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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

A surprising (or maybe not?) number of JET participants and alumni become authors, chronicling their time in Japan in memoirs or fictionalized accounts of their experiences living and working in Japan. Others share insights into the country and culture through nonfiction works. All these books open a window into the reality of life in Japan.

JETwit maintains an online library of JET alum writers. It’s a work in progress, and we’d like to expand it to include as many JET authors as possible. If you’ve published a book rooted in or connected to your JET experience, please let us know so we can add you to the list! Likewise, if you know of a JET author who isn’t in our library yet, please tell us about them.

Email submissions to us at jetwit@jetwit.com and use “JETwit Library” as the subject line.

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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

The third edition of Sarah Coomber’s memoir, The Same Moon, has just been released as of April 2026. Based on Sarah’s experience teaching in rural Japan in the mid-1990’s, The Same Moon is described as a story of encouragement and hope. Here’s a little background from Sarah about her book.

“Many of us experience a time in life where we’d like a do-over, and I sure felt that way about my early twenties.

After being briefly wed and quickly divorced by age twenty-four, all I wanted was a fresh start. I abandoned my Minnesota life for a job teaching English in Japan, planning to take a year to reflect, heal and figure out what to do next. 

I ended up the lone English speaker in an isolated rural area, where I was drawn into serving tea to my male co-workers, performing with a koto (zither) group, advocating for female students and colleagues, and embarking on a controversial romance.

Of course I signed on for a second year—not because this was the Japan I was seeking, but because it turned out to be the Japan I needed.”

Learn more at https://sarahcoomber.com/.

Discover more JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

Yan Sen Lu set off to Japan as a JET in 2006 and has been there ever since. After completing two years in Tokyo on the JET program, Yan Sen transitioned into the local workforce, finding employment in the executive search field.

Now, 18 years later, he has established his own search firm, Makana Partners, and has authored a work he describes as a guide for those looking to hire top talent in Japan.

As he puts it:

“If Japan is breaking your hiring process—this is your field manual.

‘We can open a new market in Southeast Asia faster than we can fill a single Director-level role in Tokyo.’ — Every HR Director in Japan, eventually.

Japan rewards preparation above all else. This book names the mechanisms — the cultural codes, the structural realities, and the exact frameworks that the best executive search firms use to close in this market.”

Yan Sen’s book sounds like a must-read for those supporting foreign companies in Japan by recruiting and building teams for them!

The Hardest Market in the World will be released this summer, in June 2026. Learn more at https://hardestmarket.com/.

Discover more JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

Welcome to Sunny Town is Canadian writer, poet, and photographer Théodora Armstrong’s debut novel. She describes it as a darkly funny portrayal of life inside the ESL world in Japan.

While not a JET alum herself, Théodora’s work is likely to resonate with those who are. Take a look at Théodora’s overview introducing Maggie, the center of the story, and see what sounds familiar to you.

“Set in Japan during the early aughts, Welcome to Sunny Town follows Maggie, a young woman fresh out of art school, who moves to Japan to teach ESL and reinvent herself. Upon arrival, Maggie must learn to navigate the disorienting freedom of life abroad. She meets a group of expats and immediately becomes enmeshed in their relationships and personal dramas. She gets a job teaching English, where she meets Keiko, an overzealous student who offers to teach Maggie Japanese, and before long an unlikely friendship develops between them.”

Fellow Canadian author Sheung-King comments the story is “attentive to the power dynamics between expats and locals… observant and unsparing about who holds language, mobility, and cultural capital.”

Intrigued? Learn more at http://www.theodoraarmstrong.ca/.

Welcome to Sunny Town will be available from May 1, 2026.

Discover more books like this one by JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: EIKEN Speaking Test Examiner
Posted by: Japanese Children’s Society
Location: Bronx, NY, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to EIKEN Test organizer, Midori Otani for passing along the following job opening.

EIKEN Speaking Test Examiners (New York Area)

The Japanese Children’s Society is currently seeking qualified examiners for the EIKEN Speaking Test (Japan’s leading English proficiency exam), administered in the New York area on behalf of the EIKEN Foundation of Japan.

Our New York site is one of the largest overseas testing locations, with approximately 500 examinees per administration. We are now recruiting additional examiners for the upcoming test date:

 Date: Sunday, July 5

 Location: Lehman College, Bronx, NY

Read More

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Japanese/English Bilingual Account Rep., (Sales Administrator)
Posted by: iiicareer (interesse international inc.)
Location: Northern Kentucky, KY, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Seiko Maruyama for passing along the following job opening.

