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 winds fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed after Labor Day.

This month’s highlights include:

Friday, Sept. 1, 5:00 p.m. 

Book Signing Meet & Greet with R.L. Stine

Sag Harbor Books, 7 Main Street

$25

Join acclaimed international author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps) for the release of his new book Stinetinglers 2: 10 More New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales! Two kids embark on a field trip to the zoo…and stumble upon a creature they never expected to meet. A boy makes a machine that puts kids in charge…but at what cost? A child is sure his new house is haunted…but is it just in his head? Laced with Stine’s signature humor and a hefty dose of nightmarish fun, Stinetinglers 2 is perfect for fans who want even more scares. These chilling tales prove that Stine’s epic legacy in the horror genre is justly earned. Dive in, and beware: you might be sleeping with the lights on tonight!

Tuesday, Sept. 5, 7:00 p.m.

PassCode

Gramercy Theatre, 127 East 23rd Street

$41.75

Metal girl group PassCode are playing their first ever stateside tour this September, kicking off a three-show U.S. mini-tour! Their metal-style arrangements are in stark contrast to their pop idol styling and dance moves, and lead singer Arima’s harsh vocals give the band a unique sound that is winning fans around the world. Incorporating a wide range of musical genres, PassCode’s debut album ZENITH was released via Universal Music. The band has received love and support from both rock fans and idol fans throughout Japan, and have performed at several major music festivals including Summer Sonic and the Vans Japan Warped Tour, and played a sold-out show at Nippon Budokan last year For more info, visit their website and see their new music video “GROUNDSWELL.”

Sept. 6, 7, 9-10

Perfect Blue

Various locations

$20

Anime Expo Cinema Nights invites you to revisit Perfect Blue, the groundbreaking and rarely screened first film from legendary director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Paranoia Agent) as it returns to theatres for its 25th anniversary! Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat posed is more real than even Mima knows in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time.

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Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum Susan Laura Sullivan will be part of a troika of writers discussing the concept of hybridity at this year’s Japan Writer’s conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15.

Here’s the official description of her presentation:

Jane Joritz-Nakagawa, Susan Laura Sullivan, & Marcus Grandon
Collisions, Collages, Collaborations: Using Hybridity Effectively in Your Writing
Panel Discussion

This session will focus on how to employ the concept of hybridity to make fiction, memoir, essay, journalistic writing, poetry, or cross-genre work more exciting for its audience. Examples will be given using excerpts from various published writers, including but not limited to works of the presenters. Things that can be added to a work include visuals, quotations, work in a different genre or language, sound, metaphor, musicality, any type of found work, dialogues, and more. This session is intended to benefit any writer working in any genre or style at any level.

Jane Joritz-Nakagawa has lived in Japan since 1989. Currently she lives in Hamamatsu. She is working on her eleventh full length poetry collection, a novel, short stories and essays. She teaches part time at Shizuoka University but frequents Yatsugatake (Minami maki mura, Nagano) whenever possible.

Susan Laura Sullivan publishes across all genres. Co-editor and contributor to the award-winning Women of a Certain Age (Fremantle Press), she was shortlisted for the 2012 TAG Hungerford prize. Her most recent poetry will appear in Limina: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies in the near future. She resides in Japan.

Marcus Grandon is a multimedia artist, writer, musician, researcher, and educator. His work has been exhibited internationally and won awards in multiple genres. He’s a Teaching Fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK, and a university instructor in Japan. Marcus’ artwork is in private collections of people around the world. Marcus presents at conferences internationally and travels frequently. He makes his home in Shizuoka City, Japan. www.marcusgrandon.com.

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: Counsular Staff, Visa Officer
Posted by: Counsulate General of Japan in Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

The Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles is seeking a full-time Consular Staff (specified in VISA-related matters). For those who are interested, please send your response via email by Sep. 22nd. 

Job description General consular matters including security issues Visa-related responsibilities, which include: 

• Adjudicate immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications for non-Japanese travelers traveling to visit, work, live, etc. in Japan 
• Answering phone calls including inquiries such as simple application procedures and complex cases regarding Japanese consular policies and regulations, etc. 
• Assist visa applicants in completing necessary forms and documentation
• Review visa applications based on criteria set forth by the office 
• Interview applicants to ascertain information pertaining to their visa applications 

Working Environment 

• Venue: Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles 
• Hours: Mon-Fri (except holidays) 9:30am-5:00pm (There could be over-time duties when necessary) 
• Salary: $50,000～$55,000 per year (The salary of newly hired staff will be determined depending on their background, experiences, and skills) 
• Benefits: Group Medical insurance policy is available with “NIPPON LIFE” (80% of the premium is paid by the Consulate)

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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: Assistant News Producer
Posted by: TV TOKYO America, Inc.
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
Contract: Full-Time; $45,000.00 – $50,000.00 per year

Thanks to TV TOKYO America, Inc. for passing along the following job opening.

