JET Streams – Issue #58 (Winter 2024)
CLAIR Corner (Articles and updates from CLAIR)
Beyond JET (Articles from former JETs)
Welcome to the 2024 Winter 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 at CLAIR.
How did you spend your summer and autumn this year?
Here in Japan, before we knew it, winter has fully set in, and the year-end and New Year season is upon us. The cold days continue, making the summer heat feel like a distant memory.
This issue is filled with exciting content!
From CLAIR, we’re sharing highlights from the 2024 “Career Vision Conference and Essentials of Job-Hunting in Japan Webinar” held in November as part of the JET Programme Career Support, along with an introduction to the JET Alumni Database.
We also have inspiring stories from JET alumni! These include reflections from those who joined JETAA after leaving the JET Programme, as well as stories from alumni who have continued to maintain strong ties with Japan.
As always, we hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as we did. If you too would like to share your story, please check for more information at the links below:
Wishing you all a wonderful rest of your winter and holiday season.
See you again for the spring edition of JET Streams!
JET Alumni Database
JET alumni, are you looking for a way to reconnect and give back to the JET community? Join CLAIR in supporting current JET Programme participants and help guide the next generation of JETs!
At CLAIR, we’re always looking for JET alumni from diverse backgrounds to contribute to projects, conferences, and events designed to support current JETs — not only during their time in the Programme, but also in their post-JET careers. This support can include, but is not limited to, post-JET career consultations, serving as a lecturer or guest speaker at a CLAIR-run event, or being featured in CLAIR publications. We also welcome new ideas for supporting current JETs, leveraging the skills and expertise of alumni who are willing to contribute.
If you’re interested in reconnecting and giving back to the JET community, please consider registering in the JET Alumni Database. Instructions on how to register, along with more details, can be found on our website below. We look forward to hearing from you!
JET Programme Career Support
2024 Career Vision Conference and Essentials of Job-Hunting in Japan Webinar
The JET Programme Career Vision Conference (CVC) and the Essentials of Job-Hunting in Japan Webinar are held annually to help current JET Programme participants and JET alumni approach their post-JET career with confidence.
This year’s conference was held online over two days, Saturday, November 16, and Sunday, November 17, with a total of 918 participants registering for the sessions. During the Career Vision Conference (CVC), we welcomed JET alumni from both Japan and abroad, representing 10 diverse industries such as Education Careers, Travel and Tourism, Translation and Interpretation, and Getting into Graduate School. Through panel discussions, they shared insights on industry trends, their career paths, and the preparation needed for success. Additionally, a representative from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications introduced the activities of the “Local Vitalization Cooperator (Chiiki Okoshi Kyoryoku-Tai)”. Following each panel discussion, an online networking session allowed participants to interact directly with the panelists, fostering lively exchanges of ideas.
Panel Discussion for “Creative Careers”
On the second day, November 17, the Essentials of Job-Hunting in Japan Webinar was held for participants and alumni who wish to pursue careers in Japan. This webinar provided practical information and skills essential for job-hunting in Japan, such as how to write a resume and proper interview etiquette.
We hope this year’s event helped participants gain a clearer vision for their careers and take meaningful steps toward building a fulfilling life after the JET Programme. Lastly, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the panelists who joined us from around the world to share their valuable experiences.
You can find information about JET Programme Career Support at the following link.
Follow the JET Programme on Social Media!
Stay up-to-date with the latest news and event announcements by following the official JET Programme social media accounts. It’s also a great way to connect with current JET participants and JET alumni!
Official Social Media Links:
Follow us and join the JET Programme community today! 😊
Staying Connected to Japan After JET
Join a JETAA Chapter!
One thing I heard a lot after returning from Japan was that others were afraid of losing the Japanese they had picked up after JET. Even in a cosmopolitan area like New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania, the regions under JETAANY, one might be hard pressed to use their Japanese if they aren’t diligent. After all, not everyone has the chance to work for a Japanese company or be neighbors with a Japanese family, and there is no Little Tokyo like there is on the West Coast. However, many alumni would like to keep their connection to Japan, and I believe one of the best ways is through the language.
