JETwit.com » Japan Trends

Japanese Education Ministry OK’s textbook written by American

jetwit — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:15:20 +0000

Thanks to JET alums Melissa Chan and Eroll Packard for alerting me to this via Facebook posts:

Ministry OK’s textbook written by American

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120423003701.htm

Sachiko Asakuno / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

An English textbook written by an American teacher in Japan has passed a screening by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.

Although it is rare to see the publication of a school textbook that was authored by an individual in a core subject, the textbook “Atlantis” is the third such volume Steven Mitchell, 40, has authored since his first was published three years ago.

His previous two textbooks have been adopted by 34 high schools in Miyagi Prefecture.

Mitchell studied Japanese at a U.S. university and came to Japan in 2000. He now teaches English conversation in Sendai.

Hearing that one of his students regretted not being able to answer questions about his research at an international conference, Mitchell decided to write a textbook.

Initially, he was confused by the ministry’s textbook screening system. For instance, he presented the typical exchange “How are you?” “I’m fine, thank you.” He then added, “This is not a natural English conversation.”

The ministry asked him to modify this wording.

Mitchell learned the patterns the ministry likes, but he says he will continue striving to write new textbooks. “English is a living language. Textbooks should present new, natural conversational expressions,” he said.

He thinks many high school students are not good at English because textbooks are often slanted toward such grand themes as environmental problems. His textbook uses such familiar topics as traveling abroad, intended to present situations where students would ask many questions.

Mitchell also experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake last year and was deeply impressed by teachers and students’ efforts to recover from the disaster.

“I’d like to continue writing English textbooks that can continue to give new power to Japan,” he said.

(Apr. 24, 2012)

Japan Times: JET teacher outfoxes board, exposes bid to fleece JETs

jetwit — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:50:11 +0000

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Pretty amazing and I assume extremely unusual tale captured by the Japan Times (and forwarded to me by former JETAANY President and current JETAA USA Country Rep Megan Miller (Hyogo-ken). On one hand, it sounds like a combination of cultural differences plus some people with bad ethical judgment. On the other hand, perhaps it’s indicative of some of the financial pressures affecting small (or relatively small) towns in the current economy in Japan.

Teacher outfoxes board, exposes bid to fleece JETs

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120228a1.html

By PATRICK BUDMAR

English teachers on the JET program are often faced with the bittersweet moment when they realize their contract is ending and they will soon be returning to their home country.

However, for one former JET teacher, that moment turned out to be a poisonously sour one as he became embroiled in a conflict with the board of education (BOE) that employed him.

After having worked for two years on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) program for the local BOE, the teacher, who asked to remain anonymous for this article, decided it was time to return to his home country after his second contract ended.

While preparations for his departure were moving along smoothly, a contentious issue suddenly arose in what was supposed to be the penultimate official meeting with the BOE.

The supervisor from the BOE first ran through a few rudimentary items with the JETs before he stopped, chuckled to himself, gave everyone a big smile and went on to say that there was “another thing” he had to talk about.

That other thing turned out to be a tax that the teachers apparently had not paid yet, and the BOE was planning to take it all out of their final pay packet.

“We weren’t concerned since he was smiling and very casual about it,” the teacher said.

When he asked the supervisor what the tax was, he was told in Japanese that it was shiken minzei (residential tax), and that it would set each teacher back more than ¥200,000.

As the teacher’s entire pay packet was to be about ¥270,000, he was stunned that this “tax deduction” would be so costly.

“We were shocked and I immediately asked what the tax was for,” the teacher said, “but the only response we could get to anything was, ‘It’s a rule, so you must pay.’ ”

Why was it so much? How is it calculated? The supervisor would not give the JETs a clear answer, except to say that Americans were exempt.

The teachers found the logic that Americans would be exempt while an Australian or a British citizen would not difficult to swallow, though the supervisor refused to delve further, instead repeating the mantra that “It’s a rule, so you must pay.”

Frustrated by the lack of transparency from the supervisor, the teacher excused himself from the meeting to call his coordinator for international relations (CIR) in the prefectural office, who acts as a liaison between JETs in the prefecture and their BOEs.

The CIR at the time was just finishing up his first year and so was their Japanese counterpart, so they were both unaware of what shiken minzei was when the teacher initially contacted them.

He went back to the supervisor and asked why JETs had not paid the tax the year before but, to the teacher’s surprise, the supervisor quipped that everyone in fact had.

After that failed meeting, the teacher immediately began making inquiries and found out that shiken minzei is a residency tax and that the amount a person pays is calculated according to the previous year’s income.

“I went through my bank book and I found out that we’d been having the money withdrawn periodically from our bank accounts the previous year, but it was a really small amount,” he said. “This was confusing until I realized that the Japanese financial year runs from January to December, so the first year for us that we were taxed on was really only five months.”

The teacher also found it strange that he was being asked to pay in a lump sum now when he had paid it in installments over a full year before.

“I later found out that this was at the request of the BOE’s accountants, who had decided that we would never pay the tax if we returned home, so they were going to charge it all immediately to avoid that potentially happening,” he said.

To work out exactly what was going on with this tax payment, the teacher realized that he had to gather together all of his financial documents, so he went to the BOE office after work each day to liaise with the secretary there.

