WIT Life #194: L’Arc en Ciel MSG Debut!
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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 night I had fun rocking out at the concert of L’Arc en Ciel, one of Japan’s most popular bands. They were the first Japanese group to perform at Madison Square Garden, and they put on an amazing show! For me it was largely natsukashii, as I discovered L’Arc (or ラルク) as an exchange student in Kyoto my first time in Japan. During the weekly karaoke outings that I used to work on my kanji, ラルク soon became a regular part of my repertoire and for a while their song Honey was my #18 (specialty or favorite).
So I was super excited when I heard ラルク front man Hyde belt out the first 「ずっと」 that begins the song, and was happy to find that I still remembered most of the lyrics. I enjoyed other old favorites like Read More
WIT Life #193: Spending Time in Ichiro-Land, aka Seattle
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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 a business trip here in Seattle, where the Japanese influence is huge. Not only do they have great Japanese shopping centers like Uwajimaya, located in the International District area, but they have Ichiro! The man himself is not here at the moment, having headed to Japan with the Mariners to play two exhibition games against Japanese teams before opening up the Major League season in two games against the Oakland A’s. All four games will be played in Tokyo. Today’s Seattle Times features an article highlighting Read More
WIT Life #192: New York Boom in Japan
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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 heading home after spending two glorious weeks in Japan enjoying delicious food, soakin
g in multiple onsens, meeting up with natsukashii friends and running two marathons! Needless to say I feel a bit sabishii about leaving, but I am already looking forward to my annual visit next year.
One thing I noticed more than before was an increase in advertising that utilizes the concept of “New York” to appeal to customers. In many cases this seemed to be a very loose correlation, but nonetheless effective. I first spotted the “Big America” burger being advertised at McDonalds. Pictured here, you can see that in katakana it says “Broadway Burger.” I’m not sure what qualifi
es it as such, but the size is definitely larger than your standard Japanese burger.
My next sighting was at Burger King, which is offering the NY Sundae (BK New York Style Sweets). This sundae, which comes in regular and raspberry, features crunchy French toast with ice cream on top. I don’t know what about this sundae makes it “New York Style” and didn’t have a chance to sample it, but I could see that being a delicious combination. I love how they put a mini Statue of Liberty in the middle of the product name to enhance its authenticity. 
However, I will take Japanese style sweets over New York ones any day, and certainly enjoyed my share of wagashi on a daily basis during this trip. I am always sure to leave Japan with some of its various KitKat flavors, and this time I found both green tea and cherry blossom green tea (limited edition for sakura season) at the airport. I also searched for azuki which is one of my favorites, but didn’t have any luck. I saw wasabi but opted to pass on that one…
JETAA Southeast to hold JLPT language course in March
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Via JETAA Southeast:
The JETAASE chapter will have a JLPT language course in March. If you are near JLPT N2 level or aspiring to be, this course is for you!
Dates:
March 5th
March 12th
March 26th
Time: 7:45pm – 9:15pm (90 minutes)
Class location: Healey Building downstairs conference room (the corner of Forsyth and Walton)
Address: 57th Forsyth St. NW, Atlanta, GA
The in-person class will be open to the first 10 participants. For those residing outside of the Atlanta area, a long distance learning option may be available. The class will be taught by Japanese language instructor Sakiko Suzuki
Please sign up at the form below if you are interested in participating.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGJxUHFWQWRJSDIxczNiYVltVHR0aWc6MQ#gid=0
WIT Life #191: Multiple marathons and Honolulu highlights
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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.
Tomorrow I head to Kumamoto, my home for three years during JET, to participate in the inaugural Kumamoto Marathon which will be held next weekend. The following weekend I will go up to Tokyo to participate for the fifth time in their amazing marathon. I’m looking forward to not only the running, but catching up with natsukashii friends, eating oishii food and most of all onsen!!!
Speaking of oishii food, 
I recently enjoyed the Hawaiian version of wagashi at my favorite shop in Honolulu, Kansai Yamato. This small stall in the food court of the fantastic Ala Moana mall sells handmade mochi in funky flavors like Kona coffee, mango and Oreo as well as Read More
WIT Life #190: Air Kei’s Historic Run to Australian Quarters!
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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.
Kudos t
o 22-year old tennis pro Kei Nishikori for being the first Japanese man in 80 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open! Unfortunately, once there he was vanquished in straight sets by Scot Andy Murray, but his impressive showing in his previous five-set win over France’s Jo-Wilfred Tsonga bumps his world ranking up to 20 from 26.
