May 6

Better than Skype: Japan invents new kissing device that lets you make out over the Internet

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Researchers in Japan have invented a way to kiss over the Internet. I worked hard to think of a JET angle to make this story JETwit-worthy. And it finally hit me that it might be extremely helpful to JETs and JET alums involved in long-distance relationships! (Not bad, deshou?)

Here’s the article.

Here’s the video:

Apr 26

WIT Life #164: More notable Nihonjin

Events, Film, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers

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WITLife 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.

Interesting article in the NYT today profiling the new head of the M.I.T Media Lab, a 44-year old Japanese venture capitalist named Joichi Ito. Ironically enough, Ito attended both Tufts and the University of Chicago in the past, but didn’t graduate from either as he didn’t like their learning styles. However, his accomplishments include serving on the board of the Internet governance organization Icann and the Mozilla Foundation, and along the course of his career he has invested in more than 12 start-ups such as Flickr and Twitter. In Japan, he helped establish Read More

Apr 22

2 Jobs: Sales rep (NYC) and Admin Asst/Service Coord. (NJ)

Jobs, Uncategorized

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Important: Please make sure to indicate that you learned of these job listings via JETwit if you apply for them. Thanks.

1. Japanese Hair Care Product company in NY is looking for Inside Sales Representative. ASAP!

Location: Downtown NY

Position: Inside Sales

Salary: 30K-40K

Job Description: Read More

Apr 22

WIT Life #163: Two Japanese recognized by Time’s Top 100

Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers

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Two Japanese men were selected to be on Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people worldwide. Both received recognition in regard to their handling of the recent earthquake/tsunami. The first is Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai of Minami Soma, a town 15 miles from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In an earlier post I highlighted an article about his Read More

Apr 19

National AJET’s “Life After JET”: Sabrina Venture

Advice, Career, Interview/Profile, Uncategorized

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National AJET shares former JET participants’ experiences – and a little advice – with current JETs in their new monthly interview, Life After JET. Contact lifeafterjet [at] ajet.net to be featured in future posts.

*************

This month, we caught up with a recent JET-Alum, Sabrina Venture. Before JET, Sabrina was a painting major looking to pay off her student loans. As such, she took a job with a Police Department as a dispatcher. She “sought out that job since it had governmental security and lots of perks (never a parking ticket!), good pay, and offered an education pay program.” However, after two years, she was burnt-out — “too many people dying and too much drama and sad stories” — and looking for a break.

That’s where JET came in. Sabrina moved to Kyoto for a year in 2009. She “would have stayed on the JET program but [she] had a fiancé waiting for [her] so [she] returned to the states. [She] took a month off for [her] wedding and applied to other agencies to go back to dispatch.” By then, she was feeling less burnt-out and found a position in a quieter area. “It’s a smaller agency, quieter than New England, and [she’s] living in an adorable apartment right in downtown.”

Sabrina tells us a little bit about her transition back to her previous career in the States (and how she’s infused it with a little of her Japan-experience) and how she keeps her creative juices flowing…

NAJET: Have you experienced any reverse culture shock since coming back? (You’ve probably been keeping busy with the wedding and finding a job and everything, so maybe you haven’t had a chance to worry about that!) If you have, how did you deal with it?

Sabrina: Culture everything-is-cooler-in-Japan shock. I dunno. I really, REALLY miss the beauty of the natural surroundings. I don’t miss the crowds in downtown. I can also go back — maybe not with JET, but there are other ways to get into Japan. I don’t consider JET my one and only shot at time in Japan and knowing I can always go back helps keep any culture shock in check.

NAJET: You’ve returned to a career that you had before JET, does it feel different? I know you said your time on JET helped you get over some of your burnout — but is there anything else? A new perspective?

Sabrina: I returned to the same career — but not at the same place — and I had to take a pay cut due to financial restraints in the county. That sucked. It still sucks. But I DO have a job, and a nice place to live, and while I’m not swimming in cash, I have enough to cover my needs and still save. My time in JET helped my remember to appreciate the things I do have and relax about things I don’t.

I think that before I left I was really focused on the bottom line and early retirement — I was so focused on earning as much as possible that I worked in neighborhoods that were dangerous and dirty. After JET, I’m more focused on the non-monetary aspects to quality of life — I consider things like population, crime rate, natural beauty now instead of just money.

