Newsletter: April 2025
We are officially at the end of another (fiscal) year of activity with JETAARM!
Check out a recap of our recent activities below with information about upcoming events!
Upcoming Activities
Hanami Social
Join us for a relaxing afternoon under the cherry blossoms at City Park, Denver!
Date: Saturday, April 26th
Time: 4 PM - Sunset
Location: City Park, Denver
Bring a dish to share, any yard games you’d like to play, and enjoy great company and a beautiful spring day. Families, children and pets are all welcome!! This event is BYOB – (Drinking is allowed within City Park with restrictions- No hard liquor, no glass containers and no kegs.)
If you are planning to attend, please follow this link to sign up!: https://forms.gle/HB7bks42YL8LsBuYA
This way we can contact you with our exact location on the day of the event and if you plan to bring food to share, you can let everyone know what you are bringing. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Utah Sub-Chapter
Sakura Social
Our Utah based JET alums have been having a great time connecting with each other these last couple months! Most recently at their Sakura Social (March 28) where they enjoyed takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and seasonal festive desserts!
Follow our social media and check out our website for future Utah based events for JET alum!
Community Activities
Japanese Self-Study in Denver
Did you know that there’s not one but TWO meetups for practicing Japanese with fellow Japanese learners in the Denver area? Allow us to introduce each one:
The Japan America Society of Colorado (JASC) - JASC hosts this bi-weekly gathering for native and non-native Japanese speakers to use their language skills in a relaxed space. If you don't use it, you lose it! Don’t miss the two upcoming dates:
When: Apr. 12th & 26th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Where: Edgewater Public Market
More Info: Click here for additional information.
Life and Art of Tokio Uemura
The Life and Work of Tokio Ueyama exhibit is on display at the Denver Art Museum until June 1, 2025. Here is an excerpt from the museum website:
“Born in Japan, Tokio Ueyama moved to the United States in 1908 at age 18, where he made a home until his death in 1954. This exhibition tells the story of Ueyama’s life, including his early days as an art student in San Francisco, Southern California, and Philadelphia; his travels abroad in Europe and Mexico; his role as artist and community member in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles; and his incarceration during World War II at the Granada Relocation Center, now the Amache National Historic Site, in southeast Colorado.”
You can check out Free Days at the DAM for days with free entry to check out this exhibit. Or go any day they are open!
Recent Events
All Chapter Winter Getaway
The annual JETAARM All-Chapters Winter Getaway went off without a hitch from February 13-17!
Besides skiing and snowboarding, JET Alum from around the country gathered around the fireplace and filled the evenings sharing stories of their experiences in Japan, playing games, and relaxing in Keystone, CO.
Massive thanks go out to Charles St. John for bringing energy, passion, and enthusiasm to every stage of the event, from the planning and preparation straight through the execution!
The JETAARM Winter Getaway event is such a special opportunity to bring together a fun, friendly, and amazing group of people from around the country. We hope to see some of you again next year!
Shinnenkai
Thanks to all who attended JETAARM’s annual Shinnenkai in Denver February 7! We were honored to welcome Consul General Okajima, along with esteemed guests from the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver, Japan America Society of Colorado of Colorado, Japan-America Society of Southern Colorado, Denver Takayama Sister Cities, Sakura Foundation, and Jessyca Livingston of the US JET Alumni Association Association, and former JETAARM President and JETAA USA representative Adam Lisbon.
The evening was filled with camaraderie, featuring a fun icebreaker activity, an engaging Japan-US Trivia Jeopardy game, a photo booth, and plenty of opportunities for informal mingling. Guests enjoyed an excellent meal from Misaki at Stanley and Tokyo Joe's, with a special treat—Misaki’s complimentary strawberry custard cream mochi dessert, which was a delightful highlight!
A heartfelt thank you to JETAARM’s dedicated board members—David LaCharite, Brad Breiten, Elaine Martinez, Christy Go, Avery Truman, and Joe Mignano—whose hard work made this event possible. We also extend our gratitude to Sam Churches and Sami Gauthier Dickey for stepping up to help us out.
Of course, it wouldn't have been a JET Event without a Karaoke Nijikai where we overstayed our reservation until 1:00am!
As we step into the Year of the Snake, we look forward to a year of continued connections, building bonds of friendship, and mutual understanding between Japan and the Rocky Mountain Region!
JETAARM Panel @ Anime Fest
This past weekend, JETAARM presented about the JET Program to about 60 attendees over two days at the Colorado Anime Fest. The audience asked a lot of great questions and seemed very interested in applying for the Official JET Program USA in the future.
Thanks to JET alumni Caitie Chichester, JJ Haze, Solomon Smilack, Michael Seidman, and David LaCharite for volunteering to be panelists. After the panels, we used our free passes to explore all the interesting sites at the festival! Additional thanks to former JETAARM President Teri Galvez for maintaining JETAARM's strong connection with this community.
Over the last three years, applications for the JET Program have risen steadily in the Rocky Mountain region. We hope that JETAARM's involvement in the community has contributed in part to future interest in the JET Program!
Thanks to Gil Asakawa for the photos!
Are you a JET Alumni in the Rocky Mountain region who would like to be contacted for future volunteer opportunities such as this? Please fill out our volunteer interest form at the link below. It takes less than a minute:
Upcoming USJETAA Events
Sign up for the USJETAA newsletter for JET-related news & events and check out the Upcoming Events page
Thanks For Reading!
Have Something to Share?
Feel free to reach out to us by email or on Facebook! This space is open to all - if you have an upcoming event, an essay, a review, an amazing photo, or anything else you want to share, send it to editor@jetaarockymountain.org with the subject "Newsletter Idea."
