Job: Charter Manager, Puget Sound Coach Lines (Seattle)
Jobs 
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Puget Sound Coach Lines (PSCL) consists of two departments, the Charter Bus Department and the Inbound Tour Department. We are looking for a person who can oversee the Charter Bus Department
1) Office Skills
*Basic computer & good communication skills, especially with clients.
*Document management with strong attention to details for such things as:
-setting up tour files
-drivers’ drug tests
-drivers’ log books (applicant must be a detail-oriented person who can handle a large amount of
paperwork)
*Daily dispatching & coordinating drivers/charter buses.
2) Oversee drivers & mechanics (mechanical background/skills a big plus!)
This position is not a typical 9-5 job. Applicants must be willing to work off-hours, weekends & willing to be on-call. Salary will be based on experience, though the starting salary starts at $2,500 – $3,000.
Applicants may send a resume by email to: tky_yasuda@msn. com. No inquiries please.
Job: Front Desk Manager, PAX-Program of Academic Exchange
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Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via Elizabeth Bass
The PAX-Program of Academic Exchange is currently seeking a front desk manager. PAX is a non-profit international educational foundation that facilitates high school exchange programs located in Port Chester, NY, just a few steps away from the Metro North Station. We are looking for a bright, energetic individual for this entry level opportunity in downtown Port Chester, NY. Responsibilities are varied and include, but not limited to, reception desk work, data entry, mailing, ordering and other administrative tasks. The ideal candidate is well organized, detail orientated with a can- do attitude. Must have excellent computer skills and knowledge of standard office equipment. Room for ample growth – most of our receptionists have been promoted to program assistants as soon as there is an opening. Wonderful way to learn more about working with international programs and to do something that especially values your JET experiences!
Salary is 25K plus full benefits after 3 months.
To apply email cover letter & resume to: michaels@pax.org
To view the full job posting, go to: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/383060-181
Tom Baker reviews two books on the game industry
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/. He usually writes for DYWeekend, the paper’s arts and leisure section. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
Recently he rerviewed two books on the video game business, “Fun Inc” and “Nintendo Magic.” Here’s an excerpt:
Even if you aren’t into video games, you may already be into video games. A major theme of two new books on the subject is that game technology is now so omnipresent that even people who don’t consider themselves gamers are using it.
“Games have long been one of the world’s most important engines for computing innovation–along with, more recently, the mobile phone,” writes British journalist Tom Chatfield in Fun Inc.
“It’s largely thanks to the ever-evolving ambitions of game designers that modern computers have a DVD drive, a graphics card, decent sound capability, a staggering amount of RAM, a large colour monitor, and so on.”
User interface is one area in which game developers are especially driven to improve. People may put up with hard-to-use accounting software because they need it for work, but no one has to play a video game.
“For a long time, we’ve made things that are fundamentally useless,” Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is quoted as saying in Nintendo Magic, by Japanese journalist Osamu Inoue. “People won’t endure inconvenience that they don’t have to endure. They won’t read your instruction manual. If something is hard to understand, it’s entirely the maker’s fault. If they can’t figure out a videogame in five minutes…that’s the end of it.”
Read the rest of the review here.
Job: Translator needed
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NOTE: Kay reports that they have received many capable applicants via JetWit and are no longer accepting applications.
Job posting by Lauren Sethney (Niigata-shi CIR, 2000-2003). Lauren serves as the Program Director at the Japan-America Society in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Via Kay Ohara, Kodansha Ltd.
Kodansha is seeking a Japanese-to-English translator for the iBook edition of Natsuhiko Kyogoku’s new novel, Shineba Iinoni. The project details are as follows:
-400 pages, much of it is dialogue.
-Deadline: Aug. 10
-Fee: approx. $7,500, rights cannot be retained by the translator
WIT Life #99: Japan Day
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Reception at the residence of Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya (front left), accompanied by his lovely wife Yukiko and the author on her right
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 heavens held out for this year’s Japan Day, despite the forecast of impending showers. I was at the residence of Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya on the Friday night before the event, and he assured all the guests that it would not be raining come Sunday. Sure enough, there was a huge amount of humidity but the skies were clear. The Ambassador himself made multiple appearances through the day, initially at the four mile run in Central Park that kicked off the event. I was one of the participants, and was happy to see him dressed as a samurai greeting runners as we began the race. Later in the day he was still in costume and made his way through the throngs of people attending the festivities in the East Meadow.
