The New PA Team R&R Conference Sumo

TheAkitan

Spring Edition, Issue 1

Spring welcome

2012 PA Team

R&R Conference

Block System Updates

Akita Sumo

Upcoming Events and importantnotes

Hanami in Akita

ALTs in the news

JET Directory Volunteer

Photo Corner

Lesson Corner

Akita JALT

Call for contributions

In this issue2

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Steven Wilson

pring is here ya'll! I, for one, am excited. Akita's late winter thundersnows and freak barrages of wind that left my neighbor's roof a few blocks from her house are subsiding and we have 9 new JETs coming in soon. Good things all around. 

Along with flowers and enkais, spring in Japan is also a time for personnel changes. Most everyone should have had time to say goodbye to their departing colleagues and welcome in the new ones. Well, the PAs are not immune to ido, and we have had a few personnel changes of our own. Read on to find out who. (Spoiler: Renaud has been replaced by an animatronic Sugichi.)

The big news in this special inaugural issue of The Akitan (formerly News from the PAs) is the change in our prefecture's block system. The ken's 4 blocks have been consolidated into 3 to make life simpler and new block leaders are needed! In this issue is information about the new block system, how to nominate your favorite person for block leader, and where the best spots in the ken are for looking at cherry trees. 

We hope you enjoy this new and improved version of everyone's favorite Akita-PA-edited-newsletter-magazine!

Casey Kuester caseyjkuester@gmail.com

090-7568-8163

Renaud Davies renauddavies29@gmail.com

080-1658-4516

Derek Lemieux derek.lemieux@gmail.com

080-6013-6528

AJET Peer Support Group Hotline: Everyday (8pm-7am)

Toll Free: 050-5534-5566

SSpring Welcome

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Your 2012 PA A special thank you to Anne Smith and Kaydene Carty for being such AWESOME PAs! Wishing you both

the very best in all your future endeavors!

Photo by Steven Wilson

Although I will be leaving Akita in a little over three months, I’m glad that I can leave the ken's support in the capable hands of our new PAs. Reason for the silly picture: I was told to supply a sakura picture. Seeing as how I am allergic to all things dainty, I had to superimpose a passport photo of myself onto a lovely branch of flowers.

Hello Akitans! Well, I will be entering my third year as a PA here in Akita. This year will also be my last as I will soon begin my 5th year on JET. Time just flies! I look forward to another awesome year and as always, feel free to contact me about anything, anytime! Cheers!

Hey everyone! I’m Nikki, a 2nd year ALT from the UK in Yokote City. I’m very happy to be spending another year in Akita and I’m looking forward to working with you all as a new PA. Please feel free to get in touch any time if you need help or just fancy a chat!

Renaud DaviesNikki Zywina

Casey Kuester Derek LemieuxI am happy to be selected again to work as a Prefectural Advisor. I’m looking forward to another great year in Akita and working with everyone. As usual if you have any questions about anything at all or just want to talk, give me a call or send me an e-mail.

Yo Team!

Welcome to the team, Nikki!

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June-8th

he 2012 Akita Returners and Recontractors conference will be held at the Prefectural Education Center in Tenno. Returners will get necessary info on taxes, return tickets, and the ever-asked about pension refund. Recontractors will have a variety of workshops available throughout the day to choose from. Detailed information about the conference will be sent out to everyone’s BOE in the upcoming weeks.

NEXTCONFERENCEReturners and RecontractorsCom

ing Soo

n!

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Block system updates

very year around this time the Akita community votes on who they would like their block leader for the upcoming year to be. In that respect, this year is no different. One big change that is happening however, is the block system itself. The current block system with its 4 areas (North, North Chuo, South Chuo, and South) are being condensed into 3 blocks (North, Central, and South). Just which areas fall into what blocks is described in detail in the map on the right.

Nominating a block leader

Do you know someone who would make a great block leader? Recommend them today! To be considered, one must first be recommended by someone in their block by May 1st. After someone is recommended the PAs will contact them to see if they are first of all interested in being a block leader. If more than 2 people in a block are recommended, then there will be a vote amongst the block members to decide who will eventually get the job. Block leaders present at Akita Orientation, plan the January block meetings, and act as an all-around sempai for their block. Further information about the position can be found here.

To nominate someone you think would be great for the job, send an email to one of the PAs or to the Akita Mailing List.

E NEWBLOCKS

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North

Central

South

Gaijin

Sumo!

Sumo

Sign up!

