Japan-America Society (Seattle): “Challenges of Banking in an Economic Crisis”
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Via JETAA Pacific Northwest:
Friday, September 25, 2009
“Challenges of Banking in an Economic Crisis”
Speaker : Masamichi “Mitch” Yasuda
Senior Executive VP/Deputy CFO, Union Bank
The Japan-America Society is pleased to announce Mr. Masamichi “Mitch” Yasuda as our featured speaker for a September 25 lunch program titled “Challenges of Banking in an Economic Crisis.” Mr. Yasuda will speak about the state of the economy in Japan today compared to its post-bubble years, and the economic challenges facing U.S. bankers. He will also touch on how Union Bank has been able to stay successful during these difficult economic times. Read More
Adbusters: “The Soul of Japan” by Roland Kelts
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has an article in the August issue of Adbusters magazine addressing the long lineage of Japanese artists’ resistance to the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and subsequent interdependence. With the elections looming on August 30th, perhaps this additional context will be of interest JET alum.
The Soul of Japan: Japan’s crisis is not political, but psychological
© hideaki kawashima | soak, 2004 | courtesy tomio koyama gallery, tokyo
https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/84/soul-japan.html
Isshoni London: Top 5 Picks for Summer in Japanese London
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Great article from the Isshoni London website run by JET alum Vanessa Villalobos (who is also the Communications Officer for JETAA UK).
There’s a welcome lull in frenetic London life over August… time to enjoy some of the finer things in life: food, music and the great outdoors.
If you, like I am, are counting down the days to the Japan Matsuri at Spitalfields this September 19th, you should indulge in a little Japanese cultural exploration over the summer!
1. EAT FOR FREE AT TOKYO CITY
I know! I couldn’t believe it either! Simply book your table in advance at Tokyo City Japanese Restaurant near Bank on any Tuesday in August, anytime from 11.30am to 10pm at night. A tasty offer too good to miss, you simply pay a £2.50 service charge and the cost of drinks you order.
City workers can feast for free on everything from handmade sushi and sashimi to bento boxes filled with Japanese classics, plus other traditional Japanese dishes, and help Tokyo City celebrate their 10th birthday and the launch of their new August menu.
Tokyo City is at 46 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7AY
Call 020 7726 0308 and quote the Tokyo City offer when you book.
2. DISCOVER CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE MUSIC
You’ll be pleased to hear Tsuru Sushi plays host to new Japanese music the last Wednesday of every month! Their 100% Genki events showcase Japanese musical and performance talent.
The events have been running for one year on the last Wednesday of each month, and attract a diverse crowd from the Japanese and local communities. Performers are also diverse, ranging from Wataru Kousaka, a sanshin player, to contemporary electronic composer Anchorsong and many others.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article
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JetWit webmaster Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06) comments after the jump on The Cove, a new documentary about dolphin hunting in Japan. Please feel free to share your own thoughts regarding this controversial film in the comments section of this post.
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (August 2009)
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The August 2009 issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and leading sake expert John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) is now available online. In this issue:
- Cost of Sake & that of Rice
- Did You Know?
- Guided Sakagura Tours
- NEW! Sake Professional Course in Las Vegas
- Sake Events
- Learn More About Sake eBooks
- Odds-n-Ends
WIT Life #47: The Times They Are A-Changin’
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
An article from this past Tuesday’s (August 4) Daily Sun newspaper caught my attention as it focused on gaijin. It described how foreigners are increasingly being recognized for the prestigious literature Akutagawa Prize. Last year Chinese writer Yang Yi became the first non-native speaker of Japanese to win, and her comment at the ceremony held at a Tokyo restaurant was, “As a foreigner I have written novels and I am thrilled to have been recognized in this way.” The 44-year-old Yang’s award-winning work titled “Toki ga nijimu asa” (A Morning When Time Blurs) is set during and after China’s democratization movement centering on the 1989 Tiananmen Incident. The book follows a Chinese man who lived through those times and later moved to Japan, still holding on to his ideals.
This year further diversity was added to the proceedings of this 141-year old award when Read More
Roland Kelts column in Daily Yomiuri on manga program in Switzerland film festival
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a good column in today’s Daily Yomirui titled “Anime with Texas Roots Debuts in Switzerland.”
