awa life#278

october 2013

celebrating 20 years of german house in naruto
by robert telschig

the current german house (robert telschig)

Not that long ago, on a
Wednesday just like manyothers, Naruto City saw
the opening of what cameto be one of its biggest
attractions, not merely in a
touristic sense, but also asa space for bringing people

together. Said building is
known as the German House,
which hopefully a lot of you
have already heard aboutat this point in time orotherwise I am doing something
wrong as the Coordinatorfor International Relations

at said institution.
This article is not about
informing you of German
House’s existence, though,but rather of its history as
a building, as this Octobermarks its 20th anniversarycelebrating 20 years of german house in naruto...continued on page 3

inside awa life this monthpage 1, page 3-5: celebrating 20 years of german house in naruto (con't)
page 6-7: japanese lesson; page 8: letter from suketo hoikuen
page 9: irene’s recipe corner
page 10-12: events & memoranda1awa life is a monthly publication of theTokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)

Editors:
Jenifer Tanikawa & Martin Rathmann

Contributors This Month:

Robert Telschig, Irene Wachuga, Junko
Nagamachi, Kazue Inoue

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@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 ofAwaLife, 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!

The following will not be
posted: Religious, political,
or commercial activities,businesses searching forclients or employees,
things the Awa Life editors
deem inappropriate.

BUT, you can totallysubmit this stuff: concerts,
lectures, and other event
information, cultural, sporting,and other community
group information, etcetera.

yakuo-ji (martin rathmann)

2

If you have something you
would like to share with
the Tokushima community,
email the editors atawalife@gmail.com!

celebrating 20 years of german house in naruto(con't from page 1)

the first german house (robert telschig)

which will be celebrated bya special exhibition during
most of the month on our
2nd floor and the 20thGerman Festival in Naruto
on October 13th. 20 years
might not seem like a longtime, but the German
House has seen many achange throughout its
years, like the opening of
the Akashi-Kaikyo-Bridge
and of our Express Highways,
conveniences we take for
granted nowadays. As amuseum about the Bando
Prisoners-of-War camp intoday’s Western part of thecity, the German Housecertainly did appreciate thesudden influx of visitors
and a rise of travelers among
the Pilgrimage.

Here is something you might
not know: The German
House I am currently working
in is actually the city’s 2nd
German House. The firstone, opened in 1972, served
as a first meeting point for
the visits of the many thenstill alive former German
POWs coming back to visit
where they spent many
years at an age muchyounger than many of us
today. Around that time,
the history and thesignificance of Bando wasjust getting rediscoveredby local historians, andthrough many contributions,a small exhibition about
the camp became possible.
You can still find it today,
though the Cherry trees

surrounding it have grownmuch bigger than the building
itself.
Over time, the bond withGermany developed beyond
just the former inmates ofBando. In 1974, an international
sister-city-exchange wasestablished with the city ofLüneburg, and is still growing
strong with yearly visitsorganized by both city halls
and many personal friendshipsthat developed in what willamount to 40 years come2014. This friendship also
helped establish friendly
ties between Tokushima
prefecture and the German
federal state of LowerSaxony in 2007 and haseven brought us the then3

celebrating 20 years of german house in naruto(con't from page 3)
German President as a visitor
to the German House in2011.
1983 saw the start of theannual performance of
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony(you might know the Odeto Joy as part of it), a very
beloved piece of music inJapan, every first Sundayin June, in memory of its
1st performance on June
1st, 1918. Year after year,
the number of choirs andchoral groups even fromoutside of Japan increases,
among them even some offoreigncommunityofTokushima, and I hope someof you pay this concert avisit next June.
With the opening of theoasahiko temple gate seen from the german house(martin rathmann)current German House 20years ago, the exhibition
about the Bando POW
camp became much bigger
and with an event hall anda lot of space in front of
the German House, newlocal events were getting a
fresh start. The biggest
one is certainly the annual“German Festival in Naruto”,
which over time thoughbecame smaller in scale,still attracts a lot of visitors
even today. Besides that,many regular annual eventsin relation to German cuisineand culture have been
established: Beer and Winefestivals, Christmas andthe current german house before it was opened (robert telschig)4celebrating 20 years of german house in naruto(con't from page 4)

concert of the 9th symphony in 1994 (robert telschig)

