NIA LETTER

Published by
Niigata International Association (NIA)

Vol.

25

2023.3
Bonjour

こんにちは

xin chào你好

Kamusta

Hello!

NIA Oﬃcial Facebook

International Understanding
Presentation Contest 2022

arNihongo Semin
At a Yasashii
City)(Kashiwazaki

Discover the World from Asia!
(Niigata City)

Exchange Student Representatives
introduce their home countries to juniorhigh school students (Tainai City)

Feature2

Building Niigata
for Everyone,
by Everyone― The Future of Industry ―Contents■Interview with the Prefectural Coordinators forInternational Relations (CIRs) …………………………………………… 5■Celebrating 50 years of International Relations
with Mongolia and China
From the FRCN - Consultation Center Newsletter ………… 6■NIA Activities Report ・ Announcement from NIA ① ………… 7■Announcement from NIA ② ・ Comic #10 “Brr,brr,brr!” …… 8

Building Niigata
for Everyone,
by Everyone— The Future of Industry —Tokita Miwa

Sano Yukari

LE HONG PHU

Global Support
Cooperative
Representative
Director

SHINSENHOLDINGS INC.
President andRepresentative Director

JV COFFEE CO.
CEO

While Niigata Prefecture continues to experience a declining birthrate and aging society, the number offoreign workers living in the prefecture and the companies that are hiring them have been increasing year
by year, with 2022 marking the highest number of foreign-hiring businesses on record. In order to learn
more about how prefectural citizens and foreign residents can open the door to a bright future forcommunities and industries under such conditions, we talked with 3 people making strides in the world ofindustry here in Niigata.
Foreign Workers by Nationality
Foreign Workers by Status of Residence#of Foreign Workers
10,705 people#1 Viet Nam 3,286 #1 Technical Intern Trainee 3,647#of Companies Hiring
Foreign Workers
2,237 places*According to data from the Niigata Labor Bureau, “Status of Notification of Employment of Foreign
Nationals in Niigata Prefecture” (As of October 2022)

#2
#3

China
Philippines

2,029
1,878

#2 Status based (Permanent Resident, etc.) 2,958#3 Specialty/technical ﬁeld
2,252

Please tell us about yourself and your job!
Tokita My job is to introduce foreign TechnicalIntern Trainees and Technical Engineers to companies
in Niigata Prefecture, as well as providing support
thereafter. Currently, we have introduced about 400
foreign workers to companies, mainly within Niigata
Prefecture, with 90% of them being Vietnamese.
Last year, there was a problem with Technical Intern
Trainees in the prefecture not being paid, so wecreated a Facebook page where foreign workers
could easily consult with us.
Sano At my group company, we handle events,
construction and renovations, and as of January
2020, we created a company to support events in
Hanoi. Although business is very tough right now due
to COVID-19, I believe things will turn around soon.
Also, in April 2022, we hired a full-time Vietnamese
employee. Her Japanese level is the same as native
speakers, and even when interviewed alongside
Japanese university students, she left the best
impression. She is now not only working hard in thebusiness, but also fostering international awarenessamong our employees, planning things such as an incompany seminar on Viet Nam.
Phu In 2020, we opened JV COFFEE CO. in Niigata
City, a Vietnamese café that sells wholesale coﬀee
2

from Viet Nam on the south side of Niigata Station.
The café is not only a place to drink coﬀee, but wehave many Vietnamese people who come to me andthe store manager to ask questions. Recently, we
have also been providing support to Japanesecompanies that are considering expanding into VietNam.
My background is a bit diﬀerent: after studyingarchitecture and civil engineering at university in Viet
Nam, I went to a Japanese language school in Tokyofor 2 years. After that, I decided to study economics,
and a teacher told me that there were only two
schools where one can change their academic trackfrom sciences to liberal arts: Kobe or Niigata. That
teacher happened to be from Niigata, andrecommended the Graduate Institute for
Entrepreneurial Studies. This was truly “fate”!
Considering ﬁnances and other factors, I decided tostart my own business in Niigata after completing
graduate school because I wanted to become
number one in Niigata and then expand nationwide.
Besides that, the people of Niigata are very kind, andeven if I expand all over Japan, itʼs the kind of place
you feel you want to return to. From the very ﬁrst
time I stepped out of Niigata Station, I have had help
from so many people. Now, Niigata has become my“second hometown.”

What challenges do you face in advancing your business?

