Great review of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

One of my favorite long-form reviewers is back with another detailed look at a failed film - this time the 3rd of the Star Wars prequels - Revenge of the Sith.

It's the best 100 minutes you'll spend in front of your computer monitor this year.

Go HERE to see the review split up into three 30+ minute segments.

After watching his take down of the first prequel - The Phantom Menace, I was eager to see more.

And yes, I'm a huge Star Wars fan, but I have to agree with most of his review about how awful the prequel films are, and he gives good reasons why they're so bad.

And part three, where he compares Revenge of the Sith to Orson Welles' Citizen Kane is particularly funny and insightful about the art of cinema.

Sit back and enjoy!
-Jason

RIP Pete Postlethwaite

Pete Postlethwaite, the British character actor who appeared in three films in 2010 alone, has died at the age of 64, following a long fight against cancer.

I read this news on one of my Cinema sites yesterday and was a little stunned.

Not only was Pete relatively young, but he seemed to show up in film after film.

I first noticed him as a character named Kobayashi in one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Usual Suspects."

Since then he's had many memorable roles, and I always enjoyed seeing him appear in a film. From Alien3 to Lost World to Inception, Pete always turned in a good performance. One of his sweetest movie roles was in "Brassed Off" which was set in his native England.

Mr. Postlethwaite will be missed.

What is your favorite Japanese film?

I took part in this YouTube collaboration, hosted and edited by a YouTuber living in Tokyo.

The film I talk about is "After Life" by Hirokazu Koreeda.

More info HERE.

My part in the video below starts at about the 4minute30second mark.

Enjoy!
-Jason

PS - What is your favorite Japanese film?

Daily English question

So I have a 1st year student who comes into my office just about every Mon, Wed and Friday just after the Media Center opens to ask me a question related to English grammar. Some are easier than others to answer and explain using my Japanese and simple English.

Here was today's question...

The set-up is this: it's a Family Circus one-panel comic strip.

Billy and Dolly (two children) are sitting at the kitchen table and their dog, Barfy, is watching them.
They're about to each eat a hot dog.

Billy says in the caption: "Hey! Don't say you-know-whats in front of Barfy."

OK - explain this cartoon to the Japanese student using simple English and very little Japanese, and specifically explain the usage of "you-know-whats" - you have 5 minutes. Go! :)

-Jason

Go HERE if you aren't familiar with The Family Circus comic strip.

Brian Setzer - Run Rudolph Run

Fun Christmas music from one of my favorite musicians!

Enjoy!

Are Christians the New Persecuted?

Interesting video from one of my favorite information channels on YouTube.

Good back and forth viewpoints from 6 British citizens on why they think that Christians are or are not persecuted in the UK today.

I wish America was moving more towards the secularism that is evident in England, but that is unhappily not the case. When people like Sarah Palin can gain traction in American politics, it makes me very wary of America's future.

Fukuoka Day 15 - Toyonoshima v Kisenosato - Nov. 28, 2010

A great sumo match from the final day of the Fukuoka Basho.

Check out my all-Sumo channel - JasonsinJapan (link on the right hand nav bar) - on YouTube for the final matches from senshuraku - Day 15 of the tournament.

-Jason

questions about why I vlog

A college student in America recently emailed me on YouTube via my Myargonauts channel, and asked me if I would answer a few questions about my vlogging experience for a class project.

So here are his questions and my answers.

Thanks for stopping by.

-Jason

Have you ever felt nervous in front of a camera? Does the nervousness ever go away or is it something you just learn to deal with?

I don't feel nervous just talking to a camera. I do sometimes get nervous talking in front of large groups, but being a teacher gets you used to being up in front of a group and retaining their attention.

I don't think of all the people that will eventually watch the video - I just pretend I'm having a chat with one friend.


How do/did you overcome or learn to deal with camera shyness?

Again - I never really had camera shyness. I was in drama club and speech and debate when I was in High school, so

I've had lots of practice talking in front of others.

The first few vlogs I did with me just talking at the camera were a bit awkward, but I've gotten better by watching others and editing helps. It helps to think about what you're gonna say in detail before you start to record, so you're not searching for words while on camera.


What advice do you have for anyone wanting to start their own vlog?

Watch other vloggers that you like - what do you like about their videos? Try to imitate their pace\style\topics, etc at first and then develop your own style.

If you want loyal viewers, then try to find a niche to fill - there are 1000s of vloggers - but not everyone is talking about the same thing - find something somewhat unique to talk about and then be consistent and sincere.


What equipment do you use?

Hand held digital camera for on location and sometimes indoors, and my built in iSight camera on my Mac.


Is the type of camera important?

It is if you want to shoot widescreen or in HD - but for simple vlogs where it's just you talking at the camera, then not really.

Lighting and sound are more important - make sure your face is well lit and we can hear you and there is no music drowning out your voice.


What software do you use for editing video?

I often just upload what I shoot straight - I'm kinda known for my one-take vlogs. But when I do need to edit or add titles, I use iMovie on my Mac.


What is your editing process?

If I'm trying to be more entertaining than informative - then I try hard to keep the pace brisk and edit to the music.


Why did you decide to start vlogging?

At first I was just uploading small 1 or 2 minute clips - mostly of my school life.

But I started to watch more and more YT vloggers in Japan and I thought I could take a shot at talking to the camera.

I was already getting emails with questions about Japan, even tho I only had about 100 subscribers when I did my first on-camera vlog. Then I looked around YouTube and noticed no one really had made videos about the process of becoming a JET and I found my niche.


Did you know any other vloggers at the time?

I was an active commentator on other vlogs, but I didn't know any of them in person.


Was it hard to start a vlog?

No - they're incredibly easy to start. Everyone has a few good stories to tell, etc.

They are though very hard to maintain. To post consistently for a year or two takes some dedication.

You will run out of ideas or motivation from time to time, but if you have loyal viewers, they'll inspire you, give you suggestions, and make you want to keep going.


How did you know what to say or what to vlog about?

Well, there seems to be a bottomless well of people that are interested in Japan and learning Japanese who watch YouTube.

So talking about Japan became my main niche.

When I decided to start talking about movies or my other interests, such as watching Sumo, I actually started new channels so it wouldn't distract from my main channel's Japan focus.


Why have you continued to vlog?

Well, the JET Programme recruits new JETs every year, so there are always new folks coming along that want to come to Japan and learn about JET. So I keep vlogging for them.


What motivates you to keep vlogging?

My viewers are by and large a great group of people. They are very appreciative of the work I do, and they leave me great comments and send me wonderful emails. That is a big motivation. And now that I'm no longer a JET, but am back in Japan and teaching at a university, I hope to have all new insights and adventures that I can share with my viewers.

-Jason H.

ゆめタウンShopping Spree & Creative DVD Titles

My latest YouTube vlog from my main channel - Myargonauts.

Enjoy my overspending. :)

My new students - already poking fun at their teacher

Overall, my new college students are a pretty cool bunch.

I have about 53 ichi nen sei (Freshmen) who are 18/19 years old,
and I have about 49 ni nen sei (Sophomores) who are 19/20 years old.

My classes are 90 minutes, but split into 2 sessions with a 5 minute passing period between them.
So I teach for 45 minutes, that group of 25 or so students leave and the next group comes in for their 45 minutes.

