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

flying high over tokushima"it ' s a b e a u t i f u l d a y,
but the clouds might
not be right," said the
instructor after greetingus at Van Sky Sports' clubhouse.
On a warm and sunny
Saturday in September, three
foreigners and one local drove
to Mikamo, two hours west ofTokushima City. Our adventure
for the day: paragliding.
It was our first time andwe were anxious to try flying
with a parachute. About eight
experienced and learnerparagliders arrived and helped
us try on florescent-coloured
jumpsuits, full-face helmets andtest our harnesses. Everyone
chattered about the weather
and expressed concern about
weak wind conditions.
At 11am, we piled into twovans and drove 40 minutes up
a very winding and narrow roadto the company's launch site at
the top of Takayama.
"If you can survive the drive
up the mountain, you'll be ﬁne"TOPPY"
November 2008 No. 221
by jill blackman

the instructor snaps a picture of katrina isaccsson andjill blackman paragliding somewhere over mikamowith ﬂying," our instructor said.
The vehicles were barely
parked when the paragliders
jumped out and grabbed theirbags from the trunks.
"There isn't enough wind,"
our instructor said, "But itshould pick up soon."
We climbed another hundred
meters to the top plateau andlooked out at the surrounding
mountains and the houses,

buildings and rivers down
below.
The first pair put on their
jumpsuits, got into theirharnesses and were strapped toeach other and the instructor;
one in front of the other. Theirred parachute lay spread out on
the grassy clearing and dozens
of bright green, yellow andorange lines stretched from the
instructor's backpack.

ﬂying high over tokushima ... con't on page 3

inside awa life this monthﬂying high over tokushima - 1, 3 ... suppon nabe 3, 5
where i stand - 4 ... dinosaurs in the mist - 6 ... manga corner - 7
becky's awa-ben, letter from suketo hoikuen - 8 ... japanese lesson, autumn leaves - 9
memoranda - 10, 11, 12

awalife

Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)
Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@topia.ne.jp
www.topia.ne.jp

is a monthly publication of the Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA).
Editors:
Andrew Dahms & Mario Dammann
Contributors This Month:
Jill Blackman, Rebecca Closner, Andrew Dahms,
Chie Dahms, Mario Dammann, Kazue Inoue,
Martin O'Brien, Sumika Tamura.

Download a PDF ﬁle of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!
www.topia.ne.jp/e_index.htm

from the editorsnw

ow that jacket season is underway, soon
to become coat, glove and scarf season,
my sights are set on a few new goals forthe coming weeks. Indeed, my aim is to
get the most I can out of these last two months
in the year, going out to see the autumn leaves,eating persimmons and going to as many onsen
as is physically possible in eight weekends.
Long-term readers are likely used to mecomplaining about the cold, but this year I am
determined to meet it head on and come out on
top. What about you? What goals do you havefor this autumn? If you're stuck for a few ideas,
check out Jill Blackman's report on paragliding
on page one, or even try your hand at a bit ofcooking with some nabe (page 3, 5)!
Cheers, Andrew

ell, I wanted to do the same thing. I
was always afraid of the winter cold
(but I like the winter). Especially inJapan's non-isolated apartments it
was hard for me to survive. A few weeks ago I
started to shower the last minute with relatively
cold water and hope, this will make me ﬁt andstrong for upcoming four month. This year I
want to go out more into the nature, enjoy thecolored leaves and like Andrew said, many many
onsen. Also some autumn matsuri are coming
up and I am looking forward to visit them.
That's all to say, prepare for winter, because
it's near! And don't forget! We have to safe theplanet!
Danke! Mario

one of this year's displays from the grand chrysanthemum festival in kamojima, depiciting kobo daishi in a legend about
shosan temple in kamiyama (photo by andrew dahms)-2-

