The Release of the Golf
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
All three main newspapers ran headlines this morning about the release of the new Volkswagen Golf. Each journalistic style gives the reader a different image of what kind of car is coming to the market. The newspapers, however, did all focus on the ability of the new car to have better gas mileage.
- Nikkei – (Glamorous) What’s very interesting about the Nikkei’s description is it cleverly overlooks the VW being an imported car, where as Yomiuri and Asahi focus on the fact that it’s a German car. It starts off with “Volkswagon Group Japan” has made an announcement. The Nikkei then starts into the description with phrases such as “equipped with a new form of engine”, “technology of a high quality car” and “the parts have been actively pioneered to increase a feeling of high class.” It makes you wonder who Nikkei’s sponsors are…
- Yomiuri – (Economical) Yomiuri is the only newspaper that uses the term “hatchback” to describe the golf. I’s 5 person capacity makes you think more about a family vacation than “high class”. Also when describing the gas mileage of the new model, they claim “while driving on the road the car’s gas mileage has been developed to have 16 kilometers to the liter.” Nikkei describes gas mileage development as “gas consumption performance.”
- Asahi – (Safe) Asahi was the only newspaper to mention that the VW has airbags, and in fact mentions it in the title right along with “gas mileage”. It also gives an estimate for gas mileage (in kilometers) per liter of 16.2 to 16.8, which was higher than both what the Yomiuri and Nikkei predicted of a flat 16. Still not convinced it’s the safest car? They then go onto describe Volkswagon has sold 26 million cars worldwide since 1974, and particularly in Japan they’ve sold 510,000.
Unemployment Craze Reshapes Economy in Japan
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
The news stories this morning told of a drastic restructuring of the Japanese economy. All eyes are on the electronics and auto industries, and the effects they have on the job market.
- NHK (Frustrated Voices of the Unemployed) NHK News stated that because of the massive layoffs in the auto and electronics industries, recruitment agencies are getting too many applicants to handle. Hello Work, the recruitment agency created by the Federal Government, had about 20,000 applicants in one day in Fukushima. “I waited 3-4 hours in line to see someone” stated a job-seeker. NHK asked “Did you find any jobs?” “There are no jobs anywhere.”
- Asahi (Companies Lose Applicants, Move to Safer Jobs) One of the most shocking headlines of the day ran by the Asahi was the details of how many auto and electronics industries were losing job applicants. The paradigm was Toyota, which last year was 6th amongst job applicants, and this year dropped to 96th The Asahi claimed the main reason for the switch was applicants wanted to work for industries that had more secure jobs. Guess which industry job applicants preferred? Financial
- NHK (Political Stimulus to Help the Industry) Politicians responded to the turmoil the auto and electronics industries are having with jobs by adding a part in the stimulus package for them. So is the government’s solution to buy up bad debt or mortgage securities? Nope, instead they’ve agreed to give tax incentives for consumers to buy…TV’s. All schools who do not have T.V.’s will get a special tax provision to encourage consumer electronics spending. Regular consumers get a “green credit” for buying flat screen televisions that are “eco friendly”.
Rare Japanese Film Masterpiece “The Human Condition” at Film Forum in NYC
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By translator and writer Jamie Graves (Saitama-Ken 2002-2003)
Periods of great filmmaking seem to flower only under certain conditions, none of which seem to last very long. A relatively stable and industrialized society is needed just to provide the materials and conditions to shoot films, but truly great filmmaking only seems to spring up in the aftermath of huge social upheavals. The images of poverty and brutality in Italian Neo-Realist masterpieces like “The Bicycle Thief” and “Open City” had a jarring immediacy springing out of a society that had been rocked by poverty, a bloody invasion, and an increasingly oppressive regime. America cinema of the 1970s wrestled an increasingly fragmented society of alienated individuals in masterpieces like “Godfather Part II”, “Dog Day Afternoon”, and “Taxi Driver”. Recently places as disparate as Korea and Iran have begun to produce filmmakers whose works crackle and pulse with an immediacy missing from most American filmmaking. Something has been propelling them not just to make movies that can get made, but that they feel must get made.
It is widely acknowledged that Japanese cinema of the 1950s and 1960s popped with this sort of immediacy. Some mysterious confluence of a permissive studio system open to experimentation, a public hungry for rich, complex films and a generation of filmmakers with ambitious visions for cinema Read More
North Korea Missile Launching: Different Reactions from Different Perspectives
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
Nikkei (Business Perspective) – The Ministry of Finance is discussing decreasing the maximum value of money allowed to be sent into North Korea. Currently transactions totaling over 1 million yen are prohibited. Businesses take note: if any transactions are not reported fully, financial penalties will incur.
