JET Streams – Issue #60 (Summer 2025)
CLAIR Corner (Articles and updates from CLAIR)
Beyond JET (Articles from former JETs)
Welcome to the 2025 Summer Edition of JET Streams!
Department of JET Programme Management, CLAIR
Thank you for always reading JET Streams! This is the Department of JET Programme Management.
October is here, and the weather in Tokyo has finally started to cool down. This summer saw temperatures climb above 41°C, making it especially tough, so we’re looking forward to autumn. How has everyone been?
In this issue, we’ve got a lot of exciting articles and information for you!!
Along with stories from JET alumni about their experiences and activities on the JET Programme, we also cover the orientation for new JETs who arrived in July and August 2025.
We sincerely hope that these articles will be both enjoyable and beneficial for you. If you would like to share your own story, please refer to the details via the links below.
We wish you all a wonderful autumn.
See you again in the winter issue of JET Streams!
JET Programme Summer Post-Arrival Orientation (July and August Arrivals)
New JET Programme Participants Begin Their Journey in Japan
This summer, we held orientations for new JET Programme participants who will be assigned to organizations across Japan. The sessions took place on July 28–29 and August 4–5.
The JET Programme brings Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs), and Sports Exchange Advisors (SEAs) from around the world to Japan. As of the 2025 fiscal year, around 5,900 participants are currently engaged in language instruction and local international exchange activities nationwide.
This year, approximately 1,300 new participants arrived in Japan, including, for the first time, participants from Grenada and Bhutan. During orientation, they received training tailored to their roles—covering everything from Japanese etiquette and workplace mindset to practical skills like classroom teaching methods and interpreting/translation techniques. Officials from the Ministry of Education also gave a lecture on team-teaching, helping participants deepen their understanding of collaboration among teachers. Additionally, participants were introduced to a new online Japanese-language course, with guidance on how to use it effectively.
Language teaching workshop for ALT
After completing the two-day training, participants set off for their respective assignments, full of excitement and anticipation. We look forward to seeing the impact they will make in their communities!
Looking back with a JET-lens
Dealing with the nostalgia of your JET life when your post-JET career is not Japan-related.
As I drive down into the valley, I can see him standing on the hill in the same place he was 8 years prior when I first left Soo City in Kagoshima. Yagoro-don stands proud against the sky and I am filled with a deep sense of melancholy seeing the place I spent 5 years. I was an ALT in Soo City from 2011-2016. I laughed as I told my partner (who I married in early 2020) that when I first Googled this place in 2011, there was “very little about it in Japanese, let alone in English!” I had spent time during the school breaks updating the town’s Wikipedia page about the local lore and festivals. Coming back to Soo had been a goal of mine since I left. This feeling became more urgent after marrying someone who had never been to Kyushu. It felt almost like a tall-tale when I recounted teaching at 2 schools a day, driving between them over lunch. Juggling 9 Elementary and 1 Junior High. The questions from friends back home about how the trains worked always felt extremely funny to me as there are none left in the area. I really began reflecting on my time in Japan over Covid because not only could we no longer travel, but I had made the decision in 2018 to re-skill in an area that was not Japan-related and for the first time in my life felt like Kagoshima was just a little farther away than I thought it would feel. While reminiscing on the tales, and pointing out old haunts in Kyushu, I started to realise that my time in Japan had really shaped how my current working life has evolved even without the constant connection.
 in all his glory.JPG)
Yagorodon (弥五郎どん) in all his glory
We started our journey together in Tokyo, as most travellers do, and I quickly whisked my partner to destinations they had always wanted to experience but had not, because they felt that the barrier to entry required knowledge of Japanese. I had a tightly packed schedule full of historic train lines, The House of Light in Niigata, eating local food at cafes that have been open since the 1930s in Osaka, Naoshima and the jewel in my trip plan: Kagoshima. While an ALT, I had gotten used to traveling with minimal time spent in each place, trying to make use of the short breaks and long weekends. My trip plans were always compact but impactful. I found this to be an extremely useful set of skills when I started managing work schedules for other people, and preparing timelines for delivery in my day-job. My ability to organise complex tasks was also made stronger by having 10 schools to attend, all with different wants and needs from my visits. As we travelled, I recounted stories from when I lived and worked in Japan. Being back in Japan brought up a lot of old emotions. Should I have kept working here? Should I have not left?!
