JET alum Lars Martinson, author of the graphic novel Tonoharu: Part 1, just completed a 10-part series on his site (larsmartinson.com) all about self-publishing. While he writes from an “alternative cartoonist” perspective, he offers valuable insight and experience for any JET alums in the writing or publishing business.
Perspectives include:
- Cartooning is a poor career choice, so make sure you have alternative revenue streams
- Seek funding such as the Xeric Grant, Monbusho scholarships and other sources of funding
Taking advantage of Amazon Associates, and selling related merchandise- Suggestions on how to create an effective online presence
- How to find established distributors in your field
- How to manage sales and money
- Plus plenty of other helpful concrete suggestions gleaned from personal experience and struggle
You can also read a nice article about Lars from the Winter 2008 “Digital Media” Issue of the JETAA NY Newsletter, written by Alexei Esikoff (Fukushima-ken, 2001-02).
Two Upcoming Events with Sake Sommelier Chris Johnson (Oita-ken, 1992-95)
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Sake sommelier Chris Johnson (Oita-ken, 1992-95) will be sommelier-ing at two upcoming events. FYI, Chris is also the owner of Bao Noodles, the Vietnamese-style restaurant on 2nd Ave. between 22nd & 23rd Sts., and has provided gift certificates for several JETAA NY Newsletter contests.
Zagat’s Presents
THE ART OF SAKE PAIRING
December 8, 2008, 6 PM & 8:30 PM
Kyotofu, 705 Ninth Ave. (bet. 48th & 49th Sts.)
Join infamous New York sake sommelier Chris Johnson at this award-winning Midtown Japanese spot for a an informative six-course dinner pairing food and sake.
Event Details: $75 for six courses with sake and cocktails, tax and tip not included. More information here.
ASIA SOCIETY PRESENTS
Panel Discussion
Wine and Spirits with Asian Cuisine: A Perfect Pairing! (with live webcast)
Savory Productions / Saveur Magazine
Date: December 1st
6:30 – 9:00 pm
Location: New York
Asia Society and Museum, Auditorium, 725 Park Avenue, New York
Cost: $15 students; $15 members; $30 nonmembers
Buy Tickets Online
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Web: http://www.savoryproductions.com/
Panelists:
– Cynthia Sin-yi Cheng, Founder, cyn-et-vin; Wine Editor, Cravings, New York
– Chris Johnson, Mixologist and Sake Master, Bao 111, New York
– Litty Mathew, Mixologist, Modern Spirits, Monrovia, California
Moderator:
– James Oseland, Editor in Chief, Saveur Magazine
Get more information here.
Akiko Wada, interviewed at Kinokuniya by Store Manager John Fuller
By Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02)
If you’ve ever watched TV in Japan on New Year’s Eve, chances are you’ve seen Akiko Wada. One of Japan’s most celebrated stars, the singer and entertainment personality has made over 20 appearances on the annual Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red-White Song Contest). To celebrate her 40th year in show business, the “Female Emperor” performed a landmark one-night-only concert, Power & Soul, at Harlem’s renowned Apollo Theater on September 29.
Born in Osaka, the headstrong Wada made her recording debut in 1968, shortly after dropping out of high school at age 17. The following year, she broke big with “Doushaburi no Ame no Naka de” (In the Pouring Rain), with pop stardom and numerous variety show hosting gigs to follow. With her tall, stocky build and direct nature, Wada is something of an anomaly in the Japanese entertainment world, where women are less encouraged to speak their mind or even think about criticizing their peers.
Three days before the Apollo date, Wada held court at a press event in Midtown’s Kinokuniya Books. Hosted by store manager John Fuller, the conference (conducted entirely in Japanese) kicked off with an a cappella performance of “Amazing Grace” from American vocal trio The Wild Women, who also opened Wada’s concert.
The superstar then emerged from the back to thunderous applause, fielding questions from Fuller and the Japanese media. She gushed about New York, which she’s visited eight times, and explained that she hand-picked the Apollo over venues like Carnegie Hall because of the “sacred place”‘s ties to the R&B acts that inspired her growing up.
Other questions focused on her rehearsal of English-language songs Read More
Seeking JET alumni authors
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Are you a JET alum? Have you ever written a book? Do you know of any JET alumni who have authored a book?
JetWit is trying to track down any and all JET alumni authors, well-known and obscure. If you’ve ever written a book or know of another JET alum who has, please e-mail any info to stevenwaseda /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
Below is a list of JET alumni authors JetWit knows about. (To see the books they’ve written, go to jetwit.com/wordpress/library/authorsbooks/.)
