aWa life

January 2018
# 329

Go: The Game
Which Keeps
Evolving

Awa Shoku:
So Comforting,
So Unique,Soba-gome

Celebrating 100
Years of Symphony
No.9

1

Awa Life is a Monthly Publication of the Tokushima
Prefectural International Exchange Association

Happy New Year! I hope that you were all able to bring in the new year's with a bang! From the beloved"Daiku" to Tokushima's unique dish "Soba Gome", this issue of Awa Life introduces new ways to get out
and fully experience what Tokushima has to offer. Our "Awa Life" is what we make it, so lets continue tofind new ways to make the most of it. Wishing you only the best during this new year!
For all of those who like writing, please feel free to submit an article to us at any point in time aboutbasically anything. There are a few limitations though, such as you can’t write about religion, politics,
commercial activities or businesses or anything that we deem inappropriate. But, other than that, we
would be more than happy to receive articles about anything and everything including but not limited
to, concerts, lectures, other events, culture, sports, community group information or anything cool that’s
happening in your local community.
We highly appreciate all of your articles and we love reading them. So if that writing bug of yours isbuzzing about, grab a pen or a computer and write and send away! Please send all submissions to ouremail:

awalife@gmail.com

Your editors,
Daralyn, Franzi, and Tom
Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi, Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN, Clement Plaza 6F
Tel: 088-656-3303 Fax: 088-652-0616
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view the online version by going to TOPIA's website!

Editors:
Daralyn Yee, Franziska Neugebauer and Tom Wehrmann
Contributors This Month:
Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, Chris Coal, Kyoko Kamura

Contents
Pg. 2-3:

Go: The Game Which Keeps Evolving

Pg. 4-5:

Celebrating 100 Years of Symphony No.9

		in Tokushima

Pg. 5:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 6:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 7:

Awa Shoku: So Comforting, So Unique,2		 Soba-gome
Pg. 8-9:

Events and Memoranda

Go: The Game Which Keeps Evolving
By Chris Coal“‘Just one game’, they said, andstarted to play -- that was yesterday.”at the end of the turn. Second, that no move canreturn the board to a previous state. This is known
as the Ko rule.

T

hat is how the Chinese described Go, anancient board game still played today, in
one of their proverbs.The rules are simple, butsimilar to chess, requires foresight and planningmany moves before in order to avoid blunders.
Of course, it is unlikely that games will carry on to
the next day, but this proverb perfectly captures
the intensity of playing Go. The game has since
expanded to many other countries, with notableplayers coming from America, Japan and Korea,
in addition to China.
But how does the game work? The concept isthat two players, one with black stones and theother white, must place pieces on intersectionsof a grid and capture as many pieces as possible
from the opponent. This is done by securing every
adjacent position from the target piece. However,connected friendly pieces share their open
adjacent lifelines, otherwise known as liberties.
At the most basic level, there are only two rules.
First, that every stone must have at least one
liberty OR be connected to a piece with a liberty

I recently started playing Go at a social gatheringin Tokushima City. It is usually on every second
Friday night. Learning the rules and practicing
on some simple puzzles didn’t take long, but in aproper match against an opponent, often there aremany choices to consider. It is not uncommon tomiss an opening in my defences or make a movewhich significantly reduces my options, usuallywith the repercussions revealing themselves overthe next several turns.
While it may be easy to begin playing, developing
strategies is somewhat difficult. Most players

3

Go: The Game Which Keeps Evolving

understand the fundamental idea that a defence
can be made by playing pieces such thatthe opponent cannot play their piece without
immediately being susceptible to being captured.
This leads to a rule of concept known as Seki,
where a trapped group of stones can avoid
capture if they areplaced such that they
have two eyes, or open
positions within thegroup, and surround a
portion of the opponent’s
offensive, with help fromfriendly pieces outside
the encirclement. The
first player to fill a gap
will risk their entire
array of pieces being
captured, thus resulting
in a draw for that specificconflict. However, it isoften difficult to foreseeand prepare this kindof defence unless you
already have supportingstones nearby.

database of optimal moves from playing against
humans and simulations against other programsor itself. From digging through the progress of
its successor, AlphaGo Zero’s learning, analysts
discovered that it had developed thousands ofyears’ worth of human strategies in mere days.
Starting from scratch, it
took 3 days to surpass
the AlphaGo version
which defeated a 9-dan
professional, and 21days for the version
which defeated Ke Jie.
It even invented someeffective new strategies
based on moves frowned
upon by the professionalc o m m u n i t y. S o m e o fthem have alreadybeen used in official
professional matches.
It wouldn’t be surprising
if more Go players
turned to these AI’s for
inspiration in their own
careers.