According to the column:
Manga Impact: The World of Japanese Animation, a special program at the 62nd annual Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, will include next Friday’s world premiere of the Japanese anime Redline in the city’s historic central square, which can accommodate more than 8,000 viewers.
And Redline is:
a film that piles hybrid upon hybrid–a racing film that blasts into sci-fi apocalypse, as a corrupt alien government seeks to destroy the mortal drivers who dare to compete on their alien planet. The action is relentless, allowing you to catch your breath only in brief interludes, yet the imagery is dense with anatomical grotesqueries–like Lucian Freud on acid, or, if you view Redline as a kind of meta- anime, an anime about the stylized thrills of anime itself, Speed Racer on speed.
If any JetWit readers happen to see Redline–especially if you see it in Switzerland at the film festival–please post a comment and share your thoughts and experience.
I Survived Watching “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” 8.5.09
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This week after watching a game involving trampolines and contestants wearing gorilla gloves and popping balloons on the ceiling, the two teams are separated into separate days’ activities.
The women’s team appeared on the Zoom In morning show. And the guys’ team had to work for a bento delivery company. Watching them ride around on bikes, making a late delivery to an irate customer after getting lost and then accept payment from an old woman of about $70 in change was actually kind of neat.
The net effect of the show seems to consistently be to make Japan feel a little more real and accessible. Kind of ironic since the gameshow part of the show accomplishes the exact opposite.
Update: Japanese Defense Minister Yuriko Koike is on the show?!
Update: Sticky floors and biting squid heads!?
Update: Cathy wins!!! Bring on the “Omedetou Mob” (same guys as the Sayonara Mob but in white suits.)
Ok, I admit it. I’m hooked just as the show is ending. Great season finale. O-tsukara sama deshita.
Just stumbled into “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow” again, halfway into the program. One team is learning how to be samurai and participating in a samurai parade. The other group learned how to cut down bamboo and then take the bamboo and carve it into chopsticks.
Two things occurred to me as I watch this:
- This might be the best tourism promotion for Japan they could possibly hope for. It gives people a real sense of Japan and a connection to it.
- What the hell do samurai parades and chopstick making have to do with the gameshow?
Thus far, the show seems to be a greater enigma than Japan ever was.
WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
There is talk in Japan of changing the legal adult age of 20 down to 18, as a government advisory panel introduced thi
s idea on Wednesday. This was put forth by the Democratic Party, who is expected to take power from the long-reigning Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming general election. The proposal will be submitted to Japan’s justice minister if the Legislative Council approves it at its general meeting in September. This could go through sas early as May of next year, and it would allow people to vote in elections and get married without permission from their parents two years earlier than is currently permitted (the current marriage age is 18 for men and 16 for men, but they suggest making it 18 for both).
It has been said that this idea is being floated for the purpose of “young people’s self-sustainability,” but the word on the street from those interviewed on the news was that Read More
JETAA Chapter Beat: Author Robert Whiting Coming to Seattle
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) brings us a special edition of news from the JETAA Pacific Northwest for JETAA Chapter Beat.
The Japan-America Society of Seattle is pleased to announce best-selling author Robert Whiting as the featured speaker for an August 13 evening cocktail reception. Mr. Whiting will speak about his new book You Gotta Have Wa 2009(Vintage Departures). The event is being held on Thursday, August 13th at FOX Sports Grill.
Mr. Whiting first wrote You Gotta Have Wa (Macmillan) in 1989, reflecting on the cultural conflict between Japan and America as seen through the common sport of baseball. It was written at the height of US-Japan trade difficulties and received considerable media attention, including 3 reviews from the NY Times and a feature in Time Magazine. Mr. Whiting has appeared on such TV shows as Larry King and the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour. Along with being required reading at the Japan Desk in the State Department and a frequent feature in American Universities, it was also a best seller in Japan and named one of the best non-fiction books of the year.
The new book is a celebration of Wa‘s 20th anniversary, containing a new introduction and afterward describing the changes in US-Japanese relations and how it can still be seen in the sport of baseball. Special focus is given to the influx of Japanese stars to the MLB, like Daisuke Matsuzaka, as well as the recent unprecedented migration of American managers to Japan, led by Bobby Valentine and Trey Hillman.
