Around Japan in 47 Curries: Yamanashi Fruit
Uncategorized 
Comments Off on Around Japan in 47 Curries: Yamanashi Fruit
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 14th installment, in which he explores whether or not Yamanashi Prefecture fruit is a good curry ingredient:
Grapes and wine are Yamanashi’s most famous products. The cultivation of grapes dates back about 1,300 years, apparently beginning with a monk who had a vision of Buddha holding a bunch of them. Wine production didn’t get started until the 1868-1912 Meiji era, but there are now more than 80 wineries in the prefecture, making about 40 percent of Japan’s domestic wine.
In 2007, the prefecture was No. 1 in grape production, at 51,400 tons, well ahead of second-place Nagano with 30,700. It was also first in peaches (54,100 tons, ahead of then second-place Fukushima at 27,800) and plums (6,660, ahead of second-place Wakayama at 3,280).
While driving through Yamanashi Prefecture a couple of weeks ago, I picked up some grape and peach curries at a highway rest stop…
Book: “This Japanese Life” published by JET alum blogger Eryk Salvaggio
Blogs, Books, JET Alum Author Beat, JETs in the News, LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on Book: “This Japanese Life” published by JET alum blogger Eryk Salvaggio
Thanks to AJET Chair Kay Makishi for the heads up on Fukuoka JET alum Eryk Salvaggio who writes the blog “This Japanese Life” and recently published a book by the same name. You can read more about Eryk in this Japan Times interview with him from 2012.
About the book: http://thisjapaneselife.org/this-japanese-life-the-book/
Most books about Japan can tell you how to use chopsticks or say “konnichiwa.” Few tackle the real stress of life in a radically different culture.
The author, a three-year resident and the writer and researcher behind one of the best Japan blogs, tackles the thousand tiny uncertainties of life abroad with honesty and wit.
Perfect for anyone about to leave home for Japan or elsewhere, This Japanese Life will deepen any reader’s understanding of Japanese culture as it’s fused into a method of dealing with the hardships of working and living there.
About Eryk:
Eryk Salvaggio was an American newspaper editor in Bangor, Maine before teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. He lived in Fukuoka City from 2010-2013, writing a blog, This Japanese Life, about Japanese culture and the tiny anxieties of being an expatriate.
The site was named one of the best Japan Blogs by Tofugu and was spotlighted by The Japan Times. Salvaggio has written for McSweeney’s, The Japan Times, Tofugu and Kulturaustausch.
His work as a visual artist has been covered in The New York Times and elsewhere.
He currently lives in London.
WIT Life #250: Mochi, mochi and more mochi!
Food & Drink, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #250: Mochi, mochi and more mochi!
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 am at the tail end of my State Department interpreting gig here in Hawaii, and was glad to find that even when you are far from home you are never far from other JETs. I sat down to breakfast the other morning in my hotel, and who did I see but fellow NY JET alum Mark Flanigan! He was here on ICU business, and I was lucky enough to catch him before he flew back to NY that night. Small world! Tomorrow when work ends I’m planning on Read More
Job: Cultural Engagement and Study Away Program Manager-University of Minnesota Rochester Campus (Minnesota)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Cultural Engagement and Study Away Program Manager-University of Minnesota Rochester Campus (Minnesota)
Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: Cultural Engagement and Study Away Program Manager
Posted by: University of Minnesota Rochester Campus
Location: Minnesota
Overview:
The program manager is responsible for managing Study Away from Rochester, which includes Education Abroad and National Student Exchange, advising undergraduate students at UMR on Study Away from Rochester, coordinating general travel advising services, creating and updating all advising related publications online and in print related to Study Away from Rochester, administering UMR travel scholarships, facilitating pre- and post-travel learning experiences, serving as Designated School Official for SEVIS, and working closely with Global Programs & Strategic Alliance on the Twin Cities campus (50%); serving as the liaison with One Stop Student Services as it relates to travel and capstone experiences, such as explaining financial aid policies, procedures and scholarship options (10%); facilitating curricular and co-curricular integration as it relates to cultural competence, global perspectives, diversity and inclusivity initiatives (35%); and other duties as assigned (5%). This position includes some teaching of appropriate courses and seminars.
Job: Student Services Specialist III–Study Abroad at University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Student Services Specialist III–Study Abroad at University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: Student Services Specialist III
Posted by: Study Abroad at University of North Texas
Location: Denton, TX
Overview:
International (UNT-I) is the administrative unit charged with directing all aspects of UNT’s international operations and partnerships. UNT-I is a growing and strongly supported organization, and is central to the university’s strategic internationalization.
