WIT Life #215: More Yakusho Koji greatness
Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
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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.
Looks like it’s been exactly a month since I’ve written here, and we have already entered 実りの秋・食欲の秋 (minori no aki, shokuyoku no aki) or season of harvest, season of hearty appetites. Leaves are started to turn their lovely colors and there is a nice chill in the air most mornings and nights, which makes me wish there was a nearby onsen to soak in…
On the plane on the way back from a recent European vacation I was able to catch Yakusho Koji‘s わが母の記 (waga haha no ki), or Chronical of My Mother. This film was featured in this year’s Japan Cuts, but I was not around when it screened so I was glad to have the chance to make up for it. Based on an autobiographical novel by Yasushi Inoue, it tells the story of novelist Kosaku Igami who has achieved great success, but at the price of mining his Read More
Roland Kelts Praises the Who’s Pete Townshend in ‘The New Yorker’
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Roland Kelts, left: “When I published my first book, Japanamerica, about the odd synchronicity between two societies, Japanese and American, at once at great odds and suddenly allies, my publisher asked me to send the book to Pete Townshend. He had asked for it, why not give it to him?”
Courtesy of JETAA Northern California’s Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06):
In a new article by JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) on Pete Townshend in The New Yorker, Kelts references his book Japanamerica—of which Townshend said “I love that book!” to JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi at an NYC signing yesterday for his new memoir Who I Am—at the end of the article and offers some thoughts contrasting the experience of artists in the U.K. and Japan after World War II.
I first met Pete Townshend fifteen years ago in a modest London hotel suite. I was there with my friend Larry David Smith to interview Townshend for Smith’s book, “The Minstrel’s Dilemma.” We were already seated inside when I looked out the first-floor window and saw Townshend pulling into the parking lot.
He arrived alone, sans entourage or fanfare, driving himself in a gray Mercedes station wagon. Minutes later, the knob on the suite door rattled and shook. I stood, thinking that it might be a member of the hotel staff and wondering if I should turn the knob from our side. There was a pause, then more rattling, then the door swung open and Townshend burst through, eyes wide with exertion. He had apparently been trying to pull when he should have pushed.
We were scheduled to meet for two hours, but Townshend was unstoppable, regaling us not with stories of rock debauchery, but a stream of complex, sometimes half-formed ideas about popular culture, history, and human psychology. We were told not to ask him about his failing marriage; he immediately addressed it, confessing to a jolt of sadness while shaving that morning. “Don’t mention Keith Moon,” wrote his personal assistant via fax. “I never properly mourned for Keith,” he soon said, unprompted, and through tears.
For the complete story, click here.
Consulate General of Japan in New York: “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands”
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The below was sent by the Japan Information Center, an agency of the Consulate General of Japan in New York:
The Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan in New York, would like to brief you on the “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands” as follows:
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Current Situation of Senkaku Islands
Dear Friends,
In recent months, the geography of Japan has been challenged, historical maps disputed. Last month witnessed the General Assembly sessions where international matters were discussed and debated. Of grave interest to Japan, the Chinese Foreign Minister made China’s own assertion on the sovereignty issue of the Senkaku Islands in his general debate.
We at the Japan Information Center in New York wish to take this opportunity to present to you a few key historical facts about the issue so that you can have a clear and accurate understanding of the matter.
The Senkaku Islands, a chain of five small islands and rocks in the East China Sea, has been an inherent territory of Japan since it first established territorial sovereignty in 1895. The Japanese government established territorial sovereignty of the islands with a cabinet decision in 1895, after a decade of government surveys which confirmed that the Senkakau Islands had been uninhabited, with no trace of having been under the control of the Qing Dynasty of China.
Since that time, the Senkaku Islands have been an integral part of the Nansei Shoto/Okinawa Islands of Japan. They were never part of the Formosa (Taiwan) or the Pescadore Islands, which were ceded to Japan by the Qing Dynasty of China in May of 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Under the post-World War II San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, the Senkaku Islands –which were not included as territories Japan renounced – were placed under the administration of the United States as part of the Nansei Shoto/Okinawa Islands, with administrative rights returning to Japan in 1971.
