Jun 1

Job: Operations/Admin Assistant – California Tours (San Francisco, CA)

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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.

Job Title: Operations/Admin Assistant
Posted by: California Tours
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Contract: Part-time

Here’s a part-time job received directly from the company:

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate tour and travel packages requiring extensive communication with vendors and clients
• Reservation processing
• Answer incoming calls
• Web content update using Word Press
• Provide customer service support to clients and off-site staff
• Update and maintain client and vendors files
• Update and maintain trip information for clients and tour guides
• Provide admin support to General Manager

Qualifications:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Administrative/clerical support experience in travel, meeting planning, or hospitality industry
• Customer service experience
• Office skills
• Attention to detail
• Must be highly organized
• Friendly
• Able to multitask in a busy environment
• Responsible, able to follow through
• Working knowledge in MS office, Apple OS and Word Press
• Japanese language skill – plus

Application Process: Please email cover letter and resume to mirak@california-tour.com

Working Hours:

• 20 – 24 hours a week
• 30 – 40 hours a week July – mid September
• Hourly pay rate  $25.00

Jun 1

Job: Graduate Research Assistant – New York University (New York, NY, USA)

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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.

Job Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Posted by: New York University (Manhattan)
Location: New York, NY, USA
Contract: Part-time

Here’s a JET-relevant part-time job:

New York University seeks a part-time Graduate Research Assistance to work closely with the Research and Evaluation team to provide general project support including qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, summarizing results, and administrative responsibilities.

The applicant must have demonstrated interest in issues of equity and social justice in education (e.g., culturally responsive education, anti-racist education, trauma informed practices, Response To Intervention, restorative justice), privileging a strengths-based framework in her or his scholarship.

Qualifications include familiarity with research design and research methodology, experience conducting qualitative research including conducting interviews, coding, and/or document review, and experience using Excel or SPSS to analyze quantitative data and develop charts, graphs, and other visualizations.

Application Process: Please click here for more information.

May 31

JETAA Chapter Beats June 2018

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JETAA Chapter Beats June 2018

JETAA Chapter Beat is a periodic mosaic of events taking place in the JETAA sphere. Compiled by AJET‘s Director of Alumni Relations Megan Buhagiar (Ishikawa Prefecture, 2017- Present).

1. JETAA NY

Pre-Departure Seminar – Volunteers Needed!

It’s that time of year when we prepare a new batch of JETs to start their journey in Japan! We are calling upon our recent alumni to teach and share their experiences to hopefully prevent some surprises or embarrassing moment

s and make their time in Japan something they will never forget.

We are looking for presenters on the following topics.

• JET Job Skills- Elementary, Junior High, High School
• Being a Minority-Asian, African American, Latinx, LGBT
• Gender Issues
• What to Expect Your First Few Weeks
• Money Management
• Studying Japanese
• Being Vegetarian or Dietary Restrictions
• Community Involvement
• Japanese Social and Business Etiquette
• How to Prepare for Your Departure

When: Saturday, June 23 from 10am–3:30pm (seminar), followed by a nearby happy hour open to all!
Where: Nippon Club [145 W. 57th St., 2nd Floor (between 6th Ave. and 7th Ave.)]
RSVP: Sign up here to volunteer by Wednesday, May 23 at 5pm
Questions? Feel free to contact Ryan Hata at membership-at-jetaany-dot-org.

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May 29

Job: Administrative Assistant – Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations (New York, NY, USA)

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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.

Job Title: Administrative Assistant
Posted by: Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, Social Section
Location: New York, NY, USA
Contract: Full-time

Here’s a job received directly from the organization (English below):

現地採用職員の募集について

２０１８年５月

国際連合日本政府代表部では,以下の業務に従事して頂ける方を募集します。

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May 29

Job: Client Administrator and Client Senior Administrator – MUFG Bank (Chicago, IL, USA)

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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.

Job Title: Client Administrator and Client Senior Administrator
Posted by: MUFG Bank
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Contract: Full-time

Thanks to JET alum and former JETAA Chicago officer, Steve Sundstrom (Shiga-ken) for the following job openings:

Job post: MUFG Bank, the 5th largest financial institution in the world, is welcoming JET alumni for two bilingual positions (client administrator and client senior administrator) in their downtown Chicago office.

Please click here for details.

May 28

WIT Life #325: Shogun World

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Written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03), WIT Life is a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as film, food and language.  Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Hope everyone is enjoying the Memorial Day weekend! I’m out in Colorado, heading into the tail end of a three-week State Department interpreting gig on the topic of disability access and inclusion. This was something I knew very little about before starting, and have come to understand more about the situation both here and in Japan. Our last week will be spent in Seattle, where I’m sure there’s lots more to learn…

The HBO drama Westworld recently entered its second season, and while I am not a regular viewer I tuned in as I had heard it would have a Japan focus. The show tells the story of life-like robots in a Wild West-themed amusement park, and the complications that arise when they become sentient. This time around the series is set during Japan’s Edo Period in a place called Shogun World. Great pains were taken to ensure accuracy, even down to the Japanese that would have been spoken at the time. And it doesn’t hurt that the lineup of Japanese actors includes standouts like Hiroyuki Sanada and Rinko Kikuchi, who play a ronin robot and lead geisha respectively.

