JQ Magazine: Same-sama, Party of One
Anecdote Article, Article/Journalism, I'll Make It Myself, JQ Magazine, Rice Cooker Chronicles 
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“We’re gonna need a bigger shopping cart.” (Leah Zoller)
By Leah Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, 2009-11) for JQ magazine. Leah lives in Kanazawa, where she works as a writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel. In her spare time, she writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles on JETwit.com.
I live and work not too far from Omicho Market, and as a result, I see a lot of “Kanazawa’s Kitchen” and its back alleys in all seasons. I particularly like passing through in winter when the crabs are set outside the fish sellers’ stalls in the morning, the steam rising off their Styrofoam crates like a cloud in the cold air.
According to my coworkers, Omicho Market was once narrow and dirty, the way one expects a fish market to be. Since being renovated, Omicho, with its wide paths, incense to cover up the scent of fish, and ice blocks to relieve the summer heat, really fits with the tone and charm of our little city on the sea. Of course, the site is popular with tourists, but locals—myself included—actually shop there, since the variety and price of produce and seafood is often better than it is at the supermarkets. Every visit there is like a culinary adventure to me: What will be on sale today? Will the price of persimmons have dropped? What new squash varieties are the farms in the Noto growing?
Even Omicho, whose weaving roads I know like the back of my hand, has its surprises. One weekend in early winter (and winter comes early to Kanazawa), my husband and I were walking past one of the market’s side entrances when something caught my eye. I couldn’t quite process what I was seeing at first—was that a person was lying on the ground in front of one of the restaurants?
The figure on the ground was about my height, but slowly the realization that it wasn’t a person sank in. No, it wasn’t a person at all—it was a dead shark.
Job: Japanese Translator – Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products (Bowling Green, KY)
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Via JETAA Music City (Nashville). Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Japanese Translator
Posted by: Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products
Type: N/A
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
International auto parts company seeks a part-time Japanese translator, preferably with prior manufacturing experience. This is an on-site, temporary position. We are willing to consider an internship for the right candidate.
Qualifications:
•Native fluency in English
•Minimum Japanese Language Proficiency Test N2 or equivalent.
•Advanced skills with Microsoft Office applications.
•College degree is highly desirable.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by sending a resume to humanresources@kobeal.com
http://www.kobeal.com/home.html
Job: [JET] NY Times Travel Show Volunteer Opprtunity
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Thanks to Noriko Furuhata, JET coordinator at the NY consulate. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Volunteers
Posted by: The Consulate General of Japan in New York
Type: N/A
Location: N/A
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
This year, the Consulate is doing a “Yoroi (traditional samurai armor) try-on.” We will encourage visitors to try on a set of samurai armor and take photos. We would like to have some “genki” JET alumni to help out at our booth. Please see below for the details:
Date:
Saturday, January 19 from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Sunday, January 20 from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Venue:
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
(11th avenue between 34th and 38th streets)
3 volunteers are needed each day. If interested, please e-mail the Consulate with the following information by Thursday, January 10.
Your Name:
Email address:
Cell phone number:
JET placement location:
JET years:
JET position (ALT or CIR):
Date you can volunteer (1/19 or 1/20):
Please respond by Thursday, January 10! (Please note that the Consulate will be closed from Monday, December 31 to Thursday, January 3.)
Consulate General of Japan in New York
299 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10171
Tel: 212-418-4461
Fax: 212-371-1294
Email: jet@ny.mofa.go.jp
www.ny.us.emb-japan.go.jp
Job: Japanese Preschool Seeks Native Speaking Teachers (Brooklyn, NY)
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Thanks to LetWit Founder, Steven Horowitz. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Preschool Teachers
Posted by: Aozora Gakuen
Type: Part-time
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
Aozora Gakuen is Japanese-English bilingual preschool in Fort Green, Brooklyn and looking for teachers for the following positions that start in September.
