Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (March 2011)
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The March 2011 issue of the Sake World e-newsletter by JET alum and the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world, John Gauntner (a.k.a. “The Sake Guy”), is now available online.
Notable JET Alums: D.H. Cermeño, author of “Rising Sunsets”
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The below was shared by Hiroshima JET alum Angela Perrone, herself a travel writer, who recently met another JET alum book author in the course of her research for JetWit on JET local travel writing.
JET Alum Author: D.H. Cermeño (Hiroshima-ken)
Book: Rising Sunsets (click to purchase via Amazon)
Book trailer on youtube at: http://goo.gl/A4P8a
Website: www.dhcermeno.com
Below is a synopsis of the book along with Cermeno’s biography.
Synopsis:
Rising Sunsets is an enlightening journey through the mind of David Fletcher, a bright and ambitious young man who is determined to conquer the world and prove his unsupportive father wrong. When reality strikes and nothing works out as expected, an unusual opportunity to go to Japan to teach English to schoolchildren presents itself. There, he discovers his true self and finds an inner strength and independence he never knew existed. Throughout the story, David uncovers Japanese culture and easily embraces the traditions until suddenly, those age-old beliefs stand in the way of his happiness. And, through an unexpected encounter with love, the course of his life is changed forever.
About the Author:
A third generation Florida native, D.H. Cermeño worked in Japan as an English teacher for a year after graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in Broadcast Production. Upon returning to the United States, he earned his M.B.A. from Crummer Graduate School at Rollins College and is a Database Marketing Manager in the hospitality industry. In his spare time, he writes, entertains, and volunteers in the local community and supports local theatre. D.H. has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America and especially loves visiting his extended family in the northern part of Spain. He currently resides in Winter Park, FL. Rising Sunsets is his first book.
Click here to see a list of other JET alum authors and their works. (If you know of others not included in the list, please email jetwit [at] jetwit.com.)
NYT Column: Take Back the Trash by JET alum Bruce Feiler
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“Take Back the Trash“ is a thoughtful column on whether to throw out food in your refrigerator by JET alum Bruce Feiler, author of Learning to Bow, Walking the Bible and several other best-sellers including his recent book The Council of Dads:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/fashion/06ThisLife.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
JapaneseLondon Round-up – March 3, 2011
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Thanks to JETAA UK Communications Director Vanessa Villalobos for sharing this with JetWit. Vanessa is also the publisher of JapaneseLondon.com:
Featured article: March 2011 Round-Up Part One
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JAPANESE LONDON?
From Norwegian Wood, Tran Anh Hung’s film, based on Murakami’s book. What was that? *Head spins on neck*. Erm, that was the first one-sixth of 2011, passed already. But fear not, now spring has most definitely sprung it’s the perfect time to get out and appreciate Japan… in London!
Japanese Literature
Fans of Japan-related scribblings are in for a treat this month. Tran Anh Hung’s highly-anticipated screen version of Haruki Murakami’s bestselling novel, ‘Norwegian Wood’, will open at UK cinemas from 11th March. British author David Mitchell’s newest offering, ‘The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet’ isn’t due for release until March 17th, but has already racked up 96 rave reviews on Amazon. If you fancy a literary chinwag, Japan Society book club members will be vociferously discussing ‘Silence’ by Endo Shusaku next Monday March 7th – Japan Society members shouldregister their attendance: events@japanesociety.org.
Madame Butterfly
The enduringly popular Madame Butterfly is on at the Royal Albert Hall only until March 13th, so you’ll need to be quick to catch it. Set in an ‘enchanting’ Japanese Water Garden, an extra show has been already been added to meet ‘huge popular’ demand. If you can’t make it, why not order Angela Gheorghui’s CD recording, lie back and think of Japan? Or, if you’ve seen the opera and you crave more of the same, pre-order a copy of Lee Langley’s Butterfly’s Shadow – a novel in the style of Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, that takes Puccini’s Madam Butterfly as its starting point.
HIBIKI – Japanese Music
Continuing on a musical note (!), HIBIKI: Resonances from Japan at King’s Place will run from today 3rd March, until 5th March 2011. This eclectic event; ‘A 1000-year journey through the rich heritage of Japanese music’ features collaborations with London-based musicians and an exploration of ‘Music in Mange’ with Helen McCarthy. Promisingly, there is also set to be a Suntory Hibiki whisky tasting in the bar.
