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For those in the foreign community in Tokyo who are not fluent in Japanese, it is important to remember that when it comes to health issues, we need to reach out and help each other.

Hello All,

I hope you are enjoying the rainy weather. I'm from California, so the rain is a treat for me. I also enjoy it because I know what's around the corner: hot, hotter and hottest. Get your cool-gel packs now!

Good day, all.

I have a few thoughts to share with those of you who have joined the FIT experience. Last year I spent a lot of time trying to boost spirits, encourage, cheer people on, motivate; you get the picture. But it has occurred to me that that is not enough to help people who are attempting to create their own fantastic freelancing journey in Tokyo. What I think may be of more value is to tell you more real-life experiences, not just mine, but yours, if you care to share them. The idea is to help others and to make the life/work experience in Japan a deeply enriching one. 

Hello All:

It's hard to believe we are coming to the close of 2010. Is it just me or does it seem that days are flying by faster than they ever did? One way or the other, we got here from there and I hope most of you had a smooth ride of it.

Many of you have escaped Japan for the summer, and I cannot blame you. It's HOT. Although, this summer has held many surprises -- extra typhoons bringing in much needed rain and some powerful gusts of wind. Beautiful sunny days followed by remnants of June's rainy season. Like elsewhere in the world, the weather in Tokyo (and Japan) is unpredictable these days... and so, as most of you are experiencing, is the economy.

Hello All!

I hope you are doing whatever you can to stay cool in Tokyo's "heat-island" summer.

When I began writing "Freelancing in Tokyo," there were signs that the Japanese economy was "slipping." The bounty of well-paying jobs for native-English speakers in Japan was very slowly becoming a dearth. However, I believed (and still do) that opportunities abound here for freelancers, which is why I decided to finish the book. Even at publication time, the number of foreigners coming to make a go of it in Tokyo was continuing to grow.

Last night we had an excellent Freelancing in Tokyo networking night at Kimono Wine Bar & Grill. Not only was the food great (as always), it was the first time that everyone had their business cards on them; as such, we were able to connect the Japanese way, via meishi koukan (exchanging business cards).

I have posted a picture of these "lucky cats" because all of them have their eyes closed and they look like they are waving goodbye. This is not the usual "lucky" cats you see in Japan, but they seem appropriate for this post.

In the 17 years I have lived in Japan, this is the first time I have seen an article about the poor handling of foreign talent by Tokyo talent agencies. Although I wrote about things of this nature in my book, I do not (yet) have the wide readership of The Japan Times, which ran the article, or, more importantly, Facebook, which is where a FB friend posted the article.

"Go for it!"

That tired old phrase still has some kick, because that's what I've been doing and it's the reason I've not been able to get back to my blog as frequently as I'd like.

What I've discovered (and hopefully what you've discovered too) is that putting yourself out there, staying in touch, making your presence known... this is one way to stay on top of a down economy.