Mizuho Reacts to Financial Crisis
Japan Trends 
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Mizuho Bank is making some changes at the top of their corporate heirarchy in response to the financial crisis. I had heard and read some comments that Mizuho and the Japanese financial sector’s exposure to the subprime mortgage crisis and other issues facing American banks was not as great. However, this article in FinanceAsia.com indicates Mizuho may have some significant problems, including a poorly timed investment in Merrill Lynch and losses relating to the Lehman bankruptcy, though it’s hard to gague from the article exactly how bad things are.
I share this not to turn JetWit into a financial commentary blog but just as an indicator of Japan-related trends, since the fortunes of many in the JET alumni community, and perhaps the JET Program itself, are tied to the state of the Japanese economy.
I just finished reading Zorgamazoo, the rhyming novel by Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04) published by Penguin Books, and want to let the JET alum community know that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters, the illustrations, the crazy fonts, the story and of course, the rhymes.
I know it’s not necessarily intended for people in my….um….age range. But that didn’t take anything away from it. It’s an extremely creative effort and I think JET alums (as well as non-JET alums) who read it will appreciate it.
(FYI, I’m not getting paid to say any of this. Honto ni, I really was just curious and found I enjoyed it a great deal.)
Roland Kelts interview on Tokyo FM (in Japanese)
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******Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica and frequent lecturer on the topic of Japanese pop culture, was interviewed recently on Tokyo FM. Below is the link to the post on his blog (japanamerica.blogspot.com) as well as links to the interview clips.Interviewed in New York, Aired in Tokyo, on Tokyo FM
The interview is in English, but the DJ translates in Japanese over Roland’s voice when he speaks and then expounds on her own at times. (I think it’s a little easier to hear the English in Part 2.)
It would be great if someone out there would post an English-version summary of the interview in the comments section below. Or perhaps one person could do a small portion and then others could add to it.
Job: P/T International Programs at Lake Washington Technical College (Kirkland, WA)
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*******Via JETAA Pacific Northwest. I think posted by a JET alum who works at LWTC.
Anyone a die hard INTL? If you’ve never quite recovered from reverse culture shock & still prefer to hang out with INTL than local seattlites, then you might be a die hard.
The INTL department at LWTC in Kirkland is looking for a PT INTL die hard to tend to INTL student needs: i.e. F1 student visa immigrations, academic advising, quarterly registration, social support, event & activity planning, INTL club advising, … Read More
Job: Director of International Programs (Humboldt College, CA)
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Via Chronicle of Higher Ed jobs page:
1/13/2009
- Humboldt State University (California) : Director of International Programs
Job: Japanese – English Bilingual Web Developer (Salt Lake City, UT)
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Via JETAA Pacific Northwest:
Be Part of a Global Team in an Innovative Company!
Seeking: Japanese – English Bilingual Web Developer
Location: Greater Salt Lake City Area
Responsibilities:
The right candidate will be part of the head office IT team to work for the Japan market by liaising with the Read More
Interesting article (“Japan’s Outcasts Still Wait for Society’s Embrace”) by Norimitsu Onishi in the NYTimes today on buraku in modern Japanese society, a high ranking politician named Hiromu Nonaka who is of buraku descen, and a racist comment allegedly made two years ago by current prime minister Taro Aso.
Job: Temporary Assistant – Permanet Mission of Japan to UN (New York)
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Via JETAA NY:
The Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations is seeking a temporary assistant for general administrative duties.
Requirements/Preferences:
1) U.S. citizenship required.
2) Computer skills, typing skills and excellent English writing and verbal communications skills required.
3) College degree required
4) Familiarity with Japanese language and culture preferred
Duration: 5 weeks starting late January 2009
Please send a cover letter and resume by January 21, 2009 to jinji-center @un-japan. org with “PMJ Temporary Assistant” in the subject line. No phone calls please.
Event: Japan Brand Unfolds in NYC at Felissimo Design House
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Tara Hohenberger (Nara-ken, 2001-03) (PR & Events Coordinator for Felissimo Design House) has shared information for an intriguing upcoming exhibition at Felissimo Design House (10 W. 56th St. in NYC) which is featuring a collection of artisan produced products from 30 regions of Japan from Jan 25 – Feb 7, including glassware, furniture, ceramics, paper and textiles and well as lacquar and culinary ingredients.
Click “Read More” to read the full press release, or go to www.felissimo.com. Read More
JetWit is not making this job listing up.
The Australian Ministry of Tourism is willing to pay someone $100,000 to spend 6 months relaxing and enjoying some island in the Pacific and blogging about it.
Here’s the article from the NYTimes/Associated Press: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/world/asia/15australia.html?emc=eta1
Here’s the job listing website: http://islandreefjob.com/ For those interested, deadline is Feb. 22 and requires submission of a 60-second video among other things.
It sounds too good to be true, so my guess is that the $100G pays for itself via the publicity this generates for the island as a tourist destination.
If any JET alums out there apply for it, let me know or post a comment so we can hear about the process (and perhaps eventually the job itself!)
JetWit’s first media hit! An interview by Kinue Imai Weinstein in the January 9 edition of Yomitime, the free Japanese weekly publication, with me as well as with JETAA NY Magazine Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02).
QUESTION
In a recent post on her blog travelingtastebuds.blogspot.com (“Growing Pains“) Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) describes a situation where she submitted a travel writing piece to an editor (her first hit with a national publication) only to see a published version that looked rather different than what she submitted, in rhythm and voice.
She wonders: Is this normal or typical? Or is this just what she should expect?
JetWit.com put the question to JET alumni in the Writers Interpreters Translators (WIT) Group.
Click “Read More” to read their responses. Read More
A JET alum e-mailed me with an interesting question about electronic dictionaries. Please post responses below for the benefit of others (or feel free to e-mail your response to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.)
My trusty stand-by for 5 years died. I had a Cannon IDX-9700. Do you know of any place [in the U.S.] where I can buy one and what model to recommend now? I’m looking for something originally in Japanese- I’ve found that was better for Kanji, but maybe things have changed now.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Haiku Challenge #3 – Winner!
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has reviewed all haiku submissions containing the designated word “pop“ for Haiku Challenge #3 and has selected a winner to receive a free copy of Japanamerica + Susan Napier’s Anime: From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle.
Says Roland: “As a half-Japanese drummer and writer, I can’t resist finding a paradiddle and bubble-blowing carp in a haiku. Congratulations, Julie Matysik–and thanks to all for stellar contributions.”
THE WINNER
A paradiddle.
The sticks connect, pop, bounce,
like koi blowing bubbles.
—Julie Matysik (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-07)
**********
Click “Read More” to read the rest of the haiku submissions…
Read More
NYTimes article: Seeking the Essence of Japan? Look to Germany
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JET alum David Kowalsky, a Seattle-based technical writer, alerted me to an interesting article in the NYTimes the other day: “Seeking the Essence of Japan? Look to Germany” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/movies/11stua.html?_r=1&ref=movies
Regarding the brief talk toward the end of the article about the similarities between Germany and Japan, David comments that the way Germany and Japan have dealt with their war guilt has been very different. He recommends a good book on the topic called Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Germany and Japan by Ian Buruma. http://www.amazon.com/Wages-Guilt-Memories-Germany-Japan/dp/0452011566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231728075&sr=1-1
Side note: David also mentions that he (like me) first “discovered” Ian Buruma way back when he read the now out-of-print book Behind the mask: On sexual demons, sacred mothers, transvestites, gangsters, drifters and other Japanese cultural heroes http://www.amazon.com/Behind-mask-transvestites-gangsters-drifters/dp/0394537750/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231728470&sr=1-21.
