************By Makoto Shirai, secretary, Japan-Insights Research Institute (Non-profit organization in Tokyo)

Dear Friends,

Have you visited to museums in Shimane?

Let me introduce an essay from Japan-Insights archives.

The twenty-second one is on Portraits of Museums by Sophie Richard.

https://topics.japan-insights.jp/Public/pdf/japan-insights_jp/topics/JIN_Museums.pdf

Please share this expert’s experience!

Japan-Insights is a nonprofit open database compiled by leading experts in Japanese studies. The posts present a broad range of historical and contemporary topics that encourage visitors to engage with the real Japan through immersive experiences. Follow the Facebook page and website to learn about and share these insights from around the country!”

#japan #japaneseculture #museum

JETAA‎‎‎‏‏‎​ Podcast Beat is a weekly round-up of current JET and JET alumni podcasts and podcast appearances compiled by Emmalee Manes (Toyama-ken, 2016-19)

Do you have a podcast or did you recently appear in a podcast? Help us share it with the community by filling out this form.

Welcome to the JETAA Podcast Beat! After a short break, we’re back with the newest podcast episodes from JET alumni and current JETs. If you have the chance, please enjoy listening to one of these recent episodes this week! There are quite a few, including some new editions to the weekly round-up.

Breakups「別れること」with Caralynn!

Emmalee and Caralynn talk about Caralynn’s recent breakup, how people in America heal after a breakup, and the Japanese show “あいのり”.

インスタ: @yoppareikaiwa

是非、インスタでメッセージをください〜

聞いてくれてありがとうございます！

Decreasing Clean-Up Procrastination in the Kitchen + One Fun, Unexpected Item for Parties

Learn one way to minimize procrastinating that after-meal clean-up in the kitchen and find out what fun gizmo is an unexpected smile-maker at parties in today’s episode of House of Lee NYC!

Listen on to hear why half-sheet baking pans are the best thing EVER! Lee will also share the next best French pastry shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and the one item she recently bought that will enhance any gathering and bring smiles to faces and photos!

How the Pandemic Has Changed the Way Companies Perceive and Manage Risk

I spoke with Ishan Girdhar, the founder and CEO of Privaa, a software company that focuses on third-party risk management. We discussed how the pandemic has changed the way companies perceive and manage risk, pitfalls that risk management teams should avoid, ways that law firms are responding to the rise in data breaches and cybersecurity concerns, and where third-party risk management is headed.

Preparing for a New Class Behind the Scenes: Part II

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast presents Part II of a conversation between Stephen Horowitz and Daniel Edelson concerning preparation for an Introduction to US Law course for LLM students. Daniel taught this class for several years and now it’s Stephen’s turn. He will be teaching an intensive week of classes to international students beginning their legal education in the United States.

Stephen and Daniel discuss the Supremacy Clause, federalism, and preemption. In addition, they talk about ways to introduce students not just to the fundamentals of US law but also to how law students study law in the United States.

Plus Stephen and Daniel try to come up with cool nicknames for themselves and don’t do so well.

If you’ve ever wanted to hear some of the ways instructors get ready to teach US law and legal English you’ll enjoy this episode.

Applying for the JET Program ft. Tye Ebel

It’s that time of year again… and no, we aren’t talking about Christmas music already playing in stores. It’s JET Program Application SZN! Nigel, Jenn, & Doug chat with Tye Ebel, the JET Coordinator for the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, to discuss all things JET Application Process. Tye shares some great points on what to consider when considering applying for the JET Program, whether it’s for this year or preparing your resume for the future. Don’t forget.. application deadline is November 12, 2021!

Autumn Equinox

In this exuberant episode, Alexis and Kit are joined by Annie Patterson and Peter Blood of “Rise Up & Sing” in discussing songs and music of the harvest season. Our co-hosts explore the community-driven traditions around the harvest and thanks-giving, and celebrations of the equinox around the world. In Hiro’s Corner, we gain perspective on rice paddies drying up.

