JET Coaster: Outgoing JET Conference Video

A few years ago I had the opportunity to teach English in Japan through the JET Programme, and recently one of my friends from the program asked me to make a video for the JET participants returning home this summer. I was asked to address the following points in my video:

"Basically start by saying where you were in Akita and for how long, and then talk about the following questions:

1) How was the reverse culture shock when you moved back home? Did you feel any, and how did you deal with it?
2) What are you doing now, where are you living?
3) How did your JET experience help you professionally?
4) Do you have any regrets about not doing something on the JET Programme?
5) Do you have any message for the JETs leaving this year?"




These are the verses I wrote in response, entitled "JET Coaster":

hey everybody my name's JournalRhythm no I mean Eyjilla no I mean AJ
these days I answer to the names of these three folks
it's no joke what I spoke you we goin' for broke
I had an overdose of flow and opened up to music
paired it up with the daily news and infused it
cruised in on the JET Programme and used it
to build another library of words to choose
imbuing myself with bicultural influence
got no regrets. here's my summary and 2 cents:

ジェットコースターみたいにups and downs
you feel kinda like a hero yet a sidekick somehow
この乗り物は確か楽しい
けど乗っているうちにwatch out for your calling

日本語flow now

現在住んでる場所はイリノイ州
帰国してもショックはある
サービスは比較的に最低
たとえばマックの注文受ける相手
雰囲気だけでいらつくぐらい
何度もsigh「このバイト要らない」
と言ってるみたいに笑顔もない
「日本よかったな」と思わざるを得ない
こんな時。that ain't no joke, see.
that's my video... you can proceed.

The mp3 can be downloaded here:
JET_Coaster.mp3

Below is the video as it was shown at the JET conference:

草なぎ容疑者 全裸で公園で泥酔ぶり Japanese TV Star Kusanagi Tsuyoshi Found Drunk, Naked In Park

(mp3をダウンしたい人、ダウンにスクロールして一番下にあります）
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, a well-respected member of the longtime pop sensation SMAP, tarnished his wholesome image Thursday morning when he was found drunk and naked in a Tokyo park, singing Korean songs and being belligerent. Companies and government agencies using his image in their campaigns immediately pulled their advertisements and nullified their contracts with the star. Kusanagi is expected to make a public apology and reflect on his actions.




The original news articles can be found here:

草なぎ容疑者：東京区検に送検…釈放を決定

草なぎ容疑者　全裸で奇声！異例の家宅捜索も

草なぎ剛容疑者：「地デジ」広報、作り直し　ＣＭ中止相次ぐ

Japan aghast over drunk TV star's naked blunder

These are the lyrics, first in Japanese, then in English, and finally in romaji (transliterated Japanese):

２３日の朝赤坂の公園で
シンゴーって叫んで
デングリ返しをしていて
ある酔っぱらいが騒いでいた
さらに全身素っ裸

まさかこの人つよしくん？
手足をばたつかせている...
「裸だったら何が悪い」と
言いながらシートで泥酔ぶりートー
になってパトカーに乗せられて
彼のCMの中止相次ぐ
ジャニーズ事務所深く詫びる

悪質性の低い犯罪
なのに「スキャンダル？万歳！」
と言いそうな日本のマスコミ
反応し過ぎしなけりゃおかしい

逆に地デジの広報になりそう
もっとキレイにとんでもないニュース見よう！


On the morning of the 23rd in a park in Akasaka
yelling "Shingo!
and rolling around,
a drunk was making a scene.
What's more, he was completely naked.

No way, is that Tsuyoshi-kun?
He's flailing his limbs around.
"What's wrong with being naked?"
he protests as he is made into a drunk burrito with a sheet
and loaded into a police car.
His commercials were subsequently pulled
and his agency deeply apologized for his actions.

Although it was a crime of little malice
Japanese media seems to say "Scandal? Alright!"
It would be strange if they didn't overreact.

Actually, it seems like a great promotion for digital television:
"Let's watch ridiculous news in high definition!"
(the government removed him from their "converting to digital" campaign)


ni juu san nichi no asa Akasaka no kouen de
"shingou" tte sakende
dengurikaeshi wo shite ite
aru yopparai ga sawaide ita
sara ni zenshin suppadaka

masaka kono hito Tsuyoshi-kun?
teashi wo batatsukasete iru
"hadaka dattara nani ga warui" to
ii nagara shiito de deisuiburiitou
ni natte patokaa ni noserarete
kare no CM no chuushi aitsugu
Jyaniizu jimusho fukaku wabiru

akushitusei no hikui hanzai
nanoni "skyandaru? banzai!"
to ii sou na nihon no masukomi
hannou shisugi shinakerya okashii

gyaku ni chideji no kouhou ni narisou
motto kirei ni tondemonai nyuusu miyou!


Both the Blog Mix and Video Mix mp3s can be downloaded below:
ダウンロードしたい方は下の二つのバージョンから選んで下さい：
Blog Mix13.mp3
Video Mix.mp3

North Korea Launches Rocket Over Japan

On Sunday North Korea fired a rocket that sailed over Japan, apparently fizzling out and landing in the ocean. China and Russia maintain that there is no need for alarm as the launch was of a satellite, not a ballistic missile. However, the technology tested in the launch may have been for long-range ballistics purposes, and US President Barack Obama called for action to be taken against this breach of the 2006 UN Security Council Resolution.




The original news article can be found here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/5110675/Analysis-actions-harder-than-words-over-North-Korea-missile-launch.html

These are the lyrics:

if you don't know about the Six-Party conversation
let me take a minute to give you an education
basically it's like a game of 3 on 3
and the half court line's the in middle of Korea

on the South's side is the US and Japan
who both understand nuclear weapons first-hand
on the North's team is China and Russia
they're like the center and power forward brothers

back in '06 the UN blew the whistle
and decided any shot was cool except missiles
Pyongyang tends to forget what was said
and recently threw a missile right over Japan's head

and Japan called a timeout to avoid fighting
Obama came in and said "rules must be binding"
China and Russia said "you might be right
but that wasn't a missile, that was just a satellite"

NK needs to play safe just to stay in the game
cause for playing they get paid with food staples and aid
they just lucky to even be treated as equals
and not have America taking their free throws...

The mp3 can be downloaded here:
NorthKoreaLaunchesRocketOverJapan111.mp3