The other half of the 90 minutes is spent reading. My students are supposed to read 10,000 English words every week. They have a bunch of ESL books to choose from which are color coded to difficulty level - so white sticker books are the easiest, with easy vocabulary and smaller word counts, and up to dark blue books, which are like regular novels.

I'm the only teacher in my classroom, and I'm in charge of all the lessons, grading, attendance, etc. Quite a change from the ALT status of most JETs, myself included.

Today I was teaching my 1nen sei about the English word "too." As in "too young" or "too old."
They had a list of 6 opinions and had to guess the age the person was talking about.
For example, "She is too young to drive a car." What age do you think this person is?

So I went around class asking various students their ideas.
One opinion was "He's too old to play soccer." I asked one girl and she said "40."
I laughed and told her I was 41, so I'm not allowed to play soccer anymore?
The class laughed as I pretended to mark down minus 1 pt for her answer.

Later I asked a boy about the opinion "She's to old to dance." He responded "45."
So I'm too old to play soccer and almost too old to dance.

The last question was about marriage.
"He's too old to get married."
I asked a boy about this in the previous class, and he said "There is no age limit on love." In English! Awwwwww....
But in this class, the boy I asked responded "35."
I pretended to immediately mark him down 1 pt for the answer and everyone laughed.
I mimed that I can only move around in a wheel chair according to them and should just watch TV all day. :P

I know when you're 18 or 19, 40 does seem awfully old, but the funny thing is I don't "feel" 40 most of the time. Compared to my fellow professors, who are all married and most have kids, I feel like a single, fun-loving guy.

It was an interesting follow-up class to the Tuesday lesson which kicked off this unit about life transitions, such as graduating from school, getting a job, buying a house, getting married, etc.
Aside from some interesting cultural differences, when I asked them what the most important transition in a child's life is, and what the most important transition in an adult's life is, I got some interesting answers.
They have a ceremony here for when you turn 20 years old, and some cited that as an important childhood transition.
But I tend to think of 20-year-olds as adults. I think a big childhood transition is learning to walk and talk and going to school for the first time.
Maybe the 20-year-old ceremony is a good transition for adolescence to adulthood.
According to the supplied phrases in the textbook I'm using, common activities that define the stage of life called "adulthood" include getting a job, getting married, and buying a house. I'm 1 for 3 on those criteria. See, I told you I wasn't a real adult yet. :)

Anyway - class is going well overall, and my kids seem to be enjoying my lessons and learning along the way.

-Jason
too old to dance, but never too old to sing karaoke! :D

Swap Meet in Oceanside

Swap Meet in Oceanside - 4
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I had a big storage unit for the 5 years I was in Japan - full of "stuff." No furniture or practical items, mostly just comics, CDs, books, DVDs, toys, etc, etc.

So little by little after I got home I started to sell stuff off. First, I found a guy in LA who bought 30 "long comic boxes" from me for about $600. I only kept about 3 long boxes of my most favorite books.

Then we had a garage sale at the house, and I sold my Laser Discs players, a bunch of Star Wars toys, and other stuff.

I traded in a bunch of CDs for credit at a local used shop, and eventually got my 10'x10' storage space, which I was paying $76/month for, down to a 5x10 space, thus making my monthly rent $54.

I figured that was about it, when I got an email after I listed some comics on Craigslist from the local organizers of a swap meet in Oceanside. They wanted to have a "collector's con" aimed at comic fans, Pokemon fans, anime fans, etc.

It was only $25 to rent the space, and even tho I'd never sold at a swap meet before, I decided to give it a try just two weeks before I was set to leave for Japan.

Luckily I knew a pal, Mark, who had helped when we ran the booth at Comic Con back in July, so I called him up and arranged for him to help me for part of the day. He ended up working the whole 9 hours, and we were pretty busy - I sold over $600 worth of stuff, so minus some expenses I made about $450.

It was a lot of work, but overall it felt good to "give away" some of my stuff and let others enjoy it instead of it just sitting in my dark storage for another potential 4 or 5 years.

-Jason

Back in Japan - Jason's Adventures Phase 3

Hello All -

I made it back to Japan earlier this month and right now I'm in the process of getting the necessary visas etc to allow me to start work at the university.

I'm living in another rural town - much like Taisha where I lived before - but this time I'm not with JET, but I've been hired to teach English at a fairly small university.

I'll have Freshmen and Sophomores my first year and also be helping out with their language support room in the media center. Should be plenty to keep me busy, and lots of new challenges as I've never taught that age student before.

September has been really hot and humid so far, but I'm settling back in somewhat - today was actually the first "coolish" day we've had so far - haven't had to turn on the aircon once today so far, which is nice.

I'm watching sumo and eating ramen and getting back into some of my old habits.

I'll be moving into my new apartment in mid-October, and I've been lucky so far as local folks - new friends - have been nice enough to offer me a place to stay until then.

I hope to have lots of new adventures in Japan to tell you about.

Thanks for stopping by.

-Jason

Fun email from a former student

It's always fun to get email from my students, and this one showed up in my inbox this morning somewhat out of the blue...

Kaori was a student who graduated from my Jr High in 2007 and she is now at a university. I mentioned her in a vlog - she's a super cool kid, but I hadn't communicated with her in a while - I sent her a message when I visited Japan back in March when she was graduating from HS, but she was so busy, she never got back to me.

Japanese people in general are notoriously slow at replying to email, so just be patient if you try to strike up a correspondence with someone in Japan.

Here is the email (with slight edits for content, but it's all her own style and wording):

Dear Jason


Hello! Jason! How are you?

I'm kaori k........ I was Taisha junior high school student 4 years ago.

Do you remember me?



I'm sorry to sent you the letter so long time.

I was very busy that time.

I would sent the letter because I had very happy news.

I passed the university exam!

Now , I go to university of M.........



M........ is far.

It is 12 hour from Shimane by car.

But M........ is very good place!

Many people is kind!

I like M........!

I enjoy life.



Jason,what are you going to do this summer?

I am going to do volunteer activity during summer vacation!

And, reading many books ,listening many musics ,thinking many things etc....

I am going to enjoy this summer vacation!

I hope that you enjoy this summer!!

Good bye,Jason!



from kaori k.........

Here is a pic of us in school back in 2006:



Kaori and her classmate Yukako used to write me letters in English for practice:

Jason & SpongeBob

Jason & SpongeBob
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I've posted the rest of my San Diego Comic Con pics at my Flickr site - enjoy!

-Jason

Zack (Walter) and Jason at Comic Con 2010

Zack (Walter) and Jason at Comic Con 2010
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I've got well over 150 pics on the way, as well as tons of video footage too from the 2010 San Diego Comic Con.

I worked Preview night on Wednesday and then all 4 full days from Thursday to Sunday at a friend's booth in the retailer section of the main convention floor. But I also had time to spend some money, attend some panels, and see some celebrities, old and new.

If you don't know the "celebrity" in the photo above, just Google "Walter Jones Zack" and you'll see... :)

-Jason

Jason's going to Comic-Con & selling stuff

I'm going to Comic Con this year all 4 days + Preview Night on Wednesday. I have to help out at a friend's booth in exchange for the 5-day pass, so I won't be able to see all the panels I want to go to, but I hope to hit a few of the big ones, including panels about Tron, Walking Dead, Big Bang Theory and Scott Pilgrim.

