Event Report, Tottori Chapter December 2022

Tottori Chapter December 18, 2022 Event Report: Life After JET: Stories of Opportunity, Passion, Change, and Inspiration (What happened to those guys, anyway?) On December 18, 2022 the Tottori Chapter held their first in-person event in more than a year; Life after JET. This was a panel discussion about various paths possible to those JET participants who want to stay and make their career and life in Japan. There were four presenters, from three countries: Chris Hollis and Mel Ok from the US, Keiran Enright from New Zealand, and Ray Levy from Canada. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was uncooperative on the day, and brought us a blizzard. As a result, the attendance could be generously described as "sparse," but those present did both enjoy and get useful information from the event. Of particular use was the emphasis by all four presenters/panelists on the need for Japanese language competence. While it may be possible to get a good job in major metropolitan areas in Japan without Japanese language competence, in rural areas it is a necessity. Tottori JALT's next event will focus on teaching children, on February 5, 2023.