JETAA Texoma website up and running
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Texoma JETAA Region has just announced the launch of its new website in blog format: www.jetaa9.org
Get the RSS feed here: http://www.jetaa9.org/wpb/?feed=rss2
You can go here to meet the Texoma JETAA officers.
WIT Life #35: Hero Worship
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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.
A recent survey of Japanese young men regarding which famous figure they would want to become resulted in Ichiro Suzuki,
Ryoma Sakamoto and Ryo Ishikawa for the top 3. The person in the #1 slot is the most recognizable, especially now that he just broke the Japanese record for most career hits with his 3086th in yesterday’s game against the Angels (though the Mariners ultimately went on to lose). In the stands to witness this feat was Ichiro’s bat maker (perhaps craftsman is a more appropriate term) of the past 15 years. He was thrilled to be part of the historical moment, and expressed his desire that the next record he wants Ichiro to break is for 4000 hits. A matsuri mood pervaded Japan in celebrating Ichiro’s feat, and in honor of his accomplishment one store created Read More
JETAA Toronto – Japanese Language Classes
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following Japanese language classes being held by JETAA Toronto and thought they might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area.
Spring Japanese lessons are here again!
Teacher: Sugimoto-sensei
Place: Toronto Reference Library, Basement Meeting Room 1
Time: 6:15 – 8:15pm
Dates: Mondays
April 20, 29
May 4, 11, 25 (skips Victoria Day 18th)
June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Cost: $60 for 10 weeks
(Option available of paying $6 for the first lesson to ‘try it out’ and then pay balance upon joining.)
If you or anyone you know wants to brush up on their Japanese, please forward inquires to Sonia.
JETAA Chapter Beat 4.15.09
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community…
- East Bay Nomikai Happy Hour – Thursday, April 16th, 6:00 at Ichi Japon in Oakland. Celebrate the passing of another tax day with a drink and friends at JETAANC.
- Japanese Discussion Group “Taboo” on “Life after Death” – Saturday, April 18th, 3:00 at a location yet to be determined. This month’s discussion focuses on “Life after Death,” touching on religion, philosophy and other theories on this intriguing subject.
- JBook Book Club – Monday, April 20th, 6:30 at the Penn Quarter Teaism. This month’s book is “An Artist of the Floating World” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Come share your thoughts and impressions with JBook.
- Spring Koto Recital – Sunday, April 26th, 2:00 at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. The Washington Toho Koto Society is putting on their 37th Annual Spring Recital. It’s open to the public, so why not spend the day absorbing some Japanese culture.
- J-Lunch – April 30th, 12:00 at Kopitiam. Have lunch and catch up with your friends at JETAADC.
- Spokane Japan Week – Saturday, April 18th – Sunday, 26th. It’s the 17th annual Japan Week in Spokane, including music by JET Alum Shun Endo’s band, The Liquid Now, “Hara-Hara” night(celebrating urban fashion in the spirit of Harajuku and Sakura-Con), and other Japan related events. Opening ceremonies are on Saturday at Spokane’s Riverpark Square, don’t miss it.
- Japanese Paper Cutting Exhibit and Talk – Thursday, April 16th, 5:30 at the Cullom Gallery. Artist Ryohei Tanaka will be giving a talk and demonstration of his work on Japanese Paper Cutting, “kiri e.” Learn about this traditional and interesting form of art from a true master.
- Asia Voila – UBC Asia Open House – Saturday, April 18th, 11:00 to 4:00 at the University of British Columbia. This weekend is UBC’s Asian Open House with a variety of Japanese activities including a Tea Ceremony, Haiku, Buddhist Chants and more.
- Spa Castle Onsen Experience – Sunday, April 26th, at the New York Spa Castle in Queens. Melt away the last of winter’s cold with a day at the only onsen in New York with JETAANY. Four floors of spas, pools and saunas await you, don’t miss it.
- Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens – Saturday, May 2nd, 11:00 at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Spend the day with JETAANY outside under the cherry blossoms. Activities include ikebana, taiko and other Japanese related fun.