Musical Interlude – The Haunted House Song

Scot takes a quick break from format for a few announcements and to introduce a new Halloween song: The Haunted House Song.  I also learned how to do video editing by making a music video for it! It’s silly and dumb and I’m also very proud of it.

Check the video here on the youtube channel

Megan Marini and Priyanka Jain of 3×3 on Community-Centered Urban Design

This is the audio version of a livestreamed conversation between Lee-Sean Huang and Megan Marini and Priyanka Jain, co-founders and principals of 3×3 Design.

3×3 Design: https://3×3.co/

Toolkit and workshops: https://3×3.co/toolkit/overview/

Watch the recording of the original livestream on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkZVU3Htn5Q

Recommended listening: How to Citizen with Baratunde Thurston: https://www.baratunde.com/howtocitizen

This week on the Krewe of Japan Podcast…

It’s that time of year again… and no, we aren’t talking about Christmas music already playing in stores. It’s JET Program Application SZN! Nigel, Jenn, & Doug chat with Tye Ebel, the JET Coordinator for the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, to discuss all things JET Application Process. Tye shares some great points on what to consider when considering applying for the JET Program, whether it’s for this year or preparing your resume for the future. Don’t forget.. application deadline is November 12, 2021!

The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!

Date and time
Thurs, October 28, 2021
8:00 PM EDT
Online

About this event 

Cosplay, a portmanteau of “costume” and “play,” is the practice of dressing up as a fictional character, usually from an anime, film or video game. The practice has grown in popularity around the world and has even evolved into a profession in some cases. Nowadays, cosplay represents a significant facet of popular culture, and has grown to a level where the practice has even produced conventions and competitions globally. Cosplay continues to maintain and expand on its massive social media presence and other forms of media, attracting new fans daily.  

What are the appeals of replacing one’s identity with a fictional personality? What powers do the costumes give us? Why do communities around the world embrace this activity so much?  

Come join our panel discussion with four cosplay experts who study cosplay and have worked in the field both in the U.S. and in Japan: Edmund Hoff, Frenchy Lunning, Akiko Sugawa-Shimada and Diana Tolin. They will delve into the history of cosplay and how it spread globally, exploring the core essence and the power of cosplay through examining topics such as gender, identity and race.  

★ We will discuss based on your comments ★  

If you are a cosplayer, please give us your comments about what your biggest motivation for cosplaying is on the Eventbrite page when you register! We will structure our discussion based on your comments.  

Q&A:  

The discussion will be followed by a live Q&A. Now is your chance to ask the experts your questions about cosplay! Please ask your question when you register. Live commentary will also be enabled on the YouTube stream, so you can participate in the Q&A session live as well.  

This is a FREE event. Registrants will receive the link to the stream via email.  

We look forward to seeing you there! 

JET Alum Thomas Ash (Tochigi 2000-2003) has made a documentary film about the issue of the long term detention of refugees and asylum seekers in Japan.

The film is called “Ushiku” and it will be featured in the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival on October 9th. This year, the festival will be entirely ONLINE, and tickets can be purchased to view the film and Q&A session from anywhere in Japan.

“Ushiku” is currently on the international film festival circuit and has recently been screened in Holland, Belgium, Austria and the US and it has been awarded grand prizes in festivals in Korea and Germany.

Screening Details:

ONLINE Festival: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF)
Program: Perspectives Japan
Film: Ushiku
Date and Time: Oct 09 [Sat] at 14:00 (film is 87 minutes + followed by Q&A)
Festival Information: https://online.yidff.jp/en/film/ushiku/

Tickets on sale from October 1 at 19:00 JST: https://yidff.jp/2021/info/21info-e.html#tickets

Synopsis from YIDFF Catalogue:
Based on interviews with foreign nationals detained for long periods of time at the immigration center in Ushiku city, Ibaraki prefecture, this film reveals the violation of human rights by the authorities. This is work of watchdog journalism that sounds the alarm about state power run amok.

