Yomitime JetWit article translation (by Joel Dechant)
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Back on January 15, JetWit posted a link to its first media hit, an article that ran in Yomitime, a free Japanese-language weekly publication. Below is a translation of the article into English generously provided by professional translator/interpreter Joel Dechant (CIR Kagoshima-ken, 2001-04) at the request of JetWit. (FYI, Joel actually translated it very quickly. I just forgot to post it until today.)
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Two Men Work Behind the Scenes for the JET Program, Publish Newsletter on Japan
By Kinoue Imai Weinstein
Translation by Joel Dechant (CIR Kagoshima-ken, 2001-04)
The original article ran in Japanese in Yomitime, a free Japanese weekly newspaper 1/9/09
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program is a Japanese government-sponsored program under which fresh university graduates from English-speaking countries are invited to teach English in Japan’s junior and senior high schools. Started in 1987 with 848 participants, the program’s American alumni association alone now boasts 5508 members, approximately 1000 of whom are in New York. One alumni, Steven Horowitz (age 38) began publishing a quarterly newsletter, JETaaNY, in 2002. The 24-page[1] newsletter covers recent JET alumni developments and news about Japan. Horowitz recently handed off his editor-in-chief duties to Justin Tedaldi (age 29) who plans to expand and enrich the newsletter.
The reason for starting the alumni association and holding the occasional gathering after returning to the States, says Horowitz, was “because our experience working in Japan when we were younger is an important part of our identity, and of course because we wanted to be friends with people who we had something in common with.” Read More
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JETAA NY Magazine Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) has apparently just landed a phone interview with Hikaru Utada to run in a future issue, and he’s looking for good questions to ask her. E-mail responses to Justin at magazine /atto/ jetaaany /dotto/ org.
Hi everyone,
I just received an e-mail saying that Utada Hikaru will call me tomorrow (Fri. 1/30) afternoon to do an interview with JETAA NY Quarterly about her forthcoming English studio album, which will be released in the U.S. at the end of March.
I thought it would be cool to put out a request to the JET Alumni community for any questions you’d like to ask her. I’ll do my best to include as many as I can.
Please e-mail your questions to Justin Tedaldi at magazine /atto/ jetaany /dotto/ org no later than 1:00 p.m. this Friday.
Official release info for the new album appears below. Yoroshiku! Read More
Smithsonian lists “Odd-Fish” as one of notable children’s books for 2008
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Kathleen Burke, who compiles an annual list of notable children’s books for the Smithsonian, included The Order of Odd-Fish, by JET alum James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) in her 2008 list in the category for older readers.
And as a bonus, the cover of Odd-Fish is one of three covers shown, along with Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle and Aaron Blabey’s Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley.
Omedetou gozaimashita, James-san!
(Click here to see other critical praise for Odd-Fish.)
James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish, was asked to do a fun feature on the music blog Largehearted Boy a couple weeks ago. They have a feature called “Book Notes” in which an author is invited to compile a mixtape appropriate for their book, and explain it. So he put together a kind of movie soundtrack for “The Order of Odd-Fish.” You can listen to his “Odd-Fish” mixtape, and read the explanations for his choices, here:
http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2009/01/book_notes_jame_2.html
Roland Kelts interview on Tokyo FM (in Japanese)
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******Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica and frequent lecturer on the topic of Japanese pop culture, was interviewed recently on Tokyo FM. Below is the link to the post on his blog (japanamerica.blogspot.com) as well as links to the interview clips.Interviewed in New York, Aired in Tokyo, on Tokyo FM
The interview is in English, but the DJ translates in Japanese over Roland’s voice when he speaks and then expounds on her own at times. (I think it’s a little easier to hear the English in Part 2.)
It would be great if someone out there would post an English-version summary of the interview in the comments section below. Or perhaps one person could do a small portion and then others could add to it.
JetWit’s first media hit! An interview by Kinue Imai Weinstein in the January 9 edition of Yomitime, the free Japanese weekly publication, with me as well as with JETAA NY Magazine Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02).
Gaijin-a-Go-Go Interview
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Gaijin-a-Go-Go band member Saiko Mikan recently shared a link to an in depth interview with the band from J-Pop World. Definitely worth a read.
