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Thanks to Lindsay Tsuji for this write-up and thanks to Nadine Bukhman for the photos.
A chilly Toronto’s eve didn’t stop friends and fans of one artistically inclined JET alum from dropping by the Goodfellas Gallery in Toronto to celebrate the launch of his new book Life After the B.O.E. JETAA Toronto’s David Namisato (Aomori-ken CIR, 2002-04) was the cause of some serious hurrah on February 8.
Most JETs are no stranger to David’s comics. Started back in 2005, they chronicle the ins and outs of what life is like as a foreigner on the JET Programme. The enkais, the onsens, the team teaching…it’s all in there. Read More
JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Tomo: Friendship through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories’
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“Reading ‘Tomo’ is a reminder that even in the most desperate straits, friendship and personal relationships have the power to nourish and sustain us.” (Stone Bridge Press)
By Sharona Moskowitz (Fukuoka-ken, 2000-01) for JQ magazine. Sharona is interested in fresh, new voices in fiction and creative nonfiction.
If you could know your future cause of death, would you choose to know? This is the question posed by “Yamada-san’s Toaster,” one of the short stories in the new fiction anthology Tomo: Friendship through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories. As the title suggests, the collection is geared toward adolescents and dedicated to the youth of Tohoku, though it undoubtedly has— in the parlance of publishing— tremendous crossover appeal. There is plenty for adults to enjoy here, too. Edited and with a foreword by Holly Thompson, this collection features 36 stories—including 10 in translation—contributed by several JET alums from around the world, all of whom share a connection to Japan. Proceeds from its sale will go directly to the continued relief efforts.
In Kelly Luce (Kawasaki/Tokushima, 2002-04)’s story, Yamada-san’s toaster burns into each slice of bread a Chinese character supposedly predicting one’s cause of death. The tale’s young narrator observes the effects of the toaster on the townspeople as news spreads and they become stirred into a ridiculous pandemonium. There’s a great element of humor to the story though it also reveals a universal human folly: the vulnerability towards superstition. People try desperately to find order and make sense of a chaotic and random world, even if it means looking for burnt kanji of the toast on a breakfast plate.
The stories are grouped thematically, represented by “Shocks and Tremors,” Friends and Enemies,” “Ghosts and Spirits,” Powers and Feats,” Talents and Curses,” Insiders and Outsiders” and “Families and Connections.” (The final story, the poignant “Peace on Earth,” is penned by Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90), whose own book of short stories, The Beautiful One Has Come, was released last year.
JET Prefecture Round-up 3.16.12
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Sam Brewster, (Akita-ken, Kazuno-shi, 2011-present), gives a little taste of what JETs are doing around Japan. To submit items for future JET Prefecture Round-up posts, e-mail Sam at jetinfogather [at] gmail.com.
Events by Region
Kansai Region
- March 24th is Wakayama JET’s children’s Easter event at the Tanabe Shimin Sogo Center. There will be bilingual readings of the Easter Bunny story, and children will have the chance to meet the Easter Bunny make their own bunny masks and take part in a fun Easter egg hunt.
Kantou Region
Ibaraki
- Ibaraki Jets still have chance to check out the annual Plum Blossom Festival in Mito, which runs right up until March 31st.
- St. Patrick’s Day Event at Bardega in Hitachi on Friday, March 16th and Saturday, March 17th.
- St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17th in Kumamoto City.
- On Saturday, March 24th, Miyazaki AJET presents…’Karaoke Bus Road Trippin’!
- St. Patrick’s Day feast and party in Matsuyama on Saturday, March 17th.
- Club Livespace in Akita City will play host to Akita’s very first St. Patrick’s Day Dance Party on Friday, March 16th. Organised by the ALT-led charity Volunteer Akita, the event aims to raise money for their Scholarship Fund. Through this fund they hope to send an orphan from the Sendai area to college – a truly inspiring cause as he is the first from his orphanage to ever show interest in attending.
*Note to all JETs and JET alumni: Click here to find your JET prefecture group on LinkedIn.
