aWa life

May 2024

Impressions fromthe Shikoku Pilgrimage# 402

Goodbye Message

Nihongo Know-it-all:
お疲れ様Running for International
Friendship1

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

Have you ever experienced the so called “Gogatsubyou” (lit. May sickness)? The blues experienced bycollege freshmen or workplays recruits in the beginning of May.
The excitement of starting into the world of academics or settling into a new position has faded and thegolden week has just reminded you of the sweet taste of freedom, only to then be thrusted back into
the tedious reality of your everyday work life. I know I am feeling it, coming back to work after all thoseholidays. But I also know it’s going to pass, so if you are like me...hang in there!
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 editor,
RasmusTokushima 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 Rasmus Burgmer
Contributors This Month:

Contents

Pg. 2-3: Impressions from the Shikoku Pilgrimage

2

Pg. 4-5: Running for International FriendshipPg. 5:

Goodbye Message

Pg. 6:

Tokushima Culture and Reading Corner
つかさま

Pg. 6:

Nihongo Know-it-all: お疲れ様

Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Impressions from the Shikoku Pilgrimage
The longest, most beautiful and sacred hike of my life
By: Guo Wei

Iplanned totravel from
Shanghai to
Shikoku in Japanon September
13th, 2023.
Before departingI g a t h e r e d
information onwhat to do andsee on Shikoku
and discovered
the ShikokuPilgrimage,which immediately enthralled me. By doing thepilgrimage I would not just simply be traveling,
but rather embark on a cultural trip to nurture myheart and elevate my soul.
In order to be able to fully immerse myself in theregional culture of Shikoku I decided to travel byhiking and camping, so in preparation I thoughtof all possible scenarios I might encounter
beforehand. What would I do if it is raining? Or If
I had to walk during the night? How would I washand dry my clothes? I also needed to meticulously
plan out the stuff I would take with me. It is allabout finding the right balance, because too muchweight on your back would negatively affect yourhiking speed.

As I stepped out of the plane in Osaka without
any access to navigation or translation appson my phone, I struggled to find out how to getto where I wanted. But I was determined toreach my goal and get to the first temple of thepilgrimage in Naruto City, Tokushima. Not knowing
any Japanese, it took me a while to gather thecourage to ask Japanese people for the right way.
We somehow managed to communicate using
hand gestures and they eventually guided me all
the way to the bus stop.
So after many twists and turns, I finally arrived at“Ryozenji” the first temple of the pilgrimage.
The very first night I slept on an empty plot close
to the temple, filled with fear and anxiety. Scaredbecause I did not know whether the area wassafe, if somebody here would take care of me or if
I would cause a nuisance to others. Thus my veryown Shikoku Pilgrimage has begun.

3

and walking along routes with no access to public
On my journey I did not only bring along the thick transportion I timidly stretch out my arm, only tostamp book, but I went to the trouble of also taking immediately be invited by someone: “Get in ourcar, let us take you with us”.
a notebook with me. I thought that
if I could get the high priest of eachof the 88 temples to write down
Through the kindhearted help
a sentence in there – a wish theyof those Japanese friends I
gladly fulfilled - it could become an
made along the way, I was able
item of great personal importance.
to complete the whole Shikoku
The short sentences they wrote
Pilgrimage in 20 days, having
are evidence of the care Japanese
walked about 800 kilometers,
people have for their friends:
hitchhiked for about 200 kilometerssome wrote words of blessing,and taken public transportation forothers words of encouragement
another 200 kilometers.
and even though I mostly did not
During the trip I managed tocomprehend the specific meaning,
strengthen my will and rediscover
I certainly did understand theira different side of me.
heartfelt expressions and focused
writing.
I set out on a journey to explore
Writings from the temple
I will always have these 88 precious
Japanese
culture and was welcomed
priests
writings with me and treasure them deeply.
and accommodated by many people along thatjourney who gave me water, food, fruits, blessing
Along the way I got to meet a lot of other pilgrims money and showed me the right way.
from all kinds of countries, but since everybody
had a different pace, the time spent walking I was also able to witness the small and intricate
together was mostly rather short. During those aspects of everyday life. For example, theshort episodes however, it always felt like meeting fishermen starting their day at 4 in the morning,
an old friend andthe girl delivering
we would never
the newspapers,
run out of things
the salarymen
to talk about.
stopping his car
The language
to collect garbage
barrier we often
from the street,encountered did
the old women
not hinder us fromkneeling next
communicating
to the roadsideand becoming
mending the lawn
friends, as we usedor the handcrafted
translation software
toys being soldand exaggerated
from unstaffedbody gestures,street stalls along
allowing us to
the way.
decipher 70-80% ofwhat the other said.
At times, while being exhausted from having atent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, water and food,piling up to about 20 kilos strapped on my backI can easily say that I deeply fell
this place.

