Asahi Shimbun article on Andy Anderson and his family’s efforts to support Ishinomaki
Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising, Interview/Profile, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Return on JET-vestment, Volunteer 
Comments Off on Asahi Shimbun article on Andy Anderson and his family’s efforts to support Ishinomaki
************
Thanks to JET alum Mark Flanagan for sharing this article:
“Taking over a daughter’s dream to bridge Japan and U.S.”
By HIROSHI ITO / Correspondent
September 3, 2011
Andy Anderson never expected he would find himself trying to fill his daughter’s shoes by acting as a bridge between the United States and Japan.
But that all changed after his daughter, Taylor, perished in the massive tsunami spawned by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Anderson, 53, a realtor living in Midlothian, in the suburbs of Richmond in the U.S. state of Virginia, is determined to continue the work that his 24-year-old daughter started.
Taylor had been teaching English to a handful of elementary and junior high schools in Ishinomaki, a coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture that bore the brunt of the tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region.
She has been working as a teaching assistant since August 2008 under the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a Japanese government initiative known as the JET program. Read More
“A Perspective on Helping Japan Disaster Victims” by ex-JET Jeannie McKinney
Article/Journalism, Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Japan Trends, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on “A Perspective on Helping Japan Disaster Victims” by ex-JET Jeannie McKinney
This article titled “A Perspective on Helping Japan Disaster Victims“ recently appeared on the CleanEnergy.org website, written by Jeannie McKinney (Hokkaido, 2010-11) who is currently doing an internship for the Knoxville, TN office of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE).
Link to original post: http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2011/08/30/helping-japan-disaster-victims/
Here’s an excerpt:
“Post-March 11th, the amount of willingness and enthusiasm, good will and generosity that came from abroad as well as at home, was honestly overwhelming. I was living in a small town in Hokkaido, the northernmost island and prefecture of Japan, at the time of the disaster, in an area that experienced nothing but a few tremors and shakes. But somehow, my community of 13,000 generated so many donation packages within the first few weeks after the disaster that our three little post offices had trouble handling the increased mail traffic. Instead, postal workers had to set out collection bins in their lobbies for the Japan Red Cross to come and pick up on their own.”
***********
“The problem is that there is only so much individuals can do on their own, without any direction or instruction from organized groups – especially without advice from the country’s government. Post-Katrina, the biggest complaints here in the U.S. were the slow reactions of the local and federal government to respond. Though nonprofits and volunteer groups were first on the scene, there was only so much they could do without bureaucratic support.”
“The same can be said for Japan right now, both in disaster areas as well as radiation areas.”
Return to Tohoku: WSJ article on ex-JET’s return
Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: WSJ article on ex-JET’s return
Nice article on the Wall Street Journal’s RealJapan blog titled “JET Calls in Favors in Tohoku“ about ex-JET Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) and her return to Tohoku through the MOFA program. Follow JETwit updates on Tanya here and follow Tanya’s ongoing blog of her experience here.
Link to the article: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/09/01/jet-calls-in-favors-in-tohoku/
Volunteer: Ex-JET’s “The MUD Project” aids Tohoku
Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Volunteer Comments Off on Volunteer: Ex-JET’s “The MUD Project” aids Tohoku
Just found out about Colin Rennie (CIR Yamagata-ken, 2007-10) who has been running a volunteer project called “The MUD Project“ that has enabled many JETs to volunteer in Tohoku with particular emphasis on Minamisanriku as well as other areas of Miyagi and Iwate.
Lots of good info, photos and updates on the project’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mudproject
Click here for an up to date list of JET-related Disaster Relief Projects.
Return to Tohoku: Tanya Gardecky “Hi ho! It’s off to school I go!”
Blogs, Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: Tanya Gardecky “Hi ho! It’s off to school I go!”
******************
Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) is one of the 20 Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there.
Here’s an excerpt from Tanya’s latest post: “Hi ho! It’s off to school I go!”
But when I went to the grade 3 classes the teachers changed it a bit and had some of the students mention their experience with the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. From what I understood, the students were very surprised by the earthquake and were confused about the tsunami. Some didn’t believe the tsunami was happening or that it was that big, others simply had no idea what was happening.
JETwit will continue to post updates from Tanya and other participating alums. You can also follow Tanya’s blog at http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ShiogamaJET/.
Click here to read other “Return to Tohoku” posts.
