JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni. Crystal is a formerEnglish-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works as a media planner in Chelsea and sorely misses all her favorite midtown ramen joints.
Happy hanami season, everyone!
JET alumni Kevin and Aaron seek to educate the masses about Japanese manners on their new blog, iSpeakJapanese. The video covers all the basics that can be a mystery to gaijin, including indoor and outdoor shoes, chopsticks, and tipping as well and a funny tale to boot.
MEF alum Bruce Rutledge, founder of the Chin Music Press in Seattle introduces new members of his staff.
Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-2004) shares her tips for a hanami picnic this weekend.
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Having recently returned from a trip to Japan, during my time there I was reminded of the cultural differences large and s
mall that exist between our two nations. Some were simple things I forgot, such as the sometimes lack of paper towels and dryers in the restrooms and the need to carry around a small towel to dry your hands. Other issues were more deeply integrated into the cultural psyche, such as the surprise that friends expressed when I told them about pregnancy/motherhood here in the States. I happened to visit many pregnant friends and new mothers, and they get to enjoy a long stay in the hospital after giving birth. Also, for working mothers the amount of time you can take off in Japan before returning to the workplace is quite generous (for some cases such as civil servants a year compared to the typical three months here), although I think the tendency for women not to return to work after having a baby is more common than here in the States.
Anyway, the news this morning profiled a story that fits into the larger cultural difference category. According to the report, actor Shunta Nakamura (31), the son of actor Masatoshi Nakamura (58) and actress Junko Igarashi (56), was arrested this weekend for Read More
Robert Weston’s (Nara-ken, 2002-04) rhyming novel Zorgamazoo has just received another honor. Below is the post by Rob on his blog wayofthewest.wordpress.com:
Unbelievable. My little black book simply won’t stop slapping me in the face with the most pleasant of surprises.
GET THIS: Zorgamazoo is on the shortlist for the 2009 E.B. White Read Aloud Award. And here’s what I have to say about it:
EEEEEEEEEEGAD!
(ahem. )
Now then. What this means: E.B. White, as I’m certain you already know, is the author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little (he’s also the eponymous “White” of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style).
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Another good post from my brother Greg on TheDigitalists.com, this one on Kindle and the future of book publishing. Definitely worth a read by JET alums authors and those working in publishing, especially on the heels of the JET Alumni Author Showcase.
Much of the chatter surrounding Mark Bowden’s Vanity Fair piece on the New York Times has focused on the anonymous quotes slagging publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. But what I found the most fascinating was the passage dissecting Sulzberger’s invocation of the phrase “platform agnostic”:
When the motion-picture camera was invented, many early filmmakers simply recorded stage plays, as if the camera’s value was just to preserve the theatrical performance and enlarge its audience. To be sure, this alone was a significant change. But the true pioneers realized that the camera was more revolutionary than that. It freed them from the confines of a theater. Audiences could be transported anywhere. To tell stories with pictures, and then with sound, directors developed a whole new language, using lighting and camera angles, close-ups and panoramas, to heighten drama and suspense. They could make an audience laugh by speeding up the action, or make it cry or quake by slowing it down. In short, the motion-picture camera was an entirely new tool for storytelling. To be platform agnostic is the equivalent of recording stage plays.
I had a similar thought last week when, after months of reading about it and stealing envious glances at it on the subway, I had a chance to play around with the Amazon Kindle. It’s a pretty cool product, though it’s clearly still early in the product life cycle; I’d guess it’s roughly analogous to where the iPod was six or seven years ago. But I also realized that in terms of societal impact, we’re even earlier in the process. So far, the Kindle has made the tiniest dent in terms of how books are distributed. In the coming years, it will change how they’re promoted. And one day in the not-too-distant future, it will begin to transform our entire notion of what a book is.
Read the rest of this entry »
WIT Life #32: Hisashiburi Hello
Blogs, Books, Events, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I have been on a bit of a hiatus as I was traveling around Japan for the last 2 weeks! It’s always great to go back and experience what a wonderful, crazy, beautiful, amazing country it is. This trip was particularly special as I had the chance to visit my JET hometown of Kumamoto where the sakura were in full bloom!
The ones in Tokyo were just starting to bud, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to see them in all their grandeur. I was, however, able to Read More
Seattle-based Kevin Kajitani (Kyogo-ken, 2006-07) just let us know about his blog, iSpeakJapanese.net, which features current events as well as videos and other tools for learning or improving your Japanese. Kevin, who was featured in the Winter 2009 issue of JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine, is the co-founder of Speakit LLC along with his partner Aaron.
As you’ll notice, Kevin and Aaron have a rather unique and creative approach to Japanese language and culture learning.
5 Easy Tips to Making Better Pasta
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Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) is a freelance writer with a focus on food. You can read more of her writing at TravelingTastebuds.blogspot.com.
Everyone knows how to boil pasta, right? -Think about the last soggy rigatoni salad you ate before you answer that question. The good news, is that making perfect pasta is easy is if you know the rules.
To find out what those rules are, click here.
JetWit BlogBeat by Crystal Wong
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JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni. Crystal is a formerEnglish-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works as a media planner in Chelsea and sorely misses all her favorite midtown ramen joints.
This week was a busy one, with two JET alum blogs being added to the blogroll:
Welcome Chen Reichert, a Philly based JET alum and creator of Boto, a Japanese robot tourist inspired by her time in Japan. You can find out more about Chen, her designs and Boto’s adventures at her blog. 
Also be sure to check out the site of MEF alum Bruce Rutledge, the owner of Chin Music Press, a Seattle based independent publisher. His latest post mentions Clay Shirky’s recent piece on the future of journalism.
Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-2004) shares her tips on making better pasta.
