Job: Japanese-fluent Webcast Video Developer (NYC)
Jobs 
Comments Off on Job: Japanese-fluent Webcast Video Developer (NYC)
via JETAANY. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika currently works as an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JetWit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Japanese-fluent Webcast Video Developer
Job Details:
The Webcast Video Developer is responsible for the production of highly engaging online webcast video training for Thomson Reuters Knowledge Network clients.
The Webcast Video Developer will design and produce online video-based training programs seen by tens-of-thousands of Knowledge Network clients around the globe. Must be comfortable in both a studio control room environment as well as shooting both indoors and outdoors.
Essential Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
For more details, click “Read More”.
Read More
JETAA UK Mailshot: 03.09.11
JETAA Chapters Comments Off on JETAA UK Mailshot: 03.09.11
Hello from JETAA UK!
JETAA Members from each of the UK’s chapters recently met for our Annual General Meeting, and we are pleased to announce the JETAA UK committee for 2011-2012:
• Chair: Josephine Audigier: chairman@jetaa.org.uk
• Treasurer: Wes Jones: treasurer@jetaa.org.uk
• Webmaster: Martin Cloud: webmaster@jetaa.org.uk
• Web Editor: Fiona Steele: webeditor@jetaa.org.uk
• Marketing Liaison: Fiona Steele: london@jetaa.org.uk
• CID Coordinators: Hugh Thomas, Ed Horner and Fiona Steele: cid@jetaa.org.uk
As many of you will be aware 2010 was a busy year for JETAA. It was our twentieth anniversary and we held several large scale events such as the JETAA International meeting in Edinburgh. Below is some news about upcoming events. Further information will be posted on our website so keep checking back for the latest news!
This message is posted by Josephine Audigier on behalf of JETAA UK
JET Programme – Life After JET Survey
We have been asked to forward the following request to all JET Programme alumni members from the UK;
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Tokyo and the Embassy of Japan in the UK are currently gathering information from former JET Programme participants regarding their current places of employment. This data will be used purely for research purposes. Please click on this link and let us know what industry you currently work for. If possible, please also provide your contact details and information about your JET placement.
Information we gather will be treated as confidential between MOFA and the Embassy of Japan in the UK. We look forward to hearing from you. Read More
3 new LinkedIn groups for JET Alums!
Career, Networking, Uncategorized Comments Off on 3 new LinkedIn groups for JET Alums!
Based on some recent and varied conversations, it seems there may be a need for and interest in three new LinkedIn groups for JETs and JET alumni:
1. JET Alum MBAs
For JETs and JET alumni with MBAs or other business degrees (or JETs who want to talk to alums with MBAs) – http://www.linkedin.com/e/ai06o5-gl30jygl-61/vgh/3820993/
2. JET Alum Creative Types
A catchall group for all the wonderful JETs doing (or trying to do) creative things or working in a creative field. – http://www.linkedin.com/e/ai06o5-gl30lfl9-31/vgh/3820994/
3. JET Alum Media Professionals
JET alums working or doing things in journalism, television, blogging, video or any other media field, plus JETs and JET alums interested in the field. – http://www.linkedin.com/e/ai06o5-gl30msei-2m/vgh/3820996/
Job: Associate TV News Producer – Tokyo Broadcasting System (New York)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Associate TV News Producer – Tokyo Broadcasting System (New York)
Update 06/30/11: POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED. (They hired a CIR just off the JET Program!)
via TBS in NYC (where at least one JET alum is already working). Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika currently works as an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JetWit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Associate TV News Producer – Tokyo Broadcasting System (New York)
Job Details:
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:
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.
How to apply:
JOB HAS BEEN FILLED
Job: Communication & Marketing Manager (London, UK)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Communication & Marketing Manager (London, UK)
via JETAA UK. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika currently works as an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JetWit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Communication & Marketing Manager (Maternity Cover) (London, UK)
Job Details:
Overseas investment bank in the City requires an exceptional individual to join their Corporate Planning/Public Relations team. Fluency in Japanese and English is required for this role.
Main Job Functions & Tasks:
For more details, click “Read More”.
Read More
Job: Incoming Tour Operation (London, UK)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Incoming Tour Operation (London, UK)
via JETAA UK. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika currently works as an in-house translator for PFU (a Fujitsu company) in Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa-ken. She is also the vocalist for the Japanese hardcore punk band DEGRADE.
*Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JetWit. Thanks.
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Job Position: Incoming tour operation (London, UK)
Job Details:
Co-ordinating group tours to the UK as part of the inbound travel team at JTB Europe in Hammersmith, London.