Bunka-Sai – Japanese Cultural Festival
And finally – a new Japanese Culture Festival: ‘Bunka-sai’ will take over Conway Hall for one day only, this Saturday 5th March, to bring together Japanese culture, language, food and drink. Organised by Akemi Solloway.
JapaneseLondon.com‘s Round-Ups are bi-weekly. If you want to see more Japan-related events in London, check out the JapaneseLondon.com Events Calendar.
WIT Life #155: 日本へ行ってきます！
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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.
Just a quick message to let all readers know that I will be heading to Japan tomorrow after a hiatus of two years to participate in next Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon (“The Day That Tokyo Becomes One”)! I am very much looking forward to my 4th running of the event as well as seeing old friends, eating amazing food on a daily basis and of course most of all onsen. I will do my best to report from the ground, but chances are I might get caught up in the moment and not be blogging as much as I had hoped. In that case, please look forward to a full update when I return in March. De wa, ittekimasu~!
WIT Life #154: Congratulations to Japanese Grammy Winners!
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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.
A bit of bright news in light of the Japanese government’s confirmation that its country’s economy has indeed dropped to #2 in the world. Omedetou to the following Grammy winners!
Pop Instrumental Album
“Take Your Pick,” Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto (guitarist in the popular Japanese rock duo B’z, pictured here on right)
Opera Recording
“Saariaho: L’Amour De Loin,” (Japanese American) Kent Nagano, conductor; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Rundfunkchor Berlin
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
Mitsuko Uchida (“Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24,” Cleveland Orchestra)
Other winners include Japanese classical pianist Mitsuko Uchida who received Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra, while the Best Contemporary Jazz Album award went to the Stanley Clarke Band, which includes Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara.
WIT Life #153: Sapporo Snow Festival
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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.
The snow here in NYC that we have received in abundance this year is pretty as it’s coming down, but it soon turns into dirty mush or slush beneath our feet. For those looking to enjoy more pristine snow-covered landscapes, look no further than Sapporo’s 雪祭り (yuki matsuri) or Snow Festival. Held every February in Hokkaido’s capital, this hugely popular week-long event brings in 2.5 million visitors and features perennial favorites as well as new sculptures each year. It began in 1950 when local high school students built six snow statues in Odori Park, and five years later the 自衛隊 (jieitai) or Self-Defense Forces joined in and made the first of the colossal sculptures for which the festival is now known. For those of us not lucky enough to be able to see the works in person, please enjoy them virtually with the following video of this year’s festival which began yesterday.
JETs in the News: Lars Martinson featured in Japan Times article on ex-pat comics
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JET alum and 'Tonoharu' creator Lars Martinson.
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JET alum/cartoonist Lars Martinson (Fukuoka-ken 2003-2006), author of the graphic novels Tonoharu: Part Two and Tonoharu: Part 1, is the focus (along with Adam Pasion, author of the Sundogs anthologies) of a thoughtful Japan Times article by Gianni Simone on comics about Japan “that tell it like it is.”
Here’s the link to the article: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20110205a1.html
And below are a few excerpts about Martinson from the article:
The comic life of expats in Japan
Americans Lars Martinson and Adam Pasion tell it like it is with cutting-edge manga
By GIANNI SIMONE Special to The Japan Times
Tales of expat life in Japan all too often get blown out of proportion and quickly become picaresque adventures that little resemble real life.
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Luckily for us, many comic artists who have lived here seem to be more level-headed and have tackled the subject with a more realistic, no-nonsense approach.
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As the title suggests, “Tonoharu: Part Two” is not Martinson’s first foray in the field of expat comics: He self-published the first volume of this four-part saga in 2008 thanks to a grant from the prestigious Xeric Foundation.
Martinson, 33, first arrived in Japan in 2003 to work as an assistant language teacher, and spent the next three years working at a junior high school in a small town in Fukuoka Prefecture. His second stint in this country was in 2008 when he studied East Asian calligraphy under the auspices of a two-year research scholarship from the Japanese government.
Travel had played a pivotal role in his life (he had lived in Thailand and Norway as well), so when he came up with the idea of producing a graphic novel, he decided to make foreign travel a central theme.
“I planned from the start to turn my Japanese experience into a comic,” Martinson says, “even though I didn’t want it to be a mere autobiographical story. So I chose a 20-something American like me as the protagonist, but added a fictional group of eccentric expatriates living in the same rural Japanese town.”
At times living in the middle of nowhere was a challenge. Still, Martinson has no regrets about those three years spent in Kyushu.