in love with

Running for international Friendship
By: Rasmus BurgmerWho thought watching a bunch of strangers
run for 4 hours could be entertaining?
I certainly did not, but there I was, standing in
the pouring rain, a German flag in both hands
and cheering loudly at the runners of the 2024
Tokushima Marathon.
As I watched the participants cross the finish line
and collapse to the ground from total exhaustion,
I too was able to feel their joy and pride about
having achieved their goal. The comradery
between the runners, complete strangers justmoments ago, now having gone through the same
struggle and supporting each other until the very
end, was actually quite moving.
But let us go backto the start. How
did I end up rightnext to the finish
line, the governoro f To k u s h i m aonly an armlength
behind me?
T h e To k u s h i m a
Marathon was
first held in 2009
and quickly
attracted more
The guest runners flaunting and more running
enthusiasts each
their raincoats at the start
year, due to the course being relatively flat (nota given thing in Japan), while also stretchingalongside the beautiful Yoshino-River. The
German partner region Lower-Saxony, which I
represent at the prefectural government, also
hosts a popular marathon each year in the cityof Hannover. Thus, the project of sending out
runners from Tokushima to Germany and viceversa was established to deepen the friendshipbetween the regions while also giving athletes theopportunity to experience competing in a foreigncountry.
This year I had the honor of accompanying 2
German runners not only at the marathon, butalso through an extensive sightseeing program4

and ceremonial visit to the government. Alsowith us, there were 2 guest runners from thepartner region in China which made interpreting
a little complicated, but lead to many interesting
conversations about comparing sports culture,
cuisine and drinking habits.
On the day of run, we got up really early, so that
there would be enough time to warm up properly.
Now warm, the runners lined up at the start,
listened to the opening ceremony and then thesignal was given. Almost 7000 motivated athletes
started their run of the Tokushima marathon.
Since me and mycolleagues wanted tocheer on the guest
runners as much as
possible, we wereconstantly moving
along the course andwere therefore able
to closely follow how
the run unfolded. Even
though the Tokushima
weather gods were noton our side that day, the streets were filled withsupporters loudly shouting “Ganbare” to eachand every competitor passing by. Furthermore,according to some runners, the cool temperaturespaired with the occasional rain shower actually
make for good long
distance running
conditions.
Combine thatwith thecountlesss t a l l sproviding therunners withsports drinks,
snacks andon someoccasionseven freshly
harvestedf r u i t s(strawberry
season had
just begun) thisyear’s Tokushima
Marathon was bound to be a big success.
And sure enough, one of the German runners wasable to run her personal best time, despite having
only arrived in Tokushima the day before and still
suffering from heavy jetlag. The other members of
our small international delegation also were verysatisfied with their run and after they changed

5
into dry clothes the governor came to personallycongratulate them.

probably never happen, but if I am in Tokushima, I
will definitely be there to support again!

As we still had a tightschedule planned forthe rest of the day, weleft the stadium pretty
quickly and got somewell-deserved rest.
The day ended with afancy celebratory meal
accompanied by beer
and umeshu as well as smiling faces all around.
Everybody tried to convince me to participate
in next years marathon which I made clear will

A tired but happy German delegation at thefinish line after the run---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goodbye Message
By: Nguyen Van ThanhI

n my 2 years of working at Topia, I was able togain a lot of experience and made unforgettable

A new Beginning
By: Rasmus BurmgerSo many goodbye messages in the last 2 Awa
Life editions, you must be wondering whoeven is still left?
The end of the fiscal year always brings a lot ofchange with it and though I am very sad to see
so many of my colleagues and friends leave, I am
also excited to get to meet new people and start
new ventures with them.
Or as my now ex-colleague used to say:“Every Goodbye is a new Beginning!”
This being my first year at Topia, I already learnedso much and I cannot wait to see what the next
year has in store for us.
Feel free to come by to say hi whenever you like!

memories. Through this work I was also able tomeet many foreigners, broaden my horizon andacquire a ton of knowledge about all kinds ofthings. Now, after graduating, I am no longer able
to work for Topia, but I will continiue working inTokushima and I am forever thankful to the staff
for helping me find a new job.
Taking all the things I have learned with me, I will
give my best going forward and hopefully be able
to contribute to the growth of Tokushima throughmy new job as well.

