Job: Women’s College in Tokyo seeks female TA
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Via PNWJETAA. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Women’s College in Tokyo seeks female TA
Job Details:
Women’s college in Tokyo seeks female TA to work from September 2012 – August 2013. Emphasis on English conversation tutoring. Must be friendly, outgoing, talkative & enthusiastic about working in Japan!
Applications by mid-February 2012.
Interviews for successful applicants in late-March (LA & Seattle)
How to Apply:
If you are serious about applying and feel that you have the right personality & skills contact Lynn ASAP at transitions[at]pnwjetaa[dot]org
Via Noriko Hino of NY de Volunteer. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Position: Development Associate/ Grant Writer
Job Details:
Are you interested in Japan, Japanese culture, and meeting Japanese people? Would you like to hone your development skills, the area most desired by non-profit organizations? If so, this may be your perfect internship!
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Tsurugajo Castle in Aizuwakamatsu City.
By Kris Gravender (Fukushima-ken, 2002-06) for JQ magazine. Kris was one of eight American JET alums selected for the Tohoku Invitational Program sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan Tourism Agency. This article was originally printed in the Oct. 21, 2011 issue of Chicago’s bilingual newspaper Chicago Shimpo.
What could I do? What could I really do? I was fighting the urge to return to Aizu simply because I knew the possibility for contracting some kind of cancer, but I felt I just had to do something. When the earthquake hit we knew it was bad, but the tsunami made everything worse. Then, to top it all off, Fukushima was becoming a “nuclear wasteland,” according to the news reports we were getting, and there was nothing we could do for the place we love.
My wife, being from Aizu, was distraught for weeks. She called her family, friends she hadn’t talked to in years, and even the local International Association, to get as much news as possible. Her aunt and uncle live in Sendai, and there was no communication from them, not to mention that her brother is a police officer and was being sent into the radiation zone to assist with evacuations. Eventually we were told everyone was safe and healthy, and yet this didn’t do much to make us feel better. We donated money, clothes, and food to the Red Cross, but it just didn’t seem to be enough to make us feel like we were helping.
Then I heard from a friend about a program the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was sponsoring for JET alums to return to their hometowns and tour, as long as they communicated with the outside world about what they saw, felt, and experienced. It was almost as if God was trying to tell me, “Here’s your chance.” My wife and I talked about it for days: If I go, what kinds of problems would I face; what would I do while I was there; could I go into the zone for just a couple of hours to see for myself what was happening; and a whole list of questions and ideas. No matter what the answers became, I knew I had to go.
Thanks to Rocky Mountain JETAA for hosting a wonderful and extremely productive Regional Tech Conference.
Honto ni otsukare sama deshita.
1. Suggest lines for a “Shit JETs Say” video by posting them in the comments section of this post or e-mailing them to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
2. Once we have enough here, someone in the JET/JET alum world can make the “Shit JETs Say” video using the below suggestions as source material.
Let’s see if this works. Gambarimashou!
Greetings from the JETAA Regional Tech Conference in Colorado
JETAA Chapters Comments Off on Greetings from the JETAA Regional Tech Conference in Colorado
Just a quick post to say hi from the JETAA Regional Tech Conference being hosted by Rocky Mountain JETAA in Estes Park, Colorado.
-Steven
I’ll Make It Myself!: “Hîragi, Shirakawa-go”
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Travel/Tourism, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: “Hîragi, Shirakawa-go”
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.
When I visited Shirakawa-go over the long weekend in January, I found Hîragi, a cute restaurant along the snow-covered the vehicle-access road to the lookout point in Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go. I was intrigued, of course, because one of my favorite kanji is 柊 (hîragi), holly, because the radicals mean tree-winter. What sealed the deal was the menu: I wanted to introduce my friends to hôba miso yaki（朴葉味噌焼き), and they wanted to try Hida beef (飛騨牛).
CLICK HERE to read the full post.
Jen Wang (Miyagi, 2008-09) is a lab tech in Dallas and a staff writer for the Japanese music website Purple SKY. Her love of cosplay and her junior high school students inspired the name for her own Japanese pop culture blog, Hibari-sensei’s Classroom.
For their 28th annual KidFilm Festival, USA Film Festival paid tribute to Studio Ghibli by screening 10 of its films, plus Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind which was made before the studio’s founding. Since The Secret World of Arrietty was sold out, I decided to catch Pom Poko with some friends. I had heard some odd things about the film and wasn’t sure what to expect.
