How Miso is Made – A Visit to a Local Factory
Food & Drink, Video 
Comments Off on How Miso is Made – A Visit to a Local Factory
Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET on Kume Island in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the YA fantasy series Samurai Awakening (Tuttle).
Ever wonder what miso is? If you’ve been to Japan or eaten at a Japanese restaurant, you’ve likely had or at least seen miso. I remember my first time having miso soup. I was in college trying out a little Japanese restaurant that had popped up just outside the UofA. I was pretty green as far as Japanese food went so I ordered teriyaki chicken (I’m sure the chef was thinking all kinds of bad things about me). Before the meal, a bowl of soup appeared. It was a clear broth with some kind of brown particles floating in it. I tried the soup, but the flavor was so different from anything I had eaten before. I didn’t really enjoy it, but then it quickly grew on me. Now, I look forward to miso, be it in my soup, as a glaze for fish, or in the middle of a rice ball.
I’ve studied Japan for a long time, and I’ve always translated miso as ‘fermented soy bean paste.’ Just like soy sauce, miso is made from soy, but it is only part of the story. A few weeks ago, my island had its sangyo matsuri where I was able to meet one of the people who make miso here (Kumejima‘s miso is quite popular). I was interested in the process so I wrangled a visit to the factory.
One of the first things I found out is that they don’t make miso all the time. Traditionally, miso was something made at home. Each family would make their own miso for their own use. As with so many things, the miso making skills are fading with the convenience of store-bought foods. Still, there are a few places that still do local miso. Since it is a fermented product, the temperature is an important factor, thus miso can only be made in moderate seasons. If it gets too cold, or too hot, the fermentation wont go on as well.
The process also takes more than three months. At the small local factories, they make large batches two or three times a year as needed. The rest of the time, they focus on other projects or on creating new items.
For more about how miso is made, including pictures, a walk-through of the process, and great miso based recipes, visit MoreThingsJapanese.com
Job: Postings from Idealist.org 1.30.13
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Postings from Idealist.org 1.30.13
Via Idealist.org. Posted by Geneva Marie (Niigata-ken 2008-09) Geneva is a contributor to both JETwit and JETAANY. Geneva is on a continuous (epic) search for Japanese-related jobs in the United States. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Youth Associate, Asia
Posted by: IPAS
Type: Full-Time
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience
Application Deadline: None Specified
IPAS is seeking a Youth Associate to implement activities designed to strength young persons’ leadership, mobilization, and access to information and services. This position has a global reach, with primary focus on Asia. A minimum of 5 years of experience supporting international health and/or rights programs with a focus on young people’s SRHR, required.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/Psf3t37MhxNp/
Sales Associate, AsiaStore
Posted by: Asia Society
Type: Part-Time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience
Application Deadline: None Specified
The Asia Society and Museum, a prestigious non-profit cultural & educational institution, is looking for part-time Sales Associates for its store. High School or equivalent. Knowledge of Asia preferred. Prior retail experience required.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/tJspzF89dx74/
ESL Instructor
Posted by: Chinese American Planning Council, Inc.
Type: Part-Time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience
Application Deadline: None Specified
The Literacy Program is looking for an experienced and qualified part-time Adult ESL Instructor for evening classes in Flushing, Queens to start in early February. Bachelor’s degree in TEFL, TESOL, English with a TEFL certificate or a related field required. Master’s degree preferred.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/ZHTZSJTPHxNp/
Events Programming Assistant
Posted by: Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Type: Full-Time (Temporary)
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience
Start Date: Available Immediately
This is a short-term casual position starting immediately. A permanent position related to events coordination and programming is in the process of being created and the successful candidate will be invited to apply for the permanent position subject to satisfactory job performance. Master’s degree or its equivalent required. Excellent interpersonal, oral, written, and budgeting skills required. At least two years of related experience and some supervisory experience required.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/33p69sjpmKh4/
I’ll Make It Myself!: Café Dumbo (Veg* Out in Kanazawa Series)
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: Café Dumbo (Veg* Out in Kanazawa Series)
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Café Dumbo
Location: Kohrinbo, Kanazawa
Type: Café, lunch
Veg status: vegetarian friendly
Languages: Japanese and English (menus, staff)
Job: International Admissions Advisor Berkeley College (NY)
Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: International Admissions Advisor Berkeley College (NY)
Via Indeed. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: International Admissions Advisor
Posted by: Berkeley College
Type: N/A
Location: New York
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Company Overview:
The International Admissions Advisor will work with international applicants and prospective students for all of Berkeley’s Locations. The advisor will be expected to respond to walk-in, phone and e-mail inquiries; meet with those requesting information, offer tours, and continuously work toward the growth of Berkeley’s International Student Population. The Advisor’s role will also involve file review and processing of acceptance packages. Local travel will be expected to ESL schools, college fairs, and high schools.
