From the 2009 Winter Issue of JQ, the JETAA NY quarterly magazine:
A JET Alum’s Experience Makes its Way to the Stage: JQ Catches Up With Playwright Randall David Cook
By Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02)
Three years ago, the Gotham Stage Company produced the terrific play Sake with the Haiku Geisha by JET alum Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93). The entire evening consisted of five one-act vignettes, all involving cross-cultural conflict among expatriates in Japan. As I noted in my review for JQ at the time, what made the play so successful was its exploration of the psychological issues confronting the main characters.
At first glance, Randall David Cook does not fit the profile of the typical playwright. As a human resources specialist with an international MBA, he was working in a corporate capacity at Newsweek magazine when two random events set him on a play writing course.
“I was dissatisfied with most of the new plays I was seeing at the time,” Cook says in his native South Carolina accent. “I kept insisting that I could do better, and one of my friends set me up on the challenge. At the same time, I was heartbroken over a relationship that had just ended and writing seemed like a good way for me to channel my emotions into a more productive pursuit.” Read More
Job: Bilingual admin at intellectual property law firm (D.C.)
Jobs 
Comments Off on Job: Bilingual admin at intellectual property law firm (D.C.)
Via the JETAA DC email grouplist, posted by Marc Hitzig of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C.:
Bilingual Admin for Intellectual Property Law Firm
We are currently seeking to hire a person for our legal assistant/administr ative assistant position having the following qualifications:
· – Fluent in Japanese and English to assist DC intellectual property lawyers and Japanese staff in dealing with Japanese and U.S. clients.
· – Experience in English and Japanese word-processing software.
· – Interest in intellectual property issues (preferred).
· – Bachelor’s degree desired, but not required.
· – Technical/scientif ic background is a plus, but not required.
Job Description: Read More
A JET alum shared with me a very moving and thought-provoking column by Haruki Murakami on Salon.com. Murakami recently decided to accept a literary award in Israel despite the potential for controversy and a boycott of his books. He addresses the issues in his column.
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 former English-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works as a media planner in Chelsea and sorely misses all her favorite midtown ramen joints.
Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04) is pleasantly surprised to find out about the Green Book Award, which is designed “to promote books that inspire a child to grow a deeper appreciation, respect and responsibility for his or her natural environment.”
Current JET Jody Godoy (Fukui-ken, 2005-2009), brings a taste of inaka life to her readers as she prepares to leave JET.
Still trying to make it up to your sweetie for a less than stellar Valentine’s Day? Rack up bonus points by sending him/her this sweet tune found on Lee-Sean Huang’s (Oita-ken, 2003-06) blog.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Summer Internship: RiskMetrics (Tokyo)
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Via the Columbia Japan Society e-mail newsletter:
RiskMetrics Group (RMG), a leading provider of risk management products and services helps investors better understand and manage the risks inherent in their financial portfolios.
RMG consists of three primary business units – risk management, ISS governance services and financial research & analysis, each with their own focus. The risk management business provides insight into the market and credit risk sectors of a firm’s businesses through multi-asset, position-based risk and wealth management solutions. ISS governance services delivers corporate governance solutions that enhance the interaction between shareholders and companies, in order to help shareholders manage risk and drive value. And finally, the financial research & analysis services group offers expert screening and analysis on key areas of corporate governance, accounting, legal and regulatory risk as well as environmental and social issues. Together, these three groups work to improve financial markets by bringing transparency, expertise and access to all market participants.
Description
Responsibilities: Read More
JETAA Philly: KyoDaiko
Events, JETAA Chapters, Music Comments Off on JETAA Philly: KyoDaiko
Via the JETAA Philadelphia subchapter:
On Friday, March 6, 2009 there will be what looks like an amazing and fun taiko performance taking place – cosponsored by KyoDaiko, a group in which Therese Stephen (fellow Philly JETAA member) is a member. We are hoping to support this performance as a group! Please let me know if you are interested in going, and we can hopefully arrange for a fun night out! Please see the details below… Thanks!
Renay & Natasha
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http://streettalkin.com/asian-arts-initiative-and-kyo-daiko-taikoproject/
This is to let you know Philadelphia’s first community taiko group, KyoDaiko, is co-sponsoring, with the Asian Arts Initiative, a performance by Taiko Project at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. We’d love it if you could support the event by coming, or by passing this information along to your friends and family!
Asian Arts Initiative and Kyo Daiko present TAIKOPROJECT in concert
Friday, March 6, 2009, 8 p.m. Read More
http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/indexohb.cgi?AREA=03
Kinokuniya BookWeb USA Announces New Upgraded Service
Book Web USA has been upgraded and combined into one to serve both West and East Coasts.
*You can now search for a title in all eight US Kinokuniya locations at one time.
*Items which are not currently available through our Web service will receive faster back order delivery response.
*Orders totaling $100 or more will receive free shipping.
For more details please refer to the help function in the Bookweb information section.
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BookWeb U.S.A.リニューアル・オープン
米国紀伊國屋書店BookWebがひとつになってリニューアルしました。
*お探しの本を北米紀伊國屋8店舗の在庫から一発検索
*ＷＥＢ取り寄せサービスにて在庫の無い商品も素早く入手
*$100以上まとめてご注文いただくと送料無料に
詳しくはヘルプ機能のBookwebご利用案内をご覧ください。
Writing Opportunity: JetWit Japan Society Round-up
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JetWit is seeking someone to write a new periodic feature called “Japan Society Round-up.” The feature will be similar to JETAA Chapter Beat in that it will give a listing of events going on at various Japan Societies around the U.S. (and even elsewhere).
