Sep 5

Recent Updates from Andy Anderson

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The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund Continues to Contribute to Ishinomaki

Here’s a quick update from Andy Anderson on the TAMF’s activities, made possible in part by the generous donations of the JET alumni:

“The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund had its second board meeting in Tokyo in early July and approved four new reading initiatives in Ishinomaki including a book club and reading groups for local volunteers. We also committed to “Hope for Tomorrow” to support twenty Ishinomaki students who need help to obtain college admission. I met with the Tokyo YMCA to plan the return exchange of seven 2012 Richmond host family students to stay with Ishinomaki host families. We are very grateful to the Tokyo YMCA for planning and paying for the Japan itinerary and ANA for discounted airline tickets! The exchange was very successful and you can see posts on our Facebook page about the trip. I also visited Ishinomaki High School to view the new Taylor Bunko with 541 new books and meet with faculty and former students of Taylor’s. We met with Ishinomaki Senshu University (ISU) to plan for a new Taylor Bunko there. The University is located close to temporary housing and the library is open to all in Ishinomaki. We have begun to plan a unique research exchange program with ISU and Taylor’s alma mater, Randolph-Macon College. We worked with Project Yui and Team Watahoi to bring a Sports Onigokko Tag (www.onigokko.or.jp) day to Watanoha Elementary School on August 19th. We appreciate all of your support and are very grateful to Global Giving for offering to double donations this week! Please continue to check our Facebook page for updates!”

2014 JET Memorial Invitation Program

Andy also let us know about the initial batch of essays that have been posted from the 2014 JET Memorial Invitation Program, which you can access on the Japan Foundation website at http://jflalc.org/pub-breeze83.html. More essays are posted every month, so remember to check regularly. You’ll need to scroll down the page a ways to find the links, but they’re well worth the search.


Sep 3

JETwit Job Hunter Profile: Jonathan Parsons

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JETwit Job Hunter is a feature started by Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa-ken 2010-14) where we share the profile of a JET or JET alum currently seeking work and invite JETwit readers to share any advice, suggestions, or perspectives.  Autumn is a writer with a focus on performance and film who is actively on the job market.  She’d like to put her four years of experience in Japan to good use in future employment.

Job Hunter:  Jonathan Parsons (Akita-ken, 2011-14) is a JET alum who just completed three years teaching in Odate, Akita Prefecture.  He is originally from Kentucky but is currently relocating to the West Coast and is seeking job hunting advice for the California, Oregon, and Washington areas.

Objective:  Jonathan is seeking a position in international exchange within higher education, a non-profit organization, or within government.  Because he has experience as a freelance writer for games, he is also interested in pursuing positions in writing and narrative design/community management in the gaming industry.

Areas of Interest: 

  • Higher education
  • Non-profit and government
  • International exchange
  • Writing for publications
  • Narrative design
  • Community Management

Job Hunting Strategies:

  • Applications to positions in international education at universities.
  • Applications to game companies.

Challenges:  Jonathan and his wife are currently living in Kentucky, so he is facing the challenge of searching for jobs on the West Coast while living far from his target region.  He feels that “many schools and companies overlook applicants who do not reside nearby or within the state.”   In addition to this challenge, he is seeking advice on how to market himself in the US without any major work experience prior to his JET tenure.

He has done extensive research on various cities and industries located on the West Coast, and would like to reach out to fellow JET alumni located in California, Oregon, and Washington for advice on job hunting and leads in the above industries.

Web Presence:

To help this JETwit Job Hunter, post your comments below, or contact Jonathan Parsons directly. 

If you’d like to be profiled, click here to submit your information through the JETwit Job Hunter Google Form.  

Reminder that there are a number of JET Alum professionally oriented LinkedIn groups set up to help you.  By joining groups in fields that interest you, you can find and connect with other alums in that field.

 


Sep 1

WIT Life #273: Cleveland’s Japanese culture

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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve last written here and that we are already welcoming the new school year.  I spent a large portion of my summer interpreting for clients on a project in Cleveland, Ohio.  I didn’t have high hopes for Japanese connections in this small city, but was determined to find them where they existed.  Due to being busy with my job and returning home on weekends, I wasn’t able to explore much outside of the downtown area, but that was enough to find some Japanese influences.

