ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

JLGC NEWSLETTER
Japan Local Government Center ( CLAIR, New York )Issue no. 83 December 2015

1. Introduction of New JLGC Staff
Arisa Maruno, Assistant Director,
Representative of Wakayama Prefecture

WASHINGTON DC SEMINAR (PAGE5-6)

ISSUE NO. 83
DECEMBER 2015

1. Introduction of New
JLGC Staff (Page1-4)
2. JLGC’s Washington DC
Seminar 2015 was held in
October (Page 5-6)
3. Great American Opportunities, Great JET Alumni(Page7-8)
4. JETAA US Conference
2015 in Detroit ( Page 9)5. JETAANY Career Forumand JET Welcome back Reception in New York( Page10)
6. Tohoku Report :Building
New Communities in Tohoku(Page11-13)

Hello. I’m Arisa Maruno from Wakayama inJapan. I’m dispatched by the Wakayama prefectural government to New York and I’ve
been a JLGC staff member since this April.
In this office, I’m mainly in charge of things
related to JETAA in the U.S. such as granting subsidies for their activities and communicating and coordinating with chapters.
I talk about that part of my job in the article
about the JETAA US conference, so I would
like to let you know about my hometown, Wakayama Prefecture, in this article.
I think many people know Osaka, but
I’m afraid that you don’t know Wakayama even though it is located just southof Osaka. Wakayama has an abundanceof both farm and marine products andhas many historical buildings.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER

3 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10016-5902
212.246.5542 office • 212.246.5617 fax
www.jlgc.org

1

DECEMBER 2015

ISSUE #83

There is Wakayama Castle, near our office in Wakayama City. Wakayama Castle was originally constructed in 1585. It was severely damaged twice because of lightning and wartime
air strikes and was rebuilt each time. We can go up in its tower and see the whole city fromthere. Furthermore, there are many temples and shrines around the prefecture. As you may
know, Koyasan, which is a World Heritage site, is the most famous place for tourists. However, I would like to let you know my favorite temple. It’s Dojoji Buddhist Temple in Hidakagawa Town located in the middle part of Wakayama Prefecture. It was built in 701 and there
are many stories related to this temple such as the famous tale "Anchin Kiyohime" and“Kaminaga-hime”. It has a lot of Buddha statues designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Especially, one of the National Treasures, the Senju Kannon,
which is the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy with a thousand arms, is worth seeing.

Wakayama Castle
Dojoji Buddhist Temple

Wakayama-style ramen

I would also like to recommend some of our special foods here.
Now, it is said that the origin of Japanese soy sauce is in Yuasa
Town, north of Hidakagawa Town. We can have it as it is when
we eat sushi and sashimi. We can also use it as an all-purpose
seasoning. One of the popular foods using it is ramen noodles.
Wakayama’s ramen is a soy sauce flavor based on broth madefrom pork bones. Wakayama ramen won as the best ramen in
Japan on a TV show in 1998, so there is a long line in front of
famous ramen noodle restaurants on weekends even now.
When you go there, you can see not only ramen noodles but also
boiled eggs and sushi fermented with mackerel. This is Wakayama ramen-style.

How to make soy sauce

2ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

After eating great food, you can enjoy hot springs. We have many fantastic hot
springs around Wakayama. One of the most popular hot springs is Kawayu-onsen in
Tanabe City. In summer people warms themselves here after playing in the pristine
currents of the Ohtou River. Anywhere you dig along the riverbank hot water springs
up. The holes in the riverbank are the tubs for bathing. In winter a vast open-air bathis made and opened to public. My favorite hot spring is Boki-do Cave in Nachikatsuura Town, located in the southern part of Wakayama. Boki-do means thatyou will forget to go home once you come here. You can see the beautiful sights while
enjoying the hot spring, with the Pacific Ocean before you.

