JET AA North West Pre-departure Events

JET Pre-departure Events in the North West

On June 16th and 23rd JETAA North West held get-togethers in Liverpool and Manchester respectively for those in the area who are due to go out on JET this summer.  We also invited alumni along to give advice from their first hand experience of Japan.

The Liverpool get-together was held at Etsu, a beautiful and authentic Japanese restaurant.  The Manchester get-together was held at Yuzu, a small izakaya-style place.

The get-togethers attracted a great number of new JETs and also brought a good number of alumni out of the woodwork.  It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and I felt really happy to see so many smiles whilst everyone talked about Japan.

On a personal note, on a recent trip to Japan  I thought what a nice and beneficial idea these pre-departure meet-ups are for both JETs and alumni alike.  Whilst travelling, I met up with a JET from the NW who we saw off at last year’s pre-departures and have had the pleasure of keeping in touch with.  We met in Takamatsu, somewhere I never got to visit in my 14 years in Japan, and we hiked up Mt. Goken to get to Yakkuri temple which is situated at the top of the mountain.  Though I didn’t think I was going to survive the hike in the heat, the view at the top was well worth the effort.  The whole time we were walking we talked of our experiences on JET and impressions of not only Japan but our home country too.  On the way down the mountain we stopped off at a speciality udon restaurant and contemplated life over a well-deserved beer.  It was a fantastic and very memorable day that would not have happened if it wasn’t for the JET pre-departure get-togethers.

 

I would like to continue to support both the JETs who we saw off last year and are already in Japan, and the current outgoing JETs in the NW before they depart for Japan.  I would also like to find more ways to bring the alumni together.  We will no doubt have some more get-togethers before the JETs fly out at the end of July.  We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Thank you for reading this.  I hope you are all well.

Kind regards, Corrina Ellis - North West Chapter Chair