Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following:

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

 

Friday, April 2, 2010

 

Details, Details: The Snap, Crackle, and Pop of Good Writing with author Jane Kurtz

Time:    Friday, April 2, 2010, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Place:                 Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1 (5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo;

by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University. For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee:                    1,000 yen SCBWI members; 1,500 yen nonmembers

Reservations:  Contact info@scbwi.jp by Thursday, April 1, 2010

This event will be in English.

American novelist John Gardner called details the lifeblood of fiction. Many an editor has said the absolute key to a piece of writing she fell in love with was its voice…but what creates the “voice” of a piece other than its distinct details? Award-winning author Jane Kurtz will give ten keys for coaxing vivid, shimmering, gripping details into our drafts and will show why certain mistakes around details are the kiss of death for any piece of writing. Q&A will follow the talk.

 

Jane Kurtz spent most of her childhood in Ethiopia—and now travels the world talking about writing, reading, and the magic of books. Her recent speaking has taken her to all but eleven of the U.S. states, Europe, the Persian Gulf, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Romania, and East and West Africa. School Library Journal called Jane Kurtz a “superb storyteller.” Her books have gathered accolades, starred reviews, and awards. Since 1994, she has published twenty-nine books: nonfiction books, professional books for teachers, picture books, and novels for young readers that draw on her own childhood memories of growing up in Ethiopia as well as surviving the Red River flood of 1997. Jane has taught writing at the elementary, secondary, and university levels and is currently on the faculty of the MFA in children’s and young adult literature out of Vermont College. Her passion for books and reading and her love of Ethiopia came together in Ethiopia Reads, an organization that is establishing the free libraries for children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Yohannes Gebregeorgis, one of CNN’s Top Ten Heroes (www.ethiopiareads.org). For more on Jane Kurtz visit www.janekurtz.com.

 

www.scbwi.jp    info@scbwi.jp

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will be speaking at Kinokuniya in NYC as part of “Ponyo Day.” The event is this Saturday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and Roland will be speaking at 4:00 pm.  (This appearance hot on the heels of his Atlanta book signing on March 4!)

All the JETAA Southeast alums will have a chance to meet and hear Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, speak at Keenesaw State University in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, March 4 from 6:30-8:00 pm.  If you happen to go and say hi, let him know you heard about the event on JetWit.  Also, email JetWit (jetwit [at] jetwit.com) to let us know how the event was so we can share it with the rest of the JET alum community.

Here’s the flyer with all the relevant info for the event:

If you’ve been following Toyota’s problems of late, then you may have also noticed JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, popping up a lot as a commentator.

He recently appeared on ABC’s World News Tonight.  And even more recently he was commissioned to write an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor to clarify some of the vast cultural misreadings evident in the Congressional Toyota/Toyoda hearings.

• Toyota and trust: Was the Akio Toyoda apology lost in translation? Stung by Toyota recalls, Toyoda had to convey sincerity – and bridge the gulf in communication styles between Japan and America. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0225/Toyota-and-trust-Was-the-Akio-Toyoda-apology-lost-in-translation

• Roland is also quoted in this AP article on Toyota:  “Toyota President Battles Crisis in Family Company“ http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/02/19/toyota_president_battles_crisis_in_family_company/?page=full

And addressed the topic of Toyota in an interesting way in his recent Daily Yomiuri column on The Super Bowl, Toyota, Anime and Hollywood:

• SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS / Anime must eventually transcend Japan ‘national’ brand http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100219TDY11003.htm

And if you’re looking for commentary on non-Toyota topics, then you can listen to Roland’s recent appearance on NPR discussing a wild relic of Japanese popular culture, a viral video of Japanese ‘Jazz Opera,’ produced in 1986 by Tamori, the great comedian:

• http://www.theworld.org/2010/02/17/japanese-jazz-opera/

****************

Chin Music Press, the Seattle-based publisher owned and run by Bruce Rutledge (MEF Program Chiba-ken, 1985-87) is thrilled to host several reading events this week in Seattle and Vancouver for their newest release, Big in Japan: A Ghost Story.

The debut novel from Hawaii-based author M. Thomas Gammarino is a deadly funny story of haunted progressive rock composer Brain Tedesco. The book has already received rave reviews; PF Kluge says it’s “seductive and devastating” and Ron Currie Jr. calls Brain “the perfect hero for the Age of Anxiety.”

******************

If you’re near Seattle or Vancouver, catch Tom and the Chin Music Press team at one of these events:

1/6 Third Place Books Ravenna, 6504 20th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 7pm

1/7 Sophia Books, 450 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, 6:30pm

1/8 Big in Japan: Bold In Seattle. Little Red Bistro, 400 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA, 6pm

Big in Japan: A Ghost Story is designed by JET alum Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken 2005-07) and marketed by fellow alum Jessica Sattell (Fukuoka-ken 2007-2008). The book is available through the Chin Music Press website with promotional free shipping to the U.S. and Canada or at major booksellers.

For book reviews and more information, visit Big in Japan’s website. Check out previous JetWit posts about Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press here.

Author, manuscript consultant and blogger Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) has a great post on her blog Motherlogue about a new book out titled Midori by Moonlight by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga.  Here’s Liz’s explanation of the background:

About a year ago I read Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s debut novel, Midori by Moonlight. I was thrilled to see that she had a new release out in November — Love In Translation. Both of her books cover topics near and dear to my heart: Japanese culture, the expatriate experience and cross-cultural romance.

Love In Translation intrigued me because the story is told from the perspective of a foreign woman living in Japan, something with which I have personal experience! As I read the book, I had a wonderful sense of being reconnected to my own experiences in Japan — from the visits to a ryokan (Japanese hotel) to eating delicious shu-cream to blunders in communication through a foreign language. I was also reminded of what I learned about myself thanks to the joy and hardship of navigating a culture so different from my own.

