Candidates who have been placed on the alternate list may be informed that a position has become available for them at any time until September.

JET selection FAQs

Unfortunately my partner has not yet heard, so we’re not yet in a position to decide anything. Once we have heard, we’ll then have a very short time to make a decision about how to progress… scary times!

I’ll post an update here very soon once we know more. For those of you who have already received good news – well done!

Wanted poster with Mii image

The Register reports that police in the Kanagawa area of Japan have been putting up ‘wanted’ posters appealing for information about a hit-and-run incident, featuring a likeness of the suspect in the form of a Wii ‘Mii’ avatar.

The innovative move is another example of how the Wii and it’s associated features have become such recognised cultural icons across Japan and the rest of the world.

It remains to be seen whether the suspect will be successfully identified as a result of the unusual crime-fighting tactic…

Boy throwing beans

3 February is usually Rissun, which marks the beginning of spring. It occurs the day before risshun, which means ‘spring standing’ and is when spring officially starts according to the lunar calendar.

It is also known as Setsubun, although Setsubun has the wider meaning of the start of any season. There are 24 setsubun throughout the year, each around 2 weeks long. Each marks the start of something new, and it is easy to see why Rissun might be considered one of the most important transitions, and therefore considered the main Setsubun.

Rissun is part of a number of spring festivals known as haru matsuri. Many of these festivals have a theme of crops and planting. Rissun is known as the Make-maki, or bean-throwing festival. The male of the family will scatter roasted beans whilst saying “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” (demons out, good luck in). Alternatively, he will put on an oni (demon mask) and the children will shower him with the beans to drive him out.

At shrines, the beans are thrown into the congregation for them to catch for good luck, often by celebrities such as TV personalities or sumo wrestlers.

In the evening, it is traditional to eat the number of beans equal to your age.

Before the interview

There was a brief English language test before the interview which was ok, although a bit trickier than I’d expected. The questions took the form of:

• Which of these four words is the odd one out?
• Where are the mistakes in this sentence?
• Which of these options is the correct spelling?
• How would you explain the difference between these two phrases?

I know for a fact that I got one of the questions wrong, but hopefully that won’t count against me too much.

After this I was shown a brief DVD of the JET programme, featuring interviews with participants about their experiences. The footage of actual classes were really interesting, and I’d like to get another look at the DVD if possible, as I spent a lot of the time chatting with Colin, a former JET participant only just back in the UK, who had escorted us down to the room and who was a very nice guy. I asked him quite a few questions – not to ‘look good’ but purely out of interest. Everything he had to say was valuable and I quoted a couple of his comments in the interview itself.

The interview

The two interviewers (one British, one Japanese) were very nice, plenty of smiles and happy to laugh with me. The interview was a little under 20 minutes long, and seemed to fly past.

No great surprises with the questions – the usual ‘what is your interest in Japan?‘ and ‘what do you think you have to offer the JET programme?‘. One question that threw me a little, mainly due to its broad scope, was ‘what do you know about Japan?’. How specific did they want me to be? I could have listed countless place names, famous people, musicians, artists, buildings; I could have quoted demographic and economic statistics; I could have given them a history lesson… but I didn’t. The whole interview felt more like a conversation than a test, so it didn’t seem appropriate to run off a load of numbers and facts. I was very general and perhaps that wasn’t the best response.

I had heard that some of the questions might be aimed at catching you out, and indeed I got a couple of that nature. The first asked what my partner and I would do if only one of us was successful. I answered that, of course, the successful person would go and the other would perhaps try to find work out there. The second question was how would I feel about being asked to take my earrings out (I have two hoop earrings at the top of my left ear). Again, I said that of course that would be no problem. I suspect they would have been looking carefully at my reaction to see if there was any indignation or rebellion, but I was completely fine with the suggestion so hopefully they saw that.

All in all I think I came across positive and enthusiastic, and hopefully they liked what they saw of me. I would have loved another ten minutes with them to talk more about my interests in Japan, but the main point was that I don’t think I messed up on any of the questions.

We’ll hear if we were successful in April – until then we’ll be keeping all fingers and toes firmly crossed!

First up on the reading list was the JET UK website, which has information about the interview process. A key paragraph is:

There is no one particular “type” of person that does well on JET; however flexibility and positivity are key attributes that we are looking for. The Programme requires applicants to take responsibility and to thrive in occasionally challenging situations. However anyone with a genuine interest in international exchange and in Japan in general is likely to do well.

