Paid Internship: News Writers at Bloomberg (Tokyo)
Jobs 
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This listing came from Journalism Jobs.
Bloomberg News, one of the world’s leading financial news wire services and media organizations, is looking for interns at their Tokyo bureau for the summer. Interns work for 10 weeks and are paid.
ROLES:
- Reporting and writing
- Contributing to coverage of financial markets, companies and economies.
- Producing breaking news stories under deadline pressure.
- Responsibilities may also include monitoring other media and writing spot features.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies/Mass Comms or any equivalent experience is required
- Interest in financial markets, companies and economies
- Prior reporting experience is essential
- Prior experience working in a real-time news environment is desirable
- Ability to work within a team under deadline pressure
- Fluency in English and Japanese is preferred
- Applicants must be available to work for 10 weeks program in Jul/Aug 2010
HOW TO APPLY: Apply directly on their website here.
Other openings include a bilingual receptionist at the Tokyo bureau, customer service representatives and technical service representatives.
Job: Web Account Manager for Coach Japan (NYC)
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This job listing came from Media Bistro, a career blog and listing site for media jobs.
The luxury brand COACH is looking for a bilingual web producer to manage and maintain their online presence, especially the Japanese language copy on their site, at their offices in New York City.
ROLES
- Work closely with the Interactive Creative Director, NY Creative and Production Teams, and Coach Japan business partners to identify, develop and define creative business solutions.
- Act as primary liaison between Creative Services & the Coach Japan business team.
- Implement and improve the maintenance, traffic, communications, translation, and approvals system for Japan and International.
- Manage the day to day/monthly maintenance and updates of the Coach Japan website and assist with US projects.
- Project manage and drive strategic initiatives (US, Japan and select International).
- Communicate project status and schedules to all key stakeholders.
- Update Project Lists with key dates, progress & team leaders weekly.
- Request and distribute creative brief for all site enhancements and emails from Coach.com business team.
- Analyze project requirements, develop iteration plan, and assess opportunities for future growth and maintenance.
- Partner with merchants on monthly page updates and with vendors for implementation on the website.
- Manage the creative production of emails.
- Work closely with art director to provide all creative information.
- Distribute priority list and confirm feasibility of schedules with art director.
- Ensure projects and project milestones are delivered to agreed timelines, budgets and quality levels.
- Order all art and catalog PDFs through production and confirm that art director has all recent/accurate art.
- Partner with copywriter to obtain and review copy.
- Prepare all website/email copy for translator.
- Partner with merchants on monthly page updates and with vendors for implementation on the website.
- Route layouts through Creative Services and Coach.com business team for final approval and ensure deadlines are met. Schedule approval meetings as necessary.
- Attend strategy/brainstorm meetings and contribute ideas for site enhancements.
- Manage budget where appropriate.
QUALIFICATIONS
HOW TO APPLY? Apply directly online at Media Bistro.
Tom Baker writes about umami, food science
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. A big part of his beat is the Pop Culture page, which covers manga, anime and video games. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
He also writes about food. Here is a recent article about a food science exhibition currently running at Tokyo’s Miraikan museum. The latter half of the story focuses in on the scientific-culinary concept of umami, often called the“fifth taste”:
How many calories are there in a 500-milliliter bottle of a zero-calorie soft drink? If you guessed zero, you might be right. But the correct answer could be as high as 24. This is one of the many fun facts visitors can learn at “It’s a Tasty World–Food Science Now,” an exhibition running through March 22 at the Miraikan science museum in Odaiba, Tokyo. Under Japanese law, according to a display debunking food myths at the show, a drink is “zero calorie” as long as it has less than five calories per 100 milliliters. (A note on vocabulary: A “calorie” and a “kilocalorie” are the same thing.)
Other displays include sniffable containers of food scents, which you can mix to create new aromas; videos of food processing factories, where plump onions comically pirouette on industrial peelers; and a glowing green tank of euglena, a photosynthetic microorganism seen as a promising future food source. Too bad its Japanese name, midori mushi–green bug–isn’t exactly appetizing….
