Update 5/9/11: CLICK HERE to read “Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project“
Update: We’ve set up a Google Form to collect responses as an alternative to doing this via e-mail.
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Thanks to the Japan National Tourism Organization for its help in spreading the word about this project.
The “JET-Tourists Tally Project“
Last updated: 05/09/2011 (Thanks to JETAA UK and JETAA DC for letting its members know about the survey!)
- Tourists brought to Japan by JETs: 2,009
- Visitor Days: 22,574
- Respondents: 347
- Estimated tourism revenue (¥10,000/day): ¥225,740,000 (about $2,687,381 @ US$1=84yen)
- Estimated tourism revenue per JET respondent: ¥650,548 (about $7,745 @ US$1=84yen)
- Conclusion? At a minimum, JETs generate the equivalent of 1/5 to 1/6 of their salary for the Japanese economy. This is in addition to other returns on investment (e.g., diplomatic, financial and cultural) provided to Japan by participants in the JET Program.
(See further below for breakdown by prefecture.)
Here’s a simple way for every JET and JET alum to do their part to support the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association.
- Just fill out this simple Google Form that we set up: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFFPeW5zdUZjQ3RZbEJJQ2IzNHJCZHc6MQ&ifq
or, if you prefer….
- E-mail visitors [at] jetwit.com and
- Tell us how many people you are personally responsible for causing to visit Japan (both during and since JET).
Please make sure to include:
- Number of tourists (e.g., Mom + Dad + two brothers = 4 people)
- Total number of days they stayed in Japan (e.g., If Mom & Dad + two brothers each stayed for 10 days, that’s 40 total days of tourist travel)
- Your name + position on JET (ALT/CIR/SEA)
- Your Prefecture + city/town and years on JET (e.g., 2006-10) (this is vital info!)
- Any comments, stories or additional info you want to share
Nearly all of us had relatives and friends come and visit us in Japan. Some of us have brought student groups and organized other exchanges. All of this has provided tourism revenue for the Japanese economy. The goal of this project is to determine, at a minimum, the amount of tourism revenue for which JET is directly responsible.
This information is particularly important amidst ongoing discussions of costs associated with the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association. Many of the short and long term benefits have simply not been factored in. So email visitors@jetwit.com with your responses and let’s make sure this info does get factored in to future discussions.
We will continue to update the numbers in this post. Please check back periodically for updates.
Note: We are assuming a rather conservative estimate of Y10,000 per day (approximately $100) for all tourism expenditures combined (e.g., lodging, travel, food, entertainment and other tourist expenditures). Some people flew Japanese airlines, others did not. Some stayed in hotels, others stayed for free on the couch. All in all, 10,000 yen/day is a very low-end estimate.
Special domo arigatou for their ongoing help with this project to Joe Silvagni (Nagasaki-ken, 2008-10), Mike Shu (Hyogo-ken, 2005-08) and Sam Lederer (Shizuoka-ken, 2005-07).
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JET alums: Help AJET with “Life After JET”
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Share Your Expertise with Current JETs
The National Association of Japan Exchange and Teaching is hoping to make the transition from JET to…whatever comes next just a little less daunting. Our new monthly column, “Life After JET,” will feature former-JETs now working in a wide range of fields and share how they found a job, what they’re doing now and any advice they may have for current JET Programme participants.
Now we just need a few willing former-JETs. ..please contact Kathryn Kovacs at pr@ajet.net if that’s you! You’ll just have to answer a few questions about your JET and work experience via email to be featured in “Life After JET” in the AJET e-Bulletin, website and facebook page.
For more information about National AJET, please check our website: http://ajet. net or follow us on Facebook: www. facebook. com/AJETJapan
Job: Google Tokyo Product Manager
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via The Japan America Society. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika currently works as an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JetWit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Product Manager
Job Details:
You will join Google’s product management team as a talented, ambitious, self-directed technologist and will guide our products from conception to launch. You are eager to improve information access for millions of people and have a proven track record of excellence. As a Google product manager, your responsibilities will include gathering requirements, helping to define a product vision and strategy, and working with world-class engineers to execute that strategy.
