Alexander O Smith
aokajiya.bsky.social
Alexander O Smith
@aokajiya.bsky.social
Writer/Photographer/Translator in Kamakura, Japan
Sunset from Inamuragasaki
October 8, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Thanks for having me on!
Good scheduling is key to successfully translating massive games like Final Fantasy XIII.

Join @SimonParkin.bsky.social and translator @aokajiya.bsky.social as he discusses how he helped bring Japanese classics like Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII to Western players.

Listen now: bit.ly/3KlzWPX
October 3, 2025 at 8:50 AM
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August 8, 2025 at 7:31 PM
RIP to the legend, Tom Lehrer.

youtu.be/dB2Ff8H7oVo?...
Tom Lehrer - "L-Y"
YouTube video by Edgar Aldrett
youtu.be
July 31, 2025 at 8:03 AM
"Other emotions—anger, fear, contentment—are deep enough to snorkel in...bitterness, on the other hand, is three inches of brackish water. Nothing lives in it. You can stand in it and see the bottom."

www.experimental-history.com/p/28-slightl...
28 slightly rude notes on writing
OR: catapulting myself into a pit of tarantulas
www.experimental-history.com
June 3, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Sweet! Y’all hiring!?

(Just kidding, I love my job! Really!)

Thanks for the shoutout, Jen! I’d love to work with you someday too!
I would love to work with @aokajiya.bsky.social, who has experience in both localization and writing and does amazing work with fantasy and sci-fi settings.
May 22, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Talking to a friend the other day about how AI has trashed many employment and gig opportunities in both design and translation fields. Not because AI can do the job, but because people expect it to be able to.
March 27, 2025 at 3:39 AM
A blast from the past! I hope anyone who's interested can find a copy of this long out-of-print translation of Kyogoku's weird fiction classic.
Happy birthday, Natsuhiko Kyogoku. Do pick up @aokajiya.bsky.social’s translation of The Summer of the Ubume. He’s the reason English readers can even begin to appreciate Kyogoku without needing a PhD in classical Japanese literature

#booksky
March 27, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Ekiben palette cleanser.
March 25, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Weird “first” post here since I try to avoid any sort of negativity/whining online (there’s plenty of that already) but not enjoying the new, grating, AI voice announcements on the Shinkansen. Not talking about the obvious benefits and concerns. Just, couldn’t they afford a better voice generator?
March 25, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Hi, blue sky.
March 2, 2025 at 2:04 PM