JET alum returns to Minamisanriku with charity funds
Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising, JETs in the News, Volunteer 
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Jen Wang (Miyagi, 2008-09) created the alias “Hibari-sensei” for her Japanese pop culture blog, Gaijin Teacher Otaku, after her students called her by the name of a character she cosplayed. She also writes for J-music website Purple SKY.
Canon Purdy (Miyagi, 2008-10) made headlines when Today‘s Ann Curry found tracked her down after the earthquake and tsunami hit Minamisanriku, where she was visiting former students. She then started up Save Miyagi to help the students she had once taught. NBC Bay Area did a follow-up report on her trip back to Minamisanriku in late August, where she handed over the 300 thousand yen (roughly $3500) she raised to the board of education.
Photo from the Save Miyagi blog
Job: Admin Assistant for Japanese company – ASAP (New Jersey)
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Via Pasona. If you apply, please make sure to mention you learned of the listing via JETwit.
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Japanese Company in NJ is looking for an administrative assistant, ASAP!
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Location: Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Position: Administrative Assistant
Salary: Perm 35-40K
Job Description:
-Act as the front desk staff for receiving mail and parts delivery, answer incoming calls, open and distribute mail Read More
JET Endurance – new charity set up by UK JET alums
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JET Endurance….for the long run
JET Endurance is a new charity set up by UK-based JET alums to help continue to support earthquake/tsunami relief efforts in Tohoku.
No website yet, but here’s the link to the JET Endurance Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jetendurance?sk=wall
And a few words from the FB page:
“Six months on from the Great East Japan Earthquake – JET Endurance is set up as a charity by former JET participants in the UK. Whether you’re a JET (current or former), or just want to do what you can to help get Tohoku and Japan back on its feet, follow this page and spread the word to your friends! Watch this space for exciting news about fundraising, events, volunteering and stories…….”
Return to Tohoku: Round-up 09.13.11
Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: Round-up 09.13.11
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Here are updates from a few more of the 20 Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there.
- Alan Mockridge (Iwate-ken, Ohtsuchi-shi), originally from the UK and now based in Santa Clara, CA, has started a blog in preparation for his upcoming trip to Tohoku. www.alanmockridge.com Alan reports that his town of Ohtsuchi “was completely destroyed by earthquake, tsunami & fire on 3/11. As you can imagine, after 17 years its been a bit of a challenge to reconnect with my old school but I’ve managed it & will depart on 19th Sep. until 27th.”
- James Foley will be blogging about his visit at jamesafoley.com.
- Brent Stirling (Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi, 2006-10) – “Still Alive, Just Really Busy” – Brent, based in Ottawa, writes about getting ready for his upcoming Tohoku visit and includes some of the recent media coverage about him.
You can also check the JETAA USA website post (“JET Alums Return to Tohoku”) for additional information.
CBC News Article on the MOFA/JET Alum “Return to Tohoku” Program
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Here’s a link to a nice article on Canada’s CBC News website titled, “Repairing Japan’s image, one teacher at a time: 20 former teachers return to view progress in Japan six months after the earthquake and tsunami.” (By Amber Hildebrandt)
“Japan is employing an unusual method in its attempt to rejuvenate its faltering international image after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the country exactly six months ago on March 11.
It comes in the form of a petite, brunette teacher from Canada: Tanya Gardecky, 25, of Aurora, Ont.
Or rather in the form of 20 foreigners from around the world who once taught English in the devastated regions and now have gone back, on Japan’s dime, to view the progress for themselves.
Each was once a teacher with the government-funded JET Programme and taught in the public school system.”
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article
JETwit tech problems resolved!
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Thanks to invaluable help from AJET Webmaster Kevin Mitchell, JETwit is back up and should be running smoothly now.
Apologies for any confusion or inconvenience.
–Steven
Recent JETwit Technical Problems
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Apologies if you’ve had trouble accessing the site recently. My site hosting provider (SiteGround) has been having some technical issues that I’m trying to get resolved.
Return to Tohoku: Video by Michael Blodgett
Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Video Comments Off on Return to Tohoku: Video by Michael Blodgett
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Update 9/11/11: Michael has also shared a link to photos from his trip along with commentary.