In my interview with her at Motherlogue, Wendy offers insight about her experiences in Japan, about publishing two novels and combining her vocal talents with her husband’s musical talents to create an enka song (“Nozomi No Hoshi“) as the soundtrack for Love In Translation. Details about how to request a copy of “Nozomi No Hoshi” on CD, are included in the interview.

• Read the interview with Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of “Love in Translation.”
• Read an interview with fellow JET alum Suzanne Kamata about Suzanne’s book Call Me Okaasan:  Adventures in Multicultural Mothering.
• Follow Motherlogue here:  http://motherlogue.wordpress.com

Here’s a nice review of Japanamerica (by Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) on the blog Fan-to-Pro:  The Blog of Professional Geekery, which describes itself as “a blog about jobs, career and economics for ambitious fans, progeeks, Otariimen and other members of the Modern Literati.”

http://www.fantopro.com/blog/2009/12/book-review-japanamerica.html

Just in time for the holidays, in case you’re looking for that special gift for that special JET friend or Friend of JET!

****************

Chin Music Press, the Seattle-based publisher owned and run by Bruce Rutledge (MEF Program Chiba-ken, 1985-87) is excited to host several reading events this upcoming week in New York and Philadelphia for their newest release, Big in Japan: A Ghost Story. The tour continues this January to Seattle and Vancouver.

The debut novel from Hawaii-based author M. Thomas Gammarino is a deadly funny story of haunted progressive rock composer Brain Tedesco. The book has already received rave reviews; PF Kluge says it’s “seductive and devastating” and Ron Currie Jr. calls Brain “the perfect hero for the Age of Anxiety.”

******************

Catch Tom at one of these events:

East Coast:

12/16 “I Had It Bad” Reading Series. Happy Ending Lounge, 302 Broome Street, New York, NY, 8pm

12/17 St. Joseph’s University, 5600 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 3pm

12/21 “Asia In The Age of Anxiety” with Xiaoda Xiao. KGB Lit Bar, 85 East Fourth Street, New York, NY, 7pm

12/23 Rocky Sullivan’s, 34 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn, NY, 7pm

1/2 Chester County Book and Music Co., 975 Paoli Pike, West Chester, PA, 7pm

West Coast:

1/6 Third Place Books Ravenna, 6504 20th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 7pm

1/7 Sophia Books, 450 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, 6:30pm

1/8 Big in Japan: A Celebration with Pilot Books. Little Red Bistro, 400 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA, 6pm

Big in Japan is designed by JET alum Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken 2005-07). The book is available through the Chin Music Press website with promotional free shipping to the U.S. and Canada or at major booksellers.

For book reviews and more information, visit Big in Japan’s website. Check out previous JetWit posts about Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press here.

**************

Laura Popp (Mie-ken, 2009-Present) is a current JET who writes fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults, and is an occasional playwright/film maker.  Her short work includes a short story titled “In theShadow Realm” and a documentary she made in Malawi.  To read about her amazing adventures all over Japan, go to her blog at laurajanepopp.blogspot.com. (And check out the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library for a list of more writers in the JET-o-sphere.)

Hello again!  This week I would like to report on the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in Yokohama.  It actually occurred on November 14^th, but, alas, I have been ill with swine flu and other “opportunistic infections” so I was unable to report.  But now you get to hear all about it!

For those of you who don`t know, SCBWI is a great group to get involved with if you write for kids.  They have lots of events, critique groups, contests, and resources.  Here is their website: http://www.scbwi.jp/

A note on transportation. There are many events for writers and translators in Japan, but most are confined to the big cities. For those of you who live in a small town like me, you may be wondering how you will ever get to this wonderful career-building opportunities and still stay within your tight school-teacher budget.  Fear not!

There is a wonderful, often overlooked form of transportation in Japan called the night bus.  It may seem like a pain, but the bus I took from my home in Nabari to Yokohama was very comfortable.  The bus ride was about eight hours, so if I were more accustomed to sleeping on a bus, I probably could have been well rested when we arrived very early in the morning.  The earliness gave me plenty of time for sightseeing before the conference, and since my bus home didn`t leave until 11:00pm.  Plus it cost less than half than taking the shinkansen, and there`s no need to pay for a hotel!

That said, I was very tired when I arrived back in Nabari at 7:00am.  Fortunately it was Sunday, but I would not recommend taking the night bus if you have to go to work the next day.  Also, be warned, not all night buses are created equal. Check to see if the bus you want to ride has reclining seats or not, and if there is a bathroom on board or if they stop ever few hours, turn on the lights, and have people jostling past you trying to get in and out constantly.  If you are interested in taking a night bus somewhere, I would recommend contacting the main bus station in your town.  Most of them don’t speak English, but a Japanese friend helped me get the information and make reservations over the phone.  You may be surprised how many places offer night buses to common destinations such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, etc.

(FYI, Yokohama is famous for its Read More

JET alum and technical writer David Kowalsky has a nice book review on the book Twitterville:  How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods in the latest edition of Sound Views, the newsletter for the Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Writers.

Here’s the link:  http://bit.ly/3hix5A.

Have a look and feel free to share your thoughts on Twitter as well.  Also, you can follow JetWit via Twitter at http://twitter.com/jetwit.

Thanks to a post on the JETAA Texoma (Chapter 9) yahoogroup, just found out about JET alum Taylor Chapman, a professional photographer who has a new book out titled People of the 21st Century:  A Portrait of Japanese Society.  Additionally, Taylor has a book signing coming up in Houston, TX.  (Details below.)  Meanwhile, if you know of any other JET alums out there with published books, by all means let JetWit know and we’ll post about it here to let everyone know.

Here’s the info from JETAA Texoma:

Hi All,

I am excited to let you know about a book signing by photographer and JET alumnus Taylor Chapman that will take place at the River Oaks Bookstore on Friday, November 27 from 5pm-7pm. Taylor would love to have folks stop by to say hello, even if you haven’t bought his book.

