Be it for one year or five years, it takes a certain type of person to pack up their entire lives and move to a completely foreign country. Yet year after year, countless JETs do it. I think this level of courage and risk-taking is a huge reason why many JETs end up in leadership positions, both in Japan and their home countries, when their tenure on JET is finished. Kyle Schlachter is no exception to this.

Congratulations to Laurel Lukaszewski (ALT, Minamitane-cho, Kagoshima 1990-1992) for being internationally recognized and included in the international Homo Faber Guide, developed by the Geneva, Switzerland-based Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship. The Guide provides profiles of craft artisans worldwide.

Join us on Friday, July 10 at 8:00 PM ET to read part of a short essay by the poet and essayist Susukida Kyukin titled 雨の日に香を燻く (I Burn Incense on Days it Rains).

Aaron Miller (Ehime, 2002–2008) will lead our 2026 Q3 Career Coaching cohort with the theme Find Where You Thrive, introducing the “intentional outsider” framework to help JETs use their cross-cultural experience to evaluate workplaces, identify opportunities, and build a more intentional career path.

Join Table for Two and JASWDC for June’s edition of Ouchigohan!

Our Photo of the Month for June comes from Ella Peoples (Fukui, 2025-2026). 

Explore how entrepreneurship can help you test career paths after JET, build experience, and gain skills. Join us online on June 23, 2026 with JET alum Daniel Lowe to learn simple, actionable strategies you can use right away.

Want a space to practice and grow your Japanese with support from experienced coaches? Come join us for an interactive session on Friday, June 26 (evening in the US) or Saturday, June 27 (morning in Japan) and take your skills to the next level.