Each new year brings with it a slew of new JETs from far and wide. In honor of them, MAJET throws a big Welcome Party at the end of August. The occasion is generally grand and boisterous, and this year was no exception!

We held the event on August 22 at Barno2gatsu, on the second floor of the Miyazaki Art Center building downtown. The space was a bit cozy, but everyone had no problem mingling with each other.

The new JETs were identified with leis, though we suspect some may have migrated to other owners before night’s end.  😉 We also welcomed some non-JET foreigners to our lovely community and, of course, were happy to include our Japanese friends as well!

Once everyone had arrived and were seated, our fantastic feast began! Barno2gatsu’s chef comes from Mexico, so each of the courses had a Spanish flare to it. From the bean salad appetizer and shrimp paella to the delicious ice cream cubes (yes, cubes!), everything was amazing! The bartenders even whipped up a constant stream of sangria for the event.

Filled to the brim with genki, we spent the dinner eating, drinking, and chatting to our hearts’ content. It seemed as if everyone had known each other for years, despite some of us only having been in Japan for a few weeks.

After dinner, we gathered on the stairwell for a group picture. We tried to get everyone in, though may not have been entirely successful (sorry, guys! >_<). This is one of the first pictures we’ve gotten with most of the Miyazaki JETs in it together. Yay!

Once we had coerced as many photos as we could out of the group, we split off into our various after-party groups. Some made their way to Round1 Stadium for a night of games and bowling. Others headed next door to Shidax to fill their ears with karaoke. Still others headed straight to The Bar, where many of us reconvened later on.

What better way to welcome the new JETs and start off the year?

You can check out the full album in our Facebook Group! (sorry, you’ll need to be a member of our group to see the photos)

*Photos by Cassie Conrad