“I spent hours going over the documents trying to find how I’d been paid money to cover this massive tax over both years of my contract,” he said.

Under their contracts, teachers on the JET program are supposed to receive a set monthly take-home salary, with BOEs paying extra into teachers’ accounts to offset any taxes.

In his first year, the teacher found that his annual pay was a few hundred thousand yen over the minimum he was supposed to receive due to a rent allowance.

In the second year he was paid the exact same amount, meaning the BOE had not been paying in the extra funds to compensate for the huge residency tax bill that was now being deducted from his final paycheck.

Just as the teacher felt he was making some headway in deciphering the financial statements, the supervisor called him to deliver an update.

“It turned out that asking us to pay it in a lump sum was a bit much, so the BOE was going to let us pay it in installments,” he said. “It wasn’t really a concession because that’s the way everyone else in Japan pays it.’”

The supervisor then suggested that if he “wanted to talk about it more,” he should “call Tokyo,” meaning the JET head office.

Shocked by the blunt reply, the teacher turned to his CIR again for advice, but it turned out that the CIR had run into their own hurdles.

“They had tried to call the local BOE and get an explanation from them, and instead were yelled at and told to mind their own business,” he said.

What the CIR did find out was that the BOE’s accounting software had been upgraded that year and they had somehow forgotten to remove the tax from the teachers’ monthly salary, which explained the discrepancy between that year and the previous one.

Faced with dwindling options, the teacher called up the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) office in Tokyo, which oversees the JET program.

The CLAIR rep spent several hours poring over the teacher’s documents and consulting with the people in the office before getting back to him later the same day.

“He said I was correct and that CLAIR would back me up,” he said. “There’s no words to describe how happy I was to hear him say that.”

The following week, the teacher attended what was supposed to be the final meeting with the supervisor, armed with all the documents he had gathered, a simple breakdown of the maths, and a simple message: The BOE “tax deduction” was unjustifiable and potentially illegal.

At the end of the meeting, the teacher broached the tax topic and the supervisor’s demeanor instantly switched to a mixture of annoyance and anger.

While the supervisor did his best to keep his cool, the secretary whom the teacher had received the documents from earlier was not quite as composed.

“She turned to the supervisor and asked in casual Japanese, ‘Are they still asking about that? What’s wrong with these guys?’ with a disgusted tone,” he said. “She was sitting right in front of me and saying these things, as if I didn’t understand any Japanese.”

As the secretary stood up and stormed off, the teacher calmly tried to explain to the supervisor that he had called the CLAIR office, just as he had been advised, and the numbers were accurate. “I asked him to look at the figures, and he kept insisting that we had to pay the tax,” he said.

The secretary eventually returned to the meeting to announce that the BOE had called CLAIR earlier and been assured that they were in the right, but the teacher immediately asked whom she had spoken to and then contacted CLAIR himself.

“I told my CLAIR contact what they were saying and the reply I got was that the BOE had indeed called the previous week to ask about a particular situation, but it was not actually the situation I was in and were told something different instead,” he said.

When the supervisor was relayed this message, he stood up and walked out of the office, presumably to contact CLAIR himself.

With the supervisor gone, the teacher found himself fielding accusatory questions from the secretary.

“What really threw me off was that she’d just been speaking to our mutual boss in casual Japanese as if I didn’t understand, but when she spoke to me she was using keigo,” he said. “It seemed she was deliberately being polite in order to be rude.”

As the secretary left again to go and contact CLAIR, the supervisor returned to the meeting and reluctantly admitted that CLAIR was backing the teacher on the matter.

Despite CLAIR siding with the teacher, the supervisor did not change his position on the BOE withholding the money from the final paycheck to cover the tax.

The supervisor tried to convince the teacher that he had already received enough money over the two years he had worked at the school, and that if he wanted his money so badly, he should go and see a lawyer.

The teacher insisted it should not need to come to that, but any further attempts at discussion were repeatedly shut down by the supervisor, who instead tried to find other ways to justify the salary deductions, such as reviewing all leave applications.

When the teacher pointed out that he and the other teachers had been excellent ambassadors for their countries and the JET program, the BOE had never had any issues with them in the past, and the one time the teachers had to come to him with a problem he did nothing, the supervisor seemed to show remorse and finally admitted that the BOE knew that he and other JETs were entitled to the money that was instead deducted as “tax.”

Shocked yet delighted by this admission, the teacher ignored the need to ask why the supervisor had spent the last two hours lying to him and instead inquired as to when he and the other JETs would get reimbursed for the phony tax deduction.

However, despite admitting to the error, the supervisor was adamant that no reimbursement would be forthcoming.

To the teacher’s dismay, the supervisor confessed that the department had exhausted the budget for the year and that they had no remaining funds to compensate him with.

From then on, any attempt by the teacher to get the payment was met with the stock answer of “We cannot pay you” from the supervisor.

“I couldn’t seem to communicate to the BOE that they had to find a way to pay me because they’d signed the contract,” he said. “It was as if the contract meant nothing at all.”

Finally, the supervisor caved in and said he would consult the department head to see if they could somehow pay the teacher. He then stood up and left the room again.