Read the rest of the article here.
Tom Baker interviews “Coraline” Oscar nominee
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. A big part of his beat is the Pop Culture page, which covers manga, anime and video games. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
He also writes about movies. Here is his interview with stop-motion animator Henry Selick, whose film “Coraline” is a nominee for best animated feature in the Academy Awards to be presented on March 7:
When the nominees for best animated feature film are read out at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood next month, there will be one computer-graphic animated film (Up), two traditional 2-D animated films (The Princess and the Frog and The Secret of Kells) and two stop-motion films (Fantastic Mr. Fox and Coraline).
“I feel very lucky to have lived long enough to still be making films in this era,” Coraline director Henry Selick told The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo last week. His two previous features, Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996) came out before the Oscars introduced an animated feature category in 2001.
Coraline has already won several other prizes, including an Annie animation award for Japanese production designer Tadahiro Uesugi.
Coraline, based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, is the story of a young girl who discovers a secret passage to an alternate universe where all the things that annoy her in the real world have been changed. But like a gingerbread house in a fairy tale, this seemingly delightful place turns out to be a trap from which she must escape.
Read the rest of the article here.
Tom Baker reviews “Uncharted” video games
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. A big part of his beat is the Pop Culture page, which covers manga, anime and video games. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
Here is his latest video game review, of “Uncharted” and “Uncharted 2” which Sony recently released as a box set in Japan:
My pal Nate is such a great guy that he keeps hanging out with me despite the fact that I’ve gotten him killed hundreds of times, usually by explosions, gunfire or plunges from cliffs. It’s a good thing he’s made out of pixels, or this relationship would be a lot harder on both of us.
Digital though he may be, Nathan Drake, the lead character in the Sony PlayStation 3 video games Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2007) and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009), is so lifelike and likeable that it is not unusual for players to think of him as someone who really exists.
The two games, re-released Feb. 18 as a 7,980 yen box set, are swashbuckling adventures from the Indiana Jones school in which our hero and a few friends hunt for treasure in exotic locales while fighting off gangsters and pirates who are also after the loot. And also as in Jones’ world, events take a paranormal turn once the treasure is uncovered…
Read the rest of the review here.
Ask Dr. Muse-Life Coach: Time & Money
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Many JETs and JET alumni find themselves at a crossroads regarding their careers and career options. Nicole D. Mignone (Akita-ken, 1991-1993), a certified life coach, will be periodically posting articles for the benefit of the JET Community. You can read more of her life-related articles at her blog thealchemyofbalance.blogspot.com. She also offers individual life and business coaching. For more information, email Nicole at drmuse@jetwit.com.
Dear Dr. Muse:
I don’t have time for all these creative exercises you post and I can’t afford to leave my current job, what can I do? B.B., Texas
Dear B.B.:
A common lament even from people who love their current jobs is that they want more time but cannot give up their current income level . Your question may involve several underlying issues. First, ensure you have accurate information regarding your current financial situation. Do you have a budget and understand exactly how much money you need to live responsibly now and in the future? Understanding your money now empowers you so that life does not force you to understand it later [with harsher consequences, usually]. The internet offers many resources for self education on this topic.
This information allows you to strategically plan for a job search or transition and aim higher for salary and job satisfaction. Also, pay attention and be responsible for the words you choose to characterize your life. If you find yourself stating you cannot afford something, an internal alarm should sound. We can afford the things in life we truly need and want; we allocate our resources—time and money—toward what we value. Finally, evaluate whether this statement hinders you from having what you want and challenge its veracity.
A second issue concerns the scarce resource of time. If you operate from a premise that you can make more money but not time, you may assess your life differently. What would you like time for? How do you currently spend your time in a day? Can you adjust something and make time to plan a change in your life? Again, we spend our money and time on what we value, so what we really want we find a way. If you really do want time to plan and do these things, you will find time. If not, then investigate other ways to shift your thinking around your current job.