Nishikori, who currently lives and trains in Florida, is known as “Air Kei” for his leaping groundstrokes. I can attest to the fact that watching his play is thrilling. A few years ago I caught a match of his at the US Open that turned into a nail-biting five-setter, and was hooked.
Here’s hoping he can build on this impressive showing in Australia and have further success in 2012!
WIT Life #189: Elizabeth Andoh’s 希望 project
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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 recently received an email newsletter from acclaimed Japanese food writer Elizabeth Andoh regarding her newest book project, 希望 (Kibo or “Brimming With Hope”). It will be released on February 28th and features recipes and stories from the Tohoku area, where last year’s earthquake and tsunami hit. Andoh wanted to do her part to help the region recover, and the creation of this book is what she came up with (click on the link below for purchase information). This March, she also plans to launch a new website called Kibo cooking which will be dedicated to Tohoku cookery. See below for a description of Andoh’s project in her own words.
#188: Happy New Year and Meeting Yoko K. in DC!
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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.
ちょっと遅くなりましたが、明けましておめでとうございます！ I hope that your 2012 has gotten off to a good start, and that the year of the dragon is a fortuitous one for everyone.
I’m down in DC with a new group of International Visitors invited by the State Department to study U.S. energy policy. In light of the Fukushima accident nuclear is obviously a big focus, but we are also looking at renewable energy options like solar and wind (as well as geothermal which will take us to a plant on the Big Island of Hawaii!). As part of our cultural activities outside of the professional program, the other night we attended Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center where a Japanese artist was featured.
Her name is Yoko K. and she hails from Nagano, and she is an electronic musician, producer, engineer and vocalist. I was not very familiar with that genre of music, but her performance kept me entertained throughout. She incorporates various tools in her sound creation, and you can see Read More
WIT Life #187: Norwegian Wood
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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 week I attended the Japan Society’s member screening of Norwegian Wood, the film version of this Haruki Murakami novel. I haven’t read the book, but the movie was quite moving. It takes place in the late 1960’s with student riots as a backdrop. It is a love story centering on the university student Toru Watanabe, who is torn between his first love from his hometown, Naoko, and a new women he meets at school, Midori. His relationship with Naoko is complicated as their mutual best friend (and Naoko’s boyfriend) committed suicide when they were in high school. They share this bond, but it is also the source of Naoko’s mental instability. Midori is a bit of a brighter character, though her life has been overshadowed by family members’ untimely deaths. The film is quite tender in its exploration of these relationships and the direction Toru’s future will take.
The movie was made in 2010 by the French-Vietnamese director Anh Hung Tran, who was on hand at the screening along with Rinko Kikuchi who plays Naoko (pictured above with Kenichi Matsuyama who plays Toru). They offered some behind the scenes stories, such as how Read More
WIT LIfe #186: 今年の漢字
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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.
At Kyoto’s Kiyomizu Temple, 今年の漢字 (kotoshi no kanji), or the kanji of the year was just announced to be 絆 (kizuna) or bonds between people. According to the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society, the rationale behind its selection by the based on ideas from the public was that in a disaster-ridden year that brought a nation closer together, kizuna best reflects the events of 2011. These bonds include those among family members, friends and neighbors, as well as refers to support from abroad. It was chosen with the hope that the world will continue to coalesce to help restore Japan.
As for how this year’s お正月 (oshougatsu) nine months after the disaster will be spent, it seems as if most people are being low-key and staying close to home due to 3-11. Many are still in mourning for the lives that were lost, and this probably will continue until the one-year anniversary next year. People aren’t even sure what to write on their new year’s cards, as the typical 新年おめでとう (shinnen omedetou) or “Happy New Year!” may not be appropriate. Below are some suggestions (in Japanese) for what to write on 年賀状 (nengajou) to those in the disaster area. Read More
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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.
Time truly flies, as I can’t believe it has been so long since I’ve been here. At any rate, tadaima!
Although almost nine months have passed since the earthquake/tsunami in Fukushima, and I am glad to say that the recoverｙ effort is still on people’s minds. Last night I went to the Artist Showcase and Fundraiser for Japan held at Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki’s Residence. The event featured a reception honoring a visiting Fukushima prefectural government delegation to New York, along with artwork (some from JET alumni!) available for silent auction purchase.
Ambassador Hiroki offered his comments, and a representative of the Fukushima prefectural governor read a letter from him on his behalf. On display were Fukushima goods, and guests partook of Fukushima sake as well as Read More
JETAA USA establishes Sister City Support System
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Since just before the 2011 National Conference in DC this past summer, a few of us (e.g., U.S. Country Reps Jessyca Wilcox and Mike Shu as well as myself) have been working on setting up a JETAA USA system to encourage JETAA chapters to connect with and engage with their sister city/ prefecture counterparts in Japan. We met with Sister Cities International prior to the start of the conference (SCI is HQ is based in DC) to see how we might get this put together and how we can have a symbiotic relationship.
