Mar 19

Job: Teacher/ Director of Studies (London, UK)

Via JETAA UK. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Teacher/ Director of Studies
Posted by: The Institute of International Education
Type: Full-time
Location: London, UK
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
The Institute of International Education in London is a Japanese college in the South East of London, near Greenwich. The college offers several courses in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language, Teaching English to Young Learners, IELTS preparation and Japanese as a Foreign Language. The college has an excellent reputation with a number of notable alumni, and links to universities and other institutions across Japan. Read More


Mar 19

JETAA Chicago White Day Dinner

JETAA Chicago recently held a White Day Dinner.  How cool is that?  No write-up to share, but just wanted to share the concept perhaps for other chapters to try out in the future.  Maybe it’ll even catch on in the US?


Mar 19

Hey current JETs! Let your JTEs know about this training opportunity in the US

Update:  The program is also being promoted on the National Federation of Prefectural English Teachers’ Organizations website (http://www.zen-ei-ren.com/).

From JET alum Daniel Stone (Saitama-ken, Kawaguchi-shi, 2004-07), who seeks helps from current JETs in reaching Japanese Teachers of English in Japan: 

I’m working on a project for a non-profit in Columbus, OH. This pilot project is to bring Japanese Teachers of English to Columbus to train for two weeks this summer. While we have the support of the Japanese Consulate in Detroit, Michigan who has used their channels of distribution to advertise this program in Japan, we are looking to increase our marketing by conducting a grassroots effort and ask for your help.

To learn more about this project, please visit the Columbus International Program website: http://www.cipcolumbus.org/training-programs.html. We ask that you share this information with your former JTE team teaching partners, board of education contracting agencies any anybody else who might be interested in participating in this program.

Deadline to apply is May 1st, 2013.

If anyone has any questions, I can be contacted at stoneone19@yahoo.com.

If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know.

Daniel Stone
AET Kawaguchi City, Saitama 2004-07


Mar 19

Video: JET alum Australian professionals on why they love Japan

Posted recently to the JETAA New South Wales Facebook group by Sharon Van Etten.  Sugoi, NSW!

Check out these interviews with former JETs on JAMS.TV from the recent Shaberanaito event:

Japan For Me 01:  The Tohoku Region:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7d8fiZebeQ
Japan For Me 02:  Sendai to Kagoshima:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_sueFi-9oQ
Japan For Me 03:  Powder Snow and Onsen:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2EHlGdsZsM

Thanks to everyone who participated.

 


Mar 19

JETAA UK Annual General Meeting 2013

Theodore Genba Bigby (Yamagata 2008-12) walks you through some of the highlights from JET alumni associations across the globe.  Genba currently serves as the JETAA UK Webmaster and on the JETAA Midlands committee.

The JETAA UK national AGM was held earlier this month at the Japan Local Government Centre (JLGC) in Whitehall, London, with a lot of hope and enthusiasm for the coming year.

This year’s meeting featured alumni who had recently returned from Japan, alumni who have decided to make the UK their home and those who had returned to the UK as long ago as 20 years. The 20 delegates involved came from all over the UK and included representatives from the Embassy of Japan and JLGC. During the two day meeting held on the 10th and 11th of March, the small but dedicated group eagerly shared new ideas and planned for the future of JETAA in the UK. The varied viewpoints made for an extremely productive meeting and is something that should be valued in an organisation dedicated to internationalisation.

Several key developments emerged from the AGM:

JETAA UK Careers and Information Day
In order to build on recent successes at the Careers and Information Day (CID), plans were made to alter the format for future events. The main change proposed includes holding several talks or networking events for different industries over the course of the year, instead of a single careers day. They are currently seeking the assistance of alumni to support his initiative and would like to hear from members who work at companies interested in hosting a networking event and those who would be interested in giving a presentation about what its like to work in their industry. Please contact cid@jetaa.org.uk to become involved.

UK Expansion
As well as attempting to revive the Midlands chapter, there are also plans afoot for a new chapter in the South East of England.

Japanese Olympic Bid
As alumni may already know, Japan are bidding to host the Olympics in 2020 and JETAA UK are keen to support the bid in whatever way they can.

Changes were also made to the national committee which saw Vanessa Villalobos make way for Fiona Steele in the chair position and the addition of a vice chair role. The CID coordinator role has become that of national careers & networking coordinator and the marketing liaison has been tweaked slightly to become a marketing coordinator. Let’s take a look at the UK committee along with other positions the members hold in JETAA.

