JETsAD newsletter #2

#2 August 29, 2015

NEWSLETTER October 2015

Osaka Sightseeing

Mount Koya Temple Stay

 

8 Japanese Superstitions

1000 Paper Cranes for Peace

JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Table of Contents

Announcements •Happy birthday to all those born

• 1000 Paper Cranes for

Peace……………….……..…3

• Osaka Sightseeing…………4 • 8 Japanese Superstitions… 5 • Mount Koya Temple Stay….6 • Grooving to Humor………. 7 • Quote of the Month………. 7 • Japanese Saying of the

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Month………………………. 8 • Brain Challenge……….….. 9 • Events ………………….……10 • JETsAD Opportunities……. 11

in October!

•The JETs AD Osaka trip is this

month! We look forward to seeing you all there!

•Registration for the Business

Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT) will end October 9 (Oct. 6 if applying via bookstore)

•There are 2 volunteer

opportunities in Iwate Prefecture, one of the area that was affected by the 2011 earthquake.

1. Volunteer to help clean, rebuild, support, etc in Tono City or 3 other nearby cities the long weekend Nov. 21-23.

2. Participate in 100 Santas Christmas Event in Tono City from Dec. 23-25.

If you are interested in being apart of a JETs AD volunteer team for either of these events, post on the Facebook page or send an email.

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

1000 Paper Cranes For Peace

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What Do I Need to Do? 1. Fold as many paper cranes as you can.

Our goal is 1000 paper cranes total. Feel free to get some of your local friends, students and teachers to help you.

2. Preferably, try to use paper that’s the color of our logo (i.e. blues, purples, or black/brown). However, any paper you have available is fine.

3. Mail all of your paper cranes the organizer (Send an email to JETsAD@ajet.net for mailing address).

Postage costs will be refunded to you.

What Happens After I Send My Paper Cranes?

1. We will vote on a message to accompany our donation.

2. All of the paper cranes will be strung together and then sent to the Children’s Peace Monument’s donation mailing address.

3. All participants will receive a certificate and a “Thank you” gift bag.

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Osaka Sightseeing

Osaka is one of Japan’s most visited and well-known cities. The vibe of Osaka is slightly

different than that of Tokyo. Even the side one rides on the escalator is different. With Osaka being Japan’s third largest city, you can guarantee this city’s got something for everyone. There’s no way to list everything the city has to offer in such limited space, but here are some things to get you started.

1. Visit Osaka Castle This is a popular tourist site. The castle is surrounded by a park, where you can see performers on weekends. You can also enjoy Japanese tea and in the castle you can try on some samurai gear for a small fee. While you’re in the area, check out the Osaka History Museum and Osaka Peace Museum.

2. See the view of Osaka from Umeda Sky Building or Abeno Harukas.

The architecture of this building alone makes this an easy find. It’s currently open until 22:30, so you can enjoy a night view of the city. In 2014, Abeno Harukas opened. It is the largest building in Japan. You can not only enjoy a day or night view but do some shopping at one of the many stores inside, eat or visit its art museum.

3. Check out the Tempozan area.

Here you will find the Osaka Aquarium, a large ferris wheel and a shopping mall. There is also a cruise ship modeled after Columbus’ Santa Maria that departs from this area.

4. Visit one of the temples.

Don’t let the skyscrapers fool you. There are many temples and shrines in and around Osaka. Some of the most noted temples are Shitennoji Temple, Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Isshinji Temple, Namba Yasaka Shrine(if you are in the Namba area) and more.

5. Visit Universal Studios Japan.

Ride some rides, see live performances and parades and enjoy some of the seasonal events. Currently, USJ has the Resident Evil (or Biohazard) theme event going on 6. Check out Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi and Amemura (American Village).

You can shop till your heart drops in all of these places and take some amazing pictures.

There are clubs and other nightlife festivities in these areas and also in the Umeda area.

7. Explore Den-den Town.

Osaka’s own Akihabara, if you will, where your electronics, anime and cosplay dreams come true.

8. Save some money with the Eco Day Pass (エコカード).

Get unlimited usage of the subway lines for 1 day. Currently, it costs 600 yen on weekends and holidays and 800 yen on weekdays.

9. Do a day trip.

Osaka is a great place to do day trips from. There are many nearby cities to visit such as Sakai, Kyoto, Nara, Iga Ueno, Uji, Minoo, Suita and more.

