jet journal 2007 - miyazaki 60 article

The JET Journal 2007

1

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme


2

Foreword

The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme enters its 21st year of working towards foreign language

education and local-level internationalisation in Japan.

In its first year, the JET Programme welcomed to Japan 848 participants from four countries: the United

States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. From these humble beginnings the Programme has

continually grown and has hosted over 46,000 participants from 54 countries to date.

This JET Journal is a collection of essays, poems and photographs from JET participants who share their

experiences on the Programme with us. These participants are living amid various thoughts and feelings while

in this never-before-experienced environment and culture of Japan. Their submissions provide a unique and

lively perspective on the everyday aspects of Japanese life and speak of the hopes and anxieties that they bring

with them to Japan, and of how while negotiating the bewildering landscape they also learn about themselves.

This year submissions were accepted not only from current and former JET participants but were expanded to

include Japanese teachers and students, indeed all those touched the Programme. We hope this change allows

the Journal to broaden the scope of grassroots internationalisation and understanding between JETs and those

around them.

Finally, I would like to personally thank each individual who submitted to the JET Journal, and wish you a

truly wonderful year.

Michihiro Kayama

Chairman of the Board of Directors, CLAIR


3

Message From the Editors

We would like to say a warm and sincere thank you to all those who took the time and effort to contribute to

the JET Journal.

We think of journals as travel diaries, and this JET Journal is just that: a record of JETs and those around

them on a journey, traveling from far around the world, all across Japan and deep within themselves. The

essays, stories and images they share allow a glimpse of the many different faces of Japan and of JET. To see

the impact the JET Programme has made on both the hosts and the participants one need look no further than

these pages, and any reader is sure to agree that the efforts of the JET Programme are well worth it.

This year we open a new chapter with the 2007 edition of the JET Journal. The JET Programme’s

continuing efforts to advance English language education and local-level internationalisation have led to a small

but significant change: we have expanded the Journal to allow for submissions not only from current and

former JET Programme participants, but also from any person who has made a personal connection through the

efforts of JETs.

For us, although it is unfortunate that we are unable to include all submissions, it was a pleasure reading and

seeing each of them and again we thank all contributors.

We hope you join us in our travels in internationalisation, and, above all, that you enjoy the trip!

Co-Editor / Cover Co-Editor

David Gotsill Koki Kimoto

Programme Coordinator Assistant Manager

CLAIR Tokyo CLAIR Tokyo


Essay Contest Winners 194

Honourary Mention

Meet the Author

In July of 2003, I set off from Phoenix, Arizona for the small town of Yamanokuchi in

Miyazaki Prefecture. This quaint rural community, of just over 7,000, welcomed me

immediately as a member of their extended family. I will always be grateful for their

friendship and the memories we have shared.

This essay is dedicated to the people of Miyazaki who were willing to take a chance

and put their faith in a group of young people with a vision of giving back.

Particularly, I would like to thank Mr. Matsuno of Matsuno Supermarkets who

believed in me and the dream of “Miyazaki 60”. Along with the inspiration of Cary

Reid, the brilliant mind of Fukumi Yuda, and the unwavering support of the Miyazaki

JETs, we were able to “pay it forward.”

We hope that the next generation of JETs will be inspired by our story to find their

own way to create scholarship programs in their prefectures. Be a part of helping

your students experience the dream of living abroad just as we have. Good luck!

Pay It Forward Patrick Bellew

Former ALT, Miyazaki Prefecture

“Pay It Forward” – yeah, you remember ... that movie

a few years back with the little kid from “The 6th

Sense.” In case you missed it, the movie is about a

young boy who has to think of something to change

the world as an assignment for his social studies class.

This is quite a daunting task for anyone, let alone a

12-year old boy. He develops a theory of paying a

favor not back, but forward. This way you can

continue to spread good deeds to three new people,

who will in turn do the same. Like most others who

saw the movie in the theaters, I thought to myself,

“Wow, what a simple, yet novel concept.” What a

wonderful world we would have if we all lived our

lives by this doctrine. Unfortunately, even a

powerful and simple idea like this can get lost in the

rush of our daily lives.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to be selected

for the JET Program certainly has a list of people to

be thankful to and favors to pay forward. My three

years spent living in Japan gave me the opportunity

to travel, learn a new language, and make friends

from all over the world. But more importantly, it

gave me the chance to challenge myself, become part

of the community, connect with my students, and

truly get to know a culture and a nation in a way that

no ordinary traveler could ever experience. This

unique opportunity is a priceless gift that we have

been given by the people of Japan. The question is:

how do we pay back something that is priceless?

