Rocking in Hakata

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.

Deas Announcements, Customary Drivel, JBMatsuri

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!

Deas Announcements, Customary Drivel, JBMatsuri