“I’m actually a city slicker,” confesses Martinson, “and would love to live in a huge city in Japan at some point. Also, I’m sure that expat communities are awesome, but they can also separate you from the native population. When you live out in the country, you don’t have the option to just hang out with other Westerners, and this can force you to get involved in the host culture in ways you probably wouldn’t otherwise.”
Click here to read the full article: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20110205a1.html
Click here to read more JetWit posts about Lars Martinson:
Click here for Lars Martinson’s official blog/website: http://larsmartinson.com
NYTimes column: “Dominating the Man Cave” by JET alum Bruce Feiler
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A thoughtful column in today’s New York Times on the topic of ESPN and man culture by JET alum Bruce Feiler, author of Learning to Bow, Walking the Bible and several other best-sellers including his recent book The Council of Dads:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/fashion/06ThisLife.html?_r=1&src=twrhp
WIT Life #152: Kaga Maki-e
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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.
Recently I had the opportunity to interpret for a delegation from Kanazawa that was here to promote the city in general and especially its ancient craft of 蒔絵 (maki-e), a lacquerware technique that uses silver and gold powder. This art form actually originated in Kyoto which has its own style known as Kyo Maki-e, but the Kanazawa version is called Kaga Maki-e, Kaga referring to the area of Kanazawa where it originated. This picture, courtesy of fashion blogger Alice Chin, shows two delegation members at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Kaga Maki-e display.
On the left is native New Yorker and long-term Kanazawa resident Evelyn Teploff-Mugii, a designer who has modernized the thousand year old maki-e process to make breathtakingly beautiful accessories. Her Evelyn Claude line will be offered in the US for the first time. To her right is Read More
There’s a nice piece today by Dan Moeller on The Wide Island View (a really high-quality JET-produced webzine for Hiroshima-ken) looking into the similarities between the Philly Phanatic and Slyly, the Hiroshima Carp’s mascot. In the process, Dan comes to grips with the overlap and digs below the costume to reveal some interesting things about the two mascots:
http://www.wideislandview.com/2011/02/the-hiroshima-carp-and-slyly-their-mascot/
Correction: The Wide Island View is independent and not an official AJET publication, as previously stated. Thanks to Dan for pointing that out and apologies for the confusion.
JET alum Bruce Feiler’s TED talk on The Council of Dads (video)
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JET alum Bruce Feiler, author of Learning to Bow, Walking the Bible and several other best-sellers including his recent book The Council of Dads, recently spoke in connection with the TED lecture series:
WIT Life #151: Fireworks from the Heart
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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.
Yesterday I had the chance to attend the ANA-sponsored screening of Fireworks from the Heart (おにいちゃんのハナビ), a sentimental film based on the true story of recent high school graduate Taro whose sister Hana suffers from leukemia. The family moves from Tokyo to Niigata for her treatment, a change that Taro resents as has has to leave junior high in the middle of his final year. Hana ends up being Read More
WIT Life #150: Tiger Mask, Toshiba’s Strides and a Moncchichi Milestone
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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.
Recent articles from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times brings bright tidings from Japan in the midst of a new year which has started with PM Kan’s low popularity ratings and a still lagging economy. One WSJ article describes the recent phenomenon of the Tiger Mask movement. On Christmas Day last year, a gift of 10 school bags was left at a child welfare facility with a note signed by “Naoto Date.” This was a reference to a character from a popular 1960s manga and TV anime called Tiger Mask. Naoto Date was a wrestling hero who went by the name Tiger Mask and who had grown up in an orphanage.
This act of generosity made by someone adopting this name has inspired numerous copycat donations, and in total there have been Read More
I often encourage JET alums to learn to use a blog, and I’ve even done some “Learn to Blog” workshops for JET alums (and lawyers too) where I walk people through the set-up, the basics and some of the quirks.
Now there’s apparently a WordPress site that offers a tutorial for setting up a blog and using it. Just go to http://learn.wordpress.com/
Knowing how to use a blog is a great job/communication skill to have in this era. It’s also a great platform for promoting yourself and your skills serving as a portfolio for your abilities and accomplishments if you’re trying to make your way in the freelance world, or trying to bootstrap yourself into a full-time job.
And of course, if you ever want to write for JetWit, it’s extremely helpful on my end if there’s less explaining for me to do in order to enable you to get started contributing to the site.
So take a look if interested and let me know whether it’s helpful. (I haven’t actually reviewed any of the tutorials. But WordPress generally has good quality stuff.) Also note the somewhat JET-relevant title on the main page. :-)
–Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
Founder & Publisher, JetWit.com
Brooklyn, NY
