WIT Life #221: MoMA’s Avant-Garde Tokyo
Events, Film, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last month MoMA introduced an exhibition called Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde, which looks at the creations that emerged from this tumultuous period. It features around 200 works of various media, such as paintings from Yayoi Kusama and photographs from Daido Moriyama, as well as pieces from lesser known artists. They all offer social commentary and many are confrontational, some via explicitly sexual themes such as Tetsumi Kudo’s “Philosophy of Impotence” installation, which occupies a large section of the exhibit.
Another interesting work is Hiroshi Nakamura’s “Circular Train A,” which features uniformed schoolgirls as cyclops, further fetishizing this symbol of sexuality in Japanese society. In this painting and others, the influence on modern manga and anime is undeniable. Fun fact is that Yomiuri Shimbun had served as the sponsor of a Tokyo exhibition of post-war artwork, but withdrew the following year as the content had become too controversial. The exhibition will run through February 25 and various lectures and gallery talks are offered, so make sure to check it out.
In conjunction with this exhibition, a film series called Art Theater Guild and Japanese Underground Cinema: 1960-1986 is taking place. On Friday night I had the honor of Read More
Via MultiLing. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Position: Translator Apprenticeship
Posted by: Embassy of Japan
Type: Full-time (One-Year)
Location: Provo, UT (Feb-Apr 2013) and Yokohama, Japan (May-Jan 2013)
Salary: See Compensation below
Start Date: February 2013
Overview:
MultiLing Corporation is looking for a talented and capable individual to join its subsidiary, MultiLing Japan Y.K., on location in Yokohama, Japan for a full-time one-year apprenticeship position Responsibilities will include translating, editing and reviewing Japanese to English documents and other related tasks. Please see list of specific requirements below:
Qualifications:
• Demonstrated oral and written fluency in English at the HIGHEST LEVEL required;
• Demonstrated oral and written fluency in Japanese with an emphasis on reading ability required (JLPT level 1 or equivalent);
• Ability to pass pre-interview language proficiency test required;
• Bachelor’s degree required (conferred or to be conferred by May 2013);
• Genuine interest in living outside of the U.S. on a long-term basis preferred;
• Computer and communication skills preferred;
• Some translation experience preferred; and
• Familiarity with technical or scientific terminology preferred. Read More
WIT Life #220: Wonderful Single Life/Going My Home
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
As I shared in my last post, one of the best parts of being here in Japan is the chance to catch up on dramas when the work day is done. When I’m at home I try to keep up to date on them via the Internet, but it’s just not the same as watching them in prime time. Two of my current favorites are tonight’s ｢ゴーイング・マイ・ホーム」 (Going My Home) and Thursday night’s 「結婚しない」 (Wonderful Single Life; literally Won’t Get Married).
I greatly enjoy the latter as the main character is a 35-year old woman whose single status is a source of both stress and liberation. The supporting roles feature her female contemporaries as well as younger and older friends, all in various work and personal situations. It is an interesting commentary on the lives of women in modern Japanese society, and I am eager to see Read More
WIT Life #219: Yakusho Koji’s newest flick
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I’m currently in Japan on an interpreting assignment, and am loving eating washoku and getting my fill of Japanese tv on a daily basis. I’m also happy to be able to catch up on Japanese pop culture while I’m here, and I recently caught a Yakusho Koji movie out in theaters now. I’ve written about how much I enjoy Yakusho’s work as well as having the chance to meet the man himself, and his latest film did not disappoint.
Masayuki Suo of “Shall We Dance” fame is the director of 「終の信託」 (Tsui no Shintaku, or “Trust in the End”), which reunites the two stars of that movie. Yakusho appears alongside Tamiyo Kusakari, who played his dance instructor in the former film, and they are pictured here along with Suo. (The fabulous supporting cast includes Tadanobu Asano as Orii’s vile lover and Takao Ozawa as the intimidating prosecutor).
Their collaboration 16 years later was worth the wait. Yakusho plays chronic asthma patient Egi who is assigned to Kusakari’s internist Orii at the hospital where he receives periodic treatment. Over time his attacks get worse and his visits become more frequent, and he begins to rethink the value of treatment considering the costs and Read More
WIT Life #218: Hold These Truths
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
This weekend I went to see the heralded play Hold These Truths being shown at the 14th Street Y. It starts Joel de la Fuente as Gordon Hirabayashi, second generation Japanese-American who defied Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced interment of Japanese Americans in camps during World War II. De la Fuente (10-year veteran of Law and Order SVU) brings his proven acting chops to this one-man show, in which he plays not only the role of Hirabayashi himself, but also those of family, friends, law enforcement, lawyers, etc.
The play traces Hirabayashi’s journey as a boy growing up in Seattle to university student to imprisoned activist to the eventually taking of his case all the way to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately the Court unanimously rules against Hirabayashi and the other two Japanese-American resistors, but he is vindicated when Read More
WIT Life #217: David Mitchell’s Japan connection
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last week I had the chance to see English author David Mitchell at Symphony Space. He appeared with several actors who read short stories he had selected as some of his favorites, and then Campbell Scott read a sample from his novel Cloud Atlas. Mitchell was alternatively humorous and self-deprecating, and he offered many insights into what had grabbed him about the short stories he had picked as well as the way he pursues his craft.