After waiting awkwardly for over half an hour for the supervisor to reemerge, the teacher asked what the verdict was from the department head, only to be told that he was not in.

As for the supervisor, he had left the building and was not returning, which brought the meeting to an abrupt end.

The teacher reached out to his CLAIR contact again, but even they admitted there was very little they could actually do for him beyond call the BOE again and ask them to pay up.

“CLAIR had done as much as they could have, if not more, but their hands were tied at this point,” he said.

A trip by the teacher to the local labor office turned out to be fruitless, as the department was only able to help private companies, not those employed by the city.

“I asked the person at the labor office who I would need to see in order to get paid, and he told me there was only one person who can pay me,” he said. “That person turned out to be the mayor of the city.”

While anyone else in the same position might have been incredulous at the suggestion of trying to meet the mayor of a city of over 150,000 people, the teacher was lucky enough to have met the mayor in person over a year earlier at a party.

“Since then I’d met him almost half a dozen times, the last time being the week before when we’d done our farewell speeches,” he said. “His English was excellent and we had several mutual friends.”

Imbued with renewed hope, the teacher went from the labor office directly to the mayor’s office and recounted his story to the reception staff, who then immediately contacted the BOE and told them to send someone to the office.

The teacher once again found himself in a meeting with the secretary, who this time submitted a list of items that the BOE had purchased over the two years for his accommodation.

“Two curtains, a pair of plastic chopsticks, a bed sheet and some other small items were listed,” he said, “and she was now going to try to charge me for all of them.”

The mayor’s assistant quickly disregarded the document, which caused the secretary to begrudgingly admit that they owed the teacher money.

When the meeting finally moved into the mayor’s office, an official interpreter also joined them, and all of the documentation from both sides was scrutinized one final time.

Once again, the BOE representative left to call the department head, but when the teacher pressed them over how they would convince the head to overturn his earlier judgement, he was told that they were going to “tell him differently” what they “told him before.”

It turned out that the BOE secretary and the supervisor had spun the numbers for the department head so that the first year’s additional rent allowance covered the second year’s shortfall in payments to teachers, even though the JET contracts operated on a yearly basis. In other words, the secretary and supervisor had fiddled the books to defraud the JET teachers in an attempt to hide the fact the BOE was essentially broke.

When the teacher made this accusation, the supervisor could only offer a mumbled reply to puncture the embarrassed silence, in effect confirming that the BOE had not only lied to the teacher, but also to the head of department.

The department head soon joined the meeting after being informed of the deception, and immediately bowed and apologized to the teacher for not having looked into the matter more thoroughly from the start.

“I felt like he was going to take the blame for something that was clearly not his fault, but I didn’t know how to tell him,” the teacher said.

After much wrangling, the teacher would finally get reimbursed for the amount that was fraudulently deducted from his salary.

According to the teacher, the entire city was blacklisted by JET in the aftermath of the dispute and would never again receive new teachers from the program.

“We were the last ones there at that time due to budget issues, but even if they have the money in future, they’ll never see another JET again,” he said.

To maintain his anonymity for this article, the teacher declined to name the city where he was employed.

After the matter was resolved, the teacher encountered the supervisor one last time when he came to take all the furniture from the apartment as he was moving out.

While the teacher expected the supervisor to still hold a grudge against him for what had happened, the man instead broke into a smile and wryly told him to forget about the matter because he “won and got paid.”

“I looked at him and realized that he’d worn a mask for two years, not the one that we all wear in our dealings every day, but the mask of a liar,” the teacher said. “The fact that he could stand there in front of me and pretend nothing had happened after lying and deceiving disgusted me.”

Light Gist offers a humorous take on life in Japan on the last Tuesday of the month. Send all your comments and story ideas tocommunity@japantimes.co.jp

Jewpanese – Where Jewish and Japanese converge

jetwit — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:50:32 +0000

For any Jewish and Jewpanese JETs and alums out there, you may be interested in the “Jewpanese“ Facebook group started by my friend Paul Golin, who serves as Associate Director for the Jewish Outreach Institute and whose wife happens to be Japanese (and an active member of NY de Volunteer!)

Here’s the link to “Jewpanese – Where Jewish and Japanese converge“: https://www.facebook.com/JewishJapanese

Articles by JET journalist Patrick St Michel featured in The Atlantic

jetwit — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:25:45 +0000

Current Mie JET Patrick St. Michel has two articles currently featured in The Atlantic online.

“The 48 Japanese Schoolgirls Aiming to Take Over the World” - The global ambitions of J-Pop group AKB48
“How Korean Pop Conquered Japan”

Click here to read other writings by Patrick featured on JETwit.

JNTO seeks to offer 10,000 free tickets to Japan to help jumpstart tourism

jetwit — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:06:58 +0000

Still pending final approval by the Diet, but pretty amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to visit Japan. Seems like it’s modeled on the MOFA Return to Tohoku program that 20 Tohoku area JET alumni have participated in.

Here’s a link to the article: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/10-000-free-round-trip-tickets-japan-134142507.html

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Japan, this may be your chance.

In a desperate attempt to lure tourists back to a country plagued by radiation fears and constant earthquakes, the Japan Tourism Agency’s proposed an unprecedented campaign – 10,000 free roundtrip tickets.

