Aug 9

WIT Life #315: Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema

Events, Film, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #315: Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema

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.

Last week the inaugural Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema began, and I’ve had the chance to catch a lot of great films at the two main venues of Kew Gardens Cinema and Queens Museum. Today they screened Persona Non Grata (杉原千畝 スギハラチウネ, 2015), a film about Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara (“Japanese Schindler”) who served as a consul in Lithuania from 1939-40 and saved the lives of thousands of Jewish refugees by issuing over 2000 transit visas to Japan. He famously continuing to sign visas even as his train pulled away from the station, and is estimated to have saved over 6,000 lives from the Nazis who invaded Lithuania in 1941. However, his diplomatic career was ruined because he had defied instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to issue the visas. Sugihara didn’t know if they had made any difference until being found years later by someone he had helped. He is now considered a hero in Japan, and those he saved have more than 40,000 descendants.

The film stars the phenomenal Toshiaki Karasawa as Sugihara and the always stellar Read More

Aug 9

Job: Administrative Associate – Showa Boston Institute of Language & Culture (Jamaica Plain, MA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Administrative Associate – Showa Boston Institute of Language & Culture (Jamaica Plain, MA)

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

Position: Administrative Associate
Posted by: Showa Boston Institute of Language & Culture
Location: Jamaica Plain, MA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job via JETAASC:

Showa Boston Institute of Language & Culture

Job Description

Position: Administrative Associate

Reports to: Director of Student Services

Employment Status: Regular Full-Time

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt

Schedule:  9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Prepared by: Human Resources

BACKGROUND

Aug 3

Job: Program Coordinator (JET Program) – Consulate General of Japan (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Program Coordinator (JET Program) – Consulate General of Japan (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

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

Position: JET Program – Program Coordinator
Posted by: Consulate General of Japan, Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job sent directly from the Consulate General of Japan, Los Angeles:

POSITION AVAILABLE: Program Coordinator (JET Program) Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles

About the Job: Program coordination and administrative duties in the field of public diplomacy: the JET Program, event management, and general public outreach. The program coordinator reports to the Director of the JICC.

Duties:

• Coordinate all aspects of JET Program: recruitment, inquiries, selection, orientations, departure, etc.
• Plan and execute events independently and on a team: draft invitations and guest lists, create and maintain event logistics sheet, track RSVPs, budgeting, lead on-site coordination.
• Respond to public inquiries on public diplomacy issues.
• Assist in JICC administrative duties as required.

Read More

Aug 1

Job: Business Account Executive – Nippon Shokken U.S.A. Inc. (West Sacramento, CA, USA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Business Account Executive – Nippon Shokken U.S.A. Inc. (West Sacramento, CA, USA)

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

Position: Business Account Executive
Posted by: Nippon Shokken U.S.A. Inc.
Location: West Sacramento, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s another job sent from the Japan Local Government Center:

Read More

Aug 1

Job: Food Manufacturing Distributor – Nippon Shokken U.S.A. Inc. (West Sacramento, CA, USA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Food Manufacturing Distributor – Nippon Shokken U.S.A. Inc. (West Sacramento, CA, USA)

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

Position: Food Manufacturing Distributor
Posted by: Nippon Shokken U.S.A. Inc.
Location: West Sacramento, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job received from the Japan Local Government Center:

NIPPON SHOKKEN U.S.A. Inc.  Corporate Profile

Read More

Jul 30

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘The Seed of Hope in the Heart’

Article/Journalism, Books, Earthquake Tsunami, JQ Magazine Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘The Seed of Hope in the Heart’

Although The Seed of Hope is a memoir of one man’s experiences during a challenging period in recent Japanese history, it is also a fascinating look into how the people of Tohoku struggled but fought to rebuild their lives. (Amazon Digital Services LLC)

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.

There are certain moments we remember clearly as if they happened only yesterday, whether they are monumental historical events or natural disasters. But how would you tell stories centering on those moments?

Teiichi Sato has a go at it in The Seed of Hope in the Heart. In the memoir, Sato, an Iwate Prefecture seed shop owner, survives the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami but sees his beloved seed shop crumble. This plunges him into the task of rebuilding his life and livelihood amidst destruction while trying not to sink into depression and despair.

