H ave you ever seen a Japanese person in the middle of what MJ Daniels-Sueyasu has termed "The Panic"?

As the tax deadline in Canada begins to creep up, Daniels-Sueyasu paints a chilling picture of what it means to be a foreigner in Japan at tax time, especially during an episode of The Panic.

It almost makes a person happy to pay taxes in their own country... well, almost.

The writer's inciteful work is a great addition to the start of our fourth year of operation here at the magazine.

Other submissions include The Hospital Stay by Joanna Karaplis, a column on getting to Japan (Why n'how) by Stephen Lebovits, as well as a music review and a fictional piece by Dom Pates.

And finally, to celebrate three years in operation, Francois Bergeron and I have republished an article and photo essay on Sagiura, Shimane-ken from the original March 2003 edition of The Foreigner-Japan.

We want to thank everyone who has supported our efforts to help new and aspiring foreign writers and photographers find a voice.

Matt Goerzen
Managing Editor