JET alum journalist Tom Baker presents Yomiuri Shimbun’s “Japan News” videos
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) spent many years on the staff of The Daily Yomiuri. On April 1 this year, The Daily Yomiuri became The Japan News. The paper’s website includes a daily video introducing a few sample headlines from each day’s paper, and Tom is one of the presenters. His latest video appears below, and you can see more at the-japan-news.com or The Japan News’ YouTube page.
What would doubling the JET Program look like?
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A thoughtful post about the implications of an expanded JET Program from the Mutant Frog Travelogue blog. One of the things I like about this piece is that it attempts to concretely think through some of the implications. The other is that it actually factors in different forms of Return On JET-vestment that tend to be brushed aside or ignored in other commentaries or critiques of JET.
What would doubling the JET Program look like?
Here are a few excerpts:
Recent news reports suggest that the LDP is planning to propose doubling the JETProgram in three years and placing JET language assistants in all elementary, middle, and high schools within a decade. There are around 38,000 such schools in Japan, so that’s aLOT of ALTs!
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It also means more “Japan hands,” maybe even double, and this can cut in different ways. I feel like Japan is sorely in need of talented Japanese-to-English translators, so an influx of native English talent that could eventually progress to ace-translator status is a good thing. At the same time, the increased supply in the market could put pressure on prices, and who knows maybe some whipper snapper could come after my job some day.
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From what I gather, the job of an ALT is generally to supplement a Japanese teacher of English by helping with pronunciation and various other tasks. Maybe I just don’t get around enough, but I cannot recall ever hearing someone even try to argue that they are an essential part of the learning process or that what they do has an appreciable benefit to the level of English ability in Japan. I don’t think that is really a problem though because of the program’s other upsides.
On the other hand, what I have heard and experienced is that ALTs can help inspire students to discover the joys and rewards of learning English or encourage them to keep going. I think the value of that should not be underestimated because it is life-changing and the ALTs deserve huge credit for it.
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CLICK HERE to read the full post.
JET alum seeks translators to help with “Rebuilding Tohoku” website project
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Thanks to Owen Rosa (Iwate-ken, 1999-2002) for sharing info about his project. If you’re interested in helping, read below and contact Owen by registering on the website:
The Rebuilding Tohoku website is dedicated to providing information about the changes taking place in Japan in the post Great Northeast Tsunami and Earthquake era.
- This website is trying to create a medium that consolidates information for all subjects related to the rebuilding efforts including but not limited to energy, politics, economics, tourism and philanthropy.
- The site allows for people to join as members and submit articles (in both Japanese and English), pictures, videos, or documents on various subjects or projects related to rebuilding Tohoku.
- The site also asks for Japanese language speakers to volunteer with translations of articles or project information from Japanese to English in order to provide information in English usually not available outside of Japan.
- The overall goal of the website is to provide access to articles and promote projects outside Japan to potential philanthropists, foreign investors or others interested in supporting the rebuilding efforts.
I am reaching out to current and former JETs to ask for your support in volunteering to translate from Japanese to English or provide any information you know about projects supporting the rebuilding efforts. Thank you for your consideration and if you are interested please go to the website at www.rebuildingtohoku.com and register, thank you.
The website was created and operated by Owen Rosa, a former JET (1999-2002) in Iwate Prefecture.
Let’s Talk Japan Podcast: Episode 9, Podcasting About Japan
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Let’s Talk Japan is a twice monthly, interview format podcast covering a wide range of Japan-related topics. Host Nick Harling (Mie-ken, 2001-03) lived in Japan from 2001 until 2005, including two great years as a JET Program participant in Mie-Ken. He practices law in Washington, D.C., and lives with his wife who patiently listens to him talk about Japan . . . a lot.
Dear JET Alums,
Do you find yourself going through withdrawal while having to wait two whole weeks for the next episode of the Let’s Talk Japan podcast? If so, check out Episode 9, where I review other great Japan-related podcasts you might want to start listening to. Categories covered include: Life in Japan, Japanese Language Study, Sports, History, Food, Current Events, etc.
Enjoy!