Boki-do CaveAs I said at first, my main job is the mattersrelating to JETAA. However, I would like tolet many more people know about my great
hometown, Wakayama, while I am here in
NY. If you have any questions about Wakayama, please feel free to ask me!
Thank you
Kawayu-onsen in summer

Ki-chan(a mascot for Wakayama)
Kawayu-onsen in winter3

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

Shindo Hayase, Assistant Director, Representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Hello, everyone.
I am Shindo Hayase, an assistant director of JLGC, assigned since this April. Prior to my work at JLGC, I worked
for here CLAIR Tokyo Headquarters as a project manager in
the General Affairs Division for two years.
Before that, I worked in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office. In that office, from 2011 to 2013, I was in charge of coordination among government ministries for Japan’s participation in United Nations Peace Keeping Operations. Duringthat time, I had an opportunity to work in Haiti after the2010 earthquake with officers of the Japan Self-Defense
Forces.
Here is a report I wrote about my stay in Haiti: http://www.pko.go.jp/pko_e/liaison/
liaison06.html
I also have experience working in a prefecture
government in Japan. I have worked for Kochi
Prefecture, on the southern coast of Shikoku island. Kochi boasts some beautiful rivers. The
Shimanto River is especially famous as “Japan's
last pristine river”. Even though Kochi is very far

Shimanto River

from urban areas of Japan, it is worth your visit.
Here, in JLGC, I work on wide variety of research requests from all levels of government inJapan. During my stay in the United States, I’m looking forward to learn a lot of things
about America and its state and local governments.

4

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

JLGC’s annual Washington DC
seminar was held for three days from
October 7th to 9th, and eight staff members including interns from our Tokyo
headquarters, attended it. This seminar is arranged by the Council of State
Governments (CSG) with the main
goals being to help our staff learn
about unique administrative structures in the US and strengthening our
networks with the participating institutes.
All the institutes we visited throughour three days were wonderful. On thefirst day, we visited the government ofWashington, DC, and were lectured onits unique administrative structureand how this effects the process ofmaking policies and laws. On the thirdday, we visited Anne Arundel County,
which is located in southeastern Maryland and has a population of about
560,000.
10/7
Day1
10/8
Day2
10/9
Day3

It is a very beautiful town surrounded
by a charming waterfront. The administrative officers explained to us the characteristics of the county, especially about
the division of roles between the stateand cities. They are making an effort tobecome the best place possible for inhabitants through building a convenienttransportation system, fostering employment
andproviding quality
education.
We
could
learn a great
deal about thesuccessful mana g ementofAmerica’s
uniquestructure of admin- Map of Anne Arundel County
istration.

Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS)
Government of Washington DC
Police Foundation
Council of State Governments(CSG)
U.S. Department of Transportation
Tour of the State House
Anne Arundel County
Secretary of State of Maryland
Public high school in Washington, DC

Washington, DC

MarylandWashington, DC

5

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

During our three-day seminar, every
participant was eager to exchange theiropinions with the speakers and ask
questions, especially about the differences between American and Japanese
local government systems. The lecturesand presentations were terrific and informative, and we hope that some policies can be applied to local communities
in Japan as well.
Also, we could get a chance to see
many historical sites such as the WhiteHouse, the Lincoln Memorial and the
Washington Monument in our spare
moments between visits, which was alsovaluable. As everyone knows, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is held
near East Potomac Park every year andyou can see many beautiful Japanesecherry blossoms, ‘Sakura’ in Japanese,and do Hanami.

With the Secretary of State of Maryland

Washington, DC, is a great city with afascinating history and numerous sites
worth visiting. This seminar allowed
us to learn how the federal government, states, counties and the municipalities interact with each other andhow we should be networking more sothat we can learn from each other’swork. We were also so impressed withthe highly organized CSG staff who
took the time to prepare the visits.
Thank you so much!

White House

The government of Washington DC

Cherry Blossom Festival in April

6

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

3. Great American Opportunities, Great JET Alumni
Erisa Morita, CLAIR Tokyo office from Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Board of Education
People who have been working for 2
years at CLAIR Tokyo headquarters participate in an internship at one of CLAIR’s
overseas branches for one month. I am oneof the members of the JET Programme
division of CLAIR Tokyo, so I had an internship at CLAIR NY(JLGC) in October.
In this internship, I was able to meetmany JET alumni. A lot of JET alumni
still continue to share their memories andexperiences from Japan. Through this experience, I realized how large the influence of this programme is in the world andin my life.
Thanks to the JET Programme“Hi, Erisa! Welcome to Mt. Joy!” Jodi
Frey and her husband Wes welcomed me
as I got off the Amtrak train at Mt. Joy.
They are old friends of our family.
In 1988, the year after the JET Programme started, she came to the town of
Tsuruta in Aomori Prefecture as an ALT.
She did an outstanding job as an ALT, andshe was so popular that 500 people attended her wedding ceremony in the town andit became an article in the local newspaper. She still has a connection with peopleof that town.

