JET Memorial Invitation Program for High School Students ready to head to Japan
Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, JETs in the News, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Video 
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Thanks to Andy Anderson, father of Taylor Anderson, for sharing information and the video link below. FYI, JETAA USA had the honor of Mr. Anderson attending the National Conference this past weekend in Washington, D.C. and speaking to the conference attendees (2 representatives from each JETAA chapter in the U.S.)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced an exchange program on June 24, 2011 (press release here) to send 32 American students to Japan as a way of commemorating the work of Taylor Anderson and Monty Dickson. Those students, who come from all over the U.S., have been selected and are now in San Francisco getting ready to depart for Japan.
The majority of the 10 day program takes place in Japan and includes a pre-departure orientation and a wrap-up meeting and farewell dinner in San Francisco. During their stay in Japan, the participants will have an option of participating in a day trip to visit the Tohoku area.
KTVU (San Francisco) did a story on the student group as they gathered in San Francisco for a pre-departure orientation before heading to Japan. Here’s the link to the video: http://www.ktvu.com/video/28580191/index.html
Minasan ganbatte kudasai!
Note: If anyone can figure out how to get the embed code for the video, e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com so we can post it here.
Update 7/21/2011: Here’s a Japanese article about the event, forwarded by Andy Anderson:
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/news/110718/amr11071818190005-n1.htm
2011年07月18日
日米の懸け橋へ努力
日本研修に向け米高校生
【サンフランシスコ共同】東日本大震災で犠牲になった米国人の英語教師２人の業績をたたえ、創設された日本研修事業に参加する米国の高校生３２人の壮行会が１７日、サンフランシスコの日本総領事館で行われた。代表のトーマス・クドさんは「帰ったら、この体験と日本語を生かしたい」と話し、日米の懸け橋となるために努力することを誓った。猪俣弘司（いのまた・ひろし）総領事は、大震災で亡くなった外国青年招致事業（ＪＥＴプログラム）の英語教師テーラー・アンダーソンさんとモンゴメリー・ディクソンさんの死を悼み、「研修を成功させるかどうかは皆さん次第」と激励した。米側のデボラ・ダニエルズさんは「同じ高校生がどんな風に（大震災で）被災し、どんなことを考えて毎日暮らしているのか知りたい」と話した。一行は今月１９～２８日、大阪の地元高校生との交流や、ホームステイを体験。京都訪問のほか、希望者による岩手視察も予定されている。
Japan Women Win World Cup!
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Omedetou to Japan Women’s Soccer for an amazingly resilient World Cup victory!
The JET Alumni community everywhere is cheering.
Honto ni o-tsukare sama deshita.
Posted by Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91), coauthor of The Sushi Lover’s Cookbook and Tokyo Chic and contributor to Time Out Tokyo and Time Out Shortlist Tokyo. He blogs as “Tokyo Tom Baker.”
Did you ever go to the beach during your time in Japan? In particular, did you ever visit Suma beach in Kobe? Photographer Robin Haseba has an exhibition of portraits of Suma beach-goers currently running in Shinjuku, Tokyo, that may bring back some memories.
When I visited the show on its opening day, I briefly met Haseba and later sent him some questions by e-mail for an article on my blog. You can read my comments on Haseba’s work, and see some examples of it, here.
JETAA North Carolina Subchapter on the move
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New JETAA subchapter activity has been detected in North Carolina, thanks to some outreach by Kay Munn who has gotten a JETAA Southeast North Carolina Subchapter Facebook page up and running!
Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jetaasenc
And here’s a message from Kay:
“Hello everyone! If you’re currently living in NC (or moving here soon!) we’re trying to get a subchapter up and running over here. Feel free to join our Facebook page :)”
Welcome to the JETAA SE North Carolina subchapter! The NC subchapter was started to help connect former, current, and aspiring JETs with the North Carolina community. Connect with other JETs in North Carolina and help us teach our community about our second home, Japan.