Nick
If you have not already done so, be sure to “Like” the podcast on Facebook, and follow the podcast on Twitter @letstalkjapan. Additionally, please consider leaving a positive rating and/or review in iTunes.
Kyodo News “Rural JET alumni” series: Darryl Wharton-Rigby (Fukushima)
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News agency Kyodo News has recently been publishing monthly articles written by JET alumni who were appointed in rural areas of Japan, as part of promotion for the JET Programme. Below is the English version of the column from April 2013. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
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“I do not know how much of an impact I will have on the people I have met while I have been in Japan but I do know they have had a great impact on mine. Had I not applied for the JET Programme, I do not know what my life would be today.”
Writer, director, and professor, Darryl Wharton-Rigby (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-machi, 2005-07) hails from a family of poets and storytellers in Baltimore, Maryland. He has earned a BA in History from Ithaca College and a MFA in Film Directing from Chapman University. After being hired by MTV Films to write a screenplay based on the Japanese manga TokyoTribe 2, he moved to Japan and taught English in a small town in Fukushima. He shot his latest short film, Obon, in the town of Natori, which is one of the areas of Japan hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami. He is now working on a documentary, Don Doko Don: The Yamakiya Taiko Club Story, about a group of young drummers who were displaced due to high levels of radiation in their community from the failed nuclear plant. He has earned awards and grants from the Urbanworld Film Festival, the Maryland State Arts Council, The Painted Bride Arts Center, the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, and the Caucus Foundation for his work. He splits his time between Baltimore, Los Angeles and Japan where he currently lives, and credits his wife and three children as his ultimate muse.
A lifetime of happiness
One of the most satisfying and rewarding jobs in my life was working as an ALT in Kawamata in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan from 2005–2007. I have learned over the years that everything happens for a reason and that sometimes in life we are chosen to be at a certain place at a certain time.
I was 37 years old and living in Los Angeles, CA. I was living the life of a struggling filmmaker and needed a change, a break, from my career in film, television, and theatre. Since my first trip to Tokyo on a business trip for MTV I had been longing to return to Japan, because I knew there was more for me to learn and know about Japan. Applying for the JET Programme seemed the perfect opportunity.
From the moment I got accepted, life has moved at a rapid pace. I was placed in Kawamata, in Fukushima Prefecture, a quiet town with rice fields and rivers surrounded by mountains. My life in Kawamata was an adventure every day. I worked in two junior high schools, several elementary schools and kindergartens. It always brought a smile to my face, when I would hear students call my name, “Dariru-sensei!” I did my best to help the Japanese teachers in the classroom with activities and games. I got to know many of the students and could tell the ones who were enthusiastic towards learning English. Read More
Japan Times: LDP looks to double JET Program’s ranks in 3 years
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Good news on the horizon for the JET Program. And for the future of JETAA as well.
LDP looks to double JET Program’s ranks in three years
By Ayako Mie, Staff Writer
The number of teachers hired for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program would be doubled in three years under a proposal drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to boost Japan’s global competitiveness and nurture international talent.
According to the draft of a midterm report by the LDP’s economic revitalization headquarters obtained Monday, the number of JET teachers would be increased to 10,000 from about 4,360 in 2012. The teachers also would be dispatched to all elementary, junior high and high schools within 10 years.
The JET Program was targeted for wasteful spending by the Democratic Party of Japan’s “shiwake” government revitalization unit before the young party was kicked out of power in the Lower House election in December.
The LDP views the use of native English speakers as vital to improving English-speaking ability at a time when it is moving toward making a passing score on the Test of English as Foreign Language mandatory for entering and graduating from college.
The proposal is in line with the growth strategies Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mapped out last Friday ahead of the July Upper House election. The strategies include globalizing the Japanese workforce and increasing the number of women in it by extending the length of maternity leave to three years from 18 months.
The proposal will be part of Abe’s real basic economic policies, which are being compiled by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy for release in June — just a month before the House of Councilors election in July.
Fleshing out Abe’s pledge to fight the nationwide shortage of day-care centers, the LDP’s plan will also propose tax breaks for spending related to housekeeping, including baby-sitting and housekeeping fees.