Tokita Miwa
Global Support Cooperative
Representative Director

Tokita Along with a weak yen, I think the appeal ofworking in Japan is starting to fade for many
foreigners, and even more so, the attractiveness ofworking in Niigata Prefecture is thought to be lacking
in terms of wages and living environment. It is crucial
that companies in the prefecture hiring foreign
employees think seriously about how to overcome
these issues. There is also not enough information for
prefectural citizens about working and living withforeign residents, so everyone only gets the negativesides and have the impression that “foreigners arescary.” So I would really like for the government totake an active role in communicating the attitude andinformation that “we are going to build Niigata
Prefecture in cooperation with foreign workers.”
Sano If the government really feels that Niigata
wants to be able to accept foreign employees, then it
also brings up the issue of Japanese language
education. It seems that there is a lot of troublecaused when people cannot convey what they arethinking. I sometimes wonder if some of the incidents
that appear in the media would not have happened if
people had some understanding of the language, so I
think another key point is whether the government
can properly cover the cost of Japanese language
education.
Tokita I agree. Niigata Prefecture is large, so there
are also foreign residents who are unable to join
in-person Japanese classes. I think itʼs very
important to increase options for alternative learning
environments, such as online courses or using social
media. Itʼs also critical for companies to create
frameworks for providing incentives like wage
increases or one-time payments for employees who
improve their Japanese level. Another important
thing besides Japanese language education is, there
are a lot of problems that arise because manytechnical intern trainees and other foreign workers
are coming to Japan from countries with an entirely
diﬀerent environment, with totally diﬀerent customs.
Itʼs important to properly teach them about life andbasic rules in Japan.

Sano Yukari
SHINSEN HOLDINGS INC.
President andRepresentative Director

Phu As Ms. Tokita said, because of the weak yen,real wages have dropped, and with cuts from the
COVID-19 pandemic in the background, the numberof technical intern trainees coming to Japan has also
decreased, so there is a fear they will go to othercountries with better wages. Also, there are trainees
that say “life in Niigata is not convenient, Iʼm goingto Tokyo,” so I would like Niigata to improve its
appeal by creating fun places like an outlet mall.
Also, itʼs very diﬃcult for people who canʼt speak
Japanese well to get around the country, so I think it
would be beneﬁcial if there were a direct ﬂight
connecting Niigata and Viet Nam.
Sano As a company with overseas oﬃces, itʼs
expensive to transfer through Narita Airport, so it
would be a huge advantage if we could use Niigata
Airport. We really want Niigata Prefecture to restartand improve international ﬂights!
Tokita Me too, Iʼm waiting for Niigata Airport torestart international routes. If our technical interntrainees transfer through Seoul (Incheon Airport) to
Niigata Airport, they can get to our training center injust 30 minutes. Itʼs really tough to have to comefrom Narita. And, since technical trainees ﬁnish in 3
years and then can change jobs, type of work, or
become Speciﬁed Skilled Workers, there are many
people who work for 3 years in the prefecture andthen move to big cities. Highly capable employees
are hired by companies with great beneﬁts, so itʼsreally regrettable that we are steadily losing
employees that we did our best to support, and itʼsalso a huge loss for Niigata Prefecture.

LE HONG PHUJV COFFEE CO.
CEO

Phu The manager at my café is uploading videos onsocial media that show the appeal of Niigata. Someof the people that have seen them become
customers at our store, and some become fans of
Niigata. I feel that itʼs important to get informationout using social media.
Tokita Iʼm really grateful youʼre introducing Niigata
through social media, Mr. Phu. It would be great if
the government had some kind of initiative thatcollaborated with inﬂuential stores and individuals to
introduce Niigata Prefecture and businesses in
multiple languages using videos on social media. I
think it would be most eﬀective if we could have theinformation come from the point of view of foreigners
living in Niigata Prefecture.
Phu As for my company, we post things related to
Niigata as much as possible, but I think it would beeven more eﬀective if we worked together with thegovernment, schools and local people.
（Continued on next page）

Building Niigata for Everyone, by Everyone — The Future of Industry —3Building Niigata for Everyone, by Everyone