Building relationships with suppliers in order to provide a high quality tour for inbound groups from Japan and other origin markets.
You: some travel industry experience essential, ideally in tour operations; good computer skills.
JOB START DATE: Monday 21 March 2011
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: CV
CLOSING DATE: Tuesday 15 March 2011
CONTACT NAME: Helen McCahon
CONTACT ADDRESS: 77-85 Fulham Palace Road
CONTACT EMAIL: helen_mccahon@jtb-europe.com
JET alum Lee-Sean Huang (ALT Oita-ken ’03-’06 / webmaster, JETAANY.org & JetWit) was recently spotted in a flash mob music video for the dance pop girl group Xelle. You can spot Lee-Sean in the back of the train, dancing with the big spotlights.
Art in the (Japanese) Social Sphere
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Thien-Kieu Lam is an artist who is producing Bound in Japan. Bound in Japan is a community book art project that aims to promote awareness about diversity in Japan and enhance intercultural understanding by engaging native and non-native residents in the creation and sharing of book art.
Here, Kieu discusses the motivation behind Bound in Japan. To read the full article, which includes her insights on the power of the individual and a guide to turning a personal vision into reality, check out the blog Shinpai Deshou.
Japan, quite frankly, was an unexpected twist in my life. As an ethnic Vietnamese American who graduated with a degree in fine arts and a second major in Mandarin Chinese, I certainly had my sights on Asia, but Japan was always on the periphery. Japan didn’t really register on my radar until I was a college senior facing that daunting question mark: THE FUTURE. I had always dreamed of living abroad, and one day a friend suggested that I apply for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. I did and it was a fateful decision. It was the beginning of a lifelong relationship.
After three years of teaching English in Kagoshima and four years of working at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, I’m ready to take this relationship to a different level. I’m going back to my roots—the arts—and crossbreeding it with social activism.
My parents are immigrants. I know very well the kind of challenges my parents have faced and continue to face during these thirty odd years. I myself have faced similar challenges while living in Japan. I had never expected to fall in love with Japan. It made me think about what it would be like if I chose to settle there, to make Japan my new—and permanent—home.
Every time I go to Japan, it doesn’t feel like I’m traveling. It feels like going home. I have numerous Japanese friends, and for the most part, I can confidently navigate the physical and social geography. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to live in Japan.
Japan has been a mostly homogenous society for centuries. It hasn’t had to think much about the less than 2% of the population who are non-native residents. And it shows. There’s a lack of integration. A lack of infrastructure. Even now, immigration policy continues to take a backseat despite the steady increase in immigration over the years. Despite the fact that opening up immigration is one of the few viable solutions to the current challenges presented by Japan’s changing demography. Lots of words are being said, but where’s the action?
Local communities are taking matters into their own hands. There are many organizations whose mission is to assist foreign residents with language, culture, and legalities and who seek to enhance intercultural understanding. This makes me very hopeful. I believe that any sort of social change will begin locally at the grassroots level. It has to begin with public consciousness.
Art can play a role in this. Art, after all, is about expression. It’s a way to communicate. This is the goal of Bound in Japan. Participants will be able to engage in an educational and enjoyable activity that allows them to share their stories with others. Through the process of creating art about their experiences in an adopted homeland and the act of sharing it with others, there are many opportunities to learn about each other, to start new dialogues, and to engage in community building.
Bound in Japan is a collaborative art project. Its success depends on the active participation of the community. This success can be defined as the personal enrichment of individual lives as well as the enrichment of an entire community.
I know that there are many people like me, who love and consider Japan a home. There are many ways you can support Bound in Japan. A project like this requires a significant budget. Consider making a donation to the Bound in Japan IndieGoGo campaign. Know of an organization in Japan that would like to participate in the project? Let me know. Are you living in Japan right now and would like to take part in Bound in Japan? I would love to hear from you.
Learn more about Bound in Japan: http://boundinjapan.com
Contact Kieu: tknlam@gmail.com
Follow Kieu and Bound in Japan on Twitter: @KieuLam
Exploring Eastern and Western Creativity: Q and A with Michael W. Morris – by Jennifer Olayon
Article/Journalism, Career, Graduate School, Writers Comments Off on Exploring Eastern and Western Creativity: Q and A with Michael W. Morris – by Jennifer Olayon
Michael Morris and Jennifer Olayon. Photo by JET alum Francis Lee.
Here’s a JET-relevant interview titled “Exploring Eastern and Western Creativity: Q & A with Michael W. Morris“ that appeared recently in AsianLife.com magazine and was conducted and written by former JETAANY President Jennifer Olayon.
