aWa life
New Challenges
with Mt. Bizan!

Fishing in Tokushima

Awa Shoku: Dictionary ofOden - What’s in the Pot?

November 2017
# 327

Umeshu Festival
in Misato

1

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

It's already autumn! We were able to publish our second colored version of Awa Life. We hope that we
did it justice and that you will enjoy reading it. If you have any pictures you would like to share with us
or see in our next colored version of Awa Life in the spring, feel free to submit them to us. Landscapesof Tokushima, food, or Japanese cultural items, please send us anything you think would make a great
title page.
Also 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, Naomi Fukumi, Jennifer Bach, Yuki Manabe,
Robert Gordon, Nan Zhang, Junko Nagamachi

Contents2

Pg. 2-3:

Moon Viewing: Tokushima Style

Pg. 3:New Challenges with Mt. Bizan!

Pg. 4:

Activities in Tokushima: FishingPg. 5

Umeshu Festival in Misato

Pg. 5-6:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 6:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 7:

Awa Shoku: Dictionary of Oden - What’s in the Pot?

Pg. 8-9:

Events and Memoranda

Moon Viewing: Tokushima Style
By Daralyn Yee

In the US, it is uncommon to participate in moonviewing unless there is a super moon or an
eclipse, and it was something I never did backhome. Luckily I had the opportunity to give moonviewing a try on top of Mt. Bizan with a Tokushima
twist at an event called “Bizan to Tsuki to Awa
Odori” (Mt. Bizan, the Moon, and Awa Odori). This
year the event was held on September 30th.
Because I didn’t know much about moon viewing,I decided to learn a little more about it before
going to the event. A tradition that originated from
China, Moon Viewing festivals, called Otsukimi,
were brought to Japan between the Nara Periodand Heian Period. It later became an establishedtradition from Edo Period. Originally there were
three moon viewing periods during the year. The
15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar(typically around the middle of September/beginning of October) is called “Chushu no
Meigetsu” (harvest moon in the middle of autumn)
and is known to be exceptionally beautiful
compared to the other full moons. During themoon viewing festival, people give thanks for thefall harvest while gazing at the beautiful moon.
Some make offerings of dango (round rice cakes)
and decorate with pampas grass, which is said
to resonate the rice plant. Because the ends ofthe plant are sharp it is said to protect against evil
spirits.
With that information in mind, I made my way tothe event. Unfortunately, we could only see a halfmoon, but the moon had a crisp outline and theclear sky made it easy to see. The city was lit up
and as I gazed down from the top of Mt. Bizan,
the beauty of it all made me feel glad that I am
here in Tokushima. After gazing at the moon andthe beautiful night time scenery of Tokushima City,
I watched the Awa Odori portion of the event put
on by my dance group, Musou-ren. My ren has
two sub groups called Hana-musou, that dancesin the Edo Period style and Mayu-musou thatdances in the Showa Period style. The costumes
worn were vibrant in various patterns and colors,

3and each individual performer wore a one-of-akind costume. During the show, the performers
transported the audience back in time to a small
Japanese town, where the residents of the town
spent their evening dancing. In the middle of theperformance, they even danced to “Juukyuu noHaru” (Spring of when I was 19), an Okinawansong that is well known in Japan. As all Awa
Odori dance performances end, the audience wasinvited to dance along. In response, the audience
joined in with carefree smiles and danced the restof the night away under the beautiful half-moon.

Moon Viewing: Tokushima Styleviewing during this event on top of the symbolof Tokushima, Mt. Bizan, only goes to show how
proud the people of Tokushima are of their homeand culture. Though the festival has passed, I
hope that you can all get out in to the communityand experience the numerous events during theyear.

