i was looking up the traditional dances done by maiko and found this really cool and informative video: The Life of a Modern Day Tayū working in Kyoto

it seems that tayū are older than the geiko, but they are distinct from the oiran, who were the highest ranking courtesans. aoi tayu-san explains some of this distinction in the video. each section of the video is labeled if you don't want to watch the whole thing. i highly recommend at least checking out her dance and her biwa performance! very mesmerizing.

also, teeth blackening (ohaguro) is something i had never learned about before. apparently the original formula, called kanemizu ("metal" + "water") was concocted with iron fillings, vinegar, and tannins, and helped prevent tooth decay. ohaguro represented maturity, beauty, and status. in the video, aoi-san says that the mixture is harmful to health, but as far as i can tell the main risk is that it will permanently blacken your teeth. the acidity could also be irritating to the gums, and the mixture had a strong and unpleasant odor.

i love how aoi-san was able to go to voice acting school and pursue her dreams, while still remaining dedicated to preserving her culture. i'm sure it was not easy though. i'm sad that so many pieces of so many people's cultures have disappeared or are disappearing. it's very inspirational the way people like aoi-san are working to preserve the culture while also remaining true to her personal values. it makes me sad that because of colonialism and capitalism there are many arts and languages dying with folks because the young don't have the time or desire to take up the mantle (or the erasure was forced by colonizers.) If you can't make a living preserving a traditional hairstyle that takes 2 hours and only two women in the world know how to do, who will take the time to learn? i really admire those who do the immense labors of love in preserving cultures and languages that are in danger of fading away.

Happy Sunday, Boundlings! 💜

It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Itty Bitty Winnies post! I got some less than stellar news this weekend and could use a pick me up! 🙌🏻

I want to hear your micro wins! The small victories that would maybe go unnoticed by others, but felt powerful to you! 👏🏻

Happy pride everyone! I hope its a really great month for those who celebrate. What is the best lgbtq+ book you've read this year?

Hello, friends ⚘️ Happy pride month!

I’m writing to you all from a tiny studio apartment I rented last minute, dealing with some family medical emergencies that we had to travel out of country for. When we arrived here, we were welcomed with a whole line of luscious flower pots, filling up every free inch of the balcony and going up the steep and narrow staircase. Inside, the overhead lights were purple and green, which despite being quite a unique experience, we abandoned as soon as we had the chance and settled for a few white lamps that we placed on the floor. There was only one small window in the kitchen that was propped open with a wooden kitchen mallet jammed between the window and the frame. The little kitchen had beer steins and candle holders, but no plates, so we had dinner out of upside-down pot lids balanced on top of coffee cups. It was an experience.

Between hospital visits, I eventually got a little bit of time to pull some cards for us, to see what inspiration we can get for the rest of this month when it comes to reading. Making time to read cards and think about all of us on Pagebound, especially the queer community, was so good for me, and I’m excited to share some inspiration and advice from the cards for the rest of June.

These posts are always very long and chatty, so I welcome you to get comfy on this creaky couch and let’s chat about books. (I promise I’ll keep the overhead lights off!) _

How this works

I pull some cards for us and write a little bit about what I’m seeing when it comes to reading inspiration for the rest of this month. You are welcome to simply take what resonates from the reading and move on with your day, or, if you think of any specific books that align with what I’m describing, comment those titles down below for people to check out. These readings don’t aim to be particularly predictive, and they aren’t meant to be taken as gospel. This is simply a bit of fun, something to bring you some reading inspiration if you need it, and an opportunity for us to further connect as a community. _

I’m using the Lilifer tarot deck, created by Marion Costentin, published by Little Darkness. The spread is designed by me. Here are the questions we will be looking at, and the cards we got. For a better experience, I recommend viewing the pictures below on the Pagebound website!

_

Our general advice cards for this month are the Eight of Wands and the Ten of Cups.

The Eight of Wands often suggests plentiful opportunities for progress and advancement in regards to any of our particular goals. I think it’s interesting that we got it this month, because this June is a pretty exciting time in this bookish corner of the internet! We have the Pride 2026 Readalong and the Summer 2026 Readalong that both just started. In addition to that, we have the first ever limited-time quest sponsored by the Flatiron Books, The Leigh Bardugo Curriculum! If you are looking for opportunities to read new books, make some progress in your personal yearly challenge, or just get out of a reading rut, there are plenty of chances to do that right here on Pagebound, so you don't have to go very far.

Don’t forget that you don’t have to wait for opportunities to come to you, you can create them yourself! Another thing that could help with your reading this month is organising a buddy-read with some friends. It can be done with other users on Pagebound, or you can do it with your friends, your local community, or as part of a book club. Get together with some folks, pick a book, and read it together over a period of time. It’s loads of fun and in my experience makes that book much more memorable and engaging.

