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Leadership
is issue’s theme is “Oishii!,” a celebration of Japanese food (and drink!). Although we may not have liked everything we ate in Japan
(I’m thinking in particular about a live shrimp I was forced to eat one summer), we certainly were spoiled by the quality and variety
of the food there. Luckily, we are spoiled here in Northern California and Nevada, too, where we are surrounded by so many great
Japanese restaurants and food markets. is is good news especially for our returning JETs, who may already feel “homesick” for their
local udon and izakaya. I urge anyone feeling a little “homesick” to get involved in JETAANC. Whether you stop by the monthly
JETAANC Nomikai, or initiate your own event, there are plenty of ways to share your experiences with people who understand.
Mark Frey, Editor
Message from the President Message from the Consulate
Hello, all! I hope the Autumn season finds you well. Not realizing that probably six months from now they will be having
When it gets colder, people (me), get hungrier for good dreams of Mission burritos, the 2007 JET participants departed on
food. And then I remember, as much as I like the food August 4th and are looking forward to authentic washoku – probably
here, I miss the food in Japan! I miss the agedashi mochi, many Japanese dishes they have never heard of. ey are a very energetic
katsu donburi, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, nabeyaki udon that and social group this year and they expressed to me their appreciation
was made by hand, fresh persimmons, huge Tottori pears, for all the advice, workshops and stories from JET alumni.
and cafeteria kitsune ramen. Once in a while, I even miss Here at the Consulate we would like to thank all of the JETAANC
the spaghetti with mentaiko. And oyako donburi and officers and JET alumni who assisted with the Alumni-Led Orientation,
ramen became the comfort food of choice! the many “Ask JETAA” events throughout the Bay Area, the Japanese
When you visit or live in a foreign country, the food is an Grocery Store Tour, the Media Circle, the Pre-Departure Orientation,
essential part of the cultural experience. Sharing a meal and the Farewell Send-Off. It was a event-packed summer and we
does not merely feed your body, but is a social interaction couldn’t have done it without the following alumni: Jennifer Akune,
that nourishes your mind and spirit. You learn customs, Kabir Archuletta, Vivian Beebe, John Branderhorst, Christopher
like saying “Itadakimasu,” and laugh over why you just Chan, Nicholas Davidson, Nicole Dutra, Karen Fan, Gustavo
will not eat natto, no matter how good it is for you. I Fernandez, Mark Frey, Adam Gastineau, April Hanson, Sally Harada,
remember eating lunch with many of the teachers in a Andrew Hattori, Stacie Kudamatsu, Alisa Kuniya, Mark Kuniya,
lunchroom and comparing education systems and eating Matthew Lewon, Ling Liang, Betty Lok, Jennifer Louie, Douglas
chirimen and furikake of all kinds. With my fellow JETs, MacLean, Reid Martin, Tiffany Matsuyama, David McCollum,
we bonded over large meals of home food like spaghetti Lindsay McCollum, Natalie Miller, Tom Miskey, Ryan Moore, Chris
and chicken noodle soup. In fact, once in a while, some O’Dea, Andrew Rattee, Patrick Ripton, Victoria Sacks, Douglas
of us still get together for an okonomiyaki party! Shelton, David Siao, Heidi Smith, Brian Tachibana, Christopher
JETAANC officers are busy planning several cultural Ueda, Peter Weber, Ema Williams, Emily Wong, and Michael Yang.
and networking events to encourage you to continue to anks to your help, we recruited and sent off 108 ALTs and 3 CIRs
share your experiences with one another. Sometimes it from Northern California and Nevada. Soon it will be time to get the
may be food or drink, sometimes it’ll be a movie, and next recruiting schedule underway and find another great group of
on October 21 it will be the Career and Networking JET hopefuls. We can’t cover the expansive area and offer the personal
Forum. We hope to see many of you attending, touch without your help. Please take a look at the recruiting schedule on
participating, and getting active in the JETAANC Page 4, below, for university career fairs and JET information meetings
community. We have countless opportunities for you to throughout California and Nevada. Also, feel free to contact me directly
get involved! at jet@cgjsf.org or (415) 356-2462 if you are interested in helping with
Betty Lok, President recruiting.
