Be Our Guest: J.C. Martin and Her Favorite Things about Japan

 

Please welcome J.C. Martin as she tells us what her five favorite things are about Japan.

Thank you, Cherie, for hosting this leg of the blog tour! When I tell people about my Stories for Sendai project, many people ask if I’m Japanese, and if I was compiling this charity anthology out of a sense of patriotic duty. Well, no, I am not Japanese, have not been to Japan, and I don’t even have any close Japanese friends!

However, when the earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck on March 11^th, I was moved by news coverage of how strong and united the people of Japan remained despite the tragic disaster. Victims filed calmly towards evacuation centres, queued patiently for emergency supplies, and showed a brave and united front in the face of terrible adversity. No chaos, no riots, just a quiet determination to rebuild their shattered lives. It is the same silent strength that saw the country through two atomic bombs, and many other earthquakes before this one.

As a tribute to the country and its remarkable people, I thought I’d dedicate this post to Japan, and to share with everyone my 5 favourite things from the Land of the Rising Sun:

5. Sakura

Pitcure source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Travel-sakura

I’m no flower aficionado, and I probably can’t tell an acacia from a zinnia, but in my opinion, the distinctive white or powder pink petals of the cherry blossoms make them one of the prettiest blooms in nature. If I were to ever visit Japan, I’d like to go in spring, when the streets are lined with blossoming cherry trees. To have a hanami (literally “cherry blossom viewing”, a traditional practice of picnicking under a sakura) while the trees are in full bloom, breathing in the fresh perfume of the flowers, basking in the balmy spring sunshine, would be a heavenly experience.

4. Budo

Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sensei_iaido-rework.jpg

As a martial artist, I prefer the more fluid Chinese kung fu to the harder Japanese art forms, but I can appreciate the discipline and dedication required to master one of the many budo, which literally means “martial way”. From the ubiquitous sport of karate to the mystical art of ninjitsu, from the awesome power of the sumo to the sword-wielding iaido, there are dozens of different martial arts styles: aikido, judo, kendo, jujitsu...the list goes on!

3. Mount Fuji

Picture source: http://youleisuretime.blogspot.com/2010/10/japanese-natural-art-mount-fuji.html

Remember that earlier image of a hanami under a sakura in springtime? Now imagine the scene with Mount Fuji as a backdrop, with its near symmetrical volcanic cone and its snow-tipped peak. *sighs*

2. Sushi

Picture source: http://www.howtomakesushi.info/

Never has (mainly) raw fish tasted so good! I could eat an entire salmon as sashimi (sliced raw fish)! For those of you who’ve never tried it, I highly recommend you give it a go: not only are the ingredients fresh, but with zero oil used in preparations, it is super healthy! Start with something cooked, like the unagi nigiri (eel served on a cake of vinegar-ed rice) and work your way up to the raw stuff!

1. Takeshi Kaneshiro

Picture courtesy: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/14067722.html

Need I say more? ;)

So there you have it, my 5 favourite things from Japan! What are yours?

Stories for Sendai are now on sale here! Why not get a copy (or two) now? All proceeds go towards aid efforts in the earthquake-hit regions in Japan! Also, there is a prize draw! You can find the contest details and full blog tour schedule here.

Wonderful things about Japan, J.C. One of my personal favorite things about Japan is origami. What are other people's favorite things about Japan? 

And, if you haven't yet, don't forget to purchase your copy of Stories for Sendai today.

Now Available - Stories for Sendai!

Today is our official release of Stories for Sendai. If you are planning to buy a copy, we would appreciate it if you did it today, so we can rush the Amazon charts. Click here to buy the paperback version (e-version forthcoming).

Plus, if you buy a copy, you can be entered in to win prizes. Click here to find out about it. Contest ends July 15th.

A description of this charity anthology: A collection of inspirational short stories loosely themed around the strength of the human spirit. All proceeds will be donated to GlobalGiving in aid of victims of the earthquake and tsunami. GlobalGiving will disburse the funds to relief organisations and emergency services on the ground, including International Medical Corps and Save the Children. But that's not all! Aside from raising funds to support aid efforts, we also hope that our combined messages of strength in the face of adversity, of silver linings in storm clouds, will shine a light in these dark times, providing a brief respite in a time of crisis.