Taylor Chapman spent the last two years living in Kumamoto, Japan with the JET Program, teaching English at a local high school. As his Japanese proficiency grew, he became increasingly fascinated by Japan’s distinctive culture, and decided to embark on a unique photographic project to document Japanese society.

Having pursued photography for ten years now, including extensive study at Yale University, Chapman developed a specific methodology, adapted from a 1930’s German photographer’ s approach. He classified all members of Japanese society by their occupations and societal roles, and set out to create a portrait of Japanese society as a whole by photographing as many of its component parts–in other words, these individuals- – as possible in their natural environments.

In his last six months in Japan, Chapman went out shooting almost every single day, ending up with an archive of thousands of pictures spanning hundreds of individuals and social roles. Included are bakers and butchers, salarymen and snack bar girls, farmers and fishermen, teachers and students.

In July, he held an exhibition of his work in Japan; this Thanksgiving, he’ll be having a book release/signing party at the River Oaks Bookstore in Houston (across the street from Lamar High School, next to Baskin Robbins). Please come! There will be wine and hors d’oeuvres from 5 to 7.

The book (there are mini and deluxe editions available in-store and online:  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/950612 makes a great Christmas present.  But please feel free to just drop by, say hi, and have a glass of wine– the author is happy just to share his work and his love of Japan, and there’s no need to buy anything.

If you’d like to get a feel for the work in the book, here are some of the images posted online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31959446@N07/sets/72157622321556815/

Finally, for any comments or questions, feel free to contact the author at taylor.c.chapman [/at/] gmail [/dot/] com.

***********

Here’s a radio interview Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, did in Tokyo this past weekend with Tyler Brule, founder and editor of the UK-based Monocle magazine, about manga in Japan and overseas, and Japanamerica:

http://www.monocle.com/The-Monocle-Weekly

The Japanamerica segment is introduced at 1:00 and starts at 22:00

***************

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, was interviewed by Japan Society of New York at the New York Anime Festival 2009 which was held September 25-27 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.  Let’s go to the video tape:

Part 1 of the interview:

Part 2 of the interview:

James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish, is seeking art submissions from JET alumni for his Chicago gallery show in Spring 2010.

To get a sense of James’ aesthetic and sensibilities (or if you just like reading extremely funny and dramatic stories), by all means read The Order of Odd-Fish.  Or watch clips of his over-the-top “speech” to the American Librarians Association as well as his audience-gripping reading performed at the JET Alumni Author Showcase last March.

In JetWit’s humble opinion, if James Kennedy is putting an event together, you will benefit greatly on many levels and attain new levels of happiness by participating in it in any way you can.  Keep reading and you’ll understand.

Exciting news!

For about a year now I’ve been receiving stupendous fan art for my novel “The Order of Odd-Fish.” Artists like these deserve broader recognition. So this spring I’m planning a gallery show / extravaganza of “Odd-Fish” art in Chicago!

Are you an artist? Do you want to make something for the show? Everyone’s invited. Learn more here:

http://jameskennedy.com/2009/11/03/call-for-submissions-odd-fish-art-show/

I’m working with award-winning Chicago theater group Collaboraction to pull this off. It won’t be just an art show — we’re going to convert their space into Eldritch City and throw a Dome of Doom costumed dance party! We’re going to be bringing schools in for performances and writing workshops as well.

Will there be troupes of foppish dancing cockroaches? Will you be able to venture into the very maw of the All-Devouring Mother itself? You’ll have to come and see!

The opening will be sometime in late March or early April, to celebrate the debut of the “Odd-Fish” paperback. The deadline for submission of art is March 1.

I’ve already received lots of great art! Check out Max Pitchkites’ marvelous cut-paper illustrations — he’s doing one for every chapter:

http://jameskennedy.com/2009/10/29/the-odd-fish-art-of-max-pitchkites/

Feel free to pass this on to whomever you think might be interested in doing art for the show. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions!

Click here to read more about the show:

http://www.facebook.com/l/c93ba;tinyurl.com/yl5tjlk

Thanks,

James

*****

Chin Music Press, the Seattle-based publisher owned and run by Bruce Rutledge (MEF Program Chiba-ken, 1985-87) has just released its newest title, Big in Japan: A Ghost Story.

The debut novel from Hawaii-based author M. Thomas Gammarino is a deadly funny story of haunted progressive rock composer Brain Tedesco. The book has already received rave reviews; PF Kluge says it’s “seductive and devastating” and Ron Currie Jr. calls Brain “the perfect hero for the Age of Anxiety.”

Here’s the blurb from Big in Japan’s cover:

While playing to lackluster crowds in their hometown of Philadelphia, progressive rock band Agenbite clings to the comforting half-truth that they’re doing better in Japan. When their manager agrees to send them on a shoestring tour of that country, however, they’re swiftly forced to give up their illusions and return Stateside.

All but one of them, that is.

Brain Tedesco, the band’s variously haunted chief composer, has fallen in love with a part-time sex worker—the first woman ever to have touched him—and his illusions have only just begun. What ensues is a Dantesque coming-of-age tale in which Brain must navigate the borderlands between fantasy and reality, past and present, sex and death—even as forces beyond his control conspire to undo him.

By turns compassionate and ruthless, erotic and grotesque, riotously serious and deadly funny, Big in Japan: A Ghost Story is a sparkling, gut-wrenching, face-melting debut novel.

Big in Japan is designed by JET alum Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken 2005-07). The book is available through the Chin Music Press website with promotional free shipping to the U.S. and Canada or at major booksellers.

For book reviews and more information, visit Big in Japan’s website. Check out previous JetWit posts about Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press here.

**************

Writers and blogger Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) has a great post on her blog Motherlogue about a new book out titled America Fuji by Sara Backer along with a separate post in which she interviews Backer.

