Mar 4

Hiroshima JET’s “The Wide Island View” – 03.04.13

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From The Wide Island View, the JET Program Webzine of Hiroshima Prefecture:

Hello and welcome to the new monthly newsletter from the Wide Island View! These emails will keep you updated on what’s happening on the website and hopefully give you some inspiration for your next article.

New Articles

If you haven’t been to the WIV in a while, there are plenty of new articles for you to check out!

• Ben Folds Five: Dan Wilson, the WIV resident music reviewer, debuts his new concert column with a review of Ben Folds Five’s recent Hiroshima performance.
• Hiroshima AJET: Cathy Hodgson tells us about her experience learning to snowboard with the Hiroshima AJET crew. Keep your eye on the WIV to hear about all of the upcoming AJET events and trips.
• Winter Blues: Winter may becoming to a close, but Japan’s spring is notoriously chilly so check out the How to Beat the Winter Blues article for some tips to help you stay warm.

Have something you’d like to add to these articles? Don’t feel shy about commenting!

Story Ideas

This list is by no means comprehensive, so if you come up with a story idea on your own, please send us an email. We’ve been able to add a ton of new articles recently, which has been fantastic. Please keep ‘em coming!

Seasonal

• Hanami season is just around the corner and we want you to help us make this year’s parties the best yet. Have any secret hanami spots? Any recipes or suggestions for the perfect hanami snacks and drinks? We want to know!
• Been to any good events lately? Perhaps the Naked Man festival in Okayama or the local one in Mihara? What about one of the many Hiroshima oyster festivals? Tell us about your experience with an article or photo journal.

Food

• Calling all sake connoisseurs – please share your expertise! This article could be a review of different sake from Hiroshima or around Japan, or an insider’s look at how sake is made. Saijo offers tours of many local breweries, so that may be a good place to start!
• Are you a whiz with your microwave oven? Have you mastered the art of cooking things other than rice in your rice cooker? Share your knowledge and recipes! And, as always, any recipes (seasonal or not, Japanese or not) are always welcome.

Sports

• The new soccer season is coming up fast and we’d like to learn more about our very own champions, Sanfrece Hiroshima! Who are the players to watch this year? What are the chances that we’ll win the championship for the second year in a row?
• If you’re a baseball expert (or would like an excuse to become one) we’d love for you write about baseball in Japan. How are the Carp looking this year? What are your predictions for the playoffs? Opening day is only a few weeks away, so help us get ready to play ball!

Culture

• Want to learn more about otaku culture? What about gyaru fashion? Help explain these interesting subsets of Japanese youth culture.

Language Study

• In the past, the WIV regularly featured articles about Japanese proverbs and study tips. This column was incredibly helpful so we’d like to bring it back. If you’re interested in sharing your knowledge of Nihongo, please let us know!

Other

• As always, we’re constantly looking for reviews of just about anything – movies, restaurants, products, books, festivals, you name it.
• Videographers, illustrators, photographers, we want to hear from you too!

Now that we’ve gotten the business part out of the way, we at the Wide Island View want to take a moment to say a big thank you to all of you for working so hard to get this website back on its feet. None of this would be possible without all of your help and support!

The school year will soon come to a close, so we’d like to suggest a new (school) year resolution for all of you: keep writing! We know that it can feel overwhelming to commit to extra work, but think about it this way – if every single one of you wrote just one article within the next few months, we’d be set for the rest of the year. One article per month would make you a superstar. More than that? Amazing! We love you! Well, we love all of you regardless, but you get the idea. We all have the chance to contribute to one of the best online resources for JETs in the entire country, and it would be a shame to let this opportunity go to waste.

Thank you again for your support of the Wide Island View, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Feb 18

AJET sets up “Education and Professional Development” page on its site

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I just noticed that AJET has created a very helpful Education & Professional Development page on its site.  See below.

AJET Education and Professional Development supports AJET Members as education professionals. Whether you have many years of experience and are planning on continuing a career in education after JET, or have never heard of ESL, we’re here to help throughout your entire tenure in Japan.

• Education News & Events
  Educations news makes it easy to stay on top of the latest headlines and special offers from AJET.

• Outstanding Educators Program
  An AJET initiative to support JET teachers through unique opportunities.

• Japanese Language Study
  Courses, JLPT information, and tools for studying Japanese.

• Professional Development
  Professional development organizations, certifications, courses, and ideas.

• Teaching Resources
  Education articles, lesson materials, and classroom techniques.

If you have anything you would like to see added to our Education and Professional Development pages, comments or questions, please send an email to the Education and Professional development coordinator here.