Requirements
- Excellent customer service, caring and patience, experience working with international students, attention to detail. Bachelor’s degree required and Master’s degree preferred.
- Previous experience working with graduate students a plus.
Grant application for study in Japan due Feb 10th!
Academic, Uncategorized Comments Off on Grant application for study in Japan due Feb 10th!
Thanks to JETAA North Carolina. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: RESEARCH TRAVEL GRANTS, SPRING DEADLINE – FEBRUARY 10
The TCJS provides grants to Duke, NCSU, and UNC faculty and graduate students to help defray the costs of research-related travel to Japan.
GRANT AMOUNT: up to $2,500 for travel and accommodation. Please note that the Japan Foundation, which funds this award, asks us to adhere to the following split: $100 for travel in the US, $900 for international airfare,$250 for local travel within Japan, and $1250 for accommodation and meals in Japan. Some small divergence from these amounts is allowed, but no more than 20%.
PRIORITY GIVEN TO: TCJS faculty members; faculty who have not received travel support from the TCJS recently; junior faculty members
DEADLINES: The spring application deadline is February 10. Travel must be completed, and all reimbursement paperwork submitted through your home department, by August 20. Read More
Job: Open City Magazine Editor
Article/Journalism, Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Open City Magazine Editor
Via The Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: Editor for Open City Magazine
Posted by: The Asian American Writers’ Workshop
Type: Part- or full-time position with benefits
Location: New York
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Company Overview:
The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is looking to hire an editor for Open City (http://opencitymag.com ), our magazine of Asian American New York that’s been covered in the Wall Street Journal and NPR.
Open City, an online magazine published by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, documents the pulse of metropolitan Asian America as it’s being lived on the streets right now. We’re looking for a self-motivated and resourceful editor with a vibrant vision of how the stories of immigrant New York City should be told. Here’s an opportunity to lead a smart publication about issues you actually care about—and that you actually want to read. As editor, you will assign, edit, develop, and produce content on the multi-ethnic Asian neighborhoods that now comprise one million New Yorkers. Read More
New on LinkedIn: JET Alumni Culinary Group
Food & Drink, Networking Comments Off on New on LinkedIn: JET Alumni Culinary Group
Click here to join the new JET Alumni Culinary Group on LinkedIn.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/JET-Alumni-Culinary-Group-4803196/about?trk=anet_ug_grppro
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight and creator of the JET Alumni Culinary Group on LinkedIn. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan. New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Photo by Leah Zoller
JET Alums pursue work and hobbies in diverse fields after their time on JET. While we have alum groups like JETWit for writers, interpreters, and translators, and JETs with JDs for lawyers and those in the legal field, we wanted a place for JETs and JET alums in the culinary world connect to and interact with each other beyond of JETWit’s food and drink category.
In creating this group, we aim not only to highlight alums who work as sake experts, food bloggers, writers, restaurant owners, and food-related-non-profit workers, but to provide space for those who just enjoy food to share and discuss the latest in the Japanese food world. Learn more about other alums like sake experts John Gautner and Chris Johnson; read about trends about the Japanese food world; share relevant blogs; check out the latest from JQ‘s food articles and the Rice Cooker Chronicles, and find Japanese-food-related events wherever you are.
Please feel free to join the JET Alumni Culinary Group on LinkedIn. We encourage you to share relevant articles, resources, reviews, events, and more.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/JET-Alumni-Culinary-Group-4803196/about?trk=anet_ug_grppro
I’ll Make It Myself!: Kitchen Library: What I Ate on New Year’s Break, Part 1
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: Kitchen Library: What I Ate on New Year’s Break, Part 1
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
We stayed local with friends for the New Year, and after we exhausted our list of our favorite cafes one by one as they closed for the holidays, we holed up in the apartment and cooked up a storm. [Featuring korogaki, fuku-ume, nabe and more delicious Japanese dishes!]
CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Matthew Fuller (Aichi)
Article/Journalism, Japan Local, LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Matthew Fuller (Aichi)
Each month, current and former JET participants are featured in the “JET Plaza” section of the CLAIR Forum magazine. The December 2011 edition includes an article by JET alumn Matthew Fuller. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
***********
“Often, you are the only foreigner that people will ever get to know, and so you are truly an Ambassador to Japan from the outside world – and that’s a powerful platform.”
Matthew Fuller (Aichi-ken, Toyota-shi, 1997-99) is originally from Austin, Texas. He came to Japan on the JET Programme and lived and taught in the rural village of Shimoyama which later merged to be part of Toyota City in Aichi Prefecture. After a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of the University of Texas, he joined the US Department of State. Matthew Gardner Fuller is currently the special assistant to the US Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos in Tokyo where he has served since 2009.
What was one the most positive aspects of your experience on the JET Programme?
One of the best things for me was the lifelong connections I made with the people in my community. What started out as sharing an occasional drink with some people in Shimoyama, ended up growing into long-term friendships. In fact, one of the friends I made during my time on JET has continued to keep in touch with me by calling every month to chat. He even continued to check in on me while I was on assignment in Baghdad. It’s these connections that really made my time on JET special. And these ongoing connections have provided numerous opportunities to go back and visit Shimoyama. For example, I was recently invited to and attended the wedding of a former student. I also had the chance to accompany Ambassador Roos to Shimoyama to help provide a firsthand look at the long-lasting grassroots exchange that the JET Programme is capable of fostering. Read More
Kyodo News “Rural JET alumni” series: Marion Lagan (Okayama)
Japan Local, JETs in the News, LifeAfterJET, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Kyodo News “Rural JET alumni” series: Marion Lagan (Okayama)
News agency Kyodo News has recently been publishing monthly articles written by JET alumni who were appointed in rural areas of Japan, as part of promotion for the JET Programme. Below is the English version of the column from January 2013. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
***********
I hope I will have another chance to spend time there so, to the question “How is it to live in Tokyo?” I can finally answer “It’s good, but not as good as it was living in Okayama.”
Marion Lagan (Okayama-ken, Soja-shi, 2007-09) was born in the Southwest of France, then lived in many different places throughout France until she graduated high school. She moved to Paris where she studied French literature and Japanese. Once she got her teaching certificate, she applied to the JET Programme in order to get a first experience working abroad as well as furthering her knowledge of Japan and its culture. She spent two years in Okayama Prefecture teaching French and English and eating peaches. Once back in France, she got an MBA from HEC Paris. She is now working for L’Oréal as brand manager. In her spare time, she likes watching movies, making movies, reading novels as well as essays and planning her next trip to Japan.
All roads lead to Japan
When people learn I’ve spent two years in Japan, their first question always is “So, how is it to live in Tokyo ?” and the reaction I get when I tell them I don’t know since I lived in Okayama is, at best “What, you mean Hiroshima ?” or at worst “Is that even in Japan ?”. Yes, Okayama is in Japan. To me it is Japan.
From 2007 to 2009, I taught French and English to high school students whose age ranged from 15 to 19 year-old. I was a teacher in France and JET was a great opportunity to experience another lifestyle as well as work-style. I saw –and helped, I hope, students grow up and they definitely made me grow up too. It has been three years now I have left Japan and the more important memories seems to have sharpened so I will recount the ones that impressed me the most. Read More
“J-Boys is a historical lesson for readers of all ages. Although the story takes place 20 years after World War II, Japan is still very much scarred by the war and Oketani mentions how it affected the mindsets of the country’s people.” (Stone Bridge Press)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-2010) for JQ magazine. Rashaad worked at four elementary schools and three junior high schools on JET, and taught a weekly conversion class in Haguro (his village) to adults. He completed the Tokyo Marathon in 2010, and was also a member of a taiko group in Haguro.
The 1960s were a decade of enormous change around the world. Although Japan didn’t experience the upheaval some other countries did during that period, for one teenager, the mid-1960s were shaping up to be a different era.