I hope to take footage each day and make vids for my TaishaJason YT channel in August.

NHK not to air next sumo competition live

I'll still try to have updates on my all-Sumo channel on YouTube - JasonsinJapan - but my access to footage via TV Japan may be limited.

-Jason

4th of July and Holidays in Japan

Here is my latest vlog - shot around my house in San Diego on July 4th - Independence Day.

I also talk about holidays in Japan - what days are similar, what days have no meaning in Japan and how this is an opportunity for JETs to teach a little about your culture, whether you're from the UK, Australia, Canada, America or elsewhere.

In the text below the video on the YouTube page, I ask my viewers to leave a comment telling me what their favorite holiday is and why. Feel free to leave a comment here on this page too.

Thanks for watching!
-Jason

Fuyu Yasumi 2010: An ALT Goes to New York

My friend and fellow JET (altho I guess I'm now a former-JET) made this excellent video chronicling his trip home last year for winter vacation. He used it in his classes in Japan with his Jr High students.

Good example of how you can bring real world information and practical knowledge into the classroom and make your lessons more interesting for your students.

Well done Eric!

男らしい日本語って： Manly Japanese

Great video by a fellow J-vlogger living in Shiga ken.

With subtitles so you can follow along if you don't speak Japanese.

The stuff at the end about approaching a woman is pretty funny.

Enjoy!
-Jason

New vlog from TaishaJason channel

Do you have a good "random act of kindness" story? Please feel free to share in the comments below or over on the forums at JapanJuku.com

Blog TV May 29th at 8pm PST

join me tonight for a chat about JET, Japan and anything else that comes up.

Click Here for my Blog TV channel.

Great vid on arguing with Japanese people

Made by my pal Hiko and some of his friends. With English and Japanese subtitles.

Enjoy!
-Jason

May Grand Sumo Tournament has started

Sumo has started once again, and even tho I'm currently living in California, I still watch sumo daily via a cable channel I pay for here called TV Japan.

I'll have highlights and commentary on my all-Sumo channel on YouTube - JasonsinJapan.

Just click on the video below to be taken to my YouTube main channel page for sumo.

Enjoy!
-Jason

money vs happiness

I've got a good job now in California. I make decent money, my co-workers are generally cool people, the office is nice and conveniently located, and the work itself is fairly easy.

But it doesn't excite me - it doesn't challenge me very often - it's very repetitive. I don't wake up excited about going to work - I do it out of duty and obligation, instead of any desire to contribute to the greater good.

I know some of you are saying, "You're making good money at a decent job - why complain?"

Because I had a job for 5 years that I really ENJOYED and I was pretty good at doing.
And I take the train most days to work and I can see the drones making their way to their offices each day to punch the clock and put in their hours so they can afford a new iPad and go out on the weekends. I don't want to become one of those drones.

Which is why I'm going to give up a much better paying job in a city I really like to move back to Japan and work for less money in a city where I won't know anyone.

If my 5 years on JET taught me one thing about myself, it's that I really love teaching. I like the day to day challenge of it - the quest to find a better way to involve and interest your students in their lessons - the ever-changing variety - the school atmosphere in Japan with large school events and it's own brand of school spirit. And I enjoy teaching English.
Perhaps not as much as I would if I could teach history, which is a subject closer to my heart, but with English it's easier in a way to notice real progress in your students. At the end of the year you can tell if they learned anything and are able to communicate at a higher level than when they started.

So I'll be giving up job security in California for the unpredictable and sometimes frustrating job of teaching English in Japan - and I can't wait! :)

-Jason

Blog TV April 24 & 25

I'll be on Blog TV tomorrow at 8pm PST and most likely again on Sunday at Noon.

Swing by for a chat if you can.

What's your favorite Japanese food?

My buddy in Kobe, Japan - BusanKevin - made a collab video featuring a bunch of YouTube pals talking about their favorite Japanese food.

I'm in there toward the end of the video. I mention Pocky - which is my favorite Japanese snack, but if I were in Japan when he made this request, my guess is I would have gone out to a restaurant and filmed me eating something like Japanese curry or okonomiyaki or yakisoba - some of my favorite Japanese dishes.

What Japanese food do you like?

Yokozuna Hakuho v maegashira #4 Tosayutaka

Yokozuna Hakuho v maegashira #4 Tosayutaka
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I uploaded about 40 pics to my Flickr site from Day 10 of the Osaka Grand Sumo Tournament. Click on the picture above to see more.

HD video from that day is available on my all-SUMO YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/JasonsinJapan

Enjoy!
-Jason

computers translating Japanese to English

I got the cutest email from a former student this past week.

I saw her at graduation and we exchanged emails - if you're lucky as an ALT you'll have students like her that are eager to continue using their English and communicating with you even tho you are no longer their teacher.

But her email shows a little lack of confidence on her part in regards to her English ability. Many of my kids use an online translation program when sending me email, because they don't want to make mistakes in their English.
What they don't realize is how bad most translating programs are, as you'll see in a moment.

This example isn't actually that bad - I can read and understand what she was trying to say.

Here is the email:

Hi ! Jason !

It passed the high school.

I am very indebted to you.

Speaking with you was very happy.

Your smile was loved.

It never forgets.

Thank you for a lot of memories.

It is you bright and it will exist in the future.

You are loved.


ps.

Tennis works hard.

It assists in Jayson from Japan.

It doesn't forget.

Thank you up to now.

Moreover, it E-mails.

*******

Knowing a little about Japanese, you can clearly see sentences where she wrote a typical Japanese sentence and the translation program turns it into readable but stiff English that no native speaker would ever say.

For example, a typical phrase used in messages of thanks is "ima made arigatou gozaimasu" which the computer turned into "Thank you up to now." Not bad, but my guess is most native speakers would say something more like "Thanks for all your help in the past" or "I really appreciate all the help you've given me."

And the computer often inserts "it" if the Japanese omits a subject such as I or me.

Anyway - it was a cute email, and students like this one are the reason I went back to see them all graduate.

-Jason

Adachi Museum of Art

Adachi Museum of Art - 6.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hey Gang -

I posted about 30 pictures to my Flickr site I took last Sunday at the Adachi Museum of Art, near Matsue in Shimane.

The Adachi Museum is very famous for its gardens, constantly rated among the best in all Japan.

I got my camera back from the camera store, where they were able to replace/fix the shutter button (cost - $100) in about a week.

So it was nice to have my new Nikon Coolpix L110 with me at the museum. I'm still getting used to all the settings, etc., but I was able to take some nice shots. Click on the picture above to be taken to my Flickr site.

Below is one of SIX short movies I shot at the museum using my new Nikon, which shoots HD movies in 720p.
So if you click on the movie to watch it on YouTube, you can select to view it in HD and it looks pretty good. You can also click around to see the other 5 parts.

-Jason

Snowing! Snowing!

We've had really crazy weather since I've been back in Japan - even a full blown snow storm one day, which I capture here.