Taking in the sights at Aoshima Shrine, Miyazaki
After a week of travel we boarded a plane and landed in Miyazaki airport. Tokyo and the larger cities always felt like a completely different Japan than I remember, so I was excited to start hearing more familiar voices and accents. As the weather got warmer so did the people. While renting the car, I felt the lady behind the counter was nervous to talk to me. I casually mentioned that I used to have a Japanese Driver’s license in Kagoshima but that it was many years ago. She was instantly more relaxed to talk to me, and we chatted about cool places in Miyazaki to visit. Living in such a rural town led to many awkward interactions that I always dreaded. To deal with this I quickly built my skills at chatting about local things, and I often got told I had a Kagoshima accent. I used this skill to quickly make friends when I moved to Australia, and it also helps me in my day-job. Watching my spouse experience all these places I loved reminded me if I hadn’t left, my life would have been very different to what it is now.
Getting back on those winding, foggy, rural, mountainous roads with no lines was like riding a bike. I was finally back to my “old home” and getting to share the food I had craved, visit the shrines I rave about, and experience the kind of Japanese hospitality that only rural Japan can provide. I was also finally coming to understand how much had changed since I left. My friend has kids, my old colleague didn’t even recognise me, and most of my students became adults. I realised while looking back at Sakurajima from the ferry just how much I had changed as well.
House of Light in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, a bucket list item for my partner
After leaving Japan I went back to school, became Australian, and learned to be an expert in a non-Japan-related field. I used to reminisce about these places and believed if I stepped foot in them again they would swallow me back up. Now I look around and see it doesn’t hold me as tightly anymore. When I stopped engaging with Japan for my day-to-day job I had to put that part of me on the shelf. Being back in Japan meant I had to dust it off, but I found it didn’t really fit anymore. I think it is easy to think of those sparkling (and often bittersweet) memories on JET and feel like moving away is somehow ‘giving up’ a connection you worked so hard to achieve. However, I now see that those experiences have deeply shaped who I am in my life. I still take my shoes off when I come home, I still air out my apartment, I still buy little treats for friends when I travel, and I still pour other people’s drinks first. My time on JET resurfaces daily in ways I don’t always notice. I’ve left the legends behind, but I have taken the lessons with me.
- Social Media:
- @travelwithmei
Discovering My Second Home
Uncovering the Treasure I Never Knew
Community
Mizuho Highland
Upon receiving my placement for JET, I was left puzzled. Heading to a prefecture that I had never heard of before, let alone a town nestled in the mountains, I felt simultaneously excited and worried. Would I be able to connect with anyone? What would I do? Luckily, though, when I arrived, I was met with an unexpected vibrant community in Ohnan, Shimane. Nestled within the middle of the Chugoku Alps in Western Japan, I found traditions not only being carried on but also thriving vibrantly. Things such as Iwami Kagura, ikebana, taiko, taue-bayashi, and so much more. For a town with a population of under 10,000, I found that someone was always engaged in something, leading to an air of liveliness. Not only did things occur within town, but I also found there was a lot of interconnectedness between Ohnan and the surrounding towns, Kawamoto, Misato, and even across prefectures in the town of Kitahiroshima.
Aside from the local community, the Shimane JET community seemingly had also adopted the same warm, welcoming attitude. The AJET community held events throughout the year to discover the prefecture, and no matter where you went, there was always someone there to point you in the right direction and even accompany you on exploring their little section of the prefecture.
Finally, this charm did not limit itself to just outside of work. Within my school and the board of education, the teachers, students, and co-workers were also integral to building this community. After all, I spent most of the day with them. Always ready to answer questions, ask questions, and luckily, they allowed me to be involved in unprecedented ways, such as club activities or seminars not yet attended by ALTs prior. I felt as if I was home.
Self-Discovery on JET
When I left the U.S. back in 2019, to a degree, I had thought I had figured myself out and believed I had a plan set out. Get some education experience and then pivot into a consulting job for international business. My hobbies were gaming and traveling. I thought I was living by the virtues of friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence. However, things I had done when I was younger, such as sports, camping, music, and so on, their time had passed, and I had no more opportunities to follow them.
But then I arrived in Ohnan, Shimane. I discovered slowly but surely not only where there were parts of me yet to be discovered, and the virtues I had lived upon had not been explored fully yet, like a piece of buried treasure peaking up from the sand.
