awa life
A monthly newsletter for international residents of Tokushima, produced
by TOPIA, the Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association.

shozui castle excavations
e generally do notconsider the suburbs
to be rich hunting
ground for historians
and archeologists. However
it seems Aizumi-cho is a very
definite exception to that ruleas there have been many
exciting historical excavationsin the town. Shozui castle parkand its environs, the site of
the large-scale ruins of Lord
Miyoshi and Lord Hosokawa
h ave b e c o m e a c e n t e r o f
intense archeological activity
for the past few years and as aresult many important artifacts
have been discovered.
During the Muromachi
era, Lord Hosokawa was
the feudal lord in charge ofthe province of Awa, whichw e o f c o u r s e k n o w t o d ay
as Tokushima. He took up
residence in Awa during the
1400's. His residence and baseof operations was set up at
Shozui, and inevitably the areasurrounding the castle becamea thriving political and cultural
center for the whole of"TOPPY"
February 2006 No. 188
by martin o'brien
martinobrien2004@gmail.com

w

history revealed at shozui

Shikoku. The Hosokawa castle
was located in what is now
modern day Aizumi-cho, close
to the border with Kitajimacho. It's not difficult tounderstand why this spot waschosen, as it is located well
above sea level in the middle
of a delta zone that surrounds
the Yoshino river. The flat landthat made up the delta planewith its alluvial deposits form
the Yoshino river would havemeant that the castle would
have been surrounded by therichest farmland in Awa.
At the end of the Sengoku
or Warring States period, theHosokawa clan was deposed
by Lord Miyoshi whose family
controlled the Muromachi
shogunate. Lord Miyoshi thenshozui castle excavations... con't on page 5

inside awa life this monthshozui castle excavations - 1,5 ... tastes of awa - sudachi - 3
discovering tokushima - 4 ... travel tokushima - mt. bizan - 6
martin's anime corner - 7 ... letter from suketo hoikuen, shin mai mama nikki - 8
japanese lesson - 9 ... memoranda - 10 - 12

awa life

Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)
Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@fm.nmt.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/

is a monthly publication of the Tokushima
Prefectural International Exchange Association(TOPIA)
Andrew Dahms & Claire Tanaka
Contributors This Month:
Andrew Dahms, Suzanne Kamata, Junko Kimura,Martin O'Brien, Yoko Rikimaru, Kaoru Sakamoto,and Claire Tanaka

Download a PDF file of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!
http://www.topia.ne.jp/e_index/e_index.htm

from the editors
t's been cold in Japan of late. It seems that
almost every day I watch the news, sifting
through most of the main stories and paying
far more attention to the weather than itrightly deserves. Coming from Australia, I'm
not used to the cold, and while I'm certainly
not getting the worst of it, I find it intriguing
to see just how low the temperature can get invarious areas in Japan. I have learned a great
deal about precautions against catching cold,
yet still remain genuinely amazed by even alittle snow and the fact that the fridge is thewarmest area in my apartment. Well, all toosoon the warmer months will be rolling in, but
for now I hope you are all in good health, andenjoy this month's Awa Life. Take care!
Cheers, Andrew.

reetings from the editor's seat! I've
left Sofie at home with her dad and rejoined the working world here at TOPIA.
It's nice to have some adult conversation
but it's tough to be away from my baby! In
this (somewhat late!) edition of Awa Life,
we bring you a couple of ways to get rid ofthat giant bag of sudachi everyone's got in
the corner of their kitchen (p. 4) as well as agreat cover story about an archaeological dig
going on in Aizumi! Who knew Aizumi could
be so exciting?? Also, Junko Kimura joins us
again with a look at what makes the peopleof Tokushima tick. Until next time, be sure towash your hands lots and don't forget to ugai
(gargle)!
Love, Claire.

githe sparrow (suzume) - main character in the Japanese Folktale Shita Kiri Suzume or 'The Cut Tounge Sparrow',about a man who takes care of a wounded sparrow and goes on to find happiness-2-

tastes of awa - sudachi
felt a certain pride while
watching Madonna squeeze
sudachi juice onto her
tofu on SMAP’s cooking
show on TV last night. If
you’ve been here for eighteen
years like me, or if you’ve juststepped off the proverbial
boat, you must know that thelittle green citrus fruit is one
of Tokushima’s most famous
products. In fact, the sudachi
flower is the prefectural flower
for Tokushima! You may also
be familiar with Tokushima's
prefectural mascot, Sudachikun
The sudachi is related to the
mandarin orange, and tastes
a lot like the yuzu citrus thatJapanese folks float in theirofuro (bath) in winter. The
sudachi is ubiquitous in local
restaurants, where you will
see nary a lemon. Sudachi
juice is dribbled over fish andseaweed salad, mixed withshochu alcohol, and it's evenused to scent soap. It has avery sharp taste, and is often
described as being very zesty
and having a strong aroma.
A few years ago, the guy
who laid our carpet gave us
a big bag of sudachi – morethan I’d ever seen in my life.
I wondered just how we weregoing to use them all up,
since there are only so manyfish dinners in a week at ourhouse. I started to experimentand came up with a recipe forsudachi pie. Since the fruit isso small, squeezing out a half
cup of juice can be quite labor
intensive, but it’s worth it. My
husband always wants me tomake another one as soon as
we eat the last slice. Even my
Japanese mother-in-law has
praised this dessert.

iby suzanne kamata
http://www.gaijinmama.blogspot.com

Sudachi Pie
Ingredients:
G r a h a m C r a c k e r C r u s t ( Yo u c a n g e t t h i s f r o m F B C(www.fbcusa.com) or The Flying Pig (www.theflyingpig.
com), or maybe even the basement of Sogo department store).
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup of sudachi juice
whipped cream (I always use the powdered stuff that you mix
with milk)
Directions:
Mix the juice, egg yolks and the sweetened condensed milk.
Pour it into the piecrust. Bake at 180˚ for 20 minutes. Plop on
some whipped cream after it’s cooled off and then serve!

