Tadaima! #3 – Knocking on doors
Career, Jobs, Uncategorized, Writers 
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My name is Rick Ambrosio (Ibaraki-ken, 2006-08). And whether readjusting to post-JET life is something you’re facing now, will deal with in the future or if you just enjoy reconnecting with that awkwardly uncertain feeling you had when you got back from Japan, come along with me as I look for a new job, a new apartment, and yes, mow the lawn of my parent’s house. Tadaima!
I scored my lucky seat on the train. You see, on the LIRR, there is always a fold down seat right near the doors between cars. Granted it wasn’t rush hour or anything, I just always love getting that seat.
I sat carefully in a futile attempt to not wrinkle the pants of my navy suit. I also liked my orange tie that I picked up in the Harajuku Zara back in Japan. I needed to dress to impress, because it was offense time. Read More
Thanks to writer/designer Meredith Hodges-Boos (Ehime-ken, Uwajima-shi, Yoshida-cho, 2003-05), JetWit now has some funky new merchandise. Chotto mite kudasai!
A-Kind online travel agency – Discount Air Tickets
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JetWit is pleased to welcome A-Kind online travel agency as its newest sponsor – a good source for discount tickets to Japan. They also advertise in the JETAA NY Newsletter.
Get JetWit email updates by joining the JetWit yahoogroup
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You can now get JetWit email updates by signing up for the JetWit yahoogroup (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JetWit/).
JetWit Success Story #2
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Omedetou to freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) who just got an internship with a publishing company thanks to his work with JetWit as the JETAA Chapter Beat guy!
He found out about it through Julie Matysik (who herself got an internship at the same publishing company after a JET alum who works there saw her first two Editorial Pursuits posts on JetWit), who found out about the latest internship opportunity and passed it on to Jonathan because she knew through JetWit that he was looking for similar opportunities.
This is one of the strengths of the JET alumni network. There are lots more connections and opportunities out there, even in this tough economy. We just have to dig a little and sometimes be creative to find them.
Note: The internships are unpaid, albeit good places to start, which means Julie and Jonathan are both still in the market for paying jobs if anyone wants to hire them. (The JET alumni network is strong, but it’s not all-powerful. Not yet anyway. :-)
In response to the previous post about “going back to Japan,” I received a nice email from a JET alum with a bunch of sites that are good for finding jobs in Japan. I’ve also posted them on the Professional Profiles/Job Resources page.
FINDING JOBS IN JAPAN
- Interac – http://www.interac.co.jp/recruit/
- GaijinPot: http://www.gaijinpot.com/
- E-Central: http://www.ecentral.jp/index.php?l=e
- Jobs In Japan: http://jobsinjapan.com/
- Japn Times Jobs: http://job.japantimes.com/index_e.php
- Temp Staff Universal: http://www.tempstaff.co.jp/universal/eng/index.html
- Japan Guide Jobs: http://jobs.japan-guide.com/job_search.php
- Tokyo Metropolis Jobs: http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyojobsemployment/1.1.inc.htm
- Japanzine Jobs: http://jobs.seekjapan.jp/jobs
Feel free to email any others to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
A recently returned JET alum recently asked for suggestions on recruiting firms or other channels for “getting back to Japan.” Since my sense is that the US job market is making that an increasing trend among returning JETs, I wanted to put the question out to the JET alum community.
The only option I can think of off the top of my head is Interac, which had a recent post on JetWit.
Do you have suggestions for recruiting firms or other decent options for “getting back to Japan?” Post a comment below or send an email to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
JET alum photos from Obama-shi, Fukui-ken Celebration
Celebrity, Humor, Japan Trends, Photography, Translating/Interpreting Comments Off on JET alum photos from Obama-shi, Fukui-ken Celebration
JET alum professional translator Philip Schnell happened to be in Japan at the time of Obama’s presidential victory, decided to drop in on Obama-shi and stumbled into the surreal experience of a Japanese Obama watch/victory party.
Click here to see more of his photos.
Update: Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99)
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After chaperoning Pete Townsend and The Who around Japan for a couple weeks, having a press conference with Hayao Miyazaki and interviewing both Murakamis (Haruki and Ryu), Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) pauses to reflect on the interactions as well as some new perspectives on “pop culture” in his latest SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS column in the Daily Yomiuri.
