JET alum wins “Japan Day @Central Park” poster contest
Art, Cartoon/Illustration, Contest, Cultural Outreach, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment 
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Congratulations to Aaron Porter (ALT Kyoto-fu, Yawata-shi, 1998-2001), who is the 2012 winner of New York’s “Japan Day @Central Park“ poster contest!
From the JapanDayNYC.org website:
“Japan Day – Cherry Blossom Art Contest”
Contest Results
WINNER
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to the New York City, Japan Day invited visual artists to submit artwork that featured the beautiful of both cherry trees and Central Park.
Thanks to all of your support, the art contest received total of 45 submissions. All Jurors will agree that, there were a number of impressive entries that made the selection process a challenge. In fact, the Judges also awarded 5 honorable mentions, in addition to choosing a winner.
We are delighted that we can now reveal the winner of the Japan Day Cherry Blossom Art Contest — Aaron Porter and his art work!
【Japan Day 2012 Official Poster Visual using Mr. Porter’s Art Work】
From Aaron’s profile on the Japan Day NYC website:
Aaron is originally from Chicago and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Scientific Illustration from Northern Illinois University. He began his career as a newspaper artist in South Florida in 1988 in a pre-digital world. Aaron first worked for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, then the Miami Herald. While in South Florida, Aaron earned a MFA in painting at the University of Miami.
Shortly after finishing his course work, he was accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program the summer of 1998. He taught English in four junior high schools in Yawata City (Kyoto Prefecture) and still to this day considers it the most exciting three years of his life. While in Japan, he spent his spare time getting to know Japanese culture and painting. His paintings during this period were most often about Japanese culture. During his time in Japan, he had a painting exhibition at the Kyoto International Center in Kyoto Station as well as a number of other small shows in coffee houses and wherever he could get his work shown.
Aaron returned to the States the summer of 2001 and began his new career in newspapers at The Journal News in White Plains, New York. Presently, Aaron is a part-time digital art instructor at the Bronx Community College as well as a freelance graphic artist and illustrator.
Aaron is married to a Japanese woman from Fukuoka whom he met in New York City after he returned from Japan. They live in Up State New York, visit NYC often and travel to Japan each year to visit her family. Much to his wife’s disappointment he speaks very little Japanese.
An interesting article about how there really is no such thing as Kobe beef in the U.S., despite what restaurants and food shows tell you.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/
Taylor Anderson Remembered by Many
Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, JETs in the News, Return on JET-vestment, Video Comments Off on Taylor Anderson Remembered by Many
Via the JETAA USA website:
The Anderson Family, who has done so much to further Taylor’s vision of bridging the US and Japan, participated in a memorial service at Taylor’s alma mater, Randolph Macon College. The memorial was covered by both NHK World and the local CBS news station in Virginia. Ambassador Fujisaki was also in attendance as a speaker for the event.
To see the media coverage click below:
- NHK World: Americans Honor Victim
- CBS Channel 6 News: Local Teacher Remembered One Year After Tsunami
- NHK written coverage (in Japanese)
Additionally, here are some links to coverage gathered by a friend of the Andersons and forwarded by Andy:
- Article on the Randolph-Macon college website about the event.
- March 8, 2012: WCVE-FM (NPR) local NPR correspondent Dan Rosenthal interviewed national NPR correspondent Yuki Noguchi for a preview of the Taylor Anderson/Japan Foundation lecture. You can listen to the interview by clicking anniversary.
- March 13, 2012: The Asahi Shimbun (Japanese newspaper) sent a reporter to the lecture and also covered a pre-lecture news conference held by R-MC. You can read the article by clicking on Asahi Shimbun.
- March 12, 2012: NHK World Japanese Television sent a reporter to campus several times to interview the Andersons (Taylor’s parents) as well as the March 11 lecture. You can watch the story by clicking on NHK. Note: This story is only available for viewing through this weekend.
