aWa life

Introduction to Awa
City International
Exchange Association

Freestyle

January 2022
# 375

Welcome Message

Gairaigo Galore:
トイレ

1

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

明けましておめでとうございます！ Happy New Year!
While the world is still grappling with COVID-19, we head into another year. Let’s all hope that things
calm down with COVID-19 and that we are able to restart our normal lives. Until then, why not visit
a shrine for the beginning of the year? It’s a tradition here in Japan. You might even notice some tiger-themed items for sale as it is the year of the tiger – how cute!
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:Your editors,
Sydney and Nicoawalife@gmail.com
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:
Sydney Bartig and Nico Bohnsack
Contributors This Month:
Evan Degennaro, Samantha Simmons, Junko Kimura, Yukie Matsumura and Fusa Tamaki

2Contents

Pg. 2-4: Freestyle
Pg. 4:

Welcome Message

Pg. 5:

Japanese Culture and Reading Corner: 七草粥

Pg. 5:

Gairaigo Galore: トイレ

Pg. 6:

Introduction to Awa City International Exchange

ななくさがゆAssociation
Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8

Thank You Message
Events and Memoranda

Pg. 9:
Freestyle

By: Evan Degennaro
first came to Awa, Tokushima as an ALT for the
Jet Program in the steamy summer of 2000. A
Seattle University and fellow SF Bay Area buddyof mine came a year earlier to Japan and lived in
Gifu Ken. My sister-in-law, Sanae is from Hisai(next to Tsu) Mie Ken,so combined withfamily and friend’s
advice and my desire
to live and work
abroad, I decided toapply. We had threechoices of where
we wanted to live (Ihad picked Kobe,
Osaka or Kyoto)and I was selected,
seemingly by fateor at least by some
unknown genius, tolive in Sadamitsu(now Tsurugi-cho). There are so many stories I
could reflect on but to keep it somewhat focusedand less yawny, I’ll focus on work, family andsocializing from 2000-2003 and compare it to
my current stay since moving back to Tokushima(Matsushige-cho) in December of 2020.

I

Obviously as a 23 year old ALT teaching at

Sadamitsu Junior High, my time and activities
were mostly planned and mapped out each yearby the local town board of education. Besides myweekend and holiday adventures, I was mostly
planted in the school teachers’ room between
classes, learning
Japanese andreading thenewspaper. I’d fireout to the city tojoin live events,
to freestyle rap,
sit in cafes andotherwise explore
various partso f To k u s h i m aand neighboring
Kagawa. Those
were definitely fun
and sometimes
lonely times,
enjoying my single life and first steady job with
my own sweet apartment. I wasn’t a big partierin college, with so much homework and parttime work, so my time in Tokushima was reallymy first full taste of freedom and typical 20 year
old adventures. Being an ALT meant not reallyhaving to plan curriculum or grading, so my time
was essentially open. I did a lot of rapping, made3
my own CDs and sold them at my buddy’s record
store, Life Records, which faced the Awa Odori
bridge and overlooked the riverside boardwalk.
After arriving in Tokushima and finally havingsome spending dough, I wanted to buy two
Technics 1200 turntables (one of my childhood
dreams) to practice scratching and mixing, so a
fellow JET recommended the joint. As a result,
I met many Tokushima DJs, rappers and also
my partner, Maki. I’d often go to the club on
weekends, a small funky DJ bar in the ACTY,
Sakae machi. I’d go with DJ friends to eat anddrink beer at nearby izakayas, especially the keitruck izakaya right outside the DJ bar. Right up
until the last summerof 2003 I would
rotate my activities
between school,
music events andcountless cafes
enjoying the flow, likean uzu of work andfunky adventures.
The last year I evenzoomed around on
my black and silver(former Raiders fan)
Honda Super Cub,
like an ALT version
of “The Wild One”, atleast that’s how I felt.
Coming back after 20 years from my firstadventure in Tokushima, with my wife Maki andtwo children sometimes makes my time back in
California feel like a dream. Did my time back in
the Bay (SF, Berkeley, Oakland and Concord)
really happen? Yes, it seems so. I taught at myformer ghettoesque high school for five years,
next at an International English School and finally
two junior colleges before one more year backat my problem plagued high school. With thepast five years of giant forest fires and months ofsmoke, school budget calamities, the COVID-19
pandemic, and skyrocketing costs of living, life
in California had become too much to deal with.
After many long discussions in our old mobile