ﬂying high over tokushima ... con't from page 1
The trio shuffled to theedge of the slope, took a
few running steps and wereairborne. They soared out overthe valley and off towards thelanding area, approximately
one kilometer away.
The other paragliders laidout their chutes and took off
one after another. Slowly,
the sky became dotted withcolourful parachutes of red,
yellow, orange and white.
They drifted off in the
distance and only three of us
remained on the mountain.
Two hours later, the instructor
and some others returned by
car and in minutes it was myturn to ﬂy.
The instructor told us to'walk forward a bit' and 'move
to the right' as he untangled
the parachute lines. And thenhe yelled, "RUN!"
I took one big step and wasabout to take another but myfoot didn't reach the ground we were off!
The first part of the flight
was exhilarating. I looked all
around; the trees that seemedso tall moments before weremere blotches of brown andgreen. The wind blew strong
against my face. We were
ﬂying!
At 1500 meters above the
Yoshino River the instructors a i d , " L e f t Tu r n . " w h i c hactually meant: Left Spin. We
circled around in the sky and I
felt queasy.
As the buildings below us
became clearer, I knew ourlanding would be momentary.
I didn't want the experience
to end, but I was feeling more
and more nauseous.
We m a d e a l o n g w i d eturn and began to make ourtheo mitchell and yuko tateishi get help putting on their jumpsuits andharnasses in preparatation for takeoff

approach for landing. I was
relieved when the ground
was meters below my feet.
We landed and I sat on thegrass, taking deep breaths
and trembling; I'd just flowno v e r To k u s h i m a s t ra p p e d
to a Japanese man with aparachute.
Want to try paragliding inTokushima?
Enlist the help of a Japanesesuppon nabeday after day the
mercury continues todrop, and the colder it
gets, the tastier warm
food becomes! This time ofyear, from autumn throughto winter, is perfect for eating
nabe, or hot pots, a popular
type of food in Japan. Not only
does it help to keep your bodyfeeling nice and warm, but it's
kind on the stomach and jampacked with vegetables. It's
also a popular dish for officeparties held this time of year.
Strictly speaking, the base forspeaker to make the booking
and translate for your trip.
Wear a long-sleeved shirt andpants, gloves and sunglasses.
The cost is 7,000 per person(includes a thirty-minute ﬂight,
gear, instructor) but there are
additional fees for insurance,
gasoline and photos. Lastly, beprepared to wait around as the
sport relies entirely on windconditions.

by chie dahms

the soup used in these recipes
traditionally differs dependingon the kind of nabe inwhich you do the cooking.
Sometimes konbu seaweed isused, and sometimes katsuo
bushi instead, but these days
you can get pre-made soupbases and flavours so all you
need to do is throw in theingredients you want to eat
and away you go. It's thateasy! To get you started, somefavourites include kimchi,
curry, chanko, miso, cream,and many more. You can eat

suppon nabe ... con't on page 5-3-

where i standby akihide takiguchithis past October 13
marked the holding of the
62nd Prefectural English
Speech Competition forHigh School Students. The
winner this year was Akihide
Takiguchi from Ikeda SeniorHigh School, who presented astirring speech about poverty
and our responsibility as
part of society to the poor insociety. Here it is:Everyday we hear theword kakusa, difference
or inequality, on TV. Before
seeing a TV documentaryfeaturing 'Working Poor', I
hadn't realized the severe
situation of some people.
Until then, I had believed
Japan was a country where all
people had a standard levelof living and were at least
fr e e f r o m w o r r y i n g a b o u t
basic necessities. However,now I realize things are quite
different.
The program introduced
some young and old people
who could hardly earn even
their daily living. Among them
was an old couple in their 80's.
They were thin, their backs
were bent and the husband
had heart disease. He couldn't
see a doctor even when hefelt sick because they were
too poor. Since they received
no pension, they had to earn
their living by themselves.
They were collecting empty
cans throughout the town
and selling them to get a little
money. I saw them riding
bicycles with some hugebags of cans hanging fromthe saddle. Another man in
the documentary was in his
20's and living in the park.

akihide takiguchi, along with fellow prize winners

He earned his daily income
by selling magazines, which
he found in trash boxes. With
that little money, he bought
cup noodles everyday. He had
been raised by his motherwho didn't really take careof him. When he was in thethird grade of high school,
he couldn't even try to find a
job because he had no properc l o t h e s t o w e a r fo r a j o binterview. He said that since hehad continuous hardship, he
had lost his dreams and even
expectations that good things
would happen.
As I watched the program,
I was not only astonished bytheir severe situation, but I felt
like crying or even angry. Are
these stories really happening
in Japan? Why are thesepeople left without help? Why
doesn't anybody reach theirhands out to people in need?
I thought something was goingcompletely wrong. Japan, or
any country must not be likethis. I think a country which
does not stand by the weak
can never be wealthy beyond
a materialistic sense.
It is easy to blame politics
for the problem of poverty,
but that accomplishes nothing.

