WIT Life #157: Bye Bye Kitty!!!
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WITLife 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 together with her own observations.
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the opening for the Japan Society’s newest exhibit, Bye Bye Kitty!!! The title refers to opposition towards the domination of Japan’s kawaii-ness, the idea of cuteness that has become Japan’s major export as represented by Hello Kitty. It features 16 artists, many of them quite young and not household names, and their interpretation of this concept. I was particularly drawn in by the intricacy of the works of 38-year old Manabu Ikeda, whose pen and ink masterpieces were incredibly detailed and required several minutes of close examination to take in all of their elements.
Equally interesting was the large-scale Read More
Kyodo News: Little Tokyo Community (LA) Mourns Tragedy, Rallies Support – by JET alum Jody Godoy
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Kyodo News article by LA-based JET alum and Kyodo News reporter Jody Godoy (Fukui-ken):
Little Tokyo Community Mourns Tragedy, Rallies Support
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined Japanese Consul General Junichi Ihara and more than 600 attendees at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in the Little Tokyo area on Thursday evening to mourn Japan’s quake and tsunami victims and show solidarity with the shaken country.
CLICK HERE to read full article.
Earthquake: Write for Tohoku – Call for Submissions
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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.
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There is an open call for submissions to an ebook anthology to raise funds for Tohoku.
Please go to the following website for more details: http://writefortohoku.wordpress.com/
WIT Life #156: 4th Annual Peace Festival
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WITLife 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 together with her own observations.
Like most of you, I have spent the last couple of days glued to the coverage of the earthquake/tsunami/radioactive fallout news from Japan. I left Tokyo the day before the quake and was shocked to come home to the awful news. The feelings of helplessness and immense sadness can be overwhelming at times, so I was happy to be able to help out as a volunteer interpreter at the 4th Annual Peace Festival this weekend. It just felt like the right place to be in the midst of all that is happening.
On Saturday night I attended the world premiere of Twice Bombed: The Legacy of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, which told the amazing tale of
this first officially recognized double atomic bomb survivor (二重被爆者 or nijuu hibakusha) who passed away last year at the age of 93. Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th respectively and was a truly inspiring figure, beginning his speaking out about his experience just five years before he died. Up until that point, his wife and daughter had encouraged him to stay silent as they were scared that Read More
Request: Personal essay for NYTimes op-ed about the earthquake?
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Via JET alum and DC-based Kyodo News reporter Ben Dooley:
A good friend of mine is an op-ed editor for the NYT, and he’s looking for someone to write a personal essay about the earthquake to be run on the op-ed page. It needs to be about 900 words, written in English or Japanese. The ideal person would be a prominent writer, academic or government official from or with strong ties to Sendai.
I know that things are very difficult in Japan right now, but if anyone from the JET community could put me in touch with someone who is interested in this opportunity and fits the bill, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
— Ben Dooley
bdooley [at] kyododc.com
JET alum Washington Post reporter seeks contacts with relatives in Sendai
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Via JETAA DC:
Hi all — I’m a Washington Post reporter and former JET (Hiroshima ’02) looking for any local dc-area connections to the quake for a story on local reaction. In particular seeking anyone who might have relatives in the Sendai region or any of you who were based there for JET and have friends/former colleagues there that you are trying to reach. We are on an immediate deadline, so please email me asap with a contact phone number if you have such a story to share.
Domo,
David Nakamura
nakamurad [at] washpost.com
Surviving In Japan: How to Find a Non-smoking Restaurant in Japan
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Ashley Thompson is "Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese."
Going out in Japan can sometimes be rough if you’re a non-smoker (like me). Granted, times are changing in Japan, and more and more facilities and areas are now completely non-smoking, or instead have a small room or area designated specifically for smoking. Kanagawa prefecture went completely non-smoking last year, making it the first prefecture in Japan to ban smoking in public areas such as beaches, and various public facilities such as schools and hospitals (though I think both of those are *generally* non-smoking in Japan now anyway) and even restaurants, if the restaurant didn’t already have separated smoking/non-smoking areas. At times, I wish I lived in Kanagawa, if only for that.
Now, of course, I mean no offense to anyone who does smoke – it’s all choice and I’m completely fine with that. My only issue is when kids or pregnant women are around or I have to sit and breathe it because of the location I’m in, as I’ve got some extremely annoying allergies (and I just don’t care for it in general). Thus sometimes, eating out can pose a challenge if you are a non-smoker and wish to avoid smoke at all costs.