During the pandemic, I participated in Zoom sessions of “Nihongo Dake,” an online event for Japanese conversation that also included vocabulary quizzes and word games like shiritori hosted by the Language Chair at the time Giuseppe, or Joe for short. One day, Joe informed me he would be stepping down and asked if I would be interested in taking over. I thought this might be good for keeping up not only my studies but also the studies of others who frequented Nihongo Dake. I agreed, and the rest is history. I ended up hosting almost weekly on Monday nights for a little over 3 years. I hosted over 100 Nihongo Dake events both on and offline once the pandemic was more or less resolved.
At the time I hosted “Nihongo Dake.” We mainly focused on online conversation, variations of shiritori and reading aloud practice from NHK News Web Easy, which includes kanji readings, and NHK News Web’s regular website, which do not show kanji readings. This would enable us to pick up on vocabulary and give us conversational topics about the articles we read. Anyone who was studying Japanese at any level, whether they were JET alumni or not, was welcome to join. When not on Zoom, we held in-person sessions at the park or public spaces, enjoying light snacks and playing tabletop games like “Shiritorimitto” (a shiritori board game that needs to be completed within 10 minutes), Katanashi (explaining katakana words without using katakana), and even Monopoly in Japanese.
All of this is to say that I highly recommend keeping that bridge between the US and Japan through language. Language connects people through communication, and through communication you can pick up on soft skills such as verbal cues, exposure to multicultural environments, and social connection to others who may share similar interests as you. This can benefit your social circles and job hunt. One way you can keep yourself from forgetting the Japanese you learned is to join your local JETAA group and see if they have any language activities. If not, propose making one or see if anyone would be interested in hosting, whether it be a one-off event or a regular staple. Ideas can include food tours in Japanese, lunch or dinner with guests in Japanese, or any event that requires participants to use as much Japanese as possible. Wishing you all the best in your personal journey of connectedness after JET!
- Social Media:
- https://www.facebook.com/ashley.matarama
The JETAA Effect
Reflections on Opportunity and Growth Through Community Involvement
“They had hon mirin! A big one!”
My partner approached with a triumphant look while cradling a decorative 1.8 L glass bottle. It was a humid August afternoon at the Japan Festival in Mississauga, Canada.
“They only had small ones, but this was on display. I asked to buy it, and they let me! The person behind me wanted to buy it too, but this was the only one they had.”
I was impressed by her lucky find. We had just returned from Japan three months prior and bemoaned not buying any mirin before coming back. You can get almost any ingredient in a city like Toronto, but local alcohol regulations make hon mirin uniquely difficult to find. I asked where she discovered this rarity.
“There’s a guy from Montreal selling it! He’s French-Canadian, but fluent in Japanese. He really knows what he’s talking about! We should check out his booth.”
I nodded in agreement, but the humidity had peaked. Dark clouds had gathered above. We sat in the car and ate Blue Hawaii kakigōri while waiting for the downpour to subside. Arriving at the booth under clearer conditions, I was greeted by a familiar face; one I had not seen in several years. “Long time, no see!” I said to the mirin merchant, Sam, who I had met at the 2019 JETAA Canada Conference (CanCon) in Montreal. “Your hair’s gotten longer!” he replied. “No way, you already knew each other…” my partner said, slightly dispirited. I gave her a sympathetic look and shrugged. Sam laughed. “That’s JETAA” I said and proceeded to catch up on the past five years.
I had only ever met Sam a handful of times at the conference. We had gotten on well enough and remembered each other fondly. JETAA kinships tend to form quickly but feel different from the friendships made while on JET. All of us have left, returned, and taken different paths, yet have decided to stay connected with our local JETAA chapter in some capacity. The result is an immediate commonality and mutual understanding shared between otherwise perfect strangers. It spans countries, cultures, languages, and even generations. This is the JETAA Effect; a remarkable thing, to be sure.
Every JET participant belongs to our global network of 50 chapters across 20 countries with over 70,000 members. Many get involved with a JETAA chapter, and of those, some go on to join their executive committees. They take on leadership roles and support the community however they can. Staying involved takes commitment, and chapters naturally deal with burnout and recruitment downturns. Larger chapters seem more prone to this and may even appear entrenched or cliquey. But these are common issues with any volunteer organisation. For the most part, getting involved is a rewarding experience. People sign up for different reasons, participate at different levels, and achieve different results. Yet at its core, JETAA remains a fun and supportive volunteer organisation. It empowers us to embody the adage of “act local, think global.” It connects us with Japan, but just as importantly, it keeps us connected to one another despite our differences. The JETAA Effect brings people together.
