aWa life

November 2023
# 396

Tokushima Wooden Toy
MuseumImpressions from
Arasowaren

Todoroki Shrine Festival

Gairaigo Galore:
サボる1

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

Konichiwazzup people! How are you all coping with the increasing lack of sunlight that November
brings to Tokushima? I hope it does not discourage you from going out to enjoy the countless autumn
activites one can do in the prefecture. For example: enjoying a hot cup of sake at a cozy izakaya after
spending the whole day driving around visiting the various momiji spots of Tokushima. Sounds nicedoesn't it?
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 atnything 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:Your editors,
Sydney and Rasmus

awalife@gmail.com
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 Rasmus Burgmer
Contributors This Month:
Tony Lu, Mihoko Matsuzaki, Akira Harada, Junko Kimura, and Fusa Tamaki

Contents

Pg. 2-3: Kaiyo's Waterfall Festival - Todoroki Shrine!

2

Pg. 3-4: Tokushima Wooden Toy Museum
Pg. 4-5: Impressions from Arasowaren
Pg. 6:

Tokushima Culture and Reading Corner: Mt. Bizan

Pg. 6:

Gairaigo Galore: サボる

Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Kaiyo's Waterfall Festival - Todoroki Shrine!
By: Tony LuAlthough the majority of festivals in Kaiyo takeplace during summer, our two biggest andmost famous festivals are actually in autumn.
October’s Ozato Hachiman Shrine Festival, andthe Todoroki Shrine Autumn Festival in midNovember.
If you’ve ever
heard of Todoroki
Falls, this is
the associatedshrine’s festival.
Todoroki Falls, thelargest waterfall
in Shikoku, isconsidered to be
the source of the
Kaifu River thatflows throughKaiyo. This riverand the waterfrom these falls
has supported
Todoroki Shrine Festival andthe livelihoods ofMikoshipeople in the areathat is now Kaiyo for thousands of years. The
festival is centered around giving thanks to thisfact and to the goddess of the waterfall, which
explains why this autumn festival is so beloved,
and why its history stretches back over 400 years!
Last year, I had the chance to see it for myself

along with a couple of the Global Kaiyo teammembers. It was the first time the festival had
been held in three years so we were all very
excited. The shrine area is where the ceremony,the first part of the festival, takes place. It wasn’t
too crowded because of the lingering COVID
restrictions at the time, but I’m sure it’ll be very
packed this time around.
There were a couple of moments during theceremony where everyone went silent, kneeledand prayed. As foreign spectators, these moments
always tend to make us feel somewhat awkward
as we often don’t know what’s correct, so we kindof just went along with the people surrounding us.
Still, ceremonies like this are always interesting tosee and it was great to participate

Todoroki Shrine Ceremony
Once the ceremony finished, the carriers pickedup the mikoshi (portable shrine) and started

3

Kaiyo's Waterfall Festival - Todoroki Shrine!

making their way to the main waterfall. If you’rethe type of person who wants to capture every
moment on camera, then you’ll be faced withthe excruciating choice of following behind themikoshi or scrambling to get ahead of the crowd.
Like many others, we chose the latter and waited
at the main waterfall where the festival reaches its
climax.

attempting to bring the mikoshi to the base of thewaterfall. The mist coming from the waterfall alsomeant that we were practically being rained on.
With the spectacle of the festival, the roaring andvibration of the water crashing into the pool, it was
an intense feast for the senses that’s definitely
worth checking out while you’re in Japan. For
those interested, you can find more info on theevent page at the back!

Mikoshi carriers climbing slippery rocks
The carriers clambered over slippery rocks andswam through the cold water of the river while

