Administrative Notes 3 January 2003

A few big things have been happening with KTJW. The first and foremost is that Karate The Japanese Way is now available as a book! For me, that is huge news and also a huge relief. You have no idea how long this thing has been hanging around my neck, how often we thought that everything was OK and ready to go but wasn't, and how many hours have been poured into this thing. I have a new found respect for people who write for a living. If you can, go and give a resident writer a big hug, tell them that you understand their pain, and buy them a cafe latte.

This site has a couple new sections added. One is the KTJW the BOOK, which is part of my SHAMELESS PLUG month campaign. You can go there and check out the method and madness behind the book and order it too. I have plans to actually expand that section a little and give readers an insight into what happens when you have an idea in your head and how you can get that into print. I sure learned a lot in the process and hope to share some of those experiences with you too.

Another section that has come into being is the Books on Japan section. I have lived in Japan now for eight years and have seen a lot, have been confused by a lot, and have researched a lot about many things Japanese. I want to share with you too some of the best reads about Japan, and suggest you investigate some of the more interesting, strange, curious, and shocking parts of living in Japan that extend beyond tea ceremony under the cherry blossoms. This section is by no means a “Japan bashing” section, but rather, a place to start taking a closer look at some of the things of Japanese life and society that are not “mainstream” and not part of a tourist brochure. Don't get me wrong, I like Japan. I like it a lot. But I want to see the truth of things too, as much as I can. That way, when I say that I like Japan, I really know what it is that I find commendable, attractive, and marvelous about this county. By seeing some of the bad, and the strange, and the horrible, you get a better picture and a more complete understanding of a very complicated and multi-layered world.

You might have noticed something else that has been afoot in the Articles section. I am not writing all the articles. I am trying, as much as I am able, to invite other people to come and write articles for this site. Some of the stuff I have received has been very good. Some of it is superb. If you know of a good writer and someone who has something interesting, fun, or even controversial to contribute, please send me an email and let me know. I would be delighted to issue more invitations for such collaborative work.

Lastly, I want to extend my truest and most heartfelt thanks to Chris Spackman again. He is the puppet master of KTJW. He makes all the articles and letters and links and graphics come to life on this site. He has been going through an extensive re-tooling of the Links section and continually is tweaking and molding this site into its evolving shapes. Without him, there is no KTJW on line. Thanks Chris! Your Herculean efforts are always appreciated!!

Mark

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