New Spring Japanese Classes at Japan Society of New York
Japan Society Round-up, Language Study 
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| New Spring Classes at the Toyota Language Center
Spring 2011 Japanese Japanese Spring 2011 English Spring 2011 Shodō 2011 Spring Learn To Read Hiragana and Katakana LOCATION |
JapanInfo e-Newsletter December 2010
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The December 2010 edition of JapanInfo is now available online: http://editor.ne16.com/he/vo.aspx?FileID=569cab53-5818-4cc5-93c0-8d69ff4225b9&m=c084f6d45dcb1543a1f92db467644006&MailID=14668522 *(Click here to subscribe to JapanInfo by email.)
2010 Foreign Minister’s Commendation
Seiji Ozawa to Take the Conductor’s Podium at Carnegie Hall
New Yorkers Discover the Charms of Ishikawa
INSIDE THE ARMOR
The Art of Cut Paper in Philadelphia
VISIT JAPAN: Faster and Further on the Bullet Train
CULTURE CONNECTION: THE JAPANESE PROGRAM AT HUNTER COLLEGE
From the Ambassador’s Desk
JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.
Click here to subscribe to JapanInfo by email.
Report: “Reinvigorating US-Japan Policy Dialogue and Study” and implications for JET
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There’s a very JET-relevant report just published by the Japan Center for International Exchange titled “Reinvigorating US-Japan Dialogue and Study.” (Notably, JET alum Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director for the US office of JCIE, was involved in the drafting of the report.)
Though the report only mentions the JET Program once (on page 33 of the report), it’s clear that the still largely untapped resource that is the JET alumni community of over 50,000 worldwide (25,000+ in the US) has the potential and the ability to play a significant role in US-Japan relations going forward given the decline in energy and resources devoted to US-Japan policy dialogue and study cited in the report.
The gist of the report is that “the institutional base of US-Japan policy dialogue and study has started to erode in recent years.” However, the report also “finds fertile ground to deepen bilateral dialogue and better leverage the extensive human networks that have developed between the two societies.”
The main obstacles to reversing this trend appear to be:
- a shrinking institutional base for US-Japan relations and failure to fully take advantage of available resources (e.g., the JET alum community);
- reduced funds available in Japan to support these activities (due in a large part to a down economy); and
- to some extent, increased interest in and focus on China
As JET alums, the above trends may be beyond our control. But we are a big part of that extensive human network that needs to be leveraged. And regardless of the obstacles, the ball is in our court to be part of the solution. Tough times call for innovative solutions.
Gambarimashou.
From JET alum Rosa Sobrino who is a producer for a Japanese morning show in NY:
“Live Japanese TV News program looking for some awesome volunteers to participate as extras on Thursday, December 16, 2010 from 2:30p.m.-5:30p.m. in Brooklyn. We will be introducing a local stunt school and would like to ask some people who can do basic exercise to come. If you are interested, please contact Rosa anytime at 917-755-0955 asap.”
JETAA Chapter sites with JetWit Links
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A.J. the JetWit Elephant
Just want to quickly thank the below chapters for including a link to JetWit on their sites. Our goal is to have all JETAA Chapters to include a link to JetWit. And if they want, also have an image of A.J., the JetWit mascot (who was created by web and graphic designer Zi Mei (Saitama-ken, 2002-05) Click here to read about A.J.’s background and origins).
- JETAA UK: http://www.jetaa.org.uk/links (BTW, if you ever plan a trip to London, take a look at JapaneseLondon.com which is run by JET alum Vanessa Villalobos)
- JETAA Southern California: http://www.jetaasc.org/ (Including image of A.J.)
- JETAA South Island, New Zealand: http://www.southisland.jetalumni.org/information_links/information_links.htm (Including image of A.J.)
- JETAA Sydney: http://www.sydneyjetaa.org/index.php?pg=7 (Under “JET Programme and Related Organizations”)
- Pacific Northwest JETAA: http://www.pnwjetaa.org/?p=1057 (A full-on blog post about JetWit!)
- JETAA New England: http://www.nejetaa.com/index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=category&id=35%3Ajetaa&Itemid=48
- Music City: Tweeted about the JET-Tourist Tally Project. Chapter website coming soon.
