Today, dear reader, is the day A has been dreading and looking forward to with equal measure. Today is the day Of Rice and Zen: The Memoirs of a Gaijin will be deleted from the internet.
The last two and a half years have been an unforgettable runaway mine-cart and it's no exaggeration to say that the author's life has changed beyond all recognition. As a souvenir of his Japan adventure A has decided to print his blog and photos into book form. It turns out a few of his friends were also interested in owning such an memento so he has decided to offer the book for sale to interested readers.
The BookThe blog has been re-edited, polished and collected into two volumes. All of the original photos and stories have been included, plus a few more that were considered a little too "something" at the time they were written. The story also continues beyond the blog. The last chapters of The Memoirs of a Gaijin are surprising to say the least and in an effort to prevent his mum from reading them A has decided to include them in the book for interested parties.
Of Rice and Zen: The Memoirs of a Gaijin - Volume 1 and
Of Rice and Zen: The Memoirs of a Gaijin - Volume 2 are full colour and professionally printed and bound. The books are soft-backed and the photography is faithfully recreated. A is very pleased with the quality of the print and hopes that his reader will enjoy having a keepsake of what has been an incredible journey.
The book will be available on this page soon.
The FutureFor anyone who would like to continue following A's activities online, Of Rice and Zen: The Memoirs of a Gaijin will morph into
Of Rice and Zen Studios. This can be considered A's online production empire consisting of an
online magazine and a
stock photography and vector design library. A has lost none of his obsession for Japan.
The MagazineThe
Of Rice and Zen Magazine consists of features and reviews, written for publication in ex-patriate publications in the Kyoto and Kansai area. Some will introduce Japanese culture to the uninitiated. Some will explore salient issues in modern Japan. Some will reflect on Japan's past. Some are simply enthusiastic tributes to products, restaurants, films and games that A dearly loves. All of them are written to enthuse and entertain. A sincerely hopes you enjoy them.
The PhotographyThe design wing will consist of a library of Japan-themed photography and design for sale. It is A's hope that he can create the ultimate library of Japanese stock photography. If you've ever wanted to use A's photography for a website, brochure, magazine or commercial, the stock photography library is your chance. After payment has been processed your desired shot in your requested size will automatically begin downloading in all its zipped, un-watermarked glory.
He also plans to offer a series of Japan photobooks for those who love Japanese culture and design, perhaps miss living in Kyoto or simply have a space on their coffee table that needs filling. He looks forward to unveiling the first of these very soon.
The Graphic DesignA is a keen illustrator and has also been working on Japan themed vector illustrations. Unlike photography, vector illustrations are constructed from a series of equations that redrawn live by your graphics software. This means they can be zoomed to any size with no loss of quality. All of the lines and edges will be reproduced, crisp and flawless, at whatever size you choose to publish or print.
If you have fallen in love with a photo and simply want a hard copy to keep we will also be implementing a feature to allow customers to order a
print block. These are boxes of various sizes to which a high quality print is attached. A hopes they'll make great gifts for Japan lovers or residents. They are a stylish and beautiful way to display your favourite photography and he hope you'll enjoy them as much as he does.
The LifestreamFor those masochists who want to hear more about the minutiae of A's day-to-day antics, there will also be a mobile blog, or
lifestream. Content will largely be produced on an Apple iPhone and the webpage will be powered by Jon Yongfook's excellent
Sweetcron software. It will alert you when A posts a photo of something Japanese and interesting to
Flickr, updates his
Twitter status
, favourites a
Youtube video or bookmarks an interesting link. It will not consist of the same kind of storytelling that characterised
Of Rice and Zen: The Memoirs of a Gaijin, but for friends and family who want to keep up-to-date with A's activities it may be of interest. This would not be necessary if A was any good at keeping in touch.
The GoodbyeA would like to apologise to any friends and family who he failed to email while he was confessing online and wants them to know that they're in his thoughts. He would also like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who has read or commented on
Of Rice and Zen: The Memoirs of a Gaijin since its inception. He has been delighted and touched by the support and friendship that has come his way since he started blogging. He's extremely glad to know that the world is full of open-hearted people who are generous in their praise. He would like to express his genuine love for each and every one of you.
He looks forward to seeing you at
Of Rice and Zen Studios.