Click here for the rest of the interview.

Apr 13

JET Prefecture Round-Up 04.11.11

JET Prefecture Round-up, Uncategorized

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Emily Lemmon, (Hyogo-ken, Shiso-shi, 2009-present), PSG volunteer, organizer of Hyogo-ken’s PEPY Ride, and editor of the Hyogo Times, gives a little taste of what JETs are doing around Japan. To submit items for future JET Prefecture Round-up posts, e-mail Emily at jetinfogather [at] gmail.com.

National Relief Efforts

AJET has set up a care package program for JETs to help their fellows affected by the disaster.
JETs are now being encouraged to Can Up for Japan as the next step: anytime JETs attend a JET event, they are to bring a food item or other materials.
This month’s JET Effect focuses on a few different JETs’ responses to the disaster.

Events by Region

Shikoku Region

Ehime

Silly Sports Hanami was April 9th, in which JETs enjoyed the blossoms and collected blankets for Tohoku.
Ehime’s PEPY Ride will now be for Tohoku! Ehime JETs cycle the Shiminami Kaido to raise funds for tsunami and earthquake victims.

Kochi

Beer/Sake Baseball Opening Day was April 2nd, and a great time was had by all.
“Traffic Light” Mixer for JETs and locals was April 9th!
Tosa Salsa Lesson from 2 to 4 was on April 9th as well.
Kavita Peterson will be giving a presentation on Culture Shock for JETs on April 15th.
The Tosa-ben musical will be performed by Kochi ALTs in the local dialect on April 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 24th in different places around the prefecture.

Kansai Region

Kyoto

5 to Survive Kyoto run was April 10th!

Hyogo

Hanami at Akashi Castle Park on April 9th called for donations of towels for the Tohoku efforts.

Tohoku Region

Aomori

Some Aormori JETs are helping with a free lunch offered at the Aomori City Shimin Center on Saturday, April 16th to gather water, apples, rice, toilet paper and others to take to Fukushima prefecture.

Multi-Regional

ALT Soccer Tournament – West Japan Tournament to be held in Awaji, May 22-23rd. East Japan Tournament to be held June 4th-5th.

Apr 12

WIT Life #162: Japan Tobacco

Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers

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My interpreting travels currently take me to Raleigh, NC, once home to a thriving tobacco industry. However, in addition to formerly being a center for textiles and furniture, those days are gone and different sectors have risen to take their place. As the group I am working with is studying economic revitalization, yesterday we visited the American Tobacco Historic District, once home to America’s largest tobacco plant. It has been converted into a multi-functional area which maintains the character of the historic buildings, while at the same time incorporating modern aspects to create a vibrant community of businesses and restaurants (We got to visit the headquarters of Burt’s Bees which is housed there!).

In an interesting incidence of convergence, before heading to the district I read an article in the WSJ about how Japan’s disaster has affected its tobacco industry. It highlights how Read More

Apr 10

WIT Life #161: Kit Kat craziness (again)

Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers

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I finally had a chance to sort through the pictures from my recent trip to Japan, which brought back many happy memories. I think I found them hard to deal with until now as they represent the demarcation between pre and post quake (I left the day before it hit). But I bit the bullet and looked at them for the first time since my travels, and I felt ok. I tried to think of my friends rebuilding their lives post-disaster and somehow getting by thanks to their hope for the future. As trite as it sounds, at this point they are taking things one day at a time as that is all they can do in the midst of the immense uncertainty that remains.

On a lighter note, one of the things that I love to do when I go back to Japan is check out the new flavors of items in konbini and other stores. One brand I am always sure to find is Read More

Apr 10

FoxHound87: Nagasaki, Day 2

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Joshua Small is a First Year JET currently living in Ikaruga-cho, Nara-ken and has been chronicling his experience on his blog Snorlax87.

My second day in Nagasaki was spent touring what Nagasaki is REALLY famous for, the second Atomic bomb.

Our day started by taking the tram to the Peace Park. This was a very somber experience. The park stands as a memorial to the victims of the atomic bomb and as a reminder for the necessity of world peace. It was said that nothing would grow in the damaged areas for 75 years because of lasting radiation. The peace park also stands as a testament to the will of the Japanese people to rebuild and “blossom” once again. Cherry blossoms have flourished in the park.

