Job: Two new postings from JETAA NY
Jobs 
Comments Off on Job: Two new postings from JETAA NY
via JETAA NY. 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 either of these positions, please let them know you learned of it from JetWit. Thanks.
———————————————————————————————————————————-
Two new job postings from JETAANY:
Job: Bilingual Consultant (Detroit)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Bilingual Consultant (Detroit)
via Rochelle Kopp, Japan Intercultural Consulting. 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.
———————————————————————————————————————————-
Job Position: Bilingual Consultant (Detroit)
Job Description:
Japan Intercultural Consulting, an international training and consulting firm focused on Japanese business, is looking to add a new member to our team in Detroit — someone who is completely fluent in Japanese and English, with experience and interest in the HR and cross-cultural communications fields.
Read More
Job: Planning & Marketing Support Specialist
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Planning & Marketing Support Specialist
via Pasona. 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.
———————————————————————————————————————————-
Job Position: Planning & Marketing Support Specialist
Job Description:
Japanese manufacturing company in NJ is looking for Planning & Marketing Support Specialist.
Foxhound87: Earthquake
Uncategorized Comments Off on Foxhound87: Earthquake
Joshua Small is a First Year JET currently living in Ikaruga-cho, Nara-ken and has been chronicling his experience on his blog Snorlax87.
During the month of March, there is NOTHING for me to do at school. The school seems to look the other way (or just not care) about what I do during these vacation months. Because I’ve been given no tasks or assignments, I generally spend my day watching movies on my laptop or internet surfing.
As I was watching one of the most intense movies I’ve ever seen (The Hurt Locker), I suddenly found myself swaying a little bit. I thought at first that maybe the movie was just THAT good; that it was so tense, I was actually feeling dizzy. It wasn’t until I took off my headphones that I heard we were in the middle of a small earthquake!
All the teachers were smiling and giggling. It was, after all, a REALLY small one. Even I was smiling and giggling. It was my first earthquake. I couldn’t help being excited. Nothing was broken. Nothing shifted. Everything continued as normal. When one of the teachers turned on the television to check the news, we learned of the true devastation. We watched as the news slowly trickled in. What we felt in my office was an aftershock of the large earthquake in northern Japan.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.
http://snorlax87.blogspot.com/
Fukushima perspectives by a Fukushima JET alum
Article/Journalism, Earthquake Tsunami, Writers Comments Off on Fukushima perspectives by a Fukushima JET alum
Thanks to JETAA Bluegrass Subchapter rep Roy Harrison for sharing the link to the excellent article by Fukushima JET alum and journalist Graham Shelby:
“JET Alum Graham Shelby put together a piece for the Louisville Courier-Journal about the experience of watching what’s happening in Fukushima from a distance that’s much greater geographically than it is emotionally.”
“Please give it a read. You’ll likely find it echoes the feelings you’ve been having for the past two weeks.”
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011303270046
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.
Japan’s recovery efforts continue to take place, and while it is easy to feel helpless in the face of the disaster’s aftermath we can each help out in our own small way. I would like to highlight some upcoming events that will enable you to contribute to the cause 
while enjoying good food and music.
First up is Dine Out for Japan Relief, a week-long event in which the 70+ participating restaurants are donating 5% of their proceeds to Japan’s tsunami recovery and relief efforts. There are many familiar Manhattan Japanese favorites like Read More
Via a post to the Miyagi JET Reunion Facebook group by William Henning:
“This [map of Miyagi] ought to give you some idea of how your area fared. Scroll down for .pfds of maps showing approx. how far the water reached along the Miyagi coast.”
- See map 10 for Natori, Iwanuma, Sendai, Tagajo, Shiogama.
- See map 9 for Higashi Matsushima and Ishinomaki.
- See map 8 for Kitakami (Kahoku), Ogatsu, and Onagawa
- See map 7 for Shizugawa and Utatsu.
Ibaraki Update: Socks
Earthquake Tsunami Comments Off on Ibaraki Update: Socks
From a blog by Jason Kelly (not a JET). FYI, Ibaraki Prefecture was also hit hard by the earthquake but has not gotten as much attention as the harder hit areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima.
Into Ibaraki
We received an emergency request for socks from North Ibaraki City, hit hard by the earthquake and tsunami, and located only 73 km (45 mi) south of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plants. We faced two questions: Was it safe to travel closer to the radiation, and could we justify using precious gasoline for such a long trip?
On the first question, we checked radiation levels for the area and found them to be eight times higher than near our base in Sano —
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post.
Here’s an article from the Salvation Army’s blog about an ALT named Lis Bennett (not a JET) who was teaching at a school 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant when the earthquake struck. She was evacuated from the area and shares some of her experience in the article.
