Meet the 2025-2026 GAJET Team!

Hello! I’m Alexis and I’m originally from Iowa in the United States. I lived in a town of about 1200 people before moving to Takasaki in 2023, call that culture shock! That makes this my 3rd year on JET, and while it was a big change, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

You’ll often see me around my local game center, doing karaoke, or collecting goshuin at various shrines and temples. I’m so thankful and excited to be your 2025-26 social media manager.

My goal is to reach out to any and all who are interested in our events, whether they’re JETs or locals from Japan. I want to make our events bigger, more memorable, and create some good memories!

よろしく！

I’m a 2nd year JET in Higashiagatsuma. I like reading, various sports (including but not limited to soccer, volleyball, and rock climbing), and art. In my spare time, I enjoy making tea lattes, trying out a new hiking spot, or drawing. Being located in the “inaka,” I aim to create an environment for other countryside ALTs to meet new people through GAJET and community events. I also seek to highlight the rural beauty of Higashiagatsuma and other parts of Hokumo.

Hello everyone!

Here’s a little bit about me! I’m from Hoboken, New Jersey and I’ve been learning Japanese ever since I was 7, and have been to Japan multiple times before coming on the JET Program (studied abroad in high school and in university). Besides having an interest in Japan and it’s culture, I also have aspirations of becoming a polyglot with interest in languages such as Korean, Chinese, Hungarian, German, Russian, French and Spanish (there is more!). I love languages and culture, which is why I majored in linguistics and minored in Japanese (Asian Studies, International Studies and Global Security and Diplomacy as well) in undergrad. I also have been a babysitter, a nanny and a tutor since 11 years old. All these combined made it so that I was placed perfectly at an elementary school! I love being an ALT and the experience I’ve gained as a teacher is something I will take with me well into my future.

I have an abundance of energy, wanting to do and try everything. I have various other hobbies including drawing, painting, crocheting, cooking, going to the gym, (I’m trying to get swol), snowboarding, photography, video games, anime, karaoke and most recently I am slowly getting back into reading (would love recommendations!). I do enjoy cooking but I’m so slow at it, it takes me 2 hours to make a new dish, but it usually turns out ok! I also love to travel and take the opportunity to do so at any chance. Currently I’ve been to Korea, Taiwan and Thailand as well as 30/47 prefectures!

I love talking and getting to know people. If you want to chat, please feel free to come talk to me during events or shoot me a DM in my socials!

It is an honor to be president again for GAJET this year. I have learned many things from the previous cycle and am excited to implement various ways for events to be even more inclusive, fun and easy to participate in! I really want Gunma to be the prefecture with the most active community. My goal for GAJET and what I want to leave with the community before I depart Japan next year is to make sure no one is left behind and that we all have a really good strong knit bond where we connect with one another and make a bunch of new memories!

Let’s make this year great!

I’m Evie (like the Pokémon), a fourth-year JET based in Shibukawa. I’m originally from Australia, but I moved to New Zealand with my family as a teenager. I first came to Gunma in 2007 on a school exchange to Tatebayashi and I’ve wanted to return ever since.

I did the Disney International College Program, and I still love visiting Disney Parks, especially Tokyo DisneySea! I’m also a huge fan of the Japanese figure skater Hanyu Yuzuru.

Outside of school, I spend a lot of my time with my favorite hobbies: knitting/crochet, photography, and reading. I love the creativity and patience that comes with working on handmade projects. I’m into reading as well, so please recommend your favourite book to me!

I started building websites for my Neopets many years ago and this soon grew into hobby websites for my nerdy interests. It’s a fun creative outlet where I can share my passions with others. I’m happy that I can contribute to GAJET through my hobby!

I believe that having a supportive network makes the JET experience even more rewarding, and I’m excited to do my part in making that happen.

I am originally from Northern California, and graduated from California State University Monterey Bay in May 2024 with a B.A. in Japanese Language & Culture, and a minor in Visual & Public Art. While an undergrad student, I was able to study abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, for 1 year, and this amazing experience highly influenced me to return to Japan as a JET ALT. I will be going into my 2nd year as a JET at an elementary school in Gunma Prefecture.

I enjoy reading, drawing, anime, video games, hiking, yoga, traveling, and trying new foods! I am greatly looking forward to supporting the GAJET community as this year’s Secretary!

This year I am also currently serving as both Project Manager and Block 3 Representative for the National AJET Council, and through this role I’m aiming to strengthen the connections and relationships between the JET communities in Gunma, as well as Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, and Nagano Prefectures. If you have any questions about NAJET, Block 3, or would like to participate/suggest any Block 3 events, please let me know!

Hey everyone! I was asked to write something interesting about myself but really what does that mean? Since I’m not so sure, I’m just going to go off the cuff. My name’s James, I’m a 4th year JHS ALT in Shibukawa. I’m from Yorkshire in the UK. Since coming to Japan I’ve got pretty hooked on volleyball. I play as far away as Annaka, and I’m often at my school’s club activities. When I’m not doing all that I occasionally go hiking too. I’m hoping to make my first overnight hiking trip later this year over in Yamanashi, and I’d love to get out there and explore some Gunma trails with you all.

As for what I’d like to achieve as vice president… I’m all about working smarter not harder. GAJET has a solid calendar of events and the committee works hard to deliver those. I think with the right focus on planning and efficiency we can keep improving GAJET without placing a heavier burden on everyone that volunteers their time.

More important than what I want is what all of you in the community want. If you’ve got a hobby or interest that you think people would enjoy, or if there’s a local attraction in your area that you think people should see, then please reach out to us and we’ll see what we can do!

