Last year I stepped up to co-edit a cool indie zine called the TRAM (a.k.a. Toyama’s Random-Ass Magazine) here in Toyama, and our latest issue went live a few days ago. In addition to covering local places around Toyama (restaurants, tourist spots, etc.) we publish writing and art, cool articles about Japanese culture, and whatever random stuff we can. The latest issue features a Japanese rock music column, an essay about the suppression of dialects in rural Japan, and three pages of paintings by local artists.
If you’re interested in Japan or just want to check out one of my many side projects, you can read the issue online here.
I also write a regular column for the TRAM called Let’s Talk About Japan Books! where I share cool books by Japanese writers and books about Japan in general. The latest one is about one of my personal favorites, Kobo’s Abe’s 1962 novel The Woman in the Dunes, an existential story about a man who’s trapped in a sandpit with no hope of escape. (Spoiler Alert: The sandpit is a metaphor for everyday life.) It also covers my trip to the sand dunes of Tottori prefecture last year, with cool sand pictures like the cover photo on this post. Here’s the direct link to my column!
The TRAM is a publication of the Toyama chapter of AJET (Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching), a support group for JET Programme members like me. While the organization started as a pseudo-union that fought for foreign teachers’ rights, they now mostly provide support like counseling and advice for living abroad, plus plan fun stuff like trips and events. I co-edited this issue with Amy Ether, and Diane Huynh and Noah Medeiros did the designing.
I like working on the TRAM because, one, it’s fun, two, it serves as an actual resource for my fellow expats, and three, it gives people in and around Toyama an outlet to share some pretty cool stuff. Sharing cool stuff is a big part of the reason I started writing, and sharing other people’s cool stuff helps fill that niche too ;-)
I’ve also discovered in recent years that I really enjoy collaborating, and in addition to producing some awesome results, working on the TRAM has helped me deepen some working relationships as we move together toward a common goal—you know, a bit of the old networking and the like ;-)
So check out the issue if you haven’t already—it’s free to read online, and you just might find something cool inside.