Oct 28

New York’s Japan Society hosts design summit, MUJI minds

The MUJI book is in stores now. (©MUJI, Rizzoli New York, 2010)

By JQ magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his NY Japanese Culture page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.

Architecture, interior design and innovative household items take center stage at Japan Society in November through its upcoming lectures The Design Difference and America Meets MUJI.

For The Design Difference, Japan Society’s U.S.-Japan Innovators Network will gather architecture and design visionaries Yoshiharu Tsukamoto of Atelier Bow-Wow and John Peterson of Public Architecture to exchange ideas in a bid to help solve some of the world’s most vital social problems. Moderated by Designers Accord’s globally recognized innovator Valerie Casey, The Design Difference is part of the Innovators Network’s two-day exchange program in partnership with Designers Accord, Common Ground Community and the Brownsville Partnership, and GOOD magazine.

In its 30 years of existence, celebrated retailer MUJI has made an impact as a global standard for goods of simplicity, practicality and sustainable design. True to its name—shorthand for mujirushi, or “no brand,” reflecting its lack of labels or elaborate packaging—MUJI is mighty, with over 100 outlets outside of Japan. InAmerica Meets Muji, internationally acclaimed designers Naoto Fukasawa, Kenya Hara and John Maeda discuss the concepts behind the creation, design and essence of MUJI.

Along with Jasper Morrison, Fukasawa and Hara are the co-authors of the new coffee table book MUJI. Published by Rizzoli New York, the tome explores through illuminating essays and hundreds of photos MUJI’s inner workings via its founding principle to develop new and simple products at reasonable prices by making the best use of materials while minimizing their impact on the environment. For the MUJI faithful, Fukasawa and Hara will be on hand after Wednesday’s talk for a special book signing reception.

Click here to read the rest of the article.


Oct 26

WITLife 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 together with her own observations.

Last night I was happy to be able to attend an event at Japan Society called Field to Table: The Role of Vegetables in the Japanese Diet.  The featured speakers were Japanese food culture expert Elizabeth Andoh and Masato Nishihara, executive chef at Kajitsu, the only restaurant in NYC to feature 精進料理 (shouijn ryouri), a vegetarian cuisine introduced to Japan from China in the 13th century by Zen monks who had returned from studying Buddhism there. 

I had met both of the speakers before, Elizabeth when I lived in Tokyo where she resides, and Nishihara-san when I interpreted for him at a food event last year.  They offered their expertise regarding Read More


Oct 16

WITLife 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 together with her own observations.

Last night kicked off Japan Society’s current “Zen and Its Opposite” Monthly Classic Film Series, which features films from the late ’50s to ’60s that showcase the paradoxical unity of zen and violence.  It began with the 1965 film 怪談 (Kwaidan or Kaidan), said to be the most expensive production of its time.  It clocks in at a whopping 161 minutes and although the pacing is slow at certain points, the suspense draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat for most of it.  Kwaidan is comprised of four separate stories, each haunting in its own way.  My favorite was Read More


Oct 15

Chi-Town Rising: Japan at the 46th Chicago International Film Festival

Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06) is an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.  “Chi-Town Rising” takes a look at the connections between Japan and Chicago, where Dipika will be moving in the coming year.

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The 46th Chicago International Film Festival is currently under way, screening 150 films from 50 countries. First held in 1964, the festival founded by Michael Kutza is one of the oldest of its kind in North America. This year the following Japanese films are being showcased, with cultural support provided by The Japan Foundation.

ABACUS AND SWORD / BUSHI NO KAKEIBO
Director: Yoshimitsu Morita
Reimagining the classic samurai picture, this quiet, elegant drama follows the Inoyama family as they serve their lord not with the sword but with the abacus. With a sense of honor as exacting as any warrior’s and a rigorous ethic of honesty even in the midst of dire poverty, Naoyuki Inoyama (nicknamed “the Mad Abacus” by his rivals) distinguishes himself as a hero for the approaching modern age.

BIG TITS ZOMBIE / KYONYŪ DRAGON
Director: Takao Nakano
A campy, raucous crowd-pleaser that is definitely not for the whole family, this 3-D spectacle pits brassy strippers against a horde of the undead, which the ladies unwittingly revive by reading aloud from an ancient tome. They must battle one of their own in addition to the brain eaters when goth stripper Maria hatches her own ambitious plans to become Queen of the Dead.