Graham Cracker Crust

If you want to have a go at making your own pie crust, try thefollowing:
Ingredients:
Graham crackers
1/3 cup of melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Directions:First of all, finely crush the crackers. Then, mix 1¼ cups ofcrushed crackers with the melted butter and the sugar, pressing
it all together into a pie pan. You then pop it into the oven ata temperature of 180˚ for about eight minutes, then let it cool
before proceeding. Alternatively, you could also try starting withpastry, although I think graham crackers are best.

Cumin Dressing

You can also use your sudachi to whip up some interesting salad
dressings, like this one:
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons sudachi juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste½ cup olive oil (for an authentic East-West blend, try using oilfrom Shodojima!)
Directions:Mix everything but the olive oil together really well with a whisk
or a fork. Into the mixture, slowly drizzle the olive oil, mixing
all the while, until thickened. Done! This is great on a spinach
salad. If you want to go all out, I suggest adding some pear
slices and goat cheese to top it off.
-3-

discovering tokushima
was listening to the radioin the car while driving theother day. The program’s
personality was a famous
Japanese singer from Kyushu.
He was talking about whether
men from Kyushu ever telltheir girlfriends they like them.
Kyushu men are said to bevery stubborn. They are pretty
well-known as Kyushu Danji.
O n t h e ra d i o , t h e s i n g e r
read some responses from
Kyushu listeners, including
some such as “Kyushu
Danji have no DNA to say'I like you'”. I was laughing
as I drove along. I believe
you hear more often about
the character of people fromcountries or big cities such as
Osaka, Tokyo, Canada, South
Africa and South Korea. I waswondering how many people
are aware of the characterof the people of Tokushima,or of Tokushima itself. I'dlike to introduce some thingsfrom my experience - what
I've heard as a native person
o f To k u s h i m a , a n d s o m estatistical research.
When I was working in a
restaurant, the manager
mentioned how people in
Tokushima could be tight withmoney. He always told me that
if your restaurant is successful
in Tokushima, you could open
a restaurant anywhere in
Japan and be more successful.
I only tend to go shopping
and buy clothes during hugebargain sales, opening salesor going out of business sales.
According to the Japanese
Statistics Bureau, Tokushimaresidences’ income out of 47
prefectures is #27; howeverbalance of bank and postal
office accounts are ranked in
the top 3.

i

A few years ago, I got aphone call from my JuniorHigh School classmate whom
I hadn’t talked to for years. I
thought she wanted to talk tome, but she asked me to teachEnglish to her 3 years, and lessthan 11 month old children
with ]300,000 worth ofEnglish educational materials
she had bought. I knowsome kids who go to English
conversation schools, piano
lessons, swimming lessons,and cram schools. When I
was in school, 99% of kids
joined some kind of activities
or lessons after school. One
time, my friend who works ata private English school, herschool was interviewed by TV
reporter. The reporter said
that Tokushima prefecture is
supposed to be in the top 5
for paying money for English
education.
Have you noticed that every
corner in Tokushima City has
dentist or medical center? A
year ago, a TV program called
us 'iyashi no Tokushima'(healing Tokushima) because
we are #3 in Japan for
medical centers and clinics, #8
for dentists, #1 for nursingcare facilities for people over
65, and #5 for pharmacies
per capita. These numbers
are very understandable since
To k u s h i m a h a s a m e d i c a l
university.
Whenever people visit
Tokushima from big cities, thefirst thing they're surprised
to find is the number of bikeriders. Yes, bikes are very
important for transportation
for us, especially school kids
in Tokushima. When I wast e e n a g e r, I a l w a y s w e n t
everywhere by bike. My friend
used to ride a bike more than
-4-

by junko kimura
snowbird@fastmail.fm

18km to go to school and go
home. What would happen
if you ride a bike so often?
Your muscles develop andyour weight gets heavier.
Tokushima 14 year old boys
average height is 159.5cm(#23) and girls is 154.8cm(#32). Their average weight isfor boys are 51.9kg (#4) andgirls are 49.6kg (#3). I believethat Tokushima kids are inshape because they exercise
every day. However, mostkids stop riding bikes that far
after they graduate from highschool. Tokushima has the
top percentage of diabetes’mortality rate. I heard that
Tokushima people are sweets
lovers.
What about food?
Consumption of worcestersauce and sweet potatoes
is #1. Well, Naruto sweet
potatoes are very famousin Japan, but I wondered
why sauce would be at thet o p. M ay b e w e u s e i t fo r
everything? When I have curryin my house, I do always needto have sauce. I know it could
kill the taste, but I still like it.
My room’s air-conditioner
has been broke for the past
2 ye a r s , b u t I c a n n o t b ebothered to fix it. My househas 4 air-conditioners. How
many do you have in yourhouse? People in Tokushima
own the most air conditioners
i n J a p a n , a n d m i c ro wa ve
ownership is #3. Maybe
Tokushima people are too lazy
to cook.
M y s e l f, I q u i t e e n j oye dresearching this information.
I found most of it at theJapanese Government's
Statistics Bureau Homepage(http://www.stat.go.jp/
index.htm).

shozui castle excavations con't from page 1...