National Committee 2013-2014

Chair: Fiona Steele (Consultant, JETAA London) chair@jetaa.org.uk

Vice-Chair: Emily McBride (Vice Chair, JETAA London)  vicechair@jetaa.org.uk

Secretary: Jess Brown secretary@jetaa.org.uk

Treasurer: Wes Jones (Treasurer, JETAA Midlands)  treasurer@jetaa.org.uk

National Careers & Networking Coordinator: Sarah Parsons (Provisional committee member, JETAA Midlands) and Ting Ting Li (joint Chair, JETAA London) cid@jetaa.org.uk

Web Editor: Josephine Audigier (joint Chair, JETAA London) webeditor@jetaa.org.uk

Marketing Coordinator: Daniella Holland

Web Master: Martin McCloud and Theodore ‘Genba’ Bigby (Provisional committee member, JETAA Midlands) webmaster@jetaa.org

 

Here’s to another successful year for JETAA UK!


Mar 18

JETAA Chapter Beat 18th March 2013

Welcome to JETAA Chapter Beat. Theodore Genba Bigby (Yamagata 2008-12) walks you through some of the highlights from JET alumni associations across the globe.  Genba currently serves as the JETAA UK Webmaster and on the JETAA Midlands committee.

Although JETAA Chapter Beat has been absent recently, the hearts of JET alumni have been going strong. Let’s take a look at some highlights for the next four weeks.

JETAA Tokyo

2012-2013 JETAA Tokyo Mentor Program
Kanto

JETAA Tokyo have announced that they intended to run a mentor programme with the aim of developing the careers of local alumni. As part of the programme, which is currently under way, alumni are offered the opportunity to be mentored by experienced alumni who have successfully established themselves as working professionals in the Tokyo area. It is hoped that this personal advice and insight will prove valuable to the development of their careers.

Mentees can expect the following resources:

  • Monthly contact with their mentor through face-to-face meetings, telephone, Skype, Facebook or email (although mentees are responsible for initiating contact).
  • Advice and suggestions on researching career opportunities in the Tokyo area.
  • Feedback on job search materials (résumé, rirekisho, letters of recommendation, etc).
  • If possible, attendance to the JETAA Tokyo Mentor Program Kick-off and the Program Finale.

Although internships are not officially offered as a part of the initiative, there is an opportunity for mentors and mentees to discuss future opportunities on a personal basis. This is an extremely interesting project and if it proves to be successful, it may be replicated by other chapters across the globe.

JETAA Music City

Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (MTAC)
Friday 29th March 2013, 12am – Monday 1st April, 12am
Nashville, Tennessee

During this year’s MTAC, the JET Programme will be hosting its own table! People wishing to volunteer are urged to contact John Gale, JET Program Coordinator at the Consulate-General of Japan, jet@nv.mofa.go.jp or 615-340-4300. It would be a great opportunity to connect with the many university students who are expected to attend who have a strong interest in Japan. Why not come down and tell them about your experiences in Japan whilst enjoying the largest anime convention in Tennessee?

Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival
23rd March 2013, 10 am
Nashville, Tennessee
See here for more information: http://nashvillecherryblossomfestival.org/

Why not get down to the 2013 Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival? JETAAMC are also looking for volunteers to staff the table and speak to the public about their JET experience. To volunteer, please contact John Gale at jet@nv.mofa.go.jp. It must be noted that this event is imminent, so even if you can’t volunteer, please show some support!

JETAA New York

Spring Hike to Breakneck Ridge
14th April 2013
Beacon, New York
http://jetaany.org/2013/03/15/spring-hike-breakneck-ridge/

JETAANY Breakneck Ridge

JETAA NY at Breakneck Ridge.

 If you’re tired of being cooped up all winter, why not have a nice relaxing walk along Breakneck Ridge? Reliably reported to be the best hike in the Tristate area, you’ll be rewarded with amazing views of New York state.

“While no advanced hiking skill is needed, please note that the first part of this hike is strenuous with some rock scrambling. Please wear shoes with a good tread and comfortable clothing. We will be going very slowly and spotting each other.”

See the link above for details.

April Book Club: The Hare with the Amber Eyes
16th April 2013 – 7 pm – 9 pm
Flatiron Building, New York, New York
http://jetaany.org/2013/02/27/416-april-book-club-hare-amber-eyes/

Written by Edmund de Waal, April’s book will be The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance. Meeting on the 14th floor of the iconic Flatiron building, this is a must.