Finally, this type of question often arises when people are stressed and in “survival” mode. During times like this, it may be helpful to first assess your lifestyle and health before embarking on big changes. Get enough sleep, exercise, and choose to take care of your health so you have a clear mind and energy to do the things you want. I hope this was helpful.
If you want to expand on any of these areas, email me with questions.
Like hiring a personal trainer to reach your fitness goals, a personal life coach can assist you to attain your personal goals. You may write the Muse with any coaching questions, or inquiries into life coaching options on a one-time or ongoing basis at drmuse@jetwit.com.
Tom Baker’s review of “Ooku” manga
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. A big part of his beat is the Pop Culture page, which covers manga, anime and video games. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
Here is his latest manga review, of Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga:
With its shrinking population, chronically depressed birthrate and rising average age, Japan is fated for major social changes in the fairly near future. How that will play out remains to be seen, but Fumi Yoshinaga’s manga series Ooku: The Inner Chamber is an example of how popular art can tap
into real-world social anxieties.
Ooku is set in an alternate-history Japan that also faces a demographic crisis, but of a different type. In the 1630s, a mysterious epidemic called Redface Pox kills 75 percent of Japan’s men, while leaving women physically unharmed.
The disease lingers, the gender imbalance never rights itself, and Japanese society comes to resemble a colony of bees or ants, in which the large female majority does every kind of work while the male minority are seen as delicate creatures valued only for their “seed.”
With women forced to share the limited supply of men, the institution of marriage largely disappears, as only a rich woman can keep a husband all to herself. The wealthiest and most powerful woman of all is the shogun, who keeps a crowded male harem in the innermost chambers–the Ooku–of Edo Castle…
Read the rest of the review here.
WIT Life #79: After the testimony
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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.
A thought-provoking article in Salon regarding Japanese reactions at home to President Akio Toyoda’s Congressional testimony and apology to dealers. It describes how the populace was moved by him getting choked up when addressing the latter, but also that the Japanese can be fickle in their acclaim for someone. I found it interesting as I am currently traveling as an interpreter for a seven-person group of political aides, and they are overwhelming in their opinion that Japan is getting the short end of the stick regarding this situation.
At one dinner they expressed difficulty in understanding Read More
Roland Kelts sought as commentator on Toyota by major media outlets
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If you’ve been following Toyota’s problems of late, then you may have also noticed JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, popping up a lot as a commentator.
He recently appeared on ABC’s World News Tonight. And even more recently he was commissioned to write an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor to clarify some of the vast cultural misreadings evident in the Congressional Toyota/Toyoda hearings.
- Toyota and trust: Was the Akio Toyoda apology lost in translation? Stung by Toyota recalls, Toyoda had to convey sincerity – and bridge the gulf in communication styles between Japan and America. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0225/Toyota-and-trust-Was-the-Akio-Toyoda-apology-lost-in-translation
- Roland is also quoted in this AP article on Toyota: “Toyota President Battles Crisis in Family Company“ http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/02/19/toyota_president_battles_crisis_in_family_company/?page=full
And addressed the topic of Toyota in an interesting way in his recent Daily Yomiuri column on The Super Bowl, Toyota, Anime and Hollywood:
- SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS / Anime must eventually transcend Japan ‘national’ brand http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100219TDY11003.htm
And if you’re looking for commentary on non-Toyota topics, then you can listen to Roland’s recent appearance on NPR discussing a wild relic of Japanese popular culture, a viral video of Japanese ‘Jazz Opera,’ produced in 1986 by Tamori, the great comedian:
Mansfield Fellowship in Japan
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Via JETAA DC President Michelle Spezzacatena:
Mansfield Fellowship in Japan
Federal employees with a strong career interest in issues of importance to the U.S.-Japan relationship now have the opportunity to apply for a Mike Mansfield Fellowship.
During the two-year program, Fellows spend a year working full-time in Japanese government offices, preceded by a year of full-time rigorous language and area studies training in the United States. After completing the program, Fellows return to their U.S. agencies with proficiency in Japanese and practical, firsthand experience with Japan and its government that enables them to contribute to their agencies’ Japan-related work.