Update: I just learned from Roland that the radio discussion listed below will actually not air this week.
You can also hear Roland on NPR’s “The World” this Thursday (i.e., tomorrow) for a program about the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in the US.
JETAA NY Karaoke tonight
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For anyone who can’t make the Quarterly Development Meeting tonight (or just likes karaoke with the JET crowd), there’s a karaoke gathering tonight starting around 9pm following the Development meeting.
Location: Sing Sing on St Marks St (between 2nd & 3rd Aves)
Cost: $19/person for 2 hrs
Time: After the Meeting ends around 9pm, for about 2 hours
Job: HR/Operations Coordinator/Manager for tech company (DC area)
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Saw this on the JETAA DC yahoogroup:
Jennie Gold, Kagawa ’01-’03 writes:
Hiring an HR/Operations Coordinator/Manager for our Chantilly office
My company (silasg.com) is seeking an energetic professional with 2-7 years of experience who is looking for a place where they can have a greater impact and be rewarded for top performance with accelerated career growth. This is a great opportunity to get your feet wet in a lot of different areas.
Job Description
This is a unique opportunity to assume a full range of responsibilities across key functional areas including, but not limited to: human resources, resource management, recruiting, corporate communications, and business operations, while learning the technology business from the ground up. As the business grows you will have the opportunity to assume a more specialized role and ownership over a key function within the business. Read More
Noriko Furuhata, the JET Coordinator at the Consulate General of Japan in New York, recently explained to me the term shiwasu, which literally means “teachers run around” and refers to December being an extremely busy month as everyone tries to finish up everything they need to do before year’s end.
Feel free to post comments if you have additional perspective on this term.
I’m just wondering how I made it through 3+ years in Japan and 7 years of JET alumni involvement without ever previously hearing about this. :-)
Writing Opportunity: Japan-US Business News
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Friend of JetWit Yvonne Burton is looking for JET alums and non-JET alums to write about their practical business experiences with Japan for Japan-US Business News.
www.Japanusbusinessnews.com is an online forum for news, discussion and advertising for the Japan-US business community. I am looking for people with practical experience working with Japanese people and/or companies to write their stories.
I usually write these types of stories as case studies. For example: client/company had this challenge/issue or this is what came up when I worked with a Japanese company. This is how I helped them resolve problem or this is how I handled what came up and finally lessons learned–this way the articles are educational as well.
In exchange for writing for www.Japanusbusinessnews.com, you will receive:
- Free publicity by having your article on the blog and then archived on the blog
- Your brief bio below your article
- Link to your website or blog
If you are interested, please email me at: yvonne /atto/ burtonconsulting /dotto/ biz.
Kinokuniya (NY) to host George Hirose – Night Light – Fri. Dec 5
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Kinokuniya Book Store (6th Ave between 40th & 41st Sts.) will be hosting the George Hirose: Night Light – Images from Japan, New York exhibit from December 5-30, with a special reception and book signing on Friday, December 5 from 5:30-8:00 p.m.
The reception will also feature a live performance of traditional Okinawan music by KOSSAN (who plays for the popular and exuberant chindon band HappyFunSmile for which George has done photography work and is a big fan.)
Jameri-pop?
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I was listening to NY-based band HappyFunSmile on my iShuffle on my subway commute home last night, and it hit me that bands like HappyFunSmile, Gaijin-a-Go-Go, Soh Daiko (of which Ariel Shearman (Ichikawa-ken, 1994-97) is a member) and perhaps others seem to be part of a trend that could be called “Jameri-pop,” i.e., a hybrid of US and Japanese culture, though perhaps with an ironic sense more typical in U.S. culture than Japanese. Sort of a twist on Roland Kelts‘ Japanamerica concept.
I’m guessing someone somewhere has already discussed and described this trend, though I Googled the word “jameripop” and nothing came up. Maybe it’s just a New York thing at this point in time, given the high concentration of young Japanese people in a city already known for setting trends. I don’t travel around to other parts of the U.S. enough to know.
Do you have other examples of “Jameri-pop?” Send an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
Here’s a sample of HappyFunSmile from a performance at the Knitting Factory in NYC:
