May 30

JET Prefecture Round-Up 05.30.11

Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Events, Fundraising, Japan Local, JET Prefecture Round-up, Uncategorized Comments Off on JET Prefecture Round-Up 05.30.11

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Emily Lemmon, (Hyogo-ken, Shiso-shi, 2009-present), PSG volunteer, organizer of Hyogo-ken’s PEPY Ride, student of Shorinji Kempo, and editor of the Hyogo Times, gives a little taste of what JETs are doing around Japan.  To submit items for future JET Prefecture Round-up posts, e-mail Emily at jetinfogather [at] gmail.com.

Events by Region

Hokkaido

• The Hokkaido Players present The Jungle Book, May 22nd (Sunagawa), 28th (Takinoue), and June 4th (Kutchan).
• Iwamizawa International Mini Festival will be June 18th at Higashiyama Park, (next to the sports centre)

Tohoku Region

Aomori

• On Saturday, June 5th, Aomori AJET will be holding a double-parter event, a gala dinner and a club event, in Morioka City. These  events are being held to bring together JETs from all over Tohoku, and raise money for Earthquake Relief (Japan Red Cross).
• There will be an International Lunch at the Aomori City Chuo Shimin Center on Saturday, June 18th. On the menu is Thai curry! At the same time, Aomori Prefecture’s branch of UNESCO will be presenting sessions on Japanese culture, and providing free tea ceremony sessions for those who would like to try it.

Akita

• The 7th annual Akita International Sumo Basho will be held in Akita city on Sunday June 5th.

Iwate

• JETs are invited to attend a tour of Nataya-cho, led by volunteer guides, in Morioka on June 12th.

Kansai Region

• Block 6 and 7 Sayonara Formal will be held in Kobe on June 25th.
  

Nara

• The International Arts Festival, featuring performances in a wide range of disciplines, will be put on by the JETs of Nara prefecture on June 19th.
• Nara’s farewell to leaving JETs, the Bye Bye Bash,complete with awards, will be held at the Yagi Kintetsu Beer Garden on June 17th.

Hyogo

• 2011 Himeji Prom-stravaganza will be June 4th.
• Hyogo AJET’s Sayonara Party will be June 17th
• Taj Ultimate, the Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, will be held July 9th and 10th, 2011 (start practicing)!

Chugoku Region

Tottori

• Tottori’s Got Talent, in which participants compete to win money for charities of their choice, will be held in Tottori city on June 11th.
  

Shikoku Region

Ehime

• “There is Hope Through Music” for Tohoku – On July 9th, Ehime JET Dan will gather fellow JETs to the Asakura Kominkan in Imabari to record videos with the fireman brass band. The videos will be combined with videos from the Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation of California and broadcast both online and to the victims in refugee camps in Japan.
• Eight JETs will assist with the Imabari Higashi Secondary School English Camp June 11th and 12th.
• Ehime JET Melanie is planning a fundraising festival event, in conjunction with Imabari City International Exchange Association (ICIEA), to raise funds for Tohoku and Kanto region disaster relief. The event will take place on Sunday, July 24, at Saisai Kiteya in Imabari.

Kochi

• Ladies Day Spa – ladies of Kochi gather for pampering on June 4th.
• Kochi Surf Camp will be at Irino Beach July 16th – 18th.
• JETs Sam and Douglas are now teaching weekly self-defense classes in Kochi.

Kyushu Region

Oita

• A team of Oita JETs will be playing in the Mud Volleyball tournament in Nakatsu City on June 5th.
• JETs and non-JETs will mingle and show their talents at the Rotary Dinner and Talent Show in Oita City on June 18th.
• Oita JETs will assist with rice planting on to Moritas’ Organic Farm in Bungo Ono City on June 18th or 25th.
• Sayonara Party – Oita JETs say farewell on July 9th in Oita City.
• Bad weather forced the cancellation of the Oita camping trip on May 29th, so JETs went bowling instead.

Kumamoto

• Kumamoto’s Got Talent will be performed at Good Time Charlie’s on June 4th.
• KumAJET Sports Day was Saturday, May 21st, in Nimarukoen.

Nagasaki

• ALTernative Nagasaki, the photo art exhibit explores Nagasaki through the eyes of its transient population of ALTs. Opening night is June 11th

Kagoshima

• Bound in Japan is an art project promoting multicultural exchange and diversity awareness, presented by a former Kagoshima JET.

May 28

Japan Relief: “It Won’t Be Long Now” song and video by JET alum Shun Endo and The Liquid Now

Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising, Music, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Video, Volunteer Comments Off on Japan Relief: “It Won’t Be Long Now” song and video by JET alum Shun Endo and The Liquid Now

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JET alum Shun Endo (Ibaraki Prefecture, 1998-2001) (Treasurer and Webmaster for JETAA Pacific Northwest and creator instantnoodlescomics.com) and his band The Liquid Now have released a music video titled “It Won’t Be Long Now“ intended to draw attention to and help fundraise for Japan relief efforts.

