For those who have been following me for the past few years on social media, know that a change comes to the website every year. Sometimes its removing something, while other times, its adding something. This year, I’m adding a new part to the website that came out of two things that happened in 2022.
As we all know, Japan finally opened back up to tourists in October 2022. The news, by itself, is amazing, however if you were like me, doom scrolling through Instagram Reels during that time, you ended up getting a bit down. I would love nothing more than to go, for (surprise!) I’ve never been to country whose history I study every day. I always joked and said that I was trying to reach Japan by going through Europe, a place I’ve been to three times now.
Yet, it got me thinking. There are probably a lot of us out there that would love to go to Japan but are stuck in their home country because of finances. In response to that, I began thinking about how I could bring Japan to me. Yet, I wouldn’t get the idea for a blog until I learned something about my home state.
My brother spotted some sake in a liquor store close to him and pointed out to me that it was made right here in the Bluegrass State. Now, most people outside of the United States don’t really know much about Kentucky, except for KFC and maybe our bourbon, which is fine. We tend to get eclipsed by places like New York, Florida, Texas and California. Yet even I, who’s lived here my whole life, didn’t expect there to be a sake brewery in my own backyard. Learning about The Void Sake Company made me realize that there has been an untapped opportunity for the website that I failed to consider until now. There are places I can visit here that can give me the feeling of being in Japan, even if it’s just for a moment. That’s where the Blog comes in.
In short, The Blog for the Sengoku Archives, is going to be a permanent section of the website dedicated to almost everything Japanese. To expand on this, this section of the website will not be as academic as the history posts, or even the reviews for that matter. Articles posted here will talk about things such as food, holidays, culture and even places to visit with some history tied in. Not all of it will trace back to the Sengoku Jidai, but to all parts of Japanese history. Sometimes, it might, though. If all goes well this year, I would like to make the trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the site of the largest battle fought on American soil, and the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. This battlefield just so happens to be the sister battlefield to Sekigahara in Japan, and there is a whole page dedicated to both of these significant battles on this website that I hope to expand upon this year.
It will also be a place for some “stories” (personal experiences) and opinions on things like films and books regarding Japan, increasing the number of articles that are put out on the website. While the main focus of the Sengoku Archives is the history of the Sengoku Jidai, even after fifteen years of study, I still don’t know much. It’s a large subject, spanning over one hundred fifty years of history. A lot of research is needed for some of these subjects and then I have to put it all together in my own words and make it coherent for my audience. Having things like “stories” or even top ten lists, will help produce articles in between research and writing the book, which has taken up a lot of my time as of late.
All of this is to help further the website to reach the ultimate goal: to be able to write about Japanese history full time. Constantly writing and researching will better me as a writer and will make me a better researcher as well, which means better content for you, my readers. If I’m lucky, perhaps I can make it as a full-time writer and get to Japan. A girl can dream, right?