aWa life
Nihon BuyoTOPIA Upcoming
EventsGairaigo - A Door
to Japans History ofForeign Relations

Gairaigo Galore:
ボンベ

July 2019
# 346

1

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

The season of extreme sweating has begun! While July is an extremely hot month where you basically
only survive in air-conditioned rooms, it can be nice to turn off your best friend in the summer and getsome fresh air. The beach season in Japan has kicked off all across Japan. Beaches are usually open
for swimming anytime from the beginning to the end of July. Since most of the beaches are in Anan or
Kaifu-gun, be sure to take a ride out to Tokushima's beautiful and stunning South and have a day out atthe beach. Don't forget your sun block and enjoy getting some Vitamin D!
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:

Qing Liu, Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, and Fusa Tamaki

2Contents
Pg. 2-3: Nihon BuyoPg. 3:TOPIA Upcoming Events

Pg. 4:

Gairaigo: A Door to Japan's History of Foreign Relations

Pg. 5:

Gairaigo Galore: ボンベ

Pg. 5:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 6:

Awa Shoku:Don't Be Chicken...Eat ALL the chicken!

Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Nihon Buyo
By: Qing Liu

Tokushima is well known
for its Awa Odori, but in
addition to that Japan has
many types of traditional
dance styles to offer theworld. One of these dancestyles in “Nihon Buyo”,
which literally means“Japanese Dance”. It canbe traced back to thegagaku traditional style ofmusic started in the Heianperiod. In this article,
our coworker Liu-san talks about her recent
experience of practicing Nihon Buyo.~ Daralyn

A

teacher of Nihon Buyo is referred to as a
“Shishou”, or master. We were invited by a
Nihon Buyo master to participate in the Yuu no
Kai Dance Performance and had the opportunity
to experience the beauty of Nihon Buyo.
Studying the bow
Bowing is one of the important components of
Nihon Buyo. When you bow, you must not raise
your head. Exhale as you bow, inhale as youcome back up, and your head must be the last
body part to raise up (Additionally, you need tokeep your posture straightwhen coming back up).
If you come up from yourbow before everyone else
finishes bowing on thelighted stage, it will look
like you are bathing in the
spotlight.
The Parts that will Cause
you Trouble
The Nihon Buyo is abeautiful dance. This elegant dance culture
also requires people to be equally as elegant―during break time. During a break, you may enjoy
some tea and a delightful snack while sitting on azabuton. If your feet start to get pins and needles,
you can walk away from your seat as long as
its not considered rude. However, going to therestroom with a kimono on can be troublesome
and requires much patience as it must be taken
off carefully as if you are peeling an onion.
Walking in the Nihon Buyo style is very similar
to that of the Chinese Yue Opera
In both dances, you must walk elegantly without
showing your feet and in very small steps as if you

3

Nihon Buyo
are walking ona moving cloud.
We are used towalking forward
briskly withstraight posturein our daily lives.
However, walking
in the nihon buyostyle is difficult
and requires
dancers to walkwith their feet fast
inward.

The first time that I saw Nihon Buyo was when
I was in elementary school, in which I fell into a
nice sleep at the time.
When I watched the master dancing, I once
again realized the charms of a woman. Everygeneration and country, despite their differences,have their own love story. This time, we danced to
the Japanese song “Sakura”.
“Sakura, sakura, yayoi no sora wa…” The stringsof the shamisen struck a chord in our hearts.
The Japanese cherry blossoms that bloom in thespring are beautiful and short-lived, just like alove story in our youth. The Sakura that are as far
as the eye can see, dancing in the spring wind,remind me of one of China’s classical poems.
As the days become increasingly busier, it is
becoming difficult to keep up with traditions. But
as we dance, we are able to slowly immerse
ourselves in this tradition from long ago.
Awa Odori is very passionate and exciting, but the
Nihon Buyo will always be rich in beauty.

TOPIA Upcoming Events

Summer School Japanese Lessons

Japanese teachers will be on hand to help yourchild with their summer homework in class andthere will be fun activities as well, like games andquizzes.
When: July 23, 25, 26, 27, 30 & August 1, 2, 3
10:30 - 12:00
Cost: Free

Deadline: Applications must be received by 		Tuesday, July 16th.
Where: TOPIA, Tokushima Station Clement 		
Building 6F
For more information, contact Ms. Nomizu at
TOPIA (088-656-3303 orcoordinator2@topia.ne.jp)

Rakugo in Easy to Understand JapaneseLet's enjoy Japanese Rakugo together! Rakugo
will be performed in an easy to understandmanner, using easy Japanese.
Storyteller: Shichifuku Katsura
Program: "Neko no Chawan" (There will be an
explanation and Q&A corner)

When: August 24th (Sat) 10:30-11:45 (Doors open
at 10:00)
Where: TOPIA, Tokushima Station Clement 		
Building 6F
Apply: TOPIA (088-656-3303) or
topia@topia.ne.jp*Participation is limited to the first 80 participants.