Topia Staff at the Goodbye-Party

Tokushima Culture and Reading Corner: ひょうたん島クル－ズ
By: Shoko Nomizuとくしま ししんまちがわすけとうがわ

かこ

徳島市の

新町川と

助任川に

囲まれた

じま

る 「ひょうたん島 」を
ぷん

30 分かけて

かたち
しゅう い

似てい

しま

やく

知 っていますか。この周 囲 6 キロの島 を

こ がた

いっしゅう

小型のボートで一周する

しんまちがわみずぎわこうえん

約

にん き

の

クルーズが
ば

人気です。

しゅっぱつ

ボートは、新町川水際公園ボート乗り場からあるにひょうたんの形にしとくしまえき出発します。徳島駅か
たてもの

まち な

建物や

町並み、

しんまちボードウォーク、徳島 中 央 公 園、徳 島 県 庁 などを

ながめる

ら

ぷん

歩いて

10 分くらいのところです。いろいろな
とく しま ちゅう おう こう えん
本ことができます。ボ－トで6

とく しま けん ちょう

はし

き せつ

１９本の橋をくぐりぬけるのも、スリリングです。季節に

よっては、

たの

さくらや

イルミネ - ションを楽しむことも

できます。

すいじょう

うんこう

このほかに、水上タクシーがかはじ運行されたり、貸しボートもじま

し て い ま す。

くわしくは、
「awa

navi

始めたり
けんさく

ひょうたん島」 と検索してみてください。
とくしま

すがすがしい

まち

徳島の町を

ぜひ

すいじょう

たの

水上から

楽しんでください。

出典：国土地理院ウェブサイト

Vocabulary List

しゅう い

ひょうたん

Calabash

いっしゅう

一周する

one lap

にん き

人気

周囲

circumference

みずぎわこうえん

クル－ズ

cruise

水 際 公園waterside park

townscape

くぐりぬけるpass through

まち な

popular

町 並み

うんこう

スリリング

thrilling

イルミネ－ション illumination

お疲れ様 (Otsukaresama)

運行する

operation

Nihongo Know-it-all

By: Rasmus
While attending a shared practice session between German and Japanese canoeists in Tokushima
last year, I got approached by a young athlete who wanted to learn the German phrase for“ おつかれさま ” to show his gratitude to the guests from overseas.
As you can probably imagine I found myself struggling to give an adequate translation and ended
up lecturing the poor kid for well over 5 minutes about how the phrase and the culture surrounding
it, are unique to Japan. His expression of complete disbelief made me wonder about the origin of
the phrase and how it became such an indespensible part of Japanese everyday life.
つか

Stemming from the word 疲 れる , literally translated the phrase would mean something like “youare tired”, but as we all know it carries much more depth and depending on the situation it could
mean “Thanks for your work”, “Hello / Bye”, “Cheers” and much more.
No matter the situation it always conveys an acknowledgement of the others effort, which shows
how deeply rooted the expression is in Japan’s foundationally appreciative culture.
Although difficult to trace back, it is said that the phrase was originally almost exclusively used bystage actors of Kabuki Theatre to express thanks to their colleagues after a successful play. In the
mid-20th Century, it spread to the general public probably through the term’s popularization by TVPersonalities and now you can’t even imagine a Japan without it.
つかさま

So from now on, whenever somebody asks you to translate “ お疲れ様 “, you can tell them all this!

7Japanese Lesson
By: Junko Nagamachi「います」「あります」
On the phone:いま

A：B さん、今どこにいますか。
とくしまえきでおおまえ

B：徳島駅から出て、大きなビルの前にいます。
ちか

なに

A：近くに何がありますか。
B：コンビニがあります。
いまい

A：わかりました。今から行きます。
Like in the above example, the verb 「 い ま す 」 is used for living things such as
humans/animals that can move by themselves. 「あります」 is used for inanimate things orliving things that cannot move by themselves, such as flowers and trees. Fish that are
いけさかなswimming in water are written as: 池に 魚 がいます。」. Fish that can be found on the shelves
さかな」.
of supermarkets are written as: 「○○スーパーに 魚 があります。
います

あります

Practice Problems:
Write 「います」 or「あります」 in the parentheses（
した① テーブルの下にネコが（

）
。

おう

② 王さんのとなりにリーさんが（

）
。

は なや

③ スーパーと銀行の 間 に花屋が（さかな④ 冷蔵庫の中に 魚 が（

）
。
）
④あります

なか

③あります

れいぞうこ

②います

あいだ

①います

ぎんこう

）.