In collaboration with more than a dozen colleges, schools and academic programs, UNT-I is aggressively expanding the university’s global reach. The division serves more than 2,600 international students and more than 100 foreign scholars, primarily on the Denton campus, with departments and offices ranging from International Student and Scholar Services to the Intensive English Language Institute.
Postings from Idealist.org 9.19.13
Jobs Comments Off on Postings from Idealist.org 9.19.13
Via Idealist.org. Posted by Geneva Marie (Niigata-ken 2008-09) Geneva is a contributor to both JETwit and JETAANY. Geneva is on a continuous (epic) search for Japanese-related jobs in the United States. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
InterExchange Au Pair USA North Shore, Long Island Local Coordinator
Posted by: InterExchange, Inc
Type: Part-time
Location: Jerico, NY
Salary: Fee-based
Application Deadline: September 23, 2013
InterExchange Au Pair USA is looking for a professional and dynamic self-starter to oversee our North Shore Long Island Au Pair Cluster. While upholding Department of State guidelines, this individual will help promote a cultural exchange program that provides a unique solution for families seeking affordable and flexible childcare. This is a rewarding opportunity to work with a group of lively international au pairs and American host families. The right candidate will work from home, part-time (15-20 hours per week), with the opportunity for growth.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/XgfGJ5XWKmfP
File Processor
Posted by: American Councils for International Education ACTR/ACCELS
Type: Full-time/Temporary
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: Not Specified
Application Deadline: Not Specified
File Processor is a temporary, full-time position that reports to the Senior Program Administrator for AIS Operations*. The primary responsibility of this position is completing operational and administrative tasks during scholarship applicant selection for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES), American-Serbia and Montenegro Youth Leadership Exchange (A-SMYLE), National Security Languages Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), and other programs. Hours may vary from week to week, as necessary, with five (5) days and 35 hours per week to be the expected norm. Some weekend and evening work might be available or required. Multiple File Processor positions are projected to run from early October and early November 2013 through March 28, 2014.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/tW2bmtsHFgnp
JET alum publishes new book on corporal punishment and discipline in Japan’s schools
Academic, Books, JET Alum Author Beat, LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on JET alum publishes new book on corporal punishment and discipline in Japan’s schools
Thanks to AJET Chair Kay Makishi for passing along info about this interesting new book by Aaron Miller (Ehime-ken, 2002-04).
About the Author (via Amazon.com):
Aaron L. Miller, PhD is Assistant Professor and Hakubi Scholar at Kyoto University, affiliated with the Graduate School of Education, and Visiting Scholar, Stanford University Center on Adolescence. His academic research explores the relationships between education, sports, discipline and culture. His website is www.aaronlmiller.com.
About the Book:
This book is about the many “discourses of discipline” that encircle the issue of “corporal punishment” (taibatsu). These discourses encompass the ways that people discuss discipline and the patterns of rhetoric of what discipline should be, as well as what discipline signifies. By scrutinizing these discourses of discipline, this work disentangles the allegedly intimate ties between culture, discipline, and pedagogy in Japanese schools and sports.
For more information on this monograph, including how to order it,please visit http://ieas.berkeley.edu/publications/jrm17.html
Full IEAS catalogue: http://ieas.berkeley.edu/publications/catalogue.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Discipline-Anthropology-Punishment-Monograph/dp/1557291055
Reviews (via Amazon)
Corporal punishment of children by teachers and coaches is a widespread practice in many countries, but especially in Japan, where it has become a front-page issue involving Olympic athletes. Miller explores this issue both historically and in contemporary practices and analyzes how various discourses regrading disciplinary actions have shaped Japanese understandings of their ‘educational reality.’ To understand this phenomenon, Miller rejects Ruth Benedict’s culturalist theory and, instead, places physical discipline (taibatsu) in the contect of Michel Foucault’s theory of violence and power, offering an incisive analysis of a complex issue. —Harumi Befu, professor emeritus, Stanford University
An intriguing and well-written analysis on molding character in Japanese schools and sports through the widespread use of corporal punishment. Miller frames his discussion in the contexts of Japanese cultural ideals about discipline, toughness, and self-improvement, as well as in Japanese perceptions of such forms of discipline as something uniquely Japanese. This book is an important contribution to understanding the social and cultural dynamics of core institutions in contemporary Japan. —Theodore C. Bestor, Harvard University
Corporal punishment as a discipline of pain and an abuse of adult authority is a troubling presence in Japanese classrooms and sports fields. This is an insightful and wide-ranging analysis that overturns simple judgments with a nuanced exploration of the historical development, sociocultural locations, and heated national discourse on corporal punishment in modern Japan. It is a significant contribution to our understanding of Japanese education and sports, and it is an original anthropological perspective on how we might theorize power in Japanese society. – —William W. Kelly, Yale University
Let’s Talk Japan Podcast, Episode 16 – It’s all about the sake´ at Seattle’s Sake´ Nomi
Food & Drink Comments Off on Let’s Talk Japan Podcast, Episode 16 – It’s all about the sake´ at Seattle’s Sake´ Nomi
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.
