WIT Life #216: Japanese Food Frenzy
Events, Food & Drink, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
Comments Off on WIT Life #216: Japanese Food Frenzy
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.
This past weekend I attended two food events where aspects of Japanese cuisine were being highlighted, the NYC Wine and Food Festival and the Japan Block Fair. At the first, sake was being promoted by the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), and my friend I enjoyed sampling some from the brand Momokawa. Kikkoman also had their own booth, where they were offering panko coated kara-age as well as the three different sauces of sriracha, wasabi and soy. During the Japanese news broadcast I watch every morning, Kikkoman’s kara-age commercials have become Read More
I’ll Make It Myself!: Halloween Taste-Testing: Pumpkin Pudding Kit Kats
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: Halloween Taste-Testing: Pumpkin Pudding Kit Kats
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 (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), 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.
Last year, Kit Kat introduced special pumpkin cheesecake flavor for Halloween. Although I liked it quite a bit, I was a little confused as to why the package described pumpkin cheesecake as a “traditional Halloween food.” This year, Kit Kat opted for a new limited-time Halloween flavor, Pumpkin Pudding (パンプキンプリン).
Let’s compare:
2011:
2012:
“From the very beginning I saw Gordon Hirabayashi’s story as a unique and quintessentially American story, and although he was Japanese American himself, I hoped that the play would have a broad appeal, not just for that community, or just the Asian American community, but for people of all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life.” (Lia Chang)
By Ann Chow (Hyogo-ken, 2007-09) for JQ magazine. Ann is a native New Yorker who gets scared of the big, scary world, but ventures out into it anyway. She coined the term “stealth gaijin” (or thinks she did because she hadn’t heard of it before writing a bunch of articles under that moniker during her time on JET). When not portraying 14-year-olds on Gossip Girl, she can sometimes be found playing a (much older) law clerk on Law and Order: SVU.
Jeanne Sakata is an award-winning stage actress who has performed with many well-known companies on the country’s biggest stages, including the Lincoln Center Theater and the John F. Kennedy Center. She made her playwriting debut in 2007 with Hold These Truths (formerly Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi), the story of the Japanese American activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, who passed away earlier this year at age 93.
Hold These Truths first premiered in 2007, and has been performed multiple times around the country since then. It is now a part of the Library of Congress Playwrights Archive in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection in Washington, D.C., and is now having its Epic Theatre Ensemble New York premiere run (starring Joel de la Fuente and directed by Lisa Rothe) through Nov. 18 at the Theater at the 14th Street Y in repertory with Dispatches from (A)mended America.
JQ recently spoke with Sakata about her profound fascination with Hirabayashi’s life, the meticulous research that went into writing Hold These Truths, and what she hopes the play will accomplish.
What are the goals you are trying to achieve with Hold These Truths?
I hope, first, that Hold These Truths will spread awareness of Gordon Hirabayashi, whose story is still virtually unknown to so many Americans. As a young college student during World War II, Gordon stood up for the principles of the Constitution when the United States government failed miserably to do so, persecuting and imprisoning him for his actions. Earlier this year, Gordon passed away in January at the age of 93, and, amazingly, a few months later in April, President Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for the courageous stand he took so many decades ago. So I feel, this year especially, that Gordon’s story is a vitally important one to anyone who cares about our country, and the principles of the Constitution. Second, I hope the play will spread awareness on the East Coast of the mass incarceration of all people of Japanese ancestry during World War II on the West Coast, as knowledge of this tragedy seems to be much less prevalent here than out west.
In general, people on the West Coast know more about this time in American history. What reactions do you expect now that it’s playing here in New York?
As I said earlier, one common reaction we’ve had is that of shock that something so horrible happened during the World War II years in America. Many of our East Coast audience members who lived through those years have said that they were aware that “something bad” happened to the Japanese on the West Coast during that time, but they did not know just how bad it was. For example, they did not know that anyone in Seattle who was one-sixteenth Japanese, or babies from orphanages who had any Japanese blood, were ordered to be penned up behind barbed wire. They don’t know that so many children and young American citizens were torn out of their schools and imprisoned, and for so many years. But I also hope the reaction to Gordon’s story we’ve had here so far will continue—that people will be delighted, as well as profoundly moved and inspired, to learn about him.