-4-

I think there is something
w e c a n d o . Fo r e x a m p l e ,the people who made that
documentary succeeded in
drawing people's attention
toward the problem. It wasa great first step to change
the situation. "What can I do
then?" I wonder. I know what it
is like to be in a plight because
I've been suffering from clinicaldepression since last year. I
also know how tenderness or,say, love can save a person
in need because I myself was
saved by that. I appreciate thepeople around me for reaching
their hands out to me. So thistime I want to reach my hands
out to people in need. My
future dream is to be a highschool English teacher. WhenI become a teacher, I will raisechildren who will stand by the
weak so that more and more
people will care about others.
'Standing by the weak' will
be my policy as a teacher. I
hope this will be a first stepto build a better world where
elderly people can live withlittle burden and young people
can dream of a bright future.
Where I stand will always beby the weak.

suppon nabe ... con't from page 3

a different one each day andnever run out of new options
to try.
But the nabe I'd like to talkabout in this article is known
as suppon nabe. Have youheard the word suppon
before? A suppon is actuallya kind of freshwater turtle
that can be found in various
spots throughout Asia, sucha s Ko r e a , C h i n a , Ta i wa n ,North Korea, Japan, southeast Russia and south-east
Asian countries. In English it is
known as a soft-shelled turtle.
At their largest, suppon
turtles grow to around 35cm
in length. But, a little different
from other turtles, their shellis actually quite soft, which
gives them their name.
Another difference withnormal turtles is that thisvariety tends to bite. A lot.
They have rows of small,
sharp teeth and tend to be
somewhat skittish in nature,t h u s b i t i n g a ny t h i n g t h a t
comes in their way in order toprotect themselves. Despite
their size, their bite is quite
powerful, and they can evenbite off your finger if you're
not careful! Actually, they canhold on so tight and so ﬁercelythat it is said they won't letgo even if lightning were toshoot out of the sky and land
right nearby. So in this way,
suppon can be quite vicious,
dangerous little bundles. You'ddo best to be a little wary
about them.
So that's a bit of backgroundabout the suppon turtle.
Vicious as they might be,
however, they are actuallyquite an expensive ingredient
to buy. But, they are very highin nutrients and are muchtastier than their outside

appearance might suggest.
Due to their nature, though,only professionals are able
to handle and cook suppon
properly. After all, they aren't
exactly the easiest bundles tohandle!
After being prepared forabout an hour, the meat of
the suppon is cut and further
cooked in sake and water for
another two hours. When themeat finally becomes soft, it
is done. Simply put the meat
into a nabe along with soup
and some vegetables, bringit up to heat and away you
go. As you can see, though,the time it takes to prepare
the meat properly is quite
long, so in most cases you
will have to call ahead andmake a reservation if you
are interested in trying it out
somewhere.
So why, after all this trouble,
would anyone even want tobother with it, you might ask.
Well, the reason behind this isbecause suppon is incrediblyhigh in nutrients and is veryh e a l t hy. T h e m e a t o f t h esuppon contains collagen,which is good for the skin,along with many different
minerals and vitamin E. It
also contains more calcium
than 16 glasses of milk! All
this combines to give it aneffect much like that of anenergy drink, and the shell of
the turtle is often dried andground up to be used as anatural aphrodisiac. In somecases you can even drink
suppon blood, and somepeople even like to mix it withsake and drink it when theyeat suppon nabe.
That said, suppon itself
tastes much like chicken, andthe soft, jelly like texture of-5-

