Newsletter Winter 2009/2010 - Volume 14, Issue 3 What a Year! 2009 was another busy and event-filled year for JETAABC. The creation of the 2009 Board of Directors (BOD) at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in January saw the addition of some new members joining in on the fun, with veteran BOD members taking the helm. We kicked off the year with a fantastic taiko workshop in February, followed by various events led by Ready JET Run! participating in the Vancouver Sun Run in the spring, and the immensely popular Ready JET Go! JET alumni dragon boat team holding a fundraiser night in the summer. And let’s not forget the fantastic dragon boat races they competed in – in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna! Many had the opportunity to learn about the art of shiatsu massage at the Shiatsu Clinic and Workshop, while the Pub Nights held throughout the year were well-attended by genki and boisterous crowds, drawn in by their love of beer and karaoke. JET alumni and friends were introduced to the culinary talents of Naomi-sensei, resulting in three very popular (and fully-booked) cooking sessions, where participants were taught how to make Japanese foodie favorites like crispy croquettes, Japanese sweets, and mouth-watering chawan-mushi. The arrival of fall saw JET alumni and friends take part in the CIBC Run for the Cure, welcoming JET returnees at Welcome Back Reception, getting the chance to play the koto with a very talented local koto musician, thinking about our futures at the Career Seminar and indulging in a friendly game of bowling with the folks at Mokuyokai. Of course, all these events would not be possible without the efforts and participation of JET alumni, volunteers and friends. Without all of you, this year would not have been as enjoyable and successful as it has been. Thank you so much for your participation and support! The next major event for JETAABC is the AGM on Friday, January 15, 2010. This is your chance to help ensure that 2010 will be just as memorable for JETAABC as it has been for all in 2009! So we’ll see you there! Finally, Happy Holidays and Ake Ome! Hope you all have a wonderful winter holiday! Dinah Linsangan 2009 JETAABC Newsletter Editor
***Mark Your Calendars!!! 2010 JETAABC AGM and Shinnenkai—Friday, January 15, 2010*** Here’s your chance to run for a Board of Director position, meet up with other JET alumni, and talk about important matters related to JETAABC (and of course, nosh on free food). The AGM starts at 6:30pm, but there will be appetizers before the meeting and the Shinnenkai after. Check out page 3 of this newsletter and the AGM notice included with this newsletter for more information. See you there!
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News from the JET Desk at the Consulate General of Japan Steve Chevalier Much like the teachers in Japan changing schools every few years, the same happens with the foreign staff at the Consulate General of Japan. This fall we welcomed a few new faces to our office including the new Consul General, Mr. Hideki Ito. As well, Mr. Yushi Suzuki joins the Culture and Information Section as the Consul in charge of the JET Programme. Another busy recruitment period has ended with the passing of the deadline to apply for the 2010 JET Programme at the end of November. Almost 1000 students were introduced to the JET Programme through our career fair booths and information sessions held at universities throughout British Columbia. Early word from the Embassy is that the number of applications, this year, should exceed last year. We spoke with a lot of genki, keen candidates during recruitment. Hopefully, we will see some of them at the interviews in March! We would like to thank all of the alumni who volunteered at the recruitment events, and those who recommended the programme to someone. Interested applicants truly appreciate the chance to connect with alumni and get a picture of what it is like to live and work in Japan. Your efforts and co-operation continue to ensure the success of the programme. If you are searching for a chance to practice your stagnating Japanese, want to have all that hard work you put into studying recognized, or looking for a public speaking, grudge match with one of your fellow alumni, why not join the Annual British Columbia Japanese Speech Contest? The contest will be held in Burnaby on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Halpern Centre, Simon Fraser University. Application forms and information are available on the Consulate General of Japan's website: http://www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/en/culture/culture_speech.htm. The application deadline is 12:00 noon, February 1st, 2010. A list of the applicants selected for the contest final will be posted on the website on or after February 8, 2010. From all of us at the Consulate, we wish you a warm holiday season and a Happy New Year!
The Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver 800 – 1177 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6E 2K9
Check it out ! New JET Programme advertising for bus and Skytrain. Photo courtesy of Steve Chevalier
www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp
In this issue‌ 1 2 3
Year in Review / AGM News from the JET Desk Upcoming Winter Events 2009 Board of Directors 4 A Message for Vancouver Island JET Alumni Meet a JET Alumni 5 Holiday Shopping Ideas 6-7 Past Events 8 Tidbits
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Upcoming Winter Events Nina Inaoka Lee
2009 Board of Directors
5000 Paper Cranes Project Saturday, December 12, 2009 Help make origami paper cranes for Olympic and Paralympic athletes! * Time: Noon - 2:00PM * Location: Sunset Community Centre 6810 Main Street, Vancouver, BC * Check out www.5000cranes.com for more info.