excavations underway at the shozui dig site

took up residence in the
castle. He in turn was forced
to move on when Chosokabe
Motochika from Tosa (Kochi)
gained control of Awa.
Despite the various changes
in ownership of the Shozui
castle, the surrounding town
flourished throughout the ages
as the political nerve centerof the Awa region. However
the splendor and importanceof Shozui sadly didn't continue
past the 1600's. The lively
bustling castle town thatwas Shozui became a muchquieter and less influential
place during the Edo period
as Tokushima City replaced
the Shozui area as theadministrative center and focal
point of Awa. Shozui neverrecovered and a place thatwould have once been filledwith residences and brimmingwith activity reverted back into
hamlets and agricultural lands.
Unlike Shozui, most of
the former castle towns inJapan that were the de-facto
provincial and regional capitalsof their day have still retained
a lot of their influence, andthe development that thepresence of a castle gave

generally continues to thisday. This situation makes life
difficult for archeologists in acountry as urbanised as Japan.
The opposite is true in Shozui,as the place never became too
built up again, it offers a lot of
scope for excavations, and thisis why Shozui has become oneof the most significant andexciting archeological sites in
Shikoku.
The excavation site is definedby the remains of a moat andlandscape garden, as well as
the stone foundations. Due tothe fact that a great deal of
the original residence is notintact, knowledge regarding
the historical significanceof the site had diminishedsomewhat throughout theages. People became aware
by means of the historical
records showing that the area
contained the Miyoshi family
temple. A renovation projectof the site, the northern half ofthe castle compound and themoat area was undertaken andthis area was subsequently
turned into public lands.
Further excavations overa period of 10 years have
led to the discovery of the-5-remains of the main residence,
which was built to model the
Shogun's residence in thecapital (only this one wasbigger than the Shogun's). It
is in this residence that thevarious lords would have lived
out their daily lives. In the digsite a large amount of unusual
chinaware, and tea ceremony
ceramics such as a tenmoku
tea bowl have been found.
Other items found include
parts of a sword, metal mealtrays, wooden implements,
unglazed earthenware andchopsticks. Perhaps one of
the most charming of theitems excavated is a numberof children's toys including aspinning top. Seems the kids
in the Muromachi era founda variety of ways to amuse
themselves in the days before
Playstations and purikura.
If you want to know more
about the history of Shozui andthe excavations check out thewebsite at http://www15.
ocn.ne.jp/~shouzui/ or
why not visit Shozui Castle
Park yourself. It's only a shortwalk from Shozui station on
the Naruto Line.

travel tokushima - mt. bizant was a cold morningwhen I headed out to thewalking trails on Mt. Bizan.
Snow from the previous
night still clung to the ground,and the air was crisp and cool.
Every so often, a view of thecity would pop out from thetrees, causing me to wonder
what the view would be like at
the top.
Mt. Bizan is host to a variety
of walking tracks, ranging
from steep, short climbs thattake around 20 minutes, tothe longest at two hours,
winding all the way across thelength of the mountain. For
those not interested in thehike, however, there is ample
parking, so driving is not a
problem.
The view at the top, however,really was quite something.
On even a moderately clear
day, you can see all the way to
Naruto City and beyond, out
across the city in all directionsa n d d o w n t h e Yo s h i n oRiver towards the heart ofTokushima prefecture.
A s i d e fro m t h e wa l k i n g

itracks, however, there arethings to do while you're thereat the top, first and foremostof which is a chance to have a
break for those who walked.
For refreshments and aplace to sit down, there is a
rest house at the top of theropeway from the Awa Odori
Kaikan. You can order foodand drinks, all while enjoying
the view from the tall windows
overlooking the city. On thesecond floor is an observation
deck with pay-per-view
telescopes.
Just outside of the rest house
is a Burmese-style pagoda,
a war memorial, the top ofwhich can be seen from downin the city. In the same area
is a small museum dedicatedto Wencelau Moraes, aPortuguese scholar of literature
who used to live in Tokushima.
It costs ] 200 for adults toenter, ]150 for university andhigh school students, and ]100
for junior high school students
and below.
Moving further along, you
can find a wide range of things

by andrew dahms
until_eternity@hotmail.com

on the mountain top, including
flower gardens, several
lookouts, birdwatching areas,a hotel and walking tracks.
And don't forget there's the
Bizan Ropeway, making for ashort, but pleasant trip to themountain. Cable cars run every
half hour, and the cost is ]600
for an adult ( ] 1000 return),
and half price for primaryschool students and below.
You can ride on the ropewayfrom the Awa Odori Kaikan, orat the top of Mt. Bizan.
If you're interested in getting
an idea of what you canfind up on Mt. Bizan, checkt h e fo l l o w i n g w e b s i t e fo r
a comprehensive map andphoto guide: http://www.
awaodori-kaikan.jp/bizanropeway/bizan.html.
So if the weather is nice andclear, why not take a trip to
Mt. Bizan for a nice day out it can make for a relaxing trip,
and the calm and silence up
high in the midst of the city isa pleasant experience.

a view out over Tokushima city from the top of Mt. Bizan.

