Japan Info e-Newsletter July 2010
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The July 2010 edition of JapanInfo is now available online: http://editor.ne16.com/he/vo.aspx?FileID=1eebd4a0-af80-4be3-8945-42739cf4d675&m=1a93644da75eb849a0cfdf023ccba12e&MailID=12891461
JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.
Job: Business Development Associate, Unspecified Non-Profit Organization (New York)
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
via MAX Consulting Group, Inc.
Location: Mid-town, Manhattan NY
Area Industry: Non-Profit Organization
Title: Business Development Associate
Job Description: 1 year long Temporary Assignment
Primary Duties: Discover companies willing to invest in Japan, especially in Service and Environment industry. Attend trade shows and visit potential companies. Follow up and assist those companies willing to develop business in Japan.
Secondary Duties: To assist alliance between Japan and the US in high-tech industry, bring American corporate employees to Japan and vice versa and coordinate business meetings. Assist promoting export business from Japan. Sales experience is preferable but not a must. Proficiency in Japanese is preferable, but not a must. Some business trips.
Please email your resume to info@maxjob.com or call 212-949-6660.
Job: Assistant Director, East Asia & Pacific Unit of the Institute of International Education (D.C.)
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via Idealist.org
The Institute of International Education seeks an Assistant Director for the East Asia & Pacific Unit.
The Assistant Director (AD) provides leadership and supervision for a team of regional program staff who administer core Fulbright U.S. and Visiting Scholar and related programs for designated world areas. AD roles include carrying out a program portfolio with daily operational responsibilities, managing regional program staff and workflows including co-supervising positions when needed, maintaining a positive team approach, coaching and monitoring performance and collaborating with other managers to assure high quality administration of programs.
Major Responsibilities:
•Manage and oversee core U.S. and Visiting Scholar programs for East Asia and the Pacific, including U.S. awards catalog preparation and application goal setting, recruitment, peer review, candidate processing, affiliation, grant management, program budget analysis and reporting, in a manner that promotes teamwork, collaboration and flexibility within and across staff units
•Administer a program caseload in coordination with regional program staff and according to current policies, procedures and technology tools; maintain compliance with applicable regulations
•Communicate effectively with Director of Scholar Programs on program and staff status and issues; collaborate to coordinate and share experience between programs
•Exercise leadership and supervision of staff, make day-to-day decisions on operations and coordinate responsibilities within world areas, conduct performance evaluations, support professional development of staff, conduct hiring process for approved positions, resolve management and personnel issues
Qualifications:
•Masters’ degree;
•Seven years or more of substantial program management experience;
•Demonstrated effectiveness in supervising and training staff;
•Knowledge and understanding of higher education systems in the U.S. and abroad;
•Ability to work effectively with management teams and to build effective teams;
•Excellent interpersonal, decision-making, implementation and follow through skills; ability to adapt to changing organizational needs and a fast-paced work environment;
•Background in international higher education exchange; living experience and studies relevant to East Asia and the Pacific, particularly China, preferred.
How to Apply:
Please email resume, cover letter and salary history to cies-hr@iie.org
Include the position name and unit in the subject of your email. No phone calls, please.
For a complete job description, please visit http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/388072-152.
Job: English Language Teacher, Unnamed Private School (Hokkaido)
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via Liz (Larson) Sheffield (Sapporo, 1993-1995)
Are you looking for an opportunity to help build an English program from the ground up for elementary school age children?
A new, private school located in Hokkaido will open in September 2011. The school is dedicated to providing a place for young children to experience an international atmosphere. The goal for the English program is to have a well-structured, yet flexible curriculum that isn’t based on conventional textbook teaching. Students will have the opportunity to learn while playing and experiencing activities held in the English-speaking environment.
We are seeking an experienced, creative and dynamic teacher to lead the English program for elementary school age children. Previous teaching experience and a desire to work with young children is a must. Experience in Japan is helpful, but not required. The position will commence in September 2010 or March 2011.
