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 […]
Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa
Photography, Travel/Tourism 
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Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the YA fantasy novel Samurai Awakening (Tuttle). Churaumi Aquarium (美ら海 beautiful ocean aquarium) is one of the premiere tourist attractions in Okinawa prefecture. The large aquarium is located within the even larger and interesting Ocean Expo Park on the Motobu Peninsula. […]
Isn’t Japan Supposed to be Polite?
Humor, Japan Local, Writers Comments Off on Isn’t Japan Supposed to be Polite?
Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the YA fantasy novel Samurai Awakening (Tuttle). For those of you who don’t know, I spent my first three years in Japan living on Kitadaito Island. Kitadaito is a small island 320km east of the mainland of Okinawa. While I was there, I […]
2012 Kitadaito Festival Day Two
Events, Japan Local, Photography, Travel/Tourism, Video, Writers Comments Off on 2012 Kitadaito Festival Day Two
Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the fantasy novel Samurai Awakening (Tuttle). [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRGDpNCFRrw&w=400&h=225] 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 […]
2012 Kitadaito Festival Day 1
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Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the fantasy novel Samurai Awakening (Tuttle). Every year on September 22 and 23 Kitadaito Village celebrates its largest Festival. These dates mark the beginning of autumn. Kitadaito, also known as north Borodino island, is a place of 12sq kilometers 320 […]
JET Author Beat: Current Okinawa JET debuts with new book “Samurai Awakening”
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******************** Benjamin Martin is a fifth-year JET ALT in Okinawa Prefecture. He spent three years on Kitadaito Island, a place of 12 sq km and 550 people before moving across the prefecture to another island called Kumejima. His debut novel Samurai Awakening is out now on online retailers and hits bookstores October 10, 2012. Benjamin competes in Okinawan Sumo, is co-host […]
JQ Magazine Seeks Writers for Summer 2012!
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As we slide into summer, JETAA New York’s JQ magazine continues to provide content with an ever-expanding array of articles, interviews and features (see our recent stories here). We’re now looking for new writers, including recent returnees and JET vets, from all JETAA chapters worldwide for posting stories via our host at the global JET alumni resource site JETwit.com. […]
Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project
Anecdote Article, Local Government, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Uncategorized Comments Off on Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project
Below are approximately 150 comments received so far as a result of the JET-Tourist Tally Project. First the Top 10 Comments followed by all comments organized according to prefecture. (Click here for the latest totals from the JET-Tourist Tally Project.) Important: If you have not yet responded, please help out by entering your JET Tourist-Tally […]
Auslin, Michael (Prefecture, Years) – Michael is Director of Japan Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and formerly a professor of Japanese history at Yale University. He also appeared as a guest judge on an episode of Iron Chef America (one where Chef Morimoto was the selected Iron Chef). Japan Society – 100th anniversary publication […]