Jan 24

AJET Connect Magazine survey of JET Alumni

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A request from James Kemp (Ehime-ken, 2nd year), AJET Online Publications Manager and Editor for AJET Connect Magazine:

Are you a former JET? Then AJET Connect Magazine wants to hear from you! We’ve got a short five question survey we’d love for you to answer ahead of next month’s After JET Conference in Yokohama. The best answers will be printed in AJET Connect Magazine and distributed at the Conference, so if you fancy having your voice heard and helping hundreds of current JETs, please do get involved!

The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YL3HCNX

If you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Jan 21

AJET Survey: The JET Alumni Experience

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A request from AJET for JET alumni to participate in a survey:

“Every spring and fall, we run surveys on JET Programme aspects in order to create reports to present to CLAIR and the three ministries who cooperate to run the JET Programme. Our Spring 2013 Surveys are officially live and are open until Sunday, January 27th. This time, there is one specifically for JET alumni. We’d appreciate it if you could take a moment of your time to fill it out by this coming Sunday, January 27. Thank you!”

The JET Alumni Experience

The JET Alumni Experience: This survey will ask questions about the reappointment process and the retention of JET Programme participants. Your responses will help us assess which aspects of JET Programme participants’ lives were satisfactory and which areas are in need of improvement within the context of the JET Programme. We hope to explore responses within the reappointment and retention section to suggest improvements for the reappointment process.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/jetalumnisurvey

Jan 18

Candidates welcome for next AJET National Council

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Thanks to Appiah Boakye, AJET Block 9 Representative, for posting this on the Tottori JET Facebook group:

Sep 25

Hiroshima JET’s “The Wide Island View” – 09.25.12

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From The Wide Island View, the JET Program Webzine of Hiroshima Prefecture:

Have you wondered what happens to JETs after they are, well, JETs?  Jackie hunted down ex-JET Greg Beck to ask him what life holds after five years in Japan and how to make the most of the experience.  Read all about it at Where Are They Now? JET Alum Greg Beck.

Now the weather has cooled down, are you looking to get some exercise?  What about an excuse to catch up with friends?  Or a chance to travel Japan?  If any of those ideas motivate you, read Maire’s article, Kure Shipheads Touch Rugby Team – Don’t let the ship sail without you!

We hope you are enjoying the cooler temperatures.  Make the most of the lovely weather to travel and socialise – check out old articles for lots of inspiration!  Remember we update the site every two weeks and we have a forum up and running.  Enjoy!

Charly & Emily

Sep 18

Hiroshima JET’s “The Wide Island View” is back in action

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From The Wide Island View, the JET Program Webzine of Hiroshima Prefecture:

Greetings!

Hello everyone and welcome to the first Wide Island View email for 2012!

After a long hiatus, WIV is back in action!  We have an enthusiastic new team and we are all very excited about bringing you lots of interesting stories over the year.  Apologies if today’s email seems a little large – we promise to update you more regularly in the future!

How are the new jobs going?  How are you coping with the summer heat?  In the interest of helping you feel better in the intensity of Japanese summer, we have had a summer focus on many of our articles this August.

First up, for those of you that struggle to eat in this heat, or are not sure what you can eat in this new country full of kanji, Emily has written you an article on eating, Eating to Keep Cool and Energized During Japanese Summer (or, Centuries of Advice on How Not to Become a Melted Slug).  Thanks to Emily’s article I have discovered tasty tofu soumen.  I hope you discover something new too!

Should you want to escape the heat, check out Charly’s article on Jinseki-kougen.  This is the first in an inaka series that will focus on parts of the prefectures that are off the tourist trail.  If escaping to the cool mountains sounds like something you would enjoy, readWelcome to Jinseki-kougen.  Or just let the pictures persuade you.

If Jinseki is too far away, or you have checked out Jinseki and can’t wait for some more inaka, try Akiota-cho for size.  Before she left, Harriet kindly spilled all the secrets Read More

Jun 7

Message from Outgoing AJET Chairman Matthew Cook

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Originally posted to the AJET website on May 25, 2012:

AJET Chairman, Matthew Cook: My Final Message as Chair

CLICK HERE to read the full message on the AJET website.

A few select quotes:

“This year saw AJET re-branded to clearly show the world what AJET does: Connects people linked to the JET Programme; participants, ministries, alumni, our countries, and the world. That started a chain reaction of more close interaction from all of those parties.”

“This year, you saw the AJET website revamped and redesigned so that you could more easily navigate it. We saw facebook groups created for regions across Japan, to allow JETs to connect with other JETs locally and share what they found relevant to their experiences. We saw AJET make a presence in the twitter universe and speak to the public, as well as multiple instances of coverage in the media.”

