General Term Meeting
Announcement

Vol.１4
March 2017

●Date: May 28 (Sun.), 13:00~

SIEA General TermMeeting1

Public Language
Courses (Chinese・1●Location: Saijo City Hall
5F Main Building Large Conference
RoomWe will send 2017 membershipguidelines with a postcard about thegeneral term meeting in the mail.
We request members’ attendance!

SIEA Project
Proposal・ Industry
Culture Fair Staff

2

2016 Exchange Association
Completed Projects

Convey Japanese
Culture to Canada
through Shu-souWashi

2Vietnam Note: PETS

3

Anna’s Thoughts onEhime Marathon

3Dates with Diana

4

Events &Announcements

4Contents○Public Language Courses(Chinese・Korean・Vietnamese・English)○International Café (4 times a year)○Pen Pal Project○International Understanding Courses(Hawaii, Malaysia, Christmas)○World Cuisine Classroom(Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese)○April: Industry Culture Festival○July: Anniversary Exhibit at AEON
○July: Young Leader Training Project○July/Aug.: Hebei University Saijo Visit○August: Month-long International Exchange Projects○October: Halloween Party○November: Industry Fair

2017 Public Language Courses◆Course Term: June~ March 2018
〇Chinese（Sat.・20 in total)Intermediate 13:30~15:00Beginner
15:30～17:00〇Korean（Sun.・20 in total）
Intermediate 13:20～14:50
Beginner
15:10～16:40◆Eligibility: Able to attend over 70%
of course, falling under next stipulations〇Residing or commuting within the city
〇Member of SIEA
◆Capacity: 20 people per course(first-come-first-serve basis)◆Location: Saijo Wellness Center(Sogo Fukushi Center)◆Course Fee: 6,000円(SIEA Members: 5,000円)◆Application Period:
May 1 (Mon.)~ May 26 (Fri.)◆Contact: Saijo City Hall Main
Building 4F General Affairs DivisionInternational Affairs Section SIEA officeTel: 0897-52-1206 ※Courses are nottaught by a specialist.
←We made snowmen and Christmas
trees during the Christmas course!

【Annual Membership Fee】
Individual 1,000円, Student (until high school) 500円,

2017-2018

Organization 10,000円
International Relations【Membership Period】 April 1, 2017~ March 31, 2018

Saijo is a quarterly news-【Enrollment Method】

letter published in Japa-(Current Members） We will send renewal guidelines

nese, English, and Viet-in the mail. Hope you will continue your membership!

namese by the Saijo Inter-(New Applicants) Complete membership form and sub-national Exchange Associ-mit to SIEA office (Saijo City International Affairs Section). (Forms availa-ation (SIEA). We welcome

ble at city facilities and for download online)

your comments, questions＜https://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp/soshiki/somu/kokusaikoryu-boshu.html＞

and submissions.

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1200 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/

2International Relations Saijo
17th Saijo Industry Culture Fair
～Volunteer Staff Recruitment～This year the 17th Industry Culture Fair will beheld in April. Local products will be sold and events
like the tug-of-war tournament are scheduled to takeplace. The International Exchange Association will
also host the “World Cuisine and Experience Corner,”where many people can enjoy international exchange.
We are recruiting volunteer staff members to run
the international corner. It is okay to volunteer when
you are available! Let’s raise the roof with our international community at the 17th Industry Culture
Fair !
◆Date and Time: April 29 (Sat.) 9:00~15:00◆Location: Saijo City Center (the internationalcorner will use an empty shop at the end of theshopping arcade)◆Contents: Free market, café corner (world cuisine,coffee and tea), culture introduction, games etc.
◆Application Place: Call or email the SIEA office(Please discuss time available to volunteer first)◆Application Deadline: April 10 (Mon.)★Come in ethnic clothing! You can also borrow
something to wear from us!

2017 SIEA Project
Proposal Recruitment!
Last year, we hosted a variety of activities withthe cooperation of our many members! Thank you
for all of your support! This year we will continueto plan festive activities promoting international
exchange. Have you ever thought “I want to dosomething like this!” or “A non-Japanese person
might be troubled by this”? We look forward toyour determination and ideas!
◆Target: SIEA members (organizations・individuals・students）◆Contents: Project proposals for international
exchange in Saijo city
◆Application Method: Submit “Saijo City International Exchange Association Project Pro
posal” (Please call or email for consultation)◆Submission Deadline: March 31 (Fri.)◆Submission Place: SIEA office◆Decision Method: Board of directors will reviewthe applicants and make a decision.