Responsibilities:
1. Initiate new products and product enhancements to meet existing or anticipated market needs
2. Engage closely with the engineering team to help determine the best technical implementation methods as well as a reasonable execution schedule, prioritize projects and track development
3. Work with a cross-functional internal team (e.g. sales, client services, marketing, legal, etc) to ensure smooth and successful launches
4. Establish short and long term product goals and strategies
Requirements
1. BS degree preferred with strong academic record (MS or PhD in Computer Science or related field a plus)
2. Demonstrated experience in shipping products (concept to launch).
3. Good understanding of user needs in Japan and an innovative history of addressing them.
4. Market knowledge of Internet-related industries.
5. Excellent organizational skills including the ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues and partners.
6. Fluent English communication skills is a must. (Japanese is desirable but not essential)
About Product Management at Google:
One of the many reasons Google consistently brings innovative, world-changing products to market is because of the collaborative work we do in Product Management. With eyes focused squarely on the future, our team works closely with creative and prolific engineers to help design and develop technologies that improve access to the world’s information. We’re responsible for guiding products throughout the execution cycle, focusing specifically on analyzing, positioning, packaging, promoting and tailoring our solutions to all the markets where Google does business.
Contact:
To apply for this position, please contact Ray Tsuchiyama at rtsuchiyama (at) google.com
Help CLAIR revamp its “After JET” Handbook
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Via JETAA International Secretary Kay Dunkley.
CLAIR is in the process of re-vamping the After JET Handbook. Would you like to see any changes?
Go here to see what the handbook looks like: http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/current/pubs/after.html
Deadline for input: Saturday, December 11, 2010.
Click here to e-mail responses to Kay Dunkley.
Help CLAIR revamp its Newsletter
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Via JETAA International Secretary Kay Dunkley.
CLAIR is ready to revamp JET Streams, it’s annual newsletter. The aim is to make it look good, maximise the readers out there, making sure ALL JET Alums get it, and make it more interesting so more readers will be tuned to what JETAAI and CLAIR are doing.
Here is the list of articles that CLAIR would like to include:
1. Interesting JETAA Chapter activity articles.
2. Articles from 3 JETAA Alums, stories they would like to share about JET and Japan.
3. Articles from 3 JETAA Alums specifically talking about if they are involved in anything now that has kept up with their former contracting organisation, school to school, sister city events, etc. (or prefecture) (this is actually the hottest topic that we can use to promote the JET programme in Japan as well)
Please respond by December 27, 2010.
Click here to e-mail Kay with your input/submissions.
Foxhound87: Kyoto Joy!
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Joshua Small is a First Year JET currently living in Ikaruga-cho, Nara-ken and has been chronicling his experience on his blog Snorlax87.
Last Saturday, I went to Kyoto with some Japanese friends and Rogue, a Nara JET. I woke early (on my effing weekend) and hopped the train to Nara. From Nara, I met up with Rogue and we took the train to Inari Station in Kyoto together. We had to take a local train to Inari Station so it took about an hour to get there.
Side Note: Living in Nara is amazing. Not only is Nara the cultural capital of Japan, but Nara is smack-dab in the middle of the Kansai Region. To the north, Kyoto. To the West, Osaka and Kobe. I live less than an hour from all the wonderful places in Japan. Awesome.
Rogue and I met up with the rest of the crew and we ventured into Fushimi Inari Taisha (a shrine). This shrine is amazing. The entrance is adorned with a LARGE orange gate. Once we reached the inside, we partook of some shrine rituals…
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.
http://snorlax87.blogspot.com/
JetWit Diary 12.03.10
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JetWit Diary is a new feature by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94), founder and publisher of JetWit. Steven is available on a consulting basis to assist organizations with any membership building, social media consulting, creative communications and writing needs.