Also, a reminder that all content on JetWit may be used by JETAA chapters and any other official JET-related organizations (e.g., AJET) on their websites, in their emails & newsletters, etc. No permission necessary. Just copy and paste. (Or link. Whatever makes your job easiest.)
Special thanks to Sam Lederer (Shizuoka-ken, 2005-07) for gathering the info. If your chapter has a link to JetWit, e-mail sam [at] jetwit.com and let us know.
This edition of Japan Fix actually happened when I emailed JETAA Florida’s Tampa Subchapter rep John McGee (Nagano-ken, 2004-05) to let him know that I would be visiting family in Tampa over Christmas and asked him for the most authentic Japanese experiences in the Tampa area, i.e., where the JET alums go. What he wrote back was perfect for Japan Fix.
1. Yoko’s Japanese Restaurant is in South Tampa (3217 South McDill Ave.) It’s owned by the mother of a JET from years ago. (http://www.yokosrestaurant.com/Pages/about.htm)
2. Kaisen Sushi in Northdale. (http://kaisensushitampa.com/) (14841 North Dale Mabry Highway) This is owned by a locally famous character…he’s a bit of a rocker and a good sushi chef. He made some waves when Hideki Matsui’s press guy asked if he would rent the place out for Matsui to make an appearance since he’d heard about the place and wanted to try it. But he told them that Matsui was welcome to eat, but he wouldn’t shut out his regulars on one of his best nights because they would keep coming back while Matsui would only be there once.
3. Wasabi Japanese Steak & Sushi in New Tampa. (http://www.japanesesteakandsushi.com/) (19601 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard) This is a Japanese owned steakhouse with sushi. The owner is Fumi Doi. He hosted one of our Tampagumi Pre-Departure Q&A’s for new JETs and is a likely sponsor for Tampa Natsumatsuri in 2011. (Apparently his wife encouraged him to sponsor the matsuri when she saw our sad little hand-cranked kakigori maker.) It’s definitely the fanciest and most expensive of the three I’ve mentioned.
Outside of food, perhaps, the best way to get your Japan Fix in Tampa may be to simply attend the Tampa Tsudoi Japanese language meet-up which meets the first Friday of every month from 7pm to 8pm at the Panera in the Brandon Town Center Mall.
Tell us where JETs should go in your area to get their Japan Fix. E-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Write for JETAA Pacific Northwest e-Newsletter
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JETAA PNW is beginning to put together our first Electronic Newsletter to distribute early next year. As we are now printing with electrons, we have loads of extra pages we can layout for you this year. (Desktop publishing based humor!?! Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? )
We welcome any submissions of pretty much anything related to JET, Japan, your experience on the program or with the alumni group. This can come in many forms, such as pictures, poetry, restaurant reviews for those of missing the taste of home: really the sky is the limit!
Please send any submissions to media [at] pnwjetaa.org. Questions? Send em’ that way too. Written submissions can be up to about 500 words, but we’re pretty flexible.
Submissions prior to December 20th greatly appreciated, but late-arrivals are A-OKAY! (I just can’t guarantee they will get in)
Yours in Electron Printing, Web-site-ing, and Tree-Skiing (VIVA LA NINA!)
–Ben Erickson
PNWJETAA Media Coordinator
Update 5/9/11: CLICK HERE to read “Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project“
Update: We’ve set up a Google Form to collect responses as an alternative to doing this via e-mail.
*******
Thanks to the Japan National Tourism Organization for its help in spreading the word about this project.
The “JET-Tourists Tally Project“
Last updated: 05/09/2011 (Thanks to JETAA UK and JETAA DC for letting its members know about the survey!)
- Tourists brought to Japan by JETs: 2,009
- Visitor Days: 22,574
- Respondents: 347
- Estimated tourism revenue (¥10,000/day): ¥225,740,000 (about $2,687,381 @ US$1=84yen)
- Estimated tourism revenue per JET respondent: ¥650,548 (about $7,745 @ US$1=84yen)
- Conclusion? At a minimum, JETs generate the equivalent of 1/5 to 1/6 of their salary for the Japanese economy. This is in addition to other returns on investment (e.g., diplomatic, financial and cultural) provided to Japan by participants in the JET Program.
