NPR’s Studio 360 has a Japan fetish this morning with three separate and excellent stories on different aspects of Japan collectively titled “High Finance & Old Japan.” Definitely worth visiting their site to listen to the stories and watch accompanying video slide shows as well.
Below are the summaries taken from the Studio 360 website:
Pico Iyer: Outside Man
Travel writer Pico Iyer has lived in Japan for 20 years. And while he knows the locals still see him as an outsider, he told Kurt that this status helps him pay attention to his surroundings. Iyer says Japan is like a “2000-year-old person wearing a micro-skirt, with an artificial tan and carrying a surfboard.” Special thanks to Matthew Cavnar.
No Time for Tea
The tea ceremony is a 400-year-old ritual for making and presenting green tea. But in Japan’s fast-paced techno-centric society – one increasingly fueled by coffee – we wondered how the tea ceremony can survive. Studio 360’s Jenny Lawton talked with tea masters, old and young, to find out.
Suicide Forest
Aokigahara is the name of the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji. It’s been mythologized in Japanese literature as a sacred place for people to end their lives – and every year close to a hundred suicides are committed there. Studio 360’s Pejk Malinovski went to the forest to uncover its haunting allure and how the place lingers in the Japanese psyche.
It turns out that the phone interview that JETAA NY Quarterly Magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) had scheduled with Hikaru Utada for 1pm on Friday was a mistake–they actually wanted him to do it in person!
So Justin headed out (did his boss know where he was going?) and spent an hour or so chatting away with “Hikki” and asking her various questions he had requested and collected from readers via the “Ask Hikaru a Question!” JetWit post that ran on Thursday. Utada’s parents even showed up at the end giving Justin a chance to chat with Hikaru’s dad for a short while.
The article will run in the Spring 2009 issue of the JETAA NY Quarterly Magazine. But there may be some recorded clips of the interview posted here on JetWit as well as on the jetaany.org sometime in the next month.
Meanwhile, JetWit web traffic spiked mightily over the last two days as a result of the Utada posting on Thursday. It turns out that once word got out of Justin’s JETAA NY interview with Utada, a number of fans posted the item in the comments sections of several Utada-related blogs. Make sure to read the first one below which includes an entertaining discussion among several people of good questions to ask Utada as well as whether to submit a question even though they’re not JETs.
http://hikaru.sc/showthread.php?t=2265
Yomitime JetWit article translation (by Joel Dechant)
Article/Journalism, Interview/Profile, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, Writers 
Comments Off on Yomitime JetWit article translation (by Joel Dechant)
*******
Back on January 15, JetWit posted a link to its first media hit, an article that ran in Yomitime, a free Japanese-language weekly publication. Below is a translation of the article into English generously provided by professional translator/interpreter Joel Dechant (CIR Kagoshima-ken, 2001-04) at the request of JetWit. (FYI, Joel actually translated it very quickly. I just forgot to post it until today.)
*******************
Two Men Work Behind the Scenes for the JET Program, Publish Newsletter on Japan
By Kinoue Imai Weinstein
Translation by Joel Dechant (CIR Kagoshima-ken, 2001-04)
The original article ran in Japanese in Yomitime, a free Japanese weekly newspaper 1/9/09
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program is a Japanese government-sponsored program under which fresh university graduates from English-speaking countries are invited to teach English in Japan’s junior and senior high schools. Started in 1987 with 848 participants, the program’s American alumni association alone now boasts 5508 members, approximately 1000 of whom are in New York. One alumni, Steven Horowitz (age 38) began publishing a quarterly newsletter, JETaaNY, in 2002. The 24-page[1] newsletter covers recent JET alumni developments and news about Japan. Horowitz recently handed off his editor-in-chief duties to Justin Tedaldi (age 29) who plans to expand and enrich the newsletter.
The reason for starting the alumni association and holding the occasional gathering after returning to the States, says Horowitz, was “because our experience working in Japan when we were younger is an important part of our identity, and of course because we wanted to be friends with people who we had something in common with.” Read More
******
JETAA NY Magazine Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) has apparently just landed a phone interview with Hikaru Utada to run in a future issue, and he’s looking for good questions to ask her. E-mail responses to Justin at magazine /atto/ jetaaany /dotto/ org.
Hi everyone,
I just received an e-mail saying that Utada Hikaru will call me tomorrow (Fri. 1/30) afternoon to do an interview with JETAA NY Quarterly about her forthcoming English studio album, which will be released in the U.S. at the end of March.
I thought it would be cool to put out a request to the JET Alumni community for any questions you’d like to ask her. I’ll do my best to include as many as I can.
Please e-mail your questions to Justin Tedaldi at magazine /atto/ jetaany /dotto/ org no later than 1:00 p.m. this Friday.
Official release info for the new album appears below. Yoroshiku! Read More
There’s an article in today’s NY Times on increased availability and usage of self-publishing/print-on-demand companies such as iUniverse, Blurb, Lulu Enterprises and CreateSpace. Something for all the writers out there to be aware of.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/books/28selfpub.html?th&emc=th
Roland Kelts latest column in Daily Yomiuri
Art, Article/Journalism, Blogs, Books, Cartoon/Illustration, Celebrity, Japan Trends, Roland Kelts, Writers Comments Off on Roland Kelts latest column in Daily Yomiuri
*******
In his latest recurring column “Soft Power/Hard Truths” for the Daily Yomiuri, Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) attempts to explain the phenomenon that is Afro-Samurai.
