JET Prefecture Round up 30.10.17
AJET, JET Prefecture Round-up 
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By Suzanne Bhagan (Tottori Prefecture)
Hey, past and present JETs! Here’s a snapshot of what’s going on in Nihon-land this week!
Onomichi Betcha Matsuri
When: 1-3 November
Where: Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture
On Culture Day, head to Onomichi for its famous Betcha Matsuri. At the festival, three oni (Betcha, Soba, and Shoki) will “beat” the sickness out of you to bless you with good health for the following year! The festival also a temple walk and amazing taiko performances.
Shizuoka City Daidogei Festival
When: 2-5 November
Where: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka AJET invites everyone to an annual event that features street performers from around the world juggling, dancing, and performing acrobatics, comedy, and aerial acts!
Daidogei Festival
When: 3 November
Where: Moriyama, Kyoto Prefecture
Spend Culture Day appreciating ukiyo-e paintings at Sagawa Art Museum with Shiga AJET.
Learn to make Japanese sparklers
When: 3 November
Where: Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture
Did you know that only three companies in Japan make traditional sparklers? KumAJET invites you to join in this exciting workshop that involves real-life gunpowder!
Learn how to make a traditional Japanese sparkler
When: 3-5 November
Where: Miyama, Kagoshima Prefecture
This annual pottery festival is held in the small pottery village of Miyama. Get some Korean-inspired Japanese pottery for your kitchen!
When: 5 November
Where: Matsue, Shimane Prefecture
It’s never too late to celebrate Halloween. Join in a traditional Halloween dinner party for lots of fall food. Fancy dress is optional but there’s a prize for the best outfit!
Hey JET alum parents! Discover Canada with your kids!
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Look no further for family travel inspiration
Jody Robbins, a Tottori ALT from 1994-1997, has just written her first book! Published in May, 2016. 25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit is the ultimate guide to family travel in the Great White North. This year Canada celebrates its 150th year. From coast to coast, north to south, the country will be aflutter with events and celebrations, making 2017 the best time to discover Canada with your family.
Families have different travel needs, and Robbins gives the scoop on affordable hotels, worth-it attractions and nature hideaways, in addition to piquing the interest of young travellers with quirky, kid-friendly facts. Catering to families such as her own, she’s pulled together 25 of Canada’s best family-friendly destinations and compiled in-depth profiles for each, providing more than a few ideas to keep even the most active of families busy.
She also offers loads of how-to advice to make family travel a more pleasant experience. Robbins reveals how creativity and managing expectations go a long way to rekindling romance, offers practical advice on how to see the world for less and dishes on how to survive long road trips.
You can support this alumnus by ordering her book online (it makes a great gift!) or sharing the word with your friends.
And please visit Jody’s blog Travels with Baggage for lifestyle tips and inspiration.
Japan Local: Omagari All-Japan National Fireworks Competition 2016
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
Every August, fireworks masters from across Japan compete in an impressive music and pyrotechnics show at the All-Japan National Fireworks Competition (Omagari Fireworks) along the Omono River in Daisen City, Akita Prefecture. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the event. Click HERE to read MORE.
Japan Local: Tohoku Rokkon (Six Souls) Festival
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Mel T (Aomori-ken, 2007-2012) is a Canadian living and working in Towada City, Aomori. For more information about events, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. in Towada City, and around Aomori Prefecture & Japan, visit her blog at http://towada-city.blogspot.com.
The Tohoku Rokkon (“Six Souls”) Festival is a two-day event where you can see six major Tohoku area summer festivals (one from each prefecture) all in one place!
It was created to encourage the revival of the Tohoku area after the Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011. This year marks the sixth and final year of the event. It will be held in Aomori City from June 25-26, 2016.
【Exploring Unfamilar Japan】We have dessert and meet a cow named Julia at an organic island café
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Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010–13) is an editor and writer for RocketNews24, a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.
