Roger Ebert – Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker?
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A reminder to contact me if you’re interested in writing an essay on the “Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker” theme about cooking for yourself (or eating by yourself) in Japan.
And an interesting (and unsolicited) take on the theme in a recent blog from, of all people, film critic Roger Ebert. (Includes a reference to Zojirushi, the current employer of Fukuoka-ken JET alum and previous “Translator’s Challenge” winner Sharon Tatro.)
WITLife – Episode #2
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WITLife is a periodic post by Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).
I have now begun my second assignment for the International Visitor Leadership Program, and this time around the person I am interpreting for is a female entrepreneur from the northern island of Hokkaido. We will be traveling around the country together for the next 3 weeks to study issues relating to women and work such as telecommuting, returning to the workplace after an extended absence and work flexibility. Not only that, but she is lucky enough to be here during this monumental presidential election!
In this spirit, our program coordinator arranged for us to visit a polling station in Arlington, Virginia that Read More
Bankruptcy Bill in the WSJ Law Blog
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“Bankruptcy Bill to the Rescue” – The Wall Street Journal‘s Dionne Searcey yesterday wrote a nice item in the WSJ Law Blog about Bankruptcy Bill, the cartoon written by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and illustrated by Gideon Kendall.
From a Japanese perspective, the article is also notable in that it mentioned Bill’s bankruptcy haiku. :-)
NPR Talks to Roland Kelts About Haruki Murakami
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) just got back to Tokyo and shared this NPR clip about Haruki Murakami which includes some comments from Roland. Have a listen.
New Bankruptcy Comic Strip by JET Alum Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
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Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) (i.e., the guy who does this JetWit site) has launched a new comic strip about bankruptcy lawyers called Bankruptcy Bill. The first two strips are viewable at bankruptcybill.wordpress.com. Also, The Deal’s Bankruptcy Insider ran a nice item on the cartoon in this week’s issue (subscription required).
Daily Yomiuri Column by Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99)
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There’s a new Daily Yomiuri column out today by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99). In his periodic column (“Soft Power/Hard Truths”), he comments on American perceptions of Japan and of foreigners, touching on his recent on-stage interview with Haruki Murakami in San Francisco as well as the recent matchup of the Rays’ Akinori Iwamura against the Red Sox Hideki Okajima.
Electric Chair Bear
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Click here to see a recent blog post from Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2004-06) on the Electric Chair Bear project he’s working on with his classmates. Lee-Sean, who is the JETAA NY webmaster as well as the JetWit.com webmaster, is currently doing grad work in alternative media at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) which requires a great deal of blogging on topics that are simultaneously fascinating and completely esoteric.
Interview with Roland Kelts in Consulate e-Newsletter
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I get the Consulate of Japan’s (NY) monthly e-newsletter, and in the October issue I noticed they have a nice interview with Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) about Japanese pop culture and his book Japanamerica.
Published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York / Japan Information Center
Japanese Pop Culture
Japanese pop culture, such as manga (comic books) and anime (animation), is attracting more and more people outside of Japan. In the following interview, Mr. Roland Kelts, half-Japanese American writer and lecturer, tells us about his observation on this phenomenon as well as his teaching experience in Japan.
JIC (Japan Information Center) : Your position as a resident of Tokyo and New York is unique. What do you see happening now from your vantage?
Mr. Kelts : I think both countries are undergoing severe transitions. America is losing its central place in the world’s imagination. And Japan is finding its current position, as America’s ‘little brother,’ to borrow Takashi Murakami’s term, untenable. A lot of people are looking to Japan for guidance, and Asia is rising fast. Japan needs to understand and accept its own unique strengths.
JIC : But you also teach Japanese students about their own culture-as a half-Japanese American. What do they tell you?
Mr. Kelts : In Japan, a lot of my students are stunned to learn that foreigners care about their cultural products. They (my students), know they’re cool-but they don’t care that much, because they are sincerely worried about their futures. They think that Japan is over, finished, and they are amazed to find that young Americans think they are the hottest culture in the world. Read More
Essay Request: Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker
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I’m looking for people interested in writing essays on the theme: Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker
The idea is to write an essay (any length or “shortness” is ok) about cooking for yourself (or could be eating by yourself) when you lived in Japan. The focus, however, is intended to be on the theme of being alone in Japan viewed through the prism of cooking/eating. It’s just about whatever you liked to do (or found yourself doing) cooking-wise when you were alone and how that ties into the rest of your experience in Japan. Feel free to focus exclusively on the food, or feel free to use the food as a jumping-off point for other things. If you want to include a recipe for whatever food you describe, that would be a nice touch as well.
The idea is derived from book of published essays entitled Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant (a good read in itself). I think the essays on this topic will offer some very interesting and readable perspectives on the JET Program, on Japan, on cooking and on the theme of being alone.
Deadline is open. Just send an email to express your intent to write an essay.
Contact: Steven Horowitz at stevenwaseda ,at, jetwit , com
Update 10/20/08: This position has been filled. Please do not contact or send resume information.
I’m looking for a bilingual cookbook researcher and hope you can help. Read More
JET Alum Conversation with Haruki Murakami
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) will be having a conversation with Haruki Murakami tonight at a UC Berkeley event following a reading by Murakami-san. Roland is a lecturer at Tokyo University and the author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. (Roland explains on his blog that the photo of him with Murakami on the right was taken several years ago.)
Writing opportunity: How’s the economy treating you?
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I’d like to put together an article about how the current economic situation is affecting or will affect JET alumni. So please feel free to email me one paragraph (long or short) about how you think the current economic situation will affect you and why. Include your prefecture and years on JET, or feel free to request anonymity.
Email responses to: Steven Horowitz at stevenwaseda [at] jetwit [dot-] com
If anyone is looking for some help with their resume, Clara Solomon (CIR Tottori-ken, 1999-2001), who is now the Director of Career Services at NYU Law School, put together a great JETAA Resume Guide for the recent JETAA NY Career Forum. It was passed out to all the attendees in conjunction with her presentation, and she agreed to let Jetwit.com post a copy.
Particularly helpful are a range of suggested ways to characterize JET experience.
Michael Auslin: A “Third Neighbor” Strategy for Asia
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The latest article from JET alum Michael Auslin, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and previously a professor of Japanese History at Yale.
A “Third Neighbor” Strategy for Asia, Posted Date: Monday, October 6, 2008
“By serving as a disinterested “third neighbor” to put-upon allies in East Asia, the United States can strengthen liberalism and democracy in the region.” http://www.aei.org/publication28731
JET Alum article on new Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso
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JET alum Michael Auslin (formerly a professor of Japanese history at Yale and currently a researcher for the American Enterprise Institute) has a new article about the new Japanese prime minister Taro Aso entitled Can This Man Save the LDP?