It all started with the disaster that struck on March 11, which didn’t actually come out of the blue. Sato explains that after a strong earthquake hit the Kesen area two days prior, a tsunami advisory was issued, which wasn’t really cause for a cause for concern as “weak” tsunami advisories were frequent around Rikuzentaka (where Sato lived).

But obviously, it should have been as for much of Tohoku, the world changed starting on 2:46 p.m. on March 11. Sato spends much of the early chapters detailing not only his perspective of the earthquake, but more dramatically his escape from the oncoming tsunami. While reading The Seed of Hope, you get the sense of being transported into a movie as it contains no shortage of drama as Rikuzentaka’s citizens make a desperate dash to find shelter—some of whom aren’t able to do so successfully.

Read More

Jul 26

Job: Translation Coordinator – International Foreign Students Association (Osaka, Japan)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Translation Coordinator – International Foreign Students Association (Osaka, Japan)

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

Position: Translation Coordinator
Posted by: International Foreign Students Association (IFSA)
Location: Osaka, Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job received from International Foreign Students Association (IFSA): http://ifsa.jp/index.php?K1707

Company Profile

Business: Offshore data production, catalog / manual translation, system development / tool development, etc.
Capital: 20 million yen

Job Overview

Job Category: Translation coordinator
Required Careers and Skills:

• American English Native
• Japanese (N1)
• Translation experience
• University graduation
• Basic skills of Excel, Word

Conditions: Full-time
Location: Osaka
Annual Income: 3.5 million yen – 5 million yen

How to apply

Send email to “Shimizu” of IFSA at kokusai@ifsa.jp

Jul 21

Job: Research Assistant – Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Washington, D.C.)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Research Assistant – Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Washington, D.C.)

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

Position: Research Assistant
Posted by: Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contract: Full-Time

Sasakawa USA is a 501c3 non-profit located in Washington, DC involved in U.S.-Japan relations, providing conferences and seminars, think tank analysis, people-to-people exchanges and coordination of high-level dialogue between the two countries. Sasakawa USA is independent from but works closely with our sister foundation in Tokyo, Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

The Research Assistant reports to the Director of Programs and is responsible for programs related to science, technology, cybersecurity, foreign policy, security, economics and trade, and other issues. The Research Assistant handles logistics for events, programs and publications, and reviews and edits some of those publications. The Research Assistant collaborates with vendors, partner organizations, and researchers to find and present new information within the U.S.-Japan relationship. The Research Assistant may also engineer podcasts produced by Sasakawa USA. The Research Assistant position is full-time, non-exempt, and available starting August, 2017.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies, International Relations, History, or other research field.
• Demonstrated interest in the U.S.-Japan relationship
• Excellent English language writing, editing
• Research experience
• Well organized, flexible, and eager to learn in a fast-paced environment
• Self-starter who enjoys working collaboratively with others
• Authorization to work in the United States
• Professional, “can do, will do” attitude

Read More

Jul 19

Job: Assistant for the Education Counselor – Embassy of Japan (Washington, D.C.)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Assistant for the Education Counselor – Embassy of Japan (Washington, D.C.)

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

Position: Assistant for the Education Counselor
Posted by: Embassy of Japan
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contract: Full-Time

The Embassy of Japan is seeking a motivated individual to work with us as an Assistant for Education Counselor! Japanese language skills and teaching experience are preferred qualifications for this position, and this is a perfect opportunity for former JETs. If you are interested, please see details below and apply by July 21^st.

The Embassy of Japan is seeking a highly motivated, team-oriented individual for the position of Assistant for the Education Counselor. This individual is primarily responsible for managing the schedules and activities of the Education Counselor and other diplomats in the Public Affairs Section. Please see below for a detailed listing of responsibilities.

The Embassy offers group health insurance coverage, paid vacation and sick leave. Working hours are 9:00 am – 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday, with lunch time receptionist duty every other month and the occasional weeknight and/or weekend event (paid overtime). Salary is commensurate with experience- the minimum monthly base salary for this position is $3,200 USD.

Please note: Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. green card holder. Screening will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Only successful candidates will be contacted. All successful candidates will be requested to submit their background check information.

Responsibilities: Read More

Jul 19

Job: .Net Developer – Computer Technologies Consultants (Herndon, VA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: .Net Developer – Computer Technologies Consultants (Herndon, VA)

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

Position: .Net Developer
Posted by: Computer Technologies Consultants
Location: Herndon, VA
Contract: Full-Time

Please see below for a job opportunity for a Net Developer role for Computer Technologies Consultants, CTC, in the DC/NOVA area.

Information from the organization: What makes this role unique is that they need someone who can read, write, and speak Japanese. While language proficiency is definitely preferred, they would also consider candidates who have worked with a Japanese client as well and have a basic understanding of the language.”

Company Description

Our client is a nationally operated consultancy with a global reach that provides a unique mix of strategic business leaders, deep technical experience and creative business and technical solutions to deliver proven results to commercial and federal clients.They strive to create an empowered work environment where staff flourishes and clients receive

They strive to create an empowered work environment where staff flourishes and clients receive unparalleled service. They believe “What we do is who we are” as they provide world class expertise in areas of Management Consulting, Information Technology and Product Management. They have a proven track record establishing tailored, holistic, and integrated strategy solutions to address our client’s critical business objectives. Read More

Jul 15

Job: Social Studies Teacher – Keio Academy of New York (New York City, NY, USA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Social Studies Teacher – Keio Academy of New York (New York City, NY, USA)

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

Position: Social Studies Teacher
Posted by: Keio Academy of New York
Location: New York City, NY
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job received directly from the school:

POSITION: FULL-TIME SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

QUALIFICATIONS: Certified high school teacher with a Social Studies background strongly desired. Uncertified candidates with MS may also be considered. Experience in teaching ESL students is preferred, but not required.

STARTING DATE:   September 1, 2017

COMPENSATION: Salary commensurate with education and experience. Health Insurance, 403B Pension Plan benefits

DEADLINE: Applications will be considered in order of arrival, until the position is filled.

職種：専任教員（社会）
応募資格：社会の高等学校教員免許を持つ者歓迎。または、社会分野のMS保持者、当該分野専攻にてESLの生徒を教えた経験者も歓迎。
勤務開始日：2017年9月1日
待遇：経験・能力等を考慮の上、本学院規定により決定。健康保険完備。確定拠出年金生徒あり。
選考方法：到着した応募書類に対して順次行い、採用が決定するまで行なう。

The contact information for submitting a cover letter and resume is somu@keio.edu.

Jul 15

Job: Skype English Tutors – Topic-Time (Remote)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Skype English Tutors – Topic-Time (Remote)

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

Position: Skype English Tutors 
Posted by: Topic-Time
Location: Remote
Contract: Full-Time

Here’s a job received directly from the company:

Hi,

I hire JET alumni!  I would love to post with you guys regarding hiring Skype English Conversation tutors for Japanese people. Although I am not a JET alumni myself,  I did live in Japan for a year as an exchange student and fell in love with the language and culture.  This is what prompted me to begin this tutoring business:  To be a bridge between Learners and Teachers.  This is what I would like to post with you.  Feel free to pass this to whomever can benefit :)

Topic-Time

A small American company hiring people from America for strictly Japanese students. Pays $12 per 55 minute lesson. I live on the East Coast of America. I own a small business that is growing quite rapidly. I am looking to hire 20 more tutors. One of my teachers was accepted into the JET program. He found it invaluable to work here in a small way to prepare for what was coming in Japan. I also think that this might be very helpful for JET Alumni re-acclimating themselves to their home country. Or like me, an older woman who looks back affectionately on my time in Japan and sees my conversations as a way to re-connect with the culture I know and appreciate so well.

This job pays $12 per 55 minute class completed and is paid through PayPal on a weekly basis. The tutors make their own schedule of when they would like to give classes. The students choose which teacher they would like to have teach them. The job is “located” on Skype. Preference is given to tutors who know a little about the Japanese language and or culture and for those tutors who type fast.

APPLY HERE: https://www.topic-time.com/en/beatutor/

Thanks!

Scarlett Orork Moulder

Jul 15

JQ Magazine: Manga Review — ‘Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War’

Art, Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Notable JET Alums, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Manga Review — ‘Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War’

“The Great Tanuki War stands apart from the other Kitaro volumes because in this adventure, the stakes are higher than anything you’ve ever seen.” (Drawn and Quarterly)

By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio currently keeps the lights on by working at JTB USA while writing freelance in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and comic books on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules.

A haunted house built on an ancient burial ground? That’s minor league. How about an entire nation built above an army of human-hating yokai who command a catfish large enough to cause earthquakes?

Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro and The Great Tanuki War is a manga volume that tells an epic tale pitting the titular character, Kitaro, against an army of tanuki and their powerful yokai allies. There are also a few bonus stories with Kitaro’s usual one-shot adventures. You may already be familiar with Mizuki’s famous character, but if you are not, you can brush up on his origin story featured in the first volume, The Birth of Kitaro, which JQ reviewed last year here.

This marks the third volume in the English collection of Kitaro stories published by the fine folks at Drawn and Quarterly. One of our very own JET alums, Zack Davisson (Nara-ken, 2001-04; Osaka-shi, 2004-06), has been doing his part to put Shigeru Mizuki’s timeless work on the map in the English-speaking world. He has served as translator for these Kitaro stories and also for Mizuki’s colossal four-volume manga history of the Showa period. Zack is a yokai expert in his own right and you can find out more about his career and JET experience in our vintage JQ interview with him.

As many consumers of Japanese media may already be aware, yokai are strange creatures or phenomena that originate in Japan and have become widely popular globally. Kitaro is a unique yokai who solves mysteries and fights for humans. The conflict between humans and yokai is often an issue of tension for him as he straddles both sides, but this conflict takes center stage in The Great Tanuki War, when an army of tanuki escape from their underground dwelling beneath the island of Shikoku (shout-out to our Shikoku JET alums!), to wage a war on the human residents of Japan.

Read More

Jul 14

Justin’s Japan: Ryoko Yonekura Returns to ‘Chicago’

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Click image to read article

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.

This month, “Chicago,” the longest-running American Broadway musical in history, features Japanese superstar actress Ryoko Yonekura in the role of Roxie Hart for 11 performances from July 3-13 at the Ambassador Theatre.

Yonekura originated the role of Hart in the Japanese-language production of “Chicago” in 2008 and played it again in 2010. She then learned the role in English and made her Broadway debut in 2012. Following her return to Broadway this year, Yonekura will join the “Chicago” U.S. national touring company in Tokyo August 2-13 at the Tokyu Theater Orb.

An actress who has enjoyed a steady career in film and television in Japan since the year 2000, Yonekura is best known from the TV Asahi series “Doctor X.” Recently, she appeared for an intimate discussion and meet and greet at Asia Society on June 27.

“Ryoko Yonekura is an amazing bridge builder between the U.S. and Japan. In 2012, she became the first Japanese person in the history of Broadway to play a major character as an American. We are really excited to have Ryoko back in New York,” said Josette Sheeran, president and CEO of Asia Society.

Featuring classic tunes by John Kander and Fred Ebb, “Chicago” tells the story of Roxie Hart, a Jazz age nightclub dancer who murders her lover after an argument, and the media sensationalism that follows. Originally produced for Broadway in 1975 and revived in 1996, the show won six Tony Awards the following year, and the 2002 film adaptation starring Reneè Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. For tickets, visit www.chicagothemusical.com.

Jul 13

WIT Life #314: New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) 2017

Events, Film, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #314: New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) 2017

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.

This weekend concludes the 2017 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which offered another amazing lineup of films and special guests.  This is the 16th year of its running, and it just seems to get better over time.  I saw two of the Japanese films screened at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, the festival’s venue, and another two I had seen on the plane during a recent business trip to Japan (In this same venue the week before the event I had the chance to see Harmonium (淵に立つ), which was not part of the festival but is another thought-provoking and upsetting Japanese film).

The two films I saw at the festival were Rage (怒り) and Double Life (二重生活).  Rage stayed with me for a while after watching it; it is not a film you can easily shake.  It is based on the mystery novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida, who also wrote Villain and Parade which were both made into fantastic films (the former directed by Sang-il Lee, who made Rage).  The story begins with the heinous murder of a couple in their home, with the young, male killer on the loose.

Characters from communities in three different parts of Japan (Chiba, Tokyo and Okinawa) are shaken by the appearance of three respective young men who fit the description of the wanted man.  As the manhunt unfolds, the more we find out about each suspect the more the suspense builds.  I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film, but once this fear dissipated the psychological terror of the Read More