The Moon Viewing Festival is a great opportunity
to take time and look at the beautiful moon,
while experiencing Japanese culture first
hand. A combination of Awa Odori and moon

New Challenges with Mt. Bizan!
By Naomi FukumiH

ave you ever climbed Tokushima city’s
symbol, Mt. Bizan? Even among Tokushima
locals, there aren’t too many people
who have hiked the mountain without
using the ropeway or going by car.
Mt. Bizan is really close to the city
and with its height of nearly 300m, I
think beginners could also give it atry. In fact, I am also new to hiking.
In the beginning of September,when the heat died down, it took
me 40 minutes to get to the top.
There are many ways to get to the
top of the mountain, but I took thepath from Ten Shrine. On one hand,as an unathletic person with zeroexperience in hiking, it was reallydifficult and I was out of breath manytimes. On the other hand, smellingthe scent of the wood, hearing thechirping of the cicada, and seeing
the bright sun shining through thetrees while walking, let me come in tocontact with nature with all of my fivesenses. Also, waving to the people
in the ropeway cars and greeting theother hikers climbing up and down

made this a fun experience without becoming
too boring. After reaching the top, I was reallyexhausted but also felt refreshed.
The wide view of Tokushima City inthe front and Wakayama in the far
distance made the onigiri I broughtwith me tasted wonderful. Dependingon the season you come to Mt.
Bizan, you can experience a different
types of nature, for example cherry
blossom in spring, fresh greeneryat the beginning of summer, andfall foliage. The upcoming seasonof fall leaves in which the weather
will be really comfortable, is very
suitable for hiking. If you have time,strength, and energy, why not give
Mt. Bizan a shot? Please wear somegripped shoes, don’t forget to bringwater, and walk at your own pace.
Also, you may encounter poisonous
insects such as hornets, ticks, andcentipedes; so, be sure to takecaution and wear long pants and long
sleeves when you plan to hike. I wentby foot both ways, but you can alsoride the ropeway for one of the ways.

Activities in Tokushima: Fishing
By Yuki ManabeDo you know what one of the most enjoyable
activities is in Tokushima is? That is fishing.
Even if you mention the word “fishing”, there arevarious ways of fishing and different fields (ocean
or river), and the fish that are targeted in each
respective area are different. This is the first time
for me to introduce this topic to you, so I would
like to introduce the fishing style that targets
sardines, horse mackerel, halfbeak, etc. in the
Naruto City area.
These fish can be made in to various dishes suchas sashimi, sushi, tempura, karaage and otherJapanese dishes. The way to catch them is very
simple and even those who are fishing for the
first time can use this technique. If you are lucky
it is possible to catch about 100 fish! When I
Fishing line
Nylon
No.2-2.5

SwivelSabikibait rings:
Hook No.5,
Snell No.8,
Main Line
No.1.5,
6 hooks

Small pole
No.1.2-1.5
5.0-5.3 m
or metal pole4went fishing this time around, I was able to catch
fish with the “Sabiki Fishing Pole (with bottom
basket)”. (See figure on the bottom left)

The target when fishing depends on the period,
location, tides, and time. Currently in Naruto City,
in addition to the fish that I mentioned before,
you can also catch Japanese sea bass, squid,Japanese Spanish mackerel, red snapper, young
yellowtail, adult yellowtail, greater amberjack,black porgy, beltfish, black rockfish, etc. Why don’t
you all give fishing in Tokushima a try? If you everneed some guidance on fishing or cooking withfish, please feel free to let me know! Let’s enjoy
fishing!

Mid-sized
spinning reel

BottomBasketUmeshu Festival in Misato*This event will be held on Nov. 25 and 26 this year.

By Robert GordonDo you remember that feeling of excitement
when you woke up on Christmas morningwhen you were a kid? I remember the butterflies
violently tickling the inside of my stomach while
I had to wait until 8 o’clock to go downstairs andopen my presents. Year by year that feeling got
smaller, and until recently I thought it was gone.
During my first year on JET I was recommended
to go to the "Misato Umeshu Matsuri" by a friend.

Now, I’m someone who has enjoyed umeshu(plum wine) a bit too much in the past, and I’ll
take any opportunity to enjoy it a bit too muchagain, so I decided to check it out. First you
arrive at Awa-Yamakawa station, and everything
looks very rural and quiet, there’s a few people
waiting around for the shuttle bus. The shuttle bus
comes and takes you up to Misato in the nearby
mountains. You arrive at the Misato Hotaru Hall,5

there’s still no umeshu, instead there’s several
more shuttle buses, each one to take you to adifferent part of the village. Each area has several
umeshu makers, from professionals to small
households, each with their own style of umeshu.
So even if you can’t stand the sweet sickly tasteof regular supermarket umeshu, here you can finda variety of dry umeshu and I’ve even tasted a nosugar umeshu. You can definitely find an umeshu
to your tastes here, and that is part of the magicof this festival, you can casually discover yourown preferences in the huge spectrum of umeshu
that I didn’t even know existed.

