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Post by Bridget Ryan (ALT Shimane-ken, 2021-23)

Up until now, have never had any experience with cosplay or dressing up, but now twice a week I undergo a type of transformation. Since coming to Japan, I’ve thought how nice it would be to work at a convenience store. The employees always treat you so politely and with a smile, so I’ve come to love convenience stores. Last November, this dream became a reality. Twice a week I put on a uniform and work part-time at a convenience store called Lawson. Putting on my uniform, I transition from being a regular international student to a member of Japanese society.

Although I’ve done various part-time jobs and work since middle school, but I’ve never worn a uniform before. When I first put on the Lawson uniform, I understood why uniforms are necessary. Even though I’ve been in Japan for over two years, I still lack confidence speaking Japanese. However, when I wear the uniform, I feel more confident, like I’m part of the team, not just an individual. I confidently operate the cash register and assist customers in Japanese without worry. Additionally, I work with my colleagues to solve problems and keep the store clean and running smoothly.

As a result, whether I’m working or not, I feel like I’m participating in Tokyo’s society. Japanese society can be quite uniform, so sometimes, outside of school life, I feel distant from the people in Tokyo. However, thanks to my transformation at the convenience store twice a week, I feel like I’m gradually becoming a part of Tokyo’s society. As long as I continue to live here as a student, I want to continue working part-time.

今までで、コスプレなどの経験がなかったが、週2回、私は変身にしている。日本に来てから、コンビニで働きたいないなと思っていた。いつも笑顔で丁寧に接するので、コンビニのことが大 好きになった。去年11月にこの夢が現実になった。1週間に2回制服を着て、ローソンというコン ビニでアルバイトをやっている。制服を着て、普通の留学生から日本の社会人になる。

中学生の時から色々なアルバイトや仕事をしてきたが、今まで制服を着たことがなかった。初め てローソンの制服を着たところ、ユニフォームを着なければならない理由が分かった。2年間以上 日本にいるのに、まだ日本語で話すことにまだ自信がなかなか持てない。しかし、制服を着ると 自信が出る。個人から、お店のチームに入っていると感じる。気にせずに日本語でレジをした り、お客さんをに手伝ったりする。そして、同僚と問題を解決したり、お店をきれいにしたりす
ることもする。

その結果、アルバイトをする時もしない時も、東京の社会に参加しているという感じを持って る。日本の社会はとても画一的なので、留学生にとって学校以外で東京の人々と距離を感じる時 もある。だが、週2回コンビニでの変身のおかげで、少しずつ東京の社会と距離が縮まるように なった。ここに住み続ける限り、アルバイトを続けたいと思う。

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From JETwit Media, it’s the 6th episode of the JETAA-sphere Podcast!

Three members of the JETAA USA Board of Advisors—Monica Yuki (Saitama-ken, 2002-04), Jessyca Livingston, formerly Wilcox (Hokkaido, 2003-06) and James Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) join Steven Horowitz(Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and special co-host Matt Gillamof CLAIR NY (aka the Japan Local Government Center) to talk about the JETAA USA Board of Advisors–what it is, who’s on it, and how the tragedy of 3/11 became the catalyst for the creation of a Board of Advisors for JETAA USA.

Show Links:

• JETAA USA Board of Advisors
• JETAA USA
  • JETAA USA Tohoku Recovery Info
• Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE)
• Toru Kikiwada, Diet Member from Rikuzentakata – “Japanese Politician Recounts Losing Family to Tsunami“
•  & fundraising links
• Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund
• Monty Dickson Center, University of Alaska Anchorage
• “JET Program on Chopping Block” by James Gannon via JETwit.com
• JETwit 
• JETAA New York 
• Monica Yuki’s JET Alum Zoom Rajio Taisou every Friday, 11:30am (EST) 

Other JETs/JET alumni mentioned in this episode:

• Paul Yoo (Akita-ken, 2009-2012), Founder of Volunteer Akita and currently living in Ventura, California (working at Patagonia HQ)
• Ryan Hart (Chiba-ken, 1998-99), former JETAA USA Country Rep, former PNW JETAA President
• Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06), former JETAA USA Country Rep, former JETAA Northern California President & Newsletter Editor
• Cheryl Hou (Toyama-ken, 2005-08), former JETAA USA Country Rep, former PNW JETAA President
• Shree Junk (Shiga-ken, 2005-07), former JETAA USA Country Rep, former JETAA NY Vice-President
• Kelly Nixon, former JETAA NY Treasurer
• Shannan Spisak, former JETAA USA Country Rep, former JETAANY President
• Shannon Quinn, former JETAA USA Country Rep, former PNW JETAA President
• Grant Minagawa, JETAA Southern California Social Chair
• Lisa Gappa-Norris (MEF Gunma-ken, 1982-83)

