Pre-dawn 6.0 earthquake in Nagano and Niigata Prefectures
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Japan Times has a Kyodo News service report of a 6.0 earthquake in Nagano and Niigata:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110312x1.html
Two powerful earthquakes hit an inland area northwest of Tokyo early Saturday, each measuring 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Nagano Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency did not issue a tsunami warning. The 3:59 a.m. and 4:32 a.m. quakes, with preliminary magnitudes of 6.6 and 5.8 respectively, hit areas including Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, which is far from the Pacific coastal area jolted by a magnitude 8.8 quake the previous day.
The focus of both predawn quakes was in central Niigata at a depth of 10 kilometers, the agency said.
The first quake measured lower 6 in Niigata but Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it was continuing to operate its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in the prefecture.
Niigata police said they have received a report of mudslide in Tokamachi city as well as avalanches in Tokamachi and Tsunan town, following the early morning quakes.
New JETAA New York Officers elected
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The 2011-2012 Executive Officers are:
President – Monica Yuki (Saitama-ken, 2002-04)
Vice President – Kendall Murano (Saitama-ken, 2004-06)
Treasurer – Kelly Nixon (with Matt Leichter as understudy)
Secretary – Pamela Kavalam (Shiga-ken, 2007-09) (with Douglas Laventure providing additional support in the area of PR)
Canadians in Japan in need of assistance
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Via JETAA Canada Country Rep Jamiena Shah:
Canadians in Japan in need of assistance, contact Embassy in Tokyo at 81-35412-6200 or DFAIT Emergency Centre collect at 613 996 8885
Canadians in Japan, Asia Pacific region in need of assistance can contact DFAIT Emergency Centre at sos@international.gc.ca.
JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Yumi Tanaka of the New York Peace Film Festival
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See ‘A Thousand Cranes’ at the New York Peace Film Festival March 12-13. (Daiei Motion Picture Co.)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). For more Japanese culture, visit his Examiner.com page here.
Manhattan’s Upper East Side kicks off the weekend with the 4th Annual New York Peace Film Festival, which promotes a deeper understanding of international relations from films and presentations worldwide. Saturday focuses on the devastation of the atomic bomb, beginning with the 1958 Japanese film A Thousand Cranes, the story of young Hiroshima bomb victim Sadako Sasaki. JQ caught up with Yumi Tanaka, the festival’s co-founder and executive producer, for this exclusive interview.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Japan and came to the States to attend college. Upon graduation, I landed a job and remained in the country. When I moved to NYC for a job, I also started taking an acting class. I thought it will help me at business meetings when I have to do a presentation. I loved theater since I was a child. My first experience was with the Takarazuka Revue at the age of three with my father. I studied theater, as literature helped me taking these acting classes, and I was recommended to do a stand-up comedy workshop then. That’s how I started doing stand-up comedy while holding a real job. Then, I pursued the entertainment industry. I took serious acting classes from a teacher who had taught many famous comedians like Ray Romano, and the list goes on.
It was 9/11 that changed my life. I wanted to do something more meaningful instead of being onstage at smelly comedy club to make drunks laugh. In 2005, I met a Hiroshima survivor visiting New York for an NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] conference. He told me his life story; how he was hiding as a hibakusha [atomic bomb survivor] for a long time. Then, he said, “Hibakusha are getting older. If we all die, the, there’s no people who carry on to tell our stories.” That was the moment. I thought I could use my knowledge and experiences with theater to tell their story.
In 2006, I met Jonathan Fluck, who used to run children’s theater for over 20 years. He had just produced a poetry performance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A mutual friend introduced us. Although Jonathan had never been to both cities, his passion towards nuclear abolition was in sync. So we started the New York Peace Film Festival in 2007, and we’ve held one every year except 2009 due to the bad economy.
Photos of the earthquake and tsunami
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Photos that capture a lot of what’s been going on: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/03/earthquake-in-japan/100022/
Watch NHK earthquake/tsunami coverate streaming live online via CNN
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Just found that you can watch NHK online live via CNN at this link: http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream3&hpt=T1
Fukushima JET’s earthquake video
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Former JETAA DC President Michelle Spezzacatena shared the below link to earthquake footage in Fukushima from a JET friend who is living in Koriyama City, about 100km from the epicenter of the earthquake apparently.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-569437
Japan Tsunami
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I just woke up and am seeing news and footage of the tsunami in Japan, apparently centered in Sendai. I’m paying attention to Facebook updates by other JET alum friends.
Hoping everyone is ok. Please feel free to post comments, updates or other useful information here to the extent it’s helpful.