2019 Tokushima Prefecture Japanese Speech Contest
Overseas residents whose native language is not
Japanese will be giving a speech in Japanese on
various topics such as cultural differences, theirexperiences with life in Tokushima, and more.
Please come 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

4

Gairaigo - A Door to Japan’s History of Foreign Relations
By: Nico BohnsackT

he Japanese language has deep historicalconnections with the Chinese language.
Chinese characters are used in Japanese andoriginal Chinese readings of the characters were
integrated in a different form into the Japanese
language (called Sino-Japanese reading or onyomi 音読み in Japanese).
However, you probably already often spent timein a カフェ , drinking a コーヒー or ジュース andeating パン which you bought from アルバイトstaff.
All these are Japanese words which actually haveits roots in other foreign
languages (other thanChinese) and these
are called gairaigo 外
来 語 (loanword). They
are usually written in
katakana カタカナ but
there are exceptions,too. Most of them areof English origin but
many words from otherlanguages exist as
well.
The contact of thePortuguese with Japan in the 16th century and therole of Dutch-Japanese relations during the Edo
Period (1603 – 1868) placed various Portuguese
and Dutch words in the Japanese language.
After Japan opened its ports between 1853-1854
and with the begin of the Meiji Restoration from
1868 onwards various Prussian/German, French,
British and American influences in fields such as
science, medicine, law and culture resulted in
the use of German, French and English words.
The strong influence of the US after World War II
and the position of English as a world language
then further increased the number of words thatoriginate from English.
Lets explore the origins of a few gairaigo: The
origins of the word カフェare French (café), theones of コ ー ヒ ー Dutch (koffie), ジ ュ ー ス isoriginally English (juice), パ ン Portuguese (páo)

and ア ル バ イ ト German (Arbeit). However,the usage of these words in Japanese doesn’t
automatically mean that the definition is thesame in both languages. In fact, the difference inmeaning can cause misunderstandings. アルバイ
ト is a good example: The original German word
“Arbeit” actually means “work” or “job”, usuallyused to imply a full-time job. The Japaneseversion, however, exclusively means “part-timejob”.
Another phenomenon is newly constructedgairaigo that don’t
exist in the original
language. These arecalled wasei gairaigo
和製外来語 (Japanesemade loanword). Mostof them are wasei eigo
和 製 英 語 (Japanesemade English) but
there are also wasei
furansugo 和 製 フ ラ
ン ス 語 (Japanesemade French), wasei
doitsugo 和 製 ド イ ツ
語 (Japanese-madeGerman) and so on. The word サ ラ リ ー マ ン(salaryman), which means “white-collar worker”,
doesn’t exist in the English language and is agood example of this concept. Wasei kango 和製 漢 語 (Japanese-made Chinese) also exists,
but these are an exception since the words arenaturally written in Kanji and are already suchan integral part of the Japanese language that it
is often hard to tell that these words are actually“Chinese words made in Japan”.
In this new section of Awa Life, we will introduce
one of the many remarkable gairaigo or wasei
gairaigo from the Japanese language every
month. Check out our first word on the next page!

5

Gairaigo Galore

ボンベ (Bombe)
By: Nico Bohnsack
Our first gairaigo is a very explosive one and could certainly lead to panic if usedin the wrong place and in the wrong context. The Japanese ボンベ (Bonbe) means“tank” or “cylinder” and is used for tanks which contain gas or liquids, for example
oxygen cylinders. The original word is the German “Bombe” which means “bomb”.
Imagine Germans or German speakers going diving in Japan hearing their
Japanese diving guide say the word ボンベ while pointing at the gas cylinders.
This may result in frightened facial expressions from the German guests.
There is no definite reason why the usage of the German word “Bombe” spread in Japan. Sincetechnology in Japan was not yet advanced, Japan imported a large amount of gas cylinders from
Europe, and also from Germany, before both countries became enemies during
World War I. But why is the original German word for a gas cylinder (“Gasflasche”
which literally means “gas bottle”) not used here? Why did the German word for“bomb” take over the meaning of as gas cylinder? We can only speculate here as
well. The German Army used gas bombs on a large scale during World War I andsince both shape and structure of gas bombs at that time and gas cylinders weresimilar (let alone that gas cylinders are able to explode as well) one could suspect that borrowing of
the word could have been happened in that context. Interestingly, cylinders which contain gas areusually called ガスボンベ .