NHK (Scientific Perspective) – NHK this morning interviewed experts on missile behavior to analyze exactly what type of missile was launched by North Korea. If the missile was designed for launching satellites, as claimed by North Korea, then the missile would have to have gone much farther and straighter than had occurred.
Asahi (Comical Perspective) – Prime Minister Aso was asked “The long range missile fired from North Korea today traveled further than the one previously. Do you think this shows that North Korea’s ability to develop technologically is progressing? ” Aso replied: “You’re speaking to the wrong person. You should ask a technology expert.”
2010 Japanese Government Scholarships
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Via JETAA Pacific Northwest:
Subject: 2010 Japanese Government Scholarships
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2010 Japanese Government Scholarships
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The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle is now accepting applications for the following 2010 Japanese Government Scholarships for studying in Japan.
U.S. citizens living in the states of Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho are eligible to apply at our office.
The application forms are available on our website at: http://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp
Job: Executive Director at Volunteers in Asia – San Francisco, CA
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Via the JETAA Northern California jobs yahoo group:
Volunteers in Asia (VIA) is dedicated to increasing understanding between the United States and Asia through public service and service learning programs promoting cross-cultural education.
VIA is seeking an Executive Director who is a strategic manager with a strong personal and/or vocational commitment to expanding global cooperation and understanding through service learning and/or international education. Candidates should also be able to blend effective business methods with the mission of the organization.
Read More
Via the Honyaku Group
Marc Adler has just posted some info about a job in Austin, Texas on the Honyaku discussion group. It involves sorting through a large amount of Japanese documents for a law firm and simply sorting them into their different types (invoices, etc.), and may take around two months. For further info you can find his original posting here:
“Death in a Hole” 3 Takes on the Sad Story of Takae Gasho
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, founder of Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
Background Story: While golfing i
n Rupetau Golf Course with her two sons and husband, Takae fell into a 5 meter deep, 1.5 meter around hole and died.
NHK Briefly Mentions – NHK News, after the G20 Summit and North Korea, mentioned the story of Taka e ¾ the way into their news broadcast. “We were walking behind Takae when she fell, but we did not see any hole” as reported by a policeman who spoke with the family.
Yomiuri Dramatizes –Yomiuri’s title tells it all: “Woman falls into deep hole and dies before her husband and children’s eyes”. Add the grizzly detail of “when her body was found it was half covered in sand” and you feel like you’re reading a Stephen King novel.
Asahi Accuses – Asahi’s choice of words compared to Yomiuri’s made it clear who’s responsible. Yomiuri tells “workers that morning had surveyed the golf course and found nothing irregular” while Asahi claimed “the manager had surveyed the golf course and found nothing irregular.” Asahi’s closing paragraph stated the golf course could be investigated on “suspicion of professional negligence leading to death.”
Japan-America Society Round-Up 4.2.09
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Current Hiroshima-ken JET Gail Meadows shines a light on some of the upcoming events and activities of Japan-America Societies across the U.S. …
49th Annual Sakura Matsuri – Saturday, April 4, 11 a.m – 6 p.m. at 12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Come enjoy the biggest Japanese festival in the world (outside of Japan!). Bonus: it’s free. For more information, see the society’s event listing.
- Acupuncture Lecture and Demonstration – Monday, April 6, 7 p.m. at Casa de Luz, 1701 Toomey Road. The first blind acupuncturist in Texas will share the history of blind acupuncture practitioners in Japan, as well as demonstrate how the Toyohari method is different from other methods of acupuncture. See the society’s e-newsletter for more information.
- Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival – Saturday/Sunday, April 11 & 12 in San Francisco’s Japanese quarter, centered at Post and Buchanan streets. Two hundred thousand people attend this bustling street festival each year. This year, for the first time, Hello Kitty and her entourage will be visiting from Japan’s Puroland. For more information, see the society’s event listing.
- Nichibei Luncheon – Friday, April 17, 12 – 1:30 p.m. at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, 300 Carew Tower 441 Vine St. Lauren S. Crane, Assistant Professor of Psychology & East Asia Studies at Wittenberg University, will give a presentation titled “Building Japanese-style and American-style Relationships.” The talk will explore the cross-cultural similarities and differences in relationship-building and consider why Americans and Japanese have different relationship styles in the first place. For more information, visit the society’s website.
