#290

September 2014
A Challenging Day Hike: The Route From Fujiidera to Shosanji
By David C. Moreton

Temple 11, Fujiidera 1934 (Photo Collection of David C. Moreton)

The first two days along
the Shikoku pilgrimage from
Ryōzenji (Temple 1) to Fujiidera(Temple 11) are easy because
the path is on flat paved
roads. However, on yourthird day you will face astrenuous twelve kilometer
hike up and down mountains
on a dirt path though theforests to reach Shōsanji(Temple 12). It is said thatthe journey from Fujiidera
and Shōsanji takes between
five to eight hours dependingon your physical state. In
March 2005, I wrote anarticle about this hike (seePage 1, 3-4: A Challenging Day Hike; Page 5: New Cycling Law Reminder
Page 5: Greetings From Germany; Page 6: Life is But a Dream
Page 7: Aparna's Recipe Corner, Arasowa-ren; Page 8: Japanese Lesson
Page 9: Letter from Suketo Hoikuen, Iihara Kazuo's Digital Museum
Page 10-12: Events & Memoranda

1

is a monthly publication of theTokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)

Jenifer Tanikawa & Till DumkeDavid C. Moreton, Brandon Bollom, Till Dumke,
Martin Rathmann, Aparna Matale, Takako
Yamada, Kazue Inoue, Shinobu Watari

Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@topia.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!

Show Tokushima Some Love: Awaglot
The literary corner of
AwaLife, Awaglot, is acombination of the words"awa" and "polyglot", whichmeans multilingual. Be it
fiction, nonfiction, prose
or poetry; funny, sad, longor short, we want yoursubmissions! If you like towrite, then express yourself!
There is also a classifieds
section for you, our readers,to post ads in, but a few
rules do apply!

Religious, political,
or commercial activities,businesses searching forclients or employees, things
the Awa Life editors deem
inappropriate.

If you have something you
would like to share with
the Tokushima community,
email the editors at:concerts,
lectures, and other event
information, cultural, sporting,and other community group
information, etcetera.

Arasowa-ren gracing the streets of Tokushima (Brandon Bollom)

2

A Challenging Day Hike
(Con't from Page 1)
TOPIA website) but some
information is out-of-dateand I did not describe thetwo temples or other notablesites along the route. Hereis a revised article basedon doing this challenging
hike in a day and by startingand finishing at Tokushima
train station.

Take a local train on the JR
Tokushima line to Kamojima) station. It will takeabout 35 minutes andcost 450 yen. (Schedule:
www.hyperdia.com) Exit thestation and walk down thestreet with the covered
sidewalks. From there either
ask for directions to Fujiidera
or use the guidebook,
Shikoku Japan 88 Route
Guide. It is about 3km to
Fujiidera. Make sure you
have enough food anddrink to get you throughthe trip. I know someone who
was not prepared and did
this hike with only a packof Calorie Mate. He nearly
died. You can fill up abottle with spring water at
Ryūsuian, buy a drink froma vending machine at
Temple 12, or perhaps buy
something at the foot of
the mountain after Temple
12.

It is believed that when
Kōbō Daishi in 815 visited

here, he carved the 93cm
seated statue of Yakushi
Nyorai and enshrined it as
the main deity in a hut that
he built. He also planted
the five-coloured wisteria
in front of the main hall.
During the 16th century, allof the buildings and temple
treasures were destroyedby fire. In the 17th century,
the main hall was rebuilt
and the temple changed
to the Rinzai sect, but in theearly 19th century, fire again
ruined everything except
for the statue of Yakushi.
The present buildings wererebuilt around 1860.