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

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

hen tsuyu hits in Japan, we know that summer
has finally come. In this season when light airy
clothes are worn, many mothers are starting to potty
train their children.

underwear or training underwear. When yourchild is finally able to use the toilet, be sure to
give them praise. This will give them confidence
to use the restroom.

The period to ween your child off of diapers is when
the diaper becomes soiled by a lot of urine every
two hours due to the development of the bladder. A
couple of other signs to start potty training is whenyour child feels uncomfortable in soiled diapers or
tells you that they need to poop.

Homemade Sweets: Sweet Potato
Ingredients: 1 Satsuma Imo Sweet Potato (250g), 2
tablespoon Sugar, 60 ml Fresh Cream, Egg Yolk
1) Peel the skin off the sweet potato and cut it in to
2 cm pieces. Soak in water for five minutes.
2) Dump the water, cover the container with saran
wrap and microwave the potato pieces for 8
minutes at 600 W.
3) When the potato becomes soft, add the sugar
and fresh cream, and mix until it becomes soft.
4) Mold it into the shape of a sweet potato, andplace on a piece of foil. Brush yolk on the molded
sweet potato and toast in the toaster for 10
minutes.
*Satsuma Imo potatoes are full of rich nutrients suchas fiber and Vitamin C, and help with constipation andskin problems. The delicious Naruto Kintoki Sweet
Potato is harvested in Tokushima.

1) First start with getting your child used to sitting
on the toilet. There are benefits to building anenvironment where your child will look forward tousing the restroom.
2) If your child’s diaper is not wet, invite them to use
the toilet after meals and after naps. If it looks likenothing will come out, encourage your child by
asking “Are you finished?”.
3) If your child says no to using the restroom, don’t
force them to use the restroom and be patient.
4) It is also important to make time for them to wear

Awa Shoku: Don’t Be Chicken…Eat ALL the Chicken!
By Lance Kita

T

6

good for drinkers (think
he start of summer
how satisfying beef jerkymeans that barbecue
can be with beer, but this is
is on everyone’s minds,
a little softer and juicier).
but you can get grilled
6. Sasami さ さ み - This
goodies anytime of theis specifically the chickenyear by visiting a yakitori
tender or tenderloin. Very
焼 き 鳥 eatery. Yakitorilean and clean, it’s often
shops specialize in grilled
paired with cheese, ume
chicken on skewers, and梅 (salty pickled plum), or
almost every part of theshiso 紫 蘇 (perilla leaf).
chicken shows up on
Regular chicken breast
the menu. It’s an arraypieces are called mune 胸 .
of textures, aromas,
Not-as-Meaty Parts (nextand flavors that will turnlevel)
your “tastes like chicken”
mentality on its head. Yakitori is more than just chicken meat. From wings 7. Tebasaki 手 羽 先 to innards, you can enjoy a real assortment ofchicken wings. Beautifully
However, navigating theskewers.
crispy skin and juicy oilymenu can be surprisingly
tricky. So here is your guide to the levels of grilled meat to be sucked off the bones.
8. Kawa 皮 - chicken skin. Lightly grilled chewy,
chicken mastery…on a stick.
or slowly roasted to a crisp.
9. Bonjiri ぼんじり - chicken tails. Another boneBasics: Mostly Meat (faithful standards)
1. Just want pieces of chicken meat? Believe it or sucking part with oily skin, meat, and collagen.
not, this is the most inconsistently named thing. Quality over quantity.
It goes by yakitori 焼 き 鳥 (grilled chicken), mi
身 (flesh, meat), or momo もも (thigh meat). It is Innards (true gems of texture and flavor)
usually the first thing on the chicken list though, so 10. Hatsu ハツ、kokoro 心 - hearts. Because thisyou could point at the first item and ask “Yakitori?” is muscle (real meat), this is the most accessible
2. Negima ね ぎ ま、 ね ぎ 間 - These skewers of the innards. My favorite innard, with a great
chewy meatiness.
alternate chicken pieces and pieces of leek.
3. Tsukune つ く ね - seasoned chicken 11. Rebaa レ バ ー、kimo 肝 - livers. Grilling
mincemeat shaped into a sausage or little keeps them moist and creamy with a nice smoky
crust.
meatballs.
12. Zuri ず り , sunazuri/sunagimo 砂 肝 Two more important words: tare た れ (sauce) gizzards. Crunchy-chewy and light, another greatand shio 塩 (salt). The wait staff may give you a snack for drinking.
choice of the soy sauce-based sweet sauce or 13. Nankotsu 軟 骨 - cartilage. More crunchyjust salt. Tare is the default for the three above, chewy knobby morsels (again, drinking snacks).
but choosing salt on the regular yakitori is a good
Tokushima is blessed with some great local brandway to judge the true flavor of the meat.
chicken, like Awa Odori 阿 波 尾 鶏 , Kamiyamadori 神 山 鶏 , and Awa Sudachi-dori 阿 波 す だ
Other Meaty Bits (more variety)4. Seseri せせり - My favorite skewer. This meat ち 鶏 , so the quality of yakitori restaurants in thecomes from near the neck, and is rich, juicy and prefecture is very high. Don’t confine yourself topieces of meat, but try different parts and enjoy
oily. I love to get this with just salt.
5. Oyadori 親 鶏 , haikei は い け い - This meat the textural and taste diversity that truly embodies
comes from older broilers. Tougher and chewier, the yakitori experience. Don’t be chicken, eat (allbut richer in meaty flavor. The firmer texture is of the) chicken!

