Job: Development and Outreach Dept. Coordinator – Human Rights Watch (NYC)
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JETAANY webmaster Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken 2003-06) shared this job opening at Human Rights Watch where he used to work. (Please do not send your resume to Lee-Sean.)
Full-Time Position Available: COORDINATOR
Development and Outreach Department (New York Office)
Deadline for applications: June 20, 2009
Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking a Coordinator of Development Operations to provide global operational and technical support to its Development & Outreach department.
Event: JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine Stuff ‘n Mail – May 28
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If you thought a JQ interview with Jero was cool last issue, wait until you see who JQ got this time.
JQ’S STUFF N’ MAIL FOR THE SPRING ISSUE
Thursday, May 28th
As the JQ home office edges closer to the the layout finishing line for our next issue, we’ve set a date for our quarterly stuffin’ and mailin’. RSVP to magazine[at]jetaany[dot]org to ensure how much pizza/drinks to order. Besides getting your own advance copy of the new “Utada Issue” before they’re mailed out to our members, we’ll also be having an informal nomikai afterwards (location TBD).
It all happens Thursday, May 28 from 6:00 p.m. at the Japan Local Government Center (JLGC), 3 Park Ave. (at 34th St.), 20th floor. Chotto latecomers and friends of JET are also welcome.
Not on our mailing list for your own print copy? E-mail your name, address and JET info to database[at]jetaany[dot]org by the end of Monday, May 25th to receive your copy of the new JQ.
See you there!
Writing Opportunities: CLAIR-NY and JETAA NY Tweeter
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WRITER NEEDED FOR JLGC NEWSLETTER The Japanese Local Goverment Center (JLGC, aka CLAIR-NY) is looking for someone to write a one page, 600 word article with pictures about JETAANY events. If you are knowledgable about JETAANY events and have a penchant for writing, this is the opportunity for you! Contact secretary [at] jetaany [dot] org for more details.
JETAANY Tweeter JETAANY is looking for an official “Tweeter” on Twitter. It’s a great way to get your name out there, especially on this newest marketing medium. If you are interested, contact Megan Miller at president[at]jetaany[dot]org.
There ‘n Back Again: **** Toner
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There ‘n Back Again shares the cultural re-adjustment reflections of Brendan Share (Niigata-shi 2006-07), the program director for Japan America Learning Centerhttp://www.japanamericacenter.com. in Scarsdale, NY. In addition to writing, Brendan also enjoys depicting idioms in cartoon format which can be seen at
So I’m at work this morning flipping through heaps of student lesson plans when a shrieking cat masquerading as my colleague’s voice leaps at me from the front office. After pulling out my trusty Japanese to English dictionary I was able to paste together an interesting semblance of terms, the majority of which were not that flowery in retrospect. It panned out as follows:
“Who forgot to order **** toner for the **** copy machine??!!”
しまった。。
Seriously, she’s sweet, but the cursing…
Anyway, toner tends to fall by the wayside when the task of getting 45 kids to pass the STEP Eiken test in June looms overhead. Even still I blinked and found myself cast back into the shadowy halls of Maki Nishi Junior High School. I started to get the feeling that I had not learned some valuable lesson…
Suzanne Kamata
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Cristy Burne (Hyogo-ken, Kawanishi-shi, 1998-2000), author of the soon-to-be-released children’s book Takeshita Demons, has a really nice interview on her blog with Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90), who lives in Japan and is the editor of LiteraryMama as well as the author of books such as Losing Kei and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (which recently won several prizes in the 2009 Indie Book Awards including the Grand Prize for non-fiction overall).
(For all you translators out there lookng for an interesting project, you may notice Suzanne’s comment that none of her books have been translated into Japanese yet. Perhaps a future JET alum collaboration to come?)
Go here for the full interview: http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/american-writer-in-japan-suzanne-kamata-
Cristy Burne
on-diversity-writing-and-winning-the-indie-book-awards/
- Also, another JET alum writer, Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95), has an interview with Suzanne about the book on her blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.
- To learn more about Suzanne you can visit her website at http://www.suzannekamata.com or her blog at http://gaijinmama.wordpress.com (RSS feed here).
- Read an interview with Suzanne Kamata on children’s books and diversity by the blog Kabiliana.
- Go to the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library to see a complete list of JET alum authors (at least to JetWit’s knowledge).
J-News Mini-Roundup: Policy Reactions to the Swine Flu in Japan
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
Background With the threat of the Swine Flu unabated in Japan, government agencies are going to great lengths to come up with forward-thinking policies to prevent an overall pandemic. Both on a local and national level Japan is rethinking its quarantine and treatment practices. Each newspaper reported a different policy being taken by taken by each level of government.