CATERPILLAR / KYATAPIRÂ
Director: Kôji Wakamatsu
Horribly maimed while fighting on the Japanese front in China during WWII, a Japanese lieutenant returns home a war hero. But his loss of limbs has not made him any less of a brute, especially to his wife. Required to satisfy his every need, she feels her anger quietly boiling over. Based on a short story that was banned for its extreme subject matter, Caterpillar is a howl of rage against blindness to the atrocities of war.

GOLDEN SLUMBER / GÔRUDEN SURAMBÂ
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura
In this seriocomic conspiracy thriller, affable deliveryman Aoyagi unwittingly becomes the prime suspect in a hunt for the assassin of the prime minister. As he runs from the authorities and the news media eats up every scrap of incriminating evidence, Aoyagi finds a little help from his friends, including his college sweetheart and a crazy but cheerful youth who’s wanted for serial murder. Together, this motley crew will help Aoyagi navigate the strangest, scariest 24 hours of his life.

SWORD OF DESPERATION / HISSHIKEN TORISASHI
Director: Hideyuki Hirayama
The expert swordsman Kanemi Sanzaemon is a man of principle, first and foremost. His decisive, violent handling of high-level corruption in the court of the local feudal lord landed him in solitary confinement for two years. He has now been released, with one caveat he cannot comprehend: He must serve as bodyguard to the lord he betrayed. This thrilling, masterfully stylized tale of honor combines classic samurai action with a taut story of intrigue and betrayal.

The festival runs from October 7th till the 21st. For a complete schedule and more info visit http://chicagofilmfestival.com/ or call 312-332-FILM.


Oct 14

Kaiju Big Battel to rumble at NY’s Royal Flush Festival

Kaiju Big Battel at Brooklyn’s Warsaw Oct. 15. (Studio Kaiju LLC)

By JQ magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his NY Japanese Culture page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.

There’s pro wrestling, and then there’s Japanese monster wrestling.

Kaiju Big Battel brings its unique brand of intergalactic smackdown to Warsaw Friday, Oct. 15 as part of Royal Flush magazine’s annual art, film and rock & roll festival, culminating in their Book 7 release party at Brooklyn’s premiere music venue.

Prepare for sheer drama in the ring and gut busting laughs when the heroic fighters of Kaiju take on the evil monsters of Dr. Cube’s posse in Kaiju Big Battel Presents: Save the Kaiju! This telethon style “fundraiser”—their only New York performance of 2010—promises to demolish at least one city and wipe out some extraterrestrial trash on the side, all for a good cause.

Such epic entertainment fits the Royal Flush Festival perfectly. Running through Oct. 18, showcases included a signing from fellow horror and monster movie auteur Rob Zombie at New York’s Forbidden Planet and a diverse lineup of films and concerts at Highline Ballroom and Knitting Factory.

Read the rest of the article here.


Oct 11

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WITLife 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 together with her own observations.

Yesterday I attended the first ever Japan & Korea Block Fair, which was held on Broadway between 93rd and 94th streets.  It was sandwiched between other festivals offering your standard street fare of zeppoles and gyros, but the Asian section seemed to be getting the most foot traffic.  One side featured Japanese food such as okonomiyaki and yakitori, and the other had Korean food like bulgolgi and kimchi.

My friend and I shared many different samples, but my favorite was Read More


Oct 2

 

The 4th annual Japan Writers Conference will be held Oct. 10-11 in Tokyo with 30 writers giving 50-minute presentations about the artistic and business sides of their respective fields, which inlcude fiction, poetry, journalism and even EFL textbook writing. At least four of the presenters are former JETs.

The venue is the Ekoda Campus of Nihon University College of Art. You can find full details by visiting http://www.japanwritersconference.org/or following the event on Twitter via http://twitter.com/JapanWritersCon

Here are some slightly shortened versions of the official descriptions of presentations to be made by JET alums:

DWAYNE LIVELY (Niigata-ken, 1996-99) “My Freeware Life.”

The lecture focuses on my experiments with various freeware writing programs, some of which promise to help improve the writing process. The first part of the lecture introduces a number of freeware writing programs that have been suggested by and/or designed by fellow writers. I will explain the results of my experiments with each program and will demonstrate how easy, or not, they are to use, how they changed my writing process and whether or not I intend to keep using them. Next, I will describe what happened when I attempted to follow a handful of “how to write a novel” plans offered free online. Finally, I will introduce the moral if the lecture, including what I learned and what I managed to accomplish during all the experiments.

Dwayne Lively’s fiction has appeared in Twister, Kansas Quarterly, and The MacGuffin. His non-fiction and reviews have appeared in Transitions Abroad, Literary Magazine Review and online at Notebookism.com. He has been a writer, teacher and editor for the better part of 20 years and worked and taught in Japan, the USA and Albania. In his dwindling free time he’s been finishing up a novel and, on occasion, writing the online journal The Crazy Japan Times ( http://www.crazyjapan.com).

