aWa life
What I Like and Fear
the Most in Naruto
City

Hanami Map# 353

Comparison between
Japan's and Senegal's
Education Systems

Awa Shoku: Edible
Winter Blossoms

Gairaigo Galore:
金平糖

March 2020

All About Toppy!

1

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

The first day of spring, along with the blooming of the cherry blossoms, will begin in late March. It’s theperfect chance to get together with friends or family and go view the beautiful flowers. You can find ahanami map in this month’s Awa Life. Along with the blooming of the sakura, you can also experience
the Big Hina Matsuri in Katsuura at the Hina Doll Museum until April 5th! Close by, the Ohinasama no
Okuzashiki & Sakamoto Doll Road will also be held until March 15th. In February, TOPIA, along with 20
people from various countries such as Vietnam, Mongolia, Peru, Australia, and Taiwan visited Katsuura
to help set up the hina dolls in preparation for the event. Make sure to take the time to check out thesakura and hina dolls before they disappear!
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,
Sydney 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:
Sydney Bartig and Nico Bohnsack
Contributors This Month:
Abdoulaye Diasse, Wayne Wang, Lance Kita, and Fusa Tamaki

Contents2

Pg. 2-3: Comparison between Japan's and Senegal's Education Systems
26th AJET Tokushima English Musical Schedule
Pg. 3
Pg. 4:
What I Like and Fear the Most in Naruto CityAll About Toppy!
Pg. 5:
Gairaigo Galore: 金平糖
Pg. 5:
Pg. 6:
Awa Shoku: Edible Winter Blossoms
Pg. 7:
Japanese Lesson
Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Comparison between Japan's and Senegal's Education Systems
By Abdoulaye Diasse

Japan and Senegal have built education
systems with some similarities and manydifferences. In this article, we will try to compare
four aspects of the Japanese and Senegalese
education systems.
These aspects are
the promotion ofequity, time at work,school management
and last, but notleast, student’s
achievements.
In Japan, thepromotion of school
JICA Scholar
equity is a reality everywhere,
Graduate student whether in rural or urban
Naruto University a r e a s . S c h o o l c u r r i c u l a ,of Education
facilities and equipment,teacher qualifications and salaries, and public
expenditures per student are almost the same
throughout the country. Japanese schools,
especially those in the public sector, are oriented
towards extreme equality. On the other hand, in
Senegal, there is a big contrast between urban
areas and rural ones. Even if school curricula are
the same, school facilities and equipment are
more developed in urban areas than rural ones,
where one can find classrooms made from grass
and pieces of wood, and young teachers without
much experience in teaching. There is also

inequity in teacher’s salaries. In both countries,
salaries depend on the teacher’s status andposition, and not on the hours spent at work. The
higher the teacher’s level, and the more years ofexperience he has, the larger his salary is.
In Japan, one of the most distinctive
characteristics of education is that schooling
occupies a position of great weight in bothstudent’s and teacher’s lives. Japanese children
and teachers spend a great amount of time atschool. Students tend to stay after school toparticipate in extra-curricular activities, or toplay sports or games with their classmates.
Some do not leave until the evening, with a lotof homework left to do. In Senegal, time at work
is not as overloaded as it is in Japan; teachers
have to work compulsorily from Monday to Friday
for a whole 29 hours per week at the elementarylevel. Extra-curricular classes are not regularlyorganized as is the case in Japan. Elementary
school students start classes at 8 am and leaveschool at 1 pm. They go back in the afternoon
only on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm to
5pm. Senegalese teachers are accustomed togoing on strikes, which has a negative impact on
their time at work, and the (school) program istypically not completed by the end of the school
year.
Schools are well organized, well equipped, and3well managed in Japan. The good managementof Japanese schools can be felt whenever you
cross the threshold of the entrance gate. Eachschool is under the control of a principal, helped
by a deputy, to achieve his pedagogical andadministrative mission. Teachers are under theorder of the principal and are conscious of their
mission and fulfill their duties well. They always
arrive at school on time, dare not miss classes,
and don’t complain
much about wages.
In Senegal, school
management is
not as successful
as it is in Japanbecause of someteachers having alack of principals
that causes them to cheat. Some of them are
not conscious of their mission, and they often
come late to school, much of the time without
preparations. Teachers are always objecting to
low salaries and are participating in many strikes,
which has a negative impact on the annual
schedule of work.
Regarding student’s achievements in mathematics
and sciences, Japanese pupils perform very well.
Among 34 OECD countries, Japan is ranked
second in mathematics and first in both reading
and science (PISA report 2012). (Japan's scores
have fallen in recent years, but they are still

