I’ll Make It Myself!: Millet Muffins
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. Ze works in international student exchange; writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan and the US; curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan; and admins The JET Alumni Culinary Group on LinkedIn.
Check out the rice section in your local supermarket in Japan for other grains, and you’re often find zakkoku (雑穀) / kokumotsu (穀物), mixed grains and beans, which often includes millet. Millet is called awa (粟) or kibi (キビ) and is often sold by itself as uruchikibi (うるちキビ ) or mochi kibi (モチキビ).
JETAA Singapore welcomes home recent returnees
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Thanks to JETAA Singapore’s Nathalie Ng for sharing this update, originally written by Shane Wong:
JETAA Singapore had a simple but fun welcome back reception for recent returnees of the JET Programme on 26 Oct 2013 at the Minds Café Funan Centre. Opened to all members and friends, the event was also attended by staff of the Embassy of Japan in Singapore and CLAIR Singapore.
After a brief round of introduction, smaller groups were formed where the chatter continued over games, free-flow drinks and snacks. It was a good time for members to reminiscence their time on the JET Programme with the recent returnees sharing their experiences working and living in Japan.
Congratulations on successfully completing your stint on the Programme, and welcome home!
And thank you, Akita, Aomori, Miyagi, Shimane, and Tottori for hosting and sharing your cultures with our JETs. We hope, as always, that this would be the beginning of closer ties between Japan and Singapore.
Austin Moore beautifies Japan (starting with his own house)
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Posted by Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-90)
The January 2013 edition of the “JET Plaza” section of CLAIR Forum magazine included an article by Austin Moore, who came to Japan in 1984 on the Monbusho English Fellow (MEF) program, a forerunner of the JET Program. In it, he mentioned his work to restore a 145-year-old house in Hino, Shiga Prefecture, which led the owners of several other old houses in the neighborhood to spruce up their buildings as well.
Now, the Wall Street Journal has taken notice. According to an article this month by Yuka Hayashi, “Mr. Moore has established himself as a key member of the community, serving on its preservation society and helping promote tourism. Following his renovation, three families have moved into the abandoned houses and others have reintroduced traditional features to their homes… ‘Mr. Moore came from the outside and saw the beauty of Hino and its old homes that the locals had grown blind to,’ said Ryojun Manda, director of the local history museum. ‘He showed us how to breathe life back into old houses and make them shine again.'”
You can read the full article HERE and view a gorgeous photo essay about the house HERE.
Around Japan in 47 Curries: Nagano Souvenirs
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Tom Baker (Chiba, 1989-91) is writing a 47-part series of posts on his Tokyo Tom Baker blog, in which he samples and comments on a curry from a different prefecture almost every week. Here’s an excerpt from his 15th installment, in which he visits Nagano Prefecture and brings back some curry souvenirs:
Like neighboring Yamanashi, Nagano is a big producer of fruit. The prefecture is especially proud of its apples, which are often used (usually in pureed form) to sweeten curries. But instead of apple curry, I bought some beef curry made with the meat of apple-fed cows. While I was at it, I also got some curry made with yeast-fed Nagano pork.
Japan News: Tokyo to increase number of JETs significantly in 2014 in anticipation of Olympics
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Great JET news from The Japan News (i.e., Yomiuri Shimbun)! Apparently Tokyo Governor Inose also announced that Tokyo will increase the number of its hiring JET participants from 5 to 100 in 2014, and to 200 from 2015. Also, from conversations I’ve had, it sounds like representatives of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government developed a very positive impression of JET based on various interactions they had with JETAANY during visits to NYC.
Tokyo English teachers to study abroad for Olympics
November 7, 2013
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Tokyo metropolitan government will send about 200 young English teachers from middle and high schools to English-speaking countries every year for three months to brush up their English teaching abilities in anticipation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, sources said Thursday.
The program, designed to beef up the English ability of teachers as well as their teaching abilities, will start in the next academic year in April. Many foreign visitors are expected to come to Tokyo during the Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, according to the sources.
The number of assistant language teachers (ALTs) at metropolitan-run high schools will also be increased.
The metropolitan government plans to appropriate about ¥1 billion in next fiscal year’s budget. Through improvement in instruction capacities at schools, it plans to improve students’ language abilities, the sources explained.
