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

"TOPPY"
November 2004 No. 173

local food, local fun, local culturepby kevin watsonにちよういち

びっくり日曜市 (bikkuri nichiyō ichi) The Surprising Sunday Market

eople drive, cycle and walk into townwith their goods for sale. The day begins
at 5:00am as the cars pull in and begin
unloading their wares. People begin
to talk and chat and share stories from theirweek. The smell of flowers, fresh fish and fresh
vegetables fills the air, while people of all ages
scurry to get ready for the day ahead. Thereis a bustling in the air. Stalls are set up andthe cooking begins. The crowds arrive andscores of cars and bikes cover the area of the
Surprising Sunday Market.
Tokushima City's Surprising Sunday Market
is surprising because of the wide variety ofgoods available. It is a great place to spend
your Sunday morning either eating local andcountrywide favorites, scanning antiques andJapanese goods for that rare find that you
will treasure forever, buying fresh Tokushima
fish and vegetables or just hanging out andsoaking up the atmosphere. The Surprising

Sunday market is the perfect place to meet
local people, and get a sense of the town andits culture. People of all ages gather to takein the sights and to pickup weekly bargains inevery area. The Market is open every Sunday
from 5:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It is located off ofRoute 55 near the turnoff to Bunka no Mori andKamiyama.
Need Directions?
Go up Route 55 to カメラのキタムラ (Camera
no Kitamura) and turn right. You will see Book
Off on your left hand side. Cross over andafter you pass Book Off turn left onto the little
laneway and then immediately turn to yourright. Go straight about 50 meters down theroad and turn to your left. It is impossible tomiss it. Follow the people!

local food, local fun... con't on page 8

contents
local food, local fun, local culture - 1, 8 ... don't look down! - 3
dye another day - 4 ... love and hate - 5
cooking classes in uchimachi - 6 ... tastes of awa: sushi part 3 - 7
autumn leaves - 9 ... japanese in the news - 10
japanese lesson - 11 ... memoranda - 12~15
tv movie guide - 15 ... cinema guide - 16from the editorsby the time you read this, November will
already be here! Time to start thinking
about end-of year plans, and new year's
cards! I spent about a month last year,
trying to figure out the best way to draw amonkey for my 'Year of the Monkey' new year's
cards. I think I will be better off this year with'Year of the Chicken.' Take a look at my visual
guide to nengajō on page 10. Also in thisissue is another installment in Junko Kimura's
guide to Japanese modern folk customs on
page 5, and the winning speech from thisyear's High School English speech contest on
page 3. I had to miss the contest this year, but
Martin tells me she is a "brilliant orator." As forthe promised article on TOPIA's library, well, we
just had so much good stuff this month, thatthe library piece is going to have to wait! Keepan eye out for it in next month's edition.
Love, Claire

awa life

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

Editors:
Claire Kinder & Martin O'Brien
Contributors This Month:
Kaori Domoto, HIROBA, Ginevra House,
Junko Kimura, Claire Kinder,
Fumie Murasawa, Martin O'Brien,
Kevin Watson, and Don Weissawa life welcomes announcements, articles,

opinions, letters, art and photographs. Please
send contributions to the editors at TOPIA. You
can also write (or call in!) for a free subscription.

t

his month I had the opportunity to get
out to Waza no Yakata to do some indigo
dyeing (check out page 4). Due to thefact that Tokushima is an extremely
mountainous region, getting out and about canseem somewhat difficult for those of us without
a set of wheels. This is true to a great extent
however this month I had the pleasure of
discovering the free ALM bus service. A magicalmystery tour ( sort of…if you don’t know where
you are going) where every stop is a tourist
attraction worthy of your attention. If indigo
dying, udon making, and theme parks with ascientific theme are your idea of a fun-filled
afternoon then get on the bus and get down to
Kamita for it is truly a magical place where thefun and hi-jinks can be found aplenty.
Until next month, take it easy.
Peace, Martin

Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)
Clement Plaza 6F.
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPANtel. 088.656.3303
fax. 088.652.0616
awalife@gmail.com
www.tk2.nmt.ne.jp/~topia/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view the online version by going to TOPIA's website!
English Information on FM Tokushima:"Talk Up Tokushima" Thursdays @ 9:15am
Tokushima City 80.7 Ikeda 82.3
Anan 78.4
Hiwasa 77.7

don't look down!

it is the top of the ninth
inning, the score is 0 to
0. There is no runner with
one out, the fourth batter
is up and the count is one
and two. At this point, either
team could win. A homerun
to right field decided thegame. We couldn’t believe
our eyes. There was nothing
in my head. This run became
the deciding game point and
we, Aratano High School, took
the beating. That hot summerday, the Aratano baseball clubdrew the curtain quietly.
In my first year of high school,
I joined the baseball club as
the team’s caretaker. The
players practice everyday toachieve one goal: Koshien, thechampionship. As caretaker,
I want to support the players
and run the grounds. As thebiggest game of the summer
approaches, the players
and the managers gradually
become nervous. Because
they practice until late atnight, their strain reaches
a peak. The temperatureon the field becomes nearly
40 degrees, and the sweat
pours off even those of us
sitting. On sunny days in thesummer, we have to spatterthe ground with water manytimes because the grounddries soon. But no matter how
hot is, the players act quickly.
The next game will be thelast game for the third year
students and they practicewith more zeal. The manager
tries to encourage andmotivate the team to practiceharder. “When you are tired,raise your voice. Put on ashow of courage. Don’t lookdown!” The manager’s voiceby kaori domoto

Kaori Domoto of Aratano High School - winner of this year's English SpeechContest for Tokushima High School Students.

