Vol.008 September 2018

Kaleidoscope

MEGUROCONTENTS
1. Events
2. Culture
3. Life in Meguro
4. Information

Pacific Saury FestivalMeguro no Sanma Matsuri

Meguro Walking MarchShogun Falconry Walk

One of the biggest local festivals in Meguro, Meguro
Kumin Matsuri will be held in September. As partof it, at Meguro no Sanma Matsuri(Pacific SauryFestival), 5,000 Pacific sauries are delivered from
Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, which is a friendshipcity of Meguro. They are grilled over charcoal fireand served for free with kabosu(citrus fruit) grownin Usuki, Oita prefecture. There will be also Furusato
Bussanten(regional specialties exhibit), Omatsuri
Hiroba(festival plaza), and Kodomo Hiroba(children’s plaza).

Meguro Walking March is not a “power-walk,” but aslow walk in a group, through places noted asreminiscent of falconry that Shogun went during theEdo period. You can have fun walking around placesof scenic beauty and historic interest, while enjoying
the unfolding of autumn in Tokyo, the capital ofJapan.

Date and time:
Sep. 16(Sun)10:00-15:30
Place:
Dendo-hiroba Park
(1-25-8, Meguro)Pacific Saury in Meguro“Meguro no Sanma”
Meguro often reminds people of “Meguro no sanma(Meguro’s Sanma)”. Why is Meguro famous forsanma even though it is not near the sea? “Megurono sanma” comes from a rakugo, a traditional
Japanese comedic story-telling.
This story is about a shogun during the Edo period,
who was enjoying falconry in Meguro and happened
to eat sanma at a nearby teahouse. The shogun,
who was used to only eating elaborate dishes every
day, thought this ordinary dish of grilled fatty fish
was very tasty. Back at his castle, the shogun
ordered his subordinate to prepare sanma because
he could not forget the taste he had enjoyed inMeguro. His cook thought it would not be good toserve fish eaten by commoners to the shogun, so
he removed the fish’s fat and bones, steamed
instead of grilling, and presented it in a way that hethought his master could
eat easily. However, theshogun thought it tasted
terrible and said, “There is
no better sanma than theone in Meguro.”

11.4km course
9:00 Participants meet up
at Kenko-hiroba, Hibiya Park.
9:30-13:30
From Kenko-hiroba, Hibiya Parkto Dendo-hiroba Park
6.4km course
9:30 Participants meet up
at Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery.
10:00-13:30
From Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
to Dendo-hiroba Park
Date: Nov. 3(Sat)Eligibility: to be a resident who lives, works or goesto school in Meguro City.
Limited enrollment: 500 persons
Fee: 700 yen (including insurance, a commemorative towel, and a course map)
Application: Apply via phone call, post or fax toSports Promotion Section on or before October
15th providing your name, address, phone number,age and your preferred course. Application also canbe made through the Meguro City’s official website.
Contact: Sport Promotion Section(Japanese only)
2-19-15 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku
Meguro City Office Complex
Tel: 03-5722-9695 Fax: 03-5722-9754

2 | Kaleidoscope MEGURO September 2018

Halloween
Halloween is becoming popular here in Japan for afew years. Around October 31st, you can see not
only kids but also adults who disguise as witches ormonsters everywhere. The name Halloween wasderived from Celtic Samhain and October 31st was
the day when ancestors’ spirits come back home for
Celtic people. The reason why people started to callit “Halloween” – was influenced by the Christianity
Ireland.
Halloween is a variation based upon the All Saints’day(All Hallows Day) on November 1st because it isa night before the All Hallows Day.
In the USA, kids enjoy this event by visiting theneighbors and saying “Trick or Treat” to get sweets
from adults. In Japan, adults enjoy this special
festival as well.
In 1970’s, toy store called Kiddy Land which waslocated in Harajuku commenced to sell goodsrelated to Halloween, but the main reason whypeople started celebrating Halloween was thanks tothe special Halloween parade from Tokyo DisneyLand. Due to these reasons, Halloween doesn’treally have any religious meanings in Japan.
You can spot many people disguised for Halloween
on Scramble crossing in Shibuya. Even in Meguro,
we prepare a lot of events for kids during this timeof the year along the shopping streets inNakameguro and Jiyugaoka. Let’s enjoy our“Japanese Halloween” which is a bit different thanother religion!
References; Japan Happy HalloweenAssocciation(http://happy-halloween.jpn.org/index.
html/)