June 24thwill be the 8th annual

Akita International Sumo Basho!! That’s right everyone, Akita’s premier half naked

foreigner wrestling event is on track to be held for the 8th time this year at the

Prefectural Budokan in Akita City. Check out the official page for information about

possible practice sessions and event details. You can also watch last year’s Sumo Basho

on Renaud’s student blog here!

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Photo: Mount Chokai

New Arrivals!

April 14th Spring arrival JETs make their way to Akita.We are welcoming 4 new CIRs and 5 new ALTs this April, mainly in Yurihonjo and Daisen. If you see any of the new guys around your neck of the woods, do your best to show them around your area of Autumn Rice Field.

Mother’s Day!

May 13thIt’s easy to forget about the fam’ when you are so far away. Send something back home to make sure your parents still know you are alive!

Senshu Park

Hirosaki

Kakunodate

Hanami Hot Spots

April-Early MaySoon the cherry blossoms will be in full bloom and Hanami or “flower viewing” will begin. Don’t miss out on this incredible traditional Japanese custom! Check out the next page for a list of some of Akita’s best viewing spots! You can also click on the pictures around this text to access a few video clips.

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Cherry Blossom

Photo: Derek Lemieux

2012’s seemingly never-ending winter finally is nearing its end, and with the end of winter always comes the flowers of spring. The practice of gathering with friends and viewing cherry blossoms is said to have begun with the ancient Japanese Emperor Saga over 1300 years ago. People at court were said to have gathered beneath the trees and composed poems about the fleeting beauty of the trees, and how it was an appropriate metaphor for the fleeting nature of life itself. While ALTs are perhaps not as fatalistically inclined as the old emperors of Japan, the temporary nature and beauty of the trees may serve as a reminder to some JETs of the limited nature of our time in Japan as well.

While Akita’s sakura may not be as famous as her autumn foliage, there are still fantastic places around the ken to enjoy the cherry blossoms that Japan is so well known for. Without further ado, here are some of the highest recommended spots around the prefecture to join with friends for food and drink, and enjoy the season’s scenery.

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Viewing Senshu ParkProbably the most accessible spot for flower viewing for many centrally-located JETs. Senshu Park has scores of Sakura and Azaleas that are best viewed around the end of April. The park also holds an annual Sakura Festival that will take place from April 20th to May 1st this year.

KakunodateUnrivaled as the go-to spot in Akita for spring tourists. The dark walls of the old samurai manors’ contrast well with the white blossoms of Kakunodate’s 162 weeping cheery trees creating a spectacular effect.

NikahoNikaho is another town in Akita that holds a yearly sakura festival. This year’s festival runs from the 4th to the 19th and is held at both Misaki Park in Kisataka and Seishi Park in Konoura.

HirosakiAlthough technically not within Akita’s borders, no mention of Tohoku’s Hanami would be complete without including Hirosaki. Located just across Akita’s northern border in Aomori, Hirosaki is regarded by many as one of, if not the, best place in Japan to see cherry trees in spring. Although it may be a trek for some of the JETs located down south, it is more than worth it to witness Hirosaki Castle surrounded by hundreds of sakura tress in full bloom.

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ALT News Articles!

Making Food from 3 CountriesLearning About Traditional Foods at the Nikaho International Association.

n international cooking exchange event was held on the 18th by the Ana Cortez Committee of the Nikaho International Association at the Kisakata Civic Improvement Center. Two American and New Zealand ALT also participated along with 50 Japanese participants. Together they made dishes from their respective countries.

Together they made 5 dishes including a cheese filled pudding, lamb stew, and rice cooked with various ingredients. Participants from the three countries instructed the other how to cook their dishes, as well as talked about their cultural customs regarding food and etiquette. Liam Mitchell, the ALT from New Zealand, made lamb stew and an apple cake that he said he used to make with his uncle from the Netherlands. “This is my first time teaching cooking to people in Japan, but it’s been a lot of fun,” He said. Ana Cortez is a city in Washington State that has a sister city relationship with Nikaho. The Ana Cortez Committee holds similar events every year around this time.

Translated by Casey Kuester

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560 People carefully pick up their brushesALTs try their hand at shodo

Kendo Demonstration also Performed

oughly 560 people participated in the 3rd annual Prefectural Shodo Contest for Beginners at the Prefectural Budokan. The contest was held to support and reignite passion about the shodo-Japan’s traditional form of calligraphy. Thick with the scent of ink, the participants all carefully moved their brushes throughout the budokan in attempts to win the prize.