makes the players lively. His
voice sounds angry, but weknow it is full of cheer fromhis heart.
Finally the moment theplayers have been waiting
for, the biggest game of thesummer has begun. It is abreathtaking pitchers battle.
The players are tense but
enjoying the game. Whenthey return to the bench,
everyone is smiling. Everyone
is full of fighting spirit as if tosay, “I want to stand at thebatters box!”
It is the ninth inning. The
bases are loaded with twoouts because of an error by
the third baseman and a baseon balls. The batter hits theball and everyone gasps.
Everyone’s heart is beating
and I almost shout “Lookup, don’t look down!” It is ahomerun ball over the fence.
The game is over.
Today there are a lot of
people who don’t have their
dream. The players all believethat a dream is not just a
dream but a goal to achieve,

and they try hard to makeit come true. If you say thatyou have an aim or a dream,
yet you do nothing to makeit happen, how can you saythat you have a dream? I
think that the practice and theprocess are more important
than the result. If you havea dream, you should be able
to make it a reality. Only the
person who tries their hardest
is the one that can have a
dream, and I feel that only aperson who can shine has theright to shine.
At first I couldn’t adapt
myself to the team and there
were many problems. Now
I try to have a broader viewand be courteous as the team’s caretaker. I learned from myexperiences with the baseballclub and have made them apart of my daily routine.
I will never forget thatsummer day, and I will always
remember to follow mydreams. With hard work anddetermination, we all have thepower to make our dreams
come true.

dye another day

by martin obrienl

ast Sunday was a good
day to dye - alright, that`senough dye-related puns
I promise. Cross my heartand hope to dye. If you are
wondering what exactly I am
talking about, I will revealall. Last Sunday I had theopportunity to travel to Wazano Yakata to experience the artof indigo dyeing with severalm e m b e r s o f To k u s h i m a ' s
i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i ty.
Ka m i i t a - c h o ' s Wa z a - n o Yakata is a great place to try
awa indigo dyeing because
it allows visitors the chance
to dye a large selection ofgarments from handkerchiefs
to t-shirts. Instructors at
the craft museum also offer
expert instruction in thevarious techniques that can beused to create a memorable
piece. I had seen many
Awa Indigo garments inshops in Tokushima before,
I imagined that it would bequite difficult to create such
beautiful pieces. I enjoyed
the experience of dying mysilk scarf, but I didn`t thinkthat I would create anythingthat might actually be wornby somebody. To my surprise
however when the scarf wasdried off, the result actuallylooked quite good. If any Awa
Life readers were considering
giving something unique from
Tokushima as a present to a
loved one I would thoroughly
recommend going to Wazano Yakata and creating thememento yourself. The center
is open every day except
Monday from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. If a Monday falls on a
public holiday then the center
will be open. Entrance is
free but if you wish to dye asome of the ways to dye at the Waza no Yakata craft museum

garment then prices vary. A
handkerchief will cost \ 730.
A silk scarf costs \ 2620 anda t-shirt is \ 5250. For more
information or to makea g r o u p re s e r va t i o n , c a l l
088-637-6555.
The art of indigo dying(aizome) in Japan has
i t s o r i g i n s i n To k u s h i m a
Prefecture. The art dates
back some 300 years. It isbelieved that Lord Hachisuka
Iemasa introduced indigo to
Awa no Kuni (Tokushima) in
1585. During the Edo period(1603-1867) the Awa region
was a major center of indigo
dye production. With theadvent of chemical dyes, theuse of indigo dye declined,
however efforts are underway
to promote indigo dying as a
tourist attraction. Awa Indigo
dye comes from the leavesof the tade indigo plant. The
leaves are harvested, dried andfermented. Dried indigo leaves
are sprayed with water andleft to sit and ferment. Afterabout 3 months of repeatedspraying and fermentation, asolid mass with a dark browncolor appears. This substanceis called sukumo. A glucose-like substance is later added
to the sukumo. Five days to
one week later the surface ofthe solution becomes a bluishpurple colour. At this stage thesolution can be used as a dye.
The best way to Waza no
Yakata from Tokushima is
to use the ALM bus service,
which is across the road from
Itano station to the left of the
Marunaka grocery store. The
ALM bus service is a special
free bus service designed toservice the numerous tourist
attractions in Kamiita-cho. Itruns every day during school
summer holidays, and on
weekends during the restof the year. It departs Itano
Station five times a day, at
9:00, 10:50, 13:35, 15:25,
and 17:25. The first stop
after Itano station is Irodori
no Yakata cultural centre andlibrary. The second stop is
the Asebi Onsen hot spring.
The third stop is Asutamu
Land science park. The fourthstop is Waza no Yakata. The
fifth and final stop is Gosho
no Sato, which is close totemples number eight and ten
from the Shikoku 88 temple
pilgrimmage.