There’s already a Google Person Finder for the Japan 2011 Earthquake posted here: http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en
Here’s the latest Google News search for “Japan tsunami”: http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=japan+tsunami
Additional info that may be helpful:
Google crisis responses in English
http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
For foreigners in Japan- News on the quake on NHK Radio 963,
in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French
10 tips for earthquake safety
http://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.jp/lfe/bou_topic/jisin/point10eng.htm
Job: Two part-time positions with The Asian American Writers’ Workshop, (NYC)
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via The Asian American Writers’ Workshop. 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.
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The Asian American Writers’ Workshop, the preeminent literary arts nonprofit dedicated to excellent literature of Asian American descent, is looking for two energetic individuals looking to make their mark on the literary culture of New York. Our ideal applicants are entrepreneurial self-starters capable of creating and implementing plans in an unstructured environment.
We are hiring for two positions: a Development Associate to fundraise for our socially progressive programs and a Program Director to help us put together our quirky yet curated literary events series.
Part-Time Development Associate:
This position will consist of developing new earned income initiatives and contribution tracking systems with the Executive Director. Previous development experience preferred. Click the following link for more details: Development Associate
Part-Time Program Director:
This position is ideal for a highly ambitious, organized individual who would like to build curatorial experience in a collegial, socially progressive arts center. Click the following link for more details: Program Director
Job: Sales Representative at Japanese NPO – Needed ASAP! (NY)
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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.
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Job Position: Sales Representative at Japanese NPO – Needed ASAP! (NY)
Job Details:
Japanese NPO in NY is looking for Sales Representative. ASAP!
Promote Investment to Japan :
Search companies in the designated area who’re interested in making investment to starting business in Japan and support such companies to establish their subsidiaries in Japan .
Target industries: Retails, Service industries. (Non-Japanese Companies)
Business Travel: About once a month.
Qualifications:
How to apply:
If you are interested in this position, please contact at mtakemura@pasona.com.
Job: Assistant Director, Policy Studies at Asia Society, (NYC)
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via Idealist.org. 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: Assistant Director, Policy Studies at Asia Society (NYC)
Job Details:
Asia Society, a prestigious, global, cultural and educational non-profit seeks an Assistant Director to be a key member of the Global Policy Studies team and responsible for managing the department’s day-to-day activities. In close coordination with the Vice President, he/she manages the development, implementation, budgeting, and evaluation of projects/initiatives, including task forces, working groups, roundtables, and dialogues. He/she also plays a key role representing the Global Policy Studies department within Asia Society and externally. The Assistant Director is a grant-funded position.
For more details click “Read More”
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Job: Curriculum Developer & Part-Time Instructor: English as a Foreign Language, (NYC)
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via Idealist.org. 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: Curriculum Developer & Part-Time Instructor: English as a Foreign Language, (NYC)
Job Details:
Hot Bread Kitchen is a social-purpose bakery that enhances the future for immigrant women and preserves baking traditions. We offer fresh breads baked with traditional recipes from around the world. We train our bakers in English as a Foreign Language, business skills, and kitchen math so that they can launch new careers as business owners and culinary professionals.
Currently, our English classes are taught one-on-one by experienced volunteers. We are seeking an experienced educator to build the capacity of Hot Bread Kitchen’s English program and develop our industry-specific curriculum.
For more details, click “Read More”.
Read More
Job: Translators at Nintendo (Redmond, WA)
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via JET alum Ariel Shearman. 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: Translators at Nintendo (Redmond, WA)
Job Details:
Nintendo of America is looking for an E>J translator and for a J>E translator. We recently added a J>E translator, but are looking at greatly increased workload.
Both translators will be translating programming documentation such as SDK API reference manuals, programming guidelines, and middleware API reference manuals.
Subject matter is what you would expect for a game machine: computer graphics, etc.
A working knowledge of C and C++ would be a big help.
The jobs will be at Nintendo of America HQ in Redmond, WA.
They will be full time, with full benefits.
How to apply:
Please contact John Zimet at john.zimet@noa.nintendo.com if you are interested.
Surviving In Japan: How to Find a Non-smoking Restaurant in Japan
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Ashley Thompson is "Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese."
Going out in Japan can sometimes be rough if you’re a non-smoker (like me). Granted, times are changing in Japan, and more and more facilities and areas are now completely non-smoking, or instead have a small room or area designated specifically for smoking. Kanagawa prefecture went completely non-smoking last year, making it the first prefecture in Japan to ban smoking in public areas such as beaches, and various public facilities such as schools and hospitals (though I think both of those are *generally* non-smoking in Japan now anyway) and even restaurants, if the restaurant didn’t already have separated smoking/non-smoking areas. At times, I wish I lived in Kanagawa, if only for that.
Now, of course, I mean no offense to anyone who does smoke – it’s all choice and I’m completely fine with that. My only issue is when kids or pregnant women are around or I have to sit and breathe it because of the location I’m in, as I’ve got some extremely annoying allergies (and I just don’t care for it in general). Thus sometimes, eating out can pose a challenge if you are a non-smoker and wish to avoid smoke at all costs.
