JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘The Buddha in the Attic’
Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Reviews 
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“Just the right length, the perfect amount of general and specific, and no solid story but yet the story that so many people in the United States—and elsewhere—can tell about hope, and heartbreak, and the ways in which lives change that most of us never intend or imagine.” (Knopf)
By Liz Mathews (Hiroshima-ken, 2005-06) for JQ magazine. Liz is the JETAA New York Book Club wrangler.
I would like to start by saying that the JETAANY Book Club discussed reading Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic for at least five months before choosing it for our fall meeting. This is notable because 1) we were right in our primary reason for putting it off; and 2) we were even more right in finally selecting it to read. It’s easy to explain the first note: Over the summer we thought it best to opt for a lighter, more beachy read, and not a novel about Japanese “picture brides” and their distressing existences in the United States of the early 20th century.
As for the second point, autumn and its colder, shorter, darker days did turn out to be a much more appropriate setting to read Otsuka’s carefully composed novel. Otsuka wrote her book in eight sections, writing mostly from the perspective of the women—the women as a united “we”—who came across the ocean to a new life of false promises, how they endured meeting their husbands the first time, how they got along (or didn’t) with their employers and new fellow countrymen, and what happened as a new, Japanese American generation grew.
For all the suffering in those first five sections, there is hope written between the lines. Hope for a new life with a wonderful husband, hope that hard work will pay off in acceptance, and hope for their children in that, as one of the paragraphs ends, “Whatever you do, don’t end up like me.” But then, as one club member put it, “You come to this country, you work your ass off, you think you’re getting somewhere…and then you don’t” (referring to the war’s outbreak).
When we got together to discuss The Buddha in the Attic, we spent a fair amount of time talking about the perspective the story was written from—first person plural—and how initially we didn’t like it, but then either grew accustomed to it or could at least appreciate it as a tool. One attendee stated, “Everyone’s situation is different. You can’t even generalize the Japanese experience.” Another pointed out, “[Otsuka] has a new story in every sentence.” We laughed a little at this realization, probably as all our thoughts turned back to our own departure orientations, when we were constantly told those very same things.
Japanese Lessons by Reading Newspaper
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The following is an ad for a private Japanese language tutor:
Do you want to focus on reading/writing? No problem! I will create a customized curriculum for you.
I am a native Japanese speaker, an experienced and certified (MA in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language) Japanese language consultant. I have experienced all the class settings from a public high school to 4 year colleges. I previously taught business Japanese at the Japan Society in SF. I have also taught private lessons for business people at companies such as Fujitsu, Cisco Systems, and Palo Alto Research Center.
Through these teaching experiences, I found that reading Japanese News Paper can be an effective way to improve Japanese proficiency, especially for advanced learners. This approach can also bring learners closer to Japanese culture through the latest news in Japan. Thus, I decided to begin offering a Japanese tutoring program with Japanese News Paper, which focuses on reading using e-mail.
How to begin? Simply respond to parenthoodconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you a sample lesson for free, which is a selected Japanese newspaper article with Hiragana reading for every Kanjis. English versions of the article will follow for your reference.
If you like it, move on to the next stage: weekly lessons. It’s really affordable. I will provide tutoring if you need help with reading/pronunciation.
You can do a trial lesson (first 4 weeks of the weekly lesson) for FREE!
Come join our Japanese News Paper Reading Society today!!
Kenji
parenthoodconsulting@gmail.com
Job: Administrative Assistant at The Embassy of Japan (DC)
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Via JETAA DC. 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: Administrative Assistant
Posted by: Embassy of Japan
Type: Full-time
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
The Embassy of Japan is seeking an individual for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Consulate Section starting from January 4, 2013.
Requirements:
•U.S. Citizen or green card holder
•Fluent in both English and Japanese.
•Computer skills such as the ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and Dreamweaver (Web Development Application).
•Experience living or working in Japan preferred.
•Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Work Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00am – 12:30pm, 1:30pm – 5:00pm
Lunch Break: 12:30pm -1:30pm
The Embassy offers group health insurance coverage, 15 days of paid vacation per year, a number of paid U.S./Japanese holidays, and sick leave. Salary is commensurate with experience. Read More
Job: The Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC), Internship (DC)
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Via JETAA DC. 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: Intern
Posted by: The Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC)
Type: Internship
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Internship Opportunity:
The Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan is seeking unpaid, part to full-time interns (12-35hrs/week) for Spring 2013. Internship start/end dates and hours are customized with the academic schedule of the chosen candidate.
The JICC is a part of the Public Affairs section of the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC. Our primary role is to promote a better understanding of Japan and Japanese culture by providing a wide range of information and events to the American public, particularly in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. We strive to build bridges between the two cultures through various activities, such as film screenings, art exhibitions, lectures, an online newsletter, and school programs. The JICC is the gateway to connect the American public to Japan and the interns are an integral part of our efforts. Read More
Job: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American (APA) Center Internship Opportunities for 2012 (DC)
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Thanks to JET Alum Steven Smith, 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.
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Position: Intern
Posted by: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Type: Internship
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Internship Opportunities:
Please note the following deadlines:
■Spring 2013: October 26, 2012
■Summer 2013: March 29, 2013
■Fall 2013: June 28, 2013
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American (APA) Center announces internship opportunities for 2012. Selected interns will be provided with an office space equipped with a computer, phone, access to Smithsonian collections, libraries, reference materials, and other resources, as well as advice and research guidance from the APA Center and other Smithsonian staff.
Want to know what it’s like to be an intern at the Smithsonian APA Center? Click here to read blog posts written by past interns. Read More
I’ll Make It Myself: Halloween Taste-Testing: Mister Donut and Doughnut Plant
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself: Halloween Taste-Testing: Mister Donut and Doughnut Plant
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 (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), 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.
I distinctly remember saying last year that I wished that Mister Donut would get a pumpkin-flavored doughnut, and this year, my wish came true!
Job: HelloEnglish.US seeks ESL tutors for Japanese learners on Skype
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A job listing directly from HelloEnglish.us which has posted to JETwit previously and had success hiring JET alumni as a result:
Job Position: ESL Tutors needed for Japanese learners on Skype
Job Details: My name is Scarlett and I live in Wilmington, NC. I own a small business that is growing quite rapidly called HelloEnglish.us. I give English conversation classes to people in Japan on Skype. Currently, I have around 400 students. I have about 30 current tutors but it is not near enough. I have over 1800 classes that are prepaid and I am looking to hire 20 more tutors. I am in need of teachers or tutors who would like to earn extra money. One of my teachers was accepted into the JET program. He found it invaluable to work here in a small way to prepare for what was coming in Japan. I also think that this might be very helpful for JET Alumni re-acclimating themselves to their home country. Or like me, an older woman who looks back affectionately on my time in Japan and sees my conversations as a way to re-connect with the culture I know and appreciate so well.
This job pays $12 per 55 minute class completed and is paid through PayPal on a weekly basis. The tutors make their own schedule of when they would like to give classes. The job is “located” on Skype ~ a free computer application.
Here is more information about the positions and how to apply: http://www.onlineeikaiwa.jp/eslteachers.html
I have had previous success hiring alumni of the JET Program and would love to hire more.
I’ll Make It Myself: Kabocha Squash Purée (Pumpkin Purée Substitute)
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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. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), 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.
Trying to shift your mentality of “I can’t have it because I can’t buy it in Japan” to “I’ll make it myself!” is hard. Really hard. For example, let’s take my recent discovery of how to purée kabocha to substitute for pumpkin purée/canned pumpkin in American recipes. Kabocha and pumpkin have different textures. Pumpkin has more water content, so mashing and processing boiled or baked pumpkin (something I might have phoned my mom about in grad school) results in a texture like thick applesauce. Mashed kabocha is more like mashed potatoes.
Trying to substitute mashed kabocha for canned pumpkin does not work. This is what I was told, and it’s true. But that doesn’t mean you can’t purée it by adding water and blending.
I know, I know.
