Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: JET Program Interview Assistant
Posted by: Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Magda Fuller (Kanazawa, Ishikawa (2015-2022), 2015-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

The Japan Information Center is hiring a part-time, in-person JET Program Interview Assistant for the
upcoming 2025 JET Program interview season.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click the link below.

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Japanese-English Bilingual Sales Representative
Posted by: Quick USA
Location: Gardena, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Carlos Medina (Hiji-Machi, Oita, 2019-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

A Japanese Manufacturing and Wholesale Company focusing on supplying a variety of different kitchen equipment to grocery stores as well as Japanese restaurants is looking for a full time, fully onsite Japanese-English Bilingual Sales Representative who can maintain their existing accounts and appliance maintenance.

Previous Sales experience in sales although preferred, candidates with no experience, but interested and willing to learn will be provided training!! So, if you’re up for the challenge why not try applying?

The salary range for this position BOE and skills would be between the 50k-55k. This position also includes benefits such as health, vision and dental insurance, PTO and sick leave.

Your essential duties would be as follows:

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: JET Program Processing Staff
Posted by: Embassy of Japan in the U.S.
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to The Embassy of Japan in the U.S. for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
The JET Program Office at the Embassy of Japan is seeking Processing Staff for the 2025 JET Application processing season. Processing staff will have the opportunity to learn more about the JET Program from an administrative perspective. This is a temporary position from November 1 to December 23, 2024 (start and end dates are flexible). This is an in-person position based out of our office at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. The end date is subject to change. Application deadline is October 24th, 2024.

Responsibilities:
Checking online application materials for completeness
Working with other processors to confirm completeness of application materials
Preparation of application materials for review
Organizing, scanning and data entry of documents

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Local Staff, Finance Division
Posted by: Consulate General of Japan in New York
Location: New York, NY, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Joseph Meringolo (Fukushima-ken, 2014-2017) for passing along the following job opening.

The Consulate General of Japan in New York is currently seeking to hire a local employee in the Finance Division. To apply, please submit the required documents (see 6. below) to the e-mail address below by November 7, 2024. For more details, please see the recruitment guide below.

1. Work hours:
a. Monday through Friday (except holidays), 9:15 am to 6:00 pm (1 hour lunch break)
b. Leave system: Weekends off (Sat. and Sun.), days the consulate is closed, and annual paid vacations.
c. Benefits and compensation: Approximately $50,000 per year, determined based on education, work experience and other qualifications. Medical and dental insurance coverage available (with some self-payment)
d. Place of work: Consulate-General of Japan in New York

2. Date of adoption: December 2024 (tentative schedule)

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Last week was the first in office for Japan’s new Prime Minister, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. He’s a member of the Liberal Democratic Party but not part of former PM Shinzo Abe’s faction, and his anti-Abenomics proposals like raising taxes and curtailing spending have ruffled some feathers in the party. Ishiba is looking to dissolve Parliament’s lower (but more powerful) house Wednesday ahead of the general election on October 27. In this election the LDP is expected to retain its majority allowing Ishiba to stay on as PM, though opposition parties are expected to pick up seats due to recent LDP political funding scandals.

In cultural news, last month’s Emmy’s gave the Japanese show Shogun a record-breaking 18 wins for its first season. In addition to outstanding drama and directing awards, Anna Sawai became the first Asian actor to win Lead Actress in a Drama Series and her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada took Lead Actor (I personally believe Tadanobu Asano, who was nominated in the supporting actor category for his role as the deliciously demented Yabushige, was robbed). Sawai was also selected for TIME100 NEXT 2024, and Sanada wrote her a lovely tribute in the magazine.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Executive Assistant, Japanese Translation
Posted by: Quick USA
Location: Columbus, IN, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Carlos Medina (Oita, 2019-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

A Japanese Manufacturing Company is looking for a Contract to Permanent, fully onsite Japanese-English Bilingual Executive Assistant/Translator to join their Columbus, IN location and help Interpret for the President, translate documents between English and Japanese, and respond to emails.

The pay range for this position DEO and skills would be between the 50k-70k mark. This position also includes Medical, dental and vision care as well as 401k

Your essential duties would include the following:
– Interpreting for the President during meetings with clients and within the company when needed
– Accurately translate document from form both English to Japanese as vice versa for both internal & external use.
– Answering incoming email in both English and Japanese.

Please consider the following qualification when applying:
– Proficient in both Japanese & English
– Operate Office Equipment.
– Intermediate level use of Microsoft Office.
– The ability to sit, stand, squat, bend, twist, and use stairs throughout the course of the shift.
– Maintain Confidentiality at all times.
– Other Duties As assigned.
– Ability to Lift Up To 25 lbs.