Part time native English speaking preschool teacher
Tuesdays 2pm-6:30pm, Wednesdays 9am-2pm.
Experience of working with children 2 years old and above is essential. The school is attended by children from the ages of 2 – 4 years old with a maximum 12 children.
You should be:
-positive, creative, and self motivated individual
-full of energy, hard working, patient, and enjoys working with children
-able to maintain a safe environment for the children
-responsible and able to work well with other staff
-able to be physically active with kids
-professional, helpful, and able to communicate well with parents
Responsibilities also include:
-developing and implementing an effective and fun curriculum
-Clean up duties
Requirements:
-Three references
-Meet state licensing requirements for education level, previous experience and be over 18 years old
-a degree in early childhood development or related field equivalency degree is preferred
If you are interested please send your cover letter and resume to kaoru@aozoragakuen.com with the subject line “Preschool Teacher Candidate”.
Job: Delta Air Lines Flight Attendants- Japanese Speaking Qualification Required
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Thanks to JET alum Jessica Cork Kennett
for sharing this opening. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Flight Attendants
Posted by: Delta Airlines
Type: N/A
Location: Various
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Summary Of Essential Job Responsibilities:
Handle emergency situations, effectively implement instructions from the flight deck & follow appropriate emergency procedures established by Delta. May serve as flight leader when needed. Provide exemplary customer service to exceed customer expectations; work independently & as part of a team. Ensure compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Ensure passenger compliance with in-flight safety measures. Provide special assistance including stowing luggage, emergency medical aid, wheelchair assistance. Prepare/serve meals & beverages. Sell onboard liquor, headsets, duty-free items. Actively seek to ensure the safety & comfort of customers. Must maintain professional appearance & composure at all times; communicate effectively & write detailed reports pertaining to flight incidents, discrepancies. Read More
Jobs: Sakura Educational Exchange (DC) Job Openings
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Via JETAA DC. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: MALE Cultural Assistant
Posted by: Sakura Educational Exchange USA
Type: PT/FT Contract Position
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $800 – $1,000 (total) depending on experience and responsibilities
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
Sakura Educational Exchange USA, a nonprofit international student exchange organization in Rockville, Maryland is seeking energetic, international-minded, fun-loving, dedicated people interested in working with visiting Japanese high school students in March 2013.
Dates:
Two Full Days of Orientation in Rockville, MD – TBA
- Wed. March 13, 2013 – Mon. March 25, 2013 – Full time including weekends and lodging in Gaithersbrug, MD Read More
I’ll Make It Myself!: Curried Cauliflower with Tuna
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
I used to refer to cauliflower as “broccoli’s sad cousin.” Years of veggie trays at family functions taught me that dip does not make raw cauliflower taste good. A month of a “let’s try new vegetables” experiment in high school taught me that no amount of cheese will make me touch boiled cauliflower. (Seriously. There are some things even cheese can’t fix.)
At some point last year, everyone on the Internet seemed to having a foodgasm about using mashed cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes, and as I was snarking away*, my husband revealed that he likes cauliflower.
Whoa whoa whoa. Back up there.
WIT Life #223: Return to LDP rule with Abe at the helm
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
The parliamentary election in Japan two Sundays ago restored the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP or 自民党) to power after three years of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 民主党) being in charge. LDP leader and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is now the incoming Prime Minister, and current Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned as head of the DPJ. A particular focus will be the new administration’s handling of issues such as relations with China and other Asian nations (in particular the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands), possible restarting of nuclear power plants and Japan’s energy policy (the LDP favors the nuclear option), and socioeconomic challenges (such as the low birthrate/increasingly aging population and combating deflation).
Abe is known to be a hawkish conservative, and he emphasizes both Japan’s ownership of Read More
“Introduction to the JET Program” video created by JET alum Eliot Honda
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Here’s the latest video project by Hawaii-based JET Eliot Honda (Ehime-ken, Uwajima-shi), who previously created four videos about his JET town of Uwajima-shi as well as a video titled “Sister City Ties“:
Eliot says: “I finally completed the JET Program Introduction video. (Revised, hopefully audio and graphics look better.)”
