Job: English editor, Chinese>English translation for bank (Hong Kong)
Via JET alum Tim Tsang (CIR Hyogo-ken) of the Tardis Group, a global executive search firm:
A Chinese bank is searching for an English editor for the research department in Hong Kong. Successful candidate will edit English professionally and is capable of translating Mandarin Chinese to English as well. Current writing/editing experienced candidates only please. Please send an email/call for an initial confidential discussion.
http://www.seek.com.au/users/apply/index.ascx?Sequence=67&PageNumber=1&JobID=15307214
The Digitalists: State of the Media 2009
For the benefit of all the JET alum journalists, aspiring journalists and writers of all stripes out in the JET-osphere, I thought I’d share a recent post from my bookworm brother Greg, who works in online marketing and is in the process of digesting the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism’s extensive report:
Good overview from the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism. I’m still working through the complete report (which apparently tops out at 700 pages), so for now I’ll just focus on some of the major trends they identify:
The growing public debate over how to finance the news industry may well be focusing on the wrong remedies while other ideas go largely unexplored.
Forget about micropayments and changing to non-profit status. And forget about a single revenue source being the magic bullet that will save the news business. Most likely, it will take a combination of new ideas, including “online retail malls” and “subscription-based niche products for elite professional audiences.” That last point is an important one; while it’s nearly impossible to get an audience to start paying for a service they’ve been receiving for free, there are always opportunities to upsell premium offerings to segments of your audience.
Power is shifting to the individual journalist and away, by degrees, from journalistic institutions.
This sounds like a good thing for journalists, but as Spider-man would say, with greater power comes greater responsibility; specifically, the responsibilities journalists used to depend on organizations to take care of such as editing, marketing and publicity.
On the Web, news organizations are focusing somewhat less on bringing audiences in and more on pushing content out.
This is another trend that’s potentially liberating, but also scary. When publishers bring users to their content, they also control the options for monetizing it. Even if (…continue reading)
Via JETAA Texoma (Chapter 9):
Dear Texoma JET Alumni:
The Consulate-General of Japan at Houston is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for a special Research Student Scholarship available only to past JET Program participants. Like ordinary Research Student Scholarships, this opportunity provides recipients with round-trip airfare to Japan, all tuition expenses, and a monthly allowance of 152,000 yen (approx. $1450) per month. The scholarship term will be one-and-a-half to two years, extendable if the recipient is accepted to a masters or PhD program.
To qualify, applicants must be previous JET participants, citizens of the United States, have been born on or after April 2, 1975, and should be in good health. Furthermore, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between April 1 and April 7 or between October 1 and October 7, 2010 and have intermediate or higher level Japanese ability. Proposed fields of study should be the same or related to a field applicants studied previously.
More details can be found at: http://www.houston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/culture/page11-2.htm. The deadline for applications is June 26, 2009, so please start your applications soon. Be sure to include your JET experience on your application. If you have any questions, please contact me at 713-652-2977 x2114 or jetcoord@cgjhou. org. This is a tremendous opportunity, so we hope many of you will apply.
Happy Okaasan’s Day!
Happy Okaasan’s Day from JetWit to all the JET alum moms, moms of JET alums and homestay moms too!
On the theme of JET alums and moms, you may want to get your mom a copy of author Suzanne Kamata’s (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) new book — Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering, a collection of essays from 20 mothers around the world.
For some nice background on Suzanne, take a look at writer (and mother) Liz Sheffield’s (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) interview with Suzanne about the book on Liz’s blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.
By Kirsten Phillips (Niigata-ken, 2005-08)
Loving Japanese music from afar is hard.
If it sucks this bad in the red, white, and blue I can only imagine what my poor J-music loving kindred in Yugoslavia must be enduring. Living in Japan was my oyster! For years I had to pay massive amounts every time Shiina coughed out a single or assisted someone else in coughing one out (I am dedicated, if broke…) In addition, much of the Japanese music that gets any play whatsoever on these shores doesn’t usually cater to my taste. Sure, I love Cibo Matto and Shonen Knife but they are practically unheard of in Nippon. That’s because by now they’ve worked themselves so firmly into the American indie diaspora, they are never to return. They didn’t so much make it over there, they left and began over here.
And truly no offense? But PuffyAmiYumi can kiss my ass. No, no, I don’t hate them? But I’m also not 12, thank you. Read More
JETAA Florida Tampa Natsumatsuri – July 11
JETAA Florida’s Tampa Kumi is gearing up for the Tampa Natsumatsuri which it’s organizing together with the Consulate General of Japan in Miami (where former JETAA DC Newsletter editor Abby McBain now works). They still could use some volunteers, so please contact John if interested, willing and able. (FYI, to get on the Tampa Kumi’s Google group list, go to http://sites.google.com/site/tampagumi/.)
According to JETAA Ongaku Connection, Hikaru Utada is back in the U.S. and will be making the below store appearances. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine exclusive interview with Utada, coming out in two weeks!
