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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

A surprising (or maybe not?) number of JET participants and alumni become authors, chronicling their time in Japan in memoirs or fictionalized accounts of their experiences living and working in Japan. Others share insights into the country and culture through nonfiction works. All these books open a window into the reality of life in Japan.

JETwit maintains an online library of JET alum writers. It’s a work in progress, and we’d like to expand it to include as many JET authors as possible. If you’ve published a book rooted in or connected to your JET experience, please let us know so we can add you to the list! Likewise, if you know of a JET author who isn’t in our library yet, please tell us about them.

Email submissions to us at jetwit@jetwit.com and use “JETwit Library” as the subject line.

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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

The third edition of Sarah Coomber’s memoir, The Same Moon, has just been released as of April 2026. Based on Sarah’s experience teaching in rural Japan in the mid-1990’s, The Same Moon is described as a story of encouragement and hope. Here’s a little background from Sarah about her book.

“Many of us experience a time in life where we’d like a do-over, and I sure felt that way about my early twenties.

After being briefly wed and quickly divorced by age twenty-four, all I wanted was a fresh start. I abandoned my Minnesota life for a job teaching English in Japan, planning to take a year to reflect, heal and figure out what to do next. 

I ended up the lone English speaker in an isolated rural area, where I was drawn into serving tea to my male co-workers, performing with a koto (zither) group, advocating for female students and colleagues, and embarking on a controversial romance.

Of course I signed on for a second year—not because this was the Japan I was seeking, but because it turned out to be the Japan I needed.”

Learn more at https://sarahcoomber.com/.

Discover more JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

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Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

Yan Sen Lu set off to Japan as a JET in 2006 and has been there ever since. After completing two years in Tokyo on the JET program, Yan Sen transitioned into the local workforce, finding employment in the executive search field.

Now, 18 years later, he has established his own search firm, Makana Partners, and has authored a work he describes as a guide for those looking to hire top talent in Japan.

As he puts it:

“If Japan is breaking your hiring process—this is your field manual.

‘We can open a new market in Southeast Asia faster than we can fill a single Director-level role in Tokyo.’ — Every HR Director in Japan, eventually.

Japan rewards preparation above all else. This book names the mechanisms — the cultural codes, the structural realities, and the exact frameworks that the best executive search firms use to close in this market.”

Yan Sen’s book sounds like a must-read for those supporting foreign companies in Japan by recruiting and building teams for them!

The Hardest Market in the World will be released this summer, in June 2026. Learn more at https://hardestmarket.com/.

Discover more JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi, 2005-2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

Welcome to Sunny Town is Canadian writer, poet, and photographer Théodora Armstrong’s debut novel. She describes it as a darkly funny portrayal of life inside the ESL world in Japan.

While not a JET alum herself, Théodora’s work is likely to resonate with those who are. Take a look at Théodora’s overview introducing Maggie, the center of the story, and see what sounds familiar to you.

“Set in Japan during the early aughts, Welcome to Sunny Town follows Maggie, a young woman fresh out of art school, who moves to Japan to teach ESL and reinvent herself. Upon arrival, Maggie must learn to navigate the disorienting freedom of life abroad. She meets a group of expats and immediately becomes enmeshed in their relationships and personal dramas. She gets a job teaching English, where she meets Keiko, an overzealous student who offers to teach Maggie Japanese, and before long an unlikely friendship develops between them.”

Fellow Canadian author Sheung-King comments the story is “attentive to the power dynamics between expats and locals… observant and unsparing about who holds language, mobility, and cultural capital.”

Intrigued? Learn more at http://www.theodoraarmstrong.ca/.

Welcome to Sunny Town will be available from May 1, 2026.

Discover more books like this one by JET alum authors in the JETwit Library.

By Vlad Baranenko (Saitama-ken, 2000-02) for JQ magazine. Photos by JYP Entertainment, Sarah Waxberg.

On February 20, the sensational K-pop group TWICE lit up UBS Arena for the second of three sold-out performances in Belmont, New York. The eight members in attendance, along with backup dancers and a live band, transformed the 19,000-seater into a party of lasers, dynamic light effects, and voices that has mesmerized fans of all ages around the world. This writer was fortunate enough to have been invited to witness the spectacle firsthand, enjoying a spellbinding 30-song extravaganza ahead of the group’s tenth anniversary this fall.