the skin makes it hard to stopeating once you get going. It
does look a little grotesque on
the outside, but the ﬂavour is
worth having a go. The stock
drawn from suppon meat is
also very flavoursome, and isused in many different recipes.
Due to this, many people keep
the soup after eating suppon
nabe to make other recipes
such as zosui (rice soup).
So when the cold weather
sets in and you're looking forsomething to get back someenergy, suppon nabe makes
fo r a g r e a t c h o i c e . U p o neating, it gives you an instantfeeling of warmth that springs
up from within your body, somuch so that you can almost
start sweating because of it.
In fact, you feel so energetic
after eating it that it is said
that you don't even feel theeffects of alcohol, either. Also,
your skin feels smooth andsoft and you get a burst ofenergy to boot.
For those eating suppon
for the first time, you mightfeel a little put off by theappearance, but you can get
the same effect from evendrinking soup using suppon asa base. Some stores even offer
ramen using suppon in theirbase, offering an alternative
for those curious about thedish, but perhaps not thatcurious.
Well, the weather is going tokeep getting colder the closer
we get to the end of the year,
and it is a busy period for all.
Everyone needs whateverenergy they can get at thistime of year, so the next time
you feel like something to pick
you up, how about having a
go at suppon nabe?

dinosaurs in the mistunknown to many, out inthe wilds of Tokushimalies a land that time (andeasily traversable roads)
forgot. Hidden deep within the
misty mountains and forests of
the heart of Tokushima is theland... of dinosaurs!
If you're wondering what onearth I'm talking about, or if
I've finally lost my marbles,
then have no fear. This placeof legend to which I refer is asmall, out of the way tourist
destination known as the
Kyoryu no Sato, or the 'homeof dinosaurs' and can be foundin the midst of Katsuura.

A Home of Sorts
All legend aside, the story
behind the Kyoryu no Sato isa very simple, and a relatively
recent one. It all began somefourteen years ago in the Aprilof 1994, when the first everfossil dinosaur remains on
Shikoku were found there in
the form of an Iguanodon's
tooth. In celebration, the local
townspeople came together tobuild statues of dinosaurs thatyou can still see standing there
today.
All in all, the area is very
quaint, and the statues ofdinosaurs make for a very
enjoyable sight. There is alsoa small building nearby witha little information about thearea and some sample fossils,
and a very small fountainas well. But apart from thedinosaurs, there is little else to
see and do in the area unless
you are a fan of park benches
or the wild outdoors. For those
who do want to make the bestof their surroundings, however,there is a small track nearby to

by andrew dahms

a wild stegosaurus by the roadside in katsuura

a river where you can have apicnic and enjoy the peacefulsurroundings.
The Road to Danger
While the Kyoryu no Satoitself is not so grand, part of
the fun of going there are thelengths to which you haveto go to do so. And as one
might expect from a placecalled the home of dinosaurs,
the road there is almost like a
gateway to another realm. In
fact, it reminded me greatlyof the movie Jurassic Park,
except in place of giant electricfences and palm trees therew e r e ra n d o m fa r m h o u s e sand people riding scooters at
breakneck speeds down tight,
twisting mountain roads.
Unfortunately, you have to
be a little cautious as you goalong, as the Kyoryu no Satois definitely a 'blink and you'll
miss it' type of attraction. The
minute you see a sign or any
hint of dinosaurs along theway, stop right where you
are and you'll have arrived.
Indeed, at ﬁrst sight you might
be forgiven (at least, I hope I-6-will be) for mistaking it for theentrance way to bigger things
to come, but don't be mislead!
And for the curious amongst
who wish to keep going after
you get to the dinosaurs,
however, beware! The scenerybeyond the Kyoryu no Satois very beautiful, complete witha very scenic waterfall by theroadside that isn't very wellknown, but you can easily getyourself into trouble. All mobile
contact cuts off shortly down
the track, the roads turn torocks and broken shale, andthere are no houses to be seen
for a very long time. So takecare if you decide to push on,or you might find yourself inthe middle of nowhere in avery hasty fashion.
Wrapping Up
If you're looking for a daylong place to travel to, thenthe Kyoryu no Sato is not
the place for you. But if you
have some time on your hands
and are looking for a bit ofadventure, then it might beright up your alley.