Film Website and Trailer: https://www.ushikufilm.com/en/
—
More about Thomas’ films at https://www.documentingian.com

Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum Todd Jay Leonard will lead a poetry workshop at the Oct. 15-17 Japan Writers Conference, a free event that is happening online. The official description of his talk appears below.

Todd Jay Leonard
So you want to publish a book? 10 Basic Points to Keep in Mind!
Short Lecture with Q&A

Professor Leonard has published extensively over the past 30 years and is willing to share his experiences of both Japanese traditional publishing houses and POD formats to assist budding authors in their quests to get published.
This lecture will cover ten primary points that “potential” authors need to keep in mind when submitting a proposal to a publishing company or when self-publishing a book. He will outline the basic process from the book’s initial concept to getting the book into print to marketing it. His extensive experience in publishing as an author in Japan will serve to assist budding authors with the basics in the overall process that need to be considered when pursuing a publishing contract or when self-publishing. This is a short lecture with a Q & A format.
Todd Jay Leonard lives, writes, and teaches on the southern island of Kyushu, where he is a university professor at the University of Teacher Education Fukuoka. He has published extensively in academic journals, magazines, and newspapers on cross-cultural, historical, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) themes. He is the author of 25 books.

Posted by Tom Baker
JET alum Joy Jarman-Walsh will give a presentation on how to conduct an interview at the Japan Writers Conference, a free event that is happening online this year. The official description of her talk appears below.

Joy Jarman-Walsh
Live + Engaging Networking via Interviews with Japan Insiders
Short Lecture with Q&A

Moving beyond words on a page by live broadcasting interviews to a worldwide audience in real time – it seems daunting but is transparent and engaging, reaching new audiences tired of traditional media. If you are researching an article, you are actually prepared to livestream- let me explain how to do it, and why it’ll make your content better.
I’ve been on a crazy and unexpected journey researching and hosting daily interviews with various experts and insiders in Japan, or abroad who are focused on Japan, to dive into what it means to seek sustainability. A big part of seeking sustainability is transparency, which I think is also critical for good writing, which can be achieved by engaging with your audience as you create the content. I believe that one of the best ways to do this is by livestreaming content to engage with a wider audience. As of the end of May, I’ve done over 250 live interviews and the comments and questions of live viewers has been an important aspect of the finished product. I think this concept can inform and improve almost any type of writing project. There are key strategies to prepping for interviews as well as running live talkshows which engage with a live audience. There is also post-production work that needs to be done, including getting the interview onto a podcast platform. I will lay out not only the why’s but also the how-to’s of the process.
Joy Jarman-Walsh (jjwalsh) runs a daily livestream talkshow called #SeekingSustainabilityLive which had it’s 250th episode in May 2021. Joy co-founded GetHiroshima in 1999, worked as an Assistant Professor teaching Tourism and Business for more than 21 years, then started her own sustainability-focused travel consulting business, InboundAmbassador, in 2019. Joy has written for academic journals as well as travel copy and destination articles. Joy has an MA in Sustainable Tourism from ASU (USA).

JETwit’s JET Alum Movers & Shakers is produced by Ryan Hata (Tottori-ken, 2014-2017), Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, 2005-2007), and Jim Walsh (Fukushima-ken, 2018-2020). Want to be featured next? Submit your information here.

Accomplishment: Publication of a novel based upon the Shimabara Rebellion

More Information: After returning to the U.S. with a wife and child, Michael spent fourteen years teaching Japanese at a high school in northwest New Jersey. In 2009, he was awarded the Japanese Teacher of the Year award by Seton Hall University. His recently published novel, Masaru, is based on events during the Shimabara Rebellion. Michael was inspired by this period of history during his years as an ALT in Kumamoto, particularly during a visit to nearby Amakusa where the actual events took place in the 17th century.

