Why I Applied to JET (And Why Japan)

~ Katherine Price ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve read my last post, you know I’m currently deep in the waiting phase of the JET Program. This is the story of how I got here in the first place — including the part where a song from an anime is entirely responsible for a major life decision. No notes. No regrets.

The Part Where This All Starts (At 2am, Obviously)

It started, as so many great decisions do, in the middle of the night.

I was half asleep when the TV flickered on and a sweeping, unmistakable melody filled the room — the opening theme to InuYasha. I had no idea what I was watching, no idea where it was from, and absolutely no business being awake at that hour — but I was glued. Completely, irreversibly, embarrassingly glued.

Despite being a pre-teen with school the very next day, I did not go back to sleep—shocker.

Instead, as many of us do, I spiraled. One anime became five. Five became ten. Ten became a genuine obsession with the language underneath all of it — the rhythm of Japanese, its elegance, the way every syllable seemed to carry meaning before I understood a single word.

I know what you’re thinking. Anime girl. And listen, you’re not wrong.

But I promise it got bigger than that. Eventually.

The Part Where I Learn and Grow

I took Japanese in college, which is where things got real fast.

Studying the language formally — actually sitting down and learning to read, write, and speak it — only made everything worse. Better. You know what I mean.

I made friends I still have, including one in Kyoto who has shaped my love for Japan more than she probably knows. I read everything I could find about the culture, the literature, the history. I went down more rabbit holes than I can count.

And somewhere between verb conjugations and kanji flashcards — around the time I realized I was doing extra study for fun — I had to admit this wasn’t a phase anymore. It had become something I couldn’t ignore even if I tried, and trust me, I didn’t try very hard.

The Part Where I Get On a Plane

So eventually, my husband and I did exactly that.

Two and a half weeks in Japan, wandering and getting wonderfully lost in a place we’d both been dreaming about.

Spoiler: it felt exactly like I always knew it would — but also nothing like I expected, which is honestly the most “Japan” answer possible.

I could write an entire post about that trip — and I will, don’t worry — but the moment I keep coming back to is a woman from Uji.

We were lost — but honestly, in the best possible way. We were trying to find Byōdō-in Temple and failing spectacularly when she stepped in, our words doing their very best across the gap between her English and my enthusiastic-but-chaotic Japanese. We laughed at the confusion, she pointed us in the right direction, and somewhere in those few minutes, something shifted. We were lost in translation, literally and completely — and yet we walked away with something that made us feel more human than we had all trip. Connection, simple and unexpected, from a stranger in Uji.

Such a small moment. Yet, it’s the one that stuck.

I came home from that trip feeling restless.

Unpacking our bags, talking through everything we’d seen — it just hit me.

I couldn’t give this up.

The Part Where I Do Something About It

Which brings us here.

I applied to the JET Program — which I talked about a bit in my first post — because it felt like the most direct path from where I am to where I want to be.

I made it through the application. I survived the interview. I am now firmly in the waiting stage, refreshing my email every four minutes like a completely normal and chill person.

If JET says yes, I’m packing my life into suitcases and going.

If life takes a different turn, I’ll be starting a PhD in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, researching how the Japanese language shapes identity and expression in popular culture — which is really just a fancy way of saying the InuYasha spiral never fully stopped and I decided to write a dissertation about it.

So… What Now?

Either way, I’ll be here — writing about all of it, one post at a time, from one Arkansas girl who heard a theme song in the middle of the night and never quite recovered.

If you’re on your own version of a language spiral — or just curious where this one goes — stick around. I have a feeling this is only the beginning.

Welcome to Lost in Translation. I’m really glad you’re here. 🌸

— Katherine, somewhere in Arkansas, waiting on an email

Now We Wait: Life in JET Purgatory

~ Katherine Price ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve landed here, there’s a good chance you’re in the same boat I am — application submitted, interview done, and now absolutely nothing to do but wait.

Welcome to JET Purgatory.

For those who aren’t familiar, the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) is a Japanese government-run program that brings people from around the world to Japan to work as Assistant Language Teachers, or ALTs, in Japanese schools. The application process is no joke — a detailed written application, letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and then an in-person interview. It’s a lot. And after all of that, they basically say “great, we’ll let you know” and send you on your way.

So here I am. Waiting.

What the waiting actually feels like

I won’t pretend I’m handling it gracefully. I’ve refreshed my email approximately 4,000 times. I’ve Googled “JET Program results 2026” more than I’d like to admit. I’ve had at least three conversations with myself that started with “okay but what if I don’t get in” and ended nowhere productive.

If you’re doing the same thing right now, hi. I see you. Let’s be anxious together.

The interview itself felt — I think? — okay. But that’s the thing about JET interviews. You walk out either feeling like you absolutely nailed it or completely second-guessing every answer you gave. Sometimes both, on the same walk to your car.

What I’m doing while I wait

Sitting still isn’t really an option for me, so I’ve been trying to channel the nervous energy somewhere useful.

First, I started this blog. If I’m going to obsessively think about Japan anyway, I might as well write about it. Lost in Translation is going to be my space to document all of it — the application, the (hopefully!) acceptance, the preparation, the arrival, the teaching, the language learning, the culture shock, all of it. Whether I end up in a big city or a tiny rural town, I want to write it down.

Second, I started — okay, re-started — learning Japanese. My current level is best described as enthusiastic but lost. I can say arigatou gozaimasu and order ramen. That’s about it. I’ve got a long way to go, and I’m kind of excited about that.

Third, I’ve been reading everything I can find about life as an ALT — blogs, Reddit threads, YouTube videos. If you have recommendations, drop them in the comments. I’m collecting them all.

What happens next

JET Program results are typically announced in the spring. When that email comes — whatever it says — I’ll be writing about it here. If it’s a yes, we celebrate and then immediately panic about moving to Japan. If it’s a no or an alternate, I’ll write about that too, honestly.

For now though? We wait.

If you’re also waiting on JET results, leave a comment below. It helps to know there are other people hitting refresh on their inboxes at 2am. And if you’ve already been through this — what did you do to survive the wait? I need tips.

Fingers crossed. 🤞

— Katherine, somewhere in Arkansas, waiting on an email.