- Auslin, Michael
- Beaton, Hamish (Osaka, 1996-99)
- Feiler, Bruce (Tottori-ken, 1989-90)
- Ferguson, Will (Nagasaki-ken, 1991-94)
- Kelts, Roland (Osaka, 1998-99)
- Kennedy, James (Nara-ken, 2004-06)
- Klar, Nicholas (Prefecture, Years)
- Kootnikoff, David (Prefecture, Years)
- Levitas, Ethan (Prefecture, Years)
- McConnell, David L. (Prefecture, Years)
- Tessler, Manya (Prefecture, Years)
Job Listing: Write Blog Entries About Japanese/Korean/Chinese Idols
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From Craigslist Tokyo:
Japanese / Korean / Chinese Stars / Idols writer / blogger WANTED (Tokyo, Japan)
Reply to: job-926543896@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-11-20, 2:57PM JT
Looking for bloggers / writers who likes to write about Japanese/Asian TV Stars, Actors, Musicians and Idols. Easy and fun job. Very flexible time (you can write the blog post ANYTIME you want. 10pm, 2am no problem. No stress.
日本の芸能人、アイドル、歌手などの事をブログ投稿 Read More
Japanese Baseball
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Here are some stories we’re sure that George Rose (Fukushima-ken, 1989-91) is following. George, a former JETAA NY President, currently works for the New York Yankees in Tokyo and previously served as Hideki Irabu’s interpreter.
16-Year-Old Japanese Girl With Knuckleball Drafted by Professional Baseball Team – Apparently she was inspired to learn it from watching the Red Sox’ Time Wakefield.
MLB vs. Japan: Tensions Over Recruiting of Young Japanese Phenom – George’s boss Brian Cashman is quoted in the article. Looks like the Yankees’ don’t want to ruffle their relationship with the Yomiuri Giants and also recognize the benefit of other teams not signing this guy to pitch against them.
Seattle Mariners Hire Don Wakamatsu as Manager; First Asian-American to Manage in MLB – The article notes that Don’s father was born in a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII. For more on that topic, read Justin Tedaldi’s review of a documentary titled Passing Poston in the Fall 2008 “Politics” Issue of the JETAA NY Quarterly newsletter.
The US-Japan Alliance: A new report by JET alum Michael Auslin
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A new report is out by JET alum Michael Auslin and Christopher Griffin entitled The US-Japan Alliance in a New Era.
Michael Auslin is a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former professor of Japanese history at Yale. Christopher Griffen is the security policy advisor to Sen. Joe Lieberman (who seems to held on to his chair in the Senate). The two will be speaking together on a panel at an AEI event on November 20.
You can read the executive summary and you can also download the PDF of the full report.
JETAA NY Newsletter: ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL – A discussion with Inuyama City Councilman Anthony Bianchi (Aichi-ken, 1987-91)
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Interview by Michael Glazer (Chiba-ken, 1995-97)
Want to hear the full interview? Click here to get the podcast.
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn native Anthony Bianchi (Aichi-ken, 1987-91), the first-ever North American to hold an elected position in Japan, is still going strong in his role as a city councilman in Inuyama-shi, Aichi-ken. 
Michael Glazer: You have a very interesting background. How does a JET program teacher become a city council member?
Anthony Bianchi: Well, I’ll try to make the story as short as possible. I studied filmmaking at New York University and I was interested in Kurasawa films and whatnot, and I was out in L.A. for a while. I came back to New York. I was working for New York City and I saw an ad in the paper about the Expo that was held in Gifu about 20 years ago. So I went over to Japan on a homestay program and decided it would be nice to try to live there for a year or so. I joined the JET program, stayed for a couple years, and decided I wanted to stay longer.
I was teaching, working for the Board of Education in Inuyama, and I kind of got involved in the administrative aspects of it. I was banging my head against a lot of brick walls and finding that I had to get in touch with the mayor and the city council people to help back up what we were doing. I finally got to a point where I got tired of complaining about things and needing other people’s help, so I decided to try and do something myself. I ran in the election and somehow I got elected, believe it or not.
MG: Once you were elected into office, were there any things early on that struck you as unexpected? Read More
Roland Kelts Update – 11/17/08
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), the author of Japanamerica and a professor at Todai, is back in Japan and up to some interesting things.
NPR: He’s putting together a program about Japan’s generation gap and disaffected youth culture for WNYC’s Studio 360. It will likely air in January.
Anime Masterpieces: Creating and editing a Study Guide for the next film in the 
series, Tekkonkinkreet. Go to animemasterpieces.com for more info on the panel. The most recent event was on the 14th at the Waterloo Festival of Animated Cinema in Canada. The next event will be Dec. 6th at the Smithsonian featuring John Dower, Susan Napier and Fred Schodt. The next event in which Roland will appear will be Feb. 11 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Who: Attending all four of their Kanto area shows and spending time with Pete Townsend and his assistant and crew (with whom he’s become friends!) According to Roland, the shows have been spectacular, with rabidly enthusiastic responses from Japanese fans–who stand and cheer through the entire concert (which he observes is fairly unusual for usually reserved Japanese concert-goers). The final two shows will be at Budokan.