According to media reports, the LDP will also try to lure back Japanese companies that have moved overseas to escape the strong yen by offering tax breaks for closing any factories built abroad and for building new ones in Japan.
Halting the manufacturing exodus will help prevent the hollowing out of Japanese industry.
CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Jordan Patrick Lincez (Aichi)
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Each month, current and former JET participants are featured in the “JET Plaza” section of the CLAIR Forum magazine. The May 2013 edition includes an article by JET alumn Jordan Patrick Lincez. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
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“Through the people I meet, I feel as though I have a responsibility to share my love and experiences of Japan to strengthen and sustain the bonds that were tied in fellowship and goodwill.”
Jordan Patrick Lincez (Aichi-ken, Toyone-mura, 2009-11) is from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He has been playing various instruments from a young age, first learning the guitar from his father Marc Victor, and eventually making an album with him before joining the JET Programme. Jordan spent two years in one of the smallest villages of Japan and his contributions to the community include recording a collaborative album with local musicians and organizing a charity music festival. He is now studying in Vancouver, BC, to become a French teacher in elementary schools in rural Canada.
After JET – Rural Reflections
Steve Jobs once talked about connecting the dots only after you go through something. Coming to and leaving Toyone was like that. My memories of there are vivid: wet mornings with mists floating above green mountains around Tsugawa Heights; straining to keep my eyes open and my body moving to the drum on Hana Matsuri; watching the evening sun burst in orange and red leaves during the autumn foliage season on my drive to Toyama; listening to my students practice Kendo in the dojo while watching the snow gently falls outside; joining my friends in celebrating our charity festival’s success with the most bountiful yakiniku feast I have ever seen. I have left Japan with a wealth of memories and friendships that I will carry with me forever, and it was only in connecting the dots looking back that am I able to see the impact my experiences there have had on my life and current endeavors.
What brought me to Japan? I wanted a new challenge, and, one day, I met a wonderful teacher in Ottawa who taught me Japanese, but also taught me about Japanese culture—and I was fascinated with it. I had to go experience it. I had to get out of Ottawa, out of Canada, and learn about myself through experiencing life in a different world. JET brought me to Japan and placed me as an ALT in two of the smallest villages in Japan: Toyone and Toyama in Aichi Prefecture. Read More
JET alum seeks to create “Japan Town” in Sydney
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I saw a post about this on the JETAA New South Wales Facebook page and thought this was worth sharing with the JET alum community since it’s a JET alum seeking to literally spread Japanese culture. Here’s the full description of the project being pursued by JET alum Joshua Flannery at http://www.pozible.com/project/21447:
Sydney already has a China Town, a “little Italy” (Leichardt/Haberfield), a Korea Town (Eastwood/City) and many more pockets of ethnic-flavoured deliciousness.
This pozible project aims to create a permanent “Little Japan” somewhere in Sydney (actually I prefer the name “Little Kyoto as it is less common than Little Tokyo or Little Osaka a la San Francisco).
Sure, we have the Japanese supermarket and a bit of a community in Northbridge but its not exactly an equivalent to China Town. We also have a little pocket of restaurants and a Japanese bookshop in Artarmon but to be honest, you could walk right through it and not realise it was there.
More than just a collection of restaurants in the same area, this will include an onsen (Japanese traditional baths), a geisha house, quaint little Japanese bars, street vendors/markets selling chicken kara age (Japanese fried chicken) and takoyaki (fried octopus ball) stands.
There would be a manga cafe and maybe even a maid cafe.
Japanese art and craft would be on display and on sale with J-Pop, Enka and Japanese hip-hop heard throughout the area.
There would be regular events and performances and busking in the area would be permitted for Japanese and Japan related artists.
A Business with Japan zone would also be created with an area to network with local business people with Japanese products and services or business visitors from Japan. To see a Japanese salary man roaming from the zone to a restaurant to a bar just like the backstreets of Tokyo would not be unusual.