Before diving into the concert, it’s noteworthy to mention a bit about the group. Formed in 2015 under JYP Entertainment, TWICE debuted as a nine-member girl group — Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu — and quickly rose to prominence with catchy and energetic hits that became their calling card. Early singles like “CHEER UP” established their blend of bubbly pop melodies and sharp choreography, and later releases like “FANCY” and “Feel Special” showed everyone the group’s evolution. In just the last few years, TWICE have hit their share of milestones: In 2023 they became the first female K-pop group to headline major U.S. stadiums, selling out shows at SoFi Stadium and MetLife Stadium, and last year they made history again as the first K-pop girl group to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago. Their English-language single “The Feels” broke into the Billboard Hot 100, and 2024’s mini-album With YOU-th became their first to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Their most recent full-length album, THIS IS FOR, also debuted in the Top 10.

This wasn’t my first time seeing a girl group perform at a major U.S. venue, and I wasn’t expecting the crowd to be any different from the likes of J-pop fans or Hatsune Miku, but I must admit that this mix felt different. Somehow, the teenagers and older fans well into their 30s seemed more mature, dressed in a stylish manner that I wasn’t used to. Needless to say, I later discovered that the outfits many fans adorned were a tribute to the style of the group’s music videos. Multiple people wore the iconic red crochet bonnet, the style associated with TWICE’s “THIS IS FOR” music video. High cut pink fur boots were also abundant, featured in the group’s performance at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (another first for a K-pop group). 

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James McKnight (Gunma-ken, 2001-03) recently published Life, Love & Baseball in Japan, the third book in his series in which he shares stories of life as a JET and his experiences as a devoted Hanshin Tigers fan.

Here’s a synopsis in James’ own words:

“Basically, I went to Japan on vacation in 2000 and met some fervent Hanshin Tigers fans when I dared to enter the Koshien left field bleachers on my own for a Giants v. Tigers game. Of course the Tigers lost to the Hideki Matsui-led Giants, but the experience left a deep impression on me since I had always been a fan of underdog teams like the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners. I kept in touch with the fans I met that night and eventually moved to Japan in 2001 to work as a JET ALT. Unfortunately, I was placed in Gunma-ken, not Kansai as I requested, so I was far from Koshien. This did not deter me and I reunited with my friends and became a member of the ouendan they led. I ended up living in Gunma for 12 years and followed the Tigers at home and away games the entire time I lived there.” 

“Upon moving back to the U.S., I felt my experiences with my Tigers friends changed my life so much that I wanted to share my stories with other baseball fans and people interested in Japanese culture/education. My first book, “Yellow & Black Fever,” was published on Amazon in 2020, followed by “Bad Foreigner,” in 2021. The first book was translated into Japanese and separated into two short versions in 2022 & 2023.”

“My most recent book, “Life, Love & Baseball in Japan -The Final Chapter,” follows my experiences from 2006-2013 following the Tigers as well as life events like starting a family in Japan and learning how to adapt to being a full-time English teacher (not an ALT) in a college-prep school.”

Posted by: Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, 2005–2007), a former CIR with a love of the written word. Currently she connects others to Japan through translating, writing, and editing texts on Japan. Margie also manages the JETwit Bluesky account, serves as the JETwit Volunteer Coordinator and a JETwit jobs-list welcomer, and engages in various other JETwit outreach activities.

A number of books over the years have been written about the JET (and non-JET) teaching experience in Japan. JET alum Marshall Hughes (Tochigi-ken, 1990–1991; Ibaraki-ken, 1992–1995) has recently added to this genre with Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me. After his four-year JET experience, Hughes taught from 1996 to 2001 in Mitsukaido-shi, Ibaraki-ken, and for 25 years in Japan overall before retiring to Chiba in 2024.

Hughes’ book differs from others in that his book spans eleven years in four cities. He writes familiar stories of the typical ups and downs that all JETs had, but also gets personal with stories of student tragedies and other less-than-glamorous aspects of the JET, and Japan, life. Overall, the book takes a real look at sometimes hard-to-believe experiences with humor and interesting cultural/historical points tossed in.

Hughes says that when he became a JET in the early 1990s, foreigners in his area were “something to gawk at, follow around town on bicycles, and at times to consider less than human.” Still, his love for Japan never faded. In 2013, he returned for a visit to his first city, Yaita-shi in Tochigi-ken, and as he was walking back to his car from the main school where he had taught, he started crying. “A flood of memories came back to me of just how pure-hearted the people were there. Before I went to Yaita, I didn’t know any place on earth where people had such pure hearts.”