Next we decided to swat up on some general knowledge, and Wikipedia’s article on Japan seemed a good place to start. Of course, we’ve been researching Japan for years, but it never hurts to brush up on the basics!

Another valuable resource was articles written by former JET participants. There are various blogs out there which are well worth reading. Two particularly helpful ones were by Mark Groeneweld and Ryan Macdonald – both giving useful tips about what to expect.

Finally we thought we’d get up to date on current affairs, so headed over to the Japan Times Online – apparently the most widely read English-language newsparare in Japan – for all the latest news.

I’ll let you know how we get on!

Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh

My partner and I took a walk up to Melville Crescent in Edinburgh recently, to check out the Consulate General of Japan ahead of our interviews there later this week. It was a Sunday so the Consulate was closed, but here’s a photo.

On the Consulate’s official website at www.edinburgh.uk.emb-japan.go.jp, Kenichi Suganuma, the Consulate General, had this to say about its role:

The Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh was established in 1991 to promote relations with Japan and to provide consular services and protection to Japanese nationals within its jurisdiction. It is located in Edinburgh, Scotland, and it covers the areas of Scotland and part of Northern England.

The Consulate General is here to promote any link between Japan, Scotland and Northern England, be it political, economic, cultural or academic. You are welcome to contact the Consulate for inquiries on Japan and on consular affairs. We will also try to help promote existing relations, to provide ideas and connect people to plan new ones, to unearth hidden ties and reinvigorate stale ones.

I very much look forward to meeting the JET representatives there, and perhaps even the Consulate General himself, on Thursday.

No, he hasn’t resigned and joined the JET programme… it is a book of his speeches which has become a huge hit, selling over 400,000 copies in two months. Providing the English version alongside a Japanese translation, it would seem readers are finding his assessible, well written words an inspiration to improve their linguistic skills.

Costing 1,020 yen (just over £8), the 95-page book is currently Amazon Japan’s bestseller.

Read the full article here.

We’ll be celebrating tonight, although not by going for Sushi, as we did that last night! We do have some Sake in the house though, so I’ll think I’ll at least be christening the lovely ceramic Sake cups that my partner bought me for Christmas.

The age of majority in Japan is 20. The seijin shiki covers all those who will reach this age during the current school year, which runs between April and the following March. The ceremony is generally held in the morning at local city offices and all young adults who maintain residency in the area are invited to attend. Government officials give speeches, and small presents are handed out to the new adults.

Many women celebrate this day by wearing a furisode (a style of kimono with long sleeves that drape down). Since most are unable to put on a kimono by themselves due to the intricacies involved in putting one on, many choose to visit a beauty salon to dress and to set their hair. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is usually either inherited or rented rather than being bought specially for the occasion. Men sometimes also wear traditional dress (dark kimono with hakama).

After the ceremony, the young adults often gather in groups and go to parties or go out drinking. Young women not used to wearing the zori slippers can often be seen limping as the afternoon wears on and evening approaches. Later in the evening, it is not unusual to see wobbly young adults staggering in the trains, heading home after a day of celebration.

Wikipedia

First up was some basic makizushi. Cucumber, red peppers, carrots, avocado and shitake mushrooms were the fillings. These were served traditionally, with soy sauce and wasabi paste, as well pickled ginger to cleanse the palate.

I also wanted to do something else, so tried a couple of recipes based on some other Japanese dishes. The first was Harumaki – Japanese-style spring rolls with a basic stir-fried vegetable filling. The second was parcels made from the same spring roll pastry, with goats cheese and asparagus filling. To accompany these I made a wasabi and ginger dip, the recipe to which is below. A nice bottle of sake, some rice crackers and rice snacks finished off the course nicely.

Although many of the people at the dinner had not tried these sorts of dishes before, most were keen to have a go and really enjoyed it! The dip was really popular – I made sure it wasn’t too hot as I didn’t want to put people off, but the was more wasabi on the table for anyone wanting to warm things up even further.

Wasabi and ginger dip

You can make this dip a few hours before serving, but for the best results keep it in the fridge until ready.

• 300 ml sour cream
• Wasabi (include as much as you like, anything from a couple of teaspoons)
• The juice of a lemon and lime
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 teaspoons of fresh finely chopped ginger
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced.

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together, except for the green onions. Prior to serving, sprinkle the sliced onions over the top. Serve with the above dishes (Harumaki and Goats Cheese parcels) or Japanese rice crackers and sticks of carrot, celery, cucumber etc.

AKEMASHIE OMEDETO GOZAIMASU! (Happy new year!)