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newsletter of the japan exchange and teaching alumni association of brit ish columbia and yukon

#16.209/2011

jetaabc from japan

jet life

02 from the jet desk

03 open letter for jetaabc tohoku silent auction

04 jetaa canada comes to vancouver

05 baseball for tohoku

06 ready jet go!06 quick bits

07 participate with your feedback

07 jetaa canada’s new websites

08 jetaabc obi sewing class

08 cooking class with kimiko suzuki

09 update from smile kids japan

10 jets on location

14 online resources for your japanese study

15 career advice in 5 minutes or less

16 how i remember tohoku

17 ceramic soul

18 upcoming events

Excited, but nervous. That about summed up the emotions felt by the majority of participants as they lined up to check in for their flight to Tokyo. All of

them looking forward to a new adventure, but not knowing the full scope of what was in store for them over the next year. Of the 206 Canadians invited to participate in this year’s JET Programme, 50 (48 ALTs and 2 CIRs) departed from Vancouver.

The JET Programme is currently celebrating its 25th an-niversary! Established in 1987 with 848 participants from four countries, JET has expanded to include 36 countries (Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, the UK, the USA and others.) Canada has participated since 1988, with 487 Canadians currently on the programme. Over the years, the JET Programme has earned an excellent reputation both in Japan and overseas for its efforts in human and cultural relations. Through participation in the JET Programme, over 7500 Canadians, have broadened their awareness and helped foster international understanding.

With the end of another JET cycle, the Consulate would like to thank all of the JETAABC members who helped

f ro m t h e j et d e s ktext by Steve Chevalier, Assistant to the Consul (Cultural Affairs)

photos by Mark Montgomery

us recruit, interview and prepare this year’s participants for their adventure in Japan. Your continued support for the program is very much appreciated. If you would like to volunteer to recruit for the 2012 JET Programme at a career fair or information session, check out the “Call for Volunteers” posting on the JETAABC website.

Superior adaptability skills, professional to a tee, a love for interacting with people, and a willingness to try almost anything. We know many alumni fit this bill. If you have friends or family, who do, too, and they want to experi-ence onsen, ohanami and rajio taiso, just like you did, let them know that recruitment for the 2012 JET Programme will be underway, soon! Want to do it all again? Alumni, who have not participated since 2009, and did not par-ticipate for more than five years total, can re-apply, as long as they meet the other eligibility requirements. The application form will be available on the JET Programme Canada website (jetprogramme.ca) in late September/early October. Also, check the Consulate General’s website for information sessions around B.C. (www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/en/jet/info_sessions.htm).

Upper left and above: new JETs at the JET Send Off Reception at the Consul General of Japan’s residence. Left: JETAABC President Ann Yamashita offers a speech to departing JETs

Departing JETs received commemorative USB hard drives from JETAABC for use at work in their year ahead. Emblazoned with the JETAA Canada logo, the hard drive contains information about JETAABC and the JETAA alumni network.

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A reminder to those interested that applications for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) are now in progress. The test will be held at Capilano University in North Vancouver, and the test date is Sunday, December 4, 2011. Applications are accepted until October 7, 2011, and they can be sent in by mail, fax, or in person.

The test fee is the same for all five levels (N1–N5) at $70. More information can be found at the Capilano University JLPT site: www.capilanou.ca/jlpt Good luck!

j l p t 2011

o p e n l et t e r f o r j eta a b c to ho k u s i l e n t au c t i o n

On March 11th, a huge earthquake and tsunami rocked Tohoku, the northeastern part of Japan. Since then, the region has faced the devastating after effects

of a triple disaster: the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900, the tsunami that swept countless villages and townships into the ocean, and a nuclear disaster with which the country is still coping.

In Vancouver, there was an immediate response from the Japanese Canadian community which saw over five Japanese community groups and hundreds of people work together to raise awareness and funds for relief work.

Although some time has passed since the earthquake and tsunami, much of Tohoku is still reeling and in need of support. To this end, JETAABC is organizing a charity luncheon and silent auction in support of non-government organizations that are actively working and rebuilding in the area. The event will be held in conjunction with a photo exhibit that showcases the region before and after the earthquake.

We are currently seeking donations of merchandise or ser-vices that can be auctioned off to raise funds in support of groups that are continuing the difficult work of rebuilding

infrastructure, mobilizing and re-settling thou-sands of displaced Japanese citizens.

Should you have anything to donate to this event, please contact Emi Do at social@jetaabc.ca with the item and suggested bidding price. We will gladly acknowledge the donating busi-ness/organization’s contribution at our events and on our website.