love and hateby junko kimuraw

he n I w e n t t o t h e
St a t e s a f t e r be ing
away for a long time,
I realised that Asianmovies are getting more
popular in the States than
before. There were a quite few
Asian movie, soap opera andJapanese anime DVDs/videos
in the video shop. One thought
ran across my mind while
checking out those DVDs in
downtown Denver, Colorado.
What types of people areenjoying these Asian movies?
Are they interested in Asian
culture or just tired ofwatching Hollywood movies?
It was a coincidence that while
I was there, my friend had aJapanese movie with him:
Kikujirō, staring Takeshi
Kitano. While watching themovie, I saw many Japanesecustoms that I knew hewouldn’t know about. I wanted
to explain to him what they
meant, but I decided to shutmy chatty mouth so he could
enjoy the movie. I am surethere must be plenty ofcustoms which I wouldn’ tunderstand or notice while
watching foreign movies. I
didn’ t know what “brownnose” meant until my English
teacher taught me that. Since
then I hear it everywhere.
Do you remember the teru
teru bozu article that was in
September’s issue of Awa Life?
I mentioned that one of myAmerican friends didn’t
understand something when
she went to see the Japanese
movie, Sekai no Chushin de
Ai wo Sakebu. I also went to
see it; the tears ran from myface the whole time because
the movie was so depressing.
In the movie, a girl drew ankimi (you) and boku (me)together under the umbrellaumbrella with her finger on a
dusty window. She put her
name and a boy’s name whom
she liked under the umbrella.
It reminded me of when I was
5 t h g ra d e i n e l e m e n t a r yschool. Also the umbrella partwas the part that my friend
didn’t understand. In
Japanese, we call it an ai aigasa. It means “together
under one umbrella.” Let say,
if you like Claire, you draw ai
ai gasa on your notebook,desk, eraser or anywhere andwrite your name and her nameunder the umbrella. If it is asecret love, I recommend you
to do so on the inside of yourmobile phone battery coverwhere no one can see it. Have
I ever done that? Of course!
Once I was an innocent girland liked a boy who was in myclass. I remember after I drewit, I felt embarrassed anderased it later on.
If there is love, of course
there is going to be hatetoo. Little kids such as 1 stor 2 nd graders tend to havearguments for silly reasons.
You could break off relations
wi th your mates because
she talked to someone andignored you during the ten

minute break or you talked
to a boy whom your friend
liked. You might be able tosend her a nasty note, folded
up into an origami square,
but there is another easy way
to do it. If you want to severa relationship with someone
then you join together the tipsof both your index fingers.
The person you want to breakup with must then break thebond between the two fingers
in a downward cutting motion.
At this point the relationshipwill be no more. In order toreconcile the friendship, youconnect the tips of both hand’s
little fingers. The other person
breaks the bond between thefingers in an upward cutting
motion. You are both friends
again. “Break off relations”
is zekkō suru in Japanese.
I rang my friend in Ehime
prefecture one night, andasked her if she had ever done
that. Her answer was yes.
She said that she had broken
off friendships a lot by doing
this, but at the same time,
she made up with them lateron. We couldn't stop laughing
while talking about this since
it was exactly same thing as I
did even though we grew up
in different places. We also
had other stories like this.
Some of stories that I am
talking about in Awa Life arefrom my experience. Thosemight not be common in otherparts of Japan, or even otherparts of Tokushima! Also I
am a girl, so I have less idea
about what boys usually did
or do in elementary school;
however, ai ai gasa is wellknown anywhere in Japan.
You might want to draw it on
your Valentine’s Day card!

japanese cooking in uchimachiasubmitted by HIROBA

Japanese home cooking class was held at Uchimachi Community Centre on October 17th.
Fifteen foreign residents and ten Japanese ( including 8 HIROBA members) participated.
They enjoyed cooking and eating the following five dishes: sautéed burdock roots andcarrots, vinegared cucumber and wakame, rice with sweet potatoes, and two others listed
below. HIROBA is hoping to hold another cooking class next spring.
Miso Soup with Chicken
and Vegetables

participants make 'sautéed burdock roots and carrots'

Tōfu Steak with Mushroom
Sauce
Ingredients
2 cakes firm tōfu
salt and pepper
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 package shimeji
mushrooms
1 package enoki mushrooms
4 shiitake mushrooms
a pinch of salt and peppera little chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp soy sauce (shōyu)
1/4 cup grated daikon radish
2 sudachi
2 cherry tomatoes
1. Wrap the tōfu in a paper
towel. Put a weight on it todrain the liquid out of it. Cut
the tōfu in half across thelength of the cake. Sprinkle apinch of salt and pepper anddust with flour.

2. Heat 1/2 tbsp vegetable
oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in askillet. Fry the tōfu until it isbrown on both sides.
3. Cut away the root cluster ofthe mushrooms. Break enoki
mushrooms into small clumps
with 3 - 4 each. Break off eachindividual shimeji mushroom.
Cut each shiitake mushroom
into 4 - 6 triangular pieces.
4. Heat vegetable oil andbutter in a frying pan. Sautethe mushrooms over highheat, add a pinch of salt andpepper and a small amountof chicken broth. Sprinkle
soy sauce and stir just before
removing the pan from theheat.
5. Cut sudachi in halfcrosswise. Add sudachi andcherry tomatoes to the steak.
Put grated daikon on top of
the steak.

Ingredients
20g dried sardines (niboshi)
5cm dried konbu kelp
6C water
100g chicken
100g daikon radish
50g carrot
120g taro root (satoimo)
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 spring onion (ao negi)
50g soy-bean paste (miso)
a pinch of seven-spice pepper(shichimi-tōgarashi)
1. Clean dried sardines. Soakthem in water with konbu
kelp for 10 minutes. Cook for
10 minutes uncovered. Strain,
and remove fish and kelp.
2. Soak dried mushrooms
in water. Cut each of theminto 2 - 4 pieces. Cut daikon
radish and carrots in quarters
lengthwise, then slice
crosswise into quarter-rounds,
about 5mm thick. Peel taro
roots and slice them into 5mmpieces. Cut chicken into bitesized pieces.
3. Put the broth in a soup pot
and bring to boil. Add chicken
and bring to boil again andskim foam. Put vegetables into
the pot and cook until tender.
Soften miso with some soup,
add to the pot, and simmer
lightly. Add spring onion cut in
2cm length. Transfer to soupbowls and sprinkle with sevenspice pepper.

tastes of awa : sushi, part 3w

here were we?
We've done sushi
rice and nigirizushi.
So next must be thehome and picnic favorite,
makizushi.
Makizushi Instructions:be cooked vegetables, raw
or cooked fish, an omlet cut
in strips, whatever. Somemakizushi has tuna salad or
shrimp and mayonaise. It's
up to you. Some people evenput nattō in their makizushi.
Honest!