The catch is, you need to publicize your trip on blogs and social media sites.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan has dropped drastically, since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Power plant in March. Nearly 20,000 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 80,000 remain displaced because of radiation concerns. In the first three months following the triple disasters, the number of foreign visitors to Japan was cut in half, compared with the same time in 2010. The strong Japanese currency has made matters worse.

The tourism agency says it plans to open a website to solicit applicants interested in the free tickets. Would- be visitors will have to detail in writing their travel plans in Japan, and explain what they hope to get out of the trip. Successful applicants would pay for their own accommodation and meals. They would also be required to write a review their travel experiences, and post it online.

“We are hoping to get highly influential blogger-types, and others who can spread the word that Japan is a safe place to visit,” said Kazuyoshi Sato, with the agency.

The agency has requested more than a billion yen to pay for the tourism blitz. If lawmakers approve the funding, Sato says visitors could begin signing up as early as next April.

JET Symposium to be televised on NHK September 8

jetwit — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:32:50 +0000

Posted to the JETAANY Facebook group by JET alum Ayelet Fogel (Miyagi-ken, Sendai-shi):

“JET Symposium to celebrate 25 years of JET will be televised on NHK in Japan on Thursday 8th of September. Channel BS1 10pm-11pm Japan time. :) – if you can watch it please enjoy! Read about it at http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2011/08/17/jet-programme-25th-anniversary-symposium-to-be-held-by-japanese-government/“

And if you do happen to watch it, please feel free to e-mail a summary or any observations or comments about it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.

Slate.com series: “Can Japan Recover?”

jetwit — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:09:36 +0000

There’s an excellent ongoing series on Slate.com titled “Can Japan Recover?” by Daisann McLane as she travels through various areas of Tohoku. McLane is traveling and writing about Japan as a guest of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

“I’m exploring recovering Japan as a guest of the Japan National Tourism Organization. Tourism here dropped through the floor in the first three months after what’s now being called the “Triple Disaster”—earthquake, tsunami, Fukushima. The tourism board was so eager for upbeat stories they offered to send me anywhere I wanted over the course of a week. I emailed them a decidedly non-upbeat itinerary: Sendai, Fukushima, Tokyo. To my surprise, and to their credit, they said no problem. A few weeks later, in July, I was on a Shinkansenspeeding north from Tokyo to Sendai.”

To read more of McLane’s writing about Japan on her travel blog, go to www.therealtravelblog.com.

“A Perspective on Helping Japan Disaster Victims” by ex-JET Jeannie McKinney

jetwit — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 10:52:12 +0000

This article titled “A Perspective on Helping Japan Disaster Victims“ recently appeared on the CleanEnergy.org website, written by Jeannie McKinney (Hokkaido, 2010-11) who is currently doing an internship for the Knoxville, TN office of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE).

Link to original post: http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2011/08/30/helping-japan-disaster-victims/

Here’s an excerpt:

“Post-March 11th, the amount of willingness and enthusiasm, good will and generosity that came from abroad as well as at home, was honestly overwhelming. I was living in a small town in Hokkaido, the northernmost island and prefecture of Japan, at the time of the disaster, in an area that experienced nothing but a few tremors and shakes. But somehow, my community of 13,000 generated so many donation packages within the first few weeks after the disaster that our three little post offices had trouble handling the increased mail traffic. Instead, postal workers had to set out collection bins in their lobbies for the Japan Red Cross to come and pick up on their own.”

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“The problem is that there is only so much individuals can do on their own, without any direction or instruction from organized groups – especially without advice from the country’s government. Post-Katrina, the biggest complaints here in the U.S. were the slow reactions of the local and federal government to respond. Though nonprofits and volunteer groups were first on the scene, there was only so much they could do without bureaucratic support.”

“The same can be said for Japan right now, both in disaster areas as well as radiation areas.”

Former Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu dies in apparent suicide; JET alum served as his translator

jetwit — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:53:12 +0000

JET alum George Rose (left) in his role as translator for Hideki Irabu (right).

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Former star pitcher Hideki Irabu was apparently found dead in his apartment by friends.

Notably, former JETAA New York President George Rose had served as Irabu’s translator during his time with the Yankees when they won the World Series.

Rest in peace, Irabu-san. Thanks for the memories and for doing your part to bridge the culture gap.

Tohoku update and perspectives by Japan Society of Boston President Peter Grilli

jetwit — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:53:26 +0000

If you’ve been looking for good sources of on the ground reporting in Tohoku, you may appreciate the writing of Japan Society of Boston President Peter Grilli who just returned from three weeks in Tohoku. After March 11, JSB teamed up with The Boston Foundation and the Fish Family Foundation to create the Japan Disaster Relief Fund Boston.

Below are two reports by Peter for JSB as well as two for JDRFB.

Japan Society (NY) Focuses on Healthcare, Children’s Needs in 2nd Round of Allocations from the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund

jetwit — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:28:33 +0000

I saw the below press release from the Japan Society in New York just before attending the Japan Foundation and JCIE/USA gathering aimed at helping Japanese NPOs and U.S. organizations better collaborate and share information for disaster relief support. Listening to the discussion helped me appreciate even more the tremendous effort that the Japan Society in New York–not traditionally a grant-making organization–has made and continues to make in providing disaster relief support. The list of grantees also gives some sense of the key needs in Japan right now.