-Jason

Jason back in Japan - under the kotatsu

I'm back in Japan, where it's rather cold and wet.

-Jason

JapanJuku.com - My new Website

Hello All -

Well - this blog is nearing its end. Not that it's going away - I plan on keeping it here as an archive, and for anything I want to post that doesn't fit my new website.

What's that you say - you don't know about my new website??

Well head on over to JapanJuku.com and check it out!

Here is a little video introduction I made for the site:


I've been helped a lot with the site by my web guru friend from Finland - Linus. I don't have the computer skills to put all the code together, etc.

We've got a lot more to do to make it a great resource for people wanting to know about living and working in Japan, but it's a good start and over the course of the next 4 or 5 months, I hope to make it a helpful site for everyone interested in JET and Japan.

I'll still post here occasionally and use it for posting fun videos I find on YouTube, but text posts will most likely move to the blog I'm starting at JapanJuku.com

So head over to the site, join in on the forums, and thanks to everyone that has been reading this blog, which has chronicled my life in Japan since 2004.

Thanks!
-Jason

And here is a video I made with my Dad, John, announcing the debut of JapanJuku.

Valentine's Day in Japan

I used to get a lot of "giri-choco" and special presents from my kids/students when I was teaching in Japan.

Almost always homemade, the cakes and chocolate were always delicious!

-Jason

I was on TV! (Subtitled)

A fun vid from a fellow J-vlogger from America named Samantha.

Well done on the singing Sammi!

With subtitles for those that don't speak Japanese.

-Jason

Blog TV twice this weekend

Blog TV tonight at 8pm PST and tomorrow (Sunday the 14th) at noon PST.

-Jason

Emoticon Tag Game - Japanese Emoticons

Hiroko is too cute in this video!

-J

Rodger Swanへの紹介

日本人の友達、

見いてください。

ジェイソン

Asashoryu retires and leaves SUMO - Feb. 4, 2010

The big news from the world of Sumo.

I'm stunned and disappointed, but not entirely shocked, since this seems like the culmination of many transgressions over the yokozuna's career.

But the sport will miss him this year, and I will miss him as well.

-Jasonryu

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine and Matchmaking (Izumo City, Matsue City Shimane)

A short, 3-minute video in English, with nice views of my former home-town - Taisha in Shimane.

I'll be heading back to Shimane in March to attend graduation ceremonies and visit friends and students. I'm very excited to be going back.

-Jason

Britt, Mom, & Lynda at the entrance to the San Diego Zoo

Britt, Mom, & Lynda at the entrance
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I joined my sister, niece and Mom for a trip to the San Diego Zoo in early January.

It's been about 3 years since I'd been to the Zoo - I went with my Mom and Dad during a trip home from Japan in 2007.

San Diego has a wonderful zoo, with great exhibits and lots of animals. And we had a wonderful day - it wasn't too crowded and the weather was fantastic.

Click on either picture here to see a few more from the day.

I also shot lots of video and will edit all the footage together soon for a video on my YouTube channel.

-Jason

My niece, Brittany and my sister, Lynda

My niece, Brittany and my sister, Lynda
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I haven't posted many pics from my time back in San Diego since I got back to the States in August 2009.

So I'll try to put up some pics from some of the fun I've been having while at home in San Diego.

Just after I got back, my sister, Lynda, along with her daughter, Brittany (my niece), and I went to LegoLand, which is about 10 minutes from where we live.

Brittany had been working a summer job at the park, so we were able to get in for free and enjoy a casual day of walking around in what is really a park for families with small children. But we still had fun.

I made a video about it on my main YouTube page here:




Enjoy the pics and I'll try to post more soon.

Peace,
Jason Vader

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

My friend Chris, from high school, had a hand in making this video. Great stuff!

-Jason

Yellow Lightcycle - Tron Legacy

Yellow Lightcycle - Tron Legacy
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I am a HUGE fan of the original TRON movie from 1982. I saw it a bunch of times in the theater when I was about 12 or 13 years old.

I had a great, special-edition DVD of the original movie, and it got stolen off the front seat of my car one day back in 2004. (Note to self - re-buy that DVD)

And it looks like they're gonna do the original movie proud with this sequel: Tron - Legacy that comes out in December.

I might be living in Japan in December, so I hope they get the movie that same month. Can't wait to see it!

-Jason

I like Superman

I like Superman
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

More pics from 2004. These feature me in a classroom doing my jikoshokai (self-introduction) in front of a combined class of 3rd graders at one of my five Japanese elementary schools during my first year as an ALT in Shimane.

I encourage you to click the pic above and go to the page these pictures are on and read the captions below each picture for more information.

Cheers,
Jason

チュッキョ・フィギュア 浅田真央 インタビュー 2週目

There is an INCREDIBLE amount of coverage of Mao Asada on YouTube. Just click on the above video to watch on YT and then look to the right at all the "related" videos and you'll see an endless amount of vids about the Japanese figure skater.

I can't imagine any American skater in recent years getting as much media time year-round as Mao gets in Japan.

I was in Japan for the last winter Olympics, where the Japanese had disappointment after disappointment, except for the one Gold Medal they got in womens' figure skating for Arakawa's brilliant routine.

I'm sure the pressure will really be on Asada as the country hopes for another Gold Medal in February in Vancouver.

The only reason I see these videos on YouTube is that I'm currently posting SUMO videos every day to my all Sumo channel. When one of my videos gets a lot of ratings or comments, it often ends up in the Top Most Rated or Top Most discussed videos in all of Japan for the sports category. And inevitably, the video at #1 will be a Mao Asada video.

She sure has her fans!

-Jason

Pictures of me teaching in Elementary school

Shaking Hands
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I encourage you to click on the above picture and go to my Flickr site to view all the pictures AND read the captions! :)

I'm often asked to show lessons from my classes, and usually if I'm taking the pictures, I'm not in them, but this was my first year as an ALT (February 2005) and one of the HRTs took these pics of me with a combined class of about sixty 3rd graders.

I sorted thru and found a bunch that don't show faces clearly, so you can get some idea of how I would conduct a lesson. This was a simple lesson of learning words from flashcards - a common lesson at Japanese elementary schools.
We also did a dance/song and played a board game in this extended class that lasted about 80 minutes (with a break in the middle).

I found this CD rom of pics in my boxes of stuff from Japan and haven't seen these pics in about 5 years. Do I look younger? :)

-Jason

funny story from school - messing up in Japanese

Do you have a funny story about messing up while trying to speak a foreign language? Or a story of a foreigner speaking to you in English and just getting it all wrong? Leave a comment. :)

-Jason

Great website about Taisha in Japanese and English

My former Japanese language tutor, Imaoka sensei, and an ALT from Taisha who I've known for 4 years - Angharad James - worked on the English language version of a guide to famous local sites in Taisha, like Izumo Taisha shrine.

It's a really great page of photos and information - so check it out Here!

Here are the opening lines:

Japanese speakers may refer to this guide when giving a tour of the Izumo Taisha area to English speakers. The following questions are ones foreign visitors might ask at the sites.

このガイドは日本人の方が出雲大社周辺を英語圏の方に案内される時に参考にして頂けるように作りました。外国観光者から以下のような質問があると思われます。

This site makes me very nostalgic for my town.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Stache - yes or no?

