LIVE YOUR DREAM: The Taylor Anderson Story
Earthquake Tsunami, Film, Fundraising, Interview/Profile, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Video 
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“LIVE YOUR DREAM: The Taylor Anderson Story”is a film project by documentarian Regge Life who is currently seeking support via Kickstarter to help fund the full production of the film.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This film is a story about Taylor Anderson and all the young people who travel the world trying to make a difference. Taylor was an extraordinary American who dedicated herself to teaching Japanese children, living her dream right up to the events of March 11, 2011. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan was a disaster that no one could have expected. In my 21 years of working on Japan based projects, I had witnessed earthquakes, but never the devastation of a tsunami.
I had just completed REASON TO HOPE, a film about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, so I understood all of the events related to the aftermath of an earthquake, but what would be the aftermath when an earthquake was followed by a tsunami and in the case of Japan, a possible nuclear disaster.
CLICK HERE to read more on the Kickstarter site and to help support this project
JETAA International videos
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Here are two videos recently released by JETAA International, and put together by JETAA-I Webmaster Bob Schnyder of JETAA Portland and JETAA-I Secretary Kay Dunkley of JETAA Jamaica.
“What is JETAA International?”
“Because of JET”
“Japan One Year Later” video by JET alum Owen Rojek
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A short video by JET alum Owen Rojek:
Submissions sought for JET-organized Toyama Film Festival
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Jonathan Dao, the current ALT PA for Toyama Prefecture, is organizing a fundraiser for Make a Wish Japan, Hokuriku and shared the below information and rather entertaining video:
Love movies? Well, we are pleased to announce the first-ever Toyama Film Festival— and in consequence, the CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS. You’ll have three categories to choose from (or maybe you’ll even submit an entry for each):
Movie Trailers/Commercials (1 minute)
Keep it short and sweet. Spoof an existing product or showcase your own!
Karaoke/Music Videos (5 minutes)
We’re all aware of those unforgettable videos that play along when you’re belting out your favorite tune. Think you can do better? Think you can do worse?
Any musicians looking to self-promote are free to submit a little something-something of their own as well.
Short Films (5 minutes)
Give yourself the ultimate challenge of churning out a five minute flick. You’ll just have to watch your pacing. Then again, you could always submit a scene from a longer piece of work. Let the audience watch your ending first? You could be the next Tarantino!
RULES:
There is no submission fee
Anyone and everyone is free to participate
Entries must be in either English or Japanese (subtitles are appreciated, but not necessary)
Participants may submit as many entries as they like*
Entries are DUE APRIL 14TH for review
We’re in the process of securing the venue, but the tentative date for viewing said entries will be Saturday, May 19th. Ticket prices will be only 500 yen, with all proceeds going to Make a Wish Japan, Hokuriku.
For any questions, comments, or troubleshooting concerns, feel free to contact Jonathan Dao at johnnys.second.opinion@gmail.com
Stay tuned right here at facebook.com/ToyamaFilmFest for more!
Here are links to two videos on YouTube that Monty Dickson’s sister Shelley let us know about. The first video shows Monty briefly walking in front of the Rikuzentakata City Hall building shortly before the tsunami struck (1:15-1:32). The second video was taken two days after Shelley left Japan (which she visited after the tsunami) and shows footage of Monty’s building.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5iXBaLM7mI&feature=player_embedded
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidOApxxo_Q&feature=player_embedded
Thank you to Shelley for sharing the videos as well as her words and thoughts about Monty and the video, used with her permission from two separate emails:
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November 21, 2011 (originally sent to family and friends on an earlier date)
I do not know who may want to watch this video, some of you I know have already seen this. I have viewed it many times and always find myself talking to the image on the screen, begging him to run or turn around and go to the roof. It is a video of Monty’s last moments. I only watch from 1:15 to 1:32. That is all I need or want to see. I think of the times we all scoured through videos hoping to catch a glimpse of him or find him in a picture. Now this is the only 15 seconds of video from that time that I can watch. It is as if stopping it at 1:32, I have some power to freeze time and stop what is to come.”