Carriers and Mikoshi in waterfall crevice

Tokushima Wooden Toy Museum
By: Mihoko MatsuzakiTokushima Prefecture is rich in nature, with
75% of the prefecture's land covered byforests. With the goal to familiarize more people
with woodcrafts while also showcasing the naturalcharms of the region, the Tokushima Wooden Toy
Museum was founded on October 24th, 2021.
The approximately 1,600-square-meter venue
features more than
300 types of woodentoys, a slide going
down a giant tree, as
well as toy replicationsof different forestry
products.
Inside the museum,
Tokushima landmarksl i k e t h e Yo s h i n oRiver, terraced ricepaddies, the Udatsu
Townscape, and the Entrance to the museum
Kazurabashi Vine Bridge in Iya are recreated ina dynamic wooden space that allows visitors toplayfully experience the nature and culture of theprefecture. There are many traditional Japanesetoys, beautiful toys from around the world, andwooden toys that nurturethe spirit, which visitors
can actually pick up andplay with. In addition,
through playing together
with the red apron
wearing volunteer staff“toy curators”, you canlearn about the culture
and different playstyle ofthe toys.
Satoyama Square
Here, a wooden version of the symbol ofTokushima City “Mount Bizan” is showcased in
a 300 to 1 scale, surrounded by a reconstructionof the Yoshino River filled by tiny round wooden
pieces. The mock river contains about 50,000Tokushima Wooden Toy Museumof those wooden pieces, all of them polishedsmooth, making it a popular and danger freeplayground for children. In fact, there are also
some acorns mixed into the “stream” of the river.
According to staff members, it is surprisingly
hard to find justa single one, as
there are only
100 of them. Giveit a try and see
how long it takes
you to find them!
Next to the river
there is a tree. If
you look closely
at the trunk,
you can makeout caterpillars
hidden within.
To get them out
you need to use either a magnetic stick or pullthem outside with your own hands. Since they
are made from wood, even people who normally
do not like touching insects can enjoy thisexperience.
Good Toys SquareThis room is dedicated tohighlighting “good toys” thathave been specificallyselected by about
6,000 toy consultants
nationwide. They arehigh quality toys bringing
smiles to faces worldwide
no matter what age,gender, or country of origin.

4

UdatsuTownscapeIn this area you
can find small
huts that haveinstallations
displaying board
games and otheranalogue games.
Because thedesign of the huts
is based on the
famous tourist
spot “Udatsu
To w n s c a p e ” ,k n o w n f o r
Wooden huts based on
its traditional
traditional architrecture
J a p a n e s earchitecture, Tokushima’s culture acts as a
backdrop for this part of the exhibition too.
Playground for Toddlers
This is a room reserved for children until theage of 3 and their parents. The babies can crawl
around in the huge and safely designed space,
where the toys and play equipments are arranged
to fit their different age and developmental needs,
creating an exciting environment to play in.

Impressions from Arasowaren
By: Akira HaradaThe Awa Odori is Tokushima’s traditional folk
dance, said to have over 400 years of history.
There are a variety of theories as to the dance’s
origins, but it was not a bon dance unique to theTokushima Castle area. Rather, it was a myriadof dances, such as furyu dance from the Kinai
region, that were incorporated to form the Castle
Area dance. It’s said that as the Castle Area

5developed and changed thanks to the supportof local leaders, the present-day Awa Odori
took shape. The dance began to flourish when
Hachisuka Iemasa, founder of the Tokushima
Domain, arrived in 1586, after which ai indigo
merchants became active and the Awa Odori
grew more and more luxurious with each year.
(Source: Awa Odori Kaikan Homepage)

Impressions from the Arasowarenname also being used to mean an ‘Awa Odori
group’.

Today, the Awa Odori is not only known inTokushima, but is viewed around the world as one
of Japan’s representative traditional performingarts.

Formed in 1980, Arasowaren is a group thatdances Tokushima’s traditional art of Awa Odori.
Through dancing together with people fromthroughout the world, regardless of nationality,
race, religion, etc., Arasowaren hopes to create apeaceful world through mutual understanding. At
the time of its formation, there were approximately
20 members. The name ‘Arasowaren’ comes fromthe Tokushima dialect with ‘ren’ meaning ‘onemust not do something’. Arasowaren then means‘one must not fight’, with the ‘ren’ portion of the

On August 14th, 2023 (Mon.), the Awa Odoriexchange project ‘Arasowaren’ was held. This
year marked the 43rd year since the group’s
formation, and this year 39 foreign residents from
20 different countries took to the stage under theguidance of the famous Nonkiren, for a total of
approximately 130 members. The participants
all began practice a month in advance, andeveryone was looking forward to the main event.
The day of the performance was filled with rain
due to the influence a typhoon, but I was able tosee everyone’s smiles as they danced. Some of
the members commented that, “I feel like when
everyone was dancing together our hearts all
became one. It was so much fun”, and “I hopethat one day we will have a peaceful world”.
Even in spite of the rain, I would like to express
my deepest appreciation to everyone who
helped make this possible, as well as all of ourparticipants.