-6-martin's anime corner
Title: Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku
no tobira (COWBOY BEBOP ี ਇѢེ )Director: Shinichirô Watanabe
Creators: Sony Pictures
Released: Japan(2001), US(2003)
Time: 116 min

owboy Bebop: The
Movie is based on the
popular Cowboy Bebop
TV series. The series
and the film are based on
the adventures of a teamof talented, but somewhat
unsuccessful bounty hunters.
The crime fighting crew
consists of Spike Spiegel, Jet
Black, Faye Valentine, Edward
and Ein. Spike is a way toolaid back, chain-smoking
martial arts expert who is
to some extent the de-facto
leader of the group, not thatany of the others would takeorders form him if he everbothered to give them. Jet isa ruggedly built, gruff ex-cop
who tries to inject some sortof professionalism in the outfit.
The token beautiful but hard
as nails female lead in thegroup is Faye Valentine, who
was apparently driven into
the bounty hunter profession
because of her gamblingdebts. The last two characters,
Edward and Ein, stay in the
background for the most partand do the necessary researcha n d a n a l y s i s t h a t b o u n ty
hunting generally entails.
Edward is a young girl withimpressive computer hacking
skills, and Ein is a pet welsh
corgi.
The action starts out with
Faye, who is trying to catch a
hacker wanted by the police.
Using special surveillancecequipment, she manages totrack down the guy's vehicle, abulk tanker, and sets of in hot
pursuit. It turns out, however,that the man in the truck is not
the hacker that she intended
aressting, and things become
even more complicated when
the tanker blows up and theman mysteriously disappears
from the scene. Faye flees,
but it later turns out that thetanker had contained somekind of biological agent, whichthen ends up causing somepassers-by to become criticallyill.
The incident provokes thegovernment to offer a large
reward to those that can findthe faceless culprit at thescene. This, of course, grabs
the attention of the Bebop
crew who are in dire need offunds. Each member of the
Beybop crew gets to workon finding out who the man
is and what he wants. Using
information provided by Faye,
Edward gets to work hacking
and finds out that the man
is known as Vincent - an exspecial forces agent. As Spikeand Faye each try to get ahold, Vincent, Jet and Ed
begin to unravel a cover-up
involving the military, a drug
company, and Vincent.
I t i s n ' t d i ff i c u l t t o f i n dsimilarities between Cowboy
Bebop and Lupin the Third (seeAugust's Anime corner). Spikeand Lupin are both bored,
chain smoking, effortlessly
talented hustlers with a crewof talented compatriots in tow.
However, while the charactersand their respective attitudes
and personalities are similar,
Cowboy Bebop has a much
more gritty, authentic, and-7-

by martin o'brien
martinobrien2004@gmail.com

real-life feel to it than anyof the films in the Lupin the
Third series. One of the mostinteresting aspcts of Cowboy
Bebop is the way it manages
to depict the far future inwhich the story is set. There isan almost real-life authenticity
to Cowboy Bebop, which is an
aspect that has very little incommon with the atmosphereof the playful Lupin the Third
films.
The setting for Cowboy
Bebop is in a futuristic city on
Mars - not only does the film
have all the megapolis-espue
dystopian imagery, but thehuman side of things is also
beutifully rendered. Things
such as various ethnic areasof the city, and a halloween
parade are depicted on ascale that would be difficult torealise in a non-animated film.
Although they are animatedscenes, they have a realism
and warmth that is rare tofind in Japanese animation.
In much the same way the
futuristic story line andcharacters are depicted withintelligence.
Other bonuses include theexcellent Bruce Lee inspired
fight sequences and the very
cool jazz soundtrack (anothernod to Lupin the Third). Like
last month's Detective Conan(Meitantei Conan) series, thename of this film also had
to be changed when it was
released in the west."Cowboy
Bebop: Tengoku no tobira"or
Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on
Heaven's Door was titled"Cowboy Bebop: The Movie"
on its American release due tocopyright reasons. I guess Bob
Dylan isn't much of an anime
fan.

letter from suketo hoikuen

by kaoru sakamoto
awalife@gmail.com

a goal and work to make it
happen. You'll be able to getsomething big from even asmall beginning. In this way,
we want our children to havesome goals to work towards as
well, don't we. I think a major
factor in having a happy life isto have "motivation". How can
we inspire this "motivation"in our children? If you startfrom when they are little,
they will naturally continue tohave this motivation as theygrow up. How can you start?
If you praise your child andencourage them for things
they have worked hard at, andtimes when they've been able
to behave well, they will learn
self-confidence, and they will
start to become motivated.
Don't think too hard about
it, just try to encourage andpraise your child every day.
Everything is learned by doing.
By having these experiences,
they will have plenty ofmotivation and drive in the
future. I hope this year is fullof happiness for you!

he new year seems to be
going fast - it's alreadyFebruary! Though the year
has only just begun, I'm
wondering what kind of year
it will turn out to be... there's
lots to look forward to! Things
can go the way you want a
lot of the time, so let's try
and cause lots of fun things
to happen this year! A new
year... You get the feeling tostart something new, and you
know it's going to go well,there's no mistaking it! It canbe just a little thing - maket

shin mai mama nikki
ofie is almost threemonths old now, andby the time this editionof Awa Life is printed,
I'll be back at work again,
and she'll be at home withher dad! My husband hastaken two months off sothat he can take care of her
until April, when she will
start daycare. She's finally
gotten big enough that theneighbourhood ladies havestopped giving me trouble fortaking her outdoors. Woo!
Meanwhile, her Canadian
grandparents insist on daily
photos sent by e-mail so thatthey can keep up with herdevelopments. I also decided
to get some photos printed
for an album - I'd been
taking all digital photos andsaving them on my computer,but what if that hard drive
breaks...?
This month, Sofie and I
had a few more adventureswith bureaucracy and public
institutions. First, I foundout about the baby weighingdays held twice monthly ats

the Fureai Kenkokan healthcentre. Every second andf o u r t h We d n e s d a y, f r o m
9-10am and 1-2pm, they will
weigh and measure your baby,
and record the results in your
Mother and Child Handbook(boshi techo), as well as talkto you about any concernswith childrearing you might
have. This is also listed in theubiquitous Tokushima City
childrearing guide "Sampo",
but I missed it in the English
edition because I couldn't
understand the terminology!
New word: anthropometrics. It
was great to go and check out
the other moms and babies
after being cooped up in thehouse all that time. It's reallyquite an event - the moms
are all wearing make-up andthe babies are dressed in theircutest clothes. Everyone's
quite friendly and the classic
opening line is "How many
months?" If you are interested
in taking your baby in to
get weighed, take note: theschedule will change in April
from every second and fourth-8-by claire tanaka
clairish@gmail.com

