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It's definitely too bad you ended up so far out in the inaka. My girlfriend studied at Kumamoto and the time I spent there with her was absolutely a blast... t

It's definitely too bad you ended up so far out in the inaka. My girlfriend studied at Kumamoto and the time I spent there with her was absolutely a blast... the furthest I've been out was somewhere in Gunma that you could only get to via diesel trolley, and I can't imagine actually living there, despite being only an hour from a large group of people. I did smile -- well, grin like an idiot -- when I saw "Candy Japan." That's you? Congratulations! That's a very cool service, and the first time I read about it I was both impressed and very jealous.

bemmu 14y ago
Thanks! I've been meaning to make an updated post about the Candy Japan stuff too, but not much has really changed. Still sending candy envelopes each month, mostly to those people who originally subscribed through HN plus some random people who find it through Google. Trend is slight decline though.
- obviouslygreen 14y ago
  Hm. Are you familiar with Danny Choo[1]? I talked to him briefly about some work a while back; very nice, down to earth guy, and he's absolutely huge with Japanophiles. If you can either trade work or get him interested in your service, a little promotion from him would go a very, very long way. [1]Could be mildly NSFW for those in an office: http://www.dannychoo.com/ http://www.dannychoo.com/
  - albertoavila 14y ago
    Kirai[1] is also huge on the spanish speaking otaku communities, could be helpful if you get him to write a blog entry about your service. He also lives on japan, and last time i read his blog he worked on twitter. http://www.kirainet.com/ http://www.kirainet.com/
    - bemmu 14y ago
      So far in my experience, cold-contacting bloggers doesn't really work. Also, it makes me feel like a pest to try it. Perhaps if I got an introduction or met them at an event I might have better luck.
  - bemmu 14y ago
    He seems like such a celebrity that I didn't dare to dream that there might be a way to get him to mention the service.
    - obviouslygreen 14y ago
      Dream it! Just don't necessarily expect much and at least you'll know you've tried. I dropped him an email about some work he was advertising and didn't hear back for something like six months, but he did get back. If you put together something brief, professional, and interesting, it could be worth a shot, and it'll only take an hour or so of your time. Since you're actually in-country, you also have a big advantage: He makes all sorts of appearances; if you can coordinate a trip to match something he's doing, you could always just stop in with a business card and say hi. Not to say anything would definitely come of it, of course... but it seems like a pretty good upside with a fairly minimal investment. Could be worthwhile.
verisimilidude 14y ago
I lived in both Tokyo and middle-of-nowhere Gunma. While I love Tokyo, middle-of-nowhere Gunma was even more enjoyable. In particular, the bonds I formed with other foreigners out in Gunma were notable. When you see another foreigner in Tokyo, it's barely worth turing your head. But it's a special occasion out in Gunma—that almost begs for interaction. "What the hell are you doing out here?" And so on. All the incredible wilderness, all the great hot springs, all the weird people, and you're still just 45 minutes away from Takasaki, and a few more from Tokyo. Here in SV, it takes me 45 minutes just to cross the stupid Dumbarton Bridge to get from Fremont to Stanford. There's a lot to miss in Gunma by comparison.
- philsnow 14y ago
  Here in SV, it takes me 45 minutes just to cross the stupid Dumbarton Bridge to get from Fremont to Stanford. There's a lot to miss in Gunma by comparison. The lack of good public transit is probably going to be the reason I eventually leave California. I've spent 27 years of my life here, and most of that in the bay area, but I don't love it here.

bemmu 14y ago

Thanks! I've been meaning to make an updated post about the Candy Japan stuff too, but not much has really changed. Still sending candy envelopes each month, mostly to those people who originally subscribed through HN plus some random people who find it through Google. Trend is slight decline though.

obviouslygreen 14y ago
Hm. Are you familiar with Danny Choo[1]? I talked to him briefly about some work a while back; very nice, down to earth guy, and he's absolutely huge with Japanophiles. If you can either trade work or get him interested in your service, a little promotion from him would go a very, very long way. [1]Could be mildly NSFW for those in an office: http://www.dannychoo.com/ http://www.dannychoo.com/
- albertoavila 14y ago
  Kirai[1] is also huge on the spanish speaking otaku communities, could be helpful if you get him to write a blog entry about your service. He also lives on japan, and last time i read his blog he worked on twitter. http://www.kirainet.com/ http://www.kirainet.com/
  - bemmu 14y ago
    So far in my experience, cold-contacting bloggers doesn't really work. Also, it makes me feel like a pest to try it. Perhaps if I got an introduction or met them at an event I might have better luck.
- bemmu 14y ago
  He seems like such a celebrity that I didn't dare to dream that there might be a way to get him to mention the service.
  - obviouslygreen 14y ago
    Dream it! Just don't necessarily expect much and at least you'll know you've tried. I dropped him an email about some work he was advertising and didn't hear back for something like six months, but he did get back. If you put together something brief, professional, and interesting, it could be worth a shot, and it'll only take an hour or so of your time. Since you're actually in-country, you also have a big advantage: He makes all sorts of appearances; if you can coordinate a trip to match something he's doing, you could always just stop in with a business card and say hi. Not to say anything would definitely come of it, of course... but it seems like a pretty good upside with a fairly minimal investment. Could be worthwhile.

verisimilidude 14y ago

I lived in both Tokyo and middle-of-nowhere Gunma. While I love Tokyo, middle-of-nowhere Gunma was even more enjoyable. In particular, the bonds I formed with other foreigners out in Gunma were notable. When you see another foreigner in Tokyo, it's barely worth turing your head. But it's a special occasion out in Gunma—that almost begs for interaction. "What the hell are you doing out here?" And so on. All the incredible wilderness, all the great hot springs, all the weird people, and you're still just 45 minutes away from Takasaki, and a few more from Tokyo. Here in SV, it takes me 45 minutes just to cross the stupid Dumbarton Bridge to get from Fremont to Stanford. There's a lot to miss in Gunma by comparison.

philsnow 14y ago
Here in SV, it takes me 45 minutes just to cross the stupid Dumbarton Bridge to get from Fremont to Stanford. There's a lot to miss in Gunma by comparison. The lack of good public transit is probably going to be the reason I eventually leave California. I've spent 27 years of my life here, and most of that in the bay area, but I don't love it here.