************By Makoto Shirai, secretary, Japan-Insights Research Institute (Non-profit organization in Tokyo)

Dear Friends,

Have you visited Izumo, Land of Gods?

Let me introduce an essay from the Japan-Insights archives.

The nineteenth one is on Izumo: Land of Gods, Myths and Metals by Dr. Simon Kaner.

https://topics.japan-insights.jp/Public/pdf/japan-insights_jp/topics/JIN_SwordsBellsDragonsMyths.pdf

Please share this expert’s experience!

Japan-Insights is a nonprofit open database compiled by leading experts in Japanese studies. The posts present a broad range of historical and contemporary topics that encourage visitors to engage with the real Japan through immersive experiences. Follow the Facebook page and website to learn about and share these insights from around the country!”

#japan #japaneseculture #izumo

Thanks to JET alumna, Jessica Cork (CIR, Hiroshima-ken, 1997-2000) for sharing this great project that she is leading as the Chair of the Japan-America Society of Georgia.

The Japan-America Society of Georgia, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta, and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Atlanta want to construct a traditional Japanese bell tower to house the Carter Center’s “Peace Bell.” The “Japan-Georgia Friendship Bell Tower” will be modeled after the bell tower at Shoganji Temple in Konu, Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture where the bell originated in Japan.

During World War II, an ordinance to collect metals was promulgated throughout Japan, and the temple bell from Shoganji Temple in Konu was supplied to the Kure Naval Arsenal. However, before the bell could be turned into bullets, the war ended. Following the war, the bell somehow ended up in England, where it resided for a time with an Englishman, James Taylor. His son, Milos Taylor, discovered the bell in 1958 while sorting through the belongings of his father in England. In 1982, Milos moved to Florida with the bell. In 1985, before returning to England, Milos put the bell up for sale. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta and the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta solicited donations to purchase the bell and presented the bell on behalf of the Japanese community to President and Mrs. Carter to commemorate the construction of The Carter Center and in appreciation for President Carter’s work promoting world peace.

When Hajime Akiyama, a member of the Japanese parliament, visited The Carter Center after the bell was donated, he discovered that the bell was inscribed with the name of Shoganji Temple. So he visited Shoganji to report that their temple bell had been donated to President Carter. Shoganji was very pleased to learn that their temple bell, which they thought had been destroyed in the war, was in fact carefully preserved at The Carter Center as the “Peace Bell,” a symbol of goodwill between Japan and the United States.

This led to President Carter visiting Hiroshima twice, establishing a sister city relationship between Konu, Hiroshima and his hometown in Georgia, and Konu constructing the Jimmy Carter Civic Center, which aims to educate Japanese citizens about peace. 

The website with the incredible story of the bell’s journey to the US and full project description is as follows.

https://www.jasgeorgia.org/Georgia-Japan-Peace-Bell/

The Japan-America Society of Georgia is trying to raise $300,000 to make this dream a reality. We would like to challenge JETAA to raise $25,000 and be recognized as one of the partner organizations (on all press releases, website, plaque etc). 

In order for JETAA members to have their donations recognized as contributions from JETAA, please click on the sponsorship link (not the donate link).

https://www.jasgeorgia.org/event-4464101

Then select register, add email address, and then select “7. Other amount.”  Put in the amount and then check off the JETAA checkbox.

Date and time
Tue, August 31, 2021
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT

About this event 

For the tenth episode of our JFNY pop culture series, we will take a closer look at Godzilla, the worldwide pop culture icon, and the longest-running film franchise in world history! 

Starting in 1954 with the Japanese release of Ishiro Honda’s Gojira, the franchise has since released 36 films made in Japan and in Hollywood, with new titles still being made today. Godzilla sparked the Kaiju (monster) genre, and its fandom has reached all generations and has spread all over the world.  

What were some of the cultural contexts in which Godzilla was created? What does Godzilla mean to Japanese people? How was it exported to the world, and what led Godzilla to become the “King of Monsters?”  

Come join our panel discussion with five Godzilla experts from both the U.S. and Japan: Bill Tsutsui, Takayuki Tatsumi, Norman England, Meghan Mettler and Steve Ryfle as they explore the history of Godzilla and discuss its universal appeal.  