Upon my first week, the former CIR invited me for an experience with a local taiko group, Iwami Aragane Daiko, my now second family. With even just that first taste, it made me open my eyes back up to what had long been missing. My love for music. While very, very different from what I had played through middle and high school on my saxophone, it is, in essence, the same liberation of expression. The feeling of joy when the notes lined up just right. The smiles of the audience after a performance. The frustrations, counseling, and laughs in practice, I felt like I had recovered another part of myself.
Within the first couple of months of arrival, the Shimane JET community held a welcome gathering. Being in one of the least populated prefectures, there are not many large open areas to gather, but more so, with the prefecture being stretched out, there needed to be a more central location for all to meet. When we gathered at the base of Mt. Sanbe for a BBQ and an impromptu hike up the mountain, started to feel another part of me started to creep back. The itch for the outdoors. And others must’ve had it too, as there I met many other JETs, and then from there we went on to explore the towns of our respective towns, climb Fuji, and spend many nights just gazing up at the stars. Through the Shimane JETs and co-teachers, I was able to have the opportunity to try snowboarding for the very first time. Something now that I am deeply in love with (albeit not very good at). Another section was not only re-discovered but also illuminated for the first time.
When I entered university, I tried to take a career path I knew deep down I was not in love with, which was business. However, by compromising and making it an international business, I was able to study languages, both Japanese and German, at the collegiate level. During my final year, I got a snippet of teaching. I liked it. Enough to completely change career paths? Enough to try and re-educate myself from the bottom up? The opportunity given during my time on JET allowed me to solidify that answer. Yes. I wanted to help. I wanted to share information. I wanted to give all I could to help the next generation. Using my re-found love of music, during my 3rd year, I also started teaching saxophone at the brass band clubs of my school. Then while volunteering to be a coach for a local futsal club in Kitahiroshima, a brand-new portion of the self, and one that could be argued is the most important, was unveiled for the very first time.
During my time, unfortunately, many of the years had the shadow of the coronavirus hanging over them. This means meetups were relatively infrequent, sometimes even canceled suddenly. At the very same time, being here during the whole pandemic did allow for a bond between those involved and me. I felt trusted, relied on just as much as I had come to trust and rely on the other community members. While the scenery being beautiful is a plus, what came to have me call the town a second home is the even more gorgeous community, which helped me become me again.
Post-JET
Upon completing my 5th year, I was left with three main options. Return home and be an educator, move to a larger city and start being a teacher in an after-school program, or stay with my contracting organization. I decided it would be best, nay, needed, to give back to the community(Ohnan Town) that allowed me fully to become myself. I started to work, and still do, as the town’s first-ever Foreign Language Instructor and JET Program Coordinator. When I arrived, I was fortunate enough to speak Japanese conversationally, which allowed me to navigate things more easily and help avoid dreaded moments such as hospital visits and the like that some of my peers had. I undertook this position to help the other participants to try and foster the same, if not even better, relations between schools, students, and the town, as well as aiding in reducing as many tribulations from living here. I also wanted to give back to the JET community that made me whole, by presenting and providing opportunities, and helping navigate those opportunities for the others.
The other main facet of my job is helping to assist the town’s English education, by sharing information between all 11 schools; helping organize trainings for elementary school teachers and English events; and stepping in to teach at the nursery and lower elementary stage as a way to foster curiosity, understanding, and of course show them that learning about the world can – and is – fun! All to prepare the future generation and connect those here.
While the position is brand new and is still full of trial and error, starting one while having no former precedent only shows the strength of the communal bonds forged over my time here. I am hoping to set a new precedent by doing right through the bonds of friendship, the connection of knowledge, and giving back to the local community. Just like buried treasure showing its form from the surface, while time may uncover it, it is a whole lot easier if you have someone help you dig it out.
- Social Media:
- linkedin.com/in/shanemicaelscott
From the Classroom to the NHK World Newsroom
How JET Set the Stage for a Life in Journalism
Brett on the JET Programme
Like many applicants, I circled Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka on my placement form back in 2009. I imagined neon nights, fast trains, and packed platforms at rush hour. Instead, I was sent to Tamba-shi, a quiet town in Hyōgo Prefecture surrounded by mountains and rice fields. I googled it. Not much came up.
At the time, it felt like a detour. In hindsight, it was the foundation for everything that came next.