7Japanese Lesson

By: Fusa Tamaki

Using「～ますか」and「～ませんか」

Today we will explain the usage of「～ますか」and「～ませんか」. Read the sentences below andthink about what the possible differences are between「～ますか」and「～ませんか」.
Example 1

とくしま

はん

た

い

Ａ： 「こんばん、“レストラン徳島”に、ご飯を食べに行きますか。
」
い

B： 「はい、行きます。
」
Example 2

とくしま

はん

た

い

C： 「こんばん、“レストラン徳島”に、ご飯を食べに行きませんか。
」
いD： 「いいですねぇ。行きましょう」
Example 1 utilizes the pattern「～ますか」is asking whether B will go to Restaurant Tokushima or not.
In comparison, Example 2 that utilizes the pattern「～ませんか」which leaves B to decide whether they
feel like they would like to go or not, and is a way of inviting them. Using this pattern is a very polite wayof inviting someone. Using 「～ませんか」is a way to invite someone to do something with you while
making considerations to the other person’s feelings.
もんだい

【問題】
In the following sentences, decide whether「～ますか」or「～ませんか」is appropriate for the situation.
あ した

い

い

1) A：
「B さん、明日のパーティーに行きますか／行きませんか。
」
なん

B：「え、何のパーティーですか。
」
こくさいこうりゅう

A：「トピアの国際交流のパーティーです。
」
い

B：「そうですか、わたしも行きたいです。
」
あ した

い

い

2) A：「B さん、明日のパーティーに行きますか／行きませんか。
」
いB：「いいえ、行きません。
」
わたし

い

A：「そうですか。私も行きません。
」
えい が

み

い

い

3) A：
「映画を見に行きますか／行きませんか。
」
なん じ

えい が

B：「ええ、いいですねぇ。何時の映画にしますか。
」
まいにちあさたた

4) A：「B さんは、毎日朝ごはんを食べますか／食べませんか。
」
たB：「はい、食べます。
」
かいしゃ

かえ

あたら

や

み

5) 会社の帰りに、新しくできたパン屋を見つけて、かか

A：「B さん、パンを買いますか／買いませんか。
」
いそ

かえ

B：「すみません。急いでいますから、帰ります。
」

答え
こた

①行きませんかい②行きますかい③行きませんかい④食べますかた⑤買いませんかか8
Events & Memoranda
The Yoshino River Festival
吉野川フェスティバル

The Yoshino River Festival will be held so people
can experience and familiarize themselves withthe charms of the river and for all to enjoy it in its
entirety. The Yoshino River Ground, a specially
set up venue, will be the main area but the river
basin area will be the festival ground. You will
be able to enjoy great events for everyone, fromcouples to families, including live music anddance, fireworks, Awa Odori and Yoshino Riversightseeing! Be sure to check it out!
When: July 26th (Fri) – 28th (Sun)
Where: Yoshino River in Tokushima-shi (Yoshino
River Ground)
Info: Yoshino River Festival Committee
Tel: 090-3783-2084
URL: http://yoshi-fes.jugem.jp/

川と親しみ、川の魅力を知り、川と遊ぶための「吉野川フェスティバル」を開催します♪
吉野川グラウンド特設会場を中心に、吉野川下流域一帯が会場です。ライブやダンス、花火、阿波踊り、吉野川遊覧など、カップルからファミリー
まで楽しめるイベントが盛りだくさん！ぜひ足をお運びください！！

日時：7 月 26 日（金）～ 28 日（日）場所：徳島市

吉野川グラウンド

お問い合わせ：吉野川フェスティバル実行委員会
TEL: 090-3783-2084
URL: http://yoshi-fes.jugem.jp/

Hiwasa Sea Turtle Festival
日和佐うみがめまつり
This summer festival is held at Ohama Beach.
The festival includes a thanksgiving ceremony
where people pray for the arrival and egg-layingof sea turtles. A fireworks show finale will color thenight skies of Minami-cho.

