4 | Kaleidoscope Meguro September 2017

How to apply for a day nursery
starting April, 2018

CONTENTSUNESCO JAPANESE LANGUAGE
CLASS : 2017 Autumn Term-Festivals…………….1-Bicycles and＊What is a day nursery?
It is a service for parents and guardians who cannot
take care of their children during the day due to work
or illness. For further information, please refer to 'theGuidance for Day Nurseries' published by the Meguro
City Government.
＊Who can apply for a day nursery?
Any parent or guardian who needs childcare for anyof the reasons below:- Those who are working a full-time job- Those who are sick, or with a physical or mental
disability- Children who are under threat of child abuse orDV(domestic violence) requiring social help
- Pregnant women ready to deliver- Those who are taking care of an elderly family
member- Those who are job hunting (including those whoare starting their own business)- Those who have suffered from a natural disasterand undergoing home restoration- Those who are enrolled in school＊Period of application
From October 2nd, 2017 to December 8th, 2017
＊ContactDay Nursery Section, 2F Main Building, Meguro City
Office Complex
TEL: 03-5722-9868 (Direct call number)- Information missing from the previous issue July 2017 page 7This illustration was taken fromhttp://earthwing.co.jp/ai/

This design is made by Mr. Keita HAYASHI. He
graduated from Tokyo Institute of technology
in March 2017.He belonged to the laboratoryof Dr. NOHARA. The design is based upon thecrest of Meguro-ku and cherry blossom.

Foreign Residents Information Desk
Main Building 1F, Meguro City Office 2-19-15
Kamimeguro Meguro-ku Tokyo

http://www.mifa.jp/mifa2/gaikokujinsodan2/2E.htm

Term:*No classes on national holidays*No classes on Sep. 23 and Nov. 23
Morning-Course
Every Tue. & Thu. 10:00am - 11:45am
Sep. 12 - Dec. 14
Term fee: ¥8,100
Sat.-Course
Every Sat. 10:00am-11:45am Sep.16 – Dec.16
Term fee: ¥3,900
Evening-Course
Every Tue. 6:30pm - 8:15pm Sep.12 - Dec.12
Term fee: ¥4,200
Level:
Beginners~Intermediate class
KANJI class (Sat. only)

DOG Tokyo…….....2-SENTO……..............3-Information…..........4Vol.002

41st Meguro Kumin Matsuri(Meguro Sun Festival)

Jiyugaoka Megami Festival, one of the biggest
events in Meguro City, will be held on Sunday andMonday, October 8th and 9th, in Jiyugaoka, a vivid
town that has full of shops and restaurants offering
sweets, gourmet foods, interior goods and fashion.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Can’t Get
Enough of Jiyugaoka”.
Each year, this festival attracts around 500,000
visitors. Within a radius of 300 meters of Jiyugaoka
Station, you can enjoy stage performances, various
foods and shopping.

Application:
At the venue on the day of class

Organizer:
NPO Meguro UNESCO AssociationCo-organizer:Meguro City Board of Education*Note: If you enroll after the first day of class, your fee will becalculated on a per lesson basis. Textbooks cost extra

Life in Tokyo
Site for Foreign Residents ofTokyo
https://www.lifein.tokyo.jp/en/

One of the biggest local festivals in Meguro, which is
known for Meguro no Sanma Matsuri (Pacific SauryFestival), is held in Dendo Square Park (1-25-8Meguro) and other venues.
In Sanma Matsuri, 5,000 Pacific sauries aredelivered from Kesennuma, which is a friendship cityof Meguro, grilled over charcoal fire and served withkabosu (citrus fruit) grown in Usuki.
The best part is that they are free of charge! Also,
there will be a variety of entertainment, such asbooths showcasing local products and food, dancing
and band performances and even a huge maze forkids.
This will be held in three nearby venues: Furusato
Bussanten (regional specialties exhibit), Omatsuri
Hiroba (festival plaza) and Kodomo Hiroba (children’splaza). Come join us!
[Note: Some activities require fees.]

Published by Culture & Exchange Promotion Section ,Meguro City Office
Edited by Edit Group in MIFA
Meguro City Office Annex 5F 2-19-15 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0051
TEL 03-3715-4671 FAX 03-3715-4672 E-mail:info@mifa.jp URL:http://www.mifa.jp
The bimonthly newsletter Kaleidoscope Meguro is intended to make a multi-cultural society embracing and diversity.

Date: Sun October 8th & Mon 9th, 2017

(The festival will take place in rain or shine.
In case of stormy weather, the committee will decide on Saturday
whether to cancel it.)

Participants:
Non-native speakers of Japanese aged
16 or overInquiries:Ms. Rieko Fujisaki Tel & Fax 03-5430-5952
Ms. Yuko Yoshitake Tel & Fax 03-3717-7418

Jiyugaoka Megami Festival 2017

Date: Sun September 17th, 2017
Time: 10:00 am – 3:30 pm

Capacity:
15 people for each classFirst-come, first-served basis*Note: Classes might be occupied if applicants come after the
first day of the term. If you enroll for the first time at ourJapanese class, please contact us in advance with your name,nationality, e-mail address, home address, postal code andtelephone number by fax or e-mail.

