Tokyo JET Excursion to Aomori with Stay Japan

This past November, Stay Japan , a National AJET partner, offered 15 Tokyo JETs an all expenses paid trip to experience life in Aomori! JETs participated in family homestays, Apple picking, an onsen excursion, and experienced authentic Aomori cuisine. Enjoy these excerpts of their experience in Aomori:

During our weekend in Aomori, the most memorable part for me was how intuitively the local people made us feel like we were part of their community. Wakako and Noriko, our homestay hosts, took care of us like we were their grandchildren. We paid visits down the road to fellow apple growers on their orchards, and they would pay visits to us - just a drop-in for a quick hello in a way that felt so profoundly neighbourly. You could feel the ease that people felt around each other, deeply rooted in years of sharing their stories and their livelihoods together. To experience such heartfelt community kindness is, to me, the most important part of travel. Submitted by Alex Beaton

On November 9th, I travelled up to Aomori and it felt like I was stepping into a color-saturated film. The bright yellows, oranges, and reds radiated against the backgrounds despite the heavy rain. We were able to enjoy the foliage when the sun decided to finally join us on our apple-picking experience the next day. When we went back home, we went on a walk around the neighborhood and even took a small hike up a mountain full of, guess what, apples. On the way [home], our host mother pointed out each and every house that was empty. This short tour was immense fun because of the new family we made, but it was also a reminder that some parts of Japan are losing residents each year. Submitted by Terry Fong

JET Alumni Association Western Japan JETAAWJ Osaka Networking Event

On Friday, October 12th, 2018, the JET Alumni Association Western Japan (JETAAWJ) held a networking event in Osaka to help connect current and former JET participants in the Kansai area with one another. The event’s aim was to provide an opportunity for current JETs to meet with alumni and learn about the challenges and rewards of working in Japan post-JET. Special guests in attendance included former JETs working in: the U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe, the Kansai Tourism Bureau, and the Osaka Foundation of International Exchange (OFIX). The turnout was greater than expected, with an even number of current and former JETs taking part in the event.

JETAAWJ plans to hold similar events in the future and provide more opportunities for current JETs in Kansai to network with and get to know alumni in the area. To learn more about JETAAWJ and their upcoming events, please check out their Facebook page and website.

AJET Peer Support Group - For JETs; by JETs

Peer Support Group (PSG) is a confidential listening service for JETs by JETS. We have a wonderful group of PSG volunteers who are dedicated to helping fellow JETs who are in need of an objective, non-judgmental listener. 

Whether you’ve been battling with cultural fatigue, need to find certain information, or just want someone to listen, we are here for you. PSG operates 365 days of the year from 20:00 until 07:00. We are the only listening service available during those times that has an acute understanding of life as a JET.

Please give us a call on 050-5534-5566 or contact us on Skype at AJETPSG. You can also visit our website or Facebook Page for more information. We are here to help you. Know you have our support and understanding.

Get involved with the AJET National Council!

Learn how to become a better negotiator by joining the national AJET advertising team!

The Director of Advertising (Partner Development) works alongside the rest of the AJET advertising team and is primarily responsible for sourcing new financial partnerships with external companies. They also arrange meetings, write up bespoke contracts, and negotiate with partners in order to ensure the best deals for the JET community.

Sound like your forte? To apply, please send a resume and a 1/4 page personal statement as to why you want to help with advertisement for National AJET to advertising@ajet.net. All applications are due by January 30th, 2019.

AJET Block 1 Presents: Sapporo Snow Festival 

The Sapporo Snow Festival is just around the corner and Block 1 will be hosting the official AJET Yuki Matsuri Enkai! The event will take place in the New Urban Building Kirin Beer Hall in Sapporo's Susukino on Saturday, Feburary 9th from 17:00-18:30. Cost of attendance is 4900 yen per attendee, which includes nomihodai and tabehodai.

Signups are live now on the event’s Facebook page and payment is due two weeks before the event via furikomi. Questions? Concerns? Please contact Block 1 Representative Matthew Trojic at matthew.trojic@ajet.net.

Kizuna Across Cultures Global Classmates Program

A personal perspective by Kentaro Takagi

Have you ever wanted your students to participate in a language and cultural exchange program that connects them to the world? You are in luck because there is a program that does just that! This program is called Global Classmates and it is run by the non-profit organization Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC) which was actually co-founded by a group of former JETs and Japanese! As a fifth year ALT working at a senior high school on the outskirts of Tokyo, I have had the privilege of experiencing this program firsthand and I am excited that I have this opportunity to share my personal perspective on using Global Classmates at my school.

This program has had such a positive impact on my students in so many ways. The three main areas are: (1) improved language and communication skills, (2) heightened motivation, and (3) increased confidence. Firstly, the students’ language and communication skills improved because they were both actively receiving and producing language i.e. both input and output. They were also applying and utilizing what they had learned in their English classes, which consolidated their language knowledge. Secondly, the students’ motivation rose because they were interacting with a real audience using authentic language. This was seen in the students’ desire to express themselves and convey their thoughts to their online classmates. Lastly, the students’ confidence increased over time as they realized that making mistakes is OK and became more comfortable with using the language.

Interested in Kizuna Across Cultures’ Global Classmates program? You can learn more about KAC and the Global Classmates program on their website and stay updated via the Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC) Facebook and Twitter pages. For an application, please fill out this inquiry form and KAC will email you an application once they become available, along with more information (in Japanese) that you can forward to your JTE.  If you have any questions about the program or application process, please contact Shanti Shoji (’02-’04 Kagawa JET) at japan@KACultures.org.