The path is a like a roller
coaster - up and down, up
and down. Some parts are
so steep that they arecalled henro korogashi or“pilgrim fall down,” so takeyour time and be extra
careful. Along the way there
are several places where
you can take a break. The
first one is Chōdoan ()(elev. 440m, 3.2km from
Fujiidera), which is a small

hut with a statue of Kōbō
Daishi. The next place
Ryūsuian () (elev. 500m,
6.6km), which consists ofseveral buildings of which
one used to be an inn forpilgrims. There is a placethat has fresh water. It isbelieved that when Kōbō
Daishi came here, he struck
the ground with his staff
and water came gushingup. Travelers can use thetoilet here or stay for free
at a large hut just past thisplace.
Here is an old tale about
Ryūsuian: Along the way
between Temples 11 and 12
there is a hut in honor of
Kōbō Daishi called Ryūsuian,but other than this there areno homes in the vicinity.
However, there was an evil
person who, while pretending
to be a pilgrim, deceived
many people, stole theirclothing, and sometimes
killed them. In the winter of1817 there was a couple
from Kumamoto who weremaking the pilgrimage around
Shikoku and as they climbed

Temple 12, Shosanji 1920s (Photo Collection of David C. Moreton)

3

A Challenging Day Hike
towards Shōsanji a man
approached them from the
opposite direction and said,“This is the miracle water ofKōbō Daishi. Please drink it”
and gave them the water.
The couple was very grateful,but right after drinking thewater, they suddenly bothwent mad. The husband
ran recklessly around, fell
off a high rock and died.
The wife did not realizethat the water had caused
her husband to go mad, but
she then glared into space,went mad, and without
caring what people would
think burst into people`shomes. People thought she
might be a mountain witch
spoken of in society. Everyone
was afraid and ran awayfrom her shaking in fear.
She eventually returned toa sane state, told othersof this story, and foundthe bones of her husband.
The lord of this land senta message to Kumamoto
about what happened, whichcaused a lot of commotion
among the people.
The next place along thejourney is Jōrenan ()(elev. 745m, 8.8km) also
called Ipponsugian (, one-cedar-hut). The
huge cedar is believed tohave been planted by
Kōbō Daishi. And in frontof the cedar is a statue of
Kōbō Daishi at the top of
forty-two concrete stairs both4

donated by someone from
Kyoto in 1926. It is also
said that while Kōbō Daishi
was taking a nap here thedeity Amida Nyorai appearedin his dream, so he carved
a statue of Nyorai when
he woke up and enshrined
it at this spot. From here youdescend to about 480m
before you make the ascentto Shōsanji.

During the 8th century, aBuddhist priest, En no
Gyoja visited here forascetic training, then in
815 Kōbō Daishi cameand carved the 1.4-meter
seated statue of Kokuzo
Bosatsu. He also fought witha snake and banished it toa nearby cave. The pathup leading up to the gate
has several amazing statues
and the numerous gigantic
cedar trees past the maingate are amazing. There are
toilets and vending machineshere. In the past up to 100
people could stay at Temple
12, but nowadays only
about six can stay, so thebest options for lodging are
Nabeiwa-so (088-677-0181)
or Sudachi-kan (088-6771180) at the foot of themountain below Shōsanji.
There are other places tostay in Kamiyama town. On
the descent from Temple 12
you will pass by anotherinteresting site, Jōshinan(Con't from Page 3)() (elev. 500m).
There is a statue thatmarks the spot where agreedy, evil-hearted man
called Emon Saburo met
Kōbō Daishi and begged
for forgiveness for bad deeds
that he had committed.

If you have made it down
to the small village andstill have energy, then you
are doing great, but thejourney is not quite over.
You must keep walking to theYorii-naka bus stop () in Kamiyama
town about 4-5km away
and get the No. 56, 57 or
58 local bus back toTokushima. The bus takes
about 75 minutes and costs
1,000yen. There seems to
be a bus leaving at 16:00
and 16:48. Or perhaps
you might want to relax at
the Kamiyama onsen (hotsprings) before heading
back. When you get homeplease make sure to tellothers about this challenging,but unforgettable hike.
Information:
Bus Route (Japan):www.tokushima-tdm.jp/bus/
bus/rosennzu/p027.htm
Bus timetable:
www.tokubus.co.jp/rosen/t
imetable/kamiyama.pdf

A Reminder About the New Cycling Law
Tokushima Prefectural Police
In order to help alleviate the number of bicycle related accidents, as of December 1st
2013, a new cycling law has been added to the Road Traffic Law. Cyclists must now
keep to the left-hand side of the road. Cyclists found cycling on the right-hand side of
the road, may face up to 3 months in prison or a fine of up to 50,000 yen.
Previously, cyclists were allowed to ride on either side of narrow side lanes also usedby pedestrians in the absence of sidewalks, however, now they must stay on the left
side of the road at all times. You may only cycle on either side of the
sidewalk if there are marked sidewalks for both pedestrians and cyclists(there will be a sign or a marking on the road to indicate this).

