MIA NEWS 173ed., Oct. (4)Miyakonojo International Association

Miyakonojo International Association
6-21 Himegi-cho, Miyakonojo-shi,
Miyazaki-ken, Japan 885-8555
TEL 0986-23-2295
FAX 0986-23-3223
http://miyakonojo-mia.com
E-mail mia@btvm.ne.jp

Memories of International Marathons - Miura Takamichi (MIA Member)Amidst the confusion caused by the outbreak of thenovel coronavirus, we saw the opening of the verynearly-cancelled “Tokyo 2020 Olympics”, which safely
concluded just recently. When one mentions the Olympics, the mind travels to the final day of competition(for the women’s event, the penultimate day), and “TheBest of the Olympics”, the marathon, does it not?
It was decided that the marathon was to be held in
Sapporo, a decision made with the athletes’ health inmind as Sapporo is generally cooler than Tokyo. Evenso, this year’s temperature and humidity were high,causing around 30 of the male runners (roughly 30
percent of the participants) to withdraw during therace. While athletes hailing from countries of a normally lower humidity had come prepared for these conditions, the withdrawal rate stemming from the high humidity might have you think otherwise.
As someone who has run the “Hokkaido marathon”
three times, which is held on the 4th Sunday of August
ever year, I have experience with Sapporo’s August
heat, and well understand the difficulties these athletes have gone through. The three times I ran the marathon myself, the city reached temperatures of 30, 27
and 28 degrees Celsius, and owing to the high humidity, on the third occasion at the 40km mark, I sufferedfrom heatstroke and was forced to experience my own
mid-way withdrawal (even though there was only a little over 2km to the goal…).
“Why would professional athletes and runners, letalone those who simply run as a hobby, ever enter intosuch a difficult marathon?” is a question that I havebeen asked a number of times, and one for which I
have a definitive answer. The feeling of going to theextreme limits of your physical endurance and managing to complete such a long course (42.195km) is justthe best! It’s also fun to get to know all the other runners who completed the marathon alongside you! Theview as you run along the course opened just for thattournament, the cheering from the locals, the food, theceremonies before and after the race, the gatherings
for runners who completed the race; there are a great
number of things to be enjoyed. Especially for marathons held overseas, in addition to all of these things,
touring around or experiencing things you can only doin another country is a lot of fun! Today, I want to sharewith you all to some of the things I’ve experienced atthese overseas marathons.

“Ganbare!” or “Fight!” are akin to a loud pep talk,whereas Melbourne’s “Good job!”, “Keep it up!” or “Youcan do it!” are words that praise the runner for theirefforts, something I had not experienced before.
Thanks to that support, I ran my first ever sub-threehour marathon.
At the “London Marathon”, the competition was held
along a truly incredible course.
Beginning on a slope near the Greenwich Observatory,
we saw the Cutty Sark as we crossed the Tower Bridge,
as well as London Tower, Big Ben and Parliament
House than stand along the riverside where we ran,
before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace; fromstart to finish, with so much to look at, you never had aspare moment to feel the exhaustion from the marathon! This one is a very popular event, with around
35,000 participants coming from all across the globe!

The “Paris Marathon” is just as popular as the London
Marathon.
The course begins along The Avenue des Champs Elysees, passing through the Wood of Vincennes, the Louvre, viewing the Eiffel tower as we ran along the Seine,entering the Bois de Boulogne after 35km, before passing through the Arc de Triomphe at the goal; anothertruly scenic course. With over 30,000 competitors coming from 50 different countries around the world, theParis Marathon is truly just as popular as the London
Marathon!
Along the way, they were passing out wine at one ofthe end stations in the Bois de Boulogne; as I’m notThe very first international marathon that I participated one to pass up the chance to enjoy some alcohol, I parin was the “Melbourne Marathon”. Not only was thistook of a glass of white wine. Feeling satisfied, I decidthe first time I participated in a marathon overseas, the ed to walk the remaining 5 kilometers!
words of support I received along the course left an
There was also a large number of runners who decided
impression on me.
to dress up in costumes for the event, and I happened
In Japan, the words of support you often hear such as
to run in to a runner dressed up as a flamenco dancer;

MIA NEWS 173ed., Oct. (5)they even invited me todance with them, which
troubled me a little. I myself
was wearing a festival Happi
and bandana for somefighting spirit, which might
have made me stand out alittle. In the end, we took aphoto together and left it atthat. Even so, it was a fun
and memorable experience.
For Canada’s “Niagara Marathon”, running alongside thewaterfall and being coveredin the spray gave it a whole
lot of ambience! Enjoying some delicious yellow watermelon after the “Vancouver Marathon”, or the “CalgaryMarathon” where I enjoyed some delicious cherries I
bought at the market on Granville Island on my way
back to Japan; there are a good number of food-related
memories, not to mention that the price was a tenth ofthat in Japan!
At China’s “Beijing Marathon”, your starting point isTiananmen Square, and the first time I ran this marathon 22 years ago, the yellow roof tiles of the Forbidden City were contrasted by the blue sky, making forthe perfect image of a “Beijing Autumn Sky” underwhich we competed. Five years later, on my third run ofthis marathon, the surrounding environment began todeteriorate, causing the air to be filled with smog. As
the town rapidly modernized, the blue sky disappeared,
which I felt was unfortunate. I wonder, has the blue sky
returned?
There are a number of massive structures you can observe as you run China’s marathon courses. In addition
to the Forbidden City in Beijing, there are the various
high-rise towers in the Pudong district that can be seenfrom The Bund in Shanghai, and the New Century Global Centre, one of the largest buildings in the world(Width: 400m, Depth: 500m, Height: 100m) that canbe seen nearby the park at the end of the “ChengduMarathon” course, was truly astounding. The insideconsists of retail stores, university complexes, hotels,
banks, a pool, and even an artificial beach! It’s like atown all of its own!