JET and the Local Government Challenge
In light of recent information about Aichi’s decision to forgo prefectural JETs and awareness that, in contrast, Hyogo and Kobe seem to be very supportive of JET, and after a suggestion by JETAANY President-to-be Monica Yuki that perhaps it would make sense to focus our energies on the the prefectures that are the most JET-friendly, I thought it would be a good idea to figure out statistically which prefectures or contracting organizations are making the most use of JETs.
To that end, further below (after the “Read More” break) is a list of the contracting organizations with the most JET ALTs. (FYI, a “contracting organization” is a prefecture, city, board of education, etc. that allocates budget towards hiring JETs.)
In the meantime, I think it would also be very helpful to get a sense of why some contracting organizations continue to support and hire JETs while others do not. So I’d like to request that any JETs and JET alums out there (especially CIRs) get in touch if you have any perspectives based on conversations or other interactions.
- Email responses to: jetwit [at] jetwit.com
Generally speaking, of course, I’m well aware that tight budgets have a lot to do with the attrition. But it might be helpful to dig a little deeper and know why JET is prioritized above or below other budget items. Also, what factors might cause a contracting organization to change the way it views or prioritizes JET? And perhaps any ways that some prefectures may have found to extract more value (short and long term) from having JETs that helps justify the expenditures. e.g., Perhaps some prefectures have found successful ways to incorporate JETs into strong sister city relationships that continue to benefit the prefecture/city over time.
On a related note, thanks to conversations with knowledgeable JET alums, I now understand a bit more about how the relationship among budgets, the JET Program and dispatch companies such as Interac. The central government used to provide a certain amount of funds to the local governments to hire JETs. Now, as I understand it, the funds may be used to hire ALTs. This means that the local governments can (and increasingly seem to) choose to hire ALTs via a dispatch company rather than JETs. (There’s a whole separate issue on the legality of public schools hiring contract employees via dispatch companies, about which I know very little, but I don’t think it makes sense from a JETAA perspective to focus on that.)
JetWit is starting to get more and more job listings. That’s because
- We don’t charge to post job listings and circulate them to the JetWit Jobs Google group (because I never want to create barriers to JETs and JET alum access to job opportunities); and
- We’ve gotten a few more U.S.-based Japanese staffing companies to see the light, i.e., that if they’re not posting their JET-relevant jobs on JetWit, they’re missing a huge opportunity. (Though I do encourage them to make a contribution if they’re happy with the results and want to make sure that JetWit continues to exist for their benefit.)
If you know any staffing companies with JET-relevant job listings, tell them to email jetwit [at] jetwit.com and we’ll get them out to the community.
That’s all for this edition of JetWit Diary. Have a Happy Chanukah and enjoy your bounenkais.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,
Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
Brooklyn, NY
jetwit [at] jetwit.com
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The first instalment of JetWit Fashion Beat is brought to you by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika currently works as an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
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Looking for unique Japanese omiyage? Need ideas for witty Christmas presents? I have found your solution! Look no further than T-shitsu.com.
After 3 years of meticulous planning, designing and market research by a motley crew of friends living in Kanazawa City, T-shitsu.com finally opened their doors to the gaijin community at large earlier this year. The shirts have been steadily gaining in popularity with both the current JET and JET Alum communities due to their fun designs.
The idea behind T-shitsu is to develop a range of witty designs for foreigners to set them apart from their peers in Japan. From the website:
One of us received a shirt as a present many moons ago which has the words ‘I’m Huge in Japan’ emblazoned on it and we all noticed that whenever that shirt was aired, people would comment on it. Every single time.
We searched the web for more shirts along the same vein and were frustrated to see that the options out there are slim to none. The shirts we did find…well… let’s just say “Baka Gai-jin” isn’t the best phrase to have on your chest as a foreigner in Japan!
In addition to serving the current gaijin clan, I think these shirts make a great gift for anyone who has experienced life as a foreigner in Japan, and Japanophiles in general around the globe.