- Book Club Meeting – Wednesday, May 6th, 7:00 at a location yet to be determined. The selected work this month is “The Housekeeper and the Professor” by Yoko Ogawa. Start reading so you can join in on the discussion come May.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just email Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
Event: Indoor Rock Climbing (Toronto, ON)
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following event through the JETAA Toronto April newsletter and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Bring back the triumphant memories of scaling Mt. Fuji by scaling Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing wall at the upcoming sports event, FUJI-SAN ROCK CLIMBING. The group of us will be given a 1-hour beginner’s lesson to rock climbing, followed by 2-hours of instructor-guided practice and technique.
We will be led by some of the finest instructors in the country, at Joe Rockhead’s, the first climbing gym ever opened in Canada. The environment is fun, controlled and safe for all participants.
Event: Hanami Party (Toronto, ON)
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following event through the JETAA Toronto April newsletter and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Come out to the third annual Hanami Party in High Park. Forget the rain of 2008 and the bare trees of 2007, this year’s cherry blossom viewing promises to be the best yet!
All JETs, family, and friends are invited to attend JETAA’s High Park party. Bring your favourite hanami snacks or enjoy some of the refreshments provided by JETAA Toronto.
Read More
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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.
Following up on the recent J-News Mini-Roundup posted on jetwit, the unemployment craze is also having an effect on the kinds of jobs new Japanese graduates want to apply for. According to a survey by Recruit of 5810 college students and 2099 grad
uate students from the class of 2010, travel industries come out ahead while manufacturing jobs were left in the dust. The financial and insurance industries also came out strong, occupying five of the top ten spots. Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) took the top spot after being 4th last year, and in 2nd was East Japan Railway Company (JR East). All Nippon Airways (ANA), which had claimed the top spot last year, trailed at 3rd and Mizuho Financial Group came in 4th.
The largest descents were those of Read More
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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.
Having recently returned from a trip to Japan, during my time there I was reminded of the cultural differences large and s
mall that exist between our two nations. Some were simple things I forgot, such as the sometimes lack of paper towels and dryers in the restrooms and the need to carry around a small towel to dry your hands. Other issues were more deeply integrated into the cultural psyche, such as the surprise that friends expressed when I told them about pregnancy/motherhood here in the States. I happened to visit many pregnant friends and new mothers, and they get to enjoy a long stay in the hospital after giving birth. Also, for working mothers the amount of time you can take off in Japan before returning to the workplace is quite generous (for some cases such as civil servants a year compared to the typical three months here), although I think the tendency for women not to return to work after having a baby is more common than here in the States.
Anyway, the news this morning profiled a story that fits into the larger cultural difference category. According to the report, actor Shunta Nakamura (31), the son of actor Masatoshi Nakamura (58) and actress Junko Igarashi (56), was arrested this weekend for Read More
JETAA Chapter Beat 4.7.09
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community…
- AJS Pitch and Putt Golf Day – Saturday, April 18th, 2:00 at Canberra International Golf Centre. Tee off with AJS and JETAA Canberra for a day of family fun.
- O-Shaberikai – Wednesday, April 29th, 5:30 at the Holy Grail in Civic. Join in and meet Japanese people living in Canberra and other locals interested in Japan.
- Panel Discussion – Tuesday, April 14th, 9:00 A.M. at the Wohlstetter Conference Center, AEI offices. JET alum Michael Auslin, Director of Japan Studies for the American Enterprise Institute, will be moderating a panel discussion on the topic of “Are Alliances Enough: The Role of the U.S. – Japanese Alliance in Maritime Asia.” This discussion is only part of an all day event titled “Protecting the Seas: Maritime Security in the Asia Pacific, America’s Interests, and Asia’s Future.”
- JBook Book Club – Monday, April 20th, 6:30 at the Penn Quarter Teaism. This month’s book is “An Artist of the Floating World” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Come share your thoughts and impressions with JBook.
