Jan 26

Concert Review: Yoshiki Classical Special at Carnegie Hall

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). For more of his articles, click here.

On Jan. 12-13, Yoshiki of the band X Japan—the nation’s number one rock group, which has sold out the 55,000 seat Tokyo Dome a record 18 times and has moved more than 30 million singles and albums since forming in the 1980s—fulfilled a lifelong dream by debuting, and also selling out, two consecutive nights at Carnegie Hall in New York City with his Yoshiki Classical Special performance.

Backed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yuga Cohler with arrangements by Shelly Berg, the nearly three-hour concert brought an arena vibe to the traditional concert hall setting. Featuring a mix of X Japan classics, new material, and pitch perfect renditions from the book of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, Yoshiki brought the tunes to life at the piano, and additional turns from guest vocalists Katie Fitzgerald and Ashley Knight provided bright spots of witty banter (unlike other Japanese superstars poised for American fame, Yoshiki’s English is fluent).

The production team pushed the limits of imagination for Carnegie Hall, with lighting so intense that Yoshiki himself had to ask his crew mid-song to reposition of one of the rigs. Videos and still images (courtesy of last year’s internationally released documentary We Are X) were amply beamed overhead throughout the show, giving the audience the full scope of Yoshiki’s lifelong artistic journey.

In the final stretch following the X Japan epic “Art of Life,” an instrumental version of “Endless Rain” spotlighted a colossal mirror ball that bathed the hall in brilliant, swirling light, as those in the front rows unexpectedly belted out its bilingual chorus to the delight of longtime fans.

While X Japan supporters might have to wait a bit longer to witness another full band performance in New York (they last headlined Madison Square Garden in 2014), Yoshiki Classical Special easily lived up to its name, making another dream come true for both performer and audience.

For additional photos and videos of the concert, visit Yoshiki’s homepage at www.yoshiki.net.

01 - 20170112_KA2_0053 02 - KA4_0752 03 KA2_0197 04 KA4_0441 05 DSC_6307_r

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Dec 20

JET Alumni: Positions Using Japanese at San Francisco Career Forum 2017 (San Francisco, CA, USA)

Posted by Sydney Sparrow, an ALT currently living in Toyota CityClick here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.


Event: JET Alumni: Positions Using Japanese at San Francisco Career Forum 2017
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Thanks to JET alumna Catherine Rackley (Chiba-ken)  who works for DISCO International, for sharing this info:

JET alumni with at least conversational Japanese language ability are invited to the San Francisco Career Forum 2017 on February 11 & 12.

In addition to being a great opportunity to meet and interview directly with companies seeking individuals with intercultural skills, the San Francisco Career Forum will feature an informative panel discussion with bilingual IT professionals from Google, Nikkei America, and more.

—– San Francisco Career Forum  2017 —–

February 11 & 12 (Sat. & Sun.)

San Francisco Marriott Marquis

http://www.careerforum.net/event/sf/?ref=2017JETwit&lang=E

Register and begin applying to companies here: http://www.careerforum.net/event/sf/comlist.asp?ref=2016JETwit&lang=E

*There is no cost to register for or attend Career Forums.

*No cancellation is required if you later become unable to attend.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact JET alum, Catherine Rackley, at c.rackley@discointer.com.

We hope to see you in San Francisco!

Sincerely,

Catherine Rackley (Chiba-ken, 2005-2006)

DISCO International, Inc.


Dec 16

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Last night I attended a screening of Martin Scorsese’s new film Silence, based on the 1966 novel 沈黙 (Chinmoku) by Shusaku Endo, himself a Japanese Catholic.  It is the story of a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan, who is played with great nuance by Andrew Garfield.  He and his followers endure horrible persecution during this period when 隠れキリシタン (Kakure Kirishitan or Hidden Christians) are targeted for their beliefs.  Having lived in Kyushu I had a vague sense of what had taken place in Nagasaki at that time, but not the extent of the barbaric ways Christians were killed and tortured. Read More


Dec 4

2017 Sakura Matsuri: Looking for Committee Members

Posted by Sydney Sparrow, an ALT currently living in Toyota CityClick here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.


