JJETAA Newsletter 2011

JJETAA NEWS Volume 4, Issue 1

Inside this issue:

From the Ambassador

1

Why join JJETAA?

1

Message from the President

2

Emprezz Mullings speaks of Japan

2

Japan Teacher Aware‐ 3 ness Workshop Pictorial Year in Re‐ view

3

I Lived in Japan

4‐6

April 2010-March 2011

From the Ambassador On behalf of the Government and people of Japan, I take great pleasure in commending the Jamaica JET Alumni Association (JJETAA) FOR A VERY FRUITFUL 2010. You have been instrumental in the promotion of the culture of Japan to the people of Jamaica. Your contribution has benefited the Japanese society which has indeed strengthened the relationship between Jamaica and Japan. I applaud your growing efforts in these worthy endeavours.

Farewell to JETS 2010 6 Who is Aiko Hashimoto?

7

Resident Jamaican Japanese Lecturer

7

Interesting Facts about Japan

7

Getting to know Akiko 8 Ishihara AGM 2011

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Events for 2011‐12  Tree Planting Ceremony & School Visit (October)  Practical Cooking Session (October)  JICA Jamaica-Japan Cultural Festival (November)  Japan Awareness Workshop (January)  School visit ( February)

April 2011

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme was introduced to Jamaica in the year 2000 and since then we have sent approximately 170 Assistant Language Teachers to Japan to teach English at public schools throughout Japan. It is from this inception of the JET Programme that the Jamaica Jet Alumni Association was formed in 2002.

The Association organized several events on their own initiative to promote the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. In fact, because of this gesture, we received over 360 applicants for the 2011 recruitment. This is indeed an increase of over thirty eight percent compared to last year. Your knowledge and expertise as past JETs have cer-

that vital information about Japan and its contributions to Jamaica are passed on to these valuable people of the next generation.

Ambassador Hiroshi Yamaguchi

tainly contributed in selecting the most suitable individuals to teach English in Japan. You have also given sound advice to the new JETs at the predeparture phase which is crucial in ensuring that there is a smooth transition for the successful applicants from Jamaica.

Some other areas of support included the Japanese Cultural Evening for Tertiary Students at the UWI, the Japanese Awareness Workshop at Denbigh Primary School in May Pen for school teachers around the area and a school visit to talk about Japan to primary students, thereby ensuring

In November of 2010 and January 2011, the Embassy implemented the Japanese Jazz Concert and Calendar Exhibition. JJETAA took this opportunity to engage themselves in promoting these events as well as participating in whatever means necessary to ensure that these events were successful. Again this demonstrates the kind of partnership that the Embassy looks for in our efforts to showcase Japan and its rich culture.

I appreciate your commitment and hard work and so I have one wish for you, to continue to recruit active members and participate in wider networking throughout Jamaica. Once more, I express my sincerest gratitude for your support and ask for your continued cooperation to make 2011 a prosperous and productive year.

Why join JJETAA?  To share the Japanese culture and way of life with the Jamaican people.  To assist the Embassy of Japan to promote the JET Programme.

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Message from the President Five years ago we produced our first newsletter.

Since then we have continued to fulfill our initial mission which seeks

“to encourage cultural exchange…between Jamaica and Japan…providing a base for Jamaican JETs locally and overseas….”

Shawn Aarons

JJETAA members continue to assist in the recruitment, selection and orientation of Jamaicans going to Japan on the JET Programme. It is through this effort that we have seen the growth of Jamaicans in Japan and

the increased awareness of Japan in primary and tertiary institutions in Jamaica. We hope that this will continue.

Our other activities, which included working with the Embassy of Japan on cultural events and meeting and sharing with prospective and former JETs, are evident in our current mission, “…promote

Japan-related organizations in Jamaica. To this end, we use this time to thank the Government of Japan which continues to support our efforts here in Jamaica. With the recent natural disasters in Japan we want to do all in our powers to assist directly and indirectly. The 1000 Cranes for Hope and Prosperity Project is one such activity that symbolizes our efforts.

Japanese culture within Jamaica; As our membership grows, we will be and serve as a support for former, able to take on more projects and current and prospective JETs”. broaden the scope for cultural awareWe must say a big thank you to all the members who serve directly and indirectly here in Jamaica and from overseas.

ness and exchange. We look forward to welcoming all the returning JETs to the Alumni as we continue to be ambassadors.

For the new year we plan to work much closer with JICA and other

Emprezz Mullings speaks of Japan Emprezz is the owner of Stanley & Empress Boutique and creator and host of Talk up YOUT’. She also owns her own programme on the local station, Talk TV, called Empress’ Studio. Let’s learn about her sojourns to Japan. meeting the Africans in Japan; their whole presence was unique. Eating Ghanaian food in the back streets of Roppongi was something….