Yes, smoke-free restaurants exist, as do various restaurants that are divided into smoking/non-smoking areas, but I can guarantee there are also plenty of restaurants that have neither. So if you are a serial non-smoker, you might be lucky to enjoy a good meal without inhaling secondhand smoke, that is, until the person sitting near you lights up. Of course, if it’s a smoking restaurant, you just have to deal with it, because they are well within their rights to smoke – but from experience, it’s also ruined some meals for me, and makes me want to try and avoid it when possible.
This is easier said than done.
The other day, my husband and I were feeling lazy and wanted to go out to eat, although I was feeling a little off that day and didn’t really want to take our chances with the smoking thing. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Tabelog (食べログ), a great restaurant search tool for all over Japan, but it comes in handy for looking up restaurants. I often browse that site, though I noticed most listings in our area did not designate if they were smoking, non-smoking, or if they had separated seating. (Some listings do, but I find it to be hit or miss, depending on location). The only way we could know for sure was to call every place and ask, and after the first few, it does get kind of annoying.
Enter new search. I pulled up Google, this time hoping I could somehow discover some non-smoking restaurants by using those very keywords (smart, I know…).
Lo and behold, I discovered a website called “Kinen Style”, or actually, “禁煙スタイル” (Non-smoking style). — CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post.
Exploring Eastern and Western Creativity: Q and A with Michael W. Morris – by Jennifer Olayon
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Michael Morris and Jennifer Olayon. Photo by JET alum Francis Lee.
Here’s a JET-relevant interview titled “Exploring Eastern and Western Creativity: Q & A with Michael W. Morris“ that appeared recently in AsianLife.com magazine and was conducted and written by former JETAANY President Jennifer Olayon.
Jennifer is a Contributing Editor for AsianLife.com magazine and previously served as a Senior Program Officer at Columbia Business School’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business. She is currently open to work and consulting opportunities in Human Capital Management and Diversity and Inclusion areas.
Michael W. Morris is the Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership and Director of Program on Social Intelligence at Columbia Business School and leading expert on relationships, conflict resolution, decision-making, and creativity, with a special interest in the role of culture.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
“There is a popular stereotype that Easterners are less creative; that they are imitative rather than inventive. While this stereotype is heard in the West, it is heard even more so in East Asia, which surprised me when I first began studying this topic. The creativity problem is a central topic in the social discourse of many East Asian nations, worried about making the transition from manufacturing economies to design and innovation-based economies. In bestsellers with titles like Can Asians Think? Asian polemicists have advanced theories about ways that Asian culture, language, socialization and schooling stunt creativity through hindering abstract critical thinking and molding conformist characters. This sells books, but I think it’s inaccurate.”
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (March 2011)
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The March 2011 issue of the Sake World e-newsletter by JET alum and the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world, John Gauntner (a.k.a. “The Sake Guy”), is now available online.
Notable JET Alums: D.H. Cermeño, author of “Rising Sunsets”
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The below was shared by Hiroshima JET alum Angela Perrone, herself a travel writer, who recently met another JET alum book author in the course of her research for JetWit on JET local travel writing.
JET Alum Author: D.H. Cermeño (Hiroshima-ken)
Book: Rising Sunsets (click to purchase via Amazon)
Book trailer on youtube at: http://goo.gl/A4P8a
Website: www.dhcermeno.com
Below is a synopsis of the book along with Cermeno’s biography.
Synopsis:
Rising Sunsets is an enlightening journey through the mind of David Fletcher, a bright and ambitious young man who is determined to conquer the world and prove his unsupportive father wrong. When reality strikes and nothing works out as expected, an unusual opportunity to go to Japan to teach English to schoolchildren presents itself. There, he discovers his true self and finds an inner strength and independence he never knew existed. Throughout the story, David uncovers Japanese culture and easily embraces the traditions until suddenly, those age-old beliefs stand in the way of his happiness. And, through an unexpected encounter with love, the course of his life is changed forever.
About the Author:
A third generation Florida native, D.H. Cermeño worked in Japan as an English teacher for a year after graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in Broadcast Production. Upon returning to the United States, he earned his M.B.A. from Crummer Graduate School at Rollins College and is a Database Marketing Manager in the hospitality industry. In his spare time, he writes, entertains, and volunteers in the local community and supports local theatre. D.H. has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America and especially loves visiting his extended family in the northern part of Spain. He currently resides in Winter Park, FL. Rising Sunsets is his first book.
Click here to see a list of other JET alum authors and their works. (If you know of others not included in the list, please email jetwit [at] jetwit.com.)
NYT Column: Take Back the Trash by JET alum Bruce Feiler
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“Take Back the Trash“ is a thoughtful column on whether to throw out food in your refrigerator by JET alum Bruce Feiler, author of Learning to Bow, Walking the Bible and several other best-sellers including his recent book The Council of Dads:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/fashion/06ThisLife.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
JapaneseLondon Round-up – March 3, 2011
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Thanks to JETAA UK Communications Director Vanessa Villalobos for sharing this with JetWit. Vanessa is also the publisher of JapaneseLondon.com:
Featured article: March 2011 Round-Up Part One
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JAPANESE LONDON?
