Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

• Kinoko attending Tokyo Pride for the first time in 5–7 years, marching with poly-friendly friends and holding up a polyamory flag (infinity heart symbol).

• The explosion of LGBTQ+ flags – too many to remember, with some evolving over time (e.g., the progress pride flag's colors representing trans people, BIPOC, and HIV/AIDS awareness).

• The term BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and its roots in U.S. anti-racism; why the progress flag includes brown and black stripes.

• The ongoing debate: Is polyamory an orientation or a lifestyle? Many poly people (especially straight-identifying) don't see themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

• Masaki's argument: polyamory challenges heteronormative family structures and should be included; Kinoko agrees that anyone facing difficulty in their relationships or life practices should be welcome.

• Kinoko's idea of someday organizing a polyamory parade or float.

• Masaki's observation: he often feels more understood by working-class straight people (e.g., an old man at an izakaya counter) than by elite LGBTQ+ academics, because shared experiences of hardship transcend identity labels.

Connect with Kinoko-san

• Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠⁠
• Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠⁠
• Her book: ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠⁠
• Her interview: ⁠⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

• Kinoko arriving late due to a typhoon, closing her curtains, and her usual routine as a morning person (waking at 6 AM, bed by 11 PM at the latest) – despite enjoying underground night events, she always catches the last train.

• Masaki as a night person who stays up until 4 or 5 AM, especially when he has no obligations the next day, doing "trivial research" (e.g., 18 hours on German architecture) just for fun.

• The difference between obligated (legal/contractual) and obliged (personal/moral feeling); Masaki's "mild obligation" of waking up with his boyfriend helps maintain his daily rhythm.

• Masaki getting a new passport entirely online (using My Number card, paying by credit card, picking it up in five minutes at the city office) – much easier than in the past.

• Kinoko's younger self as a night person who would stay up reading books all night, but now her age and nature prevent that; staying up late would waste the whole next day.

• Surprising shared love for kanbun (classical Chinese literature) – Kinoko finds it fun like a foreign language; Masaki hated it in school and didn't know anyone who liked it.

• Masaki's reading habits: slow reader, buys books and piles them up unread (tsundoku / book hoarding), but is excited to announce he will publish a book (a compilation of essays) next year.

• The unique pleasure of paper books: no alerts, no notifications, nothing interrupts the reading experience.

Connect with Kinoko-san

• Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠
• Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠
• Her book: ⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠
• Her interview: ⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

• Kinoko's crowdfunding campaign for her new sharehouse in Minowa, Tokyo (LGBTQ+ friendly, poly-friendly), with 9 rooms and 7 still empty. She needs both financial support and new residents.

• Why she runs a sharehouse: as a polyamorous queer person who has had a hysterectomy, she can't form a "normal" family, so she wants to create an alternative, safe, comfortable living space.

• Future dream locations: Kabukicho and Golden Gai – chaotic, dirty, underground areas where "everyone is strange" and queer people can go stealth because no one cares.

• The feeling of alienation in mainstream queer circles (often elite, college-educated) versus feeling more at home with marginalized straight people (nightlife workers, factory workers, the economically disadvantaged).

• Masaki's childhood inspiration from a Takeshi Kaneshiro movie: wanting to live above a shop on a busy street, watching people pass by.

• Both as queer entrepreneurs – the Japanese cultural reluctance to openly support minority-owned businesses or talk about money, and the suspicion that using one's minority status is for personal gain.

• The counterargument: marginalized people have every right to be ambitious, make surplus, and use that money to help others in their community, as Masaki experienced after saving money for the first time.

• Vocabulary: hysterectomy, alienating, tendency, surplus, affluent, loan/borrow/rent, entrepreneur pronunciation, stealth.

Connect with Kinoko-san

• Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠
• Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠
• Her book: ⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠
• Her interview: ⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

• Kinoko's new hairstyle, cut by a friend during a camping trip on a deserted (uninhabited) island, including the difference between "desert" and "deserted."

• The social pressure on women (especially Asian women) to have long, black, sleek hair, and how cutting her hair short is a form of activism.

• Why friends hesitate to cut each other's hair: it can be seen as invasive, violent, or a form of punishment (bullying, shaving heads as discipline).

• The word "fringe" – both for hairstyle (bangs) and for something outside the mainstream, weird, or questionable.

• The balance between boundaries and autonomy versus the reality that some invasiveness is part of life, and how cutting hair can be an act of trust and leeway.

• Grammar focus: the "have object passive" construction (I had my hair cut by my friends), contrasting it with regular passive sentences.

Connect with Kinoko-san

• Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠
• Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠
• Her book: ⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠
• Her interview: ⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

* Masaki’s restaurant gas tank running out, the difference between piped gas and tank gas, and what “full-fledged restaurant” means.

* Kinoko’s exhausting move to the new sharehouse, dealing with old furniture, and the concept of a “not-to-do list” to avoid being overwhelmed.

* The word “overwhelmed” (too many tasks, feeling flooded) and the importance of taking a “chill pill” – intentionally scheduling rest.

* Kinoko’s upcoming camping trip in Wakayama to do nothing, listen to the sound of waves (shiosai), and relax.