Career advice from the WSJ’s Elizabeth Garone (Saga-ken, 1993-95)
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It turns out there’s a JET alum writing a career advice column for the Wall Street Journal. Check out the latest column from Elizabeth Garone (Saga-ken, Omachi-cho, 1993-95) at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122874945537188153.html#articleTabs_comments.
It also turns out that she is a freelance journalist with more than a decade of writing for publications that have included Business Week, The Washington Post, Money Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. Her specialties are technology, education (specifically SAT and test prep), human interest and children.
You can learn more about Elizabeth through her website at www.garone.com or through her LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lizgarone
Reuters video article on NY de Volunteer’s recent Spa Day
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Speaking of volunteering, Reuters Japan has a good video article (in Japanese) about NY de Volunteer’s recent Spa Day, where the volunteers go to a nursing home and treat the residents to a day of various beauty spa treatments. (FYI, the segment starts at about 2:55 into the video.)
(For those of you with stronger Japanese skills, please feel free to post summary comments in English so other JetWit readers can get a sense of what’s being said.)
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
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
Writing Opportunity – Man discovers his samurai roots through old family photos
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This is an article idea suggested by Bobby Okinaka (Wakayama-ken, 1992-95) who works for the Japanese American National Museum. If interested in writing about this, email stevenwaseda atto jetwit dotto com for contact info.
Story pitch – Man discovers his samurai roots through old family photos
Mitch Homma still has thousands of family photos to sort through, but he has already done an incredible job documenting his family’s history. He discovered that two of his great-grandparents came from important samurai families in northern Japan.
Reverend Masahiko Wada (1880-1957)
Born to a high-ranking samurai family serving the Date clan of Sendai.
Mrs. Kuni Anazawa Wada (1887-1967)
related to Inazo Nitobe, man on the 5000 yen note (cousin)
Rev. Wada, a Christian, came to southern California in 1928 to minister to Japanese immigrants in the United States. His wife and family joined him in 1931. During WWII, they were arrested as potential threats to the security of the U.S. and later sent to a relocation camp. After the war, they went on to live normal American lives and their samurai roots were forgotten until Mr. Homma started digging into his family’s past.
What makes this story interesting is that Mr. Homma has thousands of photos, documents and family heirlooms that belonged to his great-grandparents. This is rare because for many immigrants, family possessions were lost or destroyed because of World War II. Also, most Japanese immigrants to the United States were poor laborers and farmers.
He has contacted the family of Masahiko Wada in Japan and returned a copy of the koseki that was destroyed by American firebombs. Mr. Homma has compiled his family’s history into a picture book of 89 pages.
Mr. Homma has done extensive research and he has many stories about his family. This would make for a good piece on a man discovering his Japanese family’s history as well as pre-war Christianity in Japan or the Japanese American wartime experience.
Mitch lives in San Diego, CA.
NPR Talks to Roland Kelts About Haruki Murakami
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) just got back to Tokyo and shared this NPR clip about Haruki Murakami which includes some comments from Roland. Have a listen.
Interview with Roland Kelts in Consulate e-Newsletter
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I get the Consulate of Japan’s (NY) monthly e-newsletter, and in the October issue I noticed they have a nice interview with Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) about Japanese pop culture and his book Japanamerica.
Published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York / Japan Information Center
Japanese Pop Culture
Japanese pop culture, such as manga (comic books) and anime (animation), is attracting more and more people outside of Japan. In the following interview, Mr. Roland Kelts, half-Japanese American writer and lecturer, tells us about his observation on this phenomenon as well as his teaching experience in Japan.
JIC (Japan Information Center) : Your position as a resident of Tokyo and New York is unique. What do you see happening now from your vantage?
Mr. Kelts : I think both countries are undergoing severe transitions. America is losing its central place in the world’s imagination. And Japan is finding its current position, as America’s ‘little brother,’ to borrow Takashi Murakami’s term, untenable. A lot of people are looking to Japan for guidance, and Asia is rising fast. Japan needs to understand and accept its own unique strengths.
JIC : But you also teach Japanese students about their own culture-as a half-Japanese American. What do they tell you?
Mr. Kelts : In Japan, a lot of my students are stunned to learn that foreigners care about their cultural products. They (my students), know they’re cool-but they don’t care that much, because they are sincerely worried about their futures. They think that Japan is over, finished, and they are amazed to find that young Americans think they are the hottest culture in the world. Read More
