awa life

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

May 2008 No. 215

shine on you, crazy ﬁreﬂies

it was a cold afternoon forthe middle of May, 2007.
Indeed, the weather the
day before seemed likes o m e i n s p i ra t i o n o f fa l s ehope by comparison. Grey
clouds blocked the sky andcast a dull pall across thecity, threatening to rain at theslightest provocation. Evenso, this was the day I set out
to find the fireflies of Misatowith a fellow intrepid explorer,c amera in h a n d a n d c o l dweather gear at the ready (noumbrellas, though, which inhindsight would have been the
better option).
For those of you who haven't
yet had the chance to visit,
the village of Misato near the
middle of the prefecture is avery interesting location. True,
it is over 80% mountains, likemuch of the prefecture, but
the clear conditions of themany rivers that wind their
way through the mountains
h e re m a ke s t h e a re a t h e

by andrew dahms
until_eternity@hotmail.com

a ﬁreﬂy in resting, caught on a small branch nearby
a river in the village of misato

perfect breeding ground forﬁreﬂies.
In fact, Misato is known as
being the heart of firefliedom
in Tokushima, as it is hometo the Hotaru-kan, a hallmade to shed light (pun verymuch intended) on thesecurious little insects and theirworkings.
As luck would have it, my
explorer friend and I had been

shine on you, crazy ﬁreﬂies ... con't on page 3

inside awa life this monthshine on you, crazy ﬁreﬂies - 1, 3 ... hello, hello - 4, 5 ... a change in road laws - 5
a bloomin' good time - 6, 7 ... the afwj - 6 ... gogatsubyo? - 7
becky's awa-ben - 8 ... letter from suketo hoikuen - 8 ... japanese lesson - 9
memoranda - 10, 11, 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)
Editors:
Andrew Dahms & Mario Dammann
Contributors This Month:
Re b e c c a C l o s n e r, Ke i ko F u j i s a wa , S u m i yo
Fukuda, Akira Harada, Kazue Inoue, Laura
Kawaguchi, Junko Kimura, Akira Konishi, Matt
Lindsay, Chiho Miyagi, Yoshie Motoki, Fumie
Murasawa, Hirofumi Tanigawa and Shi Xiaoyang.

from the editorst

he month of May traditionally signals thestart of the rainy season in Japan, but fromthe rain we had last month in April. I'd say
it's off by a few weeks. All too soon thecherry blossoms have come and gone, andnow we are on to mid-spring and the onset ofsummer. While the rainy season (the real one
at any rate) may not be far off, it's not all doom
and gloom; this time of year is the one time inthe year in which you can see ﬁreﬂies in theirnatural habitat, as you have probably figuredout from the photo on the cover. It is also agreat time to get out and about and enjoy thecountryside as it wakes up from a long winter.
All about the signs of spring and summer are
here, and at long last, too! I hope you're all
making the best of this warm weather.
Cheers, Andrew

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

the umbrella is my new best friend. I havenothing against rain, but my shoes will
suffer the most from the rain season. April/
May is usually the time, when I get new
shoes and the old ones have to say good bye.
It is raining too in Germany, but it's different.
I'm very glad about the warm days. No needof heater and electric carpet anymore, see
you in December! Also the cherryblossoms aregone, the new staff is working well, and for us
Coordinators of International Relations begins
a busy time because of the preparation for
the new Assistant English Teachers who will
come to Tokushima in August. Okay, only one
thing left to say: Use your chopsticks, your bag
and your bicycle to save the planet or at least
Japan.
Danke! Mario

sunlight playing on the water of a rice paddy in the middle of tokushima city - the coming of may signals thecoming of the rice harvest later when summer arrives (photo by junko kimura)-2-

shine on you, crazy ﬁreﬂies ... con't from page 1
to the riverside there not one
or two months ago. Aftermeeting with a friend who lives
nearby, we headed out for awalk in the nearby river area
to see what we could ﬁnd.
Jumping across the slipperyrocks and through the thickreeds, we made our way
across the riverbed, stopping
only now and then to look at
the rock pools scattered allabout.
The pools proved a treasure
trove of life in waiting, filledwith eggs, tadpoles and amyriad of small insect life.
No sign of firefly larvae to beseen, however.
But now, here we were forthe real deal. The festivities,
if you could call them that,
had started much earlier onin the day. A small fair groundspace had been set up on ahilltop nearby, and there werechildren making giant bubbles
with large loops of plastic,
the standard festival food anddrink at hand, and some live
folk music performances toboot. All in all, things were a
lot more active than we had
imagined for what had initiallypromised to be a lonesome
venture into the wilds.
After a quick walk throughthe grounds, we headed
further along the roadside to
the Misato Hotaru-kan. This,
too, was bustling with people
taking a look a display ofphotographs, and the manyand varied ﬁreﬂy toys on sale.
The true adventure, however,began as the light started tofade. We headed off down asmall path by the riverside,
walking away from the crowds
and the light. After following
the road for several hundred
meters, we came to thethe telltale wisps of light from the ﬁreﬂies as they
ﬂit about the river valley

spot where we had madeour forward scouting walk amonth or so previous. But thistime, out in the darkness ofriver there was... nothing.
"Where do you think they
are?" I asked, worried.
"Still too early, I guess."
And this, it seemed, wasthe problem. Soon enough,out over the river we saw asmall green light, dim at firstbut steadily growing brighter.
And soon it was followed byanother, and another, some ofthem beginning to ﬂoat eerily
about like willow wisps.
It wasn't ﬁve or ten minutes
later until the entire rivervalley was filled with theselights, flitting about from one
place to the other as if bymagic. Having seen so muchslow-shutter photographyo f f i r e f l i e s , I h a d g o tt e n
the image that they flew
around at a great speed, butinstead they floated throughthe air softly and silenty, as
though carried by the wind.
Our quiet spot was not to-3-

last, though. The first tour
group appeared not fiveminutes after the ﬁreﬂies did,taking flash photos (!?) of
the river and bustling about
trying to get a look. Sensing
defeat, we decided to tag
along instead and listen to the
explanations of the tour guide.
After walking down the roadfor a while, we found sometime for a few questions.
"How is it tonight?""Hmm..." replied the tour
guide. "Not so good, actually,n o t s o g o o d . T h e re w e reabout four times this many
last night.""Four times!?""Four times, yes. The wholevalley was lit up. But tonight,
it's too cold - they won't comeout in these conditions."
True, it was cold, but thatwasn't all it was. It wasn't
even five minutes later when
the rain started to fall...
"Do you think we shouldhave spent some more timeplanning?" I asked my friend.
"Yes. Yes, I do..."hello, hello!

w

i t h th e n u m b e r o f
staff leaving at theend of March, itshould come as no
surprise that a big change
was on the way. And yes TOPIA has changed, and in
more ways than one!
First, the position filledby Ms. Osaka has been
discontinued, and in anotherlarge move the director of
TOPIA has moved out fromthe office to the left of theentrance and into the mainofﬁce area! Instead, the room
there has been turned into
an office for the president of
TOPIA. Formerly this position
was held in name only by thegovernor of the prefecture,
but from this year on it was
decided that the president
should be on duty at all times.
Also, early April marked
the arrival of Wang Xuan's
successor, Ms. Shi Xiaoyang.

submitted
awalife@gmail.com

Hirofumi Tanigawa
Greetings to you all. With
beginning of April I have taken
up my position as the new,active president of TOPIA. I
understand the importanceof TOPIA in the prefecture's
international relations andits services to the residentsof Tokushima, both local andinternational. Therefore I
hope that through my position
I can aid in the work of thisorganisation for the good ofall.
Akira Konishi
Greetings, everyone. Fromapril 1 I took up my position
as the director of TOPIA. From1999 to 2001 I worked in
the division for international
affairs at the prefectural ofﬁce.
Unfortunately, though, I speakno other languages thanJapanese, and Awa-ben atthat! My work there seems likesuch a long time ago now, andI am very happy to have thisopportunity to work again in
an international atmosphere.
During my time at TOPIA,
I hope that I can work wellalongside the other staff
here and contribute to theinternational relations of theprefecture in whatever way
possible. I look forward tomeeting you all.
Akira Harada
Hey everyone, my name is
Akira Harada. They say thattime flies like an arrow, andit sure does. All of a sudden
I ﬁnd myself in my ninth year
at TOPIA! And yet every time
I talk with someone at thecounter here I realise just how
little I know. There is still somuch to do and learn. I hope
to see you all at TOPIA sometime soon!

hello hello ... con't on page 5

the staff of topia (from left) - keiko fujisawa, akira harada, shi xiaoyang, akira konishi, sumiyo fukuda, hirofumi tanigawa,chiho miyagi, andrew dahms, and fumie murasawa, not present - mario dammann.

-4-

a change in road lawscoming this June 20,
there will be several
additional laws that
apply to driving on
the roads. The details are as
below:

Use of Seatbelts in Rear
Seats
While some believe that therear passenger seats in a
car are safe even without aseatbelt, this is not the case!
There have been many cases
in which passengers in therear seat have caused damage
to not only themselves, but
to the person in front of or
beside them due to the lackof wearing a seatbelt. Drivers
will now be responsible for theuse of seatbelts in any vehicle
they operate, and can expect
a one point penalty if they arecaught with a passenger not
wearing their seatbelt.
Correct Usage of Elderly
Driver Markers
All drivers over 75 years of age
are required by law to display
the elderly driver mark (a redand orange leaf mark) on theirvehicles. Failure to do so will
incur a fine of up to 20,000
yen.
Use of Helmets for Children

submitted
awalife@gmail.com

on Bicycles
All infants riding in bicycles,
either by themselves or intandem seats, will be required
to wear helmets.
Additional Rules for Drivers
with Hearing Disabilities
All drivers with hearing
disabilities will be required touse large-sized mirrors whilst
driving, and will be required todisplay a mark on their vehicle.
Please be aware of these newlaws and observe them whereapplicable. Further information
will be posted closer to thedate of introduction.

hello, hello ... con't from page 5
Fumie Murasawa
Hello everyone - my name is
Fumie Murasawa. At TOPIA I
am in charge of the Japanese
Lessons, as well as manyother different courses,
seminars and lectures that
happen throughout the year.
We're going to be holding
a study tour to the disaster
center again this year, as well,so if you have the chance thenplease come along!
Chiho Miyagi
Hi everyone! I am in chargeof counselling matters forforeign residents. If you everfind yourself in trouble orneed some information aboutsomething, come along to
TOPIA and I can help. TOPIA
is also host to a Japanese
speech competition in July, so
if you feel interested, then why
not try signing up and have ago, or come along on the day
to see how the competition
proceeds?

Sumiyo Fukuda
At the start of April, I joined
the staff of TOPIA as the Japan
International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) Shikoku Branch
Ofﬁce support and promotions
officer. For five years I lived
overseas in the phillipines on
one of the agency's overseas
work programs.
I hope that through my timein TOPIA I can work towards
showing the local residents
the joy of learning about othercultures and countries.
Keiko Fujisawa
Hi everyone, my name is Keiko
Fujisawa - I joined the staff at
TOPIA in April as a temporary
staff member. I really enjoy
hearing about people fromacross the world and theirrespective culture's and ideals.
It also makes me happy tothink that in spite of different
culture and conditions, people
can find a way to get alongwith one another.
-5-

I hope I get the chance to
see you all soon!
Shi Xiaoyang
Hi! My name is Shi Xiaoyang,
the new Chinese CIR at
TOPIA. From this April I'll beworking here in Tokushima
fo r a p e r i o d o f o n e ye a r.
Tokushima is a great city withlovely waterways, and in many
ways it reminds me of my own
hometown. I really like it here.
It's nice to be able to live insuch a great place.
At TOPIA, my work consistsof helping foreign residents(mostly Chinese) withinformation about Tokushima,
Japanese lessons and otherva r i o u s t a s k s . I f t h e re i ssomething you want to know,
please ask and I will do what
I can to help. I hope to meetyou all and make friends aswell. And, while I'm here inTokushima, I want to do all I
can to help relations between
China and Japan.

a bloomin' good time

matt lindsay
matshoe@hotmail.com

you could have been
forgiven for thinking therainy season had alreadybegun last month. The
rain cut the cherry blossomviewing season short, but it
wasn't totally unexpected.
While the tsuyu rainy season
in June is well documented,
there are in fact two otherregular periods of rainfall
throughout the year. They
come in spring and autumn,
referred to as harusame andakisame respectively.
The spring rain is anindication of improving
weather; it signals warmerdays ahead. It's rejuvenating,too. Step outside this monthand this will soon become
apparent. The vegetation
comes back to life, casting
off its dreary brown hue andmorphing into vivid, vibrantgreens. This lush new foliage
is called shinryoku inJapanese, (shin is new andryoku is green).
The most striking greensare deep in the mountains.
Combined with rapidly ﬂowing
rivers following snowmelt,
nature exudes energy here.
Thankful ly there are also
places close to the metro area
where there's an abundanceof fresh green leaves toappreciate. Overlooking thecity there is of course, Mount
Bizan. Further north in Bando,
behind Tokushima's largest
shrine, Oasa-Hiko Jinja,
there's a terriﬁc hiking course
on Mount Oasa (for more
information see here: demo.
inktails.com/ ).
Of course, being spring,
there are plenty of flowers inbloom too for nature lovers toenjoy. In early May there's aazaleas - a forest full of colour

spectacular display of ﬂowering
shakunage (rhododendron)shrubs a little west of the city
in Sanagochi. The normallytranquil, tiny temple ofTokuen-ji is transformed intoa bustling botanical garden
as people flock to see thesecolourful but short-lived

flowers set against a rocky
mountain backdrop. If you feellike some exercise or want toavoid the traffic congestion
there’s a pleasant walking trail
from the base of the mountainto the temple.
Later in the month and into
June, further up the mountaina bloomin good time ... con't on page 7

the afwjl

ate last month we recieveda m e s s a g e f r o m L a u ra
Kawaguchi, the current
Shikoku representative
for the Association of Foreign
Wives of Japanese (AFWJ).
The coming of april signalleda changeover for staff in theassociation, and we recieveda short message from Laura
about this useful group to passon to you all:submitted
awalife@gmail.com

emotional, educational andprofessional growth to nonJapanese women who aremarried to, have been married
to, or are engaged to Japanesemen.
More information is on our
homepage at www.afwj.org
Please contact 090-7574-5032,
afwjshikoku-rep@afwj.org or

membershipsecretary@afwj.
org for details.

A F W J a i m s t o p r o v i d e A full introduction of the AFWJ
f r i e n d s h i p , s u p p o r t a n d may also be in the works, so
o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r s o c i a l , keep your eyes peeled!
-6-

a bloomin' good time ... con't from page 6
at the highland summit,
Ogawara Kogen, ajisai(hydrangea) in a multitude
of colours come into bloom.
There's plenty of room to run
about and play up here andextensive views over the city
to the Paciﬁc. A small shop at
the top carpark sells locally
produced ice cream. You may
also notice a number of windturbines along the ridge of themountain, recently installed bya team of alternative energy
experts from Denmark.
Even the roads seem to cometo life in spring. The hedges
on the islands and kerbside
along Tokushima's main roads
are ablaze in colour as thetsutsuji azaleas blossom.
Out west in Yamakawa aninteresting highland variationof these flowers can be seen
overhead rather than at waistheight. The soft red azaleasof Funakubo Tsutsuji Koenon the slope of Kotsu-zan,
Tokushima's version of Mt.
Fuji, grow on trees not shrubs.
There's a waterfall, Boroborono-taki, a short walk down

ranger hydrangea!
the other side of the mountain in Japan. Not too hot or too
from the parking area of this cold, it's pretty much ideal for
popular viewing spot. Also soaking up the sun's vitamin E.
at the summit of Mt. Kotsu Never mind Golden Week, May
there's a well-kept temple. is a golden month to enjoy
If you're feeling particularly nature's gifts.
adventurous there's a climbing
chain on the approach trail.
For further information see
With pleasant, warm daytime here:
temperatures it's little wonder tokersajet.com/wiki/index.
that May is often regarded as php?title=Main_Page
the prime season for hiking

gogatsubyo?

how do you feel today?
"What is it? I feelstrange," or "Is it thistime of year again?
I want to go home." Is thishow you feel? If so, thenit might be the so-called
gogatsubyou or May-Illness- a feeling of depression thatcomes in this time of the year.
Freshmen from university,
new university students or
new staff in offices oftenf e e l t h i s w a y i n M a y. I tarises due to the holdingof high expectations on amario dammannmiree52@yahoo.co.jp

new environment, and thensuddenly feeling uselessbecause of not getting used
to the environment and things
they are expected to do but
cannot.
Usually setting in justa f t e r G o l d e n We e k , t h e'symptoms' of gogatsubyo
include lassitude, anxiety,impatientness. Also a lack ofwillingness, feeling tired andsleeplessness are common
feelings.
What can you do against it?
It is good to bear in mind that-7-

you try not to collect to muchstress. Go out, take breaks,
make and meet new friends,
and eat properly. However,
don't eat to much (but goodenough) and don't rely on
alcohol, because this leads
to eating disorders and acutealcohol intoxication!
Have also in mind, that you
are not the only one with thisproblem. Try to make yourself
useful without getting to muchstress, and a wonderful time
will come, even for you!

Becky's Awa-ben!
Shitto! Shitto! For a couple weeks I just thought someone had taught my elementary school
students how to swear in English. Eventually I realized they were just saying "I know, I know".
Standard Japanese
Shitte-iru
Saite-iru
Tabete-iru

Awa Ben
Shitto (Shittoru)
Saito (Saitoru)
Tabeto (Tabetoru)

English(I) know!
(they’re) blooming(I am) eating

In Awa-ben, the auxiliary verb 'iru' is often replaced by 'oru'. As seen above, the Awa-ben
conjugation is quite different from its standard Japanese equivalent. Adding an "n" sound to theend these words will create a question. See the example below:
Shitton? Okada-san ga kekkon shimasu.
Did you know? Mr. Okada is getting married.
Shittoru yo!
I know!

letter from suketo hoikuenat the start of April,
Tokushima Central Park
was filled with people
come from all about tosee the blooming of the cherry
blossoms. This time of year isa very popular one in Japanfor the many hanami parties
that are held. Did you get achance to go see the ﬂowers inbloom or join in a party at all?
I hope so! Either way, we are
now in the season of flowers
and beautiful green leaves allabout. I hope you get your fairshare of outdoors fun!

Recently there has been a
lot of talk about metabolic
syndrome and proper healthc a re . O u r s i s a l s o a t i m ein which the amount oftime that children spend
playing outdoors is steadilydecreasing, and children andadults alike are troubled witha lack of a proper daily rythm,
leading to health problems
later down the track.
To c o m b a t t h i s , i t i simportant to look for days
with good weather and seize
this chance, going outside toplay with your child/ren. But
at the same time, rememberthat right now, the time fromaround 10:00-14:00 is one
in which the rays of the sun
are particularly strong, so it isbest to avoid this time if you
can. Even if you do choose
to venture outside, makesure you take the proper
precautions and wear a hat,-8-

by kazue inoue
suketo hoikuen staff

sunscreen and other protective
gear.
This month's toy: A Paper
Plane
A: First, take a piece of paperand fold in the directions as
indicated in steps one andtwo. In step three, you thenfold the piece of paper in the
middle.
B: Next, fold over the edgesof the paper once again asshown in step four. You willneed to do the same forthe other side as well, don't
forget!
C: The plane is complete! Holdas shown in step ﬁve and takeit outside to play.

japanese lessonby yoshie motoki
awalife@gmail.com

this month we are going to take a look at some survival Japanese. For example, what can you
say when you want someone to give you something? And what can you say when you aretrying to point out objects in a store?

１．Something をください ～ o kudasai
When you want to ask for something, you can say "something をください。"
Eg. きってをください。(please give me a stamp)
Ask for the following things using をください .（These are local special foods.）

すだち(Sudachi)

れんこん(Lotus Roots)

はんだ

半田そうめん(Handa Somen)

たけ

竹ちくわ
(Take Chikuwa)☆

The particle " と " means "and".
Eg. りんご と みかん を ください。

２．

これ、それ、あれ、どれ
これ を ください。
ex.
それ を ください。
あれ を ください。
どれ ですか。

☆
☆
☆
☆

わかめ
(Wakame)

な る と きんとき

鳴門金時
(Naruto Sweet Potatoes)

Please give me this one.
Please give me that one.
please give me that one.
Which one?

When you refer to something close to you, you say これ "kore".
When you refer to something close to the person you are talking to, you say それ"sore".
When you refer to something away from both of you, you say あれ "are".
どれwhich one (of three or more)
どちら which one (of two things)

All illustrations are taken from the living guide "Welcome to Tokushima" produced by the Kokusai Koryu Konwakai
Hiroba.

-9-

memoranda
Speech Contest

日本語弁論大会

Participants Wanted!

出場者募集！

2008 Tokushima Prefecture

平成 20 年度外国人による徳島県日本語弁論大会

Japanese Speech Contest For Foreign Residents
Around 10-12 contestants will be selected basedon country of origin, ensuring that a wide variety ofnationalities are able to participate. There will be an event

10-12 名程度の出場者を募集します。国際色豊かにするた
め１か国１名程度。応募者が多い国については２名程度を書類検査にて選考します。大会当日は、多数の応援・声

following the contest, where contestants will be available

援をお待ちしています。発表者との意見交換会もお楽しみ

to answer questions from the audience.

に!

Date:

日

時：平成 20 年 7 月 21 日（月・祝日）

Monday, 21 July, 2008 (a public holiday)
13:30-16:30

13:30-16:30

Place:

Tokushima-ken Kyodo Bunka Kaikan

場

所：徳島県郷土文化会館

For:

Foreign Residents of Tokushima対

象：徳島県在住の外国人

Theme: A topic of your choice relating to Japan,

テーマ：国際理解・国際交流・協力に関するものなら自由international affairs, international cultural
exchange, and cooperation.
Time limit: Under seven minutes

時

間：７分以内申込：（財）徳島県国際交流協会まで。所定の申込用紙をお渡しします。 詳細は当協会までお問い合わ

Applications: TOPIA (applications accepted while places

せ下さい。

are available)

問合せ：（財）徳島県国際交流協会

Contact: TOPIA.
TEL: 088-656-3303

TEL:

088-656-3303

FAX: 088-652-0616

FAX:

088-652-0616

Wanted: Haiku!

俳句・川柳の募集

The Aizumi International Exchange Association is holding

藍住町国際交流協会 (I’s) では、今年、協会設立 5 周年を

a competition for haiku on the theme of international

迎えるにあたり、国際交流や国際理解に関する俳句・川relations & understanding in honour of its 5th anniversary.

柳を募集いたします。海外での体験や外国の方々との触Submissions about experiences overseas or interaction
with foreign residents, as well as thoughts about

れ合い、普段の生活の中で考える国際理解など、俳句・international understanding in your daily life are welcome!

川柳にしてご応募ください。

Period: Friday, February 15 to Thursday, May 15.

募集期間

Submissions: Postcards, fax, email (multiple submissions

応募方法 ：はがき、Fax、E-mail （一人複数句可能です）

are also accepted).

表彰

Prizes: Awards will be announced at the association.

：平成 2 月 15 日～ 5 月 15 日
：平成 20 年度、藍住町国際交流協会総会にて表彰します。最優秀賞 1 点（1 万円、若しくFirst prize is 10,000 yen or an equivalent bookは 1 万円相当の図書カード）優秀賞 3 点（5token, and three follow up prizes will also be

千円、若しくは 5 千円相当の図書カード）

chosen for 5,000 yen or an equivalent book

応募先

token.

：藍住町国際交流協会事務局（社会福祉協議

Sumbissions to: Aizumi International Exchange

会内、担当；松田）〒 771-1203 藍住町奥野

Association. 771-1203 Aizumi-cho, Okuno Aza Yakami-mae

字矢上前 32-1

32-1.

Tel: 088-692-9951

Fax: 088-692-1626

電話：088-692-9951

E-mail: aizumi_kokusai@garnet.nmt.ne.jp

ファックス：088-692-1626

メール : aizumi_kokusai@garnet.nmt.ne.jp-10-memoranda
Opening of Mt.
Tsurugi for 2008!

つるぎ山の
山開き

This event is a ceremony to celebrate the opening of Mt.

このイベントでは神事・みこし渡御・餅なげ等が行われTsurugi for mountain climbing. It designates the start

ます。また、一般の人にとって山登りをするのに最適な

of the best time of year to climb the mountain for thegeneral populace, and there will be portable shrines,
mochinage and much more!

時期の始まりを告げるイベントでもあります。
日時：

５月１0 日（土）10:30-13:00

When:

Saturday, May 10, 10:30-13:00

Where:

Minokoshi on top of Mt. Tsurugi, Miyoshi City場所：

三好市東祖谷見の越

Cost:

Free

金額：

無料

Info:

Call 0883-72-7620 for more information.

問合せ： 詳しくは電話で 0883-72-7620 まで。

Oboke Tram
Schedule

剣神社「大歩危トロッコ号」の運転

This special tram ride allows passengers an open-air trip

窓ガラスのないトロッコ車両からは、ダイナミックな大from Awa Ikeda Station to the Oboke Gorge area on an

歩危峡・小歩危峡の広がり、新緑の爽やかな風が社内を

old-fashioned tram. Fitted with wooden tables and chairs,
you can enjoy the scenery whilst taking a relaxing trip.
When:

The tram will be in operation from May 1-6, then

吹き抜けます。
日時：

5 月１～６日、そして５月中の週末、６月１日

on every weekend in May, and June 1. There are

阿波池田発、大歩危駅着の列車は二つで、大歩

two trips out to the Oboke Gorge, and two

危駅発阿波池田着も同じ二つあります：

return:

大歩危駅行き：To JR Oboke Station:

11:24 - 12:01

13:21 - 13:59

13:21 - 13:59
To Awa Ikeda:

阿波池田行き：12:17 - 13:03
14:23 - 15:10

Where:

From the JR Awa Ikeda and Oboke Stations.

Cost:

Free!

Info:

Call 087-825-1635 for more information.

11:24 - 12:01
12:17 - 13:03
14:23 - 15:10

場所：

JR の阿波池田駅と大歩危駅

金額：

無料

問合せ： 詳しくは電話 087-825-1635 まで。

Announcements

お祝いメッセージ

A new birth in the family? Have you recently gotten

最近、結婚・出産などのおめでたいニュースがあった方、

married? Then good news! Awa Life is looking for阿波ライフではあなたの家族のお祝い事を読者の皆さん

submissions from readers to help you get the word out!

に発表したいと思います！ 100 文字程度の文章と（もしSend us the details and a short blurb, accompanied by apicture if you have any on hand, and we will post it forあったら）写真を阿波ライフまで送っていただけたら次

you in the next issue of Awa Life!

号の阿波ライフに掲載いたします。

Send any submissions to the awalife email address at:

阿 波 ラ イ フ の メ ー ル ア ド レ ス ま で お 送 り く だ さ い：

awalife@gmail.com.

awalife@gmail.com-11-

memoranda
Anan Kamodani
Koi Nobori Festival

あなん加茂谷こいまつり

Come along to the Anan Kamodani Koi Nobori Festival!

期間中、那賀川の上に 2000 個の鯉のぼりが泳ぎ、鯉つり

There will be over 2,000 koi nobori ﬂoats hung over the

大会、かんどり舟での大滝遊覧、うなぎのつかみどりやrivers here, with boat rides, fishing competitions, eelcatching competitions, workshops and much more!
When:

宝さがしなど、様々なイベントが行われます。
日時：

Saturday, May 3

但し、鯉のぼりは現在から 5 月中旬まで見られ(Koi Nobori are on display now, and will last
until mid-May.
Where:ます。

In the riverside area in front of the Kamodani

場所：

Kominkan in Yoshii-cho, Anan City.
Cost:

Free

Info:

Call the Kamodani Kominkan at

5 月 3 日（土）。

阿南市吉井町、
加茂谷公民館前

金額：

無料

問合せ： 加茂谷公民館まで

0884-25-0113

電話 0884-25-0113

Living inTokushima

徳島県生活情報
ウェブサイトIn need of information for daily activities? Come and日常生活において情報をお探しですか。ぜひ、徳島県のtake a look at the Living in Tokushima website hosted

生活情報ウェブサイトをご覧ください！このウェブサイ

by Tokushima Prefecture, home to information such as

トから地震・台風についての情報、テレビや映画のガイド、

earthquake and typhoon-related messages, tv and movie
guides, events, contact numbers and more.

イベント情報などにアクセスできます。パソコン・携帯版両方提供しています！

Living in Tokushima Computer Website
パソコンサイトhttp://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/index.php

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/index.php
Living in Tokushima Mobile Website

携帯サイト

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/m

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/m

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 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)

受け止めていますか人権の重み-12-