Easter festivals as well asa regular series of classicalmusic concerts.
Furthermore, with the workof the seven German
employees here over theyears, the House’s staff
and city hall employees,
the German House has
seen a lot of introduction

about Germany’s history
and modern life, withlectures, talk sessions,language classes and specialexhibitions.
So you see, a lot has
happened in those 20years, but a lot more canstill be done, not just interms of cultural exchange

events20th German Festival in Naruto

between Japan and Germany,but also between many
more countries and cultures,
so if you have something
you’d like to do at theGerman House, a special
exhibition for example orsome other kind of event,just let me know. You
should know where I work.

Looking back at 20 Years of History –This year is the 20th anniversary of the German House
Naruto German House and also theannual festival celebrating German- When:October 5 (Sat) - November 1 (Fri)Japanese relations is open all day,*closed on October 28 (Mon)featuring performances of Beethoven'sOpen from 9:30 - 16:30
9th Symphony by children and local Cost: 400 Yen adults/100 Yen children
residents , and a variety of exhibitions.
(German House Admission ticket)
Info: Naruto German House
When: October 13 (Sun) 10:00 – 16:30
Tel: 088-689-0099
Where: Naruto German House
Cost: 200Yen adults/ 50Yen children
Info:Naruto German House
Tel:088-689-0099
5

japanese lesson
by junko nagamachi

6japanese lesson
by junko nagamachi

view on mt. bizan at sunset (martin rathmann)7letter from suketo hoikuen
by kazue inoue

In Japan, October 10th is“Me no Aigo Day” () or the loving andprotecting your eye day.
Why is it on October the10th? It’s because when
you take 10 and 10 andturn it onto its side, it looks
like a pair of eyebrows andeyes. Children nowadays
are exposed to various OA
systems such as games, cellphones, and laptops at an
early age. Consequently,
their eye sights are getting
affected and more andmore children are starting
to wear glasses at a youngerage.

looking outside at the scenery- Position the screen sothat your gaze is pointing
slightly downward- Make sure the room isbrightly lit, making surethere is no glare on thescreen

To protect your child’s eyes,
we should be careful of thefollowing things from day
to day:- When watching TV, sit atleast 3 meters away fromthe TV screen- Avoid watching the screen
for long periods of time.
Take a break from time totime and look at something
in the distance, such as

If you notice anything,please take them to see
the doctor right away

8

How to tell if your child has
a vision problem:- Your child is squinting while
reading a book or watchingTV- Puts their face up closeor looks at things with asideways glance- Has a hard time catchingballs or falls over often.

This month’s craft
Sponge Ball
Materials- Sponge- Scissors- Rubber band
- Cardboard box- Pens and pencils- Paper (optional)

Instructions
1. Cut the sponge according
to the picture, and tie arubber band to the middleof the sponge as shownin the picture
2. Stick on the picture ofyour choice or draw apicture onto a cardboard
box to make your ownball catcher
As it is easy to grip and it
doesn’t hurt even if you
get hit by this flying ball, it
is a safe game to play.

irene's recipe cornerby irene wachuga

Tofu/ Sesame Dressing
Continuing with our Japanesedressings and sauces, here
is another easy one you
can whip up in minutes
and it’s healthy too. The
weather has cooled down
and lots of green veggies
in the market. Use thisdressing to toss yourfavourite greens: Frenchbeans, asparagus, spinachand even carrots.

