Everybody Loves a Water Buffalo (2)

Who is Sam Ryder, and why does he want a water buffalo?

Sam is the hero in my second Okinawa novel, a guy who grew up over a six-stool bar in Naha, went to Shinjuku (in Tokyo), got a job delivering beer to the bars in Kabukicho and then lost the job and bounced back to Naha, where his mantra became, "Everyone needs a job, and today's hero is the guy who provides the jobs."

So what is he going to do with that water buffalo?

If life gives you buffalo milk, make mozzarella!

Everybody Loves a Water Buffalo

In Okinawa, the water buffalo is the image character for some of the smaller islands in the Ryukyu chain. Carts pulled by patient water buffalo and managed by sanshin-playing tour conductors are the main attraction on picturesque Taketomi and Yubu islands.

To my surprise, water buffalo are almost invisible on the main island of Okinawa itself. Once upon a time, they were the muscle behind the rice paddies and the sugar mills, but times have changed and they have been replaced by machines.

In a recent visit to Okinawa, I made inquiries about where to see water buffalo. Guess what? I was told the best place to find out details about raising water buffalo is from the Tama Zoological Garden, located in Tokyo.

I can see the trees of the Tama Zoo from my house.

A New Character, A New Story

Katsuren has been written, published, and offered for sale. I've gotten heart warming comments from readers in the US, Japan and Europe. Now it's time to move on to the next story.

Every story starts with a problem. This story starts with two problems: my character (Sam Ryder) needs a job; Okinawa needs new sources of employment, now that military bases are out of favor. What options does an orphan and high school dropout who grew up in the back room over a six-stool bar have?

More than you might think!

Sam is a guy with a future, though in the scene he's in now, he's about to get beaten up by a bunch of punks who want the leather jacket off his back, the one he bought in Shinjuku with his final paycheck after getting fired from his job delivering beer.

C'mon, Sam... Fight for your future!

The New Cover

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Fear and Trepidation

Katsuren is in its second edition. I am one of those writers who finds it hard to put down the pen, close the book, and declare a manuscript done. There is always something that could be better, and a lot of the readers of the first edition were very generous with feedback about exactly what they thought could be made better. The second edition incorporates my own second thoughts as well as reader feedback.

It's the same story. Same characters, same location, same events, and same ending...

BUT

...the book design is better, the editing is better, and it has a brilliant new cover.

I am waiting for the author's proof copy with fear and trepidation. It's like in the old days, when we were born, and our parents didn't even know if we would be boys or girls until the moment of our birth, never mind what our faces would look like or if we would have the right number of fingers and toes.

I hope the second edition of Katsuren is exactly how I dreamed it would be.

Oh! Oh! Disaster at Katsuren

This world heritage site is the setting for my novel, Katsuren. On February 27, an earthquake of Magnitude 5 on the Japanese scale rattled Okinawa and sent many remnants of ancient fortifications tumbling down, including this section of wall at Katsuren Castle.

(photo copied from The Okinawa Times, Feb 27 online edition)