Stress, Trauma, and Job Burn-out

Posted on July 11, 2013 by jodias

Topics of this free seminar will include: Traumas (e.g., disasters, violence, accidents, illnesses, divorces, etc.)/ daily stress/ sleep disturbances/ depression/ fatigue/ diabetes/ heart disease/ addictions/ effective treatment of stress/ compassion fatigue and burn-out.

The speaker, Joseph Naoshi Ozawa, Ph.D. is a Japanese-American who has been a psychologist and pastor for over 30 years, in America and in Asia. He was a trainer of volunteers and professional workers in post-traumatic and stress care after the March 11 disaster in Tohoku, Japan. He currently lives in California where he is a licensed clinical psychologist and disaster “responder” for the American Red Cross.

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EVENT: Lecture on “Stress, Trauma, ‘Compassionate Fatigue’ and Job Burn-out”
SPEAKER: Joseph Naoshi Ozawa, Ph.D. (licensed clinical psychologist)
WHEN: Friday, July 26, 2013; From 6:00 PM
WHERE: Wesley Center, 2F (Click HERE for a map)
RSVP: By email at [email protected] or phone at 03-6427-4696.
LANGUAGE: Lecture is in English but Japanese interpretation will be provided.
TARGET AUDIENCE: For “helping professionals,” workers, expatriates, survivors of disaster, and all others!)

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Lecture on Ageing & Ending Well

Posted on July 11, 2013 by jodias

This seminar is designed for those who deal with aging parents and relatives, and for the “elderly” themselves. Topics will include: Maintaining physical health/ Diagnoses of dementia/ Alzheimer’s/ Advanced healthcare directives/ Integrative healthcare strategies for successful ageing/ Mortality/ Preparing ourselves, families, and clients for a compassionate, affirming, peaceful end to life.

The speaker, Joseph Naoshi Ozawa, Ph.D. is a Japanese-American who has been a psychologist and pastor for over 30 years, in America and in Asia. He has cared for ageing parents and relatives, and he himself is over 65 years of age. He also worked in geriatric psychology and palliative care with a U.S. government community health center.

EVENT: Lecture on “Ageing and Ending Well–Gracefully & Strong”
TARGET AUDIENCE: Caretakers of elderly and elderly themselves
SPEAKER: Joseph Naoshi Ozawa, Ph.D. (licensed clinical psychologist)
WHEN: Saturday, July 27, 2013; From 10:00 AM
WHERE: Wesley Center, 2F (Click HERE for a map)
RSVP: By email at [email protected] or phone at 03-6427-4696.
LANGUAGE: Lecture is in English but Japanese interpretation will be provided.
COST: Free

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Teaching English as an International Language

Posted on June 24, 2013 by jodias

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EVENT: Lecture on Teaching Materials in English as an international language
SPEAKER: Aya Matsuda (Arizona State University)
WHEN: June 28th (Friday), 18:00-19:30
FEE: Free for members of the Tokyo Chapter of JALT–1000 yen for non-members
RSVP: Contact Jim McKinley–[email protected]
WHERE: Sophia University, Building 11, Room 419 [http://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/info/access]


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The global spread of English has resulted in varied forms and functions of the language as well as the diverse profile of English users. This presentation will explore what kind of teaching materials would help teachers bring the sociolinguistic complexity of English in today’s world into their classroom. After a brief discussion of what it means to teach EIL, the speaker will suggest five criteria for evaluating materials, and present a three-step process for supplementing materials along with some ideas for possible sources of supplemental materials.

