September 2011 Japan Blog Matsuri: Call for Submissions!

September 3, 2011

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already September! This month, I am proud to host the Japan Blog Matsuri, a monthly blogging showcase that has been around since February 2007. Each month, the designated host comes up with a Japan-related theme, and invites anyone and everyone to participate by writing a relevant blog post. At the end of the month, the host collects all of the submissions and features them in a single post, showcasing the creativity and diversity of the bloggers involved. It’s a great way to share your blog with new people. Last month’s matsuri was hosted by Super Happy Awesome on the topic of “Summer Lovin’.”

Anyone is welcome to participate, and the guidelines are very simple, so keep reading!

This Month’s Theme: “Reasons to Visit Japan”

This month’s theme is “Reasons to Visit Japan.” This year has been particularly challenging for Japan due to the March 11 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. Although much work still needs to be done in terms of reconstruction and policy reform, the country and its people have persevered and provided constant reminders of the things that make Japan such a special place. So, this month the theme is very broad. Places, people, food, sports, events, customs, seasons, abstract concepts or feelings—you name it, it’s fair game. What makes Japan a place worth experiencing? You tell us!

At the end of the month, I’m hoping to have a collection of your posts that will help me convince all of my friends to come visit me—maybe even Japan’s tourism officials will pick up a thing or two. ;)

Rules & Guidelines

Participating is easy! Everyone is encouraged to contribute. You don’t need to be living in Japan to take part, nor does your blog have to be about Japan. Your post doesn’t even have to be very long—you can just share a picture and a few words (or you can write a novel!). There are a few simple rules:

Your submission should abide by the Japan Blog Matsuri Rules and Guidelines(this page also has some helpful hints for writing your post, as well as some banner images for the Japan Blog Matsuri, if you’d like to use them)
It should be relevant to this month’s theme: “Reasons to Visit Japan”
It must contain at least one picture related to the topic
It should contain a link back to this website
It should be received by the deadline: Saturday, Sept 24 at midnight, Tokyo time

How to Submit an Article

Just leave a comment on this post with a link to your article!

Deadline

Saturday, September 24 at midnight (Tokyo time)

I hope that many people will contribute to this month’s Japan Blog Matsuri. Tell your friends and advertise your own posts through Twitter (tagged #jbmatsuri), Facebook, Google+, or whatever you use. Let’s make this the biggest edition yet!

Some Past Editions of the Japan Blog Matsuri

July 2011: Japanese Drinks @ NihongoUp
May 2011: I Can-Ji @ Nippon The Bus
April 2011: Education in Japan @ NihongoUp
March 2011: Faces of Japan @ Haikugirl’s Japan
February 2011: Famous Japanese Events @ loneleeplanet

Note: The results of the September 2011 Japan Blog Matsuri were posted on September 30, 2011. Click here to read 23 incredibly diverse submissions by a group of talented bloggers!