NAPIA

English Edition
VOL.57 Dec 2021
NAPIA English Edition - Vol. 57
Established May 2009

NAPIA is a newsletter issued by Nagasaki International Association for foreign residents.
Edited by: Nagasaki International Association

The 13th annual Japanese speech contest for non-native speakers, was held!
On Saturday, November 6, 2021, we had “The 13th annual Japanese speech
contest for non-native speakers” at Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for
the Atomic Bomb Victims. Seven people from four countries living in Nagasaki

Scan the QR
code to watch
the video!

Prefecture participated in the contest and made impressive speeches. You canwatch the video of the speeches by the prize winners on the website of Nagasaki
International Association, so please check it out.

【Grand Prize】Ms. Le Thi Anh
Nationality: Vietnam
Title: “Meaning of Sumimasen”
Affiliation: Francois Co., Ltd.

【The Second Prize/Hall Director’s Award】
Ms. Karunanayaka Mudiyanselage Nadeeka Manel
Karunanayaka
Nationality: Sri Lanka
Title: “Japanese power to overcome difficulties”
Affiliation: Nagasaki Junior College【The Third Prize】Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy
Nationality: Vietnam
Title: “What color is life in Japan?”Affiliation: Chinzei Gakuin University【Future Award】Mr. Dhami Lokendra
Nationality: Nepal
Title: “Japan as seen by foreigners”
Affiliation: Chinzei Gakuin University

We had the 23rd Nagasaki International Festival!
This year, we only introduced the international cooperation and exchange groups in this prefecture with videos
and photos and had small-scale events and courses. However, we were able to have the festival for the firsttime in two years.
At the “Easy Japanese Course” on
Saturday, October 16, the participants, witha kind and thoughtful mind, had theexperience of speaking simple Japanesethat is easy for foreigners to understand.
At the “Korean Braid Experience Course”, “Putting on Sari Experience Course”, and “Vietnamese Coffee
Experience Course” on Sunday, October 17, participants enjoyed learning about the culture of those countries
through braid, sari, and Vietnamese coffee.

Making bookmarks with Korean braid!

Experiencing putting onSari under the guidanceof a Nepalese couple.

Experiencing how to brew
Vietnamese coffee using “phin”!

We had a fair-trade market at the entrance hall ofNagasaki Prefectural Government office on
Wednesday, October 20, 2021. We sold coffee,
sweets, and handicrafts etc. that were made fromfair-trade products.
On Saturday, October 30, “Walking in Dejima wearing a kimono! ~Tea Ceremony Experience & Nagasaki Kenban*
Dance Viewing~” was held at Dejima in Nagasaki City. Sixteen international students and technical intern trainees
from such as China and Vietnam participated.
*Kenban: A management office for Geisha ladies who are trained in the art of dancing and singing.

Walking in Dejima

Experiencing
Japanese music
instruments andSoran-bushi
dance!

Kimono looks
great on you!From Germany
Danny Festor
Hello everyone! My name is Danny, and I’m from the Ruhr area inGermany. My wife is from Nagasaki, and when she became pregnant in2018 we moved from Tokyo to Nagasaki to raise our child in her hometown.
Starting last year I’m a freelance web developer. My dream is to help
businesses from Nagasaki to grow by building their online presences.
It’s December already, which means it is Christmas time, so I want to tell
you how Germans celebrate Christmas! Christmas is a very important
holiday in Germany, so there are a lot of things you can look forward to.
Halloween is not really celebrated in Germany, so Christmas preparations start as early as the end of summer.
In September, supermarkets start having Christmas exclusive sweets such as almond cookies called
Spekulatius and chocolate gingerbread cake called Lebkuchen on their shelves. When November comesaround, many supermarkets and radio stations slowly start playing more and more Christmas songs.
The main event starts with the beginning of the Advent season on the Sunday 4 weeks before Christmas.
Families decorate their home with a traditional Advent wreath which has 4 candles. Every week an additional
candle is lit while singing an additional verse of the advent song, until the last Sunday before Christmas when
all 4 candles get lit and all 4 verses of the song get sung. A Christmas tree will also be decorated. Traditionally
this Christmas tree is a real fir tree, but recently the number of artificial trees has also increased.
You can also enjoy a festival called Christmas Market. At Christmas markets you can enjoy beautiful
illumination and try various foods and drinks. During the cold German winter adults especially enjoy aGlühwein, a hot wine punch. For children there are many booths that sell candy or toys, and there are merrygo-rounds and many other things to enjoy. The city Dortmund in the Ruhr area boasts the tallest artificial
Christmas tree in the world, in Bochum you can enjoy strolling around a middle-ages-styled market, and every
town has their own style of Christmas market, which makes them fun to explore.
When December starts, Children start a countdown to Christmas in the form of an advent calendar. Every
day from December 1st to 24th, one door on the calendar can be opened, and you can enjoy chocolate, orother various sweets and maybe even small toys. Impatient children tend to eat the contents of their calendar
on the first day, though.
Christmas in Germany is a 3 day long celebration starting with Christmas Eve on December 24. Other thanAmerica, Christmas Eve is the main event for many families. Families bake cookies together, sing Christmas
carols, and trade presents on Christmas Eve. My family often enjoys a Raclette meal together.
December 25 is another day you spend with your family, while the 26 is a day you spend relaxing or withfriends.
If you plan on visiting Germany, I highly recommend going while it’s Christmas time!

Advent calendar

Homemade cookies
Christmas market

- Announcement from NIA We are looking for business support volunteers!
★If you are interested, please call 095-823-3931 or email us.
●Volunteer days: Every Thursday from 13:00 to 16:00 (closed on holidays).
●The number to be recruited: One person●Requirements for applying: Those who can volunteer for more than one year.
●Place of activity: Nagasaki International Association
Dejima Koryu Kaikan 1F, 2-11 Dejimamachi, Nagasaki City (next to Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum)●Transportation fee: 1,000 yen per attendance●Others: Volunteering together with Japanese people.
●Job description: Accepting visitors. Copying newspapers. Cleaning up posters and leaflets in the office.
Keeping pamphlets on file. Also, helping easy work.

- Announcement from Nagasaki City International Affairs Division Beginner’s Japanese Language Course for Foreign Residents●Date and time: Every Tuesday (night) 18:10 - 19:40 (Until Tuesday, March 29, 2022)
Every Wednesday (daytime) 13:30 - 15:00 (Until Wednesday, March 30, 2022)
Every Thursday (night) 18:10 - 19:40 (Until Thursday, March 24, 2022)*Excluding year-end and New Year holidays and national holidays.
●Place: “Chikyu-Shimin Hiroba”, Nagasaki Brick Hall 2F, 2-38 Mori-machi, Nagasaki City
●Contents: Foreign residents living in Nagasaki City, or foreign residents who work or go to school inNagasaki City can study Japanese for free. Citizen Volunteers teach you Japanese used in your daily life.
However, a textbook fee is required. It is 2,970 yen.
●Inquiries/Applications: International Affairs Division of Nagasaki City Hall, 2-22 Sakura-machi,
Nagasaki City, 850-8685
TEL: 095-829-1113／FAX: 095-828-8929／E-mail: kokusai@city.nagasaki.lg.jp
The courses may be changed or canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.
Please visit the Nagasaki City website for details.

Nagasaki International Association
2-11 Dejima-machi Nagasaki City
E-mail：nia@nia.or.jp

TEL：095-823-3931

FAX：095-822-1551

Website：https://www.nia.or.jp/

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/nia.nagasaki/
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