P.S. To everyone who helped at Alumni Led Orientation, ank you and have a wonderful Fall!
a huge thank you and “otsukaresama.” e new JETs really Sabrina (Yasuda) Ishimatsu
appreciated everyone’s knowledge, support and experience. JET Program Coordinator, Japan Information Center
Spotlight: Japan Society Office Manager Matthew Lewon, ALT, Kumamoto (‘03-’06)
,
I intended to celebrate my homecoming after three years
on JET by taking a Greyhound tour across the
country from Phoenix to visit my best friend in New York
City. e first omen of trouble was a flat tire
in the scorching desert outside of Las Cruces. After seeing
a man get kicked out of the bus somewhere
in Missouri for screaming racial slurs at the bus driver and
being offered drugs and/or worse every 250
miles or so, the romance of coming back to the States was
starting to fade. My adventure was ended
abruptly when two druggies attempted to steal my backp
ack late at night in downtown St. Louis. After
a struggle, a well-placed kick to the groin of one of them
liberated my belongings. I still had my beloved
Barry Manilow t-shirt, but they made off with my desire
to continue the journey. When I finally
reached New York, I got into a big argument with my friend
and ended up breaking up with my long-
distance girlfriend. I’d heard it would be hard coming back,
but I didn’t think it’d be that hard.
rough all of these misadventures, however, I was intent on
achieving one goal: I wanted to live and
work in San Francisco. I also hoped to use my experience
in Japan (especially my Japanese abilities).
With this in mind, I pored through job search sites, emplo
every day. I sent out and hand-delivered countless resum yment agencies’ websites and Craigslist
es, and it was not until I had all but given up and started
teaching elementary school that I was called for an interv substitute
iew and finally got the job I wanted the most. I’ve met amazi
here and life in the city is everything I could have hoped ng new people
for. My goal of getting a job and living in San Francisco,
may have been, was key to keeping my spirits up when the as humble as it
shock of coming home was the hardest. Although I hope
will be attacked by thieves, lose your best friend, break up none of you
with your significant other, or even think about taking a
bus trip, setting a goal for yourself and pushing to attain cross-country
it when you’re feeling blue can make your homecoming
easier.
Apply for graduate school. Start writing that book. Becom
e the West Coast’s foremost expert on Iggy Pop’s post-Stooges
stay away from downtown St. Louis at night. career. Just
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Events & Happenings
Recipe Corner: Tonkatsu!
Ingredients (serves 2) 1. In a few places, slash the sinew running between the
2 slices pork loin or tenderloin fat and lean pork tissue with a knife. Strike the back
1 egg, beaten of the pork slices with the back of a knife to soften it.
hakurikiko flour (cake flour) Pepper and salt.
dried breadcrumbs
2. Coat pork with flour and shake off excess. Dip
1/4 cabbage, shredded
pork in beaten egg and place on top of breadcrumbs.
1 branch parsley, chopped finely
Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of meat and press lightly.
4 cherry tomatoes
1/2 lemon 3. Preheat oil to 340F. Slide pork into oil. When
4. Garnish with lemon, sauce, and
tonkatsu sauce surface hardens, flip over and fry thoroughly. When the
mustard. Serve with cabbage, chopped
mustard paste bubbles of oil become small, retrieve pork and drain.
parsley, and tomatoes. Itadakimasu!
Film Notes: Japanese Film in the Bay Area
Tomu Uchida at PFA
In September, the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley is sponsoring a film series
dedicated to Japanese genre master Tomu Uchida. e series offers a rare
chance to see the work of a director barely known in the West. His late-
fifties output in particular could serve as a sampling of nearly every genre
and pleasure that Japanese cinema can offer, and also as a snapshot of the
country’s postwar aesthetics, concerns, and imaginings. See www.bampfa.
berkeley.edu for more information.