Japan has effectively controlled the Senkaku Islands since 1895 by exercising administrative duties such as patrol and law enforcement and the levying of taxes on the private owners of the islands.
China and Taiwan began making their own assertions on territorial sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands only from 1971 when the question of the development of petroleum resources on the continental shelf of the East China Sea arose. China and Taiwan had not, prior to that point, raised any objection to Japan’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands’ in 75 years. No complaints were made at crucial junctures in the post-World War II history; not in 1945 when Taiwan, without the inclusion of the Senkaku Islands, was freed from Japan, nor in 1951 at the post-World War II drafting of the San Francisco Peace Treaty when administrative rights for the islands were placed from Japan to the United States. In fact, Chinese publications have acknowledged the Senkaku Islands as being a part of Japan, one recent example being a 1953 article titled “The Struggle Against U.S. Occupation by the People of the Ryukyu Islands” in the national newspaper published by China’s Communist Party, the People’s Daily, which clearly defined the Senkaku Islands as being a part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands.
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Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York: Days of Comic Con, Nights of Provocation
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Legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano (“Final Fantasy,” “Vampire Hunter D”) will appear at New York Comic Con Oct. 12-13.
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
October is shaping up to be a memorable month for Japanese culture in New York. Whether it’s examples of its rich past (traditional Shinto dance), something contemporary (legendary manga and anime artists), or works of art captured by others (photographer Eikoh Hosoe, a play based on the life of a Japanese American Medal of Freedom winner), autumn here is so inviting.
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m.
333 East 37th Street
Master photographer Eikoh Hosoe is known for his dark, metaphorical and provocative images. First emerging in postwar Japan as a member of the avant-garde movement, he produced Barakei (Ordeal by Roses), featuring author and right-wing activist Yukio Mishima in a series of dark, erotic poses. He later published Kamaitachi, showing butoh dance founder Tatsumi Hijikata in a series of supernatural images across the Japanese countryside. Mr. Hosoe speaks about his collective work and reflects on his long and dynamic career. Moderated by Dr. Miwako Tezuka, director of Japan Society Gallery. Followed by a reception.
Oct. 11-14
655 West 34th Street
First held in 2006 and paired with New York Anime Festival starting in 2010, New York Comic Con is the city’s biggest annual fan convention dedicated to comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television. Attendance has more than tripled since its launch, as last year’s estimates topped 105,000 visitors. This year’s distinguished “anime guests” include Final Fantasy/Vampire Hunter D artist extraordinaire Yoshitaka Amano (Oct. 12-13), Sakuran creator Moyoco Anno (Oct. 13-14), Tufts University Professor of Japanese Studies Susan Napier (Oct. 13), and perennial NYCC staple voice actress Veronica Taylor (Pokémon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
For the complete story, click here.
JQ Magazine: Autumn in Nagasaki
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Hashima, aka “Gunship Harbor,” as seen from a tour boat in Nagasaki.
By Mohan Nadig (Hyogo-ken, 1998-99) for JQ magazine. Mohan currently lives in Tokyo.
A word of advice: If you haven’t been to Nagasaki, go.
Since my time as a JET in Hyogo Prefecture in 1998, I’ve been on something of a mission to visit every prefecture in Japan at least once. Last year, one of the remaining spots high on my list was Nagasaki.
I’d planned to visit on several occasions in the past but never made it–I was finally inspired to book a ticket after reading David Mitchell’s fascinating novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which is set in the region at the turn of the 19th century.
The timing of my visit last October turned out to be very fortuitous. A friend from Nagasaki told me that I would be there during the Okunchi Festival and that a friend of hers would be able to show me around town.