Shogo Oketani’s novel J-Boys: Kazuo’s World, Tokyo, 1965 takes readers into the lives of young Kazuo Nakamoto and, to a lesser extent, his friends—younger brother Yasuo, his friend Nobuo, Nobuo’s older brother Haruo, and Kazuo’s classmate Minoru. As steeped in tradition as Japan is (and continues to be), Oketani paints a picture of a society beginning to be seriously touched by foreign influences. Inspired by the 1964 Olympics in their hometown, Kazuo and Haruo usually head to an empty lot after school to emulate 100-meter champion Bob Hayes (It was Kazuo’s dream to be an Olympic sprinter). And like many young people across the world, Haruo went crazy for a quartet from Liverpool, often singing “A Hard Day’s Night.”
Essentially, J-Boys (which was based on Oketani’s childhood)serves a journey through the ups-and-downs of adolescence while introducing younger readers to Japanese culture and the changing landscape of the country. Kazuo’s father speaks about the rise in TV’s popularity with an air of sadness, blaming it for the loss of a nearby cinema. Likewise, Kazuo feels the new Tokyo (much of it fueled by Olympic-related construction) he sees during his Saturday afternoon walks is not necessary an improved one. Kazuo develops a crush on a girl he’s known for quite a while, but sees a couple of close friends move just prior to the start of a new school year. So he realizes he’s about to embark on an unpredictable journey.
New Facebook groups for Wisconsin and Indiana JETAA subchapters
JETAA Chapters Comments Off on New Facebook groups for Wisconsin and Indiana JETAA subchapters
Originally posted by JETAA Chicago President Rob Corder to the JETAA Chicago Facebook group:
Hi everybody! As most of you all know, JETAA Chicago serves not only the Chicago region, but all of Illinois as well as Indiana and Wisconsin. In our ongoing effort to reach out and grow the JETAA community, two new Facebook groups have been set up: JETAA Chicago Badger State Subchapter and JETAA Chicago Hoosier Subchapter. If you live in Wisconsin or Indiana and are interested in connecting with other JET Alums in your area, check them out. The hope is that these communities will grow and that we will be able to do some events in Wisconsin and Indiana.
Wisconsin: JETAA Chicago Badger State Subchapter
http://www.facebook.com/groups/329244980520254/
Indiana: JETAA Chicago Hoosier Subchapter
http://www.facebook.com/groups/410478425701096/
JET Alum Artist Beat: Joshua Powell, Book Designer and Illustrator
Art, Interview/Profile, JET Alum Artist Beat, Notable JET Alums Comments Off on JET Alum Artist Beat: Joshua Powell, Book Designer and Illustrator
******* JET Alum Artist Beat is a periodic feature organized by Jessica Sattell (Fukuoka-ken, 2007-2008) intending to share the wide scope of creative work that JET alumni are pursuing as artists, designers, and/or craftspeople. She is interested in interviewing and providing exposure for artists and arts professionals, and welcomes links to online portfolios, stores and businesses. Feel free to email Jessica at hello (dot) jessicasattell (at) gmail (dot) com with suggestions.
Joshua Powell (Saitama-ken, 2005-2007) is a Seattle-based book designer and illustrator. He has designed and produced a number of books for Japan-focused (and JET alum run) independent publisher Chin Music Press, including Shiro: Wit, Wisdom and Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer, which was a 2011 Washington State Book Award Finalist and won First Place in the Quality Paperback category at the 2012 New York Book Show. NPR called another title that he designed, Oh! a mystery of mono no aware, “a triumphant kick in the pants for anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books.”
Josh graciously took the time to discuss his JET tenure and how his experiences in Japan influence his design sensibilities.
A spread from “Shiro: Wit, Wisdom and Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer” featuring one of Joshua’s original illustrations (image courtesy of Joshua Powell)
Tell us a little about your background. How did you decide to apply to JET and live in Japan?
From the ages of 9-17 I practiced traditional Japanese martial arts, training under a Japanese teacher who had relocated to my home state of Virginia. His two sons as well as other Japanese sensei would visit and teach at the dojo for extended periods of time.