martin's manga corner
Title:
Manga-ka:
Publisher:First published:
No of volumes:iClaymore
Norihiro Yagi
Shueisha
Japan (2001)
14n s p i re d p re s u m a b ly byt h e Va m p i r e H u n t e r Danime films, Claymore's
setting is based on asimilar premise of a backward
human civilization under siege
from supernatural beings.
The creatures in question are
known as Yoma, capable ofblending in with humans bymeans of shape shifting, theytarget humans in order tofeast upon their organs. In thisworld the hapless humans areprotected by the Claymore's.
Named after the type of sword
they usually wield, Claymore's
seek out the presence ofYoma, and hunt them without
mercy.
Although human inappearance, the Claymore's
are a product of bioengineering
by a secretive organization
fighting the Yoma. Claymore's
are essentially a hybrid of
human and Yoma; they are
created by means of a processof implanting a human with
Yoma blood. A typical Claymore
will retain their human traits
while possessing the ability toheal rapidly like the Yoma.
In the ﬁrst chapter, an outpost
village hires a Claymore to
take care of its troublesome
Yoma problem. The Yoma's
ability to inﬁltrate itself among
the villagers, makes it difﬁcult
to identify, so the mayor calls
the organization and getsthem to send out a Claymore.
Due to their similar nature,
Claymore's have the ability tosense the presence of Yoma
who masquerade as humans.
The Yoma firstly achieve thisby virtue of their shape-shifting
abilities.
The Claymore in question thatcomes to the rescue is known
as Clare. Despite her successin battling the Yoma, due toher own monstrous nature she
is not exactly welcomed with
open arms by the villagers.
One of the villagers, Raki
befriends Clare after she saves
his life and kills a Yoma who
ate the other members of his
family. Intrigued by her, Rakifollows her around to try tofind out more about the waysof the Claymore. Clare allows
Raki to act as a sidekick ofsorts (he cooks for her), andit's this relationship and thehuman perspective of Raki that
introduces the reader to theways of the Claymore.
Clare's existence is for themost part deﬁned by travellingfrom location to location,
tracking and killing Yoma.
On occasion, however, it isnecessary for her to hunt downother Claymore's when theyexperience the 'awakening',
which is essential ly when
they turn into complete
Yoma. This happens when
the Claymore's extend too
much of their unique Yoma
energy, known as Yoki whenfighting Yoma. The various
fighting abilities and relative
strengths and weaknesses
are dependant on this Yoki.

-7-by martin o'brien

Claymore's can use the Yoki tostrengthen speciﬁc body parts
and to augment their alreadyh i g h l y d e ve l o p e d f i g h t i n gabilities. Claymore's do thisby increasing the percentageof their Yoki enabling themto fight and heal better. Afterthey release 50%, their bodies
start to deform and if they
release more than 80% theyexperience an awakening andturn into the dreaded Yoma.
These newly created Yoma, aremore powerful and intelligent
than regular Yoma and thus
the process of taking them out
is an especially dangerous anddifﬁcult task for the Claymores.
If a Claymore has extended
excessive energy in order tosurvive a battle, they will often
request that another Claymore
kill them before they turn.
This is done in a custom
whereby the affected
Claymore withdraws a blackcard from the handle of theirs w o r d . T h i s i s g i ve n t o ahandler who delivers it to achosen Claymore who is thenresponsible for performing themercy killing. These particular
traits and customs demonstrate
the bloody and unforgiving
nature of the Claymores' lives,
where members must not only
battle against the monstrous
Yoma but also against theirown demonic natures.
Claymore is written by
Norihiro Yagi, and was initiallyfeatured in the Monthly
and We e kly Shone n Jump
magazines. As of May 2008,
14 volumes of Claymore havebeen published. All stories
contained have been adapted
for a popular anime series by
Madhouse Studios.