In this episode, Nick speaks with Johnnie Stroud, the owner of Sake´ Nomi, a premium sake´ shop and tasting bar in Seattle, Washington. Together they discuss how Johnnie discovered sake´, what motivated him to open a business specializing in sake´, and why you should be drinking more sake´, preferably bought from Sake´ Nomi!
Kanpai!
Nick
If you have not already done so, be sure to “Like” the podcast on Facebook, and follow the podcast on Twitter @letstalkjapan. Additionally, please consider leaving a positive rating and/or review in iTunes.
I’ll Make It Myself: New Resource: Food Substitutions for Cooking and Baking in Japan
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself: New Resource: Food Substitutions for Cooking and Baking in Japan
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. Ze also 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.
Throughout my four years in Japan, I had to figure out solutions to issues with ingredient availability and cooking equipment to be able to eat the food I wanted. I’ve just started a new resource with some of my tips for what to substitute and what to make at home. Some of them seem really obvious, but they weren’t to me at the time.
Job: Executive Director for World Boston (Boston)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Executive Director for World Boston (Boston)
Thanks to New England JETAA‘s Jason Currier and Christina Omori for passing in this very interesting opening. It seems that the World Boston Executive Director position is vacant because JET alum Bill Clifford (Shizuoka-ken, 1987-89) has left it to take a new position as President of the World Affairs Councils of America in D.C. According to Jason and Christina, Bill had participated in a number of events with NEJTAA and the Boston Consulate over the years. 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.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: Executive Director
Posted by: WorldBoston
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Type: Full-Time
Salary: Commensurate with Experience and Ability
Overview:
This position, a highly visible platform in Boston, reports directly to the Board of Directors. The successful candidate will be entrepreneurial, energetic, and a strategic thinker – one who will provide vision and creative leadership to advance the mission of WorldBoston. The successful candidate will: expand WorldBoston’s programming and outreach to the organization’s members and the public; strengthen its civic presence and brand; cultivate relationships with local, national, and international stakeholders.
Requirements:
- Leadership: 7+ years as Executive Director/CEO, COO, or Development Executive with strong record of providing leadership to complex organizations that serve people with interests in international and current affairs. Experience working with a nonprofit board of directors and leading strategic planning efforts strongly preferred. Collaborative, inclusive team-based management style. Talent for mentoring younger professional staff to develop them as leaders.
- Fundraising: Demonstrated ability to grow organizational revenues by identifying and securing private support as well as increasing public funding. Experience in grant writing, annual fund campaigns, corporate and foundation gifts, fundraising events, and planned-giving efforts.
- Fiscal management:High degree of business and financial acumen. Experience in effectively managing annual operating budgets of $500K+ and expanding organizational capacity. Solid understanding of federal grant funds, including their management, reporting, and compliance requirements, is preferred. Read More
Job: Sales and Marketing Position at Actus Consulting Group (NY)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Sales and Marketing Position at Actus Consulting Group (NY)
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.
————————————————————————————————————
Posted by: Actus Consulting
Location: White Plains, NY
Type: Full-Time
Salary: 40-50K with Benefits
Overview:
The candidate will be involved in the sales and marketing activities of plastics additives and resins, mainly for North American. There’s also a possibility for some South American exposure. He/she will be required to travel 35% of the time to visit clients and find new customers.
Requirements:
- Recent college graduates with less than 2 years of experience.
- Chemical/ polymers background is a BIG plus.
- Japanese language skill is not required but a plus.
Application Instructions:
(If you apply, please make sure to indicate that you learned of the listing via JETwit.)