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JETs AD AD Newsletter Newsletter JETs

October 2015 2015 October

8 Japanese Superstitions

1. Don’t sleep with your head facing north. Sleeping in this direction is said to be bad luck. It’s known as kitamakura (北枕). At funerals, the deceased is placed in this position. It is said that sleeping northward will lead to an early death or cause you to have bad dreams.

However, in some parts of Japan, sleeping with the head facing west is bad luck. So, check with the locals in your area to find out which direction to be careful of.

2. Don’t kill morning spiders. It may be tempting, especially when they are as big as a cat and crawl faster than a shinkansen, but don’t do it. Seeing a spider in the morning is good luck. Your coworkers or host family probably won’t be pleased with you killing the good luck charm.

Now, if it should so happen to appear at night, then whack away, if spiders are not your thing, because seeing a spider at night is bad luck.

3. Don’t clip your nails at night. Make sure you get your nails “did” before sundown because if you do them at night you’ll either die an early death or won't be able to see your parents before they die. Sounds a bit odd but there is an explanation. This superstition began at a time when there was no electricity and, thus, cutting your nails at night was risky business.

4. Hide your thumbs when you see a hearse. The Japanese word for thumb is oyayubi, or “parent finger.” Therefore, leaving your “parent” to be in the presence of the carrier of death,surely, cannot be good. So, if you don’t want your parents to be the next one riding in a hearse, and I don’t mean a converted Uber one, hide those thumbs.

5. Don’t write a person’s name in red. Red is not only the color used to write the deceased's living relatives’ names on tombstone, but it is also the color of blood. Therefore, in Japan, it is bad luck to write a person’s name in red. So be careful when grading papers.

6. Sneeze 2x— someone is talking bad about you. Before you decide that you’re coming down with a cold, you might want to check the grapevine first. Sneezing is said to be a sign of someone talking about you and sneezing twice means it’s not good talk.

7. Don’t be the middle person in a 3 person picture. Try not to be in the middle when taking a picture with 2 other people or ask another person to join to make it four people. It is said that the middle person in such a picture will die an early death.

8. Be sure to eat ALL of your rice. That's right. Leaving rice is not only wasteful but if you don’t finish it you will go blind. Well, at least that's what they say.

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JETs AD Newsletter Mount Koya Temple Stay When people ask me what’s my favorite place in Japan, without hesitation, I tell them Mount Koya. Some people are taken aback as they probably expect me to say Tokyo, Osaka, or some other major city. Although, don’t get me wrong. I do love those places as well. However, there’s something about Mount Koya that has captured my heart.

Mount Koya, or Koyasan, is located south of Osaka in Wakayama Prefecture. Since Mount Koya is within reasonable distance from Osaka, one could do a day trip to Mount Koya but I wouldn’t recommend it. To be able to really explore and take in the wonders of Mount Koya, you at least need 1 night. Mount Koya is known for its temple stay accommodations. With temple lodging, you sleep in a guest room, you’re served meals and you get to experience the morning prayer.

Temple stays can be a bit expensive (about 10,000 yen+/ night) and the morning prayer sessions are quite early (around 6:00am). If you want something cheaper or just don’t like waking up early, there’s a lovely hostel in town you can stay at. I stayed there when I first went to Mount Koya and the owner was very nice.

However, the second time around, I wanted to experience a temple stay.

My friend and I chose to stay at Daienin. To get there, we

October 2015 rode the cable car up Mount Koya and arrived at the temple late in the evening. After being checked in by the monk, we were off to our guest room. The room was fairly big and had a TV. The bathing area of the temple consisted of gender separated public baths. Lucky for us, the baths were not in use since we arrived late.

When morning came we got up and went to the morning prayer. As we sat seiza-style, the monks chanted the sutra in harmony while the smell of incense flowed through the air.

Although it was very calming, I did get occasionally get distracted because my seiza endurance level was basically nonexistent and, thus, I found myself occasionally glancing to see just how many more pages they had remaining.

After the chanting, a monk (I guess the head monk) came out and gave a “sermon.” His talk had a deep message along with humor.

Unfortunately, my Japanese level at the time wasn’t so good. So most of what he said went over my head to say the least. Minus, the seizesitting, it really was an interesting experience.

After the morning prayer, we returned to our room to find breakfast waiting. The monks have a vegetarian diet, so breakfast was their special vegetarian meal. After eating breakfast, we headed out to explore the sites of Mount Koya.