Recent Films from Japan at Four Star
Four Star Movie eatre in the Richmond (San Francisco) often shows e Master Spearman, Pacific Film Archive, September 22
recent films from Japan. In September they are screening Hula Girls, which
won the Japanese Oscar in 2006. Set in the 1960s, Hula Girls is a based on
a true story about a group of young girls who pull together to save their
northern coal mining town from ruin. In the face of shutdowns at the mine,
the town gambles everything on building a “Hawaiian Center” to attract
tourists and their money. To promote the Center, the young girls of the town
learn to hula dance—amidst protests from parents and despite the harsh style
of their gorgeous, but arrogant teacher, a former dance diva from Tokyo who’s
fallen on hard times.
Yu Aoi gives a touching performance as a girl who won’t give up, no matter
what the odds, and Yasuko Matsuyuki is perfect as the hard-nosed dance
teacher from the Big City. e eccentric townspeople provide plenty of comic
relief. See www.4starmovietheatre.net for details. Starting October: e Taste Hula Girls, Four Star eatre, September
of Tea, about a family living in rural Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo.
In wide release: September also sees the arrival of two Japan-related films in wide distribution. e first is Silk, a poetic story based
on the best-selling novel about a married 19th century French silkworm smuggler who travels to Japan—and meets a woman he can’t
forget. e second film is War, featuring the legendary Jet Li in an all-out gang war between the yakuza and the Triad!
Mark Frey, Editor
JETAA Scholarship Awarded to Local High School Students
For the first time in its five-year history, the JETAANC Scholarship for High School Seniors has been awarded to two recipients. e
winners of this year’s $1000 scholarship are Lukas Bonick, of Salinas, and Huong My Ta, of Sacramento. An award dinner was held
in San Francisco on June 3.
Lukas participated in a Sister City Association study abroad program in Kushikino, Kyushu, for five months in 2006 and 2007.
He has already made impressive progress in his Japanese language studies, passing Level 3 of the Japanese Proficiency Examination.
His interest in Japan also includes Japanese culture; he has served as president of North Salinas High School’s Japan Club and is
also a member of the Otaku Club for fans of anime. He will begin Physics studies at UC Berkeley next fall and plans to keep up
with his Japanese. In addition to his interest in Japan, Lukas is also actively involved in theater and recently appeared in his school’s
production of “All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
Huong was born in Vietnam and has excelled in academics despite having learned English as a second language after coming to
the U.S. at the age of 10. Although she has yet to visit Japan, she hopes to go there soon to make use of what she has learned in her
high school Japanese courses. Huong’s interest in Asian languages is not confined to Japanese; she plans to minor in Chinese while
pursuing an Accounting degree at UC Santa Cruz. Huong is also an athlete and competes on Florin High School’s swim team. She
also holds down a part-time job at McDonald’s.
A big thanks goes out to the scholarship committee for their careful consideration of all 12 applicants this year. e scholarship
committee plans to meet again later this year to discuss updating the criteria for the high school scholarship and the selection system.
Input from all JET alumni is welcome. Please send your thoughts to shelton.douglas@gmail.com.
Douglas Shelton, Outreach Coordinator
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Member Material
“Do you like men?” —anonymous
Jap anese teacher
I could probably write a book about
the food I miss from Japan. Even so,
there is one dish that is in a category
of its own, for me at least. Whether
it be shoyu, miso, or the local o-susum
e with mysterious ingredients, ramen
was almost a religion to my JET frie
nd Justin and me. While in Japan,
I always made it a point to stop in the
shops adorning the familiar red
ramen flag. In a country where health
codes do not seem to apply to
ramen establishments, our motto was
always, “ e shadier the place, the
Opening AskJETTAA Night and nomikai at better the ramen.” ( is, painfully, turn
SF Brewing Company, June 2007 ed out not always to be the case.)
Out of all of my ramen experiences,
ranging from the school lunch ramen
to the time I took an 11-bowl challen
ge, the most memorable was my
“pilgrimage” to the Ramen Museum
in Yokohama, where you could
sample ramen from all over Japan.
at day alone I had five different
types of ramen, the best of all being
Ryu Shanghai’s famous version,
featuring a golf ball-sized helping of
red karamiso sitting in the middle.