“AJET got involved with JET Alumni and members of our council even attended the JETAA International Conference, to make sure current JETs were represented. AJET engaged Embassies and started close relationships with U.S. and Canadian governments, which we’re hoping will result in more and more opportunities for JETs.”

CLICK HERE to see a list of Matt and the AJET Council’s accomplishments.

Apr 21

AJET launches iConnect app!

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AJET has launched its new iConnect app!  In its own words:

This app was made to make your life in Japan easier and less stressful, whether you’re a JET Programme participant or just an English speaking foreign national living in Japan!

You’ll be reaching for your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch all the time, knowing that this convenient app has all the information you’ll need for useful resource information, ways to Connect to AJET for their magazine, news and peer support, as well as a variety of handy Japanese language tools and phrases that you’ll need on-the-go! You’ll also appreciate the retina graphics on iPhone, iPod Touch and the new iPad!

More info here:  http://ajet.net/ios-app/

Mar 15

March Issue of “AJET Connect”

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Check out this month’s edition of AJET Connect! The current edition features stories about what JETs have been doing to make a difference since the 3.11 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, travel experiences of various JETs and this month’s Life After JET section  focuses on a JET alum from California, Sylbeth Kennedy, who joined the US Foreign Service.

Visit the AJET website or view/ download the pdf HERE.

Feb 25

AJET Survey for JETs and JET alumni

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Via JETAA USA (via AJET):

JETwit says:  JETs and JET alumni, please take the Survey!

Re-posted: 25 Feb 2012 12 PM EST

Feb 8

Miyagi AJET to host Feb 17 “Cultures United” event to promote multiculturalism in Miyagi

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Thanks to Andy Anderson for sharing this information originally sent by Miyagi AJET Co-President Cameron Peek regarding an upcoming Miyagi AJET event:

Dec 16

December edition of “AJET Connect” now online

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A really terrific December edition of AJET Connect online magazine is now available for viewing at:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/AJET/AJET+Connect+DEC+2011.pdf

Nov 23

Miyagi AJET launches Micro Grant Program in honor of Taylor Anderson

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Miyagi AJET has launched a Micro Grant Program in honor of Taylor Anderson intended to “empower JETs with financial support in their efforts to fulfill the goals of the JET Programme in and outside of school.”  Read below for full details:

To all Miyagi/Sendai JETs:

Employed directly through Boards of Education and embedded in communities, we JETs have a lot of potential to do great things here in Japan. Many of us invest our personal time, and sometimes our own money, to craft interactive lessons that engage students, to motivate students and spark their interest in English and foreign cultures, to produce quality events educating the people in our communities about our home countries, and more. As the AJET branch for Miyagi and Sendai, MAJET is here to support you in your activities as a JET, and to this end, we would like to announce the “Miyagi-Sendai JET Micro-Grant Program.”

Attached please find a detailed description of the program, outlining it’s goals and how to apply. To put it simply, as Miyagi starts to take it’s formative steps towards recovery from the March 11th disaster, the purpose of this program is to empower JETs with financial support in their efforts to fulfill the goals of the JET Programme in and outside of school.

All too often JETs have great ideas to create language/culture boards at their school, to put on fun events for eikaiwa groups, to put on culture days at the local community center, but find themselves encumbered for lack of even a minimal working budget. There’s only so much that can come out of our own pockets, which is where this program comes in. Whatever idea you may have for doing something that you feel helps meet the goals of the JET Programme (internationalization, cultural interaction, language education, etc.), we want you to tell us about it. If your idea does indeed further the cause of JET, we’ll provide you with money to make it a reality! Initially we have set the range of possible grants to between 2,000 and 10,000 yen, but if you have a particularly good idea, let us know and we will consider going beyond this range.

If you are interested in applying for a grant, please fill out an application here:
https://docs.google.com/a/ajet.net/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDNPaFdVSFUxUDBzb1pZcGttZEdoSHc6MQ

Even if you are currently engaged in an activity that you already pay for out of pocket, let us know and we may be able to provide you with funding to take this activity to the next level. Please keep in mind that once funds run out, this program will be discontinued, so if you have an idea for things you want to do next spring/summer, let us know sooner rather than later.

In announcing this program, we would like to give special thanks to the family of Taylor Anderson, an Ishinomaki JET who was sadly loston March 11th. During what was undoubtedly a trying time for the Andersons, they decided to honor Taylor’s memory as best they could in supporting the recovery of the community in which Taylor lived, and which she loved. Knowing Taylor’s activities as a JET, the Andersons recognize the importance of the JET Programme towards internationalization and language education at the grassroots/community level in Japan, and see the potential for the JETs of Miyagi and Sendai to be active parts of recovery. It is a result of the Andersons commitment to helping Ishinomaki and Miyagi that the idea for this program was formed, and it is from donations raised by the Anderson’s that the seed money for this program will come.

