Late last month I did a presentation at the Japan Writers Conference in Kobe. The topic of my talk: writing on sensitive subjects here in Japan. I used that bit of activism that took place earlier this year (the successful petition to stop Fuji TV from airing a modern-day minstrel show, with Japanese performing black music adorned in blackface, white gloves, etc.) as the centerpiece of the talk.
The presentation was well received. I felt inspired standing there before my fellow Japan writers, not only because I had the opportunity to share ideas with other creative people living here, but because of what had happened earlier that day.
To put it briefly, Kobe happened!
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.