JETAA UK: Sake tasting at Tsuru (Oct 20)
Via JET alum Vanessa Villalobos, the Communications Officer for JETAA UK as well as the publisher of the Isshoni London website.
In case you didn’t know, sake tastings are all the rage in London. Do you really know your Nihonshu? Following the great success of our last chilled sake tasting in June, we’ll be holding a cosy autumn tasting with delicious, warming sakes. Join us for an educational night, with sake and accompanying nibbles.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 20, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Tsuru Restaurant tasting includes 4 different types of sake, served with sushi and a selection from Tsuru’s Japanese Tapas menu. At only £18 per person this is truly great value! First come, first served… reserve your place quickly to avoid disappointment.
If you’d like to attend, please register by sending an email to Vanessa at londoncomms [at] jetaa.org.uk
Details of how to secure your place by sending £18 will then follow.
JETAA Chicago Fall 2009 Newsletter
JETAA Chicago Newsletter Editor Elizabeth Friedman (Shimane-ken, 2003-04) has put out the the JETAA Chicago Fall 2009 Newsletter (PDF). Have a look-and-see at what’s going on in Chicago’s JET-world:
http://www.chicago.jetalumni.net/newsletter/2009_Fall_Newsletter.pdf
- Letter from the President
- JETAA National Conference (hosted by Chicago)
- Photos from the JETAA National Conference
- Green Teaist Tea Tasting
- Japan America Society of Chicago Events
- Volunteer Opportunity
Two “translating” events at the Donald Keene Center at Columbia University
Via Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999), Assistant Director at the Donald Keene Center on Japanese Culture at Columbia University. To get on their e-mail list for future events, send an e-mail to donald-keene-center at columbia dot edu.
1. “Translation and its Postcolonial Discontents: Controversy over Toma Seita’s Reading of Kim Soun’s Japanese Translation of Korean Poetry in Postwar Japan”
October 14th, 2009 (Wednesday) 5:30-7:00 PM; Serk-bae Suh (University of California-Irvine); Location: 403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. and Amsterdam Avenue) http://www.keenecenter.org/content/view/100/126/#oct14
2. “What Will Be Almost Permanently Lost in Translation? A Cognitive Linguistic View”
November 5th, 2009 (Thursday) 4:00-5:30 PM; Seiichi Makino (Princeton University); Location: 569 Lerner Hall, Columbia University (114th St. and Broadway) http://www.keenecenter.org/content/view/100/126/#nov
Kabuki in San Francisco for $10-$20!?!
Thanks to JETAA Northern California Co-President Rod McLeod for sharing the following:
This rare and special event introduces audiences to the history of kabuki, featuring an informative lecture and exquisite performance of the classical, stylized Japanese theatre form. Celebrated kabuki actors Kyozo Nakamura and Matanosuke Nakamura lead a 14-member troupe from the world-renowned Shochiku Co.
Actors
- Kyozo Nakamura
- Matanosuke Nakamura
Musicians
- Ichishiro Yoshimura: Classical Japanese vocal ensemble
- Ishinosuke Yoshimura: Classical Japanese vocal ensemble
- Shoen Kineya: Shamisen
- Rokujiro Kineya: Shamisen
- Dentaro Tanaka: Japanese flute
- Tashu Mochizuki: Japanese standing drum
- Takijuro Mochizuki: Japanese shoulder drum
Presented by the College of Creative Arts and College of Humanities at San Francisco State University, General Consulate of Japan and Japan Foundation.
Press coverage
Hokubei Mainichi, Oct. 17, 2009
Just found out about another JET alum writer:
Popp, Laura (Mie-ken, 2008-Present)
- Laura is a current JET who writes fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults, and is an occasional playwright/film maker.
- Here’s one of her short stories titled “In theShadow Realm” – http://www.viatouch.com/learn/Storystation/Stories/in_shadow_realm.jsp
- Here’s a documentary she made in Malawi (on YouTube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApdQpfi4i7E
- To read about her amazing adventures all over Japan, check out her her blog: laurajanepopp.livejournal.com
For info on all the known writers in the JET-o-sphere (known to JetWit), check out the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library.
Job: Japan Youth Venture Director for Ashoka (Japan)
Thanks to JET alum Goran Seletkovit for sharing the below job opening:
WANTED: JAPAN Youth Venture Director
Ashoka (www.ashoka.org) is the world’s largest association of social entrepreneurs — men and women who are creating new institutions and system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Since 1980, Ashoka has pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship, electing and connecting more than 2,000 individuals with system-changing ideas in over 70 countries.
Ashoka’s Youth Initiative has harnessed the innovations and efforts of Ashoka’s social entrepreneurs in the field of youth development to create the Youth Venture program that is building a movement of young social entrepreneurs. (See www.youthventure.org) Ashoka believes that young people globally are key to Ashoka’s overall vision of developing a productive, innovative and engaged civil society. By investing in and building a movement of young social “Venturers” around the world, Ashoka aims to change fundamentally the role of young people in society and to foster in young people the motivation, skills and opportunities to become leaders and social change makers.
THE OPPORTUNITY:
- Spread and adaptation of Ashoka’s Youth Venture program within Japan
- Program management, including operationalizing, budgeting, monitoring and evaluating the youth social entrepreneurship program
- Development and ongoing relationship management of corporate and social sector partners
- Capacity building of partner organizations’ program coordinators/facilitators
- Fundraising and strategic planning for program sustainability
- Marketing and market research
Bankruptcy Bill #20 – Fantasy Bankruptcy
BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.
(Click here to see larger version of the cartoon.)
Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post. Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.
Event: The World of Children’s Book Publishing with Alvina Ling (Yokohama)
Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following, which she mentioned is, “a great opportunity for writers in Japan to meet one of the top editors in the world of children’s books.”
The World of Children’s Book Publishing
with
Alvina Ling, Senior Editor
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Manuscript critiques 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Place: Yokohama International School, Middle Building Cafeteria, Yokohama
For access information and maps, visit www.yis.ac.jp
Fee: Advance Registration 4,000 yen SCBWI members; 7,000 yen nonmembers (contact info@scbwi.jp by November 5)
At the Door 5,000 yen SCBWI members; 8,000 yen nonmembers
Reservations: Required! Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve your place.
This event will be in English.
SCHEDULE
************ Read More
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (October 2009)
The October 2009 issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and leading sake expert John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) is now available online. In this issue:
The Boyz of Nada
Did You Know? Sake Day
SCHEDULED AND CONFIRMED: Guided Sakagura Tours
NEW! Sake Professional Courses in Las Vegas and Japan
Learn More About Sake eBooks
Odds-n-Ends
Additional links:
Sake World Website
More About Us
Archive
Subscribe
JapanInfo eNewsletter September 2009
The September 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online. 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.
Highlights include:
- PM Hatoyama in NY
- PM Hatoyama in Pittsburgh
- Japanese Elementary Schools: More than Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
- From the Ambassador’s Desk
- Art of the Samurai at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.
Event: JETAA Sydney Returnees Networking and Careers Night – Oct 30
Via Michelle Fox of JETAA Sydney:
Returnees Networking & Careers Night: “Jump into life after JET”
Looking for a job, or a change of career? Come to our Networking and Careers night for JET Returnees, or any jobseekers in Sydney.
When: October 30, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: The Japan Foundation
Keynote speaker – Paul Burgess, Author of Natural Born Success as shown on Today Tonight.
JETAA International Conference in Jamaica – Twitter Update 10.3.09
Here’s another update from the JETAA International Conference in Jamaica this weekend. Thanks to one Ryan Hart, one of JETAA USA’s three country reps, for continuing to Twitter live from the conference.
Here’s the link to the feed if you want it: http://twitter.com/jetaausa
And here’s a sampling of the latest tweets:
Web presence discussion from Paul D.about 1 hour ago from mobile web
Day 2- begins! Everyone is excited to get a lot done today!about 1 hour ago from mobile web
The dinner at the amabassador’s residence was beautiful. Ambassador Yamaguchi played a duet with his wife. Mononokehime.about 1 hour ago from mobile web
Thanks to @enfu for all of the great art donated for the conference. We are doing a raffle to win to support @roomtoread.about 15 hours ago from mobile web
We are all wrapped up for day oabout 16 hours ago from mobile web
Discussing the JETAA support of Room to Read.about 18 hours ago from mobile web
Had a busy afternoon of small group discussion on career support, events/activities, community participation, educational supportabout 18 hours ago from mobile web
BAPCPA Man #10 – Bedtime for BAPCPA Man
BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill are cartoons created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. For more cartoons, original bankruptcy haiku and even a bankruptcy country song, go to bankruptcybill.us.
Click here to see a larger image of the cartoon.
Additionally, if anyone would like to take a stab at translating the cartoon into Japanese for JetWit’s Japanese fans out there, feel free to post in the comments section of this post. Some cultural explanation might be helpful as well, given that Japanese bankruptcy laws are very different than the U.S.
JETAA International Conference Twittered live from Jamaica!
JETAA Jamaica (ya’ mon, there really is a JET alumni chapter in Jamaica) is hosting this year’s JETAA International Conference today and all weekend. And in a nice use of new media, Ryan Hart, one of JETAA USA’s three country reps, is Twittering live from the conference and doing a great job.

Welcome to the JETAA International Conference!!!
Here’s the feed for all the JETAA conference junkies out there: http://twitter.com/jetaausa
And here’s a sampling of some of the tweets so far (some of which are clearly in my interest to re-post):
Steven H at JETWIT got another special mention in the CLAIR presentation. Steven will be on the next JET Streams too. awesome!32 minutes ago from mobile web
JET Streams newsletter is only being distributed over email and online this yearabout 1 hour ago from web
GIA form deadines are even more important with the new system. Don’t Miss them!about 1 hour ago from web
CLAIR reminded us to save Basic GIA receipts in case of auditabout 1 hour ago from web
After lunch, CLAIR Tokyo is confirming GIA changes JETAA chapters received at the US National Conference.about 1 hour ago from web
Gloria mentioned Steven H spoke as key note at the JETAA Canada National conference. Getting serious kudos in Jamaica. Hope u have an agent!about 2 hours ago from web
The Regional Tech Conference in Portland is creating quite a buzz! Tech is definitely a huge theme for the conference. We are aligned!about 3 hours ago from web
Shree is showcasing USCapters activities with highlights on the JETAANY career forum and author showcaseabout 3 hours ago from web
Roland Kelts to speak at anime event in St. Louis – Sat, 10/3
Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will be giving a talk in St. Louis tomorrow as part of the Anime at UMSL event featuring renowned translator of anime and manga, Frederik L. Schodt, as well as a screening of the film PAPRIKA. The event is being run by the University of Missouri at St. Louis’ Center for International Studies.
All you Missouri JET alums out there, make sure to introduce yourself and say hi if you happen to attend.
Click here for full details: http://www.umsl.edu/services/cis/special_projects/ANIME_at_UMSL/anime_at_umsl.html