Players primarily gain
insight on how to react
to different situations
based on popular moves recorded in the historyof Go, and intuition, developed through both theirown plays and reading the records of professional
matches. Modern professional players havecontinued to build upon the pool of wisdom left bytheir predecessors, but the future of Go strategy
might be polished by computers, which have an
immensely larger computational capacity. Just lastyear, in 2017, a huge breakthrough occurred when
Google DeepMind’s AI (artificial intelligence),
AlphaGo, defeated Ke Jie, the highest ranked
player in the world at the time. Earlier in 2015,
AlphaGo had also been the first computer
program to defeat a professional Go player, andin 2016 subsequently became the first to defeat
a 9-dan professional without handicaps. The AI
uses a type of learning method called an artificial
neural network, which allows it to improve its

Go is an incredibly
complex game and wehave only just taken our
first baby steps into understanding the options
available, after about 2,500 years. It can be
stressful at times, and requires dedication tolearning and practicing, but in the end it is a very
fun game where the sides are quite balanced.
If you are interested in trying out Go come to
the next Go class.
When: January 12th (Fri) 17:00 - 19:00
January 26th (Fri) 17:00 - 19:00
Where: Tokushima city, Shinkura-cho, 1-chome
19, Tsuboi Bldg. 2nd floor, Rm. 201
Fee: Free
Info: Mr. Yuji Katsura
Tel:
090-4332-4223
E-mail: jazzyguitar@gmail.com

Celebrating 100 Years of Symphony No.9 in Tokushima:
A journey into the history of German-Japan Relations

4

By Tom Wehrmann

The Symphony No.9, composed by Beethoven,is affectionately called "Daiku" (Literally
meaning number nine) in Japanese. Concertsfeaturing the "Daiku" are held throughout Japanevery year. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 has avery special and important meaning to Tokushima.
In February 2018, the prefecture will host the 100year anniversary concert of Symphony No.9. But
why is "Daiku" so popular in Tokushima?
To answer this question,
we need to dive a little
deeper into GermanJapan relations during
World War I. In 1902,
Japan became allies
with Great Britain. When
World War I occurredin 1914, Great Britain
engaged in warfare withGermany, so Japan alsodeclared war against
Germany. The Japanesearmy launched anattack using 29,000
soldiers on the Qing
Tao Fortress in China
where 4,300 Germansoldiers were stationed.
Eventually, the Germansoldiers raised thewhite flag in surrender.
As prisoners of war
they were detained inseveral camps in Japan.
One of these camps
was stationed in the former town of Bando inTokushima, which is now current day Naruto City.
The commander Captain Toyohisa Matsue ran
the camp and he treated the prisoners humanely
according to the Haag Convention and evenbeyond by allowing the soldiers to go out fordaily trips. As the son of a samurai from the Aizu
domain, which is located in current Fukushima
Prefecture, he believed in treating all former

foes with respect, rather than punishing andhumiliating them. Compared to other war prisons,the German prisoners of Bando could live a
relatively “normal” life. To thank Matsue and the
locals of Bando, the German prisoners showed
their technologies and skills to the Japanese.
There are still some bridges built by the Germans
that still remain today. In June 1918, Symphony
No.9 was performed by an orchestra made up
of a select group of prisoners, for the first time.
Even some Japanese,
who had been taught
by the prisoners, joined
the orchestra. That
was the first time that
the Ninth Symphony
was performed in all ofAsia. Since that day,the song has spread all
throughout Japan.
On February 12th, thelong awaited 100-Year
anniversary concert ofSymphony No.9 from
Beethoven will be helda t A S T Y To k u s h i m a .
Over 3,100 people are
expected to join thishuge choir. Even 100
high school students
from Tokushima’s partner
state Niedersachsen
in Germany will comea long way to Japan tosing with the choir.
Here is where my story starts. To prepare for thislarge event, a team consisting of five membersof the Tokushima Prefectural Office including
myself, famous pianist Yoshie Wada and famous
conductor Yamaguchi Hiroshi flew to Germany
for 3 days in late November. We stayed in a
hotel in Hannover, located in northern Germany,
but we rode the bus every day to a smaller town