Here is the video. Monty walks out of his office building at 1:15 in the video. He is wearing his yellow coat, grey hat, glasses and as always carrying his green, bike messenger bag. This was normal attire for him so to me he is easily recognizable. He walks across the street to the city hall building and hesitates, then turns back and walks up the street (evacuation route) passing the cameraman again at 1:30. Monty looks directly at the cameraman at 1:32. The tsunami comes within seconds so I know he did not get far. I will forever wish he had not hesitated and instead gone into the city hall building. He would have gone to the roof with the others. The cameraman most likely did not survive either. The video then resumes with a different cameraman on top of the building (City Hall) that Monty almost entered. When the cameraman walks across the roof to view the other side, Monty’s office building is under water and no longer visible.
When we were in Japan we stood at this very spot viewing this video on his friend Kumagai’s iphone. It was haunting. I placed flowers at this building where his office was located.
The second video was taken only two days after we left Japan. It is exactly how we saw it, even the bundle of papers tied in a yellow cloth still sit near what used to be the door of Monty’s building. The cameraman just misses the spot I placed the flowers when he pans in the beginning of the video.
Oh the powers I wish I had.
Shelley
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November 28, 2011
We first viewed this video in April while we were in Japan. At the time it was poor quality given the bright sun and viewing via iphone, but we were certain we were seeing Monty. I just recently decided to find it again since I wasn’t sure myself if I wanted to see it again. The video provided some answers for us as to where he was (exactly) at the time the tsunami hit. I think it would do the same for any of his friends or colleagues and have forwarded it to as many as I can. Still it is hard to watch. It had always been my fear that he was scared and I was not able to help him in any way or remove that fear from him. He is so calmly walking, simply evacuating as the announcements plead.
I still wonder why walk or run from an approaching tsunami when a vertical evacuation would be more immediate? I think the video could offer some thought as to what not to do perhaps, in an emergency such as this and it should be shown to future JETs.
I notice, in the second video taken after the fact, the tile on the exterior of the building seems undamaged and in fact, still shiny. The concrete has visible damage, scrapes and gouges while the tile seems unscathed. A future building material to be used more predominately I hope. Designated evacuation buildings measuring at least four stories with the exterior designed in tile. Just a thought.
Monty never wanted me to worry about him and he always made every effort to ease my mind when something happened there. He always called to tell me he was alright, that I will hear about it in the news tomorrow, and not to worry. I was certain I would get that call from him, “Hey Shell, it’s Monty” as always. Sometimes he called at 1:00 a.m. because he would forget the time difference. We would talk anyway. I miss my brother. I know a lot of people miss him, he touched so many. I am encouraged to see so much interest in his work and so many still inspired by him.
Shelley
A very heartfelt video thank you from the people of Tohoku that includes a number of Taylor Anderson’s students. According to Taylor’s father Andy, “the video was shown at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York’s annual dinner on November 15 where Taylor received their Luminary Award. Executive Director Karino had the video made for the event. The students who were being taught by Taylor at the time of the earthquake on 3/11 are in the video. Taylor’s students are in front of The Taylor Anderson Reading Corner. It’s very moving and reminds us all of how much is yet to be done for the area to recover.”
Ghibli’s 借りぐらしのアリエッティ (aka “The Secret World of Arrietty”) being released in US Feb 2012!
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Carolyn Brooks (Ishikawa-ken, Kanazawa, 2006-11) is co-author of the blog MadSilence–a cross-cultural blog written with her father–and a current culture/education related job-seeker in the NY area available for full-time or consulting work.
I was so excited when I saw a friend post on Facebook this morning that the most recent Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli film, “The Secret World of Arrietty” will be in theaters in the US in February of 2012! I was lucky enough to see it in theaters in July of 2010, and I was blown away. You can watch the Japanese trailer here.
