No. 435 April 2024

Niigata English Journal
Edited & Issued by the Niigata City International Exchange Foundation
Mail magazine: Email us to receive this newsletter every month★★ Subscribe to stay up to date! ★★

Free Legal Consultation for Foreign Residents

Get free consultation on work issues, contracts, financial
compensation, marriage or divorce trouble, and more! If
you need an interpreter, please let us know and one will be
provided for free.
Date: May 24th (Fri) 13:00 – 16:40
Location: CrossPal 2nd floor
Spots: 5 time slots (40 minutes per person)
Fee: Free!
Sign up: TEL 025-225-2727 or email kyokai@nief.or.jp

International Watercolor Exhibition

Watercolor paintings from around the world on display,for free! In addition to the exhibition, every day from11:00 – 14:00 there will be live watercolor painting
demonstrations and explanations of the displayed pieces.
Come and meet fellow artists and art lovers from Japanand around the world!
Date: May 2nd (Thu) – 5th (Sun) 9:00 – 17:00 (Opens at
13:00 on the 2nd, closes at 15:00 on the 5th)
Location: Niigata Prefectural Civic Center 3rd floor,Gallery B
Fee: Free!
Contact: Japan International Watercolor Institute
TEL 025-267-6998
Niigata Station
As Niigata residents are aware, Niigata Station has been
under construction for several years now. However,construction is in the final stretch. A brand-new area of thestation will be revealed on April 25th (Thu). Come and see
all of the new shops, restaurants, and businesses – ofwhich there will be 170!
For information on shops,restaurants, and the layout of the newstation area, check out the CoCoLo
Niigata website by scanning the code.

Spring Noh Performance

Come and experience one of Japan’s oldest theatrical arts– Noh! Ryutopia provides tablets with English subtitles, sodon’t worry about not understanding the archaic Japanese.
This year’s spring performance is Hashitomi, which is a
Noh rendition of Hikaru Genji and Lady Yuugao’s romancefrom The Tale of Genji.
Date: May 12th (Sun) 13:30 – 16:25
Location: Ryutopia Performing Arts Center,
Noh Theater
Fee: Varies by seat type
Tickets: See website
Contact: 025-224-5521(Hours: 11:00 – 19:00)

Multilingual Consultation for Foreign Residents
Did you know there are native speakers of multiple
languages working at CrossPal? If you need to talk about
difficulties you’re facing as a foreign resident in Japan
with someone who speaks your language, please stop byand see us! Available languages include English, Chinese(Mandarin), Russian, Korean, and French. Native
speakers may not always be available, please contact us
beforehand. A translation device may be used for otherlanguages.
Japanese: Mon-Sat
English: Mon-Fri
Chinese: Mon-Fri
Korean: Tue & Fri
Russian: Thu
French: Mon & Thu
Hours: 9:00 – 16:00
Closed: Sundays and holidays
Location: NIEF Exchange Salon (CrossPal 2nd floor)Contact: TEL 025-225-2727 or Email: kyokai@nief.or.jp

Foreign Residents: Help Create a Tour!

Niigata Genki Project is seeking foreign residents to help
plan and participate in a tour; afterwards, participants will
be asked to share their opinions. Participants are required
to attend a meeting once a month, where they will decide
on destinations together with Niigata Genki Project.
Date: Monthly meetings from April (19:00 – 20:30);
The tour will be sometime in October
Location: CrossPal Niigata, and other places
Spots: 3 people
Fee: Free!
Sign up/Contact: Hasegawa TEL: 090-9960-5424,
email: info@niigata-genki.com
Art Mix JapanArt Mix Japan is celebrating its 10th run this year! Thisevent showcases Japanese traditional culture andperforming arts. There will also be performances,
workshops, and kimono that you can rent for the event!
Date: April 13th (Sat) and 14th (Sun)10:30 – 20:00
Location: Ryutopia and Enkikan
Fee: Varies by performance
Tickets: See website for details ➡
Financial Assistance for Families with Elementaryand Junior High School Students
Financial assistance for expenses required for school,such as school supplies, school trip fees, school lunch
fees, medical fees, etc., is available to families of a certain
income with elementary and junior high school students.
You can apply through your child’s elementary or juniorhigh school, so please ask the school for more details.