Moreover, how do you pay it forward? It took me

over 2 years to find my answer to these questions;

fortunately, I found the support of a tremendous JET

community to help me take action.



Internationalization

“Why did you choose Japan?” It is a question that

every JET must answer an innumerable amount of

times. Personally, I chose Japan because it seemed

like the furthest thing from American culture that I

could imagine. Having the chance to study abroad

in Australia as a junior in college was great; however,

in many ways it seemed like California with a big

accent. I learned to surf, saw a kangaroo for the

first time, and gained an appreciation for a different

culture but, it didn’t challenge me to break out of my

comfort zone. I wanted to be dropped into a

completely different world and learn how to survive.

What better place than a country that prides itself on

the uniqueness of its culture and language?

One of the aspects that initially attracted me to the

JET Program was its emphasis on “grassroots

internationalization”. Unlike private English

schools, which focus mainly on profit, the main

purpose of JET is to promote a mutual exchange and

respect of cultures on the community level. Senator

William Fulbright founded his renowned Fulbright

Program with similar goals in mind. He once wrote

that by promoting study abroad and an exchange of

culture, we could "bring a little more knowledge, a

little more reason, and a little more compassion into

world affairs and thereby increase the chance that

nations will learn at last to live in peace and

friendship". I can’t help but wonder how different

the world would be if the political leaders of every

nation had a chance to experience what I have on the

JET Program. Even the most powerful politicians

were elementary school students at one point. The

influence of teachers they had and foreign friends

they made as children most certainly impact the type

of decisions they make as adults.

New Friends

In spring of 2004, I met a group of Japanese students

that would forever impact my life and way of

thinking. My friends and I had been driving around



that afternoon for what seemed like hours. Looking

for a park to get a pickup game of basketball was no

easy task in Japan. We stumbled upon a university

perched on the hillside. “Surely there will be a team

practicing on the weekend,” we thought.

Like in a vivid dream, I can still remember the

moment we first peered into the dimly lit gymnasium

of Miyazaki International College (MIC). From a

distance, the faint sound of bouncing basketballs

assured us that we were in the right place. Kenta

Imanishi, a senior and captain of the MIC basketball

team, was the first person we met. With limited

Japanese, we struggled to introduce ourselves and ask

politely for a pickup game. To our surprise, we

were met with almost flawless English from our

newfound friend. “No problem, come on in,” said

Kenta. With the help of Kenta and the MIC Dean,

we were able to schedule regular practices and games

with the university students. We came to realize

that these were no typical Japanese college students.

As a requirement of their degree, each of them had

spent time living abroad and studying, some for as

long as 2 years. “What great role models for the

younger generation of Miyazaki,” I thought. If only

my students could see how speaking English and

having the experience of study abroad can change

you. It forced me to think about my role as an ALT

and what I could do to help give my students the

same opportunity.

Responsibility

What does it mean to “be a JET”? For some, it

means a chance to explore the world and figure out

what they were meant to do with their lives. For

others, it means a chance to repay their student loans

in a relatively short amount of time. “Being a JET”

means many things to different people, but it is

important for all of us to realize that it is as much an

opportunity as it is a responsibility. That

responsibility extends far beyond the classroom and

the workplace. This is a duty that we share, not

simply as English teachers, but as diplomats

representing our countries. Many JETs perform

community service, assist with school club activities,

or volunteer to teach community English classes.

It was late November 2005 when I realized how I

could fulfill my duty to pay it forward. What started

with a phone call from my good friend, Cary Reid,

would develop into a powerful movement of change

in our JET community. Together we developed the

idea for a monumental event that would bring

nationwide attention to our prefecture and give the

JETs of Miyazaki a unifying purpose.