Credits

• Intro/Ending narration by Rose Horowitz (COJ)*
• Art/Design by Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
• Podcast hosting on Transistor courtesy of Percival Constantine (Kagoshima-ken, 2008-13)

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

• Email Steven Horowitz at jetwit@jetwit.com

*********

• The JETAA-sphere Podcast is a production of JETwit.com, with special thanks to USJETAA and CLAIR for their support.
• *COJ = Child of JET

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From JETwit Media, it’s the 6th episode of the JETAA-sphere Podcast!

Ryan Hata (Tottori-ken, 2014-17) joins Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) to talk about the many hats he wears in the JETAA-sphere–from AJET to JETwit to JETAANY to JETAA International–and his passion for helping JETs find work opportunities and connect with each other and helping the JET alum community continue to grow stronger.

• 

• 

Show Links:

• Ryan Hata on LinkedIn
• AJET & JETAA-I Job Listings Facebook Group
• AJET website
• JETAA Hawaii
• JETAA British Columbia
• JETwit 
• JETAA New York 
• Monica Yuki’s JET Alum Zoom Rajio Taisou every Friday, 11:30am (EST) 

Other JETs/JET alumni mentioned in this episode:

• Bruce Feiler, author of Learning to Bowand many other best-selling books
• Anna Ayvazyan, current AJET Director of Alumni Relations
• Monica Yuki
• Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
• Teri Galvez, JETAA Rocky Mountain President and creator of many JETAA chapter logos/mascots
• Richard Kei, JETAA Hawaii and former Monbusho English Fellow (MEF)
• Nathalie Ng, JETAA Singapore and also JETAA International Board of Advisors
• Joe Moore, JETAANY and JETAA Southern California Board of Directors
• JET alumni who have worked at Columbia Business School, Jerome A. Chazen Institute for Global Business:
  • Amber Liang
  • Katrina Barnas
  • Jennifer Olayon
  • Yvonne Thurman
  • Joshua Safier

About the JETAA-sphere Co-Hosts:

• Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) is the founder of JETwit.com, a member of the JETAA USA Board of Advisors, and a long-time active member of JETAA New York and now JETAA DC.
• Joe Moore (Saga-ken, 2010-13) is a member of the Board of Directors for both JETAA Southern California and JETAA New York and a former Co-President of JETAA Southern California. 
• Zach Piper (Kochi-ken, 2001-04) is a member of the Board of Directors for JETAA New York and a long-time active member of JETAA New York.
• Note: All three of them have full-time jobs outside of this. This isn’t how they make a living or put food on the table.

Credits

• Intro/Ending narration by Rose Horowitz (COJ)*
• Art/Design by Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
• Podcast hosting on Transistor courtesy of Percival Constantine (Kagoshima-ken, 2008-13)

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

• Email Steven Horowitz at stevenwaseda@gmail.com

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• The JETAA-sphere Podcast is a production of JETwit.com, with special thanks to USJETAA and CLAIR for their support.
• *COJ = Child of JET

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From JETwit Media, it’s the 5th episode of the JETAA-sphere Podcast!

Former JETAA Rocky Mountain chapter president Adam Lisbon (Kobe-shi, 2004-07) joins Zach Piper (Kochi-ken, 2001-04) and Steven Horowitz(Aichi-ken, 1992-94) to talk about JETAA Rocky Mountain, his work as Japanese & Korean Studies Librarian at the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado’s Japanese-American history, and JET days of yore.