In the first 6 hours after I posted this video today, I've gotten one-hundred comments. hahaha

Click on the "watch on YouTube" link and read some of the comments - fun stuff!

-Jason

Welcome to the January 2010 Grand Sumo Tournament - Hatsu Bashou

I'm starting my coverage of the January Grand Sumo Tournament today - and continuing thru to January 24th.

Come on over to my all-sumo channel for daily updates.

-Jason

It's cold in Japan, even inside my apartment!

About one year ago I filmed the above video in my apartment in rural Japan. It was COLD!

And today I'm sitting in my parents' house in San Diego and it's sunny and about 70.F (21.C) and lovely outside. :)

-Jason

How to speak fluent Japanese by Speaking English with Remi and Ken

In Japanese and English.
日本語と英語
Fun stuff from Shimane's own - Ken Tanaka!

-J

Avatar (Non-3D version) - My opening day review

This video is getting quite a few views on my 2nd YouTube channel - TaishaJason - where I talk about geeky stuff I like - movies, comics, etc.

I did a review from Japan for the movie Transformers 2 and it became the most watched video on this channel, so I'm not surprised this video is also getting many views. I'm probably one of the few reviews (out of a ton of 3D reviews) on YT for this movie talking about it as a non-3D experience.

Did you see it? What did you think?

-Jason

Picture of IzumoTaisha from 2005

IT - Giant rope
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I'm looking thru older pictures trying to find some of certain students for their New Years Cards and graduation presents.

I didn't take many pictures during my first year as a JET from July 2004 to July 2005.

I didn't even have a digital camera when I first arrived in Japan. I "won" my first digital Nikon at a year-end party with my Japanese co-workers in December 2004. So that's when I started posting regularly to FLICKR and taking more pictures.

And when I first joined Flickr I was limited in how many pictures I could upload during each month, so I was much more picky about what I posted.

Looking thru an archive of pics from 2005, I noticed about 15 pictures of IzumoTaisha Shrine that I had never posted. They're perhaps interesting to anyone who has been to the Shrine in the past few years, since it doesn't quite look like this anymore - new buildings have been built, stairs have been changed and right now their in the midst of rebuilding the roof of the main shrine.

So I hope you enjoy these pics from the past.

I also posted a few pics of some "enkai" (parties) I went to during my first year so you can see what it's like - how we sit, what type of food is served, etc.

Enjoy!
-Jason

(Click on any picture to be taken to my whole online Flickr album of photos)

Snow on my scooter

Snow on my scooter
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Lots of people ask me about getting around in Japan - using public transport, buying a car, etc.

This is how I got around from October 2004 to August 2005. A scooter or moped - 50cc - and I loved it for the most part. Easy to use, to park - gas was cheap, insurance was cheap. But in bad weather, especially rain or snow - you got wet - and it sucked. So I traded up for a car in my 2nd year as an ALT, but I missed my scooter from time to time.

One of my favorite quotations

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. ---Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and writer (121-180)

Love from the Argonauts

I've been feeling a little blase about YouTube lately. I still log on every day - check my vids - respond to PMs and check comments - and watch vloggers I'm subscribed to - but the energy to create my own new vids seems to be waning a bit.

So I asked my viewers (I have almost 3,000 subscribers, but of those about 1,500 watch regularly) to ask me questions - they could ask just about anything - and I would answer. It was fun making the response vids, and two of the 4 (I have a problem with brevity) are posted now, with the other two coming later this week.

It gave me a nice shot in the arm and a bit of motivation. Not being in Japan these past few months, I was worried that my channel would languish and not attract any new subscribers, but it just keeps chugging along.

I also get incredibly nice emails from folks I've never met thanking me for all the videos and information - which is really great.

I thought I would share two recent examples with you below - edited a little to keep them relatively anonymous.
I've spent a fair amount of time over the past 18 months on YouTube, so it's gratifying to know that people appreciate the time and effort I've put in.

Hope all is well with you. I'm hopefully off to see Avatar at theaters this Friday - first time I've gone to a movie on opening day in a long, long time. Just can't decide if I want to see the 3D version first or the regular version. I want to see both for comparison sake - but maybe if I see the 3D version first I'll feel seeing the regular version is redundant.
I'm also gonna see a movie called "The Hangover" this week on DVD- my sister got it in her Netflix shipment so we're gonna watch it together. It hadn't come out in Japan before I left, but had already left theaters by the time I got back. I've heard it's really funny.

Be good,
Jason

Email 1 -
I just wanted to contact you to say thank you. Your videos are great, I look forward to them all the time. You are able to communicate a deep love of teaching. Through your videos I have been able to see many of the joys and difficulties you found in JET. You manage to be positive often, and when faced with hardships, you are honest about them. You seem to have an attitude that compels you to help others. I remember you sharing the video to help someone in their speech competition, an entire series on Japanese language, and the many video requests. You released a whole series on applying to JET and commented on essays for the program. Within this context, you have shared so much of yourself. I am amazed you can put yourself out there like this. I have no doubt you will make it back to Japan. Thank you. Ganbate ne!

Email 2.
Hi Jason! New generation of JET applicant here--hoping to go to Japan in 2010. My name is XXXX and I'm graduating this year from college, so I'm kind of whippersnapper, but I don't plan on going crazy once I get to Japan. I'm genuinely interested in the kids and teaching. Your videos have been a godsend for me in that way, because reading BigDaikon and even the official JET forums has been depressing for me. I just wanted to thank you for being so positive and extremely informative in your vlogs. They are an inspiration to me, and I hope to vlog about Japan myself once I get there, hopefully providing a different perspective, because I think your vlogs are still the best, and they're still relevant. I've been recommending them to every applicant I know this year!

Anyway! Don't lose that genki spirit!!! Know that a whole new generation of JET's are gearing up and you're the best out there for actual advice and not incessant whining!

One last thing: we have 5600 applicants this year for JET, so it's going to be really competitive. We're going to need lots of advice, haha, so I bet your views will be going up a lot.

(Jason again)
Thanks for the nice comments and PMs - each one is read and appreciated!
Mata ne.

RENTリハーサル風景 シーズンズ・オブ・ラブ

and here's a nice version sung in English with Japanese subtitles - I absolutely love this song!

Rent cast from Tokyo

Nice little video moment. I taught this song to my school's chorus club a few years ago and they sang it (In English!) at our culture festival in 2008.

Alternatives to Rosetta Stone Japanese

If you're learning Japanese and have considered buying the Rosetta Stone software to learn, watch this vid.
Some good info from my friend, Koichi.
And then head over to Tofugu.com for all the other ways to learn Japanese.

-Jason

Aggressive atheism

Rock on Pat - Rock on!

-J

2009 November Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament - 14th Day

Been a good tournament in Fukuoka this month. I'm not a huge Hakuho fan, but you have to hand it to him - he fought very well and deserves the cup.

He also passed Asashoryu's record of 84 wins in a single calendar year. Asa fell apart in the last few days, and my favorite rikishi - Harumafuji - had a mediocre basho as well.

-Jason

Japanese History

A fun video made by a JET in Kagoshima.

It starts out with the ponderous voice-over, but that's done for comedic effect and soon peps up with some really funny lines throughout.