Greetings From Germany
By Till Dumke
Hey, everybody!
I’m the new CIR from
Germany in the prefectureof Tokushima. I was bornin Berlin, where I also grewup and graduated from
Humboldt University witha degree in area studies. I
tried to mainly focus onfilm classes, meaning classes
in which we tried to learn
about the Japanese culture
through films. I really likethe movies of Ozu Yasujiro,
Ichikawa Kon and Matsumoto
Toshio. As far as newer
movies go I really like theworks of Koreeda Hirokazu
who’s movie “Dare mo
Shiranai” (Nobody Knows)
was also the topic of mygraduation thesis.
While I was studying I used
to work in restaurants or
as a bike courier to earn
an extra buck in order tobe able to go to Japan
during spring and summer
break. Also I’ve already
lived in Japan before when
I was given the opportunity

to study at Tokai University
in Kanagawa Prefecture
for a year. Studying there
was a great experience so
I decided to apply for the
JET Programme for the
position of the Coordinatorfor International Relations.
I graduated this July so I
basically went straight toJapan after I finisheduniversity.
I’m really looking forward tocycling around Tokushima
and possibly doing the 88
temple pilgrimage on mybike. Since I love cycling I
think this would be an
awesome opportunity toexperience Tokushima’s beautiful nature and combine
it one of my hobbies. I’m
also looking forward to eating
all the delicious regional
specialties like Tokushima
Ramen.
I hope I can help foster amore international thinking
among the people of theprefecture and maybe aside
from strengthening thealready close ties between
Niedersachsen (state ofGermany) and Tokushima,
let people around here
know about my home
town Berlin.
Tokushima with its warm
hearted people, tasty foodand beautiful nature issure to become a second
home to me. Right now I’mlooking forward to dancing
the Awa dance and not
making too big of a foolout of myself dancing infront of everyone.
5

3 Years in Tokushima: Life is But a Dance
By Martin Rathmann

It was three years ago that
I started my journey here inTokushima as a participantof the JET Programme. And
that journey started off ona very unique note as I
found myself participating in
the prefectural orientation(English Camp) and by thesecond week I was dancing
in one of the world’s biggest
dance festivals, the Awa Odori.
There is a well-known Awa
Odori dance chant that goes,"dancing fools and watchingfools. If we’re all fools, why
not enjoy dancing!” This chantto me meant, “Live for the
moment and always challengeyourself to new things!” Thisphrase is the epitome of mylife in Tokushima.
I was able to experience awide array of work during
my three years here. To
promote international relations,
I had the opportunity to talkabout various topics throughpresentations in school and6through my weekly radio
appearance (FM Tokushima).
In regards to the JapaneseGerman exchange, I wasable to take the visiting
German delegations around
Tokushima and even had
the opportunity to meetthe President of Germany.
I gained many valuable
experiences, met many people
and was able to visit many
places through work. Of themany experiences, there arethree experiences that wereparticularly memorable.
After interpreting for a
marathon runner from Lower
Saxony, I was inspired toparticipate myself. And so in
2014, I decided to take partin the Tokushima Marathon
as a runner. The day of the
marathon coincided with my30th birthday, making foran even more memorable
experience!
A delegation from Lower
Saxony was visiting during
the time of the FIFA World
Cup when the Germany vs.
Brazil semi finals game wasgoing on so, the staff at
the Prefectural Office helda live viewing in one of
the meeting rooms in the
Prefectural Office. The gameended amazingly with Germany
winning with a score of 7-1,
but most of all, I was leftspeechless at the amazing
hospitality that the Governor
and the staff at theprefectural office showed.
As well, right before I left
Tokushima, I was able tovisit 23 temples located inTokushima Prefecture of
the Shikoku 88 Temple
Pilgrimage in four days.
The beautiful Tokushimalandscape, the warm people
and the unique characteristics
of each temple inspired me
to want to continue therest of the pilgrimage.
My time in Tokushima
began with the Awa Odori
and ended with the Awa
Odori. I danced my way inand now I will dance myway out. Before I came toTokushima, I knew nothing
about it. But, as they say“home is where you makeit,“ Tokushima is now mysecond home. All thefriendship that I have formed
here will continue to connect
me to Tokushima. To all of
the amazing people thathave made my time here
in Tokushima unforgettable
and special, I thank you
from the bottom of myheart. Thank you very much.