within the top 20.) Some 24% of students inJapan reach the highest levels of mathematics
proficiency (Level 5 or 6). At these levels, students
can develop and work with models in complex
situations, and work strategically using criticalthinking and reasoning skills. Opposite to Japan,
Senegal national, regional, and international
assessments have shown that Senegaleseelementary school students are lacking in
French (reading) andmathematics. The
PA S E C t e s t s ( 2 0 1 4 )revealed that only 46.5%of students in sixth
grade are achieving
desired levels in French(reading), and only
58.8% in mathematics.
In a nutshell, we can obviously see, in reference
to the above-mentioned aspects of comparison,that there are more differences than similarities
between the two education systems. Truthfully, theJapanese education system is more developed
and organized, compared with the Senegaleseone. In fact, quality of education and systemefficiency are realities in Japan and this could
be revealed without contest through student’s
achievements. Therefore, even if Senegal is a
developing country, Japan could be a good modelof reference for the development of our education
system.

26th AJET Tokushima English Musical Schedule
Be sure to enjoy "The Wizard of Oz", at a venue nearyou! Admission is free!
Performance Schedule:
March 1 (Sun) 15:00-17:00
Kitajima Town Sosei Hall
March 7 (Sat) 15:00-17:00
Ishii Chuo Kominkan
March 8 (Sun) 18:00-20:00
Katsuura Nouson Kankyou Kaizen Center
March 15 (Sun) 14:00-16:00
Yoshinogawa City Amenity Center
March 20 (Fri) 17:30-19:30
Wakimachi Theater Odeon-za

What I Like and Fear the Most in Naruto City
By: Wayne WangAs an international student from Taiwan at
Naruto University of Education since thisOctober, I have experienced and seen manythings that I do not see back in Taiwan. Take one
ordinary thing for instance. I need to take the ferry
to go shopping for my daily necessities. Usually, I
ride a scooter back in my hometown, New Taipei
City. Speaking of scooters, the total number ofscooters I have seen in the past three months in
Naruto City is far fewer than the number I see in
one day in my hometown. Here in Naruto City,
two things with the same name that I see every
day are what I like and fear the most: Kumo. The
kumo of the sky and the kumo of the insect.
These are the first two things I became particularly
aware of when I first came here, and these twothings strangely have something in common as
well, that is, they are EVERYWHERE! WheneverI look up, I can always see these two things
together. One in the sky and one in the trees. The
beautiful kumo in the sky change every day into
various charming shapes. When the weather is
nice and clear, the cotton-like white kumo against
the bright blue sky are especially mesmerizing,
which makes me feel very happy. Nevertheless,when I look away to the other side, I can always
see some black kumo of the insect dangling intheir webs on the trees. Some are big and someare small. At that moment, a stream of electricity
goes through my whole body with a sense of fear,
and this happens every time without exception.
It is such a weird experience for me to see the
combination of two things I like and fear the mostat the same time, and their names also happen
to be the same in Japanese. What a coincidence!
And yet, this is undoubtedly a very uniqueexperience I can only have here in Naruto City.
*Note: “Spiders” and “sky” are both called “kumo”
in Japanese.
雲 - Cloud蜘蛛 - Spider

