USJETAA is offering subsidized, one-on-one career coaching sessions with experienced JET alumni career coaches. Availability is limited to USJETAA members, and appointments will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit one coaching session per registrant. $25 for a one-hour session.

Jennifer Jakubowski (Hokkaido, 1995-1997)

By a multitude of measures, Japan and the United States are among the most polar-opposite cultures on the planet. Japanese society dates back millennia; the United States, by comparison, is but a teenager.  Japan embodies one of the most homogeneous populations in the world; the United States is the quintessential melting pot. The axis on which Japanese society rotates is one of group-based mentality and behavior; the United States foremost fosters and rewards individualism. Hierarchy has a long and prominent role in Japan; competition and meritocracy have largely driven the American narrative. Such contrasts represent a mere glimpse of the fuller picture.

JETs on Japan: December, 2024

November’s Photo of the Month comes to us from JETAA Rocky Mountain President David LaCharite (Kagoshima, 2012-2016).