Pom Poko , directed by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies), revolves around a group of tanuki, or Japanese raccoon dogs (incorrectly called “racoons” in the dub), who have banded together to face the transformation of their forest in Tama Hills into a suburban neighborhood. They cook up various ideas to reclaim their homes, ranging from sabotaging construction sites to tracking down legendary tanuki for assistance. Eventually the fun-loving tanuki have to come to terms with the harsh reality and learn to adapt to the changes around them.
The tanuki in the film appear in various forms: animal, mythical creature, and cartoon. In the presence of humans, they look much like their real-life counterparts. Amongst one another, they assume anthropomorphic forms with personality traits based on the lazy shape-shifting tricksters of Japanese folklore. When they get carried away with their emotions and behave ridiculously, they become even less realistic with their appearance based on characters of manga artist Shigeru Sugiura. The audience gets to see the tanuki in all its forms: animal, myth, and cartoon.
Click here to read the rest of the review.
WIT Life #190: Air Kei’s Historic Run to Australian Quarters!
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WIT Life 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.
Kudos t
o 22-year old tennis pro Kei Nishikori for being the first Japanese man in 80 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open! Unfortunately, once there he was vanquished in straight sets by Scot Andy Murray, but his impressive showing in his previous five-set win over France’s Jo-Wilfred Tsonga bumps his world ranking up to 20 from 26.
Nishikori, who currently lives and trains in Florida, is known as “Air Kei” for his leaping groundstrokes. I can attest to the fact that watching his play is thrilling. A few years ago I caught a match of his at the US Open that turned into a nail-biting five-setter, and was hooked.
Here’s hoping he can build on this impressive showing in Australia and have further success in 2012!
JETAA Chapter Beat 1.24.12
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Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community for another edition of JETAA Chapter Beat.
- JET Alumni Survey – JETAANY is asking members and friends of JET to fill out a brief survey requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as part of the “Return of JET-vestment.” The survey asked about what people have been doing following their time on JET and the data will be kept confidential, so take 5 minutes and help out. The survey can be found here
- Carnegie Hall Flower Exhibit – Thursday, January 26th, 8:00 at Carnegie Hall. JETAANY is headed to a Japanese style bouquet arrangement exhibit at Carnegie Hall.
- Shinnenkai – Saturday, January 28th, 1:00 at Restaurant Riki. Celebrate 2012 Year of the Dragon with your fellow JET Alumni at this year’s shinnenkai. Izakaya style dishes and all you can drink fun.
- San Diego Shinnenkai – Saturday, January 28th, 7:00 at Azuki Sushi. The San Diego subchapter is celebrating the Year of the Dragon over sushi, so come out if you haven’t been to an event in a while.
- JCAW Japanese New Year Festival – Sunday, January 29th, 11:00 to 3:00 at the Washington Plaza Hotel. The Japan Commerce Association of Washington is hosting its annual new year’s matsuri. JETAA members will be volunteering and squaring off in a Karaoke Sing-off, so come out and see what the festival is all about.
- Dinner & a Movie Night – Friday, January 27th, 7:30 at Genki Sushi. Norwegian Wood, based on Haruki Murakami’s book, is playing at the Seattle International Film Festival at the Uptown. Join PNWJETAA folks for a little sushi dinner followed by a 9:15 showing of the movie.
- Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association New Year Party – Saturday, January 28th, 4:00. Get together with the SKSCA group and celebrate the year of the dragon. The shinnenkai will be potluck style, so be sure to bring a dish, dessert, or drink for everyone to share.
- Shinnenkai – Saturday, February 4th, 6:00 at the Nagomi Tea House. Eat, drink, and celebrate the arrival of 2012 with your friends.
- Beach BBQ – Sunday, January 29th, 1:00 at Shelley Beach in Manly. Get outside for some sun and good eats, including yakisoba and suikawari.
- Annual General Meeting – Friday, February 3rd 7:30 at the Nippon Club. Come and be a part of the future of JETAA Sydney.
- Tampa Shinnenkai – Sunday, January 29th, 5:30. The group in Tampa is holding its annual new year’s party with sushi from Yoko’s Restaurant and homemade Curry Rice. Come out and ring in the new year with alumni and friends.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just contact Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
Former Kesennuma JET to spend honeymoon in Japan supporting relief efforts, seeks fundraising and other support
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A request from Andrew Berne (Miyagi-ken, Kesennuma-shi, 1999-2000), reprinted with his permission:
I participated in the JET Programme as an ALT in 1999 and 2000. During that time, I lived and taught in Kesennuma-shi in Miyagi Prefecture. It was a very formative time in my life, and over the years I have remained close with many people in the community. As you are well aware, Kesennuma was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.
