Mar 7

Hyogo Prefecture launches its own “HYOGO JET Alumni Network”

Japan Local, Local Government, Networking, Uncategorized

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Thank you to Hotaka Kawasaki of CLAIR NY for passing on this information.

Hyogo Prefecture has launched its own HYOGO JET Alumni Network! The current number of JET participants registered on the network is 555. The total number of JET participants in Hyogo prefecture over the last twenty-four years exceeds 5,000.

If you know anyone who doesn’t know about the Hyogo JET Alumni Network, please let him/her know, or just contact Hyogo prefecture.

CONTACT:

Makiko Nagasawa, Hannah Starr and Jeremy Pichot
International Exchange Section, International Relations Division
TEL: 078-362-9017
E-mail: kokusaikoryu@pref.hyogo.lg.jp

*Please note that this is distinct from the Hyogo JET Alum LinkedIn group set up by JetWit. And while the JetWit version has its role, JetWit encourages all Hyogo JET alums to register for the official HYOGO JET Alumni Network via the above contact information. The easier it is for prefecture governments to stay in touch with their JET alumni, the more likely they are to continue to hire JETs.

Mar 2

Matt Cook elected new AJET Chair

Japan Local, Local Government, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized

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Matthew Cook leads 4th & 5th year JETs in a game of karuta at the Mid-Year Conference

Matthew Cook (Osaka-fu, 2007-Present) has been elected as National AJET Chair for the 2011-2012 JET year. Cook has been particularly focused on the challenges faced by the JET Program to its future existence.

According to fellow Osaka JET Cailin Arena (2008-Present):

“Matt has spent the past year completely re-defining Osaka AJET. He and the other members have taken the organization in a new direction – using events planning and fundraising to promote JET within their community, which has been experiencing a diminishing number of requests for JETs every year. In just the past 10 months, Osaka has set up volunteer relationships with local orphanages and public service workers, and it has begun developing a study abroad scholarship for students of JET teachers. AJET has been working hard to show Osaka exactly what the benefits of choosing JET are.”

In addition to his work with AJET, Cook has been extremely active within his Board of Education, developing an English curriculum to help Japanese teachers make the transition to elementary school English education as easy as possible. Using his experiences as both a mid-year conference presenter and Tokyo Orientation presenter, Cook will also be leading training seminars this spring. Together with AJET, he hopes to bring support to both JETs and their contracting organizations.

For more detailed information on Cook’s plans for AJET, please visit the AJET website and read his campaign platform: http://ajet.net/lang/en/about/ajet-elections/2011-2012-executive-candidate-platforms/

You can also visit his discussion page to voice any opinions you have about the direction you’d like to see AJET go: http://www.facebook.com/MCookAJET

Osaka AJET is also on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us to join the discussion! http://twitter.com/OsakaAJET

Feb 28

JET World Festival Held in Toyama

Events, Japan Local, Local Government, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized

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Thanks to Hotaka Kawasaki and Matt Gillam of CLAIR-NY for sharing news about this nice example of “Return on JET-vestment” at the local government level:

The CIRs and ALTs in Toyama held the JET World Festival 2011 in Toyama City on February 27th to celebrate their respective home countries and deepen relations with the people of Toyama. According to the Japanese news release below, the festival included booths for each country as well as stage shows featuring Irish music, country & western music, capoeira, and puppet performances. The festival also included a “North Pole” themed kids’ corner and a refreshment stand.

How was the festival? Please feel free to tell us more in a comment to this post or via e-mail to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.

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Feb 21

The Best Prefectures: By JET Alum LinkedIn Groups

Local Government, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized

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A couple weeks ago JetWit requested that JETs and JET alums join their respective JET Alum LinkedIn Groups. The goal has been to start laying the groundwork for prefecture governments to see a higher “return on JET-vestment” and over time provide a greater incentive for prefectures to hire JETs rather than NETs or dispatch company ALTs.

How is it going so far? And which prefecture’s JETs have come out the strongest? Here are….

The Top 5 JET LinkedIn Prefecture Groups

(by number of members as of 2/21/11)

1. Shimane – 44 members

2. Ishikawa – 27 members

3. Hokkaido & Niigata – 16 members

5. Nara, Saitama & Fukuoka – 15 members

Note: In addition to signing up for your prefecture’s group, please help spread the word and encourage others to join as well.

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Overall Ranking of JET Alum LinkedIn Groups by Prefecture

(by number of members)

Feb 15

Japan Local: Yadoriki Village in the Kanagawa mountains

Japan Local, Local Government, Travel/Tourism, Video

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“Japan Local“ is a new feature intended to share the small town Japan experience with potential visitors and tourists. If you have videos or photos or writing about your town, please feel free to submit to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.

Thanks to JETAA Tokyo President Byron Nagy for sharing this video titled “Experience Yadoriki in Under a Minute,” made by a Friend of JET (or a “JET in spirit” to borrow Byron’s phrasing):

Feb 13

Japan Restaurant Search via Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

Food & Drink, Local Government, Travel/Tourism

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Just noticed in the latest issue of the JNTO’s e-Newsletter that they have a link to a “Japan Restaurant Search.” In theory you can find restaurants in any prefecture sorted by whatever criteria you select (e.g., accepts credit cards; English language menu available; English language staff; etc.) You can also search by cuisine and even different types of izakaya.

Here’s the link: http://www.jnto.go.jp/restaurant-search/eng/index.php

It tends to cover the major metropolitan areas well, but not as strong when you get out to the inaka. Perhaps there’s a way that the JET and JET alumni community can help fill in some of the holes?

Just a thought. Stay tuned for more info.

Feb 10

Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project

Anecdote Article, Local Government, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Uncategorized

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Below are approximately 150 comments received so far as a result of the JET-Tourist Tally Project. First the Top 10 Comments followed by all comments organized according to prefecture. (Click here for the latest totals from the JET-Tourist Tally Project.)

Important: If you have not yet responded, please help out by entering your JET Tourist-Tally information in the Google Form we’ve set up. And of course feel free to share any comments or stories! Every response matters. CLAIR, MOFA, JNTO and the prefecture governments are all paying attention to the results.

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The Top 10 Comments from the JET-Tourist Tally Project

(FYI, the comments were evaluated on the basis of “omoshiroi” plus effectiveness at demonstrating the value of JET.)

