OFIX NEWS

Spring of 2024
Vol.

Osaka Foundation of International Exchange News108

May 15, 2024

TOPICSNOTICE

Renewal Announcement
Introducing OFIX’s Disaster Prevention
Programs
Interview of Former House Manager atOrion International House
Osaka Information Service for Foreign
Residents

Starting in FY 2024,
OFIX’s e-newsletter will be
distributed once a month!
Please sign up!
Official Character

Bora-chan

Renewal Announcement
We have renewed our website and email newsletter with the new fiscal year.
We have also opened an official note account, which we will introduce in detail.

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OFIX Website
https://www.ofix.or.jp

We have renewed our website to make it easier for foreign
residents and other users to access information. A multilingual
homepage has been created to provide easy access to useful
information for foreigners living in Japan, such as through theOsaka Information Service for Foreign Residents or the Frequently
Asked Questions collection.
In addition, a multilingual disaster information webpage (in 11languages) has been created in place of the "Osaka Safe Travels"
website and app. This webpage is linked to OFIX's social media
accounts to quickly provide information in multiple languages
during an emergency.
Also, we have added an event calendar that lists of all OFIX’sactivities, including OFIX-sponsored events, training sessions, andexchange events. Please check it out!

__________________________________________________

2

OFIX E-NEWSLETTER
https://www.ofix.or.jp/archive/

In order to keep you up-to-date on the latest news andactivities at OFIX, starting in April we will be sending out
a monthly e-newsletter in both Japanese and English. If
you are interested please try subscribing!

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OFIX note Accounthttps://note.com/ofix_jp

We created an official OFIX note account as a platform tothink about international exchange and multiculturalism
together. We plan to update it once a month.

Introducing OFIX’s Disaster Prevention Programs
Many disasters have been occuring. It is not just the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred at the beginning of the year, but also
many other disasters have occurred outside of Japan. It is predicted that not only your home will be hit by a disaster but you may also
encounter a disaster while visiting somewhere. If you are a foreign resident, you can expect to experience double the confusion andtrouble due to language and communication difficulties. Foreign residents who have actually experienced disasters have voiced theirconcerns about the difficulties they encountered when not being able to understand the situation or evacuation information.
In response to this, OFIX has set up a multilingual disaster information center to provide various types of support in the event of adisaster. We provide multilingual information such as alerts and evacuation information, and depending on the needs of the disasterarea, we can also dispatch interpreters and other services. In addition, there is a system in which we have a network with relevantorganizations to be able to cover a wider variety of needs in the event of a disaster.
We believe being able to respond quickly and appropriately during an emergency depends on how much you learn about disasterprevention in advance. In order to prepare for such disasters, OFIX conducts various training programs.

“Cooperative Disaster Prevention Game "LIFE" Workshop” February 8 (Thu.)
Have you ever heard of the cooperative disaster prevention game "LIFE"?
"LIFE" is a cooperative board game using the theme of "disaster prevention".
In this game, various disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and infectious diseases occur,and then players have to try to survive. The beginner level is an individual game to learn self-help,
and the intermediate level is a team game to learn how survival depends on helping one another andalso about the importance of mutual-aid.
The game has already been featured in many schools and disaster prevention events for local
residents, and OFIX has also held hands-on workshops together with the Kinki region international
exchange associations.
Participants commented that they would like to have an opportunity to experience the workshop with local residents and disaster
relief volunteers. Also they commented that it would be better if the workshop incorporated the perspectives of not only foreign
residents but also various minorities.
We hope that you will try playing "LIFE" with your friends at school, at work, and in Japanese language classes. Please then sharewhat you have learned with your friends and the foreign residents around you.