For more about Shogun World, check out this Japan Times article.

May 24

Justin’s Japan: The World Belongs to Hatsune Miku

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Click image to read article on page 25

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

Pop idols are everywhere in Japan, but most of them remain there. One particular idol breaks that tradition, with a notable exception: she’s not human.

Hatsune Miku, whose name means “first sound of the future,” is a Vocaloid (machine-made vocals) digital female avatar and creation of Crypton Future Media who currently has over 100,000 unique songs in her voice, which are synthesized tracks reminiscent of Auto-Tune. In Japan, Miku is massively popular and has appeared in numerous hit video games, music videos and ad campaigns, and her appearances with major artists like Lady Gaga and Pharrell Williams has boosted her international appeal.

Miku returns to the U.S. this summer for Miku Expo 2018, her third American tour. Miku Expo consists of live concerts that feature a range of hits from across her career as well as utilizing the latest holographic projection and voice synthesizing technology to create the ultimate Hatsune Miku experience—green onion-colored glowsticks included. For this year’s edition, fans were invited to sample a 39-day trial version of Hatsune Miku V4X software in English to create a new song, with the winning entry to be performed at every show on the North American tour.

True to its name, Miku Expo also presents an exhibition of Miku fan art by artists from Japan and local areas plus workshops and other events held to complement the concert.

The six-date U.S. tour wraps at New York’s legendary Hammerstein Ballroom on July 14th. After that comes Miku’s second appearance in Mexico City, then it’s off to Europe in December for Miku’s first-ever live concerts in Paris, Cologne, and London. The Paris date is set to coincide with the wider “Japonismes 2018” project celebrating Japanese and French relations throughout the year.

For more info and tickets, visit www.mikuexpo.com.

May 23

JQ Magazine: Film Review — ‘Isle of Dogs’

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“Isle of Dogs is a fun film and a stylistic ode to legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa about a boy and man’s best friend that’s full of beautiful visuals and is equally enjoyable for both kids and adults.” (Fox Searchlight)

By Andy Shartzer (Shizuoka-ken, 2014-16) for JQ magazine. Andy graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in chemical engineering, and currently works for JETRO New York. He is also the Community Development Chair for JETAA New York.

Isle of Dogs is director Wes Anderson’s first animated film since 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. While it has received mostly positive reviews (with some reservations), it’s still interesting to see Anderson hone his storytelling skills using a colorful and vibrant world created with stop motion animation. The story opens with a prologue titled “Before the Age of Obedience” that supposedly explains how cats became more prominent in Japan. Fast forwarding to “Japan 20 Years in the Future,” the movie cuts to fictional Megasaki City, its residents, and Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura), an authoritarian who declares that all dogs must be banished to nearby Trash Island because of the outbreak of dog flu and snout fever. The first dog that arrives on Trash Island is Spots (Liev Schreiber), the personal guard dog of Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), the ward and orphaned nephew of the mayor.

Atari soon takes matters into his own hands and flies a propeller plane to Trash Island to find Spots. He unfortunately crash lands on the island (in the meantime getting a piece of the plane stuck in his head, ouch) but is rescued by a pack of five dogs: Chief (Bryan Cranston), Boss (Bill Murray), Rex (Edward Norton), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), and King (Bob Balaban). The dogs—except for Chief, who was a former stray—agree to help Atari find Spots and accompany him on his journey to another part of Trash Island.

Though reluctant at first, Chief decides to join Atari and the other dogs after getting some extra persuasion from Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson), a female purebred dog. Back in Megasaki City, Mayor Kobayashi orders the extermination of all dogs on Trash Island. Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig), an American exchange student, gets involved and investigates further.

A couple fun Easter eggs in the film include: Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception) as a head surgeon, Yojiro Noda (lead singer of RADWIMPS) as a news anchor, and Yoko Ono (artist, singer, peace activist) as a medical assistant named…Yoko Ono.

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May 23

Job: Bilingual Analyst – Apex Systems (New York, NY)

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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.

Job Title: Bilingual Analyst
Posted by: Apex Systems
Location: New York, NY (Up to 75% paid travel!)
Contract: 12 month contract on a W2 basis

Here’s another job opening via JET alum Rebecca Chen (Akita-ken):

Apex Systems, the nation’s 2nd largest IT Staffing organization, has an immediate opportunity for a Bilingual Analyst opportunity to work for our client who is one of the world’s largest and most admired companies.

If you’re looking for an organization that focuses on innovation, social responsibility, and quality, then this is the place for you.  Pay is highly competitive and the work is to be completed in Austin, TX.

**CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES WHO SPEAK JAPANESE, ITALIAN, CZECH, FRENCH OR GERMAN.** Read More

May 23

Job: Mapping Surveyor – Apex Systems (New York, NY)

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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.