Wednesday to every second
Monday for babies six months
and under, and every fourth
Monday for babies sevenmonths and older.
I also took Sofie in to makeher Japanese passport thismonth. Apparently, we will
have to have her names p e l l e d ' S o fu i ' s i n c e s h e
has no official ID with her
English spelling, but we canhave 'Sofie' printed beside
it in parentheses if I can
produce a letter from Canada
addressed to her with hercorrect English spelling. So
her passport will read Tanaka
Sofui (Sofie). If I had madeher Canadian passport first,
I would have been able tohave it spelled the English
way on her Japanese one
too, but it seems I will need
to use her Japanese passport
for proof of identity in order
to apply for her Canadiancitizenship certificate! Aaah,
bureaucracy... once you get
the hang of it, it's kind of fun.

japanese lesson - requests
his month, let’s study Ȼ how to makerequests - asking the listener to doɉ We’ve already studied thesomethingu f l v e b t b j͐ њ у є щ и ͑form.! This time, let'sstudy the different forms of making requests
based on levels of politeness.
For example: It begins raining, so you
want to borrow an umbrella. When you
want to ask someone, what do you say? The
sentences shown below are examples ofmaking requests.

t

Polite l b t i j u f j u b e b l f o b j e f t i p v l b؋ൃыњ̛иѓєхўићыѻкп /lbtijufj u b e b l f n b t f o l b̛،ൃыњ̛иѓєхѲя҇п /lbtijufl v e b t b j n b t f o l b̛‫ൃ؍‬ыњ̛уєщиѲя҇п /lbtijufj u b e b l f n b t v l b̛؎ൃыњ̛иѓєхѲэп /lbtijufl v e b t b j n b t v l b̛؏ൃыњ̛уєщиѲэп /lbtijufl v e b t b j̛ؐൃыњ̛уєщи /lbtijufl v s f o b j̛ؑൃыњ̛уҀўи /lbtijuf̛ؒൃыњ /
ImpoliteFor friends.ȻȻȻȻȻȻȻȻȻȻ̛ȻȻȻȻ̛ȻȻFora superior.
ʆɼʎɼʊʆɼʎʃʄʏʀ
ઃ҆ൃыњуєщиȻȻઃ҆ൃыњʄ ʏ ɼ ɿ ɼ ʆ ʀ ʈ ɼ ʎ ʀ ʉ ʆ ɼȻȻȻȻȻȻȻȻȻиѓєхѲя҇п̣ʆɼʎɼʊʆɼʎʃʄʏʀʆʐɿɼʎɼʄ

But, when you ask someone to do something,would you ask suddenly and directly? Is it
polite? Of course not. When making requests,
try use the following kind of language.

Let's try making requests!
① At the air port: You ask someone to watch
your things for a few minutes when you want
to go to toilet.

by yoko rikimaru
jtmtoku-lesson@mbk.nifty.com

1)!j nAsking
permissionb p j t p h b t i j j e f t i p v l b̛ਗоၭыићыѻкп̛̛̛̛Are you free?
j n b z p s p t i j j e f t i p v l b̛ਗѼҁыићыѻкп̛̛̛ Do you mind?
h p u v h p v i b z p s p t i j j e f t i p v l b๒৽ѣѼҁыићыѻкпͅ(p ш
k b n b t i j u f t v n j n b t f o h b̛оьѷѲыњэѳѲя҇р̠̠̠!!Sorry to bother you, but...
2) dPrefacing
a request
i p u u p p o f h b j h b b s v o e f t v h b̛ѕѻїќоࠪиржѿ҇ћэр̠̠̠May
I ask a favor of you?
d i p u u p p u b { v o f t i j u b j o e f t v h b̛ѕѻїќоజѡыѓи҇ћэр̠̠̠May I ask you?
Mosto eendof sentences are finishedo e f t v h b
f t v h b̛͐~ ҇ћэр̠̠̠͑. After̛͐~ ҇ћэр͑z p s p t i j j e f t i p v l b̛̈́for̛exampleͅѼҁыићыѻкп̣p t i j f u f j u b e b l f n b t f o l bࢱмњиѓєхѲя҇п̣n j u f j u b e b l f n b t f o l bॣњиѓєхѲя҇п̣is omitted to express reserve.
ͅ
3 l bMaking
a requestt b p l b t i j u f j u b e b l f n b t f o l b̛ઃ҆ൃыњиѓєхѲя҇п̣
Would you please lend me your umbrella?
4ͅExplaining a reasonb n f h b g v u u f l j u b n p o p e f t v l b s b̛‫ۑ‬р৵їњᅖѓѶѢћэпѽ̛It beganraining.
lbtbpxbtvsfubnpopeftvlbsb
̛ઃ҆ၬҀѓѶѢћэпѽ̛I forgot to take anumbrella.
jи adjective----Plain form
Verb,
o b
e b
o b
n p o p e f t v l b s b̛ў adjective,Noun----- є΂ў + ѶѢћэпѽ
5ͅThanking
hptijotfutvoj
b s j h b u p v h p { b j n b t v( шఐಂџ ) жѾрќкшъиѲэ̝
̛Thank you very much (for your kindness)