Please send brief history and reason for interest in the position to Courtneyadodson@ gmail.com, by July 25.
Kirsten’s World: Glitter on the Mattress
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Bow-waka-chika-POW!
By Kirsten Phillips (Niigata-ken, 2005-08) who is currently a teacher in the NYC Teaching Fellows Program.
If you see a faded sign by the side of the road…
My kid bro’s Japanese friend was surprised at his knowledge of love hotels as he had never been to Japan before. But love hotels are one of those garish social conventions that anyone with the faintest modicum of interest in Japanese culture needs to know. There’s no mystery to that fascination.
“It’s really strange.” His Japanese friend said. “Love hotels are the only way Japanese teenagers can really have sex. But what about American teenagers?”
Why do you think Americans have such big cars?
Love hotels are right up there with Read More
WIT Life #108: On the Road
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WITLife 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.
Both films screened last night at Japan Society’s Japan Cuts festival were road movies. The first, Accidental Kidnapper, is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood’s A Perfect World, but I found the second one, One Million Yen Girl, to be more distinctly Japanese. Both feature well-known leads who are easy on the eyes (Katsunori Takahashi and Aoi Yu, respectively) and are backed by strong supporting casts, including Takashi Sasano who makes an appearance in both as an advocate for the main character.
In Accidental Kidnapper he plays a convict who advises Takahashi how to carry out his kidnapping, and in the latter he is a coffee shop proprietor in a small mountain village. In my previous double header, the actor Eita also appeared in both movies; he shows great versatility as one of the main characters in The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker and has a bit part in Hanging Garden. Both he and Sasano are also in Read More
JET ROI: JET alum Toby Weymiller building eco-friendly kissaten/cafe in Hokkaido
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JET Return on Investment (ROI) is a new category on JetWit intended to highlight the various economic, diplomatic and other benefits to Japan resulting from its investment in the JET Program. Why is this important right now? Because the JET Program and JET Alumni Association may be cut by the Japanese government, as explained in this post by Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) titled “JET Program on the Chopping Block.”
Hokkaido-ken JET alum Toby Weymiller has returned to Japan and spent the last year building an eco-friendly kissaten/cafe (built with natural, sustainable materials) in the area where he worked on JET. And on top of that, he’s been documenting the whole process on his blog “Bomber & Maiko & Toby.” (Bomber is his cat, fyi.) (Update: I previously had heard it was a bed and breakfast but just learned that it’s in fact a kissaten/cafe.)
Here’s the link: http://maikotobybomber.blogspot.com/
(Thanks to JETAA International Vice-Chair for letting me know about this.)
Job: English Teacher, Kobe College High School (Nishinomiya)
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via JETAA Chicago
Kobe College High School seeks applications for an English teaching position for grades 7-12.
Contract: Two years; term begins April 1, 2011
Salary: 4,691,200 yen
Extras: Furnished Apt (small fee), Travel & Shipping, Expenses and Language Study
Qualifications:
-B.A. degree. Major in English or Education preferred.
-TESOL certification and teaching experience are preferred.
-Speaker of standard American English with strong grammar skills.
Application Deadline: August 7, 2010
Visit www.kccjee.org for a full job description or e-mail kccjee@comcast. net with questions. To view Kobe College’s website, go to: www.kobe-c.ac.jp
To Apply: Send a letter of application and a resume to:
KCC Japan Education Exchange
2100 Sanders Road, Suite #190
Northbrook, IL 60062
Fax: 847-715-9860Email: kccjee@comcast. net (no on-line links)
*Please include your email address in the correspondence.
Job: Associate TV News Producer, Tokyo Broadcasting System (New York)
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via Tokyo Broadcasting System
The New York News Bureau of Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) is seeking an energetic, professional individual to fill an Associate TV News Producer position.
TBS is one of the oldest and largest television and radio broadcasting networks in Japan and broadcasts nationally via 28 affiliate stations. The New York Bureau covers news primarily in the United States for broadcast in Japan.
Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:
– Assist News Correspondents with daily news coverage and long term news projects.
– Research for news stories, set up interviews, and coordinate schedules.
– Assist with on-site news production and in-house recording, logging and editing of video feeds.
– Compile and prioritize information on daily, weekly, and long-range news events in coverage area.
– Monitor U.S. domestic news sources for information of interest to Japanese audience.
Japanese language ability a plus, but not required.
Strong interest in journalism, economic, political and social news preferred.
Available to travel and work extra hours and occasional weekends and holidays.
Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Start Date: As soon as possible.
Payment: Entry level position with full time and overtime payment.
To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to newsjob@tbsi-us.com. No telephone calls, please.
Job: Associate Director for Administration, Center on Japanese Economy at Columbia University (New York)
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via Caroline Hasegawa (JET Program Alum)
The Associate Director for Administration will engage in executing programs and overseeing day-to-day activities of the Center on Japanese Economy and Business. The employee will report to directly to the Director for Administration as well as work collaboratively with faculty directors and other officers of the Center.
Key Job Responsibilities:
1. Thoroughly understand and carry out the Center’s mission by working closely with the Director for Administration to execute and oversee day-to-day administrative activities of the Center. Help Director in assigning tasks and monitoring performance of program staff.
2. Coordinate production of Center events. Maintain and monitor the quality and content of the Visiting Fellows Program.
3. Work with Center’s Academic and Administrative Directors to find opportunities for engaging CBS faculty in research related to Japan.
4. Lead efforts to update, improve and maintain the Center’s website, reports, email campaigns and other public relations outreach materials; liaise with the Business School Marketing and Communications office on key PR efforts
5. Assist the Director in conceptualizing and executing a variety of academic and outreach activities, including programs for students, alumni, faculty, and industry professionals.
6. Assist Director with creating Center marketing and fundraising materials.
7. Play a lead role in managing the Center’s new program, entitled “New Financial Architectures: Japan and the US.”
A full description of the job and its requirement can be found at: https://jobs.columbia.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1278599679364.
JET ROI: JETAA Chapter Beat
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JET Return on Investment (ROI) is a new category on JetWit intended to highlight the various economic, diplomatic and other benefits to Japan resulting from its investment in the JET Program. Why is this important right now? Because the JET Program and JET Alumni Association may be cut by the Japanese government, as explained in this post by Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) titled “JET Program on the Chopping Block.”
It occurred to me tonight that the “JETAA Chapter Beat“ posts that Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) has been pulling together since November 2008 provide a simple and nice overview of what various JETAA chapters are doing, especially in terms of Japan-oriented cultural outreach and community involvement. The process is simple: Jon subscribes to as many JETAA Chapter email lists, Facebook groups, etc. as he can find. Then each post he copies and pastes a few interesting ones, and…voila! JETAA Chapter Beat!
Here’s the category link:
http://jetwit.com/wordpress/category/jetaa-chapter-beat/
JETAA Chapter Beat 7.08.10
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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.
- An Evening of Sake and Savouries – Sunday, July 18th at Hapa Izakaya’s Robson location. Join in for this delicious fundraiser for the Powell Street Festival Society. Blue Note Wines & Spirits Inc. is hosting a sake tasting, accompanied by a handpicked dish from Hapa Izakaya.
- 34th Annual Powell Street Festival – Saturday, July 31st and Sunday August 1st, 11:30 to 7:00 at Oppenheimer Park. Following the Japanese tradition of Koen Debut, this festival celebrates introducing neighborhood toddlers to their local community.
- Farewell Reception for the 2010 JET Participants – Tuesday, July 20th, 6:00 to 7:30 at the Embassy of Japan. Send off the departing JETs in style with sushi and appetizers at the Embassy of Japan.
- JETAA Chicago Dinner Party – Saturday, July 10th, 6:30 at Sakura in Mount Prospect. Come out for a nice dinner with friends at one of the most authentic Japanese cuisine restaurants in Chicago.
