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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

A surprising (or maybe not?) number of JET participants and alumni become authors, chronicling their time in Japan in memoirs or fictionalized accounts of their experiences living and working in Japan. Others share insights into the country and culture through nonfiction works. All these books open a window into the reality of life in Japan.

JETwit maintains an online library of JET alum writers. It’s a work in progress, and we’d like to expand it to include as many JET authors as possible. If you’ve published a book rooted in or connected to your JET experience, please let us know so we can add you to the list! Likewise, if you know of a JET author who isn’t in our library yet, please tell us about them.

Email submissions to us at jetwit@jetwit.com and use “JETwit Library” as the subject line.

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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

The third edition of Sarah Coomber’s memoir, The Same Moon, has just been released as of April 2026. Based on Sarah’s experience teaching in rural Japan in the mid-1990’s, The Same Moon is described as a story of encouragement and hope. Here’s a little background from Sarah about her book.

“Many of us experience a time in life where we’d like a do-over, and I sure felt that way about my early twenties.

After being briefly wed and quickly divorced by age twenty-four, all I wanted was a fresh start. I abandoned my Minnesota life for a job teaching English in Japan, planning to take a year to reflect, heal and figure out what to do next. 

I ended up the lone English speaker in an isolated rural area, where I was drawn into serving tea to my male co-workers, performing with a koto (zither) group, advocating for female students and colleagues, and embarking on a controversial romance.

Of course I signed on for a second year—not because this was the Japan I was seeking, but because it turned out to be the Japan I needed.”

Learn more at https://sarahcoomber.com/.

Discover more JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

Yan Sen Lu set off to Japan as a JET in 2006 and has been there ever since. After completing two years in Tokyo on the JET program, Yan Sen transitioned into the local workforce, finding employment in the executive search field.

Now, 18 years later, he has established his own search firm, Makana Partners, and has authored a work he describes as a guide for those looking to hire top talent in Japan.

As he puts it:

“If Japan is breaking your hiring process—this is your field manual.

‘We can open a new market in Southeast Asia faster than we can fill a single Director-level role in Tokyo.’ — Every HR Director in Japan, eventually.

Japan rewards preparation above all else. This book names the mechanisms — the cultural codes, the structural realities, and the exact frameworks that the best executive search firms use to close in this market.”

Yan Sen’s book sounds like a must-read for those supporting foreign companies in Japan by recruiting and building teams for them!

The Hardest Market in the World will be released this summer, in June 2026. Learn more at https://hardestmarket.com/.

Discover more JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

Welcome to Sunny Town is Canadian writer, poet, and photographer Théodora Armstrong’s debut novel. She describes it as a darkly funny portrayal of life inside the ESL world in Japan.

While not a JET alum herself, Théodora’s work is likely to resonate with those who are. Take a look at Théodora’s overview introducing Maggie, the center of the story, and see what sounds familiar to you.

“Set in Japan during the early aughts, Welcome to Sunny Town follows Maggie, a young woman fresh out of art school, who moves to Japan to teach ESL and reinvent herself. Upon arrival, Maggie must learn to navigate the disorienting freedom of life abroad. She meets a group of expats and immediately becomes enmeshed in their relationships and personal dramas. She gets a job teaching English, where she meets Keiko, an overzealous student who offers to teach Maggie Japanese, and before long an unlikely friendship develops between them.”

Fellow Canadian author Sheung-King comments the story is “attentive to the power dynamics between expats and locals… observant and unsparing about who holds language, mobility, and cultural capital.”

Intrigued? Learn more at http://www.theodoraarmstrong.ca/.

Welcome to Sunny Town will be available from May 1, 2026.

Discover more books like this one by JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here. 

With Thanksgiving (and the hopes of sensible eating) now just a memory, we turn to colder weather, falling snow, and the new year to come. Fortunately for Japanese culture fans, December is just as busy as the holiday season itself. Whether you’re hosting guests from out of town or looking to squeeze in an event or two in between parties, we’ve got you covered. 

