Hi, all, as we approach episode 400, just one more reminder to submit any questions you've

got and would like to see me answer in the Q&A show.

So far we've had a lot of really good questions.

I'm really excited to start working through them.

I might not be able to get to them all even with the extended length I usually do for these, but they're

really good questions.

So if there's a lot of interest, maybe I'll do two Q&A episodes or something.

We'll figure out something to do with them.

But regardless, keep them coming.

If you've got anything you want to ask me about the podcast, my process, anything related

to the show in general or Japanese history, please send

them my way.

Hello, and welcome to the History of Japan podcast, episode 397, The Weeping Dream.

I have been thinking and thinking about this, and for all the world, I genuinely can't remember when I first heard of haiku as a concept.

For the life of me, it feels like as far back as elementary school, I had at least some

notion of haiku as a poem that didn't have to rhyme, and which had a 5-75 meter to it, so

one line of five syllables, one of seven, and then another of five.

And before some of you all turn off the episode and discuss in the first 30 seconds,

yes, it's true, there's more to haiku as a genre than that. We'll get to it.

But what's remarkable about this is not that many people have a misconception of the definition

of haiku. People having

misconceptions about Japanese culture is extremely unremarkable. It happens all the time.

...