WIT Life #107: Japan Cuts continued
Anecdote Article, Film, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life 
Comments Off on WIT Life #107: Japan Cuts continued
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.
At the Japan Cuts film festival last night, I was able to attend both movies which were screened. The first was The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker and the one that followed was Hanging Garden. As a special treat, the director of the latter, Toshiaki Toyoda (who also directed Blood of Rebirth which was screened twice at the festival last week) was on hand to offer an introduction to his film and a Q&A session after. The director of the former, Yoshihiro Nakamura, also did Golden Slumber so it was interesting to be able to compare the two.
Director Nakamura clearly places great importance on music in his movies, to the point where is almost a secondary character. This is true in Golden Slumber which focuses on the title’s Beatles song, and in Foreign Duck it is Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind. In both cases, the songs and their lyrics are Read More
**********
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.”
We want your “outreach” stories!
Have you given back to your town or prefecture in some way? Have you helped spread Japanese culture through activities in your own country? Have you inspired former students in interesting ways?
We know there are tons of stories and examples out there that have yet to be documented (or gathered in one place). We need these now to help demonstrate some of the ways that JET and JETAA have provided return on Japan’s investment.
Please share your story in the comments section below (or email it to jetwit@jetwit.com).
Yoroshiku!
Land of 10,000 Lakes and One Tuition Bubble
Academic, Advice, Blogs, Career, Graduate School Comments Off on Land of 10,000 Lakes and One Tuition Bubble
**********
Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates his own blog, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill. For further reading regarding JETs and the law, he recommends JETs with J.D.s.
Before leaving to teach in Saitama, I remember going to a Minnesota handcrafts shop in the Mall of America to find gifts for my new coworkers that reflected my home state. I think I bought some of them a bag of wild rice and then I bought a beautiful box of assorted jelly beans from Candyland on North Wabasha in Saint Paul. All were well received. When I left JET, though, even then I knew better than to study law in my home state of just over 4,000,000 with all four of its law schools in the Twin Cities. For those of you who’re Minnesota JETs like me, or want to study law in the North Star state, these posts are for you.
**********
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.”
JET alumni and current JETS:
Please click here to sign the petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/save_the_jet_program
(Make sure to list your prefecture and years on JET in the “Last Name” field.)
From the petition:
“As part of Japan’s efforts to grapple with its massive public debt, the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Program may be cut. Soon after coming into power, the new government launched a high profile effort to expose and cut wasteful spending. In May 2010, the JET Program and CLAIR came up for review, and during the course of an hourlong hearing, the 11-member panel criticized the JET scheme, ruling unanimously that a comprehensive examination should be undertaken to see if it should be pared back or eliminated altogether. The number of JET participants has already been cut back by almost 30 percent from the peak in 2002, but this is the most direct threat that the program has faced in its 23-year history.
“We are asking JET Program participants past and present, as well as other friends of the program to speak out and petition the Japanese government to reconsider the cuts and explain to them what the return on investment of the JET Program is in the form of individual experiences and stories. Please sign this petition in support of the grassroots cultural exchange the JET Program has fostered and write directly to the Japanese government explaining the positive impact the Program has made in your life and that of your adopted Japanese community.
“For more background on this issue, please refer to “JET Program on the Chopping Block” by Jim Gannon on jetwit.com.”
Job (repost): Japan Travel Consultant (Bristol, UK)
Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job (repost): Japan Travel Consultant (Bristol, UK)
Via hyogojets yahoo group:
InsideJapan Tours, an independent travel specialist based in the UK, is currently recruiting for a new travel consultant. This company has a number of ex-JETs among their staff. Applications are now being accepted (closing date late July), and the job will start in September. The position available is for a Full Time Japan Travel Consultant based at the UK Office in Bristol. InsideJapan Tours is looking for someone who has experienced living and working in Japan and wants to share their passion for the country with others.
Unfortunately, no work visa sponsorship available. Details at:
http://www.insidejapantours.com/jobs/
Job: Academic Director (Columbus, OH)
Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Academic Director (Columbus, OH)
Via the JETAAJOB listserv:
NOTE: Candidates residing outside the Greater Columbus, OH need not apply.
Job Summary:
Reporting directly to the Center Director, the Academic Director is responsible for all operations concerning the academic program. Specifically, the Academic Director is responsible for the hiring, training, development and dismissal of instructional staff; the development and implementation of the curriculum; the testing, placement and evaluation of students; and the scheduling of classes. In the absence of the Center Director, the Academic Director is responsible for the operation of the Language Center.
