Japanese unique and traditional
mochitsuki event is back! JCCCW (Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington) will hold annual mochitsuki event free to public on Dec 29th (Thu). Learn the art of pounding a steamed dough of sticky rice in wooden vessel to its silky and delightful perfection.
Event is free, but to be able to bring mochi back home, you need to pre-order mochi. It is still much cheaper than market price, you shouldn't miss this bargain opportunity!
For details click JCCCW website
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dERESEUyckxqSURwUGtzRUxIaDZZb2c6MQ#gid=0
Rabbit to Dragon: New Year's Celebration
01/11/2012
Mark the turn of the calendar with this two-part program from the Japan-America Society. Consul General Ota casts his eye back over thispast year and beyond, shaping his presentation with his long experience in Europe, leading an intimate gathering through expectations for 2012. Includes refreshments and Shinnenkai admission.
Next all members and friends are invited to ring in the New Year at the Shinennkai with the Japan Young Professionals Group. Enjoy catered hors d'oeuvres and great conversation with like-minded people. Celebrate what was good about the Year of the Rabbit and what will be great about the Year of the Dragon.
DATE:
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11TH, 2012
TIMELINE:
RABBIT: (LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS)
REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING: 4:45 - 5:15 PM (INCLUDES REFRESHMENTS)
CONSUL GENERAL OTA'S PRESENTATION: 5:15 - 5:45 PM
Q&A 5:45 - 6:00
DRAGON:
SHINNENKAI REGISTRATION: 5:30 - 6:00
SHINNENKAI 6:00 - 8:00 PM (INCLUDES BUFFET HORS D'OEUVRES)
ADMISSION FEE:
JYPG or Japan-America Society Members
Rabbit and Dragon: $25
Dragon Only: $20
Non-Members
Rabbit and Dragon: $35
Dragon Only: $30
LOCATION:
O'ASIAN KITCHEN AND RESTAURANT 800 5TH AVENUE, SUITE PLAZA 1, P LEVEL SEATTLE, WA 98104
Registration: Please click
here to register.
Not your ordinary chip – imagine piping hot, crisp potato chips, right off the fryer. Snack lovers’ dream can come true at
Calbee Plus in Harajuku, Tokyo, which is the third antenna shop of Japanese popular snack maker. The shop opened a week ago, and already enjoy a lot of attention.
Menu seems to offer a bounty of unusual – if not kooky – culinary experiences. Toppings like cheese, burnt salt, whipped cream, or chocolate will definitely pique your interest. If you are those who keep up with Japanese snack trend, you know Jagariko is a long-time popular line (available in salad, cheese, potato-butter, and cheese-fondue flavor). Here you can meet its brother, Poteriko, a little bit chubby and short.
A shop next to the restaurant offers limited or new products. One of them is named as happy butter flavor potato chip. My mouse is watering just imagining what’s inside…!
If you are going to visit Tokyo over the holiday season, be sure to check out this new snack heaven, and more importantly, remember to bring omiyage for me! Tee hee.
Calbee Plus
Jingumae 1-16-8 Shibuya, Tokyo
http://www.calbee.co.jp/newsrelease/111206.php
.shino
I have been looking forward to this day ever since I received an invitation with gold-embossed symbol and swirly elegant lettering. This marks my first visit at the house of Consule General Kiyokazu Ota. When I arrived, a beautiful Tudor style mansion appeared on a scenic hill in Queen Anne. I queued up in coat-check line, and Lori Matsukawa with King 5 was standing before me. Mr. Ota and his wife greeted each guest in front of golden byobu (folding screen) like king and queen. I was about to collapse with overwhelming sensation…!
The reception started and the grand hall was absolutely packed. Chandeliers were sparkling and the view was breathtaking. Photograph is not allowed at anywhere in the house. (Boo!) I couldn’t see where the voice was coming from over the sea of heads, but I knew it was Mr. Ohta. He made a really good speech about Japan and US relationship. His congenial and warm personality is coming out from his speech.
The US-Japan relationship started long time ago when Lady Washington sailed from Washington and visited Kobe harbor in 1791. Back then Japan was still closed for foreign commerce. From that time, now 82% of Japanese have favorable impression to Americans in general. This is the highest of all other countries. (A replica of Lady Washington was built in Aberdeen, WA, and was used as a model in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl )
Mr. Ota also touched about the great disaster in Northeastern part of Japan. An one-year memorial event will be held at Seattle Center on March 11th next year.
Next year is just right there - merely three weeks away. This year was truly rough. Japan got a huge blow, and US economy is sinking without a hope. I can't help wishing for better wind next year.
::: Shino
Now, it's been a month from the Boston Career Forum presented by CFN. I cannot believe it's been a month. I got a lot of good influences through people I met at the event including people from different schools and companies.