Position: Committee Members 
Posted by: Japan-America Society of Washington DC
Location: Washington, D.C., USA

Each spring during the cherry blossom season, Japan-America Society of Washington DC (JASWDC) produces the largest one-day Japanese street festival in America, and it is here in the Nation’s Capital!  This coming year the festival will be held on Saturday, April 8 from 10:30 to 6:00 pm in the Capitol Riverfront Neighborhood in SE DC (Navy Yard Metro Station).  Each year, it takes about 65 Sakura Matsuri Committee members and over 600 volunteers to put on this huge event.

The festival is not only the celebration of the gift of the cherry trees in 1912, but also JASWDC’s largest outreach program to educate Washingtonians about Japanese culture.  For the last three years, we have been able to impact over 100,000 people and show the richness of Japan and its culture.

The Sakura Matsuri Committee is divided up into 18 different sub-committees which are led by Chairs and Sub-chairs.  Each year, JASW is very lucky to have a strong core of committee members who come back year after year.  However, there are always a couple of spots we need to fill.  We understand that many of our Sakura Matsuri Committee members work, go to school or live in other cities, and may not be able to come to all the meetings.  In that case, each committee and its members should be in contact by e-mail or phone talking about committee responsibilities.

Our first meeting is on Friday, December 16 at JASWDC from 6:30.  The following meeting will be a team building meeting on Sunday, January 8 from 12:00 to 4:00 pm.  The team building meeting is designed for all the committees to meet and get to know each other.  We do exercises that help us prepare for the festival; more experienced committee members will discuss their experiences with Sakura Matsuri, and have a good time with people all working for the same goal, putting on the best Japanese street festival in the country.

On the day of the festival the Chairs and Sub-chairs are asked to arrive at 4:30 am to help unload the truck, and organize their committee supplies.  Sometimes, it feels like there is never enough time!

Meeting Schedule:

  1. Friday, December 16 at JASWDC from 6:30pm
  2. Sunday, January 8 from 12 – 4pm
  3. February Individual Meetings with Sub-Committees
  4. Friday, March2 at JASWDC from 6:30 pm
  5. On-site Meeting, TBD at Capitol Riverfront from 10am
  6. Volunteer Orientation at JASW; tentatively scheduled for March 19 thru March 31.
  7. Last Meeting, Wednesday, April 5 at JASWDC from 6:30pm
  8. Sakura Matsuri – Saturday, April 8 at Capitol Riverfront from 4:30am

Orientations for day-of volunteers will be at the end of March.  The Beer Garden’s orientation is mandatory for everyone!  For the Alcohol Committee orientations, a representative from DC’s ABRA comes out and lectures us on ID checking and JASWDC goes line by line for our management plan for the gardens.  We will offer 4 Beer Garden Orientations for volunteers to join.

If you are interested in being a part of the largest and best run Japanese street festival, please feel free to contact me directly at mhitzig@jaswdc.org, and I will let you know what positions on the Sakura Matsuri Committee are open.

Thank you very much and I hope to speak with you soon.

 
Sincerely,
Marc Hitzig
Niigata 92-95

Nov 21

Event: Great Lakes JETAA Job Fair (Michigan, USA)

Posted by Sydney Sparrow, an ALT currently living in Toyota CityClick here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.


Event: Great Lakes JETAA Job Fair
Location: Novi, Michigan, USA
Contract: Full-time

If you’ll be in Michigan or plan on moving to Michigan, the Great Lakes JETAA chapter is hosting its first job fair.

It will take place on Saturday, January 14th, 2017 at the Novi Civic Center, 45175 W 10 Mile Road, Novi, Michigan, 48375.

Please RSVP to the GLJETAA president, Adam Wolf at gljetaaprez@gmail.com by December 23rd if you plan on attending. 


