Japan project

I’ve never done this sort of thing before and I had reservations about posting this for some time, but thanks to the encouragement of my friends, I plucked up the courage to finally do it. I looked at GoFundMe several times and see a great many worthy causes, all of which make mine pale in comparison. My hope is that people can make some sort of connection and be able to help. I started a blog this year at www.tokyocoboy.wordpress.com . I started to write novels around March time last year, having finished the first two parts of a trilogy, first drafts and I am currently working on the final part. I mentioned in one of my posts an idea I had to do a six month tour of Japan, writing about the tourist destinations a minimum of five times per week. I am currently unemployed, which sets any plans to do this behind, and in reality it was something years away anyway and not something I would be willing to throw away a job to do. So around this time I am in a perfect position to go, but in no position to be able to pay for it. One of the things I mentioned in my blog was how scary the prospect of going is to me. I have suffered with major bouts of depression since 2003 and through counselling, I have been made aware of patterns of mind-sets that go along with this. I’ve wondered if it is perceptive of me to think that being separated from family and friends for six months would have a negative effect on me in this situation, being that I would essentially be a tourist, usually the happiest of times in most people’s lives. There is also a part of me that thinks this is just fear, a product of a negative thought pattern. This is something I also plan on exploring and will also construct a narrative around with the blog posts. THE PLAN To leave the UK in late March to stay in Nakano, Tokyo for one week, basically to re-acquaint myself with how the public transport system works in a place I am already familiar with. In April to stay in Kyoto for a month, primarily to look at the cherry blossom season at the foot of Arishiyama also to write about the sights and attractions in this historical city. May would be spent in Hiroshima, a city I visited previously for only one day, which upon reading more about it, has a great deal to offer, contrary to what I believed at the time. June would be a month in Osaka, again, a place I visited for only one day, but fell in love with. It seemed to be a blend of the madness that is found in Tokyo with the serenity of the neighbouring Kyoto. There seemed to be a lot to explore that we did not have the opportunity to at the time. July would be based in Sapporo in the Hokkaido district. Having never been north of Tokyo, I feel this would be a great starting point. August would see me in Sendai, another place I have not visited, but seems to have a great deal to offer. The rest of the trip would be based in central Tokyo, where every corner unveils a new discovery.   I wouldn’t wish to restrict myself to a particular city only. This proposals are merely a base. Japan has tremendous public transport and it will be easy to visit regions on the outskirts to take pictures and find areas to write about. I feel that the journey would be an interesting read and frequently get told I have an engaging writing style and I consider myself to have a decent sense of humour, so it would be a flat description of what I see on any day, the blog would be about how it made me feel and if I could recommend it to others. I’m not one of the types that instantly thinks everything Japanese is awesome, I have been critical in an 8 part piece I wrote in the past. Also with no sponsorship or any funding from a corporation, it means everything will be relentlessly honest. GoFundMe seemed the best place to look for funding. Cursory costings showed that I would need around £60,000 to complete the entire trip. I know this is a great deal of money and at first I thought I had made a mistake somewhere, but taking into account entrance fees to places, rent to be paid back home whilst gone and general expenses, it all mounted up. Of course if I don’t reach the goal, it isn’t necessarily the end. For example, if half of it is achieved, I would make the trip over 3 months instead, or try to stretch it out for as long as I could. What can I offer in return? Very little I am afraid. E-mail thankyous and constant updates would be a given. The blog itself will be quite wordy though, so if the goal is reached and the trip comes to fruition, then there will be at least two moderate sized books worth of content to come out of it. My blog shows from my previous posts, I do provide content for the readers. Any donations I receive over £100 will be able to pick destinations for me to visit in the regions I am staying at the time and would also be mentioned in the blog that it was their choice too. Thanks for reading this missive. I hope you can help not only fund this trip, but allowing me to get a leg up in the writing industry by helping me to create more content in the future. https://tokyocowboy.wordpress.com/2017/08/02/japan-visit-part-1/