How did you choose the subject matter for the play? Did you have family that lived in the internment camps?
I myself am a third-generation Japanese American, and in the 1990s I happened to see a documentary video about Gordon titled A Personal Matter: Gordon Hirabayashi vs. the United States. I was shocked that I had never heard his story before, and I started to find out everything I could about him. The more I read, the more fascinated and intrigued I became. The story just grasped me and wouldn’t let me go, becoming an obsession, and I knew I couldn’t rest until I tried to write a play about Gordon.
My mother’s side of the family was living in Colorado during World War II, and so did not have to go to the camps, although they experienced plenty of hostility and racism in the town where they lived. My father’s family, however, all lived in Watsonville on California’s West Coast, so all of them were rounded up and imprisoned in the camp in Poston, Arizona. As I was growing up, my father and aunts and uncles never spoke of the experience, I believe, because it was so traumatic for them, as it was for so many others.
Job: Digital Marketing & Communications Director (NYC)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Digital Marketing & Communications Director (NYC)
Thanks to JET Alum Nicole Bongiorno for sharing this interesting job listing. 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.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: External Digital Marketing & Communications Director
Posted by: Marsh & McLennan
Type: Full-time
Location: US-NY-New York
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
As the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor, Marsh is devoted to finding the opportunity in risk. Companies look to us to help them navigate the daunting global risk landscape, seeing risks others don’t and unlocking opportunities others can’t. With 25,000 employees and annual revenues approaching $5 billion Marsh serves more clients in more industries worldwide than any firm in our industry. We are looking for talented professionals to join our team.
The successful candidate will exemplify Marsh’s IGNITE Operating Principles, the behaviors that guide our conduct and growth – In Touch: Get out in front by being informed and being connected; Genuine: Be authentic with clients and each other; Nimble: Be flexible and move quickly to deliver quality results; Inclusive: Be open to diverse ideas, experiences and backgrounds; Trusted: Stand for integrity and ethical behavior; and Engaged: Actively participate in making Marsh extraordinary. Read More
Volunteer: English/Spanish Language Instructors for Global voyage
Uncategorized, Volunteer Comments Off on Volunteer: English/Spanish Language Instructors for Global voyage
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.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: English / Spanish Language Teachers
Posted by: Peace Boat, NGO
Type: Volunteer
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
Peace Boat’s Global English/Español Training (GET) Programme is now accepting applications for Volunteer English/Spanish Language Instructors for the 79th Global Voyage (April 1, 2013 – July 12, 2013)
Conditions of Employment:
This position is for enthusiastic, highly motivated, dynamic individuals with a minimum of 18 full-time months teaching experience. Applicants should be highly advanced speakers of English / Spanish, although it is not necessary to be a ‘native’ or ‘first-language’ speaker. Certification or graduate degree and Japanese ability is highly regarded. This is a volunteer position but voyage expenses are covered. The deadline for application is November 23rd, 2012. If you would like to apply please visit:
http://www.peaceboat.org/english/?menu=110
I’ll Make It Myself!: Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant and Sesame Spread)
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant and Sesame Spread)
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 (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), 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’ve covered bread here, so let’s move on to sandwich fillings, specifically pita. Hummus or falafel seem like obvious choices and are very easy to make at home if you can get the ingredients. In Ishikawa, chickpeas are mostly relegated to the import stores (and are expensive), and my first blender was a cheap plastic thing that did not like anything with a consistency harder than melted butter. Hummus, therefore, was not a food I could make consistently while living out in the country.
Fortunately, I discovered baba ghanoush after yet another incident where I had too many eggplants. This magical food solves all of the making-hummus-in-Japan problems. This eggplant-based spread uses no chickpeas, which means no special trips to the import store; eggplants are plentiful and cheap; and the soft consistency of the vegetable base means you won’t murder your blender. Instead of tahini, which is also import-store-only, we’re going to use white nerigoma, Japanese sesame paste. Tahini is a paste made of roasted sesame seeds; nerigoma is paste made with sesame seeds that haven’t been roasted, so to get a smokier flavor, we’re going to add cumin.
