Justin’s Japan: ‘Dragon Ball Z,’ ‘Naruto’ Come to the Big Screen
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Visit his Examiner.com Japanese culture page here for related stories.
This August will be a hot month for anime fans, as the latest feature length entries for two of the world’s most popular series debut at Village East Cinema.
First up (Aug. 5 and 9) is “Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods,” the 18th animated feature of author Akira Toriyama’s massively popular martial arts adventure series “Dragon Ball,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The plot focuses on the dessert-loving God of Destruction Beerus, who awakes from a decades-long slumber to challenge Goku, the strongest fighter in the universe.
“‘Dragon Ball Z’ has been a gateway for me personally. Growing up watching Toonami in the ’90s, the series influenced me as a kid to become obsessed with Japanese animation,” said Maj Mack, founder and CEO of GoBoiano, a fast-growing anime startup with over 300,000 social media followers worldwide.
Another long-running series (fifteen years and counting), “Naruto,” premieres Aug. 31-Sept. 1 with its ninth feature film, “Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie.” Set in an alternate timeline in which its characters have different origin stories and personalities, and featuring the theme song “Sore de wa, Mata Ashita” by the J-rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, “Road to Ninja” became the highest grossing “Naruto” movie to date within two months of its release in Japan.
For tickets, visit www.fandango.com.
Job: Vice President , Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WI)
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Thanks to JET alum George Rose, a friend of JET alum Lora Klenke, who is leaving this position. 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: Vice President – International Business Development
Posted by: Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Location: Madison, WI
Type: Full-time
Overview:
The WEDC is currently seeking a dynamic professional for our open Vice President of International Business Development position located at our MADISON, WISCONSIN headquarters.
The Vice President of International Business Development is responsible for leading a team and initiatives that will accelerate Wisconsin exports by expanding international markets, enhancing export assistance resources in the state and by promoting Wisconsin as a destination for foreign investment.
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A nice JET-relevant opportunity, received directly from the Council on Foreign Relations which requested that it be shared with the JET alumni community.
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Overview:
Jobs: Admissions Counselor – CAPA International Education (Boston)
Jobs Comments Off on Jobs: Admissions Counselor – CAPA International Education (Boston)
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: Admissions Counselor
Posted by: CAPA International Education
Location: Boston, MA
Type: Full-time
Overview:
CAPA International Education is an established leader in the development and administration of quality international education programs. For 40 years, CAPA has partnered with colleges and universities across the country and around the world, providing a full range of programs and integrated services designed to support all aspects of international education. A strong worldwide network, professional expertise, and demonstrated success in the field make this international education organization the preferred resource for a growing number of US institutions of higher learning. CAPA is recognized for rigorous and quality programs that integrate academic and experiential learning opportunities at our Global City centers and specialized custom programs that are specifically designed to meet an institution’s needs. Read More
Jobs: Alfa Fellowship Alumni Association (AFAA) Assistant – Cultural Vistas (NY)
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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: Alfa Fellowship Alumni Association (AFAA) Assistant
Posted by: Cultural Vistas
Location: New York, NY
Type: Part-time
Overview:
Assist the Alfa Fellowship Alumni Association (AFAA) executive board and Alfa Fellowship Program staff in planning, implementing and promoting AFAA activities. Read More
Job: NYU Study Away Positions in Washington D.C.
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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: Program Coordinator and Program Coordinator of Academics
Posted by: New York University Study Away Program
Location: Washington D.C.
Type: Full-time
Overview:
New York University, Washington DC has two open staff positions for our study away program. Both positions are based in Washington DC.
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Job: International Student Advisor – Special Programs at Northeastern University (Boston)
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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 Student Advisor
Posted by: Special Programs at Northeastern University
Location: Boston, MA
Type: Full-time
Overview:
Provide immigration advising and support services to international students in non-immigrant visa classification who are enrolled in “Global Pathways”, “American Classroom”, USPP at CPS as well as non-degree seeking programs, including J-1 EV, at University. Serve as a primary resource/contact for these special programs at CPS and support ISSI admissions processes related to other Colleges within the university and regional campuses. Read More
WIT Life #272: Japan Cuts
Events, Film, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #272: Japan Cuts
WIT Life 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 along with her own observations.
This weekend wrapped up Japan Society’s annual film festival Japan Cuts, and all of the films that I caught out of the 28 presented this year were wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the opening film on the first Friday of the festival, The Snow White Murder Case (白ゆき姫殺人事件). This movie made its U.S. premiere, and told the story of the murder of a beautiful young office worker. The prime suspect is her plain co-worker who has disappeared following the murder, and in the online world the case is made for her guilt before the official investigation takes place. As interviews are carried out with others at the company and the truth is gradually revealed, viewers come to realize how culpable we are in automatically convicting suspects based on hearsay and popular opinion. This film skillfully highlights just how pernicious social media can be in stringing people up before they have the opportunity to defend themselves. Although this sounds like a dark story, it also has comic moments that serve to lighten the mood.
