Sep 10

Bruce Rutledge hired as editor of new Ibuki Magazine, seeks ideas and stories from JETs in Pacific Northwest

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A nice update from JET alum Bruce Rutledge, the owner of Seattle-based publisher Chin Music Press via the JETAA Pacific Northwest yahoogroup:

Hi everyone, I wanted to let you all know about a new magazine about Japanese culture that was launched this summer.  It’s called Ibuki.

You can find it on the Web here: http://ibukimagazine.com/

The publisher has hired me to edit the magazine and has said she would love to hear ideas for stories from former JETs in the Pacific Northwest. The magazine is beginning as a quarterly centered on Seattle, but, the economy willing, it will expand both its focus and its readership in 2010. If you’re coming to Aki Matsuri this weekend, you’ll find publisher Misa Cartier there at the Ibuki table (and you’ll find me at the Chin Music Press table).

Please stop either one of us and say hi if you’re interested in contributing.

Cheers,

Bruce

For more information about Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press just go to  http://chinmusicpress.com

Sep 5

WIT Life #49: Regime Change

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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Since my last post there has been a huge shakeup in Japanese politics, with the Democratic Party winning in a landslide election and its leader Yukio Hatoyama poised to become the next Prime Minister.  His wife, Miyuki, has even been getting lots of press for her claim to have been abducted by aliens and taken to Venus when she was younger.  She is already fodder for late-night comedians, as this week she was the subject of a David Letterman Top-Ten list entitled “Signs the Japanese First Lady is Nuts.”

Analysts expect the Democrats to focus at least initially on their ambitious domestic agenda.  The party has pledged to change the postwar paradigm, promising to ease growing social inequality by handing more money and social benefits directly to residents rather than to industry or other interest groups.  It has promised to strengthen the social safety net and raise the low birthrate by giving families cash handouts of $270 per month per child and by charging lower gasoline taxes.  Such policies could bring about the start of recovery by lifting Japan’s flagging consumer spending.  Hatoyama has expressed a desire to move away from American-style capitalism.

The party has said it will rein in the powerful central ministries in Tokyo which have run postwar Japan on the Liberal Democrats’ behalf.  It plans to wrest away power from ministerial bureaucrats to ensure that spending more closely reflects public needs.  However, party’s leaders have not had much to say about how to address productivity, or Japan’s continuing battle with deflation or the overhang of a huge public debt.  Due to this, some people have not embraced its platform with much enthusiasm and are not optimistic about the Democrats’ ability to solve looming problems like the growing government debt and a rapidly aging population. Read More

Sep 3

Roland Kelts reviews “Tears in the Darkness” for BOOKFORUM

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Just found out that Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a review of “Tears in the Darkness,” a capacious, brilliantly narrated account of the Bataan Death March in World War II, featuring interviews with Japanese, American and Filipino veterans/survivors — in this month’s issue of BOOKFORUM.  Inhumanity, with novelistic intimacy…

Read the review here: http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/016_03/4339

More @ http://www.tearsinthedarkness.com/

Aug 27

Roland Kelts column in Daily Yomiuri: Miyazaki, Horibuchi and the virtues of change

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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20090828TDY13003.htm

Related JetWit Posts:

• Roland Kelts interview with Hayao Miyazaki
• Transcript of Roland Kelts full interview with Hayao Miyazaki (via GhibliWorld)

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) backstage with Hayao Miyazaki at Berkeley event

Aug 26

Roland Kelts article in Adbusters: “Japanese Simplicity”

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Check out the latest article by Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, in AdBusters magazine, titled “Japanese Simplicity:  The only way to leave a smaller footprint would be to die.”

Also stay tuned for Roland’s forthcoming novel titled “Access.”