Enjoy!
-Jason

I can't stop playing this game!

For an incredibly addictive game called ESKIV - Click Here.

Click on "New Game."
USE the ARROW KEYS on your keyboard to move the circle to hit the square without letting the moving balls strike you.

What is your top score? Let me know! :)

Enjoy!
-Jason

100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers

Brilliant countdown via movie clips from 100 to 1.

I think I knew the movie names for 92 of these. :)

-Jason

Osaka Bang! with English sub

More Japanese silliness...

This video is from Japanese TV with English subtitles.

-Jason

You know you want to click it!!

For your random bit of Japanese silliness, Click Here!

Enjoy!

SUMO - Kyushu Fukuoka - Day ONE- Complete Highlights - #3 (of 3) November 15, 2009

SUMO has started again, so I'm a happy man for the next two weeks!

Enjoy coverage each day of the tournament on my All-SUMO channel: JasonsinJapan on Youtube

Thanks for watching!
-Jason

iJapan (Intermediate Japanese lessons) #1 - Let's Study! **10 questions**

I'm starting a new series on vlogs on my channel to help those, like myself, who are studying Japanese at a level slightly above the basic level.

I hope to post a new lesson every week and learn as well as teach.
My Japanese is not great, but I try, and I want to continue studying while back here in America.

Thanks for watching!
-Jason

Genki English: ESL Karuta Game for Teaching English

A good twist on "karuta" - a game I must have played hundreds of times in my schools in Japan.

Instead of the teacher saying the word and the kids simply identifying it and slapping the card, the kids have to ask the teacher a question; in this case, "Do you like....?" and if the teacher says "Yes" they can slap the card.

The video above is in Japanese with English subtitles.
このビデオは日本語でいっしょに英語字幕

ジェイソン

平岡さんの顔に殴られた跡 島根女子大生遺棄事件（09/11/07）

I'm not sure if I'm understanding all the latest details of this tragic event, but basically a 19 year old college student from Shimane ken (Hamada town) was abducted on her way home this past week, and later they discovered her head. I think they are searching for the rest of her body.

I have a friend who is also a former ALT in Shimane who taught this girl when she was a Jr High student. My thoughts go out to her and this girl's friends and family.

I would be utterly devastated if something like this happened to one of my former students. According to my friend, this girl was really interested in English and would often talk to her.

-Jason

300 Japanese HS students create a Mona Lisa

Fun stuff from a 20-year-old Japanese TV show.

You gotta love Japan! :)

Guy dancing like Michael Jackson at a bus stop

Apparently this guy used to wait for the bus outside an office and another guy in the office filmed him dancing over a 15 month period.

This just made me smile. So many of us grow up and lose our sense of freedom and inhibitions take over. Dance Bus Stop Guy - Dance!

I get some of this same youthful energy teaching in Japan - one of the reasons I want to go back.

Have a good day.

-Jason

Anti-foreigner protests in Tokyo sparked by Halloween train party

Read an interesting article on JapanProbe.com today about the annual Yamanote Halloween train party.

For those that don't know about this - basically every year a bunch of gaijin would ride the loop train in Tokyo on Halloween night dressed up in costumes and basically being noisy and bothersome to regular Japanese folks.

Ultra-right wing Japanese Nationalists, who want all foreigners to leave Japan, decided that this year they would show up and protest. So a bunch of Japanese police showed up too to keep an eye on the situation and as a result, not many foreigners showed up this year and it was a bit of a fizzle.

You can read the article and see some of the hilarious pictures of badly worded protest signs Here.

As is usually the case on JapanProbe - the comments section below the article is more entertaining and enlightening than the article itself.

If you want to see video of past year's train parties, then check out the YouTube channel of RoninDave.

Man in the Box - Facebook Abuse

Pretty much sums up my attitude toward Facebook. I don't mind the site so much, but I'm really glad I don't work in an office like this.

In-Depth JET Application campus visits in San Diego

Hey Gang -

Here are the dates for the in-depth information sessions with Angel from the Japanese consulate in LA.

She will be at USD on Tuesday, October 27th from 12:30 to 2pm in the UC Forum A.

She (and I) will b at UCSD the same day (10/27) from 5pm to 6:30pm in the International Center lounge.

And she will also be at SDSU on Tuesday, November 3rd from Noon to 1:30pm at the International Students center.

For a complete list of all the information sessions in Southern California Click Here.

-Jason

Jason does Kendo （剣道）- Part One

My most recent YouTube vlog. I edited some footage I shot back in July on the last day of school at my main Jr High School.



Some of the "honors" this video has after the first 24 hours it was on my channel:

#31 - Most Discussed (Today) - Japan
#1 - Most Discussed (Today) - Howto & Style - Japan
#9 - Most Discussed (This Week) - Howto & Style - Japan
#33 - Most Discussed (This Month) - Howto & Style - Japan
#13 - Most Viewed (Today) - Howto & Style - Japan
#83 - Most Viewed (Today) - Howto & Style - South Korea
#5 - Top Favorited (Today) - Howto & Style - Japan
#47 - Top Favorited (This Week) - Howto & Style - Japan
#52 - Top Rated (Today) - Japan
#1 - Top Rated (Today) - Howto & Style - Japan
#10 - Top Rated (This Week) - Howto & Style - Japan
#46 - Top Rated (This Month) - Howto & Style - Japan

My description from the YT sidebar:

After school, on the last day before summer vacation, I had the pleasure of hanging out with the kendo team at my main Jr High school one last time.

I decided I would put on all my gear and let the kids have one last whack at me after their practice ended.

Yamasaki sensei was kind enough to help me out with filming and explanations, and the whole team stuck around even though I'm sure most of them were pretty tired. (Practicing kendo, where you're wearing fairly thick clothing, in Japan in the summer time is a hot and sweaty job)

I can't really show the kids too much, but you'll see a little more of them in part TWO since they'll be wearing helmets. I really have enjoyed my time hanging out and working out with the kendo team, even though I've gone to practice less in my last two years.

I hope you enjoy this vlog, I apologize in advance for my poor Japanese, and I hope you watch part TWO - Coming Soon! :)

-Jason

LINKS...

a good guide to kendo terms: Click Here


a beginner's guide to kendo with two methods for tying the tenogui: Click Here


けんどう（剣道）translates to "way of the sword"

UCSD and CSUSM campus visits

Hey Gang -

I'll be out recruiting for JET this week.

On Monday the 19th, I'll be at UCSD from 10am to 3pm.

It's a Programs Abroad EXPO and there will be lots of tables with lots of info.
Not sure where my table will be, but start at the Price Center and walk along and I'm sure you'll see me and oh-so-colorful signs. :)

I will also be at the Traveling Tukwut Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Kellogg Library Plaza at Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM).

If you're near/at either of these schools, please stop by and say hello.

I will post information about the official information meetings later in the month at UCSD, USD, and SDSU in this blog next week. (Someone from the Japanese consulate in LA comes to these meetings to discuss the application in depth)

See ya,
Jason

2 recent web articles

The first one is just another reason I can't wait to move back to Japan...

Click Here

Don't get me wrong, I love America, I just wish it wasn't inhabited by so many idiots.