“2023 Training for Volunteer Disaster Interpreters/Translators ” February 13 (Tue.)
After an introduction to OFIX's volunteer disaster interpretation/translation system and its
activities, participants joined a hands-on course at the Osaka Municipal Abeno Disaster Prevention
Center, where through direct experience they learned about disaster prevention and skills.
Afterwards, the participants discussed in groups about the difficulties they would face and thesupport they would need in the time of a disaster from the perspective of foreign resident.
Next, Mr. Adhikari Bikash, a registered consultant at OFIX for Nepali, shared his own story ofexperiencing the Kumamoto earthquake that occurred in 2016. He spoke about how the earthquake
occurred soon after arriving in Japan, how difficult it was to eat the provided rice balls, and how he
could not drink the provided tea because it was too bitter. Once again, we were made aware of how
things that seem normal to Japanese people can be difficult to those from other countries.
Finally, the participants were divided into groups according to their language and practiced interpreting for a hypothetical disastersituation. Participants interpreted a conversation between a foreign resident/visitor and a multilingual disaster information center
staff member in their respective languages.
After the role play, the foreign resident/visitor gave feedback to the group as a whole, and participants commented that it was very
helpful. Later, a record of this training and a website on disaster terminology in Plain Japanese were shared with all registeredvolunteer disaster interpreters/translators.

“The 2 nd Osaka Prefecture Disaster Support Network Meeting for Foreign Residents in 2023” March 25 (Mon.)
This meeting is held twice a year in order to smoothly provide support to foreign residents in the event of a large-scale disaster inthe Osaka area.
Amidst the growing interest in support for foreign residents following the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred on New Year'sDay, we invited Mr. Mitsuru Masuda, representative of the Medical Interpreter Network for Disaster (J-MIND), to speak about medical
interpretation in times of disaster, which included a report on his activities in Noto. His activities were also covered by the media andthoughts from the foreign victims who received interpretation support related to the disaster are shown in the video.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgiT8AIteoU) Participants also asked many questions in advance about J-MIND's activities
ranging from their regular cooperation with consultation services to the planning of co-sponsored projects.
Throughout the discussions showing his direct experience, participants learned about medical interpreting in times of disaster,which cannot fully be handled by international exchange associations alone.

Interview of Former House Manager
at Orion International House
Mr. Nakamura, who worked as the house manager at Orion International House for 13 years, retired at the end of March 2024.
Before his retirement, we asked him about his experiences and thoughts of his work up until now.
Mr. Nakamura, thank you very much for your long service at Orion and all of your hard work!

Self Introduction
My name is Nakamura and I am the house manager of Orion
International House. I was hired as the house manager of Orion
International House in April 2011, just when the Great East Japan
Earthquake occurred, and I have continued working here for 13years. However, due to my age, it has become difficult tocommute long distances, so I will be retiring and handing mywork over to a new house manager.
Over the past 13 years, I have welcomed in and sent off manydifferent types of international students from many different
countries. My daily experiences with these students are vividly
etched into my memory and I will never forget them. It has beensuch a great experience for me.

Becoming a House Manager

Mr. Nakamura at Orion International House

I worked for a long time as an engineer in a foreign company that handled a German manufacturer's equipment that is usedin the commercial printing process "pre-press". I installed machines, responded to problems that occurred, and I had many
opportunities to travel to training centers in Germany as well as to other countries for equipment training courses. I met andbefriended engineers from many different countries and have experienced first hand how wonderful it is to be able to connect
with people from other countries.

