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Another post from my brother Greg on TheDigitalists.com about innovations amongst the unemployed that may offer helpful perspective to JET alums seeking work.
In this post he compares two efforts to deal with unemployment: Runway Project and Laid-Off Camp.
The positive spin on this development is that the advent of social media has made it easier for like-minded individuals to organize effectively. The more pessimistic view is that, unlike at the beginning of this decade, when a lot of young people experienced temporary career setbacks after spending the previous few years outpacing their qualifications, this downturn is likely to be far more lasting and transformative, and if people are going to reinvent themselves professionally, they better get started immediately; they don’t have time to “just hang out.”
Click here to read the full post.
Let’s Sento!
Events, JETAA Chapter Beat, JETAA Chapters 
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JETAA DC recently announced an upcoming sento event at SpaWorld, a Korean bath place in the D.C. area. JETAA NY will also be doing a similar event at the SpaWorld located in Queens. Are there any other chapters doing sento or onsen type events?
Here’s the JETAA DC announcement:
Hey guys, Just a friendly reminder for those of you who want to come with us to Sento, please RSVP by tomorrow.
http://www.facebook .com/n/?event. php&eid=68174107 128&mid=207e87G1 e50db98G3fbc3b9G 7
Thank you.
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Remember in Japan how the news would show the hanami progressing across the country, akin to a weather forecast? U.S. geography isn’t quite as conducive to that approach, and I can’t really picture any local news channels taking that approach anyway. But now JetWit is providing you with the next best thing:
The JETAA Hanami Forecast
JetWit has the unique, gaijin-riffic superpower to forecast the progression of hanami throughout the U.S. based on the scheduling of JETAA chapter hanami events! Here’s what’s on tap so far. Don’t see your chapter’s event listed? Email jetwit at jetwit dot com and let us know.
Sunday, April 5
- JETAA Northern California – 11:00 am – Garden Gate Park, Speedway Meadow
- JETAA Philly (NY subchapter) – 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Fairmount Park Horticulture Center (Ambassador Nishimiya, who will be replacing Ambassador Sakurai starting in April, will attend and speak)
Job: Product Planning Manager – Portland, OR
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Via Adecco USA. See the full job listing here. (Have a job listing you want posted on JetWit? E-mail joblistings at jetwit dot com.)
Our client, an internationally recognized Japanese company with offices located in the greater Portland, Oregon area, is seeking an experienced Product Planning Manager
Overview:
Under the direction of the Sr. Product Planning Manager, plan, develop and promote new mobile communication products for the US market. Monitor, analyze and report on current US mobile communication products, technology trends, and customer needs. Work with our client’s US and Japanese teams to promote an understanding and appreciation of necessary US-specific product features so as to influence US product direction. Establish and maintain strong communication ties with product engineering, sales division, carrier customers and business and technology partners. Act as a resource to other Sharp groups by assisting with execution of activities associated with the launching and promotion of new products.
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Job: Experienced translators of literary works (also seeking financial translators)
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Please include your rates, including volume discounts, additional charges for scans, etc. where applicable.
We also continue to seek competent financial translators, with experience in handling IR disclosures and annual reports. Agencies are also welcome to submit rates and sample projects.
Shortlisted candidates may be subject to a trial, in cases where potential work is available in their field.
Many thanks,
C. Lyall
Modis Design
JetWit BlogBeat by Crystal Wong
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JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni. Crystal is a formerEnglish-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works as a media planner in Chelsea and sorely misses all her favorite midtown ramen joints.
As she job hunts while at work, current Fukui-ken JET Jody Godoy reflects on why she is leaving a secure job with great benefits during these unpredictable times.
Missing your J-TV? Jamie Patterson shows us Key Hole TV, a way to get your lo-fi Japanese TV fix online.
Interesting post from Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-2004), author of Zorgamazoo, about the relationship between the giant server farms used to power the Internet and global warming. Might going back to paper someday be the greener way to go?
New JETAA NY Officers
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JETAA NY just announced that the election process for the officer positions effective April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010 is complete. Omedetou gozaimasu to the new officers for JETAA NY.
President: Megan Miller
Vice President: Monica Yuki
Secretary: Amber Liang
Treasurer: Kelly Nixon
JETAA Orange County – Bowling and Dinner this Sunday
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Via JETAA Southern California’s Orange County subchapter:
Here’s the info for this Sunday. The plan is to bowl a couple of games at the Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley then dinner at Ebisu afterwards just down the street. And whoever is interested in a nijiikai, karaoke is right there a couple doors down.
I’m holding this event so alumni who live in Orange County who have not been able to attend any events held by the major alumni association have something to go to and hang out with fellow alumni and meet others in the area. I also hope this gives a chance for any new members who recently return to attend. Basically, let’s just get together and have some fun. Read More
JETAA NY Meishi Exchange tonight
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MEISHI EXCHANGE Thursday, March 19 at 7pm Come join JETAANY for the biggest networking/social event of the year. Meet fellow JET alums, their friends, and co-workers. We have rented out the 2nd floor of Aja; the very chic Asian fusion restaurant in the West Village . Don’t forget to bring your business cards. We are giving away many great prizes this year.
Aja http://www.aja-asianbistro.com/ 432 Sixth Avenue (between 9th and 10th) Subway: West 4th A, B, C, D, E, F, V or Christopher Street1, 2, 3
Admission: JET alums: free admission including 2 free drink tickets & hors d’oeuvres. Friends of JET and guests: $10. Includes 2 drink tickets & passed hors d’oeuvres.