Becky's Awa-ben!
This month we'll be discussing an feature of Awa-ben: the disappearing S. In Tokushima
sometimes when you expect an S (in standard Japanese) will show up as a H in Awa-ben
especially at the beginning of words. Although the S->H switch is not universal don't let it surprise
you when you hear it!
Examples:~Han (Standard Japanese ~San)
This sufﬁx is added after someone's name. It roughly means the same as Mr./Mrs in English.
Konnichi wa, Sugimoto-han.
Hello, Mr. (Mrs.) Sugimoto.
Hoshitara (standard Japanese Soshitara)This is a conjunction that means "Then~".
Hoshitara, yakiniku he ikimashou?
Well then, shall we go to Yakiniku?

letter from suketo hoikuenthe arrival of autumn has
brought with it many signsof the change in seasons,such as the red and gold
leaves by the roads and thebeautiful scenery they cometogether to create. In this last
half of autumn, the children
here at Suketo Hoikuen arealways happy to find brightly
coloured leaves and nuts suchas acorns lying about. Our
rooms are steadily filling withartworks made from thesevery thing! Next time you're
out with your family, take alook around you. You might besurprised at what you can ﬁnd
fallen about on the ground.
Actually, this month I would
like to talk about something
I heard at a recent seminar.
The theme was children's
nutrition, and in particular
the importance of a proper
diet. Specifically, a proper
diet has three main tasks,
including building a strong
and healthy body, building up
immunity, and aiding in thedevelopment of the brain. In
particular, eating food thatmust be chewed well is said
to aid in the development of-8-

by kazue inoue
suketo hoikuen staff

the brain. So, it is important to
get your child to move towards
food that requires more andmore chewing as they growolder. Furthermore, children
require less salt than adults,
approximately 1/2 as muchwhile still breast feeding, 1/4
when they are one year old,and finally the same amountwhen they reach two to three
years of age.
Well, autumn is a great timefor eating, so I hope you canenjoy a good meal or two withyour family!
This Month's Toy: Dog Bag!
1: First, cut open an empty 1L
pack of milk as shown in the
diagram to the right.
2: Fold the 'ears' outwards andtape together the middle strap.
3: Paint a face on the end of
the bag and you're done! Thenﬁll it up with acorns and otherlittle discoveries you ﬁnd while
out and about!

japanese lessonby sumika tamura

There are many words in Japanese
for the expression of money, such as theちんmoney youだいpay for
でんわだい
using your telephone, called「電話代」or when you ride the bus , called「バス賃」or「バス代」.
だい～代 - Money you payでina)exchange for something else. だい
しょくじだいんきだい
食事代 - cost
、電気代
- costfor electricity、ガス代 - cost for gas
for meal
だいだい
コーヒー代 - cost for coffee、バス代 - cost for bus
きん～金 - Can be used for many words.
b)
しょじきん
しききん
所
持金
金 - deposit (for an apartment)、（アパートの）敷
money
in
one's
possession
けいやくきんいわきん
契約金 - contract money、お祝い金 - celebration money giftちん

～賃 - Moneyc)
you need to pay for riding
a bus, car or train.
うんちん
でんしゃちんちん
運賃 - fare、電車賃 - train fare、バス賃 - bus fareひ～費 - Money you needd)to pay for living or facilities.
しょくひ
せいかつひ
こうさいひ
食
費
、生
活費
、交
際費 - entertainment expenses
foodexpenselivingexpenseこうねつひ
光熱費 - fuel and light expenses
りょう～料 - Money you neede)to pay for services.しようりょう
じゅぎょうりょうゆうそうりょうりょう
授 業 料 - course fee、郵送料 - postal fee、使用料 - usage fee、キャンセル料 - cancellation fee３）ayes, we are at this timeof the year again! Less
than 20 degrees left on
the thermometer andthe frosty but beautiful time iscoming back. At least for a few
weeks, then it get's colder andcolder and colder. Before we
start our heaters again, let'shead out to mother natureand see and feel what she has
worked on in the last couple ofweeks. The koyo, the turningof the leaves from green into
beautiful reds and yellows
awaits us. There are several
p l a c e s a ro u n d To k u s h i m awhere you can enjoy thiswonderful feeling of Autumn.
The best spots this year are
following:２）dautumn leaves