This month’s highlights include:

Wednesday, Dec. 3 (IMAX early access), opens everywhere Dec. 5

Jujutsu Kaisen: Extinction

Various theaters

Various prices

For the first time on the big screen, the Shibuya Incident—the greatest battle in Jujutsu Kaisen to date—will be presented in a special compilation format. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution presents the debut of the first two episodes of Season 3’s upcoming arc, “Culling Game Part 1” ahead of its January 2026 streaming debut. By connecting the directly linked episodes of the “Shibuya Incident” and “Culling Game,” arcs, fans can relive all the mayhem and heartbreak of the Shibuya Incident and witness the reveal of the Culling Game as the story transforms into a new experience crafted specially for the big screen. The desperate confrontation between Satoru Gojo’s two beloved students comes to the big screen with an early preview. Be the first to experience Yuji and Yuta’s fateful battle with the hotly anticipated kickoff to Season 3 in theatres nationwide!

December 4-6, 7:30 p.m.

Mishima’s Muse – Noh Theater

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

Sold out; limited access seats for $40 may be available for performances on December 5 & 6 only

Hosho Noh School’s U.S. Debut! A pre-performance lecture on noh theater begins one hour prior to the start of each show.

Yukio Mishima immersed himself in Japan’s traditional arts and, notably, traditional noh theater, enchanted by its noble elegance and refined beauty. His love for noh resulted in a series of esteemed dramatic works, Modern Noh Plays, growing to encompass eight contemporary adaptations of noh stories. Now, the distinguished Hosho Noh School, originating in the early 15th century and led by 20th Grand Master Kazufusa Hosho, brings this elegant art form to the U.S. in the company’s historic North American debut. In accordance with centuries-old tradition, each evening features a rotating offering of the authentic classic repertoire of noh alongside comedic kyogen theater (performed by the prominent Yamamoto Tojiro Family).  Each play selected for this program served as a source of inspiration for Mishima to adapt as modern stories centuries later.

PROGRAM:

December 4: Noh Music: Shishi (Lion Dance) / Kyogen: Busu (Poison) / Noh: Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)

December 5: Noh Shimai (unmasked excerpt): Kantan / Kyogen: Busu (Poison) / Noh: Aya no Tsuzumi (The Silk Drum)

December 6: Noh Shimai (unmasked excerpt): Yoroboshi / Kyogen: Busu (Poison) / Noh: Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)

Performed in Japanese with English supertitles.

Dec. 10-14

New Dances: Edition 2025

Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard, 155 West 65th Street

$20 members, $40

Four exceptional choreographers are working with Juilliard dancers creating new works here on campus. Be the first to see New Dances: Edition 2025. Gianna Reisen has created works for New York City Ballet and the Los Angeles Dance Project and sets her new piece for first-year dancers to sections of Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach, with third-year dancers as the narrators. Juilliard alum, former Paul Taylor dancer, and founder of TAKE Dance Takehiro Ueyama is creating a work for second-year dancers to communicate something “human, honest, and hopeful.” Juilliard alum My’Kal Stromile, currently choreographing with the Boston Ballet, has third-year dancers sharing the stage with Dolphin Quartet, playing Paganini live. Jessica Wright from Studio Wayne McGregor introduces the first phase of a large-scale work with fourth-year dancers, before it expands to a multi-part performance McGregor will direct this spring in New York, culminating in the world premiere at Sadler’s Wells East in May, featuring the Juilliard dancers and dancers from London’s Rambert School.

Read More

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James McKnight (Gunma-ken, 2001-03) recently published Life, Love & Baseball in Japan, the third book in his series in which he shares stories of life as a JET and his experiences as a devoted Hanshin Tigers fan.

Here’s a synopsis in James’ own words:

“Basically, I went to Japan on vacation in 2000 and met some fervent Hanshin Tigers fans when I dared to enter the Koshien left field bleachers on my own for a Giants v. Tigers game. Of course the Tigers lost to the Hideki Matsui-led Giants, but the experience left a deep impression on me since I had always been a fan of underdog teams like the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners. I kept in touch with the fans I met that night and eventually moved to Japan in 2001 to work as a JET ALT. Unfortunately, I was placed in Gunma-ken, not Kansai as I requested, so I was far from Koshien. This did not deter me and I reunited with my friends and became a member of the ouendan they led. I ended up living in Gunma for 12 years and followed the Tigers at home and away games the entire time I lived there.” 

