Japan Society (NY) Allocates Additional $2.1 Million with 5th Round of Earthquake Relief Grants
Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Society Round-up 
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Via Shannon Jowett, Director of Communications for Japan Society in New York:
“With recovery and rebuilding expected to take 10 years or more, Japan Society announced the fifth round of grants from the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, focusing on economic and community revitalization and mental health services. Full details below.”
Japan Society Allocates Additional $2.1 Million with 5th Round of Earthquake Relief Grants
New York, NY – Japan Society announced this week the fifth round of grants from the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (JERF), supporting eight organizations, seven of which are first-time grantees. With additional grants totaling $2,131,000, this latest announcement brings total allocations from the $12.9 million fund to $9.4 million distributed to 27 organizations representing 34 grants that directly serve people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011.
“While progress has been made sixteen months after Japan’s triple disasters, the work is far from over,” said Japan Society President, Motoatsu Sakurai upon the announcement. “As the hard work of recovery and the complex process of rebuilding moves forward, we continue to put emphasis on areas where we see great need and where we think our support can have long-term impact: mental health services and economic and community revitalization projects.”
Sakurai told Reuters in a profile of the Society’s relief work earlier this year that focus should be on local entrepreneurship and lasting sustainable projects. “It is very, very evident in Japan this recovery process will continue for more than 10 years,” he said.
The latest grant recipients are: Read More
JapanLocal: Shimane JET Welcome Video
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Shimane JET Joshua Del Pino recently put out this video titled “Shimane JET Welcome Video,” an excellent introduction to the prefecture for JETs as well as non-JETs.
For more information about life as a JET Programme participant in Shimane Prefecture, please check out the following link: http://www.shimaneajet.com/
Job: Program Officer, Lecture Programs – Japan Society (NYC)
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Thanks to JET alum Christy Jones of Japan Society for sharing this new opening at Japan Society in NYC.
Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: Program Officer, Lecture Programs
Posted by: Japan Society
Type: Full-time
Location: New York
Salary: N/A
Start date: N/A
Overview:
The Program Officer plans, executes, and manages lecture programs, conferences and symposia on themes relating to existing Japan Society projects, performances and current trends of Japanese culture, including but not limited to, design, architecture, food, literature, and social issues. Read More
Job: Japanese Language Tester
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Thanks to JET alum Regina Durr for this listing, which is for native Japanese speakers.
Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: Japanese Language Tester
Posted by: VMC Consulting
Type: Full-time
Location: San Mateo, CA
Salary: Competitive
Start date: Immediately Read More
Job: Consulate General of Japan – General Affairs Staff (NYC)
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Thanks to Jack Chan for sharing this opening at the Consulate created by his upcoming departure. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: General Affairs Staff Employee
Posted by: Consulate General of Japan
Type: Full-time
Location: New York
Salary: Will be determined under Consulate regulations
Start date: Mid August 2012
Overview:
Work consists of assisting with consular duties including but not limited to reception duties and corresponding/negotiation work with vendors. Read More
Job: Postings from Idealist.org 7.9.12
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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. Hire me! :-)
Grants Writer and Manager Policy Education
Posted by: Asia Society
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Competitive
Start Date: Not Specified
Asia Society seeks a Grants Writer and Manager Policy & Education for support on all fundraising activities regarding grants from foundations and government agencies, especially in the areas of Asia Society’spolicy institute and education. Graduate degree and 4-5 years fundraising experience, including proposal writing, prospect identification and research preferred.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/5z2Gf444FtW4/
Justin’s Japan: Week One of JAPAN CUTS 2012 Serves Up ‘Love Strikes!’, Adult Anime
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‘Love Strikes!’ has its U.S. premiere at New York’s Japan Society July 14. (© 2011 TOHO CO.,LTD. / TV TOKYO CORPORATION / DENTSU INC. / KODANSHA Ltd. / Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / Office Crescendo Inc. / PARCO CO., LTD. / Yahoo Japan Corporation / TV OSAKA CORPORATION / TV AICHI CORPORATION)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
From July 12-28, Japan Society ushers in its sixth consecutive year of JAPAN CUTS: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema. Bigger than ever, JAPAN CUTS 2012 boasts the most feature films in the festival’s history: 37 full-length and 2 shorts, encompassing blockbusters, high-concept art house titles, mature anime, audacious documentaries, delirious rom-coms and a splatter of J-horror/gore genre busters. Running alongside the New York Asian Film Festival (June 29-July 15), which co-presents 12 films from July 12-15, JAPAN CUTS 2012’s selections sport the unyielding artistry and out-of-control eccentricity that define modern Japanese cinema.
