In Person

I’ve mentioned Metropolis Magazine a few times in these posts. It’s a Tokyo based English language magazine I do some freelance writing for, most recently an article about Rita Taketsuru. Metropolis is that rare thing in Japan, a magazine aimed at ex-pats that is worth reading. Some of them are little more than a collectionContinue reading “In Person”

Rita Taketsuru née Cowan

A new soap opera has just started in Japan called Massan and is (loosely) based on the life of Rita Cowan from Kirkintilloch, Scotland. In 1920 she married a Japanese student Masataka Taketsuru and the couple moved to Japan. Together they founded Nikka Whisky, one of the Japanese distilleries that still regularly wins international awardsContinue reading “Rita Taketsuru née Cowan”

5 a day and a studio of one’s own.

Four hours from now (as I write) I will launch my novel First Time Solo at Waterstones in Aberdeen. I’ve seen people like Iain Banks, Janice Galloway and Alan Spence read there and I’m still finding it hard to believe I’ll be doing the same today. I’m cacking myself. Luckily a well-timed email from MetropolisContinue reading “5 a day and a studio of one’s own.”

Mothercoat

Mothercoat, one of my favourite bands, are back in Japan after a triumphant series of shows in and around SXSW in Texas, USA. Here’s a review of their latest EP ‘5-1+1=’ I wrote for Metropolis Magazine. I’ll be interviewing them again soon but if you can’t wait that long, here’s the interview I did withContinue reading “Mothercoat”