WIT Life #216: Japanese Food Frenzy
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
This past weekend I attended two food events where aspects of Japanese cuisine were being highlighted, the NYC Wine and Food Festival and the Japan Block Fair. At the first, sake was being promoted by the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), and my friend I enjoyed sampling some from the brand Momokawa. Kikkoman also had their own booth, where they were offering panko coated kara-age as well as the three different sauces of sriracha, wasabi and soy. During the Japanese news broadcast I watch every morning, Kikkoman’s kara-age commercials have become Read More
I’ll Make It Myself!: Halloween Taste-Testing: Pumpkin Pudding Kit Kats
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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. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), 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.
Last year, Kit Kat introduced special pumpkin cheesecake flavor for Halloween. Although I liked it quite a bit, I was a little confused as to why the package described pumpkin cheesecake as a “traditional Halloween food.” This year, Kit Kat opted for a new limited-time Halloween flavor, Pumpkin Pudding (パンプキンプリン).
Let’s compare:
2011:
2012:
“From the very beginning I saw Gordon Hirabayashi’s story as a unique and quintessentially American story, and although he was Japanese American himself, I hoped that the play would have a broad appeal, not just for that community, or just the Asian American community, but for people of all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life.” (Lia Chang)
By Ann Chow (Hyogo-ken, 2007-09) for JQ magazine. Ann is a native New Yorker who gets scared of the big, scary world, but ventures out into it anyway. She coined the term “stealth gaijin” (or thinks she did because she hadn’t heard of it before writing a bunch of articles under that moniker during her time on JET). When not portraying 14-year-olds on Gossip Girl, she can sometimes be found playing a (much older) law clerk on Law and Order: SVU.
Jeanne Sakata is an award-winning stage actress who has performed with many well-known companies on the country’s biggest stages, including the Lincoln Center Theater and the John F. Kennedy Center. She made her playwriting debut in 2007 with Hold These Truths (formerly Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi), the story of the Japanese American activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, who passed away earlier this year at age 93.
Hold These Truths first premiered in 2007, and has been performed multiple times around the country since then. It is now a part of the Library of Congress Playwrights Archive in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection in Washington, D.C., and is now having its Epic Theatre Ensemble New York premiere run (starring Joel de la Fuente and directed by Lisa Rothe) through Nov. 18 at the Theater at the 14th Street Y in repertory with Dispatches from (A)mended America.
JQ recently spoke with Sakata about her profound fascination with Hirabayashi’s life, the meticulous research that went into writing Hold These Truths, and what she hopes the play will accomplish.
What are the goals you are trying to achieve with Hold These Truths?
I hope, first, that Hold These Truths will spread awareness of Gordon Hirabayashi, whose story is still virtually unknown to so many Americans. As a young college student during World War II, Gordon stood up for the principles of the Constitution when the United States government failed miserably to do so, persecuting and imprisoning him for his actions. Earlier this year, Gordon passed away in January at the age of 93, and, amazingly, a few months later in April, President Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for the courageous stand he took so many decades ago. So I feel, this year especially, that Gordon’s story is a vitally important one to anyone who cares about our country, and the principles of the Constitution. Second, I hope the play will spread awareness on the East Coast of the mass incarceration of all people of Japanese ancestry during World War II on the West Coast, as knowledge of this tragedy seems to be much less prevalent here than out west.
In general, people on the West Coast know more about this time in American history. What reactions do you expect now that it’s playing here in New York?
As I said earlier, one common reaction we’ve had is that of shock that something so horrible happened during the World War II years in America. Many of our East Coast audience members who lived through those years have said that they were aware that “something bad” happened to the Japanese on the West Coast during that time, but they did not know just how bad it was. For example, they did not know that anyone in Seattle who was one-sixteenth Japanese, or babies from orphanages who had any Japanese blood, were ordered to be penned up behind barbed wire. They don’t know that so many children and young American citizens were torn out of their schools and imprisoned, and for so many years. But I also hope the reaction to Gordon’s story we’ve had here so far will continue—that people will be delighted, as well as profoundly moved and inspired, to learn about him.