Nov 18

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Along with ramen and sushi, sake is a part of Japanese food and drink culture that is ubiquitous here in New York.  But as someone who spent the majority of my time in Japan in Kyushu, I sometimes wonder why shochu doesn’t get its fair share of the acclaim.  Down there shochu is the go-to drink, and since 90% of domestic production takes place at distilleries in Kyushu it is known as Shochu Island.

So I was thrilled when Japan Society asked me to interpret at its first ever event showcasing shochu, Distilled, Not Brewed: Discovering Shochu.  The main speaker was Shinichiro Watanabe, CEO of Kyoya Shuzo and Chairman of the Committee on Shochu Planning at the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.  His presentation on shochu was for the uninitiated, and highlighted aspects of this distilled liquor such as its history, cultural significance and health benefits.

To breakdown the basics of Watanabe’s presentation, the main way that shochu differs from sake is that it is distilled as opposed to brewed.  Sake is made from rice whereas shochu can be made from ingredients such as sweet potato, barley and rice.  The ingredient is determined by what Read More


Nov 8

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘I Want That Love’

"I Want That Love is a very enjoyable read that teaches the importance of friendship, love and tenderness. Young readers will also learn how life’s most important lessons can be passed down from generation to generation." (Museyon)

I Want That Love is a very enjoyable read that teaches the importance of friendship, love and tenderness. Young readers will also learn how life’s most important lessons can be passed down from generation to generation.” (Museyon)

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.

During your elementary school days, you surely read about the primordial creatures you know as dinosaurs. But if you haven’t been reminded of the creatures that roamed the earth roughly 65 million years ago in some time, you might not realize that there’s more than meets the eye. Case in point: Tatsuya Miyanishi’s I Want That Love.

I Want That Love (the third book in Miyanishi’s Tyrannosaurus series of 13 titles that have sold more than three million copies internationally) tells the story of a Tyrannosaurus, who is described by the author as “the strongest of all the dinosaurs.” Not surprisingly, everyone is scared of him as he never fails at getting his way by force. But the good times don’t last—the Tyrannosaurus (whose name is revealed to be Mr. Rhadbodon)—is somehow sapped of his strength after being bitten in his tail by a Masiakasaurus.

As expected from someone whose identity is clearly tied to brute force, the Tyrannosaurus loses all sense of who he is, so he’s desperate to find any solution to the disaster that has befallen him. Fortunately, he receives help in the form of berries given to him by fellow creatures and he uses his newfound energy to protect his friends from other dinosaurs.

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Oct 29

JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York — ‘We Are X,’ ‘Tonoharu,’ VAMPS, Momoiro Clover Z

 

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

From the silver screen to the stage to J-pop, November is just as colorful as the autumn leaves drifting through the air. Add these live events to the mix and you’ve got an irresistibly epic rundown.

This month’s highlights include:

Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival

Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival

Friday, Nov. 4, various times

We Are X

Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn, 445 Albee Square West

$11

East Coast premiere! This award-winning documentary debuted at Sundance and SXSW earlier this year chronicles the back story of the hard rock band X Japan, as its star drummer Yoshiki prepares for a reunion concert at Madison Square Garden. While virtually unknown to U.S. audiences, Yoshiki has sold more than 30 million records overseas, where he enjoys an A-list following. Directed by Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile) and produced by John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man), We Are X includes testimonials from such high-profile X fans as Gene Simmons and Marilyn Manson. See Yoshiki and director Stephen Kijak in person for Q&A on Fri, 11/4 following the 7:30 p.m. show. Director Stephen Kijak appears in person for Q&A Sat, 11/5 following the 6:30 p.m. show.

