Incoming Introduction. Accept: Y/N?

Yo, soldier!

If you've reached this blog because I mentioned it to you, why the hell did you listen to me? I mean, um, thanks for reading. ^_^ If you stumbled on it from somewhere else, はじめまして. I hope you like what you see here. Most of this blog will be dedicated to my various attempts at grasping more of the Japanese culture and vocabulary, often through movies and music. At the same time, you'll probably catch the occasional post about work, or voice acting, or--if all goes well--voice acting work. Please cross your fingers, because mine are already cramped.

The blog is called "Do What You Like" for a reason, and despite any first impressions there's nothing glib or apathetic about it. How many of us actually do that--what we like? We do what's expected of us, what we have to so we can survive, but...how many dreams are lost that way? Mine were lost during childhood; there comes a point you learn to live the dreams of others until your own are forgotten. It's only very recently I've rediscovered them, and now I'm wondering what took so long.

The blog's address, "Umi no Kioku", means "The Sea's Memories". The sea's been around a lot longer than any of us, and its memories stretch eternally. It never forgets its purpose, and always does what it likes.

As for the "soba shop" line, it's kind of an inside joke. You can get in on it by going here, which is a rather wild translation of an even wilder story in a Japanese gossip rag known for bending the truth. Basically I told my friend at work I just *had* to make a blog with this on it, so...here I am.

I'll do my best to keep this blog updated on a regular basis. It doesn't always work, but if you're going to take the time to read this I should at least have the courtesy to write something worth reading, right?

I end with your basic Japanese 101 lesson for the day:
はじめまして。 = hajimemashite = "Pleased to meet you." Said upon first meeting someone.

よろしくお願いします。= yoroshiku onegishimasu = "Please favor me", a polite way to acknowledge someone you'll be seeing or working with reguarly.