Via Shannon Jowett, Director of Communications for Japan Society in New York.

“In the second round of funding relief and recovery efforts in Japan, Japan Society is supporting NPOs and NGOs focusing on healthcare, mental health and children’s needs among others. Please find full details below, and let me know if you would like further information. I look forward to hearing from you.”

–Shannon

For Immediate Release

Japan Society Focuses on Healthcare, Children’s Needs in 2^nd Round of Allocations from the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund

New York, NY – Japan Society announced six organizations working in relief and recovery in Japan to receive $2.1 million in the second round of funding from the Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (JERF).

The organizations–AFS Intercultural Programs Japan, Care Center Yawaragi, Japanese Medical Society of America, Japan Primary Care Association, Supporting Union for Practical-Use of Educational Resources, and the Tokyo Volunteer Network for Disaster Relief–will receive grants to strengthen their relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunamis that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011.

“As we announced earlier, Japan Society has made it a priority to support NGOs and other organizations that focus on healthcare, including mental health services, as well as the needs of children,” Japan Society President Motoatsu Sakurai said. “After intensive research and lengthy discussions, we are pleased to announce our support of these six organizations.”

In addition to providing healthcare for the most in need—including the elderly, ill, disabled and pregnant—programs and services range from long-term support for local physicians to creating mental health clinics, serving those suffering from post-traumatic or pre-existing conditions. Additionally, organizations are setting up summer camp programs for children from Fukushima Prefecture. The six organizations to receive funds are as follows:

AFS Intercultural Programs Japan is a non-profit international exchange organization for students and adults. AFS Japan provides a wide range of programming, including summer camp programs, and school-based exchange and shorter summer programs for high school students. With support from JERF, AFS Japan will provide scholarships for students from the Tohoku region for long-term exchange programs to the United States.
Care Center Yawaragi is a non-profit organization in Tokyo that offers personalized home care services for the elderly, including group homes, short-stay services, day services, and home help services. In response to the March 11 disaster and with support from JERF, the organization will provide healthcare kits, including bicycles, ponchos, gloves, masks, and antiseptic, among other essentials necessary for healthcare providers in the region who care for the elderly, ill, disabled or pregnant. The healthcare workers will focus on those outside of the shelters who lack mobility or means and require home care.
Japanese Medical Society of America (JMSA) is a professional medical association of Japanese speaking doctors in New York. In partnership with the Fukushima Prefectural University Medical Center, it supports the Medical Center’s “Kokoro no Care” program, a project to create community-based multidisciplinary mental health clinics. These clinics will provide mental healthcare to patients with symptoms resulting from the March 11 disaster, as well as those with pre-existing conditions.
Japan Primary Care Association is a professional society of medical practitioners, researchers and students that promotes best practices in the medical and health and welfare fields. In response to the Tohoku earthquake, the Japan Primary Care Association established the Primary Care for All Team (PCAT) to undertake medical relief work in the region. JERF supports PCAT teams–multidisciplinary healthcare teams headed by doctors–who provide medical care to evacuees in shelters and temporary housing, and to those in need in their homes. The healthcare teams also provide long-term support for local physicians in the region to ensure that patients have access to continued primary care, including a specialized team in obstetrics.
Supporting Union for Practical-Use of Educational Resources, in partnership with Abukuma NS Net, both of which run summer camps for children all over Japan, started the Fukushima Kids Summer Camp for first through ninth graders from Fukushima Prefecture who cannot enjoy the outdoors this summer due to radiation concerns. With support from JERF, an additional 200 students will participate in the Fukushima Kids Summer Camp in Hokkaido. The Supporting Union for Practical-Use of Educational Resources provided summer camp opportunities to children after the Hanshin Awaji and the Chuetsu earthquakes.
Additionally, Japan Society extended another round of funding to the Tokyo Volunteer Network for Disaster Relief, which is collecting and distributing emergency relief goods, setting up a base in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture, and is coordinating the work of approximately 3,000 volunteers who distribute emergency relief supplies and aid clean-up efforts.

The Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, launched on March 12, 2011, has received over $10 million from over 21,000 donors, including individuals, corporations and foundations. One hundred percent of the tax-deductible contributions to the Relief Fund go to organizations that directly help victims.

On March 30, Japan Society announced its first round of funding of $1 million to four Japanese nonprofit organizations on the front line of relief and recovery. In addition to the Tokyo Volunteer Network for Disaster Relief, they are JEN, Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities (ETIC), and the Japan NPO Center.

“We have been rigorously monitoring the work of the fund recipients from the first round, and we are pleased with the progress these organizations are making,” Mr. Sakurai said. Updates from the Relief Fund recipients can be found on the Society’s website, www.japansociety.org/earthquake.

Japan Society Vice President of External Relations Daniel Rosenblum said the Society continues to explore opportunities to fund the work of organizations that benefit children affected by the March 11 disaster, as well as organizations involved in long-term reconstruction efforts.

“We are working on the selection process for a third round of funding and will be making an announcement sometime in the fall,” he said.

The recovery and reconstruction process is likely to take five or even ten years, Mr. Sakurai said. “We are looking at a long-term process, and there is much uncertainty. But we are confident in the final analysis Japan will recover and thrive,” he said.