Freestylehome kitchen, we decided to come back.
Now we are spending a lot of time at home, but
between helping at the family omiyage shop
in Naruto Koen, selling coffee at Marches andvarious locations and teaching a little online,
and even picking sudachi, we are getting by.
It’s definitely much more spontaneous andconsidering the challenges everyone is facingwith COVID-19, unpredictable. We are very muchliving in each moment. Our focus is primarily
on our two children, our five year old daughter,
Umeno, and our two year old son, Enzo. We
maximize our family time which includes my father
and mother-in-law as
well.
Overall, I feel more
free now, of course ina different way, but aswell more isolated attimes. With JET, youwere automatically partof a big communityfrom your local gun tothe entire organization.
N o w, w e a r e m u c hmore connected with
our town through the
Marche especially andthe schools that our children attend. I really enjoy
my face-to-face classes at TOPIA and in Aizumi
Town. Due to covid there are less opportunities
to meet and hang out with people, but as parentsof young children we are obviously limited
anyway. Through working at the family shop
making ramen, udon and cleaning up, I havealso become more acquainted with everyday
workers in Tokushima and it has greatly improved
my communication as opposed to just being theEnglish teacher which many were too shy totalk with. I miss my large family of four brothers,
father and large extended family back in the Bay,
California and southern Oregon, but hopefully
with better response to covid, travel can resume
at some point. I used to go back at least once andeven twice a year as an ALT, now it seems totally

Freestyle
up to fate.
The beautiful amazing nature of Tokushima,
especially being so close to the ocean, suchparks as Tsukimigaoka Koen, Matsushige Chuo
Koen aka “Tako-Koen”,Okazaki Koen, Uzu Parkand countless breathtaking views certainly keeps
us from getting down too much. The everyday
experiences from visiting the local preschool,
which is basically free play for our son, has been
an oasis too. Through this community school
we have been able to experience an Awa Odori
lesson from a professional ren, made Aizome
shirts, picked satsumaimo and even taught afamily English lesson. The staff and other parents
have been very friendly, supportive and havehelped us greatly in these new strange times.
Thankfully as a JET, I learned being active,
especially within the community is a wonderful
way to stay healthy and happy. We are now doing

the same as parents.

4

As an ALT in 2003, I knew somehow I’d be backone day and here we are. With my mom passing
away in 2019, losing jobs and COVID-19, I’ve
definitely been searching out more philosophicalpoints of view to make sense of all this. One ideathat I really have been “uzuing” around lately
is the idea that when we trust nature, which wecome from and are a part of, we trust ourselves.
Making plans often feels like a way to control our
lives, but in another way going with the funkyflow of life doesn’t need to be met with so muchanxiety or seen as giving in. We are all here for somany reasons and those reasons may not always
be known, especially in the moment, but isn’t it
still such an intensely beautiful experience? I thinkso, or better yet, I’m feelin’ it. As they say here
in Awa, the dancer is a fool and the watcher is afool, so why not dance?

Welcome Message - New CIR!
Sam Simmons
ello! My name is Sam Simmons, and I will
be working as a CIR in the Sports Promotion
Division at the Tokushima Prefectural Government
Office. I grew up in Ontario,
Canada, next to the Great
Lakes, but moved withmy family to the prairie
province of Saskatchewan,
where I completed my
Bachelor of Arts degree atthe University of Regina.

H

I studied Japanese,
Linguistics, andPsychology in university,and had the amazing
opportunity to study abroadin Japan during my thirdy e a r. I p a r t i c i p a t e d i n
a Japanese Language
Program at the Kobe City University of Foreign
Studies for one year, and it was such a great
experience that I decided to change my major to
Japanese Studies upon returning to Canada.

As long as I can remember, I have always beeninterested in world cultures and languages, which
led me to take various courses in linguistics,
c u l t u r a l a n t h r o p o l o g y,international affairs,
history, world religions,and foreign languages inuniversity. I also have a
special place in my heart
for music, and although I’m
not very good at it, I love
to play guitar and piano.
Some of my other interests
include cooking, nature,and gaming, and I justlove to learn new things in
general!
I am really looking forward
to exploring Tokushima,making new friends, and representing my country
through intercultural exchange. Thank you for thewarm welcome to Tokushima!

