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 togeth
er with her own observations.
Last night I was able to attend a private screening of the intriguing documentary Samurai Umpires in the U.S.A. Executive producer/director Takayuki Tanaka is a Japanese native who conceptualized the idea for his film while studying at the New York Film Academy. His work focuses on six Japanese baseball umpires working in the minor leagues with dreams of making it to the Majors.
This all-male group ranges in age and umpiring experience, and the movie delves into Read More
Roland Kelts on Japanese pop music in Daily Yomiuri column
Article/Journalism, Celebrity, Japan Trends, Music, Roland Kelts, Writers 
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has another SOFT POWER/HARD TRUTHS column in The Daily Yomiuri (and also re-printed in 3:AM Magazine) about J-Pop music in America, featuring interviews with Miho Hatori, formerly of Cibo Mato, and Reni-chan, a recent NYC transplant from Tokyo, plus reflections on AKB48.
- Daily Yomiuri SOFT POWER/HARD TRUTHS: Japan’s Music Makers in America
- Link to 3:AM Magazine post of the column: http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/3am-asia-soft-power-hard-truths-japans-music-makers-in-america/
Japan America Society Roundup 10.25.09
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Current Hiroshima-ken JET Gail Meadows, Editor of the Hiroshima JET webzine the Wide Island View, shines a light on some of the upcoming events of Japan America Societies…
Young Professionals Horsing Around Picnic — What did Mr. Ed say to the throat specialist? … “I’m feeling a little hoarse!” (Sorry, just couldn’t resist.) As if a picnic under the autumn leaves weren’t enough, this event also features horseback riding and fishing (if you bring your own fishing equipment). The cost is $30 for JASG members. Register online here by Nov. 11.
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
- Time: 2 to 4 p.m.
- Place: White Dog Farm, 685 Old Alpharetta Road, Alpharetta, Georgia
- For more information: http://jasgeorgia.org/eng/taxonomy/term/1
An Afternoon of Japanese Ghost Stories and Jazz — In the Noh theater, the dead are more important than the living because the actions of the dead are what brought us to where we are today. Japanese ghosts are usually female. Upset females. They are portrayed without feet because they have lost their connection to the earth. They are passionate women on a mission, so filled with love, jealousy or rage; they won’t go peacefully to into the night. At this event, hear Brenda Wong Aoki tell ghost stories masterfully performed in concert with Asian Jazz pioneer composer Mark Izu. This event also features performances of the koto, sax and shakuhachi (a traditional Japanese bamboo flute).
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 1
- Time: 2 p.m.
- Place: Yoshi’s San Francisco, 1330 Fillmore St., San Francisco
- For more information: http://www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco/jazzclub/artist/show/945
Monstrosity after the Bubble: Japanese Visual Culture and Techno-Animism — Anne Allison, author of Millennial Monsters; Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination, will speak about animist sensibility in postmodern Japan.
- Date: Friday, Oct. 30
- Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Place: Tufts University, Sophia Gordon Hall, 15 Talbot Ave., Medford, Massachusetts
- For more information: http://events.tufts.edu/details.php?eventid=14953&evdate=2009-10-30
Does your Japan America Society have an upcoming event that you’d like to share with JetWit readers? Email Gail Meadows the info.
Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) Japan Travel Journal Cafe Vol. 6
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Bankruptcy Bill #21 – Fantasy Bankruptcy #2
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BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.
Do you work in bankruptcy or restructuring? Now you can join the JET Alumni Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group on LinkedIn.
(Click here to see larger version of the cartoon.)
Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post. Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.
Job: Japanese-English interpreter needed for DC conference in November!
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Via JETAA DC yahoogroup:
Please pass this to anyone you know who might be interested. People can reply to Clare at TRAK directly; her email address is below.
TRAK Conference Services is looking for a conference worker who speaks fluent Japanese to interpret at an engineering conference November 2nd – 6th in DC. The conference could start as early as 7:00 AM with an hourly rate around $13/hour. The translator must be extremely professional and able to roll with the punches. Please send your resumes to Clare at clare.edwards@trakservices.com!
JETAA Florida activities: Monthly meeting, Orlando Japan Festival and call for Newsletter submissions
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Via JETAA Florida:
Hello everyone. Here are two upcoming JETAA events I’d like you all to be aware of.
