wednesday, a day I usually find myself struggling to get through. But for some reason, I woke up early–despite being tired–and everything seemed to flow. My last company class of the day was canceled, so I was able to go home early. To top it off, the weather was nice. It is beginning to feel like spring, though it still gets chilly at night.

I don’t know how common this is outside of Tokyo, but outside of major train stations, people often give away various free advertisements and gifts. Usually, it is just a piece of paper or a small pack of tissues. But sometimes they give away pens, hand towels, drinks, or other things that are more interesting.

Every Wednesday morning for the last several weeks, when I walk out of Ichigaya Station in Tokyo, several people have been handing out Manga (comics;漫画) magazines for free. I had read a post on another blog about this, but I had never gotten one. When you are walking out of the station with a huge group of people who are in a rush to get to work, it is all about simple timing: if they happen to be handing it out when your hand is in front of them, you can take it.

Of course, the fact that I am not Japanese makes it a bit more likely that I won’t get something like that. After all, I am not Japanese, so there is no way I could possibly know Japanese…that is how many, if not most people, seem to think.

Now, you might be thinking that comics are for kids. But in Japan, comic books and magazines are available for people of all ages, and the stories often revolve around everyday people. There are comics about everyday life, historical events, baseball or judo experts, to name just a few. You can often find people reading them on the long train ride home. And if you are interested in learning Japanese, they are quite useful, because they provide a good lesson in realistic Japanese in various situations.

I don’t read comics all the time, but when I do, I usually prefer historical or educational ones. I recently got one a cheap book from the used bookstore. It is a historical manga that focuses on certain key historical events from the Meiji Period (1868-1912), such as the assassination of Toshimichi Okubo (大久保 利通).

Actually, I haven’t really been reading much manga lately, but I should. It is a great way to learn about Japan. I remember many years ago, I saw a two-volume set of books called, “Mangajin’s Basic Japanese Through Comics.” But I only wanted to study “serious” books, so I never looked it them. But one day, at Border’s Book Store, curiosity got the better of me, so I picked up Volume 1 and began leafing through it. I was amazed! It was really useful, because it showed realistic situations, with realistic Japanese expressions, and lots of detailed translation and explanation. To see an example, look here. (Click on one of the Manga links, for example, “Ojama Shimasu” to see what a typical lesson looks like.) Mangajin was a magazine series that taught Japanese through comics. The books I saw at the bookstore were taken from the magazine series. Although the magazine shut down almost 10 years ago, you can still get those books. If you are interested in Japanese language, I highly recommend them. (By the way, you can also pick up back issues of the magazine from the link supplied above.)