Poll: 

★ What is your favorite title from Godzilla series? ★  

Please let us know what your favorite title is on the Eventbrite page when you register! We will announce the results of the poll during the event, and discuss it with the panelists. 

Q&A: 

The discussion will be followed by a live Q&A. Along with answering the poll, now is your chance to ask the experts your questions about Godzilla! Please ask your question when you register. Live commentary will also be enabled on the YouTube stream, so you can participate in the Q&A session live as well. 

This is a FREE event. Registrants will receive the link to the stream via email. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ep10-godzilla-a-pioneer-of-global-pop-culture-tickets-163917051313 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JF_NewYork/status/1420398650702843904?s=20 

************By Makoto Shirai, secretary, Japan-Insights Research Institute (Non-profit organization in Tokyo)

Dear Friends,

Have you experienced Japanese cuisine in Toyama?

Let me introduce an essay from the Japan-Insights archives.

The eighteenth one is on Japanese Food Artisans by Ms. Susan Ellicott.

https://topics.japan-insights.jp/Public/pdf/japan-insights_jp/topics/JIN_TraditionalFoodArtisans.pdf

Please share this expert’s experience!

Japan-Insights is a nonprofit open database compiled by leading experts in Japanese studies. The posts present a broad range of historical and contemporary topics that encourage visitors to engage with the real Japan through immersive experiences. Follow the Facebook page and website to learn about and share these insights from around the country!”

#japan #japaneseculture #toyama

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 JETAA Podcast Beat! 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!

Hellotalk「ハロートーク」with Shota!

Emmalee and Shota talk about the language-learning app “Hellotalk” and how they use it. Shota shares the topics he usually posts about, including memes, American sports, and music.

インスタ: @yoppareikaiwa

Shotaのブログ: https://www.samuraitanuki.com/

是非、インスタでメッセージをください〜

Attracting Talent in a Competitive Market

I spoke with Michael Ellenhorn, the founder and CEO of Decipher Investigative Intelligence, a firm that develops actionable intelligence to guide law firms in developing successful lateral hiring programs and strategies. We discussed the current market in law firm hiring, how law firms are searching for fully or partially remote positions, best practices for law firm leaders to attract talent, and how hiring is evolving.

The Case of the Missing Tuna

The USLawEssentials Law & Language Podcast continues its What’s New in the Legal News series with a case about …. tuna! Or allegedly missing tuna. Daniel Edelson introduces a recent news story about plaintiffs who sued a restaurant franchise for mislabeling its tuna sandwich. And Stephen Horowitz tells us about his favorite hoagie restaurant.

If you’re hungry for legal English, or just hungry to know more about hoagies, subs, class action lawsuits, and detecting tuna DNA, you’ll enjoy this episode.

Sweltering Heat

This balmy episode features special guest Elijah Sobel, discussing swimming holes. Alexis and Kit chill out by finding ways to stay cool during record-breaking hot temperatures, focusing on “cooling things” such as iced tea, goldfish, and “uchimizu.” In Hiro’s Corner, a refreshing look at the coolness of far-away twinkling lights.

Navigating the disruptions in design education with Lefteris Heretakis

This episode is adapted from a livestreamed conversation between Lee-Sean Huang and Lefteris Heretakis on the challenges and opportunities in design education.

Lefteris Heretakis is a designer and lecturer. Since 1996, Lefteris has worked as a visual communicator with a wide range of clients ranging from startups to multinationals.

He’s currently teaching design at IE University in Madrid Spain. His reflexive research is focused on the real-world challenges in education and the unprecedented shifts that have taken place over the past 20 years.

Lefteris is also the host of two podcasts: the Design Education Talks podcast by the New Art School and the Designer Talks Podcast by the Chartered Society of Designers.

And also since 2019, Lefteris has been organizing the Design Education Forum, a two-day international event that brings practitioners from all over the world to share their experiences teaching art and design.

Watch the video recording of the original, unedited livestream interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOFuk_GIyLA

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 JETAA Podcast Beat! 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!