* The difference between tasks, appointments, and “obligations” (things you have to do but don’t necessarily enjoy, like social or family duties).

* Dream retirement destinations: Kinoko would choose Thailand (Chiang Mai), where many retired white people (farang) live a slow life. Masaki is curious about Greece and Egypt.

* Masaki renewing his passport after eight years to visit a sick friend in the US, and his partner’s dislike of international travel.

Connect with Kinoko-san

* Kinoko-san’s X: https://x.com/kinoko1027

* Kinoko-san’s blog: https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/

* Her book: https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA

* Her interview: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

* Kinoko’s frantic search for a new sharehouse, signing a contract without seeing it first due to high demand, and the rent being almost twice as expensive as her current place.

* The new sharehouse’s location near Minowa and the largest red-light district in Japan, and her call for new residents (queer-friendly, foreigner-friendly, safe).

* Masaki’s past experience with random roommates in Chicago and the serendipity of forming meaningful friendships with progressive, interesting people.

* The idea that “you are the average of the five people you’re closest to,” and how outliers (like Kinoko) pull your average in interesting directions.

* Kinoko’s overwhelmingly busy May: forming her own company, moving into the new sharehouse, trips to Fukuoka, Wakayama (camping), and Okinawa (campaign), leaving her exhausted and in need of rest.

* The phrase “take a chill pill” and the importance of intentionally scheduling rest and relaxation as a task.

* Sedentary lifestyles, standing out in a Japanese work environment, and the reluctance to stretch at work because “no one else does it.”

Connect with Kinoko-san

* Kinoko-san’s X: https://x.com/kinoko1027

* Kinoko-san’s blog: https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/

* Her book: https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA

* Her interview: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

* Kinoko’s three-day fire performance workshop in Gunma, including fire eating, fire breathing, vapor tricks, contact staff, sword fighting, and a burnout competition, with about 100 participants and top performers from Japan.

* The physical exhaustion from the workshop and the mental exhaustion from searching for a new house to use as a sharehouse, including the possibility of buying a property and starting a proper business (with all the dreaded paperwork).

* Language tips: avoiding jargon by paraphrasing (e.g., “monolingual” → “speak only one language”), and the usage of “twice as big” vs. “twice bigger.”

* Masaki’s restaurant business growth, the consideration of forming a company for tax reasons, and the frustration of tax money funding wars and being invested in Israeli companies via pension funds.

* The idea of peer-supported alternatives: microfinance systems used by Zainichi Koreans, a proposed queer event transportation reimbursement system, and an “activism scholarship” to help people attend events outside major cities.

Connect with Kinoko-san

* Kinoko-san’s X: https://x.com/kinoko1027

* Kinoko-san’s blog: https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/

* Her book: https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA

* Her interview: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

* Kinoko’s excitement about receiving a ticket to Burning Man through the aid ticket program for people with lower income (under 5 million yen), and how many Japanese people are eligible.

* The application process: explaining why you can’t afford a regular ticket (which costs around $650), providing tax papers as proof of income, and describing what you can contribute to the community (cleaning, cooking, kinbaku, pole dance, etc.).

* Kinoko’s personal situation: being neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, and how having a stable, sufficient income is difficult in Japan.

* What Burning Man is: a week-long camping festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert with about 70,000 participants, where people build a temporary village and burn a large wooden statue (”the man”) and a temple on the last day.

* The no-money rule inside Burning Man: a social experiment where participants exchange gifts, skills, or help instead of using cash. Water can be pre-purchased with a water ticket, but food and drinks are given freely by other participants.

* The importance of consent in all exchanges, and the presence of sheriffs and police to handle any violence or crime.

Connect with Kinoko-san

* Kinoko-san’s X: https://x.com/kinoko1027

* Kinoko-san’s blog: https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/

* Her book: https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA

* Her interview: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

* Forgetting appointments and daily tasks

* The difficulty of multitasking and context-switching

* Working on laptops in trains: what are they working on?

* How clothing and hair color affect people’s perceptions, and the Japanese cultural pressure to be “transparent” and blend in

* The dichotomy of renshu (practice) vs. honban (real performance) in language learning, and the guilt of feeling like you’re using friends as practice tools

Connect with Kinoko-san

* Kinoko-san’s X: https://x.com/kinoko1027

* Kinoko-san’s blog: https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/

* Her book: https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA

* Her interview: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies.

We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics:

* The speaker’s excitement and anxiety about reuniting with a long-term partner after two years of forced platonic distance due to his monogamous relationship with someone else.

* The “musical chairs” dynamic of affection, where a monogamous person can claim the only available “chair” (partner status), shutting others out of intimacy.

* Societal assumptions that polyamorous people should be “fine” losing one relationship because they have others, and that monogamous feelings automatically take priority.

* The speaker’s rejection of rigid labels (friend, partner, f**k buddy), seeing every person as unique and irreplaceable.

* The ideal of a “dance floor” where there are no chairs—or many chairs—allowing affection to flow without competition or exclusivity.

Connect with Kinoko-san

* Kinoko-san’s X: https://x.com/kinoko1027

* Kinoko-san’s blog: https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/

* Her book: https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA

* Her interview: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196