Photo/art contest: All are welcome to join. Fabulous prize for the winner! Theme: “Story Through a Picture” Work should reflect a Japanese theme through photography, drawing, or painting. Size: 5×7 to 8×10; One entry per person.
Questions: contact Monica at social at jetaany dot org
Thanks to JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for sharing this info for the benefit of all the Utada fans out there. Oh, and stay tuned for Justin’s exclusive, in-person interview with Utada-san in the Spring 2009 issue of JQ.
Utada will be appearing at the following Sephora Locations:
Sephora Hollywood & Highland
Tuesday, March 24 – 6-8PM
6801 – Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Sephora 5th Avenue
Wednesday, March 25 – 6pm-8pm
597 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Sephora South Beach
Friday, March 27 – 7-9pm
721 Collins Ave
Miami, FL 33139
More info at http://utada.com/news/default.aspx?nid=1698
By translator and writer Jamie Graves (Saitama-Ken 2002-2003)
The Google Honyaku group has a great discussion going on trying to pin down exactly what physical sensation karai (辛い) refers to. The easiest English analogy is “spicy“, and it’s often used to refer to hot foods, but as I learned from a few years of working in restaurant kitchens in Japan, the word can also refer to anything that’s a little too salty, too strong (dark Belgian beer with a high alcohol content) , or strongly flavored (sun-dried tomatoes).
People even provide examples of native Japanese speakers (NJS’s) using karai to describe such disparate flavors as minty Colgate toothpaste or cola.
As Marc Adler ably sums it up, “Anything that is over-stimulative of the mouth gets labeled as ‘karai.’ I think we just don’t have a single word in English that covers all of karai’s lexical bases.”
Case in point, the word used to describe a dry wine is kara-kuchi (辛口), which isn’t by any stretch of the imagination “spicy”. Laurie Berman supplies an excellent and concise theory about this:
My impression is that [karai] 辛い and [amai, “sweet”] 甘い are regarded as opposites, and as a result, [amai] 甘い can be used to mean “not [karai] 辛い,” and [karai] 辛い can sometimes be used to mean “not [amai] 甘い”–which is how I interpret [karai] 辛口.
Does anyone else have an example of an unusual food that they heard a native Japanese speaker refer to as karai?
 Photo © Asif Iqbal. KRAZY! Cosplay Party In conjunction with the exhibition KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games, Japan Society holds its first-ever Cosplay Party, inviting local fans to create and showoff costumes of their favorite characters and share their enthusiasm for anime, manga and video games. Admission to the Cosplay Party includes:
Those without a costume are welcome to attend, to observe, and to cheer on their friends. Costume Contest Prizes: Tickets:
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged! Join the discussion on our Facebook Page! LOCATION |
Job: Japanese and Asian Studies – One Year Position – Furman University (S Carolina)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Japanese and Asian Studies – One Year Position – Furman University (S Carolina)
Via JETAA Southern California:
Japanese and Asian Studies – One Year Position
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the Department of Asian Languages of Furman University invite applications for a one-year replacement position at the assistant professor or instructor level in Japanese language and Asian studies to begin on August 26, 2009 and end in early May 2010. The appointee will teach Elementary Japanese I in Fall term and II in Spring term, supervising the Japanese Language House, and two courses in his/her specialization such as literature, culture, film studies, or gender studies in English. Qualifications include native or near-native fluency in Japanese and English; ABD, or Ph.D. in Japanese language, literature, culture, film studies, gender studies or other related fields; commitment to undergraduate education. Preference will be given to those with elementary language teaching experience at the college level. We particularly seek enthusiastic teachers who are interested in teaching in a liberal arts environment. Letter of application, CV, and three letters of recommendation by March 20, 2009 to: Professor Shusuke Yagi, MLL Dept., Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613. We will interview at the AAS Meetings in Chicago March 26- 29, 2009.
Writing Opporunity: Write the ending for “The Strange Ship: Part II”
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James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish, has a strangely compelling post on his blog asking readers to help him write the ending to the first book he ever wrote–The Strange Ship.
[A]s a lark, back in November I posted The Strange Ship, the first book I ever wrote (I was seven years old). I mentioned I had written a sequel. Some of the students in Mrs. Vivian’s fifth grade class asked me to put it online. My pleasure!
In The Strange Ship, two nameless space explorers called “moneymen” and their trusty droid 5-0-6 stumbled upon a strange ship full of monsters (including the giants Carziperes, Diploziperes, and Zarzit). The moneymen then proceeded to blow up the ship by making all the monsters simultaneously sneeze.
Clearly a sequel was required, to tie up all those loose ends. So let me take you back to March 13, 1981-almost exactly 28 years ago-and The Strange Ship: Part II.
However, I must warn you-the last couple pages are, tragically, missing! The story breaks off right in the middle of the climax! But America, my carelessness is your opportunity. I propose a contest. Draw / write YOUR OWN ending to The Strange Ship: Part II and send it to me! Let’s make the deadline April 15, 2009. I’ll post the new endings right here on this blog, and there will be prizes!
Click here to read the full post and experience the wonderful drawings in their entirety.
Job: Associate Provost for International Education – U of Georgia
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Via the Chronicle of Higher Ed’s international programs job page:
3/16/2009 University of Georgia (Georgia) : Associate Provost for International Education
