Forget the Year

Kyoto from Daimonjiyama

First up, an apology. Readers who have been with me from the start (2021) will have had a sense of deja vu over the last three weeks. The Christmas excerpts from In the Shadow of Piper Alpha and Life is Elsewhere/Burn Your Flags were originally posted that winter. I revived them for three reasons. Firstly, at that time my subscribers were in single fingers and while some of you may have gone back to the start and read through all the posts, I assume most haven’t. We’re in triple digits now, so I figured there was a good chance many of you had missed out on the festivities. Secondly, it’s always worth reminding people that there are books out there to be bought and read, especially at a time of giving. Finally, I have been so damned busy the last couple of months that I had nothing to write about (other than work, and no one wants to read that) and little time in which to do it. As the Japanese academic years winds to a close, I things are beginning to loosen up, hence, new words.

In the new year I will do a bit of a round up about culture I have consumed in 2024. My usual Japan Times article about Japanese literature coming in the next 12 months isn’t happening. Not sure whether they got someone else to do it, or if no one is doing it, but either way I am not, so I’ll probably put something up here that scratches that itch. My Metropolis column also seems dead in the water so my outlet for Japanese literature articles is down to Substack and little else (if anyone out there fancies a J-Lit column, let me know).

I recently appeared on the Writers Read Their Early Shit podcast hosted by my friend Jason Emde. It was a rambling four-hour Zoom chat that he somehow managed to edit down to about 45 minutes. I’m not a good judge of whether what I’m saying is interesting or coherent but I’m assured by others that it’s a not bad listen. You can get it from all the usual pod vendors and I will also release it as a podcast through Substack. Jason and I have a project in the works which I’m excited about but it’s too early to share.

Another project on the go is Red Flag Waltz’s new album. We got the bones of 7 songs done over the summer before our drummer and his wife had a kid which obviously put everything on hold. Plans are afoot in the new year to finish recording, flesh out the album, and play some shows. I can’t wait. We haven’t played live since May and haven’t played together at all since August and that is far, far too long. We’re having a 忘年会 (bonenkai, literally forget the year) party today (28th) so as you read this an izakaya in Nagoya is hosting the end of the Red Flag Waltz hiatus.

So yes, things are moving, plans are afoot, time is being set aside for finishing writing projects and I’m hoping to revamp this Substack and introduce a paid subscription level with zero repeats and a few serialised projects, if I can just work out the logistics and make it value for money.

Until then, enjoy the end of the calendar year in whatever way you see fit. For Hogmanay, Minori and I are going to my friend’s restaurant then an early night before climbing the local mountain to see the sunrise, perhaps with a hip flask of whisky to keep us warm. A bracing drink in bracing weather as we brace ourselves for what 2025 decides to throw at us. Happy Hogmanay.