I took my parents up through Tohoku to experience a part of Japan tourists typically don’t see. We hiked Yamadera, shot over to Sendai and Matsushima, went to Hiraizumi, traveled through Aomori up to Sapporo, went over to Onuma Park, down to Hakonodate, and then down to Aomori for a few more days. They loved all of our experiences, from using an onsen and sleeping in a ryokan to learning how to order their own food. My father particularly loves to tell the story about a tiny yakiniku restaurant we stumbled into in Hiraizumi. The owner couldn’t speak English, but he did know at least one word. He came over to my father, put a beer down and said “suds.” From that point on, they were friends. A Buddhist monk sitting a few tables over joined us and invited us to visit his temple the next day. It was an amazing intercultural experience in an ancient town usually overlooked by tourists.

-Abigail McBain (Aomori-ken, Ajigasawa-machi, 2004-06)

My family said they never would’ve thought to visit Japan before I did JET, and since visiting twice couldn’t believe they ever said that because they had the most amazing time. Especially memorable was the opportunity to see village life in Japan and experience Japanese hospitality, something regular tourists rarely get to experience.

-Kirsten Jones (Tokushima-ken, Tsurugi-cho, 2005-07)

My parents still talk about the experiences they had visiting me in Japan. My father in particular. As a result he still maintains links to Japan and often buys tea directly from a Japanese seller near Uji named Hibiki-an. I myself have returned to Japan as a tourist three times since I finished the JET Programme, one time with a fellow JET alumna, staying 10 days each time. I plan to visit Japan again. I also often encourage my American friends who are interested in visiting Japan to go. One of my co-workers recently went there on vacation, again for about 10 days, and had a wonderful time.

-Rose de Fremery (Shizuoka-ken, Hamaoka-cho, 1998-2001)

Being able to share a country that I love (Japan) with people that I love (my family) was one of the best experiences of my life. My mother still talks about coming to visit me for those two weeks. We were able to explore my town (Hamamatsu) and also Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto. In addition, this was the first time my mother had ever left the United States; she is amazingly proud to say she became a world-traveler when she was in her 50s! This would not have happened if I had not been a JET participant and could confidently share parts of Japan with my family.

-Jennifer Butler (Shizuoka-ken, Hamamatsu-shi, 2001-04)

Both of my visitors were and still are keen practitioners of aikido. They continue to teach the martial art and will be regular visitors to Japan, also inspiring others to travel there. Without my JET experience I wouldn’t have been able to take them to Japan. Also, I am now a British Airways pilot flying regularly to Tokyo so I could perhaps list a figure of several thousand visitors!

-Darren Tostevin (Fukuoka-ken, Omuta-shi, 1990-91)

Prior to my becoming an ALT, my fiance had never had any interest whatsoever in visiting Japan. It was only once I went there and started to tell her about the people I had met that she began to read more and educate herself about the country. When she finally came to visit me, she was constantly amazed at how genuinely welcoming and helpful everyone was as well as how easy it was to get around and experience everything that Japan has to offer. To this day she still tells everyone about her experiences there and how Japan went from the bottom of her “Places to Visit” list to become her favorite country that she’s ever visited. Not only did the JET Programme give my family and friends an amazing opportunity to see what Japan has to offer but it also converted someone who never had given the country a second thought into a vocal volunteer tourism spokeswoman.

-Gregory Blair (Nagasaki-ken, Saikai-shi, 2007-08)

I made sure to show two of my guests around Niigata, which is not your typical tourist destination–and they loved it even more than Kyoto! Having JETs in locations off the beaten track surely helps those areas.

-Maureen O’Brien (Niigata-ken, Niigata-shi, 2006-08)

Several of these visitors (at least 5) had previously stated absolutely no interest in visiting Japan…it took quite a bit of convincing on my part to get these individuals to come. In the case of one, a senior citizen friend from England, it just seemed so un-knowable and far beyond her comfort zone. But she loved it once she arrived. The other four, a Philippine-American family who are friends here in the US, were previously very anti-Japanese due to experiences their grandparents’ generation suffered during WWII. They couldn’t understand how I would possibly want to move to Japan on JET. But they kept in touch the entire two years, and finally – just one month before I returned – they agreed to come for a visit. They fell in love with the people and the country, their prejudices were totally erased. Even now, three years later, they are still talking about Japan…only now it is in terms of how wonderful and warm the people are and how we should all live up to these standards of hospitality. A total about-face!

-Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, Motoyama-cho, 2005-07)

My parents would never have dreamed of visiting Japan had I not been there. Now they are complete Japan enthusiasts and are really interested in the country and culture. My friends who came to visit still talk about it now and pass this on to other people, encouraging others to visit Japan. Also, thanks to my stories, pictures and news from the two years I spent in Japan, my whole network of friends and family have shared my interest in the country. I also organised letter exchanges with my old high school, and at least 20 students has direct contact with Japanese students at my school in Yakage-cho, and have become Japan enthusiasts.

-Annie Barber (Okayama-ken, Yakage-cho, 2007-09)

I had heard about all sorts of difficulties vegetarian ALTs had settling in to Japan, so I was a little worried when a vegetarian friend of mine came to visit. After five days of my drilling her with phrases that would help her order meat-free food, she and her companion ventured off to Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima for a week. They had no problems and were really impressed with how the restaurants were able to cater for her special dietary requests. They were also really impressed with the variety of food offered (tofu, seasonal / mountain veggies, tempura, etc.) that were appropriate for vegetarians. Another example of excellent service in Japan, going that extra mile to satisfy the customer! (On another side note, I’ve been pining for a visit back to Japan since I left and have managed to persuade my family to come with me after Golden Week this year. Assuming everyone can make it, that will be another 4 people spending a total of 48 days tourist travel in Japan!)

-Martin McCloud (Niigata-ken, Tokamachi-shi, 2004-09)

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Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project

(Organized by Prefecture) Read More

Feb 9

Shizuoka JET alums in the NY area?

Local Government

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The below information was originally posted on the Shizuoka JET Alum LinkedIn Group by Hotaka Kawasaki of CLAIR-NY:

Shizuoka Prefecture will be exhibiting some of its food and drink at the International Restaurant & Food Service Show of New York from Feb. 27 through Mar. 1. Some officials from Shizuoka-ken will attend and the Japan Local Government Center (aka CLAIR-NY) will support them as well.