I’ll Make It Myself!: “Roasted Vegetables and My Obsession with 安納芋”
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Japan: Kanazawa and Discover Kanazawa, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Orange sweet potatoes, ubiquitous in the US, are often nowhere to be found in Ishikawa. Depending on where you are in the prefecture, you can usually locate some in one brief part of late winter in the local-vegetable section of the grocery store with the Noto– and Kaga Yasai (heirloom vegetables from Noto [northern Ishikawa] and Kaga [central-southern Ishikawa]). This March, I found some “Kabocha Imo” (“kabocha squash potato,” かぼちゃ芋), a Noto Yasai, at Marue, and I also found a large bag of annôimo (安 納芋) in the basement grocery stores in the department store M’ZA. Orange sweet potatoes are not as cheap as I remember them being back home during my student days, but they’re every bit as delicious.
CLICK HERE to read the full post.
Job: Japanese Language Instructor (DC) 03.17.12
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Via JETAA-DC Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
____________________________________________________________
Position: Japanese Language Instructor
Posted by: Global Language Translation, Inc.
Type: Full-time
Location: Arlington, VA
Salary: NA
Start date: NA
Contact Info: patricia@gltcenter. com
Responsibilities:
• Provide basic, intermediate and advanced language instruction to U.S. government and other personnel. Assist with evaluation of students and provide academic counseling. About half the time will be spent in classroom instruction and other half preparing for class and related duties. Class size is small, 1 — 8 students at the same level.
• Full time (40 hours/week). Monday through Friday, 7:15 AM — 4:00 PM.
• Required Experience: Native speaker of the target language. Educated in target language through secondary school. Read More
Huffington Post article by Rikuzentakata JET alum Sarah Ruddy
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Former Rikuzentakata JET Sarah Ruddy, a web producer for New York Magazine, was recently by Huffington Post to write an article in connection with the one-year anniversary of the 3/11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. (On a side note, I noticed that Sarah mentions another JET alum in the article, author/humor writer Will Ferguson who wrote Hitching Rides With Buddha among other books.)
View from where Sarah's desk used to be in the Board of Education in Rikuzentakata
Here’s the article:
After The Tohoku Earthquake: ‘I Gave Up My Family For Dead’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-ruddy/after-the-tohoku-earthqua_b_1335092.html#s770689
Here’s an excerpt:
My decision to go back was not about whether I should but how soon I could. I was determined to do whatever I could to help. I was often asked if I was afraid of another earthquake and tsunami occurring or how the radiation would effect me. There are plenty of dangers in the world that we can’t predict or prevent. They shouldn’t stop us from experiencing life.
I ended up going last November, seven months after the tsunami hit. I was welcomed by friends and generously offered a place to stay. I heard their stories of that day and the seven months that followed. The improvements made in that time were incredible.
I volunteered in Rikuzentakata and Ofunato, the city immediately north, and returned to my former schools to help out with classes. The people I volunteered with were from all over Japan, including students who were on break, retired couples who had free time and curious people who wondered how anyone could have survived. I spent long hours digging through fields of sediment and debris.
International Educator magazine article remembers Monty and Taylor
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Thanks to JETAA Music City’s Terry Vo (Kumamoto-ken, 2007-09) and JETAA Northern California’s Peter Weber (Saitama-ken, 2004-07) (both of whom work as JET Coordinators at their local Consulates) for sharing this excellent International Educator magazine article (“Overcoming Chaos“)about the various ways the Tohoku disaster affected a variety of international education programs, including the JET Program. The writer does a nice job of capturing the spirit and essence of Monty Dickson and Taylor Anderson towards the end of the article, and what we lost when we lost them.
Here’s the link to the article (PDF): http://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ie_marapr12_japan.pdf
Notably, the article also quotes JET alum Kate Maruyama who is the Japan programs manager for CET Academic Programs in Washington, D.C. And it indicates that Ashley Mar, the UC Santa Barbara biology student who happened to be studying abroad at Tohoku Biology University on 3/11 and was required to return to the U.S. despite her desire to stay, is now applying for the JET Program.