“Upon moving back to the U.S., I felt my experiences with my Tigers friends changed my life so much that I wanted to share my stories with other baseball fans and people interested in Japanese culture/education. My first book, “Yellow & Black Fever,” was published on Amazon in 2020, followed by “Bad Foreigner,” in 2021. The first book was translated into Japanese and separated into two short versions in 2022 & 2023.”

“My most recent book, “Life, Love & Baseball in Japan -The Final Chapter,” follows my experiences from 2006-2013 following the Tigers as well as life events like starting a family in Japan and learning how to adapt to being a full-time English teacher (not an ALT) in a college-prep school.”

Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, 2005–2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

A number of books over the years have been written about the JET (and non-JET) teaching experience in Japan. JET alum Marshall Hughes (Tochigi-ken, 1990–1991; Ibaraki-ken, 1992–1995) has recently added to this genre with Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me. After his four-year JET experience, Hughes taught from 1996 to 2001 in Mitsukaido-shi, Ibaraki-ken, and for 25 years in Japan overall before retiring to Chiba in 2024.

Hughes’ book differs from others in that his book spans eleven years in four cities. He writes familiar stories of the typical ups and downs that all JETs had, but also gets personal with stories of student tragedies and other less-than-glamorous aspects of the JET, and Japan, life. Overall, the book takes a real look at sometimes hard-to-believe experiences with humor and interesting cultural/historical points tossed in.

Hughes says that when he became a JET in the early 1990s, foreigners in his area were “something to gawk at, follow around town on bicycles, and at times to consider less than human.” Still, his love for Japan never faded. In 2013, he returned for a visit to his first city, Yaita-shi in Tochigi-ken, and as he was walking back to his car from the main school where he had taught, he started crying. “A flood of memories came back to me of just how pure-hearted the people were there. Before I went to Yaita, I didn’t know any place on earth where people had such pure hearts.”

For former JETS, especially those from the early years of the program or who lived in rural areas, the book is a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Of Hughes’ book, author Evan Powell wrote, “In Rural Reflections, Hughes takes us with him on a journey into a rural Japanese culture with which most Americans are unfamiliar. Through his experiences as an English teacher in Japanese schools he encounters cultural differences that are at times charming, puzzling, and occasionally disturbing to typical American sensibilities. He provides us a unique window into a fascinating Japanese culture that we might not otherwise come to appreciate and experience. An utterly charming and engaging read!”

JET alum Joe Palermo (actually a trailblazing MEF) has released a new book of 38 stories, segmented into Childhood, Adulthood, and A Slice of Japan. The work is entitled “Who Killed My Sea Monkeys? And Other Tales of Life.”

The book is described as follows:

The world, through Joe Palermo’s eyes, is always an exciting place. His conversational writing style makes you feel as if he is regaling you with his adventures over a beer or cup of coffee. Whether writing about Smokey the Bear as his childhood therapist, the demise of his Sea Monkeys, living in Japan, or more recent events like losing his wife to a Korean boy band, you’ll feel as if you’ve experienced it yourself.

The back cover endorsement is by New York Times bestselling author Bob Greene, author of Late Edition: A Love Story.

From Bob:

Joe Palermo is a fellow with a delightful ability to bring warmth and good feelings straight from his childhood recollections, and from his current-day observations, onto the printed page. He’ll make you smile and remember.

Who Killed My Sea Monkeys? And Other Tales of Life is currently available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover formats on Amazon.

Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

As a freelance interpreter, I often get asked about who comprises my client base or what my typical schedule is. My schedule is anything but regular, something I would imagine is common to many freelancers. It actually was the JET Program that introduced me to the idea of incredible variety within a daily schedule, as in my role as CIR one day I’d be sharing aspects of my home town with elementary school kids and running around on the playground with them, and the next I’d be a speaker in a panel discussion about internationalization for the community. I loved the fact that what I did every day was never the same as it kept me on my toes, and I have incorporated that spirit into my current work life. Nowhere was this more evident than over the last month, during which I enjoyed a great range of interpreting assignments.