̶ The Future of Industry ̶Sano If we shift our focus to the nearly 2,000
foreign exchange students in Niigata Prefecture, I
feel bad for the students that know nothing at allabout job hunting in Japan. They donʼt know that job
hunting starts from the summer of their 3rd year. I
believe that universities and others are providing
guidance, but I think we need to ensure that
information about job hunting in Japan is properly
shared.
Phu Extremely, in Viet Nam we start looking for a
job after graduating college, but in Japan, you needto go to a companyʼs information session early on.
Thereʼs a lot that foreign exchange students are
unprepared for, including mentally readying
themselves. Universities teach them how to write
resumes, but it seems the staﬀ are having a hardtime with it.
Tokita The number of exchange students is only
going to increase from here, so while of course
teachers should follow-up with their students to help
them ﬁnd jobs at companies in the prefecture, wemust also improve consultation services and do a
better job of matching students to companies in theprefecture.
Phu Itʼs necessary for companies to raise themotivation of foreigners. It is also important toclearly state the career plan, as foreigner workers
improve when they understand each step of theircareer progression.
Tokita I feel the same way. As half of ouremployees are foreigners, we have a personnel
evaluation system in place to explain what is being
evaluated and how salaries are increased.
I advise companies that are hiring foreigners to put
in place initiatives that show clear reﬂections onsalaries when targets are met. Foreign employees
are highly motivated, so they improve if you justevaluate them.

companies can use our facilities when they want to
do long-term training.
Sano We would like to assist companies in Niigata
that want to expand overseas with their sales
promotions. Although we established a company inViet Nam, using that as a hub, we want to expand
even further. And in terms of making the most of thevitality of foreign employees, I would like to continue
to actively hire foreigners in the future if we can ﬁnd
a good match.
Phu I mentioned it at the beginning, but I want tointroduce Vietnamese coﬀee culture to all of Japan,
using Niigata as a base. Until now, our market
research in Niigata City didnʼt go so well because of
COVID-19, so ﬁrstly I would like to open our second
shop. Then, I would like to implement a creative way
to expand business using a food truck or stall.
Sano Would you set up a food stall at a festival?
How about having a Viet Nam Festival?
Phu Through the Vietnamese Association in Niigata,we have an event called “Betoaji” where we makeand eat traditional Vietnamese food with Japanesepeople while exchanging culture. “Betoaji” means“Vietnamese ﬂavors.” (Betonamu-no-aji in Japanese)
When COVID-19 calms down, it would be nice tohave an global festival similar to Betoaji for Japanesenationals and foreign residents. Everyone could try
the traditional foods at each countryʼs stall, and it
would be an exchange between all the people living
in Niigata as “prefectural citizens.”

Please tell us your dreams
and views from now on!
Tokita We are in the unique position to be able toprovide safety, security and stability to those such astechnical intern trainees. As such, I want to ﬁrmly
establish an “extra environment” such as a system
for immediate consultation and insurance support incase of emergencies. At the same time, we musttake on the role of reducing friction between local
citizens and foreigners. Recently, we have been
inviting elementary school students in Seiro Town toa monthlong “post-entry training course for technicalinterns,” where we have them interact with
Vietnamese and Filipino trainees. One student thatheard a Filipino personʼs story was inspired, saying “Iwant to do my best to study English so I can go
abroad.” In the future, we would like to make asystem to invite people from the local communityand businesses to come and see these training
courses, like an open school. And, I believe thenumber of Speciﬁed Skilled Workers coming to Japanfor the ﬁrst time will increase from now on, so I think
it would be good to have a one-day training course
for Speciﬁed Skills Workers. Therefore, we would liketo increase the number of variations we oﬀer so that
（Conversation from November 2022）
4

Sano Why donʼt we have a “Tastes of Asia” event!
Like “Betoaji,” what do you think if we called it “Ajiaji”
to mean “Asian ﬂavors”? (Ajia-no-aji in Japanese)
Tokita Great idea. It would be nice if the technicaltrainees and exchange students in the prefecture
could participate and introduce their home countries
and traditional culture, too.
Phu

Letʼs do it!

GlobalSupportCooperative

SHINSENHOLDINGS INC.

Scan

Scan

JV

COFFEECO.
Scan

Interview with the Prefectural CIRs!
My name isĐÀM LAN CHI(DAM Lan Chi)

Right now, there are Coordinators for International
Relations (CIRs) from America, South Korea, Viet Nam andRussia at the Niigata Prefectural International Aﬀairs Division.
We will introduce 2 new CIRs, who arrived in FY2022!