The story is based off the classic children’s novel “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton. Essentially, the Borrowers are kobito, literally “tiny people,” who live by borrowing the things they need from humans. They live under the floorboards or close to human’s houses so they can sneak in when no-one’s around to borrow what they need. The main characters are Arrietty and her family, the last remaining Borrower family in their area. One day, while borrowing sugar from the house, Arrietty is seen by the sick boy who’s come to visit the house for the summer. What will happen now that a human has seen her? The adventure begins!
Studio Ghibli films are always beautifully produced, but I thought that Arrietty was even a step above their normal production. The scenery from the garden around the house was exquisite… every leaf, flower and dew drop was so fresh and colorful that when you watch it on the big screen you truly feel you are the size of a Borrower, walking though the jungle of an overgrown garden. The soundtrack was equally amazing – ethereal and quirky, performed by the immensely talented French singer and harpist Cecile Corbel. I’m not one for buying movie soundtracks, but after I saw the movie I immediately went to the closest Tower Records and bought the “Kari-gurashi SONGBOOK” soundtrack, which has all of the best themes and songs from the movie on it. Check out the main theme here.
Disney will be releasing Arrietty in February. Although I’m a die-hard subtitle fan, I’ve been really impressed by Disney’s translation and dubbing for the other Ghibli movies. They bring in top-notch actors and really smooth out the dialogue while keeping close to the original meaning and feeling of the Japanese. Translation of movies has got to be one of the hardest jobs ever – it’s not just language but a whole different set of cultural cues that you’re translating for another audience. Arrietty will be voiced by Bridget Mendler and supported by a great cast including Carol Burnett, Amy Poehler, and Will Arnet.
I know that most of us have seen or heard of Miyazaki’s movies before – perhaps Studio Ghibli’s movies are part of what drew us to Japan. Movies, anime, and traditional artwork were the things that got me interested in Japan in the first place! What are some of your favorite Ghibli movies? Mine include:
Porco Rosso (紅の豚 Kurenai no Buta), the Casablanca-esque story of a mysteriously enchanted pig-cum-bounty hunter who swoops around the Adriatic saving school children and the hearts of beautiful cafe owners…
My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ Tonari no Totoro), a story of two little girls who move to a new house in the country with their father. Strangely enough, the house is inhabited by an amazing array or spirits that can only be seen by children, including the large, fuzzy, and toothy monster called Totoro and his friend the Cat Bus.
Howl’s Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城 Hauru no Ugoku Shiro), based on the Diana Wynne Jones YA book of the same name, is a light tale of love and magic with a twist of Miyazaki’s anti-war messages…
JET alum collaborates on documentary about photographers of Tohoku Disaster
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Here’s a unique and compelling short documentary–an academic non-profit venture–by JET alum Janak Bhimani (who has been studying at the Keio Graduate School of Media Design after hosting an online Japanese TV show in New York a few years ago) made with some of his Keio classmates. The film is about Tohoku post 3.11 from the point of view of the people who took photographs and was shown at a special session of the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival. It was originally shown in 4K (which was part of Janak’s research).
Here’s the link: http://vimeo.com/31093347
lenses + landscapes from KMD 4KNarrative on Vimeo.
Janak says feel free to share with others as they’d like to get it shown in more places in Japan and elsewhere.
Video: NHK covers JETAA International Conference in Tokyo and JETAA fundraising efforts
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Here’s a link to a 1.5 minute NHK news story (video) about the JETAA International Conference just held in Tokyo. The story also references the approximately $500,000 raised for earthquake relief by JET Alumni Association chapters around the world.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20111021/t10013420671000.html
The video includes a brief interview with Akita JET Paul Yoo, founder of volunteerAKITA and The Fruitree Project, who attended the conference. Also visible in some of the shots are JETAA International Chair Shree Kurlekar (Shiga-ken) and JETAA USA Country Reps Megan Miller (Hyogo-ken) and Jessyca Wilcox (Hokkaido). (Those are the people I recognized. If you recognize others, please post in the comments section.)