، You lost your way: You want to know how to
get to Tokushima Station.
Answersэ ѳѲя̝҇) Ѽ ҁыићыѻкп * ѕ ѻїќ
p u b { v o f t i j u b j o e f t v h b
f l j o j j l v njdij p p t i j f u fоజѡыѓи҇ћэр̠̠̠‫۾‬џ৪у ທ ҆ࢱмњj u b e b l f n b t f o l bnjdij o j n b z p u u b n p o p e f t v l b s bиѓєхѲя҇п̣ ທ џგїѓѶѢћэпѽ̝͵ͼͳ
e p v n p b s j h b u p v h p { b j n b t v
ѝкѶжѾрќкшъиѲэ̝!
t v n j n b t f o

z p s p t i j j e f t i p v l b

d i p u u p-9-э ѳ Ѳ я ̝҇) Ѽ ҁ ы и ћ ы ѻ к п *d i p u u p p o f h b j h b b s v o e f t v h bojnputvѕ ѻїќо ࠪиржѿ҇ћэр̠̠̠‫ ݝ‬࿾
p n j u f j u b e b l f o b j e f t i p v l b
u p j s f o j҆ ॣ њиѓєхўићыѻкп̣Һ ҖӞџj l j u b j n p o p e f t v l b s b৪сѓиѶѢћэпѽ̛̛̛̛̛̛̠̠̠̝
̛̛̛!͵ͼͳe p v n p b s j h b u p v h p { b j n b t v
ѝкѶжѾрќкшъиѲэ̝t v n j n b t f o

z p s p t i j j e f t i p v l bmemoranda
Berlin Philharmony έͻσΧȜκΣȜ΋ϋ΍ȜΠ
ConcertThe Berlin Philharmonic Brass Quintet is coming to play inຝ ๥ ћ Ӌ ӝ Ӝ ӥ̠ Ӈ ҕ ӝ Ӂ ̶ Ӕ ҽ ̶ Ѣ ӈ ӛ ҫ̠Tokushima, with a variety of classical pieces.

ҡҖӥҸҵҺџѼѿҡӛҩҵҡѢҥӥҧ̶Һр৪҃ҀѲ
э̝

when:

Friday, March 10th

඾শ ;! 4 ै 21 ໘̈́ࣞͅDoors open 18:30, concert begins 19:00!

where: Naruto City Bunka Kaikan, Main Hall
]3,500 for reserved seats, ]3,000 for unreservedcost:߄‫ !; ڣ‬પช౲ 4-611 ‫ ܅‬-!‫ڴ‬ཤ૛ᄡ౲ 4-111 ‫̜܅‬!޺ౠ૛!

seats, and ]1,500 for students and below.

‫ލ‬௘̡29;41̜‫̡܏ލ‬2:;11

ાਫ਼ ;! ეჷદဌ݁‫ࠛݵ‬ോӍ̶ӝᄡ౲ 2-611 ‫܅‬મ̱̩ ;!ຝ๥ॡဌ݁ఀࢹ੖ආૈࣄ࿪Ѳћჴи৽҃яуєfor more info: Call the Tokushima Prefecture Cultural!

Promotions Foundation at 088-624-1204

щи̝ใᇭ̡088-624-1204

AJET MusicalBKFU!ηνȜΐ΃σThis year's AJET English Musical will be a take on Peterਗ໩ѢϷЀϻЊ۷তӑӗ̶Ҫҝӝѣӆ̶ұ̶ӃӥѢӃӟ

Pan! Come see some great acting, dancing, singing, andҹҕ̶ћэ̝ᄓҀѓᅇѾ̜‫ॣ࡙҆܏̜ݒ‬џᅖњ̜‫މ‬ћ஼tons of laughs!!!

ок̤̤̤when & where:඾শɕાਫ਼ ;March 4th - Ishii Kominkan - 7:00 PM

4 ै 5 ໘̶౸‫ڮ‬෎রჁ̶ࠛ 2:̡11 пѽ

March 5th - Matsushige Sogo Kaikan - 2:00 PM

4 ै 6 ໘̶பრ෎ೳ৽‫ ̶ࠛݵ‬25̡11 пѽ

March 11th - Hiwasa Kominkan - 7:00 PM

4 ै 22 ໘̶໘ᇬਨ෎রჁࠛ͗ 2:̡11 пѽ

March 12th - Mikamo Fureai Plaza - 2:00 PM

4 ै 23 ໘̶ં݇რ෎ѩҀжиӉӛҨ͗ 25̡11 пѽ

March 18th - Wakimachi Odeon-za - 7:00 PM

4 ै 29 ໘͗ᇰ෎ҜҹҜӥਸ਼͗ 2:̡11 пѽ

cost:߄‫ !!; ڣ‬ჅᆍFree

for more info: Call TOPIA 088-656-3303

મ̱̩ ;̛ЊЅІϿϷѲћ! 199.767.4414

Doitsu-kan EventsΡͼΜ‫ͼ͈܁‬αϋΠ

Valentine's Day concert by the Kayoko Band - Jazz musicҝӚҥ̠ӂӥһџѼѿӂӞӥұҖӥ̠ҹҕ̠ҥӥҧ̶Һр(vocals, guitars, bass, and drums).