Cloud Atlas is actually composed of six interlocking novellas that span centuries and characters, and they are connected by the theme of souls being reborn in different places and times. Cloud Atlas is challenging to read at times, but really fascinating stuff so totally worth it. The movie version is being released later this week, and I’m very eager to see how much Read More
WIT Life #216: Japanese Food Frenzy
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
This past weekend I attended two food events where aspects of Japanese cuisine were being highlighted, the NYC Wine and Food Festival and the Japan Block Fair. At the first, sake was being promoted by the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), and my friend I enjoyed sampling some from the brand Momokawa. Kikkoman also had their own booth, where they were offering panko coated kara-age as well as the three different sauces of sriracha, wasabi and soy. During the Japanese news broadcast I watch every morning, Kikkoman’s kara-age commercials have become Read More
WIT Life #215: More Yakusho Koji greatness
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Looks like it’s been exactly a month since I’ve written here, and we have already entered 実りの秋・食欲の秋 (minori no aki, shokuyoku no aki) or season of harvest, season of hearty appetites. Leaves are started to turn their lovely colors and there is a nice chill in the air most mornings and nights, which makes me wish there was a nearby onsen to soak in…
On the plane on the way back from a recent European vacation I was able to catch Yakusho Koji‘s わが母の記 (waga haha no ki), or Chronical of My Mother. This film was featured in this year’s Japan Cuts, but I was not around when it screened so I was glad to have the chance to make up for it. Based on an autobiographical novel by Yasushi Inoue, it tells the story of novelist Kosaku Igami who has achieved great success, but at the price of mining his Read More
Job: Translator/Interpreter -CSI (Georgetown, KY)
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Thanks to JETAA Bluegrass Subchapter Rep Roy Harrison, who also works for CSI (a JET alum-owned company), for sharing this job listing. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Position: Japanese-English Translator/Interpreter
Posted by: CSI
Type: Workshop
Location: Georgetown, KY
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
We’re looking for a Japanese-English translator/interpreter to join our growing team. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that high-quality translations and interpretations in a deadline-driven environment are delivered to our customers. Your work within our team will breakdown large projects and juggle multiple tasks with competing priorities. Our ideal candidate is familiar with MS-Office and Trados software, flexibly adapts to stressful situations, and is experienced in translating technical material.
If this is you, send your resume to info@csi-ky.com. EEO, competitive benefits package.
See this JETwit article for more info about CSI.
WIT Life #214: 温泉！
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Hello from Japan! Thanks to a last-minute interpreting assignment last week, I have the opportunity to spend some time in Tokyo during a time of the year when I’m not usually here. My annual 来日 (rainichi or coming to Japan) typically takes place in February in accordance with my participation in the Tokyo Marathon, so I was excited to have the chance to experience a different season this time around. And of course what would a trip to Japan be without visits to multiple onsens? This time around I headed north of Tokyo to the nature-blessed areas of Kamikochi and Karuizawa
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Both cities are located in Nagano Prefecture, and the more northern Kamikochi has beautiful lakes and hiking paths. Karuizawa is known as a resort area where people go to beat the summer heat, and though the hiking paths were a bit more deserted there were tourists a plenty looking at the famous waterfalls and biking through the main shopping areas. Our Kamikochi ryokan had an indoor onsen as well as a cool outdoor cave onsen (pictured here), and in Karuizawa I enjoyed Read More
WIT Life #213: BayStars Baseball Revival
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Continuing with the sports theme, today’s NYT has an article about some of the unusual measures the Yokohama BayStars have incorporated to increase attendance at their games. They include discounts for children and seniors on certain days if they wear the team’s jersey, for cross dressers on Thursdays and for late arrivals. In addition, another promotion is Read More
WIT Life #212: US Open 2012
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Yesterday I went to the first day of this year’s U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, and managed to catch some matches despite a long rain delay. I was happy to see that two of the outer courts were featuring Japanese players, Kei Nishikori (nicknamed “Air K” because of the jump he takes to give his forehand a little extra power) and Hiroki Moriya. I had never heard of the latter but am a big fan of the former, having first seen him in an exciting five-setter at the Open several years ago.
When my friend and I arrived, Nishikori was up two sets and leading in the third against Argentinian Guido Andreozzi when the downpour began. We camped out at the side court to insure good seats when the match resumed, which it did a few hours later. Andreozzi showed some strength but Read More
WIT Life #211: Mochi madness
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I am wrapping up an interpreting job in Honolulu, and during my time here I have been enjoying local Hawaiian foods like poi and ahi as well as lots of my favorite Japanese dessert, mochi. The food court of the massive Ala Moana mall has a stand called Kansai Yamato where you can get homemade mochi. I have highlighted KY in this blog before, but they offer an amazing variety of flavors ranging from Kona coffee to peanut butter to mango. You can watch the employees making the mochi in front of your eyes, so you know Read More
WIT Life #210: Of Rice and Retirees
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last month the NYT offered several interesting articles on Japan’s economic situation, and there are two in particular that I would like to share. The first discusses how consumers are reevaluating their allegiance to Japanese rice in light cheaper options from places abroad like China, America and Australia. This foreign rice which used to be largely shunned is now hard to get a hold of. In addition, one major rice producing region in Japan is Fukushima where last year’s earthquake and tsunami hit. Farmers there are struggling to Read More
WIT Life #209: The Amazing Yakusho Koji!
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I had an unusually exciting Friday night as I got to meet one of my favorite actors, Yakusho Koji! He was on hand at Japan Society’s wonderful 2-week film festival Japan Cuts to screen his movie The Woodsman and the Rain. He was also presented with the first ever Japan Cuts prize, the CUT ABOVE award for excellence in film. He is pictured here with festival coordinator Samuel Jamier and interpreter Linda Hoaglund during the pre-screening introduction, during which time he humbly thanked the audience for Read More
