AJET Connect MAY 2014

KAIGAICONNECTIONAndrea Miyata, Okayama (1995-1998)Last year, a group of fellow foreign residents and I founded a groupcalled Kaigai Connection. We offer a range of services from homepagedesign, branding services, language support services, includingtranslation, interpretation, document creation, and editing in English,French, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean, photography, video production,and event planning. There are four of us in the core group, two of whomare ex-JETs. We also collaborate on projects with other foreign residentsin Okayama, some of whom are JET alumni. Our client base is comprisedmainly of Japanese companies who are seeking to take their productsoverseas, as well as companies who want to increase foreign clientelein Japan.We got together by chance while participating in an event to encourageyoung people to follow their dreams and to pursue higher education.Although we knew each other prior to the event, we found that wepossessed a set of skills that meshed well. It didn’t take long for usto find that we could apply these skills to other fields. We also foundthat we have in common a respect for Japanese people, culture, andsociety, and this has opened opportunities that are not always visible tobusinesses from abroad. Our individual work experiences before comingto Japan are assets for businesses looking towards foreign markets. Thediversity of ideas, abilities, and backgrounds within our group is onereason for our success.As we are all long-term and permanent residents of Okayama, we alsogive back to our communities by volunteering. One way we do this isthrough an ongoing campaign to increase foreign awareness andparticipation in Okayama UNICEF; as such, we made and maintain anEnglish homepage and Facebook page for Okayama UNICEF, and areassisting with event planning and production. One upcoming event is aphoto exhibit on Syria, which will highlight effects of the war and UNICEFrelief efforts; the exhibit will be held at the Okayama Orient Museumfrom July 1 through August 31, 2014.We enjoy the work we do, but the most difficult thing about the job isfinding recognition among the business community. We are frequentlyasked to prove that we can perform the work before receivingcommitments for subsequent projects. The best part about the job isbeing proud of offering a set of services that no Japanese company canmatch.For the upcoming year, our goals include increasing the number of projectsthat we are able to accept as well as continuing to deepen relationshipsin our respective communities. A large aspect of achieving these goals isgetting out into the community and getting our name known.We would love for the JET community to participate in events andcampaigns that we are planning for the foreign community in Japan.We would also be interested in assisting any JETs who are planning onremaining in Japan and are wondering what work options are availablein the area.We are organizing a kayak tour of the Seto Inland Sea on May 24th, 2014,and working with a kimono rental shop in Kurashiki city in Okayama topromote rentals to foreign visitors.For more information, please see our homepage and Facebook pages.Homepage: http://www.kaigaiconnection.jpFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaigaiConnectionOur staff photographer and videographertaking portraits for a new homepage.Andrea Miyata was a former JET in Funao-cho and Yorishimacho,Okayama-ken 1995-98. Originally from Kansas City,Missouri (USA), Okayama is now her permanent home. Shehas experience in education, administration, translation,interpretation, and technical writing. She enjoys meeting andworking with new people from all countries and promotingbetter intercultural understanding.Shin Koyamada Foundation: Interpreting at aninternational exchange event held to encourageyoung people to pursue higher education.66 67CONNECTCONNECTMay Issue 2014 May Issue 2014UNICEF: One of our core members giving backto the community by volunteering at a UNICEFfundraising events.