JETAA ran my Pre-departure Orientation, and I was eager to attend events post-JET in 2015. Unemployed in an unfavourable job market, I joined the Toronto chapter in 2016 to network. I resolved to take on any vacant position and became Website Coordinator. Despite a profound lack of know-how, I taught myself the role and stayed in it for three years before becoming Treasurer in 2019. In the same year, and with my local chapter’s support, I ran for and was elected Country Representative for Canada which, together with being Treasurer, was very much a crash course in financial reporting and governance. I worked for a Japanese government organisation at the time and was well-positioned to successfully represent Canada at national and international JETAA events.
The second half of 2019 was very eventful. After attending CanCon in Montreal that August, I got to go to Chicago for the USA National Conference (NatCon) in September, and to Tokyo for the International Meeting in November. It was also my first experience with JETAA-I, the association’s international branch. The JETAA Effect was palpable in Tokyo, and I was able to make meaningful connections with other representatives from all over the world. Being there was an immense privilege, and I left the conference feeling motivated to do more. Caught up in the momentum, I made a longshot bid for the International Vice-Chair position, and shockingly, I won the very close election by a thin margin.
Within one year, I had gone from updating a local website to representing a global membership at the penultimate level. A surreal and meteoric rise that was further compounded by a surreal global pandemic that locked down much of the world and locked away Japan for international visitors for the duration of my two terms as Vice-Chair. Still, that initial feeling of momentum made a strong impression. The 2019 JETAA community was hungry for fresh perspectives, novel ideas, and was willing to take a chance on someone new. I think that remains true to this day, and that alumni looking to make an impact should heed the call.
I still attend the occasional JETAA event and connect with alumni online, but after eight years of active involvement, it’s time to step back. I now sit on the board of a storied community organisation in Toronto that helps settle newcomers to Canada. To be honest, I would be out of my depth were it not for the very sturdy JETAA foundation that supports me where I stand. Our local chapters are sandboxes with low stakes and very high potential. You can test ideas, develop skills, and learn from your fellow alumni, many of whom are experienced and well-connected professionals. I can confidently say that when you put in a bit of work, JETAA offers unparalleled opportunities for professional development and personal growth. From initially just wanting to improve my job prospects, I stayed involved and was rewarded with lifelong memories and a wealth of experience that continues to pay dividends.
In the end, community doesn’t just happen. We forge it with our bonds and shape it with our choices, but without renewal, it can grow brittle and less resilient to change. In sharing my JETAA journey, I hope to encourage my fellow alumni to get involved and make the most of the opportunities available. Keep in touch with one another and remember the JET Effect. Together, you can create the community that you want to be a part of.
Once you’re a JET, the sky’s the limit. Looking back, you’ll be amazed at how high you can fly.
- Social Media:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/avmassey/
More Than Food
Kodomo Shokudo: Strengthening Community in Rural Japan
I never expected Japanese social services to be inspecting my apartment.
I made a pot of green tea as two employees from the Children and Women’s Consultation Center poked around the apartment I shared with my husband and infant daughter in rural Tokushima Prefecture. Then, they sat down at the kitchen table with a clipboard full of questions.
The entrance to Tsunagu
“How long have you known Miki?” one asked.
“About three years,” I answered.
“And how did you meet her?” the other worker asked.
“Kodomo shokudo,” we both responded in unison.
Kodomo shokudo, often translated into English as “children’s cafeteria,” is a movement gaining wide popularity in Japan. In 2023, there were a reported 9,131 kodomo shokudo across the country, an increase of 1,769 from 2022. The NPO Musubie estimated that 15.84 million people use kodomo shokudo each year, including 10.91 million children. While each organization varies in the services they provide, kodomo shokudo typically provide free meals to children and are staffed by community volunteers.