- Malott Japanese Garden Summer Festival – Saturday August 21st and Sunday August 22nd, 10:00 to 3:00 at the McGinley Pavilion. Learn about Japanese summer festivals and participate in fun activities including writing haiku, practicing calligraphy and more.
- Seattle Garden Daichakai and Tanabata – Saturday, July 10th, 10:00 to 8:00 at the Seattle Japanese Garden. As part of the garden’s 50th anniversary, experience Japanese culture in the form of tea ceremony demonstrations and more.
- Bon Odori – Saturday, July 17th, 4:00 to 10:30 and Sunday, July 18th, 3:00 to 8:30 at the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. Join PNWJETAA for some summer fun and dancing at this year’s Bon Odori. Don’t forget your yukata.
- JETAADC Baseball GameDay – Sunday, July 11th, 1:35 see the Washington Nationals take on the San Francisco Giants. Spend the day at the ballpark and send out some Japanese style cheers for the hometeam.
- Sumi-e Painting Workshop – Saturday, July 10th, 3:00 to 4:30 at Kinokuniya in midtown. Learn about the art of Japanese ink painting from Canadian Sumi-e artist Hiroshi Yamamoto in this special workshop event.
- July Picnic – Saturday, July 10th, 11:00 to 3:00 at Wilson Park in Torrance. Fire up the grill and join JETs old and new for a day in the sun.
- JETAASC Networking Event & Mexican Dinner – Thursday, July 15th, 7:00 at Tamayo Restuarant in the San Gabriel Valley. Get to know the departing JETs and see old friends at this first ever San Gabriel Valley Networking event.
- Kabuki Club – Saturday, July 17th, 2:00 at the Rockridge Library. This month the Kabuki Club will be viewing the summertime thriller, The Ise Dances and Love’s Dull Blade.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just contact Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
JET ROI: Seven JETs, Seven Stories
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Andrew R. McCarthy (Akita-ken, 2005-08) is a law student at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law focusing on international trade, business, and tax. He currently runs the blog JETs with J.D.s, an information source for current JET alumni law students and prospective law students for career paths and approaches within the current legal market. For those considering law school and trying to comprehend the costs and the risks of such an endeavor, he also recommends The Law School Tuition Bubble.
Perhaps it’s the fact that the influence one JET participant has in one town is difficult to quantify. Perhaps it’s the lack of a clearly defined job description. Perhaps it’s simply that the “soft hands” approach a Board of Education must take to the internationalization and exchange portion of JET makes it impractical for that same employer to critique and provide feedback on the English education portion. Regardless of the reason, it is incredibly easy and natural to belittle the JET Programme for what appears to be, on paper, a lackluster development of English ability in Japanese schools since 1987.
It’s particularly easy for the CIRs, SEAs, and ALTs themselves to do the belittling. When I had a Japanese English teacher delegate me as human tape recorder, it was easy to lament that “I had no impact.” When I found myself singing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in front of a bunch of over-enthused six-year olds, I certainly questioned whether my college education was worth it. At some of the more difficult moments of my JET tenure, I remember thinking that no matter what I did, I wouldn’t be remembered. I’d be just another foreign dude who arrived in town, hung out for a few years, and abruptly left as summer once again turned to autumn. I figured I would just disappear into the fog of my townsfolks’ minds, nothing more than an occasional afterthought for locals between glasses of winter shochu.
Those doubts have not come to fruition. What’s more, there was plenty of evidence, even while I was still in Japan, that they would not.
I was the seventh ALT to live in my town. I didn’t know that when I arrived, but Read More
Interview with David Bryan on ‘Memphis,’ Japan, Bon Jovi
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By JQ Magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his NY Japanese Culture page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.
