Megan Dung '15 Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Chino Tourism Organization

Megan Dung ’15 is a sales and marketing coordinator at Chino Tourism Organization. Chino Tourism Organization is a destination marketing organization which promotes tourism in the city of Chino, Nagano Prefecture. The organization organizes tours and local activities, and manages Yamaura Stay, their private farmhouse accommodations offering.

A Japanese American, Dung was born in Hawaii and grew up surrounded by Japanese culture, pop music, and food. Having always been interested in learning about her roots, she was also interested in learning about her relatives’ experiences in the United States as Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) during World War II.

Dung enjoyed the variety of Japanese language courses at Oxy (i.e. Tales of the Supernatural, Language in News Media and Advertising) and the lunchtime Japanese language conversation table at the Marketplace.

As a junior, she studied abroad in Japan — her first time in Japan. Dung lived with a host family, attended university classes, and enjoyed her stay so much she knew she would return after graduating.

She heard about the JET Programme from an alumni speaker and decided to apply. She developed a great relationship with Professor Ezaki of the Japanese Department and Professor Kim of the Psychology Department, who wrote one of her JET Programme recommendations.

After graduating, she was an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in the JET Programme in Achi, Nagano Prefecture for three years. She later became a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) and Prefectural Advisor (PA) in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture for two years. She then moved into sales and marketing and worked at Hakuba Valley Tourism, and currently Chino Tourism Organization.