Let’s Work Together!

Convey Japanese Culture to Canada through Shu-Sou Washi!
10 years ago, when I worked as a kindergarten
teacher, I wanted to share the international community with children. I wanted to convey that if they
liked learning English, they could expand their horizons, so I journeyed to Toronto, Canada.
Every morning at thepreschool where I volunteered, everyone would
hold hands and sing theCanadian national anthem. Skin color, hair color, eye color – everyone
was different. Canada is amultiethnic nation, andToronto is a city of immigrants. This is an obvious
reality for the people living in Toronto. Still, I felt
so happy when I saw thosechildren holdinghands. was different.
Everyone

Everyone was good.

Now I dream of sharing Japanese culture throughshu-sou washi (traditional Japanese paper) when I
return to Canada, the country that taught me thatour differences are good.
I was born and raised in Osaka, but I always
yearned to live in a place abundant with nature. Ilove the simple pleasures of my current, ordinary life
– delicious water, beautiful scenery, and the people of
Saijo – so I want touse shu-sou washi
to communicate
life in Ehime. I
hope to convey thewisdom of our Japanese papermaking predecessors,
who had lived through poverty 200 years ago.
I have forgotten quite a lot of my English, but I will
do my best to restudy it with the Coordinator for International Relations while I pursue my dream.

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1200 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp http://www.saijo-iea.jp/

International Relations Saijo

3Vietnam Note： PETS
Many people in Japan have pets. For the first time,
I saw pet owners treating their pets as they would
treat their friends or children in Japan. Japanese people mainly keep dogs and cats as pets.
Recently, the number of people keeping pets in Vietnam has also increased, but only a few years ago
pet owners were very rare. In my mind, pets amountto goldfish or birds. However, people who keep goldfish or birds do so only as a hobby. In Vietnam, people
also keep dogs and cats but not as pets. Instead, cats
are kept to deter mice from laying waste to householdobjects and food; dogs are kept to sound the alarmand protect the house should someone suspicious attempt to trespass the premises. Therefore, people allow cats, but not dogs, inside the house. Even I had
three dogs that I adored but never let inside thehouse.
I often see Japanese people taking their dogs for awalk, but I have seldom seen that in Vietnam. Dogsin Vietnam, especially those in the countryside, runfree, so they go out for a walk and return home whenever they please. Conversely, people keep savage dogs
on leashes, so any dog-lovers traveling to Vietnam
should be careful not to approach them.
Moreover, there are no dog beauty parlors or hospi-Thoughts on Ehime Marathon
Since elementary school, I have been a runner. The
first club I joined was the cross-country club, and I
continued racing up to the age of 16, having competedin local and national competitions. Although I stopped
competitive running in high school, it has always
been a dream of mine to run a full marathon. I can
now tick it off my bucket list – twice!
This was my second marathon ever and my second
marathon in three months. I’m not very motivated in
my training, but I wanted to do well in Ehime Marathon. I wanted to do well on home turf, because I have
loved every minute of my time in this beautiful prefecture so far.
Running Ehime Marathon has been one of the best
– and most painful – things I’ve done. I spent a lot of
the race smiling so much my face hurt, which reallyshouldn’t happen when you’re running 42.195km.
There must be something wrong with me. But honestly, the atmosphere is infectious and the excitement
palpable, with supporters lining the entire course
through the streets of Matsuyama and Hojo.
It’s not difficult to see why Olympic athlete, Naoko
Takahashi (Qちゃん) comes back every year.

tals in Vietnam. If a dog gets sick, the owner will calla veterinarian who will come to the house to apply
treatment. Furthermore, pet food is not sold in Vietnam; instead, families feed leftovers to cats anddogs after they finish their meals.
One of my Japanese acquaintances has a dog thatis 14 years old. She loves it as if it is her own childand talks to it every day. I could not help laughing
when I heard stories about how she took her dog forwalks, slept with it, and even brushed its teeth. It is
unimaginable in Vietnam.
However, with the increase in the wealth of ourlivelihoods, the amount of young people keeping dogs
as pets has increased. Perhaps, dogs may one day livewith people as members of the family in Vietnam as
they do in Japan.（レ）My highlights:~ The groups of boys singing in the tunnels at the topof their lungs~ Running with Qちゃん for the last 3km~ Eating botchan dango, mikan and other delicious
morsels along the way~ Being interviewed by a TV crew as soon as I finished (I couldn’t speak English well, let aloneJapanese)~ High five-ing as many people as possible along thecourse.
~ Beating my time in Okayama Marathon and finishing with a new personal best.
The theme of this year’s marathon was “gratitude”.
While we ran, we should give thanks to the thousandsof people involved in organizing and volunteering, aswell as our supporters and fellow runners. As for me,
I was most thankful
when I could finallystop running after 4hours 17 minutes! My
next goal: to beat the4-hour mark.
Anna Tattersall