Full Moon Night
JugoyaJugoya means the night of August 15th of the lunar
calendar, which the moon is expected to be themost beautiful of the year and there is a custom
called, Tsukimi, viewing the moon in this particularnight.
At the place where the moon is seen,tsukimidangos, (dumplings for Tsukimi), potatoes,
beans and chestnuts are arranged, and autumn
plants such as Susuki grass (Japanese pampas),bush clovers and Japanese bellflowers aredecorated.
According to the present solar calendar, we call thefull moon night between July 7th and October 8thJugoya, the harvest moon. Jugoya for this year isthe evening of September 24th.
The custom of moon viewing began in the Tangdynasty (7-9th century) from China and handed
down to the Japanese nobility in the Heian period(9-12th century) and later spread throughout thecountry in the Edo period (17-19th century).
This custom is widely seen in many countries of theeastern Asia including China, Taiwan, Vietnam andKorea. In China and Taiwan, Jugoya is a nationalholiday. Many people celebrate by viewing the fullmoon and eating geppei (moon cake).
The moon is a popular subject for novels like
Taketori monogatari story and haikus written by
Basho Matsuo and many other haiku poets. Let us
view the moon elegantly this autumn! An imaginary
bunny pounding steamed rice into cake in the moon
may jump out of it.
Following are famous spots for moon viewing, but ofcourse you can enjoy moon viewing by the window
in your house too.
Kudanzaka Chiyoda city.Tokyo Met.
Sarusawa pond Nara city.Nara Pref.

Kaleidoscope MEGURO September 2018 | 3Interview withOur International Resident
Sylvie Bruckner is from Bolivia. She has been livingin Meguro City since July 2017. This is her first timeliving away from her country. Arriving at Narita
airport, she said to herself “When in Rome, do as
the Romans do”. She started attending tea
ceremony and going to karate gym regularly. She
kindly shared with us her experience and thoughts.
Q: What do you like about Japanese tea
ceremony?
I appreciate the finest hospitality given by our tea
master. The tea room is like an oasis within ourintensive everyday life. It is clean, quiet, and theatmosphere is not disturbed by any undesired soundor movements. I can always stay calm there. Everymovement is simple and performed naturally. Not
only the way of serving tea, but the acts of drinking
and greeting are also performed elegantly withoutflaws.
Q: Do you think you've learned somethingvaluable from tea ceremony?
Yes. I am learning something new for every tea
ceremony, which is like great lessons in life. I
believe it is something which could only be learned
wholeheartedly. The famous Japanese expression
Ichigo-ichie, which is deeply linked to tea ceremony,impresses me. I think it could be translated into“Every moment, only once”.
Q: You also practice karate, which will be an
Olympic sport for the first time in Tokyo 2020.
Do you enjoy practicing it?
It feels great to sweat during exercise. Honestly, I
was always nervous and sensitive. I wanted toovercome my weak self. The more I practice karate;
I can feel that my health improves both mentallyand physically. I was so happy when color of myobi(Karate belt) changed to a higher level one.
Q: Did you encounter any manner or custom
which is peculiar to Japan?
Yes. Both tea ceremony and karate begin withbowing, and end with bowing. I understand bowing
is an important reflection of Japanese culture. The
action of bowing is to show one’s respect andappreciation to everything. I want to learn more
about Japan. So I say to myself “When in Japan,
bow as Japanese do”.

Meguro Persimmon Hall

Autumn season for art has come. Why don’t youenjoy some music at Meguro Persimmon Hall? This
concert hall has been a hub in Meguro City for
artistic and cultural events since 2002. They haveheld a variety of performances, including not onlyconcerts, operas and musicals, but also ballet andrakugo, a traditional form of comedic story-telling.
It is a seven-minute walk from Toritsu Daigaku
Station of the Tokyu Toyoko Line to the hall locatedin the Kakinokizaka Area. The name, “PersimmonHall” originates from “Kakinoki”, which means“persimmon tree” in Japanese. As you enter thebuilding, you will be awestruck by the natural soft
light coming through the impressive glass walls ofthe building. From the inside of the hall, you cansee beautiful autumn leaves through the glass walls.
In the main hall, sound reflecting boards hanging
from the ceiling enable pleasant acoustic soundvibrations. This hall is the first in Japan toimplement this type of sound system.
You can check the latest information on theperformances at this URL (only in Japanese).
http://www.persimmon.or.jp/
Here are some highlighted events.
Dec. 2(Sun) Classical Music: Meguro Citizens
Symphony Orchestra, 88th Annual Concert
Dec. 9(Sun) Classical Music: Ave Maria inChristmas by St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra
Dec. 15(Sat) Classical Music: Saxophone by
Makoto Hondou (Mirai-no-Oto vol.28)