On the left side of the park, there is a statue to mark the hypocenter of the blast. It is a large black stone with stone rings rippling out. Again, this is a tragic place to visit. Even if you believe the bomb was justified, it’s still very sad.

Towards the center of the park, there is a statue dedicated to the children who died. Most of the bomb’s casualties were women, children, and the elderly.

At the exit of the park lies a piece of Urakami Cathedral. Burns scar the brick wall, and you can even see where the heat blast bubbled the surface of the concrete. According to some of the plaques that lie scattered throughout the park, the a-bomb exploded 500 meters above this Catholic Church. How ANY of this church survived the blast is a miracle. Ironic, no?

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.

http://snorlax87.blogspot.com/

Apr 6

Fukushima JET Brent Stirling: A vital cog in the “Quakebook” wheel

Anecdote Article, Books, Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising, Japan Trends, Notable JET Alums, Uncategorized, Volunteer, Writers

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Fukushima City JET Brent Stirling recently put out word to JETAA chapters about Quakebook, “a book of stories, art and photographs that reflected first person accounts of the disaster” which will soon be available on Amazon.com with all proceeds going to benefit the Japan Red Cross. Brent contributed his own story and has also offered to help with marketing and spreading the word. Below Brent provides some insight into the unique process that led to the creation of of the project as well as his own involvement.

I lived in Fukushima City from August 2006 to August 2010 and worked as an ALT there. The recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Tohoku has had me glued to my computer since it began, as has probably been the case with all JET Alumni. Keeping in contact with my friends in Fukushima-ken through Facebook and Twitter, I felt helpless as far as how to help and what to do.

With limited access to news in the first days after the quake, I compiled information from friend’s Facebook status updates, Twitter and a variety of news sources. I sent these updates via Facebook to my friends who didn’t have the time to comb through the news in order to get an accurate picture of what was going on. Updates included news about transportation, gas, areas with running water, wind directions, reactor conditions and radiation levels. Facebook became a source of news for everyone in the prefecture. The current and former Fukushima JET community along with Japanese people worked together in order to get a clear picture of what was going on in Fukushima.

A week after the earthquake, I was sent a link to a blog asking for contributions about the earthquake. The blogger, OurManInAbiko, hoped to create a book of stories, art and photographs that reflected first person accounts of the disaster. He vowed to edit all the submissions and donate all of the proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross. Looking to help anyway I could, I put in a submission about my experience in Canada throughout the ordeal and how proud the JETs and Japanese community had made me throughout the crisis. My submission discusses sensationalism in the media and how the JET community worked together using social media to overcome adversity and share accurate news on the situation as it unfolded. I didn’t know that within 15 hours, OurManInAbiko had received 74 eyewitness submissions from all over Japan, as well as reactions from elsewhere in Asia, Europe and North America.

Through Twitter, the idea of #Quakebook grew. Just as the Fukushima-ken JETs had used social networks in order to keep in contact, #Quakebook was using the networks in order to promote and create a book. People joined in to spread the word and help with the logistics of publishing a book of this magnitude in such a short span of time. Soon after, writer, William Gibson wrote a piece for the book, then Jake Adelstein contributed, Yoko Ono has recently come on board, offering her own piece in Japanese and English Through the work of so many on Twitter from all over the world, #Quakebook began to take off. Articles appeared on the BBC website, the Wall Street Journal and CNN Go to name a few. Amazon has agreed to publish the book, waiving all of their fees with 100% of the money going to the Japanese Red Cross. The all-volunteer team of #Quakebook is now working at getting translations of the book into different languages so that it can be a truly worldwide phenomenon.

The group that comprises the Quakebook team is continually growing. Every person involved is using their skills and their own contacts in order to get the word out to every corner of the globe. The team, while working closely is completely anonymous as everyone is referred to by their Twitter names. My role has been very small throughout the Quakebook marketing process, but I believe in the book and I think it has the potential to bring people who are otherwise removed from the situation in Japan closer to it. In buying the book, not only are people making a donation to the Japanese Red Cross, but they’re also getting the stories of the people involved, the people that this disaster has affected.