Martin in the henro outfit

Aparna's Recipe Corner
By Aparna Matale

VEGETABLE RICE

Olive oil 1tsp
Cumin seed 1/2 tsp
Chopped garlic 1 clove
Diced carrot 1tbsp
Green peas 1tbsp
Corns 1tbsp

Chopped onion 1tbsp
Salt as per taste
Long Grain Rice 1 small
cup1) Warm up olive oil in apan. When it's heated up,
put cumin seeds andchopped garlic and stir for
30 sec.
2) Add chopped onion andstir for 1 min.
3) Add salt then add all
vegetables and stir for 1
min then add rice.
4) Add water and when it
starts to boil, cover the
pan and cook for 10minon slow flame. The cuminseed and garliccombination with olive oilgoes very well.
Wash the rice 2 times andkeep aside at least for
30min to get good results.
Easy and simple but
delicious rice .

Connecting the World Through Awa Dance
34 Years of Arasowa-ren

Walking between stages (Brandon Bollom)

For the 34th year, theArasowa-ren dance troupe
took to the streets ofTokushima, dancing in one of
the biggest dance festivals
in the world, the Awa Dance(Awa Odori). First establishedin 1981, Arasowa-ren has
been providing people fromaround the world with achance to actively participate
in the Awa Odori Festival,

and this year, 250 people
from about 17 countries
joined the ren (dance troupe).
As well, Arasowa-ren was
joined by 37 members of
the Tokushima Summer
School by H-LAB team, alluniversity students fromboth inside and outside ofJapan. For the past 34 years,
Arasowa-ren, whose namemeans “we will not wage
war” in the Awa dialect,
has been working hard
towards harmony and fostering mutual understanding
and international exchange
and their outreach has
continued to grow.

7

Japanese Lesson
By Takako Yamada

8Letter From Suketo Hoikuen
By Kazue Inoue
Once the Bon Festival comesand goes, the dragonflies
will be flying about in our
nursery school courtyard
and you will find fullygrown grasshoppers lurking
behind the shadows of thegrasses. As if signaling thearrival of autumn, thesechanges come about justas the hot humid summer
air slowly begins to cool
off and a nice cool breeze
begins to blow. As theweather becomes more
pleasant, why not get into
reading with your children?
How to choose a good
picture book
Children aged
1-2: Choose books withpictures featuring things
they see on a day to day
basis, such as fruits oranimals. Also, books thathave words or phrases
that are repeated in arhythmical fashion.

3 and over: Books withinteresting storylines or classic
stories (such as folktales
and fables) that can beread over and over again.

in their minds even when
they are much older. We
hope you’ll be able to finda book that you and yourchildren can enjoy.

How to encourage reading
1) As you, the guardian, will
be reading the book, youmust start by liking reading
2) When your child asks
you to read a book, don’t
miss out on that opportunity
3) Sit them on your lap as
you read to them4) Even if they choose thesame book over and overagain, read to them withmuch enthusiasm
5) Make books accessible
to your children***

Not only does reading foster
creativity and imagination,
it will also help foster abetter relationship with yourchildren. Memories of yourparents reading books to
you as a child tend to stick

1) Cut out two glasses frames
from a 1000ml milk carton.
2) Place colored cellophaneor colored plastic between
the frames to create the lensand tape the two frames
together with double-sided
tape.
*With these glasses, youwill see the world throughdifferent colors. It’s also fun
using bubble wraps and nets
to add a different view.