Two kid-centered films that I liked more than I expected were Maruyama, the Middle Schooler (中学生円山) and Hello! Junichi (ハロー！純一), both of which use dance and humor to great effect. The former focuses on a 14-year old in the height of puberty who uses his active imagination to Read More
Job: International Admissions Counselor – University of Michigan (Flint)
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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 Admissions Counselor
Posted by: University of Michigan
Location: Flint, Michigan
Type: Full-time
Job Duties:
Job: Student Services Coordinator, Duke University (NC)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Student Services Coordinator, Duke University (NC)
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: Student Services Coordinator
Posted by: Duke University Global Education Office for Undergraduates
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Type: Full-time
Overview:
The Global Education Office at Duke University is currently accepting applications from qualified candidates for the position Student Services Coordinator with regional responsibilities in the Americas, Spain, Africa, and Turkey. This is a new position that will also take the lead in coordinating GEO’s marketing efforts. Successful candidates will have a strong background in both marketing/communications and student advising for study away opportunities. Please refer to the vacancy announcement below. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume or CV, and the names of three references to globaled@duke.edu. We will not contact references without first checking with you. Please use “Student Services Coordinator” in your subject line. In addition, applicants will need to apply through the Duke HR system (http://hr.duke.edu) using the requisition number listed: 400857605. This position is based in Durham, North Carolina. No phone calls.
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Job: Lecturer Position at Kanda University (Chiba)
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Thanks to JETAA North Carolina Subchapter Rep Kyle Munn for posting this.
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Overview:
Job: Japanese Speaking Program Trip Leader (Boston)
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A nice listing received directly from the organizaton.
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Overview:
Specific dates:
· November 7-15, 2014: We are looking to hire 1 Trip Leader for this program. Person must already be located in the Boston area.
· November 30-December 4: We are looking to hire 6 Trip Leaders for this program in Boston. We will welcome a few candidates from other cities for this program as they can stay in the hotel during the program; however, we do not provide compensation for candidates to get to Boston for the program.
Job: News Asst/Staff Reporter at Asahi Shimbun (SF)
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Great JET-relevant listing, originally posted to the JETAA Northern California LinkedIn group by Michelle Lynn Dinh.
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Overview:
Position: News Assistant / Staff Reporter
Job Status: Full-time
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: $36,000 to $37,200 (Depending on Qualifications)
Job: Project Coordinator, PR & Marketing Dept at JETRO (SF)
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Thanks to JETAA Northern California President Mark Frey for passing this highly JET-relevant position along, which he received directly from the Executive Director of JETRO’s San Francisco office. See below for details. (Apologies for any awkward formatting as I had to copy and paste it from a PDF.)
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘A True Novel’
Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘A True Novel’
“A True Novel remarkably depicts the sense of isolation that anyone who has lived abroad or moved to a new place experiences. It captures the very human and conflicted desires to simultaneously fit into a society while also desiring to rebel against its impositions.” (Other Press)
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.
This is the story of a poor boy that had the misfortune to fall in love with a rich girl. A classic Gothic tale of romance transplanted and re-imagined in postwar Japan. If you like your lovers star-crossed and your antiheroes of the rags to riches variety, then you’re in for a treat with Minae Mizumura’s A True Novel. Winner of the Yomiuri Literature Prize in 2002, A True Novel is a book filled with familiar themes executed in interesting new ways. It is a re-imagining of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights in postwar Japan, with parallels among some characters, but different enough to be original and uniquely Japanese.
A True Novel is a unique and engrossing tale that brings together three seemingly unrelated characters who are united not only by a resigned sense of isolation from their surroundings but also united in their encounters and fascination with the book’s protagonist, Taro Azuma. The focus of the novel is the story of his tragic youth, a poor boy who falls in love with a rich girl, and his growing awareness that he would always be incompatible with her in the eyes of others. He flees to America, where he claws his way up from the dregs of society and overcomes the obstacles of class and wealth to become one of the richest Japanese men of his time. While we learn about his fascinating life through the three different viewpoints of the characters with their sometimes humanly biased perspectives, the book also gives insight into the complex identities of the uprooted lives of immigrants and refugees both in Japan and in America, as well as how attitudes toward them have changed over time. A True Novel remarkably depicts the sense of isolation that anyone who has lived abroad or moved to a new place experiences. It captures the very human and conflicted desires to simultaneously fit into a society while also desiring to rebel against its impositions.
Mizumura has masterfully brought to life narrators and characters from different generations, countries, and social classes, and provides fascinating insight into their lives during different periods of Japanese history. From the bleak years of Imperial Japan’s home front during the Pacific War, and the humbling postwar period, through its modern economic success, and finally to the bubble burst and recent events, Japanese modern history comes alive in an intimate and immediate way that inspires new appreciation and curiosity for the human side of history.