Job: Postings from Idealist.org 10.11.12
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Postings from Idealist.org 10.11.12
Via Idealist.org. Posted by Geneva Marie (Niigata-ken 2008-09) Geneva is a contributor to both JETwit and JETAANY. Geneva is on a continuous (epic) search for Japanese-related jobs in the United States. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Competitive
Start Date: After October 5, 2012
Database Associate
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Competitive
Start Date: After October 5, 2012
WIT Life #215: More Yakusho Koji greatness
Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #215: More Yakusho Koji greatness
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.
Looks like it’s been exactly a month since I’ve written here, and we have already entered 実りの秋・食欲の秋 (minori no aki, shokuyoku no aki) or season of harvest, season of hearty appetites. Leaves are started to turn their lovely colors and there is a nice chill in the air most mornings and nights, which makes me wish there was a nearby onsen to soak in…
On the plane on the way back from a recent European vacation I was able to catch Yakusho Koji‘s わが母の記 (waga haha no ki), or Chronical of My Mother. This film was featured in this year’s Japan Cuts, but I was not around when it screened so I was glad to have the chance to make up for it. Based on an autobiographical novel by Yasushi Inoue, it tells the story of novelist Kosaku Igami who has achieved great success, but at the price of mining his Read More
Roland Kelts Praises the Who’s Pete Townshend in ‘The New Yorker’
Article/Journalism, Books, Music, Roland Kelts Comments Off on Roland Kelts Praises the Who’s Pete Townshend in ‘The New Yorker’
Roland Kelts, left: “When I published my first book, Japanamerica, about the odd synchronicity between two societies, Japanese and American, at once at great odds and suddenly allies, my publisher asked me to send the book to Pete Townshend. He had asked for it, why not give it to him?”
Courtesy of JETAA Northern California’s Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06):
In a new article by JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) on Pete Townshend in The New Yorker, Kelts references his book Japanamerica—of which Townshend said “I love that book!” to JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi at an NYC signing yesterday for his new memoir Who I Am—at the end of the article and offers some thoughts contrasting the experience of artists in the U.K. and Japan after World War II.
I first met Pete Townshend fifteen years ago in a modest London hotel suite. I was there with my friend Larry David Smith to interview Townshend for Smith’s book, “The Minstrel’s Dilemma.” We were already seated inside when I looked out the first-floor window and saw Townshend pulling into the parking lot.
He arrived alone, sans entourage or fanfare, driving himself in a gray Mercedes station wagon. Minutes later, the knob on the suite door rattled and shook. I stood, thinking that it might be a member of the hotel staff and wondering if I should turn the knob from our side. There was a pause, then more rattling, then the door swung open and Townshend burst through, eyes wide with exertion. He had apparently been trying to pull when he should have pushed.
We were scheduled to meet for two hours, but Townshend was unstoppable, regaling us not with stories of rock debauchery, but a stream of complex, sometimes half-formed ideas about popular culture, history, and human psychology. We were told not to ask him about his failing marriage; he immediately addressed it, confessing to a jolt of sadness while shaving that morning. “Don’t mention Keith Moon,” wrote his personal assistant via fax. “I never properly mourned for Keith,” he soon said, unprompted, and through tears.
For the complete story, click here.
Consulate General of Japan in New York: “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands”
Uncategorized Comments Off on Consulate General of Japan in New York: “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands”
The below was sent by the Japan Information Center, an agency of the Consulate General of Japan in New York:
The Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan in New York, would like to brief you on the “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands” as follows:
*******************************************
Current Situation of Senkaku Islands
Dear Friends,
In recent months, the geography of Japan has been challenged, historical maps disputed. Last month witnessed the General Assembly sessions where international matters were discussed and debated. Of grave interest to Japan, the Chinese Foreign Minister made China’s own assertion on the sovereignty issue of the Senkaku Islands in his general debate.
We at the Japan Information Center in New York wish to take this opportunity to present to you a few key historical facts about the issue so that you can have a clear and accurate understanding of the matter.