First was the restaurant Noodlecat, said to be “inspired by Tokyo noodle worship and New York City noodle houses.”  There is a restaurant downtown as well an outpost at the West Side Market in Ohio City, but I opted for the former to get the full experience.  I got the Smoked Tomato Coconut Curry Udon with poached tofu, kohlrabi, potato, scallion and coconut curry kombu broth, as it sounded like a really unique combination of ingredients.  Unfortunately, both the udon and its companions were disappointing.  The noodles had a strange chewiness and even the texture of the tofu was off.  Sure enough, when I told my clients that I was surprised the quality of the food had been so poor, they all agreed and said they had Read More


Aug 30

Let’s Talk Japan, Episode 25 – Making the Most of Your JET Program Experience

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Let’s Talk Japan is a monthly, interview format podcast covering a wide range of Japan-related topics. Host Nick Harling (Mie-ken, 2001-03) lived in Japan from 2001 until 2005, including two great years as a JET Program participant in Mie-Ken. He practices law in Washington, D.C., and lives with his wife who patiently listens to him talk about Japan . . . a lot.

It’s late summer, and that means hundreds of new JET Program participants have recently started their new life in Japan. In this episode, I share my thoughts on what steps they can take to have an enjoyable and memorable Japan experience.

If you have not already done so, be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @letstalkjapan and leave a positive rating/review in iTunes.


Aug 21

Announcing JETwit Anecdotal Article Series!

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JETwit Anecdotal Article Series is new feature by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-2014). Jayme is a JETwit Job Manager and organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai. She’s starting a new chapter in NYC and excited to explore new career opportunities.

Hi everyone!

Here at JETwit, we love it when JETs share stories of their experiences in Japan. That’s why we’re bringing back the Anecdotal Article Series! This is your chance to share your experiences as a JET participant with the whole JETAA community.

Each month, a new topic will be announced. If the topic sparks a particular memory for you, just fill out our quick Google Form! Stories can be anything related to the monthly topic about your time in Japan as JET.

For our first month, we would like to bring back the topic that has inspired the revival of the Anecdotal Articles, religion. Enjoy the anecdotal stories below compiled by JETwit Founder, Steven Horowitz, for the Spring 2006 issue of the JETAANY Newsletter, then jump over to our Google Form to share a story of your own! Read More


Aug 11

Japan Writers Conference coming up

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The Japan Writers Conference is a free event for English-language writers in a variety of fields—poets, novelists, journalists and even textbook authors. It’s held in a different part of Japan every year, with this year’s event set for Oct. 25-26 in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture.

JETs and JET alumni have been well represented among those attending and also those giving presentations at the previous seven annual events. One of them, Tom Baker (Chiba 1989-91) made the following video about the 2013 Japan Writers Conference, which was held in Okinawa. In it, you’ll also hear from JET alumni Percival Constantine (Kagoshima 2008-13), Todd Jay Leonard (Aomori 1989-1992), Benjamin Martin (Okinawa 2008-13), and Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa 2010-14).

For information on this year’s event, check the official website: http://www.japanwritersconference.org/.


Aug 10

JETwit Job Hunter Profile: Julie Yang

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JETwit Job Hunter is a feature started by Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa-ken 2010-14) where we share the profile of a JET or JET alum currently seeking work and invite JETwit readers to share any advice, suggestions, or perspectives.  Autumn is a writer with a focus on performance and film who will soon return to the job market herself.  She’d like to put her four years of experience in Japan to good use in future employment.

Job Hunter:  Julie Yang (Nagasaki-ken, 2009-14) is a JET based in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture.  She will return to the USA and is looking for a job in Hawaii.

Objective:  To gain employment in Hawaii in an administrative or program assistant job within the non-profit sector or other Japan-related industries.  She is also interested in editorial and translation work.