Upon arriving in Nagasaki by train from Fukuoka, the first thing that struck me about the city center was its amazing ugliness, which is of the “what could they possibly be thinking?” variety. I was hard pressed to find a corner not marred by some rusting hulk, dilapidated structure or tacky signage left over from the 1970s. For a city with such a significant history, the lack of beautification and preservation efforts is stunning.
Fortunately, I very quickly found a wealth of redeeming features: hospitable people, nuggets of history waiting to be discovered around every corner, and fantastic views of the sea–and of course, the festive atmosphere of Okunchi.
Justin’s Japan: NYC Gives B’z an A at Best Buy Theater
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Koshi Inaba, left, and Tak Matsumoto of B’z played a sold out show at New York’s Best Buy Theater Sept. 30, 2012. (Justin Tedaldi)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
“You’re not going to stand there the whole time, are you?” a thirtysomething asks me in Japanese from behind the photo pit barrier.
I tell her that I wouldn’t be much of a rock photographer if I stood still the whole time.
“Good,” she says, her face all business. “Because we lined up for this from yesterday morning. So please try to keep your head down, because it’s in my way.”
Welcome to the Best Buy Theater in Manhattan, which drew a sold out Sunday crowd of over 2,000 on Sept. 30 for the New York concert debut of B’z, Japan’s all-time biggest band. Since 1988, Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba have sold over 80 million records, and hold an untouchable record for consecutive number one singles in their native land (46 and counting). A colossal achievement in music, to be sure, but how would the rockers be received on this, their first-ever coast to coast North American tour?
For the complete story, click here.
For Justin’s September 2012 interview with Tak and Koshi, click here.
JETAA Sydney Careers Night
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Via JETAA Sydney. 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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Have you recently returned from Japan? Or are you just looking for a new direction?
Come along to the JETAA Careers Night to hear from expert speakers about how you can take the next step in your career. You will receive individually-tailored advice from recruitment professionals about how to make your experience on JET work for you here in Australia. And it will be a great opportunity to network with other former JETs and members of the Japanese community in Sydney.
When: Friday 26 October, 6 – 9 pm
Where: The Japan Foundation, Chifley Plaza, Sydney
Cost: Free! (drinks and snacks will be provided)
RSVP: sydney@jetalumni.org
Don’t forget to bring along your resume!
2012 Kitadaito Festival Day Two
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The 2012 Kitadaito Festival was a two-day event in September marking an important time of community inclusion and tradition. The second day of the Festival was on the 23rd and, as in years past, featured sumo competitions as a traditional Japanese offering to the kami and ancestors of the village. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my post on day one. Below is a video showing excerpts from the day, with more information and photos farther down. Enjoy!
Sumo Competitions
The second day began in the morning on Sunday around 9:00. Villagers gathered again before the Daito-gu shrine. There, a Shinto priest led a ceremony blessing both the sumo ground and the people. New babies were also brought before the shrine by their parents so that the adults could ask for safe and prosperous lives for their children.
After the ceremonies were complete, the villagers settled in to watch Edo and Okinawan Sumo competitions. Although Kitadaito is in Okinawan Prefecture, it was originally settled by people from Hachijo Island, which means the traditions of the island are a unique mix of mainland Japan and Okinawa. At the Daitogusai festival, both types of sumo take place. Pre-school through junior high students take part in edo style sumo.
… Read the rest and see more photos on MoreThingsJapanese.com!.
I’ll Make It Myself: “Halloween Taste-Testing: Starbucks Japan Autumn Menu 2012”
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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.
Starbucks Crunchy Caramel Latte and Pumpkin Muffin
One thing I love about living in Japan is trying the seasonal sweets and drinks in cafes, conbini, and grocery stores. “Seasonal food” is partially the function of the availability of the harvest, such as a café’s changing the menu from summer blueberry cake to fall fig tarts for desserts; however, part of “seasonal food” is more related to cultural perceptions of seasons and their associated foods: Pepsi’s Salty Watermelon soda and Pocky’s and other company’s mint flavors for summer probably had less to do with available ingredients and more to do with the collective consciousness of what are summer flavors; Candy Corn Oreos come from a desire for Halloween food, not from the candy corn harvest.
