NAPIA

VOL. 53 December 2020
NAPIA English Edition - Vol. 53
Established May 2009

NAPIA is a newsletter issued by Nagasaki International Association for foreign residents
Edited by: Nagasaki International Association

Taking a Walk Around Dejima Wearing a Kimono!

Sat. Nov. 21st , 2020

~Tea ceremony experience & watching Nagasaki kenban dance performance~
We held a Japanese culture experience class for people from different countries living in Nagasaki Prefecture toprovide opportunities to experience traditional Japanese culture. Fourteen international people from China, Vietnam,Thailand, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Taiwan, etc. participated. Participants changed into the kimono they had
chosen as each liked and enjoyed walking around Dejima. After that, they watched kenban dance performance andexperienced Japanese traditional musical instruments, and tasted macha, or powdered tea and Japanese sweets in
the Japanese-style room in Dejima. Participants seemed to deepen their interest in Japan by experiencing Japaneseculture in Dejima, which has a long history with foreign countries.

After all, it is difficult
to sit on my heels!
Experiencing the tea
ceremony with Nagasaki’s
specialty “castella”
and matcha!
Take a break!

I am doing my best even in COVID-19 pandemic!
~Messages from people in different countries who have lived in Nagasaki~
Hello, everyone in Nagasaki. I am Deng Jie from China. I studied in Nagasaki for a year, from October
2019 to September 2020, as an exchange student. I am very happy to take this opportunity to share my life
during the corona virus period with you.
A new corona virus broke out in Wuhan, shortly after returning to Nagasaki from Shanghai where I had
returned during the winter vacation. At that time, my parents and family members did not take this seriously
yet, but I heard from one of my friends working at a hospital that the situation was really hard. Then I
contacted my parents many times a day, and reminded them repeatedly to buy masks, daily necessities,

Ms. Deng Jie
At Nagasaki Waterfront Forest Parkand food, to refrain from going out, and to themselves clean. After that, infected people began toappear in different areas in China. Medical care faced an unprecedented situation, and the shortageof medical supplies became more serious, especially in Wuhan, where infected people were most concentrated. Female healthcare
workers working at forefront of the virus epidemic were not able to go to the bathroom to make their protective clothing last longer
and could not change their sanitary napkins. But many leaders were men and could not consider such a female-specific situation.
When I was wondering if there was anything I could do as the same woman, I heard that an organization called Weibo, a site ofChinese social media, was launching a sanitary napkins donation campaign. So I joined immediately.
Japan, which I thought was safe, has been in a serious situation since the beginning of spring break. The starting date of the class
was postponed, and I started to stay at home. Classes went online and I lost opportunities to meet teachers, classmates, and friends.
I could not take a walk in my favorite town, Nagasaki or take off my mask and breathe in the fresh air. The Japanese Language
Proficiency Test that I had been preparing for a long time, and classes and school events I was looking forward to, were canceled,and I could not carry out my travel plan. The Covid-19 has had a strong impact on our lives. However, the long period of self-restraint
was also a good opportunity for me to think about my future seriously while I was reading books and watching movies quietly.
No matter how difficult the situations are, there are things in the world that will never change. The sun still rises, and flowers bloom as
usual. I believe that the stress accumulated in self-restraint life will become the energy to live and will surely bear fruits in the nearfuture.
Hello. I am Michael Pham. I am an Asian American. My hometown is Green Bay, Wisconsin.
I lived in Nagasaki as an international student for half a year, from October 2019 to March2020.
I traveled to Korea when I was in Japan. After that, I experienced a period of self-isolation.
A lot of things were restricted, and I was really depressed. The hardest thing was that I had toMr. Michael PhamAt Mt. Inasa observation platform

return to the United States urgently while studying abroad due to the spread of the COVID-19. It
was the most painful experience I have ever had because I wanted to continue to study in Japan.

However, I managed to recover from my pain with the help of a college adviser.
Even after returning to the U.S., I experienced a period of self-isolation again. I was very happy to see my family again and havehome-cooked meals, so I was able to return to my original life pretty soon. But I missed my days in Japan and thought only about
Japan for a while. I tried to talk to my friends over the phone about life, travel, food, and fun in Japan not to get depressed. I am also
the director of the International Student Association, a group that supports international students from different countries studying atcollege. I love talking to international students from all over the world who have different languages and cultures. I am also the leaderof the college dormitory. I talk with and cooperate with other dormitory leaders to try to create a better dormitory environment.
I felt depressed often experiencing a period of self-isolation. But there were also positive aspects. Despite all the restrictions, I wasgrateful for all the opportunities I was given and was able to set my next goal and think about the future. Thank you for reading a storyof my experience this time. I am very happy that I was able to spend time as an international student in Nagasaki. I would like to visit
my second hometown, Nagasaki, which is full of wonderful memories, one day again.

～Introducing Japanese New Year dishes～
The New Year in Japan. What do you think of? The New Year’s first visit to shrines or temples? Or kadomatsu, a gate
decoration with pine branches?
New Year’s is a very important occasion for Japanese families to get together and celebrate the beginning of the year.
This time, we will introduce Japanese New Year dishes, called “osechi dishes”, which is full of different Japanesefood. What are the hidden meanings in New Year dishes?