4 | Kaleidoscope MEGURO September 2018

Guide to Child MedicalExpense Subsidy Program

Activities to Help Raise Childrenat Children’s Halls

This program subsidizes the co-payment of yourchild’s medical expenses.
Eligibility
 Children whose addresses are registered in
Meguro City.
 Children who are between 0 and 15 years of age(until the first March 31st after the child’s 15thbirthday) .
 Children who are covered by any Japanese healthinsurance program.
Coverage of the Subsidy
1 Co-payment of the treatments or medications at a
medical institution, covered by health insurance.
2 Co-payment of meal expenses duringhospitalization.
*Treatments that are not covered by healthinsurance do not qualify for the subsidy such as
health checkup, vaccinations, etc..
How to Apply for Free Infant/Child Medical Care Card
Please come to the Child Care Support Subsection,
located on the 2nd floor of the Meguro City officewith 1Application form for Free Infant/Child Medical
Care Card (available in the Meguro City office) and
2Your child’s health insurance ID card.
Renewal of the Medical Care Card
The Medical Care Card is valid from October 1st to
September 30th of the following year. We will
annually send you a renewed card at the end of
September. Application for renewal is notnecessary.

“Infants get-together”, where infants and theirguardians enjoy themselves together throughcraft-making and music, is organized by children’s
halls and school children’s day care clubs. The
program is available between 10:30 and 11:30 anddoes not require application in advance.

Meguro City Newsletter Availablein Five Languages
A digital version of Meguro City Newsletter isavailable in Japanese, English, Traditional andSimplified Chinese and Korean with a free e-book
app called “Catalog Pocket”(Refer to the QR code
below). Foreign language version will be translated
by automatic translation. Text-to-speech function isalso available.

Meguro CityNewsletter
5 languages arenow supported
on an e-book version!
Read in yourown language!
Supports
Text-to-Speech!

Easy to read even on
the smartphone!

PlaceNakameguroChildren’s Hall(2-10-13, Nakameguro)

DateFudoChildren’s Hall(5-18-4, Shimomeguro)

Let’s have some Born between
Sep.21 fun among parents Apr.2,2017 andand their children Apr.1,2018

Gohongi Juku Center
Children’s Hall(2-17-2, Chuo-cho)

Sep.13 RhythmicAmusements

Mukaihara Juku Center
Children’s Hall(5-22-11, Megurohoncho)

Oct.7

Let’s make a mold Born betweenof your hand and Apr.2,2012 andApr.1,2017
footHaramachi Juku Center
Children’s Hall(1-8-9, Minami)

Oct.5

Born between
Let’s get in agarbage collection Apr.2,2012 andApr.1,2017
vehicleTairamachi Children’s Hall(1-5-3, Tairamachi)

Sep.28 Baby touch careAgeBorn between
Apr.2,2017 andApr.1,2018

Born between
Apr.2,2014 andApr.1,2017

Born between
Sep.14 Let’s have fun with Apr.2,2016 andnewspaper
Apr.1,2017
Let’s play with
Sep.27 autumnal
amusement

Born between
Apr.2,2017 andApr.1,2018

Midorigaoka Children’s Hall
Born between
Let’s play musical Apr.2,2014 andOokayama Branch
Ookayama Nishi Juku Center Sep.11 instruments
Apr.1,2018(1-15-12, Tairamachi)
Nakane Elementary SchoolChildren’s Day Care Club
(1-1-1, Nakane)

Let’s stretch your Born on
Sep.18 muscles with your Apr.2,2018
or afterbaby*The base date for counting age starts on April 1st. A 0-year old is ababy born between April 2nd 2017 and April 1st 2018.

“Baby Activities”, which is intended to enhanceinteraction and friendship among guardians sharing
child-rearing experiences, are available at eachchildren’s hall. Your participation would be mostwelcome!
Activities will be held in Japanese. For more
information, kindly contact to Foreign Residents
Information Desk (Refer to the contact below).

Foreign Residents
Information Desk
Tel: 03-5722-9187 (English)

Access from QR code, and you
can easily read Meguro City
Newsletter anytime you want.

Content

Life in Tokyo
Site for Foreign Residents of Tokyo
https://www.lifein.tokyo.jp/en/

Main Building 1F,Meguro City Office Complex
2-19-15, Kamimeguro,Meguro-ku, Tokyo
http://www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp/multi/index.html

Published by Culture & Exchange Promotion Section, Meguro City Office
Edited by Edit Group in MIFA
5F, Meguro City Office Complex’s Annex, 2-19-15 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0051
TEL 03-3715-4671 FAX 03-3715-4672 E-mail:info@mifa.jp URL:http://www.mifa.jp/en/The bimonthly newsletter Kaleidoscope MEGURO is intended to make a multi-cultural society embracing and diversity.