Living & Working in Ishikawa, Japan
Summer in Japan just wouldn`t be complete without hanabi-taikai (firework shows)!
I recently got hold of this year`s lineup of events, so here you go! 
The Hokkoku Hanabi 2012:
Enjoy! 
The three Hokuriku prefectures took the top three spots in a study by Hosei University in Tokyo trying to pinpoint the happiest prefectures.
Fukui came in first place followed by Toyama and Ishikawa coming in second and third respectively. The study used 40 socioeconomic indicators such as crime rate and welfare services to determine a numerical “happiness scale” which was measured in all the prefectures. One of the things that propelled Fukui to the top spot was its low crime and accident rate as well as an excellent preschool system.
So what’s the unhappiest prefecture in Japan? Osaka! The study cited Osaka’s high crime rate as a main reason it ranked so low on the list. So what do you think Ishikawa dwellers? Are we living in one of the happiest places in Japan?
Read the article (Japanese only)
The Ishikawa JET Kitchen gives you adapted and original recipes made for your kitchen.
Are all the new foods you’re finding at the supermarket a bit overwhelming? Have you been wracking your brain trying to convert your favorite chocolate chip recipe to your metric measuring cups? Are you sick of not knowing which flour you need for what kind of cooking?
Cooking in Japan can be a challenge, but now it just got a little bit easier with The Ishikawa JET Kitchen, an interactive digital cookbook from Ishikawa AJET. This cookbook is the brainchild of former Anamizu CIR Leah Zoller. With the help of a dedicated group of recipe contributors and testers, the penultimate cookbook that every JET should own. Whether you’re new to cooking, or a culinary whiz you will benefit from the wide range of traditional Japanese and homegrown recipes from Ishikawa JETs around the world.
Recipes for people with dietary restrictions have been tagged for easy searching – so whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, lactose intolerant, or keep gluten-free you can find what recipe will work for you in no time.
For only ¥1000 you can get over your fear of the supermarket and use your kitchen like a pro. All proceeds from The Ishikawa JET Kitchen will go to Second Harvest charity. If you like the cookbook, make sure to tell your friends, family and coworkers!
To get the Cookbook, please transfer your payment of ¥1000 to the Ishikawa AJET account:
Bank name 北國銀行（ほっこくぎんこう）
Branch name 宇野気支店（うのけしてん）
Acct number 381962
Acct name エージェットイシカワシブ
Please send an email with the subject line “Cookbook Payment” to ishikawaajet[at]gmail.com with your name as it appears on your bank book. We’ll email your copy of the cookbook once payment is confirmed.
Please not that a direct “buy now” option is no longer available.
Well, July 31, 2011 has finally arrived. The scrolling text at the bottom of my analog TV will disappear and tomorrow, if you haven’t made the switch to digital, you will be TV-less. So here’s some tips for those JETs (like me) who waited until the last minute to make the change.
Talk to your Contracting Organization before buying a new TV.
Before you junk your analog TV, you need to talk to your CO as they may be the one who actually owns your TV. If your CO does own your TV, you can’t throw it away without their permission. If your TV is in fact owned by your school or board of education, they may be obligated to buy you a new one, or a digital tuner so you can watch your current TV. If they promise to buy you a new one, keep politely reminding them of that fact until they do.
My TV is owned by my CO, but they won’t buy me a new one.
It doesn’t surprise me that in a time of economic stress in Japan, some COs will simply say “I’m sorry, but we can’t buy you a new TV right now.” It sucks, but it can’t be helped. If that’s the case, you can either purchase your own tuner or buy a new digital TV. However, you cannot throw away or sell a TV that is owned by your board of education, without permission. If you have to purchase a new TV, return your old TV to your contracting organization and have them dispose of it, or get the OK from your supervisor (in writing so you have proof) to throw it away.
My TV isn’t owned by my Contracting Organization.
Fantastic! Do whatever you want. I hear Second Street has great deals on TVs and Yamada Denki has some digital tuners available.
Where can I buy a digital tuner?
Any major electronics store will sell digital tuners. They cost about ¥10,000.
Where can I throw away my old TV?
As TVs are electronics, you can’t just put them out in the trash when you feel like, you’ll have to wait for a certain day for them to be collected and, depending on your town, will have to pay for it to be picked up. If you’re unsure, ask your supervisor or a neighbor for help figuring out your area’s next electronics pick-up day.
Free garbage collections (無料回収, muryou kaishuu) are also fairly common. If you see a vacant lot with the 無料回収 sign, you can throw your TV away there at no charge. If you have one near you, don’t wait to throw your TV away because they only stay at certain areas for a short amount of time. These garbage collections also collect other hard-to-throw-away items including other electronics, large furniture and tires. If your predecessor left you a lot of garbage, these collections are the cheapest way to get rid of everything.
Melanie is a 3rd-year ALT who is still waiting for that new TV her BOE promised her 2 months ago.
From the June 2011 CLAIR newsletter:
The JET Programme announces the cancellation of the 2012-2013 JET Calendar and JET Diary. We would like to thank current and past participants for the many photos submitted throughout the years. (link)
I’m quite sad to see that both of these items have been cut. My JET planner has saved me on the Tokyo subway more than once, and the crucial information it contained, which included medical terminology, road signs, food labels, and laundry tag information, all within a compact, easy-to-use format, will be sorely missed.
Leah Zoller is a second-year CIR in Anamizu and is the outgoing editor of this blog.
Many thanks to our crack team of JETs who have been working tirelessly to get this information out: Julia Caffrey, ALT; Sophie Bocklandt, CIR; Megan Lam, AJET Charity Rep & ALT; and Bill Smith, PA. 誠にありがとうございます!