(See further below for breakdown by prefecture.)
Here’s a simple way for every JET and JET alum to do their part to support the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association.
- Just fill out this simple Google Form that we set up: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFFPeW5zdUZjQ3RZbEJJQ2IzNHJCZHc6MQ&ifq
or, if you prefer….
- E-mail visitors [at] jetwit.com and
- Tell us how many people you are personally responsible for causing to visit Japan (both during and since JET).
Please make sure to include:
- Number of tourists (e.g., Mom + Dad + two brothers = 4 people)
- Total number of days they stayed in Japan (e.g., If Mom & Dad + two brothers each stayed for 10 days, that’s 40 total days of tourist travel)
- Your name + position on JET (ALT/CIR/SEA)
- Your Prefecture + city/town and years on JET (e.g., 2006-10) (this is vital info!)
- Any comments, stories or additional info you want to share
Nearly all of us had relatives and friends come and visit us in Japan. Some of us have brought student groups and organized other exchanges. All of this has provided tourism revenue for the Japanese economy. The goal of this project is to determine, at a minimum, the amount of tourism revenue for which JET is directly responsible.
This information is particularly important amidst ongoing discussions of costs associated with the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association. Many of the short and long term benefits have simply not been factored in. So email visitors@jetwit.com with your responses and let’s make sure this info does get factored in to future discussions.
We will continue to update the numbers in this post. Please check back periodically for updates.
Note: We are assuming a rather conservative estimate of Y10,000 per day (approximately $100) for all tourism expenditures combined (e.g., lodging, travel, food, entertainment and other tourist expenditures). Some people flew Japanese airlines, others did not. Some stayed in hotels, others stayed for free on the couch. All in all, 10,000 yen/day is a very low-end estimate.
Special domo arigatou for their ongoing help with this project to Joe Silvagni (Nagasaki-ken, 2008-10), Mike Shu (Hyogo-ken, 2005-08) and Sam Lederer (Shizuoka-ken, 2005-07).
*******************
JET alums: Help AJET with “Life After JET”
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Share Your Expertise with Current JETs
The National Association of Japan Exchange and Teaching is hoping to make the transition from JET to…whatever comes next just a little less daunting. Our new monthly column, “Life After JET,” will feature former-JETs now working in a wide range of fields and share how they found a job, what they’re doing now and any advice they may have for current JET Programme participants.
Now we just need a few willing former-JETs. ..please contact Kathryn Kovacs at pr@ajet.net if that’s you! You’ll just have to answer a few questions about your JET and work experience via email to be featured in “Life After JET” in the AJET e-Bulletin, website and facebook page.
For more information about National AJET, please check our website: http://ajet. net or follow us on Facebook: www. facebook. com/AJETJapan
New LinkedIn group for JET Alum HR Professionals (and those interested)
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I’ve set up a new LinkedIn group for JET Alum HR Professionals:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3709611
The purpose is to enable those JET alums and Friends of JET in the field to connect. And also to provide a resource for JETs and JET alums interested in the field.
Paul Benson (Fukui-ken, 2006-08) is a New York-based freelance translator who has handled assignments ranging from securities laws to cook books. A Translator’s Life follows some of Paul’s experiences as he makes his way in the J->E translation world.
On Monday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending a small informal interview–all in Japanese–hosted by Shūkan NY Seikatsu (週刊ＮＹ生活), a free, weekly Japanese newspaper available in New York. They wanted to get a few JETs together to talk about our experiences for a special New Year’s issue to be published in a few weeks.
A little background: I was in Japan (Fukui-ken) for two years and returned in 2008 to immediately enter graduate school for Japanese at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While many returnees feel the need to constantly talk about their incredible experiences, I could not have felt more differently. In my first year I was surrounded by students interested in applying for JET (they didn’t want to talk about anything else) and in my second year I was so busy researching and writing I didn’t really think about my time on JET. In some ways this had the disservice of leading me to devalue my time in Japan, to shelve it and move on.
There were six JET alums in total at the interview: Steven Horowitz, Kia Cheleen, Jon Hills (who provided the venue at his company, Hills Learning), Tamar Entis, Stacy Smith and myself. Shūkan NY Seikatsu‘s Publisher & CEO Ryoichi Miura and and reporter Kaoru Komi asked us what we learned from Japan, what we loved about our areas, what we thought was cool about Japan, and what are reactions were to some of the criticisms Japanese teachers have of JETs (all of which you can read about in their upcoming free publication).