Show Links:

• JETAA Rocky Mountain
• Japanese and Japanese-American Community History Project
• Video about the Project
• Digital Archive of the CU Japanese and Japanese American Community History Project
• Paige Cottingham-Streater, Executive Director, Japan-US Friendship Commission
• JETwit 
• JETAA New York 
• Monica Yuki’s JET Alum Zoom Rajio Taisou every Friday, 11:30am (EST) 

About the JETAA-sphere Co-Hosts:

• Steven Horowitz is the founder of JETwit.com, a member of the JETAA USA Board of Advisors, and a long-time active member of JETAA New York and now JETAA DC.
• Joe Moore is a member of the Board of Directors for both JETAA Southern California and JETAA New York and a former Co-President of JETAA Southern California. 
• Zach Piper is a member of the Board of Directors for JETAA New York and a long-time active member of JETAA New York.
• Note: All three of them have full-time jobs outside of this. This isn’t how they make a living or put food on the table.

Credits

• Intro/Ending narration by Rose Horowitz (COJ)*
• Art/Design by Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
• Podcast hosting on Transistor courtesy of Percival Constantine (Kagoshima-ken, 2008-13)

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

• Email Steven Horowitz at jetwit@jetwit.com

*********

• The JETAA-sphere Podcast is a production of JETwit.com, with special thanks to USJETAA and CLAIR for their support.
• *COJ = Child of JET

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From JETwit Media, it’s the 3rd episode of the JETAA-sphere Podcast!

Matthew Gillam of CLAIR NY (aka the Japan Local Government Center) and Bahia Simons-Lane (Gunma-ken, 2005-07), Director of USJETAA join Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Joe Moore (Saga-ken, 2010-13) about what CLAIR and USJETAA are, what they do, how they support JETAA USA, and how they each ended up in their current roles. (Don’t worry. It’s more fun than it sounds.)

The JETAA-sphere Podcast is (finally) available on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, and anywhere else you might download podcasts from.

To listen to other podcasts by JETs and JET alumni, check out the JETAA Podcast Roundup by  Scot Maupin (Hokkaido, 2005-09).

Show Links:

• Japan Local Government Center (aka CLAIR NY)
• CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations)
• USJETAA
• JET30 Reunion
• JETAA Florida
• Paige Cottingham-Streater, Executive Director, Japan-US Friendship Commission
• JETwit 
• JETAA New York 
• JETAA Southern California 
• Monica Yuki’s JET Alum Zoom Rajio Taisou every Friday, 11:30am (EST) 

Credits

• Intro/Ending narration by Rose Horowitz (COJ)*
• Art/Design by Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
• Podcast hosting on Transistor courtesy of Percival Constantine (Kagoshima-ken, 2008-13)

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

• Email Steven Horowitz at jetwit@jetwit.com

*********

• The JETAA-sphere Podcast is a production of JETwit.com, with special thanks to USJETAA and CLAIR for their support.
• *COJ = Child of JET

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From JETwit Media, it’s the second episode of the JETAA-sphere Podcast!

In Episode 002 of the JETAA-sphere, JETAA Alaska President Mari Rueter (Tokushima-ken, 2009-14) visits the Lower 48 to educate co-hosts Zachary Piper (Kochi-ken, 2001-04), Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94), and Joe Moore III (Saga-ken, 2010-13) about the JET alum community and how they survive and thrive in the wilds of Alaska.

The JETAA-sphere Podcast is (or soon should be) availabe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, and anywhere else you might download podcasts from.

To listen to other podcasts by JETs and JET alumni, check out the JETAA Podcast Roundup by  Scot Maupin (Hokkaido, 2005-09).

Relevant Links from Episode 2:

• JETAA Alaska / Facebook Group for JETAA Alaska 
• JETAA New York 
• JETAA Southern California 
• Monica Yuki’s Zoom Rajio Taisou every Friday, 11:30am (EST) 

About the Co-Hosts:

• Steven Horowitz is the founder of JETwit.com, a member of the JETAA USA Board of Advisors, and a long-time active member of JETAA New York and now JETAA DC.
• Joe Moore is a member of the Board of Directors for both JETAA Southern California and JETAA New York and a former Co-President of JETAA Southern California. 
• Zach Piper is a member of the Board of Directors for JETAA New York and a long-time active member of JETAA New York.
• Note: All three of them have full-time jobs outside of this. This isn’t how they make a living or put food on the table.