May began slowly with a handful of jobs within the New York State Court System. I’m primarily needed in Family Courts throughout the boroughs or state to interpret for cases regarding divorce, custody, and child support or child abuse, or Civil Courts for landlord/tenant and other housing matters, but I also sometimes have cases at Surrogate’s Court regarding guardianship or Criminal Court for cases of a very serious nature. During Covid all types of cases were carried out virtually, but recently more have been taking place in person.

The second week of May brought the arrival from Japan of Sayaka Murata, author of the acclaimed Convenience Store Woman. I had first interpreted for her in 2018 when that book had been translated into English, and this time we would be working together in conjunction with the release of the English version of her short story collection Life Ceremony (in between these two publications, her stellar novel Earthlings has also come out in English). At the PEN World Voices Festival, Murata-san was part of an all-female author panel focusing on the theme of friendship. The following week I joined her and her publisher in visiting a handful of bookstores throughout the city to sign copies of Life Ceremony. It was fun for me to facilitate her interactions with book sellers, and for Murata-san to get back to old favorites like Three Lives & Company as well as to discover new bookstores like Yu & Me Books.

Read More

Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum Jillian Marshall, author of “Japanthem,” will delve into the nature of memoir in a presentation at the Japan Writers Conference.

Here’s the official description of her presentation:

Jillian Marshall
Reimagining Memoir: Storytelling as Analytical Inquiry
Short Lecture with Q&A online
Nonfiction

What lies between the traditional boundaries of non-fiction genres? This presentation examines the analytical possibilities of memoir and storytelling. Bookended by presentation and discussion, we will read a chapter from my new book as a case-study in analytical memoir, learning about Japanese music culture in the process.

This hybrid presentation and group reading introduces new approaches to memoir devised during my time in (and departure from) academia. Following with a brief lecture questioning the limits of non-fiction genre — what does the slippage between memoir and ethnography reveal? — we’ll examine analytical memoir by reading a chapter of my new book, Japanthem: Counter-Cultural Experiences, Cross-Cultural Remixes. Originally written as part of my doctoral thesis in Japanese ethnomusicology, the selected chapter and Japanthem on whole posit memoir and storytelling as colloquial sites of anthropological inquiry (in this case, getting subtly bullied by my Buddhist dance teacher in Akita Prefecture). With the Q and A that follows, I ultimately hope to inspire new possibilities in non-fiction writing and bridge not just the intellectual rigor of academia with the public sphere, but cultural (mis)understandings between Japan, the US, and beyond in the process.

Jillian Marshall, PhD, is a writer, educator, and musician who champions public intellectualism. Her first book, Japanthem: Counter-Cultural Experiences, Cross-Cultural Remixes, debuted in April with Three Rooms Press. Jillian’s other writings have been published by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Cornell University Press, and Music Television.

Posted by Tom Baker

Sarah Coomber (Yamaguchi, 1994-1996) is the author of “Under the Same Moon,” a memoir in which she describes moving to Japan in search of a reset in life. One month from now, she will share some of her memoir writing tips in a presentation at the Japan Writers Conference.

Most of this year’s conference will be held in person at the Shonan Campus of Tokai University in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, but some sessions, including Sarah’s, will take place online via Zoom. (Join the conference mailing list to get the Zoom codes.) Her talk is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 16 (Japan time). Here’s the official description:

Sarah Coomber
Moment by Moment: Demystifying the Writing of a First Memoir
Craft Workshop online
Nonfiction, Other Genre
Memoir

Telling your story in memoir form can be daunting—you have a lifetime’s worth of experiences to draw from. Where to begin?

Moment by moment.

In this craft workshop, I will share several strategies to help you on your way.

Memoirs, like life, progress moment by moment. The most important thing is not whether your particular story is full of excitement, tragedy or coincidence. What matters is what you bring to the moments in your story—how you view, interpret, reflect on and react to them.

Infusing moments with meaning will help you uncover your larger story. This can occur with sensory explorations, analogies, linked memories, about-ness and more.

I will share what I wish I’d known before writing my first memoir and will coach you through several of my favorite moment-developing strategies.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a scene or observation to explore.