**REQUIREMENTS**
Manga tells incredible tale of Hiroshima atomic bombing
Books, Cartoon/Illustration Comments Off on Manga tells incredible tale of Hiroshima atomic bombing
A quick book recommendation from current Hiroshima-ken JET Gail Cetnar Meadows…
Now and then I read a book that’s so good I want to tell everyone I meet about it, and I’ve recently finished one such book. For those interested in learning more about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I highly recommend a graphic novel written by atomic bomb survivor Keiji Nakazawa. Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima is a 10-volume graphic novel loosely based on Nakazawa’s experiences and those of other Hiroshima residents who survived the bomb. The book taught me a lot about what happened in Hiroshima in the year’s following World War II — things beyond what I learned visiting Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Museum or listening to the accounts of hibakusha. For those who are interested, I’ve written a piece on the Wide Island View talking a little more about it and encouraging others to check it out.
Ex-Hot Dog Eating Champ Takeru Kobayashi arrested in New York on Independence Day
Uncategorized Comments Off on Ex-Hot Dog Eating Champ Takeru Kobayashi arrested in New York on Independence Day
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.
Say what you will about former hot dog eating champ Takeru Kobayashi, he’s no chicken.
The six-time winner of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest was busted at the 95th edition of the annual event Sunday after attempting to storm the stage following the fourth win in a row by his American archrival Joey Chestnut. In an AP video, the Japan-born Kobayashi, clad in a “Free Kobi” T-shirt, is dragged away and handcuffed by multiple NYPD officers to the shouts in the crowd of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” while his interpreter Maggie James, wearing the same T-shirt, says frantically, “They weren’t giving him his freedom. It was unfair.”
As reported yesterday, Kobayashi officially blogged his intent to drop out of the competition after reaching an impasse over an exclusivity contract with Major League Eating, the sanctioning body of the Nathan’s event and other food-related contests. Public opinion Kobayashi, nicknamed “The Tsunami,” was divided between his announcement and the event, with some dubbing him a sore loser and coward (he had previously groused over an arthritic jaw before losing to Chestnut for the first time in 2007), and others applauding his decision to remain a free agent.
Read the full article here.
**********
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.”
Because of JET….
- Many of us have a lifelong connection to Japan.
- Many Japanese citizens have learned English and been inspired to go to other cross-cultural accomplishments.
- Many of us have found jobs and careers working for Japanese companies and organizations in Japan and in our home countries.
- Over 50,000 of more people in the world can speak at least a little Japanese, and many of us are fluent.
If you’re a JET or a JET alum, you know these things because you’ve experienced them. Now it’s time to share some of those experiences as a way to demonstrate concretely some of the many benefits to Japan of the JET Program.
Please post your own personal “BECAUSE OF JET…..” example in the comments section below, or feel free to e-mail it to jetwit@jetwit.com. (Please make sure to include your prefecture and years on JET.) (Feel free to substitute “JETAA” for “JET” if appropriate.)
(Note: Special thanks to our JETAA International officers for coming up with this concept.)
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.
Last week was the start of the Japan Cuts film festival at Japan Society, where this year 24 films will be featured. This is the largest lineup ever and includes a wide variety of films. The Japan Society allows those who offer to volunteer at the festival the chance to stay and view the movie for free! I have decided to take advantage of this opportunity, and plan to help out during a couple of days of the festival. Stay tuned for reviews of the many movies I will have the chance to sample!
However, my first time at the festival was as a customer last Friday for the screening of the conspiracy theory comedy Golden Slumber. The plot of Read More
**********
JET Return on Investment (ROI) is a new category on JetWit intended to highlight the various economic and diplomatic benefits to Japan resulting from its investment in the JET Program. This first post by Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) lays out the context and background regarding the serious challenges now faced by the JET Program and JET Alumni Association in connection with current economic problems and political shifts in Japan. Email jetwit@jetwit.com with ideas or submissions for additional JET ROI posts.
“JET Program on the Chopping Block”
Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director for the Japan Center for International Exchange
Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) has served as the Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) (www.jcie.or.jp) in New York since 2002, the US affiliate of one of the leading nongovernmental institutions in the field of international affairs in Japan. JCIE brings together key figures from around the world for programs of exchange, research, and dialogue designed to build international cooperation on pressing regional and global challenges. Before joining JCIE in 2001, Jim conducted research with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and taught English in rural Japanese middle schools as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. He received a BA from the University of Notre Dame, conducted graduate research at Ehime University in Japan, and has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Mr. Gannon is also a fellow with the US-Japan Network for the Future, operated by the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation, and his recent publications include “East Asia at a Crossroads” in East Asia at a Crossroads and “Promoting the Study of the United States in Japan” in Philanthropy and Reconciliation: Rebuilding Postwar US-Japan Relations.