Job:Postings from Idealist.org 3.15.12
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Via Idealist.org. Posted by Geneva Marie (Niigata-ken 2008-09) Geneva is a contributor to both JETwit and JETAANY. Geneva is on a continuous (epic) search for Japanese -related jobs in the United States.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Summer Quest Japanese Instructors Needed
Posted by: Harlem Education Activities Fund
Type: Part-time/Contract
Location: New York City, NY
Salary: Competitive
Start date: Training – May/June 2012, Start/End date: July 9th – August 10th, 2012
Summer Quest is seeking Japanese instructors for a summer Japanese language immersion program. Minimum 3 years teaching experience. B.A. in Education, Japanese or related field (M.A. preferred).
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/hdDWSwd89XNp/
Homestay Manager
Posted by: AYUSA International
Type: Temporary/Contract
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: DOE
Start date: Contract position is February 15 to August 31
AYUSA International is seeking a weekend Homestay Manager to coordinate homestay programs for Japanese high school students attending the University of California, Berkeley. Position also requires the supervising of a homestay coordinator staff. No previous experience required.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/SSxKCwk6NMfP/
Homestay Coordinator
Posted by: AYUSA International
Type: Temporary/Contract
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: DOE
Start date: Contract position is February 15 to August 31
AYUSA International is seeking individuals to recruit host families for Japanese exchange students. No previous experience required.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/bzpPxk9xWKMD/
Jobs: Writer Translator and Web Designer (London, UK) 03.15.12
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Thanks to Jet Alumn Dipika Soni for forwarding these two JET relevant openings in the UK.
Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
____________________________________________________________
Position: Writer/ Translator
Posted by: Cross Media
Type: Part-time (possible full-time)
Location: London, UK
Salary: Provided on application
Start date: NA
Contact Info:
Responsibilities:
– To translate Japanese to English texts for internal use and for external use on websites/print
media
– To write original content for external use on websites/print media
– To proofread and edit English documents for internal and external use
– To plan and manage newsletter, website and social media content
We are initially offering this as a part time but a full time position may be offered to the right person.
Please send your CV, two samples of writing, and two samples of Japanese to English translation (including the original text), as well as any visa details if relevant to Ms. Mary Moreton mary@eat-japan.com with Writer/Translator in the title. Read More
Justin’s Japan: Interview with Jin Akanishi on ‘Japonicana’ and His American Tour
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"The word ‘Japonicana’ comes from Japan, America and Spain. The ‘a’ sound is for the females, so my album is a girl. There’s more than one genre—dance, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s like my baby, because I created it from scratch." (Courtesy of PLAN C Agency)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Visit his Examiner.com page here for related stories.
In his native Japan, Jin Akanishi is a superstar. Since his early teens, he’s achieved fame as a pop idol, singer-songwriter (with the groups KAT-TUN and LANDS), actor, and radio host. After launching a successful American tour in 2010 to sold out (and screaming) crowds, Jin is back in the U.S. supporting his hotly anticipated English-language debut album, Japonicana. Released earlier this month, the disc features production by Grammy Award-nominated trio the Stereotypes (Far East Movement, Ne-Yo) and platinum hit maker Static Revenger (Madonna, Shakira).
Jin takes Manhattan at New York’s Best Buy Theater tonight (March 15) and hits San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom on March 17. In this exclusive interview, I spoke with the 27-year-old about the tour, the making of the album, his love for hip-hop, and hanging out with Justin Bieber.
How would you describe the new album?
The word “Japonicana” comes from Japan, America and Spain. The “a” sound is for the females, so my album is a girl. There’s more than one genre—dance, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s like my baby, because I created it from scratch.
How has the tour been going?
It’s really great. The crowds are great, good energy, dancers, and a lot of drinks (laughs).
What can fans expect at the shows this time? What’s different?
It’s a totally different concert. Everything’s different.
Is there a highlight you can tell us about?
Crazy lights and dancing. All the songs are from Japonicana.