It would be great if any JET alums in the area would be interested in joining for part or all of the conference.

Please contact Steven at jetwit [at] jetwit.com if interested.

More information on the International Restaurant & Food Service show at http://www.internationalrestaurantny.com/

Feb 8

JETAA UK job listings!

Career, JETAA Chapters, Jobs, Local Government

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Thanks to JETAA UK Web Content Editor Fiona Steele I just learned that JETAA UK has a section on their most excellent website that provides current job listings:

http://www.jetaa.org.uk/jobs/

And here’s the RSS feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/JETAAUKJobs

(JETAA UK also has a nifty interactive map on its homepage that tells you how many JETAA UK alums there are from each section of Japan. And if you click on a region, you can see a list of all of the JET alums from a given prefecture. However, you can’t see any information about the individuals unless you have a login and password for the site.)

Feb 7

Akita Global Network Newsletter – Vol 2

Local Government, Uncategorized

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Hot off the presses, it’s Volume 2 of the Akita Prefecture Global Network Newsletter (“AGN”). This newsletter is part of Akita-ken’s efforts to stay connected with its JET alumni as well as study abroad students who were based in Akita-ken. And this issue features an essay by Dan Dooher (Akita-ken, 2006-10)

To get on the e-mail list for this pdf newsletter, please contact the Akita Prefecture International Affairs Division at: kokusaika@pref.akita.lg.jp The newsletter welcomes submissions from alumni as well.

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Jan 26

JET Alum LinkedIn Groups: Shimane-ken demonstrates its superiority

Local Government, Networking, Return on JET-vestment

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Regarding the JET alum prefectural groups recently set up on LinkedIn, just a quick note to let everyone know that Shimane-ken is kicking major oshiri and is already up to 23 members. Well ahead of any of the other groups.

If you’re ok with this, you shouldn’t be. Now is the time to reach out to people in your prefecture and get them to sign up for the respective LinkedIn Group. The leading group by next week will receive significant accolades on JetWit. (That’s all I can really offer right now. JetWit t-shirts for everyone would be too expensive for me.)

Here’s the link again to all of the prefectural LinkedIn groups along with some explanation about why this is important to the future of JET and JETAA:

http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2011/01/21/saving-jet-jet-alumni-groups-by-prefecture/

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p.s. Also a reminder that there are also JET alum Linkedin groups for Translators, Lawyers, Education Professionals, China Connection, Restructuring Professionals and more. Here’s a partial list: http://jetwit.com/wordpress/jet-alum-groups/ (You can also just search on LinkedIn.)

And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, start your own group! Just e-mail the link to jetwit [at] jetwit.com and I’ll post about it on JetWit to encourage more people to join.

Jan 21

Saving JET: JET Alumni Groups….by Prefecture

Local Government, Networking, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized

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What does “Saving JET” have to do with joining your JET prefecture’s LinkedIn group?

The biggest threat to JET (and JETAA) now is attrition at the local government level as prefectural governments increasingly choose to reduce costs by getting ALTs from dispatch companies rather than hiring JETs.
The most effective way to counter this trend is to demonstrate a positive ROJ (“Return on JET-vestment”) at the local government level.
Local governments have expressed a strong interest in being able to connect and communicate with JET alumni who worked in their prefectures.
JET Alumni have never been organized by prefecture….

……until now. So please do your part and sign up for your respective JET Alumni LinkedIn Group below. It’s one small act of giving back to your prefecture that can make a big difference over time.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

–Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, Kariya-shi, 1992-94)
jetwit [at] jetwit.com

Prefectural JET Alumni LinkedIn Groups

FYI: All groups below were created in connection with JetWit and not by the prefectural governments. They’re just intended to help facilitate future communications.
Current JETs and Monbusho English Fellows (MEFs) welcome too, as always. Additionally, prefectural and other government employees as well as residents of each prefecture are welcome to join the groups.
If anyone would like to be a “Manager” for their respective LinkedIn group, that would be very helpful. Just get in touch. Primary role will be approving requests to join the group.
You may of course join other groups in addition to your own prefecture’s group if it’s helpful to you.

Note on Methodology: I took a relatively awkward approach to setting this all up. I created subgroups via my LinkedIn account. However, LinkedIn only lets a user create up to 10 groups and up to 20 subgroups, so I had to create a new LinkedIn account (“Jet Wit”) and use that account to set up the rest of the prefectural alumni groups. Not ideal, but it seemed to be the best solution under the circumstances and given limited resources. It’s always better to have something than nothing. I’m very open to any ideas and suggestions on better ways to set this up.

Jan 12

JET Alum Anthony Bianchi to run for Lower House seat in upcoming Japan elections

Celebrity, Local Government, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment

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Here’s the link to the article (which is in Japanese): http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/0111/NGY201101110010.html

Below is text from the article:

衆院愛知６区補選　民主、犬山市議のアンソニー氏擁立へ

民主党の石田芳弘衆院議員（６５）の名古屋市長選立候補に伴い、４月に予定される衆院愛知６区補選に、同党が愛知県犬山市議のビアンキ・アンソニー氏（５２）を擁立する方向となった。同党愛知６区総支部が１１日午前に開いた選挙対策会議で、候補として県連に提案することを決めた。

ビアンキ氏は米国ニューヨーク市出身。１９８９年に愛知県教育委員会の英語指導助手として来日。２００２年に日本国籍を取得して０３年に犬山市議選に立候補、最多得票で初当選した。０６年には同市長選に立候補したが、８候補中３位で落選。０７年に市議に再選された。

総支部の意向を踏まえ、県連が最終調整を進める。衆院補選への立候補について、ビアンキ氏は朝日新聞の取材に「名誉なこと。まだいろいろなステップがあるが、頑張っていきたい」と述べた。

６区補選では、０９年衆院選で落選した自民党元職の丹羽秀樹氏（３８）が立候補を準備。みんなの党も独自候補を擁立する方針だ。

Nov 13

Akita Global Network: A call out to Akita JET alums

Local Government, Uncategorized, Writers

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Via Dan Dooher (Akita-ken, 2006-10):

After reading your most recent JetWit Diary post, I wanted to share with you something Akita Prefecture has just recently started:

The Prefecture’s International Affairs Division is trying to reconnect Akita JET alumni and study abroad students with the prefecture via a bi-monthly newsletter called, “Akita Global Network.”