The Future of Litigation Workflow

I spoke with Erez Bustan, the CEO of American LegalNet, a leading cloud and mobile litigation platform. We discussed the launch of ALN Cloud, the company’s new report (on which I was privileged to collaborate) – The Future of Litigation Workflow: Reimagining Technology and Process in the Next Decade, how litigation will change in a post-pandemic environment.

The Multilingual Lawyer: Joshua Alter

USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers. In this episode, Stephen Horowitz interviews Joshua Alter. Joshua discusses his specialized courses for international students enrolling in LLM programs in the United States and also provides invaluable suggestions on how international students can improve their chances of success in US law schools. This is a “must-hear” episode for students and attorneys from countries other than the United States interested in selecting a US legal program that meets their educational and professional goals.

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: Program Coordinator
Posted by: Ashinaga Uganda
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to JET alumna, Jennifer Butler (Shizuoka-ken, 2001-2004) for passing along the below opportunity with her organization, Ashinaga. Please note that the deadline to apply is July 30th (Uganda time).

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please view the document 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: English Teacher
Posted by: CLAIR Tokyo
Location: Osaka, Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job received from CLAIR Tokyo:

〇ネイティブ英語教員採用選考について

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, August 25th, 2021 at 6 p.m. (Japan Standard Time)

************By Makoto Shirai, secretary, Japan-Insights Research Institute (Non-profit organization in Tokyo)

Dear Friends,

Have you experienced the diversity of Japanese food?

Let me introduce an essay from Japan-Insights archives.

The seventeenth one is on Eating and Slurping in Osaka by Dr. Barak Kushner.

https://topics.japan-insights.jp/Public/pdf/japan-insights_jp/topics/JIN_EatingInOsaka.pdf

Please share this expert’s experience!

Japan-Insights is a nonprofit open database compiled by leading experts in Japanese studies. The posts present a broad range of historical and contemporary topics that encourage visitors to engage with the real Japan through immersive experiences. Follow the Facebook page and website to learn about and share these insights from around the country!”

#japan #japaneseculture #osaka

Check out this interview by Joe Lunchbox featuring award-winning children’s author and Australian JET alumna, Cristy Burne (Kawanishi-shi, Hyogo-ken, 1998-2000). They talk about Cristy’s newest book: Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadow. You can view the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNMnkfO8oko

By Jack McDonough, 2021 prospective JET

Think of something you regret; one thing that gnaws away at you; if only you could change it. What if you could? What if you had that chance to go back in time and change the past? Now imagine that your choices concern life and death matters, and you can only go back in time when someone is dead or dying: specifically the deaths of your mother and childhood classmate are riding on matters that are seemingly benign. Erased explores that reality.

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (“The Town Where Only I am Missing”) is a mystery/thriller manga written by Kei Snabe and published by Kadokawa Shoten from June 2012 to March 2016. Erased is the anime adaptation that follows Satoru Fujinuma and his “revival(s)” (called “rerun” in Japanese), where Satoru is sent back in time involuntarily when someone near him dies; he sees a blue butterfly, and his consciousness is sent back into the past. Despite his power, Satoru is a failing mangaka who works at a pizzeria and lives alone in a cramped Chiba apartment; his only friend being Airi Katagiri, who is his coworker at Oasi Pizza.  Out of the blue, his estranged mother, Sachiko, comes to visit him. After leaving his mother in his apartment, he comes back later and finds her murdered. A blue butterfly flies in front of him and he is sent back to 1988; back to his 5th-grade self. 

Erased has a lot going for it in addition to the interesting plot. The soundtrack for the show is perfect and Satoru’s determination motif is reason enough to binge the anime. The music, written by Yuki Kaijura, adds an air of mystery, wonder, and sorrow that is unlike anything else you’ve heard before. Asian Kung-Fu Generation performs the intro song to the anime, which is one of the best openings to an anime out there. In terms of direction, Director Tomohiko Itou’s masterful attention to detail turns every scene into an art piece. Now that I’ve convinced you to watch the show, look out for the scene between Satoru and Kayo in the park. Every interaction between the characters offers more than mere plot progression or comedic relief; the depictions of friendship, family, and despair feel real and will hit you where it hurts. 