5

ななくさがゆJapanese Culture and Reading Corner: 七草粥
By: Junko Kimuraにほんがつ な の か

じんじつ

せっく

ななくさがゆた

むびょうそくさい

ねが

ごと

ふうしゅう

日本では １月７日の「人日の節句」に「七草粥」を 食べて、無病息災の 願い事をする風習が あります。
へいあんじだい

はじ

ちゅうごく

つた

え ど じ だ い

しょみん

ひろ

へいあんじだいしゅるい

平安時代の 初めに 中国から 伝わり、江戸時代になって 庶民に 広まりました。平安時代に ７種類
こくもつ

たかまくらじだい

いま

ななくさ

か

い

げんざい

の 穀物が 食べられていましたが、鎌倉時代に 今の 七草に 変わったと 言われています。現在では、
ぜんこくてきいっぱんてきななくさ

ななしゅるい

な

とうふ

にんじん

しいたけ

全国的なものに なっています。一般的な 七草（七種類の菜）のほかに、豆腐、人参、ごぼうや 椎茸
はいちほう

しょうがつちゅう

たくさん

た

もの

た

い

などが 入っている 地方も あります。お正月中に 沢山の 食べ物を 食べた胃に と
やさ

た

もの

きかい

ぜ

ひ

た

ても優しい 食べ物です。機会が あれば、是非、食べてみてください。

Vocabulary List
ななくさ

七草
・せり
・なずな
・ごぎょう
・はこべら

Seven Herbs
Dropwort
Shepherd's Purse
Cudweed
Chickweed

・ほとけのざ Nipplewort

トイレ (toilet)
By: Nico Bohnsack・すずな

Turnip・すずしろ Daikon
じんじつ

せっ く

しょみん

Common People

庶民
ひろ

広まる To Spread
こくもつ

人日の節句 1 of the 5 Seasonal Festivals 穀物
かゆ

Rice Porridge粥
む びょうそくさい

無 病 息災つた

伝わるSound Health
Handed Down From

な菜

GrainsGreens/Vegetables

ぜんこくてき全国的 Nationwide
いっぱんてき一般的 Common

Gairaigo Galore

This month's gairaigo is a word describing a place we visit many times a day but still tend to avoid
talking about. A place which, in Japan, comes in many shapes and styles, from very traditional tohigh-tech: the toilet or トイレ in Japanese. But what are the origins of the word? As many of you
have probably already guessed, the word stems from the English word "toilet". Although in English
speaking countries the word "bathroom", "restroom" and other words areoften used to describe a room with a toilet, in Japan the word トイレ is now
widely used with the same meaning. The reason for this is not clear, but
the fact that "bathroom" sounds as if there was a bathtub or shower in thesame room (which is often the case in many western countries) might havecontributed to the use of "toilet" or トイレ to describe a bathroom in Japan(where toilets and bathtubs/showers are often, but not always, separated).
You might havenoticedけ that
there are also many other expressions to describe restrooms in Japan,て あら
しょう しつsuch as お手
洗 い or べん
化じょ粧 室 although it is difficult to say where which word is used more often.
せんめんじょ
The words 洗面所 or 便所 are also still used on signs from time to time (often in older settings frommy experiences) but rarely in spoken language. By the way, the English word "toilet" actually stems
from the French word "toilette"け しょう
whichlong time ago also had the meaning of a kind of "dressing
しつroom". Interestingly, the word 化 粧 室 carries a similar meaning.

Introduction to Awa City International Exchange Association
By: Yukie Matsumura

Starting from this month we are going to
introduce a variety of international exchange
associations located in Tokushima Prefecture.
We hope to provide more information on theseassociations so that you can hopefully make useof your local exchange association’s services andperhaps get involved! For our first column wewill introduce Awa City International Exchange
Association. Enjoy!
Awa City is located near the northern, middle east
portion of Tokushima Prefecture. In the north lies
the sprawling, fertile
fan-shaped Sanuki
Mountain Range,
and to the south the
Yoshino River, also
called the Shikoku
Saburo, swiftly flows.
A diverse array of
agricultural products
are grown here, and it
is said that the amountis the highest in theprefecture. The natureand people are both
wonderful, and it’s agreat place to live.
On April 1st of 2005, four towns (Yoshino,
Donari, Ichiba, and Awa) merged to form a city
government. The Awa City International Exchange
Association was formed in June of 2013. With thethought of providing helpful disaster prevention
information to foreign residents, we held the first“Disaster Prevention Measures from the Eyes ofForeign Residents Opinion Exchange Session”.
It was a success thanks to trainees from China,
Cambodia, Philippines, and Indonesia; people
with an interest in international cooperation;
disaster preparation consultants; those from thefire station/city hall, and many others.
Afterwards we invited foreign residents living in
the city to our “Survival Cooking Class”. In orderto support foreign residents, we also created“Under the Sky – useful survival cards for times ofdisaster”. The cards are in Chinese, English, and6Japanese, and are located at various locations
related to the city as well as passed out at events.
We also had an exhibition at the traditional
event stemming from Ichiba Town known as“Yanekojiki”, which began as a way for farmers
to show hospitality to the Daimyo Hachisuka
during the Edo period. We displayed traditional
costumes (from China, Nepal, Indonesia, Chile,
and Zimbabwe), folk art (masks from around theworld), introduced the local history of the war, andcalled for world peace.
During the past few
years, in conjunction
w i t h t h e To k y o2020 Olympic andParalympic Games,
and under the themeof “Get to know theworld!”, we have sent
foreign residents fromvarious countries,
those with experienceliving abroad, andexchange students asteachers to introduce
their country as well as hold cooking classes toteach about their countries prized foods. So far wehave held events for Canada, England, the USA,
Vietnam, South Africa, Kenya, Chile, Indonesia,
and Ghana. Everyone has been very cooperative,
with some even purchasing ingredients from theirhome country. People participated regardless ofage, from the young to the elderly, and the sceneof everyone cooking and eating together was likea small look into world peace.
Due to COVID-19 these past 2 years, ourparticipants have been about half that of normal,
but last year on December 11th we continued our“Beginners English Conversation 2”, which started
the year before.
Moving forward, all of our members hope to beof use in regards to international exchange forcitizens.