September 2017

Contact:Meguro Kumin Matsuri Executive Committee Office
TEL: 03-5722-9278
FAX: 03-5722-9378
E-mail: bunka01@city.meguro.tokyo.jp

Kansho Matsuri (Sweet Potato Festival)
The Meguro Fudoson (Ryusenji), located in 3-20-26
Shimomeguro, Meguro City, holds a festival on the28th of every month. The one held on October 28th,
is known as “Kansho Matsuri” (Sweet Potato Festival),
and every year, it attracts a huge crowd.
In 1732 (Kyoho Era 17), a famous Confucian andDutch scholar, Konyo Aoki, experienced a severe
famine and was inspired to write a book entitled,“Banshokou,” introducing sweet potato growing onsterile wasteland. Later, he presented this book to thegovernment.
Shogun Yoshimune then ordered Konyo Aoki toimplement a sweet potato cultivation plan. Konyo
grew sweet potatoes in Koishikawa Botanical Garden
and sent seed tubers to various regions.
People called him“Kanuho Sensei”(Professor Sweet Potato)
for his accomplishment.
In his later life, he built
a villa in Meguro. His
grave can be found in
the corner of Meguro
Fudoson.

2 | Kaleidoscope Meguro September 2017

Bicycles in Japan
We asked Adrian, who enjoys cycling, how bicycles
are used differently between Japan and Australia. He
answered that in Japan, there are a lot more bicycles,and many people use them as a means oftransportation. Though there are also a lot of cyclists
in Sydney, they mainly ride for leisure.

Kaleidoscope Meguro September 2017 | 3

DOGTokyo2017
Date: Sat October 21st & Sun 22nd, 2017
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Ueno Park

In Japan, bicycles are often more convenient thancars for getting around towns where the roads are
narrow and a lot of shops are close to one another.
Bicycles don’t get stuck in traffic and don’t need a lotof parking space, so they are an essential way oftransportation.

SENTO“SENTO’” is a public bath. It has been thought thatthe bathing started in temples as a duty for those
who serve the Buddha. Later around 1460, it isrecorded that “Busho” (military commanders)invited their relatives and treated them with a bath,banquet and tea ceremony. Then around 1600, it isknown that commoners had gatherings called“Furoko” where they met in “Kannon-do” (Buddhisttemples), took a bath and held a banquet. It is said
that they entertained themselves with “Rakugo” ,“Go” , and “Shogi”.

<Information provided by Tokyo Metropolitan Government>- PDF Pamphlet on
how to ride abicycle safely- YouTube The proper way
to wear ahelmet

How to ridea bicycle
safelyRoadhazards

Ridingrestrictions

Illegal parking
prohibited

Adrian also recommends wearing a helmet, evenif we are not required to do so.
In Japan, helmets aremandatory for school children
only. Adrian believes riding witha helmet is the same as driving
a car with a seatbelt. It is also
best to always ride on the lefthand side of the road to protect
ourselves.

“Welcome SENTO Runners” service is to keep yourbelongings without any extra fee, while you arerunning.
“Meguro Refresh Bath” service allows Meguro
residents aged over 60 years old to enjoy SENTO for
220 yen. Your ID is required to register on the firstvisit, and this discount is applied maximum fourtimes a month.
“Parent-child Bathing Day” offers a pair of aparent and a small child (school children notallowed) a free entry every second Sunday.

We have some unique types of bicycles. For
example, he had never seen people using what wecall Mama Chari or a battery-powered bicycle inSydney. Mama Chari means “Mom’s Bicycle”. Haveyou ever seen a person riding a bicycle while carrying
many plastic bags with a child on an attached seat?
Yes, that is Mama Chari.
Now are you much more interested in cycling? Howabout riding in an autumn breeze? You will get achance to see a different kind of scenery than what
you are used to seeing, and you will feel refreshed.
Don’t forget the following traffic safety rules andguidelines before you get on the road.

Meguro SENTO Special Services“Respect for the Aged Bathing Day” is to let
Meguro residents aged 60 years or older enjoy
SENTO for free on or around September 15th.
Maximum two small children (school children notallowed) can be accompanied.
Akane Takayama was brought up in Meguro. She left
aged 20 to become a contemporary artist. Studying inLondon, she built a career of awards and exhibitionsin the UK. She is now bringing home her art with heraward winning DOG sculpture.
An exciting sculpture which questions how we placevalues on objects backed by Meguro City, Meguro
Aoiro Shinkokukai, Asahi Shimbun Foundation and theBritish Council.
Takayama seeks to make art accessible to the wholecommunity. In this respect a cross cultural
educational exchange has been mounted between
primary schools in Meguro and the UK.
At the end of each day the DOG sculptures will begiven away for free. Volunteers working with the 400
DOG installation on the day would be welcome.

"Ukiyo-buro” By Sanba Shikitei

The “SENTO” culture in Japan is not just a place tobathe but plays a role of “a social meeting place.”
Now there are 14 public baths in Meguro.
Meguro public bath map
http://www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp/smph/kurashi/shigoto/shotengai/koshuyokujo/yokujo_ichiran.html

One of them, “Bunka Yokusen,” which is locatednear Ikejiri-Ohashi station, has “nano” bubble bathand Chinese medicine bath. Modern bath facilities
seem to be focusing on the extra benefits of bathingsuch as aesthetic effect and metabolism activation.
Every facility has its own style and originality,
such as the wall paintings of Mt. Fuji in the bathingarea, and this is becoming their traditional culture.

Contact : akane@akane.co.uk
Artist Website: akane.co.uk
Installation Website: akane.dog
Facebook: DOGTokyo2017
Instagram: DOGTokyo2017
Twitter: @takayama_ART
Linkedin: Akane Takayama

From “Bunka Yokusen” website

They are definitely worth seeing. We also
recommend going to ”SENTO” early in the morningor after a jog.

THE BATHING MANNERS
Let’s enjoy SENTO keeping the manners !