One of the sites we visited was the area leading to Okunoin.

Okunoin is the said to be the resting place of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. It is here that Kobo Daishi is said to be meditating eternally.

The path to Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum consisted of crossing the Ichinohashi Bridge (making sure to bow first to pay respect to Kobo Daishi) and then navigating your way through Japan’s largest cemetery filled with cedar trees.

There are many other sightseeing spots such as Daimon Gate, Kongobuji Temple, Reihokan Museum and more.

Probably the most familiar site that’s often seen pictured on Japan book covers is Konpon Daito (The Great Stupa). Many people visit Mount Koya after completing the 88-temple pilgrimage. So you will see monks and pilgrims around the town.

Whether you do a temple stay or not, Mount Koya is a great place to visit. However, if you have the chance to do it, do it.

Mount Koya has much to offer so take advantage of whatever time you have there.

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Grooving to Humor This year I was excited to find out that Crystal Kay was going to be performing in my area of all places. I had never been to see her live before but I have really enjoyed listening to her songs over the years. Thus, you can imagine just how thrilled I was to finally be able to see her live. Her performance was the same weekend as the Naked Man Festival, which had been something on my to-do list for a while. So I had the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, as they would say.

The concert was in the afternoon that Sunday in February. Crystal Kay was the guest performer. So her part wasn’t until the end. As I waited for her to appear, I listened to and watched all of the performances of the artists before her. All of the performers did a great job but there was one performer that stood out the most to me. That was Yohsuke Uematsu. To be honest, I had never heard of him before attending the event. So, I didn’t know what to expect. However, once his fingers hit those piano keys and he began to sing, I knew it was going to be an interesting ride. I could tell he must have been influenced by artists like Boyz II Men. His songs not

only mixed R&B flavor but also humor as well. With songs such as “Aitai kedo Nemutai (会いたいけど眠た い),” “Ima Nantsutta Wakaranakatta kara Mouichido Ittekudasai (今何つった分からなかったからもう一度 言ってください),” and “Dashariyasu (ダァシャリヤ ス),” I found myself simultaneously grooving and laughing. To top things off, when Crystal Kay performed he did backup for some of her songs. I definitely got my money's worth—soothing music with a good dose of laughter.

Although my main purpose for going to the concert was to see Crystal Kay, I came out with much more. I not only saw one of my favorite singers but also became a new fan of another. Even now, I find myself listening to Uematsu’s songs on Youtube from time to time. It’s funny how in life you can do something with one purpose in my mind but end up with more than you were expecting. If you like humor, love music, and want to practice your Japanese listening skills, then definitely check out his songs on YouTube.

Quote of the Month

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

- Gail Devers 7

JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

BRAIN CHALLENGE Japanese Tongue Twister: Hiragana:にわの庭には二羽の鶏は俄にワニを食べた。 Romaji: Niwa no niwa ni wa niwa no niwatori wa niwaka ni wani wo tabeta.

Japan Crossword

ACROSS

4.name of the current prime minister 6.TV drama based on the life story of Aya Kito 8. phrase said after eating (formal) 9. school lunch 11. an event ALTs help students prepare for 12. phrase when coworkers leave 15. the most famous mountain in Japan 17. word for green tea 18. resting place of Kobo Daishi; last stop in the 88-temple pilgrimage 19. Japan’s vehicle inspection 20. creature you cannot kill in the morning 21. Japanese word for "rock" in "Rock, Paper Scissors" 22. name of machine at Lawson 24. a western sweet that has numerous flavors and its name in katakana doubles as assured success.

DOWN

1. school principal 2. a place you can see sand dunes and ride a camel 3. currency of Japan 5. one of Japan's traditional forms of theater 7. phrase said when leaving 10. phrase said before eating 13. a sitting style 14. color of the "Go" traffic light 16. countryside in Japanese 23. autumn in Japan

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Upcoming JETs AD Events •O s a k a T r i p ✦

When: October 10-12

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What:

The Osaka get together is back! Let’s have some fun in

Japan’s third largest city. We will see the beautifully designed Osaka Castle, ride exciting rides and fight zombies at Universal Studios Japan, soak & relax at Spa World and more! See the Facebook event page for more details!

• 2016 Sapporo Snow Festival ✦

When: February 5-8

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What:

Sapporo has its annual Snow Festival(Yuki Matsuri) in

February. This year the festival will be from February 5-11! Marvel at the spectacular snow and ice art, see the making of the famous Shiroi Koibito cookies, and enjoy the plethora of snow activities Hokkaido has to offer.