UTADA IN STORE APPEARANCES
Tuesday, 5.12 @ 7:00 PM
Best Buy
529 5th Ave
New York, NY 10017-4608
For more info call: 212-808-0309
Wednesday, 5.13 @ 6:00 PM
Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood & FYE
1000 Universal Studios Blvd
Ste. 99
Universal City, CA 91608
For more info call 818.622.ROCK (7625) or 310.641.7170
Thursday, 5.14 @ 6:00 PM
Best Buy
1717 Harrison
San Francisco, CA 94103-4272
For more info call 415.626.9682
Friday, 5.15 @ 6:00 PM
FYE @ Southcenter Mall
2636 Southcenter Mall
Ste. 2110
Seattle, WA 98188-2823
For more info call 206.439.3636
Saturday, 5.16 @ 3:00 PM
Sam Goody
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Ste. 1049
Honolulu, HI 96814-4607
For more info call: 808.945.9027
JETAA NY: Sake tasting at JET alum Chris Johnson’s Bao Noodles restaurant
Thanks to JETAA NY and JetWit webmaster Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06) for posting about the event on his blog (http://leesean.net):
I attended a sake tasting and dinner organized by JETAANY on Monday night at Bao Noodles. Chris Johnson (Oita-ken, 1992-95), JET-alum, sommelier, and owner of Bao Noodles, presented a tasting of his restaurant’s Vietnamese specialties paired with Momokawa and Murai Family sake. Chris is extremely knowledgeable about sake; he explained the different (…continued)
Job: Sales/Marketing – Chemical Industry (NYC)
Job number F6190
Title Sales Marketing
Location NYC
Industry ChemicalJob
Duties: Producer to consumer marketing and sales functions within a commodity based chemical environment. You will be challenged to quickly become part of decision making team to determine valued added processes. The job involves a variety of functions beyond its title. You will actively be involved with logistics, financials, customer service items and longer term projects such as “Master Plan” marketing and continual improvement process. Assignments can provide a fulfilling long-term career and serve as a springboard into business leadership position in another business unit. Bilingual Japanese skills plus, but not necessary. Salary D.O.E.
Please email your resume to info @maxjob.com or call 212-949-6660
By Kirsten Phillips (Niigata-ken, 2005-08)
When you’re a Jet,
You’re the top cat in town,
You’re the gold medal kid
With the heavyweight crown!When you’re a Jet,
You’re the swingin’est thing:
Little boy, you’re a man;
Little man, you’re a king!-Stephen Sondheim
Hmmmmmmm….
The issue of employment prospects on my return to the Mothership left me with more than a little concern and doubt. People with families losing jobs or flocking to my hometown in droves to find work. The market in chaos. MBAs rejected by Dominos. It’s a mess and dearie me, what have I got that Sir J. Friends-a-Lot hasn’t? Read More
Music: Hanami Taiko tonight at Drom (NYC)

JET alum Ariel Shearman (a member of the the Soh Daiko taiko group) shared the following (FYI, Ariel studies under Kaoru Watanabe, a longtime member of KODO, based in Brooklyn, and Kaoru is in the group performing tonight):
http://dromnyc.com/home/index.php?option=com_gigcal&task=details&gigcal_gigs_id=736
Thursday May 7th 2009 (TONIGHT)
Naka Naka Series presents:
HANAMI DAIKO!
Yoshikazu and Yoko Fujimoto
(founding members of KODO)
and Special Guests
7:30pm
$15 Advanced Tickets, $20 at the Door
Over 400 hits today
Happy to share that JetWit broke the 400 mark today with 407 hits on the site between 8pm on Tuesday night and 8pm Wednesday night (i.e., tonight)!
Cristy Burne (Hyogo-ken, Kawanishi-shi, 1998-2000), author of the children’s book Takeshita Demons, recently won the first Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Book Bward, an award that aims to celebrate cultural diversity in children’s literature.
Takeshita Demons, set to be published next year, is based on the adventures of a Japanese schoolgirl named Miku. Cristy says, “After spending two years as an ALT and a third working in a Japanese company, you can guess that much of my inspiration comes from the JET experience.”
For more information on Cristy, the award and her work, check out her blog (http://cristyburne.wordpress.com) or contact her directly.
Go to the award website to see more photos from the awards ceremony held this past Thursday in London.
By Kirsten Phillips (Niigata-ken, 2005-08)
Every Situation is Different.
That is the last time I’m gonna quote that fucking phrase. It holds, it certainly does, because despite any nation’s best attempts at uniformity in any manner of regulation, formality or creed, humans are made of wet clay and can be very unpredictable/slimy.

Cartoon by Earth Bennett (Aomori-ken, 2000-03). To see more ESID cartoons go to http://www.angelfire.com/comics/esid/archive.htm
Myth#1: An ALT is an ASSISTANT language teacher.
Come on dudes. The fact of the matter is we are a grassroots cultural exchange thingummy. In order to successfully carry out their expected duties (such as they are), most ALTs must first learn to reconcile their own cultural differences and run with the pack. In Japan, this tends to mean Read More
Job: Bilingual finance reporter for Mergermarket (Tokyo)
Mergermarket, part of the Financial Times Group, is looking to hire a Tokyo-based finance reporter, fluent in English and Japanese, to provide coverage of mergers and acquisitions in the Japanese market.
Experience and understanding of M&A and the broader financial world would be a distinct benefit. An ability to write in plain English is also a must.
Interviews to be held in Tokyo towards the end of May.
Start date: July 1, 2009.
Application period open until: May 25, 2009
Send resume and cover letter to: Geoff Spiteri (Fukuoka-ken, 1998-2000) at Geoff.spiteri@mergermarket.com or +44 (0)20 7059 6107