5

Celebrating 100 Years of Symphony No.9 in Tokushima

called Wolfenbüttel (you may have heard ofthat name before, because it is the hometownof the world famous drink “Jägermeister”) to
conduct rehearsals at the Niedersachsen MusicalAcademy. Our mission was to prepare thehigh schoolers for the concert in February, so
the conductor held an intensive workshop andpracticed the difficult parts of the “Daiku” withthem. The students practiced long and hard, andyou could see that they were totally engaged inthis project. Our time in Wolfenbüttel was not only
about singing. The students also learned throughnumerous presentations about the story of Bando,
how to get accustomed with Japanese culture
and mannerisms, and also what to prepare for
their trip. The workshop was a huge success and
we are looking forward to having the students
perform in February. This year is the climax ofthe 3-year series of Symphony No.9 concerts

held by Tokushima Prefecture, celebrating the100th anniversary since its first performancein Tokushima. Last year famous virtual artist
Hatsune Miku made a guest appearance at theconcert, what surprises will come next? You will
just have to come and see this impactful and oneof a kind performance for yourself. Scan the QR
Code for more information.
When: 2018 February 12th 		(Mon, holiday)
Where: Asty Tokushima,
Mulitpurpose Hall
Costs: 2,000 yen adults
1,000 yen high school students & below
Tel:088-621-2553
E-mail: Tokushima Cultural Promotions Division
tokushimabunkashinkouka@pref.tokushima.jp

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

By Kazue Inoue (Center for Early Childhood Education and Care SUKETO NAKAYOSHI)H

appy New Year!
Every year, Influenza and colds spread dueto the dry air of this season, so please be sure to
take care of your health. Along with gargling andwashing hands, let’s make our bodies resistant toillnesses. In order to make our bodies resistant,
it is important to increase immunity by being
careful of what foods we intake. It is suggested
that people consume more than 30 varieties of
produce in one day. Within those foods, often
intaking foods that support the intestines, andfoods that build immune cells increases immunity.
Building a good environment for your intestinesmeans having an intestines that is predominately
filled with good bacteria. The intestines become
low in acidity when the growth of bacteria issuppressed. Therefore, we should all intake
more foods with good bacteria such as yogurt,
cheese, soy sauce, miso, and natto. In order toactivate the immune cells, consume the principle
ingredient, protein, (which can be found inmeat, fish, dairy, soy products). By taking in thenecessary nutrients from minerals (foods that
include calcium, iron, and manganese such as
milk, small fish, liver, spinach, clam, etc.), theimmune cells will further strengthen immunity.
Let’s strengthen our immunity and have a healthy
winter!
＊＊＊Hagoita (Battledore)

1. Cut out a rectangular piece of cardboard (10cmx 20cm). Wrap a pair of wooden chopstick on bothsides with packing tape and tape it to the back of
the cardboard. Then, draw a picture on the frontof the cardboard.
2. Attach a ball (as shown in the picture) out ofyarn, and attach it to the hagoita with 30 cm ofstring.
＊ “Hanetsuki”, a traditional Japanese game, is agame that has been known since the Edo Periodthat wishes for a child’s good health. People playthis game by hitting a ball used for hanetsuki withthe hagoita.