6

Tokushima Culture and Reading Corner: Mt. Bizan
By: Junko Kimura
び ざんとくしま し がい

眉山は

徳島市街に

ひょうこう

すがた

らでも

そびえる
なが

その姿を

び ざん

き

淡路島や

紀伊半島が

い はん とう

さ

かたち

し ない

に

いち ぼう

よる

一望でき、夜にははな み

ひと似ていることから 「眉山」とみ わたよできます。天気のまん きつ

満喫できます。眉山ではび ざん

いちばんたか

ひ

良い日

び ざん

はる

春に

にぎ

咲き、花見をする人で
たの

秋 には

賑わいます。

紅葉を楽 しむことができます。そして、

き せつ

おとず

や ちょう

かん さつ

季 節 ごとに訪 れる

野鳥を

観 察 することができ

いくつかの見渡すことがや けい

こう ようができます。また

名付けられ

てん き

夜景を

桜の花が

ロープウェイか

どこか

づ

き れい

あき

び ざん

な

綺麗な

は

ます。眉 山 にはび ざんとくしま し がい

展望広場からは、徳島市街を

あわ じ しまはなとくしま し眉の形にてんぼうひろ ばたそうです。眉山山頂の
さくら

まゆ

眺められます。眉山はび ざんさんちょうにはやま

標高 290 ｍの山で、徳島市のシンボルの一つです。市内の

くるま

い

車で

行 くこと

とう ざん どう

たの

イキングを

ひと

楽 しむ人 もび ざんさんちょうある

眉山山頂まで

歩いて

おも

ひと

登 山 道 があり、ハ

おおじ かんぐらい行くことができます。眉山のび ざん

多いかもしれません。しかし、眉山の

ところ

所に

い

１時間位で

おお

と思っている人がくらいのとく しま えき

多 くいます。徳 島 駅 から

あき

び ざん

展望広場だ

さいこうてんてんぼうひろ ばある

最高点は展望広場から歩いて

さいこうてんあります。スポーツの秋に、眉山のてんぼうひろ ば一番高いところは

め ざ

ぷん

40 分

ある

最高点を 目指して、歩いてみてください。

Vocabulary List
な づ

名付け Naming
さんちょう

山頂
み わた

Summit*

見渡す Look Out Over
こうよう

紅葉
とうざん

登山

Fall Colors

そびえる To Tower
てんぼう

展望
や けい

夜景
おとず

訪れる
さいこうてん

OutlookNight View
Visit

Mountain Climbing 最高点 Highest Point

サボる Slack Off / Skip WorkBy: Rasmus Burgmer

ひょうこう

標高
ひろ ば

広場
にぎ

Elevation
Square賑わい Bustling
や ちょう

野鳥
め ざ

Wild Bird

目指し Aim/Goal

まゆ

眉
いちぼう

Eyebrow

一望 Sweeping View
まんきつ

満喫 Having One's Fill

かんさつ

観察 Observation*Does not always mean the highest point

Gairaigo Galore

The Japanese word for slacking off or skipping out on work originates fromthe French word “sabotage”, which is also the origin for the English word withthe same spelling and meaning. Although there is some connection between
the meanings and you can somewhat retrace how サボる has developed fromsabotage, the latter definitely implicates a much more deliberate obstruction
and would not be used when you can’t make it to work just because you are too hungover.
The meaning of the gairaigo has therefore deviated towards describing everyday life situations andhas become the preferred expression to use compared even to original Japanese words with thesame meaning.
I of course know that you have not been slacking off about studying Japanese, so I am sure you all
realize that this word is written using both katakana and hiragana, a combination that is most rarein Japanese. The katakana letters サ ボ (sabo) are what remains of the French original, with the
hiragana る (ru) being added to make it into a verb, that you can conjugate like any other verb in
the Japanese language. Adapting the word to fit grammar rules shows again how widely accepted
as part of the language it has become, with a lot of Japanese people not even realizing that its
origins lie outside of Japan.