Credits

• Intro/Ending narration by Rose Horowitz (COJ)*
• Art/Design by Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
• Podcast hosting on Transistor courtesy of Percival Constantine (Kagoshima-ken, 2008-13)

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

• Email Steven Horowitz at jetwit@jetwit.com

*********

• The JETAA-sphere Podcast is a production of JETwit.com, with special thanks to USJETAA and CLAIR for their support.
• *COJ = Child of JET

From JETwit Media Productions, it’s the first ever episode of the JETAA-sphere Podcast! In Ep01, Zachary Piper (Kochi-ken, 2001-04), Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94), and Joe Moore III (Saga-ken, 2010-13) have a frank (and not always entirely accurate) conversation about what the heck JETAA is, why it exists, what its components are, and how they work.

The JETAA-sphere Podcast is availabe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, and anywhere else you might download podcasts from.

To listen to other podcasts by JETs and JET alumni, check out the JETAA Podcast Roundup by  Scot Maupin (Hokkaido, 2005-09).

In advance of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Friday virtual meeting with President Joe Biden, the US-Japan community has issued a letter to the government of Japan urging it to relax its border restrictions in order to allow foreign students and scholars as well as family members abroad to enter Japan.

• Link to just the letter on Nichibeiconnect.com (“US-Japan Community Urges Government of Japan to Relax Border Closure”)
• Link to the letter and additional commentary on GoPetition.com (“Calling on Japan to open to foreign students and scholars”)

“Members of the US-Japan Network for the Future initiated this petition to call on the Japanese government to expand the range of foreign visitors allowed to enter Japan subject to vaccine, testing, and quarantine requirements. The petition will be delivered to representatives of the Japanese government in Washington, DC, and in Tokyo. We encourage Japan scholars, experts, and others involved in student exchange, regardless of nationality, to sign the petition.”

https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/calling-on-japan-to-open-to-foreign-students-and-scholars.html

Over 100 scholars, educators, policy practitioners, and bridge builders of the US-Japan community have signed the letter, a number of whom are JET alumni:

• Paige Cottingham Streater, Executive Director, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (Also co-founder and Board Chair of US JETAA, and one of the original founders of the JET Alumni Association back in 1988!)

• James Gannon, Senior Fellow, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) (Also Vice-Director of US JETAA and a member of the JETAA USA Board of Advisors)

• Michael Green, Director of Asian Studies and Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy, Georgetown University; Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Michael was a Monbusho English Fellow (MEF) which was like the beta version of the JET Program.)

• Mary M. McCarthy, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Department of Political Science, Drake University

• Anand Rao, Assistant Professor of Political Science & International Relations, State University of New York at Geneseo

• Benjamin Self, Vice President, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation
• Note: There may be other JET alumni among the signatories. If you identify one, you can email jetwit@jetwit.com.

• Leonard Schoppa, Professor, Department of Politics, University of Virginia; Senior Advisor, US-Japan Network for the Future
• Ryan Shaffer, President of Japan-America Society of Washington DC

• Gavin Whitelaw, Executive Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University

• Bahia Simons-Lane, Director, US JETAA and former President of JETAA Florida

Hi, and welcome to the new podcast space here on JETwit.com. I’m Scot Maupin (Hokkaido, 2005-09), a JET alum/podcaster, and every month I’ll serve you up a list of podcasts with new episodes by myself and other JET Alumni/podcasters. I will also be featuring some episodes from month to month with more detailed write-ups.

But for now, let me start by just introducing myself (Is your 自己紹介 still etched into your brain?) and presenting a full list of podcasts I have (so far) and a bit about them. If you’d like to be added to this list, or let me know something to change, then please still use this form to let us know about it and we’ll add you to the subscriptions we monitor.

House of Lee NYC

Lee Uehara (Chiba ’93-95)

Lee and her guests will share life’s random DIYs, hacks, tips and how-tos for resourceful living. A former teacher, Lee breaks it down and keeps it real. With New York City as home base, you’ll get Lee’s latest fun spots to explore in town

Japan On Film

Percival Constantine (Kagoshima ’08-13)

The top podcast for discussion of Japanese movies.

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Krewe of Japan

Doug Tassin (Fukushima ’07-10)

Krewe of Japan is a weekly podcast co-hosted by Doug Tassin that takes listeners on audio journeys through Japanese culture. With our hosts as your guide, and the help of guest experts, Japanese natives, and ex-pats, understanding Japan is now easier than ever before.

Now and Zen Japan

Andrew Hankinson

Insightful conversations with Japan experts focused on business and culture, with stories of success & failure and lessons learned. Entertaining and educational, discover first-hand what it’s like to live, work, and experience the most fascinating country in the world. Direct from Tokyo, this is the Now and Zen Podcast!