President: Greg Joughin president@jetaabc.ca
2010 JETAABC AGM and Shinnenkai Friday, January 15, 2010 Think about running for a board position or even just for the food! The annual Shinnenkai is a great way to reconnect with JET Alumni, whether you are newly returned to Vancouver, been back for 10 years, or have a family. Please come out to support the JET Alumni at the AGM. * Doors: 6:00-6:30PM (appetizers) * AGM: 6:30 – 7:30PM AGM * Shinnenkai: 7:30 – 9:00PM (sushi and snacks) * Location: YWCA on 733 Beatty Street, near Stadium Skytrain Station Nikkei Community Shinnenkai Saturday, January, 16, 2010 * Doors: 5:00pm * Dinner: 6:00pm * Location: National Nikkei Heritage Centre Event Hall 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC * Tickets/Info: Call 604-777-7000*** Email external@jetaabc.ca ***If you purchase directly from the Tickets/Info line, please let them know that you are with JETAABC. Adult: $40.00 ($45.00 after Jan. 9, 2010) 12 & Under: $15.00 Taiko Workshop January 2010 Details TBA. Check out www.jetaabc.ca for updates. Shakuhachi (Bamboo Flute) Workshop January/February 2010 Details TBA. Check out www.jetaabc.ca for updates.
Treasurers: Greg Joughin & Ann Yamashita treasurer@jetaabc.ca Secretary: Ann Yamashita secretary@jetaabc.ca Newsletter Editor: Dinah Linsangan newsletter@jetaabc.ca Membership Coordinator: Carlos Tolentino membership@jetaabc.ca Volunteer Coordinator: Emily Wu volunteer@jetaabc.ca Social and Cultural Coordinator: Russell Aquino social@jetaabc.ca External Liaison: Nina Inaoka Lee external@jetaabc.ca Career & Personal Development: Wanda Yee career@jetaabc.ca Senior Advisor: Chris Bailey senioradvisor@jetaabc.ca Technical Coordinator: Eric Chan technical@jetaabc.ca
YOUR NAME could be up HERE! Don’t forget the AGM! Friday, January 15th, 2010! Fame and Fortune await you! (Okay, maybe not the fame… and the fortune… not so much. But you get to meet a lot of awesome people, gain some volunteer experience, and get a chance to plan and attend different kinds of events for JETAABC! So come on out!)
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A Special Message From Vancouver Island JETAA Karen Murphy Calling the Elusive Alumni on Vancouver Island! Have you just returned home from Japan this past summer? Are you bored? Lonely? Are your family and friends tiring of your tales of Japan? Or did you come back years ago, but since you live on a rock out in the ocean (aka the lovely Vancouver Island) you can’t make it to the fun events happening in Vancouver with JETAABC? Never fear, there is more happening on the island than you may think, and the members of the fledgling Vancouver Island JET Alumni group are waiting to meet you! If only we could find you . . . Canadian privacy laws, while well intended, also prevent JETAABC from letting us know who has just returned to the island, or who has been here for years but remain undiscovered. So we can’t invite you to stuff. And there IS stuff to be invited to. Really. We’re getting ourselves organized (thanks in part to the folks from the Vancouver group for offering to link us to their sites and groups) and we’ve already had some great events, like a BBQ, an okonomiyake party, a pub night and several dinners. Even if you live too far from Victoria to make it many events, we’d still love to hear from you. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact us at victoria@jetaabc.ca so that you’ll receive notifications of meetings, updates on activities and invitations to upcoming events. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!
Meet a JET Alumni: 8 Questions with Kyle Thompson Carlos Tolentino 1) Top-three places to visit in Japan: i) Fushimi-inari Taisha, Kyoto ii) Katsura Palace, Kyoto iii) Minato-mirai, Yokohama 2) Must-read novel by a Japanese author: A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami 3) Izakaya of choice in Vancouver: Kingyo 4) Japanese athlete you look up to most: Ichiro Suzuki 5) Favourite Japanese festival: Gion Matsuri 6) Udon, soba or ramen? ramen, any day! Alumni Kyle Thompson (left) with recent returnees Cindy Wong and Nadia Kim at the Consul General's residence in 7) Preferred season? aki in Japan/summer in Canada Vancouver. 8) Current job: University teaching assistant
Photo by Carlos Tolentino
Kyle was a CIR in Gifu-ken from 2008-2009.