Umeshu Festival in Misato
Rush forward my second year, the morningof Umeshu Matsuri, I woke up to that same
Christmas feeling from childhood, excited tostart day drinking. I got to Misato on the first
shuttle bus, and left on the last one. I was notdisappointed, I even discovered that I didn’t evenvisit all of the areas the previous year. I will begoing again this year, I will not miss this festival,and I know there will always be more and more forme to discover.

And then there’s the views. The shuttle bus
will take you up to some little mountainsidehouses with spectacular views. So you can sip
on your new favourite drink, eat some delicious
homemade food like ume curry, and just relax
while enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery.

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

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

ecently there has been an increase inparents who bring two of their children to
the parent-children gatherings. Having siblings isseen to be beneficial to a child’s growth and doesthings such as build patience and grow a spiritof compromise, but as a small child this can be avery difficult situation. Especially, when a younger
child is born in to the family, the older child may
start to cling on to you all of a sudden, won’t
listen to what you say, and enter into a period of
infantile regression. If you tend to the feelings ofanxiety that the older child has during times like
this, your child will naturally return back to theirnormal behavior.

How to Tend to your Child Based off ofBehavior TypeChildren that cling on: Understand your child’s
feeling of wanting to have your attention, andlisten to the words that your child says and holdthem tightly.
Children who talk in baby language: This is
temporary behavior, so carry and piggy back yourchild to give them a sense of security.
Children who start to wet their bed: There area lot of children under this behavioral category

who are sensitive. These children want all of theirmother’s affection and mothers of these types ofchildren should consciously make some time for
their children.
Children who are rough with the baby: Warn yourchild gently, and instead make an opportunity
for your child to help out and communicate yourappreciation and thanks.
Children who become irritated and emotionallyunstable: Embrace them as hard as you can andread a picture book to them to calm them down.
Don’t try to do everything by yourself. Ask forthe cooperation of your family to get through thissituation because it is also important to take careof the stability of your own mind and body as amother.
＊＊＊Spinning Flower Pinwheel
1) Cut a circle out of colored construction paperthat is 12 cm in diameter and draw any picture
you’d like on it. Use a perforation tool to makea hole in the middle. Make eight cuts along thecircumference of the circle and fold a triangle ateach cut.
2) Cut a cotton swab in half. Create two circles

6

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI (continued)
out of thick paper that is 2 cm in diameter andmake a hole in the middle. Stick the two small
circles and cotton swab throughthe hole of theflower petal circle as seen in the diagram.

* If you blow the petals or hold on to the pinwheel
and run, the wind will run through it and make the
toy spin.

3) Make a stem with the stick part of the cotton
swab, and wrap it with colored paper to make astem. Attach the stem to the flower pinwheel.

Japanese Lesson
By Junko Nagamachi

ま ちが

けい ご

間違いやすい敬語
Common Mistakes in Japanese Honorifics
Have you ever spoken in keigo (Japanese honorifics)?

そんけい ごけんじょう ごていねい ごJapanese honorifics are broken largely in to three categories,「尊敬語」,「謙 譲 語」, and「丁寧語」.
そんけい ごけんじょう ごIn this lesson, let’s think about examples of incorrect usage of「尊敬語」and「謙 譲 語」.
Ex)

There is a party today. When it was time to go home, the host said the following words.
おおもそれでは、そろそろ終わりにしたいと思います。 (This concludes today's party.)

みなさま

み やげ

も

かえ

皆様、お土産をお持ち帰りしてください。 (Please be sure to take home your favors.)

Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
そんけい ご・尊敬語 is used towards another person. It is a way to show another person that they are of a higher
position, and is used when you want to directly express respect to them.
Ex)

な まえ

か

ここにお名前をお書きください。
どう し

けい

Sentence Pattern:（お／ご＋動詞マス形＋ください）
けんじょう ご・謙 譲 語 is used for yourself. It is a way to show that you are of a lower position, and is used when
you want to indirectly show your respect towards the listener.
Ex)

わたし

か

か

私が代わりにお書きします。
どう し

けい

Sentence Pattern:（お／ご＋動詞マス形＋します）

そん けい ごIn the example above, even though the speaker should be speaking 尊 敬 語（ お ／ ご ～ く だ さ い ）けんじょう ごtowards the guests of the party, 謙 譲 語（お／ご～します）is being used.
みなさま

みや げ

も

かえ

The correct way to say it would be 皆様、お土産をお持ち帰りください。
（「して」is unnecessary).
Exercise:
If the sentence is correct, mark it with a ○. If it is incorrect, mark it with a × and correct the mistakes.
わたし

せつめい

（

）すみません、もう一度詳しくご説明してください。

（）先生、どうぞこの椅子にお掛けしてください。

（）皆様、どうぞこちらへお入りください。

いち ど くわ
か
はい

か

答え：
（１）○（２）（×）すみません、もう一度詳しくご説明ください。
いち ど くわ

せつめい

みなさま

い す

（３）（×）先生、どうぞこの椅子にお掛けください。（４）○

せんせい

せつめい

い す

よ てい

）それでは、今日の予定を私からご説明します。

せんせい

きょ う

（

7

Awa Shoku: Dictionary of Oden - What’s in the Pot?

The chill in the air is met by the steam in the
pot…autumn is the season for oden ( おでん ),which are miscellaneous vegetables, fishcake,tofu, and such simmered in a lightly flavoreddashi ( 出 汁 ) stock. It can be eaten plain, or
dabbed with karashi ( 辛子 mustard) or miso ( 味噌 ) sauce. Oden has become a staple offering atconvenience stores in the fall, and the store clerks
will be happy to help you dish out any number ofpieces into foam containers to take home. Here’sa handy guide to what you’ll find in a typical oden
pot:
Daikon 大 根 : This is probably the best-sellingtype of oden. The thick disks of white radish burstwith soup-laden juiciness. (I particularly like thedarker ones that have been simmering a while
and almost melt in your mouth)
Tamago 玉子 : Hard boiled-eggs just sitting in thestock and soaking up the flavor. Great if you’rehungry and want a filling snack.
Konnyaku 蒟蒻: This triangular gray wedge may
not look appealing, but it’s made from the root
starch of devil’s tongue, and are less than 10
calories a piece. There is also shirataki ( 白 滝 )which are white konnyaku noodles twisted into
cute bunches. If you are dieting, be sure one ofyour pieces is konnyaku or shirataki.

By Lance Kita

substantial sources of protein in the pot.
Miscellaneous: For a little more protein, try askewer of tsukune ( つ く ね chicken meatball),gyu-suji ( 牛すじ beef tendons), dashimaki ( だし巻 rolled omelet) or even wieners ( ウインナー ).
For more Japanese tastes, you can eat kinchaku( 巾 着 , a pouch made of deep-fried tofu filledwith mochi 餅 rice cake) or konbu-maki ( 昆 布
巻 a roll of kelp tied with a gourd string). Other
common choices include jagaimo ( じ ゃ が い もwhole potato), ro-ru kyabetsu ( ロ ー ル キ ャ ベ ツ
cabbage rolls), kanikama ( カ ニ カ マ imitation
crab stick), and tako ( 蛸 octopus).
Most oden pieces will run about 100-120 yen
each at the convenience store. You can also buy
assorted packs already in stock at your local
supermarket. Many udon restaurants will haveoden as a side dish during these cold months.
Oden can be surprisingly low in calories. A set of
daikon, konnyaku, chikuwa, and ganmodoki will
be around 120 calories. Have fun diving in andscooping out a few pieces the next time you needa late-night snack, a light lunch, or something
non-fried to go with your bowl of udon.