Asahi “The National Response: Split by Region” The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced its policy of a splitting the country by region if the flu is to spread further. According to the Ministry this policy would give them “room to maneuver” in their policy reactions per region. The regions suggested would be “Confirmed Region”, “Infected Region”, and “Unborn Region”. The unborn region is a region where no cases of the flu have yet been reported. The confirmed region is a region where cases of the flu have been reported, but only one by one, where the spread from person to person within that area has not yet occurred. The Infected Region is a region where it’s spreading from person to person. A statement from a ministry official said “we’re trying to revamp our policies this week as much as possible.”
Nikkei “New Policy for Small Hospitals” Within infected regions such as Kobe City, the Japanese government is looking into a policy …
(Click HERE to read the rest of the post)
JETAA Chapter Beat 5.20.09
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community for another edition of JETAA Chapter Beat.
- East Bay Nomikai Happy Hour – Thursday, May 21st, 6:00 at Conga Lounge. Celebrate summer’s imminent arrival with Mai Tais, friends and JETAANC.
- South Bay Nomikai – Friday, May 22nd, 7:00 at the Tied House in Mountain View. In case you can’t make the event Thursday, come down to south bay for a drink.
- JETAANC Book Club Meeting – The next official meeting of the Book Club is happening in June. The discussion will center around “Silence” by Shusaku Endo. Start reading so you’ll be ready come June.
- JETAA DC Alumni Social Event at Pimlico Race Course – May 23rd at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD. The first race is 11:30 and admissions is free.
- J-Lunch – Wednesday, May 27th, 12:00 at McCormick & Schmicks. A small get together for Japanese people and anyone interested in Japan.
- Walk for Rice – Saturday, June 20th, 8:00 to 12:30 at Seward Park. Join PNWJETAA in a free 2.5 mile fun run and walk-a-thon to benefit the Asian Counseling and Referral Sevice Food Bank.
- Camp JET at Lake Arrowhead – May 29th – May 31st at Lake Arrowhead. Spend the weekend roughing it with JETAASC.
- Sushi Rolling at Satsuko – Tuesday, May 27th, 7:00 at Satsuko. Learn how to roll your own sushi so you’ll never go hungry again.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just email Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
James Kennedy interviewed by School Library Journal
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Great interview with James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish, by Elizabeth Bird of the School Library Journal. JET-riffic bonus: They use Zorgamazoo author Rob Weston’s (Nara-ken, 2002-04) blurb in the opening paragraph of the interview, and they’ve included the video clip of James from the JET Alumni Author Showcase.)
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1160044516.html
Roland Kelts to host talk with Hayao Miyazaki in July
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According to a news item on the Anime News Network (which was first reported by Publishers Weekly journalist Kai-Ming Cha in her personal blog), Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will host a talk with Hayao Miyazaki (director of Spirited Away among other animated films) on July 25 in Berekely, CA. Miyazaki will be making a rare U.S. appearance to receive the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize for lifetime achievement, presented by the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
This is familiar territory for Roland, who hosted a talk with novelist Haruki Murakami last October when Murakami was presented with the first Berekely Japan award.
Books: “Sake’s Hidden Stories” by JET alum John Gauntner
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JET alum John Gauntner (a/k/a “The Sake Guy”) has just announced the publication of his new e-book, Sake’s Hidden Stories: The Personalities, Philosophies & Tricks of the Trade Behind the Brew.
From John’s Sake World Newsletter:
Sake’s Hidden Stories will give you a view to what goes on in the sake industry behind the brew we all love so much. The book goes into stories much deeper than the information we most commonly encounter; way beyond simply what ginjo-shu is, what junmai-shu is, or what the role of koji is. You will learn about the personalities behind the sake. You will see in just how much detail some brewers make sake, and how each is different in where importance is placed. And most significantly, something that has not been written about in any book on sake in English, you will meet more than a dozen brewers, and encounter their personalities. You’ll see what makes them tick, what drives them in their work, and how their histories and idiosyncrasies affect the sake they brew.
John, by the way, was the featured speaker in last night’s Annual Sake Tasting and Lecture at Japan Society in New York.
JET alum artist Laurel Lukaszewski’s 3 upcoming shows (DC area)
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Laurel Lukaszewski (Kagoshima-ken, 1990-92) will be participating in three upcoming shows in the DC area for anyone interested in joining and supporting her at the opening receptions or stopping by while the exhibits are up.
This Thursday Sculpting Time opens at VisArts in Rockville’s Town Center and next Thursday Flora opens at the US Botanic Garden followed on Friday by the opening of Artomatic. All of the events are free and open to the public.