SUZANNE KAMATA (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90): “Marketing for Beginners.”

Getting your book into print is the easy part. Publishing it – making your work known to the public – takes a bit more effort. These days, writers are often expected to submit a marketing plan along with manuscripts, and most publishers expect writers to take an active role in marketing. So how do you market a book if you’re living in rural Japan, far from your target audience? Suzanne Kamata, author of five books with meagre advertising budgets, will suggest some easy, cheap, and not so obvious ways for expats to spread the word about their books.

Suzanne Kamata again: “Kickstart Your Creativity”

Suzanne Kamata will lead participants in writing exercises meant to warm up the writer and/or kickstart creativity when the muse is absent. Bring a notebook and a writing implement.

Suzanne Kamata is the author of the novel Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008) and editor of three anthologies – Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs (Beacon Press, May 2008) The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan (Stone Bridge Press, 1997), and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009). She also serves as fiction editor of the popular on-line journal literarymama.com from Tokushima, Japan, where she lives with her family.

TODD JAY LEONARD (1989-92): “So you want to publish an EFL textbook?–Four Points of View to Consider when Writing a Proposal–The Myths and Realities of EFL Publishing in Japan.”

Most likely, every language teacher in Japan has (at some point during his/her tenure) contemplated writing a textbook to fill a void in the market…in that constant search for the perfect, all encompassing textbook. What are publishers looking for in the current market? What appeals to editors who ultimately decide which titles go to production and which ones do not? What are the salespeople on the front lines hearing from their market base? What must an author do in order to get his/her book published? This presentation focuses on these very questions, offering inside insights from all the various points of view that must be considered when writing a proposal to publish a textbook–the publisher, the editor, the salesperson, and the author.

Todd Jay Leonard has been actively involved in book publishing for twenty years and has published twenty books. He lives, writes, and teaches on the southern island of Kyushu, where he is a university professor at Fukuoka University of Education. He has published extensively in academic journals, magazines and newspapers on cross-cultural, historical, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) themes.

TOM BAKER (Chiba-ken, 1989-91), “Interviewing Creative Subjects: Actors, Authors, Artists and Auteurs.”

Interviewing a creative subject requires thorough preparation to elicit original and interesting quotes. My talk will explain how to do the research, write the questions and conduct the interview. It will briefly touch on turning quotes into a story. A well-prepared interviewer will be familiar with the subject’s previous interviews, online self-expression and body of work. The interviewer will look for themes and connections in the work to ask probing questions about its meaning. The interviewer will prepare questions ranging from basic to technical to off-the-wall, but will use the list only as a guideline to the conversation. The interviewer will tolerate digressions (within reason) and allow thoughtful silences to bear fruit. The interviewer will look for local angles and connections to current events.

Tom Baker has been a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri since 2001, and has interviewed Sylvester Stallone, Liv Tyler, Marlon Wayans, John Woo, Nicholas Sparks, Barry Eisler, Brian K. Vaughan, Michael Sowa and many others. He is a coauthor of Tokyo Chic and The Sushi Lover’s Cookbook.


Sep 15

Guinea Pigs Needed for Kanji Reading Experiment

Karl Rosvold (ALT/CIR in Hiroshima Prefecture, ’93-’96) is conducting an online reading experiment targeted at foreigners who are learning or have learned Japanese. He’s looking for as many participants as possible who are native or near-native English speakers and “upper-beginner” or above in Japanese (defined as having passed the old JLPT 3/new JLPT N4). There are a few other conditions which you can see on the experiment website.

Registration will start around September 25th. To participate in the experiment, simply fill out a short questionnaire on the website, then come back two more times, about a week apart to take two short Japanese reading comprehension tests, with or without hints about the kanji in the text. Each step should take about 30 minutes. Ideally, people will participate because they feel the experiment is interesting and beneficial, but for participants living in Japan, Karl is also offering a 2000 yen QUO gift card to the first 100 people who complete the whole experiment.

Please check out the temporary website for more information:  http://kanjijikken.web.fc2.com/
or feel free to e-mail Karl at kanji.experiment@gmail.com. Please let him know that you saw this message on Jetwit!


Sep 9

I was aware of Aaron Woolfolk’s (Kochi-ken, 1991-93) film The Harimaya Bridge.  But I didn’t realize there’s also a frisbee team in Kochi called the Harimaya Bashis.  (Makes more sense if you’ve been to Kochi or seen the film and the story behind the bridge.)  It turns out they’re involved with a Kochi Flying Disc Association event for October 10 at the Kochi Municipal Sports Complex (shiei) consisting of a day of various frisbee-related sports and activities.

