Life After JET: Randy Higashi
Life As a JET, LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums 
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By Jon Dao(Toyama-ken, 2009-12) for his podcast Discussions with Dao. Jon works as a speech coach and personal trainer.
The third appearance by former Toyama JET Randy Higashi. Unlike most of the other returnees I know, Randy actually went back to Japan for another two year stint. In this episode, we spend a lot of the discussion comparing the two experiences. Be sure to follow Randy on Instagram and check out the Takkomachi Facebook Page!
Why go back again? (1:20)
Which stay in Japan was better– the first or second? (8:36)
“Those 4 years in #Toyama built me as a person. It built me as a person– to be a tougher person. I thank my time for that.” – @rhigashi
— Jon Dao (@CommDao) August 23, 2016
How does it feel to come back a second time? (10:10)
How can you tell going back to work in Japan is a good decision or not? (12:57)
Did you see unrealistic expectations and fandom of Japan from ALTs? (16:46)
The Japanese Office Culture (19:40)
Fan Question (24:40
Don’t Leave Your Cleaning/Packing Up Til the End (30:30)
Omiyage Again (38:02)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAeJ7HqS7tt/
Japan Local: Tohoku Rokkon (Six Souls) Festival
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
The Tohoku Rokkon (“Six Souls”) Festival is a two-day event where you can see six major Tohoku area summer festivals (one from each prefecture) all in one place!
It was created to encourage the revival of the Tohoku area after the Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011. This year marks the sixth and final year of the event. It will be held in Aomori City from June 25-26, 2016.
Winter Rice Field Art
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
Inakadate Village (Aomori Prefecture), the pioneer of rice field art, will be holding a Winter Rice Field Art event this February 2016 in collaboration with internationally renowned snow artist Simon Beck, who creates geometrical artworks by walking across/around fields of snow in snow shoes. He has traveled all over the world creating snow art works, but this will be his first work in Japan.
Japan Local: Aomori 10 City Festival in Mutsu
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
Miss out on the Aomori Summer Festivals and don’t want to wait a whole year for your next chance to see them?
Check out the Aomori 10 City Festival in Mutsu from September 26-27th, 2015!
The Aomori 10 City Festival showcases major festivals, food, products and more from 10 cities around Aomori Prefecture: Aomori City, Hirosaki City, Hachinohe City, Kuroishi City, Goshogawara City, Towada City, Misawa City, Mutsu City, Tsugaru City, and Hirakawa City.
The must-see attraction is the Saturday night festival parade featuring Nebuta/Neputa floats, nagashi odori, etc., but you can also enjoy stage performances, appearances by mascot characters, delicious local foods and more at the event.
Japan Local: B-1 Grand Prix in Towada
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
Interested in trying out local “soul foods” from all over Japan?
Then the 10th B-1 Grand Prix in Towada is the event for you!
From October 3rd-4th, 2015, sixty-two groups from across Japan will gather in Towada (Aomori Prefecture) to promote their respective cities and local “soul foods”. Enjoy soba, udon, ramen, rice bowls, curry, fried foods, grilled meats, and various other dishes originating from Hokkaido to Kyushuu and vote for your favourite group. At the end of the second day, the most popular group–as selected by attendees–will be awarded the Gold Grand Prix Prize (symbolized by giant golden chopsticks :P).
Often misunderstood as standing for “B-grade” (“B級” B-kyuu in Japanese), the “B” in “B-1” actually stands for “brand.” The goal of the B-1 Grand Prix is to revitalize cities and towns through the promotion of their respective local brands. Apart from serving delicious food, participating groups also try to demonstrate their own unique brand of hospitality through performances, etc. This is why attendees of the B-1 Grand Prix are encouraged to vote for their favourite group and not just the best dish.
So if you want to get a taste of many different cities from around Japan, come to Towada for the B-1 Grand Prix.
十和田に愛に行こう！Towada ni ai ni ikou! Come to love Towada!
Official Website (Japanese): http://b-1towada.com/
Click HERE to learn MORE (English)
Japan Local: Inakadate Rice Field Art
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
2014 Inakadate Rice Field Art
Inakadate Village (Aomori Prefecture) has a long history relating to rice. The site of an ancient rice field dating back to the mid-Yayoi Period (300 B.C.～300 A.D.), the Tareyanagi Iseki was discovered in Inakadate in 1981. This was a significant find as until its discovery, it had been believed that rice fields were not cultivated in Tohoku during the Yayoi Period. The Tareyanagi Iseki was designated a National Historic Site on April 11, 2000.
To celebrate and promote its history of rice production, Inakadate began offering rice planting experience tours. In order to make the experience more interesting, they decided to use different coloured rices to draw a picture of Mt. Iwaki with the words 弥生の里いなかだて (Yayoi no sato Inakadate) meaning “Yayoi Village Inakadate.” This was the humble beginning of rice field art–although at the time it was not referred to as “art” but simply as “rice characters” (稲文字 ine moji）.
Since its beginnings as “rice characters,” the drastic improvement in technological and artistic levels have made Inakadate’s rice art an increasingly popular site for both domestic and international tourists. It has proved so popular that in 2012, a second rice field art site was started at the Michi no Eki (Roadside Station) Inakadate “Yayoi no Sato.”
The theme for 2015’s rice field art is “Gone with the Wind” for the main site and “Star Wars” for the second site (Michi no Eki Inakadate “Yayoi no Sato”).
Japan Local: Aomori Summer Festivals
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
Goshogawara Tachineputa
It is a hot and muggy August night, but the air is filled with energy and a sense of anticipation. Then the sounds of flutes, drums, and chanting shouts erupt as people dressed in happi coats, yukata and all manner of costume fill the street, and enormous glowing figures emerge from between the darkened buildings.
There are many festivals across Aomori Prefecture and all of Japan during the summer, but Aomori’s three biggest and most famous summer festivals are Hirosaki Neputa, Aomori Nebuta, and Goshogawara Tachineputa.
All three feature impressive night parades of neputa/nebuta–large lantern floats with images and themes drawn from Chinese or Japanese literature, history, or religion–pulled by large groups of people often dressed in special costumes and accompanied by music from flutes, drums, and hand cymbals. The groups pulling the floats also use special shouts (different for each festival) to keep both the participants and spectators energized.
JET Bloggers’ Food Posts Roundup (3.26.2013)
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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, 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.
These posts by JET bloggers were featured on the JET Alum Culinary Group on LinkedIn:
“How to Earn a Black Belt…In Front of the Conveyor Belt” by Alexandra Brueckner (ALT, Aomori, 2011-) at The Globe-Trotting Geek.
This piece about kaitenzushi was Freshly Pressed on WordPress on March 12, 2013. おめでとうございます！
“Weekend: 3月17日: Osaka meals” by Sarah (ALT, Takaoka, 2012-) at Daily Nibbles.
Sarah takes gorgeous photos of Osaka’s famous foods. Takoyaki has never looked this good!
“A quick break at Kiharu” by Brittany (CIR, Matsue, 2012-) at San’in Monogatari.
Brittany drops by a cafe in Matsue for some wagashi and matcha.
Join us on LinkedIn and share your own food stories, blog posts, or articles of interest: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4803196&trk=hb_side_g