Jennifer is a Contributing Editor for AsianLife.com magazine and previously served as a Senior Program Officer at Columbia Business School’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business. She is currently open to work and consulting opportunities in Human Capital Management and Diversity and Inclusion areas.
Michael W. Morris is the Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership and Director of Program on Social Intelligence at Columbia Business School and leading expert on relationships, conflict resolution, decision-making, and creativity, with a special interest in the role of culture.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
“There is a popular stereotype that Easterners are less creative; that they are imitative rather than inventive. While this stereotype is heard in the West, it is heard even more so in East Asia, which surprised me when I first began studying this topic. The creativity problem is a central topic in the social discourse of many East Asian nations, worried about making the transition from manufacturing economies to design and innovation-based economies. In bestsellers with titles like Can Asians Think? Asian polemicists have advanced theories about ways that Asian culture, language, socialization and schooling stunt creativity through hindering abstract critical thinking and molding conformist characters. This sells books, but I think it’s inaccurate.”
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (March 2011)
Cultural Outreach, Food & Drink, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (March 2011)
The March 2011 issue of the Sake World e-newsletter by JET alum and the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world, John Gauntner (a.k.a. “The Sake Guy”), is now available online.
Notable JET Alums: D.H. Cermeño, author of “Rising Sunsets”
Books, Notable JET Alums, Travel/Tourism, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on Notable JET Alums: D.H. Cermeño, author of “Rising Sunsets”
The below was shared by Hiroshima JET alum Angela Perrone, herself a travel writer, who recently met another JET alum book author in the course of her research for JetWit on JET local travel writing.
JET Alum Author: D.H. Cermeño (Hiroshima-ken)
Book: Rising Sunsets (click to purchase via Amazon)
Book trailer on youtube at: http://goo.gl/A4P8a
Website: www.dhcermeno.com
Below is a synopsis of the book along with Cermeno’s biography.
Synopsis:
Rising Sunsets is an enlightening journey through the mind of David Fletcher, a bright and ambitious young man who is determined to conquer the world and prove his unsupportive father wrong. When reality strikes and nothing works out as expected, an unusual opportunity to go to Japan to teach English to schoolchildren presents itself. There, he discovers his true self and finds an inner strength and independence he never knew existed. Throughout the story, David uncovers Japanese culture and easily embraces the traditions until suddenly, those age-old beliefs stand in the way of his happiness. And, through an unexpected encounter with love, the course of his life is changed forever.
About the Author:
A third generation Florida native, D.H. Cermeño worked in Japan as an English teacher for a year after graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in Broadcast Production. Upon returning to the United States, he earned his M.B.A. from Crummer Graduate School at Rollins College and is a Database Marketing Manager in the hospitality industry. In his spare time, he writes, entertains, and volunteers in the local community and supports local theatre. D.H. has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America and especially loves visiting his extended family in the northern part of Spain. He currently resides in Winter Park, FL. Rising Sunsets is his first book.
Click here to see a list of other JET alum authors and their works. (If you know of others not included in the list, please email jetwit [at] jetwit.com.)
Justin’s Japan: NYC Hosts March Anime, Yakuza Film Fests
Article/Journalism, Film, Justin's Japan Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: NYC Hosts March Anime, Yakuza Film Fests
'Welcome to the Spaceshow,' an animated entry for this year's New York International Children's Film Festival. (Aniplex)
By JQ magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.
Anime sci-fi and a Studio Ghibli-inspired effort from China are the Eastern animation highlights at this year’s New York International Children’s Festival, running March 4 to 27 in Manhattan. The acclaimed festival received national attention two years ago when it hosted the premiere of The Secret of Kells, a European fantasy film that was later nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
North America’s largest film festival for children and teens, NYICFF offers an eye-opening selection of the best new animated and live action film from around the world for ages 3 to 18, with gala premieres, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking workshops, pre-screening giveaways, audience voting, and the NYICFF Awards Ceremony. Its jury this year includes Uma Thurman, Matthew Modine, Susan Sarandon, Gus Van Sant, James Schamus, Christine Vachon, Michel Ocelot, and John Turturro.
From March 9-19, New York’s Japan Society simmers nearly 50 years of yakuza (Japanese mafia) movies—a mainstay of Japanese cinema—in the Globus Film Series Hardest Men in Town: Yakuza Chronicles of Sin, Sex & Violence, featuring 15 of the genre’s sharpest selections.