The most popular international marathon for Japan, nomatter how you spin it, has to be the “Honolulu Marathon”.
With around 50 years of history, this marathon in Hawaii began almost as soon as open travel around theworld began and tour services commenced. Amongst
the 30,000 runners that participate, around half ofthem are Japanese! A large number of participants inthis marathon join for the fun of it, and the lack of atime limit is another reason for its popularity. There aresome people that take a little over 10 hours to reachthe goal. There will occasionally be a squall that blows
through during the race, leaving a “Hawaiian Rainbow”
behind afterwards; everyone who sees this rainbow issaid to find happiness. I’ve managed to see these rainbows both amongst the mountains and across the sea!

There are still many more international marathons I
have memories of, as well as marathons I want to challenge once more, but as the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, competitions are cancelled and international travel becomes difficult, theunfortunate truth is that these goals may not be realized. Even so, I am continuing to train, so that when theday comes that the coronavirus comes to an end andcompetitions begin once more, I’ll be ready.

◇ Articles For MIA NewsAre you interested in writing a short article about international exchange or cooperation for MIA News? Somepossible topics include travel journals, introductions toyour home country, experiences staying with a hostfamily, and activities with an international exchange orcooperation group. Articles should be about a pagelong and include a couple of relevant pictures. If you’dlike to write more than that, please consult with MIA. If
you’d like to write anonymously, that can be taken intoconsideration.
We are also looking for people interested in sharing
their Australian experiences. Whether it’s a rare location you found or some fascinating people you interacted with, we want to share your story with all of our MIA
members!
Please contact us if you are interested!

MIA NEWS 173ed., Oct. (6)General Information◇ It’s Time For A Cooking Adventure!
MIA will be holding cooking classes held by each of thethree city CIRs. We hope that you can join us for somedelicious food and fun time together! Please note thateach of these sessions will be held in Japanese only.
① Mongolia
Date: December 11th (Sat)“Tsuivan” (Similar to Japanese Yakisoba!)② China
Date: December 12th (Sun)“Sweet & Sour Boiled Pork Bone-on Spare Ribs + Japanese Yam & Cloud Ear Mushroom Stir-fry”③ Australia
Date: December 18th (Sat)“Lamingtons + ANZAC Biscuits”
Doors open at 9:20AM for a 9:30~11:30 class. This will
be followed by an exchange session before cleanup.
Location:
Machinaka Kitchen near Marumaru
Library, along the No. 10 road.
For inquiries or to sign up, please call MIA directly. Limited spaces available. Please bring a pen and apron.
We look forward to seeing you there!

◇ Recruitment of Assistant Language

Teachers (ALTs) for the 2022/23FYThe following is a recruitment notice from the Miyakonojo City Hall Schools & Education Division:
We are recruiting people to assist with the Foreign Language curriculum and English lessons in Miyakonojo’s
elementary and junior high schools.
Place of employment: Elementary/Junior High Schools
within Miyakonojo (1-4 Schools)
Work hours: 8.30am to 12.30pm (four hours per dayfrom Mon-Fri, totaling up to 20h)
Candidates: should be non-Japanese citizens living
within or around the city, who either: use English as
their native language, use English as their primary communication language, or have an advanced level ofEnglish language ability with a knowledge of contemporary standard pronunciation, rhythm and intonation.
Salary: 2,630 Yen per hour (provisional) plus travel expenses for distances over 2km and bonuses (paid June& December)
Examination: There will be an interview and candidatesMovies info

will be required to give a mock lesson. The details ofthe interview and mock lesson will be communicatedat a later date.
Applications: Open until Friday, November 26th. Pleasebring your CV and a copy of your residence (zairyū) card
to the Schools and Education Division (Miyakonojo City
Hall South Wing 2F)
Positions available: Few
Inquiries: Schools and Education Division. Phone: 0986
-23-9544◇ Miyakonojo City Museum of Art 40th

Anniversary: The Origin of Japanese Art
In celebration of the Miyakonojo City Museum of Art’s
40th Anniversary, a special art exhibition is being held,
showcasing the history and evolution of Japanese Art
from Miyakonojo and Southern Kyushu’s viewpoint.
Date & Time: Oct. 30th ~ Dec. 5th. Closed Mondays
9AM ~ 5:00PM (Last entry: 4:30PM)
Location:
Miyakonojo City Museum of Art
Cost:General Admission: 1000 Yen
High School/University Student: 600 Yen
Middle School or younger: Free
Free Pass (Unlimited Entries): 1300 Yen
For groups of 20 or greater, general admissions are800 Yen, and Students are 400 Yen. General admissions are 800 Yen for those aged 65 years or older.
* On National Culture Day (November 3rd), all admissions are free. On Family Day (November 27th), all families with high school or younger students are free.
Further details can be found on the City’sHome Page (Japanese Only):https://www.city.miyakonojo.miyazaki.jp/site/artmuseum/34189.html

C-Plaza Cine-port (Tel: 0986-24-2571)

17-9 Nakamachi, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Map-Code (GPS): 117 488 540*55●Reminiscence (Japanese Sub)
●007: No Time To Die (Japanese Sub)
●Uchuu no Ho—Erohim hen— (Japanese)●Dune 2021 (Japanese Sub)
●Daughter of Lupin (Japanese)●Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime (Belle) (Japanese)*The 1st of every month is ¥1,100 for everyone.
*Every Wednesday is ‘Ladies’ Day’, all ladies ¥1,100.
*The cinema is closed every Tuesday.
*For session times visit: http://movie.walkerplus.com/th286/
schedule.html (Japanese)