From Shun Endo and The Liquid Now:

IT WON’T BE LONG is about overcoming the tsunami and earthquake in Northern Japan. It was a chance for us to really reflect on their struggle, and beyond. To us, the Japanese festivals encompass the beauty of the culture. We’ve experienced nothing like it. It is a time of strong community, tradition, abandon, and joy. We hope the areas affected will heal enough to enjoy themselves once again soon.

All band sales will be donated, so just donate directly to the Seattlejapanrelief.org who work with Red Cross and Peacewinds.

For a digital copy of the song, visit www.theliquidnow.com and/or email theliquidnow@gmail.com

Thank you for listening. 日本の皆さん、頑張りましょう。

The Liquid Now are a band from Seattle that is influenced by British music and Japanese culture. www.theliquidnow.com

(we hope people don’t mind us using their online photos as this is for a good cause, and we will donate anything that comes our way.)

May 19

Japan Times: JET teacher aids school rebuilding

Blogs, Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Local Government, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Japan Times: JET teacher aids school rebuilding

“My name is Andras Molnar, an English teacher from Yamamoto Town in Japan, a place recently devastated by the earthquake and tsunami. I am trying to raise funds for the reconstruction of the schools in my town, as well as buying school supplies and uniforms for children who lost everything in the tsunami.”

U.S. teacher aids school rebuilding

SENDAI — An American English teacher at a middle school in Miyagi Prefecture has set up funds to solicit donations for rebuilding elementary schools damaged by the tsunami following the March 11 earthquake.

Pennsylvania native Andras Molnar, 25, said that although he is leaving the prefecture’s town of Yamamoto in August when his teaching contract ends, he is “hoping to stay connected” with the town through the fund.

Molnar said he became interested in Japan through “anime” such as “Gundam” and spent a year in the country as a high school student and again while at university. He came to Yamamoto, a coastal town of around 16,000, in August 2009.

He said he got along well with locals through a drum circle and surfing, a hobby of his.

“Everyone is very open, kind and I like them a lot,” he said in Japanese.

After the town was engulfed by the tsunami, he stayed at the junior high school for a week, busily checking the whereabouts of his students and doing what he could at evacuation sites, he said.

He then moved to Tokyo for around one month at the suggestion of his parents and friends.

But after getting email from friends in Yamamoto inquiring about him, he wondered why he was not giving his best when all the people in the town were doing their utmost, he said.

Molnar said it was this that prompted him to return to his apartment in Yamamoto.

“It was really good that I returned,” he said. “I feel encouraged by the children.”

He set up relief funds in Japan and the United States to help rebuild two elementary schools where buildings were devastated by the tsunami, and is soliciting donations through his blog.

May 11

JET alum John Gauntner enlightens, entertains Japan Society audience

Celebrity, Cultural Outreach, Events, Food & Drink, Japan Society Round-up, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on JET alum John Gauntner enlightens, entertains Japan Society audience

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Last night was Japan Society of New York’s Anual Sake Tasting:  Back to Basics event with a lecture by JET alum John Gauntner (Kanagawa-ken) (aka “The Sake Guy”), now the leading sake educator in the world, followed by a sake tasting (and mingling) with about 20 sake exporters from all over Japan.  I attended with professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) (who writes the WIT Life posts on JETwit) and we had a terrific time, learning the basics of sake, running into Tomoko Okuno of Japan Society as well as Alma Jennings (Fukushima-ken, 2008-10) who was volunteering at the event, and of course finally getting to meet John in person.

John will be lecturing at similar events over the next few days in Boston, Toronto and several other cities in North America.  So keep your eyes out and, if you attend, make sure to say hi and let him know you’re a JET alum as well.

Thanks to Japan Society for putting on a great event!

Stacy Smith (CIR Kumamoto, 2000-03) and John Gauntner (Kanagawa)

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Sake tasting: JET alums Stacy Smith, Alma Jennings and Steven Horowitz sample sake with Kensuke Shichida, President of Saga Prefecture-based Tenzan Sake Brewery

May 9

Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (May 2011)

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The May 2011 issue of the Sake World e-newsletter by JET alum and the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world, John Gauntner (a.k.a. “The Sake Guy”), is now available online.

Note: John will be lecturing tomorrow night at the Japan Society in New York.

In this issue:

• Greetings
• Smooth’em or Let’em?
• Announcements and Events: Sake Professional Course in NYC
• Did you Know?
• Sake Basics
• Sake Education Central

May 4

JET alum sake expert John Gauntner to lecture at Japan Society Sake Tasting next Tuesday

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JET alum John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) will be lecturing on “Hot or cold?” at Japan Society of New York’s Annual Sake Tasting next Tuesday, May 10 at 6:30pm.  John is considered the leading non-Japanese expert on sake in the world.

