Dec 13

WIT Life #257: 今年の漢字

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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.

It was recently announced that the kanji representing 2013 would be 輪 (rin or wa).  It  means ring, circle, or wheel, and refers to different aspects that have converged this year.  This was the most popular submission in the public contest run by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, and there were several explanations for why.  One idea came from the five rings symbolizing the Olympics, in regard to the September announcement that Tokyo would host the Summer Olympics in 2020.  Another was the coming together of citizens in a circle of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake (Thanks to this rebuilding, construction and real estate related stocks have been booming on the Nikkei Stock Average).  Yet another interpretation was the private/public cooperation that led to the recent registration of Mt. Fuji on the World Heritage List.  輪 received 9518 votes, and second-place 楽 (raku) which received 8562 votes referred to the Tohoku Rakuten (楽天) Golden Eagles’ victory in the Nippon Series baseball championship.

For those who are interested in kanji and Japanese calligraphy, I would highly recommend the current exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled Brush Writing in the Arts of Japan.  It was interesting to learn about Read More

Dec 7

“The God of Ramen” – Film Review from Australia’s 17th Japanese Film Festival

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The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia was the biggest and most extensive yet, with many of the films showing for the first time outside of Japan. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films.

We give thanks this day for our daily bowl. Raaaaamen.

Reaching sold-out capacity at the 17th Japanese Film Festival Sydney showing, this documentary features the legendary ramen master Yamagishi, who ran the same ramen shop in East Ikebukuro in Tokyo, for over 40 years. The film captures the declining years of an institution, a very personal picture of Yamagishi who still stuck to his principles and maintained a rustic but irresistible dish that people queued two hours for, and in some cases, travel from prefectures around just for the experience.

This film isn’t just about making the perfect bowl of ramen, although Yamagishi freely allows the camera to film him working, as he doesn’t believe in trade secrets (indeed, he takes on everyone as an apprentice, from complete beginners, to experienced workers who already run their own ramen shop). “God of Ramen” goes beyond the food and the legend, and pretty deep into exploring Yamagishi’s life, motivations and his trials and tribulations, and filmed in a very intimate way, in a cramped tiny kitchen of a shop that only fits 16 people at any one time. So Yamagishi’s cheerful face fills up the screen frequently in extreme close-up. This is the extent of Yamagishi’s world, as he confesses he rarely ventures past its tiny confines, as the shop is not just his livelihood, but contains memories which are both highly treasured and extremely painful. The God of Ramen, lauded by many who primarily see him for his culinary skills, is quite human, lonely, suffering crippling pain and osteoarthritis, but remaining stoic and stubborn like a traditional Japanese man, for the sake of his customers.

For such a subject like this, the camera work and quality is surprisingly amateur, like a home video. In some scenes, the cameraman is clearly seen, with people running out of the way. It looks like something made for local Japanese tv, and has an ending narration that is a bit twee and sentimental. However, the film’s compelling subject matter overcomes its limitations, and is a poignant, engaging tribute to the charismatic Yamagishi, God of Ramen.

The God of Ramen (Ramen Yori Taisetsunamono) by Takashi Innami

Dec 2

WIT Life #256: Seattle’s Katsu Burger!

Travel/Tourism, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #256: Seattle’s Katsu Burger!

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 spent the weekend here in Seattle for the purpose of running the local marathon, which I successfully completed this afternoon!  Due to Seattle’s large Japanese-American population and their great influence, on previous visits I have taken advantage of cultural offerings such as the Uwajimaya shopping center (similar to our Mitsuwa), but I was excited to discover a new Japan-related restaurant this time around.  I was pretty ravenous after running and craving something substantial, so on the way to the airport I found myself at Katsu Burger.  It is in an area surrounded by several fast-food teriyaki joints, but not much else.  However, once stepping into the shop you are greeted by a wide variety of Japanese memorabilia, as well as a map adorned with push pins indicating where customers have visited from.  As you would expect of Chikyu no Arukikata bearing Japanese tourists, Japan was full from Hokkaido to Okinawa!