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) Update: 03.23.11
Earthquake Tsunami, Notable JET Alums Comments Off on Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) Update: 03.23.11
The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) has been an excellent source of updates via the earthquake section of its website as well as its Facebook page. The kind of info you’re likely not getting from CNN or network news. Notably, JET alum James Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) is the Director of JCIE/USA’s New York office. Here’s the latest update:
March 23 Excerpts (http://www.jcie.org/earthquakeupdate.html):
* AARJ responds to a Sendai welfare organization assisting the elderly, which had run out of resources.
* Peace Winds Japan distributed kerosene & stoves in Minamisanriku-cho for those without heat.
* All medical facilities in Rikuzentakada were destroyed in the earthquake; …NICCO’s team is providing mobile medical services in Otomo-cho.
JapanGanbare: Messages of encouragement and support through manga art!
Art, Earthquake Tsunami Comments Off on JapanGanbare: Messages of encouragement and support through manga art!
A thoughtful approach to supporting Japan through original and creative images by manga fans:
Send a message of encouragement and support through your own manga art!
漫画を使って日本を応援しましょう！
Japanese fundraising on the streets of NYC
Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising, Volunteer Comments Off on Japanese fundraising on the streets of NYC
Ganbare Japan!
Japanese volunteers ask for donations on behalf of the Lions Club in front of Grand Central Station, New York City. Polite yet persistent. Volunteers have been active in this way throughout the city for the last week.
What’s going on in your neck of the woods?
Photo by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
Taylor Anderson’s high school establishes fund in her honor
Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising Comments Off on Taylor Anderson’s high school establishes fund in her honor
St. Catherine’s High School in Richmond, VA has set up a fund in honor of Ishinomaki JET Taylor Anderson who attended St. Catherine’, according to an article in the The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The below is from the fund website (www.st.catherines.org/tayloranderson):
“The St. Catherine’s community is mourning the loss of Taylor Lane Anderson ’04. The Anderson family confirmed that their daughter’s body was found on March 21 in Japan. Our School family is devastated by this discovery.
Taylor was a four-year day student who quickly became involved in school activities after she arrived in the ninth grade. She was Co-Editor of the Atelier and a member of Model UN. Taylor touched many hearts while at St. Catherine’s, taking her unique gifts and talents to the country of Japan. As part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, Taylor spent the past two years teaching English to kindergarten, lower school and junior high school students in the coastal city of Ishinomaki. She was last seen after the March 11 earthquake, but before the tsunami devastated the coast of Japan.
St. Catherine’s is so proud of Taylor for living the School’s motto, “What we keep we lose; only what we give remains our own.” She exemplified what it means to be a St. Catherine’s alumna and she will long live as a role model for our community. Taylor touched the hearts and lives of so many people at St. Catherine’s. Circumstances like these, while unimaginably sad, remind us of the value and the power of faith, family and friendship.
The School has established the Taylor Anderson ’04 Memorial Gift Fund. All money raised will be given in Taylor’s memory to benefit the relief efforts in Japan, the country she loved so dearly. St. Catherine’s will work with the Anderson family to direct the funds in the way that best honors Taylor’s legacy. Our hope is to help with the rebuilding of the schools in the region where Taylor taught.
Please leave your thoughts, memories and condolences below and they will be shared with the Anderson family.”
NHK TV today showed a video (in Japanese) of Taylor Anderson’s father Andy Anderson visiting Ishinomaki and laying flowers where Taylor’s body was found. It’s very moving to hear her father say, “Taylor loved Ishinomaki, and we do too.” And as a JET it’s hard to look at the background scenery in the video and not feel that sense of familiarity that this could be any town in Japan.
Sayonara! 6 CLAIR-NY staff set to return to Japan
Local Government Comments Off on Sayonara! 6 CLAIR-NY staff set to return to Japan
It happens every year, but it’s always sad to say goodbye to the CLAIR-NY (aka Japan Local Government Center) staff members who finish their terms and return to Japan at the end of March. Those departing this march include (left to right):
- Yuko Nishida (Izumo City government, Shimane Prefecture)
- Shinya Abe (Tokyo, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
- Taichi Hanzawa (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture government), who previously served as the JETAA USA Liaison
- Chizuko Kawamura (Hiroshima City government), who served as JETAA Canada Liaison this year and JETAA USA Liaison the previous year
- Kazuaki Nakajima (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department) (not pictured)
- Akiko Tanabe (Tottori Prefecture government) (not pictured)
Minasan arigatou gozaimashita. O-tsukare sama deshita. Nihon ni kaete, ganbatte kudasai!
Note on CLAIR-NY/JLGC: The staff of the JLGC is comprised of local government workers from various cities and prefectures along with some central government workers, all of whom are selected to participate in a 3 year program. The first year they spend working and learning together in Tokyo. The latter 2 years they spend in one of a number of CLAIR offices in various countries.