仕事内容について仕事内容について管理人の仕事内容としてはOFIX 職員として寮に常駐勤務してオリオン寮全 体の管理
When I was job hunting after retiring from this company, I saw a job posting for a house manager at OFIX's Orion
運営を行うと認識しており、建物内外の設備の不具合発生時の対 応や共用部や各居室に設置されている機器の不具合の対International House. The dorm acts as the welcome point for international students coming from abroad to this very
応、寮生の入居や退去時の対応、寮生宛の郵便物や宅配便を寮生に代わり受け取りその後受け取りに来た本人に渡す業
international city Osaka, and I wanted to spend my life promoting internationalization through supporting
the lives of
務、寮生からの質問・相談やクレーム対応及び外部の方が訪ねて来られた時の窓口対応を行っています。また台風通過時
international students in the dorm. So with this goal
I applied and was hired.
等の災害発生時には情勢が落ち着くまで寮に残って待機することもあります。オリオン寮は大勢の留学生が集団生活をす
House Manager Work Dutiesる場で有るので、なんといってもコロナ渦の時は緊張した毎日が続いたので大変でした忘れられない経験でした。 幸いにして数名の自室療養する寮生は出ましたが大きな集団感染は発生せずピークを越えられたのは当時居住していた寮生の皆The job of a house manager is to manage the entirety of Orion
International House as an on-site OFIX employee. The duties
of a house manager include:さん達の徹
fixing any problems
with the inside or outside dorm facilities, managing moving-in and moving底した自己管理の賜物だったのだろうと思います。
outprocedures,
managingthemailfor
dorm
residents,
receiving mail in place 達が日本にまた来る機会があった時などに近く
of residents and then handing it to them later,
後、 印象に残る出来事としてはオリオン寮に住んでいて退去した寮生さん
answeringanyconsultations,questions,orclaims
residents
mayhave,andassisting
any non-dorm residentsが時々に有ります。
who visit theに来た時等に当時が懐かし いからとわざわざオリオン寮に立ち寄って管理人に会いに来てくれること
dorm. In the event of a disaster such as a typhoon, I may have to stay at the dorm until the disaster situation settles down.
自分も彼らが住んで居たころを思い出しますしこのようなときはとても感激しました。
Things I Keep in Mind While Working
Students who wish to study abroad in Japan may feel anxious and unsure about many things since they
will be living away from their home country. If the house manager is difficult to approach, it makes it difficult
for students to ask questions or to ask for advice. Therefore, I try my best to be easy to talk to andapproachable.
I intentionally try to talk to all the dorm residents on a daily basis, saying "Have a nice day (Itterasshai)" when I see themgoing out and "Welcome back (Okaerinasai)" when I see them coming back home. In my experience, many residents do notrespond to these greetings at first, but if I continue to greet them, their reactions change to replying with “I’m heading out(Ittekimasu)”, “I’m back (Tadaima)” or some sort of gesture. This helps increase a sense of friendship with the dorm residents
and then they even begin to initiate greetings or talking to me. In addition, as these interactions increase, I can match names
to faces which then makes it easier to interact when the job requires me to contact a specific resident.

Difficulties or Special Memories
Orion International House is a place where many international students live together in one place, so when the coronavirus
broke out, being anxious daily about the virus was difficult and it was all an unforgettable experience. There were a few dormresidents who had to isolate in their rooms, but we got through the peak of the virus without any major outbreaks in thedorm. I think this is because the residents at the time did a great job at taking care of themselves.
Another memory that sticks out is when former residents had a chance to come back to Japan, they would stop by to seeme because they were in the neighborhood or said they miss their dorm days. It made me also remember when they lived
here and it would touch my heart.
An additional part of the interview will be posted on OFIX's officialn﻿ote account, so please check it out!

オリオン寮・Orion International Househttps://www.ofix.or.jp/dormitory/

Osaka Information Service for Foreign Residents
Monday & Friday 9:00～20:00 (the 3rd & 4th Friday of eachmonth 9:00～21:00), Tuesday to Thursday 9:00～17:30,
and the 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month 13:00～17:00
5th Floor, MyDome Osaka, 2-5 Hommachibashi,
Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0029
Tel：06-6941-2297
Email：jouhou-c@ofix.or.jp※only for Japanese and English

We Also Offer Consultations with Specialists
We offer consultations with specialists (lawyer consultations, bureaucraticconsultations, labor consultations, immigration consultations, and therapeuticcounseling with a certified clinical psychologist) for foreign residents every month.
Please feel free to use these services. A reservation is required in advance.
*Please note that there are some specialized consultations that are not held everymonth.
For details, please see the event calendar on our website.
https://ofix.or.jp/calendar/

Frequently Asked Questions for Living in Japan
A collection of questions about daily life for foreign residents is posted on ourwebsite in 11 different languages.
There are various topics such as immigration, nationality, marriage, medicalcare/welfare, labor/work, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions（11 languages）
https://ofix.or.jp/life-in-japan-faq-japanese/

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Osaka Foundation of International Exchange (OFIX)
5th Floor, MyDome Osaka, 2-5 Hommachibashi,
Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0029
TEL：06-6966-2400 FAX：06-6966-2401
Email：info@ofix.or.jp

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