JetWit would love to post a write-up and/or any photos from the event if someone reading this happens to attend.  But mostly this post is just an excuse to share the Harimaya Bashis’ super sweet logo.


Aug 25

New York Mets Tap JETs for Inaugural Japanese Heritage Night

Japanese Heritage Night at Citi Field, Friday, Aug. 27.

 By JQ Magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his NY Japanese Culture page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.

Move over, Matsui.

The New York Mets will hold its first-ever Japanese Heritage Night at Citi Field on Friday, Aug. 27 against the Houston Astros, with discounted ticket rates available for all family and friends of the Japanese community.

Pre-game entertainment includes taiko drumming by acclaimed troupe Soh Daiko; a traditional Obon dance led by the Japanese Folk Institute of New York featuring dance participants from the Japanese heritage community and friends; the Spirit Award ceremony honoring those in baseball, the military and community service; and the national anthem sung by Japanese Hispanic American Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa.

Donna Tsufura, cofounder of Japanese Americans and Japanese in America (JAJA) and one of the organizers of Friday’s event, has contacted groups like the JET Alumni Association of New York to recruit volunteers to help publicize, assist with and participate in this special night, including the ancestor-honoring Tanko Bushi dance itself in center field. Tsufura said that this helps to fulfill JETAA NY’s mission to increase the understanding and appreciation of Japan and its people in the U.S.

Read the complete story here.


Aug 23

JET Alumni volunteers needed for New York Mets’ Japanese Heritage Night – Fri, Aug 27

The organizers of the First Annual Japanese Heritage Night are looking for JETAANY volunteers.

Email Donna Tsufura at thedayako@gmail.com for more details (use “JETAANY” as the subject line).

Volunteers are needed for:
1) Information Tables: setting up and manning two tables with info on Japanese and Japanese Americans
2) Pre-Game performance: coordiinating taiko and bon dance participants
3) Mets Spirit Awards: coodinating Award participants
4) Transportation: JET members w/cars driving Award participants &others to & from Citi Field
5) Partnership outreach: generating ticket donations/ funding / services from companies & individuals
6) Program: assisting with writing & production for printed program
7) Outreach: reaching communities who are not yet aware of Japanese Heritage Night
8) Press/media: assisting with media needs, individual interviews
9) Documenting:video, photo & reporting coverage of the event

A general timetable of events:

SCHEDULE FOR JAPANESE HERITAGE NIGHT

Friday, August 27, 2010

(draft as of 8/23, 2:30pm)- subject to change

4:15 Material for Information tables can be dropped off at Mets office

4:40 Information tables set up

5:40 Performers enter Bullpen Plaza Gate, escorted by Mets staff

6:30 Pre-game entertainment begins (20 min)

Taiko drumming by Soh Daiko  “Hachidan Uchi” (10 min piece)

Obon dance “Tanko Bushi” led by Japanese Folk Institute of New York (3 min piece)

dance participants include people from the Japanese heritage community and friends

6:50 Spirit Award Ceremony (5 min)

Awards given to the following communities and received by members of those communities.

Baseball  – received by Satoru Tsufura (Nisei ballplayer) and Shuji Kato (JAA baseball league)

Military Service – Kaz Yamagushi (WWII vet) and Lt. Janelle Kuroda (Navy, active duty in Iraq)

Community Service – Suki Terada Ports and Sam Kiyomi Turner  (activists, HIV AIDS, Ninth Ward)

In attendance: Ambassador Nishimiya

6:58 National Anthem sung by Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa

7:10 Game starts

5th inning  Information Tables broken down

Also, for our pre-game event, JET alumni are invited to dance the Tanko Bushi on the Mets centerfield! It is a simple and fun bon dance honoring one’s ancestors. Here are the online instructions for the dance  and an an mp3 of the song for you to practice.

TICKETS: All JET alumni volunteering and/or dancing at Citi Field must have a ticket to the game.  The Mets have made available discounted tickets in specific areas of the stadium. I believe your website has a draft of the flyer with outdated information saying that the ticket purchase cutoff was August 5.  Please inform your members that discount tickets are now available until Thurs, August 26. Regular tickets can be bought on the day of the game.


Aug 10

PROfessional Japanese-English Conference on Translation PROJECT Tokyo 2010

JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following translator’s conference through the Japan Association of Translators, and thought it might be of interest to current and former JETs in the Tokyo area (or those that can get to Tokyo relatively easily). Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he occasionally posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.

