Ian Rapley
@irapley.bsky.social
Historian of modern Japan, part time shepherd, clueless beekeeper, forensic cricket scorer.
We had a weekend trip to Hereford. Nice town, nice cathedral, the mappa mundi was really really fabulous. It was in such good condition, I had to double check it was actually the real one.
November 3, 2025 at 4:37 PM
We had a weekend trip to Hereford. Nice town, nice cathedral, the mappa mundi was really really fabulous. It was in such good condition, I had to double check it was actually the real one.
According to online stores, Green Star Japan is coming out in paperback at the end of the month. That's a nice surprise, and just in time for Christmas.
www.foyles.co.uk/author/81753...
www.foyles.co.uk/author/81753...
October 5, 2025 at 9:47 AM
According to online stores, Green Star Japan is coming out in paperback at the end of the month. That's a nice surprise, and just in time for Christmas.
www.foyles.co.uk/author/81753...
www.foyles.co.uk/author/81753...
Ok, I'm pretty sure these ones are Do Not Eat.
September 28, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Ok, I'm pretty sure these ones are Do Not Eat.
We did a bit of a survey of the field - at least 12 different fungi. It's amazing how different it is year to year: some years we have been inundated with fly agarics, this year none. The same for some type of waxcaps.
September 20, 2025 at 6:26 PM
We did a bit of a survey of the field - at least 12 different fungi. It's amazing how different it is year to year: some years we have been inundated with fly agarics, this year none. The same for some type of waxcaps.
It's a good year for fungi, it seems. Allegedly porcini are not mistakable for anything named angel of torment or the like, and plenty of people here forage for them, but I'm still dubious about the risk/reward.
September 20, 2025 at 1:50 PM
It's a good year for fungi, it seems. Allegedly porcini are not mistakable for anything named angel of torment or the like, and plenty of people here forage for them, but I'm still dubious about the risk/reward.
Some proper "die bart, die" vibes.
September 16, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Some proper "die bart, die" vibes.
Medieval Japan: a lion is like a dog, but confused, right?
(Curiously good on elephants, otoh)
(Curiously good on elephants, otoh)
September 15, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Medieval Japan: a lion is like a dog, but confused, right?
(Curiously good on elephants, otoh)
(Curiously good on elephants, otoh)
I've become a huge fan of the flyers advertising Japanese museum exhibitions. I've started using them to make the folders of copied sources a bit more easily distinguishable.
September 9, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I've become a huge fan of the flyers advertising Japanese museum exhibitions. I've started using them to make the folders of copied sources a bit more easily distinguishable.
We had a fantastic time hosting the 50th anniversary of the British Association Of Japanese Studies in Cardiff.
But eerie to be listening to the history of boom & bust in UK area studies while living an onslaught on the humanities (& also reading 90s critiques of JS's intellectual foundations)
But eerie to be listening to the history of boom & bust in UK area studies while living an onslaught on the humanities (& also reading 90s critiques of JS's intellectual foundations)
September 7, 2025 at 9:13 AM
We had a fantastic time hosting the 50th anniversary of the British Association Of Japanese Studies in Cardiff.
But eerie to be listening to the history of boom & bust in UK area studies while living an onslaught on the humanities (& also reading 90s critiques of JS's intellectual foundations)
But eerie to be listening to the history of boom & bust in UK area studies while living an onslaught on the humanities (& also reading 90s critiques of JS's intellectual foundations)
It's taken quite a few years, but our apple trees seem to finally be getting productive.
September 6, 2025 at 7:43 PM
It's taken quite a few years, but our apple trees seem to finally be getting productive.
Tuned over lunch to watch a sheep go for 110,000 guineas
August 21, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Tuned over lunch to watch a sheep go for 110,000 guineas
Woke up to a text "can you captain the thirds, also they're down to 9 players", we got someone's Dutch cousin, a dad, and one of the girls team to get to 11, and had a blast.
The boy took 2 catches, 4 wickets, and 20-something in a run chase that fell 4 runs short after I thought we'd got it won.