Registration is required in order to attend this event, so please click on the link above and follow the instructions.

JETAA Midlands

Midlands Meetup
13th April 2013 12:30pm
Woktastic, Birmingham, Midlands
http://www.jetaa.org.uk/events/jetaa-midlands-meetup/

JETAA Midlands is now in the process of re-invigorating the group. Starting with this initial meeting, they are inviting not only alumni, but friends of Japan with a view to starting regular meetings and establishing a new committee.

JETAA Minnesota

March Networking Mixer
27th March, 5:00pm – 7:30pm
St. Paul, Minnesota

Be sure not to miss this great chance to network with other alumni. This session will be held at Barrio Tequila Bar. Don’t forget to bring your meishi !

JETAA Scotland

Social Evening
5th April 2013 7:30pm
The Basement Bar, Edinburgh, Scotland

JETAA Scotland is starts its monthly social meetings again this April and continue on the first Friday of every month. All comers are welcome!


Mar 17

JET alum Nick Harling starts “Let’s Talk Japan” podcasts

A great idea just started by former JETAA DC Vice-President Nick Harling (Mie-ken, 2001-03):

Dear JET Alumni,

I want to let you know about a new project that I recently started in an effort to engage my long-held interest in Japan – The Let’s Talk Japan Podcast.

Up until last spring, I volunteered as Vice-President of the JET Alumni Association in Washington, DC, and through that experience I met many people with interesting Japan-related jobs and life experiences.  After two years in that capacity, it was time to move on to something new, and last fall I decided that that something would be a podcast.

My first episode appeared in iTunes on January 1st of this year.  Topics covered so far have include the JET Program application process, the mission of the Sister Cities International and Kizuna Across Cultures organizations, and discussions with an atomic bomb survivor and an expert on Japanese baseball.  Whenever possible, I will also highlight the contributions JET alumni are making in their home countries.

If you are interested in checking it out, you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.  If you like the podcast, feel free to leave a positive rating.  You can also interact with the podcast at www.letstalkjapan.com, through Facebook, or on Twitter @letstalkjapan.

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and I welcome your feedback.

Nick Harling

Mie-Ken 2001-03

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Recent posts from Let’s Talk Japan Podcast:

002 The JET Program Application Process

003 Sister Cities International

005 Kizuna Across Cultures

006 Banzai Babe Ruth Author Robert K. Fitts

 


Mar 15

Actus Job: Sales Associate at Japanese Trading Firm (Somerset, NJ)

Via Actus Consulting. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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****Note: Please make sure to mention that you learned of the opening via JETwit if you apply.***

Position: Sales Associate at Japanese Trading Firm
Posted by: Actus Consulting
Type: Full-time
Location: Somerset, NJ
Salary: $45K + Commission
Start Date: N/A

Company Information:
Leading provider of “total solutions” for companies around the world. Offer broad expertise in logistics, financing, R&D, marketing and introducing products into proven and established sales channels.  Read More


Mar 15

Job: Japan Fisheries Manager

Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Japan Fisheries Manager
Posted by: The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Type: Full-time
Location: London, UK
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) works to safeguard the world’s seafood supply by promoting the best environmental choice, and is recognised internationally as a groundbreaking and credible solution to the serious environmental problem of overfishing.

The Japan Fisheries Manager is responsible for contributing to these overarching aims and objectives and works in collaboration with the other members of the regional and international teams to deliver a more focussed approach of key targets. Read More


Mar 14

hezamama

Heather Wilson Tomoyasu (ALT Ibaraki-ken, 2004-06), previously Manager of Public Relations at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, is now a newly established stay-at-home mom blogging in Brooklyn on her site US-Japan Fam to hopefully compile the ultimate resource for Japanese-American cross cultural families, delving into the matters of raising children bilingually, bi-culturally, and bi-racially in the Big Apple.

The first 8 entries are up and ready to roll:

A Little about Me and the Blog: find out more about me and my family (yes, I met my husband at a gay bar, WHAT??), and my plans for the blog.

Marathon of a Birth: discussing my 50 hour labor, natural birth (no meds – YIKES), and the whacked out medical system that billed $25K on a 36-hour hospital stay!

Back to Work – To Go or Not to Go, a New Mother’s Dilemma: you guessed it, this one is all about maternity leave, comparing the US system to that of Japan and a few other countries, and what went into my decision to stay at home.

