Kitcher’s Café #003: Making the Most of Your Network
Advice, Career, Career Update, Kitcher's Cafe, LifeAfterJET, Networking 
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Kitcher’s Café, a new series by Lana Kitcher (Yamanashi-ken, 2010-12) is an assortment of articles, topics and commentary written for the JET Alumni community. Lana currently serves as the Business Development Associate at Bridges to Japan, a New York-based cross-cultural consulting firm founded by JET alum Jennifer Jakubowski (Hokkaido, 1995-97).
Dear recent JET returnees and current “job hunters,”
I was given the opportunity to speak at the JETAANY Career Forum in New York City a few weeks ago. Approximately 25 recent returnees (plus JET alumni going through a career transition) attended the event and were able to learn from the presenters, and also from one another, about how to successfully land a job in today’s economy. We learned that it is important to keep strategies current as technology continues to change and as the methods of yesterday are not necessarily effective for our search today.
I would like to share with you some of the points from my presentation called “Making the Most of Your Network,” in case some of you are also going through this transition now. When I first returned home from the JET Program I had a really difficult time figuring out how to start the job search. At that point my only full-time job had been teaching English in Japan, and I didn’t know how to start looking for a new job from scratch. It took me until mid February to get a job, and I really wish someone had told me what I needed to hear earlier.
Kyodo News “Rural JET alumni” series: Elizabeth Gordon (Iwate)
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News agency Kyodo News has recently been publishing monthly articles written by JET alumni who were appointed in rural areas of Japan, as part of promotion for the JET Programme. Below is the English version of the column from November 2013. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
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“I discovered through these exchanges that the people with whom I was talking wanted to know as much about me, about Chicago and about America as I wanted to know about them, Iwate and Japan. Through these interactions over the course of two years I began to gain a small understanding of the subtle nuances that were part of the culture in which I was living.”
Originally from Chicago, Elizabeth Gordon (Iwate-ken, Ninohe-shi, 2003-05) holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology with a minor in Japanese Studies from Northwestern University, IL, and a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies from Columbia University, NY. She spent two years teaching English in rural Iwate before joining the Japan Foundation in New York as a Program Officer. She currently works as the Director of Private Events of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
Soba Diplomacy
Noodle making is an art, not to be taken lightly. Only a true master can produce the perfect noodle. After the wooden board is cleaned, the ingredients are kneaded in perfect rhythm until the correct consistency is achieved, and only the master knows for sure when that is. The rolling pin goes back and forth in a circular motion but forms a perfect rectangle, which is folded in half, then in half again, and in half again. Ever so delicately, the master cuts, slice after slice, all exactly the same width. They are cooked for just the right amount of time and then served with a simple dipping sauce sprinkled with scallions. The movements were ingrained in his muscles. I imagine he could have completed the whole process with his eyes closed. There is simplicity in the process, but the flavor is layered and complex.
When I arrived in Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture in the summer of 2003 as a participant on the JET Program, I did not know a soul, nor had I ever heard of Iwate Prefecture. There was a short orientation in Tokyo, followed by a shorter orientation in Iwate’s capital city of Morioka. It was on the final day of orientation in Morioka that I met my supervisor, Mr. Sato. He picked me up and we drove the one and a half hours through the countryside back to Ninohe City. Mr. Sato did not speak much English and his heavy Iwate dialect was difficult for me to understand. We did, however, find common ground in a little bit of sports but mostly through food. I listed all of my favorite Japanese dishes, and he loved the fact that I could eat with chopsticks. He brought me to the Board of Education office and showed me my desk, which would be my home base for the next two years.
There was no rest for the weary, however. Before I could sit down I was whisked away on a driving tour of the entire city. We stopped at my two junior high schools and one of the eight elementary schools at which I would be teaching. I was asked to give a short self-introduction at each location. We also stopped at city hall to meet the mayor, and at the bank to open an account. Back at the board of education it was suggested that I be taken to the grocery store before I was dropped off at home for the evening. Read More
Job: Residential Coordinator – New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury, NY)
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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.