Description:

TV TOKYO America has an immediate opening for a new assistant news producer in our Washington DC bureau, covering a wide range of issues including US politics, foreign policy, economics, and general-interest stories. This full-time position involves working closely with correspondents from Japan to assist in all aspects of the reporting process. Join us to cover press conferences of U.S. government agencies, international conferences abroad, and next year’s presidential election.

You should have:

Familiarity and interest in topics related to US domestic politics and foreign policy, East Asian regional affairs, and current events.
Strong English communication skills and the ability to quickly digest a lot of information.
Ability to work under deadline pressure.

You will be expected to:

• Attend regularly-scheduled press briefings (including the White House, congressional hearings, and panel discussions around DC, taking note of pertinent information and conveying that to correspondents.
• Do research and fact-checking for breaking news and day-of stories.
• Work with Japanese correspondents to conceive and develop ideas for long-form feature stories.
• Book interviews, arrange shoots, and facilitate logistics for domestic and international travel, accompanying camera crews to other locations as necessary.
• Assist with on-site news production and in-house recording, logging, and editing of video feeds.
• Have conversational level Japanese language ability.

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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.

I’ve been on the road for the majority of this month interpreting for the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I’m traveling with a six-person group from Japan here in the U.S. to study technology transfer and commercialization of biotechnology. Our three-week journey is an East Coast tour that has taken us from Washington D.C. to Boston and Philadelphia, followed by our current final stop of Orlando (where we were almost derailed by Hurricane Idalia!).

During our time in Philly, I was delighted to discover a previously unknown Isamu Noguchi sculpture. Philly has a robust public art program, including a wide variety of murals all throughout the city. This Noguchi work called A Bolt of Lightening refers to Benjamin Franklin’s famous experiment flying a kite in an electrical storm. It rises above what seemed to be a construction site so at first I thought it was some sort of crane, but upon closer look it revealed itself to be a stainless steel structure supported by cables.

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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: Part-Time Assistant Director
Posted by: Kobe Trade Information Office (KTIO)
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Contract: Part-Time ; No visa sponsorship; Starts at $20/hour and increases to $23/hour after 90 days.

Thanks to Kobe Trade Information Office (KTIO) for passing along the following job opening.

Description:

• Perform secretarial duties including answering phones, scheduling meetings, responding to inquiries and emails, managing payroll, tax filings, and bookkeeping, and assisting the Director with any events, exchanges, or domestic business trips.
• Facebook, Linkedin, email newsletters, website updates for articles and contact information.
• Work duties are not very difficult.
• Work within 20 hours per week.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here – https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kobe-trade-information-office_job-recruitment-seattle-activity-7099907894329966592-r5lE/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

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: Client Services Associate
Posted by: Preqin
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Contract: Full-Time; No visa sponsorship

Thanks to JET alumnus, Andrew James (Miyazaki-ken, 2015-2018) for passing along the following job opening.

Description: Our Client engagement strategy involves close and consistent relationship building with our clients, to have a deep understanding of their work processes and requirements and from there ensuring they have access to the best and most suitable tools on our platform.

We are seeking an analytical and organised individual with knowledge of the financial markets, client-facing experience and proficiency in Microsoft Office (specifically Microsoft Excel). Our ideal candidate would have a strong consultative approach to effectively engage with clients in these markets.

We are continuing to invest in our customer-oriented strategy and this role will report to the Head of APAC Client Services. The position is an important part of implementing Preqin’s client-focused approach.

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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: Part-time Event Manager
Posted by: Fever
Location: Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe, Nagoya or Sapporo, Japan
Contract: Part-Time

Thanks to Fever for passing along the following job opening.

Act as the main point of contact onsite for Candlelight events and staff; communicate directly with Fever Originals manager. See more at the link below.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here – https://careers.feverup.com/jobs/4105181101/event-manager-part-time/

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: Sales Team Leader
Posted by: Inside Travel Group
Location: Broomfield, CO, USA
Contract: Full-Time ; No visa sponsorship

Our Values

In everything we do at Inside Travel Group, we strive to deliver a Quality and Friendly service with Integrity, Determination and Passion using our collective Knowledge. This is at the heart of the organization, and the company looks for every individual to demonstrate this daily. Each member of the team is expected to exemplify the company values through their work and professional conduct. We expect everyone to set an example to those around them and to be conscious that they are representing the company when working with customers and partner organizations.

Our Culture

You’ll be part of a fun, friendly team of employees, all of whom share a passion for our destinations, a belief in our brands and a strong collective sense of values and purpose. Our work culture is supportive, creative and dedicated, and it’s at its best when we all try to lead by example; the more you put in, the more you and the team get out, and it’ll be important that you play your part.

Job Purpose

To maximise the performance of your team of Travel Consultants, driving them to hit individual and team targets in productivity, sales, service and profit.

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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: Project Manager
Posted by: Fever
Location: Osaka, Japan 
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Fever for passing along the following job opening.