How did you choose the subject matter for the play? Did you have family that lived in the internment camps?
I myself am a third-generation Japanese American, and in the 1990s I happened to see a documentary video about Gordon titled A Personal Matter: Gordon Hirabayashi vs. the United States. I was shocked that I had never heard his story before, and I started to find out everything I could about him. The more I read, the more fascinated and intrigued I became. The story just grasped me and wouldn’t let me go, becoming an obsession, and I knew I couldn’t rest until I tried to write a play about Gordon.
My mother’s side of the family was living in Colorado during World War II, and so did not have to go to the camps, although they experienced plenty of hostility and racism in the town where they lived. My father’s family, however, all lived in Watsonville on California’s West Coast, so all of them were rounded up and imprisoned in the camp in Poston, Arizona. As I was growing up, my father and aunts and uncles never spoke of the experience, I believe, because it was so traumatic for them, as it was for so many others.
Job: Digital Marketing & Communications Director (NYC)
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Thanks to JET Alum Nicole Bongiorno for sharing this interesting job listing. 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: External Digital Marketing & Communications Director
Posted by: Marsh & McLennan
Type: Full-time
Location: US-NY-New York
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
As the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor, Marsh is devoted to finding the opportunity in risk. Companies look to us to help them navigate the daunting global risk landscape, seeing risks others don’t and unlocking opportunities others can’t. With 25,000 employees and annual revenues approaching $5 billion Marsh serves more clients in more industries worldwide than any firm in our industry. We are looking for talented professionals to join our team.
The successful candidate will exemplify Marsh’s IGNITE Operating Principles, the behaviors that guide our conduct and growth – In Touch: Get out in front by being informed and being connected; Genuine: Be authentic with clients and each other; Nimble: Be flexible and move quickly to deliver quality results; Inclusive: Be open to diverse ideas, experiences and backgrounds; Trusted: Stand for integrity and ethical behavior; and Engaged: Actively participate in making Marsh extraordinary. Read More
Volunteer: English/Spanish Language Instructors for Global voyage
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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: English / Spanish Language Teachers
Posted by: Peace Boat, NGO
Type: Volunteer
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
Peace Boat’s Global English/Español Training (GET) Programme is now accepting applications for Volunteer English/Spanish Language Instructors for the 79th Global Voyage (April 1, 2013 – July 12, 2013)
Conditions of Employment:
This position is for enthusiastic, highly motivated, dynamic individuals with a minimum of 18 full-time months teaching experience. Applicants should be highly advanced speakers of English / Spanish, although it is not necessary to be a ‘native’ or ‘first-language’ speaker. Certification or graduate degree and Japanese ability is highly regarded. This is a volunteer position but voyage expenses are covered. The deadline for application is November 23rd, 2012. If you would like to apply please visit:
http://www.peaceboat.org/english/?menu=110
I’ll Make It Myself!: Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant and Sesame Spread)
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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. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), 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.
I’ve covered bread here, so let’s move on to sandwich fillings, specifically pita. Hummus or falafel seem like obvious choices and are very easy to make at home if you can get the ingredients. In Ishikawa, chickpeas are mostly relegated to the import stores (and are expensive), and my first blender was a cheap plastic thing that did not like anything with a consistency harder than melted butter. Hummus, therefore, was not a food I could make consistently while living out in the country.
Fortunately, I discovered baba ghanoush after yet another incident where I had too many eggplants. This magical food solves all of the making-hummus-in-Japan problems. This eggplant-based spread uses no chickpeas, which means no special trips to the import store; eggplants are plentiful and cheap; and the soft consistency of the vegetable base means you won’t murder your blender. Instead of tahini, which is also import-store-only, we’re going to use white nerigoma, Japanese sesame paste. Tahini is a paste made of roasted sesame seeds; nerigoma is paste made with sesame seeds that haven’t been roasted, so to get a smokier flavor, we’re going to add cumin.
Job: Postings from Idealist.org 10.11.12
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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.
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Competitive
Start Date: After October 5, 2012
Database Associate
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Competitive
Start Date: After October 5, 2012
