It has been almost three years since I last made a post here on DailyKos. It’s not that I didn’t want to post, it was the fact that I was unable to.
In 2013 I was arrested by the Japanese National Police agency for violating the Cannabis Laws of Japan and sentenced to two and a half years in Fukuoaka Prison, which was one of the worst experiences of my life. I can say from experience that the Japanese prison system is one of the most abusive and brutal, especially psychologically damaging. It is truly the dark side of Japanese society, one that the average Japanese never thinks about or takes into consideration.
So why did I violate the Japanese cannabis laws? What caused me to go down that path? Well part of the reason for this diary is that I’ve written a book about my experiences between 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima incident occurred and how these events changed my life in ways I could have never imagined when they were happening. I am calling this book The Japanese Cannabis Chronicles and I’ve written a small blurb to give potential readers an idea of what the book is all about. Here it is:
The Japanese Cannabis Chronicles
How far would you go to protect your family? What would you be willing to do to keep them safe?
After losing his job as a corporate recruiter on the same day as the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and facing the terrifying threat of the Fukushima Nuclear Complex on the verge of a full meltdown Michael makes a deal with a Yakuza loan shark in order to send his pregnant wife and young son off to safety.
But when you make a deal with the devil, things are never as simple as they seem.
In this true story, told in his own words, the author takes us on a journey into the heart of the Japanese underworld and gives us a glimpse of the brutality of the Japanese prison system; a side of Japan not found in any tourist guidebook and a view rarely seen by foreigners. In the end, will he be able to save his family? Or will he lose everything he fought for?
I know there are quite a few authors who are on this site and I would love any advice that anyone could give as I finish the final re-write on my manuscript and get ready to try and find a literary agent and try and get this book published. I’ve been considering putting the first 100 or so pages online to drum up interest, but I’m not really sure if this is a good plan or not. Love to get some expert advice.
The second part of this diary is the fact that I no longer live in Tokyo (or Japan for that matter) and therefore my username “ProgressiveTokyo” really isn't appropriate. Im not comfortable using my real name at this point (mainly because of the subject matter of cannabis and how my views on its decriminalization could impact my regular employment) so I’m looking to change my username and would love some great suggestions and some advice on how to change my name.
Its so good to be back home and I’m really excited to be back in time for the upcoming election which I’ll be posting diaries about in the near future for sure.
Looking forward to any comments or advice from this amazing community. Cheers everyone!