March 12, 2012: Here is a look at some local coverage:
- Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/mar/12/randolph-macon-program-recalls-student-who-died-ja-ar-1758051/
- WWBT-TV12 (NBC): http://www.nbc12.com/story/17135121/local-family-still-copes-with-daughters-death-after-japan-tsunami
- WTVR-TV6 (CBS): http://wtvr.com/2012/03/11/local-teacher-remembered-one-year-after-japan-tsunami/
- WRIC-TV8 (ABC): http://www.wric.com/story/17139323/randolph-macon-honors-taylor-anderson
- WUSA-TV9 (Washington, DC): http://www.wusa9.com/news/nation-world/article/196158/381/Randolph-Macon-Honors-Va-Teacher-Who-Died-In-Japan
- WSET-TV13 (Lynchburg, VA): http://www.wset.com/story/17139178/randolph-macon-honors-va-teacher-who-died-in-japan
- WCAV-TV19 (Charlottesville, VA): http://www.newsplex.com/news/headlines/Va_College_Honors_Teacher_Who_Died_in_Japan_Disasters_142457475.html
- WHSV-TV3 (Harrisonburg, VA): http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/Randolph-Macon_Honors_Va_Teacher_Who_Died_in_Japan__142361425.html
Return on JET-vestment: Fukushima JET alums help bring Fukushima youth taiko group to DC for Cherry Blossom Festival
Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Return on JET-vestment: Fukushima JET alums help bring Fukushima youth taiko group to DC for Cherry Blossom Festival
The Fukushima Taiko Drummers meet U.S. Ambassador to Japan, John V. Roos, before they head to D.C. in April.
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JETAA DC members Michelle Spezzacatena (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-cho, 2002-05) and Darryl Wharton-Rigby (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-cho, 2005-07) were both teachers in the town of Kawamata in Fukushima Prefecture. Michelle was there from 2002-2005 and overlapped one week with Darryl, who was there from 2005-2007. Thanks to the magic of Facebook they were able to keep in contact throughout the years. After the earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, Darryl and Michelle were talking about how they could help their Japanese hometown. The idea of bringing the taiko group to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival was born out of those discussions. (Editor’s note: In addition to Michelle’s work on this project, she also serves on the JETAA USA Fund Committee and previously served as JETAA DC President.)
In Michelle’s words: “We brought the idea to the Japan America Society in DC who immediately fell in love with it too. Thanks to the generous financial support of the US Japan council, the project was fully funded. We have been working with Anna Cable (USJC), Ambassador Malott (JASW), JET alum Marc Hitzig (JASW), Shigeko Bork (former Kawamata resident now living in DC) and Masako Mori (Diet member from Fukushima) on the project. Darryl and I are the co-coordinators and have been doing most of the heavy lifting. We are also officially part of the TOMODACHI Initiative.”
Fukushima JET alums Michelle Spezzacatena (2002-05) and Darryl Wharton-Rigby (2005-07)
“The students will be here from April 7-17 and they have a jam packed schedule. We will be doing a homestay program, they will be performing at numerous locations including the National Cherry Blossom Parade/Sakura Matsuri/Kennedy Center, we will be sightseeing and hopefully we’ll be doing a meet and greet with the new Orioles player, Wada-san and a Orioles/Yankees game day performance at Orioles Park. Darryl and I are excited to be with them the entire time they’ll be in the US.”
Michelle adds: “NHK Japan is also working on a piece on Darryl and I in the context of what JETs are doing to help Japan after the earthquake. They have been following us around to different events and will be for another two weeks. The piece will run on NHK Japan’s News9 broadcase during the first week of April when the anchor is doing the show live from DC. They will also try to do an English version to show on NHK World.”
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Below is a press release about the taiko group’s upcoming performance at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michelle Spezzacatena- michellespezzacatena@gmail.com
STUDENT TAIKO GROUP FROM FUKUSHIMA INVITED TO NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
JET alum journalist Graham Shelby’s latest article on Fukushima 03.11.12
Article/Journalism, Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on JET alum journalist Graham Shelby’s latest article on Fukushima 03.11.12
Graham Shelby (Fukushima-ken, Ishikawa-shi, 1994-97) has published a thoughtful piece on Fukushima, this one on Kentucky news site, Kentucky.com, in addition to previous radio and written pieces he has done for NPR and other news outlets.
“Quake, tsunami a year ago refreshed Kentuckian’s memories of time in Japan”
By Graham Shelby – contributing write
Posted: 12:00 AM on March 11, 2012
Twenty-three years old and eager to get out of my hometown, I left Lexington for Japan. In the summer of 1994, I took a job teaching English in Ishikawa, a small town surrounded by rice fields and forested hills in Fukushima Prefecture, about 100 miles north of Tokyo.