Top Shelf Productions

Top Shelf Productions

Tuesday, Nov. 8

Tonoharu: Part Three

$24.95                                              

The long-awaited final volume of the critically acclaimed Tonoharu series from JET alum Lars Martinson (Fukuoka-ken, 2003-2006) rejoins Dan Wells several months into his tenure as an English teacher in the Japanese village of Tonoharu. As personal stresses push Dan to the breaking point, he decides to take an extended cross-country vacation to let off steam. His time away grants him a fresh perspective on his troubles, but upon his return to Tonoharu, Dan discovers that dramatic change has occurred in his absence. Will this upheaval render his new-found epiphany moot? With hundreds of beautiful, detailed illustrations that evoke 19th century line engravings, Tonoharu provides a nuanced portrayal of the joys and frustrations of living abroad.

© Hiromi Sonoda

© Hiromi Sonoda

Friday, Nov. 11, 8:30 p.m.

Sounds to Summon the Japanese Gods: Ko Ishikawa

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$20, $15 Japan Society members. A limited number of Lobby Seats are available for purchase. Please call the box office at (212) 715-1258 to inquire.

Step into a space where otherworldly sounds abound. Led by Ko Ishikawa, master player of the sho (ancient Japanese mouth organ) and internationally active contemporary musician, this program offers selections spanning from medieval gagaku (Imperial Court music) to works by acclaimed music composer Mamoru Fujieda. Ishikawa will be joined by Kayoko Nakagawa on koto and Ami Yamasaki on voice for this musical soiree, which also incorporates the sounds of fermenting shochu (Japan’s distilled alcohol), a highly sacred beverage in Japanese mythology.

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Oct 19

JET Alumni: 210 Companies Hiring at Boston Career Forum Nov. 18-20

Posted by Sydney Sparrow, curriculum and content developer for a real estate school based in Virginia. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.


This is a reminder that JET alumni with at least conversational Japanese language ability are invited to the Boston Career Forum 2016 November 18-20. This is the world’s largest Japanese-English job fair, featuring 210 global companies. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about participating companies, submit resumes, interview, and even receive offers of employment during the three-day event. You are free to attend one, two, or all three days.

—- Boston Career Forum  2016 —–

November 18-20 (Fri.-Sun.)

Hynes Convention Center

http://www.careerforum.net/event/bos/?ref=2016JETwit&lang=E

 

Currently 210 companies participating including:

BLOOMBERG, FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK, GOLDMAN SACHS, JAPAN AIRLINES, MICROSOFT, SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, TWITTER JAPAN, and many more

Register and begin applying to companies here: http://www.careerforum.net/event/bos/comlist.asp?ref=2016JETwit&lang=E

*There is no cost to register for or attend Career Forums.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact JET alum, Catherine Rackley, at c.rackley@discointer.com.

We hope to see you in Boston!

Sincerely,

Catherine Rackley (Chiba-ken, 2005-2006)

DISCO International, Inc.


Oct 9

Justin’s Japan: Yoshiki and ‘We Are X’

Click image to read issue

Click image to read issue

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

The most influential rock band in Japanese history, X Japan has sold 30 million albums, performed a record 18 shows at Tokyo Dome, and even headlined Madison Square Garden in 2014. Led by their flamboyant drummer/pianist Yoshiki, the band rewrote the rules for both sound and style in the late ’80s and early ’90s, giving birth to the visual kei genre in the process.

After a series of struggles and rebirth, 2016 promises to be X’s biggest year yet on the global stage. The band is months away from releasing their first studio album in 20 years, and with October 21 comes the theatrical premiere of “We Are X,” a new award-winning documentary of the group from American director Stephen Kijak, best known for 2010’s “Stones in Exile.”

The film had its first-ever screening at Sundance in January, and Yoshiki himself appeared in New York last month for a special invitation-only screening of the film at the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho, where he participated in a Q&A with the director, played grand piano, and greeted some very lucky fans.

While X Japan has no current plans to tour America, fans hoping to see Yoshiki on stage won’t have to wait too long: Yoshiki Classical with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra makes its Carnegie Hall debut January 12 and 13. Tickets are available now. For more information on cities and premiere dates for the film, visit www.wearexfilm.com.

Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment since 2005. For more of his stories, visit http://jetaany.org/magazine.


Sep 29

JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York — ‘Shin Godzilla,’ New York Comic Con, Ramen Slurpfest, ‘We Are X’

 

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

The Japan-centric events of the month ahead promise to be as rich and full as autumn itself—brisk and colorful, with a dash of unpredictability.

This month’s highlights include:

01-courtesy-of-i-ytimg-comOct. 1-2

ESL One New York 2016

Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue (Brooklyn)

$49, $89

ESL, the world’s largest esports company, brings the East Coast’s largest esports tournament to Brooklyn! This two-day tournament will feature a $250,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition and a $75,000 Street Fighter V Brooklyn Beatdown offline tournament! In addition to the tourneys, ESL One New York will feature a wide array of activities as part of the main event, including pro player autograph sessions, virtual reality experiences, the ESL Shop, and other fan fest activities.

Courtesy of Dromnyc-com.

Courtesy of Dromnyc.com.

Sunday, Oct. 2, 7:00 p.m.

Edensong Album Release Show

DROM, 85 Avenue A

$13 advance, $18 at the door

“I started writing some of the material for the album on my final year on JET,” says New York City-based alum Tony Waldman (Mie-ken, 2005-09), drummer and co-composer for progressive rock quintet Edensong, about the band’s new album, Years in the Garden of Years. “Some of the music is definitely inspired by Japanese RPG game music and references stuff both musically and in the titles of songs.” The band’s self-released 2008 debut The Fruit Fallen was hailed as a “masterpiece” by critics, and helped pave the way for live shows and notable festival appearances throughout North America. Their new release further explores their intricately composed eclectic orchestral rock style, culminating in this special live performance.

Courtesy of Jazz.org

Courtesy of Jazz.org

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Lew Tabackin Trio with special guest Toshiko Akiyoshi

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Broadway and 60th Street, fifth floor

$40, $25 students

One of the greatest marriages in jazz history, NEA Jazz Master Toshiko Akiyoshi and reed virtuoso Lew Tabackin have been leading and performing in top jazz groups since the sixties. Akiyoshi is known for her challenging and full-textured arrangements that sometimes evoke her homeland, Japan, while Tabackin is recognized for his dedication to showing the full range of possibilities on his instrument—melodically, rhythmically, and dynamically. Together, they lead an eponymous big band of international renown, but this special one-night-only engagement at Dizzy’s will showcase the duo in a more intimate small group setting.

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Aug 28

JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York — Perfume, Guitar Wolf, Digimon Premiere, The Joy of Sake

 

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

As the summer winds fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed after Labor Day.

This month’s highlights include: 

Courtesy of Erik Shirai

Courtesy of Erik Shirai

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 6:00 p.m.

The Birth of Sake

Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue

Free (click here for tickets)

Winner of the Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Director at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival! Go behind the scenes at Japan’s Yoshida Brewery, where a brotherhood of artisans, ranging from 20 to 70, spend six months in nearly monastic isolation as they follow an age-old process to create sake, the nation’s revered rice wine. This special screening precedes the film’s public airing on PBS. Followed by a Q&A with producer Masako Tsumura.

Courtesy of www.thewarfieldtheatre.com

Courtesy of www.thewarfieldtheatre.com

Sept. 3-4, 8:00 p.m.

Perfume

Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 West 34th Street

$40.50-$65.50

Formed in 2000 in Hiroshima by a trio of girls in the same performing arts academy, Perfume has been one of the biggest J-pop success stories of the past decade. Now, with the release of their latest album Cosmic Explorer, the electronic pop trio is gearing up for its sixth tour, with a pair of shows at the legendary Hammerstein Ballroom.