A few weeks ago I finished reading American Fuji by Sara Backer.  From the moment I saw this book on the shelf of my local, independent bookstore, I knew I had to read it. It’s about an American woman, Gaby Stanton, who is living in Shizuoka, Japan and teaching university-level English…that is until she gets fired and begins working for a fantasy funeral company, Gone With the Wind. Stanton meets Alex Thorn, a father who comes to Japan to answer questions about his son’s death while he was a student at the university where Gaby was employed.  Gaby and Alex are just two of the wonderful, creative cast of characters that Backer weaves into this compelling story.

• Read the rest of Liz Sheffield’s post on the book “American Fuji.”
• Read Liz’s interview with “American Fuji” author Sara Backer.
• Read Liz’s interview with fellow JET alum Suzanne Kamata about Suzanne’s book Call Me Okaasan:  Adventures in Multicultural Mothering.
• Follow Liz’s blog here:  http://motherlogue.wordpress.com

Liz has also written the following essays:

• Co-Sleeping Quandary, Seattle Woman (February 2009)
• Dinner Table, The Sun (Readers Write, March 2009)
• What Is The Kanji For Brother, Honorary Mention, JET Essay Contest (August 2009) Note: essay is on page 182
• Harmony at Home, Wilmington Parent (August 2009)
• Stage Fright, YOUMaga (September 2009)

and short fiction:

• Broken Mug, Literary Mama (May 2008)

Popp, Laura (Mie-ken, 2008-Present) is a current JET who writes fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults, and is an occasional playwright/film maker.  Her short work includes a short story titled “In theShadow Realm” and a documentary she made in Malawi.  To read about her amazing adventures all over Japan, go to her blog at laurajanepopp.livejournal.com. (And check out the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library for a list of more writers in the JET-o-sphere.)

Hello, everyone!  I`m new to Japan and the JetWit blog, so allow me to introduce myself!  I`m a sci-fi/fantasy young adult writer from Oklahoma in the U.S.  I love to travel, as you can probably tell from my blog, so most of my posts will be about my wonderful adventures all over Asia and any writing news I learn about.

This week I`ll be reporting on two writers` events I attended last weekend,  a critique meeting in Osaka and a conference in Kyoto! For those of you who don`t know, there is an excellent group called English Writers and Readers that meets every Saturday in Osaka from 2:30 to however long people want to stay.  It’s not just for writers; if you love to read there is also a book club and various other discussion boards and events.  But if you are a writer, of any genre or form, you can email your work to group members and have it critiqued the following Saturday.  For me it was very productive. They tore apart (figuratively) my story “Tapestry of Time,” but now I know how to make it better.  I will warn you that the turnout for meetings tends to be very low (there were only four of us), so if it`s quite a trek for you, I suggest getting a general idea of how many will be there before you go all that way.

One of the girls in the writers` club, Rianna, was really sweet and let me stay with her Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I headed off to the writers’ conference in Kyoto. I was a little disappointed.  Good luck trying to publish an English fiction book in Japan, they said, because no publishers here accept them. There are English printers here, however, and a strong potential market of foreign readers.  So if you have a book already published elsewhere and would like to promote it in Japan, there are several resources available to you, including Printed Matter Press.  Here is their website: http://www.printedmatterpress.com/.   And of course, if you want to go the self-publishing route, these guys can help with that too.

Other than that, the “Revising Your Novel” seminar, presented by Holly Thompson, was most helpful.   Her basic strategy was to systematically go through your novel and create a detailed spreadsheet of necessary revisions in character, setting, theme, etc. and mark these various “threads” wherever they appear with colored sticky notes.  Then, read through the novel with only one of these threads in mind.  That way you can stay focused and not get bogged down by the sheer size of the project.  Here’s a picture of her session:

During lunch, I happened to run into the right people at the right time. I was looking for a place to eat my bento and sat with three ladies outside.  We got to talking, and one of the three happened to be Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who I`d been trying to get a hold of for some time. She’s an American published young adult writer living in Japan who’s involved in the SCBWI (Society of Children`s Book Writers and Illustrators). She invited me to go to their major conference in Yokohama on November 28th that`s going to host Alvina Ling, a Senior Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  What an amazing opportunity!  For those who are interested, the registration deadline is November 4th.  You can sign up at their website, http://www.scbwi.jp/.

To hear more about the Kyoto conference and my other adventures in Japan, visit my full blog at laurajanepopp.livejournal.com!

Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following:

TELL Exceptional Parenting Program: Educational Workshop for Families of Children with Learning Differences/Diverse Needs by Tokyo English Life Child and Family Services

We welcome you to our Writing workshop: Parenting kids with special needs presented by Suzanne Kamata, writer, poet, and mother.

Suzanne will give a presentation on Reading and Writing Our Special Children. She will discuss the importance of writing about children with special needs and share examples of literature current and past about parenting children with special needs. She will also conduct brief writing exercises, which may be used in journaling, or creative writing for pleasure or publication.

Friday, November 13, 2009
Registration: 2:30pm to 2:45pm; Workshop: 2:45pm to 4:15pm; Information sharing: 4:15pm to 5:00pm
Admission: Donations accepted
RSVP to tellparentgroup@hotmail.com
Location: Minami Aoyama Conference Room next to TELL office
Address: 5-4-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 Phone: 03-3498-0231

Suzanne Kamata was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in English, she came to Japan in 1988 on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.  During her second year in Japan, she met the man who would become her husband and has lived in Tokushima Prefecture ever since. She now lives with her husband and ten-year old twins in Aizumi and teaches part-time at Naruto Educational University.

Suzanne is also the author of a novel, Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008), editor of several anthologies, among them Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs (Beacon Press, 2008) and Call Me Okaasan:  Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009), and fiction editor of literarymama.com.

If you would like to have more information on the Exceptional Parenting Program or would like to attend the workshops, please contact Birgit Zorb-Serizawa at tellparentgroup@hotmail.com.

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a good article out in Adbusters magazine.