The Senkaku Islands, a chain of five small islands and rocks in the East China Sea, has been an inherent territory of Japan since it first established territorial sovereignty in 1895. The Japanese government established territorial sovereignty of the islands with a cabinet decision in 1895, after a decade of government surveys which confirmed that the Senkakau Islands had been uninhabited, with no trace of having been under the control of the Qing Dynasty of China.
Since that time, the Senkaku Islands have been an integral part of the Nansei Shoto/Okinawa Islands of Japan. They were never part of the Formosa (Taiwan) or the Pescadore Islands, which were ceded to Japan by the Qing Dynasty of China in May of 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Under the post-World War II San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, the Senkaku Islands –which were not included as territories Japan renounced – were placed under the administration of the United States as part of the Nansei Shoto/Okinawa Islands, with administrative rights returning to Japan in 1971.
Japan has effectively controlled the Senkaku Islands since 1895 by exercising administrative duties such as patrol and law enforcement and the levying of taxes on the private owners of the islands.
China and Taiwan began making their own assertions on territorial sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands only from 1971 when the question of the development of petroleum resources on the continental shelf of the East China Sea arose. China and Taiwan had not, prior to that point, raised any objection to Japan’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands’ in 75 years. No complaints were made at crucial junctures in the post-World War II history; not in 1945 when Taiwan, without the inclusion of the Senkaku Islands, was freed from Japan, nor in 1951 at the post-World War II drafting of the San Francisco Peace Treaty when administrative rights for the islands were placed from Japan to the United States. In fact, Chinese publications have acknowledged the Senkaku Islands as being a part of Japan, one recent example being a 1953 article titled “The Struggle Against U.S. Occupation by the People of the Ryukyu Islands” in the national newspaper published by China’s Communist Party, the People’s Daily, which clearly defined the Senkaku Islands as being a part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands.
*******************************************
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York: Days of Comic Con, Nights of Provocation
Article/Journalism, Events, Justin's Japan Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York: Days of Comic Con, Nights of Provocation
Legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano (“Final Fantasy,” “Vampire Hunter D”) will appear at New York Comic Con Oct. 12-13.
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
October is shaping up to be a memorable month for Japanese culture in New York. Whether it’s examples of its rich past (traditional Shinto dance), something contemporary (legendary manga and anime artists), or works of art captured by others (photographer Eikoh Hosoe, a play based on the life of a Japanese American Medal of Freedom winner), autumn here is so inviting.
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m.
333 East 37th Street
Master photographer Eikoh Hosoe is known for his dark, metaphorical and provocative images. First emerging in postwar Japan as a member of the avant-garde movement, he produced Barakei (Ordeal by Roses), featuring author and right-wing activist Yukio Mishima in a series of dark, erotic poses. He later published Kamaitachi, showing butoh dance founder Tatsumi Hijikata in a series of supernatural images across the Japanese countryside. Mr. Hosoe speaks about his collective work and reflects on his long and dynamic career. Moderated by Dr. Miwako Tezuka, director of Japan Society Gallery. Followed by a reception.
Oct. 11-14
655 West 34th Street
First held in 2006 and paired with New York Anime Festival starting in 2010, New York Comic Con is the city’s biggest annual fan convention dedicated to comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television. Attendance has more than tripled since its launch, as last year’s estimates topped 105,000 visitors. This year’s distinguished “anime guests” include Final Fantasy/Vampire Hunter D artist extraordinaire Yoshitaka Amano (Oct. 12-13), Sakuran creator Moyoco Anno (Oct. 13-14), Tufts University Professor of Japanese Studies Susan Napier (Oct. 13), and perennial NYCC staple voice actress Veronica Taylor (Pokémon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
For the complete story, click here.
JQ Magazine: Autumn in Nagasaki
Article/Journalism, JQ Magazine, Travel/Tourism Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Autumn in Nagasaki
Hashima, aka “Gunship Harbor,” as seen from a tour boat in Nagasaki.
By Mohan Nadig (Hyogo-ken, 1998-99) for JQ magazine. Mohan currently lives in Tokyo.
A word of advice: If you haven’t been to Nagasaki, go.
Since my time as a JET in Hyogo Prefecture in 1998, I’ve been on something of a mission to visit every prefecture in Japan at least once. Last year, one of the remaining spots high on my list was Nagasaki.