I consider myself a decent cook of seve
ral Japanese dishes, but no matter
how hard I try I cannot capture the
taste and essence of ramen in Japan.
Dropping into a ramenya is at the top
of my list of things to do next time
I visit.
Family Day Picnic in Golden Gate Park, July 2007 -written by Peter Weber, ALT, Sait
ama (‘04 - ‘07)
Ask Oyaji - What Food Brings People Together?
Dear Oyaji,
closer, and
If there’s one food that brings Japanese people and foreigners
helps to bring about understanding and build relationship s, what would
South Bay nomikai at FireHouse Grill and Brewery, it be?
Sunnyvale, August 2007
Sincerely,
Heiwa Cook
Ohayo, Heiwa-chan,
naturally
Hmmm, well, that’s a toughie. Of course, many people will
ally dislike,
assume that tofu, sushi, or natto (people of all countries mutu
just like Vegemite) would be the answer but I’m gonna have to say
etter,
spam. Yes, spam. You see, spam has a history. Since this is a newsl
er during
I’ll try to keep my “kotae” short. Spam brought people togeth
WWII; Spam Oven Roasted Turkey is a halal version so Muslims can eat
t in fast
it; Spam has been parodied in music and movies; can be bough
Former Consul General Yamanaka and departing with
JET Dino Saldajeno at the SF Farewell Reception, food restaurants; and goes great with rice. Wait, spam goes great
August 2007 everything.
mail that we
Also, spam isn’t just a food. It’s also the term for unsolicited
:
all hate. Here are a couple interesting tidbits of info about Spam
pass its
• Soldiers during WWII referred to Spam as “ham that didn’t
physical” and “meatloaf without basic training.”
as a
• In China, Spam is also a rather popular food item, being served
sort of Western cuisine.
ing Spam
• Google’s e-mail service, Gmail, shows a list of recipes involv
Examples: at the top of the “Spam” mail folder.
meal; boiled rice; livelihood
- meal; boiled rice Sore dewa,
- cooked rice and beans Oyaji
breakfast
lunch
- dinner
- rice cooker
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Upcoming Opportunities
Save the Date Don’t Miss the 2007 Career & Networking Forum!
9/21 Modern Japanese Music
Whether you have just returned from Japan or are looking to find direction in
e Japan Information Center, SF
your current career path, you will not want to miss the 2007 JETAANC Career
9/21 South Bay Nomikai - Sunnyvale
and Networking Forum. e Forum features a presentation on techniques for
FireHouse Grill and Brewery
your career search; a panel of JET alumni discussing how they found their jobs;
9/25 Tea Ceremony
and a networking session in which you can meet and greet recruiters from various
Sokoji Soto Zen Buddhist Temple, SF
companies, schools, and organizations. Options for going back to school will also be
9/25 Lecture: Christianity in Japan &
presented and discussed. All returning and current JET alumni are welcome!
China, 1543-1644
University of San Francisco e Forum has been one of the most successful JETAANC events in past years. To
10/4 SF Nomikai - Location TBA make it a success again this year, we need to ask for help from alumni who have
10/11 Bunraku Symposium been back for a while. If you think you could share some of your experience at the
University of California, Berkeley networking session, contact a recruiter, or just want to help staff the forum, please
10/13-14 Bunraku National Puppet eatre send an email to Mark Frey at newsletter@jetaanc.org by October 1st. In your mail,
University of California, Berkeley please indicate how you would like to participate.
10/19 South Bay Nomikai - Location TBA When: Sunday, October 21, 1–5pm (registration starts at 12:30pm)
10/20 “Welcome Back” Karaoke Night Where: Hotel Kabuki (formerly Miyako Hotel), San Francisco
Location TBA Registration: Send an email to newsletter@jetaanc.org by October 5th. Include
10/21 Career & Networking Forum your name, years on JET, and name of your current organization/employer (if
Hotel Kabuki, San Francisco applicable). Further details about the event will be sent to you.