Published on Dec 23, 2012
For official documentation on the JET Program please visit these sites:
http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/
http://www.jetprogramme.org
http://ajet.net
http://www.clair.or.jp/e/jetprogram/index.html
Music:
http://incompetech.com
Wallpaper by Kevin Macleod
Sunshine by Kevin Macleod
JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Samurai Awakening’
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“Ultimately, Samurai Awakening is a fun read that makes you think you’re watching a movie.” (Tuttle)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-2010) for JQ magazine. Rashaad worked at four elementary schools and three junior high schools on JET, and taught a weekly conversion class in Haguro (his village) to adults. He completed the Tokyo Marathon in 2010, and was also a member of a taiko group in Haguro.
For those who have lived in Japan, there were probably times when nothing seemed to be going right while struggling to get adjusted to a new culture. But eventually—or maybe miraculously—things take a 180 degree turn.
Well, that happened in Samurai Awakening, Benjamin Martin‘s work of fiction for young adults. Martin—currently a fifth year Okinawa Prefecture JET—tells the story of David Matthews, an exchange student spending the year in Japan. David is frustrated and unhappy due to the fact he can’t speak Japanese well and hasn’t made any close friends. Fittingly, very early in the story, he is bloodied in a fight with students at Nakano Junior High School.
But after attending a local temple ceremony, David learns a new god has created special powers in him. He is now able to speak Japanese fluently, fight incredibly well and turn into a cat. However, those are not the only surprises in the book. His host family the Matsumotos, who are famous sword makers, are also keeping a secret handed down to their ancestors by the Emperor of Japan. And it is with the Matsumotos that he must work to save his host sister Rie, as wolves have taken up residence in her body.
Good analysis of the LDP return to power from The Monkey Cage
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This post from The Monkey Cage by political science professor Joshua Tucker citing Christina Davis is the most in-depth and current piece I’ve seen explaining what the LDP re-election is really all about and putting Japan’s current situation in perspective.
Here are some excerpts:
Despite electoral victory, the LDP did not receive a strong mandate. In a post-election poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun, respondents asked to explain the LDP victory cited “disappointment of the DPJ government” (81 percent) rather than “support for the LDP’s policies” (7 percent).
…….
In what could be seen as a profile in courage or political suicide, Prime Minister Noda made a deal with the LDP in August that in exchange for their support to pass an unpopular tax increase, he would agree to call for an early election.
The DPJ’s ability to allocate pork barrel policies as the incumbent party made it hard for the LDP to differentiate itself on bread and butter issues, and it instead had to rely on nationalism to mobilize a new policy frame.
……..
Going forward, it is probable that the LDP will deliver what Noda could not and bring Japan into the TPP negotiations. Despite the party’s tepid stance toward the trade talks during the election, in order to deliver on its promise to revitalize the economy the party cannot only cater to rural interests in protection.
……..
China has viewed the election with alarm as sign of movement toward resurgent nationalism and anti-China sentiment in Japan. This fear is misplaced given that the electoral politics reflected rejection of DPJ more than endorsement of LDP…… Chinese leaders are equally committed to economic growth and must recognize that efforts to coerce Japan through economic policies may backfire as did the embargo on rare earth mineral exports imposed in October 2010. The key will be to avoid misunderstandings and accidents through clear diplomacy on both sides to assure that posturing for domestic audiences does not aggravate relations.
CLICK HERE to read the full article.
Life After JET: Matthew Kohut, Psychotherapist
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Matt Kohut (CIR Aichi-ken, Shitara-cho, 1998-2000) is a psychotherapist is New York City. He is not a writer but wrote this piece. For more about Matt please visit: www.mattkohut.com.