Does your local Japan-America Society have an upcoming event you’d like to share with others? Let JetWit know by sending an e-mail with the info to Gail Meadows at japansociety (at) jetwit (dot) com.
Seattle-based Kevin Kajitani (Kyogo-ken, 2006-07) just let us know about his blog, iSpeakJapanese.net, which features current events as well as videos and other tools for learning or improving your Japanese. Kevin, who was featured in the Winter 2009 issue of JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine, is the co-founder of Speakit LLC along with his partner Aaron.
As you’ll notice, Kevin and Aaron have a rather unique and creative approach to Japanese language and culture learning.
Zorgamazoo wins 3rd prize at New York Book Show
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Good news to report from Rob Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04), author of the rhyming novel Zorgamazoo:
One reason I travelled to NYC last week was because my book was up for a design award from the Bookbinder’s Guild of New York, presented at the New York Book Show.
…I’m very pleased to announce that Zorgamazoo won 3rd prize in the Young Adult Hardcover category! The book was beaten out by two other impressive entries, Moribito by Nahoko Uehashi, which took 2nd prize, and Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley, which claimed the category.
(Click here to read the rest of Rob’s post)
(Click here to watch a video clip of Rob reading reading a selection from Zorgamazoo at the recent JET Alumni Author Showcase.)
J-News Mini-Roundup: The Economic Downturn
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, founder of Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
The Economic Downturn and its Effects: Most Pessimistic to Most Optimistic
4 – NHK: The biggest news on economic glum came from the NHK news station today. Within the financial community the highly anticipated “Tankan Survey” done by the Bank of Japan stated record pessimism amongst company executives. 61% stated their companies were doing poorly, while only 3% stated they were doing well. This measure is the worst it’s been since the survey’s inception, about 30 years ago.
3 – Nikkei: Not to be outdone, the Nikkei then reported that bankruptcies from listed companies in 2008 had reached 45. This is the highest rate of bankruptcies since WWII. To underscore this point, the second worst year of bankruptcies in Japan was 2002, with only 22 bankruptcies.
2 – Asahi: The Asahi ran a headliner this morning about how lay offs and the economic downturn are good for some companies. Reporting from within the headquarters of a recruiting agency that hires part time workers ( a company called あず) executives were rejoicing on how this is their chance to get more recruits for part time work than ever before. They referred to the “フリーター魂” the furi-ta- or “seasonal worker” spirit!
1 – Yomiuri: The headlines at Yomiuri this morning topped the optimism radar. They made no mention of an economic downturn, but instead decided to focus on North Korea. So you’re probably expecting some kind of article regarding missile launches accidently dropping missiles on Japan? Nope, the headliner read: Kim Jong Ill’s thinness is due to dieting, he’s getting thin due to health reasons.”
JETAA DC Book Club to read “An Artist of the Floating World”
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Via JETAA DC:
Hi Everyone,
JETAADC’s very own book club – with the working name of JBook – is up and running. This month we’ll be reading An Artist of the Floating
World Kazuo Ishiguro. We’ll meet on Monday, April 20 at 6:30pm at the Penn Teaism (in the downstairs area). New members are welcome! Just RSVP a little ahead of time so we know how many tables to push together.
Happy Reading,
-Dan
In case you missed it (or enjoyed it so much you want to relive it), below is a highlights clip from the JET Alumni Author Showcase along with clips of each of the three author readings, all of which took place March 22 in NYC. (Bonus tip: Try to picture each author teaching an English class in a Japanese high school as you watch them do their readings.)
Highlight Clips
James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish
Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.
Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04), author of Zorgamazoo
Review: JET Alumni Author Showcase
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JETAANY Hosts First Author Showcase
By Gina Anderson (Nara-ken, 2003-05), former JETAA DC newsletter chair and Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02), editor of JQ (JETAA NY) Quarterly Magazine
New York City’s Holiday Inn hosted a summit for published JETs as JETAANY launched its debut JET Alumni Author Showcase on March 22. The panelists included pro writers Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), Robert Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04) and James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06). (Click here and here for photos and here for video clips.)
Drawing over 60 JET alums, friends and family, the event kicked off with some words from Akira Sugiyama, director of the Japan Information Center of the Consulate General of Japan in New York. Moderator and playwright Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93), creator of the critically acclaimed Off Broadway plays Sake with the Haiku Geisha and Fate’s Imagination, asked each author to share a favorite selection of their works with the crowd.
A professor at three different universities including Tokyo University, a writer and editor for two magazines and a columnist for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Kelts spoke about Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S., his non-fiction book about the eponymous subject. He began by Read More