I wasn’t just a volunteer at our town’s kodomo shokudo – I was a founding member. After 3 years on JET, I’d returned to my original placement in Tokushima and gotten married. My former JTE approached me about starting a kodomo shokudo after I’d shared my experience delivering meals to American students during the pandemic in 2020. With another founding member, we officially started a kodomo shokudo and named it Tsunagu Mima World Community – Tsunagu, the Japanese word for connect.
Tsunagu bentos ready to be distributed
Tsunagu offers free lunches to children three Saturdays a month. We operate a food pantry with goods collected from local organizations, supermarkets, and fresh fruits and vegetables donated by local farmers. Tsunagu also hosts free special events throughout the year, including concerts and an annual charity run, all ending in a delicious meal.
But Tsunagu provides much more than food. It offers a “third space” – a place separate from work/school and home – for community members. It’s a place for different generations to interact: elderly women teach junior high school students how to cook seasonal dishes; elementary schoolers play with toddlers. It’s a place for different cultures to interact: local JETS volunteer to serve lunch; experts from around the world present workshops on everything from landmine cleanup in Cambodia to making windows more bird-friendly. It’s a place for people to leave behind their job titles and professional roles and come together simply as community members.
Although the Japanese countryside has a reputation for being homogenous and middle-class, the reality is that both diversity and poverty are present here. As an ALT, I had students struggling with homelessness, language barriers, and home lives affected by addiction or neglect. But there was only so much that even the Japanese teachers could do to help.
With more than 20 years in the public school system, my JTE was deeply familiar with the ways vulnerable students struggled. Although she already had a demanding job, she strongly believed that low-income students, students with single parents, students with disabilities, and non-Japanese or mixed-race students all needed more support, not just from school, but from the community.
Families gathering to enjoy lunch at Tsunagu
When we started Tsunagu in 2021, many of the students we’d taught years before came back to participate. These were faces I never thought I’d see again after saying a tearful goodbye when my time on JET ended. Now, I was picking them up before volunteer shifts and delivering food to their houses. And that’s why on a random Sunday afternoon, I was being interviewed about my relationship with Miki by child welfare professionals.
I had quickly grown close to Miki after meeting her at Tsunagu. Her mother struggled with addiction and was hospitalized. Her dad was absent. Miki was only 15 but spent most of her time alone in an empty house, which was becoming run-down and infested with mice.
Tsunagu volunteers rallied around her. My JTE took her to child welfare consultations. I took her to the onsen to bathe, while another teacher washed her clothes. I picked her up from her part-time conbini job on rainy days. Sometimes she stayed at our apartment. One time, I made her some grilled salmon and miso soup on a cold night after work, and she broke into the biggest smile. “It’s like I’m your kid,” she said, grinning giddily.
After her mom passed away, Miki moved to a government-run children’s home. Thankfully, the inspectors to our apartment that day gave the greenlight for her to keep visiting us. After my family moved into a house with an extra bedroom, I texted her: Your room’s waiting.
Visiting Tsunagu with my mom and baby
Tsunagu operates out of a community center in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by temples, parks, and rice fields. Volunteers gather in the morning to prepare that day’s lunch. I arrive arms full of day-old bread from a local bakery and mochi cakes donated by a wagashi sweets shop. While I set up the check-in station, children’s laughter trickles in from outside as families begin lining up. I take a deep breath and think about how good it feels to be here.
Living as a non-Japanese person in rural Japan can be an isolating experience. I always stick out in a crowd. I always feel different.
But Tsunagu is a space to just be. There, I’m not a foreigner. I’m just myself. I watch as my one-year-old daughter plays with other toddlers on the tatami floor, as she’s hugged by elderly women and high-fived by teenage boys. It reminds me that we do belong in this community.
When on JET, it wasn’t unusual for someone to stop in the grocery store or a parking lot, point in my direction, and yell, “GAIJIN!” I hated being called foreigner. It was a constant reminder that I didn’t fit in.
Last year, I was on a walk when a group of kids noticed me passing their yard. One of them turned to me and pointed. But this time he yelled, “TSUNAGU!”