PROJECT Tokyo 2010 is the third in a series of one-day conferences on translation and interpreting organized by the Japan Association of Translators (JAT; 日本翻訳者協会) for participants to build skills and exchange information about their professions.

Theme: Tools and Workshops: Better, Faster, Richer
Date: Saturday, September 11, 2010
Time: 9:30 to 17:00
Registration opens at 9:00
Venue: TKP Shinagawa Conference Center

3F Takanawa Court, 3-13-1 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Approx. 5 minutes’ walk from Shinagawa Station (Takanawa Exit)

Admission:
Students: ¥4,000
JAT Members: ¥5,000
Non-Members: ¥6,000
Post-conference networking event: ¥5,000
Two-hour buffet meal and open bar

* Registration for the conference and post-conference networking event closes at midday on September 4, 2010. Registration is via the conference website only.

The program will consist of introductions to translation tools, workshops to improve practical skills, and informative sessions from industry specialists.

* Visit the conference website for more details.

Come to PROJECT Tokyo 2010 and find out how you can change the way you work!


Aug 6

Event: “Sake With the Haiku Geisha” reading, August 13 (NYC)

JET ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK (JETAA NY)

with support from the Consulate General of Japan in New York

Presents

A Special Play Reading of critically acclaimed Off Broadway Play

SAKE WITH THE HAIKU GEISHA

Graphic by JET alum Amber Liang

The JET Alumni Association of New York is pleased to present a limited one-night reading of the critically acclaimed play “Sake with the Haiku Geisha,” written by JET alumnus and playwright, Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93).

Date: Friday, August 13

Start time: 8:30 p.m.

Location: Tinker Auditorium (between Park & Madison Aves.) 22 E 60th St, New York, NY 10065, (212) 355-6100

Cost:

  • $5 in advance ($10 at the door) for JET alumni
  • $10 in advance ($15 at the door) for Friends of JET

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS ON-LINE VIA PAYPAL

Sake with the Haiku Geisha” premiered Off-Broadway in 2006 and was based on the collective experiences of three JETs who were placed in Fukui-ken from 1991-1993: an American from South Carolina, a Canadian from Nova Scotia and an English woman from Devon. The structure of the play is inspired by the classic Noh play: an opening ceremony, five acts (each of which uses a different speaker and a spirit or ghost), and a closing ceremony. The show starts on at a farewell party for the visiting JETS, and first three acts are told from the perspective of the visiting JETs, and then the tables turn, and the final two acts are told from the perspective of two Japanese: the supervisor of the Canadian JET, and the geisha’s story, which closes out the play.

The first act, “Sushi and Scones” was a finalist in five major festivals in the USA and England, won the “Best Play” award at the Southeastern Playwrights Conference and was taped and broadcast by as a BBC radio play in late 2005. See a full review of the play in the New York Times.

This event is being organized in cooperation with the Consulate General of Japan in New York.


Jul 30

Event: Skoop on Somebody (S.O.S.) Charity Concert in Chicago

Thanks to JETAA Chicago President Robert Corder (who also works for JETRO) for letting JetWit know about this interesting upcoming event:

Skoop on Somebody (S.O.S.) Charity Concert in Chicago

The Japanese R&B group Skoop on Somebody (S.O.S.) will play a charity concert in Chicago on Saturday, August 21.

This is the duo’s first live performance in North America. The concert will be held at the Harper College Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine, Illinois. Doors open at 4:30 pm, with the show scheduled from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Seating is first come, first served and limited to 420 seats. Tickets are $40, with all proceeds going to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago (JCCC) Foundation. The JCCC Foundation supports Japan-related education, cultural and community organizations though out the Chicago area.

To purchase tickets, fill out the application form (http://www.jccc-chi.org/docs/SOS_Event_8.21.pdf) and send it to JCCC Foundation along with the admission check (payable to JCCC Foundation)!

Questions? Contact the JCCC Secretariat at 312-245-8344 or jccc@jccc-chi.org.


Jul 12

WITLife 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 together with her own observations.

At Japan Society on Friday night  I saw what has been my favorite movie of the Japan Cuts festival so far, Parade.  A special treat was the attendance of the director, Isao Yukisada, to introduce the movie and take questions after.  He presented the movie as a “slice of the dark side of Tokyo,” and expressed his nervousness and excitement at having his work screened here in New York  for the first time.  The movie explores the relationships between four young people sharing an apartment in Tokyo, as they deal with their respective troubles as well as the danger of an assailant who has been attacking women in the area.  The title refers to Read More


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