Justin’s Japan: Interview with Jin Akanishi on ‘Japonicana’ and His American Tour
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"The word ‘Japonicana’ comes from Japan, America and Spain. The ‘a’ sound is for the females, so my album is a girl. There’s more than one genre—dance, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s like my baby, because I created it from scratch." (Courtesy of PLAN C Agency)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Visit his Examiner.com page here for related stories.
In his native Japan, Jin Akanishi is a superstar. Since his early teens, he’s achieved fame as a pop idol, singer-songwriter (with the groups KAT-TUN and LANDS), actor, and radio host. After launching a successful American tour in 2010 to sold out (and screaming) crowds, Jin is back in the U.S. supporting his hotly anticipated English-language debut album, Japonicana. Released earlier this month, the disc features production by Grammy Award-nominated trio the Stereotypes (Far East Movement, Ne-Yo) and platinum hit maker Static Revenger (Madonna, Shakira).
Jin takes Manhattan at New York’s Best Buy Theater tonight (March 15) and hits San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom on March 17. In this exclusive interview, I spoke with the 27-year-old about the tour, the making of the album, his love for hip-hop, and hanging out with Justin Bieber.
How would you describe the new album?
The word “Japonicana” comes from Japan, America and Spain. The “a” sound is for the females, so my album is a girl. There’s more than one genre—dance, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s like my baby, because I created it from scratch.
How has the tour been going?
It’s really great. The crowds are great, good energy, dancers, and a lot of drinks (laughs).
What can fans expect at the shows this time? What’s different?
It’s a totally different concert. Everything’s different.
Is there a highlight you can tell us about?
Crazy lights and dancing. All the songs are from Japonicana.
You mentioned that the title represents all the places that influence you—Japan, America and Spain. How have they influenced you?
I’m Japanese, obviously. And America, my mom loves American music and used to listen to it when I was little. I kind of grew up with it. My best friend’s mom is Spanish, and she taught me a lot about the culture. So that’s how I got influenced.
For the complete story, click here.
March Issue of “AJET Connect”
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Check out this month’s edition of AJET Connect! The current edition features stories about what JETs have been doing to make a difference since the 3.11 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, travel experiences of various JETs and this month’s Life After JET section focuses on a JET alum from California, Sylbeth Kennedy, who joined the US Foreign Service.
Visit the AJET website or view/ download the pdf HERE.
Via the JNY-Japanese New Yorker Facebook group.
Return on JET-vestment: Fukushima JET alums help bring Fukushima youth taiko group to DC for Cherry Blossom Festival
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The Fukushima Taiko Drummers meet U.S. Ambassador to Japan, John V. Roos, before they head to D.C. in April.
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JETAA DC members Michelle Spezzacatena (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-cho, 2002-05) and Darryl Wharton-Rigby (Fukushima-ken, Kawamata-cho, 2005-07) were both teachers in the town of Kawamata in Fukushima Prefecture. Michelle was there from 2002-2005 and overlapped one week with Darryl, who was there from 2005-2007. Thanks to the magic of Facebook they were able to keep in contact throughout the years. After the earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, Darryl and Michelle were talking about how they could help their Japanese hometown. The idea of bringing the taiko group to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival was born out of those discussions. (Editor’s note: In addition to Michelle’s work on this project, she also serves on the JETAA USA Fund Committee and previously served as JETAA DC President.)
In Michelle’s words: “We brought the idea to the Japan America Society in DC who immediately fell in love with it too. Thanks to the generous financial support of the US Japan council, the project was fully funded. We have been working with Anna Cable (USJC), Ambassador Malott (JASW), JET alum Marc Hitzig (JASW), Shigeko Bork (former Kawamata resident now living in DC) and Masako Mori (Diet member from Fukushima) on the project. Darryl and I are the co-coordinators and have been doing most of the heavy lifting. We are also officially part of the TOMODACHI Initiative.”
Fukushima JET alums Michelle Spezzacatena (2002-05) and Darryl Wharton-Rigby (2005-07)
“The students will be here from April 7-17 and they have a jam packed schedule. We will be doing a homestay program, they will be performing at numerous locations including the National Cherry Blossom Parade/Sakura Matsuri/Kennedy Center, we will be sightseeing and hopefully we’ll be doing a meet and greet with the new Orioles player, Wada-san and a Orioles/Yankees game day performance at Orioles Park. Darryl and I are excited to be with them the entire time they’ll be in the US.”
