A Visit to Magome, Japan

Last November I spent four nights in the preserved post town of Magome, which was one of the rest stations on the Kisoji and Nakasendo travel roads during Japan’s medieval era. Today, Magome (like neighboring Tsumago) offers Japanese and foreign tourists a chance to step back in time and see how people lived in samurai-era Japan. From Nakatsugawa, I took a bus to the “lower entrance” of Magome: Cars and buses are not allowed on the street; visitors who want to see Magome, or visit its shops and restaurants, must walk. This can be challenging for visitors staying in one of the local minshuku (family inns, smaller than ryokan,

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The Power – and Importance – of “No.”

Many authors spend years (in some cases, decades) developing craft and pursuing the dream of publication. Authors who wish to pursue traditional publication spend time and energy seeking an agent or publishing deal, and rejoice when the offer finally comes. However, all publishing offers (and offers of agency representation) are not equal – and a bad or predatory offer is worse than having no agent or publishing deal at all. As a publishing attorney, I often have to advise excited authors that the deals they’re offered are inappropriate (non-standard or predatory). This makes me sad. To be clear: I’m not advising authors to walk away

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The Gardens of Magome

While visiting Magome-juku, a preserved post town in the Japan Alps (and formerly a post town on the Nakasendo and Kisoji travel roads), I appreciated the care the shopkeepers took with the tiny but manicured gardens located in front of many shops. The garden featured a decorative water wheel, hearkening back to the time when real water wheels provided power for the town. Unlike the more strictly manicured gardens found at shrines and temples, these were clearly decorative but personal gardens featuring local trees and flowers that the owners kept trimmed but allowed to grow in more natural, informal styles. Despite their

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Magome: a Town From Japan’s Medieval Past

During my recent research trip to Japan I spent four days in Magome-juku, a preserved post town on the Nakasendo travel road that was once a popular northern travel route between Edo (now Tokyo) and Kyoto. Although not as famous as its southern counterpart, the Tōkaidō, the Nakasendo was the primary northern route for people and goods during the Edo period (1603-1868). The road had 69 stations, or post towns, where visitors could stop for the night (or for a meal). (I’ll blog more about Magomechaya in the days to come, but I recommend it highly for visitors wanting to spend a night in Magome or to

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The Futon – Traditional Japanese Bedding

Traditionally, Japanese people did not sleep on raised beds or thick mattresses the way many Westerners did (and do).  Traditionally, Japanese people slept on futon – a type of thin mattress rested directly on the tatami floor, which was laid out for use at night and rolled up or folded away in a chest or closet during the day. Americans often think a buckwheat-hull pillow will be less comfortable than a feather pillow, or that a futon has too little padding to make it a comfortable place to sleep. However, most people find that Japanese-style bedding is actually very comfortable to sleep on. (I like it better

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Query Procedures – And Why Authors Should Follow Them Closely

I’ve been on legal blogging hiatus over the holidays, but today, I’m returning with a post about the importance of following posted procedures when querying agents and publishing houses. When querying agents or publishers, it’s critical that authors follow the posted submission or query guidelines exactly.  Authors are often tempted to deviate from posted guidelines, either to shoehorn multiple queries into a single cover letter, to make querying “easier,” or for other reasons. DO NOT DO THIS. EVER. Literary agents and publishing houses do not create query guidelines to make authors’ lives difficult – or even to make their own lives “easy.” (Reviewing tens of

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