Public Information:
Email: bondjapan@yahoo.com
Website: https://masaru87.wordpress.com/
Book info: http://www.arxpub.com/literary/Masaru.html
Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Masaru-Michael-T-Cibenko/dp/1935228234/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=masaru+cibenko&qid=1633376653&sr=8-3

This week on the Krewe of Japan Podcast…

TADAIMA! The Krewe is BACK! Season 2 kicks off October 1st at 12p CST, and Nigel, Jenn, & Doug are coming in hot with this super-sized special first episode! The Krewe goes down the rabbit hole that is Studio Ghibli, talking about some history behind the famous animation studio and their favorite films. Then, Steve Alpert, former Senior Vice President at Studio Ghibli and author of Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli, joins the Krewe for a deep dive into what it was like to work with Miyazaki & how he played a pivotal role in in bringing Ghibli favorites to international markets. You don’t want to miss this one!

The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!

************By Makoto Shirai, secretary, Japan-Insights Research Institute (Non-profit organization in Tokyo)

Dear Friends,

Let me introduce a new video “Opening Mt. Oyama” produced by Alice Gordenker.

Please also enjoy her pass along her essay “Mt. Oyama Pilgrimage” on Japan-Insights.

https://topics.japan-insights.jp/Public/pdf/japan-insights_jp/topics/JIN_OyamaPilgrimage.pdf

Please share this expert’s experience!

Japan-Insights is a nonprofit open database compiled by leading experts in Japanese studies. The posts present a broad range of historical and contemporary topics that encourage visitors to engage with the real Japan through immersive experiences. Follow the Facebook page and website to learn about and share these insights from around the country!”

#japan #japaneseculture #Oyama

Posted by Tom Baker

JET alum and Jeopardy champion Tom Baker will lead offer tips on how to write trivia questions at the Oct. 15-17 Japan Writers Conference, a free event that is happening online. The official description of his talk appears below.

Tom Baker
Trivia Tips: How to Write a Pub Quiz
Short Lecture with Q&A

“I once attended a pub quiz in Bristol where a dispute over an answer resulted in a wild west-style brawl and the police had to be called,” a woman told the BBC in 2005. “Arrests were made, including the quizmaster.”
Quizzes should be fun. If you wish to host one that doesn’t end in tears – or behind bars – well-written questions are essential.
Drawing on my experience as both a contestant and a quizmaster, I will offer tips on how to write questions that are clear, entertaining, and minimally disputable.
Using examples from quizzes seen on TV and at pubs around Tokyo, I will discuss a variety of question formats, writing with brevity and clarity, ways of organizing categories, anticipating hecklers and nit-pickers, making obscure questions guessable, and the importance of flattering your audience by writing easy questions that sound hard.
Tom Baker appeared on four regular-season episodes of the U.S. quiz show “Jeopardy!” in 2004, before returning for the season-ending Tournament of Champions. He first guest-hosted a round of a Tokyo pub quiz in 2019, and has written and presented more than 20 rounds since then. Topics have included “The FBI 10 Most Wanted List,” “Pigs and Rats,” “Literary Works,” “Officeholders,” “Prime Numbers,” “Traveling Around Japan,” “Body Parts” and “Motorcycle Gangs and Clubs.”

For details, visit http://japanwritersconference.org/

Posted by Tom Baker

JET poet Michael Frazier will lead a poetry workshop at the Oct. 15-17 Japan Writers Conference, a free event that is happening online. The official description of his talk appears below.