Michelle adds: “NHK Japan is also working on a piece on Darryl and I in the context of what JETs are doing to help Japan after the earthquake. They have been following us around to different events and will be for another two weeks. The piece will run on NHK Japan’s News9 broadcase during the first week of April when the anchor is doing the show live from DC. They will also try to do an English version to show on NHK World.”
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Below is a press release about the taiko group’s upcoming performance at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michelle Spezzacatena- michellespezzacatena@gmail.com
STUDENT TAIKO GROUP FROM FUKUSHIMA INVITED TO NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
JETAA Singapore announces new board
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Via the JETAA Singapore website:
JETAA SG Election Committee 2012 is pleased to present to you JETAA SG 2012-2013 new board members who will officialy take over from the the current board with effect from 1 April 2012! Thank you to all the voters for your support!
Tohoku tourism promotion video
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Thanks to JETAA Sydney’s Sharon Van Etten for sharing this video via JETAA Sydney’s Facebook group, titled “Colorful Emotions” (sassuga Japanese marketing style), put out as part of a Tohoku tourism promotional campaign:
(I would’ve posted the video, but they disabled the embed code for some reason.)
JET alum journalist Graham Shelby’s latest article on Fukushima 03.11.12
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Graham Shelby (Fukushima-ken, Ishikawa-shi, 1994-97) has published a thoughtful piece on Fukushima, this one on Kentucky news site, Kentucky.com, in addition to previous radio and written pieces he has done for NPR and other news outlets.
“Quake, tsunami a year ago refreshed Kentuckian’s memories of time in Japan”
By Graham Shelby – contributing write
Posted: 12:00 AM on March 11, 2012
Twenty-three years old and eager to get out of my hometown, I left Lexington for Japan. In the summer of 1994, I took a job teaching English in Ishikawa, a small town surrounded by rice fields and forested hills in Fukushima Prefecture, about 100 miles north of Tokyo.
Click here to read the full article: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/11/2104978/quake-tsunami-a-year-ago-refreshed.html#storylink=misearch
The MUD Project: Update from Colin Rennie 03.13.12
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An update from The MUD Project, an ongoing Tohoku relief effort organized by JET alum Colin Rennie (CIR Yamagata-ken, 2007-10). Click here to see previous updates by Colin on YouTube:
March 13, 2012
March 11, 2012
Justin’s Japan: New York Marches Into Spring with Gagaku, Kabuki Masters
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Nishizaki Emino, left, and Bando Kotoji, right, perform at Japan Society's Kabuki Dance March 29-31. (Toshio Kiyofuji)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Visit his Japanese culture page on Examiner.com here for related stories.
As winter gives way to spring, New York will host special performances of the traditional Japanese performing arts of gagaku and kabuki for a modern audience.
At Highline Ballroom on March 28 is Hideki Togi with Iwao Furusawa. Known as the flame keeper of gagaku (ancient Japanese court music), Togi embodies a proud 1,400-year legacy. Furusawa is a multi-award-winning violinist who has collaborated with Togi for over 15 years, drawing 20,000 people every year in their joint annual national tour. The music drawn from different streams of tradition—Togi from the East and Furusawa from the West—transcends the boundaries of music and art.
As part of its Sakura — Spring Renews, Beauty Blooms festivities (which mark the 100th anniversary of the gift of cherry trees from the Land of the Rising Sun to New York and Washington), Japan Society will host three nights of Kabuki Dance from March 29-31. Led by master dancer Bando Kotoji and a dozen other performers to the accompaniment of live music, visitors will be treated to the elegant and refined art form of nihon buyo, centuries-old Japanese dance.
Using traditional kabuki dance techniques while incorporating the individual expression associated with Western “high-art,” nihon buyo performers have built a repertoire that now consists of popular sections from famous kabuki plays as well as pieces inspired by classical noh plays and old folk tales. They have also integrated musical elements from kabuki and bunraku such as shamisen and storytelling chanters.