PractiMama Parenting

Lee Uehara (Chiba ’93-95)

The PractiMama NYC Show is where your host, Lee, keeps it real with practical tips for resourceful parenting – because honestly, who has time for anything else?!

.

Reinventing Professionals

Ari Kaplan (Hyogo ’93-94)

This podcast hosted by Ari Kaplan is designed to offer ideas, guidance, and perspectives on how to effectively navigate a perpetually shifting professional landscape, with a unique focus on the legal industry and the technology that is driving its evolution.

Season by Season

Alexis Agliano Sanborn (Shimane ’09 – 11)

Join Alexis and Kit, lifelong friends who now live on opposite coasts, as they explore poetry, music, and sound on a journey through the rhythm of nature expressed by the seasons.

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The Perfect Show

Scot Maupin (Hokkaido ’05-09)

The Perfect Show is a podcast where host Scot Maupin catalogs the perfect things in life, one by one. Each episode he examines something that he or someone else thinks is perfect.

USLawEssentials Law & Language

Stephen Horowitz (Aichi ’92-94)

The USLawEssentials Law & Language Podcast helps non-native English-speaking lawyers and law students improve their English and better understand US law and American legal culture. Many of these short episodes are tied to a legal news event or case in the United States. Others include interviews with multilingual lawyers (including a number of JET alumni.) The shows are hosted by attorneys experienced teaching US law and legal English to students and lawyers from around the world.

Upper West Side Corner Talk

Lee Uehara (Chiba ’93-95)

Welcome to the Upper West Side (UWS, NYC) Corner Talk podcast with your host, Lee Uehara. You know, it’s news that you’d get from a friend or neighbor – at the corner.

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よっぱれ英会話 English Nomikai

Emmalee Manes (Toyama ’16-19)

In this eikaiwa podcast targeted to Japanese English-learners, Emmalee Manes talks to fellow JET alumni, current JETs, and Japanese English teachers and friends about cultural differences between Japan and their home countries (all while sharing some drinks!)

October 28 at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT / 5 PM PT
Japan time: October 29 at 9 AM JT
Register free to get the access link:
https://usjetaa.wildapricot.org/event-4528144

In the lead up to next year’s 35th anniversary of the JET Program, join USJETAA for a creative program celebrating JET through the success of the alumni. Highlighting the contributions of JETs to the U.S.-Japan community, this variety show brings together the diverse community of JET alumni with snapshots into their experiences with arts, culture, research, and more!

JETAA‎‎‎‏‏‎​ Podcast Beat is a weekly round-up of current JET and JET alumni podcasts and podcast appearances compiled by Emmalee Manes (Toyama-ken, 2016-19)

Do you have a podcast or did you recently appear in a podcast? Help us share it with the community by filling out this form.

Welcome to the first-ever JETAA Podcast Beat post! I hope the beat will be a great way for everyone to stay updated on JET alumni as well as current JET involvement in podcasts. If you have the chance, please enjoy listening to one of these recent episodes this week!

BONUS: POWER HOUR II with Joe, James, and Caralynn

このエピソードでは、EmmaleeとJoeとJamesとCaralynnは、一時間で60杯のショットを飲みます。その時間で色々のトピック話して、段々酔っ払いになっています。

Instagram: @yoppareikaiwa

20. Season 1 Recap

Just like that, Season 1 comes to a close! Nigel, Jenn, & Doug peel back the curtain and reflect on all the behind-the-scenes effort & challenges that went into launching, continuing, and finishing the inaugural season of Krewe of Japan!

They discuss their favorite episodes, re-visit bloopers (#DougThings), read out some listener feedback, & tease what’s to come! Don’t miss out on this fun stroll down memory lane and help re-live the first season (of hopefully many) of the Krewe of Japan Podcast. See you in August for Season 2!

Mata kondo ne!

10. The Multilingual Professional: Rebecca Chen

This episode of the USLawEssentials Law & Language Podcast continues our series of interviews with multilingual lawyers — but this time with multilingual paralegal Rebecca Chen (Akita-ken, 2014-17). Stephen Horowitz is our interviewer and he talks to Rebecca about the important roles paralegals play in law firms. Rebecca offers a great inside perspective on her work with a prominent immigration law firm and how a team of legal professionals helps diverse clients from around the world achieve their immigration goals. And you probably have goals, too – such as learning legal English!