In the International Affairs Division’s own words:

“The project hopes to reach people who have left Akita to both maintain connections to Akita and elevate overseas awareness of our prefecture. We are planning to issue “Akita Global Network Newsletter” bi-monthly. Please enjoy it with your friends and family.”

If there are other former JET alums out there from Akita interested in receiving this pdf newsletter, please contact the International Affairs Division at: kokusaika@pref.akita.lg.jp

The newsletter welcomes submissions from alumni as well.

Dan also wondered if any other prefectures are doing something similar. If you are aware of any similar efforts, please email jetwit@jetwit.com. Yoroshiku!

Oct 30

JET-Sister City List Project

Local Government, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized

Add Comment (10)

Update 11/10/10: Had a nice email exchange with Carlo Capua (Niigata-ken, 2000-02) who is on the Board of Directors for Sister Cities International, a global network of 2000+ cities who do exchanges with each other at different levels – teacher, humanitarian, governmental, elected official, etc. According to Carlo, SCI is in almost 200 countries around the world.

Update 11/7/10: It turns out there’s a list on the CLAIR website of all of the cities/towns and sister cities: http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/05.cgi?n=U.S.A. (Though it doesn’t indicate whether there are JETs in the locale.) Thanks to JETAA USA Country Rep Jessyca Wilcox for letting us know about this.)

Update 11/5/10: Thanks for all the responses so far. Keep’em coming!

Welcome to the JET-Sister City List Project!

The Goal: To create a list of Japanese cities (and prefectures) where JETs lived that have a sister city relationship with another country.

How can you help? Email jetwit@jetwit.com with your name, prefecture, city/town and years on JET as well as any sister city relationships that your town had. If you already see your city listed, email your name anyway so we can include you as well.

The Result: JetWit will add to the below list as responses are received.

The Purpose: To lay some groundwork that may help Japanese cities/prefectures that hosted JETs increase their “return on investment” from their initial investment.

(Note #1: There actually is a Japanese government publication that lists every Japanese sister city relationship. However, it does not list any correlation with JETs.)

With all of the above in mind, please email your responses to jetwit@jetwit.com. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

1. Hokkaidō

Hokkaidō

Chitose-shi + Anchorage, Alaska – Sara (Salzer) Niwa (Hokkaido, Chitose-shi, 1999-2002)
Iwamizama City + Pocatello, Idaho; Canby, Oregon; Acheng, China – Caroline Cronshaw (Hokkaido, 2006-09) (Caroline adds that Iwamizawa sends several students to Pocatello each year, and Pocatello returns the favor by sending several of its students to Iwamizawa. There is a tower-shaped monument in front of Iwamizawa City Hall that symbolizes the friendship between Pocatello and Iwamizawa.)
Sapporo-shi + Portland, Oregon – Liz Sheffield (Hokkaido-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) (Liz adds, “I originally went to Sapporo for two weeks when I was in high school as part of a Sister City exchange delegation from Portland. Then six years later, I was placed in Sapporo as an AET. Thanks to my return to Sapporo , I was able to build an even stronger relationship with the Shibuyas, my host family from my original visit to Sapporo . Now, fifteen years after the JET Program, I am still in regular contact with the Shibuyas.”

2. Tōhoku

Aomori Prefecture + Maine – Zack Bass (CIR Aomori-ken, Aomori-shi, 2006-Present) (Zack adds, “I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to be highly involved with promoting and coordinating our prefecture’s continuing relationship with our sister state of Maine in the USA. We have many exchange programs between schools and municipalities within Aomori Prefecture and local towns and schools in Maine that continue to this day. We are very proud of our strong exchange with Maine, and many of our JETs throughout the prefecture have invested much time and hard work in strengthening our ties. Recently, we have been working towards expanding the Maine & Aomori relationship even further by exploring fisheries, energy, and business exchange opportunities in addition to our long tradition of cultural and educational exchange. I hope to get more of our JETs to contribute more about their local municipal based exchange programs in the next few weeks.Thank you for doing this!”)

Hachinohe City + Federal Way, Washington; Lanzhou, China
- Beth Bryant (Aomori-ken, Hachinohe-shi 1993-94; Misawa-shi 1994-96)
- Natalie Kruckenberg (Aomori-ken, Hachinohe-shi 2010- present) – Natalie adds:

Federal Way Exchange: When the Hachinohe International Exchanges and City Promotions Association (formed in September, 1990) met to discuss possible locations for a sister city, Tacoma of Pierce County was presented. Tacoma has a friendly relationship and had been exchanging with the Hachinohe Chamber of Commerce, the most recent exchange being in 1992. The Hachinohe Chamber of Commerce contacted the Mayor of Tacoma who introduced Hachinohe to a neighboring city, the City of Federal Way. After exchanges betwen the two cities, on August 1st, 1993, the Sister City agreement was signed. Since then the official visits and youth exchanges between Federal Way and Hachinohe have continued every year.

Lanzhou Exchange: The International exchanges with Lanzhou including Hachinohe Gas Cor. technical cooperations, yourth exchanges and inspectorates began back in 1983 when the 4th Hachinohe delegation traveled to Lanzhou. In April 1998, Hachinohe and Lanzhou signed a sister city agreement. Since then the official visits and youth exchanges between Federal Way and Hachinohe have continued every year.