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Position: Education Marketing Intern
Posted by: New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Location: Old Westbury, NY
Overview:
The Center for Global Exchange seeks a Residential Coordinator. The Residential Coordinator will live in NYIT residence hall, oversee Chinese student population, act as residential advisor, and develop programming for this cohort. Candidate will represent Center for Global Exchange on Old Westbury campus and/or as required; Assist Director with other programs as assigned. Position will require 1-2 days per week on the Old Westbury campus, or as needed.
Job: International Student Coordinator, City University of New York (CUNY)
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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.
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Position: Education Marketing Intern
Posted by: City University of New York (CUNY)
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $35,576 – $41,623 DOE
Overview:
The City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation’s leading urban public university serving more than 480,000 students in a wide range of educational programs at 24 colleges and institutions in New York City. The International Student Coordinator is responsible for performing various tasks associated with facilitating the admission of students into the International English Language Institute (IELI) including visa and passport related issues, work authorizations, and admission applications.
Job: Passenger Services Representative, Criterion Travel (Palo Alto, CA)
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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.
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Position: Passenger Services Representative
Posted by: Criterion Travel
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Overview:
Criterion Travel is a Palo Alto-based tour operator specializing in educational travel. We work with top U.S. affinity organizations to create and operate customized group itineraries worldwide with a strong educational focus. Our tours and cruises are designed for travelers interested in learning more about the destination that the average tourist. Many tours are unique and operate only once. Almost all have expert lecturers who complement what local guides have to say. Tours might feature a combination of land and chartered sea, river, rail or air transportation. Many of our programs provide private access or special features not available to individual travelers or other groups.
Position Description:
The Passenger Services Representative performs a wide variety of administrative, customer service, and other professional travel functions.
The diverse responsibilities and functions of the position require the capacity to abstract, conceptualize, organize, and integrate different sources of information into a coherent and practical frame of reference. The geographic expanse of assigned regions and the diverse range of programmatic services provided contribute to an operational complexity that requires a high level of ability and skills. Independent judgment is required in dealing with day-to-day problems and establishing priorities.
Job: Sales and Program Coordinator, BUNAC USA (TX)
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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.
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Position: Sales and Program Coordinator
Posted by: BUNAC USA
Location: Lewisville, TX (Dallas area)
Start Date: End of December 2013/Beginning of January 2014
Overview:
A new role and addition to our staff in the US office, the Sales and Program Coordinator will work under the direction of the BDM to provide high quality work abroad programs. The role requires a professional approach and involvement in and commitment to all aspects of sales and administration of BUNAC’s Work Abroad programs.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Sales & Marketing
- Assist in making outbound sales calls to customers inquiring about BUNAC programs
- Assist the marketing manager with social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc.) as needed
2. Program Administration
- To manage the processing of all inquiries & program/visa applications, either by mail, e-mail, web or telephone.
- To develop and maintain accurate database & record keeping.
- To handle calls from prospective and current participants.
- To manage all day-to-day correspondence (both email and phone) with applicants and participants.
- To work within the visa requirements & changes that may be introduced during the year.
- Handle all other administrative tasks as needed
Job: Academic Exchange Specialist, U.S. Department of State (Washington DC)
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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.
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Position: Academic Exchange Specialist
Posted by: U.S. Department of State
Location: Washington DC, DC
Salary: $74,872.00 to $115,742.00 / Per Year
Type: Full-Time – Permanent
Application Timeline: Monday, December 02, 2013 to Monday, December 16, 2013
Overview:
The men and women of the US Department of State with their skills, character and commitment to public service, are the backbone of America’s diplomacy. Civil Service employees support the foreign policy mission from offices in Washington, DC and worldwide. Join us in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world as we formulate, represent and implement US foreign policy. Choose from hundreds of career possibilities – there’s something for everyone!
This position is located in the Office of Global Educational Programs (ECA/A/S), Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in the U.S. Department of State (DoS). The incumbent serves as an Academic Exchange Specialist, initiating, developing, administering, and evaluating international academic exchange programs and other activities supporting ECA’s strategic goal to promote international understanding. This position is also being announced through Merit Promotion procedures under Announcement ECA-2014-0022. Candidates who wish to be considered under both Public (US Citizens)and Merit Promotion procedures must apply to both announcements.