Click here to read the full article: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/11/2104978/quake-tsunami-a-year-ago-refreshed.html#storylink=misearch
Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine (March 2012)
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Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine round-up. Posted by JET alum and current editor of the webmagazine, Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). To subscribe to the Embassy of Japan’s monthly webmagazine, email webmagazine@ld.mofa.go.jp with the subject ‘subscribe’.
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Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine: March 2012
Ambassador’s blog
One year on
Featured article
ONE YEAR ON: SCENES OF RECONSTRUCTION & PICTURES DRAWN BY THE CHILDREN OF TOHOKU
Other articles:
Events around the country as the UK remembers “One year on…”
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
One year on: A JET perspective
Films at the Embassy: Bloom in the Moonlight
Films at the Embassy: Tohoku Special Film Show
JAPAN-UK Events Calendar
JETAA Auckland sends message of support to the town of Tomioka in Fukushima
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Thank you to JETAA Auckland Liaison Officer Jo McCarthy for sharing the following:
This video, made by JETAA Auckland, is a message of support for the town of Tomioka (in Fukushima Prefecture) with which Auckland has a friendship agreement.
Letters from Japanese school children in Fukushima
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Shared originally by Sydney-based JET alum Eden Law and subsequently on JETAA Sydney Facebook Group by JETAA Sydney President Sharon Van Etten:
“In October 2011, we invited the people of Sydney to write messages of support, which we then sent on to my schools in Japan. In a very pleasant surprise, the teacher I worked with at one of the schools, Kimura-sensei, collected responses from her students and sent them back. Thanks very much to you all who contributed, no matter how small.”
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150696938927889.456662.675007888&type=3
Japan Fix London: Hyper Japan is back!
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Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika lives in London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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Last year I spoke to former JET Mary Moreton about her experiences in Japan and her current role working for one of the largest Japan-related events in the UK, HYPER JAPAN! After a hugely successful run last summer, HYPER JAPAN is back this week for more culture, cuisine and cool!
Starting tomorrow (Friday 24th February) and running till Sunday 26th, HYPER JAPAN promises to chase away all those winter blues!
Highlights this year include:
Sushi Awards 2012: UK Sushi Roll Championship
Eat-Japan SAKE AWARDS: Top Brewery Taste-Off
Natsuko Aso Live
Olympic Judo Champion Maki Tsukada
Cosplay, Street fashion, UK Kawaii star of the year and much much more!
For more details please check out the official website at http://hyperjapan.co.uk/
New England JET alums help Japan Society of Boston welcome Bobby Valentine to Fenway Park
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New England JETAA’s Jason Currier (Fukui-ken, 2007-09) recently attended the Japan Society of Boston’s welcome reception for Bobby Valentine at Fenway Park and was kind enough to write a little something for JETwit about the experience:
A few things I learned about new Boston Red Sox (and former Lotte Marines) manager Bobby Valentine last week at a Japan Society of Boston reception welcoming him to Boston:
- He had a shrine built in his honor called Bobby Jinja.
- He prefers the Olympics over the World Baseball Classic as the international venue for baseball, but believes it should be played in a dome during the Winter Olympics, so it won’t conflict with the baseball season.
- He wants Japanese-style baseball fight songs to catch on in Boston. Read More
Miyagi AJET to host Feb 17 “Cultures United” event to promote multiculturalism in Miyagi
AJET, Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Events, Japan Local, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Miyagi AJET to host Feb 17 “Cultures United” event to promote multiculturalism in Miyagi
Thanks to Andy Anderson for sharing this information originally sent by Miyagi AJET Co-President Cameron Peek regarding an upcoming Miyagi AJET event:
“On February 17th we will be holding “Cultures United,” an event promoting multiculturalism in Miyagi, and advertising the efforts of foreign members of the community towards helping rebuild after the earthquake. JET participants are going to be a big focus of the event, and about 10-11 JETs are going to be assisting, putting on booths about their activities in the prefecture. We are also planning on having a display about Taylor Anderson, telling her story.”
