Benjamin Martin's Blog: More Things Writing, page 41

Crystal Kite in Tokyo

This past weekend I was in Tokyo to attend and speak at the 2013 SCBWI Japan Showcase. While I was there, I was presented with the 2013 Crystal Kite award for the Asia/India/Middle East region. My debut novel Samurai Awakening … Continue reading →

First Giveaway for Revenge of the Akuma Clan

The launch date for my second novel Revenge of the Akuma Clanthe sequel to the award-winningSamurai Awakeningis fast approaching. Here’s your chance at an early copy. The very first signed hard copy of this great new YA novel. Enter below … Continue reading →

2013 Kanegusuku Festival and Shishimai

Every few years at the largest full moon of the year there is a small festival in the Kanegusuku area of Kume Island. As with many events in Okinawa, the date of the event is based on the kyureki (lunar) … Continue reading →

2013 Gima Obon Festival

Obon in Japan takes place at different times throughout the year. In Okinawa it took place over three days from August 29-21. On the second night, communities throughout Kume Island celebrate together. Since all of the small festivals take place … Continue reading →

2013 Kume Island Ha-ri-

The Ha-ri- races are a yearly event on Kume Island. This year they took place on June 12 at three locations around the island.  This year I stuck to the Maja area where locals and students gathered together for a … Continue reading →

2013 Kume Island Festival Day 2

August 18 schedule Time Event 16:30-18:00 Okinawan Sumo Competition 17:45-18:15 Charachter Show – Masked Wizards 18:20-18:40 Award Ceremony 18:45-19:05 Tunnaha Eisa 19:10-19:30 Student Performance 19:35-19:50 Kumejima’s Tourism ‘Lady’ Introduction 19:55-20:25 Raffle Drawing 20:30-21:30 Special Live Concert – Dynamites 21:30~ Fireworks … Continue reading →

2013 Kume Island Festival Day 1

Every year, Kume Island hosts a two-day festival in August, usually right before the Okinawan obon holidays. This year, the festival took place on August 18th and 19th. While many of the events, booths, and entertainments were similar to last … Continue reading →

Amegoui – Prayers for Rain

Since the end of the rainy season early this year, the weather on Kume Island has been full of clear sunny days. While it makes for great sight-seeing and beach-going, it has been a hard year for farmers, with little … Continue reading →

Announcing Revenge of the Akuma Clan

The sequel to my award-winning debut novelSamurai Awakeningwill be published in just a few short weeks. I’ve taken over my own blog to ask you, my readers to help get the word out and keep More Things Japanese going. First … Continue reading →

The End of JET- Five Years in Japan

First off, thank you for reading and being a part of More Things Japanese. I started this blog back in 2010 to put some of my experiences into writing. It’s move around a bit and I’ve changed my posting schedule … Continue reading →