We thank you for your support.

With best regards, Emi Do JETAABC Social Coordinator

If you know of any business/organization that would like to contribute items — or even event space for us to host the auction, we have this letter (with introductions about what JETAABC is) on official JETAABC letterhead in a PDF document. Please contact Thomas at newsletter@jetaabc.ca if interested.

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j eta a c a n a da c o m e s to va n c ou v e r

The 2011 JETAA Canada National Conference was held in the first week of June in Vancouver. Delegates from every JETAA Canada chapter gathered at the

Georgian Court hotel downtown over the weekend to exchange ideas, give updates on their chapter’s work, receive information from CLAIR and the Consulate of Japan about new developments in the JET and JETAA networks, and for the main keynote address.

Bob Schnyder of JETAA Portland was the keynote speaker, and his address, “JETAA 2.0: How to Acquire, Communicate, and Maintain JET Members using Web 2.0 Tools & Services,” dealt with using a variety of tools online to build and sustain a communication network with JET alumni.

The weather was very cooperative during the conference, and the delegates were able to see Vancouver in all its early-summer (pre-riot) glory. We thank the Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver, CLAIR, the Japan Local Government Center in New York, and all JETAA delegates for their participation, as well as Greg Joughin (JETAABC Canada Conference Coordinator) and the JETAABC Board of Directors for coming together to run this conference.

text by Thomas Law

photos by Mark Montgomery

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bas e ba l l f o r to ho k utext by Wanda Yee

photos from Ann Yamashita, Thomas Law, JETAABC Facebook Album

On August 25th, thirty-five JET alumni and friends descended on the private picnic area of Nat Bailey Stadium to enjoy the game, feast on all-you-can-

eat BBQ, and to raise money for Tohoku.

Seated behind the visiting team’s bench on the right field sidelines and equipped with our own picnic tables and patio umbrellas, we started right in on the BBQ tabehoudai as soon as the gates opened at 6pm. Between mouthfuls of food and good conversation, we waited for the first pitch between the Vancouver Canadians and the Tri-City Dust Devils to drop.

I wish I could give you more details about the game, but admittedly, I was distracted by the food. I did manage to come up for air to watch the Vancouver Canadians’ Sushi Mascots (Ms BC Roll, Mr Kappa Maki, and Chef Wasabi) run their 4th inning race (with Chef Wasabi holding his posi-tion of ZERO wins this season) and to see the Vancouver Canadians cement their victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils at the end of the 9th inning with a score of 7–5.

The real highlight of the evening, however, was the $330 we raised for Tohoku. JETAABC will be donating this money to the Tohoku Kids Project via Smile Kids Japan and Living Dreams. Many thanks to everyone who came out and supported this event.

For information on how to donate to the Tohoku Kids Project, please visit the Smile Kids Japan website: www.smilekidsjapan.org/lang/en/donations/tohoku-kids-project-for-donors

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q u i c k b it s

r e a dy j et g o !

The 1st annual JETAABC/Mokuyokai Family Fun Potluck Picnic was held on June 26 in Burnaby. Here are some pictures from one of the games they played: the traditional undokai game of the “donut relay”.

Nine people came to the sake tasting event held on July 22 on Granville Island. Participants were able to try out and experience a much-loved part of Japanese culture.

text by Thomas Law

text by Lucky Herath

photos from Sabine Sasakura, Lucky Herath, JETAABC Facebook Album

photo from Hiromi Mikasa

This was my first year paddling with the JET Alumni dragonboat team, Ready JET Go! It is a team made up of JET alumni

and their friends. After many failed attempts to make a “try-out” (as in, try it out to see if you like it — not try out to see if you make the team), I finally made it to an open practice this past Spring and had way more fun that I expected, right from the start.

Sure, there were many cold, soggy evenings on False Creek when my muscles started to burn and I thought, what the*%! have I gotten myself into?! In the end, however, the thrill of slicing my paddle through the water and feeling the team work together to pull the boat through the questionable water of the Creek was enough to make me stay on the team for the entire season. And sign up for next year. I am hooked!

Besides the fun of being on the water, and when it’s a balmy sunny day there’s nothing quite like it, the team has a wonderful sense of

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camaraderie that makes it all that much more fun. It is also a great work out (feel the burn baby!) and a fantastic way to get out there when the weather might make you feel otherwise. Throughout the season the team competes in a few local races, including the Rio Tinto Alcan Festival — the largest dragonboat festival in North America. We also traveled to Victoria and Penticton this year to take part in races held there. Road trips are awesome, dragonboating is awesome, and a dragonboating road trip…?! It’s one of those moments where the sum is actually greater than the parts combined.