For more information about the Fellowships, information sessions in Washington, D.C., and application guidelines, please visit www.mansfieldfdn.org or contact Ms. Sara Seavey, Program Assistant, Mansfield Fellowship Program at 202-347-1994 or sseavey@mansfieldfdn.org.
Application deadline: April 1, 2010.
The Mansfield Fellowship Program is administered by The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, as grantor.
New England JETAA Career Workshop: “Marketing Yourself in a Tough Economy” – March 2
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New England JETAA Career Workshop: “Marketing Yourself in a Tough Economy”
Make sure to RSVP to president [at] nejetaa.com!
When: Tuesday, March 02, 3:00PM – 6:00PM (This coming week!)
Where: Downtown Crossing, Borders Bookstore, Robert M. Morgan Conference Room
Map: Borders Boston Map (near Downtown Crossing T station): http://bit.ly/%20BordersDTX
Cost: Free! (There will also be some free food)
Highlights:
We will get a pep talk from Professor Ian Condry of MIT about how to use your JET experience to further your career.
We will have a discussion with people in several different industries in which you may have interest:
*Translation
*Academia
*Teaching
*Entrepreneurial/ Non-profit
*Biotechnology
There will be a resume workshop. Bring some copies of your resume to trade with others and help each other out! The more eyes you have looking at your resume, the more ways you’ll be able to improve it. We will also have a discussion on resume dos and don’ts.
We will adjourn to a nearby bar/restaurant afterward for informal networking and relaxing. This is a great way to meet new people and
discuss your career.
Finally, for those who cannot attend the event but have some career-related wisdom/advice they would like to pass on, please send an email to webmaster [at] nejetaa.com. We’ll make sure to share your comments with our attendees at the end of the workshop.
Here’s your chance to get some JET-specific advice in your quest to career-up!
Thanks for your attention, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Submit your “Shin” photos for the JETAA Toronto Photo Exhibit – March 6
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The JETAA Toronto photo exhibit, entitled ‘shin‘ for the Japanese symbol for “new,” is our way of marking the start of a decade.
What symbolizes shin?
Perhaps it’s a picture that sums up the way everything felt new to you in Japan when you first arrived. A festival, a ritual, a small cultural difference. Or perhaps it’s a Japan-inspired photo taken back home in Canada that shows the old in a new light.
Selected works will be exhibited March 6 at the Gladstone Art Bar, where we will also have a deejay spinning tracks throughout the night.
Come join us as we celebrate the memories of our time in Japan and enjoy the good music. Drinks will be available on site.
Date: Saturday March 6, 2010
Event: Shin Photo Exhibit: Japan-inspired works by former JET’s
Location: Gladstone Art Bar, 1214 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON, Canada See map
Website: Toronto JETAA Homepage http://toronto.jetaa.ca/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26
Time: 7 p.m. until the bar’s closing time Cost: $5 entrance fee
Job: English teaching position at Speak Up (Iwate)
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Via Iwateminions Yahoo group:
Speak Up conversation school is looking for an English teacher to start in late May. Working hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 8.30/9 pm. Pay is 250,000 yen /month. Paid holidays include Golden Week, Obon, and the New Year, plus 7 additional days/year. If the teacher wanted to work four days a week, or some time off in the summer, that could be arranged also.
Students range from 4 to 80 years old. Classes have a size limit of 6 students. The instructor will be required to teach a small company class off-site about 2 times a week. A driver’s license is recommended. Teaching materials are available but teachers are encouraged to develop their own resources as well. There is considerable freedom regarding what and how you teach.
An apartment is not provided but taking over the departing instructor’s apartment may be an option. Sponsorship for a working visa is available. Applicants will be considered immediately as Speak Up is looking to fill this position as soon as possible to facilitate visa sponsorship.
Interested applicants should contact Phil Williams ASAP at phil_speakup (at) yahoo (dot) com.
JETAA Chapter Beat 2.25.10
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community for another edition of JETAA Chapter Beat.