The 2nd article is about Japan:

Click Here

It's a list of ten things you should do if you visit Japan - I've done 8 of them. Anyone care to guess which 2 I HAVEN'T tried yet? :)

-Jason

Zeplin in Tokyo - 25 - Colab: What annoys you about Japan?

An interesting collaboration video I took part in.

The question posed was "What annoys you about Japan?"

There are some interesting and varied responses.

-Jason

Pictures from my last month in Shimane

final kendo at TJH - 8
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I uploaded about 50 more pics to my Flickr account.

These pics are all from July 2009, my last month living in Shimane.

I had a whirlwind month - trying to pack and get ready to go home, trying to say goodbye to places and friends, attending farewell parties, and having to say goodbye to students and teachers, many of whom I've known for 5 years.

Below is a sampling of some of the pics I can share on Flickr.

But before I explain those, the picture above is me (yes, me) in my full kendo gear. I wanted to shoot some video footage on me putting on all the gear, and the kendo coaches were nice enhough to oblige, and the kids on the team pitched in too. I'll try to get that footage edited together and posted on my YouTube page in the coming month.



This picture is of my farewell display for my main Jr High School - Taisha Chu - where I taught for 5 years. I wanted to do a display that featured just the current students, so I made two displays with one featuring older students, now graduated, and this one featuring current kids.



It wasn't all hard days and sad memories tho - I got to see a bunch of my former students at farewell parties they threw for me, and a few invited me out to see the most recent Harry Potter film at the nice theater in Izumo.



Trying to bring closure to so many of my activities at school and in the community was difficult. I scheduled an elementary school teacher brain-storming meeting for the last week I was in Taisha, and ended up sleeping thru my alarm that morning (something I almost never do) and being late for the meeting, just so tired from all the packing and running around I was doing during my final week.

I also had a chance to end my time as a library volunteer with a special event I called "Hearn by Harris."
The above picture shows me reciting one of Lafcadio Hearn's speeches to a small audience of mostly friends and students and teachers. I wanted to pass along some advice on preparing students for speech contests, since I'd had so much fun doing that activity every year and my schools had enjoyed success at all of the contests.



By far the toughest and most emotionally exhausting part of my final month was saying goodbye to the students and staff at all my schools, especially the ones I've been teaching at since 2004.

Some of the schools had really fun and touching farewell ceremonies for me on my final day, and I put up picture displays at all my elementary schools and my main Jr High School.

I really do miss my students - much more than I miss any particular aspect of Japan.

I wish I could show you all the fun pictures and video I have from these ceremonies, but I can't on the open internet.
Having said that, I am trying out a new online photo service called Phanfare that I like quite a bit. It's a much more private option than Flickr, and much easier for me to share my photos with people I know, since I can send specific links to content that remains private without requiring the viewer to register with the site.
If you know me personally, feel free to send me an email and I'll send you a link to more pics and video.

This might be my last update to FLICKR for a while. I might upload a few pictures from my life here in San Diego, but the site might be quiet until next year, when I plan on returning to Japan.

Thanks for your views and comments.

Peace,
Jason

【車窓風景】 一畑電車 川跡→出雲大社前（HQ推奨）

Someone sent me a link to this video, made by a Japanese train enthusiast.

It shows the scenery from Kawato station to IzumoTaisha station.

No narration or music, just the inaka passing by the window.

This is very representative of where I lived in Japan from 2004 to 2009.

In fact, I used to ride this train on occasion. During my first year, if it was raining, I would sometime take the train to school, as the final stop is about a 5 minute walk from my main Jr High School.

The 2nd to last station at about the 10minute mark (Hamayama koen station) is about a 5 minute walk from my old apartment.

You can see the huge, white torii for IzumoTaisha at about 12;49 into the video.

Enjoy a little glimpse into MY Japan.

-Jason

My new exclusive JET Twitter account

I've been using Twitter for a while now - mostly just for fun and personal Tweets and for following friends. I don't have a cell phone here in America, so I post to Twitter from my home MAC.

My general account is Taisha Jason.

But I thought it might be best to offer a Twitter account with general advice and guidance for JET Applicants and people interested in moving to Japan.

So I've started a 2nd Twitter account - just Click Here.

I've titled it JapanJET and I hope to make daily posts with small bits of information that I hope will be helpful to people going to Japan to live and work.

Feel free to leave feedback here or send me a note on Twitter.

Cheers,
Jason

Simon and Jason visit In-n-Out

Check out the video below - currently playing on my main YouTube channel (Myargonauts) - that features me and my cousin, Simon, who is visiting San Diego from England.

I took him out last week and our travels took us to In-n-Out Burger - my favorite fast food burger place.

Enjoy!
-Jason

2009 September Grand Sumo Tournament - Day 15 - Final Day

Good summary of the final day of Sumo in Tokyo. (In English)

A great end to the tourney, with a yokozuna showdown on the final day.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Memories of June

Farewell eigo board part one - 6
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I just posted another 60+ pics to my public Flickr site.

Pictures that are all from the month of June 2009.

The picture above is a display I put together to say farewell to my main Jr High school where I worked as an ALT from 2004 to 2009.

This first display included photos from 2005, when I first got my digital camera to about 2007. Many of the students in the photos are the older siblings of the current students at that school.



I did a separate display for the current kids, and I'll post pics of that display in my July 09 batch.

I also posted a bunch of pics from CHESS 2009.
CHESS is Camp for High School English Students of Shimane, an all-English, 3-day camp for HS students we have every year.

It was my fifth and final year being part of the camp, and I've had tons of fun every year I went.

Here I am with Rob, the ALT PA and an all-around swell chap (he's from England).



I also have pics from various student events I attended - some with my secondary Jr High and some with my main school.

One such event was a kendo competition in neighboring Hiroshima prefecture.
I made a video about it on my main YouTube page (Myargonauts) as well.



I'll post pics from July soon, and then I might stop posting to Flickr for a while.

I've found a new online photo site I want to try called Phanfare.
It offers a little more safety and privacy options than Flickr and I like the way I can organize photos on the site AND include my short video clips as well.

If you're interested in seeing a few of my albums on Phanfare, send me an email and I'll send you a private link.

Cheers,
Jason

2009 Undokai in Under 2 Minutes

This is one of the coolest vids I've seen on YouTube in a while.

I used to love September in Japan, cuz September means SPORTS DAY! I loved Sports Day every year at my Jr High schools.

This ALT in a very beautiful part of Japan uses time lapse technology to compress his entire Sports Day into two minutes.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Hinomisaki with Eli and Robin

Hinomisaki with Eli and Robin - 1
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I just uploaded about 60 pics from April and May in Japan.

Included are pics from a visit by fellow JET Eli and his wife Robin. I showed them around the local sites one day, including Hinomisaki lighthouse and Hinomisaki Shrine.

I re-established my PRO account with Flickr, so there should be about 2500+ pics to look at once again on my page.

Enjoy!
-Jason

questionaire

I get all kinds of emails at my main YouTube channel, where I post mainly videos about living in Japan and being an ALT for the JET Program.

One of my subscribers (and I have over 2600 now - pretty amazing) recently asked me to answer some questions about being an ALT for a college paper he's working on for a careers class. He wants to be a JET after he graduates.