Those wishing to donate to the fund can go to www.japansociety.org/earthquake or mail a check to Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, New York 10017; Attn: Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. Checks should be made payable to “Japan Society” and indicate “Japan Earthquake Relief Fund” on the memo line of the check. For additional information, email japanrelief@japansociety.org.

In a previous announcement, Japan Society pledged half of all admission sales made March 14 through June 30, 2011 (totaling $50,000) to the fund. In addition, the Society organized the April 9 CONCERT FOR JAPAN, which drew 2,400 visitors, was viewed by over 200,000 people live on Ustream, and raised over $88,000 for the fund.

Japan Society is an American nonprofit committed to deepening mutual understanding between the United States and Japan in a global context. Now in its second century, the Society serves audiences across the United States and abroad through innovative programs in arts and culture, public policy, business, language, and education. For more information, visit www.japansociety.org or call 212-832-1155

# # #

_____

Shannon Jowett, Director of Communications

(p) 212-715-1205 (f) 212-715-1262 (e) sjowett@japansociety.org

Japan Society | 333 E. 47th St. | New York, NY 10017 | www.japansociety.org

Donate Japan Earthquake Relief Fund

View Japan Society’s full Calendar of Events

Join Japan Society on Facebook

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Visit About Japan: A Teacher’s Resource

How are JETs dealing with the radiation issue in Japan?

jetwit — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:54:20 +0000

A New York Times article today titled “Radiation-Tainted Beef Spreads Through Japan’s Markets” paints a worrisome picture of the radiation situation in Japan. Or does it?

It’s hard for JET alums outside of Japan to know what to think all the time. I suppose it’s just as hard for JETs in Japan to know what to think. But you guys have to actually do–or not do–something about it. So I thought it might be helpful to get a sense of how much or little the radiation issue is affecting the lives of JETs (and JET alums) in Japan.

How are JETs in Japan reacting? Are you worried? Is the NY Times article too alarmist? Are you changing eating and travel behaviors in any way?

Please share any thoughts in the comments section, or e-mail them to jetwit [at] jetwit.com if you prefer to post anonymously.

Thanks.

Japan Fix London: Hyper Japan – Interview with Mary Moreton

dipstar — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:31:02 +0000

Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, writing and translation.

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It’s not surprising that London has changed a lot during the years I’ve been away in Japan. Being the “most populous municipality in the European Union”, rapid development, modernization and globalization are to be expected. However, it still throws me of guard when my British friends now drop ‘katsu-don’, ‘kirin beer’, and ‘kawaii’ into everyday conversation. I know those words weren’t part of my vocabulary before I took off for my life as an ALT!

For a recently returned expat like me, it is a huge comfort to see Japanese culture so widely embraced in my home city. Which is why I was particularly excited to hear about HYPER JAPAN, a three day event promoting all the different aspects of Japanese culture that make it so appealing to us in the west. Determined to get my ‘Japan-fix’ to fight off the homesickness, I applied for a volunteer position and was delighted to discover one of the Hyper Japan team, Mary Moreton, was a fellow ex-JET. Not one to miss a chance to share JET stories, Mary kindly agreed to meet me one soggy London afternoon.

Hi Mary, sorry for dragging you out in this! Could you start by telling me a bit about your time on JET – why you applied, where you were based?

I was a CIR in Aomori City CIR from 2002 – 2005. I studied Classical Japanese Literature at University, which was a really interesting course that I enjoyed a lot, but not necessarily a degree that could lead straight to a clear career path. I wasn’t interested in working in say finance in the city like many of my friends, and I had spent time in Japan before (I did a year out in Osaka), so I decided to apply for JET.

How did you find Aomori compared to your experience of living in Osaka? I would imagine it to be quite different!

Yes, it was completely different to my previous experience of living in the city. I remember in my first week, there was another girl from UK who was based at the kencho, and we decided to meet up and explore one day. We walked around for about 10 minutes until we realised there really wasn’t much to see! It was totally different from my experiences of urban areas such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe.

What did you do after JET?

After returning from JET, my first job was as a PA for the European director of a Japanese electronics company where I was working in a mainly Japanese environment. Even though I had left Japan, during my working day, things weren’t too different. Although I felt that my unique point was my Japanese ability, I did not necessarily want to restrict myself to working for Japanese companies. I then went on to work for a British based Insurance broker. I worked in their Japanese department, so I was still using Japanese but not working in a completely Japanese environment as I had been used to. I had always been interested in translation, so in addition to working, I decided to do a part-time MA in translation. In the end I had to quit my job to focus on my dissertation in the last term.

With my MA finished I then decided to do freelance translation and signed up with several Japanese agencies. Not all of them gave regular work, and there were certain areas of translation (technical) that I couldn’t do, but after settling into a good relationship with a few coordinators, I managed to find my niche. Through that I did some work for the Sushi Awards, which led to my current position with Cross Media. Once again I am working as the only native English speaker in a Japanese company, but I enjoy it a lot as I get to promote all the things I love about Japanese culture and cuisine, and share it with a whole new audience.

Could you tell us a bit about the background of Hyper Japan?

