Surviving in Japan: How to Find Anti-itch, Insect Bite Medicine
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times.
This post is a follow-up to A Survival Guide to Mosquito Repellent in Japan, for those who try in vain but perhaps still end up with itchy, annoying bites (I know the feeling…). My first apartment in Japan was constantly bombarded with mosquitoes, as it was next to this swampy water pool. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t keep them all away. (Although I’m convinced I seem especially attractive to them – they go after me far more than my husband!)
I visited a drug store in the first month after my arrival in hopes of discovering some anti-itch cream, the kind you use for mosquito bites, but without any idea of what exactly to look for or what it was called. After browsing the walls and aisles of various items, still unsure of what to get, I asked one of the store employees for help. I looked up mosquito in the Japanese-English dictionary on my phone, showed her the result, pointed to some of the red welts on my hand and arm, and asked if they had anything for that. Fortunately for me at the time, she understood right away and led me to the anti-itch/insect bite medicine, pulling out a box of ムヒ (Muhi), which is a common brand here in Japan.
So, to help you in your search for anti-itch/insect bite medicine, and perhaps save you some trouble of finding what you need at the store, I’ve included some necessary words to know, and some of the common ingredients you’ll typically find in these types of medicine.
Words to Know
When searching for anti-itch, insect bite medicine, look for these words:
虫さされ むしさされ mushi sasare insect bite (may also see as 虫刺され)
かゆみ kayumi itching
Though the brand and item name are typically most prominent on any packaging, you’ll likely see 虫さされ and/or かゆみ somewhere on the box/bottle.
Depending on your personal preference, you can find anti-itch, insect bite medication in various forms, including the following:
gel ジェル
lotion ローション
patch パッチ
cream クリーム
liquid type 液体 (えきたい) (usually this rolls or dabs on)
If you want something “extra strength”, try looking for the following words, or something with “EX”: — CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post.
X Japan’s Yoshiki Takes Manhattan, Meets JET Alums
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On May 23, X Japan mainman Yoshiki–who is widely regarded as Japan’s premier rock musician–was in New York City to promote his weekly “Yoshiki Radio” show, which launches on SiriusXM’s Boneyard (channel 38) tonight at 8:00 p.m.
Fujisankei (FCI) News was there, and they interviewed JET alumni Sam Frank of UnRatedNYC and JQ magazine editor/Japanese Culture Examiner Justin Tedaldi for their “Today’s Eye” segment broadcasted on Japanese TV! Check out the video below for Justin’s comments. (Direct link at http://www.fujisankei.com/video_library/art/yoshiki-radio.html)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXBU4JE8C4o
via JETAA DC. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields. She is also the former vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.
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Job Position: JET Programme Consultant (DC)
Job Details:
The JET Program Consultant is responsible for the general management of the JET Program under the supervision of the Education Counselor and the JET Program Coordinator.
Read More
JetWit Fashion Beat: T-shitsu – The Black Collection
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JetWit Fashion Beat is brought to you by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields. She is also the former vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
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I first posted about T-shitsu and their fantastic designs aimed especially for gai-jin in December last year. Since then the response from members of the JET and JET alum community has been very positive, and the base of returning customers is constantly growing.
This is completely down to the unique omoshiroi designs, high-quality shirts and general high standard of service provided by the T-shitsu team. I can’t rave about these shirts enough!
Currently, our friends at T-shitsu.com are half way through revealing their eagerly anticipated Black Collection.
The Black Collection consists of 8 new designs, one of which is revealed every Sunday, May through June, and we have been given an exclusive sneak preview of this week’s new design especially for JETWit readers….
Ta da!!!
To update you on other recent activities, T-shitsu were very active in wake of the Tohoku eathquake/tsunami disaster in terms of fundraising and encouraging donations. They even designed their own t-shirt to raise money and awareness, called Tohoku Tears, a wonderful design that was distributed through their partner website at Sweatshop Union.
The Tokoku Tears shirt was extremely popular and all shirts sold out in A WEEK! In total the shirt raised an outstanding 300,000 yen. Since then all other designs in the ‘rebuild’ collection have also sold out, but if there are plans to re-release them we will be sure to let you know.