For former JETS, especially those from the early years of the program or who lived in rural areas, the book is a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Of Hughes’ book, author Evan Powell wrote, “In Rural Reflections, Hughes takes us with him on a journey into a rural Japanese culture with which most Americans are unfamiliar. Through his experiences as an English teacher in Japanese schools he encounters cultural differences that are at times charming, puzzling, and occasionally disturbing to typical American sensibilities. He provides us a unique window into a fascinating Japanese culture that we might not otherwise come to appreciate and experience. An utterly charming and engaging read!”

Posted by Tom Baker

The lineup of presenters for the 18th annual Japan Writers Conference has just been announced. Over the first weekend in November, there will be 29 sessions on writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, plus writing career and marketing advice.

At least four sessions will be led by former JETs. Poet Warren Decker will lead a workshop on haiku and other short verse. Novelist Charles Kowalski will present “The Time Traveler’s Guidebook: Tips and Traps in Historical Fiction Writing.” Novelist Suzanne Kamata will give a talk on “Writing for Emerging Readers.” And a motivational session titled “Not an Impossible Dream” will be presented by travel writer Patrick Murphrey.

As always, the Japan Writers Conference is a free event. This year’s venue is in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, meaning that JWC attendees will have a chance to learn about the ongoing recovery of this disaster-affected area.

For more details, visit the official JWC website, or read about the conference in this story from AJET Connect magazine last year.

JET alum Joe Palermo (actually a trailblazing MEF) has released a new book of 38 stories, segmented into Childhood, Adulthood, and A Slice of Japan. The work is entitled “Who Killed My Sea Monkeys? And Other Tales of Life.”

The book is described as follows:

The world, through Joe Palermo’s eyes, is always an exciting place. His conversational writing style makes you feel as if he is regaling you with his adventures over a beer or cup of coffee. Whether writing about Smokey the Bear as his childhood therapist, the demise of his Sea Monkeys, living in Japan, or more recent events like losing his wife to a Korean boy band, you’ll feel as if you’ve experienced it yourself.

The back cover endorsement is by New York Times bestselling author Bob Greene, author of Late Edition: A Love Story.

From Bob:

Joe Palermo is a fellow with a delightful ability to bring warmth and good feelings straight from his childhood recollections, and from his current-day observations, onto the printed page. He’ll make you smile and remember.

Who Killed My Sea Monkeys? And Other Tales of Life is currently available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover formats on Amazon.

Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Last night I went to the screening of the documentary Black Box Diaries, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. This film directed by Shiori Ito depicts her own five-year journey from being raped by an older colleague in 2015 to the court case she brought against her perpetrator. You might recall hearing about her crusade, as she had been featured as one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2020 and wrote a memoir about the incident called Black Box. This film does a deep dive from Ito’s point of view as a journalist investigating her own case. She states that maintaining this relative objectivity is the only way she was able to tell her story, as directly facing herself and what happened would be too difficult.

Her honest portrayal is as harrowing as you might imagine, and this film is a tough watch. Ito provides a personal trigger warning at the beginning, one of many written messages superimposed throughout the film in her own handwriting. Along with interspersed confessional videos, these messages serve to connect us to the narrator and illuminate her mental state. Ito delves into the personal and professional ramifications of her assault, boldly holding nothing back. She uses her story to advocate for legal reform, as at the time the legal age of consent was 13 (it’s now 15) and male victims weren’t recognized (and now systematic sexual abuse within the Johnny’s talent agency has been exposed). It’s amazing to realize that Ito took on Japan’s rape culture and patriarchal society six months before Me Too became a concept. The moment in the film when she hears about the Weinstein case is one of pure joy, as she realizes that her bravery was not for naught and that she is part of an international movement.

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Posted by Tom Baker

The Japan Writers Conference is now looking for writers to give presentations at its 2024 event, to be held on the weekend of Nov. 2-3 in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture.

The official announcement appears below, and you can find more details at the JWC website.

All published writers, translators, editors, agents and publishers are welcome to submit proposals. Both new presenters and those who have presented at past conferences are welcome to submit. JETs who have given JWC presentations in the past include Suzanne Kamata, Charles Kowalski, Michael Frazier, Patrick Murphrey, Suzan Laura Sullivan, myself and many more.

When planning your JWC proposal, keep your audience in mind. Your listeners will be writers and others (translators, editors, publishers, and agents) concerned with creating publishable writing.

As in previous conferences, this year there will be three presentation rooms for poetry, fiction/nonfiction, and other topics (publishing, marketing, editing, translating, technical, sharing your writing communities, residences, workshops, or anything that applies to all genres).

Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Happy Lunar New Year! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in, and I hope your Year of the Dragon is going well so far. Somehow we’ve already made it to Valentine’s Day, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones whether they are family, friends or pets.

Some interesting V-Day trends were shared on the Japanese news recently. As you might know, in Japan this holiday involves women gifting chocolate to men (and men returning the favor with cookies or other sweets during next month’s White Day). According to this year’s statistics, women’s average Valentine chocolate budget is 5024 yen (a little more than $33 at today’s exchange rate). This is 1200 yen ($8) more than last year’s average, or around 1.3 times that figure.

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Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum Patrick Murphrey will give a presentation on his experiences as a published writer — particularly with regard to travel writing — at this year’s Japan Writer’s Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15.

Here’s the official description of his talk:

Patrick Murphrey
Pleasure Combined with Publishing: How I Became a Travel Writer and Ideas that Apply to All Publishing
Short Lecture with Q&A

While I traveled extensively since high school, I started travel writing five years ago. I started writing about Nagano, where I reside, and have since expanded the travel writing to include all of Japan and other countries. With this presentation, I reflect on my experiences in hopes of offering guidance to those who have an interest in travel writing. On top of that, many of my experiences can apply to publishing in general. Therefore, the tips apply not only to potential travel writers but anyone who hopes to publish any type of articles or books. It gives insight into the marketing of your works as I explain my successes and how my writing career has developed. This
presentation provides advice and inspiration. Thank you for attending.

Patrick Murphrey is a travel writer. He has published articles in magazines, newspapers, and on the internet like Tokyo Weekender, The Japan Times, Reader’s Digest. and Matcha Travel. He currently resides in Nagano and started writing five years ago after he realized the potential of the prefecture.

Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum and novelist Charles Kowalski will give a presentation on worldbuilding in fiction at this year’s Japan Writer’s Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15.

Here’s the official description of his talk:

Charles Kowalski
The Worldbuilder’s Toolbox
Short Lecture with Q&A

Creating an entirely new world is such a daunting task that even gods have been known to wash away their mistakes and start over. Fortunately, we mortals now have tools at our disposal that make some aspects of the worldbuilder’s craft almost as easy as saying, “Let there be light!” This workshop will introduce basic techniques, handy reference books, and online tools to help with the “Four L’s” of worldbuilding: Lore (creating foundational myths and stories), Land (mapping your world), Life (designing cultures and creatures), and Language (giving your world a distinctive sound, whether you want a simple naming language or Tolkien-level complexity).

Charles Kowalski is the author of the award-winning thriller MIND VIRUS, the political/espionage thriller THE DEVIL’S SON, the historical fantasy SIMON GREY AND THE MARCH OF A HUNDRED GHOSTS, and several short stories. When not writing, he teaches at the Department of Cultural and Social Studies at Tokai University.

Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum and poet Warren Decker will be in the lineup at an Oct. 14 event in Nagoya to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Isobar Press. He and other poets will read from and discuss their work as part of this year’s Japan Writers Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15.

Here’s the official description of the Isobar event:

Isobar Press: Tenth Anniversary Reading

The first publication from Isobar Press, a small press specialising in English-language poetry and poetic translation from Japan, was a book by founder Paul Rossiter, From the Japanese; it was published on 14 October 2013. Ten years and forty-five books later, on 14 October 2023, eight poets and translators published by Isobar, each with their own strikingly different style, gather from Miyazaki, Kobe, Osaka, Shizuoka, Tsukuba and Tokyo to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the press. Paul Rossiter will speak briefly about the history of the press and the motivation behind it, and each author will briefly introduce and read from their work. We hope you will join us for this celebratory reading!

Paul Rossiter has published eleven books of poetry since 1995. After retiring from teaching at the University of Tokyo, he founded Isobar Press, which specialises in publishing English-language poetry from Japan, and English translations of modernist and contemporary Japanese poetry. More information can be found at: https://isobarpress.com

For biographies of the individual readers, please see their author pages on the Isobar Press website:
Janine Beichman: https://isobarpress.com/authors/janine-beichman/
Yoko Danno: https://isobarpress.com/authors/yoko-danno/
Warren Decker: https://isobarpress.com/authors/warren-decker/
Gregory Dunne: https://isobarpress.com/authors/gregory-dunne/
Jane Joritz Nakagawa: https://isobarpress.com/authors/jane-joritz-nakagawa/
Philip Rowland: https://isobarpress.com/authors/philip-rowland/
Eric Selland: https://isobarpress.com/authors/eric-selland/
Christopher Simons: https://isobarpress.com/authors/c-e-j-simons/