May 13

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘A Girls’ Guide to the Islands’

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata–ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub–Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com. Exploring local wonders with loved ones can conjure up magical memories—and an […]


Dec 23

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘The JET Program and the US-Japan Relationship: Goodwill Goldmine’

    By Eden Law (Fukushima-ken, 2010-11) for JQ magazine. Eden is the current JETAA New South Wales President (in Sydney, Australia) and Australian JET Alumni Association Country Representative, and handles the social media/website side for JETAA International as Webmaster. He also runs the Life After JET podcast. Note: Spelling is always problematic when dealing […]


Jul 19

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘A True Novel’

By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules. This is the story of a poor boy that had the misfortune to […]


Jun 28

JQ Magazine: Video Game Tunes Launch World Tour with ‘rePlay: Symphony of Heroes’

  By David Namisato (Aomori-ken CIR, 2002-04) for JQ magazine. David is an illustrator in Toronto who spent two years on JET as a CIR while also teaching half of Ajigasawa-machi’s elementary schools. David is best known for Life After the B.O.E., a webcomic and graphic novel he created about the wacky and wonderful experiences […]


Jun 8

JQ Magazine: Book Review—‘Cinema of Actuality’

By Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) for JQ magazine. Lyle has completed a master’s program at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and has been writing for the JET Alumni Association of New York since 2004. He is also the goalkeeper for FC Japan, a New York City-based soccer team. Yuriko Furuhata’s […]


May 24

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘The Guest Cat’

By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules. Born in 1950, Takashi Hiraide is a talented writer across many fields including […]


May 10

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Turning Point: 1997-2008’ by Hayao Miyazaki

By Alexis Agliano Sanborn (Shimane-ken, 2009-11) for JQ magazine. Alexis is a graduate of Harvard University’s Regional Studies—East Asia (RSEA) program, and currently works as an executive assistant at Asia Society in New York City. I consider myself an aficionado of director and animator Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Having seen his work countless times, visited the museum in Tokyo and […]


Apr 19

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Apparitions: Ghosts of Old Edo’

By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules. Miyuki Miyabe is a Japanese author who writes widely popular fantasy, science fiction, […]


Mar 22

JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Cool Japan: A Guide to Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku and Japanese Culture Past and Present’

  By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on his blog http://brittlejules.wordpress.com and Twitter @brittlejules. When was the last time you picked up a non-fiction book […]


Feb 22

JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Public Properties: Museums in Imperial Japan’

  By Jessica Sattell (Fukuoka-ken, 2007-08) for JQ magazine. Jessica is a freelance writer and a graduate student in arts journalism. Her favorite museum in all of Japan is the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, but the Mori Art Museum is a close second. Artist Barbara Kruger poses the pinnacle of questions in an untitled 1991 […]


Jan 26

JQ Magazine: MIT Professor Ian Condry Explores ‘The Soul of Anime’

  By Sheila Burt (Toyama-ken, 2010-12) for JQ magazine. Sheila is a Chicago-based journalist who blogs at www.sheilaburt.com. Anime can easily be called a global phenomenon. In the past few decades, several anime TV series and movies have grown so successful that even people with little knowledge of Japanese culture can probably name at least […]


Dec 29

JQ Magazine: Manga Review — ‘Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan’

  By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently seeking opportunities with publications in New York. You can follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on Twitter @brittlejules. Shigeru Mizuki is a world-famous manga artist and writer best known for his work on yokai, which […]


Nov 30

JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Life in Japan: The First Year’

By Lana Kitcher (Yamanashi-ken, 2010-12) for JQ magazine. Lana is the business development associate for Bridges to Japan. To read more about Lana’s adventures in Japan and New York, visit her blog at Kitcher’s Café. Victor Edison is a young man who remembers always having some Japanese influences present throughout his life. His family hosted a Japanese exchange […]


Oct 26

JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Dreams of Love, Etc.’ from ‘Monkey Business Volume 3’

By Sharona Moskowitz (Fukuoka-ken, 2000-01) for JQ magazine. Sharona is interested in fresh, new voices in fiction and creative nonfiction. In the latest issue of contemporary Japanese literature anthology Monkey Business Volume 3, Japanese novelist Mieko Kawakami writes of roses, post-earthquake malaise and a friendship that never quite consummates. We first encounter the narrator, who inexplicably calls herself Bianca, as she stands […]


Oct 5

JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘Three Scenarios in Which Hana Sasaki Grows a Tail’

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad currently studies responsible tourism management at Leeds Metropolitan University. For more on his life in the UK and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com. As mysterious as Japan seems to be, there are numerous occurrences in the country that […]


Page Rank