4

5
I

All About Toppy
By: Sydney Bartig

f you have ever visited TOPIA, or have seensome materials that were produced by TOPIA,
you may have noticed an interesting, yellow
character. That character is actually always in
the lower-right corner of Awa Life’s front page
as well! Their name is Toppy, and they are themascot of TOPIA. Although you may have noticed
Toppy before, did you know that all the colours
Toppy was drawn with, and even Toppy's design,
all have symbolic meanings? Let’s take a look at
Toppy!
Toppy was actually created in the year 2000 tocelebrate TOPIA’s 10-year anniversary. Toppy
was created with an image of Tokushima in
mind, and their design represents famous andunique things of Tokushima. Starting with Toppy's
clothing, the green shirt that they wear is based
off of one of Tokushima’s most famous products:
the green sudachi. Their red shoes are also
based off of another local food, the Naruto kintoki(sweet potatoes).

dots on Toppy's cheeks represent the yamamomo,or Japanese bayberry, which is actually theprefectural tree of Tokushima. The antenna on
Toppy’s head also has a few meanings. It is in the
shape of a T to represent Tokushima, but it is also
used to represent the famous Naruto whirlpools.
Lastly, it is an actual antenna that is used tocollect information from all over the world!
Finally, you may have noticed that Toppy has a
globe in their hand as well. The blue colour ofthe globe is to represent the awa ai (awa blue) of
Tokushima prefecture. Toppy’s wish is for peace
among all people of the world!

Toppy’s appearance is also symbolic. The tiny red
金平糖 (konpeitō; sugar stars)
By Sydney Bartig

Gairaigo Galore

Have you ever seen or tasted Japan’s star-shaped sugar candies? They’re actually called “konpeitō”
and can be found in sweets shops or even your local grocery store. Although the plain flavor isstandard for konpeitō, there are actually many different flavors that you can try such as strawberry,
yogurt, sakura, chestnut, and many more. The candy is actually quite popular in Japan. To this day,it is even used as a gift by the imperial family!
While nowadays konpeitō is known as a traditional Japanese sweet, did you know that these cutecandies weren’t originally from Japan? They were originally brought to Japan from Portugal in the
15th century. In order to gain favor, a Christian missionary from Portugal presented these candies,
known as “confeito” in Portuguese, to the daimyo Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga was very pleased bythese interesting candies. At that time, sugar was quite expensive in Japan.
As konpeitō is of course pure sugar, it was a treat exclusively for the wealthy.
Although originally a Portuguese word, konpeitō uses the kanji “ 金 平 糖 ”.
( 金：Gold 平 : Flat 糖：Sugar) These are primarily ateji ( 当 て 字 ), which
are used to represent a word phonetically, rather than by the meaning of thecharacters. Although many borrowed words are now written in katakana,there are some such as konpeitō that have their own kanji!

Awa Shoku: Edible Winter Blossoms
By: Lance KitaS

ome of you may not realize how often you
eat flowers. The florets of broccoli ブロッコ
リー on the side of your steak or Hamburg steak
at a Western-style (yoshoku, 洋食 ) restaurant, or
the cauliflower カリフラワー rice you eat as partof a low-carb diet are actually compact clustersof edible flower buds. Even more surprisingly,
Tokushima is a major domestic producer of both,and we are in
the middle of theharvest season
for these delicious
blossoms.