If you are returning to Tohoku and would like to share your updates, please feel free to e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
AJET’s revamped website continues to impress. There’s now a section called AJET Voices that lists all the main JET online publications and also invites JETs to submit an article. The goal is to help JETs connect with their communities.
Here are the publications listed:
- The Wide Island View (Hiroshima)
- Yomoyama
- NagaZasshi (Nagasaki)
- Ganbatte Times: The Unofficial Kyoto JET Webzine
- The Refill (Fukuoka)
- The Hyogo Times
- HAJET (Hokkaido)
- The TRAM (Toyama)
- JETFuel
- Shimane Black Taxi
- Mie Life
- Ishikawa JET (Thanks to Leah Zoller for calling this one to our attention.)
For more about AJET Voices, here are AJET’s own words:
Have you done something you felt was special? Want to promote an event you are involved in? Just want to get published? AJET Voice is AJET’s way of connecting you with the rest of the JET community throughout Japan. All JETs are encouraged to submit and share their experiences with everyone.
The JET Programme is all about multicultural exchange and grassroots internationalization. If you have participated in something which you felt furthered these goals, please share it with the rest of us! Submit your articles of 200-300 words with any pictures to activities@ajet.net
Publications across Japan
Currently representing voices from Nagano, Hyogo, Toyama and many others, the site is growing in hopes of being a resources for all of Japan and those interested in the perspectives born from living here as a foreign resident.
By Prefecture
Many of the publications represented on the site are fundamentally newsletters, PDFs, or print magazines. If you are interested in or reside in the prefecture of a specific publication and wish to submit or regularly receive it, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
AJET
All of the publications on this site are in some way connected to the JET program and often each prefecture’s AJET (Association Japan Exchange and Teaching) branch. Submissions from guest writers and non-JET program teachers is extremely common and decided by each publication along with the content and editorial vision.
As a unified site, all content abides by the site’s editorial ethic not to publish any content felt to be uncritically prejudiced or offensive.
Return to Tohoku: JETAA Sydney’s Sharon Van Etten
Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Writers Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: JETAA Sydney’s Sharon Van Etten
******************
Sharon Van Etten (CIR Iwate-ken), President of JETAA Sydney, is another Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there.
You can follow Sharon’s blog Revisiting Iwate at: http://revisitingiwate.blogspot.com/
JETwit will continue to post updates from Sharon and other participating alums. Click here to see previous “Return to Tohoku” posts.
If you are returning to Tohoku and would like to share your updates, please feel free to e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Return to Tohoku: JET alum Tanya Gardecky arrives in Shiogama
Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: JET alum Tanya Gardecky arrives in Shiogama
******************
Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) is one of the 20 Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there.
Here’s an excerpt from Tanya’s latest post:
I eventually made it Shiogama (and instantly noticed some damage around the train station) and went city hall. There I was greeted by the Mayor and vice-mayor, along with many staff from the Shiogama Board of Education, and they welcomed me back. We talked about the state of the city after the earthquake, and I was shown a book full of photos of the damage in Tohoku. Most I had seen in the news already but to see them all in one book was a bit of a shock. They said they had made much progress in the reconstruction, and this was something I wanted to see. From city hall I went to the Board of Education to meet the staff again and to discuss my week. It’s a very busy schedule but I know I can’t afford to get worn out because there are people, places, and things I want to and need to see.
JETwit will continue to post updates from Tanya and other participating alums. You can also follow Tanya’s blog at http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ShiogamaJET/.
If you are returning to Tohoku and would like to share your updates, please feel free to e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
**************
Thanks to JETAA USA Country Rep Megan Miller (Hyogo-ken) for sharing the below article from Kyodo News:
Family of U.S. quake victim to donate money for books in Miyagi
http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2011/08/25/5730320.htm
TOKYO, Aug. 25 — (Kyodo) The family of an American teacher who was killed in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami will visit Japan in September to donate money for books to seven schools in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, where she taught, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The family of Taylor Anderson, 24, who taught English at the Ishinomaki schools under the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, will donate a total of around 7 million yen to set up reading corners named after her in the libraries of the schools, according to supporters of the project.