Erased is my favorite anime. The show has a controversial place in the anime community: some think the plot was too generic and that the ending was unsatisfactory. I disagree, but I do see why they have that opinion. The anime and manga do differ in their endings, so if you do wish for a different ending, you can always check out the manga.  Without spoiling the ending, while I wasn’t particularly surprised, I felt that the mystery is just the hook; the real meat of the story is Satoru’s relationship with Airi, Sachiko, and Kayo. Erased is more than just a time-travel mystery, it’s about a man who failed in his relationships, whether in small choices or big acts and what he does when he gets the chance for reconciliation. Satoru gets to go back and spend time with the people he loves the most; he gets to relive those precious, little moments that we all take for granted. He learns that he should’ve stopped and appreciated those times. You can’t go back in time. You can’t relive those moments, so learn from Satoru’s mistakes and cherish every minute.

About this event 

Super Mario, Pac-Man, Sonic, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Metroid. If you’ve ever played a video game, chances are you’ve probably heard of some of these titles. Perhaps these titles might even evoke fond, nostalgic memories of childhood to some players who grew up with them. While many of these Japanese games are widely recognized, loved, and still played by many fans worldwide today, players might not realize just how integral these games were in popularizing the videogame culture in the west, and influencing both the growth and course of the global videogames industry. 

For our first episode focusing on the topic of videogames, we will be joined by Mr. Chris Kohlerand Dr. Mia Consalvo, who will be taking us on a historical journey with their presentations; delving deep into the history of the Japanese videogames industry, specifically focusing on events which kickstarted this global phenomenon, along with some of the issues which caused it to lose its way and fall behind its western counterpart in the 2000s.  

Dr. Rachael Hutchinson will moderate our discussion following the presentations, continuing the narrative of how the Japanese games industry recovered, and rediscovered its position in the global landscape, once again becoming an influential powerhouse in the international games market from the mid 2010s. 

The discussion will be followed by a live Q&A. If you have any questions about your favorite Japanese videogames, now is your chance to ask the experts! Please ask your question when you register for the event via Eventbrite. Live commentary will also be enabled on the YouTube stream, so you can participate in the Q&A session on-air as well. 

This is a FREE event. Registrants will receive the link to the stream via email. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Eventbrite Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-the-japanese-video-game-industry-found-lost-and-rediscovered-its-way-registration-161812729229 

About 

JFNY Literary Series invites notable writers in Japanese literature and their translators to discuss their work, speak on the art of translation, and touch upon the current literary scene in Japan. 

This session features Hiroko Oyamada and her translator David Boyd, moderated by Kyoko Yoshida. Lucy North from the collective Strong Women, Soft Power and interpreter Bethan Jones also joins the session. Oyamada is an Akutagawa Prize-winning writer and the author of The Factory and The Hole, both of which were translated by Boyd. The Japan Foundation supported the English publications of The Hole through the Support Program for Translation and Publication on Japan. 

The event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel! Watch the event here: https://www.jfny.org/event/jfny-literary-series-hiroko-oyamada-x-david-boyd/ 

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: Part-time Bilingual Japanese/English Opportunity
Posted by: The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM(R))
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Contract: Part-Time

Here’s a job received directly from the company:

Who we are 

At the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®), we believe that well-managed properties improve the quality of life for people who live, work and shop in them.  We are the champion of the property management professional—from college students to industry veterans across both commercial and residential portfolios.     The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) is an international force of nearly 20,000 individuals united to advance the profession of real estate management. 

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: Program Officer
Posted by:  Japan Center for International Exchange
Location: New York, NY, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job passed along to us directly from The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA):

The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) seeks a full-time Program Officer to support our mission to promote US-Japan collaboration on common challenges and leadership on regional and global issues. Our programs aim for policy impact through leadership exchanges, intellectual dialogues among policymakers and scholars, and engagement of civil society and the international community.

In addition to US-Japan Political Exchanges, Congressional Staff Exchanges, US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogues, and philanthropic initiatives, our current programs address topics including global health, healthy aging, and strengthening democratic governance in Asia.

Application Process: For information on how to apply, please click here.