Got something to say? We’d love to hear from you! Email newsletter@jetaabc.ca.
So what can JETAABC do for you? Contact us! By Email: www.jetaabc.ca/Main/BoardOfDirectors for a list of email addresses On the Web: www.jetaabc.ca By Mail: JETAABC, Bentall Centre, PO Box 48121, Vancouver, BC, V7X 1N8
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Just in time for holiday shopping... Yunomi to know in Vancouver Megumi Johns
My weakness for yunomi or tea cups unfolded gradually in Japan, but was actually unavoidable. My home in Sendai was a stone’s throw away from an incredible ceramic shop in the north part of Sendai. It was a large store with all kinds of tea cups, coffee cups, rice bowls, miso bowls, plates, decorative pieces and furniture. Upon entering the store and beginning to browse, the saleswoman would bring over a steaming cup of dark, rich coffee in a beautiful cup, complete with a lacquerware saucer and offer you a seat at the long wooden table. You could then peruse the store at your leisure. I mostly window-shopped, but I did bring home a few treasures which I enjoy nightly with tea. It was a pleasant surprise to discover several similar shops here in Vancouver, though minus the hot coffee. If you want to share a bit of Japanese culture this season, these stores offer many great gift potentials. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll be adding things to your own wish list! Hana 2039 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver Specializing in all kinds of Japanese ceramics, including beautiful tea cups, plates, and bowls, I am always tempted when I visit this store. They have a wide selection and unlike other stores, favour range of products rather than volume of stock. You can also find items for the home such as noren, lamps and slightly obaachan styled clothes. Mei 2003 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver Mei is a brand new store just down the street from Hana, but you’ll find no overlap here. Mei is all about the contemporary products and has an assortment of random accessories and unique items, many of which would be perfect to swankify your home or office. Utsuwa no yakata 129-4800 Kingsway, Burnaby (Metrotown) 1380-4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond (Aberdeen Centre) http://www.utsuwa.com Shelf-to-shelf ceramics! Cups, bowls, plates, they’ve got a lot. Here you’ll find both quantity and quality and they’re perfect if you want to outfit your entire table with Japanese pottery. Murata 15 East Broadway, Vancouver http://murata.ca Murata has a range of different products, including ceramics, bento boxes, yukata, and home accessories. They have the best selection of tea canisters here.
Rice Terraces 1441 West Broadway, Vancouver http://www.riceterraces.org/ This small store has a good selection of neat accessories, including jewellery, watches, hair pieces, belts, bags, hats and even shoes and bra straps! They also offer fukubukuro – surprise gift bags with set prices. (Except they tell you what’s in them).
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Things were busy for JETAABC, JET alumni and friends in the last quarter of 2009. Take a gander at some of our past events. 2009 JETAABC Volunteer Appreciation Event—Indian Arm Luncheon Cruise September 13, 2009 Emily Wu All the JETAABC activities and events held this year were very successful. One of the main reasons for our success is due to the effort and hard work of our volunteers. On Sunday, September 13 th, JETAABC organized an annual volunteer appreciation party: a 4-hour luncheon cruise that travelled through Vancouver's inner harbour, the Burrard Inlet, and then north into the spectacular setting of Indian Arm. 27 of us enjoyed each others’ company, and indulged in the fabulous weather, drinks and a luncheon buffet that included BC salmon and roasted chicken. We also played an icebreaker "get-to-know-youbetter" game, where everyone introduced themselves using one adjective that started with the first letter of their first name. We had a lot fun! Many thanks to all our volunteers. We couldn't have done it without you.
Photo courtesy of Emily Wu
Interested in getting involved with JETAABC? Come out to our AGM in January, or contact Emily Wu, Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteer@jetaabc.ca!
