Update from Asakusa

Because it’s the turn of the month, and people have thus been ‘reminded’ about our Patreon, I have received a couple of emails this evening, asking about our plans moving forward. They want to know if we are still ‘in business’ and whether or not their support still has any meaning. I wrote directly back to them straight away, but it then occurred to me that I should of course speak more widely to all of you as well ...

First thing first, I have to emphasize to everybody: please do not feel any kind of obligation to support us if it puts any kind of stress at all on your personal situation. The whole concept of this kind of support campaign is to move some resources from a person/organization who can afford some ‘surplus’, over to a place where there is some kind of ‘need’. These days, we are all on the ‘needy’ side, and I have heard from some supporters that they are currently unable/unwilling to continue. I of course understand this, and accept it completely.

As for the what/why of our Patreon, it is - I hope - going to become more clear over the next couple of months just how to move forward with this. 

1) Our income from Asakusa (43% of last year’s overall income) has of course been reduced to zero. Subscription income has decreased to somewhere around 60% of normal levels, and the online shop (due to some recent very popular publications) is actually doing quite well … more than holding its own (so far).

2) The tourist business is clearly finished for quite a while. Until a vaccine is widely available, people are simply not going to travel as easily as they have done in recent years. Given this fact, it might make sense to ‘cut our losses’ here, and abandon the Mokuhankan shop in Asakusa. If our previous business model is simply not going to come back in any reachable stretch of time, it makes no sense to keep ‘wasting’ money (both our own resources, and the Patreon support) paying rent on a building that won’t be properly used.

3) But if … if … we could see a path to where people will return here in some reachable time frame, or where we could utilize this space in other ways, then it would be a huge waste of our invested time and money over the years to pull back and give this all up.

And that’s my dilemma at the moment. Cut and run, and minimize any further waste of money … or hold out, and add to our investment?  

The decision will have to be made by early summer, because our lease on (part of) the building is coming to an end then, and will either have to be terminated or renewed. I’m simply hoping that by that time, I will have enough information (progression of the virus, reduction in infections, etc. etc.) to help me make a sensible decision. 

So I’m sorry not to have a more clearly defined answer for you right now. I can only re-iterate that please do not in any way stress your own situation. Once the situation at this end has ‘gelled’, and the rent decision finalized, I will of course be letting everybody know where we all stand …

Thank you again, for so much enthusiastic support! It has made a tremendous difference to our lives here, both financially, and just in knowing how much people care ...

Dave

... and may I tease a bit … my work this evening here has been the preparation of my notes for some video recording tomorrow afternoon!  The next YouTube video will be a 'sequel' ... :-)