*Have your own “Life After JET” story that you think would be of interest to the JET/JET alum community? Email jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
PRACTICE
Matthew M. Kohut, LMSW
JET was always part of the plan. Since studying abroad in Japan in my teens and twenties I felt the need to keep my love for Japan alive. I had each step planned. First do JET, learn Japanese, then work at a high-profile company pushing billions of Yen around the world, bow, firmly shake hands, exchange business cards without pocketing them until outside the room, guzzle Kirin black-label with colleagues until shuden, show up for calisthenics the next morning, pretend like none if it happened, live long, prosper and die. It was a nice plan, cinematic and to the point. But, exciting? Debatable.
I did ok at making the plan work until I got to the point of pushing billions of yen around the world. Upon returning from JET in 2000, I landed a job at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco as Assistant to the Cultural Attaché. I was hobnobbing with National Living Treasures, speaking Japanese in huddles of diplomats by day, and lazing around home with my Japanese boyfriend by night, ne-ing and yo-ing about it until bedtime. It wasn’t the plan, but it was close enough.
And it was good enough too– for a while. But about my third year of working at the Consulate I Read More
Write a review of the JET Program for Teach Abroad
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I saw this posted to the Pacific Northwest JETAA Facebook group as well as the New Jersey JETAA Facebook group. It seems to be a nice opportunity to help promote the JET Program and help with recruiting (which in turn helps build the JET alumni community), so I thought I’d re-post to JETwit and encourage others to post reviews:
Posted by Tyler Starling:
Hey everyone! I am a student at UC Berkeley and an intern at a local startup called GoOverseas. We are the leading Teach Abroad review resource, but we currently ONLY HAVE SIX REVIEWS of JET Program with a 92% overall rating. Please help out other teachers, graduates, and students by sharing your experience and posting an honest review at http://www.gooverseas.com/
Local Industrial Festival Reveals a Wealth of Culture
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Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the YA fantasy novel Samurai Awakening (Tuttle).
The industrial Fair, or sangyo matsuri in Japanese, is a fixture in the annual event calendar on my island. From the English translation you might think of cars, heavy manufacturing, and other well-known industry. In Japan, though, many products are made by very small local companies rather than in large factories. Even when big factories are necessary, there are often many small shops acting as suppliers. Taken to a further level, small rural communities without those major industries often have a vibrant industrial community supporting local needs. You might be surprised to learn about all the things going on around you in small local Japan.
Recently, our island had its yearly sangyo matsuri, and event designed to inform locals about the various products made on Kumejima and also to sell those products. One of the local kaizen (community) centers was taken over by scores of tables and activities for everyone to enjoy.
Checkout MoreThingsJapanese.com for more photos and a video on the Agricultural, Oceanic, and Cultural sights at this unique event.
JET Alum Author Beat 12.15.12
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Gemma Vidal (Okayama-ken, 2010-12) is a recently returned JET seeking work in licensing/merchandising (if it’s within the publishing industry, even better!). You can usually find her in her little web spaces Gem in the Rough and Peachy Keen (her JET adventures) or training with San Jose Taiko. If you know of any authors/aspiring writers you’d like to see featured in JET Alum Author Beat, just contact Gemma at gem.vidal [at] gmail.com. She would also like to express her deepest condolences to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.
- Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica wrote a special article for The Japan Times where he interviewed Pete Townshend, guitarist of The Who and discussed UK/Japan post-WWII similarities and Mr. Townshend’s recent memoir, “Who I Am”. You can find the article here. Roland Kelts also posted an interesting article on the possible decline of the pop culture phenomenon “Japan Cool”. That article can be found here at The Christian Science Monitor.
- If you’re looking for some light entertainment, Young Adult book Guardian of the Dead’s New Zealand author Karen Healey self-published a collection of essays titled Teen Movie Times. In this collection she muses on teen movie “classics” such as Bring it On and Clueless. Who knows, maybe one of these movies can be used in one of your lessons?