1. When did you go to Japan? How long did you stay?

I have been a few times. The first time was about 7 years ago. I was there for about 6 months in Fukuoka. Then the other recent times I was mostly in Tokyo.

6. What did you like the least about living in Japan?

Can’t think of anything except the young people who would admit they have no dreams…they are looking hard into our Jamaican and western culture to adapt…is that good or bad? I dunno….

2. Where did you live/stay?

In an apartment building in Fukuoka, then a friends place in Shibuya and in a hotel in Tokyo lol….

3. Why did you go to Japan?

I was there as an entertainer on all occasions…but was always looking into how to do some other kinds of business with Japan.

adore us….

4. What impact did your time in Japan have on your life?

Hey I learnt a new culture, a little of a new language, hiragana and katakana and it made me realize how blessed we were cause they

5. What did you like the most about living in Japan?

Learning new things, I loved most the peace and timid nature of the culture yet its discipline was commendable. I liked making jokes with Japanese,

Emprezz Mullings , Entrepreneur

7. What are your favorite Japanese foods?

I love me some Sushi and Yakisoba 8. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience?

Can’t wait to go again. I love shopping in Japan...although kinda expensive….

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Japan Teacher Awareness Workshop

As part of the mandate of JJETAA, we continued to hold workshops in methodology to be used in teaching GSAT students about Japan.

Four schools participated in the workshop: May Pen Primary, Four Paths Primary, Osbourne Store Primary & Denbigh Primary. Five teachers and 20 students benefited from the workOn 21 January 2011, members of shop. They were exposed to the JapaJJETAA visited Denbigh Primary for a nese language and culture through workshop with primary schools in and games, songs and photographs. The around May Pen in Clarendon. interactive session was well received

by students and teachers who asked questions, made commentaries and shared their knowledge of Japan with us. This event will continue annually as we aim to share more about Japan with our nation’s teachers and children.

Pictorial Year Review

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I Lived in Japan lost in reveries of the experience, my time there and the wonderful people who inspired this reflection.

Ayesha Constable (Yamanashi, 2007-2009)

I lived in Japan. For two long years, I called a small town in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ my home. Kofu, Yamanashi, home to Mt. Fuji, renowned for its prolific fruit orchards and relaxing onsens perched atop scenic vistas, was my place of repose, recreation and employment. With a view of the revered symmetric cone of Mt. Fuji from my balcony, an apartment replete with all the trappings of modernity, in a neighborhood without the cacophony of sounds and sights of a big city, yet relative proximity to Tokyo when I opted to be immersed in said sights and sounds, I was strategically placed to have an unforgettable experience.

It’s no surprise therefore that even two years after returning home it still often seems surreal, and I frequently find myself

I had long held a deep interest in Japan, a fascination bordering on obsession. I can vividly recall my mother having a diary with bright, vivid images of Japan representing each month - the well manicured landscapes, lush contiguous forests, cascading waterfalls and poised ladies in colorful kimonos, which piqued my interest in the seemingly mythical place. I was in awe of the natural beauty and apparent serenity and thought it impossible for any place on Earth to be identical to those pictures, and so convinced myself that it must be on another planet. Imagine my great surprise when in the summer of 2007 I arrived in Japan, a newly inducted JET, to find that the pictorial depiction I had seen so many years ago in my mothers’ old diary paled in comparison to what obtained in reality. And so it was that from the time of my arrival, to the day that I depart-

ed for Jamaica, I was in constant wonderment of everything around me.

Every facet of this distant country intrigued me. I was slave to its culture and allowed myself to be fully absorbed to experience all its intricacies and peculiarities– from wearing kimonos, learning Japanese, dining on sashimi and tako balls to becoming an onsen-otaku. This slavemaster relationship was therefore clearly symbiotic or admittedly, predominantly parasitic, as I benefitted more than I could ever have dreamt of contributing. And though I enjoyed my frequent trips to various places along the length of the island and languished in the comforts of my new lifestyle, while also being equally stimulated by the challenges and rewards of my official job as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT); it was the people I met, the friendships I formed that impacted most profoundly on me. Memories of their many gestures of kindness and efforts to make me feel at home still cause me to smile and occasionally bring tears to my eyes.