Apr 28

JETAA Florida to provide volunteers for South Florida events this weekend

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Thanks to JETAA Florida President Bahia Simons-Lane (Gunma-ken) for sharing the following:

JETAA Florida is providing volunteers for two events in South Florida this weekend:

1.  Japan Culture Day at Florida International University

2.  Miami Reggae Festival for Japan Relief in Coconut Grove

See Bahia’s blog for full details.

Apr 27

The Laurasian Institution Seeking Local Coordinators for HS Exchange Program (multiple states in the US)

Career, Cultural Outreach, Jobs, Volunteer Comments Off on The Laurasian Institution Seeking Local Coordinators for HS Exchange Program (multiple states in the US)

via Carleen Ben (Oita-ken 2006-2008) Carleen currently works as a Program Associate at The Laurasian Institution, a non-profit organization promoting international exchange programs between US – China, Japan, and Korea.

Contribute to greater international understanding by offering exchange students the chance to realize their dream of attending an American high school for an academic year. Exchange students learn through experience about living in America while their host families and schools benefit by learning first hand about the customs and perspectives of the student in their care.

Join the staff of The Laurasian Institution (TLI) in creating the very best exchange environment for both students and families. Take pride in working with colleagues who share your commitment to quality exchange. Benefit from the flexibility of setting your own schedules and time commitments.

Selection of quality host schools and host families is key to achieving the program’s educational, cross-cultural, and public diplomacy goals, including helping the exchange student achieve familiarity with life in the U.S. and better understand American culture. Through your participation as a Local Coordinator you will be at the very heart of the program and a true ambassador for international understanding.

Read More

Apr 27

Fundraising: JETAA UK

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Via the JETAA UK website:

Thanks to all who have made our ‘Give a Day for Japan‘ scheme and the pub quiz last Thursday such a fantastic success.  We’re all doing that we can in the light of Japan’s terrible losses.  We have extended our invitation to the JETAA Ball this year (which is a fund-raising event and is thus not subsidised, as in previous years) to the wider Japan-UK community in London.  Help us make this a night to remember!

JETAA May Ball in Aid of the Tohoku Earthquake Appeal

Tickets are going faster than limited edition Kate & Will china teacups – so get yours on the double! Check out the amazing conservatory venue – resplendent with fairy-light trimmed palms…

Hosted at the deluxe 4-star Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre in the heart of Kensington, London, this year’s JETAA Ball will be raising funds for the Japan Society’s Tohoku Earthquake Appeal, which JETAA UK is also supporting through our Give a Day for Japan scheme.

Date: Saturday 14th May, 19:00 – 23:00

Tickets: £60 (this includes a 3-course buffet dinner with some drinks, a taiko performance from Kaikyo Taiko, music, dancing and a night of fundraising)
Dress Code: Black Tie and Evening Gown
Nearest Tube: Gloucester Road Underground Station (Piccadilly, Circle and District lines)
Overnight stay: Special rates are available for JETAA guests wishing to stay overnight at the hotel, please e-mail for further details.
To Register: Please fill in our online registration form. Read More

Apr 26

Event: 2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield – Tues, June 21

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Via request of the Consulate General of Japan in New York:

2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield

Please let your members, colleagues, friends and family know that the 2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield will be held on Tuesday June 21st, 2011 when the Mets play the Oakland As with  Hideki Matsui in attendance. This is a fundraising event – a portion of each ticket sold through our group will go to Japan relief efforts.

We will be sending out information about Group Sales as soon as the site is set up but this year, seats in three price categories will be grouped together:

• Baseline Box Silver seat =$54.00
• Pepsi Porch seat = $32.00
• Promenade Reserved Infield seat = $19.00

While we understand that not all of you are Mets fans, the Yankees do not provide a Heritage Night and we wanted to have a community event where Japanese and Japanese Americans and all those interested in “things Japanese” could get together and have a good time. We look forward to everyone’s participation again this year.

Last year 400 tickets were purchased. This year, let’s aim for 1,000!

If you are interested in helping out, please contact our organizing committee co-chairs: Ann Harakawa (aharakawa [at] twotwelve.com) or Marianne Yoshioka (mry5 [at] columbia.edu).

Thank you!!

Organizing Committee

Ann Harakawa, Marianne Yoshioka, Gary Moriwaki, Susan J. Onuma, George Hirose

Advisor: Donna Tsufura

Apr 22

JET Alum Terry Vo named Arkansas Cherry Blossom Princess

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JET alum and President of Music City JETAA Terry Vo (2007-09, Kumamoto-ken) has been named Arkansas’ Cherry Blossom Princess by the Arkansas State Society in Washington, D.C., and represented the state during the recent 99th National Cherry Blossom Festival, a major annual event in the nation’s capital.