“How could people be so bad and make me feel so good?” This is a line from “Music of My Soul” from the hit Broadway show Memphis, which won the Tony Award last month for Best Musical. The music of Memphis, based on the first white DJ to put African American music on the radio in the 1950s, was written by David Bryan, founding member and keyboardist of New Jersey rock group Bon Jovi, and a new Tony winner himself (Best Original Score with co-lyricist and bookwriter Joe DiPietro, and Best Orchestrations with Daryl Waters). I spoke with David about Memphis, Japan and Bon Jovi prior to the group’s fourth and final show at New Meadowlands Stadium Friday.
What were the goals in writing Memphis? Did you and co-writer Joe DiPietro say, “All right, we’re going to conquer Broadway,” or did it just develop through its earlier productions starting in 2003?
I got the script from Joe in 2001, and that’s when we started. I read the script and called him up and said “I hear all this music,” and we got together and banged it all out. We did a great story—it was the birth of rock and roll; it was the birth of civil rights, if you will; ending racism; it was a love story—there was a lot things going on in it that really drew me.
Ultimately, everybody wanted to get to Broadway, but I think you can’t get there unless your piece has been worked on, so it’s a journey. It’s a very long journey, and it’s a complicated piece, the musical; you want to make sure you get it right. So we really worked on it and honed it and worked on it, and it’s a very different production now that it’s at the Shubert than the first time out, because I think, you know, we’re better at it, because we looked at it more.
What were your initial impressions on your first visit to Japan in the ’80s, and how do you feel about Japan today?
Japan is like our second home, you know? We’ll be down there in November, and it’s always our second home. I remember going there [in 1984], our first year playing Super Rock [Festival], and it was very isolated, if you will, and now, with the Internet, the world is way less isolated…everything’s becoming everything. It’s a very special place, very special fans, and the Japanese have embraced us, and it’s great, you know? We’re going to go back there and play and I’m going to bring Memphis there, too. Memphis is going to be a huge musical in Japan.
Compared to other Western rock bands, Bon Jovi is still hugely successful in Japan, selling out the biggest stadiums with each tour and enjoying healthy record sales. What do you think is the key to the group’s long lasting appeal over there?
As a band, we’ve strived to stay current. Our new record, The Circle, was Number One in 15 countries, you know, we just strive to be current, not just go, “Okay, the last record did good and that’s it.” You want to hear “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” on the radio, but yet you want to hear us playing the new song “We Weren’t Born to Follow.” So, the idea is that we keep pushing the envelope, keep pushing new songs and keep trying to better ourselves and keep expressing ourselves. Other than that, as a live band, we’ve always committed to walking on that stage and leaving your heart on the stage. We put out 150 percent every time we walk out on stage.
Read the full interview here.
JET ROI: Englipedia and Why Japan Should Care by Kirsten Phillips
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JET Return on Investment (ROI) is a new category on JetWit intended to highlight the various economic, diplomatic and other benefits to Japan resulting from its investment in the JET Program. Why is this important right now? Because the JET Program and JET Alumni Association may be cut by the Japanese government, as explained in this post by Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) titled “JET Program on the Chopping Block.”
Englipedia and Why Japan Should Care
By Kirsten Phillips (Niigata-ken, 2005-08) who is currently a teacher in the NYC Teaching Fellows Program.
So….
The JET Program is on the chopping block.
To quote my friend, Steven’s article on JetWit:
As far as they know, we just taught a little English and drank a lot of beer.
Which says unto me maybe the JET Program should take a finer toothed comb to their selection process. But that’s being snide.
Really, how is anyone to know in any quantifiable terms which candidate will contribute and which will just go through the motions? Who will eventually cope and who will leave embittered? Who will end up resenting Japan and who will fight Cyborgs to go back? Foreign countries are enigmatic places that do very enigmatic things to people. Just listen to TOTO. ^^ In the interview, they’re not looking for the transformation of souls. They’re trying to determine how gutsy you are. Will the first sight of ika pizza make you bolt for the nearest plane ride home?
When faced with the pressure ALTs and CIRs get on a daily basis, can’t say I completely blame the few who wake up one morning and realize their only hobby is nomihoudai. I’ve been insulted before. Whenever culture shock slapped me in the face and I reacted, Japan said: Read More