For those wanting to study Japanese or keep up their language skills, there will be “Japanese language zones” where only Japanese language will be spoken. The will also give an effect as if one were over in Japan. Further to the language learning, there will be classes to make Japanese food, art and martial arts training available in a dojo space.
Sydney’s Little Japan will be an experiential, educational and delicious zone of Japan flavored food, art, culture and people.
Outside of Japan, this space will be the most extensive Japan flavored space in the world and people will actually visit it as a tourist attraction too.
What do I have and why me?
· Japanese food and culture addict
* 6 years living and working in Japan
· A network of Japanese business community
· A network of Japanese people living in Sydney (including my Japanese wife)
· Experience as the only non-Japanese staff in Sydney’s first sushi train restaurant
· Strong links into Japans business and hospitality industry (I’m a Certified Sake Professional)
– My day job now is working with start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors and everyone else in the innovation ecosystem. I know what it takes to plan and execute a project :
What do I need?
In order to do this properly, I need some funding to do the research for the project. I’d like to conduct interviews with current players in Sydney (read Japanese restaurant owners, importers, dojo managers, the Japan Foundation, the Japan External Trade Organisation, Japanese schools and the Japanese expat community).
Depending on how much is pledged, I would also look at 1 trip to Japan to meet with potential partners based in Japan who may support the project (read government officials, businesses and others with interested in spreading “Japan” further into Sydney). It would be cool to bring something new that doesn’t exist in Australia over.
The goal will be to create a detailed report, which will give a clearer idea of:
1) who wants to be a part of this
2) what the real size of this Japan Town will be (a multilevel building or an area around a train station in the suburbs or?)
3) how much money it will cost to make this happen
Upon the completion of the project, I will send those who donate a copy so they can see what this project has found.
The document will also act as the basis to start the second, much larger project of beginning to actually make this Japan Town become a reality – and another reason for people to love Sydney.
Here’s the link to pledge to the cause: https://www.pozible.com/fund/support/21447/0/-1
CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Dr. Mark Williams (Gunma)
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Each month, current and former JET participants are featured in the “JET Plaza” section of the CLAIR Forum magazine. The May 2012 edition includes an article by Dr. Mark Williams, a former British English Teachers Scheme (BETS), the forerunner to the JET Programme. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
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“Think of your JET experience with a long-term view. […] As time passes, you will realize that your experience left you with the desire to accomplish or attain something. Do not rush, but be patient as you seek to do so.”
After graduating from the University of Oxford with a a BA in Japanese Studies, Dr. Mark Williams (Gunma-ken, Maebashi-shi, 1979-81) came to Japan to work as a member of the British English Teachers Scheme (BETS) in Gunma Prefecture. He moved from there to California to pursue a Ph.D. in postwar Japanese literature then joined the University of Leeds, UK, as a Lecturer in Japanese, to become Professor of Japanese Studies a few years later. He has just completed a 4-year term as President of the British Association for Japanese Studies and 5 years as Head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Leeds and is currently on secondment as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Akita International University, Japan.
The Japan I Came to Know
Two Years in Gunma Prefecture
I participated on the British English Teachers Scheme (BETS) Programme for two years from 1979 to 1981. The BETS Programme was proposed by Nicholas MacLean and is also known as the MacLean Scheme. In Gunma Prefecture, I worked four days per week for two years at one base school each year (Maebashi Minami Senior High School my first year and Shibukawa Girl’s Senior High School my second year). The remaining day of the work week I spent visiting senior high schools throughout the prefecture, and I can say I likely visited every senior high school in the prefecture.
At the time, team-teaching classes were not as established as now, and no matter how enthusiastic, attempts to conduct entire classes in English were unfortunately often short-lived. The classes I conducted at the school I visited on Wednesdays were rich in variety resulting in a trial-and-error approach on my behalf. The several hundred-student school body would gather at once, and I would speak to them in English about my home country England, or explain the origin of English vocabulary words or the characteristics of the English language.