Misawa City + Wenatchee, Washington
- Beth Bryant (Aomori-ken, Hachinohe-shi 1993-94; Misawa-shi 1994-96)
Mutsu City + Port Angeles, Washington
- Amy Miller (Aomori-ken, Mutsu-shi, 2006-11) Amy adds: “Mutsu City and Port Angeles City have been sister cities for 15 years. Every year a group of select Junior High School students from Mutsu City visit Port Angeles City in January as Junior Ambassadors. They put on a “Japanese Culture Fair” at the middle school in Port Angeles to teach American students about Japanese culture. The high school students from Tanabu High School English class also visit Port Angeles every year. A mixed delegation of middle school, high school, and adults visits Mutsu once every two years.”
Tsugaru-shi + Bath, Maine
- Mike Moses (CIR Aomori-ken, 2010 – present) Mike adds: “The friendship between Tsugaru and Bath, Maine has a long history. In 1889, the ‘Cheseborough,’ a ship built in Bath, Maine, tragically crashed off the coast of Shariki (now Tsugaru City). The people of Shariki nursed the surviving sailors back to health, and a friendship between the two cities has continued since. Since 1990, Bath and Tsugaru have coordinated a sister-city exchange program, in which delegations are sent every year to experience each other’s rich culture and history. Also, the Cheseborough Cup, an international swimming competition, is held in Tsugaru every year. The goal of the race is to eventually swim the 10,200 km distance between Bath and Shariki. We hope to continue and expand upon the current sister city relationship.”
Tsuruta Town + Hood River, Oregon
- Emma Sayers (CIR Aomori-ken, Tsuruta-cho, 2010-Current) – Emma adds: “Tsuruta has had a sister city agreement with Hood River, Oregon, USA since 1977. The mayor of Tsuruta at that time (and at present), Mayor Nakano, had wished to bring internationalisation to Tsuruta by joining it with a similar city in the USA. Exchange visits between their respective residents, junior high school students and high school students take place every year. Tsuruta also employs a sister city English teacher from Hood River to visit local kindergartens and primary schools alongside the JET Programme CIR. It’s an extremely well-cultivated sister city relationship, and I’m honoured to be able to help out with the events and visits! Good luck with the JET-Sister City List Project, it’s a great idea and I hope this helps a little. I’ve not been in Tsuruta long but I love it, and I think the sister city agreement has a lot to do with that as everyone here has been so welcoming.

Iwate Prefecture

Esashi City + Shepparton, Australia; Reutte/Breitenwang, Austria
- Therese Stephens (Iwate-ken, Esashi-shi, 1996-99)
Kitakami-shi + Concord, California; Shibata-shi, Miyagi-ken, Japan; Sanmenxia, Henan Province, China
- Margie Wiggins (Iwate-ken, Kitakami-shi, 2010-Present)
- Margie adds: “I have worked a little with the Rotary Club in town and know they sometimes send representatives (typically businessmen) to Concord, California to visit and learn more about the city; however, I am not sure what relationship, if any, has been built and fostered with our other two sister cities. The Rotary is also active in sponsoring a Rotary Youth International Exchange of Short-Term, which consists of two groups of ten high school students (from both Iwate-ken and Miyagi-ken) visiting Texas and Oklahoma (I apologize I cannot remember the exact cities) in March every year. American students from these cities then travel here in June and July respectively.”

Miyagi Prefecture + Delaware

Shichigahama-machi + Plymouth, Massachusetts – Doug Durgee (CIR Miyagi-ken, 2006-07) (Doug adds that they alternate sending kids on a short one or two week trip every year and used to also send kids on a one-year exchange program, though the funding for the one-year exchange program may have dried up in the past couple years.)
Sendai-shi + Riverside, CA; Rennes, France; Acapulco, Mexico; Minsk, Belarus; and Gwangju, S. Korea; Dallas, TX is also listed as a friendship city. – Nata Nam (Miyagi-ken, Sendai-shi, 2007-09) (Nata also shared a link to a nice article about collaboration on a symposium between Tohoku University and University of California-Riverside: http://newsroom.ucr.edu/news_item.html?action=page&id=2481 Thanks also to Dough Durgee for additional sister city info.)
Tome-shi + Southlake, Texas; Vernon, British Columbia – Jennifer Wang (Miyagi-ken, 2008-09) (Jennifer adds that Southlake, TX is her hometown, and she actually became interested in JET through the Sister Cities exchange program. Every year, Tome and Southlake send student ambassadors to the other’s city. They switch off each year for adults from the Tome International Friendship Association and Southlake Sister Cities. She said she doesn’t know as much about the program with Vernon, but when she was there, a large adult delegation from Vernon visited.)

Akita Prefecture

Kisakata-machi + Anacortes, Washington – Brett Rawson (Akita-ken, Nikaho-shi, Kisakata-machi, 2007-09)
Noshiro-shi + Wrangell, Alaska – Stephanie Boegeman (ALT Akita-ken Noshiro-shi 2006-2009); Andrew McCarthy (Akita-ken, Noshiro-shi, Futatsui-machi, 2005-08) (Andrew notes that the actual town he lived in, Futatsui-machi, merged with Noshiro in 2006, though it does not appear to have a separate sister city of its own.)

Yamagata Prefecture + Colorado

Kahoku Town + Canyon City, Colorado – Alex Stevenson (Yamagata-ken, Kahoku-machi, 2000-03)
Yamagata City + Boulder, Colorado – Jessica (Oppenheim) Moy (CIR Yamagata-ken, Yamagata-shi, 2003-06) (Jessica adds, “While in high school, I participated on two sister state/prefecture trips to Yamagata, Japan and loved it. After graduating from Colorado State University, I ended up returning to Yamagata City as a CIR on the JET program. My big project at the end of my stay was holding a Bolder-Boulder race in Yamagata. Boulder and Yamagata have many sister city exchanges not only with government, citizen, and student exchanges, but also with rotary.”)

Fukushima Prefecture

3. Kantō

Ibaraki

Tsukuba-shi + Irvine, California
- Beth Yamamuro (Tochigi-ken, Ashikaga-shi, 1987-1989) Beth adds: “While living in Irvine, California I helped the local sister cities organization as well as the city officers in their exchanges with their sister city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken. It was kind of funny how the visitors from Tsukuba would always try to hide the fact that they would also be visiting another California sister city, Milpitas. It was like they were having a secret affair.”

Tochigi

Ashikaga-shi + Springfield, Illinois
- Beth Yamamuro (Tochigi-ken, Ashikaga-shi, 1987-1989) Beth adds: “Ashikaga has a continuing sister city relationship with Springfield, Illinois, thanks largely to the efforts of my predecessor, Monbusho English Fellow Linda Benoit (the last MEF year before JET was initiated). I just re-visited my town after 23 years and was unable to meet one of my favorite Japanese teachers because she was chaperoning a delegation to Springfield.”

Gunma

Saitama + Ohio, USA (Thanks to Michelle Elliott for the info.)

