I bet you are wondering WHY I am online this weekend (I am kind of on a health vacation). Well, I just realized that two years ago today, April 16 2004, I got the inkling to register the JPGoth.com domain name and doing a site. Woohoo, I have been at the computer desk for too many hours for two years now. While I am on holiday and should not be hanging around doing hobby-work, I decided to follow the sage advice of Diana Ross, “It’s my party and I’ll crash and burn while suffering a psychotic episode if I want to.”

The First Year
I was going to write something boring about the site’s history, I will cut half of that out by pointing you to the First anniversary page.

The Second Year
The second year started completely on the wrong foot with some *stuff* going on that nearly saw the demise of the site within days of the first year anniversary! I guess that has worked itself out in a way, but that and more direct challenges to come during the past year told me the honeymoon was over.

Just at the point where I reached the decision to wrap up the site in late 2005 a mysterious e-mail from Germany arrived. It was from A stan Magazine, who were preparing an issue dedicated to Japanese Goth (and some VK as well, but fortunately it was more Goth and the Visual band selections were good!). So armed with a circle of friends and people willing to invest a bit of energy and trust over here, an interesting project to get local Goth overseas began. Japanese Goth deserves its place in the global Goth scene and the screaming cannot stop – I want everyone to know… IT ROCKS!

The Third Year
So year three begins with me scarfing some goop to make me genki and powering up for the next stage. What is in the next stage? To tell you the truth, I don’t know – actually I do know, but it is many months away from fruition. Your support is key to bringing these bands and a number of JGoth events into the international spotlight (the light may be dim now, but it is getting brighter every month).

There are already a variety of projects from a number of sources that are looking to further the Japan Goth invasion of Europe (and a couple in the U.S.), and those looking towards bringing Japan into the global Goth fold. The foreign component of event goers is growing and the local Goth crowd show themselves to be amongst the coolest, most cosmopolitan (and best dressed) group in Japan – win-win-win.

Some of the other projects are very exciting. There is a lot of work ahead for those involved, but it really seems that the scene is at the start of something special. While mainstream Japan is slowly choking itself with corporatism on steroids and a pop culture rivaling Kylie’s Locomotion, the breakaway bohemians of Goth, industrial, alternative, underground, etc. are building something that can really connect with the world.

I am scared that the new developments will see JGoth.com die out like a dinosaur, but I am excited of what the new energies will bring.

THANK YOU
The good experiences have far outweighed the negative ones this year – and the help from friends, in Japan and online, and other contacts have dragged me over the bad patches. There are many people who have helped keep things going or keep me going and I thank you all. I would particularly like to thank the following people whose efforts, information, kind words and ears that kept things on track in 2005/06:
Jude (Sins of the Flesh), MoonChild, U-tarou & Mikito (BAAL), Sisen, Rieu (Despair) & Kazue, Fred, Zac, Gsson, Dee Lee & Awi (2 Bullet & Agent Murder), zAkro (Basaracracy), Mina (Satanyanko & Switch Bladerz), Genet (Auto-Mod), Finn (Harshrealm), Kiwamu (Blood), Kenzo (Gadget), A04 and Carmilla. There are many more people deserving of thanks – please forgive me for any ommission.

Finally, a really, really big thank you to my wife, for tolerating my mad underground adventure and the many nights spent tapping away at a keyboard… Thank you.

I remain committed to the scream.

« »