Q1. Iʼm from Hanoi, thecapital of Viet Nam. My
countryʼs pride is“Vietnamese dining,” ofcourse. Since coming to
Niigata, Iʼve been eating
delicious Japanese foodevery day, but I really
miss the tastes of home.
Something we
Vietnamese areparticularly proud of is
our cheap and convenient
street food, which you
can easily get on the sideof any road. Vietnamesefood such as noodle
dishes like Bún and Phở,Bánh xèo (stuﬀed rice pancake), and Vietnamese springrolls are really popular with foreigners, so if you ever havethe chance to go to Viet Nam, you should try everythingat least once!
Q2. When I was a kid, there were lots of shops aroundmy house where you could borrow manga (comic books),
and I was really into reading them. Manga like the miracleperforming Doraemon and the cool Sailor Moon left astrong impact on me, which got me interested in Japan.

Q3. Iʼve beendrawing animestyle pictures
for a while. Iʼm
not at aprofessional
level, but Iʼmgood at drawing
cute
illustrations.
Recently Iʼve
been into
playing games
on my phone, and I sometimes draw the characters fromthe games.
Q4. Iʼm now renting an apartment in Chuo Ward in
Niigata City. Thereʼs a supermarket, convenience store
and bus stop nearby, so my life is really good! On top of
that, everyone at my oﬃce is very kind and helpful, so I
feel very grateful every day.
Q5. Thereʼs a variety of international exchange events
going on in the prefecture. In particular, we CIRs are
giving lectures at schools, municipal and prefectural citizenhalls, and chambers of commerce, where we introduce
the culture, lifestyle, customs, and business conditions in
our home countries to promote international
understanding. As a Vietnamese person, I want to do mybest to enrich the relationship between Japan and
Vietnam.

Q1.What country and area are you from?
What is a bragging point in yourcountry?
Q2.What made you interested inJapan?
Q1. Iʼm from Ulan-Ude in Russia. Ulan-Ude is in thesoutheast of Russia, and is the capital of the Republicof Buryatia. The Republic of Buryatia neighbors
Mongolia, and a Mongolic ethnic group called Buryats
live here. The crown jewel of Buryatia is the deepest
lake in the world: Lake Baikal!
Q2. When I was young, I watched a variety ofJapanese anime such as Spirited Away, Princess
Mononoke, and 5 Centimeters per Second, which got
me interested in Japan, and I studied Japanese
language in university. In my 3rd year of university, I
studied abroad for one year in Japan, and I was looked
after by many Japanese people, which made me wantto continue studying Japanese after graduation.
Q3. My hobbies are reading books and hiking.
However, Iʼm not really good at exercising, so I liketo walk slowly while enjoying nature. Niigata haslots of mountains and scenic spots, so I really want
to try hiking here!
I also like to cook. I regularly cook for myself, andsince coming to Niigata, Iʼve started making miso
soup. I want to try making diﬀerent Japanesedishes from now on.

Whatʼs a CIR?
Niigata Pref. HP ⇒Q3.Any hobbies or special skills you
have?
Q4.How is life in Niigata?
Q5.If you have a message for ourreaders, please let us know!

Q4. I just came to

My name isИринцеева Дина(IRINTSEEVA Dina)

Niigata in October
2022, so things are stilla little hectic, but I thinkIʼm getting used to it.
Niigata City is a quiet, easy
place to live. The ocean is
nearby, and the sceneryfrom the observation ﬂoor
at Toki Messe really left an
impact on me. Iʼm so glad
I got to move to such abeautiful city!
Q5. In recent years, I
believe international exchange is really important.
Various international conferences and exchange
events have been taking place in Niigata Prefecture,and I think itʼs wonderful that there are lots ofopportunities to interact with foreign people. As a
CIR, I want to do all I can to contribute tointernational exchange in Niigata as well as
spreading Niigataʼs charms to the world.

5

Exhibitions at Chisoku Art Museum

Celebrating 50 years of Zhu Lin En Exhibition
International Relations
with Mongolia and China
2022 marked the 50th anniversary of thenormalization of Japan-China relations, the 50th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between Japan and Mongolia, and the 15th
anniversary of the establishment of the Honorary
Consulate of Mongolia in Niigata. To celebrate, there
were a variety of commemorative events that the
Niigata International Association also cooperated in,some of which are introduced here.

Niigata Award:
Japanese Speech Contest 2022
The Niigata International Association held a speech
contest for students studying Japanese in Ulaanbaatar,
the capital of Mongolia, on September 17 (Sat.). The
9 students who participated were each nominated bytheir school or university, and they presented in ﬂuent
Japanese on topics such as “Japanese people only see
Mongolia for its nomads: I want to change this,” “If I
were prime minister, I would strengthen JapaneseMongolian relations,” and “I want to study theJapanese spirit of helping one another.” The 3
prizewinners were invited to Niigata in April 2023.