E-mail: jetaasenc [at] groups.facebook.com
Job: Sales for Japanese Freight Forwarding Company (East Rutherford, NJ)
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Via Actus. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London and is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Sales for Japanese Freight Forwarding Company (East Rutherford, NJ)
Job Details:
Your Role with the Company:
Preferred Experience and Skills:
Some Experience in Ocean Sales and/ or Logistics
Business Hours:
9am to 6pm, Exempt
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Job: Sales Rep for Japanese Food Company (Boston)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Sales Rep for Japanese Food Company (Boston)
Via Actus (and forwarded to JETwit by New England JETAA). Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London and is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Sales Rep for Japanese Food Company (Boston)
Job Details:
Your Role with the Company:
Job: WIPO Vacancies in Geneva for Japanese Translators and Revisers
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Via NC Subchapter Rep and professional translator/technical writer, Stuart Albert. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London and is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: WIPO Vacancies in Geneva for Japanese Translators and Revisers
Job Details:
The WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland just posted 2 positions, one for a Japanese Translator and one for a Japanese Editor. Both jobs require that you pass an insanely difficult testing process, but the upside is that you will be given crazy amounts of money to live and work in Geneva. This is a job that emphasizes patent translation work, so unless you are highly skilled with patents, it might not be in your best interest to apply. Regardless, info about the two vacancies can be viewed at the following link:
https://erecruit.wipo.int/public/
Job: Job Opportunity at the Seattle Japanese Language School (WA)
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Via PNWJETAA. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London and is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Job Opportunity at the Seattle Japanese Language School (WA)
Job Details:
Open part-time teaching positions with the Seattle Japanese Language School. Two alumni are currently teaching at JLS.
Class is held on Saturdays, starting July 10, till June 16, 2012
9:00am-11:30am. Two recesses in between.
More info at JCCCW.ORG
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Justin’s Japan: Superstar Sora Aoi Appears This Week at Japan Society’s JAPAN CUTS 2011
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'Three☆Points' star Sora Aoi will appear at New York's Japan Society July 15 with the film's director Masashi Yamamoto. (Courtesy of Japan Society)
After doing boffo box office last week with sold-out screenings of Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha, Battle Royale and the Gantz duology, Japan Society’s JAPAN CUTS 2011 will reach the boiling point this Friday (July 15) with a very special guest: international cause célèbre Sora Aoi. With a career spanning nearly a decade in Japan’s adult video (AV) industry, Aoi (whose stage name translates to “blue sky”) has also moonlighted in television dramas, film and mainstream entertainment, even enjoying success in China as a pop singer.
The actress will appear at Japan Society supporting her latest drama, Three☆Points, with its director Masashi Yamamoto helming a Q&A. The pair will also join a special after party after the screening to meet fans personally. Other Special guests slated for the rest of JAPAN CUTS include The Seaside Motel director Kentaro Moriya, A Liar and a Broken Girl director Natsuki Seta (both July 16), and Haru’s Journey director Masahiro Kobayashi (July 20).
All films—most of them New York premieres–are primarily shown in Japanese with English subtitles, some with actor/director intros and Q&As and after parties.
For more on the remaining cuts, click here.
Job: Japanese Patent Paralegal (Philadelphia)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Japanese Patent Paralegal (Philadelphia)
Via JET alum Therese Stephen who works for the Consulate in Miami. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London and is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Japanese Patent Paralegal (Philadelphia)
Job Details:
Volpe and Koenig, P.C. is an energetic and forward thinking intellectual property law firm. The firm has a substantial foreign client base that includes a significant Japanese practice. We are seeking a Japanese speaking patent paralegal for our Center City office. We currently have one native Japanese employee in Japan and are seeking to improve our language abilities to better communicate with our clients in Japan.
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Job: JET Alumni Required for 4 Day Temp Job in October (FL)
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Via JET alum Abby McBain who works for the Consulate in Miami. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London and is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Looking for a former JET available for a 4-days Baito in Orlando in October
Job Details:
A JET alumna working for an event planning company in Tokyo is looking for 4-5 bilingual JET alumni to help with the ITS World Congress taking place in Orlando from October 16-20, with a half day training on October 15. Remuneration will be $400-$450 per person per day.
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Surviving in Japan: How to stay cool without air conditioning
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times.
冷風扇 or "cool air fan"
The last week or so has been rather hot (in central Japan at least), with temps here in Shizuoka hovering around 30 Celsius and up (high 80s to 90s Fahrenheit). My husband and I still don’t own an air conditioner, simply due to the costs involved with buying and installing one, and then periodic cleaning. Yet, being 33 weeks pregnant, I’ve been finding myself desperate for some kind of cooling alternative the past week or so.
I never really felt like I needed an aircon since arriving in Japan three years ago. I was happy to experience nice, hot summers. People tend to complain a lot about the summer heat in Japan (unless they live in Hokkaido), but I hate the cold so much that I’m usually relieved when summer comes around.
