Jikoshokai Corner
Today we are introducing our fearless president!
Please introduce yourself with your name, prefecture, and years spent on the JET program.
Hello! My name is David LaCharite. I was an ALT on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture from 2012-2016. Tanegashima is known as one of Japan’s best surf spots and also hosts the Tanegashima Space Center, where the Japanese space agency’s rockets are launched (I witnessed eight rocket launches, including one from my surfboard!).
What made you want to apply to the JET Programme?
I first learned about the JET Programme from a group of New Zealand JETs I randomly tagged along with while climbing Mt. Fuji on my birthday in 2008. At the time, I was stationed on a military base in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. When I travelled around Japan on the weekends during my 2-year military assignment in Iwakuni, I kept on running into groups of JETs at the youth hostels where I would stay. They seemed like the coolest people doing the coolest job. I knew the JET Program was what I wanted to do after I completed my military service.
What was your most meaningful experience on JET?
Just feeling like an integral part of the local community. Being an island JET, it would have been costly and time-consuming to travel too much around Japan. So it forced me to integrate into the local community. Most weekends I stayed in my town and attended local festivals or school events; or went to the izakayas and did karaoke with the local people. I knew the parents and grandparents of many of my students and for me, the town felt like one big extended family. It made it really hard to leave after my four years, but the memories I will always cherish.
What are you most looking forward to as a JETAARM board member?
The first JETAARM board meeting I attended as a board member was in March of 2020, literally one of the last days we could have held an in-person meeting before everything shut down for COVID. I’m just really grateful for all off the board members and general members who’ve stayed engaged over the last three years to keep the chapter active. This year, our chapter board has an amazing group of talented and enthusiastic members with diverse skills and experience. So I am really looking forward to working with all of them to sustain and grow our local community of JET Alumni. I am also really looking forward to meeting and welcoming this year’s class of returning JETs into our community!
Answer a fun question of your choosing (favorite food/most surprising/embarrassing story, etc)
The question I choose is: “Most memorable moment on JET?”
I think my town must have had more karaoke establishments per capita than any other town in all of Japan. So I did a lot of karaoke. One year, I was crowned champion of the karaoke contest during our annual summer festival, the Rocket Matsuri. I performed the song Umi Sono Ai by Kayama Yuzo. There is a caveat to this, but it’s kind of a long story. I’d be happy to share it sometime at one of our JETAARM events XD!
