Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine round-up. Posted by JET alum and current editor of the webmagazine, Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). To subscribe to the Embassy of Japan’s monthly webmagazine, email webmagazine@ld.mofa.go.jp with the subject ‘subscribe’.

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Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine: March 2012

Ambassador’s blog
One year on

Featured article
ONE YEAR ON: SCENES OF RECONSTRUCTION & PICTURES DRAWN BY THE CHILDREN OF TOHOKU

Other articles:
Events around the country as the UK remembers “One year on…”
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
One year on: A JET perspective
Films at the Embassy: Bloom in the Moonlight
Films at the Embassy: Tohoku Special Film Show
JAPAN-UK Events Calendar

An announcement from the Consulate General of Japan in New York:

Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki Assumes Post

On February 25, Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki arrived from Tokyo and began his official duties as Consul General of Japan in New York. His first stop after departing the airport was the former World Trade Center site, where he paid his respects to all those lost on September 11, 2001.

As Japan’s ambassador to Afghanistan for the past year and a half, Ambassador Hiroki has been at the frontlines of the international community’s efforts, together with the United States, to promote peace and security in that war-ravaged region. To date, Japan has implemented approximately one billion of a total five billion dollar commitment in humanitarian and reconstruction aid for the people of Afghanistan.

As former head of the 9/11 crisis management team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, Ambassador Hiroki is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of Japanese visitors and residents in New York. In fact, New York City holds a very special place for Ambassador Hiroki. He was stationed here for several years in the 1990s. As a consul in the Consulate’s political section, his duties included arranging a visit by their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan to the city. In his welcome message to the New York community, the Ambassador remarked, “This great city is a vibrant center of the political, economic and cultural ties that make up the Japan-US relationship. With your help and understanding, I look forward to doing my part to further the development of a strong Japan-US partnership in New York.”

Ambassador Hiroki’s extensive diplomatic career began in 1979, and he has held various responsibilities at the Ministry in Tokyo and around the globe, including planning Japan’s security policy, developing Japan-Korea relations, managing MOFA budgetary affairs and overseeing Japan’s foreign policy toward Europe. His other overseas assignments include The Hague in the Netherlands and London, UK.

Ambassador Hiroki’s close personal ties with the US were shaped by his formative experience as a young AFS exchange student at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin area high school. He later served as chair of the 29th Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) and was a graduate student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Ambassador is married to Mamiko Hiroki, an English teacher at a Japanese high school and graduate of Columbia University. They have two daughters. Ambassador Hiroki enjoys tennis and practicing tea ceremony in his spare time. He is looking forward to building upon the success of his predecessor, Ambassador Nishimiya, and doing his part to foster mutual understanding and strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the people of Japan and New York City.

The December 2010 edition of JapanInfo is now available online:  http://editor.ne16.com/he/vo.aspx?FileID=569cab53-5818-4cc5-93c0-8d69ff4225b9&m=c084f6d45dcb1543a1f92db467644006&MailID=14668522 *(Click here to subscribe to JapanInfo by email.)

2010 Foreign Minister’s Commendation
Seiji Ozawa to Take the Conductor’s Podium at Carnegie Hall
New Yorkers Discover the Charms of Ishikawa
INSIDE THE ARMOR
The Art of Cut Paper in Philadelphia
VISIT JAPAN:  Faster and Further on the Bullet Train
CULTURE CONNECTION:  THE JAPANESE PROGRAM AT HUNTER COLLEGE
From the Ambassador’s Desk

JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Click here to subscribe to JapanInfo by email.

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NEWS FROM THE JAPAN FOUNDATION NEW YORK AND CGP
//// VOL. 9: November 18, 2010 ////

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CGP Grant Program (Deadline: December 1)
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This is a reminder that the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership’s (CGP) Intellectual Exchange program open competition deadline is December 1, 2010.

[ http://cgp.org/index.php?option=section&id=3 ]

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JAILA: “An Evening of Japanese Jazz” in Jamaica (Nov 27-Dec 1)
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As part of the Japanese Arts in Latin America (JAILA) program, the Japan Foundation, New York will dispatch flutist YUKARI and pianist Ms. Eri Yamamoto  to Jamaica to give a concert and workshop to local audiences and music students.  They will be performing their own compositions as well as well-known Japanese songs in a jazz style. They will also be joined by local musicians for collaborative performance.

About YUKARI: [ http://www.yukariflute.com/Site/Welcome.html ]
About Ms. Eri Yamamoto: [ http://www.eriyamamoto.com/ ]

[ http://www.jfny.org/arts_and_culture/jaila.html ]

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Call for JFNY Grant for Arts and Culture Applicants
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We are accepting applications from nonprofit organizations for the JFNY Grant for Arts and Culture. This grant aims to support projects that will further
understanding of Japanese arts and culture. Applicants must be from the 37 states east of the Rocky Mountains.

Successful candidates may be granted up to $5,000 for projects conducted in the 14 Southern and 12 Midwestern states, and up to $2,000 for all other states.

[ http://www.jfny.org/arts_and_culture/smallgrant.html ]

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CGP US-Japan Journalism Fellowship Program
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10 graduate journalism students from across the US will embark on a 13-day study-tour of Japan starting on November 20, 2010. This second cohort of students, along with Emerson College and CGP staff, will visit Tokyo, Okinawa, Kobe and other cities during their stay in Japan.