Sculpting TimeOpening Reception: Thursday, May 21, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Exhibition Dates: May 21 – July 26, 2009Venue: VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville, MD 20850 (four blocks from the Rockville Metro Station on the Red Line)Gallery Hours: Mon – Sat 10 am – 5 pm, Sun 12 – 5 pmParticipating Artists: Kyan Bishop, Nathalie David, T. Rachelle Ellis, Warren Frederick, Laurel Lukaszewski, J.J. McCracken, Louise Radochonski, Eric Serritella, Novie Trump, Judit Varga, Catherine White, Xutihttp://www.visartscenter.org/
Flora: Growing InspirationsOpening Reception: Thursday, May 28, 6 – 8 pm
Exhibition Dates: May 23 – October 12, 2009Venue: United States Botanic Garden, East Gallery, 100 Maryland Avenue, Washington, DC (Federal Center West Metro or Capitol South Metro)Hours: 10 am – 5 pm dailyhttp://www.usbg.gov/education/events/Flora-Growing-Inspirations.cfm
Artomatic 2009Opening Day: Friday, May 29, 2009, noon – 1 am
Exhibition Dates: May 29 – July 5, 2009Venue: 55 M Street, SW, Washington, DC (Navy Yard Metro Station–building is on top of station)Hours: Wed & Thurs noon – 10 pm; Fri & Sat noon – 1 am; Sun noon – 10 pm; Closed Mon & TuesMy space is located on the 8th Floor.http://www.artomatic.org/
Continuing:A Fine Line–Works by Noelle K. Tan and Laurel Lukaszewski
Exhibition Dates: now through JulyVenue: 505 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC (corner of 9th & E) (Archives or Gallery Place Metro)Hours: 8 am – 7 pm weekdayshttp://project4gallery.com/invitations/afineline/index.html
For more information about Laurel and her work go to www.laurellukaszewski.com. To see a list of JET alumni artists on JetWit go here. (You’ll notice it’s an extremely short list, so if you’re a JET alum artist or you know of any JET alum artists who should be included, send an e-mail to jetwit [at] jetwit [dot] com with name, prefecture, years and any links and contact info and it’ll be added to the list.)
Job: Administrative Asst – Congress Section, Embassy of Japan (DC)
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Via JETAA DC:
Administrative Assistant for the Congress Section, Embassy of Japan
Job Posting Date: May 18, 2009
General Description: The Embassy of Japan’s Congress Section is now seeking a qualified Administrative Assistant. This job provides an excellent opportunity to work for a foreign diplomatic mission while gaining insight into both congressional and international affairs from a unique professional perspective. Read More
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
アラ還 (arakan) describes Japanese around 60 years of age, and it comes from (アラウンド還暦 or around kanreki). 還
暦 (kanreki) refers to one’s 60th birthday celebration. This buzzword is picking up on the previously popular アラフォー (ara fo-), coming from the phrase アラウンド40 (Around 40) which was also the title of a 2008 drama regarding this time of life. This phraseology can also be applied to other decades as well. For example, instead of disclosing my age I can simply reply that I am アラサー (ara sa- or around 30).
As you might expect, like baby boomers here in the States arakan are not taking aging lying down. A segment in this morning’s news featured Read More
J-News Mini-Roundup: The Clash of Cell Phones
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
Background: For companies who produce consumer products in Japan there are two times a year they contemplate releasing their new product lines: summer and winter. This is because summer and winter are when the massive consumer base in Japan receives their biannual bonuses. Docomo has gotten a contract to produce a phone using the Google Android, while Softbank will be 
producing the iphone. The newspapers ran headlines this morning about the preparation being done for the anticipated battle between Softbank and Docomo this summer, and which side is going to be triumphant.
Asahi: “Docomo Releases for the First Time a Google Cell Phone. Softbank Increases Animation…” This headline alone from Asahi makes it quite obvious which cell phone provider they support. Each paragraph in their article on the release of cell phones details the Docomo phone, and how it will utilize Google’s superior android technology, along with their “easy to use” email capability. Google’s also sold over 1 million of their smart phones, the Asahi adds, and Docomo’s president stated “This phone will make a big impact.”
The selling point for the Softbank phone, which the Asahi doesn’t mention until their last paragraph in the article, is the fact that it’s solar-powered. The Yomiuri elaborates.
Yomiuri: “Softbank Releases a Solar Powered Cell phone” Yomiuri doesn’t even mention Softbank’s rival…
(Click HERE to read the rest of the post)
For all the journalists and aspiring journalists out there, and heck, for all the writers too, Greg from TheDigitalists.com addresses a relevant question in the larger quest to figure out how newspapers are going to make money on the internet: What would micropayments mean for journalists?