Courtesy of Peaceonyourwings.com

Courtesy of Peaceonyourwings.com

Sept. 9-10

Peace on Your Wings

Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 524 West 59th Street

$30-$40, $15 students

An original musical inspired by the life of Sadako Sasaki, a 12-year-old girl who died from leukemia resulting from radiation caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. She was made famous for having folded over a thousand paper cranes to fulfill an old Japanese legend that would grant one wish to anyone who would fold one thousand cranes. To this day, she is a reminder of innocent victims of war, and her story of her thousand paper cranes have inspired a movement of folding cranes for peace. The musical juxtaposes Sadako’s true story and the events leading up to her death in November 1955 with a fictional story about a group of her friends who rallied support from around Japan to have a monument built in Sadako’s memory to honor the children victims of the atomic bomb.

Read More


Aug 27

2016 Japan Writers Conference in Tokushima

Posted by Tom Baker (Chiba, 1989-91).

The Japan Writers Conference is a free annual event for English-language writers, held in a different part of Japan each year. In 2016, it will take place on the weekend of Oct. 29-30 at Tokushima University in Shikoku. A good number of current and former JETs always take part, and one of them is this year’s conference host: Tokushima University Lecturer Suzanne Kamata.

JWCSuzanne has written several novels and compiled several anthologies and is an editor for www.literarymama.com. She and three other published authors will participate in a panel called “Inspiring Fiction: Where do You Get Your Ideas?”

That panel is just one of about 30 presentations scheduled. JET alum and textbook author Todd Jay Leonard will give a lecture titled “Helpful Hints on How to Get Published in the EFL Market in Japan.” JET alum Elaine Lies, a Reuters journalist, will present “Food, Glorious Food,” a workshop on how to write evocatively about the emotional, sensory and nostalgic power of food. Current JET Victoria Vlisides, who writes for JapanTravel.com, will give a presentation called “Bust into the Japan Writing Scene.”

Poet and novelist Holly Thompson, who first came to Japan in connection with the pre-JET MEF program, will give two presentations. One is “Poems with Plot—A Narrative Poetry Workshop.” The other, with novelist Mariko Nagai, is a joint lecture on “Verse Novels Crossing Borders.”

For details on those and about two dozen other presentations, visit www.japanwritersconference.org or follow @JapanWritersCon on Twitter.


Aug 26

WIT Life #305: Happy Hour at MoMA

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.happyhour2

Back in March I didn’t have time to blog about my participation in the New Directors New Films festival held at Lincoln Center, but I had the chance to interpret for director Ryusuke Hamaguchi when his epic film Happy Hour was screened there.  With a run time of 317 minutes it is not for the meek, but I can honestly say that it didn’t feel nearly as long as its 5+ hours and that it was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed.  Perhaps because I am the same age as the four female 38-year old main characters, all amateurs who were selected for their parts via an acting workshop that Hamaguchi ran in Kobe.

As you can imagine, the film’s long run time allows it to delve deeply into each of the four women’s lives.  The central thread is that of the character Jun (pictured here on the left), who is Read More


Aug 4

Career Opportunity for JET Alumni this October: Los Angeles Career Forum 2016

Posted by Sydney Sparrow, an ALT currently living in Toyota CityClick here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.


JET alumni with at least conversational Japanese language ability are invited to the upcoming Los Angeles Career Forum 2016. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about participating companies, submit resumes, interview, and even receive offers of employment during the two-day event.

– Los Angeles Career Forum 2016 —–

October 7 & 8 (Fri. & Sat.)

http://www.careerforum.net/event/la/?ref=2016JETAA&lang=E

Around 30 companies expected to participate including: DELOITTE TOHMATSU CONSULTING, KPMG LLP, PROTIVITI, WORKS APPLICATIONS GROUP, and many more

Career Forums are for anyone who (1) has at least conversational Japanese and English abilities and (2) is looking for a full-time or internship position

Register and begin applying to companies here: http://www.careerforum.net/event/la/?ref=2016JETAA&lang=E

*There is no cost to register for or attend Career Forums.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact JET alum, Catherine Rackley, at c.rackley@discointer.com.

We hope to see you in Los Angeles!


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