2009 JETAABC Career & Networking Seminar October 23, 2009 Wanda Yee A big "Thank You" to everyone who participated in this year's JETAABC Career and Networking Seminar. This year's seminar, held at the Bentall 5 Conference Center, was a huge success with 8 JET Alumni who shared their post-JET and job-search experiences/expertise with over 18 participants. A very special shout-out goes out to all of the speakers, volunteers and helpers...we couldn't have done it without you: Carolyn Ali Russell Aquino Bailey (aka: Boozy Bear) Laura Beaulac Hugh King Jeff Kiyooka Dinah Linsangan Mark Montgomery Emily Wu Linda Yee
Photo by Emily Wu
Photos by Eric Chan
Koto Workshop November 7, 2009 Eric Chan On November 7, 2009, JETAABC welcomed the talented Kozue Matsumoto, a renowned local musician, who hosted a 3-hour koto workshop at the YWCA in downtown Vancouver. Six JET alumni and friends participated in the workshop and had the chance to receive hands-on instruction on playing the traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument. Ms. Matsumoto treated the lucky participants to several live performances during the course of the workshop showcasing her expressive and intricate fingerwork on the koto. For more information on the koto and Ms. Kozue Matsumoto's upcoming performances, be sure to check out her web site! http://kozuematsumoto.blogspot.com/ Stay tuned for future workshops! continued on next page
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Returnees’ Dinner at the Consul-General’s Residence November 27, 2009
Mokuyokai-JETAABC Bowling Taikai November 15, 2009
Dinah Linsangan
Emily Wu On November 15, 31 members and friends of JETAABC and Vancouver Mokuyokai Society bowled together at our annual Bowling Taikai at Rev’s Bowling in Burnaby. JETAABC members were placed in mixed teams with Mokuyokai members. There was a mix of nationalities, ages, and bowling experience! It was pouring rain outside, but we really didn’t mind. We bowled 2 games and had lots of laughs and food (pizza and a gigantic cake) during the 3hour session. Kudos to Ready JET Go! dragon boat team coach Kevin Thien, on finishing up top score at 169 – with three consecutive strikes in the 8th, 9th, and 10th frames!
Photo courtesy of Russell Aquino
JET returnees were treated to an elegant night of food, fun and general merriment at the Consul-General’s residence in Vancouver. Among those in attendance was JETAABC President Greg Joughin, who gave one of the first speeches of the night. Greg articulated JETAABC’s local presence in the community and its support for all JET alumni in British Columbia. ―We welcome all alumni, no matter when they’ve gone on JET, or how long they’ve been back,‖ he told the crowd of former JETs, consulate staff and members of various local Japanese associations. ―All events are open to alumni members; many are also open to friends and family, so bring them out, too!‖ Photo courtesy of Emily Wu
Winter 2009 JETAABC Cooking Class with Naomi-Sensei, November 28, 2009 Wendy Tsung
So there you have it, an official invitation from the president himself! Come on out to the next JETAABC event! We’d love to meet you!
Photo courtesy of Emily Wu
I have always really enjoyed cooking but never had the chance to attend any of the classes organized by JETAABC. As soon as I saw saba donburi on the menu this time around, I dropped everything and hit the "attend" button on Facebook right away ^__^. The cooking class was such a blast! My first impression of Naomi-sensei was, "What a kawaii obaachan!" She is so cute! She is a very animated and humourous sensei. Not to mention her hometown is Osaka, where I was placed when I was on JET. There were 15 participants and my husband was glad to find out that he was not the only guy there. We made okara, saba donburi and chawan mushi. We had so much to laugh about throughout the afternoon. The funniest part was probably when we all found out Naomi-sensei uses real sake (15% alcohol~!!) rather than cooking sake when she cooks! Everyone was curious about what kind of sake she used. For the chawanmushi, some participants brought the biggest mugs they could find at home. I never saw such big portions of chawan-mushi in my life! Overall, the class was really fun. We learned a lot and it was definitely the perfect way to spend a rainy day indoors. Specials thanks to Emily for coordinating the event. It was a huge success! Can't wait until the next class!
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Tidbits—cool stuff, neat stuff ************************** Feeling a bit natsukashii about life in Japan? Check out David Namisato’s site, Life After the B.O.E., lifeaftertheboe.com, a monthly cartoon about his experiences on the JET Programme as a CIR in Aomori-Ken.
(Reprinted with permission from David Namisato.)
Muchos Arigatos To: Russell Aquino * Eric Chan Steve Chevalier * Megumi Johns Greg Joughin * Nina Inaoka Lee Anita Lien * Karen Murphy David Namisato Carlos Tolentino * Wendy Tsung Emily Wu * Wanda Yee
Check out this house of steel built in Hanazono, Hokkaido.
for your contributions to this edition! Thank you!!!
See the story here: http://tinyurl.com/n2pslw Special thanks to Anita Lien for sending this story our way!
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