Since returning to Canada and settling down back here, dragon-boating on the Ready JET Go! team has been a great avenue for rediscovering and enjoying Vancouver city life, while also maintain-ing my connection to Japan and the JET Programme.

We are looking for more paddlers to join next year! If you are in-terested in coming out to an open practice next spring, please get in touch: dragonboat@jetaabc.ca. And hopefully it won’t take you a few years, like it did me, to actually make it out!

The Ready JET Go! team after coming in second in the B Championships at the Steveston Last Gasp Race.

@jetcanada

www.facebook.com/jet.programme.canada

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As part of continuing IT improvements through-out the whole JET and JETAA ecosystem, JETAA Canada now has a central website at www.jetprogramme.ca, as well as the following social media outlets:

Hana Dethlefsen over at The FEEDback Project (http://participatorycookbook.

wordpress.com/the-recipes) has been working on an online participatory cookbook that specializes in Japanese Home-Cooking where people read up on (and/or try) a recipe on her site, then “participATE” by provid-ing “FEEDback” through comments, anecdotes about the cooking process, or photos. She is currently compiling a cookbook based on these recipes and comments, and will continue to collect comments until the end of January 2012. There is a chance to win a free copy of the book when you participate on her website. Check out her proj-ect and enjoy some good Japanese home-cooking along the way!

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j eta a b c o b i s e w i n g c l as s

c oo k i n g c l as s w it h k i m i ko s u z u k i

text and photos by Dinah Linsangan

text and photos by Lucky Herath

JET alumni and friends spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in July learning how to make modern obi belts at the Sheila Wong Fashion Design Studio in downtown Vancouver. As

it was a beginner class, we learned the basics of sewing under the inspired and enthusiastic tutelage of workshop teacher and studio owner, Sheila. With most of us having little experience with sewing, we were taught how to use the sewing machines and work with the silky fabric. It was a bit tricky at times, but the end results were great! From learning how to pin and cut the fabric to sewing clean seams and backstitching, it was a great experience. We learned a lot during the workshop and we all went home with beautiful modern obi belts.

We had another delicious and educational cooking class with Kimiko Suzuki in May. At the beginning of class we had a run down on what shojin ryori is

to set the stage for the cooking. We then made a few vegetar-ian dishes, of which Kimiko’s Green Bean Gomaae was my favorite. A unique part of this class was attempting to treat the vegetables in the tradition of shojin ryori and really appreciat-ing what we were using to make our meal. The hardest part of it all was eating our carefully crafted creations (our plates looked so cute!), but once we dug in, there was no stopping us! As part of our Tohoku fundraising initiatives, Kimiko-sensei donated her time and resources to teach this class. Together with the participants, $200 was raised. Thank you!

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Hello from all of us at Smile Kids Japan! We are ever grateful for your support. You’re probably wondering what we’ve

been up to during the summer months so here’s a quick update. Smile Kids Japan Founder, Michael Maher-King moved to Sendai in order to be closer to the orphanages we’re support-ing through Smiles & Dreams: Tohoku Kids Project, our joint project with partner NPO Living Dreams. Mike made a lot of kids very happy not too long after moving in to the area. A few months back we accepted a large donation of toys from a very entrepreneurial young lady, seven-year-old Maya Saidel. After the earth-quake, Maya launched her own project, Toys for Tohoku and entrusted Smile Kids Japan with over 700 toys she collected and packed, each with a personal note of support to the children of Tohoku. Thanks to Mike, those toys have been safely delivered and are now bringing joy to children at orphanages in Fukushima prefecture.

Along with the Tohoku Kids Project, Smile Kids Japan is also continuing its main mission to promote volunteering in orphanages every-where in Japan. New JETs joined us here in late July and early August and we made sure to be there to welcome them. Smile Kids board members Mike, Meredith and Anna attended the JET Tokyo Orientations to say hello to the

newcomers and tell them about how Smile Kids Japan can help them give back to the communities they would soon be calling home. Anna, our volunteer coordinator, has been very busy keeping up with the emails inquiring about how to start volunteering ever since. It’s great to know that there are so many people out there willing to help us help children who really need it!

We at Smile Kids Japan are moving on to a very busy school year full of projects, visits and smiling children. Here in Smile Kids Japan’s hometown of Fukui, we’re preparing for our annual Sports Day, a day when we hold a “mini-Olympics” for the children at the Fukui City orphanage. It’s great fun and we’re hoping to help new volunteers set up activities like it soon. Thank you again for your support. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without you. We’ll be sure to keep you updated!