The Contributing Authors and Their Stories: 

Population 1 by Philip Allen Loring

Water Child by Julie Christine

Obaachan by Davin Malasarn

The Children of Sendai  by Lorraine Leo

The Last Geisha by Bat-Ami Gordin

A Place to Start by Gale Massey

Kansai Oniisan by C.N. Nevets

The Memory Box by Heather Parker

Tommy's Legacy by J.C. Martin

It Just Seemed the Thing to Do by Roland D. Yeomans

Floating House in the Fleeting World by Kirsty Logan

Thread by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Folding Hope by Cherie Reich

After the Floods by Sushma Joshi

If My Parents Don't Love Me (I'll Go Live With My Rats) by Stephen Conley

Kartar Singh's Birthday by Damyanti Ghosh

Final Solution by Lucy Cripps

Moving the Mountain by Aron White

A View of Fujiyama by J.R. McRae

Messenger by Jake Henegan

Wednesday's Writing Update: Anthologies, Submissions, Vlog, Acceptance, and More

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

It seems like the past week was busy. First, look to your left on the blog. Yep, I have over 300 followers. Wow. Thank you. I'm so humbled by this. You see, I started the year out with less than 50, so I'm still trying to process having so many followers.

Second, I had two short stories come out this week.

The first one is "Folding Hope" in Stories for Sendai. The paperback version is now available on Amazon here. The Kindle version should be coming shortly. We're having the official launch on June 30^th, so if you are planning to purchase a copy—you really should...it's great—then purchase it on the 30^th, so we can increase the exposure of this anthology on Amazon. 

The second one is for my "Phantom Kisses," published under my pseudonym Cherie Wolfe. It's a paranormal erotic piece published by DFE Quarterly in their Erotica Quarterly, Vol. 1 Issue 3. To purchase a copy, you can click here. It will soon be on Amazon and other distributors soon. 

I submitted three short stories on Monday to various anthologies, and I have ideas for about three more I want to write and submit within the next month. Of course, I'll have short stories for Raven and the Writing Desk, which has my part II of our three-part story up now. 

Of those three short stories, I heard back from one Tuesday night. My horror story "Wishes" finally has a home! Wicked East Press accepted it for their Under the Stairs anthology. 

I'm working on Virtuoso again, but it's been slow going to find time. I have review books to read and review, questions to write for interviewees, and the general blog posts here and there and other things. I still hope to get a lot done this week and over the long holiday weekend. *crosses fingers* I will also pick up more editing assignments after the holiday weekend.

By the way, did you see my first vlog entry yesterday? If you did, what did you think? I know the sound/picture didn't mesh well, but we'll blame it on my webcam. I might eventually do another one. Also, if you don't have time to watch the entire thing, you can watch the first couple minutes and hear how I pronounce my name and the inspiration behind "Folding Hope."  

So, what has been going on with everyone else? Anything exciting? Mundane?

Knowledge Tuesdays: Vlog - "Folding Hope" inspiration and How to Fold an Origami Crane

Hello, everyone! I have my very first vlog post today. I'm talking about the inspiration behind my story "Folding Hope" featured in Stories for Sendai and how to fold your own origami crane. So please watch and comment. I could probably use advice on how to make better vlog posts in the future. I will also post later this afternoon how to fold an origami crane with pictures in case you can't see the vlog but still want to learn.



Thank you for watching. If you have any problems with the video, let me know. It's my first one creating and putting up on YouTube.

I've been interviewed...

Join me on Stories for Sendai blog where I've been interviewed. My story "Folding Hope" will be within this anthology. The release date is June 30th. You can read my interview here.

Knowledge Tuesday: Japan: Three Months Later

On March 11, 2011, Japan sustained an earthquake and a tsunami which took thousands of lives, destroyed homes, and left a nuclear power plant unstable.

In my part of the U.S., they don’t talk much about what’s going on in Japan beyond a snippet here and there. It seems lately we’re experiencing the disaster of the week. I have friends who live in or have lived in Japan. I love their culture, their people and customs. So, I did some digging and found out what is still going on in their country.

Basically, they need our support.

On Forbes’ blog, they focus on what has happened to the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Three of six reactors are believed to have belted down. Radioactive seawater has spread; the fishing industry may never recover. People are still displaced and can’t return to their homes around the plant.

Progress is being made as they clear the debris left from the earthquake and tsunami. In this picture found here, you can see the recovery in just two months, but they have a long way to go.

The estimated cost in lives has neared 28,000...in clean-up hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Japanese are strong, resilient people. I believe they will overcome this, but it’ll take time, patience, and support.

My story “Folding Hope” is part of the Stories for Sendai anthology. The proceeds of this anthology will be donated to GlobalGiving. For more information, please visit the Stories for Sendai blog here.