Vol.011 March 2019

Kaleidoscope

MEGUROCONTENTS
1. Season
2. Interview
3. Information
4. Information

Beautiful cherry blossom spots in Meguro
along the Meguro River during the cherry blossom season is quite popular and attract more andWalking
more crowd each year. However, it is not the only beautiful cherry blossom spot in Meguro.

How about taking a walk along the Meguro Ryokudo (Green Trail), which is well marked and lined up withcherry trees in a quiet residential area that only the locals know of. You can enjoy beautiful cherry blossoms
along the Ryokudo in a serene and calm mood. During the cherry blossom season, Sakura Matsuri (CherryBlossom Festival) is held near Jiyugaoka Station and illuminations near Toritsudaigaku Station are planned.
Recommended Course:
ombination of Kuhonbutsu
Ryokudo (about 1.4km fromJiyugaoka 1-chome toMidorigaoka 1-chome), Nomigawa
Honryu Ryokudo (about 2.4kmfrom Midorigaoka 3-chome to
Yakumo 3-chome) and Komazawa
Branch Ryokudo, leading toKomazawa Olympic Park. The
entire course is about 4.6km.

CStart from Jiyugaoka Station
South Exit of Oimachi line andToyoko Line. You can findKuhonbutsu Ryokudo with cherrytrees lined up along the shopping
mall just behind the building, infront of the station’s south exit.
You can enjoy shopping andeating on the benches under thecherry trees. Walk to the left fromthe station toward Midorigaoka
Station for about 1 km, going
through the railway crossing.
When you arrive at Midorigaoka
Station, take the path with yellow
line next to the station to the gateof Tokyo Tech (Tokyo Institute ofTechnology) and to the starting
point of Nomigawa HonryuRyokudo. You can enter thecampus of Tokyo Tech and enjoya splendid view of cherryblossoms.
Nomigawa Honryu Ryokudo starts from Midorigaoka Station to Toritsudaigaku Station, in a quiet residential
area with cherry trees lined up. After you see Toritsudaigaku Station on your right and cross the Meguro dori(street), walk on for about half a km, and once you reach the division, take the Komazawa Shiryu Ryokudo(Komazawa Branch Trail) to the end and walk on towards Komazawa Olympic Park, where again, you can enjoy
cherry blossoms.
Nomigawa River used to run from Setagaya-ku to Omori in Ota-ku through Meguro-ku, pouring into the TokyoBay. In the upper areas of the river, it was used for irrigation. In 1995, Tokyo Metropolitan Government planneda project to revive the dirty polluted water. Now they have made the river a part of the Green Trail with cleanwater running underneath.
* Notice: While walking along, please refrain from talking loudly and littering.

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Interview of Ms. Priya Mu on Japanese language
learningQ. Could you share the innovative methods you
came up with that aided in the process of learning Japanese?

Ms. Priya Mu, an Architecture student atWeTheinvited
University of Tokyo from India to share her

experiences on learning Japanese, excerpt from theinterview below.

Q. How was your experience living in Japan?
When did you start learning Japanese and what
is your current level?
A. I moved to Japan over a year ago but I have beenlearning Japanese for a year before coming here. But
learning the language while living in Japan has been avery fruitful experience. Getting to speak to the locals
and trying to read the signs and advertisements on
the trains helps improving my Japanese. My current
Japanese proficiency level is N2 (JLPT).
Q. What motivated you to learn Japanese eventhough you were not in Japan?
A. I love Japanese literature and also a few Japanesemovies including animations. Natsume Soseki is myfavorite novelist and my all time favorite novel is“Botchan”. I am not a big fan of reading but I canread this novel over and over again. I also like movies
by Kurosawa and Koreeda and I absolutely love
Studio Ghibli movies. Rather than the stories themselves, there is something unique about how thesestorys are told and I find the Japanese way ofstory-telling very inspiring. This drove me to liking
the culture first and eventually inspired me to startlearning the language so that I can imbibe the culture
with more authenticity.
Q. Did you take Japanese language classes or
did you learn it on your own?
A. I did take a few informal Japanese lessons online,
but mostly I learnt it on my own.

A. I was able to speak the language quite easily as
the grammar and sentence structure of Japanese isstrikingly similar to my native language which isTamil. I picked up the vocabulary from the movies I
watched and I had few close friends who were Japanese with whom I practiced my Japanese. This helped
me pick up the language faster. Speaking Japanesewas easy, but learning how to read the kanji wasquite daunting at first. But I think the best way tolearn kanji is to find your own way. I have a strong
visual memory, so I organized all the kanji andgrouped them together based on the similarity inshapes and learnt them in groups forming stories
with the shapes (Similar to the Heisig’s Method). I
also like organizing stuff so I enjoy sorting the kanji. Ibelieve this is the best way for me because I remember them much better while having fun at the sametime.
Q. How did learning Japanese make you feelcloser to Japan and broaden your understanding of the culture?
A. The more I read kanji, and the formation of words,
the more I understand the basis of Japanese culture.
For example, the Japanese word for teacher isSensei. In the other languages that I am aware of,the word “Teacher” is synonymous to the words“Master” or “Expert”. Whereas in Japanese “Sensei” isformed by the kanji sen (先-previously) and Sei (生-Student) which can infer that a Sensei is just someone who was previously a student. Learning words
like this and how they are formed makes me understand the roots of the simplicity and humbleness ofJapanese people. Most words are formed like this andthis gives me a new understanding of the word itself.
I feel like learning philosophy when I learn Japanese
kanji and I believe, this is one of the reasons why
many people around the world are drawn to thisbeautiful language and culture.

Kaleidoscope MEGURO March 2019 | 3

Special weekend service hours for move-in /move-out registration
Date: Mar. 24 (Sun), Mar. 30 (Sat), Mar. 31 (Sun),
Apr. 7 (Sun)Time: 10:00 ~ 16:30
Place: 1st floor, Main Building of Meguro City OfficeComplex
Services available: Move-in / Move-out registration,change of address within Meguro City, and application
for seal registration certificate
Remarks:
1. In case of move-in from foreign countries, or incase where inquiry to other city, town or village isnecessary, registration is not accepted.
2. Bring My Number Card (Individual Number Card)or Notification Card for My Number. Some
necessary information may be printed on the backof these cards.
3. National Health Insurance Card may not be issued
on the day of registration.
4. Proof of identity is required. Please bring photo
identification, such as Residence Card, Special

Permanent Resident Certificate or My Number Card;
however, Notification Card for My Number isinadequate.
For more information, please call the Family andResidents Registration Section: 03-5722-9884(Japanese only)

Special sale for the next chapter of your life
Japan, people join schools or companies inI nApril
because the fiscal year starts in April andends in March. This coincides with the cherry blossom
season, so the idea of starting a new life along withthe blooming cherry blossoms is well established inJapan. Besides new students and employees, many
people move to new places in this season for job
transfers or other reasons. For them, department
stores, electronics stores and household goods stores
have big discount sales, called “Special sale for yournew life”, from around February toApril. They sell items which arenecessary for new life, such ashome electronics, furniture andbedding, in sets at discount prices.
Other customer-friendly benefits
like free delivery may also beoffered. For those planning to buy new furniture,these discount sales are too good to miss. Why don’t
you check them out?

We are looking for editorial volunteers!!
We are looking for volunteers who are willing to join us creating Kaleidoscope MEGURO together!
Volunteering tasks include:• Write articles in Japanese / English• Translate articles into English• Proofread articles• Provide photos or illustrations for articles• Interview* Editorial meeting will be held once a month.
For more information, please contact MIFA (See p.4)

4 | Kaleidoscope MEGURO March 2019

Free medical checkup for breast cancer
Period: May 1 (Wed), 2019 to Feb. 29 (Sat), 2020
Place: Any of the medical institutions designated byMeguro City
Examination: By mammography, visual inspection
and palpation
Fee: Free
Eligibility: Female residents of Meguro City born
before Mar. 31, 1980 except for those who• took a medical examination equivalent to the above
at work or elsewhere• took a medical examination of Meguro City between

May 2018 and Feb. 2019
• had a breast-enlargement surgery• are pregnant or breast-feeding, or werebreast-feeding until three months ago• have a cardiac pacemaker (except leadless one) orICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) implanted• have a CV (Central Venous) port inserted• have a Ventriculoperitoneal shunt for hydrocephalus
Application period: Apr. 1 (Mon) to Dec. 28 (Sat)For details, please contact Health Promotion Section
at 03-5722-9423 (Japanese only)

Special measure during crow's breeding season
Measures to prevent
crows from nesting ontrees
Crow’s nests for breeding
are made of tree branchesand wire hangers. To
prevent crows from nesting,1) do not leave wire
hangers outside, 2) cut off
tree branches, and 3) use crow-repelling nets tocover outside garbage dumps.

Measures to cope with crow’s aggressive
behaviors
Parent crows are extra nervous during breeding
season. To defend their eggs and baby crows, theyoften get aggressive towards people. Please do not
get close to the nest as much as possible. When you
have to pass by, please try to protect the entire backof your head with an umbrella or a hat.
For details, please contact the Sanitation Section,
Meguro City Office at 03-5722-9505 (Japanese only).

Safety tips app - Disaster Information ininternational languages
is an extremely safe country but, likeJ apan
anywhere else the unexpected can happen.

Thus, the Japan tourism agency launched the “Safetytips App” in October 2014 which aims at providing
disaster information to travelers from overseas.
It is available in five languages: English, Simplified
Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
It provides push notification of Earthquake early
warning, Tsunami warning, Weather warning andVolcanic eruption notices issued in Japan. It also
provides civil protection information such as ballistic
missile launches.
Additionally, there is also a flowchart which shows theMeguro CityNewsletter
5 languages arenow supported
on an e-book version!
Read in yourown language!
Supports
Text-to-Speech!

Easy to read even on
the smartphone!

evacuation procedures to be taken at the time of adisaster.
This app is available free of charge on both Android
and iOS devices.
Download links• Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.rcsc.safetyTFor Android
For iOSips.android• iPhone:https://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/safety-tips/id858357174?mt=8Foreign Residents
Information Desk
Tel: 03-5722-9187

Life in Tokyo
Site for Foreign Residents of Tokyo
https://www.lifein.tokyo.jp/en/(English)Access from QR code, and you
can easily read Meguro City
Newsletter anytime you want.

Main Building 1st Floor,
Meguro City Office Complex
2-19-15, Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
http://www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp/multi/index.html

Published by Culture & Exchange Promotion Section, Meguro City Office
Edited by Meguro International Friendship Association Volunteer (MIFA)
5th Floor, Meguro City Office Complex’s Annex, 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/en/MIFAONLINE VER.

The bimonthly newsletter Kaleidoscope MEGURO is intended to make a multi-cultural society embracing and diversity.