Vo took part in the Cherry Blossom Princess Program, which ran from April 2-9, 2011. The Cherry Blossom Princess Program offers cultural and educational opportunity for young women from across the U.S. and around the world. They are selected by a state society or an embassy based on their leadership, academic achievements, interest in social, civic, community and world affairs. Over 3,000 women have participated in this program since 1948. Princess alumni include Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

The 2011 Cherry Blossom Princess Program included an array of activities and cultural events requiring the princesses to perform a variety of public relations and diplomatic duties during the week. All of the activities lead to the Grand Ball where the crowning of the U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen takes place and a princess will be selected by chance with the spin of the infamous Wheel of Fortune.

Vo was chosen by her princess class as Miss Congeniality at the Cherry Blossom Grand Ball and Sushi Reception.

Terry-san omedetou gozaimashita!

Apr 11

JETAA Hanami Update 04.11.11

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A couple updates from hanami celebrations around the JET alumni community:

• JETAA DC participated in Washington, D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival.  Click here for NHK written and video coverage, which includes an interview at the end with JETAADC Board Member Sarah Lyons (Kagoshima 2007-2009).
• JETAA Music City President Terry Vo, returned to her home state of Arkansas as a Cherry Blossom Princess for their cherry blossom festival and won Miss Congeniality!  More to come on that.

Apr 11

JETwit goes to London!

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I’ll be visiting London this week (with daughter Helen in tow) Wednesday through the following Tuesday, staying with a good friend I originally met studying at Waseda.  And while in London I plan to:

• Attend a talk by Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, at The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in London on Thursday, April 14, 4pm on “Pop culture from a Multipolar Japan.”
• Meet up with JETAA International Chair and former JETAA NY Vice-President Shree Kurlekar who now lives in London as well as JapaneseLondon.com‘s Vanessa Villalobos (who is also a JETAA UK officer).
• Jointhe Japanese Conversation Group’s Hanami Picnicon Saturday, April 16 (which I believe will include a number of JET alums).

If you’d like to meet in person just come to one of the events, or feel free to get in touch at jetwit [at] jetwit.com.

Apr 6

NHK video of JETAA NY Fundraiser

Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Events, Fundraising, JETAA Chapters, JETs in the News, Networking, Roland Kelts, Video Comments Off on NHK video of JETAA NY Fundraiser

Thanks to Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) for sharing the link to this NHK video on Tuesday night’s JETAANY Japan Fundraiser:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/jishin0311/movie/chapter_66.html

Apr 6

Roland Kelts helps launch debut issue of “MONKEY BUSINESS: New Voices from Japan” with April/May events in NYC

Books, Celebrity, Cultural Outreach, Events, Fundraising, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Roland Kelts, Translating/Interpreting, Writers Comments Off on Roland Kelts helps launch debut issue of “MONKEY BUSINESS: New Voices from Japan” with April/May events in NYC

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Via Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica and the contributing editor for MONKEY BUSINESS:  New Voices from Japan:

A Letter from A Public Space (Brooklyn-based literary publication):

A Public Space Literary Projects announces the debut issue of MONKEY BUSINESS: New Voices from Japan, with April/May launch events in New York City.

New York City, New York, April 4, 2011—A Public Space (APS) announces publication of the first annual English language edition of Monkey Business: New Voices from Japan (MB), supported by a generous grant from the Nippon Foundation. Three launch programs in New York City in late April and early May will bring together authors, translators and editors from Japan and the US for this first-of-its-kind trans-cultural literary event. Twenty-five percent of all MB sales will go toward the Nippon Foundation/CANPAN Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

Monkey Business is a Tokyo-based Japanese literary magazine founded in 2008 by award-winning translator, scholar, editor and author Motoyuki Shibata. One of Japan’s best known and most highly regarded translators of American fiction, Shibata has won numerous accolades, most recently the 2010 Japan Translation Cultural Prize for his translation of Thomas Pynchon’s Mason & Dixon, and has introduced to Japanese readers works by Paul Auster, Steven Millhauser, Rebecca Brown, Stuart Dybek and Steve Erickson, among others.

Shibata, who was interviewed in the first issue of APS, modeled MB in part on the Brooklyn literary journal. Founded in 2006 by editor Brigid Hughes, A Public Space is devoted to cutting-edge literature—not just from American contributors, but by writers and artists spanning the globe. Each issue presents a portfolio that explores an international literary scene. The debut issue of APS featured a portfolio from Japan, curated and edited by author Roland Kelts (Japanamerica) and MB founder Shibata, and featuring contributions from Haruki Murakami, Yoko Ogawa, Kazushige Abe and others. Issue 1 was praised by readers in the US and Japan and has long been sold out.”
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