- Hinamatsuri Workshop – Saturday, February 27th, 1:00 at the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center. Anne Cox, a scholar of Hinamatsuri for 30 years, will be heading a workshop on the Japanese Girls’ Day festival. Come and learn about traditional dolls and have the chance to make a pair of your own Hinamatsuri dolls.
- Nihongo Dake Brunch – Sunday, February 28th, 11:30 at Cafe Atlantico. Practice your Japanese and meet new people at this relaxed Sunday get together.
- Family Okonomiyaki BBQ – Sunday, February 28th, 11:30 at Synergy Parkland in Kings Park. Free BBQ and soft drinks in the park, as well as dessert and watermelon provided by the Consulate General. Spend the day outdoors and catch up with old friends.
- Nihongo Dake Dinner – Saturday, February 27th, 6:00 in San Gabriel. Dust off those rusty Japanese skills and come out for a night of food, friends and Japanese conversation.
- Networking Event with Lighthouse San Diego Magazine – Tuesday, March 2nd, 6:30 at Jasmine Seafood Restaurant in San Diego. Check out this chance to meet with local Japanese business leaders.
- Income Tax Seminar – Saturday, February 27th, 3:30 to 5:00 at the Japan Information Center. Bring a pen, paper and your questions on tax issues as the guys at JETAANC are offering to help out JET alumni with questions about filling their taxes after returning from Japan.
- SF Nomikai Happy Hour – Thursday, March 4th, 6:00 at Gordon Biersch. This event is being cohosted by GEOS, so come on out and share in the good times.
- O-Shaberikai – Wednesday, March 3rd, 5:30 at the Holy Grail in Civic. Join in and meet Japanese people living in Canberra and other locals interested in Japan.
- Happy Hour – Thursday, February 25th, 6:00 at the Rustic Kitchen. Come in from the cold and share a drink with friends old and new.
- Nihongo Dake Lunch – Sunday, February 28th, 1:00 at Fuji in Quincy. Enjoy sushi and brush up on that Japanese with the gang at JETAANE.
- Career Workshop – Tuesday, March 2nd, 3:00 to 6:00 NEJETAA will be holding it’s career workshop for JET alumni. This year’s theme is, “Marketing Yourself in a Tough Economy,” so come on out and get a leg up on that new career. Location to be announced.
- JETAA Winter Ball – Saturday, February 27th, 7:00 at the Grange Holborn Hotel. Champagne, a three course meal and a disco with a live DJ make this event one not to be missed. Check it out.
- Orlando Yakiniku and Karaoke – Friday, February 26th, 8:00 at the Shin Jung Korean Restaurant in Orlando. Join the gang in Orlando for a night out and start the weekend off right.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just contact Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
Japanese Events New York City – Nihongo Dake Dinner
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The Nihongo Dake Dinner is one of the few regular Japanese events in New York City designed to bring both Japanese and non-native Japanese speakers together. Currently run by Jon Hills for JETAANY (http://jetaany.org/), he’s also the founder of Hills Learning (http://www.hillslearning.com), a language school based in Grand Central, New York City.
The event usually numbers around 20 people, and is designed to be half Japanese, half non-native Japanese speakers. The Japanese participants come from all industries and backgrounds, from JETRO and JLGC to Mitsui and Nomura. There are also Japanese who are artists, recruiters, volunteers and students.
- Nihongo Dake Dinner – 02/23/10
The past event held at the Congee Restaurant in Chinatown was a mix of languages, intimacy and fun. As mentioned before, the typical attendance for the Nihongo Dake Dinners is about 20, quite a number for a Japanese language speaking event in New York. This past event only housed 7 people, pushing all participants to try their Japanese skills and get to know each other a little better. Also thanks to our Chinese American participant Ann, we had Chinese translation when ordering and handling the bill.
If you’re involved in the JET organization please be open to signing up for future Nihongo Dake Dinners. If you know someone from JET and would like to go as a friend of JET, it’s also possible to attend. Japanese people who would like to meet English native speakers who have an interest in Japanese are also encouraged to attend. As one of the best Japanese Events in New York City, it’s an event that can’t be missed!