Currently there are about 3,000 English teachers at public middle schools and high schools in Tokyo. Of them, about 200 teachers in their third year of employment will be sent to overseas universities and other educational institutions in English-speaking countries every year. They will attend English lessons and learn English teaching methods during the three-month period.
The metropolitan government also plans to increase the number of ALTs at metropolitan high schools, about 200 at present, to 300 in the next academic year and 400 in the academic year of 2015.
The Tokyo government plans to utilize the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, an international exchange program coordinated by the central government for local governments to invite young foreign nationals to teach English as assistants.
JQ Magazine: JETAA USA Earthquake Relief Fund Aids Recovery
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Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund founder Andy Anderson (center) with members of the JET Alumni Association of New York at Columbia University, Oct. 30, 2013. (Courtesy of JETAA New York)
By C-M Daeley (Saga-ken, 2008-2011) for JQ magazine. C-M is a poet, rap lyricist, and travel enthusiast currently working as an English teacher in Tokyo. For a look at some of his other writing, poetry and lyrics, check out his blog at http://spikedaeley.wordpress.com.
With today’s 24-hour global news cycle, it is sometimes difficult to keep even the most severe events in public memory. The Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011 has not received much recent coverage in global news, but the issues faced by those still rebuilding remain monumental. Fortunately, there has been significant international aid from a number of sources, one of which is the JETAA USA Earthquake Relief Fund. This grant has raised almost USD $90,000 and has been used to provide seed funding to assist grassroots programs in areas severely impacted by the earthquake.
Due to the complex nature of fund allocation, this article will focus mainly on projects and programs directly supported through JETAA funds. However, it is significant to note that the Earthquake Relief Fund was only one of several avenues used to bring aid to the region and that, to date, roughly $500,000 has been raised through JET-affiliated groups and organizations worldwide. Jim Gannon (Ehime-Ken, 1992-94), current executive director at the Japan Center for International Exchange in New York, and Jessyca Livingston (Hokkaido, 2003-06), one of the three JETAA USA Country Representatives serving during the immediate aftermath and current JET Program coordinator at the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver, spoke about some of the initiatives the Earthquake Relief Fund has helped support.
“It is very difficult to give a concise yet comprehensive picture of what the JETAA funds have done,” Gannon explained. “The best way to describe it is that they have played a catalytic role in supporting some key projects in the early stage that have been supported by a range of others in more generous fashion once they proved their merits. JETAA cannot take full credit for all of the successes, but it did play an important role in getting things moving.” He also noted, “The real heroes are these incredible people from Tohoku who have championed these projects, the inspirational young people who have relocated to Tohoku to help operate them, and those who have been shuttling back and forth from Tokyo and elsewhere to help formulate and drive these initiatives.”
After a national discussion and several rounds of voting in each of JETAA USA’s 19 chapters, a final decision was made about how the fund should be allocated. “In the end, it was very obvious that chapters found it important to support education-related efforts in those areas most affected,” Livingston said.
Job: Coordinator, Office of Study Abroad Position- Mississippi State University
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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: Coordinator, Office of Study Abroad Position
Posted by: Mississippi State University
Location: Mississippi State University, MS
Type: full-time
Overview:
The position is responsible for coordinating all aspects of education abroad, including university risk management, promotion of study abroad programming, advising students of study abroad opportunities, as well facilitating all study abroad programs. The objective of this position is to encourage globalization on campus by expanding students’ academic opportunities in study abroad/exchange programs at universities overseas.
Job: Asian Studies Program- Kansai Gaidai University (Hirakata, Japan)
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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: Candidate Lecturer in Business and Japanese History (2 positions)
Posted by: Kansai Gaidai University
Location: Hirakata, Japan
Salary: Salary is commensurate with qualifications. Free housing can be provided under certain conditions.
Type: full time
Kansai Gaidai University:
Established in 1945. Based at the cultural center of Japan, 25 minutes by train to Osaka and 35 minutes by train to Kyoto. Enrollment: 13,000. Long recognized as one of Japans most international universities, with ties to approximately 330 universities and colleges around the world. About one third of our faculty is non-Japanese. Nearly 1,700 of our Japanese students study abroad through various long and short-term study abroad programs, and about 700 non-Japanese come to our campus every year.