I love Halloween and autumn, and with more companies in Japan creating Halloween flavors or packages for their products, I’ve decided to do a series on taste-testing these products.
Internship: Researcher Fuji TV – Central London
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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: Researcher
Posted by: Fuji TV
Type: Intern (One month fixed term)
Location: London, UK
Salary: N/A
Start Date: ASAP
Overview:
Japan’s largest commercial broadcaster is looking for a self-driven, motivated researcher for a minimum one month fixed-term intern starting as soon as possible. You will receive valuable real-life work experience in a fast-paced news office with a world-famous company in the media.
Due to the nature of breaking news, we have a flexible approach to working hours, however a normal working week as well as some weekend or evening work may also be required.
Please contact vanessa@fci-london.com with a copy of your CV as soon as possible, including all relevant work experience. Interviews are on-going, so please include information of when you are available for a one hour interview in our central London office (ASAP – this week preferable) and your earliest possible starting date.
Email: vanessa@fci-london.com
http://www.jetaa.org.uk/jobs/research-intern/
I’ll Make It Myself: “Spaghetti-Squash Okonomiyaki”
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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.
While on my squash spree last month, I picked up a spaghetti squash, which has a great name in Japanese, too: soumen kabocha (そうめんかぼちゃ), like soumen noodles, or kinshiuri (金糸瓜), “golden thread squash.” This was my first time cooking this type of squash, and I had no idea what to do with it. First, I tried eating it like spaghetti and made a tomato sauce for it. It wasn’t bad, just unimpressive, though my husband thought it was some sort of Italian-seasoned coleslaw (I don’t even) for the lentil burgers I had also made.
His mistake, while tasty, didn’t solve my problem for what to do with the rest of the squash. My searches of all the blogs, cookbooks, and cooking sites I use didn’t turn up much in the way of other recipes that I felt like eating and I didn’t have the time to hit or budget the store for more ingredients. Maybe I’d use it in a “leftovers” food like stir-fry, or–great idea #1–okonomiyaki. Without any cabbage, which I rarely have in stock, I hit on great idea #2: forget the cabbage, the squash would be the vegetable base.
I’ll Make It Myself: Kitchen Library – 9.24.2012
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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.
Welcome, new subscribers! I seem to have jumped from 20 email subscribers to 90 over the last week. I would love it if you commented to tell me how you found this blog and what kind of content most interests you–recipes? restaurant reviews? rants? Thank you for reading!
JETAA Northern California announces 2012 Scholarship Winner
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Milo Barisof (front right) celebrates winning the 2012 JETAANC scholarship with his parents, Steven and Bonnie, and JET Alumni John Dzida and Johanna Wee. (Photo by JETAA NC.)
Via the JETAA Northern California website. FYI, ten years ago JETAA Northern California created a scholarship for students who demonstrate interest in Japan’s language and culture.
The JET Alumni Association of Northern California recently awarded its annual scholarship to Milo Barisof, a graduate of Alternative Family Education, an independent home study program in Santa Cruz, CA.
Throughout his high school career, Milo pursued his passion for Japanese language and culture while maintaining a demanding course load. His years of diligent practice were apparent when Milo was awarded first place at the 38th annual Japanese Speech Contest, sponsored by the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco. In addition to his academic achievements, Milo is an accomplished violinist, who performed throughout high school with the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony.
“Milo’s love of the Japanese language and his passion for learning is very apparent,” said Johanna Wee, JETAANC board member. “Given Milo’s work ethic and drive, I am confident he will achieve everything he sets out to do in life.”
Milo entered Pomona College in Claremont, CA this fall. He plans to major in Japanese.