Areas of Interest: 

  • Japan-related
  • Non-profit
  • Translation
  • Editorial

Job Hunting Strategies:

  • Direct contact with various non-profits based in Hawaii
  • Skype interviews

Challenges:  Because Julie has been living in Japan, she’s faced the challenge of not being based in the local area where she is seeking employment. Without a local address, she is having a difficult time getting companies or organizations to interview her. She is originally from Washington, DC, so she does not have extensive networks in Hawaii to help her and she finds that this makes the job search more competitive. She also feels that interviewing via Skype does not allow you to have the same in-person presence that allows you to present your qualifications, personality, and enthusiasm for the job. Despite all of these challenges, she says, “I’ve been able to get interviews and positive responses…this speaks to the reputation of the JET program.”

She is seeking networking opportunities with JET alumni in Hawaii. She would like to make contact with those working in Japan-related or non-profits there. Any references or advice from any fellow Hawaii-based JETs is appreciated.

Web Presence:

To help this JETwit Job Hunter, post your comments below, or contact Julie Yang directly. 

If you’d like to be profiled, click here to submit your information through the JETwit Job Hunter Google Form.  

Reminder that there are a number of JET Alum professionally oriented LinkedIn groups set up to help you.  By joining groups in fields that interest you, you can find and connect with other alums in that field.


Jul 27

JETwit Job Hunter Profile: Valerie Ho

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JETwit Job Hunter is a feature started by Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa-ken 2010-14) where we share the profile of a JET or JET alum currently seeking work and invite JETwit readers to share any advice, suggestions, or perspectives.  Autumn is a writer with a focus on performance and film who will soon return to the job market herself.  She’d like to put her four years of experience in Japan to good use in future employment.

Job Hunter:  Valerie Ho (Toyama-ken, 2008-13) is a JET alum who lived in Uozu, Toyama.  She is currently based in  New Jersey.

Objective:  Valerie is seeking employment in Entertainment, Publishing, or within a Creative industry in the NY tri-state area, with a preference for NYC or Central NJ.  She has prior work experience editing manga for the English-language market.  She also has experience in casting in the talent industry.

Areas of Interest: 

  • Entertainment
  • Publishing
  • Creative Agencies

Job Hunting Strategies:

  • Website postings
  • JETwit and JET-related websites
  • Bilingual placement agencies

Challenges:  Valerie has found that many employers do not seem to understand the value of JET or how much experience those who have worked on JET have gained while working in Japan.  She believes that many employers who are unfamiliar with JET “assume we have no office skills.”  Although she has had some positive feedback with several job opportunities, she is still searching for a creative-related career that will allow her to thrive while using the skills she gained on JET.

She is seeking any leads and/or advice in relation to creative sector jobs.

Web Presence:

To help this JETwit Job Hunter, post your comments below, or contact Valerie Ho directly. 

If you’d like to be profiled, click here to submit your information through the JETwit Job Hunter Google Form.  

Reminder that there are a number of JET Alum professionally oriented LinkedIn groups set up to help you.  By joining groups in fields that interest you, you can find and connect with other alums in that field.


Jul 22

WIT Life #272: Japan Cuts

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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.The_Snow_White_Murder_Case-p1

This weekend wrapped up Japan Society’s annual film festival Japan Cuts, and all of the films that I caught out of the 28 presented this year were wonderful.  I particularly enjoyed the opening film on the first Friday of the festival, The Snow White Murder Case (白ゆき姫殺人事件).  This movie made its U.S. premiere, and told the story of the murder of a beautiful young office worker.  The prime suspect is her plain co-worker who has disappeared following the murder, and in the online world the case is made for her guilt before the official investigation takes place.  As interviews are carried out with others at the company and the truth is gradually revealed, viewers come to realize how culpable we are in automatically convicting suspects based on hearsay and popular opinion.  This film skillfully highlights just how pernicious social media can be in stringing people up before they have the opportunity to defend themselves.  Although this sounds like a dark story, it also has comic moments that serve to lighten the mood.

Two kid-centered films that I liked more than I expected were Maruyama, the Middle Schooler (中学生円山)  and Hello! Junichi (ハロー！純一), both of which use dance and humor to great effect.  The former focuses on a 14-year old in the height of puberty who uses his active imagination to Read More


Jul 19

JETAA Chapter Beat 19th of July 2014

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Ashlie O’Neill (Hyogo-Ken, 2013-Present) AJET National Council Director of Alumni Relations. This is a new position to help strengthen the relationship between JETAA/AJET. Please feel free to contact her on her email or  Linkedin profile. Ashlie helps to keep you up up to date with JETAA happenings around the world.