The word “shitsu” means “quality” in Japanese, and the shirts are certainly of a high standard. All designs are available in a wide range of men’s and women’s sizes, and quick home and overseas delivery is possible.
Do also check out the Facebook page for regular updates, t-shirt competitions and general “gai-jin” related chat from the T-shitsu crew. They are always on the look out for new designs so if you have a good idea for a shirt – don’t hesitate contact them!
Last but not least, if you do purchase a shirt from our friends over at T-shitsu.com, please mention that you heard about them from JetWit. Thanks and happy shopping!
Have a suggestion for a future JetWit Fashion Beat post? E-mail dipika [at] jetwit.com.
Japan Group Looking to Ease Immigration Policy
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Andrew R. McCarthy (Akita-ken, 2005-08) is a law student at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law focusing on international trade, business, and tax. He currently runs the blog JETs with J.D.s, an information source for current JET alumni law students and prospective law students for career paths and approaches within the current legal market. For those considering law school and trying to comprehend the costs and the risks of such an endeavor, he also recommends The Law School Tuition Bubble.
Though still clearly in the concept stage, last week saw a report by a Japanese group of politicians, business leaders, and academics looking to ease immigration policy and bring in more foreigners. Combined with the efforts to send Japanese teachers to the U.S. to enhance their English, this marks a significant change in stance for Japan, assuming all of these great ideas turn into action.
Links to the source articles can be found here.
JETAA Northern California Newsletter needs articles
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Via JETAA Northern California:
The Fall issue of Pacific Bridge, JETAANC’s quarterly newsletter, is now in production and we NEED YOUR HELP!
There’s a list of short articles that still need to be written and edited. E-mail communications@jetaanc.org if you could potentially help out.
The issues’ theme is “Japan in NorCal and Nevada,” so suggestions for articles related to Japan in our neighborhood are also welcome.
You don’t have to be Hemingway and you will get a byline–so turn your creative side loose and add a line to your resume!
Thanks in advance!
Tom Baker wrties about a slew of movies, manga and a video game
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. As another example of JET ROI, he is one of at least four former JETs to have been on the newspaper’s staff in recent years. He usually writes for DYWeekend, the arts and leisure section. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
His articles in the past two months include interviews with movie director Breck Eisner and video game producer Rich Rosado, plus a slew of reviews. Click on the titles in these thumbnail summaries to find the articles:
In 1973, legendary horror director George Romero make a low-budget movie called “The Crazies,” in which the accidental release of a biological weapon turns many of the people of a small town into homicidal maniacs. Present-day director Breck Eisner has remade that movie with a much bigger budget, and he discusses the changes he made in the interview.
“Red Dead Redemption” is a video game that lets you shoot a lot of people and then makes you feel guilty about it. Rich Rosado, one of the producers for Rockstar Games (a company better known for its “Grand Theft Auto” series) says that’s intentional in the interview.
“Black Butler” is a manga in which a rich orphan seeks revenge for the death of his parents with the help of a supernatural butler.
“Fairy Tail” is a manga follows the friendships and rivalries among a guild of young, good-looking wizards.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” is a movie that needs no introduction.
“Daybreakers” is a movie in which vampires have taken over the world – and not all of them are happy about it.
“ A Single Man” is a movie in which Colin Firth plays a gay man in America in 1963 who is devastated by the sudden death of his lover.
“Knight and Day” is a movie in which Cameron Diaz becomes a hostage/apprentice to secret agent Tom Cruise.
“The Expendables” is a movie in which Sylvester Stallone leads a merry band of morally mixed-up mercenaries.
Foxhound87: Diwali: A Festivals of Lights Part 2: Just Desserts
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Joshua Small is a First Year JET currently living in Ikaruga-cho, Nara-ken and has been chronicling his experience on his blog Snorlax87.
