June 2021, Vol.77

The Newsletter for Foreign Residents<People> Interview
Notice about COVID-19 Vaccination
Do you know the story････P1････P2,3

about Onatsu and Seijuro?
････P4
How to Put on a Women’s Yukata････P5
Announcements & Letter from the Editor ････P6
Himeji Cultural and International Exchange Foundation– newsletter editing volunteers
https://www.himeji-iec.or.jp＜People＞ Mr. Louis Gutry（New Zealand）

Mr. Gutry is from a nature-rich seaside town called Paraparaumu,
in New Zealand. In 2015, he came to Himeji on the JET Programme(The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme). He worked as an
ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) at elementary and junior highschools in Himeji until last year. Currently, he works as support foronline classes at the Himeji City Board of Education General
Education Center.
Q: What made you come to Japan?
A: I was studying Japanese from elementary school to university. When I was looking up jobs atgame-related companies, I saw that many employees had participated in the JET Programme. SoI decided to try it as well.
Q: Please tell us about your work.
A: Last year, the impact of COVID-19 made it difficult for foreigners to come to Japan. Online classes
began in September to make up for the lack of ALTs. It was the first time for both Japaneseteachers and ALTs. I have knowledge of digital devices and can speak both English and Japanese,so I was assigned my current job. I would like to expand the online lessons to have exchanges withsister cities.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: Since I came to Japan, I've come to like riding trains. I have ridden from Kyushu to Hokkaido
over 5 days, using the "Seishun 18 Ticket". It is also fun to eat the local specialties.
Q: What are your dreams for the future?
A: I am trying to take the games that I used to play in class when I was an ALT and put them online.
I would like to distribute it online and hold events, national competitions, and even worldcompetitions.

-1-Notice about COVID-19 Vaccination
COVID-19 vaccinations have begun. Understanding the effect of vaccine and the risk of side effects,
please make an informed decision about getting the vaccine.
〇Procedures of vaccination
1. When you receive theVaccination

2. When your turn comes, make3. Get the vaccination.

Coupon,a reservation through theThings to bring:

confirm when you can get

Himeji city call-center (050-・Coupon

the vaccination.

5526-1090) or the following

・Identification documents(driver’sreservation system:

license,healthinsurance card, etc.)※ Please wear clothes that

Reservation system
https://v-yoyaku.jp/282014-himeji

make it easy to accessyour shoulder.

A person with underlying medical conditions should get a consultation before getting the vaccination.
① If you have a regular doctor, please consult with them before making a reservation for the vaccine.
② If you do not have a regular doctor, make the vaccine reservation first and please get consulted
when you fill out the questionnaire or talk to a doctor on the day of the vaccination. A medicine
record book can be helpful, if you have one.
○Vaccination Coupon

You can receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
It is free.
The periods differ according to age etc.
Do not throw this coupon away.
Tickets

Medical consultation
determines inability toreceive vaccination.

CouponCouponCouponCouponVaccinationcertificate

To people receiving the vaccine:・Bring whole document without
pealing the coupons off.
・Do not throw away vaccination
certification, even after theinoculation.

-2-Name・Address
Birthdate
Mayor of Himeji City
KIYOMOTO Hideyasu

〇Period (Estimation)
Eligible

Vaccination period

Elderly persons (born on or before April 1, 1957）

Already begun

Those with underlying conditions (20 – 64 years old)
Workers at welfare facilities for the elderly

On or after AugustGeneral Population〇Vaccination frequency and interval
The vaccine should be received in two doses. The vaccine for each dose must befrom the same pharmaceutical company. The interval varies depending on thecompany. Please confirm them before you get vaccinated.
〇Side effects of the vaccination
After the COVID-19 vaccination, the following side effects might occur.
・Anaphylaxis or other serious allergic symptoms (headache, nausea, rash etc.)
・Swelling or redness around the injected spot or feeling pain.
・Developing a fever after vaccination.
※There have been cases where some chronic conditions worsen after receiving the vaccine, though
there is no clear evidence of a link to the vaccine.
To make sure that you don’t experience adverse reactions, you must wait 15 minutes aftervaccination in the inoculation facility. People who have had serious allergic symptoms in the pastshould wait for 30 minutes.
〇Relief System for Injury to Health with Vaccination.
There is a relief system if serious health problems develop after receiving the vaccination.
Inquiry
COVID-19 vaccine call center
Tel：0120-761770 (9 am – 9 pm, everyday)○Life after vaccination
Watch for side effects for a week after vaccination. Even after receiving the vaccine, you can beinfected with the COVID-19 virus. Some virus variants have been discovered, for which the vaccine
is not as effective. Continue following infection control measures, such as washing hands, using
hand sanitizer and wearing a mask.