6Japanese Lesson
By Kyoko Kamura「～ことにする」「～ことになる」
This month, we will learn how to express “decisions” with two different expressions.
なつやす

よ てい

き

A：夏休みの予定はもう決まった？
かんがい

B：うん。いろいろ考えたんだけどハワイへ行くことにしたよ。
After much thinking about her summer vacation plans, Ms. B decided to go to Hawai’i.
じしょけい

けい

「 辞 書 形・ な い 形 ＋ ～ こ と に す る 」expresses that someone has thought about something before
making a personal decision.
しゃちょう はなし なん

A：社長の話は何だったんですか。
じつ

おおさか

してん

うつ

B：実は、大阪の支店に移ることになりました。
The company president has decided that Mr. B will move to the branch office in Osaka.
じしょけい

けい

The grammar「辞書形・ない形＋～ことになる」expresses that something was decided regardless ofthe speaker’s opinion.
おぼ※もっと覚えよう！
らいねん けっこん

・来年、結婚することになりました。
「～ことになる」can also be used when you want to express a decision made on your own will in an
euphemistic way.
Exercise:Complete the following sentences with either「～ことにする」or「～ことになる」.
にゅうしゃしきだれしA： 入 社 式のスピーチ、誰がするか知っていますか。
じつ

ぶちょう

たの

わたし

B：実は、部長に頼まれて私が（します）→
きょう

よてい

。

き

A：今日の予定、もう決めたの？
きょう

い

いえ

べんきょう

B：今日はどこへも行かないで、家で（勉強します）→
さいきん うんどう ぶ そ く

い

なに

。

はじ

A：最近、運動不足だと言ってたけど何か始めた？
まいにち

いえ

かいしゃ

ある

B：毎日、家から会社まで（歩きます）→。

らいしゅうしゅっちょう

A：来週の 出 張はどうなりましたか。
い。
３．歩くことにした（よ） ４．行くことになりました
ある
こた

しゅうかん

答え : １．することになりました

しゃちょう めいれい

B；社長の命令で１ 週 間（行きます）→
い

２．勉強することにした（よ）
べんきょう

7

Awa Shoku: So Comforting, So Unique, Soba-gomeLet’s kick off the new year with a steamingbowl of soup and soba ( 蕎 麦 buckwheat),but not the auspicious toshikoshi soba ( 年越し
そば ) that is eaten on New Year’s eve. Althoughmost people associate buckwheat with brownish
noodles, Tokushima has a unique way of eating
this nutty grain.

By Lance Kitarice”) was born. The grains of buckwheat areboiled, cleaned of the husks, and then dried. Thiscan then be used to make a soup called sobagome jiru ( 蕎麦米汁 ) or soba-gome zosui ( 蕎麦 米 雑 炊 ). In the mountains, the soup would
be made from foraged plants and mountain fowl.
Today, chicken flavors the broth, and vegetables
like carrots and daikon radish are common
additions. You can find soba-gome in most local
supermarkets.
Here’s an easy recipe: Cut a chicken thigh into
bite-size pieces and saute. Add stock made ofbonito or sardine dashi and the soaking waterfrom shiitake mushrooms. Add the sliced shiitake,sliced carrots, and sliced daikon radish. You canalso add sliced chikuwa fishcake. Add the sobagome and simmer until vegetables and soba
grains are tender. Flavor soup with a splash ofsoy sauce, sake, and a pinch of salt.

Deep in the mountains of Iya Valley ( 祖 谷 渓谷 ), the steep mountains were not conducive
to growing rice, but buckwheat bushes could
be cultivated, so it became the staple grain inthis region. (To be honest, most non-aristocratic
people didn’t eat rice anyway since it was the tax
paid to the lords.) Today, Iya soba ( 祖 谷 そ ば )noodles are still made with 100% buckwheat flour,
giving it a rustic soft texture.
In 1185, warriors of the losing Taira Clan in
the great Gempei War are said to have fled to
Iya Valley. (The Kazura-bashi vine bridges aresupposedly designed so that they could cut thebridge down behind them if they were pursued.)
Without the rice they were accustomed to eating,it is said that during the New Year, they ate thewhole grains of buckwheat in a soup which
harkened back to better days. Even if this is justthe stuff of legend to glorify the hardships ofdefeated heroes, this method of eating soba isresourceful and requires less preparation timethan noodles. It would make sense for the peopleof Iya to develop different ways to use this grain.
And so soba-gome ( 蕎 麦 米 , literally “sobaTokushima embraced its mountain wisdom, andthis soup can be found in school lunches acrossthe prefecture and in restaurants. There are evensingle-serving freeze-dried packets of the soup at
omiyage shops. Eating the soba grains whole isunique to the Iya region (it is rare to find a recipe
that uses the whole buckwheat grain anywhere in
Japan) and soba-gome jiru is a traditional regional
dish that exemplifies the creativity of households
in mountainous regions amid harsh conditions tocook with a limited variety of ingredients. Why nottake the chill off a wintry evening with a satisfying
and healthy dish inspired by fallen warriors?