１）aQuiz:へWhichmoney
type should be used with the following words?
や
こうつう
１）部屋
２）交通
３）サービス

submitted

Higashi Miyoshi - Minoda
no FuchiWhen: Right now.
Where: The Minoda canyon
in the Prefectural Nature Parkin Ashiro, Higashi-Miyoshi-cho,Miyoshi-gun.
Access: Five minutes by carfrom the JR Tsuji station, orfour kilometers along theTokushima Ikawa - Ikeda IC.
Parking is available.
Information: Call the
Miyoshi Office for Commerce,
Industry and Sightseeing at
0883-79-5345.
Kotsu Gorge
When: Right now.
W h e r e : A l o n g t h e Ko t s u
G o r g e i n Ya m a k a w a - c h o ,-9-Yoshinogawa-shi.
Access: Just 30 minutes by
car from Yamakawa Station.
Information: Call the
Yo s h i n o g a w a O f f i c e f o r
Commerce, Industry andSightseeing at 0883-22-2226.
Oboke / Koboke
When: Mid to late November.
Where: The Oboke / Koboke
G o r g e i n Ya m a s h i r o - c h o ,Miyoshi-shi.
Access: You can view theautumn leaves from aboardt h e o b o ke / ko b o ke r i ve r
cruise, just 15 minutes walkfrom the JR Oboke Station.
Information: To find out
more, call 0883-86-2432 formore information.

memoranda
Uchimachi
Orienteering

内町ひょうたん島オリ
エンテーリング

The Tokushima Uchimachi Neighbourhood Associationand Uchimachi Elementary School present a dayof orienteering around the downtown Tokushima
City area. The course will take participants aroundten historical spots as well as the Castle Museum,providing an opportunity to learn about Tokushima's
history. Why not join the Elementary students andarea residents? Come alone or bring your family!
English instructions will be provided.

徳島市内町まちづくり協議会と内町小学校は、徳島
市内町地区（徳島駅、水際公園、徳島城公園周辺で、ひょうたん島と呼ばれています）のオリエンテーリ
ングを行います。約１０ヵ所の史跡や徳島城博物館をまわって、徳島の歴史についての説明を聞きます。
国際交流懇話会 HIROBA もこの行事に参加して、現在、徳島在住の外国人の方たちの参加を募っています。小学生や地域の人と一緒に参加しませんか。英語の説明が付きます。おとなだけ、家族連れどちら

When: Monday, November 17 from 9:30 to 12:00 (ona rainy day, the date changes to November
18)
Where: Uchimachi Elementary School, near
Tokushima Station
Cost: Free (all participants receive a lunch)
Info: For more information, contact HIROBA's Ms.
Yamada:Fax: 088-652-4846
E-mail: meyamada@mb3.tcn.ne.jp

でもかまいません。

Uchimachi
Culture Fair

第8回
内町文化展

Call for submissions of calligraphy, photos, art, crafts,
collections, or any other personal creations todisplay at the 8th Uchimachi Culture Fair.

書、絵画、写真、手芸品、収集品などの個人作品を展示するため、募集しています。

日時： 11 月 17 日（月） 午前 9:30 ～ 12:00
雨の時には 18 日になります。
場所： 内町小学校グランド（徳島駅の近く）
参加費：無料（参加者にはお弁当が出ます）
問合せ：国際交流懇話会 HIROBA の山田まで
FAX: 088-652-4846
E-mail: meyamada@mb3.tcn.ne.jp

日時： 11 月 22 日（土）、23 日（日）10:00 ～ 16:00
場所： 内町コミュニティーセンター（市役所の近く）
申込期間：11 月 8 日まで

When: Saturday, November 22 & Sunday, November
23, 10:00 - 16:00
Where: Uchimachi Community Centre, near
Tokushima City Hall
Application for submissions: Until November 8

申込方法：山田（meyamada@mb3.tcn.ne.jp ）まで、件名を Uchimachi にして連絡してください。申込用
紙をお送りします。

For more information, contact Ms. Yamada atmeyamada@mb3.tcn.ne.jp with 'uchimachi' in thesubject line.