Latest Newsletter from Councilman Anthony Bianchi
Article/Journalism, Celebrity, Japan Local, Local Government, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Translating/Interpreting, Writers Comments Off on Latest Newsletter from Councilman Anthony Bianchi
************
Here’s the newest newsletter from JET alum and Inuyama City Council Member Anthony Bianchi (Aichi-ken, Inuyama-shi, 1988-89):
***Page 1***
***Page 2***
CLICK HERE for more JETwit posts about Anthony Bianchi.
Show off your translating skills! An English translation or summary of some or all of the above would be great if any readers are up for it. Full credit will be given!
Return to Tohoku: JET alum Tanya Gradecky arrives in Japan
Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: JET alum Tanya Gradecky arrives in Japan
******************
Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) is one of the 20 Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there.
Here’s a quick excerpt from the first post on her travel blog:
“I’m about to head off to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a meeting and then I will be on my way to Sendai and Shiogama City in Miyagi Prefecture!!”
JETwit will continue to post updates from Tanya and other participating alums. You can also follow Tanya’s blog at http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ShiogamaJET/.
If you are returning to Tohoku and would like to share your updates, please feel free to e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Another Canadian JET to visit Tohoku via the MOFA program
Article/Journalism, Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETAA Chapters, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Another Canadian JET to visit Tohoku via the MOFA program
Turns out the Ottowa Citizen article was not entirely correct about Brent Stirling (Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi, 2006-10) being the only Canadian among the 20 ex-JETs selected for the MOFA program to go back to their town/city in Tohoku, help with volunteering and write about and share their experience.
But the post on JETwit about the article did help generate a response from Toronto-based JET alum Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) who will also be participating and whose travel blog you can follow here: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ShiogamaJET/
********************
Here are a few JET-related articles and radio piece written and produced in the past month by JET Alum Bluegrass Subchapter member Graham Shelby (Fukushima-ken). (Thanks to Graham for sharing the info.)
- Graham went to Nashville at the end of July to interview some of the new JETs about to depart from the consulate there. Here’s a radio piece he produced that aired this past week on the public radio station here in Louisville. (It’s short.)
http://www.wfpl.org/2011/08/15/audio-new-teachers-prepare-for-life-in-japan/
- Graham also put together a quick piece focusing on one of new JETs who happens to be headed to Fukushima. It aired a few times on NPR’s national newscasts during Morning Edition on August 1. They don’t archive the newscasts online, the newscaster’s intro sounded something like this:
“While many people are struggling to find jobs, hundreds of Americans, many of them recent college graduates, have found an employer eager to hire them – in Japan. From member station WFPL, Graham Shelby has more.”
- Lastly, Graham did another short piece that was Kentucky-specific that was picked up by a few stations here.http://www.wfpl.org/2011/07/30/kentuckians-prepare-for-japanese-teaching-assignments/
As Graham’s work demonstrates, there are clearly opportunities to find and tell compelling stories from the world of JETs and former JETs. If you have any ideas, angles, upcoming events or possible outlets in mind, please feel free to contact Graham gshelby3 [at] gmail.com.
Tsunami: JET alum Harvard professor Ian Miller’s NY Times article
Academic, Article/Journalism, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on Tsunami: JET alum Harvard professor Ian Miller’s NY Times article
Harvard history professor Ian Miller (Miyagi-ken, Miyako-shi)
*************
Thanks to a recent conversation with Peter Kelley, President of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, I just learned of this New York Times article by Harvard history professor and JET alum Ian Miller (Miyagi-ken, Miyako-shi) which ran March 19, 2011.
Bitter Legacy, Injured Coast
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/opinion/20miller.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1
By IAN JARED MILLER
Cambridge, Mass.
THE rugged Sanriku Coast of northeastern Japan is among the most beautiful places in the country. The white stone islands outside the port town of Miyako are magnificent. The Buddhist monk Reikyo could think of nothing but paradise when he first saw them in the 17th century. “It is the shore of the pure land,” he is said to have uttered in wonder, citing the common name for nirvana.
Reikyo’s name for the place stuck. Jodogahama, or Pure Land Beach, is the main gateway to the Rikuchu Kaigan National Park, a crenellated seashore of spectacular rock pillars, sheer cliffs, deep inlets and narrow river valleys that covers 100 miles of rural coastline. It is a region much like Down East Maine, full of small, tight-knit communities of hardworking people who earn their livelihoods from tourism and fishing. Sushi chefs around the country prize Sanriku abalone, cuttlefish and sea urchin.
Today that coast is at the center of one of the worst disasters in Japanese history. Despite the investment of billions of yen in disaster mitigation technology and the institution of robust building codes, entire villages have been swept out to sea. In some places little remains but piles of anonymous debris and concrete foundations.
I taught school in Miyako for more than two years in the 1990s, and it was while hiking in the mountains above one of those picturesque fishing villages that I came across my first material reminder of the intricate relationship between the area’s breathtaking geography, its people — generous and direct — and powerful seismic forces.
On a hot summer day a group of middle-school boys set out to introduce me to their town, a hamlet just north of Pure Land Beach. While I started up the steep mountainside the children bounced ahead of me, teasing me that I moved slowly for someone so tall. “Are you as tall as Michael Jordan, Miller-sensei?” yelled one boy as he shot past me up the trail.
“Not quite,” I told him, pausing on a spot of level ground to look out over the neat collection of tile roofs and gardens that filled the back of a narrow, high-walled bay.
“What is this?” I asked, pointing to a mossy stone marker that occupied the rest of the brief plateau. A chorus of young voices told me that it was the high-water mark for the area’s biggest tsunami: more than 50 feet above the valley floor.
“When was that?” I asked, but the boys couldn’t say. Read More
JETwit needs your help identifying any earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster relief projects or efforts that have been started, organized, managed or otherwise undertaken by JETs or JET alumni.
What else is missing from this list?
View Japan Relief Efforts in a larger map
View Japan Relief Efforts in a larger map
The ones we’re aware of to date (8/12/11) are:
1. Smile Kids Japan (founded by Mike Maher-King (Fukui-ken, 2006-11) collaborating with Tokyo-based NPO Living Dreams to form the Smiles & Dreams Tohoku Kids’ Project (among other efforts).
2. The Fruitree Project, started by Paul Yoo (Akita-ken), which has now evolved into Volunteer AKITA and has led to the Big CLEAN which has already brought volunteers to help cleaning efforts in Kessenuma.
3. I’ve heard that Fukushima JETs have been organizing efforts to clean up the beaches, but I don’t have any details. Can anyone provide more info?
4. Hearts For Haragama (http://hearts4haragama.wordpress.com). Billy McMichael (CIR Fukushima) is one of the 7 founders of project aimed at raising funds for the Haragama Youchien kindergarten in Soma, Fukushima. (Thanks to former JETAA DC President Michelle Spezzacatena for passing this on.)
5. “Kat Geeraert, an ALT in Soma (Fukushima), is doing an amazing job with her foundation “Friends of Soma.” http://www.somafriends.com/ (Thanks to Catherine Lefrancois (JHS ALT in Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi) for passing this on.)
6. AJET is playing a significant role in facilitating and coordinating volunteer efforts for current JETs and has also been collaborating with other good organizations/efforts such as Peace Boat, Foreign Buyers Club and 5toSurvive. (Thanks to Cailin Arena (Osaka) for passing this on.)
7. “Save Miyagi was founded by Canon Purdy (Miyagi-ken, 2008-10) to help out students in Minamisanriku. Canon is currently back in Japan, working with officials to see where the money will be used.” (Thanks to Jen Wang (Miyagi-ken) for passing on the info.)
8. Hotdogs and Hugs is an aid organization formed by Saga-ken JETs. Among other things, they organized a volunteer group that traveled all the way from Saga (western Kyushu) up to Tohoku, collecting donations and fundraising along the way. (Thanks to Ling Tran (Saga-ken, Yoshinogari-shi, 2009-11) for passing on the info.)
9. Osaka AJET: “We have done extensive food drives and collections through our schools we work in, those goods, money, supplies have then been coordinated with Kozmoz International (A small not-for profit in Kyoto) and we have taken the needed items to Tohoku ourselves. We will be doing another drive across Osaka, hopefully in dozens of schools where JETs are placed from the start of this second term.” (Thanks to Matthew Cook, who serves as both AJET Chair and is a member of Osaka AJET, for sharing this info.)
10. The MUD Project: It turns out that Colin Renie (CIR Yamagata-ken, 2007-10) has been running a volunteer project that has enabled many JETs to volunteer in Tohoku with particular emphasis on Minamisanriku as well as other areas of Miyagi and Iwate. Lots of good info, photos and updates on the project’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mudproject
**********
What else is missing from this list?
Please post to the comments section or e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com with more info.
Yoroshiku!