Private Worlds:  Lives spent lurking too long in the shadows of the virtual

https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/86/private-worlds.html

Also, Roland is traveling to Korea soon to do give some talks there.  If you’re a JET alum living in Korea and you go, make sure to go up and introduce yourself and invite him out for some sho-chu.

Chin Music Press, the Seattle-based publisher owned and run by Bruce Rutledge (MEF Program Chiba-ken, 1985-87) is headed to Northern California as author Todd Shimoda reads from his latest novel, Oh! A mystery of mono no aware, at the Capitola Book Café (1475 41st Avenue in Capitola) on Tuesday, October 20th at 7:30pm. Shimoda joins anthropologist and writer Liza Dalby, who will be reading from Hidden Buddhas: A Novel of Karma and Chaos. This event is free to the public.

The Capitola Book Café hosts Shimoda and Dalby under the title of “Mysterious Journeys Through Japan” with discussion of their usage of Japan as a setting for emotional paths towards moments of enlightenment. Here’s a blurb about both books from the event webpage:

Oh! by Todd Shimoda was selected as an NPR Summer Reading pick and combines visual artistry with patient and brilliant storytelling. Zack Hara is a technical writer trudging through life in LA until he leaves everything to travel to Japan. There, searching for an emotional life, Zack becomes entwined with a tragic poet, a sensual but disillusioned woman, and young people form suicide clubs— all propelling him down a dangerous path. “A triumphant kick in the pants for anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books.” — Lucia Silva

Liza Dalby returns to Book Café with a novel that Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of A Geisha, describes as “…(her) best work yet; with its fascinating story of characters caught up in a world they themselves don’t understand.” Hidden Buddhas explores the karmic connections between Japanese fashion, pilgrimage, dying honeybees, murder by blowfish, and the Buddhist apocalypse. Something of a Buddhist Da Vinci Code, Dalby’s stunning new novel travels to the unknown corners of Japan and through time to expose a mystery you will never forget!

Check out previous JetWit posts about Bruce Rutledge here and a Japan Times review of Oh! here.

On a related note, Bruce is joined at Chin Music Press by two other JET alums: designer Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken, 2005-07) and PR intern Jessica Sattell (Fukuoka-ken, 2007-08).

JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni.  Crystal is a former English-language writer for Kyodo News. She is now working as a freelance strategist and writer in New York and relishes her constant hunt for the best cheap(ish) eats in the city.

Happy October, everyone. It’s been awhile, so let’s take a look and make sure you have a chance to catch up on some posts you might’ve missed in September:

Interesting post from Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) over at Gaijin Mama about her son’s Japanese education – this should be enlightening for former JETs since we’ve had a chance to work on the other side of the teaching equation, but likely never had a chance to interact with parents.

Over at Chin Music Press, exciting things are happening as they get set to ship their latest publication. The book will literally be hot off the presses shortly, so be sure to check back for updates!

James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) visits his teen fans at the Schaumburg Library, and it looks like some funny stuff went down.

We also covered JET alum Janice Momoko Chow (Saitama, 2005-2006) here a few posts back, and wanted to make sure that you all knew about her recent blog move to this site.

Finally, if you’re looking for a culinary reason to celebrate autumn while conveniently warding off any pesky autumn germs all at the same time, Elizabeth White (Toyama-ken, 1995-98) has the recipe for you. Looks delicious!

Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following, which she mentioned is, “a great opportunity for writers in Japan to meet one of the top editors in the world of children’s books.”

The World of Children’s Book Publishing

with

Alvina Ling, Senior Editor

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm

Manuscript critiques 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Place:      Yokohama International School, Middle Building Cafeteria, Yokohama

For access information and maps, visit www.yis.ac.jp

Fee:         Advance Registration 4,000 yen SCBWI members; 7,000 yen nonmembers (contact info@scbwi.jp by November 5)

At the Door 5,000 yen SCBWI members; 8,000 yen nonmembers

Reservations: Required! Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve your place.

This event will be in English.

SCHEDULE

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The October 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:

The Boyz of Nada
Did You Know? Sake Day
SCHEDULED AND CONFIRMED: Guided Sakagura Tours
NEW! Sake Professional Courses in Las Vegas and Japan
Learn More About Sake eBooks
Odds-n-Ends

Additional links:

Sake World Website
More About Us
Archive
Subscribe

BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall.  For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.

Click here to see a larger image of the cartoon.

Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post.  Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will be giving a talk in St. Louis tomorrow as part of the Anime at UMSL event featuring renowned translator of anime and manga, Frederik L. Schodt, as well as a screening of the film PAPRIKA.  The event is being run by the University of Missouri at St. Louis’ Center for International Studies.

All you Missouri JET alums out there, make sure to introduce yourself and say hi if you happen to attend.

Here’s the latest Daily Yomiuri column from Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, from his “Soft Power, Hard Truths” series for the Daily Yomiuri.  This one about the giant robot Gundam and AKB48 girl-power at this year’s New York Anime Festival, kicking off tomorrow:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20090925TDY13001.htm

Also, Roland will be at the New York Anime Festival at the Javits Center all weekend and says to JET alums, “Please swing by and say hello if you can.”  Here’s his schedule for the weekend:

• Friday, 5:15 to 6:15 pm — Yoshiyuki Tomino (GUNDAM)
• Saturday, 12:15 to 1:15 pm — AKB48
• Sunday,  11:15 am to 12:15 pm — Yui Makino

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Chin Music Press, the Seattle-based publisher owned and run by Bruce Rutledge (MEF Program Chiba-ken, 1985-87) will be well represented at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (16 West 32nd Street, 10th Floor btwn Broadway & 5th Avenue) on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 7-9pm when author Todd Shimoda will be read from his latest illustrated novel, Oh! A mystery of mono no aware.  He will be joined by poet Hoa Nguyen, author of Hecate Lochia, and Paulo Javier, author of 60lvboembs.

The event is open to the public and a $5 donation is suggested.