[ http://journalism.indiana.edu/news/bomersback-headed-to-japan-as-postgrad-fellow/ ]
[ http://www.merrill.umd.edu/deadline/index.php/2010/11/10/two-merrill-graduate-students-receive-fellowships-for-travel-to-japan/ ]

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The September 2010 edition of JapanInfo is now available online:  http://editor.ne16.com/he/vo.aspx?FileID=2bbd4d99-ee36-41cb-9c27-6ffba6035701&m=c084f6d45dcb1543a1f92db467644006&MailID=13708788 (Click here to subscribe to JapanInfo by email.)

Of note is a feature titled “Alumni Unite to Stress the Value of the JET Program” which describes the efforts at the recent JETAA USA National Conference hosted by JETAA New York.  Here’s a quote:

“At this year’s meeting in New York the main focus was the recent Japanese government review of the JET and JETAA budgets. While JET is the most successful public diplomacy program ever launched in Japan, and JETs are recognized as assets to both Japan and the US, there has been criticism of the high costs local governments must bear to accept JETs. Additionally, Japanese tax payers may not be aware of the contributions JETs make to the Japan-US relationship.”

Also of interest to the JET alum community will be the focus on JET and JETAA by Ambassador Nishimiya in the “From the Ambassador’s Desk” feature.  Here’s a snippet:

“I had many conversations with JET alumni during the conference and I was encouraged by the fact that so many of them spoke earnestly about how they became big fans of Japan through their participation in the JET program and its alumni activities. Even in Japan there are not many people who could express their deep love for Japan in such a straight forward manner. I truly hope that I will continue to have the opportunity to promote the JET Program, strengthen my ties with JETAA, and aid the program in the future.”

Additional JapanInfo articles of interest include:

• The 65th anniversary of the end of World War II
• Japanese Training Squadron and Ambassador Nishimiya Visits Maryland
• Dr. Hinohara & “Freddie” convey the importance of life
• Friendship through flowers – Ikebana Demonstration
• Izumo: City of Myths and Dreams – A once in a lifetime journey
• The Japanese Embassy of 1860 Visits Philadelphia
• As well as a number of great listings in the Events Calendar!

JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Click here to subscribe to JapanInfo by email.

The February 2010 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

The October 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• Welcome Back for Former JET Program Participants
• Ambassador Nishimiya Visits Philladelphia
• “Art of the Samurai” Opens at the Met
• From the Ambassador’s Desk
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

Read below for the write-up of the Welcome Back Reception.

Read More

The September 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• PM Hatoyama in NY
• PM Hatoyama in Pittsburgh
• Japanese Elementary Schools: More than Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
• From the Ambassador’s Desk
• Art of the Samurai at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

The August 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• Farewell Reception for 2009 JET Participants
• House of Representatives Dissolved: General Election to Be Held on August 30
• First Japanese to Complete Extended Stay on the International Space Station
• Bon Appétit with Self-Made Japanese Dishes!
• World Heritage Sites in Japan: Yakushima
• Netsuke – The Art of Utility
• From the Ambasador’s Desk
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

The July 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• Professor Setsuko M. Nishi of CUNY Honored by the Government of Japan
• The Young People’s Chorus of New York City Departs for Japan Tour
• From the Ambassador’s Desk
• Buriki: Japanese Tin-Toys July 9 to August 16, 2009 – Japan Society
• Yuto Miyazawa 9 year old Guitarist - Highline Ballroom- 8/2
  
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

The June 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• 45,000 New Yorkers Flock to JAPAN DAY @ CENTRAL PARK 2009
• Ambassador Nishimiya Visits West Virginia
• It’s Easy to Visit Japan : Visa and Quarantine Checks
• Going Global? JETRO Can Help
• The World Heritage Sites in Japan:  Spiritual Heart of Kumano and Ancient Pilgrimage Routes
• From the Ambasador’s Desk
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

The April 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• Ambassador Nishimiya Takes Office
• Ambassador Nishimiya Visits Philadelphia
• Ms. Toshiko Calder of the Princeton Community Japanese Language School is Honored
• JETAANY Hosts First Author Showcase
• The World Heritage Sites in Japan: Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
• Manga as a Tool for Learning Japanese
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

The below info came via an e-mail about an event organized by CareerCross, an online job-search site for people trying to find bilingual work in Japan or with Japan-affiliated companies.  Seems like something that might be of interest to JET alums.

CareerCross is holding a special seminar designed to give job seekers an added advantage when interviewing at a foreign company in Japan.

As Japan and the world sinks deeper into recession and corporations aggressively cut jobs, one cannot afford to be less than 100% prepared for the opportunity to interview for a job. Competition for jobs is difficult and will only get more difficult as companies can choose from a larger pool of qualified candidates.

CareerCross has brought in Japan’s leading interview skills trainer to teach you how to “Get Your Job Now!” From your cover letter and resume to the interview, learn exactly what works and doesn’t when interviewing at a foreign company in Japan. You will be able to answer the difficult questions with confidence, as you will be prepared and coached by the very best.

Join us for one afternoon designed to prepare you for success.

– Get Your Job Now! Space is limited, and the registration deadline is April 8th, 2009, so sign up now!

The March 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• U.S.-Japan Summit Meeting
• 13th Annual Japanese Speech Contest in Pittsburgh
• Second Annual September 11th Teacher Award Goes to a Japanese Teacher in Long Island
• The World of J-Cinema : Lights, Cameras, and Reality
• From the Ambassador’s Desk
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.

The February 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online.  JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.

Highlights include:

• Japan: A Cornerstone of U.S. Foreign Policy – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
• Meeting of Japanese Ambassador and Consul Generals in the U.S.
• The 2009 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia is Just around the Corner
• Life Lessons from a Samurai
• From The Ambassador’s Desk
• And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.