6

soups (potato or corn) or gratin as an easy, quick
nutritional boost. The florets are also one of myfavorite stir-fry veggies (I get tired of bean sprouts,
carrots, and cabbage). Shrimp and broccoli withblack pepper and garlic, or chicken and broccoli
with Chinese black bean (douchijiang) or spicy
bean paste (toubanjiang) are great quick dinners
or flavor-packed lunches. Boiled florets, chunksof imitationc r a b m e a t(kanikamaカニ か ま ), and asudachi mayo
make for a
If you drive throughwonderful salad,
the Kokufu orand check out
Kawauchi districts
the May 2018o f To k u s h i m a
issue of Awa LifeC i t y, y o u ’ l l s e e
for a dressed
Clouds and Trees - Cauliflower and Broccoli are fun-shaped,
wide expanses ofsalad(aemono 和
crunchy, and incredibly versatile for cooking.
“cabbage fields”
え物 ) recipe that’s
during the winter months. These may be broccoli perfect for broccoli.
and cauliflower fields respectively, which are
members of the cabbage family. Tokushima The aforementioned low-carb cauliflower ricePrefecture is a top five domestic producer of both can be extended to make a healthy fried rice orcrops, and was once the #1 grower of cauliflower rice bowl (donburi 丼 ) and there are even chain
in the nation in the early 2010s!
restaurants substituting finely-chopped cauliflower
instead of rice in their popular curry and rice カ
That means you can find reasonable local broccoli レーライス dishes. I like pan-roasted cauliflower
and cauliflower at supermarkets from late fall to “steaks” made by cutting the head into 1-cm thickearly spring. Check the local produce shelves for slabs, slowly cooking both sides in olive oil or butthe best bargains. Better yet, check out farmer’s ter in a frying pan until browned and caramelized,
markets in Kokufu, Awa City, and Komatsushima then glazed with citrus soy sauce (ponzu ポン酢 ).
City (broccoli) or Kawauchi, Aizumi Town, or Stew cauliflower florets in tomato sauce, creamKamiita Town (cauliflower) for discounted oversize sauce, curry roux, or Thai green coconut curry.
produce…cheaper and bigger, a double bargain!
Breaded, deep-fried cauliflower are a vegetarianalternative to karaage, and go well with a curry
Since both vegetables have Mediterranean yogurt or Thai peanut dipping sauce (or thatorigins, they don’t factor so heavily into Japanese secret sauce from my family).
cuisine. Steamed broccoli is served alongside
Western-style dishes or as tempura, and Recently, newer hybrids of these budding veggies
cauliflower is most often pickled.
are showing up in markets. The coolest one is the
Romanesco ロ マ ネ ス コ , a light-green, fractally
Both are incredibly versatile and their firm texture spiral spiked cauliflower found at nicer superholds up to almost any cooking technique, markets and roadside stations (Michi no Eki 道
whether steamed, lightly blanched, stir-fried, の 駅 ). You can also find thin, sticklike broccolini
deep-fried, or roasted on the stove or in the oven. (Japanese brand name Stick Señor スティックセ
They’re even good in stews and soups, although ニョール）and Cauliflore/Stick Cauliflower ( カリI suggest adding broccoli in the last few minutes フローレ／スティックカリフラワー）if you’re notof the cooking time to preserve some crunch and a fan of the thick hard stems.
texture. My family has a secret sauce (mayonnaise mixed with a little soy sauce…shhh, don’t The sight of cherry blossoms may not fill yourtell anyone) that is the perfect dip for steamed/ eyes until April, but you can fill your stomach withboiled florets of either veggie.
the edible blossoms of broccoli and cauliflower as
you await the coming spring.
I suggest adding chopped broccoli to potage

7Japanese Lesson

By: Fusa Tamaki
Difference Between [ 失礼します ] & [ 失礼しました ]This is the story of something that happened the other day at a company’s Japanese class. The
しつれい
students entered the conference room, which was used as a classroom, with a cheerful [ 失礼します ].
しつれいAfter the class was finished, everyone exited the room with a [ 失礼しました ]. Perhaps they used thatphrase because class was over and they were exiting the room, but upon hearing it, something felt off
しつれい
しつれい
to me. Today, let’s think about the difference between [ 失礼します ] and [ 失礼しました ] in situations
like the one above.
しつれい

しつれい

しつれい

しつれい

Both [ 失 礼します ] and [ 失 礼しました ] are polite phrases, but the differences are more than just a
ひ か こ
か こ
difference between「～ます形（非過去）」(non-past form) and「～た形（過去）」(past form).
しつれい