-3-

Do you know the story about Onatsu and Seijuro?
Onatsu and Seijuro are the main characters of the true sad story
set in Himeji from Edo period. It becomes the subject of various
works such as Ukiyoe, Kabuki, movies and novels. Today, weintroduce the outline of the famous work of CHIKAMATSU
Monzaemon.
OutlineThere was a young lady named “Onatsu” at the Inn called “Tajimaya” near Himeji castle. Onatsu
fell in love with “Seijuro” who was a servant of Tajimaya. But the love between different social
positions, daughter of the owner of the Inn and a servant, weren’t permitted back then.
They tried to run off to Osaka but soon they get caught. And Seijuro was blamed for kidnapping
Onatsu.
At the same time, the money disappeared from Tajimaya. And Seijuro was falsely accused ofstealing money. And he got death penalty for kidnapping Onatsu and stealing money.
After he was arrested, they’ve never let Onatsu see him. They’ve never even told her how he wasdoing.
One day, she heard kids singing “if you kill Seijuro, must kill Onatsu, too.”That’s the first time Onatsu found out that Seijuro got death penalty. She was so sad about hisdeath, she left her house and no one saw Onatsu after that.

Set of story of Onatsu and Seijuro : Nozato Himeji.
There is Hiyokuzuka which was built to mourn Onatsu and Seijuroat Keiunji temple in Nozato, Himeji. The memorial service is being
held at Keiunji temple on August 9th every year. Onatsu Seijuro
festival is also held on this day.
Access : 10 minutes by Shinki bus from JR Himeji station to KeiunjiOnatsu Seijuro festival

mae stop

Legends are left in various places about Onatsu after leaving her house. Other than Keiunji
temple, there are Murotsu where Seijuro was born and Onatsu was said to have visited while she
was looking for Seijuro, and Bizenkatakami where Onatsu ran a tea house after she left her house,as related place.

-4-How to Put on a Women’s Yukata
Enjoy the Japanese summer in your yukata! We’ll show you how to put one on.
◆What to prepare

yukata, two koshihimo (cloth strings), obi (sash)
datejime (a soft band with a width of about 10 cm) [optional]◆How to wear a yukata
Before putting on a yukata, it is best to do your make-up and style your hair first. Please wear

yukata underwear or a tank top with a wide neck under the yukata to help absorb sweat.
①②

③

④⑤⑥⑦

① Align the left and right collars of the yukata and hold these with one hand, and use the other
hand to align the center line of the yukata with your back.
② Put the right collar on your left side, and put the left collar on top of it.
*Pull these collars up so that the hem of the yukata is at the height of your ankles.
③ Put a koshihimo around your waist and cross it in the back, and tie it tightly in the front.
After tying the koshihimo, smooth out any wrinkles below the waist and adjust the length of
the hem.
④ Put your hands through the slits of each side of the yukata and stretch the cloth on your upper
body to smooth out wrinkles.
⑤ Pull back the center of the collar to create a gap of about 10cm between the collar and your neck.
Cross the collar in middle, below the depression between your collarbones.
⑥ Tie the koshihimo under your chest and smooth out the wrinkles on your sides.
Tie the datejime on the top of the koshihimo to hide it.
⑦ Tie the obi on the top of the datejime.
◆Types of obi
There are many ways to tie an obi, but it’s much easier to use a pre-tied obi called, “tsukuri-obi”.
①②①Wrap the obi (A) and tie it with a string.

③②Insert the tsukuriobi (B) and tie its string inthe front.
③Hide that string in the obi.
-5-☆Announcements from the Himeji Cultural and International Exchange Foundation☆
■Easy to understand Japanese version issued by VIVA!Himeji
From this issue onwards, VIVA! Himeji includes an “Easy to understand Japanese version”. The
easy-to-understand Japanese version has been compiled in simple Japanese that is easy for everyone
to comprehend. It will help us deliver information in an easy-tounderstand manner to our readers whose mother tongue is not among
the various languages that VIVA! Himeji is published in.

◇◆◇Letter from the Editor◇◆◇The hot summer will soon be upon us. Since ancient times in Japan, there havebeen many ways to stay cool during this season: fanning yourself with an uchiwa
or sensu, listening to the sound of wind chimes, hanging bamboo blinds on
windows, sprinkling water on the hot ground, wearing a yukata, etc. While it is
no doubt important to use an air conditioner to prevent heat strokes, why not givethe aforementioned methods a try as well?
Disaster Prevention Vocabulary of This Issueぼう ふう暴風ぼう ふう うEx) 暴風雨

Boufuu: gale
Boufuu-u: rainstorm

People Who Cooperated in Creating This Newsletter
Japanese: KUNIMITSU Minako, SHIGETA Fusako, MOCHIZUKI Toshiharu,
ITAMI Junko, ISHITANI Hiroshi,
English：Louis Gutry, ITANI Megumi, TOKURA Wakana, NAKAMURA Niki,MUKHYOPADHYAY Maitreya, Tiffany Gibson
These names are used with the contributors’ permission.
Their assistance is much appreciated.
You can read previous issues of “VIVA! ひ め じ ” on the Himeji Cultural and International
Exchange Foundation’s website (International Exchange Section) (https://www.himeji-iec.or.jp/).
The next issue will be available in September 2021.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. We are also looking for translators and native
speakers to assist us with translating and proofreading upcoming editions. If you are interested,
please contact us at the following address.
Contact Information
Himeji Cultural and International Exchange Foundation
3rd floor, Egret Himeji, 68-290 Honmachi,Himeji City, Hyogo 670-0012
TEL : 079-282-8950 FAX : 079-282-8955
Email: info-iec@himeji-iec.or.jp-6-