Tofu 豆 腐： Most convenience stores will offera yakitofu
焼 き 豆 腐 (grilled block of tofu)
or atsuage 厚 揚 げ (deep-fried block of tofu).
Ganmodoki がんもどき are deep-fried dumplings
made with mashed tofu, vegetables, and sesame
seeds.
Fishcake: Dumplings with a base of fish paste
are very popular and add flavor to the stock.
Chikuwa ( 竹 輪 ) look like tubes, while hanpen( は ん ぺ ん ) are white fluffy pillows floating on
the top of the soup. Satsuma-age ( さつま揚げ )are sweeter deep-fried patties, while gobo-maki( ご ぼ う 巻 ) finds the fish paste around a stickof burdock root. Fishcake are some of the more

From bottom center, going clockwise:
tamago (egg), chikuwa, daikon,
kinchaku, and konnyaku.

Events & Memoranda

8Japanese Intensive Conversation Course 1
日本語集中講座 1
November26, 2017(Sunday)

10:30 12:30

In Japan, the end and beginning of the year is a special period. Let’s study
about the Japanese culture and customs of the end of the year and New
Year’s. We will learn about Japan’s New Year culture and study about how
to write a Nengajo (New Year’s Greeting Card) to the people who havehelped us this year. We will provide brush pens and color pencils, so thatyou can write and draw some illustrations.

(Please be sure to bring the address of people you would like to send Nengajo to. Each card is 52 yen
and will be passed out during the course.)
Please apply in advance so that we can prepare enough materials for this event.
Location: Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA) Clement Plaza 6F
			For more information or to apply please contact: TOPIA
TEL: 088-656-3303 FAX: 088-652-0616
E-mail: coordinator2@topia.ne.jp

Japanese Volunteer Skill Up Lecture
日本語ボランティアスキルアップ講座
学習者が「話したくなる・学びたくなる教室」をめざして～生活の中から教室活動のタネを見つけよう～「もっと生きた日本語を学びたい！」という学習者の声をよく耳にします。これに応えるには、実生活にリンクした教室活動が求められます。また、学習者が「自分のこと・自分の考えを語る楽しさ」
を実感できることも大切です。学習者も支援者も「わくわくする教室」作りについてご一緒に考えてみませんか。

日時： 12 月 2 日（土） 13:00 ～ 16:30
場所： ＴＯＰＩＡ会議室にて
料金： 無料
講師： 嶋田和子先生（一般社団法人アクラス日
本語教育研究所 代表理事）
主催・お問合せ・申し込み：
徳島県国際交流協会
TEL: 088-656-3303* 要申し込み（当日参加も可能ですが、準備の都合上できるだけお申し込みください）Japanese Cooking Class - New Year Dishes
日本料理教室 - 正月料理
Let’s learn how to cook traditional Japanesedishes for New Year including ozoni, vegetablesoup with rice cake, and osechi. We will also
introduce some traditional New Year’s customs.
Please send an e-mail or call if you want toparticipate. Tell your name, nationality and contact
information (e-mail or telephone).
Please don’t forget to bring an apron.

When: December 10th (Sun), 10:00 - 13:00
Where: Uchimachi Community Center
Cost: 500 yen (for ingredients)
Capacity: 20 people(Apply before November 30th)
Info: Takako Yamada, HIROBA International
E-mail: welcometotokushima@yahoo.co.jp
Tel:090-2787-3597
Fax: 088-652-4846

9Events & Memoranda
Tokushima Fall Foliage Map
徳島県紅葉マップ

Indoor Soccer Festival to Promote International Friendship
国際親善 FUTSAL 大会
When: November 26th (Sun)13:00 – 17:00
Where: Tokugin Tomony Plaza
Cost: 500 yen per person; 		
2,000 yen per team
Info: NPO Awa ProjectTel:090-4976-9402
Mail: 2014nippon@gmail.com
Please apply via e-mail, firstcome first serve basis.

日時：11 月 26 日（日）13 時～ 17 時
場所：とくぎんトモニ PLAZA
参加費：500 円（一人ずつ）
2,000 円 ( チームずつ )問い合わせ：
NPO 法人 Awa Project
TEL:
090-4976-9402
E-mail:2014nippon@gmail.com
メールでお申し込みください。
先着順です。

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 isavailable in English and Japanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not beable 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)