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Japan’s Revised Labor Contract Law

Posted on June 24, 2013 by jodias

EVENT: Talk on Japan’s Revised Labor Contract Law
SPEAKER: Yumiko Nakajima (General Secretary of the National Union of General Workers)
WHEN: July 3rd (Wed), 18:00-19:30
WHERE: Sophia University, <http://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/info/access>
FEE: Free for members of the Tokyo Chapter of JALT–1000 yen for non-members
RSVP: Contact Jim McKinley–[email protected]
ACCESSIBILITY: Simultaneous interpretation provided by Chie Matsumoto (journalist, interpreter, and translator who has worked with The Guardian and Ronahan Films of UK, USA Today, Canal+ of France and Nine Network of Australia)


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Japan’s revised labor contract law went into effect from April 1st. It may not affect university faculty members immediately but in a few years time it will affect many of us. This is an opportunity to learn the three important points of the new law from a labor expert and prepare for any potential consequences. Materials in English explaining the new law will be provided. It is still not known how AGU will respond to this new law.

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Humor & Culture Lecture

Posted on June 18, 2013 by jodias

EVENT: Lecture on the Topic “Humor and Culture”
SPEAKER: Professor Ted Quock (Keisei University)
WHEN: June 18th, 6 PM – 7:25 PM
WHERE: Bldg 15, Room 15-606

Professor Quock’s talk will focus on the nature of humor and his unique definition of it, along with the various theories he has developed about types of humor and intention vs. perception. Culture usually comes into play in relation to the perception of humor since the target audience can be defined by factors such as age, gender, sexual/religious/political persuasion, education, and experience. Prof. Quock’s lecture will deal with cross-cultural analyses of humor, particularly concentrating on Japan vs. the West. Lots of examples of humor will be used and students and there will be some enjoyable interactive tasks and activities.


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Second Harvest Lecture

Posted on June 18, 2013 by jodias

EVENT: Second Harvest (NGO) Special Lecture
WHEN: June 18th, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
WHERE: Bldg 1, Room 124

Second Harvest is an international organization that collects unsold food from stores, companies and restaurants and redistributes it to orphanages, women’s shelters, elder care facilities, soup kitchens, etc. Second Harvest Japan, the first food bank in Japan, was founded in 2000. To date, the organization has redistributed over 8000 tons of food. Since March 2011, 2HJ has also provided food and disaster relief supplies to the Tohoku region. The guest speaker, Dr. Rumi Ide, has a PhD in nutrition and worked in the food industry for 10 years before joining 2HJ in 2011. She was also a volunteer in the Philippines with JICA’s JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer) Program. In addition to speaking about the activities of Second Harvest Japan, she will also focus on food waste, food loss, international food banking and will talk briefly about her own career path. For students interested in volunteering, 2hj offers various kinds of volunteer opportunities on a regular basis. (http://www.2hj.org)


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CNN video about 2hj: “Redirecting unwanted food”

Japan Times article

Staff bios


Videos

2011 Newsletter (response to tsunami)

Making care packages (manga)


Info about Rumi’s career


Asahi Shinbun article


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Musical by the Tokyo International Players

Posted on May 17, 2013 by jodias

The Tokyo International Players invite you to enjoy their version of the musical Into the Woods, to be performed from May 16th – 19th in Shinjuku. There will be six performances in total. Tickets can be reserved online. Student discounts are available.

Here is the way the play is described at the TIP Web site:

When a baker and his wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by a witch next door, they embark on a quest for special objects required to break the spell. Along the way, they swindle, lie and steal from Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Rapunzel, Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk) and other characters from Grimms’ fairy tales in order to get their wish. Ultimately wishes are granted for everyone, but the consequences of the actions each character took to get their wishes return to haunt them later, with disastrous results.

EVENT: The musical “Into the Woods”
WHEN: May 16th – 19th
WHERE: Sun-mall Theater in Shinjuku (Click HERE for a map)

The Tokyo International Players (TIP) was founded in 1896. Its members have mainly been made up of talent from the Tokyo foreign community, but Japanese cast members and supporting staff have also played key roles.

The organization, 100% volunteer-run, provides quality English-language entertainment for international audiences. Over its long history, many active members have appeared in professional theatre in Japan and abroad.

TIP is always looking for new on-stage talent, directors, designers, and backstage crew, as well as people to support their various front-of-house, fundraising, and promotional activities. They consider enthusiasm, energy, and a fun-loving nature to be more important than experience.