Makizushi
Get a makisu -- a bamboo
sushi rolling mat. They're
about 26 cm. square. (That's
10 inches for those newly
arrived from the US.) Put it
on a table next to your bowlof sushi rice and your plateof what you want in the
middle of the sushi.
1 -- Lay the makisu on atable and put a sheet of nori(about 20 - 22 cm. square
for regular makizushi) in
the middle of the makisu.
One side of the nori is shiny.
That side goes down.

2 -- Spread sushi rice on thenori about 0.5 - 1 cm. thick.
It should spread almost all
the way to the sides but
leave about 1.5 cm. of nori
free at the top and about 0.5
cm. nori free at the bottom.
3 -- Put the filling material
in a line or lines about 1.5
cm. up from the bottomof the rice. The filling can

4 -- Rol l i t up, using the
makisu to keep the shape as
you roll. You'll probably needto dampen the top edge of thenori slightly to make it stick.

Makizushi is usually cut before
serving. Keep the knife damp
as you cut or the rice will
stick to the knife and you'll
be in danger of messing up
the beautiful makizushi you
made with the makisu.
Note: Makizushi can be thin,medium, thick, or REALLY FAT.
The latter is called futomaki.
Chirashizushi
Once you've made sushi
rice, the easiest thing to dois throw some interesting
and tasty things on top toby don weiss

complement the taste of
the rice and just eat it liket h a t . P ra c t i c a l a n d l a z ypeople do that all the time,calling it chirashizushi.
Chirasu means "scatter" sochirashizushi is scattered(toppings) sushi. It may
have fish scattered over
the rice, along with shredsof omlet and assorted
v e g e t a b l e s . Yo u c a n
often find small plates ofchirashizushi in a glassfronted cabinet in an
inexpensive eating house(shokudō). Usually it's okay
to serve yourself from his
cabinet. It makes a quick
way to start on your lunch.
Temakizushi
Te means "hand" sotemakizushi is handrolled sushi. But isn't all
makizushi hand-rolledsushi? Of course, except
maybe at Wal-Mart -- I'm notsure about them. Maybe temaki should really be calledjimakizushi -- self rolledsushi. Except it's rolled
into a cone shape and you
can also get it at any sushishop.
I first met temakizushi
as school lunch in my firstjunior high school in Japan.
It only took about 10 or 15
tries until I could roll it so
it would hold together. The
two keys to doing it right,
I fo u n d , w e re t o p u t i nabout half as much rice as I
thought it should have andto make sure the filling was
surrounded by rice.
Next month -- A sushi glossary AKA"Since when is soy sauce purple?"local food, local fun... con't from page 1
L a s t S u n d a y, I m a d e m ymonthly trip to the market.
I slowly browsed the
local fruit, vegetables and漬け物 (tsukemono or
pickled vegetables). At the
information booth a local
enka (traditional Japanesesinging) talent was debuting
on center stage and included
an Awa dance song that local
seniors and children alike sangalong to. His smooth soundenticed calls for an encore,
which he happily answered.
I was not so impressed, buteveryone seemed to love him.
I think Kiyoshi Hikawa (a wellknown young enka singer
who has recently been lending
his face and voice to TV ads
for curry and hot cocoa) isdefinitely better. I sat andate freshly made puffed ricecrackers, while drinking green
tea. The weather was nice andthe smell of fresh yakitori(chicken on a stick) dipped intare sauce began to call tome, so I made my way over tothe famous stall and purchased
two sticks (1 stick = 150
Yen). Each one is a gigantic
24 cm long and delicious.
There is always a huge lineup,
so if you don’t want to missout you have to get themearly. I also bought a 100
Yen okonomiyaki (cabbage
and pork-filled pancake). I
sat, ate, and chatted with afriendly older gentleman. We
talked about Tokushima andthe approaching typhoon. He
commented on the amounto f ty p h o o n s t h a t h a d h i t
To k u s h i m a t h i s ye a r, a n d
asked about the situation in
Canada. I told him that we
didn’t really get typhoons. He
had actually been to Canada

takoyaki for sale at the sunday market

a n d fondly re c ount ed his
trip to Niagara Falls about
10 years earlier. He was kindolder gentleman in his 50’s.
After about 10 minutes, weparted and I made my way
to the “Antiques/Asian Goods'
section. This is my favorite
section and always keeps me
occupied for about 40 minutes.
I scan the tables for art orpottery that catches my eye or
anything out of the ordinarythat I may choose to barter topurchase. This is one of the
few places in Japan where I
have encountered the barter
system.
Last, I always go to theelectronics store (Tokushima
Denki Shoukai) for cheap deals
on batteries, film, video tapes,
and other electronics stuff.
“Tokuden” often has great
deals and is actually open
all week. The market spans
about four square city blocks
and is hard to miss once you
are close to it. The people
are friendly and looking forbargains.
In addition, it is a great place

to sell your unwanted goods,
but hey, good luck getting aspace. You can enquire about
reserving a space by goingdirectly to the second floor of
the central market building
during the week to see if they
have space. They are open
Monday to Friday from 8:00AM
to 5:00PM. Your space will costyou 2,000 yen per week andyou must purchase a space for
one full month (4 Weeks). If
you cannot get there during
regular working hours during
the week you can always callof fax them to see if space isavailable. Unfortunately, toactually reserve your space
you must apply in person at
the central office.
contact information:
The Surprising Sunday Market(bikkuri nichiyō ichi)
60 Banchi Tonya-cho
Tokushima City
Tel:
088.653.1161
Fax: 088.653.1163