I found myself pleasantly surprised at how unique and special each JET’s experience was. I also recalled what I was told countless times before I went: “ESID” (Every Situation Is Different), and it’s still true. Time passing hasn’t made my JET experience any less unique. The only difference is that now I like it that way.
I hope many of you get the chance to check out the article in Shūkan NY Seikatsu when it comes out December 28. (I’ll be sure to post a summary translation of it on the JetWit site for those who need it.)
Design the Nengajo New Year’s Postcard for JETAA Northern California
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Via JETAA Northern California:
JETAANC is looking for one of our talented alumni to design our 2011 Nengajo New Year’s postcard.
The card will be sent out to all of our members later this month, so alumni across two states will enjoy your work. Put your creativity to good use and add a piece to your portfolio!
Send your conceptual design in PDF format to communications [at] jetaanc.org by this Friday, December 10.
We will select a design this weekend and ask the designer to finalize it early next week for print.
Design in black & white for the front of a standard sized postcard.
2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, so make sure this lucky animal is the focus of your design!”
JET Alum J.D. Sparks elected Magistrate and Justice of the Peace in Kentucky
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Thanks to JET alum Terry Vo of the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville for sharing this press release. Terry also serves as President of JETAA Music City (i.e., Nashville).
Pewee Valley, Oldham County, KY – November 2, 2010 J.D. Sparks, A former JET participant and current JETAA member, was elected as Magistrate and Justice of the Peace to Oldham County’s Fiscal Court for Oldham County’s fifth Magisterial District.
JD ran as a Republican in the Primary against incumbent Iva Davis and won the slot as the Republican Candidate on the ticket. He was then unopposed in the General Election. This is JD’s first election for public office. The duties will include evaluation of budgets for the county, new ordinances, taxing issues and a host of other public duties to insure the welfare of the community. In addition the Justices are able to marry people in the County. The position includes the traditional title of Squire.
Along with Mr Sparks there were a number of first time nominees that won their elections and a new Judge Executive. While the position is considered full time most members traditionally maintain their regular jobs and serve as part time citizen legislators. JD will maintain his position as Executive Vice President of Public Equity Group, a firm that does international financing. JD says, “I hope my years of international business operations and political volunteerism will help me in this position.” And goes on to say, “I want to be the People’s voice on the court and uphold the ideals that I was elected under.”
JD and the others in this new administration will be sworn in on December 3rd at the Oldham County Court House. Their first meeting will be the following day to discuss the business of the Community and his position has a four year term. He will represent the 5th Magisterial District, which encompasses the southern part of Oldham County to include the outlying areas of Pewee Valley, Crestwood and the Worth districts. Oldham County is recognized in Kentucky as the county with the highest mean income per household and best schools in the Commonwealth.
While on the JET program, JD was a member of the AJET national Council as Vice Chair and served on his local AJET board for 3 years. He is married to Japanese national and former Middle school teacher Yuko Sunaga Sparks of Ogama-machi, Japan. She currently teaches at the The Greater Louisville Regional Japanese Saturday School hosted at Indiana University South East. They are also members of the Japan Club of Greater Louisville. They have two sons: Manabu and Kenta Sparks. JD is very proud of his Japanese Heritage (his family came from Kitsuki Japan in 1905) and has a minor in Asian American Studies from Loyola University Chicago.
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (December 2010)
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The December 2010 issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world, John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”), is now available online. In this issue:
1. Greetings
2. Rice to Sake: How Much?
3. Did You Know?
5. Sake Basics
6. Announcements and Events: Sake Professional Course in Japan
7. Sake Education Central
Additional Links:
Help CLAIR revamp its “After JET” Handbook
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Via JETAA International Secretary Kay Dunkley.
CLAIR is in the process of re-vamping the After JET Handbook. Would you like to see any changes?
Go here to see what the handbook looks like: http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/current/pubs/after.html
Deadline for input: Saturday, December 11, 2010.
Click here to e-mail responses to Kay Dunkley.