“This year’s expanded and expansive edition of JAPAN CUTS reflects our (slightly maniacal) ambition to be the ultimate platform for Japanese cinema in North America—in the world perhaps?” says Japan Society’s chief film programmer and festival curator Samuel Jamier. “In this respect, the explosive, purposefully off-balance mix of dark-themed hard-core actioners, blockbusters, hit comedies, nano-budget indie titles and philosophical art house pieces emphasizes the wild diversity of the production in the archipelago, as well as its incredible resilience, despite the rise of its East Asian neighbors and the current severe economic conditions. We might not be solving the epistemological conundrum that is Japanese and world cinema (or event zombie apocalypse), but we’re giving it a good try.”
Upcoming events include the sold out Striking Love! JAPAN CUTS Opening Party following the July 14 screening of Love Strikes!, with an introduction and Q&A with star actress Masami Nagasawa (this year’s recipient of NYAFF’s Rising Star Asia Award) and an introduction and Q&A with Monsters Club director Toshiaki Toyoda for the July 15 screening.
For this week’s list of films, click here.
JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Darryl Wharton-Rigby on ‘Don Doko Don: The Yamakiya Taiko Drum Club Project’
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“This story is about the resiliency of community; how a community comes together in times of crisis. It’s a story about our shared human experience. It’s in some ways my own story, as my family still lives in Fukushima as well.”
By Nichole L. Knight (Shiga-ken, 2007-09) for JQ magazine. Originally from Waterbury, Connecticut, Nichole became active with the JET Alumni Association of New York even before moving to the city. Since returning from Japan, she’s played with the University of Connecticut Taiko Team, and trained with Soh Daiko, the East Coast’s oldest taiko group.
Darryl Wharton-Rigby (Fukushima-ken, 2005-07) is a playwright, poet, professor and filmmaker, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland. He has written for NBC, MTV, and BET. He lectures for Morgan State University’s Screenwriting and Animation Program, and is in the process of writing three books. Married with three children, he splits his time between Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Japan.
From 2005 to 2007, while teaching English in Kawamata-machi in Fukushima Prefecture through the JET Program, Wharton-Rigby was introduced to the talented members of the Yamakiya Taiko Club, a local community group which he would soon join. He began filming their story in 2006, but was inspired to continue after the group was misplaced in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami and ensuing Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant area evacuations.
Of the documentary, now titled Don Doko Don: The Yamakiya Taiko Drum Club Project, Wharton-Rigby says, “…[T]his very well may be my most ambitious project. I never imagined my journey would bring me to [a] project with such an international scope and [is] profoundly personal on so many levels.” As the film’s writer, director and producer, he has unveiled an ambitious Kickstarter campaign to fund the project that closes July 11. In this exclusive interview, JQ caught up with Wharton-Rigby to discuss the origins of the film, the significance of Yamakiya on its devastated community, and the troupe’s international highlights so far.
Tell us a little about the Yamakiya Taiko Club and how you first came to know about it.
When I was a JET in Kawamata, I had to go to the Yamakiya District high in the mountains to teach at the elementary, junior high, and kindergarten schools. I met Megumi Endo, who was a school worker and head of the group at Yamakiya Elementary School. She invited me to play taiko drums with the Yamakiya Taiko Club and I was hooked. I loved the sound and power of the drums. There are three teams: Kodama, the beginning students; Suzaku, the intermediate students; and Yamazaru, the experienced members. I practiced with the younger members of Kodoma.
What inspired you to start making a documentary about them?
I started shooting footage of the group after breaking my finger. I couldn’t play the drums, but I still wanted to remain connected to the group. My background prior to JET was in film, so, I pulled out my camera and started shooting footage of the group. I would shoot rehearsals, performances, meetings, and on bus trips. I even followed around Genki Endo, who is the leader of the group. Megumi-san mentioned that it would be great to have a documentary about the group. I agreed. She came up with the title Don Doko Don—it’s the basic sound of the taiko beat. Over the years, I had compiled more than 80 hours of footage and when I would return to Japan, I would make sure to visit Yamakiya and I would bring along my camera and shoot more footage.
Why is it important to share this story with the world?
When I learned that Yamakiya was going to be evacuated because of high levels of radiation after the events of March 11, 2011, it broke my heart. I could not fathom this was really happening to a community and people I adored. Then I found out that despite the circumstances, the group was still practicing and performing together. I knew there was a story to be told. This story is about the resiliency of community; how a community comes together in times of crisis. It’s a story about our shared human experience. It’s in some ways my own story, as my family still lives in Fukushima as well.
WIT Life #207: This week’s NYT Japanese baseball articles
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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.
This week’s NYT offered two interesting articles about baseball, one about a Japanese player in the U.S. and one about a Venezuelan player in Japan.
The first focuses on Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who shares his story of how abusive treatment at the hands of coaches and teammates while growing up in Japan molded him into the player he is today. I had heard about things like getting hit on the backside with bats (ketsu batto) and some of the other torturous treatment coaches inflict on their players from Japanese friends of mine who played baseball as youngsters, but I didn’t know the extent of some of the abuse. What Kuroda had to endure would surely be prosecutable today, but at the time it was tacitly endorsed, even by his mother.