Here’s the book blurb:

Shimoda’s Oh! is a fast-paced story about a young Japanese American whose quest for a richer emotional life sets him on a journey to discover the essence of the Japanese appreciation of beauty (‘mono no aware’), the dark past haunting his psychologist-and-poet mentor, and ultimately involves him in the tragic phenomenon of Japan’s suicide clubs.

Also, in June, Oh! was chosen as one of NPR’s Summer Reading Picks:

“The book itself is a fine work of art, with a gorgeous, embossed cover, rice paper-thin pages, and textured paper inserts with illustrations that offer clues to Zack’s fate — a triumphant kick in the pants for anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books.” — NPR

See previous JetWit posts about Bruce Rutledge here and a Japan Times review of Oh! here.

Interesting side note: One other Chin Music Press employee, designer Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken, 2005-07), is also a JET alum.

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The New York Anime Festival has announced its bookings for Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, for this year’s event, which commences at the Javits Center on September 25.

Roland will be on with Yoshiyuki Tomino (GUNDAM creator) on Friday, pop sensations AKB48 Saturday, and Yui Makino (voice of TSUBASA) on Sunday.

Here’s the official announcement:  http://www.mediumatlarge.net/2009/09/roland-kelts-comes-to-nyaf.html

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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following:

Why Haven’t They Called Me?  What Happens After You Submit your Picture Book to a Publisher

with Kerry Martin, Senior Designer, Clarion Books

Time: Saturday, September 26, 19:00-20:30; portfolio reviews 17:30-18:30

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2

5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)

For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; non-members 1,500 yen

Additional fee for Portfolio Review.

This event will be in English. Japanese interpretation will be available.

Private Portfolio Reviews are available from 17:30 to 18:30. Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve your ten-minute slot. Portfolio Reviews must be paid for in advance: SCBWI members 3,500 yen; 4,000 yen non-members.

You’ve submitted your book dummy, sketches, or art samples and wonder why the phone isn’t ringing yet. Kerry Martin, Senior Designer at Clarion Books in New York City, will discuss the process of creating a picture book from initial sketch stage to the finished product, including what goes on behind the scenes while you wait for a response. Also discussed will be the dos and don’ts of sending unsolicited art samples. Private portfolio reviews will precede the discussion.

Kerry Martin grew up in Rhode Island and graduated from Parsons School of Design, New York City, in 2001. After graduating, she worked at a design studio, a letterpress print shop, and several magazines. She has been designing children’s picture books, novels and nonfiction for young adults with Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in New York, since 2002. She travels to Japan as often as she can to visit her husband’s family in Tokyo and Yokohama.

www.scbwi.jp info@scbwi.jp

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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

The September 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:

• The Hazards of Nama
• Did You Know? The Toji
• Guided Sakagura Tours
• NEW! Sake Professional Courses in Las Vegas and Japan
• Sake Events
• Learn More About Sake eBooks
• Odds-n-Ends

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/

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This just in from Feiler, Bruce (Tottori-ken, 1989-90), author of the original JET book Learning to Bow as well as a number of other best sellers such as Walking the Bible, Abraham, and Where God Was Born:

A Note From Bruce Feiler On October 6th, my new book America’s Prophet: Moses and the American Story arrives in bookstores. It describes a year I traveled through American history, from the pilgrims to the founding fathers, Cecil B. DeMille’s garage to the Oval Office, looking at Moses’s influence on the American story. You can read more about the book here. I’ve also completely redesigned www.brucefeiler.com. It contains some cool new videos, a list of the cities I’m visiting this fall, a blog, including a new series “This Week in Moses,” and, of course, a way to email me directly. I’ve also set up a Facebook page, and I hope you’ll friend me there. Plus, you can follow me on Twitter. I hope you enjoy the book, and thanks for your continued support. Please let me know what you think. Yours, Bruce

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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following:

Storyboards and Picture Book Dummies for Good Bookmaking

with Author/Illustrator Naomi Kojima

Time: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 9:45-11:45 a.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1

5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)

For a map see www.scbwi.jp/ map.htm

Fee:          SCBWI members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen

Reservations Required: Contact info@scbwi.jp by Sept. 10 to reserve your space

Materials to bring: pencils, scissors, tape or glue

This event will be in English and Japanese.

Putting together the storyboard and book dummy is a necessary process and the foundation for good bookmaking. It enables illustrators and authors to see their work more clearly, and to find clues for editing and arranging text and illustration. In this hands-on workshop we will take a pre-selected story and turn it into a 32-page picture book dummy. A preliminary talk will address the basics for preparing storyboards and book dummies: dividing text for placement on pages, creating visual flow and pacing of text and pictures, as well as basic layout and design. But the primary focus of the workshop will be on the actual making of the dummy. Illustration skills are not necessary; both writers and illustrators are welcome. Story text and paper will be provided.

Naomi Kojima is an author and illustrator of picture books. Born in Japan, she spent her childhood years in the U.S. and studied sculpture at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Kojima’s first two picture books, Mr. and Mrs. Thief and The Flying Grandmother were published in New York soon after she joined a Massachusetts SCBWI chapter. Since then, her books have been published in the U.S. and Japan, and translated into French, Swedish, and Indonesian. Her picture books include The Alphabet Picture Book (Kaisei-sha) and Singing Shijimi Clams (Kane Miller).

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)

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.”

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The Japan Times has a nice review of the novel Oh!  A mystery of ‘mono no aware’ by Todd Shimoda, and published by JET alum Bruce Rutledge’s Seattle-based publishing company Chin Music Press.

The review describes “an emotionally numb and alienated technical writer” who “suddenly decides to bolt Los Angeles and visit Japan, his ancestral home.”  The main character subsequently stumbles into an exploration of teenage suicide clubs as well as “mono no aware” (the pathos of things), one of those Japanese emotional concepts that tend to baffle us gaijin.