With all the new JETs headed my way very shortly JETAA chapters worldwide have been busy getting their 2014 JETs ready for the experience of a lifetime. Let’s see what there is to look forward to after the 2014 JETs say sayonara to their local JETAA chapters.

JETAADC

Screening of documentary Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball– Tuesday, July 22nd
JET Talks officially kicks off its 2014-2015 season with an examination of Japanese high school baseball through a screening of the ground-breaking documentary Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball, followed by a discussion with two of the film’s producers.

JETAA Chicago

Sento-duction @ King Spa-Saturday, July 19th

JETAA Chicago will host a “Sento-duction” for the new JETs at King Spa, welcoming them to experience sento with JET alums and learn more about onsen, sento, and Japanese bathing customs.

JETAA Portland

Annual Edgefield Gathering & Golf outing – Saturday, July 19th!

The 9th Annual golf outing at McMenamins Edgefield. It is said to be a lot of fun for everyone, even those who don’t usually golf. In fact, golf is only the excuse to hang out and have fun! Don’t want to play golf? That’s okay, join everyone for lunch and fun.

JETAA Minnesota

Saints Game SeigoPalooza-Tuesday July, 22nd
Join JETAA Minnesota to have fun with their friend, Seigo Masabuchi, for SeigoPalooza at the Saints versus the Sioux Falls Canaries baseball game.
Tailgating will begin from 6 pm.

JETAA Ottawa

Ottawa’s Natsu Matsuri- Saturday, July 19th
JETAA Ottawa reminisce on the good times at various Summer Matsuri’s in Japan. This is the 10th year of Ottawa’s very own Natsu Matsuri! Enjoy the fantastic fireworks displays, Japanese food stands, traditional music and dancing.

 

 


Jul 9

JETwit Job Hunter Project: Grant Minagawa

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JETwit Job Hunter is a feature started by Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa-ken 2010-14) where we share the profile of a JET or JET alum currently seeking work and invite JETwit readers to share any advice, suggestions, or perspectives.  Autumn is a writer with a focus on performance and film who will soon return to the job market herself.  She’d like to put her four years of experience in Japan to good use in future employment.

Job Hunter:  Grant Minagawa (Okinawa-ken, 2010-14) is a JET currently living in Naha, Okinawa.  Grant will end his contract with the JET Program this August.  During his JET tenure, Grant was one of the Prefectural Advisors for Okinawa.  He gained experience in event planning, management and human resources, and counseling and conflict resolution.  Grant is interested in using the skills he learned as a PA in working in the management of English language education programs, university-level international education, or as an event planner.   He would like to remain in Japan, though he is potentially interested in opportunities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and the USA.

Objective:  To work in English language education management, international education at the university level, or in event planning.

Areas of Interest: 

  • Management of English Language Education Programs
  • International Education at the university level
  • Event planning

Job Hunting Strategies:

  • 2014 After-JET Conference and Job Fair
  • LinkedIn
  • Websites for job listings
  • Networking
  • Hello Work employment office

Challenges:  Grant feels that the market has changed significantly since his last job search, but he feels that people have been, often unexpectedly, very helpful to him during this process.   He has been managing his job search while also working diligently as an outgoing PA, managing and coordinating reappointing, inbound and outbound JETs.  With his Japanese at the JLPT N3 level, Grant is finding it difficult to locate non-ALT jobs that do not require full fluency at the N1 or N2 level.    He believes that the job market in Japan is set to expand exponentially for foreign employees, especially as Tokyo gears up to host the 2020 Olympics, but he isn’t quite certain where to begin to look for employment.   Grant is seeking advice and connections to people working in industries related to his areas of interest, especially those who can help him find a job in Japan.

Web Presence:

 

To help this JETwit Job Hunter, post your comments below, or contact Grant Minagawa directly. 

If you’d like to be profiled, click here to submit your information through the JETwit Job Hunter Google Form.  

Reminder that there are a number of JET Alum professionally oriented LinkedIn groups set up to help you.  By joining groups in fields that interest you, you can find and connect with other alums in that field.