Episode 8 of the USLawEssentials Law & Language Podcast an interview with Scott Alprin (Aichi-ken, Kariya-shi, 1992-95) of Alprin Law Office, P.C. Scott is trademark and intellectual property attorney who speaks Japanese and works with many international clients. He discusses his career path and shares insights on law and practicing as an IP attorney.

JET alum Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, Kariya-shi, 1992-94), in collaboration with Daniel Edelson of USLawEssentials.com, recently launched “USLawEssentials: Law & Language,” a legal English podcast intended for foreign lawyers, law students, and LLM students as well as other non-native English speakers who want an enjoyable way to improve their legal English. The podcast episodes cover a variety of topics including legal news events and discussions of recent cases as well as interviews with multilingual lawyers. The discussions use accessible language with helpful explanations along the way.

This week on the Krewe of Japan Podcast…

JET Program acceptance letters have gone out & short-listers are on the edge of their seats waiting to find out their placements. Nigel, Jennifer, & Doug talk about the months-long emotional roller coaster of preparing to relocate to a new country (for JET or any program). Departing JETAA Mid-South President Megan DeVille stops by to talk about her pre-departure JET experiences, from interviews to arriving at a tiny regional airport in Aomori Prefecture. She also talks about life after JET and how to keep Japan in your life despite returning to your home country.

The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!

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We recently learned about the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia (NABEA) which seeks to connect Black Asia specialists in both the public and private sectors. They also hope to increase the representation of Black Americans engaging with Asia. Through their programming, they work towards building a mutually beneficial economic, political, social, and cultural relationship between Black America and the Indo-Pacific region.

There seems to be a natural connection between the JET alumni community and NABEA. And in fact, we’re currently aware of four JET alumni who are also members of NABEA:

• Jennifer Butler (Shizuoka-ken, 2001-2004) – Manager of Student Relations for the Ashinaga Foundation and former JETAA USA Country Representative and JETAA chapter president
• Mya Fisher (Kanagawa-ken, 2000-2002) – Founder of Global Equity Forward, a strategic consulting and advisory company for international inclusion, diversity, and racial awareness.
• Jody Dixon (Yamanashi-ken, 2009-20014) – Program Manager for the American Association of State Colleges & Universities overseeing their China-US Rising Star Study Program
• Savannah Williams (Shizuoka-ken, 2018-2020) – a Community Manager and Event Coordinator for Startup Lady Japan

According to Fisher, “NABEA is an important and growing community of Black Americans who are specialists actively engaged in Asia. Their publicly accessible and searchable database of Black, Indo-Asia experts is a great addition to the continued work of increasing representation and inclusion in the U.S.-Japan community specifically, and the Indo-Asia region more broadly.”

If you are interested in joining NABEA, go to their website for more info: http://usnabea.org/

And if you’re already a member, feel free to post in the comments section below and let everyone know!

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

Since forming in 1987, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) has become one of the world’s largest international exchange programs, with nearly 65,000 people from 65 countries selected to promote English language learning and teaching in Japan. To commemorate its first three decades, the JET Alumni Association of New York (JETAANY) is hosting an equally ambitious event.

“The main purpose of the JETAANY Gala is to celebrate 30 years of the JET Programme and all we hope it will become,” said JETAANY events chair Andy Shartzer. “JET has helped the grassroots community abroad, and our alumni chapters explore how we can continue its message. Our goal is also to establish JETAANY as a greater presence in the U.S.-Japan community.”

The sold-out gala, which will be held at Brooklyn’s Dumbo Loft on February 3rd, will feature multiple generations of JET participants and community members with ties to Japan, along with a taiko performance, an awards ceremony, and a prize drawing. Donations are from local companies and organizations including publisher Vertical, Inc., Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center, and the venerable Japan Society of New York.

“Since its inception 30 years ago, the JET Programme has been a unique and outstanding facilitator of grassroots exchange between the U.S. and Japan,” said JETAANY president Wendy Ikemoto. “As one of the largest and most active alumni chapters in the U.S., we’re honored by the overwhelming response received.”

According to Shartzer, JETAANY plans to host similar events in the future, and is delighted to form new partnerships. For sponsorship and donation proposals, email Wendy at president@jetaany.org. For more information on JETAANY, visit http://jetaany.org.