The JETAANC scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate an interest in Japan’s language and culture. Applicants are evaluated on academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities, personal essays and letters of recommendation. The scholarship is in its 10th year.
JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Salvation of a Saint’
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“The detectives in ‘Salvation’ are in constant motion, interrogating suspects, racking their brains for a break in the case. Insomniacs, they observe, question and theorize with an obsessive resolve, as good fictional crime detectives are apt to do.” (St. Martin’s Press)
By Sharona Moskowitz (Fukuoka-ken, 2000-01) for JQ magazine. Sharona is interested in fresh, new voices in fiction and creative nonfiction.
(Click image for an exclusive sample from the audiobook)
With more twists and turns than a mountain route through the Japanese Alps, Keigo Higashino’s latest murder mystery Salvation of a Saint is a seamless, well-constructed suspense novel with all the elements of a classic murder mystery, though he adds considerable fizz to the formula with a few unconventional characters and a very unlikely murder technique.
Yoshitaka is the unfortunate victim, poisoned early on in the story by arsenic laced coffee which he drinks with tepid oblivion. Despite being offed so soon, throughout the novel we learn quite a bit about him as his character is constructed in fragments that piece together to tell the story of his life.
And what an unsavory fellow indeed.
Narcissistic, duplicitous and with a chauvinistic tendency to view women solely in terms of their reproductive potential, Yoshitaka is not terribly likeable, to put it mildly. During the time of his murder he was in the process of leaving his wife Ayane because of her inability to bear him a child, a fact which he states openly with unabashed grandiosity. He was also, conveniently for the plot, in the midst of an affair with Ayane’s trusted confidant and apprentice Hiromi.
So whodunit? Was it a crime of passion committed by one of Yoshitaka’s jilted lovers past or present? Perhaps a jealous colleague? Or were Ayane and Hiromi secretly in cahoots?
Job: Postings from Idealist.org 9.28.12
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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.
Program Specialist/Asian Programs
Posted by: Cultural Vistas
Type: Full-time
Location: Columbia, MD
Salary: $15 p/h
Start Date: October 1, 2012
Cultural Vistas is seeking a Program Specialist (contract position) in its Columbia, MD. office to support in the administration of its Exchange Visitor Programs. The job is 6-8 month contract position.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/wTPFGZ3kxBfP/
Program Coordinator
Posted by: Japan Society of Northern California
Type: Full-time
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: DOE
Start Date: October 15, 2012
The Japan Society of Northern California (JSNC) is seeking a Program Coordinator to with the president and the program Committee to develop long-range programming goals and implement strategies and processes for achieving those goals. 1-2+ years of professional event planning/coordination experience required; nonprofit experience and/or experience working with nonprofit boards preferred. Knowledge of Japan and Japan-related issues is a plus.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/ps2bzxN3WgBD/
IGES Researchers
Posted by: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Type: Full-time
Location: Kanagawa, Japan
Salary: DOE
Application Deadline: October 1, 2012
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies is recruiting for several research positions which require business level Japanese language skills. Master’s degree also required.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/msjwXZ644fsP/
Office Manager
Posted by: Japan Society of Northern California
Type: Full-time
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: DOE
Start Date: From September 25, 2012
The Japan Society of Northern California (JSNC) is seeking an Office Manager to assist the president and the board of directors and achieve this mission by providing administrative and logistical support to facilitate smooth office and financial management. Minimum two years administrative experience, with bachelor’s degree or higher.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/XmZHS4W4TbfP/
ICT Systems Associate
Posted by: United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Type: Full-time/Contracted
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Salary: 370,000 to 500,000 JPY (DOE)
Application Deadline: October 26, 2012
UNU-IAS is seeking an ICT Systems Associate who will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the entire ICT system and user support services of the Institute. A Bachelor of Science or equivalent Degree from a recognized university in Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics, Engineering or a related field. Knowledge of Japanese and United Nations official languages would be an asset.