Go here for more information about Oh!:  http://www.ohthenovel.com

Go here for more information about Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press:  http://chinmusicpress.com

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Thanks to Dr. Andrew Staples (Fukuoka-ken, 1996-99) (whom we learned about thanks to Eleanor Robinson (CIR Aomori-ken, 1999-2002)), JetWit has learned of another JET alum in the world of academia:

Dr. Christopher P. Hood (Aichi-ken, 1993-94) is the Director of the Cardiff Japanese Studies Centre at with is part of the Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University in the U.K.

Chris’ website does a good job of describing his background and career path as well as listing his books and other publications.  Hopefully it serves as a guide and perhaps inspiration for other JET alums as well:

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Having become interested in Japan while I was at Concord College, I went on to study Japanese Studies and Business Studies at the School of East Asian Studies (University of Sheffield). Then, after a year on the JET Programme, I returned to Sheffield to do a PhD. Since August 2000, I have been a lecturer at and the Director of the Cardiff Japanese Studies Centre, part of the Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University. I am also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House.

I have also been working on a number of other projects over the past few years. For example, I was the editor of The Politics of Modern Japan, a 4 volume collection of articles on Japanese politics, published in 2008. I was also co-editor, with Prof. G. Bownas and D. Powers, of Doing Business with the Japanese, published in 2003.

My research interests relating to Japan are broad, however the central themes are relating to identity and symbolism. My doctoral research and first book, Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone’s Legacy, were on education reforms in Japan and the influence of Prime Minister Nakasone.

My next project was on the shinkansen (‘bullet train’), looking at the ways in which it both reflects aspects of Japanese society and the ways in which it has influenced Japanese society. This book, Shinkansen – From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, was published originally in 2006, with a paperback version published in 2007.

I am currently writing a book about the Japan Airlines flight JL123 crash in 1985. Although the book, Dealing with Disaster in Japan: Japanese and Global Responses to the Flight JL123 Crash, due to be published in 2011, will discuss the reasons for the crash, it will primarily be looking at what can be learnt about Japanese, and to some extent global, society by looking at what happened following the crash.

After this I am planning a book which will bring together my research to date as well as including some new material based on further fieldwork which has been ongoing for the past couple of years. This book will be looking at identity within Japan using several topics (education, attitudes to city mergers, attitudes to natural and man-made disasters, and attitudes to the development of the shinkansen network) as case studies.

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To learn more about Chris and his publications, go to the following links:

• Chris’ website: http://www.hood-online.co.uk/index.php
• Chris’ books and other publications: http://www.hood-online.co.uk/publications/

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You may have read recently about Eleanor Robinson (CIR Aomori-ken, 1999-2002) and her work with the new Doshisha Global MBA Program which begins in September.  Thanks to Eleanor, we’ve also learned about another JET alum, Dr. Andrew Staples (Fukuoka-ken, 1996-99), who is a Special Visiting Professor at Doshisha Business School with a number of published writings that should be of interest to the JET alumni community.

Here’s more about Andrew and his career path so far:

JetWit:  We understand your work has been published.  Can you tell us what and where?

Andrew: I’ve published a few times with Palgrave in the Asian Business Series including the chapter in the new textbook (we are in the process of making PowerPoint slides to accompany the book, which has been selling well), a chapter in an edited volume titled Emerging Multiplicity, and my own single authored text published last year, Responses to Regionalism, which was based on my PhD thesis.

Publications by Andrew Staples:

• Asian Business and Management: Theory, Practice and Perspectives (see chapter 4)
• Responses to Regionalism in East Asia – Chapter titled “Japanese Production Networks in the Automotive Sector”
• Emerging Multiplicity – Integration and Responsiveness in Asian Business Development

JetWit:  What was your path from JET to academics?

A: I was an ALT for two years in a senior high in Fukuoka prefecture before becoming the ALT prefectural coordinator in Fukuoka City for the final year. After JET I enrolled at the School of East Asian Studies (SEAS), University of Sheffield, U.K. to study for an MSc in East Asian Business (1999-2000). I funded this, by the way, with my pension and tax refund and a bit of university English teaching here and there, which is something other JETs could consider doing. Read More

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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

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

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

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a good column in today’s Daily Yomirui titled “Anime with Texas Roots Debuts in Switzerland.”

According to the column:

Manga Impact: The World of Japanese Animation, a special program at the 62nd annual Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, will include next Friday’s world premiere of the Japanese anime Redline in the city’s historic central square, which can accommodate more than 8,000 viewers.

And Redline is:

a film that piles hybrid upon hybrid–a racing film that blasts into sci-fi apocalypse, as a corrupt alien government seeks to destroy the mortal drivers who dare to compete on their alien planet. The action is relentless, allowing you to catch your breath only in brief interludes, yet the imagery is dense with anatomical grotesqueries–like Lucian Freud on acid, or, if you view Redline as a kind of meta- anime, an anime about the stylized thrills of anime itself, Speed Racer on speed.

If any JetWit readers happen to see Redline–especially if you see it in Switzerland at the film festival–please post a comment and share your thoughts and experience.

JET alum Lars Martinson, author of the graphic novel Tonoharu:  Part 1, is not only currently studying East Asian calligraphy in Ehime-ken, he wants to write a comic book about his experience.  And he’s in the process of seeking funding to help make this happen.

If you’ve seen Tonoharu:  Part 1, you know that “comic book” barely does justice to Lars’ sophisticated and detailed drawing style.  And having won a Monbusho Scholarship to help him fund the production of Tonoharu:  Part 1, Lars knows a thing or two about getting funding (as further demonstrated in a previous blog post titled “How to Apply for a Monbusho Scholarship“).

That said, it’s never easy getting funding and income as an artist/illustrator.  (See, e.g., Lars’ recent post on adapting his drawing style for professional and practical purposes.)  So if anyone can provide any assistance or leads to help Lars with funding, please feel free to get in touch with him at blog [at] larsmartinson [dot] com.