Asian Studies Program:
We attract about 600 international students annually from more than 40 countries. Courses are designed for undergraduate students in their last two years of study and concentrate on topics related to Japan and the Asian region. All courses are taught in the English language. For more information on the Asian Studies Program, please visit our website at: http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/asp/
Job: Education Abroad Coordinator – Ferris State University (MI)
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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 Abroad Coordinator
Posted by: Ferris State University
Location: Big Rapids, MI
Salary: DOE
Type: full time
Overview:
The Education Abroad Coordinator will educate the campus community about international education programs through social media and internationalization efforts. The Education Abroad Coordinator will also advise students on semester-long study abroad and international internship opportunities, expand current portfolio of opportunities for students, and provide theoretical foundations for the development of a minor in International Education.
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in International Education or related field or at least two semesters of coursework completed in a Master’s Program in International Education or a related field with degree conferred by August 2014.
- One year of foreign language study.
- Experience studying or working abroad.
Additional Information:
For a complete posting or to apply, access the electronic applicant system by logging on to http://employment.ferris.edu.
Justin’s Japan: J-LABO Brooklyn Opens in Park Slope
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Click image to read story
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.
Since its launch in 2008, social network J-COLLABO has been working with numerous artists to make innovative Japanese-themed collaborations accessible to the public. Now it has taken the next step in its evolution with J-LABO Brooklyn, which had its pre-opening party in Park Slope last month.
“J-LABO is a place where the conventions of intercultural chemistry are challenged and the possibilities of creative collaboration and experimentation are deeply explored as a unifying effort between Japanese culture and the cultures of the world,” explained John Figueredo, marketing and PR supervisor for J-COLLABO. “Artists who gather under J-LABO can collaborate, create and implement Japanese-themed works.”
The organization now seeks to raise $40,000 to renovate J-LABO Brooklyn through crowdsourcing funds and events.
“When it is complete, J-LABO will provide a dedicated exhibition/performance space, an artist residency program, classes, and a design lab,” Figueredo said. “With these facilities as a base, J-COLLABO will provide a venue for learning and cultural exchange as well as a generator of new art and design.”
The names of all donors will be carved on a plate for display inside the venue. J-LABO’s next event is an opening reception on Dec. 7 featuring live painting by Fukuoka-based calligrapher and artist Sugita Koki preceding his newest exhibition entitled Kotokama, which will be on display through Dec. 20.
For more information, please visit www.j-collabo.org.
Job: Sales Representative at Sake Distributor (NYC)
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Via Actus Consulting. 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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Position: Sales Representative
Type: Full-Time
Location: NYC
Salary: up to $40K
Benefits: $500/month expense allowance, Medical Benefits
Overview:
They are hiring a Sales Manager in New York City to grow their business in this major market. They are looking for someone who can grow with the job and become a regional Manager, as well. As a work environment, they value passion for their category and products, self-motivation, resourcefulness, intelligence and professionalism. They are breaking new ground in the beverage industry and in the sake category. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who has sales experience in the industry, or a related industry and wants a high-growth career opportunity. Read More
Japan Times article on ALTs and discipline in the classroom
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Thanks to AJET Chair Kay Makishi for bringing this to JETwit’s attention. Notably, in addition to the current JET who is quoted, Aaron Miller (Ehime-ken, 2002-04) is also quoted in connection with his recently published book on discipline in the Japanese education system and the writer of the article is a current JET. On a related note, a really good book on discipline in the classroom is Discipline with Dignity, though not sure how it works cross-culture:
When it comes to discipline in class, leave it to the locals
BY PATRICK ST. MICHEL
SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES
Aaron Joseph remembers the email Interac sent him regarding his school placement in Sakai, Osaka, in August 2012.
“There was a line that said, ‘It’s kind of a rough school, but we are sure you can handle it.’ ”
It didn’t take long for the Nashville-born Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to see the company wasn’t kidding about Otori Junior High School.
“My first day teaching — my very first class — one kid asked me, ‘Are you a miserable f-ck?’ I did a double take — it was perfect pronunciation.” He says the next six months at Otori were filled with disinterested classes, instances of students smoking inside and fights — some nearly breaking out between students and teachers.
Although his situation was extreme, Joseph faced a challenge shared by many ALTs in Japan: how to deal with misbehaving students. Not every ALT has to stare down scrappers and smokers everyday, but most have dealt with loud, inattentive or disruptive classes and students, sometimes frequently. How does a non-Japanese teacher approach discipline in these scenarios?