Michael Frazier
A Poem is a Thing that Moves: Contemporary Lyric Poems
Craft Workshop
Poetry
A lyric poem is a thing that moves, through time, one’s mind, and, in turn, moves the hearts of readers. We will read and analyze lyric poems that move towards unanswerable questions, via associative jumps, by Leila Chatti, Li-Young Lee, and Aracelis Girmay. We will write our own lyric poems!
Scan through most recently released poetry collections and you are bound to find poems marked not by chronological narratives, but by incongruent images, ideas, and questions seemingly held together by only a distinct first-person voice and the magic of poetry. In this workshop we want to dispel the illusion of the non-linear lyric poem. We will read a handful of lyric poems that rely on associative jumps by Leila Chatti, L-Young Lee, Terrance Hayes, and Aracelis Girmay. We will analyze how these writers navigate through a poem (motifs, music, etc.), and pursue a question to arrive at a new revelation (the turn). As a result, we will understand how their poems are maps for how their actual minds move and perceive the world. A poem is a thing that moves, through time, one’s mind, and, in turn, moves the hearts of readers. Under scaffolded prompting, we will write our own lyric poems that prioritize the patterns of our psyche.
Michael Frazier is a poet & HS Teacher living in Kanazawa, Japan. Pushcart Prize & Best New Poets nominated, his poems appear in Poetry Daily, The Offing, RHINO, Tinderbox, Tokyo Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. Currently, he’s facilitating a biweekly zoom poetry book club open to the public. Message @fraziermichael to join!

Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

The Japanese LDP Presidential election will take place today (September 29th). The winner is expected to become the next prime minister following current PM Yoshihide Suga, leading the party in November’s general election. Here’s a run-down of the candidates, notable for being a lineup that is 50% women.

In other big news, Princess Mako of the royal family just welcomed home her fiancee, commoner Kei Komuro. When he was last in Japan over three years ago, he got engaged to Mako before coming to New York to attend Fordham Law School. They plan to marry and for Mako to return with him to New York, where he has been hired by a law firm. In renouncing her official title, she will be sacrificing almost $1.35 million in taxpayer money. Check out the Washington Post’s coverage of the palace intrigue captivating Japan (and the vitriol towards Komuro’s Covid ponytail)!

JETwit’s JET Alum Movers & Shakers is produced by Ryan Hata (Tottori-ken, 2014-2017), Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, 2005-2007), and Jim Walsh (Fukushima-ken, 2018-2020). Want to be featured next? Submit your information here.

Accomplishment: Published two novels set in Japan

More Information: Loren wrote her first book, a story about a teen’s introduction to the Harajuku street fashion scene, during her second JET year. Titled ‘Meet You By Hachiko,’ she found the research and writing process a great way to learn more about Japan as well as pass the time when her students were on holidays between terms. After returning home post-JET, she continued to blog and write about Japan on her off-time to stay connected with her experience abroad, and started on a second novel while working in the travel industry.

‘Meet You By Hachiko’ launched in February 2020, a month before travel ground to a halt. The pandemic presented Loren with an opportunity to return to creative writing and devote more time to publishing: she completed her long-shelved second book, ‘Edokko,’ the story of a Canadian exchange student’s year in rural Kyushu. Both titles are now available in paperback and eBook format worldwide, under the imprint HachiPress, where Loren hopes to reach young readers interested in Japan.

Even after being away from teaching for a decade, writing about student life has become a nostalgic touchstone, and the nods in her books to those “only-in-Japan” experiences can be appreciated by any former JET.

Public Information:
Website: http://www.lorengreene.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/authorlorengreene
HachiPress Bookshop: http://www.hachipress.ca
Amazon: http://zon.lorengreene.com

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Assistant Correspondent – Economics Team
Posted by: Jiji Press
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to a former JET (Mie Prefecture, 2013-15) for passing along the following job opening:

The Washington DC Bureau of Japanese newswire Jiji Press is looking for an organized, resourceful individual to join our Economics team as an Assistant Correspondent. The ideal candidate will have experience working under tight deadlines with intermediate to advanced Japanese language ability. The Assistant Correspondent will be responsible for working with the Economics team to report on data in Japanese, taking notes and participating in high-profile press events with government officials in English, and booking and conducting interviews with academics and other public sources.

Prior experience covering economics is not required, but an understanding of DC policy-making and politics is highly encouraged. The individual will work with Japanese journalists, and will also provide assistance and context regarding American topics. Prior experience working with foreign nationals or in a foreign setting is a major plus.

Read More