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York—Yayoi Kusama, Taka Kigawa, Taro Hakase, VAMPS
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Yayoi Kusama with Love Is Calling (2013) installed as part of the artist’s inaugural exhibition I Who Have Arrived in Heaven at David Zwirner Gallery, on view through Dec. 21. (Will Ragozzino)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
With Thanksgiving weekend (and the hopes of eating right) now just a memory, we turn to colder weather, falling snow, and the new year to come. Fortunately for Japanese culture fans, December is just as busy as the holiday season itself. Whether you’re hosting guests from out of town or looking to squeeze in an event or two in between parties, we’ve got you covered.
This month’s highlights include:
Now through Saturday, Dec. 21
Yayoi Kusama: I Who Have Arrived in Heaven
David Zwirner Gallery, 525 West 19th Street
Free
In case you missed last year’s retrospectiveat the Whitney featuring the artist’s mega-buzzed about Fireflies on the Water, this current exhibition by Yayoi Kusama features 27 new large-scale paintings and The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, a new mirrored infinity room made especially for this exhibition and the United States debut of another infinity room, which was recently on view in Tokyo at the Mori Art Museum. Also exhibited is the artist’s video installation, entitled Manhattan Suicide Addict, that draws its title from her first semi-autobiographical novel published in 1978.
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 8:00 p.m.
Three’s Keys feat. Taka Kigawa
Klavierhaus Recital Hall, 211 West 58th Street
$15
As part of its third annual festival entitled Timbre Tantrum, Composers Concordance(“Enterprising new music organization” –New York Times) presents this all-piano production featuring Taka Kigawa (“Extraordinary pianist” –New York Times), Inna Faliks (“Signature blend of grace and raw power” –Lucid Culture) and Carlton Holmes (“Inventive” –Jazziz). Each pianist will present a 20-minute solo set of their own contemporary repertoire, including music by Shchedrin, Zhurbin, Ellington, Palkowski, Monk, and Alexander. The grand finale serves up a triple-piano suite composed by Dan Cooper, Sean Hickey, Debra Kaye, Milica Paranosic, and Gene Pritsker performed on Klavierhaus’ antique instruments, including a 19th century Pleyel.The concert will be followed by a brief reception.
Thursday, Dec. 5, 8:00 p.m.
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street
$49.50-$89.50
A violinist since the age of four, contemporary classical and crossover musician Taro Hakase returns to New York as part of his first-ever world tour. Entitled JAPONISM after his latest album, Hakase’s pop-infused compositions and charismatic showmanship are known to get fans dancing at his concerts. First brought to international attention following a collaboration soundtrack and a concert tour with Celine Dion in 1996, Hakase has performed before over two million people and has sold more than six million albums in Japan alone. Along with his eight piece band, Hakase brings his tour to one of New York’s most celebrated stages.
For the complete story, click here.
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Writer, researcher, and ex-JET Matt Leichter (Saitama-ken ’03-’05) will be presenting “College Education: Certain Debt, Uncertain Income” at the Henry George School of Social Science in New York City on Friday, December 20, at 6:30 PM. Here is the abstract:
Soaring costs for education, together with limited job opportunities and stagnant wage growth, place substantial financial and psychological burdens on students.
Noted columnist and researcher Matt Leichter reviews tuition inflation, cuts in public funding and the business of lending to students. Mr. Leichter will also propose reforms to the system of financing college education.
The school is located in Manhattan on East 30th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue.
WIT Life #256: Seattle’s Katsu Burger!
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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.
I spent the weekend here in Seattle for the purpose of running the local marathon, which I successfully completed this afternoon! Due to Seattle’s large Japanese-American population and their great influence, on previous visits I have taken advantage of cultural offerings such as the Uwajimaya shopping center (similar to our Mitsuwa), but I was excited to discover a new Japan-related restaurant this time around. I was pretty ravenous after running and craving something substantial, so on the way to the airport I found myself at Katsu Burger. It is in an area surrounded by several fast-food teriyaki joints, but not much else. However, once stepping into the shop you are greeted by a wide variety of Japanese memorabilia, as well as a map adorned with push pins indicating where customers have visited from. As you would expect of Chikyu no Arukikata bearing Japanese tourists, Japan was full from Hokkaido to Okinawa!