Koshigaya City + Campbelltown, NSW, Australia – Michelle Elliott (Saitama-ken, 1999-2002)

Chiba + Wisconsin

Chiba City + Houston, Texas – Lisa Hannabach (Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, 1990-91, Yachiyo-shi, 1992-95)
Ichikawa-shi + Gardena California – Lisa Hannabach (Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, 1990-91, Yachiyo-shi, 1992-95) (Lisa was a private ALT in Ichikawa from 1995-2000.)
Ichihara City + Mobile, Alabama– Ryan Hart (Chiba-ken, Ichihara-shi)
- “Ichihara shares a sister city relationship with Mobile, Alabama. There were a total of 8 teachers in Ichihara when I lived there. 7 of them where through the JET Program. 1 of them was hired directly through the sister city relationship with Mobile. So technically, we didn’t have a JET from Mobile, but we did have a teacher that was essentially a JET each year.”
Narashino-shi + Tuscaloosa, Alabama – [JET? ___________]
Narita City + Naestved (Denmark) since 2003; Xianyang-city (China) since 1988; San Bruno, California; Jeongeup-city (South Korea); Jung-Gu of Incheon-city (South Korea)since 1998
- Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, Narita-shi, 2006-11) (FYI, Celine is currently the Volunteer Self-Support Group Leader for the French-speaking community of JET.)

Yachiyo-shi + Tyler, Texas – Lisa Hannabach (Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, 1990-91, Yachiyo-shi, 1992-95)

Tokyo

Kanagawa

Yokohama-shi + Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego, California – Ilonka Osvald (Yokohama-shi, 1996-98) (Ilonka adds, “Vancouver and Yokohama have been sister cities for a long time, and there were quite a few JETS in my year who were placed due to the sister city connection (mainly Vancouver and San Diego).”

4. Chūbu

Niigata

Toyama

Ishikawa

Kanazawa City + Buffalo, New York; Jeonju, Korea; Nancy, France; Ghent, Belgium; Irkutsk, Russia; Porto Alegre, Brazil; Suzhou, China – Sophie Bocklandt (Belgian CIR Ishikawa-ken, Kanazawa-shi, 2006-11)

Fukui

Fukui City + New Brunswick, NJ
- Beata Wilk (Fukui-ken, Fukui-shi/Harue-cho, 2004-08)

Being from NJ I found out as soon as I arrived in Fukui about the sister city between my state and Fukui Prefecture. Fukui-ken usually recieved a number of NJ JETs every year– I believe at the request of the Fukui BOE but I can’t be sure of that. What I do know about the relationship for sure is that:

From the mid-1800s local governments in Fukui, Japan sent students to New Brunswick to learn English and study at Rutgers College. Fukui City sent their student in 18671. These historic ties and exchanges continued for over a century and led to formal agreements being signed with New Brunswick and Fukui in 1982.

As for the New Brunswick, NJ- Fukui-shi relationshsip, to the best of my knowledge this Rutgers University exchange still continues.

Fukui City also has a high school exchange. It is rather competitive and the exchange between NJ and Fukui only happens once every 2 or 3 years. (In the other years there is an exchange between Fukui and a sister city in China). High school students can apply for the program and if chosen, they get to go to a high school in NJ for about two months (if I remember correctly). The exchange is to New Providence High School (New Providence, NJ) and one more NJ high school (unfortunantly I do not remember the other school). They students stay with host families while in NJ and there is always an orientation for the high school students to prepare them for NJ. The Fukui BOE asks some NJ JETs to help in the orientation. We attended about 4 or 5 sessions, in the first few we made presentations about New Jersey geography, places of interest, food, etc. Then in groups we told the Japanese students about high school life in New Jersey and answered their questions. In later sessions, the Japanese students presented about Fukui Prefecture. We gave them an audience to practice on but also helped them expand, edit, and tweak their presentations so that they would be better addressed to NJ High School students.

Side note:

Since then New Brunswick has also established 3 other sister city ties, one more with Japan.

Fukui also has sister city ties with a few other cities, but I believe they are all in other countries. I know the Fukui International Activities Plaza (FIA) has all the information displayed- unfortunantly I do not remember much of it besides NJ relationships.

Yamanashi + Iowa: The sister-state relationship is detailed in the book “Sweet Corn and Sushi,” the story of Iowan farmers who donated 35 hogs to livestock farmers in Yamanashi after a typhoon devastated the area, according to a Japan Times article: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100408a3.html (Thanks to Renee Tress (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-09) for the info and link.)

Kiyosato region + Kentucky – Apparently most JETs in the Kiyosato region are from Kentucky. More info at http://www.city.hokuto.yamanashi.jp/hokuto_wdm/html/English/15558004369.html (Thanks to Renee Tress (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-09) for the info and link.)
Nirasaki-shi + Fairfield, California – Renee Tress (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-09) (Renee also shared a link to a Facebook page for this long-running sister city relationship: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairfield-Nirasaki-Sister-City-Program/218241943857?v=info)

Nagano

Nagano-shi + Clearwater, FL – Ravi Kumar (CIR Nagano-ken, Nagano-shi, 1998-2001) (Ravi adds, “It was a fairly active relationship. We arranged for 3 english teachers every year from Clearwater to come to live and work in middle schools in Nagano City. We had Japanese teachers of English go to Clearwater during their summer months to improve and learn English. During the summer, we also had a student exchange where 12 students from Nagano would visit Clearwater and 12 students from clearwater would visit Nagano.)

Gifu

Gifu City + Cincinnati, Ohio
- Kathy Crutcher (Gifu-ken, Hozomi-cho (now Mizuho-shi), 2000-01) Kathy adds that her hometown is Cincinnati, which is why she was placed near Gifu City.
Ikeda-cho + Mililani, Hawaii – Dylan Gen Fujitani (Gifu-ken, Ikeda-cho, 2005-07) (Dylan indicated that he’s not clear if the relationship is between towns or just between schools. But still nice to know about.)
Takayama City + Denver, Colorado – Anna Thompson (Gifu-ken, Takayama-shi, 2002-04) (Editor’s note: I visited Takayama several times. It’s up in the mountains and beautiful. I remember one of my principals explaining to me that back in the days before everyone honeymooned in Hawaii, Takayama was a popular honeymoon destination.)