Hey all. My name is Jeremy Vigil. I am from California. I am part of the 2022 JETs, so I have been here for a few years now. I am very sociable and love to hang out with people and just chat about anything. I love video games, particularly Xbox and Switch. I have a huge library of games and I love playing online with people, so let me know if you’re interested in gaming together.

I am also big on traveling and hiking. I love sightseeing and just being out in nature. I have traveled quite a bit in Japan and have seen some truly awe inspiring places. My favorite place so far has been ginza onsen in yamagata. Ginza onsen is very beautiful in the winter and it has a very good onsen that overlooks the entire village which provides one the best picturesque view you can see in Japan.

Overall I am a very chill guy who is usually down for most anything. I look forward to meet you all at our events.

Hello!
My name is Jess, or like my students like to call me Orange juice sensei. I’m from New Zealand and I love Gunma’s delicacy Torihei and beloved icon Gunma chan.

This year I am one of GAJETs social media managers. I aim to improve our social presence inviting people to our events through creative and informative posts! A few fun facts about me; my favourite sport is rugby, my current favourite hobbies are travelling, karaoke and driving and my current obsession is Toad (キノピオ) from Mario Kart.

If you ever need a chat, belt out a few vocals at karaoke, or enjoy Gunma’s beautiful nature I’m always a message away!

I’m Leydiana but you can just call me Leydi. I’m from Detroit, Michigan and I am currently in Ota as a 5th year, SHS ALT.

I am the GAJET Editor. If you sign up for our newsletter, I will send you updates on what we have going on. Not everyone uses social media so my goal is to keep people informed of the events that will take place near our around Gunma. A lot of the things we do are centralized to Takasaki. I’d love it if we could branch out into the less populated areas of Gunma. If there is anything near you that you’d like to be highlighted, you can email me at editor@gunmajet.net!

I absolutely hate summer but, I do really like going to festivals. I much prefer fall and winter when it’s cooler outside and less bugs.

Although I don’t do it as much as I’d like, I do love to travel. I haven’t been abroad in a while but I do still travel around Japan. One of my favorite places to go that’s fairly close to Gunma is the Ashikaga Flower Park. I especially love it in the winter with all of the illuminations ✨

Ey up! I’m Rachel and I’m from Northern England (although my accent makes it a little hard to tell). I’m a senior high school ALT in Isesaki. I don’t recall when my interest in Japan first started but since living here, I’ve realised how many small but meaningful experiences I’ve had throughout my life involving Japanese culture. Some of these include growing up playing Nintendo games with my family, religiously watching Yu-Gi-Oh!, seeing sakura trees in my local park and obsessively raking the sand on my parents’ desktop zen garden. In high school, my friends and I regularly ate bento sets at a restaurant called ‘Little Tokyo’ and discussed our favourite characters from Ouran High School Host Club (Iykyk).

Japan’s vastly different culture, philosophy and language sparked my curiosity and propelled me to apply for the JET programme. It is certainly different from the UK but there is also a lot which unites us. I see the echoes of both cultures as I move between each country. Living in Gunma is nothing like I expected it to be but I feel blessed to have experienced this part of Japan rarely visited by international tourists. Being on the JET programme with no previous experience of travelling to Japan and minimal Japanese has both humbled me and helped me to grow immensely as a human being. Moving countries is a courageous life choice and I encourage you to always remember this when times feel a little tough. You’ve got this and you’ve got a wonderful JET community around to support you!

My hobbies include creative writing, reading, watching movies, going to the gym and cafe-hopping. Isesaki is not famed for its lush greenery so I also like to venture to different areas of Gunma to take in the prefecture’s beautiful scenery. However, I do get to see the mountains and rice fields every day on my bike ride to work. This is always a ‘pinch me’ moment! During the winter, I like to go snowboarding. This is a new hobby I picked up while living here so if you fancy trying it this winter, it’s a lot of fun! Let’s go together!

In this role, I hope to start a creative writing group as I think there are many great writers hiding out in our prefecture and I would love to bring them together to create and share. I would also like to be a part of creating more social events with the GAJET team because connection and community is something I really value. I love meeting new people and I can’t wait to meet more JETs this year!

I enjoy FPS and open world games, along with PokemonGo (add me!!! Trainer Code: 947525298980) I usually gym after work, and I’m always looking for people who would be interested in a casual workout session at a local park, or a yoga pal. I like to go clubbing in Tokyo or grabbing drinks and karaoke around Takasaki.

Hello all, my name is Tristan. As someone who has lived abroad for a long time, I have learned that community and feeling a sense of belonging is paramount to success both personal and professional. In a previous job, I taught English in a small town of 9,000 about people in western Ukraine near Hungary. While the job itself wasn’t difficult, finding something fulfilling to do outside of work hours was. If it were not for the friends I made there with other foreign English teachers and the small but vibrant community we built together, I would not have the best of times. Sadly, my time in Ukraine was cut short by the start of the pandemic; however, I would take this lesson with me to my next job in Alaska.

During the pandemic, I got a job teaching English as a long-term sub in a high school in Alaska. It was a remote high school being on a small island and the population mostly fishermen. Even though I was back home in America, I was in an unfamilar place surrounded by strangers. I made friends with a group of community volunteers with whom I would go hiking, camping, and fishing. We even started a local community music event that has continued till today.I had some times with them just as I have had good times here in Japan.

Being an alt in Gunma has its perks. There is the easy access to Tokyo, the drinking parties, and even summer desk warming. But if you ask me, GAJET events are really the icing on the cake, because they a offer a little of everything to everyone when they most need it. GAJET organizes hanami, hanabi, canyoning, and hiking events throughout the year so that there is always that next event whenever you find yourself in the doldrums. I have met a lot of good people and made many friends through GAJET events and feel proud to now be able to contribute to its continuing mission as a representative.