There was an exhibition heldfrom June 10 (Fri.) to August
6 (Sat.) for Zhu Lin En, who
was born in Harbin, a Chinesecity associated with Niigata
Prefecture. Zhu is known for
his “Urban Landscape” style,which uses landscape painting
techniques to depict contemporary buildings.

Mongolian Paintings and Calligraphy Exhibition
From August 18 (Thurs.) to
October 1 (Sat.), over 50
pieces of Mongolian art weredisplayed, including paintings
depicting magniﬁcent nature
with a simple and intimate
touch, and bokuseki a form ofMongolian calligraphy, similar to Japanese calligraphy inthat it is written vertically and uses a brush.

Mongolia Fair in Niigata 2022
On September 24 (Sat.) and 25 (Sun), 2022, the Niigata
Mongolia Association (NIMO), an organization created by
Mongolians living in the prefecture, hosted the Mongolia Fair in
Niigata City to introduce the various cultures of the country. At
the venue, a traditional home used by nomadic groups calleda “ger” was displayed,
Mongolian goods
were sold, and there
was a morin khuur(traditional Mongolian
horsehead ﬁddle)
concert. It was a
crowded and lively
event!

From the Foreign Resident Consultation Center̶ Connecting Niigata- ̶●Consultation hours:
Monday-Friday, 10:00-17:00●Location: Niigata-shi, Chuo-ku,
Bandaijima 5-1, Bandaijima Bldg.
2nd Floor

FRCN
Foreign
Resident
Consultation
Center of
Niigata

Consultation Languages
MondayTuesday

WednesdayThursdayFridayJapanese

10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00●Consultation Methods:
In-person, phone, email, online
You can make a reservation online
for an immigration, legal
or administrative scrivener
consultation. ＜ Reservations ＞

Chinese10：00 〜 17：00

For education-related or other general
consultations, please call or email us.
025−241−1881
nia10@niigata-ia.or.jp

Spanish

10：00 〜 14：00

Portuguese

10：00 〜 14：00

For details, see here ⇒6

Chisoku Art
Museum HP＜ FRCN HP ＞

English

10：00 〜 17：00

Filipino(Tagalog)

10：00 〜 17：00

10：00 〜 14：00 10：00 〜 17：00

Thai

10：00 〜 17：00

Vietnamese

10：00 〜 17：00

Russian

10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00 10：00 〜 17：00

Otherlanguages

10：00 〜 17：00 Can be done via machine translation on a tablet

NIA Activities Report
Discover the World from Asia!
Experts on world history and culture gave a series of seminars on international understanding, titled “Discover the World
from Asia!” at four locations around Niigata Prefecture. A total of 131 participants joined in-person and online.
■Niigata City – Itʼs More Fun In The Philippines
Niigata Philippine Society President Stevenson Alloso■Kashiwazaki City - From non-renewable to natural energy〜 Trends of China 〜
Niigata Sangyo University Professor Kinugawa Gheni■Tainai City - Food and Farms of Indonesia
Niigata Agro-Food University Vice President Nakai Yutaka &October 15 (Sat.) 2022, Niigata Venue November 3 (Thurs.) 2022, Tainai Venue
Indonesian Students■Shibata City - Migrant Workers Supporting the Economy of Hanoi, Vietnamʼs Capital
Keiwa College Associate Professor Nagasaka Yasuyo

Exchange Student Employment Support Seminar

Exchange Student Representatives

The Exchange Student Employment Support Seminar took
place at Toki Messe on Wednesday, November 9, with 18
exchange students and 24 business and school-related
persons participating. One lecture was about the processes
for changing oneʼs status of residence for working; anotherintroduced companies in the prefecture, and graduatedexchange students shared their job-hunting experiences.

Foreign exchange students in Niigata Prefecture eager
for international exchange activities registered as“Exchange Student Representatives” and participated invarious international exchange events around theprefecture.

■Learn about Statuses of Residence for WorkTokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau,
Lecturer Yasumoto Daisuke■Job hunting information from businesses and graduates
4 managers from businesses within Niigata Prefecture
introduced their companies and graduated exchange
students shared their job-hunting experiences

ESR Activities Report FY2022(May 2022 to January 2023)
Number of activities: 29
Number of people dispatched: 122 in total
Main locations： Elementary, junior high and high schools,
local governments, international associations, etc.