- Star in the Eye Poetry Reading – Tuesday, April 7th, 5:30 at Barnes and Noble on 1 E. Jackson. Former ALT James Shea will be giving a poetry reading from his book “Star in the Eye.”
- JETAA Meeting – Monday, April 13th, 6:00 at Hema’s Kitchen. Sit in and find out more about the Chicago JETAA community.
- James Kennedy “The Order of the Odd-Fish” Book Reading and Signings – James Kennedy will be promoting his book, “The Order of the Odd-Fish” at three upcoming events within the Chicago area. Saturday, April 22nd, 2:00 at Borders bookstore, Wednesday, April 22nd, 4:00 at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library, and Tuesday, April 28th, 7:30 at the Hopleaf. Do not miss this chance to meet James and hear excerpts from his delightful book.
- JET Alum Writers Needed – The Sushi and Sake Magazine is looking for JET Alumni to share their experiences in writing to teach others about Japan. In particular, topics on cuisine, language, geographic regions and business structure are being sought, but anyone can contribute.
- Second Weekend Social JETAASC Rock Wall Climbing Event – Saturday, April 11th, 3:30 at Beach City Rocks. JETAASC will be spending the day on the wall, followed by a little Korean BBQ.
- Nihongo Dake – Sunday, April 26th, 2:00 at a location yet to be determined. Brush up on your Japanese skills and join in on a day of conversation, food and JETAA.
JETAA Texoma
- Japan Festival Mikoshi Bearers Needed – April 25th and 26th in Hermann Park, Houston. JETAA and the Consulate of Japan are looking for volunteers to help out at this year’s Japan Festival carrying the mikoshi(portable shrine) that they are building. Help out or just stop by JETAA Texoma’s booth and say hi.
- Japanese Colligraphy: Language and Cultural Experience Workshop – Wednesday, April 8th, 6:15 at the Japan Society Conference Room. Spend the day learning about Shodo, the art of writing kanji and kana characters with an ink-dipped brush led by Mr. Hideo Murakana.
- Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival – April 11, 12, 18 & 19th at the San Francisco Japantown. Two weekends of Japanese culture and food. It’s the 42nd year of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, including a lively street fair with food, arts and crafts and a children’s village.
- JETAANC Oakland A’s Game – Saturday, April 25th, 1:00 at McAfee Coliseum. JETAANC and the Japan Society are co-hosting a day at the ballpark. Oakland takes on Tampa Bay, so come out and root for the home team with friends and JETAA.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just email Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
Japan Local Government Center (JLGC) Newsletter – #65
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The Japan Local Government Center (JLGC) Newsletter (Vol. 65) is now available online (PDF). Make sure to check out the page-3 feature on the always ganbatte-ing JETAA USA Liaison Taichi Hanzawa entitled appropriately enough: “A Year in My Life as the Liaison for JETAA America.”
FYI, The JLGC (also known as CLAIR New York) is essentially JETAA’s headquarters and also where JETAA NY holds most of its meetings.
JETAA Job Fair in Chicago!
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SATURDAY, April 4 – JETAA JOB FAIR!
This Saturday, JETAA Chicago will be hosting its annual JETAA Job Fair. Although the fair is open to everyone, it may be especially beneficial to those with previous experience in Japan or Japanese language skills. Representatives from top Japanese companies and recruiting firms will be on hand to accept resumes and explore job opportunities in Chicago.
The fair will run from 12-4 with a wine & cheese reception to follow from 4-5. This will be a great opportunity for those interested in networking to meet some Chicago-area Japan-related company representatives!
The fair will be held in the Japan Information Center located at 737 N. Michigan Avenue, 10th floor.
For more information or to submit your resume, please contact Rob Corder at chicagojetaajobfair at gmail dot com.