The participants all began moving their brushes at the sound of a signal. There was no set topic on what to write, although there were sampled for the younger participants. The children in the contest hurriedly wrote set phrases such as “My dream for the future”“Mochitsuki” and “New year’s resolution” over and over until they were satisfied with their work. High school students and older carefully went about their work of writing a phrase of their choosing.

English language teachers (ALTs) Alexandra Arocho and Clarissa Lui also tried doing calligraphy for the first time. Ms. Arocho said, “The stroke order is rather difficult, but I like challenges. Maybe I will go practice at my school.” Ms. Lui smiled as she said that “Although I wasn’t able to write very well, I was happy that I was able to experience a piece of Japan’s traditional culture.”

R

Translated by Casey Kuester

he JET directory is an important document connecting JETs around the Prefecture. It has undergone changes over the year and just as The Akitan has undergone a facelift, we are looking for a talented graphic designer to help update the JET Directory for 2012-2013. If you are interested in making the JET Directory and everyone in it look their best, please let us know.

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JET Directory

You can check out the current JET Directory online here!

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Photo C

orner!

By Derek Lemieux

By Kaydene Carty

18

By Steven Wilson

We are looking for

great Japan photos by

you! If you have a best

shot, please send it our way!

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By Steven Wilson

Video Movie Listening

Challenge

How it works:

1. Review the keywords with students.

2.Hand out the movie picture sheet along with the keywords and chart.

3.Put students into groups

4.Tell students that they have two goals. One is to listen for the keywords just reviewed. If they hear a keyword, they should write it down next to the correct movie in their chart. Two, they must try to guess what movie it is. There are 18 movie slides with two or three short dialogues per movie. Play them as many times as needed. Usually two or three times should suffice. Students have 30 seconds to write down their guess and the keyword they heard if there was one. Lastly, review the answers at the end.

Lesson

Cor

ner!

We are looking for

great lessons by you!

If you have one, please share it!

Movie Challenge (with hard

keywords)

Listening challenge video with

higher level keywords: http://

vimeo.com/38485488

Movie Challenge (with easy

keywords)

Listening challenge video with

lower level keywords: http://

vimeo.com/38485641

By Renaud Davies

What movie is it?

Keywords

Dinosaur　恐竜 Complicated　複雑な

Magic　魔法 Inform　知らせる

Anger　怒り Advanced　上級

World　世界 Bomb　爆弾

Machine　機械 Snake　蛇

Your Guess The answer (1p) Keyword (1p) Points

Spiderman Matrix Computer 1

Lesson!

Advanced Handout!

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re you interested in learning more about language teaching? Would you like to connect with other language teachers around Akita or Japan? If so, then you may be interested inThe Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT).

JALT is a non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of language teaching and learning both within Japan and internationally. The Akita JALT chapter meets monthly and invites you to check out the workshops. You will find a schedule for workshops for the year on their website.

There is a charge of 500 yen for all non-members (It used to be 1000 yen, but they lowered it for us ^-^). JALT members and students are free. Scheduled meetings are at JOIN US in Akita City. Here are a few upcoming workshops:

April 14th Takaaki Hiratsuka

Interwoven Stories Told by High School JTEs and ALTs

May 26th

Kim Horne (Kindergarten Teacher)Focus on Young Learners

June 23rd

Renaud DaviesWeb 2.0 in Japanese Secondary

Schools: An introduction to social learning technology

July 21st

Joe Falout Motivating communities of

practice for teachers

Check out their website for more details and the rest of the

schedule!

NOTE: The Akita JALT community would love to learn more about the JET Programme in Akita and team-

teaching. If you are interested in presenting on something, please

contact Wayne Malcolm: wamalcolm@gmail.com.

AAkita JALT

Check it

out!

A Call For Your Activities and Contributions

e hope that you found this newsletter useful. If you have any suggestions to make The Akitan

better, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Lastly, submissions from you will make this work-related newsletter all the more interesting. So, if

you have lesson activities, work-related essays, job postings, news articles, photos, etc, please submit

them to one of the PAs. Thanks for reading!

The End!

W

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We are looking for great photos by you!

Please send them to one of the PAs and help make this

newsletter even more aesthetically pleasing to

read!

You can download The Akitan

to read off-line by clicking on the download icon below

the newsletter's preview!

Created by your PAs

Chief Editor and Writer:Casey Kuester

Layout and Design: Renaud Davies

Photo: Sky tree by Anne Smith