Good luck 2024 JETs!

Excitement, hope for the future, and sushi filled the room at the sendoff reception downtown for this year’s newly departing JETs. It was to be the next day that they were spirited away to O’Hare to begin their new chapter of life in Japan on the JET Program.

Also attending the reception were JETAA Chicago President Gabriel Coronado, Treasurer Amber Jackson, Philanthropy Lead Sara Brown, and several JET alumni to wish them well and answer any final questions before the big day. Being there with the group of new JETs and joining in their excitement was amazing and pretty nostalgic, as it reminded us of our own first days on the program.

We wish you the best of times, and we can’t wait to hear your stories when you’re back!

We finished out the Survival Series with our Mitsuwa Market Sweep!

We finished our Survival Series without a hitch! For our Mitsuwa Market Sweep, the Outgoing JETs were partnered with the Alumni and completed the Japanese Shopping Quest. They learned how to shop for Japanese ingredients, and we had time to share our Japanese experiences. The three teams (Kantou Gang, Shinjukucats, OnePunchSomething) did a good job in searching for the items, but the winner of the scavenger hunt was Kantou Gang I think it was that Poker Face that intimidated the rest of the teams.

2024 Japanese Summer Festival

When I tell you that I miss Japanese omatsuri (festivals), I am really shouting it from the depths of my soul. And now that I’m finding out that they exist in and outside of Chicago, and that I don’t have to say goodbye to one of my favorite Japan activities?! The aggressive excitement is real.

I recently volunteered at the Anderson Japanese Gardens that hosted the 2024 Japanese Summer Festival in late July. There were taiko drums, gigantic shodo, a candy man who pranked the audience while making candy, the crowd getting Awa Odori lessons, Aikido demos, and way more over the 2-day event inside the most beautiful Japanese garden. I was starstruck. While leading the Japanese-name writing event, I heard many wonderful stories from festival goers of all ages of their interest in the culture, past adventures to Japan, and aspirations to travel there someday. I'd say the 2-hour drive from Chicago is worth it to see the garden, and I’m definitely going to this festival again next year!

- JETAA Chicago Philanthropy Lead Sara Brown