A new aspect of this year’s event, its fourth holding, was a samurai parade. This procession, led by the band from the NYPD, included Read More
Jobs: Multiple Positions at American Airlines
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IT Object Oriented Analyst (Dallas/Tokyo)
Prospective hires will have the opportunity to work at Dallas and/or Tokyo. Contact Erik Pedido (erik.pedido@aa.com) for more information
Reservations Sales Representative FT- Japanese Speaking (Cary, North Carolina)
How to Apply: Visit this link, https://amairlines.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1001143
Information Technology Specialist (Japanese/ English) – (Dallas, Texas)
Looking for qualified fulltime technology professionals with skill sets in one of the following disciplines: Project management, network engineering, security engineering, hardware engineering, software architecture, and software development. The Information Technology Specialist must be willing to handle multiple tasks and push them to completion in a dynamic work environment, and must have the aptitude to understand and become fluent with AA’s complex IT environment. The successful candidate must be fluent in Japanese and English and will act as technical counterpart / liaison with our Japanese speaking alliance partners.
How to Apply: Visit this link, https://amairlines.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1001266
Job Program Manager, Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia Business School (NYC)
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The Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business supports, sponsors and promotes thought leadership and frontier research on topics related to the global economy and business, and serves as the focal point for Columbia Business School’s major international programs and initiatives.
Job Duties:
1. Manage and develop the Chazen Institute’s Language Programs, coordinate with campus and external language vendors, administer assessment surveys to ensure student satisfaction.
2. Manage the Chazen Institute’s Visiting Scholars Program; respond to inquiries, process visa applications, provide orientation, and serve as the primary contact for faculty and administrators throughout the School.
3. Manage and coordinate all logistics pertaining to the Chazen Institute’s conferences, symposia, lectures and special events.
4. Manage and develop international orientations in concert with the Office of Student Affairs.
5. Manage the Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Latin America Program in coordination with Columbia Business School’s Deming Center for Quality, Productivity and Competitiveness.
6. Serve as one of two administrative advisors to the International Student Advisory Board.
7. Support the academic and executive directors in their various functions, work on additional projects as assigned and share in the responsibilities of other staff members as a flexible team player
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree and/or its equivalent required. Minimum two years’ related experience in program and event planning preferred. The incumbent must be a proven team player, able to work cooperatively in small groups as well as independently with changing priorities and multiple responsibilities. Must be pro-active with excellent organizational and communication skills, acute attention to detail and computer literate. Must exercise tact and discretion when interacting with international faculty, administrators, leaders in academia, business, and with students. Cultural sensitivity required. International experience preferred.
Candidates must submit cover letter and resume through the following website: http://hr.columbia.edu/jobs
Job: Administrative Assistant, Consulate General of Japan at Chicago
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The Consulate General of Japan at Chicago is seeking an Administrative Assistant.
Key Responsibilities:
Maintain calendar and phones
Handle contact list and correspondance
Prepare simple documents including letters
Prepare materials for events
Administrative duties for General Affairs
General office responsibilities, including Japan-related inquiries and correspondence
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree Japanese and English language ability
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal S
trong computer skills (Microsoft Office, Outlook, Access etc.)
Superior attention to detail Experience living in Japan or working in a Japanese environment strongly preferred
For more information about working hours and how to apply for the position, visit http://www.chicago.us.emb-japan.go.jp/about/news/GAjobopening.html
By JQ Magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his NY Japanese Culture page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.
It’s the return of a modern tradition as Japan Day @ Central Park 2010 hits the East Meadow Sunday. With an array of free family-friendly and traditional activities, samplings of popular cuisine and powerful stage performances featuring entertainers from Tokyo and New York, this year’s festivities are expected to top the estimated 45,000 New Yorkers drawn to last year’s Japan Day.
Continuing in the custom of previous years, the day kicks off with the four-mile Japan Run mini-marathon at 8 a.m., followed by the Japanese Day Festival in the East Meadow at 10 a.m. with the unveiling of all activity tents and the main stage show. The year 2010 is especially promising—it marks the 150th anniversary of the first Japanese diplomatic mission to New York—and there will be special activities to celebrate this historic milestone.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
The Big Bubble Battle (Bart II)
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates his own blog, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States. He also maintains the “Bankruptcy Legal Topics,” and, “Bankruptcy Billables,” sections for Steven Horowitz’s Bankruptcy Bill.
Higher education costs more each year, but if a law school is just a bunch of classrooms, a library, and faculty, why is attending it so much more expensive? Place your bets on who will win the final bout of the Big Bubble Battle before clicking!
Jobs: Two openings at Densho (Seattle)
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Editor, Online Encyclopedia
Densho is seeking a full-time tech-savvy individual with deep content knowledge in Japanese American history to help create the content for a brand new online encyclopedia about the World War II Japanese American experience. This person will coordinate and oversee the work of writers, proofers, photo editors, and scholars of Japanese American history. The ideal candidate will be an excellent writer and editor, have a strong background in Japanese American history, understand web technology, and possess excellent communication and project management skills. Health, dental, and vision benefits are available. Budgeted starting annual salary is $50,000.