I was placed at Aogaki junior high school with elementary school visits reserved for Fridays. I was an Assistant Language Teacher, but in practice I became a little bit of everything: crossing guard, assistant volleyball coach, and sometimes just the tall foreign guy who could dunk on the elementary school hoop.
Growing up, I’d always been the one filming—at school, family dinners, even pickup hockey. So when it came time to introduce myself, I did what felt natural and made a video. Their reactions said everything: delight at my dog, excitement at the 2010 Olympic footage, and curiosity about late-night longboarding. It taught me early that if you want people to listen, start by showing them who you are.
Brett Kwan being interviewed by NHK Kanazawa about his reporting on the region’s history, culture, and cuisine.
Trust from the students came from showing up, day after day. Eating lunch with a different class each afternoon. Playing tag at recess. Standing in the hallway and waving to students as they made their way to homeroom. Much of it felt awkward at first, but that was the point. Letting go of the need to get it right made space for real connection.
I arrived early and stayed late, but the nights were long and quiet. So I started a blog. Quiet reflections on daily life: navigating school lunches, traveling across Japan, and becoming friends with Kotani-san, a retired executive-turned-farmer. The posts helped me find my voice and refine how I told stories.
The blog gained traction. Not long after returning to Vancouver, I landed a position at CBC Radio. It was a part-time position, but it gave me a foot in the door. I started in Current Affairs, but quickly gravitated toward international breaking news. The challenge was reporting the facts while also communicating why they mattered.
Stories like the Boston Marathon bombing, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, and the early days of the ISIS insurgency tested every instinct I had. Facts were scarce, timelines kept shifting, and the consequences were real.
But the discomfort felt familiar.
Brett introduces Kotani-san to his daughter, 12 years after meeting in Tamba-shi, Hyōgo prefecture.
In Japan, I had to connect with classrooms full of kids I barely knew, quickly and honestly. The stakes may have been different, but the rules were the same: be clear, stay curious, and meet people where they are.
My next role took me to Istanbul, where I helped launch the country’s first English-language news network in 2015. Moving to Istanbul wasn’t easy, but JET had taught me that growth often begins where certainty ends.
That experience opened the door to my next chapter —Tokyo, the city I’d circled on my placement form almost ten years earlier. I returned through a CBC fellowship to advise NHK World, Japan’s public broadcaster.
At NHK World, I helped Japanese journalists adapt domestic stories for international audiences, offering guidance on English storytelling, editorial standards, and audience engagement. I was helping connect people across cultures. Except now, it wasn’t students in the countryside, but veteran journalists in the capital.
I led workshops for NHK reporters in rural bureaus, most of whom had never reported in English. I showed them how to frame local issues within a global context and write with clarity so that stories from places like Tamba-shi could resonate far beyond prefectural lines.
Those years were about more than just the newsroom. I built a life in Japan. I got married at Shibuya City Hall during the coronavirus pandemic. My daughter was born in Tokyo during the state of emergency.
Pleasant Shimo spotlights iconic global neighbourhoods through local artists, starting with Vancouver and Tokyo.
Eventually, we returned to Canada so I could complete an MBA at McGill. I wanted to find a way to bring together everything I’d learned and build something of my own. It led to Pleasant Shimo, an art and storytelling venture that collaborates with local artists to create prints of iconic neighborhoods in cities like Tokyo and Vancouver.
It’s a continuation of what I learned during JET. Show up, embrace the unknown, and capitalize on opportunities unique to your situation.
The JET Programme didn’t start the way I planned. But it turned out to be exactly what I needed.
- Social Media:
- @PleasantShimo
Life In The Mountains
Camping and Takayama’s “Chingay” – Chokera Maika
When I received my placement letter from JET in 2021, I was thrilled. I’m a nature lover and I couldn’t wait to get out there and explore the mountains and the rivers that was always so beautifully depicted in vlogs and animations. I was placed in a town that is nestled amid the Northern Alps of Japan ~ Takayama. Fortunately for me, my closest JET friend from Singapore is a CIR who lived in Aichi Prefecture (Hey Xuan!). She is very keen on camping. Xuan converted her van into a camper car for her adventures. We shared information about campsites with each other and we camped together several times. It is my privilege to write about 3 cosy camp experiences that I had with my CIR friend and Japanese friends.
