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Interview with J. Muzacz, author of Japan 365

Japan 365 Muzacz

Japan 365: A Drawing-A-Day Project is an Essential volume on a magnificent country in a changing world. Fully Bilingual in English and Japanese, though never too busy because of beautiful layout and design on every page, and flowing hand-scripted Kanji characters on all 25 chapter inJapan 365: Kidstro pages and then some.

Japan 365 is comprised of more than 365 drawings done with your every day ball pens, a drawing for everyday of 2011, the year of Japan’s great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Talk to us about the story behind this book.

What began as a test of artistic endurance to analyze and interpret my surroundings while living and teaching English in a small fishing village in northern Kyoto on the Sea of Japan, turned into a vehicle to raise money and help, as well as to inspire and intrigue readers for years to come.

Raise money?

I wanted to use my personal drawing project to raise money and awareness for Japan in the wake of the great earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Tell us more about the resulting book.Japan 365: People

General chapter themes like “People, Landscape, Fashion, Kids” in Japan 365 give precious insight into a country at once timeless, though increasingly technologically advanced and cutting-edge. Cute “Characters,” abstract “Architecture,” “Temples and Shrines,” even street art “Graffiti” contrast with the classic “Kimono” or traditional “Food,” always with little-known historic facts or humorous anecdotes as captions, explaining the art, and coaxing you the reader into my own in-depth personal experience of Japan.

The drawing alone was an extremely challenging project while holding down a full-time teaching job. As the reader can clearly see a thumbnail progression in the timeline section, all 365 drawings in order by date regardless of subject matter, I believe I developed in detail and focus. But see for yourself, the evidence is in the pen strokes.

A lot of the text is in Japanese. I know you say it is fully bilingual, but should we be worried? Japan 365: Kyoto

With a glossary of Japanese terms, the beginning language learner can also glean great insight and practice with vocabulary in Romaji English, while the advanced Japanese language student can practice reading the sometimes difficult Kanji on every page.

So is this predominantly a travel book, an art book – or even a language book?

Whether to call Japan 365 a Travel, Art, Reference, Japanese Culture, History, or Language book, is too difficult to decide and irrelevant, I think, as anyone who picks up Japan 365 will quickly be engaged on many different levels. The passion and care taken in every drawing is irrefutable, and the extensive explanations and organization is excellent, I do declare.

So who will it appeal to, then?

Readers interested in Art, Drawing, Travel, Asian Art, Japanese Culture, History, Fashion, Food, Scenery, etc.  Also language learners of Japanese.

We are curious about you.  Tell us something about yourself. Japan 365: Character

Cycling artist/teacher/author who has spent most of the last decade living, working and traveling abroad. Always drawing and painting alongside teaching, I make my mark in both murals and in the minds of today’s youth. Since I have an academic background in Sociology (University of Texas), as an artist I am able to observe and incorporate local imagery with a certain fleeting authenticity. I hope.

Do you have a website where we can see even more of  your work?

http://www.jmuzacz.com.

How can we follow you on social media?

Twitter: @jmuzaczyo
Facebook.com/jmuzacz.

What’s next?

Working on writing and illustrating Life Is Sweet: The Story of a Sugarcane Field, set on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. After myself working the sugarcane harvest for three long months, experiencing the kindness and hospitality of fellow farmers, inspired by the island’s natural beauty and strained physically and emotionally as a solitary field hand laboring amongst rats and snakes, I was moved to start a new book project. This book will contain ball pen drawings splashed with bright island watercolors, telling a story of the sugarcane field itself, as well as meeting many colorful characters, from farmers and their  wives to a truck driver and even the people who press fresh cane juice for tourists. More a children’s picture book feel, with a simple story in English (for now) with hopes of teaching about community, team effort and the value of and respect for hard work, tending nature in balance, while preserving the history of generations long traditions based around the sugarcane field and its busy harvest season.

J365 Timeline edit

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