Cheers, The Smile Kids Japan Team

u p dat e f ro m s m i l e k i d s ja pa ntext by Meredith Smith

photos from Smile Kids Japan

Left: A box of toys being delivered to an orphanage in Fukushima. Right: Mike and Meredith at JET Orientation B in Tokyo.

Meredith Smith, from the United States, is currently a JET ALT in Fukui Prefecture. She is the Media and Public Relations Director of Smile Kids Japan.

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j et s o n l o c at i o n

As alumni, it has been a while since we’ve ex-perienced the tingling nervousness/excitment/fear/joy of our first year on the JET Programme.

How are the young folks doing these days, you might be thinking. What are they doing differently now, or what’s still the same? Where is this article going, you might be asking. Well, I have just started a year-long project with four genki first-year JETs from BC who

have graciously agreed to let me bug them for write-ups for three issues of the JETAABC Newsletter. Each JET lives in a different part of Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. They have amazing stories, and I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do.

Thomas Law Newsletter Coordinator

Aileen O’Brien

My first month in Ishikari

I have only been in Ishikari a month now but I feel like I’m beginning to settle in. I already know most of my neigh-bourhood and I find I use the GPS on my new Japanese smart phone (Ooo) less. Ishikari is a small town, just outside of Sapporo and I think it suits me well. I’m living somewhere in-between city life and inaka life. In my first week here I joined a Yosakoi team, it’s a lot of fun and a good workout. I recently climbed a mountain near Otaru called Mt Akaiwa. It was a hard climb and dangerous at times but the views were spectacular.

I have only one regret about my first month. I wish I hadn’t lingered so long in the hottest bath at my first onsen... Apparently fainting is common and I was okay, other than the tatami-patterened bruise on my cheek, but it was a bit embarrasing! No one likes to literally gaijin smash! Otherwise things here are great.

I’m looking forward to beginning teaching next week and I hope the coming months are full of even more adven-tures. (But no fainting!)

i s h i k a r i , h o k k a i d o

Aileen

Russell

Simon

Kane

Feet dangling off of Mt Akaiwa.

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Russell Aquinoa i z u -w a k a m at s u , f u k u s h i m a

JET, take 2

I’m really doing this again.

The sentence had been on repeat inside my head for the better part of the day, but I suppose it was moot to think otherwise: I was already standing in line at the customs area in Narita airport, waiting for the stamp that would signify my entry into Japan — and my re-entry into the world of JET.

As I boarded the bus to the Keio Plaza Hotel, I wondered how things would play out this time. It was certainly going to be different: I was going to a Japan post-earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. I was also going to an assignment in Aizuwakamatsu, a mid-sized city in the now-infamous prefecture of Fukushima.

Fukushima — the “F” word — the word that, for so many people around the world, conjures up images of wasted landscapes and mushroom clouds. I had my first glimpse

of the prefecture on the Shinkansen bound for Koriyama city, and my first impression of it was that it was very green. No, not radioactive green, but the soothing green of rice paddies stretching into the horizon, forests, and rolling mountains. When I got to my city, I didn’t see any rubble or collapsed buildings, or shelters filled to the brim with displaced residents; what greeted me was a very typical Japanese city with, perhaps, an atypically large number of home-owned beauty salons. Children were playing in the streets, and nobody was wearing a hazmat suit. My skin did not glow when I turned off the lights in my apartment that night.

In the month that I’ve been here since then, I have often been told that life in many parts of Fukushima has almost returned to normal. It is true in many cases, but it is also the word “almost” in that particular statement that is the most telling. Parts of Fukushima do remain uninhabit-able, and communities from those regions continue to be displaced.

This situation is far from resolved, but rather than com-plain, the majority of the people I’ve met ask only one question: how can we help?

Volunteer opportunities abound in this region, and I am very proud to say that the JET community has taken on this challenge. From visiting schools and playing with children from displaced communities, to fundraising, dig-ging sandbags, and helping cleanup areas on the coast, JETs have been involved in so many ways. We are doing what we can to help with the recovery of this region, and this is something that has given a very special flavour to my JET experience this time.

I am often asked about my decision to come back on the JET Programme. When I see my students’ smiling faces; when I get to talk to locals about Canada and learn about Japan from them in return; when I think of the opportuni-ties for me to give back to this country that took such good care of me the last time I was here, I tell myself:

Yes, it’s good to be back.

Russell is on his second run as a JET. He was previously a JET in Aomori, from 2006–2008.