Kameoka Diaries #7 by Lars Martinson
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Lars Martinson (Fukuoka-ken 2003-2006), author of the graphic novels Tonoharu: Part Two andTonoharu: Part 1, has just just published the latest edition of his new cartoon series called“Kameoka Diaries“ about his return to teaching English, this time in Kameoka, Kyoto.
Click here to read the Kameoka Diaries #7.
http://larsmartinson.com/kameoka-diaries-7/
LIVE YOUR DREAM: The Taylor Anderson Story
Earthquake Tsunami, Film, Fundraising, Interview/Profile, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Video Comments Off on LIVE YOUR DREAM: The Taylor Anderson Story
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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
JET alum recommends Meiji University “Law in Japan Program”
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Seattle-based JET alum Regina Durr (Shimane-ken, 2008-10) got in touch to let JETs and JET alums know about the Meiji University “Law in Japan Program.” Here’s what she has to say:
I participated in the 2010 Law in Japan program at Meiji University between my JET tenure and returning to the States… and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! There was a mix of JETs current and exiting, U.S.A. MBA students, French Master in Law students, interpreters, and ad hoc foreigners who enjoy getting out of their box and into an academic setting.
The Meiji Law in Japan Program was the perfect dive back into academia and the professional career lifestyle immediately after JET. The days are filled with lectures and trips to places such as the Supreme Court, the former Ministry of Justice, a local prison, and even enables you networking opportunities with top, international law firms in Tokyo. I took the course as a cheaper alternative of finding out whether or not I would want to specialize in Japanese Law back in the States. With a brief overview from top experts (even flown in from Washington, D.C.!), I am now finding myself applying to Law School to formalize the training began through this program.
A little background info about me: I am currently a Project Coordinator at the global headquarters of a high-tech consulting company located just outside Seattle, WA. I am active in the Pacific Northwest JET Alumni Association chapter and continue to mentor high school exchange students in the community, while also playing volleyball and completing triathlons.
About the Meiji University “Law in Japan Program”
“Law in Japan Program” is an introductory course for studying Japanese laws, at Meiji University, a private university in Tokyo.
2012 ONLINE APPLICATION FORM is NOW OPEN.
- The 2012 Summer intensive program is from July 23 to August 3, 2012. http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/applications.html (*Application deadline to be extended; to late April*)
- For the 2011 results, please check the Past programs page. http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/past.html
- URL: http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/index.html
- Law in Japan PR Video: http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/index.html
Meiji University Law in Japan Program 2012
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Law in Japan Program
Meiji University School of Law
1-1 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 101-8301
E-mail: law_jp@kisc.meiji.ac.jp
Note: Do you have a post-JET program that you’d like to recommend to other JETs and alums? E-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com and tell us about it.
JQ Magazine: On Japanese Winters and Well Endowed Snowmen
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Preston with his cool creation.
By Preston Hatfield (Yamanashi-ken, 2009-10) for JQ magazine. Preston moved from San Francisco to New York City in January 2012 and is now accepting submissions from people who want to be his friend. Abduct him from his house in the middle of the night, or find him on Facebook and ask about his JET blog in which he details his exploits and misadventures in that crazy Land of the Rising Sun we all love.
On JET it may be true that everyone’s situation is different, but I’d bet my left dango that each of us, for whatever extenuating circumstance, suffered a few restless nights without heat in our rooms. My bone-chilling tale of refrigery and woe took place when 2010 was newly born, in the sweeping valleys of Yamanashi Prefecture. I lived in Kofu’s International Exchange Center, a westernized building converted from an old motel with all the comforts of home: shower, central heating, high speed Internet, furnished everything—which is to say I’d gotten used to a very comfortable lifestyle. I was overdue for a slice of humble sashimi.
I should mention that Kofu is not a cold place. It usually gets one storm where the snow sticks, and even that only lasts a few days. But that means nothing to a California boy. The moment my room dropped below its usual 72 degrees of moderation I knew I was in for it and got my building supervisor on the phone. He showed up a few minutes later, a shrunken old man who’d apparently won the battle against time, for indeed time had already done its worst and still the man was up and (very gradually) at ’em.
“A couple of days,” he told me after examining the fuses. “You’ll have to hang in there until then.” I looked out my window where the sky was semi-busy dropping the one good bit of snowfall we’d have that year. By now I imagined the temperature inside had dipped into the upper 60s and the first stages of hypothermia couldn’t be far off. Neither could the epic hissy fit I was about to throw.