主催：内町まちづくり協議会-10-memoranda
4th Komatsushima
Tasty Festival

第 4 回こまつしま
うまいもん祭り

Sale of Agricultural, Forrestry and Fishery's seasonal

小松島市で採れた旬の農林水産物や加工品等を販売いた

products and ﬁnished goods from Komatsushima. Also free

します。また、和田島ちりめんのすまし汁や農林水産物

distribution of Wadashima Chirimen and sumashi soup asの無料配布、地元食材を使った料理の実演、餅つき大会、well as a mochipounding tournament, music events and音楽イベントなど盛りだくさんの内容となっています。

lots lots more!
When:

Sunday, December 7, from 10:00

Where: In Komatsushima City, Komatsushima-cho, Aza

日時：、10：00 ～12 月 7 日（日）場所：

小松島市小松島町字新港 19 小松島みなと交流センター周辺 JR 南小松島駅より徒歩で 10 分

Shinhama 19, Komatsushima Minato Koryu
Center, ten minutes walk from the JR Minami

入場料： 無料

Komatsushima Station.

問合せ： 小松島市産業振興課まで

Cost:

Free!

Info:

Call the Komatsushima City Division for Industry

電話 0885-32-3809

Promotion at 0885-32-3809.

Japanese Lesson at
Suketo Kindergarten

助任保育園で日本語！
助任保育園で毎週木曜日、午前 11:00~12:00、小さいお子さんをお持ちの方を対象に日本語教室を開催していま

The Suketo Kindergarten holds Japanese Lessons every

す。日本語を勉強する間保育士さんがお子さんの面倒をweek on Thursday from 11:00 to 12:00. If you have a

見てくれます。無料です！

small child, we at Suketo Kindergarten will take care for it
for the time of the lesson for free!

日時：

毎週木曜日、午前 11:00~12:00

When: Every Thursday, from 11:00-12:00

場所：

助任保育園

Where: Suketo Kindergarten

入場料： 無料

Cost:

Free

Info:

Call TOPIA at 088-656-3303

問合せ： TOPIA まで電話 088-656-3303

Announcements

お祝いメッセージ

A new birth in the family? Have you recently gotten

最近、結婚・出産などのおめでたいニュースがあった方、

married? Then good news! Awa Life is looking for阿波ライフではあなたの家族のお祝い事を読者の皆さん

submissions from readers to help you get the word out!

に発表したいと思います！ 100 文字程度の文章と（もしSend us the details and a short blurb, accompanied by aあったら）写真を阿波ライフまで送っていただけたら次

picture if you have any on hand, and we will post it foryou in the next issue of Awa Life!

号の阿波ライフに掲載いたします。

Send any submissions to the awalife email address at:

阿 波 ラ イ フ の メ ー ル ア ド レ ス ま で お 送 り く だ さ い：

awalife@gmail.com

awalife@gmail.com-11-

memoranda
German House
Christmas Party

ドイツ館のクリスマス会
毎年恒例のドイツ館のクリスマス会。子どもたちにドイツのクリスマスを遊びの中で伝えていきます。

Come and see the annual Christmas Party. We introduce thetraditional German Christmas to kids with many plays.

日時：14：00 ～

When: Sunday, December 14,
from 2:00pm

場所：

Where: The Naruto City German House
Cost:

Free

Info:

Call the Naruto City German House at

12 月 14 日（日）鳴門市大麻町檜字東山田 55-2
鳴門市ドイツ館 1F 大ホール

入場料： 無料
問合せ： 鳴門市ドイツ館まで電話

088-689-0099

088-689-0099

Living inTokushima

徳島県生活情報
ウェブサイトIn need of information for daily activities? Come andtake a look at the Living in Tokushima website hosted
by Tokushima Prefecture, home to information suchas earthquake and typhoon-related messages, tv andmovie guides, events, contact numbers and more.

日常生活において情報をお探しですか。ぜひ、徳島県の生活情報ウェブサイトをご覧ください！このウェブサイトから地震・台風についての情報、テレビや映画のガイド、イベント情報などにアクセスできます。パソコン・携帯版両方提供しています！

Living in Tokushima Computer Website

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/index.php

パソコンサイトhttp://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/index.php

Living in Tokushima Mobile Website

携帯サイト

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/m

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/m

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 Friday, 10:00 - 16:30
Tel. 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)

人権守って輝く明日-12-