come to the US to join language exchange
programs. She loves her job and keeps intouch with her students. It is clear that the
JET experience encourage her to continue
teaching.
To tell you the truth, she is my parents’match-maker. My parents met in one of her
English conversation classes. It’s not too
much to say that thanks to her, I am here.
Our family has known her for 30 years. She
always has a warm heart and has been welcoming to us. She is a member of our family.
Her family also really loves Japanese food.
When I met her daughter for the first time,
when she was 5 years old, she taught me how
to eat natto. When I visited them this time, I
cooked their favourite Japanese dishes likegyoza and miso soup. I was glad that they enjoyed the food. Jodi told me about life as a
JET during her time on the Programme. Also
we shared ideas about the education of global
citizens. It was a great time for us. Her old
album is full of good memories like a precious
treasure box.
When we were in NYC, she told me “Thanks
to the JET Programme, I am here in NY.” At
the time, I felt the same way. The connections
produced by the JET Programme brought us
true happiness. I feel truly thankful that Jodi
and our family still maintain strong connections.

Now, she is teaching English to students from all over
the world as an ESL
teacher and supporting students who
Jodi’s favourite Japanese dishesWith Jodi and her daughters

7

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

Apple picking with JETAANYWith JETs

JETAA is a community for former JET
participants. There are 19 chapters in the
US and 7 chapters in Canada. I joined the
New York Chapter for apple picking in
Hunter Valley.

The last time that I visited the US with myfamily was to attend a JET participant’s wedding in Columbus, Ohio. It was 17 years ago.
Also I visited NY and Mt. Joy, but I couldn’t
imagine I would come again by the connection of the JET programme. It’s true that I
couldn’t understand English at all at thattime, but the experience encouraged me toimprove my English skills. There was a JET
in my junior high school who taught me English. There was also a JET in a tea ceremonyclass near my house. There was a JET living
near my house who became like an older sister to me. I was fortunate to be surroundedby people related to the JET programme, so I
could keep learning English. Even though I
myself was not a JET participant, JET has
been one of the most influential things in mylife.

After 2 hours on the train, we arrived at
Poughkeepsie Station. We joined a bus tour
around the area of Hunter Valley. There areabout 30 members of JETAANY on the tour.
It was good chance to meet people in
JETAANY.
The apple orchard was huge. There weremany kinds of apple trees like “Pink lady”,“Gold rush” and “Fuji”. (As you may know,
Fuji are Japanese apples.) It was my firstexperience picking apples from trees directly. It was so much fun! The interesting
thing for me was that the apples in the US
are smaller than ones in Japan. Also, we
don’t bite apples directly in Japan when we
eat them, but I tried to bite apples like people in America. It became a great memory.
I would like to thank Pamela, the presidentof JETAANY. I really appreciated yourkindness for inviting me to join. I enjoyed
my time with JETAANY.

JETAANY in Hunter Valley

Through this internship I was reminded of
the importance of keeping connections with
JETs. I would like to keep in touch with people I meet through the JET programme.
Finally, I would like to thank the supervisor
of JLGC, Mr. Tatsuta who gave me a lot ofgreat opportunities in the US. In addition, I
would like to thank all the members of JLGC.
I was lucky to work with such great people. It
has become one of my most precious memories.

Aki Matsuri with JETAANY in United
Nations International School

8

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

JETAA US Conference 2015 was held in Detroit from September 24th to 27th. Delegations
from all chapters in the U.S., the country representatives from the U.S. and Canada, a representative from the Toronto chapter, and many
guests attended the conference. Mr. Fukukawa,the Executive Consultant from CLAIR headquarters, also took part in the conference from
Tokyo this year.
JLGC explained the outlines of CLAIR Grantin-Aid. It’s a subsidy for JETAA activities thatJLGC grants to all JETAA chapters in the U.S.
and Canada. It’s also allocated for a part of theexpenses needed to hold this conference. Furthermore, Mr. Fukukawa and JLGC talked
about the recent CLAIR projects such as theSatogaeri Project, video contest, and career fairs
in Japan. We also informed attendees of ourmonthly PR magazine, “CLAIR Forum”. It’s almost all written in Japanese because it’s mainly
for local government officers in Japan. However,to our delight, some of alumni showed their interest in reading this magazine.