Until last summer anyway, when we had a record-breaking heat wave that lasted until October. Sitting and working at home was mostly tortuous, so I trekked to the nearest Starbucks a few times a week just so I could get some work done in an air-conditioned, non-smoking, wi-fi equipped environment.
And now we’re into summer 2011. Temperatures are already mirroring those of last year on some days. I’m making due the best I can, but all this extra blood running through my body and 10 extra kilograms seems to make me feel hotter than I felt even last year.
After feeling sick the other day from trying to work inside (and I do still try to get out in the afternoon and at least run errands to air-conditioned places), I was about ready to build my own air conditioner.
I found this article on how to construct a makeshift one with a fan, styrofoam box cooler, and ice, and was seriously planning to go find the materials. Regular electric fans weren’t working, even with multiple ones blowing from all directions to circulate air. Drinking ice water helped only a little, and I was hopping in the shower every so often for a quick spray of cold water.
And then my husband mentioned he’d heard about some kind of machine that blows cool air (no, not an aircon), known as 冷風扇 (れいふうせん, reifuusen), or 冷風機 (れいふうき, reifuuki), or “cool air fan/machine” as a loose translation.
Essentially, you put cold water and ice–CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.
New Bruce Feiler column in the New York Times
Article/Journalism, Books, Celebrity, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on New Bruce Feiler column in the New York Times
Attached is a new New York Times column (“The Life (and Death) of the Party: Mastering the Art of Dinner Party Conversation“) by JET alum Bruce Feiler (Tottori-ken, 1989-90), author of Learning to Bow, The Council of Dads, and several books on the Middle East including Walking the Bible, Abraham and Where God Was Born.
To read prior columns, please click here.
Bruce’s new book GENERATION FREEDOM: The Middle East Uprisings and the Remaking of the Modern World has just been published. You can see some of his recent media appearances by visiting www.brucefeiler.com.
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This Life
The Life (and Death) of the Party
By BRUCE FEILER
Published: July 8, 2011
I CALL it my insufferability test. It came about like this: A number of years ago, I was seated at a dinner party next to the celebrated C.E.O. of an American brewery. I was the lesser player here, so I began asking him questions about his beer. Fifteen minutes passed, then 30. He didn’t ask me a single question.
As dessert approached, I began slumping in my chair from trying to come up with query after query about organic hops and fluctuating wheat futures. Finally, I started dropping in teasers from the year I spent as a circus clown. “My friend the human cannonball …”; “That reminds me of the time I once got into a cage with nine tigers.” Surely these would pique his curiosity. Needless to say, I never told a story about the circus that night.
To me that encounter was a warning shot. I was like a rookie pitcher being plastered in his opening outing in the big leagues. If I hoped to avoid similar dinner party fiascoes in the future, I had to raise my game. So what is the best formula for handling a loudmouth, know-it-all, bore or clam?
With summer entertaining season upon us, it seemed like a good time to brush up on my techniques, and perhaps pick up some new tricks. So with the help of some veterans of the tablecloth trenches, here are some tips for navigating dinner party pitfalls.
EAT AND GREET In ancient Rome, senators hired nomenclatorsto follow them around and introduce them to people. These days, each of us has to be his own nomenclator. A good host often performs this role. “A lot of dinners I throw often have a specific point to them,” said Sunny Bates, a former Silicon Alley headhunter turned networking guru. “I make everyone go around and say who they are, where they’re from and what they most need.” Other starter questions I’ve seen work: “If you could change one thing about the human body, what would it be?” and “What about you, physically, is perfect?” Knowing something about all the other guests is more than good manners; it can also come in handy if you’re seated next to a dud and need to seek relief in someone a few seats away. If I’m at an event with no host at the table, I’ll go so far as to walk around and briefly introduce myself to the other guests. Think of a dinner party as being like a crime scene: plan your escape route. Read More
Visit all 47 prefectures in Japan in 100 days — for free! (But there’s a catch…)
Cultural Outreach, Japan Local, Local Government, Travel/Tourism Comments Off on Visit all 47 prefectures in Japan in 100 days — for free! (But there’s a catch…)
I’ve seen this posted several places and also had it sent to me by JET alum and President of Music City JETAA Terry Vo (2007-09, Kumamoto-ken) . So while no JET alums would be eligible, maybe our extensive alumni community might know someone who is.