When I was fifteen I was lucky enough to travel to Japan for a karate competition. I never really sought out Japanese culture. I just kind of fell into marital arts and by virtue of that, Japan became a pretty central part of my childhood and teenage years. The trip I took to Japan lasted two weeks, and after it was over I always had this feeling that I wanted to get back and live there – I wondered what it would be like to have things become more familiar, to feel comfortable there. It was a thought that just stuck in the back of my mind, and then when I found out about the JET Program years later, I didn’t think twice about applying.
Were there any experiences while you were on JET that you found particularly meaningful or memorable?
My two years on JET are very important to me – a consistently rewarding and meaningful time. There are many things that contributed to the experience being so great, but it really came down to the people I met and the places I visited while in Japan. I felt extremely lucky with the school I worked at – Omiya High School in Saitama-ken. I had great co-workers, some of whom I considered close friends, and so many enthusiastic and positive students. Outside of work I had some really great friends, other JETs as well as Japanese friends who I mainly met while traveling. There were so many opportunities to get out and explore the country. Unlike many JETs, I only left the country once during my two years. I almost exclusively spent my time off exploring Japan. Coming from the U.S., the ability and ease with which I could explore the country never ceased to amaze me – just hop on a train and you’re off on a new adventure.
One of the things that I came away from Japan with was the knowledge that you don’t need a lot of things to be happy. You can live in a tiny apartment and have few material possessions (no point in buying a lot of stuff when you aren’t staying somewhere permanently), but as long as there are good people in your life and you’re able to get out and experience new things, life can be very fulfilling.
As you mention in your interview with One A Day, you’re trained in printmaking. Has that influenced your work as a book designer?
Photograph highlighting the design of “Otaku Spaces” with book jacket removed (image courtesy of Joshua Powell)
Yes. I’m mostly self-taught when it comes to design, so of course I’m building off of the visual language I learned through making art, and particularly printmaking. And of course bookmaking is a form of printmaking – making an edition of ink on paper objects. So naturally, my enthusiasm for the physical book is greatly influenced by my background in printmaking. I’ve always worked with commercial printers – none of which were in Seattle. So in a way that’s very odd, that I’m giving up the actual printing aspect of the whole process to someone else. Nonetheless, since I’m not only doing the design but also handling the production aspect of the process (preparing files, choosing papers, communicating with the printer), I still have a hand in it. If I were to print the books myself or to work closely with a local printer, Read More
AJET Connect Magazine survey of JET Alumni
AJET Comments Off on AJET Connect Magazine survey of JET Alumni
A request from James Kemp (Ehime-ken, 2nd year), AJET Online Publications Manager and Editor for AJET Connect Magazine:
Are you a former JET? Then AJET Connect Magazine wants to hear from you! We’ve got a short five question survey we’d love for you to answer ahead of next month’s After JET Conference in Yokohama. The best answers will be printed in AJET Connect Magazine and distributed at the Conference, so if you fancy having your voice heard and helping hundreds of current JETs, please do get involved!
The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YL3HCNX
If you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Job: Visual Web Designer (Fluent Japanese) at Amazon Japan (Seattle, WA)
Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Visual Web Designer (Fluent Japanese) at Amazon Japan (Seattle, WA)
Via PNW JETAA. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
————————————————————————————————————
Position: Visual Web Designer (Fluent Japanese)
Posted by: Amazon
Type: 2 Month Contract
Location: Seattle, WA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: ASAP
Overview
· Amazon is looking for a visual web design contractor with a background in retail websites to work on Amazon.co.jp (Amazon Japan).
· We are looking for a person who has Japanese language skills (speaking, writing, and reading) to communicate with Japanese business team in Tokyo through emails and phones on a daily basis.
· Candidate must have web design experience in the Japanese market with full knowledge of Japanese typography, trends and culture to deliver strong visual solutions unique to the Japanese customers. The position is based in Seattle.
· We need a highly motivated, self-directed, enthusiastic person with a sense of humor and a sharp mind who works well under pressure and can thrive in an atmosphere of rapid development.
· Candidate must be comfortable working within existing style guide conventions, and be willing to work collaboratively, but also have a strong individual sense of aesthetics and be able to bring tasteful, stylish, high-class ideas to the table.
· Successful candidates will provide a strong portfolio, and demonstrate excellent web interface and visual design skills. Read More