One of the highlights of the conference wasthe announcement made by Ms. Paige Cottingham- Streater. She is the Executive Director of the US-Japan Bridging Foundation
and also the main person leading a group
working to establish USJETAA, an organization which works with the chapters to
support JETAA activities. She announced tothe attendees that USJETAA was finally
officially recognized as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit
organization. USJETAA will take care of
supporting the network of JET alumni, facilitating information sharing and collaboration between chapters, and of course, promoting cultural understanding between the
U.S. and Japan. The inaugural board members have been selected and other essential
issues such as membership fees and incentives for JET alumni to belong to the organization will be discussed in more detail in
the near future. JLGC will closely follow
these developments and would like to actively support their activities.

You can find the details of the:Satogaeri Project at https://www.facebook.com/JETsatogaeriVideo Contest at https://jetvideocontest.com/system/international/pc/?contest_pk=2
Career Fair in Japan at http://jetprogramme.org/en/careerfair/
CLAIR Forum at http://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/index.html (in Japanese)

Chapter representatives at the conference

Activity reports from JETAA chapters

9

DECEMBER 2015

ISSUE #83

CLAIR New York, the Consulate General of Japan in New
York, and the JETAA New York chapter, hold the JETAANY
Career Forum and Welcome Back Reception for JET returnees in New York every year. This year it was held on October
17th at the Nippon Club. 15 JET returnees, including 2 people
who returned to New York last year, attended the Forum andlearned basic job-search information from their “Sempai” JET
alumni, such as how to write resumes and handle interviews.
In the resume session, the presenter gave some pointers for
Welcome Back Reception
resumes, including to describe career information briefly,
hopefully fitting in one page, to write high priority information at the top of the resume, and to usesome keywords. And as a part of the interview session, the returnees conducted mock interviews
among themselves. It was useful for them not only to practice the interview itself but also to re-thinktheir career goals and the strengths JET participants gain. The “Sempai” JET alumni had a panel
discussion which focused on their experiences, especially for job hunting. The returnees earnestly listened to their talks and asked them many questions. At the end of the Forum, the returnees had theopportunity to talk and connect with Japanese recruiters. It was a first step for the JET returnees tolive again in the US, so we hope the Forum was helpful for them to find a job in the near future.
The Welcome Back Reception was also held after the JETAANY Career Forum at the same venue. We
had approximately 100 attendees for the reception, including JET returnees, JETAA New York members, Japanese recruiters and many other people involved with the JET Program and Japanese communities. At the beginning of the reception, Ambassador Takahashi made a welcome speech for JET
returnees. Then Mr. Tatsuta, Executive Director of CLAIR New York, gave a speech and told everyone that CLAIR New York, the Consulate, and the JETAA New York chapter will always support JET
returnees here. Ms. Pamela Kavalam, who is the president of the JETAA New York chapter, also
made a speech introducing JETAA activities to JET returnees
and thanked people who were involved in the JET Program andJETAA. CLAIR New York arranged the reception foods, especially the “Sushi Bar”, for the first time, and the attendees enjoyed them very much.
At this reception, we could talk with many JET returnees andfelt that they love Japan very much even after coming back to
the US. We hope to have the chance to support them going forward as part of our strong relationship with JETAA.

10ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

Matthew Gillam
The physical devastation in the Tohoku region ofnortheastern Japan was immediately clear andoverwhelming, and the ongoing work to rebuild
cities on higher ground is a striking civil engineering project. However, beyond the need to create
new physical infrastructure there lies a concurrent
need to create new social infrastructure, and thisis not so readily apparent to the eye.
The monument “Niji no Kakehashi” (Bridge ofRainbows) in
Watanoha, in commemoration of the Endo’s
children.

Communities were under stress already, prior to
the triple disasters of March 11, 2011, due to declining birthrates, the outmigration of young people looking for opportunities, and aging and mortality among those who stayed behind. This combined with changing economic andsocial behavior as the availability of cars and attractions of large shopping and entertainment developments drew economic activity away from smaller businesses and reduced the allure of traditional community life. They have now been further challenged by dispersal into emergency housing, even more people deciding to start a newlife elsewhere, and local governments overwhelmed by the disasters.