Top: A group of JETs volunteering with locals to clean up a high school that got badly hit by the tsunami. Bottom: A view of Russell’s neighbourhood.

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Simon BinderOne month into my first year as a JET, and I am still perpetually excited for the adventures that await me every time I wake up. Week one was a blur, from the moment I exhaustedly dropped my bags on the floor of my new apartment after a fruitful experience at Tokyo orientation, to getting my alien registration card and setting up my phone and internet, to buying groceries for the first time in a Japanese supermarket. The second and third weeks were fantastically coordinated by our local AJET team here in Tokushima, with a phenomenal tour of main Tokushima city, English Camp with local senior and junior high school kids at a local Buddhist temple, and, of course, Awa Odori. What an ex-perience! Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets as we strutted our hastily learned stuff in the Arasowa-ren group. Wearing yukata, eating some of the delicious, locally-prepared fried festival food, and determinedly trying to communicate with very little Japanese profi-ciency made it an evening to remember.

So far this first month, however, I have had two experiences which have really spoken to me as a person. The first was during English camp. After a draining but gratifying day of playing with the kids, we had a chance to ask

t o k u s h i m a c i t y , t o k u s h i m a

the head Buddhist monk at the temple some questions. I asked what his favourite ceremony of the year was, and his reply blew me away. Apparently, there is a ceremony in Japan where people write their wishes for the year on pieces of paper, and it was the monk’s annual job to perform the ritual in which the wish papers are burned as he offers them up for consideration. His favourite ceremony, then, is one where he is serving the people in his community, over-seeing their hopes and dreams for the year and praying for them to be accepted by a power greater than himself. Would that we could all be so altruistic! Something, certainly, to aspire to. The second was during the magnificent Naruto fireworks festival, sitting on the banks of a river amid hundreds of Japanese people, marveling at the mind-boggling spectacle, and imagining ourselves as other-worldly beings looking in on the transience of human experience. Each of us could be referred to as a brief, stupendous flash of light, colour, and sound that can rock the sky, if just for a moment, causing wonder and amazement. So is my hope for all of my colleagues in the JET programme, that though we are only here in Japan for a short while, we can leave behind beautiful memories of how we made a meaningful difference.

Simon with friends at the Awa Odori.

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Kane Mercerb e p p u , o i ta

Before I started the JET Programme, I remember having questions such as, “How am I going to get 200lbs of lug-gage on the plane without being overweight?”, and “What will I actually do in my job?” A month later, I’m still not exactly sure what I will be doing in my job, but at this point I can say that applying to Japan has been one of the best choices of my life.

I am currently living in a city called Beppu in Oita pre-fecture. Beppu is most famous for its hot springs, so a local pastime is to carry around a little book called a Spa-port to get stamps. With enough stamps, people receive different-coloured towels that correspond to ranks like Karate. The Spa-port masters have black towels, while I am still working on my white towel. The most famous food in Oita is a special kind of chicken called toriten chicken, which is like chicken tempura (as opposed to fried chicken), but Beppu also has its own specialties relating to the hot springs which are so abundant here. We have hot spring eggs, hot spring pudding, hot spring steamed meals, and even ice cream with hot spring water inside.

By far the most rewarding aspect of being in Japan has been my students. They inspire me to be the best person that I can be so that I can in turn encourage them to do the same. In order encourage them, I will sing, dance and shamelessly do anything else which I wouldn’t have necessarily done beforehand, just because they look up to me for support. During my second week in Japan, Oita prefecture held the 25th Annual Yufuin English Camp. I was

in charge of a small group of students who I took care of from morning to night. I enjoy being a role model for students and look forward

to watching my time here in JET unfold.

Much thanks to Aileen, Russell, Simon, and Kane for their contri-

butions. Left to right: A picture was drawn by a group of students in Yufuin. During the 3-day English seminar, Kane was respon-sible for twelve children who he spent time with from breakfast until after dinner each day; The Buddha statue is a replica of the famous stone statues near Usuki city. This picture was taken right in front of the Usuki train station; The Oita ship is the local meeting spot for ALTs when they meet on the weekends in Oita city.

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So you are back from Japan but still have the itch to learn the language? Well, there are so many ways to learn Japanese online. I’ll base on a couple of

gurus to start: (web links are underlined in orange)

1 AJATT (All Japanese All the Time)

If there is one site you really need to remember, this is the one. This website is from Khatzumoto — his nickname — who learned Japanese in 18 months from scratch and landed himself a software engineering job! He lays out the basics of how you should start and continue your Japanese study. Khatzumoto has a Twitter page where he sends you words of encouragement and many resources. The major points of his study are:

A) Immersion, Immersion, Immersion: He always had headphones on. He listened in the shower. He listened in his sleep. I’m not saying go that hard but he is in Japan so it probably worked.

