From: Jim Brooke
To: Yale Club Members
Date: May 2003

Dear Yale Mates,

   Greetings and my apologies for lack of communication in recent months,
I have been shuttling between Tokyo and Seoul. I am writing this sandwiched
between a week in the Russian Far East and two weeks in India. After the
successful Inter-Ivy dance in March, we started getting news that SARS was
scaring away some visitors who were to come to Tokyo on regional tours. Then
Paul Contreras, our hard-working Club Secretary, was on the disastrous end
of a bicycle-car collision on a back street of Tokyo. He is back,
recovering, sending this mailing out to you today.

   See you at the Whiffenpoof-Whim'n Rhythm concert on June 19!

   Cheers
           Jim Brooke

   A SONG TO REMEMBER   
- Come hear the Yale Whiffenpoofs and Whim 'n' Rhythm Thurs. June 19
It is said that, after scent, nothing evokes memory like a song.  Come to
the FCCJ for a Whiff of your bright college or university years.
The Yale Club of Japan is hosting the Whiffenpoofs and Whim'n Rhythm for
what promises to be a magical summer evening of music on Thursday, June 19
at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, in their 20th floor dining
room.
   Whim'n Rhythm bill themselves as "Yale University's premier female a
cappella group" and counterpart to the Whiffs's Bob Howe writes: The
Whiffenpoofs are the A-Team of singers from all the other male groups, and
they join for just their senior year.  They have appeared at Carnegie Hall,
on the U.S. television show, "West Wing", have entertained heads of state
and other Yalie wannabees for several generations.
   It is a rare treat to have a joint concert, so call the FCCJ and
reserve your seats fast: 3211-3161. The concert will be open to FCCJ members
and Harvard and Princeton clubs, so we hope to have a large Yale turnout!
   Drinks at 6:30, dinner from 7 p.m., concert at 8 p.m. Tickets: Y3500
for dinner and the concert. Cash bar for drinks; Singing group CDs will be
on sale in lobby after program.
   Part of the fun will be the chance to host a Whim at your home for
June 16-20. For those of us with middle school children, a positive
19-year-old role model will be more than welcome! The singing Yalies all
arrive in Japan having signed pledges to disparage video games and to praise
the virtues of homework! Bob Howe, our indefatigable Events Chair, has put
in for hosting "2-4" Whims.
         For a Whim, please email directly to: diana.ong@yale.edu


   ALEX KERR DINNER
   With the tunes still ringing in our ears, Yalies will reconvene at the
FCCJ on the evening of Monday June 23 to hear Alex Kerr. A fellow alumnus,
Alex provides a lively, erudite and thought-provoking critique of modern
Japan's construction state, the mania for tidying up ponds and rivers with
cement and building shoe-box architecture. Alex Kerr's persuasive and
exhaustively researched classic, "Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side
of Japan" (2001) is now in Japanese and is credited with boosting the
movement for historic preservation and a return to urban and rural
aesthetics. Our organizer for this dinner has been Tom Silecchia. Please
RSVP to: <Tom_Silecchia@exchange.japan.ml.com>
   6:30 drinks; 7:00 pm dinner; price to be determined; book signing,
free!

   YALE POLICY DEBATE COMMITTEE:
   Two of our most highly esteemed graduates, Kotaro Tamura, Senator, and
YorikoKawaguchi, Foreign Minister, have agreed to serve as Chair and Vice
Chair, respectively, of a new forum designed to promote policy debate among
Yale graduates in Japan over future directions for the nation. Chigusa Hara
is the organizer of what promises to be a stimulating series of monthly
dinners this fall; ideally, Minister Kawaguchi will kick off the series with
a Club dinner in September. For more information, and to participate, please
contact Chigusa at: Chigusa.Hara@morganstanley.com
   One goal of the Forum will be to promote networking. In that light,
Yale writes to urge all alumni in Japan to visit the newly launched On-Line
Directory:
http://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/YALE/oldintro/oldintro.cgi

   TOKYO HOUSING AND CONTACT REQUEST:
   From "Emanuel Pastreich" <epast@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
   We are staying in Japan just for two months this summer. From May
24-August
1.      Do you think there is anyone who could rent us a small room for that
time? Would be myself, my wife and my son, but we can stay in the same room.
2.
   I am particularly interested in meeting people with a background in
academics or government and interests in international relations. I
graduated as a major in East Asian Languages and Civilizations (Chinese).
International relations is my greater interest of late.
Thanks,
Emanuel Pastreich/Davenport 1987.
Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature
East Asian Languages and Cultures
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
707 S. Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801 U.S.A.
1-217-244-1432
1-217-244-4010 FAX
1-217-359-0523 Home

   SUMMER INTERNSHIP?

From: "Jie Zhou" <jie.zhou.jz247@yale.edu>
Mr Brooke,

I am Jie Zhou, a freshman in Berkeley College. I have been referred to you
by the UCS office at Yale. I was born in China, moved to Australia when I
was six years old and am here as an International student. I am currently
studying first year Japanese at Yale and have a great interest in Japan, its
language and its culture. I am seriously considering working or finding an
internship in Japan for this summer (June - July) especially as either an
assistant language teacher or computer technician. I have some general
questions such as the cost of living, finding accommodation, the likelihood
of a job of this kind given Japan's current economic situation and my
background. If you can help me or know of anyone who can, I would very much
appreciate it.
Thank you.

Sincerely Yours,
Jie Zhou
jie.zhou.jz247@yale.edu