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1200 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/

4International Relations Saijo
Dates with Diana

I like Setsubun. With so many extravagant matsuri
in Japan, joining in Setsubun festivals and scattering
roasted beans at home do not seem to stand out, but I
find these rituals just as interesting as the larger
matsuri. Amidst the serious ceremonies held at temples and shrines, there is a playful side to Setsubun,
one where everyone, regardless of age, tries to catchbeans and fortune!
At the Ishizuchi Shrine Setsubun Festival on February 3rd, I absentmindedly explained to my parents,“Everyone throws beans at one another.” However,
without describing a morsel of the Shinto beliefs thatare at the root of Setsubun, particularly ‘Mamemaki’ (scattering of the beans), Setsubun is an unusual pastime, and ‘Mame-maki’seems like a cryptic foodfight.
The idea that beans have alife force strong enough todrive away demons captivates
me. This year I experienced
some rituals for the firsttime: ‘O-Taki Age’ (burningoldtalismans),
Kagura(Shintodancing)and‘O-Shinzo Haitai’ (rubbing your back with statues ofthe gods for luck).
Whenever I tell my Japanese friends that I like Setsubun, they usually say, “Isn’t it strange? Surely, people only throw beans in Japan.” As a result, I researched festivals with food fights and found 3 more!
La Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday inAugust in a town called Buñol in Valencia, Spain. It
began in the 1940s, but its origins are unclear. One
theory states that disgruntled townspeople attacked agovernment official with tomatoes during a riot.
Thereafter, it became a tradition.
Binissalem in Mallorca, Spain holds its annual
Grape Throwing Festival on the last weekend in September. Before the official harvest festival, the villagers pick grapes that are ‘not very good’ and have a foodfight to ensure a good harvest.
The Battle of the Oranges is the main event in Ivrea,Italy’s historical carnival. It originated from an uprising against a dictatorial ruler in the middle ages.
Adult men earnestly throw oranges at each other, so it
must hurt!
These festivals may have very different origins from Setsubun, but, after all, people theworld over enjoy eccentric celebrations andthrowing food! (ダ)Events & Announcements
Announcement from the Japan International
Cooperation Agency, JICA Shikoku「2017 JICA Spring Volunteer Recruitment」～Be the Power to Change the World～①Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers/ YouthVolunteers for Nikkei Communities②Senior Overseas Volunteers/ Senior Volunteers
for Nikkei Communities
Do you want to utilize your skills and experiences ina developing country? Collaborate with the local
people in personnel training and nation building.
◆Eligibility：①20~39 years old、②40~69 years
old（by May 10, 2017）①②Also, in possessionof Japanese citizenship◆Recruitment Period: March 31 (Fri.)~ May 10,2017 (Wed.)◆Recruitment Procedure：Web Application (Ifunder special circumstances you cannot apply by
web, please request the application documentsfrom the contact below.)◆HP：http://www.jica.go.jp/volunteer/seminar/
shikoku/◆Inquiries：JICA Shikoku
Tel: 089-821-8824

English Speech Contest and Exchange Assembly◆Date: March 18 (Sat.)【Contest】
13:30～17:00 ＠Saijo Library 2F Conference Room
【Exchange Assembly】
17:30～19:00 ＠Saijo Industry and Information
Center (SICS)
1F Exchange Salon (※Free to Participate)High School Study Tour Homecoming Presentation◆Date: April 8 (Sat.) 10:00～11:00◆Location: Saijo City Hall 5F Large Conference Room◆Contents: Presentation of what high school students
learned and experienced in San FranciscoEditor
Notes

This spring the International Exchange Association
has been preparing for the High School Study Tourand the Hue Festival. In our next issue, expect tohear more about Saijo’s overseas exchange! (今)International Relations Saijo Staff
Sachi Kawaguchi （か）Truong Dinh Le （レ）Read in fullDiana Marie Linton (ダ）(English Translation)color！
Miho Ishimura (石）
Mamiko Imai (今）Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1200 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/