“First Fridays” Travel Writing Mentoring In 2022, I ran a bunch of online travel writing mentoring sessions, primarily to raise a little money for humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine but also to support writers at the start of their careers. It was also something to make me feel more positive and a way to do […]
On Shizuoka’s Wasabi Trail
(Published in Korean Air’s June 2018 issue, http://morningcalm.koreanair.co.kr, but here in it’s slightly longer original form) Tracing the River Abe northward out of central Shizuoka City, it’s only a 15-minute drive before urban Shizuoka is replaced by ever-heightening hills that offer glimpses at many of this part of Japan’s culinary specialties. Small mikan groves give […]
March 11
MARCH 11 The Ginza Line was pulling out of Ueno Station when the quake hit, jolting the train to a hard stop, then vibrating it like a car revving to free its tyres from thick mud. For a moment, I thought somebody must have thrown themselves under the train, until the vibrations turned to violent […]
On Sake, Dogs and Community
With a sudden tug, Henry sends a slug of sake over my hand. Blame it on the toy poodle in the distance. Or me for trying to hold a one-cup sake with his lead wrapped around my drinking hand. In fairness, it wouldn’t be a one-cup if I didn’t spill a bit. The pull-tab lids […]
A desk-bound day in the life of a Tokyo-based writer
A desk-bound day in the life of a Tokyo-based writer I’ve been thinking about work styles the last few months, wondering what changes I could make to the way I’ve been scheduling my time, finding out what works (and doesn’t) for others. For some background, I work at home and when my son was a […]
The Sackings – A piece of flash fiction
The Sackings Gossip had awoken the staff room from a monotony-induced slumber. A teacher had been fired. Something to do with harassing female students during class was one of the rumors doing the rounds. Another was that he’d been caught shoplifting from 7-Eleven. Neither would have represented a first at Heartful Eikaiwa, Japan’s largest chain […]
Why I Don’t Like Anti-NaNoWriMo Snobbery
This post might well come across as grumpy. Partly, I’m blaming the weather—as I write, Tokyo is getting its first snowfall in November for 54 years, and it’s grim. Mainly, I’m blaming…well, you’ll see. I’m talking National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo, and the negativity it generates with some writers. For those who don’t know […]
A Hike in the Tanzawa Range
AS DAWN APPROACHES atop Tonodake (Mount To), a chill wind whips over the exposed peak. Off to the west, Mount Fuji begins to emerge as the darkness that cups the peaks of the Tanzawa range fades to a fleeting purple hue before the rising sun changes the sky to a more familiar hazy orange. The night […]
The business of being a freelance writer in Japan, part 2
And here is the second installment of notes from my presentation for the Society of Writers, Editors and Translators on the business side of being a freelance writer in Japan (the first is here: http://www.tokyofreelance.com/the-business-of-being-a-freelance-writer-in-japan-part-1). This time, it’s about vetting clients and assignments and some general thoughts on doing the job. PART 4: VETTING CLIENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS & […]
The business of being a freelance writer in Japan, part 1
[Updated March 2022] From time to time, new writers and students get in touch to ask for advice about becoming a writer, so I thought I’d post my notes from a presentation I once did (for the Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators) on freelancing from Japan. Some of it might be useful to writers […]