I know that all JET Alumni are tied to Japan the same way that I am. Everyone’s time in Japan had a profound affect on where they are now and what they’ve done with their lives. I’m hoping that this connection to Japan will get JET Alumni Associations worldwide to support and promote this book as best they can. By putting a link to the Quakebook website on your blog, printing Quakebook posters for around your neighbourhood or your local library or getting it into the media wherever you are, everyone can make a difference in this project and help with the relief efforts in Japan.

Pre-order the book at www.quakebook.org
Excerpts from Quakebook
Brent’s re-work of his submission

Apr 5

WIT Life #159: UN Messages of Solidarity with Japan

Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers

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Last week I had an interpreting assignment at the United Nations Department of Public Information, and while there I had the chance to learn about a new webcast series featuring UN Messengers of Peace showing their support of Japan during this time of crisis. Currently there are 8 of these public service announcements with the bilingual tagline “Japan we are standing by your side (みなさんを応援しています).” They are offered by prominent figures such as Ban Ki-moon and Michael Douglas, and I particularly like the one of Stevie Wonder which closes with him saying, “Japan, I love you!” to the tune of his famous song. All of the spots have Japanese translations at the bottom, and they are scheduled to be shown in Japan by NHK and other providers. They began at the end of March and are scheduled to continue throughout the year, so make sure to check them out as new messages are added!

Apr 4

Surviving In Japan: How to Find Out How Fast Your Laundry Will Dry

Advice, Blogs, Japan Local, Uncategorized, Writers

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Ashley Thompson is "Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese"

Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times.

You probably already know that most people in Japan hang out their laundry to dry. Drive or ride past apartment buildings on a sunny day and you’ll see clothes, towels, blankets and futons hanging from bars and draped over the rail. And what could be better than to have the sun dry and naturally remove odors and stains from your items? It’s a wonderful thing. Well, at least when you don’t have the strong winter wind like here in Shizuoka attempting to throw your stuff over the ledge (I’ve gotten quite clever at coming up with ways to keep things from blowing off the balcony).

And you probably also know that you wouldn’t hang clothes outside if it’s raining or looks like it’s going to rain.

But what if you could know how fast your clothes might dry on any given day?

There’s a neat tool on various weather websites that determines a “laundry index” or 洗濯指数 (せんたくしすう, sentaku shisuu) – essentially it tells you if it’s a good day for hanging out laundry or not and how quickly certain items will dry.

For this example I’m going to use tenki.jp, though you can find the laundry index on Yahoo and other sites as well (and they are all the same so I can’t say one is better than another).

First, go to tenki.jp, and then click on 指数情報 (しすうじょうほう, shisuu jouhou – sort of like “index information”), as in the picture below. (There’s actually a map of Japan in that blank gray box but it didn’t show up in my screenshot for some reason.)

Laundry Japan

Next, choose 洗濯 (せんたく, sentaku, laundry). — CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.

Apr 1

2:46 Quakebook project

Earthquake Tsunami, Uncategorized, Volunteer, Website

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Via a recent article in the Wall Street Journal:

The 2:46 Quakebook Project is “a Twitter-sourced collection of personal accounts of the quake and its aftermath….one group’s response to the disaster initiated by the local blogging community that aims to raise money for relief efforts (the title refers to the time at which the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck on March 11).”

Note: All proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross.

Mar 29

JET Prefecture Round-Up 03.23.11

JET Prefecture Round-up, Uncategorized

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My task on JETwit is to “give a little taste of what JETs are doing around Japan.” In this unprecedented time, what exactly are JETs doing around Japan? That depends a very great deal on where those JETs live.

JETs everywhere have spent time reassuring their families back home as well as fellow JETs; they have been sharing information and putting together emergency kits. They have been donating money and giving blood.

Normally I will be posting short descriptions and links for events and activities going on in different prefectures around Japan. But I want to give a slightly more general impression of how it feels out here, especially in unaffected Japan where I am lucky enough to reside. Because the JET placement process is something in which we all have very little say, it’s almost by total random chance that we all are where we are. We could just as easily have been in any prefecture; these disasters could just as easily have come at any time. It is a scary thought for JETs who, though they perhaps did not know Taylor Anderson personally, still have a pretty good grasp on what her daily life must have been like. JETs in unaffected regions struggle with finding the balance between the fact that life goes on as usual, and that nothing will ever be the same.