【RocketNews24】Ninja language skills: Boost your Japanese with the power of onomatopoeia
Article/Journalism, Writers Comments Off on 【RocketNews24】Ninja language skills: Boost your Japanese with the power of onomatopoeia
Posted by Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010–13), editor and writer for RocketNews24. The following article was written by Philip Kendall (Fukushima-ken, Shirakawa-shi, 2006–11), senior editor and writer for RocketNews24, a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.
There are in fact three distinct types of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language: 擬声語 giseigo, 擬音語 giongo and 擬態語 gitaigo.
It rarely appears in beginner or intermediate textbooks, but spend a day with any native Japanese speaker and you’ll soon realise that onomatopoeia is a vital part of the language. Utterances such as, “The rain fell like ‘pssshaaaa’” and, “My heart was going ‘boom boom boom’ the whole time!” may come across as a little ineloquent when said in English, but in Japanese these kinds of mimetic words are not only considered perfectly acceptable, but pop up absolutely everywhere.
So if you’ve ever wondered what sound a Japanese pig makes, how best to describe a rolling boulder as opposed to a tiny marble, or would be perplexed if a doctor asked whether the pain you’re feeling is more shikushiku than kirikiri, now’s your chance to hone your language skills and add a few new words to your Japanese vocabulary!
Posted by Albert David Valderrama (Ibaraki-ken, 2010-present), JET Programme ALT/PA, co-founder and National Co-Representative of API AJET, and Editor of @API.
_______________________________
Issue #003 of the Asian Pacific Islander AJET special interest group’s webzine, “@API“, is out now! Click the image below to read the full issue.
@API Issue #003
What is “@API“?
“@API” is a web-based magazine put together by contributors and members of the Asian Pacific Islander Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (API AJET).
What is “API AJET“?
Asian Pacific Islander AJET (API AJET) was created during the summer of 2012 following many talks about the specific issues the API community faces.
This special interest group (SIG) aims to create a supportive environment for all APIs living in Japan. We also hope to increase awareness about API issues and incite dialogue among curious JETs and non-JETs. Furthermore, API AJET hopes to act as a tangible resource for anyone interested in understanding an API’s unique perspective (as a foreigner) in Japan.
The group is open to all. Join to share, discuss, and learn about the API experience. Membership is free!
For more information go to our website at api.ajet.net, email us at api[at]ajet.net, or find API AJET on Facebook and Google+.
Life After JET: Food for Thought by James Foley
LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on Life After JET: Food for Thought by James Foley
Recently posted to the JETAA Oceania Facebook group by Eden Law:
The JET Programme has lead to many opportunities and careers, sometimes rather unexpectedly. This is part of a series of articles by former JETs about their lives after participating on the programme, and how it has shaped their careers and paths. We hope that it will prove useful as an insight for potential applicants into what we as ex-JETs got from our experience, and maybe provide some nostalgic memories for others. Please feel free to contact us if you want to write about your own experience!
Our next article in our Life After JET series comes from James A. Foley. A former Iwaki-shi, Fukushima-ken JET (2007-2010), James met his wife (who was also a JET) on the JET Programme and has successfully carved out a career as a reviewer and critic of New York’s Japanese food scene for the famous Village Voice publication. James is also quite handy with the camera, and his blog contains his writing, articles and photography. A little known fact is that he’s totally metal on the shamisen.
This August marks the third year since I finished my time on JET; I have officially been gone from Japan for as long as I was there. Looking back now over my time on JET, the connections between the Japan experience and my work as a professional journalist are abundantly clear.
Prior to packing up life and moving from the middle of America to Iwaki City on the coast of Fukushima, I worked as a news reporter for a daily newspaper in suburban Kansas City, Mo. While I was in Japan I continued to write and hone my journalism skills, but mainly just for a blog I kept for my own records.
Towards the end of my JET tenure I had no life plan or job prospects. Read More
Life After JET: Take Pride in Your Choices
LifeAfterJET Comments Off on Life After JET: Take Pride in Your Choices
Check this excerpt from blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12)!
Decision-Making
Two years ago I made a choice. Having to choose can suck.
I was working a comfy teaching gig overseas. The good was good. I didn’t have any problems with my co-workers. In my third year, the kids were probably the best I’d ever seen. I remember there was a point in time I even thought I loved my job. But as time went on something felt “off.”
Some people talk about a “calling.” Well, I felt something along the lines of moving on to “bigger and better.”
Read the rest at BostonUrbanNews.com
