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This has been a tough summer for me and most of my colleagues. Budgets have been slashed, jobs have been cut, things have definitely changed. And yet I still believe Tokyo is a great place to "reinvent" yourself. It may take more work and time because of language and cultural "adjustments." But it is possible to thrive here if you are willing to put the effort into carving out your own unique niche.

For those of us roughing it out in Tokyo this summer, we've exchanged stories of how "tough" it is: Jobs being canceled, not enough work coming in, phones not ringing. Yes, it is true; things slow down in August in Japan as everyone flees the heat. But for those of you who braved it and who may be surviving by your wits, I say: Go a step farther.

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. 

Hello all!

Although it may seem that I have vanished from the face of the earth, I have been putting all my FIT principles into action and work has been coming in and opportunities have been falling out of the sky. In addition to an unusual rush of voice work, I am now also in the process of preparing to make two films. Although the films are self-produced, the point is that showing up at networking events, staying in touch, working my meishi and making sure I stay in contact with people on my list has enabled me to pursue my dream: keep working freelance and be able to fund my own creative projects. 

Hello All!

I hope you are embracing spring in Tokyo... it's really taken a while for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds, but soon enough it will be here in "full swing" (one of the phrases I constantly encountered during my many FIT proofreading jobs), so, enjoy it while you can.