Since Diwali is the festival of lights, a couple JETs provided some cheap sparklers for us to light following dinner. We had to leave the hotel, so we moved the party to a courtyard in front of the Nara Visitor Center. Most people left to do other things. About 14 of us stuck around for the sparklers. Our merry group of foreigners lit sparklers and danced around. We were having a grand ol’ time until the fuzz showed up. Yes, between conducting traffic with light sabers and trolling the prefecture for a Mr. Dounut, the police took an interest in our festivities. Myself and one other JET tried to sneak away from the group, but were caught and asked to return. Damn. 2 others DID manage to sneak away. As they hobbled into the train station, I yelled (as only a true hypocrite can), “Cowards!” They got away, we didn’t…
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.
http://snorlax87.blogspot.com/
Foxhound87: Diwali: A Festival of Lights Part 1
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Joshua Small is a First Year JET currently living in Ikaruga-cho, Nara-ken and has been chronicling his experience on his blog Snorlax87.
The Nara JET community recently celebrated Diwali, the Indian “Festival of Lights.” We have one JET who was born in India and she wanted to share her culture with Nara ALTs. About 26 of us gathered in a rented kitchen at a hotel adjacent to JR Nara.
Side Story about the Kitchen: The kitchen in this hotel was originally built to provide an environment to improve relations between partners in relationships. Maybe the wife can show her husband how to cook and they can work together to make a meal. Does this sound ridiculous? It is. Nara AJET exploited this information and reserved the kitchen under the guise of improving relations between men and women. We had to make sure guys and girls were both cooking and cleaning just to keep up appearances. This is how we booked the kitchen for freeeeeeeeee.
Everyone was told to bring their own plates, cups, and silverware (unnecessarily, I might add). No one knew that the kitchen was already stocked with EVERYTHING…
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.
http://snorlax87.blogspot.com/
INTERVIEW: Evans Revere on North Korea’s provocations
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John Ellis-Guardiola (Miyagi, 2002-04) is a NYC-based TV news producer who worked for the New York Bureau of Tokyo Broadcasting System and is now at the Reuters CCTV desk. At TBS he covered many topics, especially related to North Korea and the U.N. You can follow his blog at jelgua.wordpress.com.
Thanksgiving 2010 will be another U.S. holiday peppered with news from North Korea. This is a pattern – July 4, 2006, missiles; Memorial Day 2009, nuclear test. With the latest news about cross-border firing on the Korean Peninsula, I asked Evans Revere, a former senior U.S. diplomat, a Senior Director at the Albright Stonebridge Group, and Diplomat-in-Residence at the Woodrow Wilson School, for his insight. He kindly provided these answers via email.
Q: How do you interpret the most recent provocations on the Korean Peninsula and the revelation of centrifuges to Dr. Hecker? Some suggest this most recent round of belligerence is related to leadership succession issues. What is your take?
A: My own sense is that the leadership/succession issues have long since been decided. The course that North Korea is on has been set for some time, and the recent Korean Workers’ Party meeting that anointed Kim Jong Un as the next leader when his father passes brought to a conclusion a long, complicated, and secretive process that was set in motion when Kim Jong Il took ill in the summer of 2008. Now that the course has been set, the North Koreans are moving on several fronts. If anything, recent developments in the military and nuclear arenas probably have the blessing of both the older and the younger Kim. There are credible reports that the two visited… Click here to read more.
Thanksgiving in Japan?
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J-DOC, C-DOC, and K-DOC are recurring features written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese, Chinese, and Korean language learning options.
Japanese Class listing can be found at: Japanese Classes
So wait, I know what you’re thinking. There were no colonists coming to the “new world” and mixing with indigenous peoples in Japan? I lived in Japan, and it was very difficult for me to even get a turkey, let alone get together for a turkey dinner with local Japanese?
Although there is no direct holiday that mirrors Thanksgiving in Japan, there is a holiday that’s very similar in terms of how it’s celebrated.
Click here Thanksgiving in Japan for the rest of the article.