Please send an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com if interested. (This is an upaid gig. Well, unless you can also find an advertiser for it. :-)
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Julie Matysik (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-07) is a freelance copy editor and aspiring in-house editor who recently moved to NYC with her husband (also a JET alum). She is the midst of an internship in editing/publishing/writing. Editorial Pursuits chronicles her job hunting efforts, experiences and lessons learned.Well, it’s official: I am in internship junkie!
My inability to land a full-time job in publishing has left me with little options but to continue to pile on the internships. And my newest addition: Skyhorse Publishing.
In mid-January I realized that I wanted to gain experience in an actual publishing company (in addition to my literary agency internship) and so I turned to Craigslist.com for help. Finding an add for Skyhorse Publishing, a company I’d never even heard of before, I wrote my letter of interest and forwarded my resume and heard back a few days later. After a brief phone interview, I was awarded Read More
Job: Marketing and Brand Manager for Anime Company (San Francisco)
Cartoon/Illustration, Jobs Comments Off on Job: Marketing and Brand Manager for Anime Company (San Francisco)
An interesting job listing from Craigslist SFBay via the JETAA Northern California jobs email list:
http://sfbay. craigslist. org/sfc/mar/ 1009318783. html
We are looking for someone who loves anime, is an internet junkie, and speaks Japanese to help us successfully become the next generation platform for delivering anime. Crunchyroll is the leading anime video site and social network online with an engaged and passionate audience of over 5 unique million visitors each month.
We’re a smart, small team that works hard and enjoys it! We’re quickly changing the way content reaches the world. We are located in the SOMA district of San Francisco and we are venture funded by the established venture capital firm, Venrock.
We’ve landed partnerships several of the top anime producers in Japan including Toei Animation, Gonzo, and TV Tokyo. We are looking for a full-time Marketing and Brand Manager to help facilitate the entire process of bringing quality anime titles into the new digital era.
Responsibilities: Read More
Request: Seeking self-employed, freelancers, telecommuters, and start-up entrepreneurs who work at home or at coffeeshops for a graduate research project
Career, Graduate School, Writers Comments Off on Request: Seeking self-employed, freelancers, telecommuters, and start-up entrepreneurs who work at home or at coffeeshops for a graduate research project
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This request is from Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06), webmaster for both JETAA NY and JetWit. He is currently a masters candidate at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University.
Hi JetWit’ers,
I am working on a research and design project targeting the self-employed, freelancers, entrepreneurs and others who work at home, in coffeeshops, or in a co-working space (basically anywhere that is not a traditional office environment). If any of the above describes the way you do your work, I would love to ask you a few questions about your physical work space and professional networking needs.
Please email me at leesean /atto/ nyu /dotto/ edu if you are interested in helping out. I could meet in person over coffee, schedule a quick interview over the phone or we could just have a conversation over email, whatever works for you. Thanks!
Jobs: International Programs – U of Maryland and U of Nebraska
Jobs Comments Off on Jobs: International Programs – U of Maryland and U of Nebraska
Via the Chronicle of Higher Ed’s international programs job listings:
2/17/2009
- University of Maryland University College (Maryland) : The Assistant Director, Admissions and International Student Affairs
Learn more in our Employer Profiles - University of Nebraska at Kearney (Nebraska) : Director, International Education
Japan Society (NY) presents KRAZY! (March 13 to June 14) – Reduced ticket price
Art, Article/Journalism, Cartoon/Illustration, Events, Uncategorized Comments Off on Japan Society (NY) presents KRAZY! (March 13 to June 14) – Reduced ticket price
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KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games
KRAZY! (March 13-June 14) now contains a whopping 200 objects; we’ve reduced the ticket price from $12 to $10 ($8 students/seniors and FREE for children under 16); on the weekends we will hold back-to-back screenings of 7 full-length anime films in our 262-seat theater free to ticket-holders, and patrons will be able to sit and play the featured video games (including a console table Pac-Man) as well as browse hundreds of manga comic book titles.
See the full details below:
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Pac-Man, Paprika, Super Mario, and Afro Samurai: Welcome to New York!
Japan Society Gallery Celebrates the Japanese Art Forms of Anime, Manga, and Video Games in Spring 2009
New York, NY — Once considered the preserve of an insular youth culture, within the last decade Japanese animated cartoons (anime), comics and illustrated narratives (manga), and interactive video games have migrated into the mainstream, with reverberations both high and low. In a first for New York City, Japan Society explores this phenomenon in KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games from March 13 through June 14, 2009. Read More
Obama Sushi
Humor, Photography Comments Off on Obama Sushi
Thanks to JETAA Pacific Northwest for sharing this link to an amazing Obama sushi spread. Also make sure to check out the second page for the full behind-the-scenes view.
Come on, everyone had at least one class like this when they were on JET.
(Special prize to the first person who can post a translation of (1) what he answers at that one part where he wakes up after nearly falling asleep on the microphone, and (2) what’s written on that reporter’s notepad.)