The Eat-Japan Sushi Awards have been around for a few years. Japanese food is a lot more popular now in the UK than when I left in 2002 to go to Japan. Now there are so many places around where you can try Japanese food, and there is a lot more scope to promote it – which is where the idea for the sushi awards came from.

Japanese anime, manga and games have always had a fanbase in the UK and the rest of Europe, and there is a large Japan Expo held in Paris which mainly focuses on these aspects of Japanese culture.

I think most people think that Japan is cool, but not necessarily for just one thing. There are separate events to cater for cosplay, anime, and sushi fans, however there wasn’t anything that brought all these together – which what Hyper Japan attempts to do. In the same way that people who live in Japan experience the old and the modern co-existing harmoniously (you could find a Shinto shrine next door to a pachinko parlor), Hyper Japan aims to showcase both the contemporary and classic sides of Japanese culture under one roof.

To read the rest of the interview, click ‘Read More’.

So what can people expect for their ticket?

Hyper Japan hosts a mix of large, well-known companies (such as Nintento), and smaller-businesses/entrepreneurs and community based groups, so as well as the corporate presence we also aim to encourage a ‘roots-up’ cultural experience. The event is unique in the way that has a wide scope, bringing together people who share a common interest that is Japan, whether they are Japanese companies or British people. There will be lots of freebies, food/drink tasting, shopping and you will also be lending a hand to the people and regions affected by the Tohoku Pacific Earthquake as 10% of all net ticket revenue will be donated to the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund.

I believe that last year (2010) was the first ever Hyper Japan. What is different about the event this year, and what new additions can returning attendees expect?

Last year the event was quite focused on sub-cultural groups (Lolita, street fashion, cosplay), but we were surprised by the amount of people who came that were not part of those groups. This year we have expanded the food and drink area, and also introduced more traditional elements, such as kimono dressing and wagashi making. We also have the Japanese Media Arts Festival joining us to showcase Japanese films and film-makers, a Maid Cafe dinning experience, sake cocktail seminars, and performances including traditional taiko.

There will also be a charity focused area to raise awareness and support for the disaster-affected Tohoku region. This will feature a photography exhibition about the tsunami, and a charity raffle with some great prizes.

That all sounds amazing! Lastly, how can people get involved with Hyper Japan?

Hyper Japan is always on the look-out for volunteer bloggers/writers to contribute to the website. At the moment we are heavily focused on the event, but we will go back to being an information site on all things Japan and are looking for writers to get involved with their specific areas of interest. People interested in writing articles, even just about their experience of life in Japan, or anyone interested in photography, illustration are encouraged to get in touch. At this stage, unfortunately we cannot pay contributors, but we aim to develop the website further so that it becomes a platform to showcase creative work related to Japan.

Specifically for the event we are looking for anyone who would like to volunteer as a photographer, writer/translator. This would suit people who would like to build up their portfolio/work-experience and we are happy to credit people with their work and write references. Please contact the press office at press@hyperjapan.co.uk if you are interested in volunteering.

HYPER JAPAN will be held on Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th July at Olympia 2, London. Tickets can be purchased in advance from the website, and kids under ten go free.

Signs of a setsuden summer

tokyotombaker — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 01:48:09 +0000

Posted by Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91), coauthor of The Sushi Lover’s Cookbook and Tokyo Chic and contributor to Time Out Tokyo and Time Out Shortlist Tokyo. He blogs as “Tokyo Tom Baker.”

“Setsuden,” or conserving electricity, has become a huge buzzword in Japan as the weather heats up and many nuclear power plants remain shut down. Many businesses have put up signs explaining their own setsuden activities and asking the public to join in.

Recently I have been been photographing setsuden signs around the Tokyo area for my blog.

Some of the signs are very simple and functional, like the message seen here on a closed escalator at a train station, which simply says, “Setsuden-chuu.”

Others are clever pieces of writing and/or graphic design.

I have a gallery of signs here, as well as explanations of my picks for the best-designed sign here and the best slogan here.

MEF Bruce Rutledge article on CNN: Japan’s post-quake kawaii cute movement

jetwit — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:16:59 +0000

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MEF Bruce Rutledge, founder of Seattle-based independent book publisher Chin Music Press and editor of Ibuki magazine, has an article on CNN GO titled:

“Japan’s post-quake kawaii cute movement: Harajuku’s colorful street-styles used to combat the quake crisis.”

Japan Times: U.S. students invited in memory of JET victims

jetwit — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:54:35 +0000

Via Japan Times/Kyodo News Service, June 1, 2011:

U.S. students invited in memory of JET victims

Kyodo

Japan will invite 32 U.S. high school students who are studying Japanese to take part in a program in July to study the language and culture in memory of two American teachers killed in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, during a speech at a symposium in Tokyo on Monday, referred to the program intended to nurture people who will serve as a bridge between Japan and the United States in the future.

The program is in commemoration of Taylor Anderson, 24, and Montgomery Dickson, 26, who were taking part in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.

Anderson of Virginia was found dead in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, and Dickson of Alaska was found dead in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture.

According to the government-linked Japan Foundation, the organizer of the program, the 32 students selected from about 250 applicants in the United States will attend Japanese-language lessons, take part in cultural events, including a drum performance and wearing kimono, and have exchanges with high school students in Osaka.

