PopWaka Series #01 – Release Note

A quiet update from the PopWaka project.

Today, PopWaka Series #01 has officially been released on Ko‑fi.

This is the first step of a long, gentle journey.

PopWaka Series is a collection of pop‑culture inspired tanka, woven into quiet scenes and soft light.

PopWaka Series #01 on Ko‑fi:

ko-fi.com/mikantomo

Thank you for watching this small beginning.

More pieces will follow, one by one.

Ancient Rhythms, Modern Emotions: The Philosophy of PopWaka

PopWaka is more than just a creative experiment; it is a linguistic bridge. I am the Pop-cult Tanka Master, and my work inherits traditional techniques to give a timeless resonance to modern icons.

The 31-syllable constraint of Pop Tanka forces a "compression of content." In this tiny space, one must distill an entire character’s life or a story’s climax into a single, pure emotion. This is the ultimate literary challenge—to find the universal human truth within the world of subculture.

[Featured Work: Neon Genesis Evangelion]

くれはとり

綾波レイの

髪の色の

青き秋空

ただに広がる

Kurehatori / Ayanami Rei no / Kami no iro no / Aoki akizora / Tada ni hirogaru

(In this poem, I use the ancient "Pillow Word" to evoke the ethereal beauty of Ayanami’s spirit. I will discuss the deep meaning behind this #PopWaka in a future article.)

Sherlock Holmes in Japan[Rewritten & Enhanced]

Updated with even more passion & music!

Sherlock Holmes is a detective to come out to the mystery novel written by Conan Doyle .

I was recently watching cartoons "Hyoka " .

" Hyoka " is an animation dealing with solving the mystery .


In the animation of the ending song , high school girls that resemble Sherlock Holmes appeared .

The popularity of Sherlock Holmes is high in Japan .

I 'm once used to read well , " Sherlock Holmes " .


Have you ever read the " Holmes " ?

Below is the animation of the ending song . Would you feel the Sherlock Holmes ?

TV Animeishio "Hyoka" Ending song 2

Original Vocaloid song"Miku Mike bloom" by Mikan Tomo

"K-ON!" sacred place visited by former Taiwanese President Lee

On July 30, the former President of Taiwan, Li Teng-hui, passed away.
I wish him the best of luck.
The former president is called the "father of Taiwan's democratization" because he promoted democratization such as direct presidential elections in Taiwan's politics, where he continued to have power.
The former president also helped promote friendly relations between Japan and Taiwan.

I knew that the former president had learned from Kyoto Imperial University, but on the front page of the Kyoto Shimbun, which is the local news paper, on August 1, the former president often took a walk in the "K-ON!" sacred place. I was surprised to learn that

I often walked around famous historic sites such as Ichijoji Sagarimatsu (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City) famous for Miyamoto Musashi-I told the interview of this paper 17 years ago

Kyoto Shimbun Morning Edition August 1, "Bongo"

The image below is the intersection of Ichijoji Sagarimatsu (the point where Shirakawa-dori and Manshuin-do intersect) that appears in the opening of "K-ON!"


(C) Kakifurai/Houbunsha/Sakurataka light music club/Kyoto Animation

In addition, a bus stop modeled after the bus stop "Ichijoji Sagarimatsu" will also appear in the second episode of the first period.


(C) Kakifurai/Houbunsha/Sakurataka light music club/Kyoto Animation

Of course, it was before World War II that the former president visited when he was a student, so I think that the atmosphere around Ichijoji Sagarimatsu Matsu has changed dramatically.
However, some things will not change.

Shisendo Temple and Hachidai Shrine, which were built in the Edo period(1903-1867), still convey their appearance to the ground of Ichijoji.
And the photo below is a memorial of the duel of Ichijoji Sagarimatsu, Downing Pine.
It is a famous duel that Musashi Miyamoto fought against Swordsman Yoshioka group.
A monument to commemorate this was erected in the Taisho era(1914-1926）.
The former president must have seen at a young age.




I passed by this stone monument today on August 2nd, and I was deeply moved by it.

The first performance of the sacred place of the animation "K-ON!"

In my last blog, I talked about the "Sacred Pilgrimage" that visits the anime stage.
This time, let's write about why I came to do "pilgrimage to sacred places".
The reason why I became interested in the anime "Sacred Pilgrimage" was
"K-on!"
This work is a music-based anime work in which a high school girl launches and plays a light music club.
It can be said to be one of the works that supported the boom in girl bands in Japan.

Until then, I wasn't so interested in "Sacred Pilgrimage."
However, when I was watching "K-ON!", I immediately noticed that the neighborhood was in the stage.
I live in the Ichijoji and Shugakuin areas of Kyoto.
It was one of the stages for the anime "K-On!"
And after that, I often see people taking pictures of the nearby McDonald's Kitashirakawa store.
While walking by chance, I was asked by some of the K-on fans to take a photo.
Gradually, I became more interested in the pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
So, this time, I would like to introduce the "McD-K-ON! Store" that stimulated interest in pilgrimage to the sacred places.
(This is McDonald's Kita-Shirakawa store, but I call it K-On!
The McDonald's Kita-Shirakawa store frequently appears in the TV series during its creation, being transformed into a coffee shop where members of the Sakura High School's light music club drop by at school.

Taken in 2015

(C)Kakifurai/Houbunsha/Sakurataka light music club/Kyoto Animation

10 minutes with my foot from Eizan Electric Railway Ichijoji Station, which runs in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. It is located along the wide Kitashirakawa street.

If you stay in Kyoto for a long time, the rental cycle is not bad.

If you are a fan of "K-ON!", then this is a store you should definitely visit.