How 2,000 Books in Kobe Created a University Librarian (Copy)
Adam Lisbon (Hyogo, 1995-1997)
Interviewed by Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata, 2008-2010 & Kochi, 2018-2020)
A certain object — one that many people consider outdated nowadays — planted a seed in Adam Lisbon that ended up shaping his life.
“The thing that really made me want to travel and see the world — and Japan sort of filled that gap of where to go in the world — was, believe it or not, CD-Roms,” Lisbon said. “My Dad was an electrician and loved to tinker, so he installed a CD-Rom on our Tandy computer.”
“There were a lot of educational games, and I got obsessed with the World Atlas, clicking on countries and reading about them. I realized the world was a lot bigger than the narrow strip of (Long) Island I grew up on. It was waves of new information, and Japan somehow managed to fill the gap in terms of where I wanted to go because my dumb younger self kind of felt like Europe was more of the same.”
Adam hiking Mt. Koya during a return visit to Japan.
That interest in Japan drove him to major in Japanese as an undergraduate at the University at Albany and to spend his junior year of college studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, which he described as life changing and an experience that changed him for the better. “I was a really socially anxious awkward person for most of my youth, and I remember — not the exact moment — something inside of me clicked, and it was like I went online the first time in my life,” Lisbon said.
“I had a host family. I had to use Japanese with them since they didn’t speak English. I was meeting people from all over the world for the first time, not just Japanese people. The world opened up. It was like I had been in a shell, and really didn’t see how much there was in the world and suddenly, it all just felt so much brighter and welcoming. The whole experience made me feel more connected to people around me in a way I hadn't felt before."
Lisbon says he grew a lot as a person during his study abroad experience, including coming out as gay. And after his time at Kansai Gaidai and graduation from the University at Albany, he took what he described as the only logical step for him as a Japanese major: apply for the JET Program, which ended up taking him to the Kansai Region again — this time, Kobe.
And further molding him as a person — especially when it came to public speaking. Lisbon cites his first self-introduction while on the JET Program as an unforgettable experience. “What’s more terrifying than 40 judgmental 12-year olds?” Lisbon asked rhetorically about that speech at one of Kobe’s largest middle schools, where he said he was so nervous he shook uncontrollably just prior to speaking. However, he quickly became comfortable speaking in front of crowds. “I had become a comedian by the end of it,” Lisbon said about that memorable self-introduction. “I just figured out how to connect with students in silly and fun ways.”
Adam at Sports Day during JET.
Lisbon’s current work involves books — lots of them. He manages the Japanese and Korean collections at the University of Colorado. He also teaches research skills in literature and history related to the two languages. When asked if he experienced any culture shock while on JET, Lisbon responded he was surprised by how demanding teaching is. “It asks a lot of your mind, a lot of your body,” Lisbon said. “It very quickly transformed my understanding of education and teaching. It was very humbling to realize how talented teachers are.”
And those talents often enable teachers to do what might not be expected of them. “I’m a librarian, but I’m also a part-time therapist,” Lisbon said, noting that students occasionally get anxiety about their assignments, which delve into a wide variety of topics — such as the history of plastic surgery in Korea and an introspective of the Vietcong during the Vietnam War.
He credits the JET Program for helping launch his career, having joined Hyogo AJET as a librarian during his second stint living in the Kansai Region. “I had roughly 2000 books piled up in my 1DK,” Lisbon said. “Popular fiction was in the pantry, mystery was under the sink, etc.”
When asked about what he's most proud of during his time in Boulder, Lisbon mentioned the research he’s done before turning to something else. “I’m really proud of being known in my field for my technical knowledge,” he said, adding he once served as the keynote speaker at a conference in Bulgaria, where he discussed matters pertaining to artificial intelligence in East Asian studies librarianship. “I’m (also) proud of using a new tool in an ethical way to improve the quality of our collection, which would not have been possible a few years ago.”
Accomplishments that might not have happened if Japan hadn’t been able to help shape his personality.
About Adam Lisbon (Hyogo, 1995-1997)
Adam Lisbon was a JET Program ALT from 2004-2007 in Kobe-shi. After returning to the US, he got CELTA certificate in New York City and moved to San Francisco to teach English. He returned to New York in 2010 to pursue a master's in library science. In 2013 he became a Professor and Librarian at the University of Colorado Boulder where he still works today, curating the Japanese and Korean collections. In his work, Adam researches how to make the work of librarians who collect non-English foreign language collections more efficient. His most recent article explores price trends of second hand books on Amazon Japan. He also works with the Japanese American community to promote its history and connect those interested with resources for deeper research. Since moving to Colorado, Adam has served as secretary and president of JETAA Rocky Mountain. He served as JETAA USA Country Representative from 2022-2024. In his personal life, Adam is an avid runner exploring the trails of the Rocky Mountains and recently completed his first 100-mile race (in a breezy 27 hours).
The Senpai Spotlight series is brought to you through partnership between USJETAA and AJET’s CONNECT Magazine. The series features JET alumni from the US who have made successful careers for themselves in various fields—with the goal of inspiring young JETs and JET alumni to pursue their own dreams while also offering some words of advice only a senpai could know.
If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured as a Senpai Spotlight, please reach out to us at contact@usjetaa.org.
This edition of Senpai Spotlight was written by Rashaad Jorden, a two-time JET Program ALT (Yamagata, 2008-2010 & Kochi, 2018-2020). During his second JET stint, he was the General Sports Editor for AJET CONNECT Magazine. As working for CONNECT was one of the most enjoyable aspects of his JET experience, he’s eagerly contributing again to a community that he treasures.
