Would you introduce yourself briefly? I’m Marina Giordano. By day—or rather, by early morning—I’m a Director at 7 News Boston, working on the morning newscasts. My other great passion is education; specifically, I’m a certified Sake and wine educator. I hold the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Diploma in Wine and Spirits and the Sake Diploma from the Japan Sommelier Association. I am deeply committed to growing the sake community here in New England. In 2021, I founded Sake Day East , a...

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your journey to Boston? My name is Tatsushi Izuta, but I usually go by Tachi . I chose the nickname simply because my first name is a tongue-twister for some Americans, and one of my ex-colleagues once threatened to call me “Sushi-man” otherwise! I was born and raised in Osaka and lived there until graduating from high school. I was keenly interested in studying English as a teenager and was fortunate enough to visit the U.S. for the first...

Laura on a mountain along the Shimanami Kaido ( Nishiseto Expressway) in the summertime Where were you in Japan as a JET and when?  I was placed in Okinawa as an ALT from 2023-2024. I lived in the south of Okinawa, in an area called Yaese. I taught at Koyo High School. What sparked your interest in applying for the JET program?  When I was 16 years old, I discovered the JET Program from a famous YouTuber named Chris Broad from his channel called “Abroad in Japan.” Although my first...