11/1 SF Nomikai - Location TBA
Please note that this exclusive event is open to JETAANC members only.
For more details about upcoming events visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jetaanc. Peter Weber and Mark Frey, CNF Co-Chairs
JET Recruiting Help Needed!
It’s recruitment time! We call on you again for your assistance in recruiting Fall 2007 JET Program Recruiting Schedule
JETs for our 2008 program. Each fall, local JET Program staff and alumni CSU Chico - 9/26, 10–3pm
attend career fairs and hold information meetings at universities all over CSU East Bay - 10/17, 10:30–2:30pm
Northern California and Nevada, encouraging students to apply for the
JET Program and sharing their experiences with future applicants. Your CSU Fresno - 10/3, 10–2pm
help would be greatly appreciated—whether you can distribute meeting CSU Monterey Bay - 10/16, 11–3pm
flyers, lead an information meeting, or help staff a table at a career fair! CSU Sacramento - 9/26, 10–2pm
Please take a moment to check out the Fall 2007 JET Recruitment Notre Dame de Namur U. - 10/4, 11:30–1:30pm
Schedule on the right. Be sure to look for your alma mater! If you would
like to volunteer, please contact Sachiyo Kashihara at educ@cgjsf.org. Saint Mary’s College of California - 9/26, 11–2pm
Please feel free to let any interested prospective applicants know about these San Francisco State University - 10/3, 11–2pm
dates as well. We are still adding schools to our recruitment schedule (which Santa Clara University - 10/4, 3–6pm
will soon be posted on our website at http://www.cgjsf.org/jet/info_sessions.
Sonoma State University - 10/2, 10–2pm
htm), and will continue to send out requests for volunteers as new meetings
are scheduled. Of course, if you don’t see a school on the list that you feel Stanford University - 10/9, 11–3pm
should be included, please let me know. UC Berkeley - 9/28, 11–3pm
Without the help of alumni like yourself, the JET Program could not have UC Davis - 10/1, 11–2pm; 10/11, 10–2pm
become as successful as it is today. We look forward to hearing from you!
Univ. of Nevada, Reno - 11/7, 10–3pm (tentative)
Sabrina (Yasuda) Ishimatsu, JET Program Coordinator, JIC
Open Call for Artists: Japan Information Center
e Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco is actively seeking
artists who are interested in displaying their artwork at the Japan
Information Center (JIC). is could include artwork that you have
produced or artifacts that you have collected. All artwork must have a
Japanese theme and be appropriate for all viewers.
e Art Space at the JIC is a unique venue in downtown San
Francisco. Recently, about 60 people enjoyed the opening of the
current exhibition, “ e Twelve Bodaishin,” featuring 14 pieces
incorporating collage and calligraphy by Japanese artist Shioh Kato.
For more information, please see the JIC website at www.cgjsf.org,
where you will find an application and more information about the
Art Space. Feel free to contact Ethan Savage at culture.cgjsf.org if you
have any questions.
Japanese artist Shioh Kato introduces his work at the opening of his
Ethan Savage, Japan Information Center exhibition at the Japan Information Center, September 7
Pacific Bridge
Fall 2007
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
San Francisco, CA 94126-2873
P.O. Box 2873
Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association of Northern California
Pacific Bridge
Fall 2007
President Betty Lok president@jetaanc.org
Vice President Gus Fernandez vicepresident@jetaanc.org
Treasurer John Branderhorst treasurer@jetaanc.org
Newsletter Editor Mark Frey newsletter@jetaanc.org
Webmaster Heidi Smith webmaster@jetaanc.org
Media Circle currently open books@jetaanc.org
Outreach Coordinator Douglas Shelton shelton.douglas@gmail.com
Board of Directors Lenore Española Gary Mukai
Bruce Jaffe Ronn Patton
Tim Morey Libby Wolfensperger
JETAANC Website http://www.jetaanc.org
JETAANC Yahoo http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jetaanc
JETAANC Jobs http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jetaancjobs
SFJETS http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfjets