In Japan, given how available alcoholic beverages are, everyone on JET has at least one grog-related tale. My guest Colin Johnston has turned his practical experiences into a career in the distilling and brewing sector. Join us for a fascinating and educational look into the movement that is the craft beer industry, and what makes its beer, well, so crafty.

Fun fact: Colin's also a stage actor - hence his reference to his acting skills in our discussion.

Music for this episode is Drink Beer (Till the Day That I Die) by Dazie Mae. Sourced from freemusicarchive.org with license type  CC BY-NC-SA.

The Good Drop: Brewing and Distilling

In this episode, I get to nerd out about science, dinosaurs and gross nature facts with my guest Cecily Arkell. We talk about the challenges and rewards of being a life-long science educator and communicator at one of the top art and cultural institutions in Australia - the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip.

A fact check correction: Cecily meant to say it was Barry Jones, not Gareth Evans who was an Australian politician with a science background.

Let's Science: The Science Communicator

We live in a world of constant news cycle, from stations and social media alike. So how does the traditional news bureau survive in this world of constant (mis)information? Our guest Ryan Keeble (news producer and cameraman) is on the ground reporting from London.

Footnotes:
Check out Ryan’s work on Youtube on the channel Inside Kitchen London (@insidekitchen_LDN)

Making Headlines: The News Producer

My guest has done many things - started a non-profit while on JET, changed Japanese law, graduated from Oxford with a PhD, did a TEDx talk - but (spoiler alert) confesses that much of it was unplanned. We talk about the how and why of the Japanese institutional care of children, and what it means to make meaningful impact and finding your path without sweating the small stuff. 

Footnotes
- Dr Rivera King's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rivera-king-dphil-fcmi-73088720/
- TEDx Tokyo: Against All Odds: https://youtu.be/vzW6vetckfM?si=wuyEomwxfu3rYYDE 
- The Japan Society in the UK: https://www.japansociety.org.uk/home

Making an Impact: Non-profit and Advocacy

Japan is a rich source for social-media-worthy pics - the history, culture, landscape, architecture, food and more. Unsurprisingly, some JETs have turned to building an online-based career. Few have been as successful as my guest who runs @yamatrips, a well-known Instagram account that showcases the road less travelled in Japan. 

If you've ever wondered how social media can be used in business, then you're in luck, as Tony Xia gives us his insights into online brand building - with a purpose.

Footnotes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yamatrips/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yamatrips
- Tony's article in JETStreams "Insights from a Japan Influencer": https://jetprogramme.org/en/jetstreams/summer2024/#elm-8

Influencing Travel: Building Brand and Purpose

Our post-JET lives can be interesting and varied, thanks to the many opportunities available and networks that we form. That's the theme of this episode but along the way, we meander in our discussion, talking about the good and bad of AI, innovation and how taking chances can lead to great things.

Sky Dive: About Confidence and Chances

Featuring the lives, stories and careers from the global JET Programme alumni community. And usually, our stories begin with "This one time in Japan..." - our best, our silliest and our fondest.

Share your story! Contact webmaster@jetaainternational.org

New tracks tagged #afterjet