大浜海岸で行われる夏祭りです。
うみがめの上陸・産卵を祈願する「うみがめ感謝祭」や、お祭りのフィナーレに打上花火が美波町の夜空を彩ります。

When: July 13th (Sat)
Where: Minami-cho, Kaifu-gun; Ohama Beach
Info: Minami-cho Industrial Promotion Division
Tel: 0884-77-3617
URL: https://www.town.minami.tokushima.jp/kanko/event/09matsuri.html

日時：7 月 13 日（土）場所：海部郡美波町 大浜海岸周辺
お問い合わせ：美波町産業振興課（うみがめ祭り
運営委員会）
TEL: 0884-77-3617
URL: https://www.town.minami.tokushima.jp/kanko/event/09matsuri.html

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)

9Events & Memoranda
Dance with Arasowa-ren
あらそわ連参加募集中

The chance to join the Arasowa-ren dance troupe and to secure your place in the 2019 Awa Dance
Festival is here! Make sure you sign up soon, as places go quickly! We are also looking for individuals
to play the instrument, be a staff or to help us dress all the dancers. To play an instrument with us, noexperience is necessary, and there will be practice sessions before the event.
When: August 14th (Wed)Meeting place: Meet at the Awa Kanko Hotel
Schedule:
15:00-16:00
Arrive at Awa Kanko Hotel
16:20		Opening ceremony of the pre		dance party
17:40-21:30
Dancing
Participation Fee:
3,000 yen for General admission
1,500 yen for Elementary school students and below
You must bring:
For Yukata/Happi: Tabi, white t-shirt, white shortodori pants, small bag
For Women's Costume: Tabi, camisole, small bag

日時：8 月 14 日（水）集合場所 : 阿波観光ホテル
スケジュール :15:00 ～ 16:00 集合
16:20 ～
開会式
17:40 ～
踊り開始
21:30		踊り終了参加費：3,000 円
小学生以下：1,500 円
以下のものを必ず持参してください：
浴衣・法被の場合：足袋、白 T シャツ、白踊りパンツ、巾着
女踊りの場合：足袋、キャミソール、巾着How to Apply: Apply in person at TOPIA or reply
via paid postcard (see below). On receiving yourapplication, TOPIA will mail you whether you canparticipate or not. We will include a post-officebank account number to where you can pay theparticipation fee within one week. Or you can pay
at TOPIA. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept
applications by fax or telephone. You cannot applyon the day of the event. Also, we cannot refund theparticipation fee for any reason. In the event of rain,
the party and dance will take place inside the Awa
Kanko Hotel. Participants will be limited to the first 60
applicants. Group Applications are limited to 5 people
per application.
★ If your application was successful, please check-in
at the venue by no later than 16:00.

申込み方法：往復はがきにて、①名前②性別③住所④電話番号⑤国籍⑥年齢（20 歳未満の方のみ）をご記入の上 TOPIA までお申し込みください。また、女踊り（先着 20 名）ご希望の方はその旨をはがきにご記入下さい。（それ以外の方は男踊りとなります。）
応募者には返信用はがきにより参加の可否をお知らせ致します。参加可能な方には郵便局の振込口座番
号をお知らせしますので、返信はがき到着後 1 週間以内に参加費をお支払い下さい。尚、一度払い込まれた参加費は、いかなる場合でも払い戻しできませんのでご注意下さい。
注意：電話・FAX での受付はご遠慮下さい。当日参加は不可能です。募集定員 60 名になり次第締め切ります。グループ申し込みは 5 名までです。

We are also looking for volunteers to assist withmanagement, kimono dressing, and playing
instruments. Please contact us if interested!

★当日受付は午後 4 時で終了いたします。
運営・着付けスタッフ及び、鳴り物の方、大募集！

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往信
Tokushima Prefectural
International Exchange
Association (TOPIA)
Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho
Nishi, Tokushima City

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