In addition to our exciting Eight of Wands, we have a warning about what might cause potential issues for us when it comes to reading, and this month it comes to us as the Ten of Cups.

What I’m thinking this card is trying to tell us is that it might be good for us to shift our mindset and see our big goals as a collection of smaller goals: manageable steps towards what we ultimately want to achieve with our reading this year. Sometimes we can get lost in “big picture” thinking and it can turn from inspiring to intimidating. Focus on one thing at a time, remind yourself why you’re reading books in the first place, and you will be just fine ♡ _

Moving on to the second half of the reading, starting with non-fiction!

Let’s look at the first two cards from the top row, The Empress and the Six of Pentacles.

The Empress card often symbolizes creative pursuits, abundance, as well as the overall enjoyment of life. The Six of Pentacles looks at these topics through the lens of community, mutual aid and the awareness of the difference in access to resources that shows up according to our economic and social positions.

Six of Pentacles tells us that abundance and generosity go hand in hand and reminds us that real happiness doesn’t depend on how much material wealth we have, but on our ability to support one another and share what we have, for the betterment of the entire community. It’s a call to move away from an individualistic thinking and instead accept and offer help, and become interested in the growth and prosperity of all, with no strings attached.

Considering that our approach card is Death, I’d say we’re looking at some books that will directly confront us about some negative beliefs we consciously or unconsciously hold around class, community, sharing, and what abundance really looks like in the world that we live in today. This card calls for some hard-hitting non-fiction that will challenge us and help us grow out of our comfort zone when it comes to this area of things. This could be political commentary and analysis, books on various topics that focus on community and mutual aid, but it could also be books that discuss specific communities where people had to stick together throughout history in order to take care of each other and survive in the face of oppression. I think there are plenty to choose from when it comes to this general theme, and I think it’s a lovely time to dive into this during Pride month! _

For fiction, we have the Empress’ counterpart: The Emperor, followed by the adventurous and free-wheeling Page of Wands. Here we’re looking at a general theme of authority and our characters’ struggles with figures of authority. This could be understood from two different angles: the struggle is regarding authority figures in their immediate surroundings (teachers, guides, parents, guardians) or, more broadly, the struggle is regarding corrupt societal systems, institutions, or those that make and reinforce the rules. In either of these scenarios, we’re looking at brave characters who understand their values and are committed to liberation of themselves and others.

To go with that, we have Strength as the style and approach for fiction books, and here I see that as our story being structured around some kind of journey of growth and self-discovery. This could be the result of a longer healing journey our main character goes through when it comes to their relationship with authority, working through traumatic experiences, and learning to be an independent individual that is able to live a life that feels the most authentic to them. Alternatively, this could be centered around groups and movements for collective liberation, with the character(s) coming out the other side changed for the better, having gone through uncertainty and bonded over shared goals over time. _

That’s our cards for June, folks :)

One random thing I found interesting when it comes to this month’s reading was how I got both The Empress and The Emperor in this spread. The last forum post I made here on Pagebound was under a tarot book regarding these two exact cards. Just funny that I got them in the same position for non-fiction and fiction and was prompted to talk about them again.

I am currently in a fun buddy-read (and definitely having to catch up🏃‍♀️), so I feel like I’m already vibing with the Eight of Wands energy. I think I have to join the pride event as well, so that might be good for me when I travel home and have some time to myself. Any recommendations from the list?

Anyway.. ⚘️ Thanks for being patient as I went through a bit of a rough patch. My mom had a surgery that went really well and now it's only the matter of healing for a few dayd before we are on our way back. Don't worry about us! ♡

Admittedly, for a while there it was so hard for me to formulate my thoughts in writing, and I’m assuming that was because of stress and general lack of sleep. I slept on-and-off all day yesterday, and I feel much better now. I'm sure I can get back to my normal routine soon :)

Hope all of my queer friends have been having a good pride month. If you’re queer but still not open about your identity to the people around you, I’ve been there. We’re here for you and you will be okay ♡🫂

Thanks for reading! I will see you around! _

Previous readings: May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 . .

“Let’s go,” Masako said. Sometime after the New Year, she’d begun to hear talk of a strange man hanging around the road that led from the parking lot to the factory. And then several of the part-timers had reported being pulled into the shadows and assaulted before barely escaping; so the company had just issued a warning that the women should walk in groups. They set off through the summer darkness along the unpaved, ill-lit road.

There are so many things wrong in the quote above, and the lack of accountability or countermeasures is insane, because it seems like the only conclusion that the company could come to is that it wouldn’t have happened if they had just walked with a partner instead of by themselves, which is stereotypical victim blaming. If the company actually cared about the wellbeing of their female employees, they would have hired a security guard to watch over the premises or at least installed better lighting, considering that the victims were unable to see their assailant because of the darkness and yet they still have to walk down the “unpaved ill-lit road” every day.

This was an insane introduction to the book, and it really set the mood for how the story is probably going to go from there.