Nov 18

Kyodo News “Rural JET alum” series: Hughar Hartzenberg (Iwate)

Japan Local, JETs in the News, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Kyodo News “Rural JET alum” series: Hughar Hartzenberg (Iwate)

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 column from October 2012.  (Special thanks to JET alum Celine Castex, currently a CLAIR Tokyo staff member, for alerting JETwit to this series and making these available.)

**********

Hughar Hartzenberg (Iwate-ken, Ninohe-shi, 2006-09) was born and raised in South Africa, where he received a degree in Theology in 2005. After that he came to Japan on the JET Programme and continued as a participant for three years in Iwate Prefecture (2006-2009). During this time he met and married his wife, who was another JET participant and with whom he is currently living in Kanagawa Prefecture. Hughar is working as a wedding minister in Tokyo and is also the director of the NPO Japan Building Africa which he founded in 2011.

JET and beyond

It has been said that we should be careful of the actions we take as young men and woman, for those actions will shape the adults we will become. Reflecting on my own actions over the last seven years, and the experiences that these actions have led to, I can attest to this saying being the truth. One action that changed the course of my life was the decision to apply for something that is called the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, or “JET Programme” in short. This one decision literally changed my world. Read More

Nov 17

“Rural” JET alums write columns for Kyodo News series

Japan Local, JETs in the News, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on “Rural” JET alums write columns for Kyodo News series

Nov 17

JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Matthew Gillam, Senior Researcher at the Japan Local Government Center

Article/Journalism, Interview/Profile, JQ Magazine, Local Government Comments Off on JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Matthew Gillam, Senior Researcher at the Japan Local Government Center

“When you come back from Japan, people say, ‘You know Japanese, you’ve been abroad, you should be able to get a job anywhere.’ You soon realize that it doesn’t work that way. Alumni coming back should look at things you did in different light: what did you fundamentally do, and take away from that?”

By Adam Lobel (Nagano-ken, 2000-02) for JQ magazine. Last year, Adam returned to New York after 10 years in Japan, where he researched satoyama (traditional landscape of Japan) as a master’s student, and collaborated with Japanese policymakers in science and technology while working at a think tank. Adam currently helps manage his family’s business, a land use law firm in Manhattan, and looks forward to contributing to New York’s green building movement.

Born and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, Matthew Gillam was hooked on Japan after visiting when he was 17. After college, he lived in Japan for eight years, and then returned to the U.S., where he completed a master’s at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Matt has spent the past 14 years as a researcher at the Japan Local Government Center (JLGC), discovering and sharing best practices from local governments in North America with his colleagues in New York and Japan.

By encouraging organizational discipline and providing tools to build strong networks, Matt has helped strengthen the JET Alumni Association, thus helping thousands of JET participants smoothly transition to life back home. He promotes JETAA’s role an important stakeholder in productive business and cultural relationships with Japanese localities, helping broaden the JET Program’s mission long after participants return home.

In this thought-provoking interview, JQ spoke with Gillam about what it was like to study Japanese at the University of Iowa in the 1980s, life in Japan before the existence of JET, and the kindness and hard work JET families displayed in the aftermath of 3/11. He emphasizes that JET—an experiment in grassroots internationalization—has changed how the world thinks about Japan. Matt gave this interview before heading to Japan, where he spent four days with It’s Not Just Mud (INJM), a non-profit volunteer organization based in Ishinomaki.

How did you become interested in Japan?

I was exposed to Japan when I was seven: my sister spent the summer of 1969 as an exchange student in Yamanashi. She fell in love with Japan, and told us about it after returning home. Eventually she went to live in Japan, teaching English at Sony Language Labs. In 1979, just before my senior year of high school, my mother and I went to visit. Before that trip, I never liked to travel. Suddenly, I was in a completely new place. I realized there was a bigger world, and it was interesting. That’s when I fell in love with Japan, its people, food, art and architecture.

After my sister returned to the U.S., she placed a Japanese student in a nearby town. I fell in love with that student, who eventually became my wife. In college I flunked out of forestry, my first major and, looking for something new, got into Japanese language. I did a year abroad at Kansai Gaidai in Osaka, and spent eight more years in Japan after graduating.