From Norwegian Wood, Tran Anh Hung’s film, based on Murakami’s book. What was that? *Head spins on neck*. Erm, that was the first one-sixth of 2011, passed already. But fear not, now spring has most definitely sprung it’s the perfect time to get out and appreciate Japan… in London!
Japanese Literature
Fans of Japan-related scribblings are in for a treat this month. Tran Anh Hung’s highly-anticipated screen version of Haruki Murakami’s bestselling novel, ‘Norwegian Wood’, will open at UK cinemas from 11th March. British author David Mitchell’s newest offering, ‘The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet’ isn’t due for release until March 17th, but has already racked up 96 rave reviews on Amazon. If you fancy a literary chinwag, Japan Society book club members will be vociferously discussing ‘Silence’ by Endo Shusaku next Monday March 7th – Japan Society members shouldregister their attendance: events@japanesociety.org.
Madame Butterfly
The enduringly popular Madame Butterfly is on at the Royal Albert Hall only until March 13th, so you’ll need to be quick to catch it. Set in an ‘enchanting’ Japanese Water Garden, an extra show has been already been added to meet ‘huge popular’ demand. If you can’t make it, why not order Angela Gheorghui’s CD recording, lie back and think of Japan? Or, if you’ve seen the opera and you crave more of the same, pre-order a copy of Lee Langley’s Butterfly’s Shadow – a novel in the style of Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, that takes Puccini’s Madam Butterfly as its starting point.
HIBIKI – Japanese Music
Continuing on a musical note (!), HIBIKI: Resonances from Japan at King’s Place will run from today 3rd March, until 5th March 2011. This eclectic event; ‘A 1000-year journey through the rich heritage of Japanese music’ features collaborations with London-based musicians and an exploration of ‘Music in Mange’ with Helen McCarthy. Promisingly, there is also set to be a Suntory Hibiki whisky tasting in the bar.
Bunka-Sai – Japanese Cultural Festival
And finally – a new Japanese Culture Festival: ‘Bunka-sai’ will take over Conway Hall for one day only, this Saturday 5th March, to bring together Japanese culture, language, food and drink. Organised by Akemi Solloway.
JapaneseLondon.com‘s Round-Ups are bi-weekly. If you want to see more Japan-related events in London, check out the JapaneseLondon.com Events Calendar.
WIT Life #155: 日本へ行ってきます！
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WITLife 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 together with her own observations.
Just a quick message to let all readers know that I will be heading to Japan tomorrow after a hiatus of two years to participate in next Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon (“The Day That Tokyo Becomes One”)! I am very much looking forward to my 4th running of the event as well as seeing old friends, eating amazing food on a daily basis and of course most of all onsen. I will do my best to report from the ground, but chances are I might get caught up in the moment and not be blogging as much as I had hoped. In that case, please look forward to a full update when I return in March. De wa, ittekimasu~!
WIT Life #154: Congratulations to Japanese Grammy Winners!
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WITLife 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 together with her own observations.
A bit of bright news in light of the Japanese government’s confirmation that its country’s economy has indeed dropped to #2 in the world. Omedetou to the following Grammy winners!
Pop Instrumental Album
“Take Your Pick,” Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto (guitarist in the popular Japanese rock duo B’z, pictured here on right)
Opera Recording
“Saariaho: L’Amour De Loin,” (Japanese American) Kent Nagano, conductor; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Rundfunkchor Berlin
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
Mitsuko Uchida (“Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24,” Cleveland Orchestra)
Other winners include Japanese classical pianist Mitsuko Uchida who received Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra, while the Best Contemporary Jazz Album award went to the Stanley Clarke Band, which includes Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara.
WIT Life #153: Sapporo Snow Festival
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WITLife 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 together with her own observations.
The snow here in NYC that we have received in abundance this year is pretty as it’s coming down, but it soon turns into dirty mush or slush beneath our feet. For those looking to enjoy more pristine snow-covered landscapes, look no further than Sapporo’s 雪祭り (yuki matsuri) or Snow Festival. Held every February in Hokkaido’s capital, this hugely popular week-long event brings in 2.5 million visitors and features perennial favorites as well as new sculptures each year. It began in 1950 when local high school students built six snow statues in Odori Park, and five years later the 自衛隊 (jieitai) or Self-Defense Forces joined in and made the first of the colossal sculptures for which the festival is now known. For those of us not lucky enough to be able to see the works in person, please enjoy them virtually with the following video of this year’s festival which began yesterday.
