It’s been a few weeks since I have written on this blog. This usually happens about this time of year. We get from the end of the school year and then need to prep for the beginning of the next school year. From January through the end of March, Kazuyo and I are insanely busy. Each day’s work starts as soon as we open our eyes in the morning and the day rages around us and work continues until the moment we crash on our pillows.

In terms of people coming to Kagawa these days there has been a lot of concern around the world of the corona virus. Schools are closed, kids are home ignoring their homework, and there is panic shopping for masks, hand sanitizers, and even toilet paper. You’d think that the world is coming to an end.

Well, not just yet. It is true that the corona virus is something that you probably do not want to get. I’m hoping that we can hold off on getting exposed to the corona virus until a vaccination is available to make it all less scary. In the meantime we will try to stay safe, clean, wash our hands, and be sensible about health, and all other matters too. We also have no intention of freaking out or panicking. Nothing good will come of that, and it is a bit sad to see the media going so crazy with their 24 hour a day broadcast of everything corona. I’m optimistic we will come through this in the end.

So, that is the unhappy news. The happy news is that we have been involved quite a bit in local promotion activities that have a lot of promise and potential. We have been working with the 114 Bank’s Economic Advisory Council this last year and that has been an eye-opening experience. I’m grateful for the time we had together and hope that our contribution to the project has been a good one, and will provide a bit of guidance and perspective to the overall direction. Time will tell how our collective work will take shape over the next year. I’m also grateful for some recent work we are doing in Western Shikoku. I can’t talk too much about it yet, but please expect a flood of promotional articles on some very cool things that can be experienced there.

And there is one more thing that is quietly and quickly brewing. We have a very good collaboration in the works now with a couple of incredibly talented and deeply kind people. We are just about ready to launch a new project together that we hope will be a very unique and specific kind of pipeline for people who have longed dreamed to make memories and have experiences in Deep Japan. That too is coming soon.

So, while the corona virus is doing whatever it is viruses do, we will continuing doing the jobs that we need to. There is so much to explore and discover in Shikoku. Our job is to let people know about it, and to also try to prepare and make ways for them to come easily and smoothly.

In the meantime I will just go and wash my hands and run down to the local drugstore to do some binge shopping. Just kidding about the shopping. But I will wash my hands.

Have a great day. Stay safe. Stay sane.

Mark