I was one of only a handful of foreigner instructors in Gunma Prefecture at the time. As such, I stood out greatly and even made front-page headlines in a local newspaper. My experience began with my arrival in Japan. The principal of my school came to meet me at Narita Airport, and we traveled from there to Maebashi Station. As soon as I exited Maebashi Station, I found myself surrounded by news reporters. One of them asked about my hobbies, and I replied “I enjoy music.” The headlines of the next morning’s newspaper reported, “New foreign instructor likes to sing.”
Tohoku Tomo Update 03.26.13
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Wesley Julian (Miyagi-ken, 2008-10) is now in Japan with a small film crew making a video that will share the story of JET alums and others who have made and continue to make a difference in Tohoku, Japan. Below is a video update from Wesley regarding his Tohoku Tomo project:
Tohoku Tomo Update from Philip Holbrook on Vimeo.
JET alum Lucia Brea interviewed by NY Public Library Blog about JET Program
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The New York Public Library Blog recently interviewed JET alum Lucia Brea (Fukui-ken) about her experience on the JET Program:
STUFF FOR THE TEEN AGE, THE TICKETLESS TRAVELER
Think Japan is all Manga, Sushi, and Pocky Sticks?
by Rabecca Hoffman, Kingsbridge Library
March 21, 2013
Harajuku? Geisha? Robots? Awesome! Japanese culture has been an obsession of mine for a while now, as well as for the teenagers at my branch, so when we recently had the opportunity to invite Lucia Brea, Fukui Friendship Ambassador, to stop by and talk to the Kingsbridge Library’s Teen Advisory Group, I jumped at the opportunity. Lucia spent four years in Japan through the JET Program teaching English to students of all ages in the Fukui Prefecture, and I was able to sit down with her after her visit to ask her a few questions about her experience:
What is the JET program, and would you recommend it for other people? Are there other ways to go about living in Japan as a foreigner?
The JET Programme stands for Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, now in its 26th year, which aims to promote grass-roots international exchange between Japan and other countries. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a passion for developing strong relationships with communities and the drive to live in Japan for an extended period of time. It is an opportunity to experience Japan and continue to enhance relationships between Japan and their home country like I did at the New York Public Library. There are many other ways to live in Japan as a foreigner, the JET Programme is one of the best…
CLICK HERE to read the full article on the New York Public Library site.
JET alum Nick Harling starts “Let’s Talk Japan” podcasts
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A great idea just started by former JETAA DC Vice-President Nick Harling (Mie-ken, 2001-03):
Dear JET Alumni,
I want to let you know about a new project that I recently started in an effort to engage my long-held interest in Japan – The Let’s Talk Japan Podcast.
Up until last spring, I volunteered as Vice-President of the JET Alumni Association in Washington, DC, and through that experience I met many people with interesting Japan-related jobs and life experiences. After two years in that capacity, it was time to move on to something new, and last fall I decided that that something would be a podcast.
My first episode appeared in iTunes on January 1st of this year. Topics covered so far have include the JET Program application process, the mission of the Sister Cities International and Kizuna Across Cultures organizations, and discussions with an atomic bomb survivor and an expert on Japanese baseball. Whenever possible, I will also highlight the contributions JET alumni are making in their home countries.
If you are interested in checking it out, you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. If you like the podcast, feel free to leave a positive rating. You can also interact with the podcast at www.letstalkjapan.com, through Facebook, or on Twitter @letstalkjapan.
I hope you enjoy the podcast, and I welcome your feedback.
Nick Harling
Mie-Ken 2001-03
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Recent posts from Let’s Talk Japan Podcast:
002 The JET Program Application Process
003 Sister Cities International
006 Banzai Babe Ruth Author Robert K. Fitts
JET Alum Establishes “Tsunami Survivor Fund to Save Miyagi”
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A new effort started by Miyagi JET alum Canon Purdy:
Welcome to Save Miyagi, a non profit, unincorporated charity organization dedicated to helping Miyagi and Minamisanriku rebuild after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11th, 2011.
Canon Purdy and her family founded this organization after Canon was stranded without contact in the town of Minamisanriku, where she had taught English for two years before.
SaveMiyagi successfully donated to the Minamisanriku Board of Education in August (check blog for details). Our next project is sending Paper Cranes to Northern Japan to support their recovery process.