Katsu Burger bills itself as serving “Japanese-style burgers and beyond,” and all items Read More

Dec 1

Job: Study Abroad Advisor, The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)

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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.

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Position: Study Abroad Advisor
Posted by: The George Washington University
Location: Washington, D.C.
Type: full-time

Overview:

Founded in 1821, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia, to include ten academic units, with a full-time equivalent enrollment of a little over 20,000 students and approximately 11,000 full-time and part-time employees (faculty and staff). The George Washington University is a community dedicated to learning, communication, respect, service and teamwork. As one of the largest private employers in the District of Columbia, the university seeks employees who support the teaching, research, and public service mission of the university.

Read More

Dec 1

“The Great Passage” – Film Review from Australia’s 17th Japanese Film Festival

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The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia is now showing in Melbourne, the last major city on its national tour before wrapping up for the year. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films on offer.

A Geek God

Japan’s official entry into the 2014 Oscar’s foreign film section might seem a rather strange choice, as its main overarching plot revolves around the 15-year compilation of a dictionary. Certainly, very few other countries would have made a film on such an apparently dry subject matter, but “The Great Passage” uses it as the basis to explore very Japanese concerns about hard work, teamwork, perseverance and discipline, which would have been implied by the actual translation of the Japanese title (“Assemble the Boats”, also the title of the prize-winning novel the movie is based on, by Shion Miura).

Beginning in the 1990’s, the dictionary department of a Tokyo publishing house, under the guidance of department-head Matsumoto-sensei (Go Kato), decides to embark on a grand project of collecting, documenting and eventually publishing a unique dictionary – one that would contain the contemporary lexicon of modern Japan. But due to the departure of its head editor Araki (Kaoru Kobayashi), they search urgently for a replacement, eventually finding Majime (Ryuhei Matsuda), a painfully shy, awkward (these days we would call him somewhat autistic) loner, but who is extremely exact in his mannerisms. Sensing an apt fit, Nishioka (Joe Odagiri) and Araki engineer Majime’s transfer as Araki’s replacement. And so begins a grand obsession for Majime, on several different levels.

“The Great Passage” is epic: not just in the time-frame depicted, or the nature of the dictionary work, but also in its focus. Director Yuya Ishii is not afraid to take the time to unfold the minutiae of what goes into compiling a dictionary, from fieldwork collection, cataloguing, cross-checking, multiple proofing and paper-quality scrutinising. Constantly, new words crop up, but the team patiently note and incorporate them into the ever evolving work, as technology, society and economy changes. Pretty much “all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-how-a-dictionary-is-made-but-wouldn’t-have-cared-to-ask”. On a larger scale, the compilation of the dictionary becomes a metaphor for life. The increasing number of foreign loanwords over the course of the compilation shows the exposure of Japanese society to the outside world over time, a truly, living, breathing project as envisioned by Matsumoto-sensei. Majime’s character development also happens in parallel with the dictionary, as he interacts more with his workmates, after coming to realise that a truly worthwhile enterprise requires the help and goodwill of others. Every aspect of his existence, for good or for bad, gets taken over by his work, as his budding romance with his landlady’s granddaughter Kaguya (Aoi Miyazaki) is good-naturedly encouraged and supported by the entire department as a way to come up with an authentic definition of “love”, to troubling dreams of drowning in a sea with floating pages.

Just like the film’s theme of teamwork, everyone’s performance helps to make this absorbing film, from Matsuda’s awkward Majime, who is at first unable to express his thoughts and feelings without resorting to reciting dictionary definitions, to Miyazaki’s expressive Aoi, as well as Odagiri’s brash Nishioka. Thanks to the cast, “The Great Passage” doesn’t drag, proving that an unhurried enterprise, much like the dictionary itself, can produce an excellent work.

The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu) directed by Yûya Ishii, released April 13 2013 in Japan, starring Ryûhei Matsuda, Kumiko Asô, Chizuru Ikewaki, Haru Kuroki, Aoi Miyazaki, Kaoru Kobayashi, Hiroko Isayama and Naoki Matayoshi.