The Japanese are known to have a keen interest in foreigners and stories are often told of this fascination verging on fixation. Yet I soon realized that their behavior was spurned by genuine curiosity and a desire to ensure that one has the best experience possible in Japan. I was however initially pensive about what the reaction to a ‘darkskinned foreigner ‘would be in

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I Lived in Japan (cont’d)

this relatively small town. Much to my surprise however, I became the town’s pet. All the ‘more mature’ folk were eager to spend time, or interact with the dark-skinned foreigner. And so it is that my cadre of friends consisted of more elderly folk persons than persons in my own age cohort. They were the bearers of home-cooked meals delivered to my door-step, sometimes tied onto my door knob or left in my mail box. Yoshimi-san, almost three times my age, but convinced she was my much older sister, was one such person. Extremely fond of the onsen, she ensured that we spent much of our time together there, which sometimes by my own standards, was too much. Five hours at the onsen, interspersed with frequent dips in the ice cold baths and equal numbers of stints in the sauna would leave me drained by the end of the night. Yet the distress of

the previous visit was always replaced by child-like glee when she came by the following night to pick me up for the sequel. The quietude also afforded us a chance to have stimulating conversations about life and people and here was where I learnt about her desire to volunteer in Thailand, to experience a different culture and to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of persons outside of Japan. I had new found respect for her after that admission.

She perceived it as confirmation of the fact that we were similar in more ways than one, I having left Jamaica for Japan, her actively pursuing avenues to go to Thailand, and while that was true, I was more heartened by her spirit, her tenacity, and her conviction to follow her dreams.

Then there were those persons who I met very briefly, but who left indelible marks by virtue of their actions.

Akie, my friend with whom I rode the bus some days, and who saved a seat for me beside her and would converse with me solely in Japanese. I nodded to those things I didn’t understand, and then fumbled with my paltry Japanese vocabulary as I attempted to respond accurately to that which I

understood. Then there was ‘The Harry Belafonte Man’ who serenaded me with Jamaica Farewell in front of the supermarket one day after establishing that I was Jamaican. The revelation of that fact also prompted him to deliver several deep-sea fishing poles and all the requisite paraphernalia to my school as he was sure that fishing was a hobby my father practiced.

Then there was the old guy who I sat across from on the train on my way to see a friend in another town. He shot me furtive glances as I sat there staring out the window on the sea of red and orange as the speeding train made the autumn colored vegetation appear a mere blur. I was brought back to that moment by the feel of a warm hand on mine and as the fog cleared from my eyes I noticed that in the other hand he had chestnuts which he was offering me. It was the catalyst for another nod filled conversation from which I gleaned that he was a hiker heading to conquer Mt. Fuji.

Just when I began to think that I could not possibly have another such heartwarming encounter, I met her – a petite old lady who always wore full black and rode around on a bicycle equipped with two grocery baskets, one in the front and one at the rear. The first couple times I saw her; she smiled curtly and went about shopping in the supermarket. After the first few encounters she started commenting on the weather or waving frantically as she rode by. One sunny afternoon as she

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I Lived in Japan (cont’d) parked her bicycle in front of the supermarket and I leisurely walked by she initiated a conversation, first asking where I was from and later what it was that I did in Japan.

Upon revealing to her that I was an English Teacher, she swiftly let go of her bike, almost toppling it, placed her hands at her sides and proceeded to bow frantically, uttering a series of sumimasens as she did so, which I can only assume were for what she perceived as her failure to award me the level of respect associated with my title on our previous encounters. Following my initial shock and embarrassment I was forced to acknowledge the significance of what had happened. This lady bestowed upon me the honor usually reserved for Japanese teachers, proving that despite my race and nationality I was one worthy of the

respect of my Japanese colleagues.

Additionally, it also suggested that having been deemed worthy of such respect, I also had to meet the expectations and uphold the standards of my newly acquired status.

These were but a handful of the

people who I met or who I can now safely call my friends in Japan.

These stories are a small fraction of those which I have in my repository. Yet, encapsulated in them is evidence of the kindness of the Japanese which enabled me to settle

into life in their country. These acts of kindness, allowed for an almost seamless transition into life in Japan. The hospitality of the Japanese and their dedication to ensuring my happiness and well-being was integral in allowing me to become completely comfortable with my life there. They exposed me to many aspects of the culture, taking me to festivals, inviting me into their homes and accepting me into their families, thereby contributing significantly to my happiness. The comfort and contentment they allowed me were essentially the pillars on which my entire Japanese experience was built. They are the ones I think about when I consider visiting Japan and they will be the characters in the stories told to my children of when ‘I Lived in Japan’.

Farewell to JETS 2010

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Who is Aiko Hashimoto?

Aiko Hashimoto is a volunteer with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), who works as a Japanese language instructor at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Let’s learn some more about her.

1. Where are you from in Japan?

Yokohama, Kanagawa-prefecture

6. How do spend your free time?

Go jogging in the morning. Go swimming at noon. Sometimes go to a cafe.