Events & Memoranda

Disaster Relief Volunteer Interpretation Seminar
災害時ボランティア通訳研修

徳島県では、今後 30 年以内に 70％程度の確率で、南海トラフ地震の発生が予想されております。徳島県に暮らす外国人は、約 80 カ国 5,500 人程度で、増加傾向にあり、その国籍も多岐にわたっています。大地震などで大規模災害が発生した場合、避難所では様々な情報が提供されますが、外国人は、言葉の壁により、適切な情報を得られないことがあり、このことが強いストレスや不安の原因となることが予想されます。また一方で、災害時には救護所等が設置され、医療通訳を必要とする場面が増加すると考えられます。これらの状況に対応するため、災害時ボ
ランティア通訳研修を行います。講師の講話、そしてワークショップを通じて色々な場面において多言語で情報提供を円滑に提供できるよう、一緒に学びませんか。
※語学研修ではありません。

8

講師： 八木 浩光 氏（一般財団法人
熊本市国際交流振興事業団事務局長）
日時 : 2 月 18 日（日）13 時～ 16 時 30 分
開催場所：（公財）徳島県国際交流協会（徳島市
寺島本町西 1-61 クレメントプラザ 6 階）
参加料：無料
内容： 講演・ワークショップ
お申し込み：〒 770-0831 徳島市寺島本町西 1-61 クレメントプ
ラザ 6 階 公益財団法人 徳島県国際交流協会「災害時ボランティア通訳研修」担当宛
TEL:
088-656-3303 FAX：088-652-0616
Email：coordinator1@topia.ne.jp（木村）※ 2 月 9 日（金）までに氏名、住所、電話番号、
Email、言語（英語、中国語等）を記載の上お申し込み下さい。
※携帯電話キャリアメールは届かない場合がございますので、電話でのお申し込みをお願い致します。

Shogo Kariyazaki Flower Arrangement Exhibition
華道家 假屋崎省吾「うだつをいける～美来創世～」
Shogo Kariyazaki, a master of flower arrangement, isholding his famous exhibition “Udatsu wo ikeru” once
again in the historic town of Wakimachi, where he willfeature the beauty of Ikebana. There will also be a
symposium, and exhibition of Otani Pottery.
When: January 7th - February 18th
9:00~17:00 (Last Entrance 16:30)
Where: Yoshida Residence(Mima City, 55 Oaza Wakimachi)
Fee:
510 YenInfo:
Mima City Tourism Association
Tel:
0883-53-8599

華道家 假屋崎省吾「うだつをいける～美来創世～」
歴史ある景観が残るうだつの町並みを舞台に、華道家・假屋崎省吾が美を紡ぐ美しく華やかな華道展「うだつをいける」。シンポジウムや大谷焼など、徳島が誇る美の競演をご堪能ください。
日時： 1 月 7 日～ 2 月 18 日
9 時～ 17 時（最終入館 16 時 30 分）
場所： 吉田家住宅（美馬市脇町大字脇町 55 うだつの町並み）
料金： 510 円
お問い合わせ：美馬市観光協会
TEL： 0883-53-8599

Taisan-ji Temple Mochi Carrying Competition
大山寺の力餅Men have to carry 169kg, women 50kg, children
10kg and infants 5kg of mochi and walk a certain
distance as part of a competition. Even if you don’t
feel confident about lifting these heavy items, you canstill watch the spectacular event and cheer for thecompetitors.
When: January 21st (Sun)
Where: Taisanji, Itano-gun, Kamiita-cho,
Kanyake, Oyama 4
Fee:
Free
Tel:
088-694-5525