Here are my answers to his questions - I thought other may find them useful.

Peace,
Jason

(It should go without saying that the following is my opinion of being an ALT and the JET Programme)

OK - here come the answers....

About how many hours a day does an ALT/ESL Teacher typically work?
typical day is 8 hours (with a short break at lunch time)

What sort of tasks do you perform on a day to day basis?
teach English, team teach with Japanese teacher of English (JTE), grade papers, etc.

Are you free to offer personal lessons or is that not allowed?
Not allowed, altho you will be asked to teach some community approved adult classes on occasion

Is it normal to continue your education while working this job?
You can certainly do something online, but it would be difficult to try for your Masters while being a JET; of course, you can certainly improve your Japanese language skills while a JET

What are some important skills as an ALT/ESL Teacher?
genkiness, adaptability, good speaker, like children

As a teacher do you have problems with unruly children or administering discipline?
Discipline is not the job of the JET - it's up to the Japanese teacher in charge of the class. How you deal with the occasional unruly student is another factor that separates truly excellent ALTs from the merely average.

Are the students attentive and interested in learning or is it sometimes a fight to get them to pay attention?
Japanese classes at the JH level are not separated by ability - there are no honors classes - so you get a mix of students in your classes - some are very interested in English - others are mildly interested and some could care less

As you come from a different culture would you say the students are more interested or apprehensive about your background?
definitely very interested - in just about everything about you and where you are from - but they also have preconceived notions that can be completely wrong at times

Are there some things that are not culturally acceptable that take some time getting used to? Yes, it can take a little while to figure out how to act in certain social situations, but that's part of the fun too.

As this job requires you in most cases to move away from your home country would you say it is difficult to keep in contact with family and friends back home?
Not in 2009 - with SKYPE, email, webcams, digital photos, and the plain old telephone, it's pretty easy to stay in touch with those that matter to you. Having them be interested in all that you're doing in Japan is another matter....


Are the parents very involved in their students school work?
Can't really say... They are active in supporting their kids in their after school clubs, like cheering for soccer or attending brass band concerts, but as an ALT you're not involved with parent/teacher meetings. I have had many parents come up to me in town or at school events and tell me how much their child enjoys English or my lessons, so that is always gratifying.

Do you meet with the parents on occasion to discuss their childs progress?
no

Do you need to spend time after work on projects?
yes - but it varies. For example, autumn is typically the time for English speech contests, so I would spend on average about 1 hour after school each day from Sept to Nov working with kids and helping them prepare their speeches. An ALT will sometimes stay after school to talk to another teacher, prepare the next day's lessons, etc. and sometimes just to hang out with their students in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Is there work on the weekends?
Very rarely, there will be a school event on a Saturday, but you usually get another day off the following week to make up for it.

Do you work with multiple schools or just one?
I worked with one Jr high school and 5 elementary schools for my first three years and then with 2 JH schools and 6 elementary schools my final two years. I'd say about 80% of ALTs I've known have at least two schools.

When visiting multiple schools do you have set schedules or do the days vary?
Usually they have a set schedule - even if it's just laid out a few months in advance.

When working with Teachers as an ALT are you able to participate much or is most of the work left up to the teacher?
This varies too much for me to give a simple answer. It varies depending on what level of student you're teaching (grades 1-6, 7-9, or 10-12), and what Japanese teacher you're working with.

Are you able to come up with your own lesson plans are do you need to stick with set standards?
For JH, there is a textbook and a set curriculum, but there is flexibility within that structure. Elementary school is much more open to ALT created lessons.

If a teacher is absent for some reason would you be asked to fill in for them for the class period?
You'll almost never be asked to teach alone. If a teacher is absent, they either have another English teacher cover their classes or reschedule them - there are no one-day substitute teachers in Japan.

Do you work with teachers besides the English teacher?
That is up to you and what kind of relationship you create with the rest of the staff, and this will depend a great deal on how much Japanese you can speak.

Do you need to tutor some students outside of the normal work hours?
Sometimes, but not too often.

What training or education is required for this job?
You have to have a BA/BS degree, and submit a detailed application with an essay and letters of recommendation and then be interviewed.

Are there any certifications required for this job?
No

Is there room for advancement with special certifications?
No

Is extra training needed throughout the career?
There are mid-year seminars and teacher training seminars - some are mandatory for all JETs and some are optional, where you can get more training.

What are some of the benefits that you get with this job?
Furnished apartment, national health care, decent salary.

What qualities help make a person successful in this career?
A genuine desire to be accepting of Japanese cultural differences and wanting to connect with your students and make them more culturally aware of where you came from.

Are you always spending your time with your students and the teachers or do you have to work alone sometimes?
There is a lot of free time during certain periods of the year (for example, if all the students are taking tests), so you have to be self motivated to study Japanese or find ways to keep yourself busy when you have no classes.

What do you like the most about this job?
My awesome students!

What do you dislike the most about this job?
The limitations of my poor Japanese language skills.

Do you need to travel frequently for this job?
within a set parameter, you can travel from school to school, and some ALTs go to a different school almost everyday. But your travel expenses are taken care of, and many days you're at the same school all day.

Do you need to relocate for this job?
Umm... you need to move to Japan. :)

Is the job market for this growing or shrinking?
Shrinking, as far as the JET Programme is concerned. It's somewhat expensive for a local city Board of Education to hire a JET, so many BoEs are opting for cheaper alternatives,

Is the typical salary for this career enough to sustain a family on?
The JET salary is 3,600,000yen per year or about $3000/month. It's more than enough for a single person. I wouldn't know if it's enough for a family.

Is the turnover rate for this career high or low?
Most JETs stay 2 years, but with the recent economic downturn, many JETs are choosing to stay even longer.

Do most people stay in this career until they are retired or move on to something else?
It's a one year contract that is renewable up to 3 years, and also up to a maximum of 5 years for exceptional ALTs.

Do you feel that you are treated fairly in this career by your coworkers and superiors?
Yes.

Good luck!
-Jason

2010 JET Application - out soon - check with the consulate homepage for your area

Good links in the sidebar on the YouTube page for this video.

Good luck to everyone applying this year for the 2010-2011 JET year.

-Jason

Jason in San Diego - Vlog #1 - Legoland

Hello All -

Been a while since I posted to this blog.

Here is a fun video of my trip to Legoland last month - I went the first weekend I was home from Japan.

Hope all is well where you are.

-Jason

Back in the USA

Not quite "Back in the USSR" as The Beatles once sang about, but I am back in the United States - in northern San Diego to be specific.

I got in last week after a LONG journey home from Osaka via Seoul to Los Angeles and then two hours on the freeway to San Marcos, where my parents now live.

I hope to have updates on my new job here and my plans for moving back to Japan in 2010 as they happen and materialize.

I'll have pics too - I know my Flickr site is not fully functional at the moment as I let my "pro" status lapse, but I'll have it back up and running soon. Of course, I continue to update my main two YouTube channels - Myargonauts and TaishaJason.

It was very sad and stressful and exhausting leaving Japan after 5 years, but I hope to settle in here and enjoy the next 6 months or so before I go back to Japan in March of 2010 (either for a visit or to go back there to live).

Hope all is well.

-Jason