The first campout took place in Aichi Prefecture, at Noma Beach Station (@noma_beach_station)(Camp fees: 3000 yen per pax). It was a short drive from Xuan’s apartment. It was a campsite by the beach. I met 2 other Japanese friends there as well; Minami and Jonosuke. The sunset view was awesome, and Jo was very prepared with his camp goods. I’m a scatter brain and tend to forget things, I casually mentioned that I have no camping chair and Jo asked, “How many chairs would you need?” and he then swiftly took out 4 camp chairs from his car boot. The beauty of group camping is that everyone came and pitched in a little. We sat there and barbecued the stuff we bought from the supermarket. When we were done with food, Jo took out a mini axe and wood, and went chopping away like it was his livelihood (he works at the city’s office) . Before long, he got a cosy fire started just as the sun set and it was starting to get chilly. We sat around the fire and talked about our “type”. Young Japanese people do love “Koibanashi”; literally translated as “love talk”.
The second campout took place near the Itadori River (that is in Gifu prefecture) (Camp fees: 3000yen, camp food: 2000 yen). This time round, it is nearer to my town. I came prepared with my camping chair! I met new friends like Yurika and Yuki. Yurika, just like Jo, was a seasoned camper and had amazing camp goods. It was an eye opener for me to witness how fancy and comfortable camping is in Japan. She had a griddle pan, stove and a very nice table that can be packed into a compact size. It should come as no surprise to anyone that those were the items I bought for my future camping adventures. We sat by the river and talked a lot that afternoon before dinner. Perhaps because we were brought together by our common love for camping; we hit off well with each other. Minami and Jo by now are like old friends to me (even though it was only the second time I’ve met them). A perk to camping in Japan, is that bath houses are everywhere and there was one within walking distance from our tents. Taking a warm bath before sleeping is the best feeling in the world.
An extra perk: Camping with Japanese people means good food is a guarantee!
The third campsite was in Nagano Prefecture; Kisokoma Resui Park (Camp fees: FREE! ). It is part of the mountain range that Takayama is surrounded by, and it is not very far from where I lived. Xuan and I were interested in exploring this campsite but the rest of the group of camp enthusiasts were caught up with a busy work season. They could only look at our photos with envy. This campsite is at least 1000m in altitude so Xuan and I went in July; the best time to go because it can get rather cold at night in the mountains. What is special about the campsite is that it is FREE! What was more surprising to us was how clean and modern the facilities are. They even have a self-help store where you can buy things you need for camping and pay electronically. It was based on trust. The whole place was put together by locals who wanted to provide free campsites for others to enjoy. Needless to say, I ate very well because Xuan prepares camp food like a Japanese person. We ended the night with a hot Nissin cup noodle (laksa flavor).
Before starting on my JET journey, I honestly thought I would be alone most of the time because Japan seems like a paradise for loners (think Ichiran ramen’s individual counter seats). It was far from true. Japanese are the best people to camp with, they are clean and responsible, they plan meals very carefully and everyone takes care of each other. If you’re interested in camping, don’t be afraid to start! I started solo camping before I met all these wonderful camp buddies.
Takayama’s Chingay
I thought I’ll specially mention this one-of-a-kind experience I had in my community in Takayama. It started with a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English Language) showing me videos and pictures of her dance group; I thought it was pretty cool and praised her group for dancing so gracefully. I believe there was something lost in translation, I didn’t mean to say I wanted to join but I was brought into the group the very next week. They were planning a summer dance item for a parade called “Chokera Maika”. I thought I’ll humor them and dance just this once and get out of the group after that. I love all the members of the group; they are wonderful and kind ladies, but I’m just not a performance arts person. I never was and will never be and so I thought.
In my next dance rehearsal meeting, they brought glittery skirts in flashy colors. In the penultimate rehearsal, they brought rainbow wigs! I’m not a cosplay person either – I was petrified and really wanted to squirm out of the whole thing. I decided to join them and match their enthusiasm; after all, why not, I’m in Japan! So, I danced with this lovely bunch of ladies in the middle of the town’s historic buildings known as the Old Town of Takayama. Yes, in my glittery skirts and rainbow wigs. I was worried that my students who lived near the town would see me in the flashy costumes, but my students were also participating in the event! The whole dance procession took about 45mins as different groups danced around the old town. The best dressed and most organized dance groups will get prizes. My group won 4th place that day! We had a celebration with the prize money and also received 5000 yen of vouchers to buy things in the old town. I spent mine on fluffy pancakes. I gained more than prize money that day, I made friends who I would meet once a week to dance with and have Takoyaki party with.