There will be further new releases on T-shitsu.com once The Black Collection finishes, and present designs will be made available in a wider selection of colours. There will also be further promotions and competitions, all of which will be advertised through the T-shitsu Facebook site. Make sure you sign up for all the latest info, and it’s also a great way to contact the designers with your feedback and suggestions for shirts.
Please do post any comments/suggestions about the shirts, in particular any JET-related shirt ideas, and please do inform the T-shitsu team that you heard about them through JETWit if you place any orders. Check back for more updates soon!
Have a suggestion for a future JetWit Fashion Beat post? E-mail dipika [at] jetwit.com.
Hibari-sensei: Interview with Neko Neko Maid and Host Club
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Jen Wang (Miyagi, 2008-09) is a lab tech in Dallas and a staff writer for the Japanese music website Purple SKY. Her love of cosplay and her junior high school students inspired the name for her own Japanese pop culture blog, Hibari-sensei’s Classroom.
Maid leader Kitti and maid assistant Minami at A-kon 21 anime convention
Neko Neko Maid and Host Club (originally the Neko Neko Maid and Hostess Club) is a traveling maid troupe that makes appearances at anime conventions across the country. Unlike most anime con maid cafes, which consist of cosplayers serving food, Neko Neko brings the interactive experience integral to Akihabara maid culture to its guests. The girls (and guys) make small talk and play games with guests and sing and dance to J-pop songs.
The club is ready to kick off its 2011 tour with an appearance at Comicpalooza in Houston, Texas this weekend. Then they will be at Dallas’ anime convention, A-kon, from June 10-12. I was introduced to Neko Neko at last year’s A-kon, and I had a chance to sit down with one of its founders and maid leader Kitti Maherin and maid assistant Minami to learn more about the club.
How did Neko Neko get started?
Kitti: We formed on July 4, 2009. It started as four girls who enjoy maid cafes. When I went to Japan, I fell in love with the maid café I visited in Akihabara.
What made you decide to focus on the performance aspect rather than serving food in cosplay like other maid cafes at conventions?
Kitti: I enjoy performing, and it was a low cost option.
Who decides on the music you dance and sing to?
Kitti: The maid leaders and assistants choose the music. Miki, our choreographer and another founder, has a lot of input.
How long do you practice your dances?
Minami: It depends on the dance.
Kitti: I practice every day.
To read the rest of the interview, click here.
Smile Kids Japan’s Mike Maher-King speaks at TEDxTokyo
Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Trends, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Video, Volunteer Comments Off on Smile Kids Japan’s Mike Maher-King speaks at TEDxTokyo
Mike Maher-King (Fukui), founder of Smile Kids Japan, recently spoke at TEDxTokyo: Entering the Unknown on Saturday, May 21 at Miraikan Tokyo.
Here are the English and Japanese videos of Mike’s talk which is titled “Against All Odds” in which he talks about Smile Kids Japan, how he came to start it, how the JET experience and community factored in and SKJ’s involvement in earthquake relief efforts.
Job: Associate TV News Producer (NY)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Associate TV News Producer (NY)
UPDATE 06/30/11: JOB HAS BEEN FILLED. (They hired a CIR just off the JET Program thanks to JETwit!)
via Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields. She is also the former vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Associate TV News Producer (NY)
Job Details:
The New York News Bureau of Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) is seeking an energetic, professional individual to fill an Associate TV News Producer position.
Job: 2 Graduate Admissions Counselor Positions (Tokyo)
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via Jet alum Ariel Shearman (Ishikawa-ken, 1994-97). Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields. She is also the former vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.
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Job Position: 2 Graduate Admissions Counselor Positions (Tokyo)
Job Details:
Reve Counseling, one of the leading educational consultancies in Japan, is looking to fill 2 Graduate Admissions Counselor positions this summer.
Life After the B.O.E. is a comic series about the JET experience by David Namisato (Aomori-ken, 2002-2004), a professional illustrator currently living in Toronto.
Visit David’s website at www.namisato.org.
Hi everyone,
I want to let you all know that after a 5-year run, Life After the B.O.E. will be ending at the end of July.
The penultimate comic will be posted on June 16th, 2011.
The final comic will be posted on July 25th, 2011.
Earthquake Relief: Seattle Japan Relief Weekly Highlights for May 23-29th
Earthquake Tsunami, JETAA Chapters, Return on JET-vestment, Volunteer Comments Off on Earthquake Relief: Seattle Japan Relief Weekly Highlights for May 23-29th
Via Pacific Northwest JETAA:
Check out Seattle Japan Relief Weekly Highlights for May 23-29th!
