- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,054
- 18,909
Dear valued Members,
I want to cover two issues in this thread: financial support and other support, such as content creation and sharing.
A. Financial Support
We have covered the topic in the past, so allow me to keep this brief. While we have always operated JREF as a nonprofit site, we have also run advertising programs and received occasional financial contributions from our members to cover operating costs (hosting and licensing fees). Over the past decade, these revenue streams have gradually dried up as the internet has evolved significantly (mobile traffic, apps, social media, oversupply of content through AI, etc.). Furthermore, the changing economic landscape—particularly the weakening of the Japanese yen—had a severe impact. Our hosting and licensing fees have increased significantly: when we started renting our US-based server in 2011, one US dollar was worth 80 yen; today it's 152.43 (topping 157 last week).
Over the last year, I have reached the point of asking myself whether it is worth continuing the website. I'm not asking my wife, because I know her answer. Despite the crunch, I have always opted to proceed in light of the wonderful people I have met through JREF and the content and passion they have brought to the site over the decades. That includes several members who are no longer with us and whose memory we hold dear.
Desperate days. And then came one person, who - like many others - went with us through thick and thin from the very beginning: Uncle, forgive me, @Grandpa Frank. Frank was as generous as to offer JREF regular support! I cannot express the immense burden his contribution lifts from our shoulders. Thank you, Frank! We can never repay, literally and figuratively. I should note that Frank was just as reluctant for me to divulge this information as I was to accept his magnanimous offer.
Over the years, we have also received donations from many other members, who all sport the donor badge. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you! As of 2026, we shall list our donors (irrespective of how much they contribute) in this thread. Let us mention the first one this year: thank you, @johnnyG!
B. Other Support
Beyond the filthy lucre, we are still in dire need of content contributions. In the past few years, we have not fully leveraged social media, primarily due to time constraints. Yesterday, I regained access to our Facebook page (launched in 2009), and I plan to share more content on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, BlueSky, and Mastodon.
Please help us spread the word on social media, and please consider contributing your own Japan-related content, be it an article, a journal, a review, photos posted to our Media Gallery, or just a good old new thread here on the forum!
I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I'm very grateful for your past contributions and continued support.
I want to cover two issues in this thread: financial support and other support, such as content creation and sharing.
A. Financial Support
We have covered the topic in the past, so allow me to keep this brief. While we have always operated JREF as a nonprofit site, we have also run advertising programs and received occasional financial contributions from our members to cover operating costs (hosting and licensing fees). Over the past decade, these revenue streams have gradually dried up as the internet has evolved significantly (mobile traffic, apps, social media, oversupply of content through AI, etc.). Furthermore, the changing economic landscape—particularly the weakening of the Japanese yen—had a severe impact. Our hosting and licensing fees have increased significantly: when we started renting our US-based server in 2011, one US dollar was worth 80 yen; today it's 152.43 (topping 157 last week).
Over the last year, I have reached the point of asking myself whether it is worth continuing the website. I'm not asking my wife, because I know her answer. Despite the crunch, I have always opted to proceed in light of the wonderful people I have met through JREF and the content and passion they have brought to the site over the decades. That includes several members who are no longer with us and whose memory we hold dear.
Desperate days. And then came one person, who - like many others - went with us through thick and thin from the very beginning: Uncle, forgive me, @Grandpa Frank. Frank was as generous as to offer JREF regular support! I cannot express the immense burden his contribution lifts from our shoulders. Thank you, Frank! We can never repay, literally and figuratively. I should note that Frank was just as reluctant for me to divulge this information as I was to accept his magnanimous offer.
Over the years, we have also received donations from many other members, who all sport the donor badge. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you! As of 2026, we shall list our donors (irrespective of how much they contribute) in this thread. Let us mention the first one this year: thank you, @johnnyG!
B. Other Support
Beyond the filthy lucre, we are still in dire need of content contributions. In the past few years, we have not fully leveraged social media, primarily due to time constraints. Yesterday, I regained access to our Facebook page (launched in 2009), and I plan to share more content on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, BlueSky, and Mastodon.
Please help us spread the word on social media, and please consider contributing your own Japan-related content, be it an article, a journal, a review, photos posted to our Media Gallery, or just a good old new thread here on the forum!
I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I'm very grateful for your past contributions and continued support.