We established that some of the key needs of U.S. sister cities are the ability to communicate in Japanese and familiarity with and ability to navigate the Japanese culture, which are key ingredients for helping to grow, re-inspire, or create those relationships. This, as you are likely well aware, is the exact skill set we, as JET alumni, possess.
While JETAA has not yet established any formal relationship yet with SCI, JETAA is very much looking forward to working with them more closely in the future. But in the meantime, JETAA has begun to lay necessary groundwork to enable the JET alumni network and community to begin providing support when ready.
This has now been created in the form of the JETAA USA Sister Cities/ States JET Initiative (thanks to a lot of behind the scenes work by Jessyca Wilcox). Click the link (or read further down) for more background about this project and the tools that will enable JETAA chapters to get started. Simply connecting your JETAA chapter with your Japanese counterpart is valuable in and of itself! It demonstrates to local governments in Japan one more way that the JET alumni community is eager to provide “Return on JET-vestment” to our adopted home country.
WIT Life #184: NYT mag Haruki Murakami profile and yaeba
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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’s NYT featured two interesting Japan articles in the magazine and Sunday Styles section. The former features the country’s living cultural treasure novelist Haruki Murakami, whom the article’s author spends time with in Tokyo to dissect his newest book 1Q84 as well as his older works.
The latter article discusses the popularity of 八重歯 (yaeba), or double teeth that look that fangs (aka “snaggleteeth”). Apparently this fashion calls not for perfect smiles, but unstraight teeth. Women are asking dentists to affix plastic fronts to their real teeth to create artificial yaeba, as shown here in the picture.
Upon asking two young Japanese women who were visiting the city about yaeba, they said it was the first they had heard of it. I’ll see what further informal surveys reveal about whether this is a real trend, or just something being sensationalized by the media.
Important: The official need for JET alum groups by prefecture
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It’s official. Soumusho (Ministry of Internal Affairs) sees great value in the JET alumni community being organized and identifiable by prefecture and would like to see such groups formed and put to better use. This according to an announcement that came through the official bureaucratic news source (iJAMP). (See very unofficial translation summary below.)
Why do they care so much about this idea? Because the local governments (i.e., the prefectures) need to see the long term benefits of JET to really make it worth it for them to continue to hire JETs and to contribute funding and resources to the program. They need to see that JET alumni are supporting and contributing to longer term economic benefits in various ways. This is the concept of Local Return on JET-vestment.
Fortunately, JET alum groups by prefecture have existed for the past year thanks to LinkedIn. And many have already joined. If you have not joined one yet, I strongly encourage you to do so now. (It also couldn’t hurt to join any of the various professional JET alum LinkedIn groups as well. Or start a new one yourself if you see a field not covered.)
Here’s the unofficial translation summaries of the official communication:
Soumusho has called on the prefectures to promote the creation of JET OB networks as a resource in their internationalization and overseas business initiatives.
To encourage this, Soumusho is allowing prefectures from this year to fund travel and other expenses for alumni out of their local allocation tax revenues, and is asking prefectures to work with municipal governments.
It is further hoped that these alumni will be a source of accurate information on Japan. And there have been many instances where alumni have gotten involved in fundraising and other support for the affected areas through their deep connections to their communities in Japan.
While there have been many groups formed by alumni according to their countries of origin, schools they taught at or years on the Program, there are few instances of groups formed by prefecture and it is difficult to really say that alumni are a resource to these areas. The importance of prefecture alumni groups was pointed out at the 25th anniversary symposium, leading to the call to form prefecture-level networks.
The notice mentioned Tottori as a good example of a prefecture making the best use of its JETs, having its CIRs act as “Tottori Hometown Ambassadors”, submitting policy proposals and contributing articles to its informational magazine. It also uses its “World Tottori Fan Club” to send out information to its ALT alumni.
WIT Life #183: 10,000 Free Flights to Japan! (and the best bonsai I’ve ever had)
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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 night I had the chance to attend an event at the Modern sponsored by the Japanese beverage company Suntory, for the unveiling of their newest whiskey here in the States, Hakushu. We first enjoyed a tasting of this offering, along with samples of favorites Yamazki and Hibiki. Chef Gabriel Kreuther prepared an amazing menu to pair with these whiskeys, featuring such treats as foie gras and caviar.
However, for me the best part of the meal was the Read More