Below is a list of locations accepting donations of goods; includes restrictions and maps.
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Reposted from the National AJET Site:
AJET Relief and Donations
AJET would like to announce that we will be collecting money to specifically address JET needs in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We also encourage donations to relief efforts directed at the community at large (JEN: http://tinyurl.com/4sp8mba; Peace Winds Japan: http://www.peace-winds.org/en/; or Good Neigbours: http://tinyurl.com/4f6gtas), however the AJET Relief Fund will provide donations directly to JETs in affected areas, with advice from Prefectural Advisors in prefectures such as Akita, Chiba, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Iwate and Miyagi to ensure that this money is used in the most efficient way possible.
As the relief effort is still in its early stages, the needs of affected JETs have not yet been fully assessed. National AJET expects to address some of these needs as they arise; shelter, food and water will be top priorities. The AJET Relief fund will also be used to help JETs rebuild their lives after the immediate danger has passed. For updates or questions about the distribution of AJET Relief funds, make sure to e-mail relief@ajet.net.
To donate to the AJET Relief Fund:
Visit your local bank to make a bank transfer (furikomi).
Bank: Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行)
Account: 1933601
Account name: “AJET Relief.” （AJETリリーフ）
(If you have never made a furikomi transfer before, please see more complete instructions at the end).
Presently, the AJET Relief Fund is only accepting monetary donations. Information on volunteering during your spring break, as well as organisations to contact, will be announced shortly.
Accomodation
AJET would like to encourage JETs in affected areas to consult the Couch Surfing website http://www.couchsurfing.org for their accommodation needs at present. If no suitable accommodation is available, please contact your National AJET Representative.
Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita: block1@ajet.net (Claire Gittens)
Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, Niigata: block2@ajet.net (Brianna Harris)
Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Nagano: block3@ajet.net (Denise Schlickbernd)
Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka: block4@ajet.net (Erica Nakanishi-Stanis)
Detailed furikomi instructions:
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AT&T電話会社からお知らせです。AT&Tの携帯電話も有線電話から無料で日本に通話サービスを行う。3月11日から31日にかけて、アメリカ及びプエルトリコの携帯電話から日本に無料で通話することになる。又は、アメリカの有線電話から日本に通話する方々は60分間以下の通話料金を調整することになる。(前払い口座を除く。)
携帯電話からアメリカの赤十字社の災害救援活動に10ドルを寄付するために、90999に“redcross”を携帯メールで送ることになる。
From the official AT&T site:
AT&T* today announced it has implemented international calling and texting support efforts for U.S. residential wireless and wireline consumers trying to connect with loved ones in Japan, following last week’s tragic earthquake and tsunami.
Effective beginning last week, March 11, and continuing through March 31, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for:
* International long distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan
* Text messages to Japan, originated from a U.S. wireless number
In addition, and also effective March 11 through March 31, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dial calling to Japan:
* Upon receiving their wireline bill, customers may call AT&T to receive adjusted calling for up to 60 minutes. In other words, no charges for up to 60 minutes of call time from the United States to Japan between March 11 and March 31.
For any of the above activity, customers will either see no charges reflected on their monthly statement, or they will see a full credit applied to their statement for activity between March 11 and March 31.
“We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in anyway we can,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this— we want to make it as easy and worry free as possible for our customers.”
Still available, AT&T wireless customers can text “redcross” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help the Red Cross with disaster support efforts in the area. No text message fees apply.
And, TV Japan – the 24 hour Japanese news channel – is available for free through March 17 to all U-verse® TV subscribers, allowing viewers to follow the news and recovery efforts. TV Japan can be found on channel 3680.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
-Leah
1. NTT’s 171
Call 171+1 to leave a message for your loved ones or 171+2 to play messages. Use web171 (http://www.ntt-east.co.jp/saigai/web171/index.html) to do this online. Free dial. Website is in Japanese.
「災害用伝言ダイヤルは、地震、噴火などの災害の発生により、被災地への通信が増加し、つながりにくい状況になった場合に提供が開始される声の伝言板です。」 ウェブサイトで説明が日本語で書いてある。
2. Family Links International Committee of the Red Cross
http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/
Search for your family or post your status in English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, or Korean.
英語・日本語・韓国語・中国語・スペイン語・ポルトガル語で不明者を探したり、自分の状況を確認したり出来る。
Para as pessoas que buscam restabelecer contato com familiares afetados pelo terremoto no Japão.
帮助受日本大地震影响之人与家人重建联系。
일본 대지진 피해 가족들간 연락 재개
Para personas que buscan a restablecer el contacto con sus familiares afectados por el terremoto en Japón.
3. Google People Finder
http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en
Search in 日本語, English, 한국어, 中 文 (简 体), 中 文 (繁 體), Português (Brasil).
Be aware that there are reports that misinformation is being spread on this.
グーグル消息情報のウェブサイトで嘘及び誤報が書いてある可能性があります。
-Leah
Update: A word from National AJET:
Don’t add to sensationalist rumors. If you are posting information on facebook, twitter and other media outlets, please make sure that you use credible sources. Include your source and as much information as possible.
Follow NAJET on twitter (@NationalAJET), facebook, and the official website.
Watch live coverage in English at the BBC online–features live text feed. Up-to-date, accurate, and bilingual expat approved.
Also, see AlJazeera’s live blog and live stream in English.
Finally, NHK World’s English coverage is here.
Learn earthquake-related vocabulary (English/Japanese) at Japan Newbie. Also has a lot of vocab about the nuclear plant situation.
Surviving in Japan’s twitter feed has great information in English. (@survivingnjapan)
-Leah
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