History · 11. November 2024
If someone were to ask me, "What is the most memorable JAS event for you?" I could answer without hesitation. It is the JAS Monument Dedication Ceremony. It was held on 19th November 2018. This event marked the 60th anniversary of JAS. JAS Yamaguchi presented a monument to JAS Iwakuni. During the ceremony, I was responsible for operating the P.A. system and taking photos and videos. I was so nervous that I couldn't capture the scene during the Japanese national anthem.
History · 10. November 2024
Today, I'd like to tell you about the JAS office in 2017. JAS relocated their office to Building 360, a historical building.
JAS Event · 06. November 2024
Today, I'm going to write about the indoor PE festival. In 2017, Bobby became the president of JAS. From that time, JAS started having new events that were different from before. Reflecting on it, the mood of the event of JAS has changed from this event. JAS had held events called "Get-togethers" beforehand. I'm still not entirely sure what "get-together" means. And a new addition was the PE festival. I heard that there's no such thing as a PE festival in the US, so they probably don't know...
JAS Event · 05. November 2024
Back in 2014, I served as the webmaster for JAS. My role was to promote their event on the website, but I was restricted from advertising this cultural festival on their Japanese websites. For decades, this event took place, such as the high school cafeteria at the Iwakuni base, aimed at showcasing Japanese culture to the American community stationed there. Consequently, many Japanese people were unable to attend. Since 2017, several events have been organized in partnership with the Iwakuni...
JAS Event · 03. November 2024
Many people are becoming JAS members just so they can attend this event. Bobby, our president, often mentioned that "this year marks our 60th anniversary, so I wanted to make this Christmas party a great memorial event". He planned to invite special guests such as the commander of Iwakuni Base and representatives from the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka. We planned to project pictures and movies on a full wall. I borrowed many photos from students in the JAS English conversation class and spent...
JAS Event · 25. October 2024
The JAS has held a bowling tournament once. When I tried editing a video of this event, I found it wasn't easier than usual. Typically, when making a video, you use footage taken from the front or side. What I want to say is that we normally don't use footage that doesn't reveal who the person is. The problem was that most of my footage was taken from the back. It was impossible to take photos or videos from the front or side at the bowling alley. After a while, I got an idea. I categorized the...
Halloween event · 24. October 2024
This year we had a great venue. It had plenty of space, some hidden areas along the walls, and was very clean for our Halloween event. I needed to make videos for this event. Since it was the first time using this venue, I mixed footage from last year with pictures of the 2018 venue.
Halloween event · 23. October 2024
The JAS used to hold events in a small location with a capacity of 100 people. Since 2017, the Halloween event has been held in collaboration with Iwakuni City. It was originally supposed to take place at the Iwakuni City Hall, but due to an unexpected election, we had to use a larger hall that the city provided. The challenge was that the space was too big for JAS. This means that we need more decorations than usual. Additionally, JAS faces another challenge: we expected about 200...
Halloween event · 23. October 2024
Today, I want to share some JAS Halloween stories with you. This story consists of three parts: before 2016, 2017, and after 2018. Every year in October, JAS has held a Halloween event. Before 2016, JAS used a small venue like a community hall with a capacity of about 100 people. On the day of the event, we would decorate with electric props and various decorations from 3 p.m. until the start time at 6 p.m. Most of the decorations came from Tony's house (he has huge collections). In the video...
Cooking Class · 21. October 2024
The cooking class was the only event where both members and non-members could participate under the same conditions. It served as a good trial event before becoming a JAS member. I think the participation fee, which covered the total cost of materials, insurance, and other expenses, was about 500 to 700 yen per person, divided by the number of participants. However, at some point, the fee changed based on membership status. Eventually, It turned out 1,000 yen for a member and 1,500 yen for a...