For Joseph, it was clear: don’t engage. “Interac made it pretty clear at orientation that discipline was not our business,” he says. “Don’t get in a battle of wills with a teenager — if you get mad at them, you can’t do anything.”
Private dispatch companies tend to be direct about discipline; in their teaching manuals, businesses such as Interac or Aichi Prefecture-based Altia Central strongly advise ALTs to leave matters of discipline to fully licensed teachers.
For teachers working through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, or those tasked with leading classes by themselves, disciplinary procedures aren’t so straightforward. The JET handbook for ALTs never explicitly states that a foreign teacher should avoid discipline, offering up only strategies to stop students from becoming disruptive. [The Japan Times contacted the education ministry about official procedures, but did not get a response in time for publication.]
Daniel Nicholls, a JET ALT based in Mie Prefecture, says he has never been told by JET, his board of education or his school not to discipline students. Read More
AJET launches “JET Community Service Tracker 2013-14”
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I’d heard about this great idea from AJET Chair Kay Makishi a little while ago, and now it’s up and running! A really innovative way to show another form of Return On JET-vestment:
JET Community Service Tracker 2013-2014
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QzQif7qeluJBzfnCgQuseZ4FVJlnMETaN65mEBYh6cA/viewform
This year, National AJET has set some very ambitious goals for JET community involvement: 1,000,000 yen raised for charity, and 10,000 volunteer hours of community service. For any volunteer event, charity event, or fundraising campaign, large or small, please fill out this form. Whether you raised 100,000 yen, or 1,000, we’d love to hear about it. Whether 100 people volunteered for 10 hours, or two people volunteered for one hour, we want to hear about it!
JET Community Service Tracker:
AJET proudly introduces JET Community Service Tracker! This form is designed to collect data on volunteer hours served and charity money raised by JETs around Japan. You can enter figures for the entire JET-year: August 1, 2013 through July 31, 2014. The information allows AJET to share the positive impact JETs make in their communities with the Japanese Ministries that support JET and with the Japanese public, and help other groups increase the success of their own volunteer and charity efforts.
Race to the Top Challenge:
AJET also proudly presents the Race to the Top Challenge. This challenge will run for six months, from November 1, 2013 through April 31, 2014. Fill out the JET Community Service Tracker and win up to 60,000 yen to support your next volunteer or charity event!
How to Win:
That’s easy! Just be the most caring, dedicated, AJET Chapter you can be! Then, log all of the awesome things you do in the JET Community Service Tracker from November through April. For any questions regarding how to record your community service (what counts/what doesn’t) please contact exec@ajet.net
The Prizes:
One prize of 30,000 yen will go to the prefecture with the largest number of community service hours. A second prize of 30,000 yen will go to the prefecture with the largest amount of charity money raised. The winners will be determined on a percentage basis in order to account for the differences in JET population from prefecture to prefecture.
Who is Eligible to Win?
Any official AJET Prefectural Chapter is eligible to win one or both of these categories for a total of up to 60,000 yen. The winning prefecture(s) will be announced in the May issue of Connect Magazine.
Disclaimer:
The AJET National Council reserves the right to revoke prize money in the case of misconduct including but not limited to inaccurate recording, intentional lying, and unethical actions as determined by the Council. This contest is sponsored by the AJET National Council, a volunteer organisation of current JET participants elected and appointed by current JET Programme participants to represent the JET community nation-wide.
Job: Cultural Centre Staff at Embassy of Japan (New Zealand)
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Originally posted by Jessica Tisch to the JETAA South Island, New Zealand FB group. 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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Position: Cultural Centre Staff
Type: Full-Time
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Overview:
The Embassy of Japan is seeking a highly motivated, team-oriented individual for a position in the Japan Information and Cultural Centre (JICC). This position will be responsible for a wide range of general office administrative duties, including organizing Japanese cultural events, as well as various exchange programs conducted by the Japanese Government. Read More
Job: Copy Editor for The Japan News (Japan)
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Application due Nov 15! Thanks to both JET Alum Tom Baker and current JET Taylor Wettach for passing this on. 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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Position: Copy Editor
Type: Full-Time
Location: Japan
Salary: Monthly salary is ¥480,000～ including tax and benefits.
Overview:
The Japan News is seeking a full-time copy editor. Starting date will be Jan. 1, 2014. Read More