Akita JETs continue to collect and move supplies into the affected area. Other, more distant prefectures are following suit, although the farther we are from the disaster (and, therefore, the less affected by it), the more time and organizational effort it takes to get our stuff to Tohoku. JETs are still giving where and when they can, at post offices, at combini, and into donation boxes to be found in virtually every place of business. They wait and keep one eye on the internet for news about volunteer opportunities.

At the same time, especially in the parts of Japan where not so much as a tremor was felt, life does appear at first to go on more or less as usual. Some events are canceled (Himeji Castle’s big hanami party, for example). But our students still graduate, and those who didn’t still go to club activities. JETs are faced with plans they made long ago, and in many cases the events I list are the things that JETs have chosen not to cancel. It is difficult to celebrate when others suffer, but perhaps it is also important.

So it’s strange, because life around here is about the earthquake, but it’s not.. Our students go to club activities, but they also put together clothing and towel drives. We do what we always did out here in unaffected Japan, but we also do more than that because we donate and worry and hope and mourn too.

Nationally (and beyond!)

Man Up for Japan is up to 4,933 participants.
Creatively support Japan by participating in Write for Tohoku, or musically in the TerraNoble project.
Cranes for Taylor, Cranes for JETs: JETs are encouraged to craft and photograph paper cranes in memory of Taylor Anderson.
3,000 Letters for Japan is a project started by Gunma ALT Jessie Zanutig to send something to brighten the days of students affected by the earthquake and tsunami disasters.

Events By Region

Hokkaido

T-Shirt fundraiser for Tohoku, within Hokkaido only.

Kanto Region

Tokyo

The Tokyo Yamathon (fundraiser in which participants walk the Yamanote Line) will now be contributing all raised funds to the disaster relief efforts in Tohoku.

Chubu Region

Toyama

Toyama has organized a route for their participation in 5 to Survive!

Ishikawa

Ishikawa is also participating in 5 to Survive! Read More

Mar 27

Foxhound87: Earthquake

Uncategorized

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Joshua Small is a First Year JET currently living in Ikaruga-cho, Nara-ken and has been chronicling his experience on his blog Snorlax87.

During the month of March, there is NOTHING for me to do at school. The school seems to look the other way (or just not care) about what I do during these vacation months. Because I’ve been given no tasks or assignments, I generally spend my day watching movies on my laptop or internet surfing.

As I was watching one of the most intense movies I’ve ever seen (The Hurt Locker), I suddenly found myself swaying a little bit. I thought at first that maybe the movie was just THAT good; that it was so tense, I was actually feeling dizzy. It wasn’t until I took off my headphones that I heard we were in the middle of a small earthquake!

All the teachers were smiling and giggling. It was, after all, a REALLY small one. Even I was smiling and giggling. It was my first earthquake. I couldn’t help being excited. Nothing was broken. Nothing shifted. Everything continued as normal. When one of the teachers turned on the television to check the news, we learned of the true devastation. We watched as the news slowly trickled in. What we felt in my office was an aftershock of the large earthquake in northern Japan.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.

http://snorlax87.blogspot.com/

JETwit.com

Better than Skype: Japan invents new kissing device that lets you make out over the Internet

WIT Life #164: More notable Nihonjin

2 Jobs: Sales rep (NYC) and Admin Asst/Service Coord. (NJ)

WIT Life #163: Two Japanese recognized by Time’s Top 100

National AJET’s “Life After JET”: Sabrina Venture

Click here for the rest of the interview.

JET Prefecture Round-Up 04.11.11

WIT Life #162: Japan Tobacco

WIT Life #161: Kit Kat craziness (again)

FoxHound87: Nagasaki, Day 2

Fukushima JET Brent Stirling: A vital cog in the “Quakebook” wheel

WIT Life #159: UN Messages of Solidarity with Japan

Surviving In Japan: How to Find Out How Fast Your Laundry Will Dry

2:46 Quakebook project

JET Prefecture Round-Up 03.23.11

Foxhound87: Earthquake

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