7Japanese Lesson

By: Fusa Tamaki

Keigo 5に ほ ん ごけい ごに ん げん かん け い

あい て

たい せつ

おも

き

も

ひょうげん

たいせつ

はたら

日本語では「敬語」は人間関係をスムーズにし、相手を大切に思う気持ちを表 現するのに大切な 働 きをして
けい ご

がつ

かい

けい ご

し ゅるい

て い ねい ご

そん けい ごけ ん じょう ご

わ

べん きょういます。その「敬語」を９月から４回にわたり、敬語の種類、丁寧語、尊敬語、謙 譲 語に分けて勉 強 してきました。
さ い しゅう び

き ょ う

べん きょうふ く しゅう

最 終 日の今日は、勉 強 したことの復 習 をしましょう。
けい ご

おお

わ

□敬語は大きく分けて 3 つあります。
て い ねい ご

い

かた

め

まえ

ひと

て い ねいはな①丁寧語…「～です」「～でございます」「～ます」をつけていう言い方（目の前の人に丁寧に話す）
そん けい ご

あい て

ぶ ちょう

けんじょうご

じ ぶ ん

も

あ

い

かた

あ い て

い

あ い て

ぶちょう

②尊敬語…相手（部 長 ）を持ち上げる言い方（相手がすることを言う） →相手（部長）が…なさいます
さ

い

かた

い

③謙譲語…自分（わたし）を下げる言い方（わたしがすることを言う） →わたしが…いたします
けい ご

れい

敬語
丁寧語

丁寧に話したいていねいはな「～ます」「～です」「～でございます」

あい て

たか

そん けい ご相手を高めて「れる・られる」

けい い

ひょう

ていねいご

尊敬語

「お／ご～なさいます」

敬意を表 したい

け ん じょう ご

謙譲語

け い ご

例

とくべつ

かたち

「いらっしゃいます」「めしあがります」など特別な 形

自分を低めてじ ぶん

ひく「お／ご～します」

けい い

ひょう

「うかがいます」「いただきます」などの特別な 形

とくべつ

敬意を表 したい

かたち

たいせつ

□敬語の大切なルール
かんけ い

おぼ

「ウチ」と「ソト」という関係を覚えましょう。
ひと

ひと

はな

け い ご

つか

「ソト」の人に「ウチ」の人のことを話すときは、敬語は使いません！
ほか

かいしゃ

ひと

た な か しゃちょう

他の会社の人 ： 田中社長さん、いらっしゃいますか。
た な か

で

もど

で ん わ

わたし ： すみません。田中は出かけていますので、戻りましたら電話
し ゃ ちょう

たい

けい ご

つか

させていただきます。（社 長 に対して敬語は使いません）

×田中社長は出かけていらっしゃいますので、お戻りになりましたら、 電話していただきます。
た な か しゃちょう

ひと

ほか

かいしゃ

で

ひと

も

はな

じ ぶ ん

かいしゃ

でん わ

しゃちょう

たい

け い ご

つか

ソトの人（他の会社の人）と話すとき、ウチの人（自分の会社の社長）に対して敬語は使いません。
もんだい

【問題】
つぎ

かい わ ぶん

しょ

てきせつ

なお

次の会話文の 5 か所を適切なかたちに直してください。
か

課

ちょう

いま

だ いじょう ぶ

長 ： フォックさん、今、大丈夫？

フォック： はい。
か

課

ちょう

こん ど

しょうがつやす み

りょう し んりょこう

長 ： 今度のお正月 休みに、両 親がベトナムに旅行されるんだけど、どこか、おすすめのところはないかな。
すフォック： へえ、そうですか。 どんなところが好きですか。
か

課

ちょう

うつく

し ぜん

もう

長 ： 美 しい自然があるところで、ゆっくりしたいと申していたけど…。
しフォック： ダナンを知っていますか。
か

課

ちょう

ゆうめい

長 ： ダナン？ 有名なの？
し ぜ ん

りょう し んよろこ

フォック： はい。 自然がとてもきれいで、ご両 親、きっと 喜 びますよ。

知っていますか→ご存じですか
し

答え
こた

ぞん

旅行される→旅行する
りょこう

りょこう

喜 びますよ→お 喜 びになりますよ／ 喜 ばれますよ

よろこ

よろこ

好きですか→お好きですか
す き

す

よろこ

申して→言ってもうい8Lance Kita 様「阿波食」のコーナーが１２月号を持って終了することになりました。
振り返れば２０１６年２月号を初稿としてから５年と１０か月、長期にわたり、ご寄稿いただき、誠にありがとうございました。
このコーナーは、徳島の「特産物」や、徳島の食材を使った「郷土料理」、地
域の伝統的な「料理方法」を紹介していただき、読者に好評をいただきました。
また、徳島県民でも知らないような料理にまつわる伝統や知識を紹介していた
だき、外国人のみならず徳島県民も楽しく拝読させていただくとともに「阿波の食文化」を広く発信することができました。
これもひとえに Lance さんの御尽力の賜と編集部一同心よりお礼申し上げます。長きにわたり執筆いただき、どうもありがとうございました。
今後とも変わらぬお付き合いをいただきますようよろしくお願い申し上げますThe Awa Shoku column has come to end as of the December 2021 issue. We here
at TOPIA would like to express our sincere appreciation for your contribution to
our newsletter which began in February of 2016 and continued for 5 years and 10
months. This column was beloved by readers as it introduced local specialties,
local cuisines that use Tokushima ingredients, and traditional cooking methods.
Additionally, your column introduced traditions and knowledge about foods thateven Tokushima’s citizens didn’t know, allowing for Awa Shoku to spread and beread by a wide array of people, not just foreign residents.
We would like to express our deepest appreciation for all of your contributions
and help. Thank you for writing for us for such a long time. We hope that you willcontinue to occasionally write for us and allow readers the chance to enjoy yourwonderful columns.

徳島県国際交流協会
Awa Life 編集スタッフ一同9

Events & Memoranda
Awakoi Expo
あわこい EXPO

What is “Awakoi”?
「あわこい」とは、にし阿波の歴史や文化、自然
Awakoi is an event where you can experience the などを活用した地域住民の方による体験プログラ
history, culture, and nature of Nishi Awa throughムです。
programs held by the local people.
昨年度に引き続き、あわこいオープニングイベン
Continuing on from last year, we are holding theトとして、あわこい EXPO を開催します！！
Awakoi Expo as an opening event for Awakoi!!
What is the “Awakoi Expo”?
The Awakoi Expo is a day where you experiencevarious programs and freely enjoy Awakoi. We’ve
prepared approximately 10 miniature programs
that will allow you to understand the charm of
Nishi Awa! In addition to the miniature programs,
we will also have a special guest, Shunpei Osugi,
who will do a photo tour and talk session; students
from the Ikeda Senior High School brass band
will put on a performance (11:00 at the outdoor
stage), and Café culcul will prepare a special
Awakoi lunch!
When: January 23rd (Sun.)
10:00 – 16:00
Where: Higashi Miyoshi-cho,
Yoshino River Highway Oasis
Inquiries: Awakoi Secretariat
TEL: 0883-87-8988
URL: https://nishi-awa.jp/experience/awakoi＼あわこい EXPO とは・・・／
１日で様々なプログラムが体験でき、お手軽にあわこいを楽しんでいただけるイベント。にし阿波の魅力を感じる約１０件のミニプログラムをご用意しています！今回のあわこい EXPO ではミニプログラムの他に、特別ゲスト大杉隼平さんのフォトツアー・トークセッション、池田高校生吹
奏楽部による演奏会（11 時～野外ステージにて）、
Café culcul さんのあわこい特別ランチなども準備しております！
日時：1 月 23 日（日） 10:00 〜 16:00
場所：東みよし町

吉野川ハイウェイオアシス

お問い合わせ：あわこい事務局
TEL: 0883-87-8988
URL: https://nishi-awa.jp/experience/awakoi

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: 088-656-3312 or 088-656-3313 (allows for three-way conversations with an interpreter)