Nov 30

Job: Sub-contractor ESL Tutor (Indianapolis, IN)

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Via the Indiana  subchapter of  JETAA Chicago. Posted by Kim ‘Kay’  Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Sub-contractor ESL tutor
Posted by: The Language Training Center
Type: N/A
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
The Language Training Center (www.languagetrainingcenter.com), based in Indianapolis, is looking for an ESL tutor for Saturday mornings and a teacher for ESL group lessons on Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons. Some Japanese language familiarity preferred.

If you are interested in these positions or have questions, please contact LTC’s Ryan Cook: rcook@languagetrainingcenter.com  

http://www.languagetrainingcenter.com/about/career-opportunities.aspx

Nov 30

Job: Director of Education – Museum of Chinese in the Americas (NYC)

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Via Philanthropy News Digest.Posted by Kim ‘Kay’  Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Director of Education
Posted by: Museum of Chinese in the Americas
Type: N/A
Location: New York, NY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
 

Overview:
The Director of Education is responsible for developing and managing comprehensive educational plans (both short and long term) as well as creating and maintaining educational programs that reflect the Museum of Chinese in America’s ( MOCA) mission and meets the needs of the diverse audiences we serve.

Responsibilities

• Work with Executive Director and senior staff to set the vision and goals for the department.
• Recruit, train, and supervise museum educators, interns, and volunteers.
• Develop and implement curriculum-based education programs including on-site guided tours, professional development workshops, and resources.
• Plan, develop, implement and evaluate in-school and out-of-school partnership with school teachers, school administrators, and staff at partner community organizations. Read More

Nov 23

WIT Life #254: Denver’s Japanese influence

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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.

My interpreting travels bring me again to Denver, and earlier in the fall I posted here about the city’s amazing History Colorado Center, currently showing an exhibit about Japanese American internment during the war.  It is still running, so make sure to check it out if you are in town!  My clients and I spent the first week of our three-week journey in DC, as these Department of State programs always do.  There I spent some time at the Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II.  It features two Japanese cranes caught in barbed wire on top of a tall marble pedestal, and it was created by Japanese-American sculptor Nina Akamu in 2000.  It sits in a landscaped plaza surrounded by a granite wall with inscriptions of the battles that Japanese Americans fought in, as well as the names of Read More

Nov 18

Job: Purchasing Department; Food Safety / GMP Position QA (NJ)

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A JET-relevant listing received directly from the company.  New York Mutual Trading has posted jobs to JETwit previously as well. Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Purchasing Department;  Food Safety / GMP Position QA
Type: Full-Time
Location:  25 Knickerbocker Road Moonachie, NJ 07074
Salary:    Salary dependent upon experience and qualifications; Medical Insurance (premiums will be paid by the company); Paid vacations (after 1 year) and holidays

Overview:

• Responsible for managing and implementing the food safety program standard with regards to municipal, federal regulatory, and safety requirements. It includes: HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), and ISO/SQF auditing standards, and new quality assurance programs.
• Required to learn and perform basic purchasing works, such as import document, cost calculation, inventory control, and work with warehouse department.
• Oversee and direct facility inspections and conduct quality audits.
• Continually informing management and employees on regulations pertaining to daily operations.
• Setting standards and maintaining consistent liaise between vendors to obtain documentation.
• Maintain and file all documents pertaining to quality and/or government regulations.

Read More

Nov 17

Austin Moore beautifies Japan (starting with his own house)

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Posted by Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-90)

The January 2013 edition of the “JET Plaza” section of CLAIR Forum magazine included an article by Austin Moore, who came to Japan in 1984 on the Monbusho English Fellow (MEF) program, a forerunner of the JET Program. In it, he mentioned his work to restore a 145-year-old house in Hino, Shiga Prefecture, which led the owners of several other old houses in the neighborhood to spruce up their buildings as well.

Now, the Wall Street Journal has taken notice. According to an article this month by Yuka Hayashi, “Mr. Moore has established himself as a key member of the community, serving on its preservation society and helping promote tourism. Following his renovation, three families have moved into the abandoned houses and others have reintroduced traditional features to their homes… ‘Mr. Moore came from the outside and saw the beauty of Hino and its old homes that the locals had grown blind to,’ said Ryojun Manda, director of the local history museum. ‘He showed us how to breathe life back into old houses and make them shine again.'”

