Welcome to the Floating World

Dispatches from the Crossroads of Culture & Creativity. From the lands of East Asian Literature, Mythology and Narrative

Greetings & ようこそ

It is my immense pleasure to welcome you to the airy, the eerie, the all-at-once sensual, hysterical, and downright phenomenal Floating World of East Asian Mythology. 

Oh, but that’s not all we’re doing, we’ll venture across the foothills of Southern China, encountering wandering monks, greedy children, and blushing princes. 

We’ll see just how lethal poetry can be – you thought Romeo and Juliet had it bad! We’ll dodge monsters in the mountains of Korea and learn about the travels of curry (is it a dish, a spice, a state of mind?) and how that mysterious food got its name as a myriad of dishes from thousands of hearths across India. 

We’ll dance through fairytales with spirits and sprites up the Himalayas, across the shores of Polynesia, and maybe even walk the sands of San Francisco (you’ll see). 

Legends and lore. And yes, anime. I’m interested in the way pop culture inherits content from the past, likewise influences our own understanding of that past. How does Shinto manifest in modern art? How do the old sages such as Laozi fit into our technocratic spirituality? And so on. Please, if there is a topic you’d like researched let’s hear it!

Your patronage relieves the pressures of student debt, part-time gigs, and angry take-out diners (am I right!), enabling me to balance academic and outside research while sharing my passion with you, the world. Thank you for your time and support. 

Slow and low… that’s the tempo:
This is a joint passion project as scratch through the final draft of my thesis. So please bear with me. This semester is sure to be… Challenging? Demanding?

While the official launch of my new site may not be until mid-Fall 2021 I’d love for you to introduce yourself.

2021年秋に来る。それまで

以呂波耳本部止
千利奴流乎和加
餘多連曽津祢那
良牟有為能於久
耶万計不己衣天
阿佐伎喩女美之
恵比毛勢須

Although its scent still lingers on
the form of a flower has scattered away
For whom will the glory
of this world remain unchanged?
Arriving today at the yonder side
of the deep mountains of evanescent existence
We shall never allow ourselves to drift away
intoxicated, in the world of shallow dreams.

Articles

My content ranges from literary surveys to travel, food history, recipes, music reviews. I’m a mess, let’s be honest. Why focus on one subject when we can talk about, well everything! Catch up in the archive.

About

I’m Nicholas, Friends call me Bumi. I’m a student of East Asian Studies and Japanese at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. I believe that truly meaningful cultural engagements begin at the crossroads literature and lifestyle.

Patreon

Your support is an affirmation of diplomacy. As an ambassador, a patron of peace! Thank you for helping my dreams come manifest of bridging cultures through cuisine, creativity, and comradery. Thank you!

About Us

Nicholas “Niko” Andriani is a writer and literary theorist with a background in Anthropology and East Asian Studies.

More About

Get In Touch

nikosfloatingworld@gmail.com

Twitter: @nickandriani
Instagram: @nicholasandriani

Thank you for supporting this project! All contributions directly keep our World afloat.

Celebrate humanity’s most dynamic characteristic: storytelling. By contributing to Niko’s Floating World you’re participating in the art as an act of both support and rebellion. To share in eachothers journey and to support on another throughout our myriad dreams is of the greatest gift we can offer on another and I thank you immensely for supporting mine.

$3.00

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