Life After JET

I think my guest on this episode demonstrates the power of the JET connection and experience - getting into a career that allows him to travel the world and learn - specifically about the way business practices are done globally.

Ryan Hata works in the event planning and project management space at Columbia Business School. As always, we don’t just talk about what he does as part of his job, but also expand into topics related to his work, like global business practices, and what innovation looks like in China and India.

Note: This will the final episode for 2025. After JET will be taking a break. Thanks to everyone who has been supporting and listening to the podcast.

On JET, teaching can really immerse you in the local community - and many have also found their future career in education as a result. For my guest, it has lead to many opportunities- travel around the world and a way to do positive impacts on people’s lives.

- Quebec City Reading Council has a website at http://www.qcrc.org/ - they also accept volunteer tutors.

- Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/quebeccityreadingcouncil

Music for this episode is 'Pursuit of Life' by Kirk Osamayo, sourced from Free Music Archive under license type (CC BY).

Our post-JET lives can be interesting and varied, thanks to the many opportunities available and networks that we form. That's the theme of this episode but along the way, we meander in our discussion, talking about the good and bad of AI, innovation and how taking chances can lead to great things.

On this special anniversary episode of the Tohoku disaster, special guest William McMichael talks about the current state of Fukushima and Tohoku, 14 years on. Though challenges remain, the outlook is far from bleak, with the people of Tohoku determined to forge a future of sustainability - and hope.

Footnotes

- Hope Tourism: https://www.hopetourism.jp/en/ - if you want to contribute to Tohoku's rebuilding, consider this special tour and hear the stories beyond the news cycle.

Japan is a rich source for social-media-worthy pics - the history, culture, landscape, architecture, food and more. Unsurprisingly, some JETs have turned to building an online-based career. Few have been as successful as my guest who runs @yamatrips, a well-known Instagram account that showcases the road less travelled in Japan.

If you've ever wondered how social media can be used in business, then you're in luck, as Tony Xia gives us his insights into online brand building - with a purpose.

Footnotes

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yamatrips/

- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yamatrips

- Tony's article in JETStreams "Insights from a Japan Influencer": https://jetprogramme.org/en/jetstreams/summer2024/#elm-8

My guest has done many things - started a non-profit while on JET, changed Japanese law, graduated from Oxford with a PhD, did a TEDx talk - but (spoiler alert) confesses that much of it was unplanned. We talk about the how and why of the Japanese institutional care of children, and what it means to make meaningful impact and finding your path without sweating the small stuff.

Footnotes

- Dr Rivera King's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rivera-king-dphil-fcmi-73088720/

- TEDx Tokyo: Against All Odds: https://youtu.be/vzW6vetckfM?si=wuyEomwxfu3rYYDE

- The Japan Society in the UK: https://www.japansociety.org.uk/home

We live in a world of constant news cycle, from stations and social media alike. So how does the traditional news bureau survive in this world of constant (mis)information? Our guest Ryan Keeble (news producer and cameraman) is on the ground reporting from London.

Footnotes:

Check out Ryan’s work on Youtube on the channel Inside Kitchen London (@insidekitchen_LDN)

In this episode, I get to nerd out about science, dinosaurs and gross nature facts with my guest Cecily Arkell. We talk about the challenges and rewards of being a life-long science educator and communicator at one of the top art and cultural institutions in Australia - the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip.

A fact check correction: Cecily meant to say it was Barry Jones, not Gareth Evans who was an Australian politician with a science background.

This episode features a special guest: not only is Doug Tassin my sempai from JET, he also heads the Krewe of Japan podcast. In a rather meta episode, we talk about our love of the cast podding genre. And we of course start with Doug's day job as a consultant building IT systems for hospitals, which led to a discussion about the challenges of the US medical insurance system.

Believe it or not, there are people trying to make HR a better human experience, through the use of technology and HCD principles. My guest Megan DeVille has a job she describes as "obscure", but one that can provide immense benefits to organisations, employers and employees.

We also get to geek out about anime and pop culture, and why good anime music will never die.

Footnotes:

- Suzaku 7 website: info and performances: https://suzaku7.weebly.com/

-Suzaku 7 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSuzaku7/