La Cigale is a family-run cafe located in the heart of the largest of the Oki Islands, but it’s much more than a place to get a thoughtful cup of coffee. La Cigale is a hub for the community that supports local events and hosts field trips to teach children about sustainable farming. It’s also a place where neighbor kids gather to help pick vegetables or collect shiitake mushrooms in the nearby mountains. So while we thoroughly enjoyed the coffee parfait we indulged in at La Cigale, we were completely taken with the cafe’s farm-to-table philosophy and the intriguing history of its proprietors.
Read more at RocketNews24
【Exploring Unfamiliar Japan】We stayed in a 120-year-old Japanese home, here’s how you can too
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Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010–13) is an editor and writer for RocketNews24, a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.
When European writer, Lafcadio Hearn, wrote about Shimane prefecture in 1894, he described a land steeped in tradition and nature. Since then, all of Japan seems to have ignored this sleepy area of the Chugoku region whose most recent claim to fame is having the country’s largest population of the elderly. But if Shimane prefecture is stuck in the olden days, the Oki Islands are lost in time. Lazily floating out at sea in what is technically Shimane, but is actually an entire world of its own, Oki is a forgotten gem tucked in a dusty corner of Japan. Rambling down the overgrown back roads, you’re sure to come across a wrinkled face and a hearty “konnichiwa,” a small experience that seems to have become a rarity in the always busy metropolises of this country.
It is in this uncommon place that we had the privilege of staying in a home that has stood for over a century. Join us as we share our experience staying at the Japanese guesthouse called Tsukudaya.
Join us on our island adventure here.
【RocketNews24】7 things you should know before moving abroad
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Posted by Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010–13), editor and writer for RocketNews24. The following article was written by Jessica, a writer and translator for RocketNews24, a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.
I’ve lived abroad three times in my life. Once was a homestay in France, once was a semester studying in Germany, and now I live and work in Japan. I don’t expect that I will ever move back to the States. I love Japan and have wanted to live abroad almost as long as I can remember. Even so, it has sometimes been challenging for a girl from suburban Arizona who didn’t even get a passport until she was 18, and lately I’ve been wondering what I would tell my younger self to better prepare her for this crazy expat life.
With the help of our globetrotting friends, we’ve come up with this list of seven things you should know before moving abroad.
Senso-ji in Tokyo
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Posted by Benjamin Martin, a JET from 2008-2013 in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of Revenge of the Akuma Clan
(Tuttle).
After visiting Tokyo Skytree during my two-day trip to Tokyo I worked my way down to the new train station to work my way back into town. Many people had suggested the Asakusa area so I got off at the Asakusa station, just a few stops from the tower. I didn’t have any specific plans or maps but I quickly found my way to a highly populated area before the Senso Temple grounds.
Between the Kaminari (lightning) Gate and the Hozo Gate is a long street sided by stalls of small shops offering a wide variety of gifts and souvenirs. From the small train station I arrived at I ended up in the middle of the street. Despite the lack of special events there were tons of tourists and other visitors packing the small way. The reason for this oldest temple in Tokyo’s popularity was clear when the Hozo Gate and the main hall came into view just beyond.
The temple’s grounds are large and expansive, offering the traditional views most Buddhist temples offer, but with a variety of interesting things that make a visit there unique. Unfortunately, while I was visiting the skies were overcast, but I managed to snap a few photos while wandering the grounds. Before going I did no research or planning which made the exploration a bit more fun, even though I was quite tired after an entire day walking Tokyo.
One of the most interesting views was from just beyond Hozo Gate. There, you can glimpse Tokyo Skytree paired with the giant fiber sandals attached to the back of the gate. I found it an interesting mix of new and old. I definitely think a trip to Senso-ji is worth the time if you’re visiting Tokyo.
For more pictures from the trip visit MoreThingsJapanese.com
I’ll Make It Myself!: What I Ate in Nagano, Day 3: Matsumoto, Miasa
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer, web administrator, and translator, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan; curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan; and admins The JET Alumni Culinary Group in LinkedIn.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
On our last day in Nagano, we went to see Matsumoto Castle and drove through Hakuba and Miasa on the way back to Kanazawa.