Katsu Burger bills itself as serving “Japanese-style burgers and beyond,” and all items Read More
Job: Study Abroad Advisor, The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)
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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.
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Position: Study Abroad Advisor
Posted by: The George Washington University
Location: Washington, D.C.
Type: full-time
Overview:
Founded in 1821, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia, to include ten academic units, with a full-time equivalent enrollment of a little over 20,000 students and approximately 11,000 full-time and part-time employees (faculty and staff). The George Washington University is a community dedicated to learning, communication, respect, service and teamwork. As one of the largest private employers in the District of Columbia, the university seeks employees who support the teaching, research, and public service mission of the university.
Job: Paid Internship, The British Council (NYC)
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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.
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Position: Education Marketing Intern
Posted by: The British Council
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $10 per hour
Type: part-time
Overview:
The British Council is the UK’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Its New York office is co-located within the British Consulate General.
The British Council is offering two four-to-six month New York spring internships to support the Education Marketing team to deliver on three British Council projects supporting UK universities, schools and colleges international marketing efforts in the USA
The interns will gain demonstrable skills and experience in:
- International education
- Event marketing and alumni relations
- Social media and digital marketing
- Market research
- Copywriting and editing
“The Great Passage” – Film Review from Australia’s 17th Japanese Film Festival
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The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia is now showing in Melbourne, the last major city on its national tour before wrapping up for the year. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films on offer.
A Geek God
Japan’s official entry into the 2014 Oscar’s foreign film section might seem a rather strange choice, as its main overarching plot revolves around the 15-year compilation of a dictionary. Certainly, very few other countries would have made a film on such an apparently dry subject matter, but “The Great Passage” uses it as the basis to explore very Japanese concerns about hard work, teamwork, perseverance and discipline, which would have been implied by the actual translation of the Japanese title (“Assemble the Boats”, also the title of the prize-winning novel the movie is based on, by Shion Miura).
Beginning in the 1990’s, the dictionary department of a Tokyo publishing house, under the guidance of department-head Matsumoto-sensei (Go Kato), decides to embark on a grand project of collecting, documenting and eventually publishing a unique dictionary – one that would contain the contemporary lexicon of modern Japan. But due to the departure of its head editor Araki (Kaoru Kobayashi), they search urgently for a replacement, eventually finding Majime (Ryuhei Matsuda), a painfully shy, awkward (these days we would call him somewhat autistic) loner, but who is extremely exact in his mannerisms. Sensing an apt fit, Nishioka (Joe Odagiri) and Araki engineer Majime’s transfer as Araki’s replacement. And so begins a grand obsession for Majime, on several different levels.
“The Great Passage” is epic: not just in the time-frame depicted, or the nature of the dictionary work, but also in its focus. Director Yuya Ishii is not afraid to take the time to unfold the minutiae of what goes into compiling a dictionary, from fieldwork collection, cataloguing, cross-checking, multiple proofing and paper-quality scrutinising. Constantly, new words crop up, but the team patiently note and incorporate them into the ever evolving work, as technology, society and economy changes. Pretty much “all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-how-a-dictionary-is-made-but-wouldn’t-have-cared-to-ask”. On a larger scale, the compilation of the dictionary becomes a metaphor for life. The increasing number of foreign loanwords over the course of the compilation shows the exposure of Japanese society to the outside world over time, a truly, living, breathing project as envisioned by Matsumoto-sensei. Majime’s character development also happens in parallel with the dictionary, as he interacts more with his workmates, after coming to realise that a truly worthwhile enterprise requires the help and goodwill of others. Every aspect of his existence, for good or for bad, gets taken over by his work, as his budding romance with his landlady’s granddaughter Kaguya (Aoi Miyazaki) is good-naturedly encouraged and supported by the entire department as a way to come up with an authentic definition of “love”, to troubling dreams of drowning in a sea with floating pages.
Just like the film’s theme of teamwork, everyone’s performance helps to make this absorbing film, from Matsuda’s awkward Majime, who is at first unable to express his thoughts and feelings without resorting to reciting dictionary definitions, to Miyazaki’s expressive Aoi, as well as Odagiri’s brash Nishioka. Thanks to the cast, “The Great Passage” doesn’t drag, proving that an unhurried enterprise, much like the dictionary itself, can produce an excellent work.
The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu) directed by Yûya Ishii, released April 13 2013 in Japan, starring Ryûhei Matsuda, Kumiko Asô, Chizuru Ikewaki, Haru Kuroki, Aoi Miyazaki, Kaoru Kobayashi, Hiroko Isayama and Naoki Matayoshi.
The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia is now showing in Melbourne, the last major city on its national tour before wrapping up for the year. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films on offer.
Will the real Hitoshi please stand up, please stand up?
This is film messed with my head. Escalating from a quirky, comedy of errors with eccentric characters to a disturbing, confusing movie where you feel like the character Hitoshi himself, running around wild-eyed in panic as you try to make sense of what’s going on – not that the film gives you any concrete answers.
But let’s start with a bit of a background. Hitoshi (Kazuya Kamenashi), a failed photographer, makes a living working in an electronics department, with fellow employees who are probably a little bit insane. Then one day, a stranger’s phone falls into his hands, and on impulse, Hitoshi takes the phone and scams the owner’s mother into depositing 900,000 yen into his bank account. And then that’s when shit gets weird.
The title “It’s Me, It’s Me” comes from the fact Hitoshi starts finding copies of himself popping up, each with his face but different name, different lifestyles – even of the opposite gender. It’s almost like seeing versions of himself – Kamenashi doesn’t just wear different wigs or clothes, or act differently; his face gets superimposed on wildly different body types like that scene from Being John Malkovich. Does each copy represent a possibility or alternate reality that could have been, had circumstances being different, or a choice decided in another way? Which is the real Hitoshi? Was there ever a real Hitoshi? I really don’t know – you tell me. At first finding other “me”s is fun – it’s like finding someone who truly understands you – but the initial novelty and fun of first discovery soon gives way to darker developments, as the initial group of Hitoshis realise that not every aspect of their personality is pleasant, or even desirable. Out of place objects then begin to appear in some scenes, such as overturned drums of strange viscous pink liquid crop up and disappear, posters of a pair of eyes stuck on walls appear to watch Hitoshi and his strange adventures – Miki’s mischievous and anarchic humour teases us as they appear and disappear in the film, like visual signposts of the upcoming weirdness that is about to unleash.
But in the meantime, we are distracted by the anarchic humour and fun by the assortment of characters and dialogue. Minor characters are invested with a huge amount of personality and energy, like Hitoshi’s original mum, Masae (Midoriko Kimura) who insists on being called by her name instead of “mother” because she decided it suits her more; his co-workers like the hyperactive Minami (Eri Fuse) and overbearing dorky manager Tajime (Ryo Kase) and sexy customer Sayaka (Yuki Uchida). Kamenashi juggles a huge amount of roles, portraying different minor characters who seem to be different kind of Japanese stereotypes, definitely working hard for his money.
You might find “Ore Ore” infuriating or intriguing, but it is a wild ride, throwing up all sorts of puzzling questions and frustrating vague hints as to the possible answers.
It’s Me, It’s Me (Ore Ore) by Satoshi Miki, released May 25th 2013 in Japan. Starring Kazuya Kamenashi, Yuki Uchida, Ryo Kase, Midoriko Kimura, Keiko Takahashi, Eri Fuse, Ryu Nakatani and Kinako Kobayashi.
WIT Life #255: San Francisco’s Xanadu Gallery
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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.
My current three-week business trip finishes on the West Coast, with Thanksgiving in San Francisco and the weekend here in Seattle. When I am in the former city, one of my favorite places to visit is the Asian antique art themed Xanadu Gallery. I was first drawn to visiting this location as its architect was Frank Lloyd Wright, who I love. Interesting fact is that he used this building to practice how to incorporate curves into his designs, and five years later went on to create the Guggenheim with its distinctive spiral.
Xanada features a permanent jewelery collection upstairs as well as rotating exhibits, and I was nicely surprised to find that this time Japanese items were being showcased. As seen in the picture, the main display is of exquisitely detailed Noh robes. They have typical Japanese patterns such as Read More