Iihara Kazuo's Digital Museum
By Shinobu Watari
Our social history andmaterial culture is in constantdanger of becoming extinct
or forgotten in an everchanging world. Recent
technical innovation has
made it possible to digitally
store certain aspects of
our local culture.
This digital archive willretain Professor Kazuo
Iihara’s artwork, which givean invaluable insight into

the history and culture ofTokushima Prefecture, forgenerations to come.
Professor Iihara is an artist
who has used his distinctive
style to give an insight
into the world around him.
There are over 170 images
and these artworks reveal
what life was like inTokushima in days goneby and show how theprefecture has changed over
the years. These scenes ofTokushima are important
cultural assets that should
be preserved and should
be made accessible to awider audience.
wwwt.bunri-u.ac.jp/human/museum/To view the pictures, click(garou, second from the right)
then choose an area thenclick the picture. Under theeach picture, you will find botha Japanese and English
explanation.

9

Events & Memoranda
Free Henro Walk (For Foreign Residents)
Celebrate 1200 years of the Shikoku pilgrimage and participate in a walk from
Temples 13 to 17 in Tokushima.
When:
October 19 (Sun) 8:00-15:00
Application: First 25 applicants wil be chosen
Submit appications via fax to 088-623-0960 or email to zs100@mf.pikara.ne.jp
For more information or to apply visit: www.topia.ne.jp/english/

Tokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center Study TourThe Tokushima Prefectural Government, in conjunction with the Tokushima PrefectureInternational Exchange Association (TOPIA) is proud to announce a study tour for foreign
residents at the Tokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center to provide information onwhat to do in case of a natural disaster.
Date:
Location:Target:Details:

September 28 (Sun), 10:30-13:00
Tokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center
Foreign Residents in Tokushima Prefecture
Disaster prevention guidance via video, simulation of strong winds /earthquakes,
fire fighting and disaster control exercises (English and Chinese Interpreting)
Cost:
Free
Deadline:
September 22 (Mon)
Send applications via email (coordinator1@topia.ne.jp) or FAX (088-652-0616).
Contact:
TOPIA (Kimura) TEL (088) 656-3303
For more information visit: www.topia.ne.jp/english/

Japanese Seminar for Parents or Guardians
When:
Where:Info:
TEL:

September 3 (Wed)-March 4(Wed)
13:30~15:00 Every Wednesday
Work Pia Tokushima 2F Tokushima City, Showa-cho 3-35-1
Tokushima Prefecture Labor and Welfare Council
www.tokushima-rofuku.net or www.topia.ne.jp/english/
088-625-8387

Japanese Seminar for Caretakers!

www.tokushima-rofuku.net/info/713/ or www.topia.ne.jp/english/
10Events & Memoranda
JLPT Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)Test Date: December 7 (Sun)Start Time: 12:30
Test Sites: Tests will be administered in
45 prefectures, including Tokushima

Application period: September 1 (Mon) October 1 (Wed)
Online application: Please submit by 17:00
Mailed application: Postmarked by October 1
Test Fee: 5,500 yen)*Application Guide is available for 500
yen at bookstores nationwide.
For more information visit: info.jees-jlpt.jp

J. TEST Test of Practical Japanese
Test Date: November 16 (Sun)Application Deadline: October 22 (Wed)For more information visit: http://j-test.jp/

http://j-test.jp/

Autumn Awa Odori
When: October 4-5 (Sat-Sun)
10:00-16:00
Where: ASTY Tokushima
Info: Tokushima Tourism Association
TEL: 088-624-5111

10:00-16:00

TEL: 088-624-5111

Protocol Seminar
The lecturer, Chiyoko Teranishi, will be
speaking on topics such as “rules shared
among the international society” and “howto get along with foreigners.”
When: October 9 (Thu)
13:30-15:00 (Doors open at 13:00)
Where: ASTY Tokushima
Cost: Free
For more information:www.our-think.or.jp/?p=289103
11Events & Memoranda
TOPIA Japanese Classes Term 2 ScheduleCounselling Service at TOPIA
TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all foreign residents to help withissues involving accidents, working conditions, housing, visas, international marriage,and more. Counselling is available in English and Japanese. 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)12