Please check out the video below or the page above, and consider getting involved.
JET Alumni Meet Prime Minister Abe in D.C.
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Via the CLAIR New York (aka Japan Local Government Center) Blog:
JET Alumni Meet Prime Minister Abe in D.C. (click to see photos of the event)
On February 22nd, around 15 JET alumni were invited to the reception held by Japan’s Prime Minister Abe in Washington, D.C.
Among them were Mr. Michael Green (Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, Center for Strategic & International Studies), Mr. James Gannon (Executive Director, Japan Center for International Exchange/USA), Mr. David Boling (Deputy Executive Director, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation), Ms. Paige Cottingham-Streater (Executive Director, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission), and Ms. Leigh Ann Mastrini (President, JETAA DC). The families of Taylor Anderson and Monty Dickson were also invited.
They talked with Prime Minister Abe about various topics, including how the JET Programme has influenced their lives, and the importance of the JET Programme and other person-to-person exchanges, etc.
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JETAA – 安倍総理とJETプログラム参加経験者達が交流
2月22日、ワシントンD.C.において、訪米中の安倍総理大臣が主催するレセプションにJETプログラム参加経験者も招待され、総理と交流する機会がありました。
招待されたJETプログラム（前身のMEFプログラムを含む）関係者は、マイケル・グリーンさん（戦略国際問題研究所上級顧問・元大統領特別補佐官・静岡県）、ジェームス・ギャノンさん（米国法人日本国際交流センター所長・愛媛県）、デービッド・ボリングさん（マンスフィールド財団副事務局長・前連邦下院議員選挙候補・茨城県）、ページ・カティンガムさん（日米友好基金事務局長・三重県）、リーアン・マーストリニさん（JETAAワシントンDC支部長・兵庫県）など10数名のJETプログラム参加者と、先の東日本大震災でJETプログラム参加中に亡くなったテイラー・アンダーソンさん（宮城県石巻市）、モンゴメリー・ディクソンさん（岩手県大槌町）の御家族です。
JETプログラム関係者の席はレセプションの最前列に配置され、JETプログラムへの参加が人生に与えた影響や、JETプログラムを含む人的交流の重要性などについて、総理と会話を交わしていました。
JCIE Special Report on Giving to Japan and the Current Status
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Thanks to Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), for sharing this uniquely informative and eye-opening report from his organization on what’s been going on in Japan with regard to recovery and donations.
From a JET perspective, it’s very useful information as a point of reference with regard to the strength of US / Japan ties in the areas such as sister city / state, and JET alumni efforts. It also really highlights the depth of the linkage between the two countries extending beyond the security and economic relationships to the personal level connections that are, for the most part, not simply based on having a large immigrant community. Additionally, it notes the state of the nonprofit sector and volunteerism in Japan and to increasing awareness of how that sector would benefit from developing further.
US Giving for Japan Disaster Exceeds $710 Million
Record Amount for Overseas Disaster in a Developed Country
http://www.jcie.org/311recovery/usgiving3.html
Intro Paragraph: In the two years since Japan was struck by an earthquake and tsunami of apocalyptic proportions, Americans have donated $712.6 million to help with relief and recovery efforts. These figures, which come from a survey conducted by the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE), indicate that the outpouring of US giving is the largest ever for a disaster in another developed nation, and the fifth most generous US response to any disaster in history.
JET Reference: In many instances, fundraising campaigns were driven by people who had connections to Japan through overseas study or from working in the country through programs such as the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, and for others it came from their affinity for Japanese anime, sports, language, or traditional culture.
On the Non-Profit Sector in Japan: In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, a handful of American commentators with limited knowledge of Japan advised against donating because Japan is a rich country. However, they overlooked the fact that, while Japan is a rich country, its nonprofit sector is relatively poor and underfinanced. US donations ended up having an outsized impact precisely because the funding base of Japanese nonprofits has traditionally been so limited and because these nonprofit organizations play such a crucial role by performing services that government agencies cannot manage, thus filling the gaps in the disaster response.
CLICK HERE to read the full report.
