Ian Rapley
@irapley.bsky.social
Historian of modern Japan, part time shepherd, clueless beekeeper, forensic cricket scorer.
It is fascinating to be how hard it feels it's going to be to quit social media sites, and yet how easy it actually is. A couple of days itching to check it, and then you're done, moved on. FB, twitter, discussion groups, whatever.
January 7, 2026 at 8:38 AM
It is fascinating to be how hard it feels it's going to be to quit social media sites, and yet how easy it actually is. A couple of days itching to check it, and then you're done, moved on. FB, twitter, discussion groups, whatever.
Of all the bits of 'two countries separated by one language', one word I just cannot reconcile myself to is 'ouster'.
January 6, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Of all the bits of 'two countries separated by one language', one word I just cannot reconcile myself to is 'ouster'.
Loved it. His note taking method reminded me of this essay from the London Review Of Books: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v3...
(Sorry if you've seen it before; I think it's quite famous among UK historians, but maybe not in the US?)
(Sorry if you've seen it before; I think it's quite famous among UK historians, but maybe not in the US?)
Keith Thomas · Diary: Working Methods
It is possible to take too many notes; the task of sorting, filing and assimilating them can take for ever, so that...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Loved it. His note taking method reminded me of this essay from the London Review Of Books: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v3...
(Sorry if you've seen it before; I think it's quite famous among UK historians, but maybe not in the US?)
(Sorry if you've seen it before; I think it's quite famous among UK historians, but maybe not in the US?)
Reposted by Ian Rapley
Third Thursday Lecture - Samurai, Knights, and Nationalisms: The Middle Ages in Modern Japan
Thu 15 Jan 2026 with @olegb.bsky.social (@york.ac.uk)
6:00pm GMT, In-person in Norwich (venue TBC) & online via Zoom
🎟 Free and open to all – booking essential us06web.zoom.us/webi...
Thu 15 Jan 2026 with @olegb.bsky.social (@york.ac.uk)
6:00pm GMT, In-person in Norwich (venue TBC) & online via Zoom
🎟 Free and open to all – booking essential us06web.zoom.us/webi...
January 5, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Third Thursday Lecture - Samurai, Knights, and Nationalisms: The Middle Ages in Modern Japan
Thu 15 Jan 2026 with @olegb.bsky.social (@york.ac.uk)
6:00pm GMT, In-person in Norwich (venue TBC) & online via Zoom
🎟 Free and open to all – booking essential us06web.zoom.us/webi...
Thu 15 Jan 2026 with @olegb.bsky.social (@york.ac.uk)
6:00pm GMT, In-person in Norwich (venue TBC) & online via Zoom
🎟 Free and open to all – booking essential us06web.zoom.us/webi...
Slightly off topic, but one of my favourite bits of In Our Time was always when Bragg would ask "how many people died at the battle of X", and get irritated when the guests would answer that they have no idea, but the stories that were later told about the battle are where the real interest lies.
January 5, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Slightly off topic, but one of my favourite bits of In Our Time was always when Bragg would ask "how many people died at the battle of X", and get irritated when the guests would answer that they have no idea, but the stories that were later told about the battle are where the real interest lies.
Consensus among historians you say, not sure I've ever seen it.
Maybe the role of Islam in the preservation of classical literature?
The role of local allies in European Imperial endeavours?
More meta, but the widespread invention of 'traditions' is I think a big one.
Maybe the role of Islam in the preservation of classical literature?
The role of local allies in European Imperial endeavours?
More meta, but the widespread invention of 'traditions' is I think a big one.
January 5, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Consensus among historians you say, not sure I've ever seen it.
Maybe the role of Islam in the preservation of classical literature?
The role of local allies in European Imperial endeavours?
More meta, but the widespread invention of 'traditions' is I think a big one.
Maybe the role of Islam in the preservation of classical literature?
The role of local allies in European Imperial endeavours?
More meta, but the widespread invention of 'traditions' is I think a big one.
Last night, geese flying overhead, and the moon light glinting off the solar farm up the hill.
January 3, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Last night, geese flying overhead, and the moon light glinting off the solar farm up the hill.
Those reference points are less egregious than the entertainment & cultural themes in cryptic land, which are often stuck in the 70s in my experience.
December 30, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Those reference points are less egregious than the entertainment & cultural themes in cryptic land, which are often stuck in the 70s in my experience.
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy.
December 28, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy.
Reposted by Ian Rapley
Amusing Things
A priest's friend
The sound of a koto played by a boy in the summer
A singing starling in the winter
#JAPAN
A priest's friend
The sound of a koto played by a boy in the summer
A singing starling in the winter
#JAPAN
December 28, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Amusing Things
A priest's friend
The sound of a koto played by a boy in the summer
A singing starling in the winter
#JAPAN
A priest's friend
The sound of a koto played by a boy in the summer
A singing starling in the winter
#JAPAN
Seconded. We need a regular six monthly @natemeyvis.bsky.social catch up.
December 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Seconded. We need a regular six monthly @natemeyvis.bsky.social catch up.
"Just write the bloody thing"
What is your favorite piece of writing advice, guidance, and/or wisdom?