Basic Function

• Serves customers by selling products and meeting customer needs.
• Services existing accounts　establishes new accounts by planning and organizing daily work schedule to call on existing or potential sales outlets and other trade factors.
• Adjusts content of sales presentations by studying the type of sales outlet or trade factor.
• Focuses sales efforts by studying existing and potential volume of orders.
• Submits quote and product literature.
• Keeps management informed by submitting activity and results reports, such as daily call reports, weekly work plans, and monthly and annual territory analyses.

Read More

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Summer Short-Term Customized Program Coordinator, International Education
Posted by: Bellevue College
Location: Bellevue, WA 
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Marlowe Zoller (Ishikawa, 2009-2011) for passing along the following job opening.

Bellevue College (BC) International Education (IE) is looking for a Program Coordinator (PC) to prepare and run a short-term customized program from mid-July to early August 2026. The following duties are typical for this position but should not be considered all-inclusive as duties may be changed based on management discretion and institutional needs. The primary responsibility is to prepare the program thoroughly and deliver a successful program by actively engaging with the students to create a safe and inclusive learning environment. Typical duties include, but are not limited to, handling all logistics of all on- and off-campus activities, planning and facilitating themed seminars, coordinating an orientation session and a farewell ceremony, leading all on- and off-campus activities, staying within the allotted budget, supervising a few student assistants, and briefing the IE director daily.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Civic Engagement & Partnerships Manager
Posted by: Minerva University
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Jennifer Butler (Shizuoka, 2001-2004) for passing along the following job opening.

ABOUT MINERVA UNIVERSITY

Minerva University is a highly selective four-year institution challenging the traditional approach to higher education. Minerva has been intentionally designed — combining a reinvented curriculum, rigorous academic standards, cutting-edge technology, and an immersive global experience to prepare the most motivated students in the world to solve complex challenges. Students develop both academically and as culturally dexterous individuals, interacting with classmates from more than 40 different countries.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Sales Assistant (Entry Level)
Posted by: Quick USA
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Carlos Medina (Oita, Japan, 2019-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
A Japanese Infrastructure Services Company is currently looking for a Temp to hire, entry level Sales Assistant to join their Houston, TX team.

This role provides the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in both sales operations and client engagement within the IT and civil engineering sector.

The Sales Assistant will support the Sales Manager with CRM operations, administrative tasks, and client communications, while also delivering professional presentations to city officials.

DOE and skills, the pay range for this position would be between the 45k-50k mark with great benefits.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Administrative Assistant to the Consul-General
Posted by: Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Magda Fuller (Ishikawa, 2015-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

Description: The Consulate-General of Japan is seeking a highly motivated, team-oriented individual for the position of Administrative Assistant to the Consul-General. Please see the job posting for details.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here –  https://www.chicago.us.emb-japan.go.jp/files/101012291.pdf

Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. She also shares her interpreting adventures and the interesting things she has encountered in the course of her work.

Spring has sprung here in New York, and over the weekend I got to enjoy お花見 (ohanami, or cherry blossom viewing) at Roosevelt Island. My previous post talked about the treasure trove of sakura sweets that you can find in Japan, and of course I brought those souvenirs from my trip to our ohanami picnic.

I hadn’t been to Roosevelt Island since 2019 when I was last there for a 桜祭り (sakura matsuri, or cherry blossom festival). At that time I remember having to wade through dense crowds and being surprised by the number of attendees. This weekend was not an official event, so although there were many sakura-seeking day trippers there were plenty of available benches (though the ones by the most beautifully blooming trees were already taken). I also saw a huge Japanese group who had spread their blankets on the grass for Japanese-style ohanami (one of them was even using the familiar massive blue plastic tarp!).

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Local Staff
Posted by: Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville
Location: Nashville, TN, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Jonathan Contrades (Saga, 2012-2017) for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
Analysis of news articles, making political and economic reports of the states under the jurisdiction of the Consulate-General (Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana), drafting letters, arranging appointments and accompanying diplomats on business trips, participating in various events, other administrative and secretarial tasks as needed.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here –  https://www.nashville.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/2026LocalStaffRecruitment.html

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: English Document Translation Staff
Posted by: Mori Hamada
Location: Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Hybrid
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Treat Schubert for passing along the following job opening.