Everyone seemed a bit nervous on the first day of the event. There was a huuuuuuuuuuuge line in front of the big Boston convention center with tons of Japanese students who are in formal black suits with their passionate and a bit of scared face.
I seriously felt like I came to Makuhari-Messe, a huge Japanese worldwide convention center in Chiba for a job fair. The view I saw from the taxi was not one of Boston's.. "Whoa...!!"
It wasn't as cold as I'd heard from my friends. The weather was very nice and autumnal leaves were just cheerful and lovely.
There were
171 companies +α at the venue. Yes, it was a huge job opportunities. Job hunters walked from booth to booth with holding their resumes in their hands. Lots of companies were holding their seminars to explain about what their company is like. If there are some empty schedule for interviews, you can bring your resumes as walk-in right at the booth, but popular companies get full very quickly, so
I highly recommend you to submit the "entry" online before the actual event starts. I know some companies' walk-in submission of entry sheet ended in the first one hour due to the overwhelming. You don't want to miss your chance like that. So, preparation is definitely a big key to grab your dream.
For those who passed the resume check and got an opportunity to have an interview with the company, you will be asked to go to the
SPECIAL INTERVIEW ROOM to have interviews with companies executives. Some interviews are in English, most of them are in Japanese. Companies like consulting companies or accounting/audit companies have high chances to have you the interview in English due to the real demands for your ability to speak in English. Some of you may know about this, but these companies usually have a type of interview called
"Case Interview" which examines your ability to deal with problems and observes your thinking processes toward obstacles. These case interviews are usually in English. So, you need some preparations such as reading newspapers, articles, or some books related to economics and critical thinking to perform well in the case interview.
There are some books to help you prepare for these interviews. You might want to invest your money into books like
this !!
Students from different states, and even from different countries, (I met some people from Japan and England!!!) are all your rivals. It was very inspiring for me to talk with all diverse students who is willing to get grab this huge opportunity.
Some students with high motivations and huge dreams with strong leaderships I could tell just by talking scared me in a good way. These people motivated me well. Also, simply, the conversation with them was fun!! They are my competitors and factors to push myself harder to become a better, more sophisticated professionals.
On the other hand, it was also interesting to talk with some people who were still trying to figure out what they really want to do. I talked with some people like this case, and they all claimed that this CFN event made them realize what they actually like and want to do and not in the future through interviews and conversations with other students. And, that is 100% true. You always think you know well about yourself, but sometimes,
you just don't know that you don't know. By talking with people and by being asked what you want, what you like, what you want to be, you will start figuring out the core true dream of yours by putting everything inside of you into words.
She is my friend, Darlene from University of Washington. She did a fantastic job on her interviews and got some great offers!! Congrats!!
Everyone was fighting to gain something to achieve their goal in different ways. That was just powerful and beautiful. I, myself also obtained so many good experiences and motivations off of this event. I know so many of my friends going back to Japan to have their 2nd and 3rd interviews from companies they are willing to go as a result of this CFN event in Boston.
One biggest tip I can give you on job interviews is that don't put yourself into one format. You will be boring and fake if you do so. It's a great thing to practice interviews, but if you make a template/format for your interviews, interviewees can tell that. They are not willing to have the correct answers or I-am-super-genius-so-you-should-hire-me answers.
They are willing to know who you are and what you can do within the limited amount of time of the interview. So, don't think too much, just relax and talk about yourself to them. Think about who you are, and just have a conversation with them. What's important the most here is to speak with your own words. Express yourself with your words. To do so, you just need to know well about yourself.
What do you like to do?
What is your life goal?
What do you think you are good at?
What do you think you are not good at?
What makes you different from others?
What interest you?
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
Oh and one more thing, for international students, know
WHAT LED YOU TO STUDY ABROAD, and for those who are not Japanese and want to have a job in Japan, know
WHY IN JAPAN. You will be asked these questions.
There are more career forums coming in Japan towards the end of this year.
CFN Tokyo Winter Career Forum
My-navi International Job Fair
Fumiko
Oh, I'm not joking. Two teenager toy poodles will start working for the Tottori prefectural police department from January next year. If you are planning to go visit Japan around the holiday season, you might want to extend your trip to a western part of Japan, just to see these adorable puppies on duty.
Any person even with a bad intention will come forward in front of these cute puppies... don't you agree?!?
Source:
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201112020084a
::: Shino
Dorothy Earp 
nandemoya 
MES, Inc. 
DreamersI.com 
ASB - Seattle 
JASSW 
Mayumi Nakamura 
Kenichi Uchikura 
Japanese unique and traditional mochitsuki event is back! JCCCW (Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington) will hold annual mochitsuki event free to public on Dec 29th (Thu). Learn the art of pounding a steamed dough of sticky rice in wooden vessel to its silky and delightful perfection.