The JETAA International Conference attendees are also scheduled to participate in a JET-led volunteer trip to Rikuzentakata this weekend.
Here’s the NHK article that accompanies the video:
外国語指導助手ら 被災地支援強化
10月21日 15時37分
日本国内で英語などの外国語の指導助手として働いた経験を持つ外国人たちが連携して、東日本大震災の被災地の支援を強めていくことになりました。
日本政府が、昭和６２年から続けている中学校や高校などで英語の指導助手として働く「ＪＥＴプログラム」と呼ばれる事業の参加者は、２１日、都内で会議を開き、被災地への支援について話し合いました。会議には、アメリカやイギリスなど世界１０か国から２０人が参加し、英語の指導助手を務めた経験を持つアメリカ人の女性は、被災地の中学生の補習授業や高校生の大学受験に充てるために、友人や知人などから集めたおよそ６００万円を寄付することを報告しました。また秋田県の小中学校で英語の指導助手を務め、避難所でボランティア活動を続けているアメリカ人のポール・ユーさんは「ボランティア活動を始めた際、１人では何もできなかったが、仲間のネットワークが役立った」と述べ、日本をよく知る外国人が連携して被災地の支援を強めていくことを確認しました。東日本大震災では、宮城県石巻市と岩手県陸前高田市で英語の指導助手をしていたアメリカ人２人が津波の犠牲になっています。
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In a speech on October 7 at the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded the JET Programme for its vital grassroots relationship building, cited the JET alumni community’s role in raising money for earthquake/tsunami relief and cited Monty Dickson and Taylor Anderson as models of the kind of cross-cultural exchange that is so important to successful relationships between countries and cultures.
Here is a link to Secretary of State Clinton’s speech on the State Department’s website along with a video. http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/10/175151.htm
Below are a few excerpts followed by the full text of the speech.
“More than 35,000 people have participated in exchange programs sponsored by our two governments, programs like the Fulbright and the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, known as JET.”
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“[A]lthough these ties have already benefited both of our nations, they are not self-sustaining. We have to continue to invest in them.”
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“The American people are proud to count Japan among our closest friends. I recently heard the story of an Alaskan named Monty Dickson who taught English at Yonesaki Elementary School as part of the JET program. While in Japan, Monty came to love Japanese poetry, and on the morning of March 11th, he had translated a poem by Shiba Ryotaro into English, and it read: “There’s nothing as beautiful as dedicating one’s life for a cause.” And just a few hours after writing those words, Monty Dickson was swept away in the tsunami. In fact, both of the Americans who died that day, Monty and Taylor Anderson, were teachers in the JET program. Their lives and their cause are part of the fabric of the friendship that we now share. The Dicksons, the Andersons, and the entire extended family of JET alumni have been working to help the communities that both Monty and Taylor lived in and grew to love.”
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“The U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of a system in the Asia Pacific that has underwritten peace, stability, and prosperity for decades. And the close connections built by the Monty Dicksons and the Taylor Andersons and the U.S.-Japan Councils, those are the foundations that not only keep the cornerstones strong but keep building higher and higher.”
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Remarks at the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference
Remarks
Secretary of State
Return to Tohoku: Video by Michael Blodgett
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Update 9/11/11: Michael has also shared a link to photos from his trip along with commentary.
Michael Blodgett (Miyagi-ken, Iwadeyama, Osaki-shi, 2005-07) is one of the 20 Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there. Michael is originally from Chicago and currently lives in Osaka.
Thanks to Michael for getting in touch and sharing the below video he made about his visit:
JETwit will continue to post updates from other participating alums.
Click here to read other “Return to Tohoku” posts.