December 27, 2025 at 10:02 PM
"Just write the bloody thing"
People may have concluded over recent weeks that I was skeptical about the current England team's approach. Comments such as "Baz must go" and "play proper cricket FFS" were taken out of context: I have always been firmly behind the team. I am happy to correct this misunderstanding. #ashes #goharder
December 27, 2025 at 10:30 AM
People may have concluded over recent weeks that I was skeptical about the current England team's approach. Comments such as "Baz must go" and "play proper cricket FFS" were taken out of context: I have always been firmly behind the team. I am happy to correct this misunderstanding. #ashes #goharder
I couldn't find Saturn, but Jupiter was pretty good as I was putting the telescope away.
December 25, 2025 at 10:38 PM
I couldn't find Saturn, but Jupiter was pretty good as I was putting the telescope away.
Reposted by Ian Rapley
On the 11th day of fossils, my true love gave to me...
11 Cambrian fossils from the Great Basin.
The Great Basin is a large area of Utah and Nevada that was under water 500 million years ago. Life was experimenting and there's lots of strange creatures found here.
1/x
#12DaysofFossils
11 Cambrian fossils from the Great Basin.
The Great Basin is a large area of Utah and Nevada that was under water 500 million years ago. Life was experimenting and there's lots of strange creatures found here.
1/x
#12DaysofFossils
December 24, 2025 at 11:03 PM
On the 11th day of fossils, my true love gave to me...
11 Cambrian fossils from the Great Basin.
The Great Basin is a large area of Utah and Nevada that was under water 500 million years ago. Life was experimenting and there's lots of strange creatures found here.
1/x
#12DaysofFossils
11 Cambrian fossils from the Great Basin.
The Great Basin is a large area of Utah and Nevada that was under water 500 million years ago. Life was experimenting and there's lots of strange creatures found here.
1/x
#12DaysofFossils
Not a movie, but we enjoyed The Residence: light-hearted detective show set in the White House with a bit of a Knives Out feel to it.
December 25, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Not a movie, but we enjoyed The Residence: light-hearted detective show set in the White House with a bit of a Knives Out feel to it.
It's a great night for looking at the moon! Saturn is supposedly near the moon, but I'm having trouble finding it.
December 25, 2025 at 7:06 PM
It's a great night for looking at the moon! Saturn is supposedly near the moon, but I'm having trouble finding it.
We're Naomi Novik readers in this house, too👍
December 25, 2025 at 11:47 AM
We're Naomi Novik readers in this house, too👍
Reposted by Ian Rapley
Where would you stand to see this view?
That is the puzzle at the heart of Drawing from the Crowd—a citizen science project exploring how Edo-period Japanese prints depicted landscapes.
We'd love your help solving it 🧵
That is the puzzle at the heart of Drawing from the Crowd—a citizen science project exploring how Edo-period Japanese prints depicted landscapes.
We'd love your help solving it 🧵
December 17, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Where would you stand to see this view?
That is the puzzle at the heart of Drawing from the Crowd—a citizen science project exploring how Edo-period Japanese prints depicted landscapes.
We'd love your help solving it 🧵
That is the puzzle at the heart of Drawing from the Crowd—a citizen science project exploring how Edo-period Japanese prints depicted landscapes.
We'd love your help solving it 🧵
It's taken 11 years to get me in a classroom with students studying Japanese studies, and we all know the reason I'm doing it now isn't pedagogic, nor even the uni's much stated desire for interdisciplinarity...
December 23, 2025 at 9:58 AM
It's taken 11 years to get me in a classroom with students studying Japanese studies, and we all know the reason I'm doing it now isn't pedagogic, nor even the uni's much stated desire for interdisciplinarity...
I guess I'm hopelessly naive, because I cannot fathom why people would even dream of doing this.
I’m sorry, but it is disgraceful to be an academic who uses this technology to conduct research. It should be prohibited in all of our scholarly institutions, including universities and journals.
December 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I guess I'm hopelessly naive, because I cannot fathom why people would even dream of doing this.
@aab1871.bsky.social Hiya, a friend just linked me to your work, love it. May I ask about your post on drift? Am I understanding it right that you found a ball with a straightish seam drifts with the spin (normal swing?) but one angled more across the wicket/direction of travel drifts the other way?
December 20, 2025 at 10:47 AM
@aab1871.bsky.social Hiya, a friend just linked me to your work, love it. May I ask about your post on drift? Am I understanding it right that you found a ball with a straightish seam drifts with the spin (normal swing?) but one angled more across the wicket/direction of travel drifts the other way?
Incidentally, I very much liked the picture on the wall at the back. I wondered, is it an homage to this famous screen?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_and...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_and...
Red and White Plum Blossoms - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 19, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Incidentally, I very much liked the picture on the wall at the back. I wondered, is it an homage to this famous screen?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_and...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_and...
The Japanese embassy had an event yesterday to celebrate the work of the British Association For Japanese Studies. It was a nice way to close out the semester, and a chance to catch up with colleagues.
x.com/JAPANinUK/st...
x.com/JAPANinUK/st...
December 19, 2025 at 9:25 PM
The Japanese embassy had an event yesterday to celebrate the work of the British Association For Japanese Studies. It was a nice way to close out the semester, and a chance to catch up with colleagues.
x.com/JAPANinUK/st...
x.com/JAPANinUK/st...
100% worth your time. Excellent read.
fresh gift link here www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
December 18, 2025 at 6:53 PM
100% worth your time. Excellent read.