Even more video from the JET Alumni Author Showcase
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Thanks to Lawrence Brenner (www.lawrencebrenner.com), an online video and content specialist who covers a lot of Roland Kelts’ events, we have even more video from the JET Alumni Author Showcase laid out in nice YouTube video clips:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E204A157B05C1AEC
JETAA DC Book Club to read “An Artist of the Floating World”
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Via JETAA DC:
Hi Everyone,
JETAADC’s very own book club – with the working name of JBook – is up and running. This month we’ll be reading An Artist of the Floating
World Kazuo Ishiguro. We’ll meet on Monday, April 20 at 6:30pm at the Penn Teaism (in the downstairs area). New members are welcome! Just RSVP a little ahead of time so we know how many tables to push together.
Happy Reading,
-Dan
JETAA Chapter Beat 4.1.09
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community…
- Happy Hour – Friday, April 3rd, 6:00 at Wann Izakaya. Start the weekend right with drinks, takoyaki and friends at PNW JETAA.
- April Monthly Meeting – Monday, April 6th, 6:00 at Panama Cafe. Come see the inner workings of PNW JETAA and find out about what’s going and what opportunities are out there for eager volunteers.
- Mini Hanami – Wednesday, April 1st, 5:30 at the tidal basin. Have a seat under the cherry blossoms and relax with friends at JETAADC.
- Quiz Night Write Up! – The quiz night, held jontly with UWA JAPSSOC, was bigger and better than 07/08, with just under 100 competitors in attendance over 12 teams. We look forward to an even larger turnout next year — JETAA Western Australia
- Annual General Meeting Write Up! – [AGM] was held to a subdued turnout but was a great chance to catch up and confirm the committee for next year, which will be: President Nick John, Vice President & Treasurer Adam Reynolds, Secretary Dave Millin, Social Rep Emma Wilson, Media Rep Karen le Blanc, Promos Rep Tegan Chubb, General Members Luke Eaton, Karen Carter, and Nat Garmony — JETAA Western Australia
- Sakura Sunday – April 5th, 11:00 to 4:00 at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. Join JETAANY as well as the Philadelphia and New Jersey Subchapters at the Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Festival. Live music, hanami, dance, and a plethora of other Japanese related events and activities.
- JETAA Job Fair – Saturday, April 4th, 12:00 to 5:00 at the Japan Information Center. Mark your calendars for this important chance to network with Chicago Japanese businesses.
- JETAA Meeting – Monday, April 13th, 6:00 at Hema’s Kitchen. Sit in and find out more about the Chicago JETAA community.
- James Kennedy “The Order of the Odd-Fish” Book Reading and Signings – James Kennedy will be promoting his book, “The Order of the Odd-Fish” at three upcoming events within the Chicago area. Saturday, April 22nd, 2:00 at Borders bookstore, Wednesday, April 22nd, 4:00 at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library, and Tuesday, April 28th, 7:30 at the Hopleaf. Do not miss this chance to meet James and hear excerpts from his delightful book.
- O-Shaberikai – Wednesday, April 29th, 5:30 at the Holy Grail in Civic. Join in and meet Japanese people living in Canberra and other locals interested in Japan.
- AJS Pitch and Putt Golf Day – Saturday, April 18th, 2:00 at Canberra International Golf Centre. Tee off with AJS and JETAA Canberra for a day of family fun.
- JETAANC Hanami – Sunday, April 5th, 11:00 to 3:00 at Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadow. Join JETAANC under the cherry trees for some fun and sun.
- JETAANC Oakland A’s Game – Saturday, April 25th, 1:00 at McAfee Coliseum. JETAANC and the Japan Society are co-hosting a day at the ballpark. Oakland takes on Tampa Bay, so come out and root for the home team with friends and JETAA
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just email Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
In case you missed it (or enjoyed it so much you want to relive it), below is a highlights clip from the JET Alumni Author Showcase along with clips of each of the three author readings, all of which took place March 22 in NYC. (Bonus tip: Try to picture each author teaching an English class in a Japanese high school as you watch them do their readings.)
Highlight Clips
James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish
Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.
Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04), author of Zorgamazoo