- Social Media:
Exchange Years
Hosting Exchange Students as A JET Alum
The kind of winter that I swore would cause me not to recontract
“Show kindness to foreigners in your country,” she said. I had asked Kumiko, my host mother during my exchange year Osaka prefecture if there was a way to repay her for all of her help, patience, and guidance. This was her response. She insisted to be called okaasan (mother), and treated me as her son during my entire stay. She wrote letters of encouragement to me regularly. She tactfully served me something delicious (usually Kobe beef) before she’d lean into deliver some gentle scolding or criticism. Kumiko served as amazing guard rails for my first extended stay abroad.
I took her request to heart as I left Japan. I returned to the U.S. with okaasan’s words in the back of my mind, and in the front of my mind the desire to return to Japan once more and live a little more independently.
Our first student Kai arrived in 2021
One year later, the JET Program granted my wish (mostly). After growing up in the icy winters of central Ohio, and requesting placements in the warmer climes of Okinawa and Kyushu, I was placed as an ALT in the yuki-guni (an area that experiences heavy snowfall) town of Futatsui, northern Akita. Uneasy about a long winter on my own, I promised myself if the winter was harsh, I would not recontract. The particular winter ended up being the snowiest the area had experienced in eighty years (or so I was told). I found myself shoveling snow at least an hour a day in order to be able to safely park my car and access my house. The first thing I would see waking up on a winter morning in Akita was my own breath. Despite studying Japanese, it felt like everyone spoke too quickly and with too much local dialect for me to follow. The only thing to eat in the small town was a handful of ramen shops. The nearest burger was an hour’s drive to a McDonald’s in Odate. And, once winter was over, Futatsui merged with neighboring Noshiro City, and I found myself busily running around teaching in 14 different schools.
Nevertheless, I re-contracted for two more years. I left Futatsui in 2008 grateful for the challenges I was presented with, the personal growth I had been able to accomplish, and all of the people that I had met. Stepping on the plane home to Tokyo, I thought I’d concluded my JET experience.
And then nengajo (New Year’s cards) showed up for me that winter, and cards, and emails. I hadn’t calculated for the “JET Dividend” – those connections forged during those short exchange years that turned into life-long friendships. And as time passed and former students grew into adulthood, some tracked me down and sought to reconnect. It seemed that at least once per year I’d get a surprising email, letter, or friend request from someone I did not expect, just to let me know how they were doing, and ask how I was doing. The JET Program, at least for me, did not end on an airplane tarmac in Narita Airport.
The Thanksgiving photo that inspired Wayne to smile more in photos
But time trudged along, and I found myself with a career, a spouse, a home, and the nagging question of, “What next? What now?” My partner (who had immigrated from the Philippines in 2012 and became a U.S. citizen in 2017) and I wanted a family. After some thought and discussion, we decided to try our hand at hosting high school exchange students in our home. Between my spouse and myself, we felt we had a good foundation to be empathetic to an exchange student’s challenges, to celebrate their victories – large and small – and to push them to get the most out of their time with us. In the four years that we’ve hosted, we’ve learned more about ourselves as well, and those skills honed on JET in flexibility, patience, and the ability to communicate the same idea simply (and in various ways) have all proven invaluable.
I remember our first student, Kai, from Chiba, sitting in the passenger seat of my car frozen in terror after we’d toured our high school for the first time – the campus was large and the teachers were introducing themselves to him at native pace.
A photo taken before we sent our second student home to Taiwan
“Seems like everyone’s talking really fast?” I asked. He nodded.
“It will get better.” It does, indeed, always get better. By homecoming, Kai had a couple of good friends from physics class, and his calculus classmates adored him because he (a junior) addressed them all (seniors) as senpai.
Each student brings their own talents, challenges, dreams, and goals. Wayne, our second student from Taiwan, was an amazing cook, dreamed of being an American college student, but (bless his heart) just could not smile in a photo. Finally, when Thanksgiving rolled around, Wayne saw the family photo we’d taken and remarked, “I really need to learn how to smile!” By the end of his year with us, he was beaming in every photo.