As part of Japan’s efforts to grapple with its massive public debt, the JET Program may be cut. Soon after coming into power, the new DPJ government launched a high profile effort to expose and cut wasteful government spending. This has featured jigyo shiwake–budget review panels that were tasked with reviewing government programs and recommending whether they should be continued or cut. (See Stacy Smith’s (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) May 21 WITLife post that explains jigyou shiwake and touches on the threat to the JET Program.)
In May 2010, the JET Program and CLAIR came up for review, and during the course of an hourlong hearing, the 11-member panel criticized the JET scheme, ruling unanimously that a comprehensive examination should be undertaken to see if it should be pared back or eliminated altogether.When the jigyo shiwake panels were launched in November 2009, the intent was to weed out bloated spending and a wide range of government programs were put under review, from government-affiliated think tanks to host nation support for US military bases. Bureaucrats involved with each program were directed to submit a brief report on program activities and testify before panels consisting of a handful of Diet members and roughly a dozen private citizens from different walks of life. The defenders of each program were given five minutes to explain why the program is worthwhile, the finance ministry then laid out the rationale for cutting it, and then the panel held a 40 minute debate before issuing a recommendation whether the program should live or die.
Diet member Renho
This extraordinary spectacle made for great theater, becoming wildly popular with voters disenchanted with a lack of government transparency and critical of recurring bureaucratic scandals. In November 2009, the first round of jigyo shiwake panels dominated the newspapers’ front pages and the hearings were streamed live by various online news sites. The process even gave rise to a new set of stars, most notably Renho, a 42 year-old Taiwanese-Japanese announcer turned Diet member who relentlessly attacked the bureaucrats who appeared before the panels.
Despite this initial success, a backlash eventually began to brew against the jigyo shiwake panels, with detractors labeling them as mindless populism, arguing that panel members without any special expertise were unqualified to evaluate the programs and ridiculing the attempt to pass judgment on complex, long-standing projects with such a cursory review. In one noteworthy development, a group of Japanese Nobel laureates publicly rebuked the Hatoyama Goverment for jigyo shiwake recommendations to gut government funding for basic scientific research. Renho herself met with ridicule for arguing in one budget hearing, “What’s wrong with being the world’s number two?”
On May 21, a diverse set of programs including the JET Program were lumped together in one hourlong session and, during the course of the proceedings, the JET Program was criticized as being ineffective in raising the level of Japan’s English education. One of the more publicized comments called for the elimination of the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) portion of JET. The general sense was that the JET Program was being evaluated as an educational program with the exchange component being given short shrift, since its impact is difficult to quantify and assess. (Click here for the ruling on the JET Program in Japanese in PDF format.)
A few Japanese intellectual and foreign policy leaders have begun to push back against the attacks on the JET Program, noting how important it is in terms of public diplomacy and in Japan’s engagement with a range of countries. In its June meeting in Washington, D.C., the US-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Exchange (CULCON), a joint US-Japan “wisemen’s commission” scathingly criticized the shortsightedness of any move to cut the JET Program, issuing a statement that
“CULCON strongly endorses the JET Program, especially against the background of negative assessment expressed by some panelists of the screening process.”
For its part, the US State Department also seems to be taking the position that the JET Program makes valuable contributions to the long-term underpinnings of US-Japan relations and cutting it will be harmful. Meanwhile, a handful of articles have also started to appear in the Japanese press defending the JET Program, although there have been only limited contributions to the debate so far by current and former JET participants.
The number of JET participants has already been cut back by almost 30 percent from the peak in 2002, but this is the most direct threat to its survival that the program has faced in its 23-year history. The pattern that has emerged with the previous round of jigyo shiwake has been that programs receiving this type of verdict will be scaled back significantly, absent any public outcry or political maneuvering by important figures.
It appears that the next few months will be decisive in whether and how the JET Program continues.