B) SRS: This means Spaced Repetition System. It is basically a smart cue-card program that times ex-actly when you should review your card. A popular SRS is Anki. It has an iPhone and Android applica-tion and you can also install it on your computer (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and FreeBSD) or use it online. Don’t forget to download the Japanese plugin for furigana!

C) Heisig: Khatzumoto recommends reviewing Remembering the Kanji 1 and 3 but not 2. This gives you the framework to remember to write and part 3 gives you many of the readings. You should put all your Heisig cards in the SRS. Kanji Koohi is a website that allows you to share stories with a worldwide community of people learning Kanji with the Heisig method.

D) 10,000 sentences: Find sentences everywhere online.

o n l i n e r e s ou rc e s f o r you r ja pa n e s e st u dy

text by Sartre Jean-Gilles

2 Tofugu

This is a guy in the US who has a YouTube chan-nel and gives really important tips about learning Japanese. Some of his tips:

A) Mygengo.com: Translation services by a native speaker It may be worth it for that 1% of Japanese that you just can’t understand on your own. This is a paid site.

B) lang-8.com This site allows you to write journal entries and it will get corrected by a native speaker. This is a paid site.

C) Evernote: This is an iPhone app that allows you to sync notes in a very useful way. This is a paid app.

3 Podcasts

Honestly…there is a cornucopia of audio out there for you. I recommend these podcasts:

A) (Arakawa Kyouhei Day Catch!) (iTunes, website). He has a large variety of topics that he covers from major news stories to social commentaries.

B) Suntory Waiting Bar Avanti (iTunes, website). This is the ultimate in informational everyday con-versational Japanese.

This is just a small sample of the tools out there for you to continue your Japanese study. Do what suits your lifestyle in Canada and stay focused. It can be done. Good luck!

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c a r e e r a dv i c e i n 5 m i n ut e s o r l e s stext by Karly Pinch Career and Personal Development Coordinator

When’s the last time you looked for a job? Many of us went on JET out of

university, and may now be finding ourselves in a much tougher job-hunting climate than the last time we looked for work.

Working for Career Services at the University of British Columbia, I work a lot with students and alumni on the question of job search skills. In today’s competitive climate, it’s especially im-portant to get out there and work hard at the job search.

Have a Top-Notch Resume and Cover Letter

You have about 20 seconds to im-press an employer with your resume. If it’s been a while since you’ve done a resume, maybe it’s time to get a second opinion. Make sure your resume is professional, easy to read, and, above all, must be targeted at the job you are applying for. Your experience should reflect your accom-plishments and skills, and it should be obvious to the employer how they match with that job. 2-page max is generally the rule, and make sure the most important information is show-ing up on the first page.

It’s All About Networking

80% of jobs are never posted, and if a job is posted online, chances are, the employer has already exhausted their personal networks. Networking is the number one way that people get jobs. This is not just shmoozing at events. Networking is about building relationships. So get out there. Do in-formational interviews. Learn how to use LinkedIn and other social media in a professional, networking way. Make sure everyone you know is aware that you’re looking for work, and what kind of work you’re looking for. You never know whose brother/girlfriend/cousin works for that amazing company that might be hiring soon.

But don’t be pushy about it. Make connections, be sincere, and always look out for ways that you can help other people as well. Networking is a two-way street, and no one likes to feel like someone is only talking to them because they think it might get them a job.

Clean Up Your Online Presence

For most of us, the new social media age can be a bit overwhelming. Whereas before, the Internet was mainly for entertainment, information

and connecting, now it is truly a way to find out a lot of information about complete strangers. You only have to remember the Stanley Cup Riots to realize what an impact a few inap-propriate photos online can have on your whole life. There are online tools that can help you figure out what your digital tattoo is. Be aware of what’s out there on the internet about you, and clean it up so that potential employ-ers are finding the good, not the bad or the ugly.

Access Your Resources

As the Career and Personal Development member of the JETAABC board, I am happy to offer any advice to anyone with questions about job searching. There are also resources in Vancouver at UBC for alumni/students, and more broadly, at UBC Robson Square and the YWCA Career Zone.

If you have any questions about careers, Karly hosts several career workshops throughout the year, and she can also be reached at career@jetaabc.ca

You have about 20 seconds to impress an employer with your resume.