Pumpkin carving with this years exchange student from Yokohama
The host parent experience so far has very much felt like a “JET after JET” experience. We help a student grow, we tackle novel situations together, and we feel rewarded sending them out into the world better than we received them. Unlike JET, we don’t have a classroom of thirty kids to tend to – just the one. Also unlike JET, we naturally have to commit more time to our student. They live here, and they are part of our family. That makes seeing them succeed all the more fulfilling. And they bring unintended exchange into our lives as well. One of Kai’s closest friends was a Dreamer (Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children and have lived in the country for most of their lives). Last year, our Norwegian student Axel befriended a Muslim student and we’d drive them both to mosque. Our world is bigger because we’ve opened our doors. And, in some small way, I get to live out my okaasan’s parting request to me everyday.
- Social Media:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyrmccarthy/
Bonds Beyond Borders
A Lifetime of Connection
My journey to Japan began innocently enough, with a visit from a Japanese student to my hometown of Invercargill, New Zealand. Little did I know that this chance encounter would ignite a lifelong passion for Japanese culture and language.
In 2003, I had the incredible opportunity to experience firsthand the warmth and hospitality of the Japanese people. A reciprocal exchange took me to Kumagaya, our sister city, where I immersed myself in a new culture, made lifelong friends, and solidified my desire to return to Japan.
The art of ikebana
After completing my teacher training in New Zealand, I seized the chance to fulfill my dream through the JET Program. As an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Mifune-machi, Kumamoto Prefecture, I spent two unforgettable years teaching English to senior high school students and building strong bonds with my fellow ALT participants and colleagues. During my stay in Kumamoto I took the time to immerse myself in Japanese life and enjoyed travelling around Kyushu in my little kei car, called Betty-chan. I was also lucky enough to meet Kumamon, the beloved Kumamoto Prefectural mascot.
During my time in Japan, I had the opportunity to organize a cultural exchange between my base school in Mifune and a high school in Auckland, New Zealand. This groundbreaking initiative marked the first-ever school visit by an international school for the Mifune students, allowing them to experience New Zealand culture firsthand. In return, the New Zealand students were immersed in Japanese school life, including a visit to a local onsen (much to their horror). Their time in Japan was a truly unforgettable cultural experience.
Origami Class
Upon returning to New Zealand, I continued my teaching career, taking on the role of Teacher-in-Charge of Media Studies. Despite no longer living in Japan, I maintained my connection through dabbling in taiko drumming, ikebana, and hosting students and teachers from Japan who were visiting our school. Later this led to the opportunity to join in on the school exchanges to Kumagaya Nishi High School , in Kumagaya, Saitama. In 2015, I led a group of 16 students on the trip, rekindling the connection between our two schools. This led to me taking on teaching Junior Japanese to our Year 7 and 8 students, where I introduced them to the culture and language of Japan. This year, I once again had the honour of leading another exchange (our first after the disruption of COVID-19) where I brought 19 students to Japan for a two-week immersion program. Our students were able to experience Japanese culture and customs through their homestay experience, and strengthen their understanding of the language. Our sister school Kumagaya Nishi High School always goes out of their way to ensure our trip is an engaging immersion of Japanese life, through many cultural lessons on Japanese traditional arts (such as ikebana, calligraphy and origami) and fun trips around the prefecture. Many tears were shed upon our final day at the school, with all of our students vowing to return to Japan when they are older.
Witnessing the growth and development of this sister-city relationship has been incredibly rewarding. The Invercargill-Kumagaya sister city partnership, established in 1993, has fostered strong bonds between the two communities. Student exchanges, official visits, and the Kumagaya Friendship Association have all contributed to this enduring connection that is over 31 years old.
Judo Class
One of the most heartwarming moments of my recent visit to Kumagaya was a chance encounter with an old friend. The teacher hosting me took me to a Kyudojo (practice hall for Japanese archery), where I met a master of the sport. After introducing myself, he recognised me as the New Zealand student his family had hosted years ago. He then reconnected me with his daughter, Moe, who had stayed with my family in 2002, and whom I stayed with in 2003 on my first trip to Japan. After 21 years of lost contact, it was an emotional reunion that reaffirmed the enduring power of these international connections.
Through my experiences as a JET ALT and my involvement in sister-city exchanges, I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact of cultural exchange. These programs not only foster understanding and friendship but also create lifelong bonds between people from different cultures. As I continue to contribute to the strengthening of the Invercargill-Kumagaya sister-city relationship, I am grateful for the opportunities JET has created for me to connect with others and share my passion for Japan.
