For our first-ever installment of the Career Coaching Collective, the topic is “The AI Career Advantage,” led by Tsehay Wright (Nagano, 2015–2017). This series is designed to take participants from an “overwhelmed applicant” to a more strategic candidate.

The job market has evolved, and this series emphasizes that your search strategy needs to evolve with it rather than relying on AI to “write for you”.

Boost Your Nihongo for 2026!

Join us for a special holiday session of Ouchigohan on Sunday, December 21 at 5:00 PM ET.

Samantha Sodetz (Kagoshima, 2018-2019)

Rural communities in both Japan and the United States have much to learn from one another as they seek to address rural depopulation. In a globalized world where many people, especially young people, are driven to metropolitan areas in pursuit of economic advancement—think, Osaka, Tokyo, and Fukuoka in Japan and coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles in the United States—often-neglected rural communities in both countries are facing cascading problems.

JETs on Japan: December, 2025

Our December Photo of the Month comes from Carlo Capua (Niigata, 2000-2002).

This December, Japan Society of Boston featured Jennifer Sherman (Mie, 2012-2016), in their JSB meets JET Alumni series.

Cara Lam's journey into the JET Program and Japan was inspired by her multicultural upbringings and her undeniable passion for adventure. She credits the JET Program for transforming her sense of adventure into purpose. Representing the United States at the Dragon Boat World Championships in the summer of 2025 in Germany and reconnecting with her former students in Japan, Cara's adventures are still going strong, even after Japan. 

American University is hosting a virtual info session on Friday, December 5, 2025⁠ at 8:00 PM ET.