How did people react to your decision to study Japanese? What was Japanese study like at the University of Iowa in the 1980s?

Some people did not understand my decision to study Japanese, especially because it was a small Midwestern town. Their reaction was, “Why Japanese?” This was 1982: Japan was just beginning to emerge as a major economic rival, and Japanese culture hadn’t permeated the Midwest yet. It was a strange thing to do.

My sister understood, and my mom understood, but other family members and friends did not. In those days, some people’s reaction to Japan was still influenced by the Second World War: “These people were enemies; I am not comfortable with them.” That only got worse through the eighties with trade friction.

Study materials were primitive by today’s standards: Japanese textbooks by Prof. Eleanor Jorden, a kanji dictionary, and language lab with cassette tapes. Our professor, Thomas Rohlich (now at Smith College) started the same day I did. We had a Japanese teaching assistant from Tokyo, but most of the teachers were white men.

There were no Japanese restaurants or pop culture. Fisher Control, a company in my hometown, employed a Japanese engineer, who had relocated with his wife. At the beginning of my first year of college, there were 30 students, the biggest class they had ever had! That number slowly decreased, until there were only six or eight students by my third year. There were a couple of Japanese students on campus who became casual friends. Prof. Rohlich’s wife was from Kyoto, and she hosted a gyoza party. That was about it.

Read More

Nov 16

Taylor Anderson documentary draws thousands to Center Stage

Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Taylor Anderson documentary draws thousands to Center Stage

NBC12.com – Richmond, VA News, Weather, Traffic
From Richmond, VA’s NBC news affiliate (click link below to see news video):

Taylor Anderson documentary draws thousands to Center Stage

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) –

Thousands of people turned out to Richmond’s Center Stage theater Friday, to see the documentary of Taylor Anderson – a young teacher from Chesterfield who worked and died in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last spring.

It’s the story of the 24-year-old who is believed to be the first American victim of the disaster.

The tsunami that followed the 8.9 magnitude quake rocked Japan’s eastern coast, killing hundreds.

Taylor was last seen after the earthquake riding her bike toward her apartment after ensuring that students at her school had been picked up by their parents.

More than a year later – Taylor’s story is shared through the documentary Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story.

Film maker Regge Life interviewed dozens even traveled to Japan to find her story.

“It wasn’t until I made the trip to Ishinomaki, and I can talk to her friends face to face, that I knew there was something there,” said Life.

At the screening, Andy Anderson was happy to see so many people take interest in his daughter’s story.

“Regge’s really good at being able to take all the people who are telling Taylor’s story and weaving us all together,” said Anderson.

“You see Taylor from her beginnings as a small child and her interests in Japan that just kept growing through her own nurturing,” said Life.

There may be more showings, but right now the documentary is not in theaters. It is being sold for educational purposes.

Copyright 2012 WWBT NBC12.  All rights reserved.

For JQ Magazine‘s May 2012 interview with Regge Life on the making of the film, click here.

Nov 16

Job: Amazon.com Job Opportunity (WA)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Amazon.com Job Opportunity (WA)

Via Pacific Northwest JETAA. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position:  eCommerce Investigation Team Member
Posted by: N/A
Type: N/A
Location: Seattle, WA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
Amazon.com is seeking dedicated, hardworking, analytical candidates with a proven track record of performance and results-oriented thinking, to join the Investigation Team in Seattle. Candidates will be responsible for a wide range of duties related to the investigation and elimination of online eCommerce risk. Ideal applicants will have experience in the eCommerce payments space, risk and fraud investigations, previous trust and safety experience, and experience succeeding in a customer-driven workplace. Knowledge of Japanese bank systems will be a plus. All candidates will be analytical and capable of succeeding in a fast-paced team environment with minimal supervision.

This position requires interaction with external and internal clients. Internal clients include teams in Payments, Sales, Customer Service, Transportation, etc.; external clients include Buyers and Sellers. Besides investigation, you will also get to learn about wide range of operational and technical knowledges from associated internal teams, and learn how to lead projects such as improving operational and system efficiency.