Another article in today’s sports section talks a
bout Yokohama BayStars outfielder Alex Ramirez (aka “Rami-chan”) and his recent attaininment of Read More
JapanLocal: Kamo Aquarium in Tsuruoka
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JETAA Philadelphia Subchapter rep Rashaad Jorden recently wrote the following article for the Japan Tourist website (a great example of JETs helping to promote “local” tourism for Japan):
Kamo Aquarium in Tsuruoka: More wonderful water fun in Yunohama
(Click link to the article to see photos: http://japantourist.jp/view/kamo-aqarium)
In a part of Tsuruoka renown for onsen and Yamagata Prefecture’s most popular beach, it’s quite fitting there’s another place where water brings out more fun. Only here animals are stars of the show.
Once threatened with bankruptcy, Kamo Aquarium in Yunohama has grown to become one of the country’s most popular aquariums, welcoming more than 220,000 visitors in 2011 (according to a June 2012 article on the Japan Times’ website). A remarkable number considering only 90,000 people visited Kamo in 1997, sparking rumors of the aquarium’s demise.
Much of the credit for Kamo’s revival goes to one creature: the jellyfish. Read More
Japan Times article on pre-JET Lesley Downer, writer, historian and journalist
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Thanks to JET alum Aurelien Hancou for alerting JETwit to this recent Japan Times article about British writer, historian and journalist Lesley Downer, who participated in a forerunner to the JET Programme.
Author Lesley Downer’s romance with Japan is no fleeting affair
By VICTORIA JAMES
Special to The Japan Times
British writer, historian and journalist Lesley Downer has been visiting Japan and writing about it for nearly 35 years — beginning in 1978, when she was part of the first-ever intake of the English Teaching Recruitment Program, which evolved into the famous JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Program) scheme. Read More
Job: Asahi Shimbun – Full-time receptionist/assistant reporter (NYC)
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Thanks to JETAA NY President Monica Yuki for forwarding on the below JET-relevant job listing. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: Speechwriter/Public Affairs Specialist
Posted by: The Consulate General of Japan in New York
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary:
Start date: N/A
Overview:
The New York Bureau of The Asahi Shimbun, a premier Japanese newspaper, seeks a full-time receptionist/assistant reporter. Main duties include office maintenance (distributing newspapers/mail to staff; answering phone calls; restocking supplies; handling correspondents’ credentials; making coffee, etc.) Secondary and occasional duties concern helping the correspondents cover a variety of news areas, particularly sports (researching; making appointments; phone-interviewing; transcribing voice files, etc.). Read More
Job: Japan Information Center Seeking a Speechwriter/Public Affairs Specialist (NY)
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Thanks to JETAA NY Board Member Kat Barnas for passing along this job posting. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: Speechwriter/Public Affairs Specialist
Posted by: The Consulate General of Japan in New York
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary:
Start date: NA
Overview:
The Consulate General of Japan in New York is currently seeking a speechwriter/public affairs specialist. The incumbent will produce and edit English language public remarks, speeches and official correspondence for the Ambassador and other diplomats, and, working in close cooperation with Japanese officials and staff, will carry out a variety of communications duties within the Japan Information Center, the Consulate’s press and public affairs arm. To apply please send resume and cover letter to Mr. Yoshito Yamashita (yoshito.yamashita@mofa.go.jp). Read More
Job: Esl instructors, Mahidol University (Thailand)
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Thanks to Jet alum Stephen Smith for sharing this great job listing. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: Esl instructors
Posted by: Mahidol University
Type: Full-time
Location: Thailand
Salary: Commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Start date: NA
Overview:
The Faculty of ICT at Mahidol University would like to employ several highly talented individuals to join our staff in the academic year 2012, starting in August, at our Salaya campus. Full-time positions are now available for any successful applicant who holds the following minimum required qualifications: Read More
Job: Reservations and Sales Associate, Asia Division – Amnet (NYC)
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Thanks to JET alum Kathryn Oi (Miyagi-ken, Minamisanriku-shi) who works at Amnet. Kathryn also wrote an essay about her experience in Minamisanriku following the 3/11 earthquake – read here: http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2011/03/30/minamisanriku-jet-kathryn-oi-shares-her-experience-of-the-earthquake-and-tsunami/) Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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Position: Reservations and Sales Associate, Asia Division
Posted by: Amnet Travel Agency
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary:
Start date: NA
Overview:
If you are interested in travel, have excellent people skills, and like working in a Japanese company environment, definitely consider Amnet New York as a great job opportunity. With an already strong Japanese clientele base, Amnet is looking to expand their name, brand and services to the American market as well as other Asian markets including the Philippines , Singapore and Malaysia . Read More