We are looking for volunteers to help out with a June 11th classical concert at UW to fundraise for Japan relief efforts! Interested in being an usher or registration volunteer? Please contact seattlejapanrelief [at] hyogobcc.org.
Domo ne,
Erin Erickson
CIR, Akita 2001-2004
Volunteer, Seattle Japan Relief.org
JETAA Chicago Author Panel: Experiences Teaching English in Japan
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Via JETAA Chicago May Webletter:
On Friday, June 10, 6:30-8pm, JETAA Chicago and the Japan America Society of Chicago will be hosting a panel featuring Lars Martinson and David Fernandez, two JET alumni authors.
Mr. Martinson, cartoonist and author of Tonoharu, and Mr. Fernandez, author of Rising Sunsets, will share their experiences teaching English in Japan, relive funny cultural stories, and mention how these experiences shaped the writing of their books Tonoharu and Rising Sunsets.
Please join us at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, 1 N Wacker Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60606.
Tickets are $5 for JASC & JETAA members, $10 for general admission.
Space is limited so RSVP soon to Erika Kono at kono@jaschicago.org.
JQ Magazine: JQ&A with JETAA Country Representative Megan Miller Yoo
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“I can’t ever say this enough, but working with the JETAANY executive committee has been an amazing experience. We have such a great team of dedicated volunteers who really want to see the organization succeed and will go to great lengths to make sure that happens.” (Katharine Andriotis)
By Renay Loper (Iwate-ken, 2006-07) for JQ magazine. Renay is a freelance writer and international education professional currently seeking FT opportunities. Visit her blog at Atlas in Her Hand.
Philadelphia native and current Long Island City, NY resident (by way of Hyogo-ken and Washington, D.C.), Megan Miller-Yoo (Hyogo-ken ALT, 2000-02) is the outgoing president of JETAANY (2008-11) and new JETAA USA Country Representative (CR). During her time as an ALT, Megan demonstrated her commitment to the JET Program via her creation of the Volunteer Special Interest Group (VSIG) for AJET.
Since returning to the U.S., Megan has been involved in the Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York chapters of JETAA. Megan also served on the Board of Directors for JETAANY. She recently graduated from NYU with her MBA, currently works as an engineering underwriter, AVP with Swiss Re and lives in Long Island City with her husband.
Megan recently spoke with us to share more about her time as JETAANY president, and her new role of CR.
Where did you spend your JET years?
I was an ALT in Hyogo-ken from 2000-02. I worked in the suburbs of Akashi (home of the world’s longest suspension bridge and famous for its tako), which is along the coast between Kobe and Himeji.
You recently finished your third term as JETAANY’s president. How did you get involved with JETAANY?
I moved to New York in November 2005, on the day of the New York City Marathon, which made navigating my U-Haul truck through the city pretty awful. After a year in the city I still did not have a strong network, so I researched JETAANY and showed up at a quarterly meeting being held at Two Boots pizza in early 2007. I was hooked right away and with impending officer elections, Kat Barnas convinced me that very night to take over her spot as vice president. I served as VP from 2007-08 and then moved into the president role for the next three years.
During your tenure, what brought you the most joy?
I can’t ever say this enough, but working with the JETAANY executive committee has been an amazing experience. We have such a great team of dedicated volunteers who really want to see the organization succeed and will go to great lengths to make sure that happens. When you consider that we all have full-time jobs but everyone finds time to make JETAANY events the same caliber as something you’d pay to have done, you start to understand the impact that Japan had on us and how eager we are to give back.
What do you hope your JETAANY legacy will be?
During my tenure I strove to ensure that we delivered high caliber events and benefits to our member base. From the upgraded format of the e-mail announcements and website to the diversity and quality of events, I encouraged everyone involved in the organization to really give it their all and do the best job they could. I believe that people have started to realize what JET alums are capable of and what the value of our network is to Japan, to our home countries, and also to us as members of the network. We are a group of diverse, talented professionals who can really make an impact wherever we choose to focus our efforts, and my goal was to showcase that in everything we did.