Numerous groups moved in quite quickly after the tsunami and helped fill various
needs. These efforts were, by nature, relatively short-term and largely dropped infrom elsewhere. What is more significant (and interesting) are the efforts that havegrown in the wake of these, locally, to address long-term needs as the recovery andrebuilding process advances.
Tohoku has demonstrated a continuation of the developments seen after the 1995
Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in Kobe, prompting further changes to laws and regulations governing NPOs, the use of volunteers, and disaster response and recovery protocols, along with new arrangements for government and civil society to work together in these efforts. I would like to mention a few examples here, ranging from a neighborhood to a city.

11

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

Team Watahoi
Team Watahoi is a nonprofit group formed by neighborhood residents in Ishinomaki who evacuated to
the Watanoha Hoikusho (Watanoha Daycare Center)
after their homes were destroyed by the tsunami.
The group’s founders, Endo Shin’ichi, and his wife,
Ayako, lost their three young children in the disaster, along with their home and almost everythingelse. They have provided a physical place on the siteof their former home for people to gather, and Team
Watahoi conducts events like community festivals
and mobile clinics for elderly people living in temporary housing to provide physical and mental exerCosmos House, home base of Big Up Ishinomaki
cises to help them stay active and healthy.
Big Up Ishinomaki
Big Up Ishinomaki mainly serves the Kama and Ookaido neighborhoods, a few kilometers from Watanoha. It was created by Mr. Harada Yutaka, who came to the city from
Tokyo as a volunteer after the disasters and soon recognized the need for a community
gathering space and better information dissemination for the residents remaining in
the area. Enlisting support from a growing network, Big Up has built Cosmos House
and Angel House to replace heavily damaged community halls and playgrounds, where
adults and children can gather, exchange information, hold events, and have some fun.
Funakoshi
Funakoshi is a fishing village located in a small inlet in the northeastern corner ofIshinomaki City, which has received wide recognition in Japan and abroad for its tenacious and innovative efforts to keep itself together while working towards the eventual
rebuilding of the village on higher ground. Led by Mr. Nakasato Koichi and a coregroup of residents, Funakoshi has been steadily and patiently struggling to coordinate
with authorities from the city, prefecture, and central government to develop and execute a plan to level off a mountain next to the former village site and rebuild there. Inan effort to raise funds to support village activities and to keep residents working andengaged, the “Funakoshi Ladies” have been creating and selling phone straps, necklaces, charms, and other items using the famous local slate decorated with hand-painted
designs and braided cords, while the men have restored their fishing fleet.

12

ISSUE #83

DECEMBER 2015

Rikuzentakata City
Rikuzentakata, in Iwate Prefecture, with a little over 23,000 people immediately
prior to 3.11, was largely wiped out by the tsunami and is currently undergoinga massive terracing and rebuilding effort. Basically one large construction zone
with some hardscrabble but charming shops, restaurants, and services functioning in temporary quarters, it is a difficult and grueling place to live. Under its
mayor, Mr. Toba Futoshi, the city has launched itself on a years-long project tonot only rebuild but also rebrand itself as an open and inclusive community
linked to the rest of the world. Rikuzentakata is notable not so much for its aspiration to make itself a convenient and pleasant place to live as for its explicit inclusion of groups such as the LGBT, non-Japanese, and disabled communities in
its list of stakeholders. As such, the effort here is not only to restore infrastructure and property, but also to work with the community to address the realitiesof 21st century Japan, where cities and towns must compete for talent and makethe most of everybody’s contributions to support economic development throughcreating new businesses and new opportunities beyond necessarily limited resource exploitation and declining manufacturing.
The long term
Ultimately, what Tohoku needs is local talent - people who speak other languages and can work in an international environment, whether in the public,
private, or nonprofit sector. Since 3.11, roles in the relief effort have largely been
filled by volunteers from outside, Japanese and foreign, but must be taken overby locals as these volunteers move on. Beyond recovery itself, attracting people
to the region for the long term by providing opportunities and fostering local talent that does not then leave for Tokyo or points beyond is the ultimate key to
Tohoku’s recovery and survival. Furthermore, the experience of 3.11 showed theneed to integrate non-Japanese more effectively into preparedness and response
capabilities and to give women a greater voice and diversity of roles in these efforts. These needs are as true for economic development as they are for disaster
preparedness.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Published by Japan Local Government Center
3 Park Avenue, 20th floor, New York, NY 10016 / Tel: 212-246-5542 / Fax:212-246-5617 / E:mail: jlgc@jlgc.org / http://www.jlgc.org

13