When to use [ 失礼します ]: As a greeting/farewell such as in the following situations.
1. When you enter/exit a room
Examples: when entering/exiting a room of a division or department that isn’t your own,
another company’s office, an acquaintance or friend’s house, etc.
2. When returning home
When returning home after work, a meeting, etc.
3. When leaving a place briefly
For example, when you need to briefly step out of a meeting to take an urgent phone call.
しつれい

When to use [ 失礼しました ]: As an apology when you have caused trouble to others.
1. When entering/exiting a room, knowing that it will cause trouble to the other party.
For example, when the department head is in a meeting, but you have an urgent matter to report tothem, you would use this phrase when entering/exiting the room.
2. When there is a misunderstanding, or you make a small mistake.
Used when accidentally calling someone by the wrong name, taking someone’s umbrella by mistake,etc.
3. When you fail to recognize someone you know.
For example, when you pass by someone you know without recognizing them and they then call out to
you.
しつれい
As you can see from the above examples, [ 失礼します ] would be used in the case of returning home
after work/a meeting, or in the case of exiting a room. This is why I felt something was off about the
しつれいstudents using [ 失 礼しました ]. That phrase has the nuance that they had caused me some kind oftrouble during class.
しつれい
しつれい
Practice Questions: Decide whether to use [ 失礼します ] or [ 失礼しました ] for each question.
いちにち

①

しごと

お

かいしゃ

で

しつれい

しつれい

い

かえ

一日の仕事が終わり、会社を出るとき「失礼します／失礼しました」と言って帰る。
たなか

なまえ

まちが

なかた

よ

しつれい

しつれい

② 「田中さん」の名前を間違えて「中田さん」呼んでしまったとき、「（失礼します／失礼しました）、
たなか

い

なお

田中さん！」と言い直した。
とりひきさき③

だいがく④

じ む し ょ

たず

へ

や

はい

しつれい

しつれい

い

取引先の事務所を訪ねて、部屋に入るときに「失礼します／失礼しました」と言う。
せんぱい

ちが

すずきくん

い

ふ

かえ

しつれい

しつれい

大学の先輩とすれ違い、「鈴木君じゃないか」と言われて振り返り、「失礼します／失礼しました。」
き

あやまと気がつかなかったことを謝った。
かいしゃ

⑤

お

じょう し

へ

や

で

しつれい

しつれい

会社でミーティングが終わり、まだ上司がいる部屋を出るときに「失礼します／失礼しました」とあいさつする。
ぶちょう

⑥

よ

へ

や

あ

でん わ ちゅう

しつれい

しつれい

い

部長に呼ばれ、部屋のドア開けると電話中だったので「失礼します／失礼しました」と言ってドしアを閉めた。
Answers: ①失礼します
しつれい②失礼しました
しつれい③失礼しますしつれい④失礼しました
しつれい⑤失礼しますしつれい⑥失礼しました
しつれいEvents & MemorandaTOPIA Japanese Classes 2020 (Term 1)

8

Time: 10:30-12:00
Location: Meeting rooms at TOPIA
Textbook: We will be using the “Minna no Nihongo I” or the “Minna no Nihongo II” (2nd edition)
textbooks (2,750 yen for the book and audio CD). Please prepare the textbooks on your own. As
well, there will be themed lessons on various topics such as seasons and life in Tokushima.
Fee: Free
DAY

TEACHER

LEVEL

TUE

Ms.Tamaki

Elementary
2, 3

WED

Volunteers

Group Lesson

THU

Ms.
YamadaBeginner

FRI

Ms. Aoki

Elementary 1

JTM

Elementary 3

Volunteers

Group Lesson

Ms. Kimura
OthersSpecialBeginners
Class

SUN

TUE

CLASS DESCRIPTION
We will study various forms and expressions such as
potential, volitional, imperative, prohibitive, conditional,
reasoning, passive, causative, and honorific expressions.
Text: Minna no Nihongo II – from Chapter 26~50
This is a flexible group study class split up in different
levels.
*For parents of young children, a childcare worker will beon hand to look after your child during the lesson (pleaseinquire in advance). Due to unforeseen circumstances,
the rooms may change.
We will take the first step towards learning basic
expressions.
Text: Minna no Nihongo I – from Chapter 1~13