Events & Memoranda

8

Shikoku Yokai Festival
四国妖怪フェスティバル

The birthplace of the Konaki-Jijii-Legend,
Yamashiro-cho in Miyoshi is holding the annual
Yokai (mythical creatures) Festival!
Proudly displaying Yokai from all over Japan for
2 days under the theme of “Let’s connect throughYokai.”The event includes an abundance of activities
enjoyable for both children and adults.
When: May 25th (Sat) - May 26th (Sun)
Where: Oboke Roadside Station (Miyoshi)
Inquiries: Shikoku Yokai Festival
Comittee

コナキ爺伝承発祥の地である三好市山城町で妖怪イベント開催！
妖怪で繋がる 2 日間をテーマに全国各地の妖怪自慢が集合。子供から大人まで楽しめる多彩な催しがいっぱいです。
日時 5 月 25 日（土）・26 日（日）場所 道の駅 大歩危（三好市 )お問い合わせTEL：0883-84-1489
E-mail：lapis@yamashiro-info.jp

TEL: 0883-84-1489

Tokushima Market: Ice Cream Grand Prix
とくしまマルシェ「アイスグランプリ」
The Tokushima Market for this month is all about
ice cream.
The most tasteful flavours of gelato all in one
place!
Compare the “deliciousness” of each shop andparticipate in the voting.
Which shop will win this time?
Please join in and enjoy ice cream tasting
while strolling alongside the beautiful
Shinmachi River.
When: May 26th (Sun) 9:00-14:00
Where: Shinmachi Boardwalk
Shinmachi River Side
Inquiries
Tokushima Market Secretariat
TEL: 088-678-2117

Park

5 月開催のとくしまマルシェ注目のフェアは「アイス GP」
美味しいアイスやジェラートが一挙に集結！
各店それぞれの“おいしい”を食べ比べて投票に参加しませんか
今年グランプリに輝くのはどの店舗か！新町川を眺めながらアイスの食べ歩きをお楽しみください。
日時場所

5 月 26 日（日）9:00 ～ 14:00
徳島市 しんまちボードウォーク
新町川・阿波製紙水際公園
お問い合わせとくしまマルシェ事務局
TEL：088-678-2117

9

Events & Memoranda
Hahagawa Firefly Festival
母川ほたるまつり

The Hahagawa Firefly Festival was once started
by local volunteers with the goal to preserve
the luciola of the area as well as to promote theregion to visitors from inside and outside.
Enjoy a variety of nightstands, take a ride on a
flatboat through beautiful nature and immerse
yourself in the glowing of thousands of fireflies.
The Festival provides activities for young and old.
Please note: In case of bad weather or difficult
river conditions the event might get canceled.
When: June 1st (Sat) - June 8th (Sat)
Where: Hahagawa, Takazono, Kaiyo

母川ほたるまつりは母川のゲンジボタルの保存と町内外の方々に PR を目的として地元の方々のボランティア活動ではじまりました。
さまざまな夜店を楽しんだり、美しい自然の中を高瀬舟に乗ったり、何千匹ものほたるの光に浸ったり。この祭りでは、老若男女が楽しめるアクティ
ビティが用意されています。
雨天および河川の水量などにより中止する場合が
あります。
日時
場所

2024 年 6 月 1 日（土）～ 6 月 8 日 ( 土 )海陽町高園 母川河川敷

詳細DETAILS
Night stalls: only June 1st (Sat)
Flatboat riding:each day from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm
500 yen for adults / 200 yen for children
The tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-servebasis (100 a day)Ticket sales start at 6:30 pm each day
Sasabune (leaf boat) & bamboo flute courses:
Each day from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Free of charge
Inquiries: Kaiyo Tourism Association
TEL: 0884-76-3050

夜店

６月１日 ( 土 ) のみ

高瀬舟乗船

６月１日（土）～６月８日（土）20：00 ～ 21：30
大人 500 円 / 小・中学生 200 円
乗船定員の為、乗船券の販売は先着１００枚となります。
※整理券は当日午後 6 時半より配布予定
笹舟教室・竹笛教室 ( 無料 )
６月１日（土）～ 6 月８日（土）19:00 ～ 21：30
問い合わせ 海陽町観光協会
TEL: 0884-76-3050

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.
Japanese, English, Chinese: Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Vietnamese: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 10:00 - 14:00
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)