The 2024 JET Program Pre-departure Orientation and Welcome Reception
2024/8/14
On August 1st and 2nd, 2024 the Consular Office of Japan in Anchorage held a Pre-Departure Orientation and Luncheon for six new Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program participants from Alaska to prepare them to move and assist in English education at schools in Japan.
At the Pre-Departure Orientation, the new JET Program participants learned about travel procedures, their full orientation in Tokyo, and many tips about starting their new life in Japan. This included presentations from the travel agency that organized their flights and presentations from former JET program participants on teaching, living in Japan, and how to succeed on the JET Program. At the Luncheon, the six participants were joined by members of the Consular Office including Head Consul Kiyohiko Hamada, representatives from the Alaska JET Alumni Association (AKJETAA), as well as Paul Dunscomb, a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage who helped conduct the interviews for the six then candidates.
At the Luncheon, the JET Program participants were able to share where they were going to live and work in Japan, and the guests could share words of wisdom for their life and work in Japan. Head Consul Hamada wished the participants the best in their endeavors in Japan, and urged them to make the most of their new homes by taking part in local events.
Early on the morning of August 3rd, around 1 a.m., the six boarded their flight to Tokyo without incident. After a three-day orientation in Tokyo with all hundreds of other participants, they made their way to their placement locations all across Japan. This year’s JETs were all placed in different prefectures; Hokkaido, Miyazaki, Tottori, Yamanashi, Toyama, and Kochi. The Consular Office of Japan in Anchorage looks forward to hearing about their experiences and hopes the participants continue to be a cultural bridge between Japan and Alaska for many years to come.
At the Pre-Departure Orientation, the new JET Program participants learned about travel procedures, their full orientation in Tokyo, and many tips about starting their new life in Japan. This included presentations from the travel agency that organized their flights and presentations from former JET program participants on teaching, living in Japan, and how to succeed on the JET Program. At the Luncheon, the six participants were joined by members of the Consular Office including Head Consul Kiyohiko Hamada, representatives from the Alaska JET Alumni Association (AKJETAA), as well as Paul Dunscomb, a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage who helped conduct the interviews for the six then candidates.
At the Luncheon, the JET Program participants were able to share where they were going to live and work in Japan, and the guests could share words of wisdom for their life and work in Japan. Head Consul Hamada wished the participants the best in their endeavors in Japan, and urged them to make the most of their new homes by taking part in local events.
Early on the morning of August 3rd, around 1 a.m., the six boarded their flight to Tokyo without incident. After a three-day orientation in Tokyo with all hundreds of other participants, they made their way to their placement locations all across Japan. This year’s JETs were all placed in different prefectures; Hokkaido, Miyazaki, Tottori, Yamanashi, Toyama, and Kochi. The Consular Office of Japan in Anchorage looks forward to hearing about their experiences and hopes the participants continue to be a cultural bridge between Japan and Alaska for many years to come.