You mentioned that the title represents all the places that influence you—Japan, America and Spain. How have they influenced you?
I’m Japanese, obviously. And America, my mom loves American music and used to listen to it when I was little. I kind of grew up with it. My best friend’s mom is Spanish, and she taught me a lot about the culture. So that’s how I got influenced.
For the complete story, click here.
March Issue of “AJET Connect”
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Check out this month’s edition of AJET Connect! The current edition features stories about what JETs have been doing to make a difference since the 3.11 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, travel experiences of various JETs and this month’s Life After JET section focuses on a JET alum from California, Sylbeth Kennedy, who joined the US Foreign Service.
Visit the AJET website or view/ download the pdf HERE.
Via the JNY-Japanese New Yorker Facebook group.
Return on JET-vestment: Fukushima JET alums help bring Fukushima youth taiko group to DC for Cherry Blossom Festival
Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Return on JET-vestment: Fukushima JET alums help bring Fukushima youth taiko group to DC for Cherry Blossom Festival
The Fukushima Taiko Drummers meet U.S. Ambassador to Japan, John V. Roos, before they head to D.C. in April.
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JETAA DC members Michelle Spezzacatena (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-cho, 2002-05) and Darryl Wharton-Rigby (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-cho, 2005-07) were both teachers in the town of Kawamata in Fukushima Prefecture. Michelle was there from 2002-2005 and overlapped one week with Darryl, who was there from 2005-2007. Thanks to the magic of Facebook they were able to keep in contact throughout the years. After the earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, Darryl and Michelle were talking about how they could help their Japanese hometown. The idea of bringing the taiko group to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival was born out of those discussions. (Editor’s note: In addition to Michelle’s work on this project, she also serves on the JETAA USA Fund Committee and previously served as JETAA DC President.)
In Michelle’s words: “We brought the idea to the Japan America Society in DC who immediately fell in love with it too. Thanks to the generous financial support of the US Japan council, the project was fully funded. We have been working with Anna Cable (USJC), Ambassador Malott (JASW), JET alum Marc Hitzig (JASW), Shigeko Bork (former Kawamata resident now living in DC) and Masako Mori (Diet member from Fukushima) on the project. Darryl and I are the co-coordinators and have been doing most of the heavy lifting. We are also officially part of the TOMODACHI Initiative.”
Fukushima JET alums Michelle Spezzacatena (2002-05) and Darryl Wharton-Rigby (2005-07)
“The students will be here from April 7-17 and they have a jam packed schedule. We will be doing a homestay program, they will be performing at numerous locations including the National Cherry Blossom Parade/Sakura Matsuri/Kennedy Center, we will be sightseeing and hopefully we’ll be doing a meet and greet with the new Orioles player, Wada-san and a Orioles/Yankees game day performance at Orioles Park. Darryl and I are excited to be with them the entire time they’ll be in the US.”
Michelle adds: “NHK Japan is also working on a piece on Darryl and I in the context of what JETs are doing to help Japan after the earthquake. They have been following us around to different events and will be for another two weeks. The piece will run on NHK Japan’s News9 broadcase during the first week of April when the anchor is doing the show live from DC. They will also try to do an English version to show on NHK World.”
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Below is a press release about the taiko group’s upcoming performance at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michelle Spezzacatena- michellespezzacatena@gmail.com
STUDENT TAIKO GROUP FROM FUKUSHIMA INVITED TO NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
JETAA Singapore announces new board
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Via the JETAA Singapore website:
JETAA SG Election Committee 2012 is pleased to present to you JETAA SG 2012-2013 new board members who will officialy take over from the the current board with effect from 1 April 2012! Thank you to all the voters for your support!
Tohoku tourism promotion video
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Thanks to JETAA Sydney’s Sharon Van Etten for sharing this video via JETAA Sydney’s Facebook group, titled “Colorful Emotions” (sassuga Japanese marketing style), put out as part of a Tohoku tourism promotional campaign:
(I would’ve posted the video, but they disabled the embed code for some reason.)
