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.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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 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.

In today’s lesson with Kinoko, we covered the following topics:

* What Kinoko loves about Georgia (the country)

* Georgia’s political landscape

* What is it like to be queer in Georgia?

* The cultural connotation of the phrase 'I met someone'

* Traveling in the time of war

* Dream countries to visit

* Ayahuasca in Peru

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you'd like to read along.

You can learn more on being queer in Georgia by visiting the ジョージア情報局 website and reading Kinoko-san’s guest post here.

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

The other day, Kinoko-san, a student in my private lessons (currently closed to new students), suggested: “Why don’t we turn the lesson archive videos into a podcast!?” It sounded like so much fun that we got excited and decided to start publishing from this lesson onward.

* Private lessons: https://progreztribe.substack.com/p/lessons

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

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

Kinoko-san is the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, and at the end of last year, her interview article went viral.

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

* Interview article: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196

In this lesson, we cover the following topics:

* Instagram accounts recommended for English learners

* https://www.instagram.com/mattxiv/

* https://www.instagram.com/english_coach_adam/

* Simple English is better than fluent English for communication purposes

* How we tend to cram in too much information

* Different learning styles for different people

* Inclusive language vs. “going viral”

* What Kinoko-san pays attention to at her events

If you find the English hard to follow, try turning on the automatic transcript feature!

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.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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.”

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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:

* Changing hair color with products like color shampoo and treatment, and reminiscing about having vivid hair colors in the past.

* The social perceptions of having unconventional hair, particularly how it can be viewed differently based on age, gender presentation, and cultural environment (such as in Japan versus abroad).

* Navigating middle age, including feelings of being “on the verge” of aging, the balance between holding onto youth and accepting the aging process smoothly.

* Physical challenges and new activities, such as pole dancing and fire performance (including fire eating), and the bruises that come with practice.

* The concept of introversion versus extroversion, with one speaker identifying as a talkative introvert who needs alone time to recharge, while the other identifies as more outgoing and energized by social activities and new experiences.

* Learning new vocabulary, including the words “verge,” “click” (as in forming a connection), “allocate,” and the difference between “introvert” and “extrovert.”

* Running a restaurant business, managing multiple roles (server, bartender, problem-solver), and the goal of allocating tasks to new hires to balance the workload.

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along.

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 benefits of practicing English in various real-life environments, not just in a quiet, ideal setting.

* Personal stories about how accents can change unconsciously when moving to different places or spending time with people from different regions (e.g., Hawaiian English, Kiwi English, California English, Kentucky English).

* Kinoko’s three personal principles as an activist

* The negative impact of social media on activism and public discourse: the pressure for perfection and immediate responses

Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you'd like to read along.

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