If you have any questions about this program, or if you would like to brainstorm with us and discuss in more detail the possibility of receiving a grant, please contact us at miyagi@ajet.net

Wishing you the best,

The MAJET Team
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Miyagi Association of JET 2011-12
www.ajetmiyagi.net

Claudine Bennent (President)
Cameron Peek (President)
Brian Garvey (Vice-President)
Marissa Godwin (Treasurer)
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Read on for official Micro Grant Program guidelines: Read More

Oct 7

Return on JET-vestment: AJET Chair Matthew Cook on the recent 25th Anniversary JET Programme Symposium

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Originally posted to the AJET website by National AJET Chair Matthew Cook (Osaka) who was an attendee of the 25th Anniversary JETProgramme Symposium, where, notably, JET alum Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), was invited to speak about the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association.

It’s been a significant month in the world of the JET Programme.

On September 8th, the ministries hosted a commemorative symposium at the University of Tokyo to discuss 25 years of the JET Programme; what it has accomplished, and what challenges it faces today. The symposium featured many notable
speakers, such as United States ambassador to Japan, John Roos, and Ms. Yoko Kimura, the Chair of the Board of Directors of CLAIR.

On behalf of AJET, myself and AJET council members Mark Noizumi (treasurer) and Amelia Hagen (Block 10 rep) attended. After brief opening statements by the ministry heads, many speakers were given the chance to spotlight JETs’ achievements, and voice issues pertinent to the program.

One issue, for Japan as a country, that repeatedly came up was the fact that the number of Japanese students who study abroad or attend universities in foreign countries has been on a steady decline for years. This is particularly troubling in light of Japan’s efforts to globalize as more and more businesses are enforcing English as a required standard.

A highlighted concern for the JET Programme itself was the increasing number of Boards of Education who hire ALTs privately, or through recruiting companies other than JET. One of the many challenges the programme faces is how to best promote the value of what we do, and the return on investment that we can provide to the communities we serve.

As the Chair of AJET, I am fortunate enough to work with many people who have done amazing things with their time on JET. As such, I am aware of the many benefits of the JET programme that are sometimes overlooked. However, this made me question…. is everyone else?

How do we as JETs promote the value of what we do and the return on investment that we provide to the communities we serve?

For example, did you know that over 20 of the employees at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo are former JETs? Did you know that after the March 11th disasters, current JETs raised an estimated ¥140,000,000 yen towards the relief efforts? These are only two examples of ways that JETs have given back to Japan. The benefits of JET are vast, and the elimination of the program would have far reaching consequences.

Toward the end of the day, the governor of Kyoto made an interesting point that stuck in my mind. He said that he believes the competition of privately hired JETs and the decrease of requests for JETs is actually a good thing! He reasoned that this competition would serve as a stimulus for positive change in our programme to become better and to show more quality than it ever has in the past.

That’s when I realized…. We ARE the positive change in the system now. As we speak, AJET has been working on more ways to provide resources to make JETs better teachers. Ways to learn Japanese more fluently. Opportunities to develop ourselves professionally in the field of education.

Not only that, but we’re finding better ways to connect to each other online and in person via social media and larger scale, better planned volunteer efforts! We’re finding better ways to let JETs VOICE their opinions and concerns to the not only the ministries, but to the people we interact with in our communities and workplaces everyday!

So, do we need to wait for the ministries to “save JET”? Should we wait for JET Alumni to prove that the Programme is a world-renowned program, that should be held in the highest regard so that we have luck with future employers?

No.

We need look no farther than to ourselves for this. We ARE the future of JET. Current JETs lay the ground-work for our successors who come next to fill our shoes.

I feel honored to have attended a symposium of so many people who have made amazing contributions to the JET Programme, and who all have a stake in its survival. I think we should take this symposium as a reminder that now

is the time for us to make more of this experience. The time is now for us to work together to be something MORE. I personally can’t wait to get started making that happen. I hope you’ll join us.

Matthew Cook
National AJET Chair

Symposium Speakers
Jim Gannon
Former JET and Executive
Director of the U.S.
based Japan Center for
International Exchange.

Keiji Yamada
Governor of Kyoto
Prefecture, President of
the National Governors
Association

Masao Niisato
Professor at Tokyo
International University

Angus Lockyer
Chair of Japan’s Research
Centre, University of
London

Jin Ah Kim
Director of International
Cooperation Department,
Governors Association of
Korea

Yoko Kimura
The Chair of the Board of
Directors, CLAIR

Akira Nakamura
Emeritus Professor