My Roommate is a Grunter and Poops his Pants: about co-sleeping (same room or same bed) with your children

Sleep Training: Am I the Trainee or the Trainer?: how we got our little one on the Babywise schedule and I’m back to a heavenly 6+ hour consecutive nighttime sleep again!!

Shoot ‘Em Up: The Vaccination Debate: a bit controversial, but in the end you just gotta be informed and make the right decision for your family!

Baby Wearin’ & Stroller Struttin’: I weigh the pros and cons of different ways to get your baby around the city!

What They Don’t Tell You to Expect When You’re Expecting (And Afterward): a hilarious list I compiled for moms and dads alike!

Go to the blog for more!!

Comments on entries are always appreciated, and guest bloggers are welcome to use the contact form on the blog site to submit ideas!

JETwit note:  CLICK HERE to join the JET Alumni Parents group on Facebook.  


Mar 14

A new effort started by Miyagi JET alum Canon Purdy:

Welcome to Save Miyagi, a non profit, unincorporated charity organization dedicated to helping Miyagi and Minamisanriku rebuild after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11th, 2011.

Canon Purdy and her family founded this organization after Canon was stranded without contact in the town of Minamisanriku, where she had taught English for two years before.

SaveMiyagi successfully donated to the Minamisanriku Board of Education in August (check blog for details). Our next project is sending Paper Cranes to Northern Japan to support their recovery process.

Please check out the video below or the page above, and consider getting involved.


Mar 14

JET alum Arthur Migliazza plays the Boogie Stomp

Just learned about a talented JET alum musician via the Pacific Northwest JETAA Facebook group–boogie woogie and blues piano player Arthur Migliazza.  Have a look and a listen:


Mar 13

L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and 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 The JET Alumni Culinary Group in LinkedIn.

New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.

With all the cakes and analyses lately, I’ve really missed doing this series!

 

Click HERE to read more.


Mar 12

L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and 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 The JET Alumni Culinary Group in LinkedIn.

New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to  jetwit [at] jetwit.com.

 

Last year, I wrote about Foodpia Land, Kanazawa’s big winter food fair, in the context of street food and food culture in Japan. This year, a bunch of my friends and I went again to celebrate a birthday, so while I’m working on posts for the last two geeky/nerdy birthday cakes I made, I thought you all might like to see some photos.

Click HERE to read more.


Mar 12

JET Alumni Meet Prime Minister Abe in D.C.

Via the CLAIR New York (aka Japan Local Government Center) Blog:

JET Alumni Meet Prime Minister Abe in D.C. (click to see photos of the event)

On February 22nd, around 15 JET alumni were invited to the reception held by Japan’s Prime Minister Abe in Washington, D.C.

Among them were Mr. Michael Green (Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, Center for Strategic & International Studies), Mr. James Gannon (Executive Director, Japan Center for International Exchange/USA), Mr. David Boling (Deputy Executive Director, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation), Ms. Paige Cottingham-Streater (Executive Director, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission), and Ms. Leigh Ann Mastrini (President, JETAA DC). The families of Taylor Anderson and Monty Dickson were also invited.

They talked with Prime Minister Abe about various topics, including how the JET Programme has influenced their lives, and the importance of the JET Programme and other person-to-person exchanges, etc.

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JETAA – 安倍総理とJETプログラム参加経験者達が交流

2月22日、ワシントンD.C.において、訪米中の安倍総理大臣が主催するレセプションにJETプログラム参加経験者も招待され、総理と交流する機会がありました。

招待されたJETプログラム(前身のMEFプログラムを含む)関係者は、マイケル・グリーンさん(戦略国際問題研究所上級顧問・元大統領特別補佐官・静岡県)、ジェームス・ギャノンさん(米国法人日本国際交流センター所長・愛媛県)、デービッド・ボリングさん(マンスフィールド財団副事務局長・前連邦下院議員選挙候補・茨城県)、ページ・カティンガムさん(日米友好基金事務局長・三重県)、リーアン・マーストリニさん(JETAAワシントンDC支部長・兵庫県)など10数名のJETプログラム参加者と、先の東日本大震災でJETプログラム参加中に亡くなったテイラー・アンダーソンさん(宮城県石巻市)、モンゴメリー・ディクソンさん(岩手県大槌町)の御家族です。

JETプログラム関係者の席はレセプションの最前列に配置され、JETプログラムへの参加が人生に与えた影響や、JETプログラムを含む人的交流の重要性などについて、総理と会話を交わしていました。


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