Michael Blodgett (Miyagi-ken, Iwadeyama, Osaki-shi, 2005-07) is one of the 20 Tohoku region JET alumni selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to return to their town to both engage in volunteer efforts and also help document and share what’s going on there. Michael is originally from Chicago and currently lives in Osaka.
Thanks to Michael for getting in touch and sharing the below video he made about his visit:
JETwit will continue to post updates from other participating alums.
Click here to read other “Return to Tohoku” posts.
If you are returning to Tohoku and would like to share your updates, please feel free to e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Event: Akari Lantern Project (London)
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Via Embassy of Japan in the UK. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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The Akari Lantern Project has been organised by a group of people, both Japanese and non-Japanese, to raise money for the JAPAN SOCIETY TOHOKU RELIEF FUND which is helping local communities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
As part of the Mayor of London’s Thames Festival, on the 10th &11th September, they will hold a lantern making workshop and other Japanese craft activities on the grass outside the Tate Modern.
This will culminate in a Lantern Parade as part of the Night Carnival. The lantern parade will be accompanied by Japanese drumming by the JOJI HIROTA TAIKO DRUMMERS.
People can take part by making lanterns out of recycled bottles, creating their own pin badges, origami cranes and stop-frame animation.
For more details, please click on the following link:
http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/japanuk150/events/andmore/Akari_Project2011.html
NY Miyagi-kenjinkai requests help from U.S. citizens who have lived or worked in Miyagi, Fukushima or Iwate
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Thanks to Takahiro Ito of the Japan Local Government Center (aka CLAIR NY) for sharing this information about a request from the NY Miyagi-kenjinkai for help from U.S. citizens who have lived or worked in Miyagi, Fukushima or Iwate:
Dear Friends in the Japanese Production Industry — WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We are putting together a video to send our best wishes to people who were devastated by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, 2011.
It’s for a branding commercial sponsored by a Japanese Semiconductor maker, scheduled to air during the JAPAN CORPORATE TEAM WOMEN’S MARATHON RELAY RACE this December.
The marathon runs through the cities in Miyagi prefecture that were most affected by the disaster.
We want to make contact with any U.S. Citizens you know who may have lived, worked, or visited FUKUSHIMA, IWATE, MIYAGI — the area recently devastated by the events of March 11th — and record their message in the NY or LA metro areas.
Ideal candidates are men and women between the ages of 20-40. It will be a chance for them to be interviewed for a TV message that will cheer on a recovering Japan, and help lift the spirits of the whole country!
If you know someone in the west coast please get in touch with office in California:
TAKA KAGUMA
tk@downtownreel.com
DOWNTOWN REEL LA
3122 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
TEL (310) 828-9200
Please fill out the below application and send it, along with a photo, to Taka or me. Interviews will be conducted this October or November.
Our client will go through the applicants and select the interviewees, each of whom will receive $1,000 for their participation.
Thanks for your help and support!