How did you go about becoming a CR? What made you make the switch? Read More
Justin’s Japan: Interview with Inuyama City Councilman/JET Alum Anthony Bianchi
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- “The JET Program has great benefits for the country. One of the greatest, but overlooked is the former participants themselves. They all have a great knowledge, understanding and affection for Japan. All have gone on to various careers and are a great but underutilized network.”
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.
Anthony Bianchi’s life in Japan took root in the 1980s when the Bensonhurst, Brooklyn native landed a job with the Inuyama City board of education in Aichi Prefecture on the JET Program exchange initiative. He continued to work in Inuyama after JET, and in 2003 gained citizenship, becoming the first-ever North American to hold an elected position in Japan.
In 2006, Bianchi ran for mayor of Inuyama, receiving enough votes to finish third out of eight candidates. He was re-elected to city council in 2007 and started his third term in April. Following a benefit concert for Japan at his alma mater Xaverian High School on March 31, I caught up with the politico in this exclusive interview.
What’s changed for you since you last spoke with JETAA NY in 2008?
I was just reelected for a third term. There are now only four council members with more years on the council than I. That changes the dynamics a bit. How much so we will find out over the next few years. Other than that, local front burner issues have changed, but the job stays pretty much the same. That being said, of course the earthquake and tsunami have changed the country. As a council member in a municipality that was not directly affected, we have to keep in mind what we can do to contribute to the recovery while maintaining necessary levels of service for the people of the city.
How has the election of the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009 changed the way you and your colleagues work in Inuyama?
Unfortunately, not very much. They have been mostly unable to implement their manifest. Due to that they have been soundly defeated in local elections. Keep in mind that the recent local elections were the first since the DPJ took power. The significance of that is that most localities still had a pre-DPJ administration makeup. So they have even less local influence now than they had before they took power. Unless there is a dramatic change in the way they govern, they will loss power in the next lower house elections. A tremendous chance to make significant change has been squandered. What the aftermath will be remains to be seen, but I am afraid it will not be good.
How has the election of President Obama changed any impressions or attitudes of the average Japanese citizen?
Of course, the election of Mr. Obama was watched with great interest here and welcomed. For lack of a better description, it was seen as America becoming a more forward thinking, open and kinder society. You must remember that just as Americans are not cognizant of Japanese political national and domestic issues, so are Japanese not cognizant of America’s. That being the case, President Obama’s election was viewed for its social implications by the Japanese.
What are some of the biggest changes in the JET Program that you’ve observed over the years? Do you work with any JETs?
I sometime talk to those who administrate the program or former participants, but it has been a long time since I was a JET. I really don’t know what things are like on an everyday basis for current participants, and there are no JETs in Inuyama.
In Inuyama I started a program based partly on my JET experience. It is called the Native English Teacher (NET) Program. I started and ran it for seven years before leaving to run for office. The program continues to this day and has six teachers all directly employed by the city. The teachers here must have some ESL qualification. Currently, all teach their own classes based on original materials created by the group.
Although we had some tough going in the first few years, the participants here are pretty much accepted as regular teaching staff at their schools.
Tokyo has mulled budget cuts for the program that may threaten its existence. What are some of the positive effects of JET that you can share with your colleagues in local government to help quantify its value?
I think the program did not get proper considerations during its evaluation by the oversight committee. Although I think JET could use some retooling and needs to redefine its goals, the program has great benefits for the country. One of the greatest, but overlooked is the former participants themselves. They all have a great knowledge, understanding and affection for Japan. All have gone on to various careers and are a great but underutilized network.
For the complete interview, click here.
Career/Networking reminder: JET Alum LinkedIn groups
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Just a reminder that there are a number of LinkedIn groups set up for JETs and JET alumni geared towards professional connecting and career development:
*Don’t see what you’re looking for? Start your own JET alum LinkedIn group and e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com. We’ll post it on JETwit.
**Also, don’t forget about the JETwit Jobs Google Group as well as the JET Alum LinkedIn groups by prefecture.
Job: Japanse Snack Company CALBEE (SF)
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via Jet Program Coordinator (San Francisco). Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields. She is also the former vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Japanse Snack Company CALBEE (SF)
Job Details:
Japanese Snack Company called CALBEE are opening the first retail shop at the food court of Westfield San Francisco shopping Centre on July 1st. For the shop staff they are looking for ex-JET program participants in particular.
