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.

Shannan, Stacy, Liz & Steven at the Welcome Back Reception

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.

On October 17, a welcome back reception hosted by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) and the Consulate General of Japan was held for Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) participants at the Nippon Club. The JET participants recently returned from Japan after completing their stints as Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) or Coordinators for International Relations (CIR) in various locations throughout Japan.

Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya expressed his sincere appreciation to the former JETs, thanking them for their accomplishments in the program and wishing them all best of luck and much success in their new lives back in New York. He told them, “I hope each and every one of you will cherish the memories of your days on JET. But Japan needn’t become just a memory. My hope is that no matter where life takes you, you will remain an ambassador for the program and an ambassador for the Japan-U.S. relationship. It is, after all, our strong tradition of people-to-people diplomacy that has allowed our friendship to thrive on both sides of the Pacific.” Ms. Megan Miller, President of the JET Alumni Association (JETAA) of New York, introduced the 20 recently returned JETs and encouraged them to actively join JETAA. Finally, Mr. Hiroshi Sasaki, executive director of CLAIR New York, provided warm remarks as well.

Launched in 1987, the JET program is aimed at building international understanding at the grassroots level, fostering cross-cultural awareness and developing Japanese students’ practical language skills. The JET program has grown significantly; starting with only 848 participants in 1987, today approximately 50,000 young people from around the globe have worked in Japan as part of the program — more than half Americans. In 2009, nationwide, over 850 people were selected to take part.

Even after returning home, JET participants continue to play a significant role building bridges between the U.S. and Japan in their own communities. JETAA of New York is actively fostering a vibrant community of former JETs and helping them remain close to their local Japanese communities. Before the reception, JETAA also organized a career forum for former participants that provided guidance for their post-JET careers through workshops on resume writing, networking and interviewing.
(For more information on JETAANY, please visit: http://jetaany.org/)

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.

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.

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.

The January 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available.  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:

Statistical Overview on Americans and Foreigners Living In Japan
According to recent statistics from the Ministry of Justice, there are over two million foreigners living in Japan, or 1.69% of the total population (approximately 130 million). Compared to ten years ago, the number of foreign residents increased 45.2%, while the total population of Japan (including foreign residents) showed only a 1.3% increase. Read more…

Happy New Year! I hope that 2009 will be a good one for us all.
The start of the New Year is the perfect time to take stock of the past and reassess the future. Since I took office, I have put my energy into changing the mindset of our staff, and providing better service,… With an ear for our visitors’ suggestions, all of us at the Consulate are determined to continue our efforts, so that the Consulate is even more accessible to everyone.

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching the news in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

The above title Kawanai Seikatsu, or purchase-free lifestyle, describes a money-saving phenomenon taking over Japan. In the midst of the economic doldrums, people are looking for creative solutions to maintain the lifestyles they are used to without spending as much money. What they have found to be indispensible in this pursuit are a variety of websites accessible by keitai (cell phone) and computer that allow them to access goods and services through a system of sharing.                                                       

One such site is ShareMo (shmo.jp) whose catchphrase is “With just one keitai, you can share anything.” This site has a variety of offerings, from frying pans to Halloween decorations to video games, which are lent out among members. No money exchange takes place, but members receive points for carrying out transactions and can then use this currency to borrow items listed on the site. A Tokyo customer profiled showed the items throughout her house that she had rented from ShareMo. They ranged from a tea whisk to a New Year’s tablecloth, and she explained that especially in terms of seasonal items it made more sense to rent them then to buy them and use them only once a year.

Another site is Cariru (cariru.jp), the Japanese word for borrow romanized with a “c” as opposed to the usual “k”. This is a sister site to Bag Borrow and Steal, the source for expensive handbags that was featured in the Sex and the City movie. In fact, SATC costume designer Patricia Field has been promoting Cariru in Japan! A young female site user said that with a monthly income of 200,000 yen and her 1K apartment’s 70,000 yen rent, in order to satisfy her craving for designer goods it made more sense for her to rent than to buy them. For example, the Chanel bag she showed the reporter would retail for more than 100,000 yen, but that she was able to rent it for only 20,000 yen per month.

It is not only goods that are being exchanged but services as well, as is the case with ride sharing site のってこ (notteco.jp)．The customers featured were two men who were traveling together by car from Nagano to Tokyo. The one who owned the car advertised on the site with an ad called “Return from Ski Weekend,” and the two met for the first time in the parking lot of the ski resort. They shared the costs for all gas and tolls, and it was a beneficial arrangement for them both despite the fact that the passenger had to take his smoking breaks in the cold as he didn’t want to offend the driver by smoking in the car. For those uncomfortable with entrusting their lives to a stranger, the site provides a way to confirm safety by accessing the driver’s history via a license confirmation system.

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In other news, 500 schools in Yokohama will be incorporating toilets into students’ cleaning routines for the first time in 30 years. Across the country this currently takes place in over 90% of schools, but the students at a school where it is being introduced on a test basis struggled to find the correct cleaning methods. When their mothers were asked how they felt about this new addition, they unanimously expressed their approval.

The December 2008 edition of JapanInfo is now available.  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.

This edition includes items on:

• Donald Keene
• 4 Japanese scientists who won the Nobel Prize
• Hiroshima Tourism Fair held at the Abmassador’s residence
• And a full event calendar for the New York area!