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Film on Bullying in “Frames of Mind” series

Posted on May 7, 2013 by jodias

See the 2011 documentary “Bully” (about five U.S. students who deal with bullying on a daily basis) in a special screening by the Tokyo English Life Line (TELL). This is one of a series of films on the human condition that they have been showing to highlight various important social issues. It will be followed by a discussion about bullying with TELL Counseling Center psychotherapist Vicky Skorji and TELL intern Mica Henderson. The film “Bully” has inspired “The Bully Project, a movement to stop bullying by changing “the culture of bullying into one of empathy and action.”

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EVENT: Screening of “Bully” followed by discussion
WHEN: Friday, May 10, 2013; 7 PM – 10 PM
WHERE: Wesley Center, 2F (Click HERE for a map)
COST: ¥1000 donation is requested

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Earth Day Tokyo 2013

Posted on April 21, 2013 by jodias

Earth Day takes place every year on April 22nd. It’s a day that’s been set aside for thinking about the earth and for discussing how the environment can be made cleaner and healthier. It started in the US in 1970 and, eventually, it was adopted as an international day for people to gather together and take steps for improving the environment. In Japan, Earth Day-related events take place near Yoyogi Park, in NHK Hiroba–the area just in front of NHK Hall–and in several other locations around Tokyo, and in various parts of Japan. Earth Day Tokyo 2013 is being held this weekend–on the 20th and 21st of April.

As many NGOs gather to promote their activities during the Earth Day-related events, this is a good opportunity for you to find out about some local and international issues, while enjoying live musical events and eating a lot of delicious food. In past years, I’ve seen people there who are working to save the dugong in Okinawa, groups fighting for animal rights, advocates of organic farming, and those who deal in fair trade products that give people living in third world countries reasonable payment for the products they produce.

I attended the first day of the event yesterday and found many enthusiastic people there, despite the rainy weather. Below you can see a photo of a cool hand-powered, electricity-assisted tri-cycle that was on display. Various eco or assitive technologies were featured at the event. I hope you’ll be able to participate!

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Cheers,
Joseph Dias / IE Program Co-coordinator

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10 Steps to Take to Prepare for a Quake

Posted on March 12, 2013 by jodias

Two years (and 9,577 noticeable aftershocks–as of yesterday) have passed since the 3/11 triple disasters.  In the interest of ensuring the health and safety of our AGU community, I am reposting some helpful information from the “Surviving in Japan” blog. It never hurts to be as prepared as we possibly can.

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1. If possible, rent an apartment or house built after 1981 when the stricter building codes were established. The newer the better as a few amendments were made to the code in 2000 after analysis of the damage caused by the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

2. Know where your designated earthquake shelter is located. This may be important if your home becomes unlivable or you need to access supplies, such as food or drinking water. Ask at your local ward office for copies of bilingual evacuation maps and shelter locations. If you have any problems finding this information, feel free to contact WaNavi Japan for further assistance.

3. Choose a meeting place to reunite with your family and practice your home evacuation drill.

4. Walk your local neighborhood and locate public toilets and telephones.

5. Register for information alerts from your ward office and your country’s embassy.

6. If you have children attending school or child-care in Japan, know the school’s/care center’s emergency plan and how to make contact with your child’s teacher or caregiver.

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7. Have multiple ways to contact your friends and family including home phone numbers (not just mobile/cell numbers). Connect on Facebook, Twitter or other online networks. On 3/11, before voice phone services were re-established, people were able to check in with each other on Facebook. Gaining reassurance about the safety of loved ones after a disaster is vital. Practice using the 171 system (available on the 1st and 15th of every month).

8. Stock up on supplies of essential food, medicine, drinking water and waste management tools. If water supply is affected then you might need to store lots of poop until services are re-established! See these resources page for a helpful checklist.

9. Pack an evacuation bag including cash, passports, essential medication, food, water and spare clothes for each member of your family. Ensure that you regularly change the clothes for the changing seasons and as the children grow.

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