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Well, it’s finally time for the April edition of the Japan Blog Matsuri, so gather around the glowing monitor, kids. I’ve been granted the hosting privileges this month. For this month, I chose the theme of tourism due to the timing of the matsuri. Surprisingly, we actually did get a couple of good articles and posts about tourism and Japan. By a few, I mean precisely 3. Golden Week proved to be a bigger attraction than writing about tourism in the end, which took not a soul by surprise. I hunted around for some extra stuff to round out the collection and pulled out a few good, but unrelated posts. In then end, I hope you all enjoy the collection of links that this round has brought. Let’s hit it.
1) First up, a bit of shameful shameless self promotion. I wrote a piece on Virtual Tourism. In it, I talk about technologies that make it possible for us to take trips through the internet in lieu of real world travel. It’s really cool to see the possibilities that are just around the corner. Take a look to see what I mean.
2) What Japan Thinks has some interesting tourism-related poll results. What is it that homeward bound Japanese folks harbor hankerings for? He lists the foods that they want to eat the most after returning from an overseas trip. I learn so many things from this site. As a brief aside, I noticed one thing that did not make the chart. 
3) Next up is Japanprobe, which also featured some culinary curiousities related to travel - only these were Shinzo Abe Omiyage. That’s right, folks, there is a market for omiyage bearing the likeness of Shinzo Abe, the new Prime Minister of Japan. Is it weird? Yes. Would you not buy some just to prove that it exists? I would. It probably tastes the same as all other omiyage, but the novelty is worth it. Find out where to get your hands on some.
4) Alex over at Victory Manual has written a post about the lines between Tourists, Hosts, Overstaying Your Welcome. It’s similar to a classic “dating” and “after the honeymoon” pattern. Are you a long term or short term visitor to Japan?
5) He said I could, so I am including this vlog entry from Clay(tonian) - our friendly neighborhood Hopeless Romantic. In it he goes over his Golden Week shenanigans (like encountering a ginormous statue at a temple) and translates part of a theme song for our enjoyment. It’s worth a watch - if you like it, check out his other vlog entries - I hear his YouTube subscriber count continues to climb.
6) Around the corner at Q-Taro, Roy talks touring car dealerships for free stuff. Learn about how to make car salesmen seem like Santa Claus thanks to Golden Week.
7) Japanprobe proves that Cool Tourism is easy to come by in Japan. The bulleted list on the post says it all. It includes an earthquake simulator, an onsen for man’s best four-legged friends (dogs, people, sheesh), and a capsule hotel.
Japundit wrote about Travel During GW, and linked us to the Kyodo News Agency’s coverage.
9) Japanprobe pulls off a hat trick this month thanks to a video about Otaku Tourism, a quickly growing industry in urban Japan. Lately this “subculture tourism” has been attracting more and more foreign tourists. ‘Tis a fire that Japan intends to feed.
10) Lastly, Jon at Life is Random has put together a nice entry serving the dual purposes of recording his own personal Golden Week escapades as well as providing some cool random facts about his Golden Week to the reader. He took his free time as an opportunity to play pachinko, for instance.
There you have it folks, a few stretches there, but I wanted to include a couple of buddies. (If you host you’re allowed to do that. I’m pretty sure.) I hope that this month’s was as good as last month’s - I’ve got to say that Bill did a nice job, even though his oyaji gag made me wince. For those who missed them, here are links to the first, second, and third Japan Blog Matsuris. That ought to do it for this month.
It was not what I expected, but I want to offer my thanks to those that I drafted as well as the few who actually submitted your entries. There is no word yet on a volunteer for next month. If you’re stoked about hosting the matsuri and you have an idea for a theme floating about in your head, please contact Ken Y-N and volunteer. If we can get more people to participate, we’ll have greater quality in the articles, and a tighter Japan-blogging community. I’ll retire from the soapbox now, and let you read in peace. Thanks for stopping by my site. Feel free to leave me links back to your sites in the comments. I’m always looking for new online haunts. That’s what this whole thing is about, after all.
お疲れ様でした！
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. 
Please get your entries in, everyone. Start writing and cranking out the matsuri love. I want to make this a great Japan Blog Matsuri! Here’s a link to the original post, and a quick and dirty breakdown for the link-through lazy.
Theme: Tourism
Deadline: Monday, May 7th (due to Golden Week holidays)
Submissions:
Remember, tangentially related things are fine. Creative angles are encouraged! Multiple entries are ok for this one, but don’t submit blogspam. 
It will be weeded out. Tell your Japan-related blogging friends about it and try to get everyone involved. The more the merrier, guys.
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.
So, I am one of the guys who has just started a blog, is desperate for an audience of any kind, and wants more than anything to connect to other people who are in the same field. I am in the midst of building my blogroll up, trying to make meaningful comments on other sites (HA - I’m failing, too), and trying to get my site on its feet. If you are like me, you might want to participate in the Japan Blog Matsuri. It’s a Blog Carnival based setup created by Seron (aka Ken Y-N) over at one of my new favorite sites What Japan Thinks. The basic idea is simple: one blog “hosts” the carnival, everybody who wants to participate submits an article (or two, or three) to the host. The host chooses a theme for everyone to write about, and on the day of the matsuri, posts an aggregation of all the submissions (if they are deemed shareworthy, anyway - along common sense lines, family friendly, etc.).
This time around, the matsuri is being hosted by Rising Sun of Nihon. The theme chosen by the host is “Uniquely Japanese.” I urge all of you who are interested to put something together - write an article or pick a recent one you’ve written, and submit it. If more people participate, then the matsuri will grow.
-Quick Reference-
Theme: “Uniquely Japanese” (link to host’s matsuri page)
Host: Rising Sun of Nihon (link to host’s main page)
Deadline: March 31st, midnight JST (don’t miss this date)
Date of matsuri: April 10th (date for reposting of all submissions)
Submit stories via this link, the widget located here, or by emailing the host (bill at panasianbiz dot com).
Get writing! And linking!