I’d planned to visit on several occasions in the past but never made it–I was finally inspired to book a ticket after reading David Mitchell’s fascinating novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which is set in the region at the turn of the 19th century.
The timing of my visit last October turned out to be very fortuitous. A friend from Nagasaki told me that I would be there during the Okunchi Festival and that a friend of hers would be able to show me around town.
Upon arriving in Nagasaki by train from Fukuoka, the first thing that struck me about the city center was its amazing ugliness, which is of the “what could they possibly be thinking?” variety. I was hard pressed to find a corner not marred by some rusting hulk, dilapidated structure or tacky signage left over from the 1970s. For a city with such a significant history, the lack of beautification and preservation efforts is stunning.
Fortunately, I very quickly found a wealth of redeeming features: hospitable people, nuggets of history waiting to be discovered around every corner, and fantastic views of the sea–and of course, the festive atmosphere of Okunchi.
Justin’s Japan: NYC Gives B’z an A at Best Buy Theater
Article/Journalism, Celebrity, Justin's Japan, Music, Reviews Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: NYC Gives B’z an A at Best Buy Theater
Koshi Inaba, left, and Tak Matsumoto of B’z played a sold out show at New York’s Best Buy Theater Sept. 30, 2012. (Justin Tedaldi)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
“You’re not going to stand there the whole time, are you?” a thirtysomething asks me in Japanese from behind the photo pit barrier.
I tell her that I wouldn’t be much of a rock photographer if I stood still the whole time.
“Good,” she says, her face all business. “Because we lined up for this from yesterday morning. So please try to keep your head down, because it’s in my way.”
Welcome to the Best Buy Theater in Manhattan, which drew a sold out Sunday crowd of over 2,000 on Sept. 30 for the New York concert debut of B’z, Japan’s all-time biggest band. Since 1988, Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba have sold over 80 million records, and hold an untouchable record for consecutive number one singles in their native land (46 and counting). A colossal achievement in music, to be sure, but how would the rockers be received on this, their first-ever coast to coast North American tour?
For the complete story, click here.
For Justin’s September 2012 interview with Tak and Koshi, click here.
JETAA Sydney Careers Night
Career Comments Off on JETAA Sydney Careers Night
Via JETAA Sydney. 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.
————————————————————————————————————
Have you recently returned from Japan? Or are you just looking for a new direction?
Come along to the JETAA Careers Night to hear from expert speakers about how you can take the next step in your career. You will receive individually-tailored advice from recruitment professionals about how to make your experience on JET work for you here in Australia. And it will be a great opportunity to network with other former JETs and members of the Japanese community in Sydney.
When: Friday 26 October, 6 – 9 pm
Where: The Japan Foundation, Chifley Plaza, Sydney
Cost: Free! (drinks and snacks will be provided)
RSVP: sydney@jetalumni.org
Don’t forget to bring along your resume!
2012 Kitadaito Festival Day Two
Events, Japan Local, Photography, Travel/Tourism, Video, Writers Comments Off on 2012 Kitadaito Festival Day Two
The 2012 Kitadaito Festival was a two-day event in September marking an important time of community inclusion and tradition. The second day of the Festival was on the 23rd and, as in years past, featured sumo competitions as a traditional Japanese offering to the kami and ancestors of the village. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my post on day one. Below is a video showing excerpts from the day, with more information and photos farther down. Enjoy!
Sumo Competitions
The second day began in the morning on Sunday around 9:00. Villagers gathered again before the Daito-gu shrine. There, a Shinto priest led a ceremony blessing both the sumo ground and the people. New babies were also brought before the shrine by their parents so that the adults could ask for safe and prosperous lives for their children.
After the ceremonies were complete, the villagers settled in to watch Edo and Okinawan Sumo competitions. Although Kitadaito is in Okinawan Prefecture, it was originally settled by people from Hachijo Island, which means the traditions of the island are a unique mix of mainland Japan and Okinawa. At the Daitogusai festival, both types of sumo take place. Pre-school through junior high students take part in edo style sumo.
… Read the rest and see more photos on MoreThingsJapanese.com!.