Tofu dressing(Tofu no shira-ae)
Ingrendients (4 Serves)- 80-100g firm tofu (momen)- 1 Tbsp light (white) miso
- 2 Tbsp ground white. sesame seeds- 2 Tbsp Sugar- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ carrot Julienned- 1 bunch Spinach

Preparation

Directions

1. Peel and julienne the carrot.
Boil lightly and drain off
excess water.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil
and branch the spinach.
Shock in cold water andsqueeze off excess water.
3. Crumble the tofu and grind
to a paste. Use a pestle
and mortar if you haveone..if not a rolling pin ina bowl would work too.
4. Add the ground sesame
seeds and the rest of theingredients to form a hardpaste.
5. Toss the veggies and serveat room temperature or chilled.
6. Will keep in the refrigerator.for 2 days.
.
.

• Drain the tofu by wrapping
it in kitchen paper or aclean towel, placing it ona plate with a heavy plateor chopping board on top
and let stand for about anhour.
• Or microwave it on highfor about 3 minutes.
• The less moisture a tofu
has, the smoother orsilkier the paste will be.

cooking class

HIROBA easy Japanese cooking class

Autumn is the outdoor season. It is fun to take alunch box and go for a picnic. We will makedifferent riceballs and side dishes for the lunch box
together.

tofu / sesame dressing (irene wachuga)

When: November 4 (Mon) 10:30-13:00
Where: Uchimachi Community Center (2nd Floor)(2 min. walk from Tokushima City Hall)
Limit: 20 Person
Cost: 500 Yen (incl. food)
Info: HIROBA Yamada
Tel:090-2787-3597
Fax: 088-652-4846
Mail: welcometotokushima@yahoo.co.jp

9events & memoranda

10events & memoranda
3rd Annual Naka Festival

It’s that time of year when the Naka
mountains and rivers are adorned withfall foliage! Many fun activities areplanned for the opening event, including
horseback riding and Tairyuji Ropeway
Station Tour! As well, there are many
events planned for the duration of thisfestival, including a fall foliage festival
and Awa ningyo joruri puppet theater
performances. Please come out to thisfun-filled event that the whole family canenjoy!
When:October 19 (Sat) - November 24 (Sun)
October 19 (Sat)10:00 -15:00 Opening Event
18:30~ Fireworks
Where:"Washi no Sato" Michi no Eki
Info:Naka Town Tourist Association
Tel:0884-62-1198
Cost:Free!

Kisawa Japanese Maple Festival

You will be able to see the fall foliage at“Kamagatanikyo”, “Yaridokyo”, “SuperRindo”, and over by “Kou no Sekyo.”
Every week, there will be various
cultural activities planned at theShikibidani Onsen, Mountain Lodge
Okuyarito and Wood of Fagus
Takashiro, including a freshly poundedmochi sale and mochi throwing.
When:
Where:Info:
Tel:

Mid-October - Mid-November
Nakacho Kisawa Area
Nakacho Town Hall
Kisawa Branch0884-65-2111-11events & memoranda
Machi Asobi Vol.11Since its beginning in the fall of 2009, thisanime event has been attracting fans fromall over Japan to attend the festivities inand around Tokushima. A stage will be set
up at the summit of Mt. Bizan where theanime magazine Newtype will host its
annual award ceremony, and anime films
seen on extra venues in and around
Tokushima City. Various directors, actors,
and producers of shows will be guests at
this event, making it the largest-scale
program yet!
When:
Where:
Info:
Tel:
Cost:

September28(Sat)-October14(Mon)Center of Tokushima city
Anime Festival Committee
088-621-2146
Free!

Autumn Rose Festival
In the Aizumi Rose Garden there are 300
kinds of roses and over 1300 in bloom.
When: October 26 (Sat) - November 4 (Mon)
Where: Itanogun, Aizumicho,
Yakami Aza-Hara 263-88
Aizumicho Rose Garden
Cost: Free!
Info:
Aizumicho Economy
and Industry DivisionTel:088-637-3120

4Counselling 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
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)12