Welcome to the March 2025 Alumni Interview! We have reached out to our Event Coordinator Emily Rich for this month’s interview. Read on to learn more about Emily’s time stargazing in Yamagata prefecture and her spreading Ohio’s love for rollercoasters to her students.
Are you from the Great Lakes area? What is your experience in the Great Lakes Area?
Yes, I grew up in Northwest Ohio, near Fremont. My family still lives in that area, although I moved to Cleveland after I came back from Japan. Growing up in Ohio, one of the big jokes is that everyone wants to leave Ohio, but I learned while I was away just how much I love living here and I’m glad to be back in the buckeye state.
Which do you prefer: the mountains or the sea?
Both! During JET, I lived on the coast of Yamagata prefecture, with the Sea of Japan on one side, and a basin wall of mountains on the other. Both were part of my everyday landscape. One of the most beautiful memories I have in Japan happened on a beach at night. I went out with friends to lay on the sand, stargaze, and light fireworks. It was in the middle of nowhere, and there was hardly any light pollution. Mount Chokai (the largest mountain around) was directly behind us and blocked the moon from view for most of our time on the beach. On our way down to the water, we had to use our phone lights to make sure we didn’t step on anything sharp. At the end, though, as we were getting ready to head out, the moon started to peep out over the top of the mountain, and we stood still to watch the moon rise over the mountain’s peak until the whole beach was covered in light. It was incredible.
What is the biggest difference you see between Japanese and American culture? What do you believe these two cultures could learn from each other?
I think everyone who has lived in Japan has heard this statement: “In Japan, we have four seasons!” I’ll admit, while I lived there I would feel annoyed by this. I would always compliment how beautiful the seasons are in Japan, and share that we have four seasons in Ohio, too. After I returned to the United States I realized that while we both have four seasons, Japanese people celebrate their seasons so vigorously that they’re right to brag about them. I loved watching the seasons change, and celebrating those changes. I would love for that culture of celebrating nature to spread into American culture. It’s a beautiful way to demarcate time’s passage and celebrate life.
How did you become interested in applying for the JET program?
Prepare yourself for the most boring answer. I chose to get my undergraduate degree in Japanese, and as a student I heard about the JET Program constantly. At the time, I thought I wanted to live in Japan for the rest of my life so it became a goal of mine early on to do JET. Even before arriving at university, I heard about it from my professors and through my own research.
However, study abroad gave me a lot of clarity and I realized that as much as I loved Japan, I probably couldn’t live there permanently and changed my long-term plans. During my senior year, I applied to graduate schools to study Library and Information Science. Then, two weeks before the JET application deadline, a very well-placed Facebook ad reminded me that the application was closing and I decided that I would regret it if I didn’t try. It’s a temporary job, not long-term. I still loved Japan and I missed it. Why not live there for a few years and then come back and do grad school later? I did a speed-run of the application and submitted it within a week. In the end, I was accepted into both JET and my top grad school program, and I chose JET. I don’t regret that choice at all!
Were you an ALT, a CIR, or an SEA on the JET Program? How long were you on the program, and where was your placement?
I was an ALT in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture for 3 years.
Would you please tell us more about your placement? For ALTs, what were your schools like? For CIRs and SEAs, what sort of work were you involved in?
I worked in elementary schools and junior high schools. During my time in Sakata, I worked at nine different schools, and all of them were wonderful for different reasons. One of those schools was a brief stint on a tiny island that fell under the city’s board of education. There was one student at the junior high school on the island, and I was sent there for three days and stayed at a ryokan that mostly existed for professional fishermen.
What is a memory you have from your time on JET that sticks out to you?
There’s so many that it’s hard to choose, so here’s one that relates to our region. When I did my self introduction lesson (over and over and over again), I of course talked about Ohio and what I like about my home state. And if there’s one thing that everyone in Ohio likes about Ohio, it’s Cedar Point! I would always talk about my favorite roller coaster, Millennium Force. I would share how tall it was and how fast it goes, and then I would play the park’s official front row POV video. It was always a blast! The kids loved it, and I recommend it to any future Ohio JETs.
At one of my elementary schools, the 6th grade class loved it so much that on my second visit, the teacher asked me to “please bring a new roller coaster” next time. For that whole year, I cycled through all of the Cedar Point roller coaster POVs. There was always a lot of screaming and putting hands up in the air. Later, after they went on to junior high and I had returned to Ohio, I received a LINE message from their new ALT who was also from Ohio. When she gave her self introduction lesson, she asked the students what Ohio is famous for. She said that many students mentioned sports but one kid said, “No, it’s roller coasters. Don’t you remember Emily-sensei in elementary school? She was from Ohio and showed us the big roller coasters!”
What has your career path been since leaving the JET Program? How has JET influenced your journey?
Since leaving Japan, I did what I told myself I would do after finishing JET and have been working in the library field. I work in academic libraries, and I enjoy working on a college campus. My everyday work doesn’t usually have much overlap with my experience in Japan, which is one reason I got involved in GLJETAA first as the book club host, then as the event coordinator.
Do you have any advice or other support that you can give to current / future JET applicants? How about your fellow alumni?
One regret I have about my time on JET is that I didn’t keep a good record or journal of my time and experiences. I have the memory of a goldfish, and I wish I had worked harder to keep a journal and save those memories for myself. Future and current JETs: Don’t let your time there feel normal! Take every experience you can, and find a way to record it for yourself so you can remember it later.
I would like to encourage alumni to stay engaged! The more I engage with JETAA and Japanese cultural events and groups around me, the more I realize that JET doesn’t necessarily have to end with your contract. You can stay connected with JET and the Japanese community by being involved. (Reach out to the GLJETAA officers, and we’ll give you some ideas about what you can do!)
Where can we reach you for networking?
You can email me at . I’m also on LinkedIn.
Please do reach out if you have any questions for our alumni. Thank you, Emily Rich, for sharing your own story.
Alumni Spotlight is an outreach activity through the Great Lakes JET Alumni Association seeking to build stronger connections between alumni and to provide bridges for networking. If you or an alumnus you know would like to be featured in an installment of Alumni Spotlight, please email us at .