男 169 キロ・女 50 キロ・子ども 10 キロ・幼児 5 キロの餅をかつぎ、歩いた距離を競います。見物する方も力が入り、思わず歓声を上げてしまう程の名物行事です。
日時： １月 21 日（日）			
場所： 大山寺境内
料金： 無料

板野郡上板町神宅字大山 4

TEL：088-694-5525

9Events & Memoranda

Lunar New Year Celebration in Tokushima
迎春祝賀会

Lunar New Year (often referred to as Chinese 「春節」（欧米では「中国のお正月」）とは主に東アジ
New Year) is a time when countries across East ア諸国で祝うお正月です。日本では、旧正月のこと
Asia celebrate the New Year. This year the をさします。本年は、徳島県内の国際交流団体や、
Asian community and Tokushima's international
アジア文化圏のコミュニティー、個人等が集まり祝organizations will be collaborating to hold a
賀会を開催します。国籍を問わず、どなたでも気軽celebration. Regardless of where you are from, why
not take the opportunity to celebrate the beginning of に参加できます。あなたも一緒に、新しい春を迎えませんか？
spring in a new way?
日時： 2 月 3 日（土） 15 時 30 分～ 17 時 30 分
When: February 3rd (Sat) 13:30-17:30
Where: Tokushima University Josanjima Campus
場所： 徳島大学常三島キャンパスけやきホール
Keyaki Hall
料金： 無料・予約不要
Fee:Free, No reservation necessary
問 い 合 わ せ： 実 行 委 員 会 事 務 局 （ 徳 島 県 国
Info:Lunar New Year Celebration Executive
際 交 流 協 会 内 ） 担 当 安 田（TEL:088-656Committee (TOPIA) Mr. Yasuda (088-656-3303);
Tokushima University Sciences and Asian History 3 3 0 3 ）、 徳 島 大 学 総 合 科 学 部 ア ジ ア 史 研 究 室（TEL:088-656-7156）
Department Research Room (088-656-7156)

Indigo Views
藍のけしきIn the summer of 2017, over 400 people from aroundthe world volunteered to participate in the makingof Ai no Keshiki-Indigo Views. Each participant has
spent the past 5 months living with a small lengthof cloth dyed with Awa Indigo, the rich blue dye ofTokushima. In January 2018, the individual cloths
will be brought together from around the world andassembled into an installation to share their Indigo
Views with us.
When: January 20th (Sat) - 28th (Sun), 9:30-17:00
Closed on January 22nd (Mon). Extended
hours on January 20, 26, 27 (9:30-20:00).
Where: Tokushima 21 Seikikan Event Hall
(Located at Bunka no Mori)
Fee:
Free
Info:
Tokushima Prefectural Office,
Tokushima Cultural Promotion DivisionTel:088-621-2114

阿波藍アート「藍のけしき」は、2017 年の夏に世界中の 400 名を超える参加者と共に制作をス
タートしました。参加者は阿波藍で染めた「藍の布」を約 5 か月を過ごし、参加者一人ひとりの暮らしが生み出したものです。2018 年 1 月、世界中からすべての「藍の布」が集まります。集まった布はそれぞれの表情をこちらに向けながら、藍色の空間を作り出します。大きく浮かび上がる、
一枚いちまいの「藍のけしき」です。
日時： 1 月 20 日（土）～ 1 月 28 日（日）9 時 30 分～ 17 時
休館日：1 月 22 日（月）(1 月 20 日・26 日・
28 日は 9:30 ～ 20:00)
場所： 徳島県二十一世紀イベントボール（文化の森総合公園内）
料金： 無料
お問合せ：徳島県文化振興課
TEL: 088-621-2114

When: January 28th (Sun) 10:00 - 13:00
Theme: "Let's make Japanese cuisine"
For more information please look at TOPIA's website.

日時： 1 月 28 日（日） 10 時～ 13 時
内容： 「和食を作ろう」
詳細は、TOPIA のホームページを見て下さい。

Japanese Intensive Conversation Course
日本語集中講座

Counselling Service at TOPIA・トピアの相談窓口

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 andJapanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)