JETAA Portland

2010 JETAA Elections

vp — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:16:02 +0000

Volunteering as a JETAA officer or committee chairperson is an easy and fun way to get more involved in Portland’s Japanese community! We hold monthly meetings over dinner, which is provided by JETAA, and is often at a popular area Japanese restaurant. All officers and chairs are invited to events at the Consul-General’s house, where it’s easy to meet leaders from the Japanese community. And we have the opportunity to be involved with lots of other local organizations, building ties and making each others’ events even better.

There are four officer positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There are eight committee chair positions: Social, Newsletter, Webmaster, Career Development, Cultural, Community Service, Sports, and J-Kaiwa.

Officer platform statements are due by March 15th, and chair positions will be appointed by next year’s president.

For details on the positions, please see our bylaws, which can be downloaded here.

And to express interest, or with any questions, please email the president and webmaster at president@jetaaportland.com, webmaster@jetaaportland.com

The International School Japanese Movie Night: Ponyo

president — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:15:31 +0000

The International School is hosting a movie night featuring the animated Japanese fim “Ponyo.” The film will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles. For all ages of Japanese learners (children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult).

When: Friday, March 12, 6:30- 8:00pm
Where: The International School Gym (025 SW Sherman Street, Portland, OR 97201)
Cost: Free
RSVP Required: Contact Keiko at KBuckendahl@intlschool.org or 503-226-2496 x305 in Japanese or in English.

Spring Kura blessing at SakéOne

vp — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:38:30 +0000

Please join us at your local sakéry, SakéOne, for the annual blessing of the saké brewery, presided over by Reverend Koichi Barrish of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Granite Falls, WA.

The ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. and saké will be served afterwards. In addition, there will performances from Takohachi Taiko and Okuban Kendo until 12:30pm. Sake flight tastings will also be available in the SakéOne tasting room from 11:00am-5pm for $3-$10 (depending on the flight). Visit SakéOne’s site for more details.

When: Saturday, March 27 11:00- 3:00pm
Where: SakéOne (820 Elm Street, Forest Grove, OR 97116)
Cost: Free
RSVP to: Amanda at cultural@jetaaportland.com by Friday, March 19, if you are interested in joining a complementary group tour after the ceremony.

Ofuro soak at Kennedy School

vp — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:44:30 +0000

Come for a night soak in the Kennedy School soaking pool!

Bring: swimsuit, towel, padlock for locker
Don’t bring: valuables, unless you have a lock

Sign in at the front desk (33rd Ave central entrance; parking in rear). They’ll direct you to the changing room. The soaking pool is very large, co-ed, and clothing required. There are changing booths in the changing room and showers are available.

After the pool we’ll move to the Boiler Room Bar from 9:30 p.m.

When: March 18, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Kennedy School
Cost: $5 per person, per hour
Contact: Daniel 503-954-6699 or Scott 503-880-9176

Portland Taiko performance

vp — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:02:25 +0000

For a limited time, Portland Taiko is offering a JETAA discount on tickets to its spring concert, The Way Back Home. The Way Back Home is the local debut of our touring program, which we have performed to audiences across the country, and now you can save almost $8 off the Ticketmaster price. For JETAA members and friends, tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for children, students, and seniors. The deadline to buy these special tickets is Thursday, March 11th!

To take advantage of this offer, you can:
1. Click on the “Buy Now” button and purchase your tickets through PayPal (with a tiny extra fee added). Be sure to select what show you want to attend and what kind of tickets you are purchasing in the drop down menu.

2. Send your cash or check to Amy at the Portland Taiko office (3230 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland, OR 97211). Please include a note with your contact information, how many tickets you would like (and for which show), and mention that you are affiliated with JETAA Portland.

All tickets will be available at the Will-Call table starting an hour before each performance. If you have any questions, please , or call the office at 503-28-TAIKO (503-288-2456).

When: Saturday, March 27, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Where: Dolores Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway
Purchase deadline: March 11

Japan Festival, Wilsonville

vp — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:02:08 +0000

Please join Wood Middle School students for their Japan Festival Thursday, March 11th, at 6 p.m. in Wilsonville.

Mansfield Fellowship in Japan

vp — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:58:37 +0000

Federal employees with a strong career interest in issues of importance to the U.S.-Japan relationship now have the opportunity to apply for a Mike Mansfield Fellowship.

During the two-year program, Fellows spend a year working full-time in Japanese government offices, preceded by a year of full-time rigorous language and area studies training in the United States. After completing the program, Fellows return to their U.S. agencies with proficiency in Japanese and practical, firsthand experience with Japan and its government that enables them to contribute to their agencies’ Japan-related work.

For more information about the Fellowships, information sessions in Washington, D.C., and application guidelines, please visit www.mansfieldfdn.org or contact Ms. Sara Seavey, Program Assistant, Mansfield Fellowship Program at 202-347-1994 or sseavey@mansfieldfdn.org.

Application deadline: April 1, 2010.

The Mansfield Fellowship Program is administered by The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, as grantor.

Download the March newsletter

webmaster — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:47:59 +0000

Here’s a sampling of what’s inside:

Recent events, including Bounenkai, Shinnenkai and Regional Technology Conference
Announcements of JETAA Portland Elections and Japanese Speech Contest
The feature story Flags Forward about a JET who returns a WWII flag to a Japanese family
Where Are They Now?, a new regular column featuring an interview with a Portland JET alum
A list of the numerous sponsors who helped make the shinnenkai and regional conference a success
Upcoming events, including Ofuro Soak, Hanamikai, and Portland Taiko
Plus regular columns like Life After the B.O.E., Mogo Mogo Onomatopoeia, and Tabemashou! restaurant reviews

Download the March Newsletter

Job post: Elem. teacher, Japan

vp — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:23:54 +0000

Tsukuba International School Seeks Full-Time Teacher

Tsukuba International School (TIS) offers an international education for children in Grades 1 to 8. We are currently seeking a qualified elementary school teacher to start in September 2010. The successful candidate will teach all core subjects (including Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies) and will share responsibility for additional subjects (including Art, Physical Education, Music, and Media Studies). As TIS is currently a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate, experienced PYP teachers will be given preference, although qualified teachers with a strong interest in the PYP will also be considered.

Please see our website for more details about this position <http://tis.ac.jp/2010/02/seeking-full-time-elementary-school-teacher/>

Eugene Event

president — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:53:20 +0000

Looking for an event closer to home? Are you interested in attending JETAA events, but find it difficult to make it to Portland? If you live near Eugene this event is for you.

When: Saturday, February 27 at noon

Where: Sushi Ya

5 East 8th Avenue

Eugene, OR 97401

RSVP: Please RSVP to Kassy.