aWa life
TOPIA Staff
Introductions

Awa Shoku: Okra
- Who Knew Slimy
was Good?

Impressions from theHigashi-Shinmachi
Awa Odori Parade

Nishi Awa: Hidden
Gems in TokushimaJune 2019
# 345

1

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

June means rainy season in most parts of Japan but that doesn’t mean that your life has to be dull as
well. Nature comes up with new ideas in every season of the year. A typical June flower for example isthe hydrangea (ajisai アジサイ ) and there are numerous spots in Tokushima Prefecture where fans areable to enjoy this beautiful flower. While hiking in the rain might not be the first idea people come up
with, it can be a very relieving, romantic or even spiritual experience. However, it won’t rain the wholetime so you might be able to enjoy different activities before the real hot season begins.
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 and Nico
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 and Nico Bohnsack
Contributors This Month:

Miaomiao Liu, Mayumi Nishioka, Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, and Sachiko Muramatsu

2

Contents

Pg. 2-3: Nishi Awa: Hidden Gems in Tokushima
Pg. 4: Impressions from the Higashi-Shinmachi Awa
Odori Parade
Pg. 5: Topia Staff Introduction
Pg. 5: Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI
Pg. 6: Awa Shoku: Okra - Who Knew Slimy was Good?
Pg. 7: Japanese Lesson
Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Nishi Awa: Hidden Gems in Tokushima

By: Daralyn Yee(Special thanks to Fujikawa-san, Hashimoto-san, and Nakao-san!)slide that will give you a beautiful view of thesurrounding area and make you feel like a childagain. I could not stop laughing out of sheer
pleasure as I made my way around the slide.

T

his past week I had the opportunity to visit
the west of Tokushima, known as “Nishi
Awa”, on two occasions. The Nishi Awa area ismade up of Mima city, Miyoshi city, Tsurugi town,
and Higashi Miyoshi town. This region has muchto offer beyond what is written in Tokushima’s
guidebooks. I would like to share a few hidden
gems that I have enjoyed on my adventures to
Nishi Awa.
Oyasu Park
Embrace your inner child at this park by riding
down its long slide! Unfortunately, the wide andsteep slide has been torn down, but still offers alarge park that offers nice natural space to takea nice walk and relax. There is still a very long

A Rickshaw in Udatsu?
Yes, you can ride a rickshaw in Udatsu now!
Escape the crowds of large tourist destinations,and ride down the Udatsu Townscape on arickshaw with Fukurou-ya. I had the chance toride a rickshaw for the first time and it was aninteresting perspective to see the street. It mademe feel as if I rode on a time machine to the Edo
period! I was impressed by the rickshaw driverand the amount of strength he was using to carry

3

Nishi Awa: Hidden Gems in Tokushima
the rickshaw
down the street.
When there wasa downhill, heeven ran to matchthe speed of the
rickshaw.

A PeacefulWorkspaceabove the Steep
Slope Land
Agricultural
SystemThe Nishi Awa Steep Slope Land Agricultural
System has recently been named as a GIAHS(Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System)
for its unique farming system that adapted to life
on a slope by developing a land management
system to utilize the land. I was impressed thatpeople were actually growing things on a nearly
40 degree slope, but there was something that
I saw that amazed me even more. We unlocked
the animal protection gate to a specially madeoutdoor work space and a stunning view of thegreen mountains folding into each other, and a
rocky river located above the agricultural system.
It was quiet and the air was nice and crisp. I
wished that I brought some work to do, because it
was so peaceful and serene. There is no electricaloutlet, and you will have to bring your own Wi-Fi
device to get internet connection. Despite that, it
is still a nice place to get some manual work or
writing done. You will have to see this place withyour own eyes!

Dogama Basinand Narutaki
Falls
The Dogama
Basin is located
12 km from the
Sadamitsu River.
The powerfulstream carved
the rocks into
the shape of abasin. This basin
is surrounded bylush maple trees
and greenery. The bold colors of the trees andriver and the sounds of the river will make you feel
as if you are in a Bob Ross painting. Sitting on theedge of the river is a good way to refresh and cool
down. 700m from this beauty is Narutaki Falls thatis 85m in height, making it the tallest waterfall in
the prefecture. When I visited, the sun was shining
from the top of the falls making the water falling
down glitter. I hope that you can catch a glimpseof this beauty in the nice summer weather.
Despite livingin Tokushima
for three
years, there
are still manyp l a c e s I
have yet tovisit. Finding
these hidden
gems mademe feel evenmore thankful
to have theopportunity
to live in
To k u s h i m a .
How about a trip down to Nishi Awa this summer?
You will surely make treasured memories herewith all of the unique places it has to offer, andyou may even discover something new. Have you
been to any interesting spots in Tokushima? Feelfree to share with us at awalife@gmail.com.

Impressions from the Higashi-Shinmachi Awa Odori Parade
By: Miaomiao Liu

4O

n May 1st, which marked the beginningof the Reiwa Era, about 100 members ofvarious Awa Odori groups such as Aho-ren, Honke
Daimyo-ren, and groups of foreigners danced the
Awa Odori through the central Higashi-Shinmachi
shopping street to celebrate the beginning of the
new era.

At the end, the whole audience was invited to join
the dance and men and women of all ages had
fun dancing. After watching all the young children
dancing the Awa Odori, I believed that Awa Odori
will be carried on to the future generations here.
During the breaks, the shops of the shopping
arcade caught my eyes as well. Both expensive
products and everyday items were sold there.
When the parade ended, I made the decision togo again to shop next weekend.

I just arrived in Tokushima two weeks ago but
it was the second time I saw an Awa Odori
Performance with a large number of dancers. My
first time was the Hana Haru Festa but this time
I watched the Awa Odori parade to welcome thenew era Tokushima-style.
I viewed the dance in the shopping arcade fromsuch a close distance that I could feel it throughmy bones.

“The Higashi-Shinmachi shopping arcade wasonce a flourishing shopping area, but in recent
years, due to the population decrease, thesituation worsened. Holding the parade here
in the shopping street was also done for therevitalization of the arcade.” my friend explained.
I felt this was a great idea. My friend thenadded, “You can truly say that this concept ofrevitalization is effective. I decided to come here
for shopping next week, too.”5

TOPIA Staff Introduction

By: Mayumi Nishioka
ello, my name is
Mayumi Nishioka
and I started working at
TOPIA since April 15. I wasformerly working as thereceptionist at the Culture
Center. I like interacting withpeople, and thought that I
would be able to be helpful
at TOPIA, but unfortunately
I am linguistically limited toonly Japanese. However,I hope to interact using my body language andheart. I also hope to rediscover Tokushima’s
greatness, and study so that I am able to helpH

overseas residents livingin Tokushima and visitors
who come to TOPIA.
It is my hope that peopleof different nationalities
and cultures canrecognize their culturaldifferences, and build
relationships in order tolive together in harmony.
I will do my best to do each task carefully andaccurately, and am looking forward to working
with you all.

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

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

t is said that babies usually start to crawl after
eight months but recently there has been an
increase in babies who start to walk without much
experience with crawling. However, crawling is an
important process for a child’s growth.

First, infants are able to support their own neckand turn over, then are able to crawl with their
belly on the floor (crawling forward) and sit once
strength in the arms and lower back are developed. Once this occurs, the back bone and trunkof the body is strengthened and infants become
able to crawl. It will take more steps until yourchild will develop enough leg muscles and bones
in order to crawl.
If an infant crawls a lot…
-In addition to the hands, feet, lower back, andback, but the whole body will be strengthened.
-It stabilizes the trunk and will help your childmaster a sense of balance and reflexes.
-It will build the basics for hand-eye coordination.
-The child’s range of motions and curiosity increases (also supports emotional growth)-The excessive use of hands and feet promotes
brain development
When babies start to crawl many dangers

emerge, so be sure to set up rooms that are
crawling-friendly.
＊＊＊
Paper Plate Pin Wheel
1. Prepare two paper plates and cut out the innerpart as shown in the picture.
2. Turn the paper plates over. Allow the cut portion
to intersect to form a figure eight and tape bothsides together.
3. Make a hole in the center where both platesintersect and push a 50cm long kite string through(attach a bead at the end of the string and put a 2
cm piece of straw in the gap of the figure eight).
4. Connect the other side of the kite string to stick
made out of a rolled up piece of paper.
The paper plate windmill will spin when running
while holding the stick.

Awa Shoku: Okra - Who Knew Slimy was Good?
By Lance Kita

Japanese food is as much about texture as it
is about taste. Even a plate of sashimi is acircus of mouthfeels, from the chewy octopus totender tuna and firm yellowtail. Some ingredientslike konnyaku こ ん に ゃ く (devil’s tongue jelly)
are used seemingly as a texture
accent, as they have little flavor.

bittermelon).

6

Slice or mince the okra and combine with theother sticky/slimy ingredients over rice andseason with soy sauce or ponzu to make a nebaneba don ねばねば丼 or as a topping
for cold noodles (udon or soba) with achilled dashi sauce. That mixture (orjust the okra) also makes a refreshingside dish on its own with a touch of
ponzu or bainiku 梅肉 (salty pickledplum paste). Its slippery texture
slides right down your throat, and hits
the spot when the humid, oppressive
heat of summer saps your appetite.

Okura オ ク ラ (okra) is oneof those love/hate vegetables
for texture. These edible seed
pods are relatives of cottonand hibiscus, and tolerate
severe growing conditions. The
southern part of the prefectureis the largest producer of okra in
the prefecture. Available year- Okra’s crunchy but slimy seed What if you’re not into the Three Ns?
round but usually harvested in pods are a nutritious stamina Okra won’t be as slimy if you deepfry it. Try is as tempura (plain or withsummer, its high nutritional value booster during summer.
a hint of curry powder) or breaded
makes it perfect for the hot,languid season. Okra is rich in vitamins C and with panko bread crumbs, served with a dip of soy
K, folic acid, and dietary fiber, and also contains sauce and mayonnaise. Be sure to trim the baseof the pod and remove the stem and leaf ring.
many minerals.

So back to that texture… okra contains a lot of You can also boil or sauté them whole for a shortmucin (slimy goo), and can become very sticky time to keep the sliminess to a minimum. The
easiest recipe is a Korean namul.
and slimy when chopped fine
Boil the pods for a minute, then drain
or cooked for a long time. Thisand put in a bowl. While warm, add
is also apparently supposed toa generous sprinkle of salt and abe good for you, by promoting
good splash of goma-abura 胡 麻 油good digestion and combatting(sesame oil) and toss well. You cansummer fatigue. Japanese foodalso add soy sauce, chili paste, and/or
often uses this as a textural
whole sesame seeds.
element, and is one of the “ThreeNs,” my term for the three
Or wrap them in thinly sliced buta
flavors/textures that are usuallybaraniku 豚 バ ラ 肉 (pork belly),
considered undesirable by most
season with salt and pepper, sauté
food cultures, but is favored by
Okra is an essential slimy part them until meat is browned, and pourthe Japanese.
of nebaneba rice bowls, salads,a sauce of soy sauce, sake, mirin, andand noodles.
grated ginger over them and cook 30
Okra is very neba-neba ね ばね ば (sticky and gooey), and is often paired with seconds so the sauce coats the okra. The ginger
other neba-neba foods like minced raw tuna will whet your appetite, and the recipe is so fast,
belly or natto 納豆 (fermented whole soybeans), you won’t be sweating in the kitchen.
or with nuru-nuru ぬ る ぬ る (slimy) foods likeyamaimo 山 芋 (mountain yam) or nameko な So embrace the sliminess of okra, or try the other
め こ mushrooms. The third N is nigai 苦 い , recipes above for some quick, nutritious summer
or bitter…see the August 2018 article about meals!

7Japanese Lesson

By: Sachiko Muramatsu

Using「～てしまいました」correctly

This month let’s study the expression「～てしまいました」! The sentence pattern has two meanings:
ものごと
かんりょう あらわ
ざんねん
こうかい
き も
あらわ
①「物事の完了を表す」(expressing the completion of a matter) and ②「残念・後悔の気持ちを表す」(expressing the feeling of regret). Let’s clarify the difference in the following conversation.
ものごと かんりょう
Conversation ① 物事の完了
かほんよ
A: わたしが貸してあげた本、もう読みましたか。
おもしろ
ひとばん
ぜ ん ぶ よB: ええ、とても面白かったので、一晩で全部読んでしまいました。
A: そうですか。すごいですね。
ぜ ん ぶ
かんぜん
はや
This expression indicates the completion of an action and「全部、完全に、早く」is used to emphasizethat an action is completed. When used in situations where emphasis isn’t needed, it sounds unnatural.
あ わ だいがく
ごうかく
あ わ だいがく
ごうかく
Example: ☓もう阿波大学に合格してしまいました。→〇阿波大学に合格しました。
ざんねん
こうかい
き も
Conversation ②残念・後悔の気持ち
A: どうしたんですか。
さ い ふ
お
なか
さが
B: 財布を落としてしまいました。かばんの中を探してもないんです。
たいへん

はや

こうばん

とど

A: それは大変ですね。早く交番に届けたほうがいいですよ。
Here the speaker uses the sentence pattern to express his or her feelingsof pity/regret such as “I’m sorry for having done something I shouldn't have” or “I got into a very difficult
わすお
situation which I shouldn’t be in”. It is often used with verbs such as「忘れる」「まちがえる」「落とす」
おくころ「遅れる」「転ぶ」that have a negative meaning.
ど う しけい
The sentence pattern is: 動詞て形＋しまいました
れんしゅう もんだい

練 習 問題けい
Change the underlined verbs into「て形＋しまいました」and indicate with the respective number if it
carries the meaning of Conversation ① Completion or Conversation ② Feeling of regret.
Examples：
か い ぎ
じ
はじ
さき
しょくじ
す
会議が 12 時から始まるので、先に食事を済ませました。
か い ぎ
じ
はじ
さき
しょくじ
す
→会議が 12 時から始まるので、先に食事を済ませてしまいました。①
た な か
でんわばんごうきわす
田中さんの電話番号を聞きました。忘れました。
た な か
でんわばんごうきわす→田中さんの電話番号を聞きましたが、忘れてしまいました。②
てい

はし

い

１．バス停まで走りました。バスは行きました。
→
そ う じ
せんたく
ど よ う び
ぜ ん ぶ
にちようび
す
２．掃除や 洗濯は土曜日に全部やりました。それで、日曜日はゆっくり過ごすことができました。
→
し ご と
じ か ん
おも
ぷん
３．この仕事はもっと時間がかかると思いましたが、30 分でできました。うれしいです。
→
かいだん
ころ
４．きのう、階段で転びました。→
い
やくそく
じ か ん
おく
５．タクシーで行きました。約束の時間に遅れました。
→②

４．転んでしまいました。

②

１．行ってしまいました。

ころ
い

答え
こた

５．遅れてしまいました。

②

おく

２．やってしまいました。①

３．でできてしまいました。

①

8
Events & Memoranda
2019 Tokushima Prefecture Japanese Speech Contest
2019 徳島県日本語弁論大会

Overseas residents whose native language is not Japanese will be giving a speech in Japanese on
various topics such as cultural differences, their experiences with life in Tokushima, and more. Pleasecome watch and cheer on the participants! A tea party will follow after the contest.
When: July 21 (Sun) 13:30 - 16:30; Tea Party 16:45~
Where: Awagin Hall (Tokushima Prefecture Kyodo Bunka Kaikan) 5F
Info: 088-656-3303 (TOPIA)
Admission Fee: FREE

Misato Firefly Festival
美郷ほたるまつり
The whole Misato district in Yoshinogawa City was
designated as “Misato Firefly and its birth place”
and categorized as a national natural monument
in 1970. It is known nationally as a prominentarea for the size of the basin area where thefireflies fly, amount of fireflies, and period that the
fireflies can be seen.
When: June 1st (Sat) – 16th (Sun)
Where: Misato, Yoshinogawa City
(around Kawata river)
Info: Misato Hotaru Museum
Tel: 0883-43-2888
URL：https://www.misato-hotarukan.jp/

吉野川市美郷地区は 1970 年に地区全域が「美郷のホタル及びその発生地」として国の天然記念物に指定されており、ホタルが飛ぶ流域面積、数、期間とも全国でも有数の地域です♪
日時： 6 月 1 日（土）～ 16 日（日）場所： 吉野川市美郷

川田川周辺

お問い合わせ：美郷ほたる館
TEL: 0883-43-2888
URL：https://www.misato-hotarukan.jp/

The Tokushima Prefectural Awa Jurobe Yashiki Suiseki Exhibition
阿波十郎兵衛屋敷「水石展」“Suiseki” is a part of Japanese culture toappreciate stones inside of rooms. “Distantmountain stones” in the shape of mountains,“waterfall stones” in the shape of waterfalls, figurestones associated with birds, animals or humanbeings, pattern stones where patterns of flowers
or clouds appear and other “suiseki” collected by
the members of the Awa Suiseki Association frommountains inside and outside of the prefecture
can be seen here.
When: June 14th (Fri) – 16th (Sun)9:30 – 17:00
Where: Tokushima Prefectural Awa Jurobe Yashiki(Puppet Theater and Museum)Fee: 410 Yen (adults), 300 Yen (high school anduniversity students), 200 Yen (elementaryand junior high school students)
Info: Tokushima Prefectural Awa Jurobe Yashiki(Puppet Theater and Museum)Tel: 088-665-2202
URL: http://joruri.info/jurobe/

水石（すいせき）とは、室内で石を鑑賞する日本の生活文化です。山の形をした「遠山石」、山中の滝を思わせる「滝石」、鳥や動物、人などを連想させる「姿石」、花や雲などの紋様が現れている「紋様石」など、阿波水石会の会員が、県内外の山や川から採取した様々な表情を見せる水石の数々をご覧いただきます。
日時：6 月 14 日（金）～ 16 日（日）9：30 ～ 17：00
場所：徳島市川内町宮島本浦 184 徳島県立阿波十郎兵衛屋敷
参加料：410 円（大人）、300 円（高・大学生）、200 円（小・中学生）
お問い合わせ：徳島県立阿波十郎兵衛屋敷
TEL: 088-665-2202
URL: http://joruri.info/jurobe/9

Events & Memoranda

The 34th Nishi-Iya Amego Fishing Tournament
第 34 回 西祖谷あめご釣り大会

The Queen Amego is a beautiful fish mainly livingin the Iya River and also a precious regional
speciality as well. The event committee welcomesmany people to the Amego Fishing Tournament
and wants everyone to have a wonderful fishing
day while enjoying the deep nature of theunexplored Iya region.

清流の女王アメゴは、祖谷川に広く生息する美しい魚で、地域の貴重な特産品でもあります。実行委員会では、多くの人々にあめご釣り大会にお越しいただき、秘境祖谷の大自然を満喫しながら終日釣りを楽しんでいただきたいと考えております。皆さんのお越しをお待ちしています♪

When: June 9th (Sun)Registration from 6am
Entrance from 8pm
Weighing from 10pm
Where: Nishiiyayamamura Oinouchi around Iya
Fureai Park, Iya River and Iyakei Bridge
Fee: 3000 Yen (adults), 1000 Yen (elementary
school children)
Info: Office of Iya Fureai Park/Miyoshi City
Association of Commerce and Industry
Tel: 0883-76-8585 or 0883-86-1059

日時：6 月 9 日（日）会場受付：6:00 ～入場開始：8:00 ～計量：10:00 ～場所：三好市西祖谷山村字尾井ノ内 祖谷ふれあい公園周辺、祖谷川、祖谷大橋付近
参加料：3000 円（大人）、1000 円（小学生）
お問い合わせ：祖谷ふれあい公園事務所 または三好市商工会TEL: 0883-76-8585、0883-86-1059

We want YOU to tell Tokushima about yourcountry!
Give presentations or demonstrations to people in Tokushima. Share in Japanese about topics such as
your country’s cultures, traditions, languages. If you need help planning a presentation, our coordinator
will give you guidance. Presentations will be given to students or the community at international exchange events.We will ask you when we receive requests from schools and organizations. It takes 3~4
hours including travel time, a few times a year. Honorarium are about 4,000 yen plus transportation
expenses.

Info: TOPIA
TEL: 088-656-3303
FAX: 088-652-0616
URL: http://www.topia.ne.jp
E-mail: coordinator3@topia.ne.jp

Counselling Service at TOPIA・トピアの相談窓口
TOPIA provides consultation on everyday life, education, labor, medical institutions, and disasterprevention; and information on sightseeing spots to overseas residents and visitors. When necessary,
we will refer you to the appropriate organization that can assist with your needs.Counselling is available
in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, 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)