Shizuoka

Kakegawa-shi + Eugene, Oregon – Andrew Osanka (Shizuoka-ken, Kakegawa-shi and Mori-machi, 1991-94)

Aichi

Kariya-shi + Missassauga, Ontario – Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
Toyohashi-shi + Toledo, OH – Justin Moy (Aichi-ken, Toyohashi-shi, 2008-10) (Justin notes that as of 2010-11, there will be no more prefectural JETs in eastern Aichi)
Toyokawa-shi + Cupertino, California – [JET? __________]
Toyota City + Detroit, Michigan – [JET? _______] [Editor’s note: Toyota is next to Kariya, and as I recall they hired ALTs directly and not through the JET Program or a private company such as Interac (which didn’t even exist back when I was there.)]

5. Kansai

Mie

Shiga

Nagahama-shi + Augsburg, Germany & Verona, Italy (Thanks to James Low (Shiga-ken, Nagahama-shi, 2009-11) for the info.)

Kyoto

Kameoka-shi + Stillwater, Oklahoma [JET ______?] (Thanks to Stillwater, OK native Brad Rickelman (Saitama-ken, Hatogaya-shi, 1995-96) for the info.)
Kyoto-shi + Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – (Thanks to Eric Hawkinson (Kyoto-fu, 2005-10) for the info.)
Miyazu-shi + Del Ray Beach, Florida; Nelson, New Zealand – Eric Hawkinson (Kyoto-fu, 2005-10) (Eric, fyi, is the creator of the ALT website resource TeamTeachers.com.)

Osaka

Izumi City + Bloomington, Minnesota – Kate Maruyama (Osaka-fu, Izumi-shi, 2005-08) (FYI, Kate grew up and went to college in Minnesota.)
Ibaraki City + Minneapolis, Minnesota – [Any JETs?_______] (Thanks to Kare Maruyama for sharing the info.)
Osaka City + Chicago, Illinois – Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99)

Hyōgo Prefecture + Seattle, Washington – [JET? __________]

Himeji City + Phoenix, Arizona – [JET? __________]
Nishimiya City + Spokane, Washington – Anna Amen (Hyogo-ken, Nishimiya-shi, 2007-08)
Nishiwaki-shi + Renton, Washington – Mitchell Kimura (Hyogo-ken, Nishiwaki-shi, 1995-97) (Mitchell notes that Nishiwaki-shi is the “belly-button” of Japan. :-)

Kobe + Philadelphia (Thanks to James Low (Shiga-ken, Nagahama-shi, 2009-11) for the info.)

Nara

Wakayama

6. Chūgoku

Tottori

Nichinan-cho + Scotts Valley, California
- Clara Solomon (Tottori-ken, Nichinan-cho, 1999-2001) (Clara said, however, that she thinks the sister city program may not still exist due to funding cuts.)
Yurihama-cho (formerly Hawai-cho) + Hawaii County, Hawaii (Editor’s note:This is the first example of a county having a sister city relationship that I’ve come across.)
- Mark Fujishige (Tottori-ken, Yurihama-cho, 2008-11)
- Michelle Otake (Tottori-ken, Yurihama-cho, 1995-98)
- Matt Ackerman (CIR Tottori-ken, Yurihama-cho, Current as of 2010)

Michelle adds:

“I was the first permanent JET ALT stationed in that town originally/formerly called Hawai-cho, Tottori-ken from 1995 to 1998. At that time Mayor Masanao Inoue, a big advocate of fostering international relationships and “opening” up the town to the world which included participating in the JET Program, asked me to help them build a sister city friendship with my home state Hawaii. To sum up a long story of mostly disappointing phone calls and letters, good fortune finally came to me when I contacted Mr. Rudy Legaspi, who was the Executive Assistant to the Mayor of the County of Hawaii. Mr. Legaspi expressed great enthusiasm and support in establishing sister city ties with Hawai-cho. In 1996 Ms. Yukiko (Kametani) Yamasaki, a local Hawai-cho Town Office employee and liaison for Mayor Inoue’s Office, and I flew over to the city of Hilo, Hawaii and formerly met up with the County of Hawaii officials, including Mr. Legaspi and Mayor Stephen K. Yamashiro, to set up the initial groundwork for the sister city friendship. On October 16, 1996, Mayor Inoue of Hawai-cho, Tottori-ken and Mayor Yamashiro of the County of Hawaii, Hawaii officially cemented a sister city friendship.”

“Due to mostly economic reasons, many towns and villages across Tottori prefecture and the rest of Japan from 2001 to 2005 were swallowed up, readministered, and renamed in municipal mergers. In 2005 Hawai-cho along with Togo-cho and Tomari-son became Yurihama-cho. And the sister city friendship between Yurihama-cho and Hawaii County is still very much alive and well.”

Matt adds:

“Prior to 2004, one of the towns that was merged into what is now Yurihama-cho was known as Hawai-cho. In order to take advantage of this name, the chamber of commerce started to promote the town as “The Hawai of Japan” in the 90’s. In 1995, the town got its first ALT from Hawaii(in America), Michele Otake. It’s my understanding that she did most of the legwork in searching for and getting in contact with a suitable sister city.”

“With the exception of Honolulu, local government in the state of Hawaii is all organized on the county level, so I assume that’s why we have this relationship with a county rather than a particular city. Also, my guess is they were probably going for the matching name as well.”

“Since establishing this relationship, our town has enjoyed regular visits of government and chamber of commerce officials both to and from Hawaii. We have also welcomed a group of musicians and dancers from Hawaii to perform in the hula festival we hold every year. In addition, we have been conducting a school exchange/home stay program for middle school students since 1998, The town has been utilizing a CIR to help coordinate all of these activities since about 2000 or 2001.”

Shimane

Fujiyoshida-shi + Colorado Springs, CO (Thanks to Jessyca Livingston (Shimane-ken, Fujiyoshida-shi) for the info.)
- According to Jessyca on 08.06.12: “Colorado Springs, CO and Fujiyoshida-shi, Shimane-ken just celebrated their 50th anniversary this past weekend. A group of Rocky Mountain JET Alums were present to both participate and offer translation services for the 150 delegates that were here for the celebration. It was really wonderful to connect with so many alums- especially the ones from Colorado Springs that had been “posted” to Fujiyoshida on JET. It was a great feeling to be able to give back in that capacity!”

Okayama

Kurashiki-shi + Kansas City, MO (Thanks to Kansas City native William Nealy (Oita-ken, Oita-shi, 1994-97) for the info.)

