世論 What Japan Thinks

All the winners have been contacted, but I’m too busy having a holiday to do much – please bare with me as we look at mini-reviews of all the blogs that didn’t quite make it. Last up is the personal blogs. This is the hardest to review by definition, as one just might not find someone else’s life interesting! Fortunately for me, all the blogs here do not fall into the uninteresting category.

Rocking in Hakata: I’m a fan of this blog and this blogger – a very interesting look at a slice of life somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Next time he comes to the Kansai I’ll have to get him to buy me a drink.

Watashi to Tokyo / Mari’s Diary: Another blog I’m a big fan of. She rounds-up news from both Japan and abroad with short summaries of the stuff that tickles her fancy. Her blog has a nice and simple clean design, and it always brightens up my day when she posts.

Blue Lotus: This is a blog that’s new to me! It revolves mostly around food and photography. A very personal slice of her life is presented in words and pictures, so please visit and see if it takes your fancy.

jeansnow.net: I must admit that when I first saw this blog I read the title as “Jeans Now”, which struck me as a rather odd name for a blog on Japan… An excellently designed blog, as one would expect from someone who follows design and pop culture in Japan. Lots of interesting stuff, including reviews of latest magazine issues in assorted genres. Lots to learn about here!

I noticed with these four sites also that they all had their RSS feed buttons hidden away; the use of feeds is really the best way to get loyal readers, so I think they should move their buttons a bit further up the pages – having said that, jeansnow.net has over 2,000 readers regardless, so take all my advice with a pinch of salt!