April 2024

Niigata English Journal

Page 2Goodbye Message From Mr. Mashima
Mr. Mashima, the section manager here at NIEF, is retiring from his position. He wrote a message to say goodbye
and thank everyone for their support throughout the years.
March 31, 2024Goodbye!
In March 2019, I retired from my position at the Niigata City Office and in April ofthat same year, was reappointed to the Foreign Affairs Division. During my time as
an employee of the Foreign Affairs Division and the Niigata City International
Exchange Foundation (NIEF), I strove to build a multicultural symbiotic society inNiigata City and promote international exchange. Now that I’m 65, myreappointment term has come to an end and so has my duty as a NIEF employee.
These past five years have felt both long and short. I think that is due to all of the events hosted by NIEF – not only
were they fun, but I also feel that the contents of the events were beneficial to me.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who participated in our events, such as the lectures on foreign countries, the winterfestival, summer festival, music festival, the Niigata Matsuri Folk Dance, and lastly, the “Stroll through Furumachi inYukata” event. Furthermore, I will always cherish the memories of working together with the NIEF staff to make theseevents possible.
Lastly, I hope that those of you who love international exchange and world cultures will continue to support NIEF.
As a citizen of this city, I wish the best for Niigata City’s future international exchanges and hope that NIEF willcontinue to grow.
Goodbye! I believe that I will stay connected to everyone in my heart. Thank you for everything.
Mashima Eiichi
Section Manager
Niigata City International Exchange Foundation

Introducing Ms. WangMs. Wang is the new consultant at NIEF’s foreign resident consultation counter. Feel free to visit her atNIEF if you are in need of consultation. Welcome, Ms. Wang!
Nice to meet you, my name is Wang Yi. As of February 1, 2024, I work at the Niigata
City International Exchange Foundation’s foreign resident consultation counter. I wasborn in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China and raised in Beijing. I have a positive, proactive, andopen personality. My hobbies are listening to music while reading. I’m not very good atsports, although I do occasionally go on walks.
After graduating from university in Beijing, I worked in China for about three years.
I came to Japan because I had experience working with Japanese people. While taking
classes at a university in Nagaoka, Niigata, I studied Japanese language, culture, history,society, and more, and gained a lot of knowledge. I think being able to work at theforeign resident consultation counter is a wonderful opportunity. I don’t have much
experience in this type of work, but there’s a chance that by taking this challenge headon, I’ll be able to discover something new about myself.
By learning from my seniors’ experiences, everyone’s guidance, and through my own efforts, I will domy best. I look forward to working with everyone.

April 2024

Niigata English JournalPage 3Introducing Our New EditorNhịp cầu kết nối, NIEF’s Vietnamese newsletter, has a new editor!
Hello, everyone!! My name is Hải Anh.
I am currently a graduate student at the Graduate Institute of Entrepreneurial
Studies (Jigyou Souzou Daigaku). This is my first time living and studying inJapan but I feel happy and fortunate that I was able to choose Niigata as my firstplace to study abroad. I have only been here for six months, however, I’ve felt thewarmth and love of Niigata’s people. The food and scenery make me feel happy
that I am able to wake up every day and experience something new.
From now on, I hope to act as a bridge between Vietnamese people living in Niigata
and all of Japan. I would like to thank everyone in advance for their support andguidance.

Dak Gomtang (Korean chicken soup)
A comforting, delicious, and easy to make chicken noodle soup. There is an additional recipe for a spicy sauce
which can be added to the soup. Dak Gomtang is often eaten with rice, so be sure to make some rice on the side
for an authentic experience! This recipe was provided by Ms. Kang Geumok, who runs Kyoushitsu Meari,where she introduces Korean culture to people in Niigata through Korean-Japanese conversation cafes, Korean
cooking classes, and patchwork. For more details, feel free to check out Kyoushitsu Meari’s official LINE
account by scanning the code. ➞Ingredients
1 chicken
5 jujubes
10 cloves of garlic20g ginger
3 green onions (green portion only)½ onion1 carrot
100g cellophane noodles (harusame)
10 niboshi (small dried fish)
2 potatoes(Optional) Rice: 150g glutinous rice (mochi rice) & 150g white rice

MethodOptional sauce
Yang-nyeom sauce (for spicy soup):
2 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp chicken brothPut cellophane noodles in water and boil.
(Optional) For rice: Soak rice in water for 30 minutes and then cook. ½ Tbsp grated garlic
1 tsp sardine extract
Wash chicken and place in large pot with 2 – 2.5 liters of water.
Clean the jujubes, leave the skin on the ginger, remove the skin from the garlic cloves, wash the carrots andleave the skin on, and remove the onion’s skin.
5. Place ingredients from step 4 into the pot with the chicken and simmer for 30 – 50 minutes.
6. After the chicken is fully cooked, remove it and the vegetables from the pot. Let the chicken cool and thenremove the skin and bones. Break the chicken up into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

1.
2.
3.
4.