- This week Sunday, the 25th at 7:00 pm I will host our monthly meeting at Stardust Coffee in north Orlando. If this is too late for you please give me a shout as I am willing to start a little bit earlier if this would accommodate more people. The address of Stardust is: 842 E Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL
- On Sunday, November 8th from 12:00 to 5:00 pm the Orlando Japan Festival will take place in Hunters Creek village in south Orlando. This is a great festival, that attracts big crowds, and has a ton of stuff to see, as well as eat. I’d like to make this our o-kaeri-kai for the recent returnees. Afterwards I was thinking of renting out the karaoke room at Aki restaurant in Orlando. Please reply back if you are interested so I can look into making a reservation. http://www.orlandojapanfestival.com
- Finally, I’m requesting contributions for our chapter newsletter. I am going to write a couple of articles myself, but it would be great to have some more input from the rest of our members. If you would like to promote something Japan related here in Florida, or submit a Japan related article please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.
Thanks
Tom Gregorich
Job: Economic Affairs Asst at Consulate General of Japan (San Francisco)
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Via the JETAANCJobs yahoogroup (that’s JETAA Northern California):
Economic Affairs Assistant at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco
The Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco has an opening for an assistant in its Economic Affairs Section that will begin from December. The responsibilities of this section are broad, but include facilitating government, trade, and business relations between Japan and the United States.
Position
The Economic Affairs Assistant is responsible for providing administrative support to three Consuls, collectively in charge of economy, industry, environment, finance, science, technology, information and telecommunications. Please note that the Consulate is unable to provide visa support for prospective employees, and as such all applicants are required to have the appropriate legal permission to work in the United States. Read More
Job: Admin Asst for One World 2011 (Seattle, WA)
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Via JETAA Pacific Northwest: Hello JET Alumni! I recently started working at this new nonprofit and we’re looking to hire an Administrative Assistant ASAP! Thanks for spreading the word! –Amanda Erekson, (Joyo-Shi, Kyoto-Fu, 2007-08)
Job Title: Administrative Assistant
Type: Full Time Exempt
Closing Date: 10/26/2009
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Reception: Receive and direct incoming visitors, telephone calls, emails, faxes, mail and packages to the appropriate staff member.
- Office Management: Order, inventory and maintain office supplies, equipment and furniture. Develop and maintain record for office space and keys.
- Vendor/Contractor Relationships: Maintain relationships with facilities, telecom, IT, legal, accounting, office supply and other vendors/contractors and contact them for support as needed.
- Information Management: Coordinate and maintain paper and electronic filing systems, intranet and databases.
- Communication: Coordinate and maintain organizational contacts and email. Prepare and proof letters, reports, memos, agendas and documents as needed.
- Scheduling: Coordinate and maintain organizational calendar. Schedule and make arrangements for meetings and travel.
- Human Resources: Publicize job openings and provide office orientation for new employees.
- Other Support: Support the staff in clerical, project-based and other work as assigned.
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.
Last night at Japan Society I had the chance to catch a sneak preview of the American movie version of the Japanese manga series “Testuwan Atomu,”
known here in the States as Astro Boy. This wide-eyed, spiky haired superhero has a huge following both here and at home, and his Hollywood debut was greatly anticipated. Though I had never seen the original series, which based on a manga became an anime first in Japan and then here in 1963, I truly enjoyed the Western interpretation of the life of this legendary icon.
The voices were provided by a star-studded cast including Read More
J-News Mini-Roundup: Ozawa “Buddies Up” with the American Ambassador
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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 and Chinese language learning options. Their main service is private one on one tutoring in the NYC area, and they now also offer group lessons in Manhattan.
Background: Ichiro Ozawa was the main candidate for The Democratic Party of Japan, leading up to the election in September. Then leading up the summer he was rocked by a scandal that put his secretary potentially embezzling funds that he shouldn’t have been embezzling. He resigned, and the now current Prime Minister, Hatoyama, took over the Democratic Party of Japan, and ended up winning the prize of Prime Minister. The election was historic for Japan, in its 50 year history since WWII this was the first time the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) had taken the reigns of power from the Liberal Democratic Party, or (LDP).
Nevertheless, Ozawa-san has managed to hold onto power, both behind the scenes and as now the Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Japan. Each newspaper had a different take on Ozawa-san this morning and his meeting with the American ambassador to Japan, John Roos.
Asahi “We should be frank…
Click here for the rest of the article, including other Japanese language and culture articles
Event: Suzanne Kamata to present Educational Workshop for Families of Children with Learning Differences (Tokyo)
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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following:
TELL Exceptional Parenting Program: Educational Workshop for Families of Children with Learning Differences/Diverse Needs by Tokyo English Life Child and Family Services
We welcome you to our Writing workshop: Parenting kids with special needs presented by Suzanne Kamata, writer, poet, and mother.