They will stay at the homes of the Osaka high school students during the two-week program. It will run for five years starting this year, the Japan Foundation said.

Video: Anti-nuclear protest march in Tokyo – by JET alum Tom Baker

tokyotombaker — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:04:46 +0000

The meltdown crisis at the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture has inspired a number of antinuclear protests in Japan. Journalist and JET alum Tom Baker (Chiba, 1989-1991), who blogs at Tokyo Tom Baker made this video of one that took place in Ginza, Tokyo, last night (May 27):

Hibari-sensei: Interview with Neko Neko Maid and Host Club

hibarisensei — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:28:05 +0000

Jen Wang (Miyagi, 2008-09) created the alias “Hibari-sensei” for her Japanese pop culture blog, Gaijin Teacher Otaku, after her students called her by the name of a character she cosplayed. She also writes for J-music website Purple SKY.

Maid leader Kitti and maid assistant Minami at A-kon 21 anime convention

Neko Neko Maid and Host Club (originally the Neko Neko Maid and Hostess Club) is a traveling maid troupe that makes appearances at anime conventions across the country. Unlike most anime con maid cafes, which consist of cosplayers serving food, Neko Neko brings the interactive experience integral to Akihabara maid culture to its guests. The girls (and guys) make small talk and play games with guests and sing and dance to J-pop songs.

The club is ready to kick off its 2011 tour with an appearance at Comicpalooza in Houston, Texas this weekend. Then they will be at Dallas’ anime convention, A-kon, from June 10-12. I was introduced to Neko Neko at last year’s A-kon, and I had a chance to sit down with one of its founders and maid leader Kitti Maherin and maid assistant Minami to learn more about the club.

How did Neko Neko get started?

Kitti: We formed on July 4, 2009. It started as four girls who enjoy maid cafes. When I went to Japan, I fell in love with the maid café I visited in Akihabara.

What made you decide to focus on the performance aspect rather than serving food in cosplay like other maid cafes at conventions?

Kitti: I enjoy performing, and it was a low cost option.

Who decides on the music you dance and sing to?

Kitti: The maid leaders and assistants choose the music. Miki, our choreographer and another founder, has a lot of input.

How long do you practice your dances?

Minami: It depends on the dance.

Kitti: I practice every day.

To read the rest of the interview, click here.

Smile Kids Japan’s Mike Maher-King speaks at TEDxTokyo

jetwit — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:29:33 +0000

Mike Maher-King (Fukui), founder of Smile Kids Japan, recently spoke at TEDxTokyo: Entering the Unknown on Saturday, May 21 at Miraikan Tokyo.

Here are the English and Japanese videos of Mike’s talk which is titled “Against All Odds” in which he talks about Smile Kids Japan, how he came to start it, how the JET experience and community factored in and SKJ’s involvement in earthquake relief efforts.

Smile Kids Japan’s Mike Maher-King to speak at TEDxTokyo

jetwit — Sat, 14 May 2011 12:26:20 +0000

Mike Maher-King (Fukui), founder of Smile Kids Japan, will be one of the speakers at TEDxTokyo: Entering the Unknown on Saturday, May 21 at Miraikan Tokyo.

Here’s some background on Mike from the TEDxTokyo website which does a nice job summarizing some of the good work he’s been doing since the Tohoku Earthquake/Tsunami:

Mike Maher-King
Network Organizer, Fundraiser and Catalyst

Channeling good intentions is tougher than it looks, but Michael Maher King seems to possess the knack. The young British founder and CEO of Smile Kids Japan—which has now joined Living Dreams—was a teacher in Fukui when his wife informed him that some of their students were orphans. In May 2008, they started up Smile Kids to lend their time, skills and care to Fukui’s orphanages.

The March 11 Tohoku disaster broadened the group’s focus and ambitions. Working alongside the Living Dreams NPO, Michael is now taking their network concept to 18 orphanages in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima through the Smiles and Dreams: Tohoku Kids’ Project. They plan to set up regular fun and interactive volunteer visits, distribute donated items, and spark long-term projects that cover everything from computers to mentoring to scholarships. Michael hopes to go nationwide and help Japan’s other orphans shape their own destinies.

And here’s the event description from the TEDxTokyo website:

Join us
The entire event will be streamed live here on:

May 21st from 9am JST

May 20th from 8pm EDT

Join us for all of the talks as they happen, and exclusive backstage interviews.

On Saturday May 21st from 9am JST (Friday May 20th from 8pm EDT) the curtain will rise on our third annual event, Entering the Unknown, which is set to be bigger and better than ever as we bring together an even wider range of speakers and participants to share ideas and inspiration.

In the wake of the devastating March 11th earthquake and subsequent tsunami & radiation menace, we abruptly altered our focus to explore practical and inventive ways of rebuilding and renewing Japan, and uplifting the spirits of its people.

Over 30 speakers and 300 participants will be joining us at Tokyo’s iconic Miraikan, with thousands more around the world watching on the day via our bilingual live streams, whilst taking part through our social media channels.

We invite you to be a part of this special event – put the date in your diary, follow our latest updates on Twitter, and join us here live from Tokyo on the day as we Enter the Unknown.

View the full program here »