autumn leaves

by chiiori project volunteer ginevra houseyet another typhoon on
i t s way, ye t a n o t h e r
rainy day, yet how can
I complain, sitting here
writing to the view of the mists
spiraling up the mountains andsilver droplets tumbling off theedge of the thatch roof?
A frangrant cup of Iya bancha - the local tea - steams
by my side, recalling in its
amber glow the golden day
in spring when we harvested
the tea, picking the freshest
green leaves from the bushes,
roasting them in an iron pot,
kneading them on a coarse
rice mat and leaving them out
to dry in the sun. Those days
seem as distant now as thehunt for mountain vegetables
in April, the sight of a hairy
bamboo shoot poking up
through the ground in May,
climbing a tree to pick ume
plums in June, cool riverwater washing off dirt frompotato digging in July, andthe incessant counterpoint of
cicada song in August.
Chiiori - the Cottage of theFlute - is a lovingly restored
eighteenth century thatchroofed farmhouse, deep in the
Iya Valley, owned by author
Alex Kerr and photographer
Mason Florence. The Iya
Valley was once a refuge
for defeated Heike warriors,
fleeing the triumphant Genji
Clan in the wars for controlof Japan in the 12th Century.
Today it is a different kind of
refuge, an escape for thoseseeking a break from thehustle-bustle of urban Japan.
The Chiiori Project was set
up in 1999 to allow the public
to experience life in an old
farmhouse in the mountains.
Running a variety of events,

check out that thatch roof!
photo by Jim Middleton

from straw sandal making, tohiking, to stone wall building,
the Chiiori Projects offersa chance to experience arural Japan that is rapidly
disappearing. For longer
term staff, living here gives
us a chance to learn from ourneighbours about how to live
in an old farmhouse, how totake care of the fields, how to
be in the mountains. In doing
so, the project also ensuresthat this knowledge is handed
down, revived, kept intact for
the future.
Recently, a guest, impressedby the architecture of thesefa r m h o u s e s , a s ke d m e i f
Chiiori and other houses roundhere were built by “affluent”
families. The obvious answer
would have been “No” - people
only earned a little moneyfrom tobacco and silk farming,a n d m o r e r e c e n t l y, f r o m
construction. But the moretime I spend here, the more I
learn about the properties ofdifferent woods, the variety ofedible plants growing wild, themyriad uses of bamboo andthe purity of the spring water,
the more I believe people

here were incredibly affluent,in a way that has nothing to
do with market economics
or Gross Domestic Product.
Using things they found on thismountain, people could build
houses, terrace fields, raiseanimals, make bowls, pots andbaskets, and feed themselves
all year round. Depopulation
has had its impact on theway of life, but even now,the community works
together, going round to eachhouse in turn, picking tea,
potato digging or harvesting
buckwheat.
Thatching is another area
where once, the whole village
used to help each other out.
In our hamlet of about 30
houses, members of every
household would climb themountain in autumn, cut
thatch (susuki, pampas
grass) and carry it down on
their backs. In return for thiscooperation, every 30 years
each house would get a new
roof.
Most houses are now covered
in corrugated tin - Chiiori is
one of the last two remaining
exposed thatch roofs in thehamlet, the other being a
N a t i o n a l Tr e a s u r e h o u s e ,maintained with government
funding.
As I write, the rain still falls
outside, the leaves slowly
turn their colours, and deerscream their lonesome lovesongs in the forest. Thinking
back through the year, i t
strikes me how lucky I am
to be involved in the life of
this community, to share thistenuous existence on a little
patch of land, perched on theedge of civilization. Far below,
the river roars.

japanese in the newsyby claire kinder

es, it's already that time of year - time to start thinking about sending out New Year Cards(nengajō) to all the people you have come in contact with through the year. A lot of people
make photo-nengajō with a family portrait, or buy pre-printed cards and use a computer
database to address them. Some people, however, still do it all by hand. Here's my pointby-point guide to making and sending out the perfect handmade nengajō.
postal code goes here
きって

郵

切手
kitte / stamp

き

年賀

put

様

address

徳島県徳島市寺島本町西���������・����階

50

your

Make sure this is printed
on your card in red, so
the postman will know todeliver it on January 1st.

が

7 7 0 0 8 3 1

ねんが年賀
nenga / New Year's Card

は

木村 純子

nengajō sold by thepost office already havea stamp printed on them.
If you make your own,
you'll have to buy a 50
yen stamp to put on it.
There are some withspecial New Year's designs
that include otoshidama
lottery numbers.

便

here

A7777 組

お年玉

777777とり酉
tori / chicken (rooster)People usually decorate
their cards with anillustration of the Chinese
Zodiac animal for the
coming year, or the kanji
for that zodiac animal.
There are no hard fastrules, though. Express
your creativity!

Write the address on theright hand side, startingwith the prefecture, thencity, getting smaller until
the apartment number isat the end.

Other nengajō tips:-people who have had aclose relative die during
the year do not send orrecieve New Year's Cards-if you want your nengajō
to be delivered on January
1st, make sure they are in
the mail by Dec. 24th.

としだま

お年玉
otoshidama / New
Year's Gift
The otoshidama lottery
is held around January
15 th every year - checkyour numbers at the post
office to see if you won a
prize!

When you address yournengajō, make sure
you write the honourificさま様 (sama) at the end of
the recipient's name, but
not at the end of yours!

酉
あけましておめでとうございます-if you get a card fromsomeone and realise you
neglected to send one tothem, it's not too late! Up
until last year, the postman
took a holiday on January
2nd, but starting this year,
you can have your latenengajo がdelivered
theんたん
day after 元 旦 (gantan January 1st.)-most people get theirnengajō made at a
printing shop these days,
but I think everyone likes
to recieve handmade ones
the best.

元旦

There are lots of different ways to wish someone
a 'Happy New Year' in Japanese. Aside from the above, you
ことし
きょねん
せ わ
ねが
could also write 去年はお世話になりました。
今年もよろしくお願いします (kyonen wa osewa ni narimashita.
kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu - Thanks for all your help in the past year. I'm depending on you
がんたんagain this year). Don't forget to include the date - January 1st has its own special kanji: 元旦 - gantan.

japanese lesson

by fumie murasawa

All About は and が
がつごう

つか

すこ

せつめい

こんかい

６月号の Awa Life で、「は」と「が」の使いかた方について少し説明をしました。今回は、その
つづ

べんきょう

おも

かんが

続きを勉強したいと思います。いっしょに考えてみましょう。
The use of wa and ga was focused on in the June issue of AWA LIFE. Let’s take another look atthem now.
つかかた「は」と「が」の使い方のヒント
Here are some hints how to use wa and ga.
Use wa when a sentence consists of two predi-

Use ga when there are two subjects in a sen-cate parts in a question-style sentence.

tence in a question-style sentence.

これはりんごジュースですか、オレンジジュー

あの白い建物が TOPIA ですか。それとも、黒い

しろ

たてもの

くろ

たてもの

スですか。

建物が TOPIA ですか。

Is this apple juice or orange juice?
えいご
じしょ
それは英語の辞書ですか、それとも

ご

ドイツ語

じしょ

の辞書ですか。
Is that an English dictionary or a German dictionary?
たなか
うみ
い
やま
い
田中さんは海へ行きたいですか、山へ行きたいですか。
Does Mr. Tanaka want to go to the mountains
or the sea?

Which building is TOPIA? The white building or
the black one?
やまもと
とうきょう
い
さ と う
山本さんが東京へ行きますか , 佐藤さんが
とうきょう

い

東京へ行きますか。
Who is going to Tokyo? Mr. Yamamoto or Mr.
Sato?
じ どうしゃ
ほんじ
これが自動車の本ですか。それとも、あれが自
どうしゃ

ほん

動車の本ですか。
Which book is a book about cars? This book orthat one?

れんしゅうもんだい【練習問題】PracticePlease write either wa or ga in the parentheses.
①

これ（よし の が わ

しんまちがわ）吉野川ですか。新町川ですか。

Is this Yoshinogawa River or Shinmachigawa River?
けいたい で ん わ
つかつか② この携帯電話（）使いやすいですか。使いにくいですか。
Is this mobile phone easy to use or not?
にほん
ちゅうにち
か
せいぶ
③ きのうの日本シリーズ、中日（）勝ったの。それとも、西武（

か）勝ったの。

Yesterday’s Japan Baseball Series, which team did win either Chunichi or Seibu?
れいぞうこ
か
おお
④ 冷蔵庫を買いたいのですが、大きいの（）いいですか。それとも、
ちい

小さいの（

）いいですか。

I would like to buy a refrigerator. Which one is better either big one or small one?
ほんに ほ ん ごか
ちゅうごくごか⑤ この本（）日本語で書かれていますか。中国語で書かれていますか。
Is this book written in Japanese or Chinese?

answers：

①

は

②

は

③

が、が

④

が、が

⑤

は

memoranda

Ikeda Winter Objéts A Bouquet of World池田冬オブジェ
Famous Songs
The streets and homes of Ikeda are lit up with
illuminations and decorations throughout the month ofDecember.

世界名歌の花束を
Soprano vocals with piano accompaniment. Featuringcompositions by Schubert, Verdi, and Nakada.

when: December 1 - early January 17:00 - 22:00
where: Awa-Ikeda JR Station area
cost: free
for more info: Ikeda Commerce and Tourism
Department - tel. 0883.72.7620

U. of Tokushima
English Presentation
Contest徳島大学イングリッシュ・プレ
ゼンテーション・コンテスト

when: November 14 (Sunday)
Doors open: 14:30
Starts: 15:00
where: Naruto City Doitsu Kan Large Hall (1F)
cost: ¥1500
for more info: 088.698.2088

TTC21 Ping Pong
卓球クラブ

Come join this casual table tennis club and meet
Tokushima residents and local University students! Bring
indoor shoes and wear comfortable clothes - if you don'tThis year's theme is "How to Improve Our University"

have a racket, there are extras available.

when: November 25, 5:00 - 9:00pm

where: Tokushima City Gymnasium (taiikukan)

where: Conference Room 2F, Engineering Alumni Hall,

when: Monday and Friday, 6:00 -9:00pm

Tokushima University(first timers: come at 7:30 and ask for Mr. Okayama -cost: free to watch

participation fee is waived until the second visit)
participation fee: ￥1000 to join, ￥1500 per monthfor more information: prezen20042000@yahoo.co.jp

homepage: http://www.geocities.jp/tokushima_ttc21

Origami Class
折り紙講座
The art of paper folding taught by Kazuko Yoshida. Applyin advance to guarantee a seat.
when: November 21 (Sun), 14:00 - 16:00
where: TOPIA - Tokushima Station Bldg. 6F
cost: free
to apply: call TOPIA - 088.656.3303
or e-mail: topia@fm.nmt.ne.jp

Japanese Lessons
in Aizumi-cho
藍住町 日本語講座
This class uses the textbook 'Minna no Nihongo I." Classes
are taught by Aizumi International Exchange Association
Members Akiko Tsuji and Kaori Tamada.
when: ongoing - Thursday nights 7:00 - 8:30pm
where: Aizumi Welfare Center, near Aizumi Town Officecost: \1000
for more info: e-mail: aizumi_kokusai@garnet.nmt.ne.jp
tel: 088.692.9951
fax: 088.692.1626

memoranda

Otani-yaki
Kiln Festival
大谷焼窯まつりThatch-Cutting
Season
萱刈りの季節Every year on the second weekend in November, there isa huge outdoor sale of Otani pottery. The pottery is sold

The Chiiori Project is currently looking for volunteers to

at a 20-30% reduction from regular price, and it's possible

cut thatch on Kyobashira Pass, from 10th November toto glaze a cup or bowl with your own original design. Pot-

15th December. Volunteers will form part of a dedicatedtery and bonsai exhibitions are also held.

team, and be able to commit for a minimum of two
weeks. It is fairly hard, physical labour, but the setting iswhen: November 13/14 9:00 - 16:00

fantastic. We also need volunteers to help with cooking,where: Torin-in Temple Grounds, Otani,cleaning and shopping. Thatchers will stay in a house on

Oasa-cho, Naruto City
鳴門市大麻町大谷字山田

Kyobashira Pass, about 50 minutes from Chiiori. Food and

東林院境内

visit Chiiori and relax on your day off.

accommodation is provided, and there will be chances toten minutes' walk from Ikenotani JR Station
entry cost: free

Please contact yuki@chiiori.org for more information.

for more info: Otani Pottery Association: 088.689.0204

for more info about Chiiori: www.chiiori.org
tel. 0883.88.529

Yoshino River
Half Marathon
吉野川ハーフマラソン

Japanese Lessons
in Anan City
阿南市 日本語講座

Participants of all ages can take part in the Yoshino River
Half Marathon. There are four races available: 3km, 5km,

If you live in southern Tokushima and are looking for a

10km, and 21km.

way to study Japanese without coming all the way toTokushima City, try Anan's Japanese class for foreign

when: November 28, 8:00 - 14:00

residents. They use the textbook "Minna no Nihongo I."

where: ten minutes' walk from Kamojima JR Station

Classes are taught by Madoka Mori.

cost: 1000 yen for Elem./JHS/SHS students
3000 yen for adults
for more info: call Kamojima-cho Board of Education
鴨島町教育委員会学習課
0883.24.5112

when: starts Nov. 21 - Sunday mornings 10:00 - 12:00amwhere: Tomioka Kominkan
cost: \1000
for more info: Anan City International Associatione-mail: etonne@stannet.ne.jp

Your Message Here

fax: 0884.23.6323

このスペースを利用しせんか？

On Sale at TOPIA

Let the International Community know about your event

トピアで買えますor announcement! Submit your text (in Japanese or
English) by the 20th of the month to get it printed in

Postage stamps, revenue stamps, postcards, and New

next month's edition. Drop off your message in person atYear's cards can be purchased at TOPIA. Please inquire at

TOPIA or write to: topia@fm.nmt.ne.jp

the counter. Reciepts available upon request.

memoranda

Making Handmade Floor Hockey
フロア・ホッケー
New Year's Cards
年賀状づくりPlayers Wanted!

Learn about Japanese traditional culture by making New
Year's Cards out of handmade paper, and share your own
holiday greeting card traditions with others. Then, plan an
event together for the Seishonen Centre Festival happening this February!

Fun and relaxed environment
All ability levels
Equipment provided
Multilingual environment
Good opportunity to make friends and exchange culture

when: November 27 (Saturday)
where: Tokushima Seishōnen (Youth) Centre and Awa
Washi Dentō Sangyō Kaikan (handmade paper
workshop centre)

when: November 21 & December 12 at 1:00
other dates to be announced
where: Bunri University Gymnasium
cost: free

cost: \1000
Participation is limited to 20 foreign and 15
Japanese people 18-40 years of age. If there are
too many applicants, participants will be decided bydrawing lots.
application deadline: November 15thfor more info on how to apply, contact:(in Japanese) Hisanori Minetel. 088.655.6277(in English)

Everybody Welcome

for more info: contact Kevin
kevin@tokushima.bunri-u.ac.jp

Tastes of Awa
阿波の味

Wondering how they get the anko inside the manju?

Masahiro Sasakawa

Looking for new ways to cook the many kabocha you've

tel. 090.9555.6419...or ask at TOPIA
presented by:Tokushima International Youth Exchange Association

been so kindly supplied with by your green thumb neighbours? Ask Don! Don Weiss, author of 'Tastes of Awa,'(page 7) is looking for reader's suggestions for future columns. What aspects of Japanese food interest you? Whatwould you like to know how to cook? Send Don a message

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 note that although every effort will be made,we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Monday to Thursday
10:00 - 17:00
tel. 088.656.3303 or 088.656.3320 (allows three way
conversations with an interpreter)with your thoughts and impressions:e-mail: woosongdonald@yahoo.com

TOPIA's Library
トピアの図書室
If you are a Tokushima resident (regardless of nationality)
you can get a library card for TOPIA's library, and borrowbooks free of charge! The library has mostly English, Chinese, and Japanese books, with a small section of novels
written in other European languages.
Books that have been culled from TOPIA's library areavailable for people to take home for free. Come to TOPIA
anytime and take a look in the big boxes marked free.
Donations of books are also accepted year-round!

memoranda
地域日本語指導ボランティア養成講座
徳島会場 :（徳島県青少年センター）土曜日･･･ 10:00 ～ 16:40

日曜日･･･ 9:40 ～ 16:20

後期講座：Ｈ 17 年 1 月 15,16 日（土、日）,22,23 日（土、日）
阿南会場 :（富岡公民館）全日程 ( 土日）･･･ 10:00 ～ 16:40
前期講座：Ｈ 16 年 11 月 27,28 日 ,12 月 4,5 日
後期講座：Ｈ 17 年 2 月 19,20 日 ,26,27 日
プログラム：前期講座：日本語の基本的な教え方についてのワンポイントレッスン
参加資格：前期講座：初心者／後期講座：前期講座「みんなの日本語Ⅰ」を修了した人
参加費：無料
定員：各会場約 30 名
講師：神戸 YWCA 学院専門学校より
テキスト：前期講座：ｽﾘｰｴｰﾈｯﾄﾜｰｸ発行「みんなの日本語Ⅰ」（2,500 円）およびその訳本Ⅰ（2,000 円）／後期講座：同
上の「みんなの日本語Ⅱ」等を購入。それぞれの協会を通じて購入する場合は、はがきにその旨を必ずお書き添え下さい。
（訳本は言語名を明記してください）
申込み：往復はがきまたはＦＡＸにてレス ⑤性別①名前⑥年齢（40 代等）⑦希望会場②郵便番号

徳 島 会 場 問 い 合 わ せ：（ 財 ） 徳 島 県 国 際 交 流 協 会
TEL:088-656-3303

FAX:088-652-0616④電話（携帯もあれば）＆ FAX 番号＆メールアド
記入のこと。

〒 770-0831 徳 島 市 寺 島 本 町 西 1-61 ク レ メ ン ト プ ラ ザ 6F

担当：野水

阿南会場問い合わせ：阿南市国際交流協会
林方③住所⑧日本語教授法の勉強年数および教えた経験など〒 774-0011

TEL:0884-23-5599（夢つくりあなん内

阿南市領家町室の内 385-305

林） FAX:0884-23-6323

tv movie schedule・november
DateTime Place

Nat.

タイトル

Title

Sat. 69:00⑧関西

USA ’95

12 モンキーズ

12 Monkeys

M

Sun. 7

9:00

⑥ ABC

USA ‘98

ディープ・インパクト

Deep Impact

M

Fri. 12

9:03⑩読売

USA '01

シュレック

Shrek

J

Mission Impossible

M

Princess Mononoke

LSun. 14

9:00

⑥ ABC

USA ‘96

ミッション：インポッ
シフルFri. 19

8:00⑩読売

JPN ‘97

もののけ姫

Sat. 20

9:00⑧関西

USA ’91

ターミネーター２

Fri. 26

9:03⑩読売

USA ’90

プレデター 2Predator 2

M

Sun. 28

9:00

⑥ ABC

JPN '03

座頭市

ZatōichiL

Mon. 29

late night⑧関西

USA ‘98

記憶の旅人

The Flight of theBumblebeeL

Nhorror ? mystery

Nsuspense

This schedule is subject to change.

J comedy

LdramaTerminator 2:
Judgement Day

Maction ♥love & romance SF science fictionMcinema guide
TOKUSHIMA HALL 徳島ホール(Saiwai-cho - near the Central
Post Office)088.653.1802

Road 88【JPN】ロード８８ (in Japanese)

TOKUSHIMA TOHO 徳島東宝
(Kagoya-machi - in Higashi

Ima Aini Ikimasu【JPN】いま、会いにゆきます (in Japanese)

Shinmachi Arcade)088.625.5311
TOHO CINEMA 東宝シネマ(Kagoya-machi - in Higashi

Collateral【USA】コラテラル
1st of each month → \1000
Men’s day / Friday → \1000

Ladies’ day Tuesday → \1000

1st of each month → \1000 Ladies’ Day / Wednesday → \1000
Men’s Day / Thursday → \1000
Kusa no Ran【JPN】草の乱 (in Japanese)from 11/20

Shinmachi Arcade)088.625.5311

1st of each month → \1000 Ladies’ Day / Wednesday → \1000
Men’s Day / Thursday → \1000

ATTACK HEIWA アタック平和

2046【HK】2046 (in Chinese)(Kuramoto 2 cho-me - near
Kuramoto Station)

Secret Window【USA】シークレット・ウインドウ

until 11/19

Howl's Moving Castle【JPN】ハウルの動く城 (in Japanese)from 11/20

088.631.6490

1st of each month → \1000 Customer Appreciation Day/ Wednesday → \1000

HEIWA DOLBY 平和ドルビー(Kuramoto 2 cho-me )Kakushi no Ken Oni no Tsume【JPN】隠しの剣

088.631.6490

1st of each month → \1000 Customer Appreciation Day/ Wednesday → \1000

KITAJIMA CINEMA SUNSHINE*FUJI GRAND*

The Whole Ten Yards【USA】隣のヒットマンズ

北島シネマサンシャイン

Kagen no Tsuki【JPN】下弦の月 ラスト・クォーター (in Japanese)（Kitajima-cho Tainohama）

Nobody Knows【JPN】誰も知らない (in Japanese)

088.697.3113
088.697.3111（24 時間テープ案内）

鬼の爪 (in Japanese)

until 11/12

Secret Window【USA】シークレット・ウインドウ

until 11/19

Head in the Clouds【USA】トリコロールに燃えてTube【KRN】Tube (in Korean)
The Punisher【USA】パニッシャー

from 11/13

Umi Neko【JPN】海猫 (in Japanese)
Howl's Moving Castle【JPN】ハウルの動く城 (in Japanese)from 11/20

Catwoman【USA】キャット・ウーマン
Old Boy【KRN】オールド・ボーイ (in Korean)
The 1st of each month → \1000
Ladies’ Day / Wednesday → \1000 Warai no Daigaku【JPN】笑の大学 (in Japanese)
Chi to Hone【JPN】血と骨 (in Japanese)
Kakushi no Ken Oni no Tsume【JPN】隠しの剣

鬼の爪 (in Japanese)2046【HK】2046 (in Chinese)
Monster【USA】モンスター
Collateral【USA】コラテラル
Ima Aini Ikimasu【JPN】いま、会いにゆきます (in Japanese)
Around the World in 80 Days【USA】８０デイズ (in Japanese)coming soon:
At Kitajima Sunshine Cinema in Fuji Grand this December:
Godzilla - Final Wars - starring Rei Kikukawa
AVP: Alien vs. Predator - starring Sanaa Lathan and Raoul Bova
The Incredibles - featuring the voice of Samuel L. Jackson

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人権の重み