The boy took 2 catches, 4 wickets, and 20-something in a run chase that fell 4 runs short after I thought we'd got it won.
August 16, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Woke up to a text "can you captain the thirds, also they're down to 9 players", we got someone's Dutch cousin, a dad, and one of the girls team to get to 11, and had a blast.
The boy took 2 catches, 4 wickets, and 20-something in a run chase that fell 4 runs short after I thought we'd got it won.
The boy took 2 catches, 4 wickets, and 20-something in a run chase that fell 4 runs short after I thought we'd got it won.
The shoreline was covered in feathers this morning, all the way along the beach. Something to do with bird flu, I wondered?
August 8, 2025 at 7:36 PM
The shoreline was covered in feathers this morning, all the way along the beach. Something to do with bird flu, I wondered?
We bottled just over half of the honey last night, that comes out at about 14lbs. So we should have more then 20 by the time we're done, maybe 25.
July 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM
We bottled just over half of the honey last night, that comes out at about 14lbs. So we should have more then 20 by the time we're done, maybe 25.
When I open a new tab on my phone, I quite often get articles from the Oxford Mail, and I admire the way they seem to have stuck tenaciously to the "Oxford university student Emma Watson" bit.
July 16, 2025 at 9:37 PM
When I open a new tab on my phone, I quite often get articles from the Oxford Mail, and I admire the way they seem to have stuck tenaciously to the "Oxford university student Emma Watson" bit.
We extracted 10 frames worth of honey over the weekend, and it's been settling before putting into jars tomorrow. Rough calc suggests there's ~10 litres of it, which the internet tells me might be 30 lbs.
July 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
We extracted 10 frames worth of honey over the weekend, and it's been settling before putting into jars tomorrow. Rough calc suggests there's ~10 litres of it, which the internet tells me might be 30 lbs.
I'm interested to see if the is a lapwing nest in next door's field. This one was mobbing some seagulls pretty hard over the weekend, which makes me think maybe?
June 19, 2025 at 9:59 PM
I'm interested to see if the is a lapwing nest in next door's field. This one was mobbing some seagulls pretty hard over the weekend, which makes me think maybe?
I caught a small swarm yesterday afternoon. It's the first time I've successfully identified a queen bee in the crowd, and I managed to get her in a clip and draw the rest into the hive.
Downside: I got stung once through my jeans, and it's swollen up quite a lot.
Downside: I got stung once through my jeans, and it's swollen up quite a lot.
June 18, 2025 at 9:31 AM
I caught a small swarm yesterday afternoon. It's the first time I've successfully identified a queen bee in the crowd, and I managed to get her in a clip and draw the rest into the hive.
Downside: I got stung once through my jeans, and it's swollen up quite a lot.
Downside: I got stung once through my jeans, and it's swollen up quite a lot.
My Japanese correspondent informs me that manhole cover cards are where it's at. I'm not entirely sure I get the appeal (I'm still on the goshuin grind) but it definitely takes you into some interesting municipal facilities offices.
June 15, 2025 at 10:55 AM
My Japanese correspondent informs me that manhole cover cards are where it's at. I'm not entirely sure I get the appeal (I'm still on the goshuin grind) but it definitely takes you into some interesting municipal facilities offices.
I was very tempted to ride this all the way to Wakayama. I've long wanted to go there.
June 12, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I was very tempted to ride this all the way to Wakayama. I've long wanted to go there.
It's gone from rainy season to sweaty humid rainy season over the course of the afternoon.
June 10, 2025 at 12:21 PM
It's gone from rainy season to sweaty humid rainy season over the course of the afternoon.
Something something, Japanese over tourism something something.
June 6, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Something something, Japanese over tourism something something.
Owner of my lodging informs me that Miyazaki is the birthplace of both Japan's gods and the imperial line. Feels believable looking at this.
June 5, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Owner of my lodging informs me that Miyazaki is the birthplace of both Japan's gods and the imperial line. Feels believable looking at this.
I'm taking the train almost as far south as you can go, on my regional archive schtick again.
June 5, 2025 at 5:21 AM
I'm taking the train almost as far south as you can go, on my regional archive schtick again.