The Offer: Some lucky person will win 100 days to visit all 47 prefectures in Japan and blog about it.
The Catch: You can’t have ever lived in Japan before.
More Info Here: http://travelvolunteer.net/
By the way, for tourism info on all 47 prefectures, here are the tourism sites for each prefecture (which I organized in a JETwit post back in early June):
- Local Japan: Prefecture Tourism Links: http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2011/06/02/local-japan-prefecture-tourism-links/
Japan Fix London: Hyper Japan – Interview with Mary Moreton
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Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, writing and translation.
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It’s not surprising that London has changed a lot during the years I’ve been away in Japan. Being the “most populous municipality in the European Union”, rapid development, modernization and globalization are to be expected. However, it still throws me of guard when my British friends now drop ‘katsu-don’, ‘kirin beer’, and ‘kawaii’ into everyday conversation. I know those words weren’t part of my vocabulary before I took off for my life as an ALT!
For a recently returned expat like me, it is a huge comfort to see Japanese culture so widely embraced in my home city. Which is why I was particularly excited to hear about HYPER JAPAN, a three day event promoting all the different aspects of Japanese culture that make it so appealing to us in the west. Determined to get my ‘Japan-fix’ to fight off the homesickness, I applied for a volunteer position and was delighted to discover one of the Hyper Japan team, Mary Moreton, was a fellow ex-JET. Not one to miss a chance to share JET stories, Mary kindly agreed to meet me one soggy London afternoon.
Hi Mary, sorry for dragging you out in this! Could you start by telling me a bit about your time on JET – why you applied, where you were based?
I was a CIR in Aomori City CIR from 2002 – 2005. I studied Classical Japanese Literature at University, which was a really interesting course that I enjoyed a lot, but not necessarily a degree that could lead straight to a clear career path. I wasn’t interested in working in say finance in the city like many of my friends, and I had spent time in Japan before (I did a year out in Osaka), so I decided to apply for JET.
How did you find Aomori compared to your experience of living in Osaka? I would imagine it to be quite different!
Yes, it was completely different to my previous experience of living in the city. I remember in my first week, there was another girl from UK who was based at the kencho, and we decided to meet up and explore one day. We walked around for about 10 minutes until we realised there really wasn’t much to see! It was totally different from my experiences of urban areas such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe.
What did you do after JET?
After returning from JET, my first job was as a PA for the European director of a Japanese electronics company where I was working in a mainly Japanese environment. Even though I had left Japan, during my working day, things weren’t too different. Although I felt that my unique point was my Japanese ability, I did not necessarily want to restrict myself to working for Japanese companies. I then went on to work for a British based Insurance broker. I worked in their Japanese department, so I was still using Japanese but not working in a completely Japanese environment as I had been used to. I had always been interested in translation, so in addition to working, I decided to do a part-time MA in translation. In the end I had to quit my job to focus on my dissertation in the last term.
With my MA finished I then decided to do freelance translation and signed up with several Japanese agencies. Not all of them gave regular work, and there were certain areas of translation (technical) that I couldn’t do, but after settling into a good relationship with a few coordinators, I managed to find my niche. Through that I did some work for the Sushi Awards, which led to my current position with Cross Media. Once again I am working as the only native English speaker in a Japanese company, but I enjoy it a lot as I get to promote all the things I love about Japanese culture and cuisine, and share it with a whole new audience.
Could you tell us a bit about the background of Hyper Japan?
The Eat-Japan Sushi Awards have been around for a few years. Japanese food is a lot more popular now in the UK than when I left in 2002 to go to Japan. Now there are so many places around where you can try Japanese food, and there is a lot more scope to promote it – which is where the idea for the sushi awards came from.
Japanese anime, manga and games have always had a fanbase in the UK and the rest of Europe, and there is a large Japan Expo held in Paris which mainly focuses on these aspects of Japanese culture.
I think most people think that Japan is cool, but not necessarily for just one thing. There are separate events to cater for cosplay, anime, and sushi fans, however there wasn’t anything that brought all these together – which what Hyper Japan attempts to do. In the same way that people who live in Japan experience the old and the modern co-existing harmoniously (you could find a Shinto shrine next door to a pachinko parlor), Hyper Japan aims to showcase both the contemporary and classic sides of Japanese culture under one roof.
To read the rest of the interview, click ‘Read More’.
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