Job: Reservations and Sales Associate, Asia Division – Amnet (NYC)
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Thanks to JET alum Kathryn Oi (Miyagi-ken, Minamisanriku-shi) who works at Amnet. Kathryn also wrote an essay about her experience in Minamisanriku following the 3/11 earthquake – read here: http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2011/03/30/minamisanriku-jet-kathryn-oi-shares-her-experience-of-the-earthquake-and-tsunami/) Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
________________________________________________________________________________
Position: Reservations and Sales Associate, Asia Division
Posted by: Amnet Travel Agency
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary:
Start date: NA
Overview:
If you are interested in travel, have excellent people skills, and like working in a Japanese company environment, definitely consider Amnet New York as a great job opportunity. With an already strong Japanese clientele base, Amnet is looking to expand their name, brand and services to the American market as well as other Asian markets including the Philippines , Singapore and Malaysia . Read More
I’ll Make It Myself – Travel Checklist: Local Foods in Hida-Takayama, Part 1
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and translator for The Art of Japan: Kanazawa and Discover Kanazawa, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan.
Travel Checklist: Local Foods in Hida-Takayama, Part 1
In September, a friend and I traveled to Takayama, about 3 hours from Kanazawa. Located in Gifu near the border of Nagano, the old towns of Hida (飛騨） and Takayama (高山）are a food tourist’s paradise. Since the town is quite small, most of these foods can be found in stands or restaurants near Takayama Station and nearby morning markets.
Hôba Yaki Miso （朴葉味噌）
CLICK HERE to read the full post.
Job: InternAsia Program (Cambodia)
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Stephanie Boegeman (ALT, Akita-ken, 2006-09) gets her kicks from finding fun crazy ways to see the world and getting paid to do it. She is constantly in search of job, internship, and travel ideas to add to her site Playing With Hire, in the hopes that more JET alumni and like-minded souls join her in her quest to find creative, inspiring, and unique ways to make ends meet.
If you’re looking for a first step into the world of international development, you may want to consider interning with the Parivartan Project in Cambodia. Applicants must be able to commit to a year abroad, and be between 22 and 35 years old. Detailed information on the program can be found here.
Study in America via the Foreign Fulbright Student Program
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Stephanie Boegeman (ALT, Akita-ken, 2006-09) gets her kicks from finding fun crazy ways to see the world and getting paid to do it. She is constantly in search of job, internship, and travel ideas to add to her site Playing With Hire, in the hopes that more JET alumni and like-minded souls join her in her quest to find creative, inspiring, and unique ways to make ends meet.
JET alums who are interested in pursuing post-graduate work abroad may want to consider studying in America via the Foreign Fulbright Student Program (FFSP). Many of the participating countries also sponsor JETs, including but not limited to India, South Africa, Jamaica, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Most programs start accepting applications in February. More info on the FFSP can be found here.
Job: Housesit a Remote Tropical Home (Palau)
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Stephanie Boegeman (ALT, Akita-ken, 2006-09) gets her kicks from finding fun crazy ways to see the world and getting paid to do it. She is constantly in search of job, internship, and travel ideas to add to her site Playing With Hire, in the hopes that more JET alumni and like-minded souls join her in her quest to find creative, inspiring, and unique ways to make ends meet.
If you’re up for living off-the-grid on a remote island for free, a sweet year-long housesitting gig is immediately available in Palau. Just like JET, you’ll be expected to maintain good relationships with everyone else on the island while living in a fishbowl. More details can be found here.
Boren Awards for International Language Study
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Stephanie Boegeman (ALT, Akita-ken, 2006-09) gets her kicks from finding fun crazy ways to see the world and getting paid to do it. She is constantly in search of job, internship, and travel ideas to add to her site Playing With Hire, in the hopes that more JET alumni and like-minded souls join her in her quest to find creative, inspiring, and unique ways to make ends meet.
Still honing your Japanese skills and looking for someone to subsidize your studies? American students who fit this description may want to look into the Boren award. There’s even a guaranteed government job waiting for you when you graduate. *Deadlines are in February*. More information on applicant criteria and other applicable languages is here.