The position relies on excellent judgment to plan and accomplish goals and will work under very limited supervision of the Manager. Excellent individual problem-solving and analytical skills are used to authenticate customers and complex transactions and accounts. Nearly all decisions are expected to be made independently with little to no guidance and a high degree of accuracy. Read More

Nov 16

Job: Japanese Speaking Creative Coordinator Position (Culver CIty, CA)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Japanese Speaking Creative Coordinator Position (Culver CIty, CA)

Thanks to JET Alum Lejarie Battiste for sharing this interesting opportunity. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position:  Creative Coordinator
Posted by: N/A
Type: N/A
Location: Culver CIty, CA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
In-house creative team for large Entertainment company in Culver City is looking for a Creative Coordinator with strong Japanese language skills and is familiar with Japanese culture.

Will work under Creative Services Manager.

Responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:

• Assisting in review and approval of thumbnail art
• QC and reporting work, studio asset retrieval and QC
• Coordination with Japan Marketing and Operation teams
• Help with coordination of Holiday promotions and campaigns

Vendor will need to be fluent in Japanese, and familiar with Japanese cultures, as they will be working closely with the Japan team.

3-month freelance assignment (can be longer) – starts ASAP – pays $21/hr

Interested applicants should contact:

Laxmi Jethani

Talent Acquisition – Creative, Marketing, & Interactive
24 Seven
110 East 9th Street, Suite A209 | Los Angeles, California 90079
www.24seventalent.com
Office: 213.412.2260

Nov 16

Job: FHA Mortgage Credit Specialist (NYC)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: FHA Mortgage Credit Specialist (NYC)

Thanks to JET Alum Hope Sterns for sharing this job opening. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position:  FHA Mortgage Credit Specialist
Posted by: N/A
Type: N/A
Location: New York, NY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
A financial services and private investment group and one of the nation’s leading providers of commercial mortgages for multifamily and healthcare properties seeks an FHA Mortgage Credit Specialist.  The firm is headquartered in New York City, with analytical groups located in Virginia, Maryland, Tennesee offices.  Location is somewhat flexible, as long as near one of these offices. The ideal candidate will be a leader and team player, someone who can work in a collaborative environment and possesses drive, integrity, creativity, compassion and a strong work ethic.

FHA Mortgage Credit Specialist
Complete mortgage credit analyses on individuals and companies seeking financing on commercial real estate.  Review resumes, credit reports, and financial statements to determine credit worthiness and financial capacity consistent with established HUD criteria.  Individual will work across established underwriting teams to provide this specialized skill on each deal underwritten by the firm. Read More

Nov 16

Job: Administrative Aide – NYU Law School (NYC)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Administrative Aide – NYU Law School (NYC)

Thanks to JETAA NY Board member Clara Solomon, the Career Services Director for NYU Law, for forwarding this opening at her school.
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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position:  Administrative Aide II
Posted by: New York University’s School of Law
Type: N/A
Location: New York, NY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Summary:
New York University’s School of Law, Public Interest Law Center (PILC) is seeking an Administrative Aide II to perform a wide range of clerical and general office duties including those of a confidential nature. PILC’s mission is to support students and alumni seeking employment in the government and non-profit sectors, and to encourage all students to include public service work in their careers. The successful candidate will enjoy assisting in program management as well as interacting with law students, and responding to detailed inquiries in person and by phone and email. The Aide must have demonstrated ability to multitask, prioritize office activities and supervise undergraduate student employees in a fast-paced academic environment. S/he will serve as primary clerical support for several of PILC’s major programs, including an annual Career Fair and our Summer Funding Program. S/he must be tech-savvy, confident with word processing, email and database programs, with the ability to master new web-based programs quickly.

This position is expected to:
Respond to inquiries displaying a comprehensive knowledge of PILC offerings and policies. Serve as primary clerical support for PILC’s major programs, including annual Career Fair and Summer Funding Program, as well as additional programs and events. Customize and/or compose documents on own initiative or in response to requests for information. Perform general word processing duties using intermediate to advanced-level functions. Modify and/or create databases and complex spreadsheets. Work on web pages and social media accounts.

Full Details:  https://www.nyucareers.com/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp

Nov 16

Job: Transcribing, Summarizing, Digitizing Staff Needed – Fuji TV (NY)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Transcribing, Summarizing, Digitizing Staff Needed – Fuji TV (NY)

Thanks to Noriko at the Consulate in NY, for sharing this posting. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position:  Transcribing, Summarizing, Digitizing Staff
Posted by: Fuji TV New York
Type: N/A
Location: New York, NY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:

Fuji TV New York Office is looking for staff members who want to be a part of our upcoming television program. Prior experience is not required. Smart, responsible, organized and hard working individuals are most welcome.

Job Description:
-Transcribing the pleading, statements and debates in the courtroom, given by attorney, prosecutor, witnesses and others by watching the trial footage
-Summarizing the court cases and court documents
-Preparing and help coordinating for the filming
-Digitizing the trial footage Read More

Nov 16

Job: Information & Cultural Centre Staff – Embassy of Japan (NZ)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Information & Cultural Centre Staff – Embassy of Japan (NZ)

Thanks to JETAA South Island Alum, Simon Shimizu-Metcalfe for sharing this posting. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position: Information & Cultural Centre Staff
Posted by: Embassy of Japan
Type: N/A
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

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 the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Programme, Embassy website and social media presence.

Please note: Candidates must have either New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted and interviewed. Screening will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled. Read More

Nov 16

Job: New Media Director – The Rockefeller Foundation (NY)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: New Media Director – The Rockefeller Foundation (NY)

Thanks to JETAA NY Webmaster (and new media guru) Lee-Sean Huang for sharing this posting. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position: New Media Director
Posted by: The Rockefeller Foundation
Type: N/A
Location: NY
Salary: A competitive salary commensurate with experience
Start Date: N/A

Overview:

The Rockefeller Foundation’s New Media Director will plan and implement a new media strategy that positions Rockefeller as a social media innovator and enhances the Foundation’s global communications positioning and messaging. This position reports to the Vice President of Global Communications.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Planning and implementing a new media strategy that positions Rockefeller as a social media innovator and enhances the Foundation’s global communications positioning and messaging
• Working with the Managing Director of Knowledge Management to develop web-based platforms for sharing knowledge
• Supporting RF staff to more effectively use social media
• Working with Communications Office colleagues to suggest ideas for adding social media components to announcements and events
• Working closely with the Centennial team to ensure best use of social media in Centennial activities
• Developing and ensuring consistent content of a high standard for RF blog
• Developing additional social media tools with a particular focus on mediums that solicit and share ideas
• Managing and further developing the website, soliciting and supervising contractors as needed
• Managing Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms as needed and develops a strategy that identifies the best use for each platform
• Developing use of social media for internal communications Read More

Nov 16

Job: Administrative Assistant needed – InsideJapan Tours (Colorado)

Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Administrative Assistant needed – InsideJapan Tours (Colorado)

Thanks to Jet Alum Matthew Eccles, US Branch Manager at InsideJapan Tours, for sharing this opening. 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.
————————————————————————————————————

Position: Administrative Assistant
Posted by: InsideJapan Tours
Type: Full-time
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Salary: $20K-$23K per annum
Start Date: N/A

Overview:

InsideJapan Tours (www.insidejapantours.com ) is a dynamic travel company with an office in downtown Boulder, Colorado. We are looking for a full time Admin Assistant to join and support the current team of two.

The ideal candidate will be a native speaker of Japanese, must be authorized to work in the US, and able to work 30-40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Day to day tasks will vary but will likely include:

• Processing Japan Rail Pass Orders
•  Processing mail and banking checks
•  Filing and office supply management
•  Preparing client travel documents
•  Calling Japanese accommodations to ask questions and make bookings.
• Creating bi-lingual accommodation description pages
•  Researching information about client itineraries

Vacation: 20 paid days

Partial group health benefits, 401(k) (with a company contribution up to 3.5%) all after required probationary period. RTD ECO Pass.

Please send your resume and covering letter to mathew@insidejapantours.com

Nov 16

I’ll Make It Myself!: Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers cooking in Japan, holidays, recipes, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving in Japan Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

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.

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

On my first Thanksgiving in Japan as an exchange student, I had cold tofu for lunch and felt exceptionally sad. After two years of not celebrating the holiday while I was in rural Japan, I decided to host a Thanksgiving potluck for my friends last year, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Everyone’s favorite dishes–even ones I really disliked as a child, like green bean casserole–were exceptionally good. The atmosphere was good, too–everyone seemed really excited to be there and to share their dish; plus, there was no weird gender segregation in the kitchen!

If you’re living in Japan, making your favorite holiday dishes can be somewhat difficult. Maybe there aren’t fresh green beans in late November at your store; maybe your moven is too small for a turkey. I’ve gathered up some of my recipes (and some from other blogs) that would work well for your fall/winter holiday parties below.

Click HERE to read more.

Nov 15

JET alum Shaun Dakin mentioned in Huffington Post article about robo-calls

JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums Comments Off on JET alum Shaun Dakin mentioned in Huffington Post article about robo-calls

Shaun Dakin (Shimane-ken, 1989-91), founder of StopPoliticalCalls.org

D.C.-based JET alum Shaun Dakin (Shimane-ken, 1989-91), founder of StopPoliticalCalls.org which seeks to stop the use of robocalls in political campaigns, was mentioned in a recent Huffington Post article (“Impeach Obama Robocall Campaign Launched by Conservative Group“).

Here’s the link to the article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/impeach-obama-robocall-campaign_n_2132682.html

Here’s a link to previous JETwit posts/articles about Shaun:  http://jetwit.com/wordpress/?s=shaun+dakin

Nov 14

JET Alum Author Beat 11.14.2012

Books, Events, JET Alum Author Beat, Roland Kelts, Uncategorized, Writers Writers Add Comment (1)

Gemma Vidal (Okayama-ken, 2010-12) is a recently returned JET seeking work in licensing/merchandising (if it’s within the publishing industry, even better!). You can usually find her in her little web spaces Gem in the Rough and Peachy Keen (her JET adventures) or training with San Jose Taiko.  If you know of any authors/aspiring writers you’d like to see featured in JET Alum Author Beat, just contact Gemma at gem.vidal  [at] gmail.com

• Congratulations are in order to Will Ferguson (Nagasaki-ken, 1991-94), author of Hitching Rides With the Buddha (f/k/a The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Japan), who was awarded the esteemed 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel 419. You can check out the announcement on the Scotiabank Giller Prize website and read more about his novel and other works on Will’s own website. Congratulations again, Will!

• What better way to warm up from the cold weather than a cup of sake! If you’re a fan of sake and live in Japan, check out John Gauntner’s (author of The Sake Handbook) annual Sake Professional Course 2013. It is a 5-day educational course which includes classroom sessions and visiting sake breweries in the Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe area. For more information about the schedule and registration, please visit the SPCJapan website. You can also download a free version of Sake: The Least You Need To Know, a quick start guide to sake here

• Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1998-90), author of Losing Kei and fiction editor of Literary Mama announced that her latest Young Adult novel, Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible will be published by GemmaMedia (cool name) in May 2013!  Gadget Girl follows the life of 14-year old Aiko Cassidy and her dream to become a manga artist. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction. You can check out the book on her website or through Amazon, Powells, and Indiebound.

“In a universe torn by war, two governments vie for power: the elemental Kingdom and the telepathic Hierarchy. Hierarchy women with animal bonds think nothing of sacrificing their beasts’ lives to protect themselves. Except sixteen-year-old Renagada. The bond with her carrion-eater bird Acha is two-sided, and she knows his mind as much as he knows hers. When Rena overhears her parents plotting to kill Acha because of superstition, she must leave her fiancé and home of sheltered luxury to flee with Acha into the desert. Peril awaits them at every turn, and someone is tracking them…”

And that’s all for this round of the Author Beat!