Notably, the event will feature JET alum Maynard Plant’s (Aomori-ken, 1997-2000) hit band Monkey Majik.
Note: Because the event is intended for Japanese residents, all information produced for the event is in Japanese only.
Why Japan does not celebrate the Lunar New Year to the extent of its Asian neighbors
By Jessica Kennett Cork (CIR, 1997-2000, Hiroshima-ken)
With the large number of Asians in the U.S., it was hard to overlook the fact that the Year of the Dragon by the lunar calendar began on January 23. But had we been in Japan, January 23 would have passed quite uneventfully. Have you ever wondered why Japan does not recognize the lunar New Year to the extent of its Asian neighbors? And as we approach the Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri), has it ever struck you as odd that this festival is also called the Peach Festival, and yet March 3 is way too early for peach blossoms? The explanation is actually quite fascinating. Read More
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How to Pass Your Love of Japan onto Your Kids
By Jessica Kennett Cork (CIR, 1997-2000, Hiroshima-ken)
(Note: Click here to join the JET Alumni Parents Facebook group.)
My kids (7, 5, 2 and 4 months) are the only blond-haired kids in their school. My two oldest know the names of all the Pokémon characters in both English and Japanese. My toddler can sing the Totoro and Anpanman theme songs in Japanese.
No, we don’t live in Japan. We live in a suburb of Atlanta. But I knew that even though we live in the United States, I wanted to share my love of Japan with my kids. I don’t want to “force” Japan on them, and it is fine with me if their future careers have nothing to do with Japan. But at the same time, I want for them to appreciate our family’s adopted culture, and to understand that since I met their dad in a Japanese class in college, they wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Japan.
And so I decided to enroll them in Japanese/English bilingual immersion school. We’re lucky to have several here in Atlanta: two daycare centers and one elementary school. Almost all the other kids in the school are full Japanese or half Japanese, so it is not always easy on my blondies. The elementary school is Japanese Ministry of Education approved, which means homework every day, even during summer vacation, and lots of parental involvement expected from the PTA. Not to mention the pressure to come up with a decent o-bento for lunch. My seven year old often wonder why his o-bento doesn’t have cute rabbits made out of apples and carrot flowers. But at the same time, he got to pound rice for New Year’s, grow tomatoes and morning glories as part of his life skills class, has mandatory music and art class, and can use chopsticks better than I can.
But what I love most about the school Read More
Call for Artists!! Announcing the “Japan Day – Cherry Blossom Art Contest”
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Via the Consulate General of Japan in New York:
http://www.japandaynyc.org/news
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of gift of cherry trees given to the U.S. by Japan, Japan Day 2012 invites visual artists to submit their artwork to the “Japan Day – Cherry Blossom Art Contest”. The chosen artwork will become the official image of Japan Day @ Central Park 2012, and will be used for the Official Poster, Program and Flyer. The winner’s award, and up to four honorable mentions, will be presented the day of the event. Please see below for details.
DEADLINE
Friday, February 24th, 2012
CONTEST RULES Read More
Youth For Understanding scholarships extended for US high school students
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Shared by JET alum and YFU alum Jessica Cork who currently works for the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta:
Did you know that scholarships for American students to go abroad have been extended? There is still a chance for students in your area to apply for our 300+ scholarships to have the exchange experience of a lifetime!
Deadlines for Japan summer scholarships have been extended to February 1, 2012 and deadlines for Germany year and semester scholarships have been extended to February 7, 2012. Please spread the word in your area that YFU is actively seeking American teenagers with a sense of adventure to go on scholarship abroad!
Scholarships available include:
- Kikkoman National Scholarship
- Mazda/Nationwide Community Scholarship
- Japan-America Friendship Scholars
- Japan-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange
- Okinawa Peace Scholarship
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
- Stipendium and Stiftung Scholarships
- And more!
All of our scholarship information can be found online at www.yfuusa.org. Please let students know that they can call 1.800.TEENAGE or email admissions@yfu.org if they have any questions.
We’re also always looking for insightful scholarship evaluators – if you would like to help determine who goes on scholarship with YFU, please contact Carla James at cjames@yfu.org.
Thank you for your help in telling students in your area about YFU’s scholarship opportunities!
Mike Finnell
President