Yes, smoke-free restaurants exist, as do various restaurants that are divided into smoking/non-smoking areas, but I can guarantee there are also plenty of restaurants that have neither. So if you are a serial non-smoker, you might be lucky to enjoy a good meal without inhaling secondhand smoke, that is, until the person sitting near you lights up. Of course, if it’s a smoking restaurant, you just have to deal with it, because they are well within their rights to smoke – but from experience, it’s also ruined some meals for me, and makes me want to try and avoid it when possible.
This is easier said than done.
The other day, my husband and I were feeling lazy and wanted to go out to eat, although I was feeling a little off that day and didn’t really want to take our chances with the smoking thing. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Tabelog (食べログ), a great restaurant search tool for all over Japan, but it comes in handy for looking up restaurants. I often browse that site, though I noticed most listings in our area did not designate if they were smoking, non-smoking, or if they had separated seating. (Some listings do, but I find it to be hit or miss, depending on location). The only way we could know for sure was to call every place and ask, and after the first few, it does get kind of annoying.
Enter new search. I pulled up Google, this time hoping I could somehow discover some non-smoking restaurants by using those very keywords (smart, I know…).
Lo and behold, I discovered a website called “Kinen Style”, or actually, “禁煙スタイル” (Non-smoking style). — CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post.
Justin’s Japan: Q&A with Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big
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Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big. (William Hames)
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.
A founding member of the platinum-selling Los Angeles-based rock group Mr. Big, guitarist extraordinaire Paul Gilbert joined the group in 1988, and then departed a decade later to focus on a pop-tinged solo career. Best known for its hit ballad “To Be with You”—which went to number one in 15 countries including the U.S. in 1992—Mr. Big broke up in 2002, reforming the original lineup seven years later for a massive tour of Asia and Europe.
Last month, the band released What If…, the first album in 15 years from the reunited rockers, which instantly went gold in Japan upon release. To celebrate, Mr. Big are kicking off their new world tour at the House of Blues Sunset Strip on April 2, the original lineup’s first American gig since the mid-’90s. In this exclusive interview, I caught up with Gilbert about the new disc, his time away from Mr. Big, and his rich history with Japan.
What does the title of the new album refer to?
“What If…” is the beginning of any idea. Anything that you want, anything great…all starts with an idea. “What If…” Mr. Big got back together, and recorded a new album? This is it!
What are your own personal goals when writing a song?
I’m sort of a chord person. I’m happy if the song has a cool key change or some interesting chords that you might not expect. And of course, it should have a good melody to match. Also, with Mr. Big it’s impossible not to take advantage of the crazy stuff that Billy [Sheehan, bassist] and I can do together.
You’ve always had a strong bond with your fans in Japan. How did Japan come into your life growing up, and was your first time there like?
Growing up? Godzilla movies and Speed Racer! Actually, the first electric guitar I ever played was my uncle Jimi [Kidd]’s Ibanez Destroyer. I didn’t know that Ibanez was a Japanese guitar company, but I’ve certainly had a great time working with them since I started endorsing their guitars in the ’80s. The first time I went [to Japan] was in ’89 for a Mr. Big tour. Every tour we did just got bigger and bigger—we ended up doing three sold out nights at the Budokan. That’s crazy; I still can’t believe it.
What are some of your favorite memories from your time in Japan?
I actually tried to learn to speak Japanese, so I’ve rented apartments there for a few months at a time. It really felt like an adventure to live in a foreign country and to get by without speaking English. I remember being happy just riding the trains around and exploring Tokyo.
Years ago on your website you entertainingly chronicled your efforts to study the Japanese language through your own doodles. Do you still keep up with your studies?
I’ve pretty much given up on my Japanese. If my hearing was better, I might keep at it, but I can barely hear English at this point, and it’s really difficult to learn a new language without being able to hear the details. Plus, if I put that time into playing my guitar, I get some good results.
Why do you think Mr. Big caught on with the Japanese so well?
That’s a difficult question because we’re talking about “groups” of people. It’s complicated enough to understand individual people…Am I avoiding the question? Probably. I’m really thankful for my success anywhere, but I’m just not that interested in it. I’d much rather think about notes, and chords, and rhythms, and singing, and playing, and what pedals I’m going to put on my pedalboard for the upcoming tour.
You’ve made lots of highly amusing appearances on Japanese TV over the years. What were some of your favorite moments?
I had fun jamming with a band called “Sex Machineguns.” It just makes me happy there is a band called “Sex Machineguns”; what a fantastic name that is. There was a show where a famous Japanese female singer had to play a game where she picked her “type” of guy from among all the guys on the show…and she picked me. I was about 20 years older than everyone else on the show, so I didn’t think I had a chance. That cheered me up.
Click here for the complete interview.