2. When did you come to Jamaica?

7. What is your favorite day of the week? Why? I like Saturdays most. Because the next day is a holiday and I don't need to prepare for class.

August, 2010 3. What do you like most about living in Jamaica?

The kind people 4. What are your favorite Jamaican foods?

Bun and cheese 5. What is your favorite Jamaican place? Describe why you like that

Aiko Hashimoto

place.

UWI Pool. I love swimming. And I can enjoy the fine mountain view around the pool.

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I don't have any idea!! I hope I can find the most fitting job for me in this world. But I'm convinced that it is related to education.

Resident Jamaican Japanese Lecturer 皆様こんにちは。

pan.

グリーン・オードリと申します。 少し時間を頂いて大変申し訳有り ませんですが、宜しければ以下の 文書を読んでいただけたら幸いで す。

Currently, I am the resident lecturer of Japanese at one of Jamaica’s national universities. Students are rather enthused and study quite hard and are always excited at chances to exchange their knowledge with natives and other students of the language. Though somewhat a challenge at times, the local Creole is used as a point of reference to assist students in comprehending the phonology and syntax of the language. As a matter of fact this theme forms part of the basis of my fourth Japanese-related research since 2008.

It all began at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus where I began to study the Japanese language. To put things in perspective, I studied first year Japanese language while in my senior year at University. Coming towards the end of my studies my then teacher encouraged me to apply to the JET programme as she thought my Japanese was good enough and should endeavour to use it meaningfully. And so I did and was favoured.

Audley Green (Kochi, 2001-2007)

For four of my six plus years tenure in Japan I took the opportunity to formally study the language up to the Pedagogy and Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign Language. Upon return to Jamaica in the second half of 2007, I began to teach Japanese privately.

Simultaneously, I was contracted to do a research for the Embassy of Ja-

To sum it up, I enjoy teaching Japanese and look forward to doing greater works in forging the bridge between both nations.

Interesting Facts about Japan  Japan is also referred to as Nihon or Nippon - Land of the Rising Sun

 Japan’s society is composed of 98.5% ethnic Japanese

 Japan is 70% mountains

 The Japanese language uses a combination of three writing systems - kanji, hiragana and katakana

 More than a thousand earthquakes hit Japan every year

 The two major religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism

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Getting to know Akiko Ishihara Akiko is married to Junya and lives in Kingston. She owns the Purikura booth, Stick it, which is located at the Mall Plaza in the Food Court. I had a fun chat with Akiko and this is what I learnt about her. screen. Before printing the photographs, they can decorate the photographs manually or by selecting designs from various menu options. The sticker photographs can be obtained in various sizes. They can be used to decorate cell phones, fridges, or any surface that allows adhesives.

5. When did you open the booth?

November 2009 Akiko Ishihara

1. Which part of Japan are you from?

Tokyo.

2. When did you move to Jamaica?

June, 2008.

3. Why did you move to Jamaica?

To be with my husband who is a sound system selector in Jamaica.

4. What is purikura?

Purikura is a sticker photo. Persons who visit the booth enter an enclosed area which has a camera and computer display screen. Following the instructions provided, an individual or group of individuals have their photograph taken and instantly displayed on the

6. How has business been going?

Okay so far; it has been becoming more and more popular. December is usually the best month for me. Most of my customers are high school female students.

7. What do you like most about living in Jamaica?

I love going to the beach. I especially like Fort Clarence Beach - it doesn’t have too many persons and the scenery is beautiful.

busy city, but Negril is totally different; it is like heaven. I know why Negril is a beloved place by people from overseas.

10. What do you do for fun?

Go to the movies with my friends, eat out, and just generally hang out with friends.

11. What is your favorite day of the week? Why? Saturday. On that day I am excited as I am looking forward to Sunday which is my day off from work.

12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I hope to be a mother and live in a bigger house in Kingston.

8. What is your favorite Jamaican food?

Ackee and saltflish (with rice).

9. What is your favorite Jamaican place? Describe why you like that place.

Negril. I'm from Tokyo, it is a really

http://stickitjamaica.blogspot.com/

Annual General Meeting 2011 ‘Hope & Prosperity’ Using the theme ‘Hope and Prosperity’ to show its love and support for the people of Japan, the JJETAA held its 5th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on 26 March 2011. At the meeting, attended by 15 persons, there was a review of past activities and a discussion of plans for the next financial year. The meeting culminated with the folding of origami cranes in support of our initiative of folding 1000 origami cranes in keeping with the Japanese legend that anyone who folds a thousand cranes will be granted a wish. All the cranes made at the AGM

and by other groups will be presented to Ambassador Yamaguchi at the Embassy of Japan.

Thanks to all who supported JJETAA over the year.