First Steps

I think it was Sunday morning that I first asked

someone what day it was. I had just awoken to the

alarm of my cell phone. I lay there for a moment in

that dark room, but couldn’t quite move my body to

turn it off, let alone open my eyes wide enough to see

the alarm. It is difficult to describe, but somehow

the days since Friday had begun to blur together.

The only time I could grasp was the start and finish

of my next shift. “It’s Sunday morning.

3:45am . . . and you’re up in 15 minutes,” said the

voice over the distant cheers of the crowd. Yes, it

was 3:45 in the morning, and it was time to play

some ball. My team had officially been playing one

continuous basketball game for almost 44 hours.

Each of us was battling exhaustion, injuries, and our

own will power, but we were enjoying every minute

of it.

Months later, the August 2006 CLAIR News bulletin

would publish a summary of our event:

Miyazaki Prefecture JETs Set Guinness World

Record

A group of Miyazaki Prefecture JETs, cooperating

with local university students, broke a Guinness

World Record by playing a 60 hour basketball

game. The game, dubbed “Miyazaki 60”, began at

8 am on June 16th, and finished at 8 pm on June

18th. The JET organizers aimed to promote

grass-roots internationalization, and also hope to

use the proceeds to establish a scholarship fund to

send high school students to study abroad. CLAIR

would like to congratulate the JETs involved, and



is very proud of their efforts, which embody the

spirit of the JET Programme. 24 players, including

7 ALTs, participated in the game. Over 90

volunteers were involved in the planning and

fundraising for the event, which was touted by

local and national media.

CLAIR News; Vol XX, Issue 1. August 2006

We began the “Miyazaki 60” project by assembling a

group of JET participants and Japanese college

students. Almost all of our committee members had

benefited from the unique opportunity to live abroad

and experience a different culture. We felt proud to

be able to challenge this record with our close friends

from Miyazaki International College. These

students serve as a unique symbol of

internationalization within Miyazaki. The success

of the MIC students provides a constant reminder to

the younger generation of the value in cultural

exchange.

As English teachers we are constantly telling our

students that the best way to learn a foreign language

is to study abroad. We want them to travel, meet

foreigners, and immerse themselves like we have in a

foreign culture. However, for many of our students,

particularly in predominately rural prefectures, this

opportunity does not exist because of financial

constraints. We would like to take the responsibility

of not only telling our students to study abroad, but

also providing the financial support to make that

dream a reality.

In creating the world record Miyazaki 60 Basketball

Marathon and establishing a groundbreaking

scholarship program, the JET participants of

Miyazaki found a way to not only repay a favor to the

nation of Japan, but also to “pay it forward” to our

students, whose lives will be changed forever. And

that is what the JET Program is all about: changing

the world.

Author Ken Kersey once wrote, “You can count how

many seeds are in the apple, but you can’t count how

many apples are in the seed.” The Miyazaki JET

community is optimistic that their efforts have

planted a seed of change in the JET Program. It is

our greatest hope that one day, JET communities in

every prefecture throughout Japan will have

established their own scholarship program to help

send Japanese students abroad.

If you are reading this essay, it has been published.

This means that more people, like you, who can make

a difference, know our story. It also means that one

more student from Miyazaki is closer to having an

enriching cultural exchange experience through the

Miyazaki 60 scholarship fund.

To all those reading this essay and considering

spending a year or two on the JET Program, get ready

for a life changing experience. But more importantly,

BE ready for your chance to pay it forward.


202

Copyright 2007

Council of Local Authorities for International Relations

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any

form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or otherwise

without prior permission from the Council of Local Authorities

for International Relations (CLAIR).

The JET Journal offers a forum for exchange of opinions

regarding the JET experience for present and past participants.

The opinions expressed within are solely those of the authors

and do not reflect those of CLAIR or any organisation affiliated

with the JET Programme.

Produced by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)

Shin Kasumigaseki Building 19th Floor, 3-3-2 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-0013

100-0013 3-3-2 19

TEL:03-3591-5486

FAX:03-3591-5350

www.jetprogramme.org

jet journal 2007 - miyazaki 60 article

Documents