Aug 4

Job: Executive Director – American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Tokyo)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Executive Director – American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Tokyo)

Via JETAA Washington D.C. group. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Executive Director
Posted by: American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Type: full-time

Overview:

Current executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Sam Kidder will be stepping down at the end of this year. The search for the next executive director has been kicked off. If you are interested in this position or know of somebody who might be, please see the press release at (accj.or.jp/en/news-a-media/press-releases/doc_view/549-accj-executive-director-samuel-kidder-announces-retirement-after-more-than-8-years-with-chamber) and direct any inquiries directly to Sam Kidder at skidder@accj.or.jp or +81 3 3433 5381.

Aug 3

Let’s Talk Japan, Episode 24 – Kokoyakyu Documentary

Audio, Film Comments Off on Let’s Talk Japan, Episode 24 – Kokoyakyu Documentary

Let’s Talk Japan is a monthly, interview format podcast covering a wide range of Japan-related topics. Host Nick Harling (Mie-ken, 2001-03) lived in Japan from 2001 until 2005, including two great years as a JET Program participant in Mie-Ken. He practices law in Washington, D.C., and lives with his wife who patiently listens to him talk about Japan . . . a lot.

This episode is a special JET Talks Edition of the Let’s Talk Japan Podcast featuring a panel discussion with the producers of “Kokoyakyu,” a documentary about high school baseball in Japan and the quest to qualify for the national summer baseball tournament at historic Koshien Stadium. High school baseball in Japan is a national obsession, and the Koshien summer tournament is a wonderful event through which to gain insight into Japanese society.

The 96th National Summer Baseball Tournament will be played at Koshien Stadium beginning Saturday, August 9th, and will end with the championship game on Saturday, August 23 at 1pm (JST). Here is a list on this year’s teams and a schedule of the games.

“JET Talks” is a speaker series organized by the JET Program Alumni Association of Washington, DC (“JETAADC”). JET Talks is loosely modeled after the TED Talks concept and features dynamic and interesting speakers with the goal of inspiring innovative ideas and conversations on Japan-related themes.

If you have not already done so, be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @letstalkjapan and leave a positive rating/review in iTunes.

Aug 3

Life After JET: A Teacher’s Edge Now Known

LifeAfterJET Comments Off on Life After JET: A Teacher’s Edge Now Known

The transition back home after Japan… isn’t the easiest. Several of us have had our share of reverse culture shock, and the career adjustment is some of the nastiest frosting to top off some “What Am I Doing With Me Life?” cake.

Recently on JETwit, we’ve started the Job Hunter Project series. And we hope with the expansive JET Alum networks, someone just might know someone who might know someone.

Frequent job poster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken 2009-12) decided to address this issue head on in KCRW’s 2nd Annual 24-Hour Radio Race. In this contest, entrants are tasked to create, edit, and promote a short 4 minute audio piece within a day.

This year’s topic was “You Should Know”.

In the aftermath, here’s what Jon had to say:

“Usually I’m pretty keen in interpreting things to my advantage, but I really struggled with this topic. It turns out the only thing I found myself able to draw from was this job switch. With the time constraint, I didn’t really do it justice. I think the clincher should ring true with a lot of people though… and who knows? Maybe it’ll open up the eyes of at least one company out there.”

Aug 1

JQ Magazine: Manga Review — ‘Showa 1939-1944: A History of Japan’

Article/Journalism, Books, JET Alum Author Beat, JQ Magazine, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Manga Review — ‘Showa 1939-1944: A History of Japan’

“Showa is an enjoyable book to read, and this volume in particular will appeal to those interested in World War II and comprehensible narratives of the political and military intrigue of the time.” (Drawn and Quarterly)

By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules.

School might be out, but that doesn’t mean your educational summer reading can’t be fun. Welcome to part two of Shigeru Mizuki’s manga history of Japan during the Showa period! If you’re just tuning in or need a refresher, check out JQ’s review of the first book, Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan. This series is translated beautifully in English by none other than JET alum Zack Davisson (Nara-ken, 2001-04; Osaka-shi, 2004-06) and published in North America by Drawn and Quarterly.

Illustrious manga artist Mizuki continues his retelling of the Showa period through his mouthpiece character Nezumi-Otoko (sometimes translated as Rat Man) of GeGeGe no Kitaro fame, and in this section includes events you have no doubt heard of such as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway as well as ones you probably have not such as the Japanese campaign in the Dutch East Indies and the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first true incident of carrier warfare and air-to-air combat.

Mizuki also inserts his own autobiographical story into narrative, providing both a macro historical view and micro personal view of the war. As established in the previous volume, he has portrayed himself in a pretty poor light from the get-go, a good for nothing son that is too lazy to hold a job, can’t properly attend any school, and only seems to have a strong interest in eating as much food as possible. But the humble and comical portrayal of himself should be taken with a grain of salt, as Mizuki points out himself, in this era, “If we had a little food in our bellies, it was considered a blessing….We didn’t think about the future because we didn’t have one. Hard times at home were just the tip of the iceberg. After that there was the army, where all your future holds is an unmarked grave on a godforsaken island.”

Read More

Jul 29

CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” Series: Laurel Stevens Lukaszewski (Kagoshima)

LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” Series: Laurel Stevens Lukaszewski (Kagoshima)

Each month, current and former JET participants are featured in the “JET Plaza” section of the CLAIR Forum magazine. The July 2014 edition includes an article by JET alumnus Laurel Stevens Lukaszewski. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.

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Laurel Stevens Lukaszewski (Kagoshima-ken, Minamitane-cho, 1990-92), is a professional artist who has shown her work throughout the US and in the UK. She is also the former executive director of the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC and is currently project director for the United-States Japan Bridging Foundation’s JETAA Initiative. Since 2002 she has been a member of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Board of Directors. Raised on both the east and west coasts of the US, Ms. Lukaszewski holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and a master’s degree in Asian Studies from Florida State University. She lives in the DC metro area with her husband and two rambunctious cats. To view her artwork, please visit www.laurellukaszewski.com

My JET experience taught me I could live in a world where I did not necessarily understand everything, but could still cope and thrive.

Enduring Connections

Twenty-four years ago I interviewed for the JET Programme in Atlanta, on my birthday. I felt this was a good omen, so I was not nervous even though this was my first professional interview. Despite spending the last two years of college studying all things Japanese, from language to religion, I had no personal connection with the country and had never been there. What was merely acting on a brief comment by a Japanese politics professor about an opportunity to teach in Japan led me down a path that has guided me over the past two decades.
I spent my two years on JET as the first Assistant English Teacher to be assigned to the town of Minamitane-cho, on Tanegashima, an island off of the southern tip of Kyushu in Kagoshima-ken. I taught at five junior high schools and visited eight elementary schools, usually the first foreigner any of the students had ever met. My role in class varied depending on the school, but every teacher I worked with was eager to include me in activities ranging from PTA BBQs to harvesting sugar cane with students.

During my first weeks I experienced two homestays before moving into my own apartment. In Kirishima, a beautiful mountain town overlooking the Sakurajima volcano, I stayed with a family with three school-age daughters. I did not know at the time that they would become my Japanese family, that their home would become mine whenever I returned to Japan, even decades later. Arriving in Minamitane-cho, I had a second homestay. And, once again, I had no idea that this young couple with three-year-old twins would end up being lifelong friends, attending my wedding, sending seasonal messages as the twins grew into young adults, and hosting my husband and me years later when we were stranded in Kagoshima by a typhoon.
One of the wonderful things about JET is it allows you to become part of the community. Whether anticipated or not, you become involved in the lives of your neighbors, teachers and students. When an art teacher learned my hobby was pottery, she invited me to visit her studio even though she did not speak English. Every week I would join another teacher and my neighbor and spend the evenings working with clay and chatting—an immersion experience in neighborhood news and gossip. When I returned to the US, it was these memories of Japan that endured. My experience taught me I could live in a world where I did not necessarily understand everything, but could still cope and thrive. Read More

Jul 29

Job: Japanese Teacher, Franklin Community High School (IN)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Japanese Teacher, Franklin Community High School (IN)

Via the JETAA Chicago Hoosier Subchapter by Austin Gilkeson. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Japanese Teacher
Posted by: Franklin Community High School
Location: Franklin, IN

Overview:

Japanese Teacher needed in Franklin, IN

A full-time high school Japanese position is open at Franklin Community High School. The school will start on August 7. There would be 2 sections of Japanese 1, a section of Japanese 2 and a section of Japanese 3/4 combo. The understanding is that IF THE POSITION IS NOT FILLED, THE JAPANESE PROGRAM MAY BELL BE CUT. We have had enough programs cut and do not want to have it happen again. Read More

Jul 29

Job: Full-time English Teacher – Clark Memorial International High School (Kansai)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Full-time English Teacher – Clark Memorial International High School (Kansai)

Thanks to JET alum Kevin Stein, an experienced English teacher who works for the school, for sharing this listing.  You can learn more about Kevin through his blog “The Other Things Matter” which delves thoughtfully in ESL and related topics. 

Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Full-time English Teacher
Posted by: Clark Memorial International High School, SOSHI Education Group
Location: Kansai, Japan
Type: full-time

Overview:

Clark Memorial International High School, a member of SOSHI Education Group is seeking a competent and flexible native speaking English teacher for a full time position in the Kansai area starting in summer, 2014. Read More

Jul 29

Job: Media Relations Coordinator, Consulate General of Japan (Chicago)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Media Relations Coordinator, Consulate General of Japan (Chicago)

Via the JETAA Great Lakes FB group. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Media Relations Coordinator
Posted by: Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan
Location: Chicago, IL
Type: Full-time

Responsibilities:

• Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Japan Information Center
• Monitors and analyzes newspapers, radio, TV and other public and private media in 10 Midwest states.
• Research on media relations in 10 states including building a network of contacts for the JIC.
• Ensure implementation of the JIC’s media strategy as it is related to media outreach, and promotion of priority issues and events, with a development focus.
• Conduct a survey of media relations issues in 10 Midwest states.
• General office responsibilities, including Japan-related inquiries, correspondence, IT affairs (facebook, twitter, newsletter) and event coordination.

Read More

Jul 28

Japan Times: Osaka bets big on TOEFL to boost English levels

Japan Local, Japan Trends Comments Off on Japan Times: Osaka bets big on TOEFL to boost English levels

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Interesting article about the Osaka Prefecture Board of Education’s English education initiative and further discussion of the “Super English Teachers” (SETs).  Former AJET Chair Matthew Cook (Osaka-fu, 2007-12) is not quoted but is very involved in the initiative.  Matt is also the founder of the Kansai JET Alumni group. 

Osaka bets big on TOEFL to boost English levels

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/07/27/issues/osaka-bets-big-on-toefl-to-boost-english-levels/#.U9ZGAPldUrf

In the perennial debate about English-language education in Japan, there is widespread agreement that the system is archaic and change is needed. The consensus stops there.

Everyone concerned has a panacea: more (or less) assistant language teachers, more teacher training, more technology, more of a focus on language production, less testing, better testing, smaller class sizes, eviscerating and overhauling the curriculum, greater use of English in class. The remedies are as numerous as the debate is old. But in a consensus-bound country such as Japan, change, if and when it comes, is usually incremental — and perhaps then, even obsolete.

No one could accuse Toru Nakahara, the superintendent of education for Osaka Prefecture, of kowtowing to the status quo. He is responsible for pushing through a raft of initiatives, chief among them the introduction of TOEFL (the Test of English as a Foreign Language) at top-performing high schools, which will be taught by an elite group of teachers earning approximately ¥8 million a year. (Disclosure: I teach part-time at one of these schools.) From the board of education’s perspective, this is radical. But is it also just a formulaic riff on the “teach to the test” approach? Read More

Jul 27

Job: Marketing Intern for Tokyo Otaku Mode (Remote)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Marketing Intern for Tokyo Otaku Mode (Remote)

Via the JETAA Northern California LinkedIn group by JET alum Xander Peterson. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Marketing Intern
Posted by: Tokyo Otaku Mode
Location: Remote
Type: Internship

Overview:

Tokyo Otaku Mode, a start-up that seeks to bring Japanese popular culture to the world, is seeking interns! Winner of the 2013 Japan Start-up Award, the company partners with creators and industry key players to bring content to a global audience, in particular its 15 million and growing Facebook community. Love Japan and want to work for a global venture? Now is your chance! We are looking for marketing interns to assist with tasks including translation, market research and community engagement. You will get to learn directly from our founders in a fast-growing global environment and connect with key industry players.  Read More

Jul 27

Job: Coordinator, Columbia Business School Center on Japanese Economy and Business (NYC)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Coordinator, Columbia Business School Center on Japanese Economy and Business (NYC)

Thanks to JET alum Kia Samniego for passing on this listing at CJEB where a number of JET alums have worked (and still work). 

Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Coordinator
Posted by: Columbia Business School Center on Japanese Economy and Business
Location: New York, NY
Type: Full-time 

Overview:

Reporting to the Director for Administration, the Coordinator is responsible for providing overall administrative and event-related support to the Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB), particularly in providing executive level support to the Director for Administration and the Assistant Director for Programs. The incumbent implements policies and procedures to reach operational goals; exercises good judgment, decorum and discretion in communications with all levels of the University Faculty, administrators and external constituents, as appropriate. 
Read More

Jul 27

Job: Sales & Operations Position, Educational Travel Adventures (European Tour Division)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Sales & Operations Position, Educational Travel Adventures (European Tour Division)

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Sales & Operations Position
Posted by: Educational Travel Adventures
Location: Various Locations in Western Europe
Type: Full-time 

Overview:

The position includes creating customized programs for tours throughout Western Europe. Most tours include travel to the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. Previous travel experience to these countries and a good knowledge of traditional tourist sites is a plus. Knowledge of Italian, French or Spanish is also a plus.
Read More

Jul 27

Job: Assistant Director, NYU Madrid (Spain)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Assistant Director, NYU Madrid (Spain)

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Assistant Director
Posted by: NYU Madrid
Location: Madrid, Spain
Type: Full-time 

Overview:

This is a full-time position reporting to the Site Director. The post-holder takes a full role in and manages aspects of the work of Academic Affairs (content courses or non-language courses), including education and student research, as well working in collaboration with other members of the site staff as appropriate. A key focus of the position is to ensure the effective delivery of high quality academic programs that meet NYU strategic goals and have established NYU as a global leader in international higher education. The position is also responsible for developing NYU Madrid relationships with cultural, arts and community organizations and for promoting the profile of NYU in the Madrid and broader community. This position works in close collaboration with the Assistant Director (Language and Graduate) who is responsible for the language courses for all students.  Read More

Jul 27

Job: International Project Coordinator, Academic Internship Institutes of Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore & New Zealand

Jobs Comments Off on Job: International Project Coordinator, Academic Internship Institutes of Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore & New Zealand

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: International Project Coordinator
Posted by: Academic Internship Institutes
Location: Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore & New Zealand
Type: Full-time 

Overview:

The Academic Internship Institute of Australia (AIIA), Hong Kong (AIIHK), Singapore (AIISG), and New Zealand (AIINZ) of parent company PBD, are recruiting for a couple of full time International Project Coordinators.  AIIA, AIIHK, AIISG, and AIINZ organize turn-key solutions for universities to build and offer studentscustomized faculty led and international academically credit bearing internship programs to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries in Asia Pacific. The programs cover a diverse range of subjects for many leading universities.
Read More

Jul 27

Job: Employment Opportunities Available with IES Abroad (Various Locations)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Employment Opportunities Available with IES Abroad (Various Locations)