As a Project Manager, you will work with your team lead to develop, launch and manage your events, from A to Z. Together with the other departments, you will define the way to scale this event to new cities across Japan.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here –  https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/project-manager-at-fever-3641791637/?originalSubdomain=jp

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: Career Development and Graduate Support Coordinator
Posted by: Ashinaga Foundation
Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Contract: Full-Time; Visa Sponsorship

Thanks to Ashinaga Foundation for passing along the following job opening.

Salary/Hourly Rate: Annual contracts start between 4,123,200 yen and 4,842,000 yen, depending on the experience level, commensurate with experience.

One-year contract: The contract may be renewed upon discussion.

Other benefits:

• Economy class flight to/from Japan from/to the country of residence (at the beginning and end of your employment with Ashinaga).
• Language lesson budget support (Japanese, English, French and Portuguese), up to JPY20,000/month.
• Work-related travel expenses.
• Inclusion in an employee insurance program.
• 20 paid holidays per year (excluding national holidays and weekends.

Start Date: mid-October 2023

Responsibilities

We are hiring a Career Development and Graduate Support Coordinator to join our international team to support Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Scholars and Graduates. The position has two roles: (1) to work with the Professional Network and Career Development team (PND) to support AAI Scholars in navigating their career journey through their university life and (2) to work with Graduates and Alumni team (GAT) to facilitate positive engagement of AAI Graduates. This role also requires collaboration with other team members within AAI and Ashinaga regional offices (US, UK, France, Brazil, Uganda, and Senegal). Your duties would entail the following:

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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 Coordinator and Educational Affairs Specialist
Posted by: Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Contract: Full-Time; $19-$27 per hour; No visa sponsorship

Thanks to the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle for passing along the following job opening.

The consulate is seeking a well-qualified individual with excellent communication skills to serve as JET Program Coordinator and Educational Affairs Specialist. This position will be responsible mainly for supporting the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in addition to Japanese government (MEXT) scholarships and other tasks related to public outreach and culture.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click here – https://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/11_000001_00495.html

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: Multiple Positions
Posted by: DSA International
Location: Multiple Cities in the USA & in Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Emi Tanaka from DSA International (a Japanese recruiting company) for passing along the following information.

Japanese/American Companies seeking candidates nationwide & international. All of our positions are direct-hire with company benefits!  Please see the below partial listings, we also have many other positions available! 

• Entry Level Management Trainee and International Trader (Los Angeles, San Jose, Arizona, Tennessee, Alabama, Pasadena, Detroit, New York, Chicago, Hawaii, San Diego, Alabama, Ohio, North Carolina, Torrance, Orange County/CA) $40k – $90k/y
• Translator/Interpreter (Bilingual Japanese/English Language) (remote/CA/TN) $55k-$80k/y
• Engineers (California and Michigan locations) $100k – $130k/y
• Senior Level Accounting (Assistant Accounting Manager and Controller positions) (Torrance/Los Angeles, CA. Tokyo, Japan, and San Jose, CA) $90k – $130k/y

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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 Director
Posted by: Japan America Society of the State of Washington (JASSW)
Location: Mercer Island, WA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to PNWJETAA for passing along the following opening:

The Japan American Society of Washington State is seeking a new Executive Director.

About Us:

The Japan America Society of the State of Washington (JASSW) is celebrating our 100^th Anniversary in 2023.  We are based in Seattle, dedicated to promoting friendship and understanding between the people of the State of Washington and Japan. We strive to pursue this objective through programs and events which foster our mission. With a small team of dedicated professionals and a strong network of volunteers, we work tirelessly to make a positive difference in the lives of stakeholders.

Job Overview:

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to join our team as the Executive Director.

 As the Executive Director, you will be responsible for carrying out the goals and objectives set forth by a 45-member board by overseeing all aspects of our organization’s operations, including strategic planning, program development, fundraising, grant writing, financial management, and team leadership. You will report directly to the Board Chair and work collaboratively with the leaders of the board of directors, staff, and community partners to ensure the organization’s continued growth and success.

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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.

One of my favorite meals during my recent trip to Japan was 回転ずし (kaiten zushi, or conveyer belt sushi). It’s always fun to watch the food as it goes around and grab whatever looks good. I have a faint recollection of kaiten zushi in midtown run by a Singaporian company existing some years ago, but since then we haven’t had this type of restaurant in the city. But the wait is over, since a new kaiten zushi establishment opened last week.

Called Kaiten Zushi Nomad, this futuristic restaurant has ordering via tablet and three levels of conveyer belts that deliver your food. There are booths and counter-style seating, as well as a front waiting area that looks like it could double as a bar (Kaiten Zushi also has a wide array of alcoholic beverages to go with your food). They boast over 100 types of sushi, but fear not if raw fish isn’t your thing for they have plentiful appetizers and main dishes that feature meat and other cooked items such as donburi, ramen and karaage.

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