You can read the full article HERE and view a gorgeous photo essay about the house HERE.

Nov 17

Around Japan in 47 Curries: Nagano Souvenirs

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Tom Baker (Chiba, 1989-91) is writing a 47-part series of posts on his Tokyo Tom Baker blog, in which he samples and comments on a curry from a different prefecture almost every week. Here’s an excerpt from his 15th installment, in which he visits Nagano Prefecture and brings back some curry souvenirs:

Like neighboring Yamanashi, Nagano is a big producer of fruit. The prefecture is especially proud of its apples, which are often used (usually in pureed form) to sweeten curries. But instead of apple curry, I bought some beef curry made with the meat of apple-fed cows. While I was at it, I also got some curry made with yeast-fed Nagano pork.

Read more HERE.

Oct 30

WIT Life #252: Ivan Ramen

Food & Drink, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #252: Ivan Ramen

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 written here, but during that time I’ve traveled from Hawaii to LA to NY and then to Japan for various interpreting gigs.  Needless to say, there were many adventures along the way!  A particular highlight was getting to interpret for my favorite Japanese director, Hirokazu Kore-eda, when his fabulous new film Like Father Like Son (そして父になる) debuted at the New York Film Festival last month.  It will have its widespread release here in the States early next year, and I will write more about it and meeting the director then…

It’s always great to be home again, and one of the best parts is being able to enjoy the many events taking place on a daily basis here in the city. Last night I was able to check out one at Strand Books, which hosted the author Ivan Orkin to talk about his experiences running a ramen shop in Tokyo, his new memoir/cookbook, and the opening of his upcoming ramen shop here in NY.  I was looking forward to meeting Orkin as he graduated from Read More

Oct 27

Job: Administrative Program Assistant (APA) – (Oregon)

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Oct 20

Job: U.S. Dept of State’s English Language Fellow Program application

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Thanks to JET Alum Tammy Wik, Recruitment Coordinator for this program. Posted by Kim ‘Kay’  Monroe (Miyazaki–shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: English Language Fellow
Posted by: The U.S. Dept of State
Type: N/A
Location: N/A
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
The U.S. Dept of State’s English Language Fellow Program application for Academic Year 2014-2015 is now OPEN!

http://www.elfellowprogram.org/elf/

The U.S. Dept of State’s English Language Fellow Program application for Academic Year 2014-2015 is now open

Three Pieces of Exciting News:
– No minimum amount of language teaching required anymore! (Two years is still preferred, but this is great for recent grads.)
– Fellowship stipend has increased from $25,000 –> $30,000 (plus basic living and misc. expenses are still paid)
– $5,000 dependent allowance has been added!

Note:  JET alum Tammy Wik, who is the Recruitment Coordinator for this program, posted this to the JETAA Northern California LinkedIn group, and also added:  “My best advice is always to apply early — you can roll over your application to future years if something comes up more, but if you’re not in the pool early, you might miss out on being matched to a great project.”  

Oct 20

Job: Recruiter at Morgan McKinley (Tokyo)

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Posted by Kim ‘Kay’  Monroe (Miyazaki–shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Recruitment Researcher
Posted by: Morgan McKinley
Type: N/A
Location: Tokyo
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:

Are you looking for a career in recruitment? Are you ambitious and target driven with an interest in the recruitment industry? If so, Morgan McKinley Tokyo currently has opportunities for graduate calibre individuals who would like to develop a long term career within recruitment.

We currently have open vacancies for 2013 but will also have opportunities in 2014 so are keen to speak to any interested candidates.

As a Global Professional Recruitment Consultancy, Morgan McKinley connects specialist talent with leading employers (primarily Fortune 500 companies) across multiple industries and disciplines. Since 1988, the company has enjoyed significant growth year-on-year and today employs over 500 people throughout its 19 offices in 10 countries. Read More