Ready to get in on the snow adventure? See on the Facebook event page for more details and RSVP today!

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Events in Japan October Sunday

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Saturday

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2

3

Drum Tao Performance (Ehime)

Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition

4 Drum Tao Performance

5 Nihonmatsu Chouchin Matsuri

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7

8

Nihonmatsu Chouchin Matsuri

9 Takayama Autumn Festival

(Tokushima)

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(Hiroshima) *Tokyo Yosakoi *Osu Street Performance(Nagoya)

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(Kushiro City, Hokkaido) *Takayama Autumn (Hiroshima)

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JETsAD Osaka Trip

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14 Nada Fighting Festival (Hyogo)

15 Nada Fighting Festival (Hyogo)

National Holiday

Nikko Toshogu 16 Shrine Shuki Taisai Grand Autumn Festival (Tochigi) Fukuoka Oktoberfest (start)

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*Jidai Matsuri

2015 Nagoya Festival Niihama Taiko Festival *Sakai Matsuri

Fukuoka Oktoberfest (last day)

*Osu Street Festival *Mamori Matsuri

*Sake Festival

Nihonmatsu Chouchin Matsuri

JETsAD Osaka Trip *Sake Festival

JETsAD Osaka 10

(Kyoto) *Kurama Fire Festival (Kyoto) *Tokyo International Film Festival (start)

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27

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29 Saga International Balloon Fiesta (start)

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2015 Nagoya Festival *Nikko Toshogu

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Shrine Grand Autumn Festival (Tochigi) *Niihama Taiko Festival

2015 Electro Dash (Osaka)

Halloween

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*Tokyo International

Film Festival (end)

Kawasaki Halloween Parade

Movie Releases: • Fantastic Four (10/09/2015) • The Intern (10/10/2015) • 図書館戦争:The Last Mission (10/10/2015) Concert Info: ✦ Eric Benet (Tokyo 10/16/2015 ~ 10/18-2015) ✦ Take 6 (Sapporo City 10/10/2015)

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Share With Us! Got some amazing classroom tricks, amusing comics, hair tips, delicious recipes, great teaching resource or information on an amazing festival in your town? Want to share an experience you had? Whatever it is you have, we would like to hear about it! You can write about anything your heart desires, with only a few exceptions. If you have something you would like to share with the JETsAD community or would like more information, send an email to JETsAD@ajet.net with the subject header “Newsletter Contribution.”

Exceptions: Posts about political, religious or commercial activities, posts from businesses looking for clients or employees and anything deemed inappropriate by the editor.

***Get Involved*** ✦

Open Positions: • Block Coordinators for the following blocks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 • Newsletter Editor • Website Coordinator(Webmaster)

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If you are interested in any of these positions, send an email to JETsAD@ajet.net.

The Block Coordinator application is located in the “Files” section of the JETsAD Facebook page.

✦

Be apart of Sempai Connect, a buddy system linking current JETsAD & former JETs AD. If you are interested, send an email to JETsAD@ajet.net. To help the pairing process fill out and send the questionnaire. Questionnaire is also located in the “Files” section of the JETsAD Facebook page.

Wow! We really appreciate you taking the time to read to the very end. To show our appreciation, for JETs AD members currently residing in Japan, we would like to give you a one thousand yen Amazon Japan gift card as a gift. Please send us an email with the phrase “gift me” by October 15.

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

What is JETs AD? 


JETs AD (JETs of African Descent) is a group that is open to all and focuses on topics related to JETs of African Descent. This group serves as a platform for discussion, support, and announcements relating to the JET community at-large. We aim to provide useful information and share resources on hard-to-find hair and beauty products, foreign foods, events, ways to stay connected, and other topics relevant to our demographic. We also plan nationwide and region-specific events.

We are affiliated with The JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme.

Join us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all the happenings in the JETs AD community. For more information, email us at jetsad@ajet.net.

JETs AD Newsletter is newsletter for current and former JETs to share information, tips and any other information that may be deemed useful. The views expressed by contributors to this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the JETs AD Special Interest Group nor the JET Programme and its affiliates All contents retain their copyright to the respective contributor(s) and are printed by JETsAD Newsletter under special permission. Š2015 JETs AD Newsletter. All rights reserved.

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

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JETs AD Newsletter

October 2015

Thank you for reading!

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