He even received a compliment from Pete Townsend on his latest Daily Yomiuri column, which Pete read one morning when the paper was delivered to his hotel room.
Adbusters Magazine: Has become a contributing writer/editor at Adbusters magazine (http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/too_comfortable_to_take_risks.html), which means he provides a story from Japan for every issue, starting this past September. A scan of his story from the lates issue 
is, The MANGA MAN, is available on Roland’s blog. Meanwhile, the current issue of Adbusters has a lengthy feature by Roland on the recent success of Kanikosen (The Crab Ship), a socialist novel written by Takiji Kobayashi in 1929, among young Japanese, and the spike in enrollment in Japan’s Communist Party since the start of this year.
ODD-FISH ALUM: A talk with James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of the fantasy novel The Order of Odd-Fish
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Interview by Gina Anderson (Nara-ken, 2003-05) JETAA DC Newsletter Editor
In August 2008, James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) published his first novel, The Order of Odd-Fish, a fantasy novel inspired partially by his experience in Japan. Book sales have been going well and JETAA DC Newsletter Editor Gina Anderson (Nara-ken, 2003-05) recently talked with James about the book and, well, some other things.
Let’s start with your hair. Do you razor it or clippers? Neither?
Usually my wife Heather cuts my hair. Scissors all the way. Recently I’ve been getting my hair cut by a friend instead. At first it felt like a kind of betrayal, but actually Heather is relieved.
Paper or plastic?
I generally write on paper.
Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
Like many introverts, I enjoy playing the extrovert.
Who’s your favorite author?
JETAA NY Newsletter: Bringing Power Back to the People One Call at a Time — Shaun Dakin’s (Shimane-ken, 1989-91) Fight Against Intrusive Political Calls
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Interview by Stacy Smith (CIR Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03)
Although JET Alum Shaun Dakin (ALT, Shimane 1989-91) grew up overseas, his first time in Asia was living in Japan. He spent two years there, an experience that would go on to shape his future as well as that of his family. Shaun shared with the JETAA Newsletter the unlikely connection between his time as an English teacher on JET and the non-profit organization National Political Do Not Contact Registry (StopPoliticalCalls.org) opposing political robocalls,where he is CEO.
Q: What led you to join the JET Program?
A: My reasons for going on JET were adventure and the chance to live in Asia. I grew up in Africa and Europe (Libya, Kenya, Nigeria and the U.K.) and was looking to get to Asia to experience something I never had before. JET was a hot thing to do so I did it.
Q: Is what you do now related to your time in Japan?
A: Not directly, though the skills I picked up while on JET certainly helped me throughout my life. The program taught me how to have self confidence in a new environment, as well as how to write. When I was there I actually had to write letters to friends to keep in touch (there was no e-mail at the time), and Read More
Rise of the West: JET Alum Michael Auslin article on the conservative movement
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JET alum Michael Auslin (Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former Professor of Japanese History at Yale University) has a new article titled Rise of the West offering some suggestions for the conservative movement as it contemplates its future direction.
JET alum Michael Auslin (Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former Professor of Japanese History at Yale University) will be speaking on the future of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance together with Christopher Griffin, defense policy adviser to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, on November 20 at the American Enterprise Institute.
Securing Freedom: A Report on the Future of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance
You can find this online at: http://www.aei.org/event1840
“In a new report entitled Securing Freedom: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era, AEI’s Michael Auslin and Christopher Griffin, defense policy adviser to Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-D-Conn.), demonstrate that the United States and Japan should reorient their alliance to support political and economic liberalization. These reforms would in turn create bulwarks against authoritarian expansion and ensure that democracy, free markets, and transparent security policies become the animating principles of politics in Asia.” Read More
It turns out there’s Beppu Hot Springs Master in the JET alumni community. Meet translator/interpreter Joel Dechant, currently a resident of Fukuoka but soon moving to Seattle, WA. Never heard of a Hot Springs Master? Watch this video of him from Japanese TV. (See all 4 clips with explanation on JapanProbe.com.)
Roger Ebert – Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker?
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A reminder to contact me if you’re interested in writing an essay on the “Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker” theme about cooking for yourself (or eating by yourself) in Japan.
And an interesting (and unsolicited) take on the theme in a recent blog from, of all people, film critic Roger Ebert. (Includes a reference to Zojirushi, the current employer of Fukuoka-ken JET alum and previous “Translator’s Challenge” winner Sharon Tatro.)