In addition to acclaimed classics by directors Hideo Gosha (The Wolves) and Kinji Fukasaku (Cops vs. Thugs, Battles Without Honor and Humanity), the series includes lesser known titles and overlooked treasures by Seijun Suzuki (Youth of the Beast), Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive), Rokuro Mochizuki (A Yakuza In Love, Onibi: The Fire Within), and Academy Award winner Sydney Pollack (The Yakuza), as well as contemporary incarnations of the genre such as Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage. Among eight premieres, four will receive their first screening outside of Japan.
The fest ignites Wednesday (March 9) with a special introduction and live Q&A by celebrated filmmaker Paul Schrader for The Yakuza, Sydney Pollack’s overlooked 1970s gem starring Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura. The film was Schrader’s debut as a screenwriter (in collaboration with his brother Leonard and Chinatown scribe Robert Towne), and he would go on to pen the scripts for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull and direct such diverse works as American Gigolo and Mishima, among others. Few films show more deference and respect to Japanese film culture than The Yakuza, which has been lauded as the most original introduction to its eponymous genre.
- ‘Outrage,’ a new crime drama by Takeshi Kitano, left, premieres as part of Japan Society’s Hardest Men in Town film festival, March 9-19. (‘Outrage’ Production Committee )
Hyogo Prefecture launches its own “HYOGO JET Alumni Network”
Japan Local, Local Government, Networking, Uncategorized Comments Off on Hyogo Prefecture launches its own “HYOGO JET Alumni Network”
Thank you to Hotaka Kawasaki of CLAIR NY for passing on this information.
Hyogo Prefecture has launched its own HYOGO JET Alumni Network! The current number of JET participants registered on the network is 555. The total number of JET participants in Hyogo prefecture over the last twenty-four years exceeds 5,000.
If you know anyone who doesn’t know about the Hyogo JET Alumni Network, please let him/her know, or just contact Hyogo prefecture.
CONTACT:
Makiko Nagasawa, Hannah Starr and Jeremy Pichot
International Exchange Section, International Relations Division
TEL: 078-362-9017
E-mail: kokusaikoryu@pref.hyogo.lg.jp
*Please note that this is distinct from the Hyogo JET Alum LinkedIn group set up by JetWit. And while the JetWit version has its role, JetWit encourages all Hyogo JET alums to register for the official HYOGO JET Alumni Network via the above contact information. The easier it is for prefecture governments to stay in touch with their JET alumni, the more likely they are to continue to hire JETs.
JETs quoted in article on English teaching in Japanese elementary schools
Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, JETs in the News Comments Off on JETs quoted in article on English teaching in Japanese elementary schools
New AJET Chair Matthew Cook (Osaka) as well as Beppu City JET May Schlotzhauer are both quoted in a nice Epoch Times article titled “Japanese Elementary Teachers Take On Teaching English.” (Yes, Epoch Times is the paper connected with Falun Gong, but they have a mix of regular reporting together with propaganda.)
While the article includes some cynical, provocative quotes, it’s also nice to see that the JETs quoted are the voice of experience, perspective and reason in thinking about and commenting on the new requirement to have English in 5th and 6th grades in Japan. This makes sense as JETs are actually working in the schools with teachers and students and positioned to be informed commentators.
Also interesting, toward the end of the article is a description of a proactive attempt by Cook to help prepare the elementary school teachers in his district for the coming requirement. A good example of a role that JETs can (and likely already do) play in school districts around Japan.
“Hoping to help prepare elementary teachers to teach English, Cook lobbied the board of education to host a training seminar, but was turned down. Later the board agreed to allow his school to offer a voluntary seminar to teachers from three local elementary schools. The seminar will be offered once, lasting no more than two hours.”
Here’s the link to the full article:
The below event was sent from Scott Smith who works in Recruitment for the U.S. State Department. FYI, though Scott is not a JET alum, in emailing with him I learned that he has participated in a sister city exchange with Japan and is very familiar with JETs.
We invite you to learn how you can serve our country; begin by attending our next Diversity Career Networking Event. Come listen to and speak with experienced Foreign Service Officers, Foreign Service Specialists, and Civil Service professionals about careers with the U.S. Department of State. They will explain and discuss the important work you could do to represent and protect our country.
Time: Thursday, March 10 · 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: U.S. Mission to the United Nations, 799 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY10017
RSVPs are required by Tuesday, March 8; seating is limited. RSVP directly to doscareerevents@state.gov.
Please arrive 30 minutes before the start time for security screening and check-in. Please make sure to bring a governent-issued ID.
If you cannot attend, please visit careers.state.gov for more information on careers with the U.S. Department of State.
U.S. citizenship is required. An equal opportunity employer.
*Facebook page for the Diversity Career Networking Event
*U.S. State Department’s “Careers in Foreign Affairs” Facebook group