‫ލ‬пҀѲэ̝

When: Sunday, February 12th

඾শ ;!! 3 ै 23 ໘ ) ໘̜ͅ22;11!ќ!25;11
߄‫ !!; ڣ‬Ⴥᆍ

11:00 and 14:00
Cost:

Free
ҩӗ̶ӂ̶Һ̠ҥӥҧ̶Һр‫ލ‬пҀѲэ̝Ӧқ̶ҝӝѸӆ

Schubert Concert, featuring vocal and piano works and theҔӀѢ୞܏ќ̜ҡӛҩҵҡ੢ࣆ‫݌‬ӇӛӥҬ̠ҩӗ̶ӂ̶Һ

Messe No. 2 by German classical composer Franz Schubert

Ѣ Messe Nr. 2 рҥ̶ӛҫ̠ҼҖӥѸү̶ӟҖҫҺџѼѿ

performed by Chorus 9 (Naruto) and Soloists.

୞܏щҀѲэ̝

When: Sunday, February 19, 14:00 ~Cost: ]1000

඾শ ;! 3 ै 2: ໘̈́໘ͅ25;11

for more info: Call the Doitsu-kan at 088-689-0099

મ̱̩ ;!һҖҶࠛѲћჴи৽҃яуєщи 199.79:.11::߄‫ !; ڣ‬2111 ‫܅‬-10-

memoranda
Awa ConnectionՒ෨΋Υ·Ώοϋ

Awa Connection is a new, vibrant international exchange٬༂ҥҿҡҩәӥѣຝ๥џ୉҇ћиѿިਇѢ‫މ‬щ҇роগorganisation dedicated to deepening mutual understandingиџᅫ‫҆ݶ‬ఆѵѿѼкџࢤᆛэѿਇੑপᅺආല̝୞ఒඑрamong the various nationalities living here in Tokushima.

ѝчћжїњњѶ̜сїќ޼ыѵѿѼкўҖӋӥҺѸߊຌWherever you come from, we're sure to have somethingџ઄݇ћсѲэѼ̤чҀпѽᄫชыњиѿҖӋӥҺѣ̡5

fun and interesting going on that you can get involved in!

ैџ‫̜ॣݚ‬6 ैџѣ‫ۥ‬ຌ‫̜ݵ‬ёыњႚैчѢѼкџഗ̳ќ

We're planning a hanami and charity walk-a-thon this޼ыиҖӋӥҺр๎௘ыѲэ̝໘ႎতѢନࣄѶ૲મыњи

April, an undokai (sports day) in May, and much more!

ѿѢћ̜ࢹႳѢжѿၑѣைыуѣӓ̶ӝћоჴи৽҃яу

Contact us for information about Japanese classes as well.

єщи̝

for more info: awaconnect@yahoo.com

ιȜσȇbxbdpoofduAzbipp/dpn

homepage: www.geocities.com/awaconnectγȜθβȜΐȇxxx/hfpdjujft/dpn0bxbdpoofdu

Universal Tokushima໹଼ 28 ාഽඃോࡇ‫ފ‬൱ଔૺκΟσ஻੄মުSports FestivalξΣΨȜ΍σ̩̱͂͘Participate in this prefecture-wide sporting event that isࡇྦྷΑεȜΜऱ

accessable to people of all ages and ranges of physical௏‫ޔ‬Ѣжѿగќ௏‫ޔ‬Ѣўиగ̜৸ᆼ଄̜તѝѶ൥р̜‫୽ڴ‬ability. This event is held in the hopes of deepeningџ޼ыѴчќрћсѿҫӏ̶Ҷӝ̶ӝћࢡ࡙ы̜ᅫ‫҆ݶ‬ఆpeople's understanding of one another with the goal ofѵжи̜Әҽӂ̶ҧӝўଂ‫ݵ‬љуѾ҆წપыѲэ̝‫ޒ‬ਇగ

creating a barrier-free society. Foreign participants areѢ઄݇଄҆ຟџျ୆ыњиѲэ̤

particularly welcome!

͐ѳ҇ў‫୽ڴ‬џҔҫӜ̶Һ̤͑

sports featured: soccer, ping-pong, tennis, volleyball,and track and field‫ܿއ‬ȇҧҵҝ̶̜൒ࢃ̜Ҹҽҫ̜ӂӞ̶ӎ̶ӝ̜ᅲ௑

when: March 21 (national holiday) 10:00 - 16:00

඾শȇϩैϨϧ໘̈́ୣကѢ໘ͅ21;11 ̻ 27;11

where: Naruto Athletic Park, Naruto Shimin Kaikan̛̛̛̈́‫ूีۑ‬৪ͅ

cost: freeાਫ਼ȇეჷೳ৽‫ۥ‬ຌর‫̠܆‬ეჷદદჁ‫ࠛݵ‬for more info: Universal Tokushima Sports Festival̤࿚̵̞ࣣͩȇӘҽӂ̶ҧӝќуыѲॡჁҫӏ̶Ҷੋ૲৪

Executive Committee‫ݵڿڙ‬tel. 088-611-6605 (weekdays 10:00 - 13:00)

४‫ح‬๯ȇჅᆍ

fax. 088-611-6614

tel: 088-611-6605̛) ဓ໘ 21 ૐ̻ 24 ૐͅ

presented by: Tokushima Prefecture NPO "Special
Olympics Japan/Tokushima"

fax: 088-611-6614
৽टȇຝ๥ॡ̜ЄІЅၓగҫӌҩӕӝҜӜӥӆҵҡҫ໘ႎ̠administered by: Universal Tokushima Sports Festivalຝ๥