October 8 (Sat.) and 9 (Sun), 2022
International Exchange Camp 2022
＠ Niigata Prefectural Youth Nature Center

November 20 (Holiday, Sun.), 2022
Sports Exchange with Foreign Residents
＠ Kashiwazaki Sports HouseInternational Understanding Presentation Contest
On Saturday, December 17, the International Understanding Presentation Contest 2022
was held at the Marine Hall conference room at Toki Messe in Niigata City. 9 junior highschool and 9 high school teams took the stage to present the results of their studies anddaily activities. 10 volunteers and Exchange Student Representatives also assisted,which helped the event run smoothly. The results of the contest are below.
【Junior High School Division】●First Place
Project “S” (Niigata Shitayama JHS)“The oceanʼs future - Whatʼs ʻGlocalʼ?”●Award for Excellence
COSMOS (Middle School attachedto Joetsu University of Education)“The Future of Peace and Us”
Sasakama (Niigata Meikun JHS)
“To connect to the future - Recyclability of Plastics”●Encouragement Prize
Shitayama-kenji（Niigata Shitayama JHS）
“Everyoneʼs Place”【High School Division】●First Place
Jyonon (Joetsu HS)“Letʼs Komipasha!!”●Award for Excellence
Meguro-Shoji Sanjo Branch(Sanjo Commercial HS)“Nomophobia - Smart ways to
use a smartphone”
Niigata Meikun Global Environment Bureau(Niigata Meikun HS)“Japan and the Worldʼs Pollution”●Encouragement Prize
Student Group mirai“Disappointment to Humanity”

Announcement from NIA ①
At the International Exchange Plaza,
you can…
Gather information…

We have newspapers and ﬂyers on events andseminars throughout the prefecture. Please feel free
to use this space as a place to gather information!

Study or relax…

Our plaza is a great place tostudy or hang out. Have a break,and take your time.

Borrow library books ！

Our library in the plaza lends out
books. Any resident of Niigata
Prefecture can borrow them!

Lending traditional
clothes & flags!
We lend these out
for free to schools
and public
institutions in theprefecture, and also
to our supporting
members.
Please make use ofthem for various
international
exchange events!

7

Announcement from NIA ②
Please ﬁll out
our questionnaire!

Supporting Members Wanted!
We are looking for group and individual
members to support our international
cooperation and exchange projects.
Membership period:
April 1 - March 31 of the following year
Group membership fee: 10,000 JPY
Individual membership fee: 3,000 JPY※ Credit cards accepted!
Improved Member Beneﬁts!
・Group members can also get
Become a
Supporting
discounted tickets toMemberestablishments within theprefecture!
・There are now even more
in-prefecture places you can
use the discounted tickets.

Our association has been publishing the NIALETTER since 2005, and this is our 25th edition.
In order to improve this newsletter using yourvaluable opinions, we have created aquestionnaire.
There are 10 questions, and it takes about 3
minutes to complete. We want to hear youropinions and wishes. To express our thanks, wewill select 20 respondents by lottery to receive
a 500 JPY QUO digital gift card.
※Must respond by April 30,
2023 to be eligible.

＜ Questionnaire ＞

eClick thhe NIAt
top ofage！
Homep

Comic #10 “Brr, brr, brr!”
Brrr… itʼs so cold…
I wonder what thetemperature is today.

①

Maybe it feels socold ʻcause Japaneseapartments donʼthave heated ﬂoors…

What?!

②

Pen name:Nekono Nekotaro

Japan Animation and Manga College - Manga andIllustration Course, 3rd yearItʼs still
2 degrees?

③

When I lived in Korea
I ate ice cream even in
winter…

Japanese
winter is so
tough!

④

Hello, Iʼm Nekono
Nekotaro. Iʼm from
Niigata, and I lovecats. I usually draw
illustrations andcomics for boys andgirls and characterswith big heads.

This episode of life in Japan was inspired by YOO Minhyoung, a Coordinator for International
Relations (CIR) at the Niigata Prefectural International Aﬀairs Division, who wrote about this topic
in the “CIR Tsubuyaki,” where the CIRs share their experiences, and was illustrated into a 4-panel
comic by a 3rd year student at the Japan Animation and Manga College. You can read this CIR
Tsubuyaki article and more at our Associationʼs International Exchange Plaza, so please stop by.

■Published by the Niigata International Association〒 950-0078 Niigata-shi, Chuo-ku, Bandaijima 5-1, Bandaijima Bldg. (Toki Messe) 2F
8Phone:025-290-5650

Fax:025-249-8122

E-mail:nia21c@niigata-ia.or.jp

Website:https://www.niigata-ia.or.jp/