鴨の水かき
mean in English?
“鴨の水かき” (kamo no mizugaki) is a Japanese proverb that describes the hidden struggles and efforts behind someone’s seemingly carefree appearance. It refers to the continuous paddling motion of a duck’s feet beneath the water’s surface, even though it appears to be floating effortlessly on the water.
In creative work, it can be likened to the challenges faced by creators. They often have to meet unrealistic deadlines demanded by clients, navigate significant changes in project direction driven by producers’ decisions, and experience moments of both anger and satisfaction from clients.
In the creative industry, professionals continue to make progress while facing setbacks, all the while striving towards their own dreams and goals. This embodies the essence of the proverb “鴨のみずかき” (kamo no mizugaki) in Japanese.
hokkaidomanI was born in Japan and have been reading manga since I was very young. Before I knew it, I had already crossed 40 years of age. I aspire to share Japanese manga culture with the world in English from Hokkaido, the northernmost region of Japan. While I believe I have a decent collection of books, after getting married in 2019 and having children, space became an issue. Consequently, I had to dispose of all the 'long-standing, major works'. However, this left my bookshelf with interesting, lesser-known manga that are too obscure to be digitized, creating a very charming and unique collection. I want the world to understand that manga is not just about the popular titles that have been translated into English. I hope people around the world can enjoy the profound depth of manga culture. To support this endeavor, I need some capital, so I have included advertisements. I hope for your understanding in this matter. I want to create a manga library that people from overseas can easily visit when they come to Hokkaido.