 


Jul 2

JETwit Job Hunter Profile: Kyle William Mullen

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JETwit Job Hunter is a new feature started by Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa-ken 2010-14).  Autumn is a writer with a focus on performance and film who will soon return to the job market herself. She’d like to put her four years of experience in Japan to good use in future employment.

Job Hunter:  Kyle William Mullen (Chiba-ken, 2011-14) is a JET currently living in Kamagaya, Chiba.  He will finish up his time on the JET Program this summer and is seeking a job in Tokyo, Japan.

Objective:  To work in an International Business or International Non-Profit/NGO environment that allows him to use and increase his Japanese language skills through translation and interpretation.

Areas of Interest: 

  • International Business
  • Translating and Interpreting
  • International Non-profit and NGO

Job Hunting Strategies:

  • Job fairs
  • Websites and web-based applications
  • Informational interviews and networking.
  • Recruiters

Challenges:  Kyle is looking to expand his networking contacts in the above industries, in particular those based in Tokyo, Japan. He states, “job searching is all about persistence.” He has managed to stay optimistic and positive even when he has faced disappointment in the job hunt.

Web Presence:

 

To help this JETwit Job Hunter, post your comments below, or contact Kyle William Mullen directly. 

If you’d like to be profiled, click here to submit your information through the JETwit Job Hunter Google Form.  

Reminder that there are a number of JET Alum professionally oriented LinkedIn groups set up to help you.  By joining groups in fields that interest you, you can find and connect with other alums in that field.

 


May 26

Job: Education Abroad Assistant Director, University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY)

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Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Education Abroad Assistant Director
Posted by: University of Kentucky
Location: Lexington, KY
Type: full-time

Application Deadline is  June 8, 2014

Overview:

The University of Kentucky International Center (UKIC) is seeking a full-time Education Abroad Assistant Director to join our professional team of international educators. Located within the UKIC, the Education Abroad office is a thriving part of UK’s ambitious international agenda, and has strong central support. It is currently composed of an executive director, assistant director, four EA advisors, a financial manager, promotion and outreach coordinator, and a data analyst/security manager. In addition, the unit employs several part-time staff and a team of graduate and undergraduate students. Read More

May 14

WIT Life #269: Japan Day @ Central Park

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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.20140511_150956

Japan Day @ Central Park celebrated its 8th year this past Sunday, and 50,000 attendees came out on this warm, beautiful day.  As it coincided with Mother’s Day, many families enjoyed the events together.  In addition to the free food and culture booths, an assortment of performances were featured on the main stage.  There was some stellar taiko drumming and an interesting Matrix-like duo, but many in the crowd were waiting excitedly for the crooner Jero, who I wrote about and got to interview when he came to Japan Society two years ago.

This Pittsburgh native began his career singing enka (Japanese traditional ballads) as a youngster with his Japanese grandmother, and his official career started in Japan six years ago.  Jero treated the audience to his debut single 海雪 (Umiyuki or Ocean Snow) as well as Read More


May 6

WIT Life #268: New Japanese movies worth seeing

Film, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #268: New Japanese movies worth seeing

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

The cherry blossoms have come and gone since the last time I posted, truly fleeting!  I was lucky enough to enjoy them twice this year, both during a trip to Japan last month and at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s Sakura Matsuri earlier this month.  To get through the long flight over the Pacific I like catching up on movies I missed, and I spent my outward voyage enjoying Oscar nominees and the return trip watching some new Japanese movies.  During my inward flight two of the movies I picked, Judge! and The Little House, both featured one of my favorite Japanese actors, Satoshi Tsumabuki.judge

The former film features Tsumabuki as a young advertising agent who is forced by his boss to go in his place as an international judge for a worldwide TV Advertising Festival taking place in Santa Monica.  By great coincidence, his boss’s name is Ichiro Otaki and Tsumabuki’s character’s name is Kiichiro Ota, giving them the same name if written Japanese-style with last name first.  Ota points out that when abroad, names are written with first name before last name, but his boss ignores his concerns and sends him off.  Another name coincidence is that Ota’s female co-worker Hikari has the same last name (in comparison to Kiichiro, she is amusingly referred to as the “talented Ota” by Otaki).

Kiichiro doesn’t have confidence in his English speaking ability, so he enlists Hikari to Read More


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