③⑥-2

⑤

⑥⑥-3
④②
⑥-1
①

Kamaboko, steamed fish paste
It is said that Nagasaki has the largest number of kamaboko shops in Japan.

⑦Jubako, stacked boxes
Osechi is a kind of good luck charm to pray for the happiness of the family in the New Year. Packing in stacked boxes also contains
the wishes of “overlapping fortunes” and “overlapping happiness”

New Year dishes with plenty of cuisine are called “Osechi”. People in the old days made dishes that could bepreserved so that they did not have to cook for at least three days of New Year. Regarding to Osechi dishes, thedishes you make, how to fill the stacked boxes, and the number of stacked boxes differ depending on where youlive or each home.
Name of dishIngredients

What is the hidden meaning in the dish?

①

Tazukuri

Small driedanchovy②

Kazunoko

Herring roe③

KintonSweet potato④

Kuromame

Black soybeans⑤

DatemakiEgg, hanpen⑥

Simmeredvegetables

In the old days, when planting rice, they mixed finely chopped small sardine
and ash to make fertilizer and put it into rice fields. It has come to be called
Tazukuri, which literally means to make rice fields, with the hope that goodrice can be harvested this year, too.
Herring roe has so many eggs, that is, many children. So, it means that wehope that many children will be born, and that we will prosper for generations.
Kinton means a collection of gold or a treasure. So, it contains a hope that wecan live a rich life this year as well.
It is hoped that the whole family will be able to spend a year in good healththis year as well.
Datemaki was originally called “Castella Kamaboko” in Nagasaki Prefecture.
In the old days, reading materials such as books were scrolls, so it is said that
this rolled kamaboko represent the development of culture.
*hanpen: a cake of ground fish combined with starch and steamed.
Chopped vegetables are put in a pot and simmered together, which meansthat the whole family get along well and are tied together.
Since it is a root vegetable, it is hoped that the foundation of the family will besolid.
From ancient times in Buddhism, lotus root is said to be in a paradise pondwith Buddha, and is considered to be a pure and clean plant. Also, there areholes in the root, which means that the prospects are good.
When it becomes a parent taro, children of taro grow up from the root. So, it isused for celebrations that wish to have many children.
The prawn’s back gets rounded when it is boiled or grilled. So, it is hoped thatyou can live a healthy long life until your back bends.

⑥-1

Burdock⑥-2

Lotus root

⑥-3

Taro⑦

Prawn

Prawn

＜Reference source＞
・The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries https://www.maff.go.jp/j/agri_school/a_menu/oseti/01.html
・Gurunavi’s selection “The Hall of Gourmet” Gurusugur i
https://gurusuguri.com/special/season/osechi/spcu-1511_13/?__ngt__=TT113cbeee1002ac1e4aed04a-8_1FkJfzbGlffHcRDQiR・Nagasaki Kanboko Kingdom https://kanboko-oukoku.jp/

～The consultation desk for people from different countries～一Q. I am worried if I have been infected with COVID-19. Where should I contact?
A. If you have a family hospital, call that hospital first and follow the instructions.
If you do not have a family hospital, contact the Nagasaki Prefectural Consultation
and Counseling Center (0120-409-745). The Center introduces medical institutions inyour area where you can be examined and treated. Please contact that medical
institution and follow the instructions.
If you are not certain over your language, please contact Nagasaki Prefecture
Consultation Center for Foreign People (095-820-3377).
From Monday to Saturday: 9:00-17:00
If you are having trouble living because of COVID-19, you can consult FRESC Help
Desk (0120-76-2029) for free. It supports in 14 languages.
コロナウイルスの影響で生活に困っている人は、
We will holdan expert
consultation session on the 4th Saturday every month (13:30-16:30) for foreign
FRESC
ヘルプデスク（０１２０－７６－２０２９）に無料で相談することができ
people living
in Nagasaki Prefecture. However, the schedule is subject to change, please check ourます。１４言語に対応しています。
official website or Facebook for the schedule. You can freely ask questions about status of residence,legal matters, work and so on.
- Available in 19 languages, including English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Thai, Indonesian,Tagalog.
- Free consultation- Consultations are completely confidential, so please feel free to ask questions.
- We will take appointments for consultations, but you can still call or come in person on the day without
an appointment.
Place: Dejima Koryu Kaikan 1st Floor (2-11, Dejima-machi, Nagasaki City)
Phone: 095-820-3377～Announcement from the NIA～
We are currently looking for a foreign volunteer from 13:00 to16:00 on Fridays!
“What do volunteers do?”Serve tea for guests, clean the floor of the social exchange room, keep periodicals organized, andhelp out with other small office duties. Volunteers work in pairs (1 Japanese, 1 foreigner).
We offer a trial period, so you don’t have to commit right away. If you’re interested in international
exchange or international cooperation, we encourage you to be a part of our team!

Nagasaki International Association
We are open from Mon.-Fri. except public holidays. 9:00-17:30
2-11 Dejima-machi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki 850-0862
TEL: 095-823-3931 FAX: 095-822-1551
E-mail: nia@nia.or.jp Official website: https://www.nia.or.jp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nia.nagasaki/

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