Aug 19

JET Alum David Radtke’s “Understanding Japanese Women” reviewed by Rick Ambrosio

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From the Summer 2009 “1/4 Cheap Trick” Issue of JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine:

Like Japanese Girls? Then You Need This Book

By Rick Ambrosio (Ibaraki-ken, 2006-08)

There I was again, outside my apartment, in the car with Hitomi. Again, at this awkward moment where we both fidget and she puts the Toni Braxton CD in.  This is of course, about 10 months ago now, back in Japan. Even after living in Japan for a year and a half, I still had moments like this; social impasses as I liked to call them.  We both didn’t know what to say, what to do. Well, in reality, I didn’t know what to say or do. This was before I understood what “nan demo ii” really meant, before I could fully understand all the silent cues.  This was before I read David Radtke’s Understanding Japanese Women.

I know I know, you’re thinking, “oh no, not another pick-up line book. Not another cheesy how-to.”  It’s what I feared before I started reading it, too. However, I was delightfully surprised that Read More

Aug 18

WIT LIfe #48: Rousing the (Young) Electorate

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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

As we get further into August, the weather is not the only thing heating up in Japan.  People are greatly anticipating the national elections to be held at the end of the month, as many expect that at this time Prime Minister Taro Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party will lose its grip on power for only the second time in over half a century.  Voter surveys show that the Democratic Party  is favored to beat the LDP.  This largest opposition party vows to put more money in the hands of consumers, and support has soared for them and their ambitious election platform which includes Read More

Aug 11

Adbusters: “The Soul of Japan” by Roland Kelts

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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has an article in the August issue of Adbusters magazine addressing the long lineage of Japanese artists’ resistance to the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and subsequent interdependence.  With the elections looming on August 30th, perhaps this additional context will be of interest JET alum.

The Soul of Japan:  Japan’s crisis is not political, but psychological

© hideaki kawashima | soak, 2004 | courtesy tomio koyama gallery, tokyo

https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/84/soul-japan.html

Aug 11

Isshoni London: Top 5 Picks for Summer in Japanese London

Article/Journalism, Blogs, Events, Food & Drink, Japan Fix, Japan Trends, JETAA Chapters, Music, Website, Writers Comments Off on Isshoni London: Top 5 Picks for Summer in Japanese London

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Great article from the Isshoni London website run by JET alum Vanessa Villalobos (who is also the Communications Officer for JETAA UK).

There’s a welcome lull in frenetic London life over August… time to enjoy some of the finer things in life: food, music and the great outdoors.

If you, like I am, are counting down the days to the Japan Matsuri at Spitalfields this September 19th, you should indulge in a little Japanese cultural exploration over the summer!

1. EAT FOR FREE AT TOKYO CITY

I know! I couldn’t believe it either! Simply book your table in advance at Tokyo City Japanese Restaurant near Bank on any Tuesday in August, anytime from 11.30am to 10pm at night. A tasty offer too good to miss, you simply pay a £2.50 service charge and the cost of drinks you order.

City workers can feast for free on everything from handmade sushi and sashimi to bento boxes filled with Japanese classics, plus other traditional Japanese dishes, and help Tokyo City celebrate their 10th birthday and the launch of their new August menu.

Tokyo City is at 46 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7AY

Call 020 7726 0308 and quote the Tokyo City offer when you book.

2. DISCOVER CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE MUSIC

You’ll be pleased to hear Tsuru Sushi plays host to new Japanese music the last Wednesday of every month! Their 100% Genki events showcase Japanese musical and performance talent.

The events have been running for one year on the last Wednesday of each month, and attract a diverse crowd from the Japanese and local communities. Performers are also diverse, ranging from Wataru Kousaka, a sanshin player, to contemporary electronic composer Anchorsong and many others.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article

Aug 10

The Cove: Documentary on Dolphin Slaughter in Japan

Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, Reviews, Video, Website, Writers Documentary, Dolphins, Whales Add Comment (2)

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JetWit webmaster Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06) comments after the jump on The Cove, a new documentary about dolphin hunting in Japan.  Please feel free to share your own thoughts regarding this controversial film in the comments section of this post.

Read More

Aug 8

JQ Magazine’s Summer 2009 “¼ Cheap Trick” Issue Is Out Now!