See his column here: http://japanamerica.blogspot.com/2009/01/afro-samurai-anime-and-game-follow-soft.html
The Chopsticks NY – JET Alum Intersection
Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, Writers Comments Off on The Chopsticks NY – JET Alum Intersection
FYI, the February issue of Chopsticks NY (The “Exploring Japan” Issue) is out and contains articles by:
Stacy Smith (CIR Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03) – Focus*Culture: Learning the Meanings Behind the Rituals of Shintoism. Stacy also translated the issue’s lead feature article on actress and calligraphy expert Yoshiko Sakuma, written by Chopsticks NY editor Noriko Komura, and wrote the unsigned “What’s New” articles (Joost, Kari Kari cookies, Anime Castle, Dainobu). (Stacy is a professional interpreter, translator and writer and also writes the WITLife series on this site.)
and
Nori Akashi (Friend of JET and Writers Interpreters Translators Group member) – Welcome to Japan: Traveling Through the Sub-Zero World by Train. (Nori is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and writes for the Japan National Tourist Organization as well as well as for freelance assignments.)
Japan Works Hard to Help Immigrants Find Jobs
Article/Journalism, Career, Japan Trends Comments Off on Japan Works Hard to Help Immigrants Find Jobs
There’s a telling article in today’s Washington Post by frequent Japan writer Blaine Harden (not a JET alum) on efforts by the Tokyo government to help immigrant workers in Japan stay in Japan in the face of job losses and factory closures. There seems to be increasing acceptance by Japan’s policy makers that significantly increased immigration is the solution to the potential future economic crisis likely to result from Jaan’s diminshing youth population.
From a JET alumni perspective, it’s worth paying attention to this issue. How will this affect Japan in the future? What opportunities will be available? In some ways, the JET Program along with the laws in the early 1990s that allowed South Americans of Japanese descent to work in Japan are smaller version experiments with immigration. Perhaps JET alumni have some perspectives to offer and/or roles to play in the future of Japan.
Reuters: Japan’s Obama Town Parties for Inauguration
Article/Journalism, Humor, Japan Trends, Uncategorized, Video Comments Off on Reuters: Japan’s Obama Town Parties for Inauguration
Obama-shi in Fukui-ken, Japan is partying hardy to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Here’s today’s report from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE50J4AQ20090120
And here’s the video of their Obama-uta to get you in the mood. “La…la-la-la-la O-ba-ma!…”
WIT Life #20: 買わない生活
Article/Journalism, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life Comments Off on WIT Life #20: 買わない生活
WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching the news in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
The above title Kawanai Seikatsu, or purchase-free lifestyle, describes a money-saving phenomenon taking over Japan. In the midst of the economic doldrums, people are looking for creative solutions to maintain the lifestyles they are used to without spending as much money. What they have found to be indispensible in this pursuit are a variety of websites accessible by keitai (cell phone) and computer that allow them to access goods and services through a system of sharing. 
One such site is ShareMo (shmo.jp) whose catchphrase is “With just one keitai, you can share anything.” This site has a variety of offerings, from frying pans to Halloween decorations to video games, which are lent out among members. No money exchange takes place, but members receive points for carrying out transactions and can then use this currency to borrow items listed on the site. A Tokyo customer profiled showed the items throughout her house that she had rented from ShareMo. They ranged from a tea whisk to Read More
JetWit’s first media hit! An interview by Kinue Imai Weinstein in the January 9 edition of Yomitime, the free Japanese weekly publication, with me as well as with JETAA NY Magazine Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02).
Ozawa and Obama: Michael Auslin comments in WSJ Asia
Academic, Article/Journalism, Celebrity, Japan Trends, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on Ozawa and Obama: Michael Auslin comments in WSJ Asia
JET alum Michael Auslin (Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, former Professor of Japanese History at Yale University and one-time judge on Iron Chef America) has a new article in today’s Wall Street Journal Asia titled Ozawa and Obama that analyzes the state of Japan’s economy and political situation and discusses the ways that Japan and the U.S. need to work together.
JETAA NY webmaster and NYU ITP grad student Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06) was pleased to see his ITP presentation from Wednesday and Thursday written up and photographed in a post today on Gizmodo (the gadget blog).
Lee-Sean used an accelerometer to create headphones that change the music depending on your head movements.
Roland Kelts on NPR’s The World
Art, Article/Journalism, Audio, Books, Celebrity, Japan Trends, Roland Kelts, Writers Comments Off on Roland Kelts on NPR’s The World
Listen to Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) being interviewed on NPR’s “The World.” http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/23341 Summary below:
As a global power, Japan is fading, but increasing numbers of people outside the country are opting to learn Japanese. What’s fueling the new interest is a growing obsession with Japanese Manga comics and Japanese animation. The World’s Patrick Cox has the story.
JET alum Roland Kelts quoted in The New Yorker
Article/Journalism, Books, Celebrity, Japan Trends, Roland Kelts, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on JET alum Roland Kelts quoted in The New Yorker
Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, was quoted or mentioned this week in articles in:
- The New Yorker magazine, in the “Letter from Japan” article by Dan Goodyear on cellphone novelists (subscription required)
- Asahi Shimbun – Roland’s contribution to the Japanese literary journal, MONKEY BUSINESS, is highlighted in this article featuring editor and literary translator Motoyuki Shibata.
- The Christian Science Monitor in
- Japan Cracking U.S. Pop-culture Hegemony – Japan is quietly emerging as a global trendsetter in pop culture, as well as in green technology and environmental practices.
- Mieko Kawakami: From blogger to global novelist – Her latest novel won Japan’s top prize for new fiction writers. Kawakami is one of an emerging group of young Japanese women writers.