JET Programme Voices

Have you had a unique experience on the JET Programme that you want to share with the world? Would you like to use your writing to highlight the charm and appeal of your community?

Current and former JET participants are invited to contribute to JET Programme Voices, a journalism project designed to publicise the activities of JET participants through storytelling. Articles are selected by CLAIR and published by the Yomiuri Shimbun of the English language publication, The Japan News. For more information please see the guidelines on the JET Programme website.

Aomori Cultural Exchange Scholarship

Eight Aomori based ALTs and CIRs are working on creating a scholarship for their students and could use your help! The scholarship will be open to Junior and Senior High School students interested in cultural exchange and travelling abroad.

They are currently in the fundraising stage and are aiming to raise ¥300,000 by March 31, 2019, with goals of awarding the first scholarship by the beginning of 2020.

For more information or to donate, please visit them on their website, Facebook or funding page.

Volunteer in your Community on Behalf of AJET

JET Programme participants are in a unique position to give back to Japan and greatly impact the local areas in which we live. The National AJET volunteering database contains masses of organizations and volunteer associations throughout Japan arranged by block for ease of access. 

Check out our Facebook page to stay up to date with volunteer events and announcements! If you’re looking for volunteers for your own project or are aware of a volunteering opportunity or similar event anywhere in Japan, please email the Director of Volunteering at jessie.zhou@ajet.net to spread the word. 

AJET Resource Database

The AJET Resource Database is an ongoing project to help JET participants have greater access to a variety of teaching resources, academic articles, JET-made lesson plans, textbook accompaniment, after-JET preparation support, Japanese language tips, and more! Whether you’re looking to update your resume, write a new one in Japanese, or you’re simply having a hard time getting into the swing of lesson planning after your new year holidays, there’s something here for you!

Don’t see something you need? Have a great resource, guide or lesson plan you think would help others? Contact the Director of Professional and Educational Development at jordan.deshong@ajet.net and let us know what resources you would like to see on the site.

Furusato Vision Project

CLAIR Tokyo and local contracting organizations implemented the Furusato Vision Project in 2017 as a way for JET alumni to revisit their previous placements and reconnect with the community. In collaboration with local government initiatives, JET alumni worked on globalisation projects, revitalisation activities, and publicised the successes of the JET Programme.

The 2018 Furusato Vision Project saw former JETs from Eastern Japan return to their former places of employment and implement their own “Vision Plan” utilising the skills and connections they acquired during and after JET to contribute to local efforts in Tourism Promotion, Economic Exchange, Educational Exchange, Culture & Arts Exchange, Grassroots Exchange, Current JET Participant Career Support, and more to deepen the community’s global ties. You can read more about the 2018 class of Furusato Vision Project participants on Facebook.

Call for JET Creators 

Are you a photographer, writer, video blogger, or content creator in Japan? Would you like to have your website or channel hosted on the National AJET website?

We are currently looking for new and current outlets to promote on the JET Resources section of our website. In our experience, JETs make the best resources for JETs and we want to make sure we have the most accurate representation of what the JET community and JET life is like.

If you are interested in sharing your blog or website, please email the Director of Public Relations at taryn.matthews@ajet.net with your:
·    Name and Weblink
·    Year and Placement on JET
·  100-150 word blurb about your website or channel and topics you cover (life as a CIR, studying Japanese, teaching advice, etc.)

Recently in AJET Connect

Winter in Japan has a charm of its very own and the recent December issue of Connect Magazine has great articles devoted to sights to see and events to enjoy! However, as temperatures drop, this time of year isn’t necessarily the easiest, so Connect has included a detailed article on Seasonal Affective Disorder with some advice on how to tackle those Winter blues. 

An excerpt from "Battling through the SADness" by Molly Voth:

When battling SAD, everything is difficult. It hits you like a wall, and finding a way over it seems to be an impossible task. It was not until I started actively keeping a daily log of my moods that I noticed a pattern. Every winter I was happy for about the first week, and then it went quickly downhill from there. It remained a vicious cycle of depression until spring.

That being said, after fighting SAD for as long as I can remember I can say confidently that, yes, it sucks, but there are ways to pull yourself out of that cycle even just a little bit! Winter is full of things to do, so many beautiful sights and adventures to be had. Although it’s hard, let’s try to take the sad out of SAD:

1. Get fresh air. This is one of those pieces of advice that every single website and forum will tell you to do. Listen to them! It is so good for your health. Go outside, breathe in the fresh, cold air, and open your eyes. Embrace what sunlight you can! Sunlight is such an important part of battling SAD. Medical professionals have said that one of the biggest reasons SAD affects people in winter more commonly is because of the lack of sunlight...
2. Try a new recipe. Now, this one can be a slippery slope. A big part of dealing with SAD, for many people—myself included— is body negativity. Weight gain, or thinking of weight gain, only adds to the stress that leads to depression; it’s a vicious cycle. But hear me out: try a new recipe! This is the time of year I like to try healthydesserts, or weird ways to make brownies with sweet potato, black beans, and applesauce. I like to make things I can eat a ton of and not hate myself after. Experiment, go crazy, and deal with the dishes later…

See the December issue of AJET Connect Magazine to read more! January issue also out now!

Interested in AJET partnerships? Head to our website today!