Well-known blogger and Twitter guru Guy Kawasaki recently tweeted about Roland Kelts‘ (Osaka-shi, 1998-1999) interview with Japanese novelist Haruki Marukami. Read the interview here.
Also, last but not least, be sure to check out JET alum Lars Martinson‘s Tonoharu, listed on a host of year end top ten lists!
Roland Kelts recent articles in The Daily Yomiuri and Adbusters
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has two recent articles published.
Daily Yomiuri: Soft Power Hard Truths / American anime fans party, but don’t pay
On the widening gap between Japanese and American fandom: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20090320TDY13002.htm
Adbusters: Dame-Ren (No Good People) – A glimpse into Japan’s embrace of Western-style capitalism
On Japan’s new generation of dropouts and street performers: http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/80/japan_no_good_people.html
botodesigns by JET Alum designer Chen Reichert
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One of the pleasant surprises that came out of yesterday’s JET Alumni Author Showcase was learning about Philly-based JET alum Chen Reichert, creater of botodesigns. In her Etsy site’s own words:
Welcome to the world of Boto created by Chen Reichert! Meet Boto, a robot in Japan. During his travels, Boto has met other robot travelers and a plant who is far away from home. Get to know Boto and his friends!
Botodesigns is my little world of Japanese inspired characters. I lived in Japan for a year and spent most of my time traveling, collecting postcards and enjoying the culture and characters that I encountered on a daily basis. Somewhere along the line my experience planted the seed of the idea of a robot tourist. It gestated for a few months until Boto was born and soon after came his motley gang of friends and family along with a plant that is far away from home. In my shop you’ll find my characters depicted in all different media including original paintings, silkscreened T-shirts, prints, handmade dolls, magnets and more! Please visit my blog: botodesigns.blogspot.com
If you like her work, here are all the different ways to keep up with her:
BLOG: botodesigns.blogspot.com
TWITTER: twitter.com/botodesigns
PHOTOS: flickr.com/chenreichert
CONTACT: chen [!at] botodesigns.com
Update: Chen will also be selling her botodesign crafts at the upcoming Philly Cherry Blossom Festival’s Sakura Sunday on April 5.
JET Alums and the art scene
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What’s the connection between JET alumni and the NY art scene? It turns out that a JET alum, Matt Schlecht (Akita-ken, 1998-99), is the editor of NY Art Beat (www.nyartbeat.com), an online art review and listings site, which grew out of Tokyo Art Beat. Matt says they’re always looking for writers to contribute to the NY Art Beat blog, which features reviews, interviews, and photo reports. So if there are any JET alums out there looking to gain exposure for their writing or photography, please feel free to get in touch with him.
Meanwhile, at the JET Alumni Author Showcase earlier today, a JET alum named Alan (I didn’t get his last name) mentioned that he’s an artist in NYC and would be interested in organizing a JET Alumni Artist Showcase one of these days. He inquired about the best way to go about making this happen, and after additional thought my suggestion would be…
- Someone should start a JET Alumni Art group, either on GoogleGroups or Facebook or whatever medium you prefer.
- Let me know about it so I can post info about it on JetWit
- Let JETAA NY and other chapters know about it so they can mention it in their announcements to their members (I can help with this part too)
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Another post from my brother Greg on TheDigitalists.com about innovations amongst the unemployed that may offer helpful perspective to JET alums seeking work.
In this post he compares two efforts to deal with unemployment: Runway Project and Laid-Off Camp.
The positive spin on this development is that the advent of social media has made it easier for like-minded individuals to organize effectively. The more pessimistic view is that, unlike at the beginning of this decade, when a lot of young people experienced temporary career setbacks after spending the previous few years outpacing their qualifications, this downturn is likely to be far more lasting and transformative, and if people are going to reinvent themselves professionally, they better get started immediately; they don’t have time to “just hang out.”
Click here to read the full post.
JetWit BlogBeat by Crystal Wong
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JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni. Crystal is a formerEnglish-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works as a media planner in Chelsea and sorely misses all her favorite midtown ramen joints.
As she job hunts while at work, current Fukui-ken JET Jody Godoy reflects on why she is leaving a secure job with great benefits during these unpredictable times.
Missing your J-TV? Jamie Patterson shows us Key Hole TV, a way to get your lo-fi Japanese TV fix online.
Interesting post from Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-2004), author of Zorgamazoo, about the relationship between the giant server farms used to power the Internet and global warming. Might going back to paper someday be the greener way to go?
Jan Hagels
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Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) is a freelance writer with a focus on food. You can read more of her writing at TravelingTastebuds.blogspot.com.
What’s in a name? A friend introduced these buttery, easy to make, cookies to me about a week ago. They are so good that I have already baked my own batch at home, but what’s up with the name? Pronounced yan hagels, they sound more like a complicated squat thrust exercise than a cookie. Research revealed that these cookies are actually Dutch and they’re usually made around the holiday season. The cookies are topped with rock candy and almonds in the traditional recipe, but I prefer the simple walnut topping my friend uses. These cookies are fantastic with a cup of tea and, dare I say it, even easier to make than chocolate chip.
Click here for the recipe
According to Rob Weston’s (Nara-ken, 2002-04) recent post on his blog, “Zorgamazoo has been chosen by the Children’s Literature Assembly as a notable book for 2009. The Assembly is affiliated with the National Council of Teachers of English.”
Rob explains that each year the Assembly selects 30 titles that “demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style; involve word play, word origins, or the history of language; and invite child response or participation.”
It would be an understatement in the extreme to say that Zorgamazoo makes unique use of language, style and word play.
Omedetou gozaimasu from the JET alum community on collecting yet another accolade for your writing. And see you Sunday, March 22 at the JET Alumni Author Showcase in NYC!