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I spent 2 years as an ALT in Sendai, Miyagi, in the Tohoku region of Japan. When I would speak to

people in other parts of Japan, they liked to say that Tohoku was very cold. And that it’s famous for gyuu-tan (beef tongue). And that Sendai is the city of trees, with tall leafy trees lining one of the main roads, making for a pleasant walking area in the middle of the city.

As far as cities go, Sendai wasn’t anything extra-special. It didn’t have the city-excitement of Tokyo, or the history of Kyoto or Nara, or all the neon signs of Osaka. Which, really, suited me perfectly. Time in Sendai often involved walking down the cov-ered walkways of Ichibancho. This sort of extended mall made it possible to walk a long ways to/from the train station without really going outside, which was helpful in the rain. There was enough access to foreign food to ease any cravings, but not so much that you didn’t feel like you were in a foreign country. The Pizza Hut a few blocks from my house made me feel comforted, even though I never actu-ally ate there.

In the summers in Sendai, I remember all the festivals. The famous Sendai Tanabata, where the streamers of paper wishes filled the Ichibancho walkways, and other smaller festi-vals, where paper lanterns were lit and sent down the canals, and always with the festival food of takoyaki or okonomiyaki.

text by and photos from Karly Pinch Sendai, Miyagi, 2005–2007 ALT

how i remember tohoku

But really, the greatest thing about Sendai was how easy it was to get out of it. You didn’t have to take the train for long before the city scape gave way to the rolling Tohoku hills. A variety of onsens were a short trip away, and we could easily access the countryside for the stunning fall co-lours, the snow-covered fields, and the blooming sakura. With a car, you could drive along the coast, finding many tiny villages, each with its own spe-cialties. By going in to a tiny family restaurant, where a gaijin face had prob-ably never been seen, and eating whatever they recommended, a lot of new and inter-esting foods could be found.

I remember camping on a beach, camping in the snow, camping next to a Japanese family with their apart-ment-style tents. I remember narrow roads, where the open ditches on either side made me a very nervous

front-seat passenger. I remember stunning gorges with easy hiking paths and beautiful fall colours, and tougher climbs up mountain sides in snow.

I remember going out on some kind of homestay, where I got to learn how to harvest rice, or something like that, and where I went to the daughter’s

When I speak to people in other parts of Japan, they liked to say that Tohoku was very cold.

Clockwise from above: fall colours in Akiu, Miyagi; at the tea ceremony teacher’s house; hanami in Sendai. Next page: winter hiking on Mount Bandai, Fukushima prefecture. Lower-left: rice harvesting.

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tea ceremony lesson, and proved that I could sit on my knees in seisa, es-chewing the offered chair.

When I remember all these parts of Tohoku, and how much I loved that countryside, I am just so sad to think of the destruction they have suffered. There are many people I’ve met — my students, teachers, passing acquain-tances, and friends — who I’ve lost touch with. I have no way now of

knowing how they fared, or are con-tinuing to fare, for most of them. I know that the gambare spirit of the Japanese people will allow them to recover. It would be nice if they didn’t have to continue to rely on it, though, as earthquakes continue to rock the region.

I will always remember these great bits of Tohoku, even if I never have the opportunity to visit there again.

c e r a m i c s ou ltext and photos by Thomas Law

I’m always at a loss when i try to explain to people what Japanese ceramics are. “You know, those

wobbly cups that don’t look symmetri-cal?” The wobbliness was often due to my own skill with ceramics, but the asymmetry is actually a characteristic trait in the art.

It reflects zen philosophy, my teacher Hide Ebina says. Developed by tea ceremony masters, the zen philoso-phy was popular among warriors in ancient times. Life was short, and death on the battlefield was frequent, so there was a focus on living in the moment, he added. Tea ceremony was developed to provide a space and time for people to share and sense a moment together.

Back then, people believed that what sets humans apart from animals was their appreciation of beauty, and

ceramics grew to become treasures as valuable as land. The warriors don’t live long, so once they have gathered enough land for their families, they focus on aesthetics as a treat for their soul. The asymmetry of the ceram-ics reflects a frozen moment in time: living in, and enjoying, the present.

I asked Hide-san what he thinks the appeal of ceramics is, and he replies it’s the reward of creation: everyone starts from the same lump of clay; you never know what you’ll make of it. As I sipped tea while taking a break, I looked around the studio. The students have varying backgrounds: obasans, architects, authors, moms, graphic designers… What brings all these people together? “Clay filters people,” Hide-san chuckles. “The im-patient ones, the aggressive ones, or the violent ones don’t make it far with ceramics.”

Interested in Japanese ceramics? This year, JETAABC is again host-ing a 2-hour ceramics demo class at Hide-san’s HiDé Ceramic Works studio in late-October. Check out the Events section on page 18 for more details.