My wife Kathleen and I recently got married, and for our honeymoon we are traveling to Japan in April to assist in the tsunami relief efforts and contribute what we can to the town’s recovery. It may not be the most conventional honeymoon, but this is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts. Kathleen and I met while working for the same Japanese company here in the US, and although we are no longer with that organization we still have deep connections to many people in Japan.
We hope to be able to get to Kesennuma for part of the trip, and we are coordinating several fundraising efforts involving family, friends, and colleagues. We are trying to garner as much support as possible from our contacts here as well as in Japan, and we would be very interested in speaking with anyone willing to discuss ways in which we can make this trip have as much impact and meaning as possible. We are also seeking some guidance and advice about lodging & travel options in Kesennuma.
I can be reached at andrewberne [at] gmail.com. If you have the ability to Skype, my username is berneandrew.
Our schedule is as follows:
– April 13-15: Sendai
– April 15-19: Kesennuma
– April 19-22: Tokyo
We’ve planned the trip around the beginning of the school year and sakura season. I’ve also been folding paper cranes like mad, hoping to reach 1,000 by the time we leave for Japan.
JETAA USA Receives Message of Thanks from Hope for Tomorrow
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Originally posted on the JETAA USA website by JETAA USA Country Rep Jessyca Wilcox:
JETAA USA Receives Message of Thanks from Hope for Tomorrow
JETAA USA donated part of their Earthquake Relief Fund to the Japanese NPO, Hope for Tomorrow. The main focus of Hope for Tomorrow is to provide financial support for the incurred travel costs associated with university entrance examinations for high school students.
The JETAA USA grant allowed Hope for Tomorrow to open a program in Rikuzentakata. Hope for Tomorrow also provides English language tutoring to students as a thoughtful acknowledgment to the town’s beloved JET ALT, Monty Dickson, whose life was lost in the tsunami of 3.11.
JETAA USA received a letter of thanks for our financial support, which made this effort a possibility for the students of Rikuzentakata. This project would not have been possible without the unification of our JETAA USA community and the hard work of all chapters to raise the funds.
Click here to read the letter from Hope for Tomorrow: http://www.jetaausa.com/2012/01/23/thanks-from-hft/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thanks-from-hft
Job: 3 Positions at CSI (Kentucky)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: 3 Positions at CSI (Kentucky)
Via JET alum Geoff Tebbetts (Yamagata-ken 2000-03) who works for CSI in Kentucky which is a JET-owned localization/consulting company. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for any of these positions, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Positions:
Youth For Understanding scholarships extended for US high school students
Academic, Cultural Outreach Comments Off on Youth For Understanding scholarships extended for US high school students
Shared by JET alum and YFU alum Jessica Cork who currently works for the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta:
Did you know that scholarships for American students to go abroad have been extended? There is still a chance for students in your area to apply for our 300+ scholarships to have the exchange experience of a lifetime!
Deadlines for Japan summer scholarships have been extended to February 1, 2012 and deadlines for Germany year and semester scholarships have been extended to February 7, 2012. Please spread the word in your area that YFU is actively seeking American teenagers with a sense of adventure to go on scholarship abroad!
Scholarships available include:
- Kikkoman National Scholarship
- Mazda/Nationwide Community Scholarship
- Japan-America Friendship Scholars
- Japan-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange
- Okinawa Peace Scholarship
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
- Stipendium and Stiftung Scholarships
- And more!
All of our scholarship information can be found online at www.yfuusa.org. Please let students know that they can call 1.800.TEENAGE or email admissions@yfu.org if they have any questions.
We’re also always looking for insightful scholarship evaluators – if you would like to help determine who goes on scholarship with YFU, please contact Carla James at cjames@yfu.org.
Thank you for your help in telling students in your area about YFU’s scholarship opportunities!
Mike Finnell
President
New JETAA Minnesota Facebook page
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New JETAA Minnesota Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JETAAMN
And accompanying message from JETAA MN’s Liz Brailford:
Hi all!
Some exciting news is going on for JETAA Minnesota early this 2012 – we’ve got a new Facebook page! The link for it is: https://www.facebook.com/JETAAMN ……COME JOIN US!
We will be closing our previous JETAAMN Facebook group page in a few weeks, so be sure to join the new page to get all the latest and greatest news, job listings, event links, and all other things JETAAMN.
Also, please look out for the JETAAMN February 1 Newsletter…..we’ve had some reorganization and are pumped up and meeting 2012 with a POW! All the exciting details to come soon……
See you on the new Facebook page!
Warm regards,
Liz Brailsford