Suzanne will give a presentation on Reading and Writing Our Special Children. She will discuss the importance of writing about children with special needs and share examples of literature current and past about parenting children with special needs. She will also conduct brief writing exercises, which may be used in journaling, or creative writing for pleasure or publication.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Registration: 2:30pm to 2:45pm; Workshop: 2:45pm to 4:15pm; Information sharing: 4:15pm to 5:00pm
Admission: Donations accepted
RSVP to tellparentgroup@hotmail.com
Location: Minami Aoyama Conference Room next to TELL office
Address: 5-4-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 Phone: 03-3498-0231
Suzanne Kamata was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in English, she came to Japan in 1988 on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. During her second year in Japan, she met the man who would become her husband and has lived in Tokushima Prefecture ever since. She now lives with her husband and ten-year old twins in Aizumi and teaches part-time at Naruto Educational University.
Suzanne is also the author of a novel, Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008), editor of several anthologies, among them Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs (Beacon Press, 2008) and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009), and fiction editor of literarymama.com.
If you would like to have more information on the Exceptional Parenting Program or would like to attend the workshops, please contact Birgit Zorb-Serizawa at tellparentgroup@hotmail.com.
JETAA Chapter Beat 10.20.09
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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.
JETAA Minnesota
- MN JETAA Karaoke Night – Saturday, October 24th, 8:00 at 2nd Floor of the Korea Restaurant. Spend the night singing and laughing with friends at MN JETAA.
- Welcome Back Dinner – Saturday, November 7th, 7:00 at Obento-ya. Don’t miss this chance for some good food and even better conversations with old friends.
- JLPT Proctors Needed – Capilano University is seeking Proctors for the 2009 JLPT on Sunday, December 6th. Orientation is held on November 29th, contact the University to apply.
- Vancouver Island JET Alumni Subchapter Meet and Greet Night – Friday, October 23rd, 8:00 at the Beagle Pub in Cook Street Village. This new subchapter of JETAABC is looking to connect with local members in an effort to connect and get the ball rolling on new events for the future.
- Oktoberfest Happy Hour – Wednesday, October 21st, 6:00 at 39 Grove Street. Go German at this month’s festive happy hour.
- Bear Mountain Hiking Trip – Sunday, October 25th, 10:00 at scenic Bear Mountain. Spend the day outside among the trees and the changing leaves, followed by a German Festival including bratwurst, beer, music and crafts.
- JETAA Chicago Meeting – Friday, October 30th, 6:00 at Noon O’Kabab. JETAA Chicago will be holding officer elections so if you’re interesting in being part of JETAA’s future or just curious, stop on by.
- Spooky Zoo Volunteer Event – Saturday, October 24th, 10:00 to 2:00 at the Lincoln Park Zoo. JETAA Chicago is volunteering at this year’s Halloween celebration, organizing events, handing out treats and helping visitors.
- “The Harimaya Bridge” Movie Night(s) – Saturday, October 24th at 7:30 and Monday, October 26th at 7:15, JETAASC will be checking out Aaron Wookfolk’s feature film entitled, “The Harimaya Bridge” at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
- Meishi Exchange – November 4th, 6:30 to 9:00 at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Join in for JETAASC’s annual Meishi Exchange, an excellent opportunity to meet friends and network.
- Volunteer at the JRA Food Festival – Sunday, November 15th, 9:00 to 5:00 at the Kyoto Grand Hotel in Little Tokyo. The Japanese Restaurant Association is holding its annual Food Festival and is looking for volunteers to help out selling tickets, checking ID and serving food among other duties. Help out and share in the fun.
- Izakaya Pub Quiz Night – Wednesday, October 21st, 6:00 at O-Sushi. Put that intellect to the test with a night of questions, drinks and your friends at JETAADC.
- Career Night and Welcome Back Reception – Tuesday, October 27th, 6:15 t the Old Ambassador’s Residence. Reunite with old friends and former JETs while getting a leg up on career opportunities and connections.
- O-Shaberikai – Wednesday, November 4th, 5:30 at the Holy Grail in Civic. Join in and meet Japanese people living in Canberra and other locals interested in Japan.
- Shobu Cup Round III: Dodgeball – Sunday, October 25th, 11:00 to 3:00 at Golden Gate Park. The Japan Society of Northern California and the JETAA Northern California chapter are facing off for a friendly round of dodgeball. Potluck BBQ follows the game, so don’t miss it.
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.
New York – Tokyo Music Night 5
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Roland Kelts article in Adbusters: Private Worlds
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a good article out in Adbusters magazine.
Private Worlds: Lives spent lurking too long in the shadows of the virtual
Also, Roland is traveling to Korea soon to do give some talks there. If you’re a JET alum living in Korea and you go, make sure to go up and introduce yourself and invite him out for some sho-chu.