7. Put the large bones back in the pot and add potatoes. Boil. Lightly season with salt.
8. Put the cellophane noodles in a bowl and place chicken and potatoes on top. Pour the soup on top. Garnish
with green onions.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

April 2024

Niigata English JournalPage 4

Classes
Japanese Courses offered by the Niigata City International Exchange Foundation-Classes of varying difficulties are available at different times throughout the week.
-Pricing info & the schedule for the current session are available on the NIEF website:
https://www.nief.or.jp/

Beginner throughIntermediate 2Ms. Kiyoko Tanaka
Tel: (025) 225-2727

Japanese Study Support Group for Children & Students: NicoPal Club (Free of charge)
Day of the Week & Hours
Every Wed.

ContentRoomNo.

(contact for info)

Every Sat. 10:00 – 11:30*Please register beforehand

For more info.

202

Please contact Ms. Tanaka for more information.

201

This Japanese study circle offers support to children in the international
community who are struggling with Japanese and other school studies.

Ms. Kiyoko Tanaka
Tel: (025) 225-2727

International Cooking Class

VolunteerJapaneseClasses

When: April 27th (Sat), April 28th (Sun), April 29th (Mon)
11:00-14:00
Fee: Foreign residents: ¥2,000Japanese citizens: ¥3,800
Menu: Enjoy the Fresh Green Leaves with Spanish Cuisine – Spring vegetable paella, various Spanish
recipes, non-alcoholic sangria, and more!

https://www.nief.or.jp/en/jcvg

Where: Ms. Ueno’s residence (3-4-16 Ogijima, Akiha Ward)
For more info/sign-up: TEL: 0250-24-6859 (Ms. Ueno) – Please sign up at least three days before classInformation

Ōta Jirō Exhibition

The Niigata City Manga House is holding anexhibition dedicated to Ōta Jirō. Ōta Jirō (1923 1982) was a manga artist known for his expressive,colorful art and skill in design. The focus of thisexhibition is his manga, Korisu no Pokko-chan,which features a cute squirrel and other animals.
Exclusive goods will also be sold at the exhibition.
When: March 22 – May 21, 11:00 – 19:00 (openevery day, except Wed.)
Where: Niigata City Manga House,
6-971-7 Furumachi-dori, Chuo Ward
Fee: Free!
Niigata Help Association

Earthquake Information

Niigata City regularly updates its website with information
on disaster relief for the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
Information is available in Japanese, English, and Chinese,with machine translation available for other languages.

Free Japanese ClassA free beginner level Japanese class is available for students who can readmost hiragana and katakana and some basic kanji. Class fees are free,
however, students must purchase a textbook.
When: Fridays, 15:30 – 17:00
Where: CrossPal
Sign up/Contact: Mr. Komiyama
TEL: 090-4811-1147, email: kmyma2s@gmail.com
Everyday 10:00 – 23:00
English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, etc.

TEL: 025-228-2212

Niigata International Association TEL: 025-241-1881
Email: nia21c@niigata-ia.or.jp URL: https://www.niigata-ia.or.jp/

Weekdays 10:00 – 17:00
English, Russian, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese,Spanish, Portuguese

Helpline for Foreigners

Press 2 after the Japanese guidance

TEL: 0120-279-338 (toll-free)

Niigata Medical Care Information Network

URL: http://qq.niigata-iyaku.jp/

Hello Work, Foreigner Advisory Service TEL: 025-280-8609
Niigata Misaki Godo Chosha #2 (1-2-1 Misaki-cho, Chuo Ward, Niigata City)
Immigration Bureau Consultation

2nd Tue. of the month (4/9) 13:00–17:00
Thai, Vietnamese, Russian

Gyoseishoshi Association of Niigata Consultation

4th Wed. of the month (4/24) 10:00–17:00
Chinese, Russian

Free Legal Consultation for Foreign Residents
Length of Consultation: 40 minutes per person

Houterasu Free Legal Consultation for Foreign Residents
Length of Consultation: 40 minutes per person

Education Consultation

3rd Thur. of odd numbered months (5/16)
English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian
3rd Mon. of even numbered months (4/15)
13:00 – 17:00
English, Filipino
Every Tue. 13:00–17:00 English, Chinese,Thai, Vietnamese, RussianEnglish, Chinese, Korean
1st – 4th Wed 13:00 – 16:00
English & Chinese

Make a reservation by phone or email in advance.
Place: Multilingual Consultation Center of Niigata(formerly Foreign Resident ConsultationCenter)(2nd floor of Toki Messe)
Contact: TEL: 025-241-1881Email: nia10@niigata-ia.or.jp

Edited and Issued by the Niigata City International Exchange Foundation
3-2086 Ishizuecho-dori, Chuo Ward, Niigata City 951-8055
Homepage: https://www.nief.or.jp/
Tel: (025) 225-2727
E-mail: kyokai@nief.or.jp(Written and edited by Alyssa Williams & Ayako Homma)

CrossPal will beclosed Apr. 22nd