It is the beginning of May, meaning that temperate weather and the Golden Week holidays are upon us in Japan. However, this year is not quite the same as other years, we must do our best to stay away from crowds and the usual tourist spots are closed while we work together to flatten the Covid19 curve. This means we are spending more time than usual in our homes and we are all probably looking for things to do. With that in mind, I have a special treat for you this month on the AFWJ Blog — rather than just one blog post this month, we are bringing you a short series of posts with links to articles featuring our members. 

The first article we are going to feature this month appeared in the culture section of The Japan Times and was written by our current President Louise George Kittaka. AFWJ has been blessed with quite a few writers and one of our members, Rebecca Otowa has just published her third book titled The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper and Other Short Stories, this article reveals how she finds inspiration for her work. Click on the title to read the article:

'The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper': What to do when you lose your shoes? Find them and write

Have a safe Golden Week, stay home and stay healthy. We at AFWJ hope you and all of your loved ones are doing well during this difficult pandemic period. Check back next weekend for the next post in our series about AFWJ in the news. 

~S.Suzuyama