***********
Additional reading on this topic:
- “The JET Program is a Successful Example of US-Japan Exchange” – Sankei Shimbun, June 26, 2010 – http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/america/100626/amr1006260751000-n1.htm (in Japanese)
- “Second round of state spending reviews begins” – Japan Times, April 24, 2010 – http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100424a3.html
- “Japanese scientists rally against government cuts: Packed meeting hears a chorus of lament from Nobelists” – Nature News, November 26, 2009 – http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091126/full/news.2009.1108.html
- Ruling on JET (PDF) (In Japanese) – http://www.cao.go.jp/sasshin/data/shiwake/result/B-36.pdf (Feel free to provide English translation of relevant parts in the comments section of this JetWit post.)
Have a good idea for a JET ROI post? Please contact Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) at jetwit@jetwit.com.
Job: ESL Instructor for TESOL/TEFL Teacher Training, Oxford Seminars (Nevada)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: ESL Instructor for TESOL/TEFL Teacher Training, Oxford Seminars (Nevada)
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 Oxford Seminars
Oxford Seminars is looking for dynamic and experienced ESL instructors to deliver TESOL/TEFL teacher training courses in Salt Lake City. Adapting our curriculum to complement your strengths, you will teach periodically on a part time, weekend basis (i.e. three consecutive weekends from 9 am to 6 pm, up to 6 courses per year, dependent on student registrations).
We believe in student-centered teaching and bringing both creativity and professionalism to the classroom. Our ideal candidates are excited to share their overseas experiences. In addition, they are eager to demonstrate creative and interactive teaching methods, such as Multiple Intelligence Theory and the Communicative Method, with a class of aspiring and motivated individuals.
Instructors prepare and facilitate 60-hour TESOL/TEFL teacher training certification courses using curriculum developed by Oxford Seminars, but tailored to suit your strengths. http://www.oxfordseminars.com/Pages/Teach/teach_outline.php
Major Responsibilities:
•Deliver material in an engaging and highly interactive manner by sharing ESL teaching experiences
•Facilitate the learning environment by fostering dynamic class discussions
•Enhance students’ mastery of subject matter and enrich their learning experiences
•Spark and develop interest in learning about other cultures
Major Requirements:
•College or university graduate
•B.Ed, M.Ed, MA TESOL would be an asset
•2+ years of overseas ESL teaching experience
•1+ years of local ESL teaching experience
•Ability to relate to students on a personal level
•Ability to share practical teaching experiences and examples
•Energetic, dynamic, motivational and professional
•Committed to enriching students’ lives
Wage: $30 per hour
To Apply: Email resume and cover letter to teachtesol@oxfordseminars.com quoting “JTWT” in the subject line by
July 15, 2010 @ 4 pm.
Visit www.oxfordseminars.com/careers/tesol.php for more information about our TESOL Instructor position and www.oxfordseminars.com for more information about our TESOL/TEFL teacher training certification and teaching ESL overseas.
Job: Internship, Nippon TV (New York)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Internship, Nippon TV (New York)
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 Nippon TV (NTV)
Nippon TV (NTV), Japan’s oldest TV network has openings for enthusiastic news interns at New York News Bureau. The responsibility for the position is to assist our reporters in creating daily news stories, breaking news and longer feature stories to our Japanese audience. The ideal candidate would be fluent English speaker (Native/business level) and conversational in Japanese, have great interest in news and be able to work long-term (more than 3 months). Visa support is not available. Interested candidates should send their English and Japanese resume to contact@ntvic.com.
Law School: You Get What You Put into It…Sort of
Academic, Advice, Blogs, Career, Graduate School Comments Off on Law School: You Get What You Put into It…Sort of
**********
Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates his own blog, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill.
Law school isn’t always a bad option. If you bring more than a bachelors (of arts!) degree to the table, you have a better chance of coming out ahead after graduating. For those of you whose eyes are bleeding from memorizing kanji for the JLPT 一級, take a break and read this post. Don’t worry, it’s in English.
Job: Japanese-speaking Counselor (Connecticut)
Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Japanese-speaking Counselor (Connecticut)
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 Nicole Bongiorno (JETAANY)
An overnight summer ballet program, located on a campus of a prestigious private school in Connecticut, is looking for a mature, responsible, outgoing individual to be a counselor and to be responsible for a group of 10 non-English speaking Japanese students age 12-14. Counselors will be responsible for supervising the children, translating English/Japanese, as well as planning and running some extracurricular activities (all ballet instruction will be done by professional staff).
Dates: July 17 – August 7, 2010
Pay: $300 per week for the duration of the job +housing and meals
Required Qualifications:
Fluency in Japanese and English,
Experience in organizing and implementing fun and safe activities
Strong organizational skills
Sensitivity to/appreciation of other cultures and foreign students
For a complete job listing and information on application procedures, click here.