“American View” interview with JETwit publisher Steven Horowitz on JET involvement in Japan’s recovery efforts
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Update 03.13.12: Realized I neglected to mention in the interview The MUD Project, an ongoing Tohoku relief effort organized by JET alum Colin Rennie (CIR Yamagata-ken, 2007-10).
Update 03.12.12: Here’s the interview translated into Japanese
“American View,” a quarterly magazine published by the Press Office of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, recently interviewed JETwit publisher Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) about the role of JETs and JET alumni in connection with Japan’s recovery efforts following the 3/11 disaster.
American JETs Rally for Japan in Myriad Ways
http://amview.japan.usembassy.gov/en/jet-alumni/
Here’s an excerpt:
American View: What is unique about disaster relief activities by JET program participants and alumni?
Steven Horowitz: The connection we have to the affected areas and to each other. And the language skills and ability to communicate directly with people in the communities. When you work for the school system, you really get connected to the community. You understand how things work, how kids evolve into adults. You’re part of the community. As a result, JETs are able to identify needs and then reach out to a global community to help fill them in unique ways. I think JETs and JET alumni in some ways were better able to identify needs on the ground than some of the larger, more removed relief organizations, and especially with regard to education-related needs.
問 現役・元ＪＥＴ参加者による復興支援活動にはどのような特徴がありますか。
答 被災地との絆やＪＥＴ参加者同志のつながり、そして地元の人たちと直接意思を疎通できる日本語能力があります。学校制度の中で働けば地域社会と真のつながりができます。物事の仕組みや子どもが大人になっていく過程を理解するようになります。地域社会の一員となるのです。ですからＪＥＴ参加者たちは、地域のニーズを見極めた上で国際社会に働きかけ、独自のやり方でそうしたニーズを満たす支援ができます。現場から遠く離れた大規模な支援団体よりも現役・元ＪＥＴ参加者たちの方が、いろいろな点で現場のニーズ、特に教育関係のニーズに関してより確実に把握できると思います。
*CLICK HERE to read the full interview in English
*CLICK HERE for the Japanese version
There’s so much going on in connection with 3/11 that it feels overwhelming to try and capture everything. Life has been busy with all of life’s things, and I realized that I was trying to put off thinking about 3/11 in some important ways. So I finally stopped myself and thought back to March 11, and remembered that initially I was frantically gathering information from every source I could find and trying to organize it in a way that would be helpful to JET alumni, family of JETs, and anyone else outside Japan who was seeking information on people and areas.
The post below is much of the information gathered in real time (at the time) and gradually organized into what I hoped were helpful ways. Reading through it brought back a range of challenging feelings for me as well as a comparative perspective on how things big and small felt then versus now. Feel free to read through and share your own thoughts and memories in the comments section below if you like.
One additional thought: Taylor and Monty, you are not forgotten.
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March 2011
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Map of the Tohuku region in northern Japan and its prefectures
Last update: 10:06 pm NY time March 14. Email jetwit [at] jetwit.com with any updates you’d like to share. (Apologies for delays. I’m taking care of my 14 month old daughter while trying to keep doing things on the computer.)
(10:06 pm) “I talked to a person from the US embassy today. The US has not issued any evacuation for it’s citizens. If you want to escape you have to do it on your own, but they said if we have something we need to call them. I told him food and he said he needs food himself, so everyone is in that situation. We are now strictly rationing our food. Do not expect any help from the US government.”
(9:38 pm) From JET Greg Lekich in Sendai: “Everyone, I’m heading over to the home of Iain Campbell where we will set up a system for dispatching people on the ground to check on people. Will be back online a bit later.”
(9:36 pm) “Report from Furukawa area. Northern rural areas are fine. Furukawa not too bad. Power and communication sitiation though still not reliable.”
(9:32 pm) Iwate Grass Roots Aid Facebook Group
9:05 pm “NEWS on CTV: Japanese government spokesman reporting that many northern communities are still cut off and have not been reached yet :(”
Shiogama (6:27 pm NY time): A photo of Shiogama High School and some of the survivors. http://twitpic.com/49gcsb
Shiogama (via JET alum friend’s FB) (5:53 pm NY time Monday, March 14): Read More