If you are returning to Tohoku and would like to share your updates, please feel free to e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
NY Miyagi-kenjinkai requests help from U.S. citizens who have lived or worked in Miyagi, Fukushima or Iwate
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Thanks to Takahiro Ito of the Japan Local Government Center (aka CLAIR NY) for sharing this information about a request from the NY Miyagi-kenjinkai for help from U.S. citizens who have lived or worked in Miyagi, Fukushima or Iwate:
Dear Friends in the Japanese Production Industry — WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We are putting together a video to send our best wishes to people who were devastated by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, 2011.
It’s for a branding commercial sponsored by a Japanese Semiconductor maker, scheduled to air during the JAPAN CORPORATE TEAM WOMEN’S MARATHON RELAY RACE this December.
The marathon runs through the cities in Miyagi prefecture that were most affected by the disaster.
We want to make contact with any U.S. Citizens you know who may have lived, worked, or visited FUKUSHIMA, IWATE, MIYAGI — the area recently devastated by the events of March 11th — and record their message in the NY or LA metro areas.
Ideal candidates are men and women between the ages of 20-40. It will be a chance for them to be interviewed for a TV message that will cheer on a recovering Japan, and help lift the spirits of the whole country!
If you know someone in the west coast please get in touch with office in California:
TAKA KAGUMA
tk@downtownreel.com
DOWNTOWN REEL LA
3122 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
TEL (310) 828-9200
Please fill out the below application and send it, along with a photo, to Taka or me. Interviews will be conducted this October or November.
Our client will go through the applicants and select the interviewees, each of whom will receive $1,000 for their participation.
Thanks for your help and support!
Best regards,
Miho Uchida Read More
Video: JETAA Ottawa Prez promotes “JETAA dogs” and Japan Festival on morning tv show
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JETAA Ottawa President Lisa Mallin (Chiba-ken, 2006-08) does a great job on Ottawa’s Channel A morning show of promoting “JETAA dogs” (Japan-inspired hotdogs) along with the entire Ottawa Japanese Summer Festival. Make sure to watch to the end where Lisa also helpfully informs the host that Sendai-based band Monkey Majik was started by JET alum Maynard Plant (Aomori-ken, 1997-2000) and his brother.
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James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of the acclaimed young adult novel The Order of Odd-Fish, will be curating the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival with the New York Public Library around November 5 and with the Harold Washington Library in Chicago around November 16. And he has a special request for JET alumni who are into film making:
There are some Newberry award winners that are about Japan and the Japanese, and nobody has done a 90-Second Newbery film of them yet!
Off the top of my head, I can think of:
(1) Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, which is about John Manjiro (2011 Honor Winner)
(2) Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, which is about WWII Japanese-American experience (2005 Medal Winner).
(3) Commodore Perry In the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg. (1986 Honor Winner)
So, as for JET alumni:
(1) I’d love to put the call out to the JET alumni community, which surely must include filmmakers, to make 90-second films based on those books for the film festival. (It would be even better if they were totally in Japanese, with subtitles!)
(2) The film festival at the NYPL on November 5 will be not only films, but also live acts between the films — a kind of cabaret atmosphere — live 90-second Newbery reenactments, or songs, etc. So this is also a call out to any arts groups / comedy teams / bands / etc. who would be interested in doing something as a between-film live segment for the 90-Second Newbery film festival?
Here’s a little more info from James about the 90-Second Newbery Festival: Read More
Uncanny Terrain: US and Japanese filmmaker team up for documentary about organic farming amidst Japan’s nuclear crisis
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Thanks to James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of the acclaimed young adult novel The Order of Odd-Fish, for sharing this info:
There’s a really terrific and unique film project called UNCANNY TERRAIN, a documentary about organic farmers facing Japan’s nuclear crisis, by Junko Kajino and Ed Koziarski.
Junko and Ed are in Japan right now shooting it, and here’s their blog: http://uncannyterrain.com/blog/