You can also check out Hide-san’s works at the Interior Design Show West 2011 at the Vancouver Convention Center, Sept 29–Oct2.

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Mokuyokai Speaker Program: Dr. Bernard Saint-Jacques on “Japan as Number Three”

Mokuyokai is pleased to introduce Dr. Bernard Saint-Jacques, UBC Linguistics Professor Emeritus and a recipient of Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun, as the speaker for the upcoming Speakers Program on Monday October 3.

Dr. Saint-Jacques will discuss Japan’s eco-nomic power shift from Number Two to Number Three by examining Japan’s foreign and economic policy with China and the US. Then he will focus on certain problematic aspects of Japan which were made more evident by this shift in power, specifically the declining birth rate and the lack of immigra-tion. Lastly Dr. Saint-Jacques will argue that Japan will be able to create a new identity and find solutions to the declining popula-tion. There will be time allotted for Q&A and discussions.

Speaker: Dr. Bernard Saint-Jacques, UBC Linguistics Professor Emeritus

Topic: “Japan as Number Three”

Date: Monday October 3, 2011

Time: 12:00pm — 1:00pm

Location: Davis LLP Boardroom, 28th Floor, 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver (Corner of Burrard & Dunsmuir Street)

We wish to acknowledge with thanks the generous support of Davis LLP

Costs: Free for members of Mokuyokai and Canada-Japan Society; $5 for guests and future members

RSVP: by October 2 to Emily Wu by email at: speaker@mokuyokai.bc.ca

Coffee and water will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own lunch!

Photography Workshop for Tohoku!

Do you have photos from your time in Japan that you’d love to take to the next level?

This is an interactive workshop which will allow you to explore both traditional and digital processing of your own images with experienced photographers, and an exciting studio photography session in the afternoon.

When: Saturday, October 15 (from 9 am to approximately 3 pm)

Where: Film2Frame Studio, 655 Front Street, New Westminster

Cost: $50, which also includes lunch and a donation to Tohoku relief.

Please RSVP to Siobhan at siobhan @jetaabc.ca by October 8, 2011 to confirm your registration!

Ceramics Workshop Experience

Are you interested in creating your own ceramics? Japanese ceramicist Hide Ebina is hosting a special 2-hour class for JETAABC alumni and friends to experience creating artworks out of clay. For $35, participants can create two small-sized items (ie. sake cups), or one larger-sized item (ie. bowls, vases). Additional items can be made (time-permitting) at additional expense.

Learn about hand-shaping and coiling, then choose a glaze colour and Hide-san will glaze it for you after the clay is hard-ened in the kiln. Your finished product will be ready in 4–6 weeks after the class. Perfect for Christmas.

When: Saturday, October 22 (from 11 am to 1 pm)

Where: HiDé Ceramic Works, 2368 Alberta St, Vancouver, BC

Cost: $35

Please RSVP to Thomas at newsletter@ jetaabc.ca by October 17, 2011 to confirm your registration.

u p c o m i n g e v e n t s

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First of all, apologies for being two weeks late with this issue. Life and school can beat the crap out of me sometimes! Aside from

that, hello! Some of you might be new returnees from Japan after finishing your JET contracts. To you guys I say, “Otsukaresamadeshita!” Welcome back, and hopefully we can meet you real soon when we officially receive the return-ees list from CLAIR sometime later in the year.

JETAABC has had a busy summer, lots of events here and there, and to have such a big newslet-ter even after all that is pretty amazing. Thank you very very much to those who submitted to this newsletter.

In the last couple of months, we’ve said good-bye to two members from the JETAABC Board of Directors. We’d like to thank Rei Kitano, our Membership Coordinator, and Joseph Luk, our Treasurer, for their hard work over the last nine months. Best of luck to you two on your jour-neys! Until the next AGM meeting in the new year, our Director-at-Large Siobhan Smeets will be taking over the Membership duties, and long-time Treasurer and current President Ann Yamashita will be taking over the Treasurer role again. See you in mid-December for the last issue of this cycle!

Our cover photo was taken by the awesome Mark Montgomery, who also happens to be our awe-some Director-at-Large. Thank you for helping us avoid a “face-less” newsletter, Mark.

Check out Mark’s website at: www.majomo.ca

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j e t a a b c n e w s l e t t e r

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ru s s e l l aq u i n o

sa b i n e sasa k u r a

sa rt r e j e a n-g i l l e s

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j eta a b c b oa r d

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w r a p p i n g u ptext by Thomas Law

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