In his talk, Mr. Whiting will address the subject of whether Japanese and Americans understand (and like) each other more than they did two decades ago and the how baseball remains an interesting reflection of culture.
Mr. Whiting is the author of several highly acclaimed books, including The Meaning of Ichiro (Warner Books) and Tokyo Underworld (Pantheon), a book about organized crime in Japan currently being made into a film directed by Martin Scorsese.
Doors open at 5:30, with the Presentation and Q&A session held from 6:20 until 7:00, followed by Mariners vs. Yankees, presented on 3 big screen plasma TVs.
Roland Kelts on Australian radio
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Check out this interview on Australian radio (ABC) with Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, about the anime industry in Japan, financial foibles and hentai habits.
Roland recently finished a speaking tour in Australia where made several appearances.
- July 13-16th, Sydney, AU, JSAA Conference, University of Sydney
- July 17th, Sydney, AU, The Japan Foundation: Panel w/Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
- July 20th, Brisbane, AU, The University of Queensland: Panel w/ Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
- July 22nd, Melbourne, AU, The University of Melbourne: Panel w/Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
He also hosted a talk with Hayao Miyazaki in Berkely, CA on July 25. Click here to see video clips of Roland speaking at the JETAA NY Alumni Author Showcase event held back in March 2009, here for photos from the event and here to read a review of the event.
Event: NYC Japan Street Fair – Sunday, August 23
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For a big, 15-block New York street fair coming up, one stretch will be devoted specifically to things Japanese. Further indication of how much Japanese culture has become part of the New York scene. (Rumor has it that New York-ken might even soon have its own ALTs!) Demo majime ni, read the press release below for more info:
The NYC Japan Street Fair Debuts at the Daytop Madison Avenue Festival!
NEW YORK, New York, (July 22, 2009) – On Sunday, August 23, 2009, the NYC Japan Fair will make its debut at the Daytop Madison Avenue Festival, one of New York’s largest street fairs that spans 15 blocks – from 42nd to 57th Streets – and attracts 10 million visitors annually. Hosting a diverse array of companies specializing in distinctly Japanese products and food, the NYC Japan Fair invites New Yorkers to immerse themselves with the rich culture of Japan for a day, while using the event as a test market to introduce new Japanese products to the U.S.
The Fair’s approximately 40 booths offer everything tangible about Japanese culture: food, merchandise, Read More
Learning to Bow…in Iraq?
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Just heard an NPR interview with Wesley Gray, the fluent-in-Arabic author of Embedded: A Marine Corps Advisor in the Iraqi Army, and it struck me that it might be the Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan for current day Iraq. Learning to Bow by best-selling author Bruce Feiler (Tottori-ken, 1989-90) was the original “JET book,” describing the experience of living in Japan and making sense of the cultural differences.
I think it would be interesting to hear some JET perspectives on the book, perhaps contrasting Gray’s experience with their own cross-cultural experience in Japan. Please feel free to post your comments below. Also, if anyone wants to write a review of the book, just get in touch.
Here’s a summary of the book from Amazon:
From Publishers Weekly
In this illuminating memoir, Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Gray recounts his eight-month tour as part of a Military Transition Team, working as an advisor to the Iraqi Army on location. Gray was fluent in Arabic prior to deployment, giving him enormous insight into the culture and worldview of Iraqis as citizens and soldiers and obvious advantages over colleagues (and competing memoirists) relying on translantors On many occasions, Gray encounters an Insh’ Allah philosophy, a mantra of “If God wills it” or “God willing” can strike Americans as lazy or unmotivated. Among other startling lessons, Gray discovered that loyalty to tribe supersedes duty to the state; the Iraqi Army soldiers he was training were spending their monthly leave in the ranks of local tribal militias. Gray details the cultural nuances and interpersonal relationships of occupied Iraq with such care and clarity, it’s a must-read for anyone interested in the the reconstruction, especially those set to deploy.
With healthcare legislation front and center in the U.S. and many JETs set to leave the womb of JET life, not to mention the tough job market and high unemployment rate, I thought this might be a good time to ask the JET and JET alum community (and not just the U.S.):
How are you feeling about health insurance and healthcare these days?
Do you have it?
Are you worried about it?
What are your options?
What challenges or problems have you faced or do you expect to face?
Post your comments here for the benefit of the JET alumni and Friend of JET community.
Yoroshiku.