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The leader of a band that’s sold over 20 million records and brought the words “At Budokan” to the big time, the new Japanese ambassador to New York, a tour of Philadelphia that’s uncannily Zen, and chats with award-winning writers, French pastry operations managers and even a maid-outfitted cosplay superstar complete with bunny ears. All this and more in the new summer issue of JETAANY’s JQ magazine.

To preserve our budget for alumni events, and in an effort to be greener and save paper, JETAANY will begin charging for print copies of JQ Magazine. The cost is $12 for 4 issues and you will only have the opportunity to sign up once a year – annual subscriptions will occur each fall.  Please note that the magazine, in its entirety, is also available online. If you would like to sign up to receive a paper copy by mail, please follow the PayPal link below (Add to Cart) or e-mail magazinesubscriptions@jetaany.org for more information. Remember you must put “JQ subscription” and your desired mailing address in the Paypal comments box.

Editor: Justin Tedaldi – magazine@jetaany.org

Aug 7

WIT Life #47: The Times They Are A-Changin’

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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

An article from this past Tuesday’s (August 4) Daily Sun newspaper caught my attention as it focused on gaijin.  It described how  foreigners are increasingly being recognized for the prestigious literature Akutagawa Prize.  Last year Chinese writer Yang Yi became the first non-native speaker of Japanese to win, and her comment at the ceremony held at a Tokyo restaurant was, “As a foreigner I have written novels and I am thrilled to have been recognized in this way.”  The 44-year-old Yang’s award-winning work titled “Toki ga nijimu asa” (A Morning When Time Blurs) is set during and after China’s democratization movement centering on the 1989 Tiananmen Incident.  The book follows a Chinese man who lived through those times and later moved to Japan, still holding on to his ideals.

This year further diversity was added to the proceedings of this 141-year old award when Read More

Jul 20

WIT Life #45: 便所飯

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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Today’s news reported on an interesting trend in Japan, that of 便所飯 (benjo meshi) or toilet meals.  The segment focused on college students who don’t want to be seen eating alone, and choose to take cover in the bathroom instead.  The news crew went into a university to determine the extent of this phenomenon, and did a survey of  how many people were found eating alone in the cafeteria within an hour, yielding 11.  They interviewed these solo eaters as to why they were by themselves, and one replied that the time she had available to eat didn’t match that of her friends.

Other people who spoke to reporters said that they would rather skip lunch and wait until a later meal when their friends were free rather than face eating alone.  However, for some Read More

Jul 18

International education: Houston Community College Has Global Appeal

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A significant number of JET alumni are working in, or interested in working in, the field of international education programs, also sometimes referred to as student services.  With that in mind, here’s a good written and radio piece from NPR’s Weekend Edition titled “Houston Community College Has Global Appeal.” The piece delves into a trend of community colleges reaching out to international students and even setting up school outposts in foreign countries, partly as a way to recruit.

For any JET alumni interested in getting into the field of international education programs, it’s worth being aware that there may be some great opportunities available at the small college level.

Jul 17

Suzanne Kamata interview in The Telegraph (UK)

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Yesterday The Telegraph (UK) ran a nice interview with Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90), who lives in Japan and is the editor of LiteraryMama as well as the author of books such as Losing Kei and Call Me Okaasan:  Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (which recently won several prizes in the 2009 Indie Book Awards including the Grand Prize for non-fiction overall).

Read the interview here:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/5833776/Raising-a-mixed-race-family-in-Japan-can-be-hard.html

For additional interviews and information about Suzanne:

• Interview with Suzanne by fellow JET alum Cristy Burne (Hyogo-ken, Kawanishi-shi, 1998-2000), author of the soon-to-be-released children’s book Takeshita Demons.

• Also, another JET alum writer, Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95), has an interview with Suzanne about the book on her blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.

• To learn more about Suzanne you can visit her website at http://www.suzannekamata.com or her blog at http://gaijinmama.wordpress.com (RSS feed here).

• Read an interview with Suzanne Kamata on children’s books and diversity by the blog Kabiliana.

• Go to the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library to see a complete list of JET alum authors (at least to JetWit’s knowledge).