Aug 10

The Cove: Documentary on Dolphin Slaughter in Japan

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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.

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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).

Jul 15

WIT Life #44: 水筒男子

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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.

暑中見舞い (shochuu mimai) or mid-summer greetings to everyone!  I apologize for my absence, but I was traveling across the country for the past three weeks as an interpreter for a Japanese delegation participating in the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).  My co-interpreter and I shared some wonderful adventures with this group that I will detail in a post soon to come.

First I would like to talk about the rage currently overtaking Japan: water bottle boys!  As you probably know, the Japanese love to find trends and attach catchy names to them, thereby creating a stir.  For example, in a previous post I mentioned the phenomenon of 草食男子 (soushoku danshi), “herbivorous men” who are cooperative, family-oriented and kind but not very aggressive when it comes to romance.  This time around the trend is  水筒男子 (suitou danshi), or men who carry around their own bottles.

Manufacturers are coming up with a variety of masculine styles to appeal to this previously neglected market.  One store in Tokyo revealed Read More

Jul 12

Sake World E-Newsletter by John Gaunter (July 2009)

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The July 2009 issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and leading sake expert John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) is now available online.  In this issue:

• All I Really Need to Know…
• Did You Know?
• Guided Sakagura Tours
• Sake Professional Course
• Sake Events
• Learn More About Sake eBooks
• Odds-n-Ends

Jun 23

Sushi and Sake: JET alum columns

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Elizabeth White (Toyama-ken, 1995-98), the Media Coordinator for JETAA Southern California, has been helping Sushi & Sake magazine collect writing from JET alums for the last few years.

Here’s a link to the JET alum writing on their site, including the latest column by Devon Brown (Tokyo-ken, 2002-04) titled “Taking One for the Team.”

And here are links to columns from past issues:

BACK ISSUES – JET Alumni Association
2008 Issues: December • June • May • April • March • February • January
2007 Issues: December • November • October • September • August • July • June • May • April • March

For anyone interested in contributing to future issues of Sushi & Sake, please feel free to contact Elizabeth via e-mail.

Jun 17

WIT Life #43: ひったくり

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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.

Japan’s status as a crime free haven is being further tarnished by an increase in a kind of petty thievery known as ひったくり (hittakuri) or bag snatching.   The culprits make their moves while on motorbikes, bicycles or even on foot, and many times their distracted victims do not notice them until it is too late.  According to a policeman, as they are often arrested holding little or no money of their own, it is thought that these crimes are committed out of economic need.

Hittakuri has a comparatively low arrest rate, primarily because Read More

Jun 15

Wide Island View: The latest from Hiroshima JET-land

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Gail Cetnar Meadows says there are some great new stories now posted on the Wide Island View… Takarazuka theater, Traveling to South Korea, Nikujaga recipe. Check it out!

The Wide Island View is the kakkouii online newsletter for AJET Hiroshima-ken, started by current JETs Gail Cetnar Meadows and Joshua Zimmerman.

Jun 15

Roland Kelts column on conversation with Haruki Murakami

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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a short “JapanamericanEyes” column posted on Trannet.co.jp titled “Surfacing with Strength:  Haruki Murakami at 60.”

Jun 12

Japan-US Business News: The new U.S. ambassador to Japan – John V. Roos

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Japan-U.S. business consultant and blogger Yvonne Burton (also a good friend of JetWit) has a good recent post on the likely new U.S. ambassador to Japan–John V. Roos:

There is to be a new kind of ambassador in Tokyo!  I just read in the Japan Times that John V. Roos, a Silicon Valley attorney, has been designated as ambassador by President Obama and in my opinion, he is just what Japan-US business needs.  But many seem to disagree. Why?

The nay-sayers say he isn’t the usual politico. I say that is a good thing. They say that his appointment means the new presidency is treating Japan as less than important. I say not so.

New conditions call for new solutions

In times like these when the old standards are not working (and that is putting it mildly), it is time to create something new.

How can a successful lawyer who (CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article.)

Jun 12

Roland Kelts update

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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has been keeping busy.  JetWit just hasn’t been able to keep up.  So here are some recent highlights:

• A recent Daily Yomiuri SOFT POWER/HARD TRUTHS column about a symposium on the state of the anime/manga industry and some of the challenges it faces, which you can see on 3:00 A.M. Magazine.  The column touches on the shifting market as well as the unsustainable nature of the way anime/manga workers are compensated.
• Giving a speech at book-signing event in Kyoto next weekend as part of a Creative Writing Lecture Series.  (A good event for any JETs or JET alums in the area!  If you go, say hi to Roland and feel free to report back to JetWit on the event.)
• Japanamerica is now available on Kindle!

Jun 9

WIT Life #42: Guerrilla Rain and Shotgun Marriages

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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.

Japan has just officially entered the rainy season, a period many of us might remember as a time when it’s impossible to get your laundry done as there are few dry days to hang it outside.  Last year the buzzword at this time was ゲリラ豪雨 （gerira gouu) or “guerrilla rain,” referring to the sudden fierce downpours similar to flash floods that on occasion took people’s lives and are thought to be an effect of global warming.  Courtesy of innovation from the Japan Meteorological Agency, perhaps this year’s rainy season will be spent a bit easier.  It has scattered Read More