Best regards,
Miho Uchida Read More
From the Kahoku Online Network:
震災で犠牲の米国人ＡＬＴ 志文庫に託す 遺族が絵本寄贈
http://www.kahoku.co.jp/news/2011/09/20110907t15011.htm
東日本大震災で亡くなった宮城県石巻市の女性外国語指導助手（ＡＬＴ）テイラー・アンダーソンさん＝当時（２４）、米国出身＝の遺族が６日、アンダーソンさんが子ども時代に読んだ本を「テイラー文庫」として市内の小中学校などに寄贈した。
同市万石浦小で行われた贈呈式には、震災当日に授業を受けた６年生（当時５年生）６４人が出席。父親のアンディさん（５３）が「本を読んで、夢を持って生きてくれたら幸せです」とあいさつした。授業を受けた阿部萌香さん（１２）は「先生は優しかった。本は大切に読みたい」と話した。
寄贈されたのは、アンディさんらが新たに購入した英語の児童文学や絵本など約４０冊。東松島市の仮設住宅で暮らす地元の木工作家遠藤伸一さん（４２）が製作した本棚に収められている。
遠藤さんは子ども３人を津波で失い、長男と次女の２人が同市渡波小でアンダーソンさんの指導を受けていた。
遠藤さんは「明るく、元気なアンダーソンさんをイメージして作った。この仕事を機に、自分も前を向いて生きていこうと思った」と話した。
アンダーソンさんは２００８年に来日し、石巻市では万石浦小のほか、市内の幼稚園１カ所と小中学校計５校で英語を指導。「テイラー文庫」はこれらの幼稚園、小中学校にも寄贈される。
アンダーソンさんは震災当日、万石浦小から近くの万石浦中に児童を避難させた後、自転車で帰宅する途中に津波にのまれたとみられている。
2011年09月07日水曜日
And here’s a very rough summary in English:
“American ALT, lost in the disaster, is memorialized in a library; Family donates picture books”
The reading corner / library contains copies of books that Taylor read growing up. The dedication ceremony was held at Mangokuura Elementary, with 64 of Taylor’s former 5th grade students attending. There are 40 books in the shelves, which were built by Endo-san, a woodworker who lost his three children to the tsunami – two of whom were Taylor’s students at Watanoha Elementary School. Endo-san said that he built the shelves thinking about how bright and genki Taylor was, and that this project helped him to move forward with his own life, too. Andy Anderson told the students that he will be happy if they read books and hold on to their dreams in life.
JET Symposium to be televised on NHK September 8
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Posted to the JETAANY Facebook group by JET alum Ayelet Fogel (Miyagi-ken, Sendai-shi):
“JET Symposium to celebrate 25 years of JET will be televised on NHK in Japan on Thursday 8th of September. Channel BS1 10pm-11pm Japan time. :) – if you can watch it please enjoy! Read about it at https://jetwit.com/wordpress/2011/08/17/jet-programme-25th-anniversary-symposium-to-be-held-by-japanese-government/“
And if you do happen to watch it, please feel free to e-mail a summary or any observations or comments about it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Slate.com series: “Can Japan Recover?”
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There’s an excellent ongoing series on Slate.com titled “Can Japan Recover?” by Daisann McLane as she travels through various areas of Tohoku. McLane is traveling and writing about Japan as a guest of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
“I’m exploring recovering Japan as a guest of the Japan National Tourism Organization. Tourism here dropped through the floor in the first three months after what’s now being called the “Triple Disaster”—earthquake, tsunami, Fukushima. The tourism board was so eager for upbeat stories they offered to send me anywhere I wanted over the course of a week. I emailed them a decidedly non-upbeat itinerary: Sendai, Fukushima, Tokyo. To my surprise, and to their credit, they said no problem. A few weeks later, in July, I was on a Shinkansenspeeding north from Tokyo to Sendai.”
To read more of McLane’s writing about Japan on her travel blog, go to www.therealtravelblog.com.
Embassy of Japan in the UK (September 2011)
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Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine round-up via Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London as is currently looking for new work opportunities related to Japan, translation, or other fields.
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Featured Article:
Japanese FA receive trophy at Wembley to mark 90th year
Other articles this month:
Japan Matsuri 2011
A taste of Japan in Colchester
“Approaches to facilitating effective global participation in action on climate change” A lecture by Professor Hironori Hamanaka
Films at the Embassy of Japan: Children on the Island
“KANPA+i London!” Ikebana, Sake & Food Charity Event
Beyond Words Beyond Borders: Messages to Tohoku
Akari Lantern Project – lantern carriers wanted!
UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshop in Cambridge
Tanabata Festival lifts spirits in Sendai
Reconciliation Service at Canterbury Cathedral
Spotlight On: Lorna Maud
Subscribe:
To subscribe to the Embassy of Japan in the UK webmagazine, please email webmagazine@ld.mofa.go.jp with the subject ‘subscribe’.
Ishinomaki presents Anderson family with certificate of appreciation
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Posted to Facebook by AJET Chair Matt Cook (Osaka), who was in attendance:
“Ishinomaki city’s mayor presents Taylor Anderson’s family with a certificate of appreciation. To say this memorial was moving doesn’t do it justice.”