Web Developer
Densho is seeking a full-time web developer to help create the next-generation of Densho websites. The initial project of the web developer will be to design and create a brand new online encyclopedia about the World War II Japanese American experience. This person will incorporate the work of content specialists and graphic designers into a scalable, database-driven website that is easy to update and maintain. Other projects for the web developer include updating Densho’s SQL Server database and the web applications running off of this database. The ideal candidate will have strong project management skills and experience programming in C#, ASP.NET, and SQL or equivalent programming languages. Health, dental, and vision benefits are available. Budgeted starting annual salary is $50,000.
WIT Life #98: 鳩山おろし
Anecdote Article, Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life Comments Off on WIT Life #98: 鳩山おろし
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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.
This morning’s news was buzzing with the announcement that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will be stepping down from his position. This makes him the fourth PM in four years to quit, a statistic that will likely lead to some self-reflection in Japan. The 2 main reasons cited for his resignation were 1) 普天間問題 (Futenma mondai or the fate of the Futenma Marine Corps Air base on Okinawa) and 2) 政府と金 (seifu to kane or government and money, the investigations being carried out regarding Hatoyama’s political financing).
As for the former, Hatoyama directly apologized to Okinawans for his waffling on the matter and the loss of faith he had caused as a result. When on the street interviews were conducted with Okinawa residents, the response was largely one of disappointment and regret that Hatoyama was cutting and running. In terms of the latter, Hatoyama pledged to “return to a DPJ that separates government and money and to deal with the issue properly.”
The title of this post is 鳩山おろし (Hatoyama oroshi or “Down with Hatoyama”), referring to Read More
Theatre de Moon is casting for “Kutsukake Tokijiro ～a Makaroni Western～”, Benefit Staged Reading Performance.
We are seeking actors who are interested in our newly translated Japanese play.
As we had a success of the studio performance in June, 2009, we are keep on going this production to make a Off-Off-Broadway theatre.
To make it possible, we’ll have a Benefit Staged Reading Performance on July 31st.
The play by both in Japanese and English.
Please bring your monologue for audition.
This is for the Benefit Performance, however, there might be a chance for casting for the Off-Off-Broadway production in near future.
To make your reservation for audition. Please send us email:kurotama@cybercap.com
- Date:Thursday, June 3rd
- Time:6pm-10pm
- Place:CRS- 123 4th Ave., 2nd FL(between 12th&13th St.)
- New York, NY10003
- Play:Kutsukake Tokijiro
- Playwright:Shin Hasegawa
- Director:Jun Kim
- Translator:Keiko Tsuneda
- Music:Ryo Yoshimata
- Choreography:Kayoko Sakoh
- Benefit Staged Reading Performance:July 31st, 6pm-10pm
- Rehearsal Schedule:starts from June, weekends in June and July. Additional rehearsals in mid July.
- Tech & Dress rehearsal:July 30th, 5pm-10pm
- No pay
- www.kurotamakikaku.com
J-DOC: Japanese Proficiency Exam – What’s Changed, and How to Handle It
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J-DOC, C-DOC, and K-DOC are recurring features written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based 
language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese, Chinese, and Korean language learning options.
Japanese Class listing can be found at: Japanese Classes
Whether you’re a new student for the Japanese Proficiency Exam or have taken it in the past, the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) in 2010 has changed. Consequently, how to study and handle the exam has also changed. This article will discuss the history of the exam and why changes were brought about, what’s new about the Japanese Proficiency Test for 2010, and how to best study to pass the JLPT.
The reason why the test was changed in 2010 was test takers and school administrators were complaining…
(Click JLPT 2010 for the rest of the article)
WIT Life #97: Anko obsessed
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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.
For those of you who have been faithful readers of my blog, you probably have a sense of the sweet tooth that I have, especially regarding 和菓子(wagashi). This is something known well by those closest to me, as well as those looking for the fastest way into my heart :) My birthday was this past weekend, and my friends came through with flying colors in terms of satisfying my cravings for something sweet.
I celebrated my birthday with dinner at Koiso, the best Japanese restaurant in NY (and I’m not saying that just because I used to waitress there!). It is a truly authentic family-run joint where regulars dominate the clientele, and there are always multiple conversations taking place in Japanese. Taisho (the sushi chef), gets his supplies from the Freeport Fish Market, and he always lets customers know what fish are the freshest that day. Omakase (leaving it in the hands of the master) is definitely the way to go for the best sushi/sashimi!
Taisho’s wife Kyoko-san is the waitress and all-around life of Koiso, and the warmest woman you will ever want to meet. For my birthday, she had all of my favorites prepared. As you can see in the picture on the right resembling an anko trifecta, she made me a generous portion of Read More