From
April 7(25 times)
From
April 8(20 times)
From
April 9(20 times)

We will study various verb forms and sentence patterns
using those verb forms.
Text: Minna no Nihongo I – from Chapter 14~25

From
April 10(20 times)

We will study reasoning, passive, causative and honorificexpressions.
Text: Minna no Nihongo II – from Chapter 39~50
This is a flexible group study class split up in different
levels.

From
April 5(20 times)

A class for those who cannot read or write hiragana
or katakana. We will study the basics such as, theJapanese alphabet, greetings, numbers, and items. We
will also be learning about Tokushima.

You may join
at anytime

For more information see TOPIA's homepage: http://www.topia.ne.jp
Japanese classes are also available at the Anan International Association, Aizumi Town International Exchange
Association, Yoshinogawa International Exchange Association, NPO Mima no Sato, Miyoshi City International
Exchange Association and Minami Multicultural Coexistence Network "Harmony". (as of March 2020)

Let's Try the O-Henro Walk!

The Shikoku O-Henro is a pilgrimage to 88 temples on Shikoku. This pilgrimage was established by
the well-known Buddhist monk, Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai). Not only is it popular, it is the most
famous pilgrimage in Japan, with a 1200-year history. Why not join us for a trek to temples No. 13
through 17? We will first travel by bus to temple No. 13, then trek on foot to temples No. 14 through 17.
We will then return to Tokushima Station from the bus stop nearest temple No.17. Please contact the
TIA office via telephone (088-622-6066) or e-mail (info@tia81.com) to apply to participate. Only the first
20 applicants will be accepted.
Date & Time: March 28th (Sat)Start: 7:50 am. Meet at in front of Starbucks Coffee at JR Tokushima Station
Return: 4:00 pm. Arrive at JR Tokushima Station
Participation Fee: TIA members and foreigners – 300 yen / Non-members – 800 yen
		*ONLY bus fare and leisure insurance are included. Lunch fee not included.
Lunch: BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH, SNACKS AND BEVERAGESOther: The trek will cover approximately 8 kilometers. Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing.
a rain jacket/poncho, hat, and walking stick are also recommended. We will be travelling by bus
and on foot, so please only bring minimal necessities in a comfortable backpack.

9

Events & Memoranda

Tokushima Hanami Map 2020
徳島県花見案内図 2020

The 2020 Tebajima Art Exhibition
出羽島アート展 2020

Tebajima will become an island full of art for 9days. Using the island as a stage, a variety ofartists will display their works which express their
feelings toward Tebajima.

9 日間出羽島がアートの島に！
島を舞台にさまざまなアーティストたちが出羽島への思いをこめた作品を展示・展開する地域参画型のアートです。

When: March 20th (Fri) - 29th (Sun)9:00 - 15:00
Where: Mugi, Ama District, Tebajima
Fee: Adults: 1,000 Yen,
Elementary Students: 500 Yen(Includes round-trip boat fee)
Info: Mugi Tourism Assocation
TEL: 0884-72-0065
URL: https://mugi-kankou.com/event/

日時：3 月 20 日（金・祝）～ 29 日（日）9 時 00 分～ 15 時 00 分予定
場所：海部郡牟岐町 出羽島
料金：大人 1,000 円 小学生 500 円（往復乗船料込み）
お問い合わせ：牟岐町観光協会
TEL: 0884-72-0065
URL: https://mugi-kankou.com/event/Reminder: The 2020 Tokushima Marathon will take place on Sunday,
March 22nd! The application period is already over, but be sure to go out
and cheer on the runners!

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)