Executive Committee৽‫ۯ‬ȇӘҽӂ̶ҧӝќуыѲॡჁҫӏ̶Ҷੋ૲৪‫ݵڿڙ‬Your Message Here ̮Ⴒ၁̩̺̯̞
If you have a non-profit activity that you'd like to promote,ྋ۪ᅦߊຌѢ௜၇҆ຝ๥ॡѢ۷ত҆ᇭэగ̳џ฿мѓи௘

let us know and we can print it here. Awa Life is one of the৽џҔӡӛҖӇр਻สћэѼ̤౏ྋ̜оඐѽяуєщи̝

best ways to spread information to the English-speakingࡋૈр୿сѓиќॸкగѶോျ୆ћэ̤໘ႎতћѶ۷তћ

international population of Tokushima. We are also on theѶॅ৓ћэѢћ̜ຝ๥џ୉҇ћиѿగџќїњာᅦў௜၇

lookout for people who are interested in writing articles for๷҆ณ࢝эѿѓѵћࢤᆛыњѶѽмѓѽўџѼѾћэ̤

Awa Life on a regular or sporadic basis. Contact us if you
are interested in submitting any writing.

e-mail: awalife@gmail.com
tel: 088-656-3303

e-mail: awalife@gmail.com

fax: 088-652-0616

tel: 088-656-3303-11-

memoranda‫׎ٳ˰נ‬ʴૅੲƴƭƍƯŴɟደƴᎋƑƯǈǇƤǜƔ
৬܏͐‫ޒ‬ਇగ೰ඎҿҵҺӡ̶ҡѢྡྷᅅౕќёѢжѾၑ̛̛̛̛̛̻ണဌ݁ࢢౠଂ‫҆ݵ‬ѵъыњ͑໘ૐ̡̛ဓౖϧϮ໩ϩैϧ໘̈́యͅঙঝϨ̡Ϫϫ̻Ϫ̡ϧϫ௘୸̡̛੖ආၓగຝ๥ॡਇੑপᅺࢤ‫̈́ݵ‬ЊЅІϿϷ̛ͅോ‫ࡢݵ‬૬̛̈́¹ÛÓÞÅÍàØ¼ßϬϼͅ৬ધ̡̛ృេपતળ
̛̛̛̛̛࿦ആჾદਇੑপᅺࢤ‫ݵ‬ӉӟҢӛӒҥ̶ҹҕҿ̶ұ̶̛̛̛̛̛๪࢜‫ޒ‬ਇగફ‫܍‬ҿҵҺӡ̶ҡ൉ླ̛४‫ح‬๯ȇȁྫၳȪ૽ତ෤՜͈̹͛Ȃ3 ࠮ 31 ඾ࣼ́͘ͅ˰˫ˬ˥˝̤ͅ૭̱ࣺ͙̩̺̯̞ȃ̹̺̱Ȃ൚඾४‫͜ح‬ఱ‫̳́ࠞۥ‬ȫృេಐౠѣ̜2:9: ໩ѢಇᅵૐѼѾ࿦ആჾદਇੑপᅺࢤ‫ݵ‬Ѣ௰‫҆ڿ‬ჃѵѽҀњиѲэ̝3112 ໩пѽѣ๪࢜‫ޒ‬ਇగફ‫܍‬ҿҵҺӡ̶ҡѢ൉ླќыњ๒຾ 51 ආലќҿҵҺӡ̶ҡ҆৓ඝы̜͐๒຾ӜӞ̶ಔჷ‫݌‬೰ඎ‫͑ݵ‬ўѝ҆૲મщҀѲыѓ̝ॵ੓̜̈́ຟߊͅਇੑߊຌદჁඨ௾ᅫૈ̜
̈́ຟߊͅҩӕӉӛҽ̶ӝ͛દჁџѼѿ‫ࢤޒކ‬ᆛѢ‫ڿڙࡢྴ̠ݵ‬ќыњߊᄆщҀњиѲэ̝ჴи৽҃я̡̛ࡺௗ̛ϦϮϮ͗ϬϫϬ͗ϩϩϦϩBig Hina MatsuriΫΛΈ͌̈́̾ͤ͘

Every spring, a gigantic display of Hina Matsuri dolls canӅҵҢѦўੋѾѣ̜஍۠џୣ҆ॾѪҖӋӥҺќыњડѲїbe seen at the Katsuura-cho Ningyo Bunka Koryu Kan.

ѓѶѢћ̜ਗ‫ݷ‬ћൌ 29 ‫҆ݷ‬सмѲэ̝

when: February 19 - March 31

඾শȇ3 ै 2: ໘̻ 4 ै 42 ໘
̛̛̛:̡11 ̻ 27̡11

9:00 - 16:00

ાਫ਼ȇ஍۠෎గछဌ݁পᅺࠛ

where: Katsuura-cho Ningyo Bunka Koryu Kan
Take the #72 or #82 bus from Tokushima Station̛̛̛ຝ๥‫۾‬пѽ 83 ཮Ⴆѣ 93 ཮Ѣplatform A-5, and get off an hour later at̛̛̛ӂҫџ௔їњ 71 ကঝ

Nakatsuno ( ඨ޳ )cost: ]300 for adults, ]100 for Elementary students̛̛̛џඨ޳ћ৵ѾѲэfor more info: 08854.2.1505

મ̱̩ȇ19965.3.2616

߄‫ڣ‬ȇോగ 411 ‫܅‬ச޺ౠ 211 ‫܅‬!!!!!!!!xxx/upxo/lbutvsb/mh/kq

www.town.katsura.lg.jp

Counselling Service at TOPIAҺӆҔѢ೰ඎೱ঵TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all foreign residents to help with issues involving accidents, working
conditions, housing, visas, international marriage, and more. Counselling is available in English and Japanese. Please notethat although every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Monday to Friday, 10:00 - 16:30
tel. 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three way conversations with an interpreter)ౝыиඐૡћਭဠ‫ݶ‬ய
-12-