April Matsuri
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Get ready to party…another matsuri is coming! Another Japan Blog Matsuri, to be exact.
Let it be known that I am the designated host for the April edition of the Japan Blog Matsuri. Last month’s matsuri, hosted by Rising Sun of Nihon, was a great success, and is a really tough act to follow. I’ll do my best. Kudos to Bill Belew for the job he did. If you’re new to the concept, or just to this particular “blog carnival,” please refer to the matsuri’s explanation page at What Japan Thinks for rules, regulations, and general information.
The theme for this matsuri is … drum roll please … “Tourism!” Japan and tourism go together like Forrest Gump and Jenny (ok, ok, peas and carrots for you purists). I think it’s broad enough to leave you all kinds of wiggle room. I’d like to keep personal trip memories out of it unless there is some kind of commentary or content within such a post that makes it something a stranger would want to read. I hope that is understandable. I’m not trying to be mean, but we don’t want to have a list of “what I did over break” entries. There is plenty to talk about, so get writing about tourism and Japan if you’re game.
Due to Golden Week, I am extending the normal deadline. Please submit any tourism related articles and posts that you’d like to be considered by midnight on Monday, May 7th, 2007. 繰り返して、２００７年５月７日２３時５９分５９秒までに記事とポストなどを出して下さい。Everybody got that? Good. It is best if the articles and posts were written during the month of April in principle and spirit, however. We don’t want to steal from the next matsuri, now do we?
Please submit all articles and posts to me through the official submission page or the widget at What Japan Thinks. Alternatively, you can send them to me by email: deas (at) rocking in hakata (dot) com.
Encourage all of your friends to participate! Link them to this call for submissions, as well as to older examples for reference. It’s a great way to connect, discover new blogs, and interact with the greater English speaking Japan blogging community. Have fun, be safe, clean your room, and be home by 11. 
on April 16th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
[...] The topic for this month’s Japan Blog Matsuri is “Tourism.” Submit your blog links now! [Link] [...]
on April 16th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
totally ruled out my vids.
on April 16th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Sorry Clay. Just figured that digital scrap booking shouldn’t really be part of the matsuri. Rules out everybody’s trip posts. That’s fair.
on April 16th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
[...] This month’s volunteer host is Deas at Rocking in Hakata. To fit in with the season, this month’s topic is tourism. As usual, there is a lot of scope to be creative with this one, so we are awaiting your entries. [...]
on April 19th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
This sounds like a hootenanny! (What era is this again?) Actually, I have an idea about something to add to your matsuri, but I want to confirm that it would be all right to slightly extend the topic to “touring Japan versus living in Japan.”
on April 19th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Kudos for correctly spelling hootenanny.
Your topic sounds great, Alex. The matsuri is pretty dadgum open ended. It just has to relate to tourism and Japan. I welcome all creative interpretations of the theme. 
on April 27th, 2007 at 5:45 am
[...] With Japan’s Golden Week holidays almost upon us, and with the submission deadline for the April Japan Blog Matsuri just 10 days away, I would like to present my entry, another slightly strange from a Western point of view ranking survey from goo Ranking on what people would most like to eat after returning from a foreign holiday. The survey was conducted between the 20th and 22nd of March 2007. [...]
on April 28th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
[...] April Japan Blog Matsuri [...]
on May 3rd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
[...] This month’s volunteer host is Deas at Rocking in Hakata. To fit in with the season, this month’s topic is tourism. As usual, there is a lot of scope to be creative with this one, so we are awaiting your entries. [...]
on May 7th, 2007 at 10:49 am
[...] This is the LAST DAY you can submit entries for the Japan Blog Matsuri. Please refer to the original posting for instructions. Entries are encouraged, because this month looks pretty light so far. Tell your fast-typing friends. (Actually, tell everybody.) Remember, the point is to help us in the Japan blogosphere discover one another’s blogs. Please feel free to submit anything related to this month’s theme: TOURISM. [...]