Responsibilities:
– Japanese–English translation of various documents, including contracts, filings, and legal opinions (including necessary research for translation)
– Proofreading English translations prepared by Japanese-speaking lawyers and staff (so-called “native check”)
– Training (or assisting in training) junior translators and handling general duties within the English translation section

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here –  https://recruitment.morihamada.com/recruitment/staff/62.html

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Certified Elementary School Japanese Teacher
Posted by: Bellevue School District
Location: Bellevue, WA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Jessica Record (Sanda, Hyogo, 2015-2016) for passing along the following job opening.

Bennett Elementary School in Bellevue, Washington are seeking for certificate teachers who have Japanese proficiency at ACTFL Advanced Low or above, and

can teach in both Japanese and English. The teachers are responsible for Japanese language instructions in all elementary subjects in a 50/50 dual language immersion program.

The position involves planning and delivering high -quality, culturally responsive instruction that builds on students’ prior knowledge and supports academic Japanese language development. The role emphasizes fostering an inclusive, respectful classroom environment, using effective teaching strategies, assessments, curriculum resources, and educational technology to support student growth. Responsibilities include collaborating closely with colleagues, communicating effectively with families in both Japanese and English, participating in professional learning and required meetings, maintaining accurate records, and demonstrating professionalism and reflective teaching practices.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Hiromi Pingry at PingryH[at]bsd405[dot]org

Submit Application: For more information and to apply, please click here –  https://bsd405.schoolspring.com/?jobid=5520506

By JQ Magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

Spring has sprung in the Big Apple, and that means one thing: a new season of sounds, colors, and spectacular performing arts to match the blossoming sakura trees throughout the city.

This month’s highlights include:

Friday, April 10, 8:00 p.m.

Yoko Kanno with Seatbelts

Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue (Brooklyn) 

From $99.59

Legendary Cowboy Bebop composer Yoko Kanno takes New York in a pair of spectacular performances presented by Mammoth Live! First, fasten your seatbelts–the original crew is on board. For decades, the music of Seatbelts crossed borders without ever crossing the ocean. Heard, shared, and woven into the lives of listeners around the world, their sound reshaped the very idea of what anime music could be. Raw, unbound by genre, and free, the music continues to live on as the soundtrack to countless lives. Now, at last, Seatbelts arrives in the United States for the very first time, performed as it was meant to be by the original members who created it. This is Seatbelts as it truly is. The guest vocalist is the original voice himself, Steve Conte, an essential part of the Seatbelts legacy. The songs that defined an era will be performed by the very musicians who brought them into existence. This is not a tribute. This is the night the real thing finally lands in America. No destination, just the real sound.

Saturday, April 11, 8:00 p.m.

Yoko Kanno – Piano Me

The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street

From $59.50

As a lyricist, songwriter, arranger, music producer, Yoko Kanno has composed music for movies, TV dramas, commercials, animations, and video games, as well as produced and written for various artists. Her notable works include Cowboy Bebop, Genesis of Aquarion, Macross Frontier, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the film Our Little Sister, and the NHK historical drama Naotora: The Lady Warlord, among others. She also composed the recovery support song for the Great East Japan Earthquake (Flowers Will Bloom – Hana wa Saku), creating several arrangements for it. In the first year of the Reiwa era, she composed Ray of Water, a celebratory piece for the Japanese Emperor’s enthronement, which was performed in honor of the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace. Her recent work includes the music for the Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop and The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House. At Expo 2025 in Osaka, she composed the music for a large fountain art installation. In addition, she also contributed to other pavilion projects at the Expo, including an XR (Extended Reality) production that combined immersive digital visuals with live performance elements, and a haptics-based installation utilizing advanced touch-feedback technology to create new sensory experiences.

Monday, April 13, 8:00 p.m.

Creepy Nuts

Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center, 311 West 34th Street

From $107.33

Japanese hip-hop powerhouse Creepy Nuts — the duo made up of three-time national rap battle champion R-Shitei and world-champion DJ DJ Matsunaga — announce their first-ever North American tour including their debut performances at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2026! Their breakthrough has been driven by craft rather than trend: R-Shitei’s battle-forged lyricism and DJ Matsunaga’s virtuosic turntablism, paired with productions that fluidly bridge hip-hop, pop, and electronic energy. Their 2024 smash “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” went Top 10 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart and ranked prominently on Apple Music’s global charts, while “Otonoke” became the most-streamed Japanese song abroad in 2025 and “Mirage” gained traction on Spotify’s Global Viral chart. Creepy Nuts are no longer just Japan’s leading hip-hop act; they are among the most compelling artists to emerge on the global stage in recent years.

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