Hiroshima

Fukuyama-shi + Maui, Hawaii; Hamilton, Ontario; Pohang City, Korea; Tacloban City, Philippines; Kazanlak, Bulgaria – Shaula Evans (CIR Hiroshima-ken, Fukuyama-shi, 1992-94)

Yamaguchi

7. Shikoku

Tokushima

Miyoshi-shi + The Dalles, Oregon & Tukwila, Washington – Smitha Pradhi (Tokushima-ken, 2005-07); Andrew Kim (Tokushima-ken, Miyoshi-shi, 2005-08) (Smitha explains that the towns of Ikeda-cho and Ikawa-cho had long-running sister-city relationships with these two U.S. towns respectively, and then merged with a few other towns to become Miyoshi-shi during a 2006 gappei). (Andrew adds, “I was a 3-year JET and now head the committee in Tukwila, WA. The Miyoshi-Tukwila Sister City relationship currently focuses on a cultural exchange between Junior High School students but has expanded to High School students and Adults. At this time, Tukwila hosts Miyoshi citizens every other Autumn while Miyoshi hosts Tukwila every other Spring. We have established this exchange since November 19, 1979.”
Tokushima-shi + Saginaw, Michigan; Leira, Portugal; Dangong City, China – Olivia Nillson (Tokushima-ken, Tokushima-shi, 2006-09) (Olivia adds, “Every year, students from Tokushima would travel to Saginaw, and vice versa. While I was there, we had a choral group from Saginaw visit and give concerts in the city.”)

Kagawa

Takamatsu-shi + St. Petersburg, Florida – Lily Lam (Kagawa-ken, Takamatsu-shi, 2004-09); Dave Wilson (Kagawa-ken, Kotohira-cho, 2008-10) (Lily adds, “Every year, St. Pete sends over someone to teach as an ALT at one of the local Takamatsu high schools. Delegations of students from Takamatsu also get sent to visit St. Pete every once in a while, and vice versa (see press release). I was completely unaware of the sister city relationship between St. Pete and Takamatsu, until I arrived in Takamatsu and found a disproportionately large number of people who actually knew where St. Petersburg was.”

Ehime

Matsuyama City + Sacramento, California; Freiberg, Germany – Stewart Andrew Curry (Ehime-ken, Matsuyama-shi, 1987-89 – when the acronym was “AET” rather than “ALT)

Kōchi

Motoyama-cho + Urausu-cho, Hokkaido, Japan – Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, Motoyama-cho, 2005-07) (Margie, fyi, is an “Expat Coach” and is also in the process of setting up a company to lead tours to Shikoku! Margie adds, “Yes, Motoyama’s sister city is Japanese! Apparently there is a link because Motoyama families emigrated up there at some point – not sure when, not sure how many, but enough to have a strong connection – and both cities want to keep the ties strong. The junior highs do field trips annually, one year MJH goes north, the next UJH comes south. Also, the yakuba have an employee exchange, where each year a Motoyama employee goes to Urausu and an Urausu employee comes to Motoyama in exchange. Urausu has a booth at Motoyama’s festival in the fall. And so on & so forth. Those are the main activities that I recall. The relationship is very much alive, strong & well.”)

8. Kyūshū

Fukuoka

Fukuoka-shi + Atlanta, Georgia + Oakland, California + Honolulu, Hawaii
- Brian Hersey (Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, 1994-96)
- Sharon Tatro (Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, 2002-07 – Sharon is a Co-President of JETAA Southern California)
- Taea Takagi (Fukuoka-ken, Nogata-shi, 2006-08 – and a Hawaii native)
- Kelsey Soma Turek (Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, 2005-07 and current President of JETAA Hawaii) (Kelsey notes that the sister city relationship is why Fukuoka has a lot of Hawaii JETs.)
- (Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06) who is an active member of JETAA Northern California, reports that he’s currently involved in developing a partnership between the Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association (OFSCA) and JETAA Northern California.)
- Mark Juloya (Fukoka-ken, Kaho-machi, 2004-07) (Mark is currently serving as the Treasurer for JETAA Southern California.)

Saga

Nagasaki

Nagasaki City + St. Paul’s, Minnesota – [Any JETs?_____] – (Thanks to Kate Maruyama for sharing the information.)
Sasebo City + Albequerque, New Mexico – Kate Meyer (Nagasaki-ken, 2006-10) (Kate notes that there is a large number of JETs in Nagasaki-ken who are from Minnesota.)

Kumamoto + Montana, USA (Thanks to Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06) for the info.) (Kathy Laubach adds, “To the best of my knowledge, Montana [state] and Kumamoto Prefecture share a “sister” relationship and perhaps this is worth mentioning so as not to have people assume the relationships are only between Kumamoto and Billings and Helena in Montana.”)

Kumamoto City + San Antonio, Texas; Billings, Montana; Helena, Montana; Heidelberg, Germany; Guilin, China; Bristol, United Kingdom; Ulsan, South Korea – Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, 2002-06), Angela Riu Gordon (Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, 2004-06); Kathy Laubach (CIR Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, 2003-06)

Ōita

Miyazaki

Kagoshima

Amami City (formerly Naze City) + Nacogdoches, Texas – Barbara “Chieko” Rothengass (Kagoshima-ken, Naze-shi, 2003-06) (Barbara is the chapter president for JETAA Texoma and notes that McMichael Middle School does a student exchange with Amami-shi.)

Okinawa

Ishigaki City + Kauai County, Hawaii; Suao City, Taiwan – Troy Nakamura (CIR Okinawa-ken, Ishigaki-shi, 2005-07)

The Top 5 JET LinkedIn Prefecture Groups

1. Shimane – 44 members

2. Ishikawa – 27 members

3. Hokkaido & Niigata – 16 members

5. Nara, Saitama & Fukuoka – 15 members

The Top 10 Comments from the JET-Tourist Tally Project

Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project

Prefectural JET Alumni LinkedIn Groups

衆院愛知６区補選 民主、犬山市議のアンソニー氏擁立へ

1. Hokkaidō

2. Tōhoku

3. Kantō

4. Chūbu

5. Kansai

6. Chūgoku

7. Shikoku

8. Kyūshū

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衆院愛知６区補選　民主、犬山市議のアンソニー氏擁立へ