Application Process: Please send your resume to carlos@919usa.com

Ashley Davis is a former CIR for Matsushima and Otsu (2019-2022). She is currently living in Chiba Prefecture after working post-JET in the tourism sector in Japan.

It’s funny how much little moments can matter and butterfly out to unexpected connections. As I face an unexpected difficulty with my employment situation, I find myself looking back on the positive moments of my life including how important one’s community is.

One of my tasks as the CIR for Otsu City would be to assist foreigners coming in for municipal paperwork.

There was a Venezuelan couple who would often come into city hall and ask for me as they were having a child throughout my tenure. One day, I was conversing with one of them to pass the time while we waited to be called for paperwork. It might not seem like much, but we got on the topic of naming conventions. As an American, is Andrea a more masculine or feminine name? Growing up in the USA during the 90s, I would say feminine. Conversely, I was informed this can be a masculine name in Spanish speaking countries.

Later, I was looking into my family tree for one reason or another. I know that Americans are said to have a unique relationship with our familial roots, but we all came from somewhere, and my family never really documented stuff on one side. I never saw a picture or knew anything about my paternal great grandfather. I knew my father did not really have any records or details either. However, I realized that sometime after immigrating from Sicily around the Great Depression that my great grandfather had angelized his name – it was originally Andrea.

Thanks to this couple leading to this realization, I was able to find documentation showing my great grandfather moving to Michigan to work in engineering. Not only did this governmental paperwork include his name and occupation, it also included an old photo of him. I passed this onto my father, and I like to think it helped him get some closure.

So, my advice to all JETs is to continue to listen to people even if what they are saying might not always seem important to you at the time. You never know what might happen.

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

As the summer days fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed all through Halloween.

This month’s highlights include:

Oct. 2 & 6

Mobile Suit Gundam

Various theaters

Various prices

Iconic Events Releasing and Bandai/Namco this month bring the original trilogy of Gundam movies to the big screen! In Universal Century year 0078, the space colony Side 3 declares itself the Principality of Zeon and launches a war of independence against the Earth Federation. Eight months have passed since the war entered a deadlock. Learning of a secret plot by the Federation Forces, the Zeon Forces launch reconnaissance followed by an attack against Side 7. A young boy by the name of Amuro gets wrapped up in the war, and by coincidence ends up piloting the mobile suit Gundam and defeating the enemy. The Federation’s White Base, having lost its proper crew in the battle, escapes from Side 7 with forces still in training and civilians both. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Oct. 3-5

National Bunraku Theater

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$55-$72 (waitlist for Oct. 4-5 only, click here for details)

The National Theatre makes its triumphant arrival with bunraku theater in New York City for the first time in 32 years! Witness a stunning production of traditional Japanese puppet theater, with two quintessential climaxes from bunraku repertoire: Date Musume Koi no Higanoko (Oshichi, the Greengrocer’s Daughter) and Sonezaki Shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki). Known for its globally influential three-person puppet manipulation technique invented in the mid-18th century, bunraku has been designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Featuring scenography by Kazuo Oga, art director for many classic Studio Ghibli anime such as My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke, this performance offers Americans a rare opportunity to glimpse the rich culture not only of bunraku, but of Japan’s second-largest city ahead of Expo 2025, held in Osaka. A pre-performance lecture on bunraku led by Hunter College Professor Claudia Orenstein begins one hour before each evening performance. Performed in Japanese with English supertitles.

Opens Oct. 4

Look Back

Various theaters

Various prices

This heart-wrenching story is the stunning feature-length directorial debut from Kiyotaka Oshiyama that will leave you in tears and inspire you to chase your own artistic dreams. Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing. Based on the acclaimed manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man), Look Back captures the highs and lows of pursuing artistic excellence and the special bonds formed through creative collaboration.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Adjunct Lecturer for “Culture and Cuisine in Japan”
Posted by: CIEE Kyoto
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Michele Fujii (Shiga 2010-2013, 2010-2013) for passing along the following job opening.

CIEE Kyoto is seeking faculty to teach a course on Culture and Cuisine in Spring 2025. Students will be university undergraduate students from the United States. Courses will be taught in English on site in downtown Kyoto.