For information about Lars, you can read his blog at http://larsmartinson.com. You can also read a nice article about Lars from the Winter 2008 “Digital Media” Issue of the JETAA NY Newsletter, written by Alexei Esikoff (Fukushima-ken, 2001-02).

For those of you who weren’t able to catch Roland Kelts’ (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) interview with Hayo Miyazaki in Berkeley, CA on July 25, a “fanatically thorough transcript” of the full interview has been posted at the GhibliWorld site:  http://www.ghibliworld.com/miyazaki_on_stage_conversation_berkeley_july_2009.html

Over the weekend we mentioned that Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, gave a talk for the students in the Keio Academy of New York Japanese-English Bilingual Summer Program in Purchase, NY in connection with a two-week Digital Media Creation program.  (Additional speakers in the program include Michael Arias, director of “ANIMATRIX” and “Tekkonkinkreet,” Shoji Kawamuri, animation director and mechanical designer and Yuji Nunokawa, CEO of animation producer Pierrot Co., Ltd.)

Here are a couple nice photos from the event:

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This past Thursday evening, Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, gave a talk for the students in the Keio Academy of New York Japanese-English Bilingual Summer Program in Purchase, NY in connection with a two-week Digital Media Creation program.

Additional speakers in the program include Michael Arias, director of “ANIMATRIX” and “Tekkonkinkreet,” Shoji Kawamuri, animation director and mechanical designer and Yuji Nunokawa, CEO of animation producer Pierrot Co., Ltd.

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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, hosted a talk with Hayao Miyazaki (director of Spirited Away among other animated films) on July 25 in Berekely, CA.  Miyazaki made a rare U.S. appearance to receive the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize for lifetime achievement, presented by the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.  (See a Japan Times article on the event here.)

This was familiar territory for Roland, who hosted a talk with novelist Haruki Murakami in October 2008 when Murakami was presented with the first Berekely Japan award.

Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) brings us a special edition of news from the JETAA Pacific Northwest for JETAA Chapter Beat.

The Japan-America Society of Seattle is pleased to announce best-selling author Robert Whiting as the featured speaker for an August 13 evening cocktail reception. Mr. Whiting will speak about his new book You Gotta Have Wa 2009(Vintage Departures). The event is being held on Thursday, August 13th at FOX Sports Grill.

Mr. Whiting first wrote You Gotta Have Wa (Macmillan) in 1989, reflecting on the cultural conflict between Japan and America as seen through the common sport of baseball. It was written at the height of US-Japan trade difficulties and received considerable media attention, including 3 reviews from the NY Times and a feature in Time Magazine. Mr. Whiting has appeared on such TV shows as Larry King and the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour. Along with being required reading at the Japan Desk in the State Department and a frequent feature in American Universities, it was also a best seller in Japan and named one of the best non-fiction books of the year.

The new book is a celebration of Wa’s 20th anniversary, containing a new introduction and afterward describing the changes in US-Japanese relations and how it can still be seen in the sport of baseball. Special focus is given to the influx of Japanese stars to the MLB, like Daisuke Matsuzaka, as well as the recent unprecedented migration of American managers to Japan, led by Bobby Valentine and Trey Hillman.

In his talk, Mr. Whiting will address the subject of whether Japanese and Americans understand (and like) each other more than they did two decades ago and the how baseball remains an interesting reflection of culture.

Mr. Whiting is the author of several highly acclaimed books, including The Meaning of Ichiro (Warner Books) and Tokyo Underworld (Pantheon), a book about organized crime in Japan currently being made into a film directed by Martin Scorsese.

Doors open at 5:30, with the Presentation and Q&A session held from 6:20 until 7:00, followed by Mariners vs. Yankees, presented on 3 big screen plasma TVs.

Check out this interview on Australian radio (ABC) with Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, about the anime industry in Japan, financial foibles and hentai habits.

Roland recently finished a speaking tour in  Australia where made several appearances.

• July 13-16th, Sydney, AU, JSAA Conference, University of Sydney
• July 17th, Sydney, AU, The Japan Foundation: Panel w/Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
• July 20th, Brisbane, AU, The University of Queensland:  Panel w/ Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
• July 22nd, Melbourne, AU, The University of Melbourne: Panel w/Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter

He also hosted a talk with Hayao Miyazaki in Berkely, CA on July 25.  Click here to see video clips of Roland speaking at the JETAA NY Alumni Author Showcase event held back in March 2009, here for photos from the event and here to read a review of the event.

Just heard an NPR interview with Wesley Gray, the fluent-in-Arabic author of Embedded:  A Marine Corps Advisor in the Iraqi Army, and it struck me that it might be the Learning to Bow:  Inside the Heart of Japan for current day Iraq.  Learning to Bow by best-selling author Bruce Feiler (Tottori-ken, 1989-90) was the original “JET book,” describing the experience of living in Japan and making sense of the cultural differences.

I think it would be interesting to hear some JET perspectives on the book, perhaps contrasting Gray’s experience with their own cross-cultural experience in Japan.  Please feel free to post your comments below.  Also, if anyone wants to write a review of the book, just get in touch.

Here’s a summary of the book from Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
In this illuminating memoir, Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Gray recounts his eight-month tour as part of a Military Transition Team, working as an advisor to the Iraqi Army on location. Gray was fluent in Arabic prior to deployment, giving him enormous insight into the culture and worldview of Iraqis as citizens and soldiers and obvious advantages over colleagues (and competing memoirists) relying on translantors On many occasions, Gray encounters an Insh’ Allah philosophy, a mantra of “If God wills it” or “God willing” can strike Americans as lazy or unmotivated. Among other startling lessons, Gray discovered that loyalty to tribe supersedes duty to the state; the Iraqi Army soldiers he was training were spending their monthly leave in the ranks of local tribal militias. Gray details the cultural nuances and interpersonal relationships of occupied Iraq with such care and clarity, it’s a must-read for anyone interested in the the reconstruction, especially those set to deploy.