Job Title: Mapping Surveyor
Posted by: Apex Systems
Location: New York, NY (Up to 75% paid travel!)
Contract: 6 months

Thanks to JET alum Rebecca Chen (Akita-ken) for passing along the following job opening:

This is a confidential project for our client who is an international leader in the technology industry. This is a ground truth surveying role that will be requiring 75% travel. You will be based out of New York, NY for the time you are not traveling. When you are traveling, you will spend your time performing different tasks collecting data with a provided device.

We are looking for candidates who are:

• Team players
• Critical thinkers
• Have good communication
• Able to follow guidelines and directions, but also ask questions
•  “Wants” to travel not “willing to travel”
• Able to travel 75%
• Has a valid passport

To apply email Courtney Bogese: cbogese@apexsystems.com

May 22

Job: MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) Coordinator – Kintetsu International (New York, NY)

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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.

Job Title: MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) Coordinator
Posted by: Kintetsu International
Location: New York, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to JET alum, Tiffany Dyer (Toyama-ken) for the following job opening with her company:

This position is a great introduction to the world of MICE as well as travel management in general, while staying connected to Japan. The position is considered entry level and applicant can expect a salary range of appx $18.50/hr (with some wiggle room depending on the candidate\’s experience). No Japanese language experience necessary (though of course some understanding is helpful).

May 22

Job: Public Relations and Communications Associate – Consulate General of Japan in New York (New York, USA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Public Relations and Communications Associate – Consulate General of Japan in New York (New York, USA)

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Job Title: Public Relations and Communications Associate
Posted by: Consulate General of Japan in New York
Location: New York, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job received directly from the Consulate General of Japan in New York:

The Consulate General of Japan in New York is currently seeking to hire a Public Relations and Communications Associate to be assigned to the Japan Information Center, the cultural and public affairs section of the Consulate.

Responsibilities

• Write newsletters, social media posts, emails, and other materials
• Coordinate the activities of government scholarship programs and exchange programs for our office
• Assist with the activities of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program for our office
• Contact people and organizations in an official capacity as needed for various programs including collaborating with grassroots events
• Respond to inquiries from the general public within our jurisdiction
• Study our organization’s objectives, promotional policies, and needs to form effective public relations strategies
• Research and analyze Japan-related discourses and media
• Other duties as deemed necessary

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May 22

Job: Sales Representative and Sales Assistant – Okaya (USA), Inc. (Raleigh-Durham, NC)

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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.

Job Title: Sales Representative and Sales Assistant
Posted by: Okaya (USA), Inc.
Location: Raleigh-Durham, NC, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to JET alum, Amir Bahrami (Fukushima-ken) for the following job opening at his company:

May 16

Job: Researcher / Assistant Correspondent – Mainichi Newspapers (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

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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.

Job Title: Researcher / Assistant Correspondent
Posted by: Mainichi Newspapers, Los Angeles Bureau
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job sent to us directly from the newspaper:

The Mainichi Newspapers Los Angeles Bureau seeks a full time Researcher / Assistant Correspondent. The Mainichi Newspapers is a major daily Japanese newspaper printed in Japan with around 3 million readers. It is the oldest national daily newspaper in Japan founded in 1872. Our corporate information can be found at https://mainichi.jp/.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinating with Japanese news correspondents in gathering news and developing articles.
• General proofreading.
• Researching and gathering news, conducting interviews, developing and maintaining news sources, covering press conferences and other events ( such as sporting events, award ceremonies, criminal trials, etc.) in English and Japanese.
• Administrative duties are included.
• No byline opportunities.

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May 13

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘A Girls’ Guide to the Islands’

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“While the book is largely a ‘what we did from beginning to end’ odyssey, Kamata’s vivid accounts of her journey with her daughter put you alongside them as they soak up culture.” (Gemma Open Door)

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata–ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub–Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.

Exploring local wonders with loved ones can conjure up magical memories—and an enormous sense of satisfaction upon overcoming numerous obstacles.

JET alumna Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) lived through such experiences, which are recounted in her nonfiction debut, A Girls’ Guide to the Islands. Such a title would indicate a guidebook for female travelers. But a scan of its second paragraph reveals the book is a first person travelogue of the author and her daughter Lilia’s exploration of their corner of Japan. Despite spending most of her life in the countryside, Kamata (author of Gadget Girl and The Beautiful One Has Come) has not just visited some nearby landmarks; she figures playing tourist in several locations would serve as good mother-daughter bonding experiences.

This treats the reader to a journey of art exploration. Lilia loves art and she wants to make a career out of it. Kamata also shares an affinity for art, which makes them perfect travel partners. A Girls’ Guide to the Islands is enhanced by the author’s illumination of the art she sees—such as Yayoi Kusama’s My Eternal Soul, which is painted in vivid colors that are considered unsettling in Japan (the artist’s iconic pumpkin sculpture in the island town of Naoshima also graces the book’s cover)—as well as the works that enthrall her daughter. Fortunately for them (and possibly surprising to some), foreign art from renowned artists was easy to locate in the rural museums they visited. Kamata and Lilia find one of Monet’s most famous paintings and Andy Warhol’s Flowers in Naoshima, as well as other works from other non-Japanese artists.

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