Contact Hours: 45

Remuneration: 400,000 JPY

Transportation Stipend: 15,000 JPY

Teaching location: Shijo Karasuma (3-minutes from station)

Class Size: 5 – 15 students

Class Dates: Mondays/Wednesdays OR Tuesdays/Thursdays

Program Dates: January 23 – May 9, 2025

Read More

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position:  Associate Program Officer (Japanese Language Education Program Coordinator)
Posted by: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
Location: Hybrid/Los Angeles, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Megan Murata (Yamaguchi, Hofu, 2019 – 2022) for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
1. Coordinate grant programs related to the Japanese language education in the U.S.
2. Networking/collaborating in both Japanese and English with foreign language educators, teachers’ associations, and school
administrators (K‐16 institutions and heritage language schools, etc.), mainly with the Japanese language education field.
3. Plan and coordinate Japanese language related events and projects.
4. Research and collect information related to the field of Japanese language education.
5. Promote and enhance awareness of JFLA grants and projects. Create program materials and publications.
(e.g. newsletters, fliers, SNS posts, and webpages, etc.)
6. English‐Japanese/Japanese‐English translation and proofreading
7. Perform other related duties/responsibilities assigned by Director or Deputy Director

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Happy early fall everyone! I can’t believe that six months have passed since my latest entry, but time seems to have a way of doing that. Last night I had the chance to check out the film Tokyo Cowboy starring actor Arata Iura. I was struck by Iura when I saw him in his first leading role in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 1998 film After Life, (Japanese title: ワンダフルライフ or wandafuru raifu) which is second only to Defending Your Life as my favorite movie about what happens when we die.

Tokyo Cowboy is directed by Marc Marriott and written by Dave Boyle and Ayako Fujitani, who also produced and stars in the film as Iura’s boss and love interest. The fish out of water story is reminiscent of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest Evil Does Not Exist, with a city slicker trying to change the ways of rural folk. Iura’s character businessman Hideki goes to visit the Montana cattle ranch his Japanese company owns. Developers plan to buy out this underperforming ranch, but Hideki has an idea to save it by raising wagyu. However, upon arrival he realizes this will be much more difficult to achieve than he initially thought.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: English Japanese bilingual Interpreter/Assistant
Posted by: Japanese Construction Company
Location: Manhattan Beach, CA, USA
Contract: Full Time

Thanks to A Japanese Construction Company in Manhattan Beach, CA for passing along the following job opening.

The right candidate will help various departments smoothen communications between English & Japanese staff.

Proficient Japanese & English skills are required and prior experience as an interpreter or assistant is desirable, but not necessarily required, so JET’s with N2 level of Japanese or higher and willing to learn about real estate are encouraged to apply.

Other duties for this position include the following:

• Assist in translation of a variety of documents, emails, etc.
• Provide Administrative support to the team such as scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements and organizing files.
• Handling incoming calls from customers both in English & Japanese
• Other tasks as needed.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Outside Sales Representative
Posted by: Pasona North America
Location: Irvine, CA, USA
Contract: Full Time

Thanks to Lauren Tanaka (Osaka, 2017-2020) for passing along the following job opening.

This position of Outside Sales representative is responsible for developing relationships with customers and growing accounts in their assigned territory through the promotion and selling of the company’s products to commercial.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Coordinates and determine sales distribution by establishing sales market, quotas, and goals.
• Reviews production schedules and determine sales potential and inventory requirements to manage current and new customers.
• Develops marketing strategy aligned with established objectives, market characteristics and cost factors.
• Develops and direct marketing activities to promote products in coordination.
• Attends food shows to generate new sales leads.
• Customer service – handles customer inquiries by phone or email. Resolves customers complaints by investigating problems; developing solutions; preparing reports; making recommendations to management.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Boarding Assistant in Boy’s Residence Hall
Posted by: Keio Academy of New York
Location: Purchase, NY, USA
Contract: Full Time

Thanks to Keio Academy of New York for passing along the following job opening.

Description:

• Ensure to provide the save environment for the Residence Hall.
• Ensure that students follow daily schedule and the Residence Hall policies set by the school.
• Provide support and supervision for students during non-academic hours. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, manning the dormitory offices to handle requests and questions from students, supervising house sports practice/club activities/library hours/evening study hours/dining hall, and coordinating with nurse to care for sick students.
• Be available to students, as necessary, to support their personal, educational and academic needs.
• Review and confirm multiple forms submitted by parents and students.
• Answer questions and concerns from parents. Back-up Head of House when they are off-duty.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Travel Consultant (Japan Specialist)
Posted by: Inside Travel Group
Location: Remote/Hybrid, Broomfield, CO, USA
Contract: Full Time

Thanks to Inside Travel Group for passing along the following job opening.

As a Travel Consultant, you will use your extensive understanding of Japan to create unforgettable cultural adventures for our clients. Exceptional time management, confidence, communication, and organisation are a must for efficiently prioritizing tasks and providing top-notch service for both new clients and ongoing bookings. High performance will be rewarded with sales and customer service-based commission, along with regular familiarisation trips to our destination countries to enhance your knowledge.

What You Will be Doing:

• Consult with customers to identify their individual holiday requirements.
• Create high-quality tailor-made itineraries based on customer requirements.
• Work to achieve individual and team sales targets.
• Co-ordinate all aspects of the customer booking to ensure successful delivery of trip.

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