Sarah Coomber is the author of The Same Moon (Camphor Press, 2020), a memoir about two years she spent regrouping in rural Japan after wrecking her Minnesota life. She has worked in public relations and journalism, coaches writing, has degrees in creative writing and journalism, and achieved level four certification in the Seiha School of koto.

Join Lee-Sean Huang (co-founder of JETWit, board member of JETAANY, and former ALT in Oita) for a free livestream on Thursday, June 23 at 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific with Rossella Menegazzo, professor and author of Iro: The Essence of Color in Japanese Design. The event is a collaboration between Phaidon, the book’s publisher and AIGA, the professional association for design, where Lee-Sean serves as the Director of Design Content and Learning.

RSVP to attend the livestream on Zoom. The session will also be recorded and posted online on AIGA.org. Use coupon code AIGA20 for 20% off when you order a copy of Iro: The Essence of Color in Japanese Design from Phaidon.com.

Explore Japanese design through the lens of Japan’s traditional color spectrum – a fresh take on a fascinating topic.

The traditional colors of Japan have been in use since the seventh century, originally to indicate rank and social hierarchy but, over time, their significance has broadened to include all manner of designed objects. This landmark volume celebrates a curated selection of 200 colors (iro in Japanese), with each traditional shade illustrated by one or more items – ranging from 16th-century kimonos to contemporary chairs, humble kitchen utensils to precious ceramics – providing a unique route to a deeper appreciation of Japanese design. Expertly bound in a traditional Japanese style, this stunning book is a beautiful design object in its own right and is a must-have for all lovers of design.

Rossella Menegazzo is Associate Professor of the History of East Asian Art at the University of Milan, with a PhD in Oriental Studies from Ca’ Foscari University, Venice. She is the author of numerous texts on Japanese photography, graphic design, and traditional ukiyo-e art, including Phaidon’s bestselling Wa: The Essence of Japanese Design, and curator of several exhibitions. Menegazzo is a regular contributor to national newspapers in Italy, writing articles on Japanese culture and art. In 2017 she was appointed with the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation.

**In Episode 15 of the JETAA-sphere podcast, we interview Professor Takaaki Hiratsuka, author of the new book Narrative inquiry into language teacher identity: ALTs in the JET program.

Click this link http://bit.ly/VBL-Register to register for the May 28 book launch event!

**Co-hosts: Steven Horowitz (Aichi, 1992-94) & Mark Frey (Kumamoto, 2002-2006)

**About Prof. Takaaki Hiratsuka:

List of Prof. Hiratsuka’s writings and presentations

Bio: Takaaki Hiratsuka is an associate professor in the Department of Global Studies at Ryukoku University, in Kyoto where he teaches a range of applied linguistics courses and supervises master’s and PhD students in related fields of language teacher education and narrative inquiry. He has a PhD in Language Teaching and Learning from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. And an avid futsal player.

**Other JET Alumni or Friends of JET mentioned in this episode:

• Bruce Feiler (Tochigi-ken, 1988-89), author of numerous best-sellers including Learning to Bow
• David L. McConnell, author of Importing Diversity: Inside Japan’s JET Program
• Earth Bennett (Aomori-ken, 2000-03), author of the JET cartoon strip series Every Situation Is Different
• David Namisato (Aomori-ken-2002-04), author of the cartoon book Life After the B.O.E.
• Khalid Birdsong (Osaka-fu, Shimamoto-cho, 2003-05), author of the cartoon series Fried Chicken & Sushi

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Special thanks to USJETAA and CLAIR for their support for the JETAA-sphere!

Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum and novelist Joanne Anderton gave a presentation titled “Speculative Fiction Autobiography” at the most recent Japan Writers Conference.

You can watch her presentation below, and find more JWC presentations — including several by former JETs — at the Japan Writers Conference YouTube Channel.

Also, if you would like to give your own presentation at the 2022 Japan Writers Conference this October, you can submit a proposal here. The deadline is June 1.

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Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum Joe Palermo (actually a trailblazing MEF) spoke at the Japan Writers Conference in October about self-publishing his memoir, “No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners.” You can watch his talk below, and find more JWC presentations — including several by former JETs — at the Japan Writers Conference YouTube Channel.