It's been over a year since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. There still aren't any highways, and the number of people living in temporary housing units is still large. Even so, a new year has begun, and I hope we will be to create a new mood to go along with it.
The drawings in this issue are by Christopher STEPHENS. He has been doing the English translations of Xebec publications, including this magazine, for a long time. In the process of checking and correcting manuscripts, his faxes are inevitably accompanied by one of these strangely attractive illustrations, which we have collected here. Incidentally, the English poem and calligraphy on the cover of the print version of our last issue were done by MORI Nobuko, a member of our editorial staff.
Over the past year, thanks to the strength of those who have kindly provided us with their written contributions, SoundArts has gradually become interesting reading. Has it been as enjoyable for you as it has been for us? Unfortunately, this will be the last time SoundArts is published bimonthly. We will be slowing down the pace, but we are looking forward to providing you with information about Xebec again in the future. Thank you for being such loyal readers.