7Japanese Lesson

By: Fusa Tamaki

コロケーション (Collocations)

To follow up on last month’s lesson, lets study some more collocations. Collocations are expressionsのたmade up of words that always go together. For example, of which of the two verbs「飲む」and「食べる」would you use in combination with either「コーヒー」or「パン」? That’s right, it’s 「コーヒーを
の

た

の

た

飲む」 and「パンを食べる」. The differentiation in using「飲む」for liquids and「食べる」for solids
しる

くすり

しる

is easy to understand. How would you go about「みそ汁」and「 薬 」though?「みそ汁」is a mixture
くすりof liquids and solids.「 薬 」is a solid. Therefore, if you try to apply the same rules used for bread and
しる

くすり

た

coffee, you wouldn’t know what to use for「みそ汁」and for「 薬 」. It would be「食べる」. However,
しる

くすり

の

for both「みそ汁」and「 薬 」, the correct verb is in fact「飲む」. You have no choice but to memorize
it. Let’s look at simliar expressions which also cannot be explained through logical thinking or
grammatical rules.
ねつ

For this months collocations, I chose two words particularly relevant for this season:「かぜ」and「熱」.
Words that come together as a set with「かぜ」
かい しゃ

１．かぜをひいて、会社をやすんだ I caught a cold, so I took a day off from work
さむ

２．寒くなり、かぜがはやってきました It’s getting colder, and a cold is going around
せきと

３．かぜにかかってしまい、咳が止まりません I’ve caught a cold and can’t stop coughing
つま４．妻のかぜがうつってしまった I’ve caught a cold from my wife
かる

びょういん

い

５．かぜが軽かったので、 病 院へ行きませんでした It was a minor cold, so I didn’t go to the doctor
かいしゃ

やす

ね

なお

６．会社を休んでぐっすり寝たら、かぜが治った As soon as I took a day off and had a good night’s
sleep, my cold went away
Words that come together as a set with「熱」
ねつ

ど

ねつ

１．かぜをひいて、38度の熱 がでた I’ve caught a cold and have a fever of 38 degrees
む すこ

げ んき

おも

ねつ

２．息子が元気がないと思っていたら、熱 があった
I thought my son didn’t seem well, and he indeed had a fever
あたま

いた

ねつ

かいしゃ

い

３． 頭 が痛かったが、熱 がないので会社へ行くことにしました。
My head hurt, but since I didn’t have a fever I went to work anyway
いち にち ね

ねつさ

４．一日寝たら、熱 が下がった。After a days sleep the fever went down
くすり

の

ねつ

たか

ねつ

あ

５． 薬 を飲んだのに、また熱 が上がってしまった Despite taking medicine, my fever went up again
のど

いた

い しゃ

み

６．熱 が高くて、喉が痛いので医者に診てもらった。I had high fever and a sore throat, so I went tosee a doctor【Test】Choose the correct word
１．かぜが（はやって かかって）いるので、うがいをしましょう。
ねつ

へ

さ

き ょう

がっこう

い

、今日は学校へ行きます。
２．熱が（減ったので 下がったので）
かる

すく

くすり

の

３．かぜが（軽かった 少なかった）ので、 薬 を飲まなかった。
ねつ

たか

おお

あたま

いた

ばん

はん

た

。
４．熱が（高くて 大きくて） 頭 も痛いので、晩ご飯を食べたくない。
びょういん

くすり

の

なお

５．病 院 の 薬 を飲んだら、かぜが（なくなった 治った）。

Answers：１. はやって

２. 下がったのでさ

３. 軽かったかる

４. 高くてたか

５. 治ったなおEvents & Memoranda

Todoroki Shrine Autumn Festival 2023
轟神社秋季例大祭り

The Annual Autumn festival, held on the second
Sunday of November every year, and is famous
for the "abaremikoshi" spectacle, whereby the"mikoshi" (portable shrine) is carried energeticallydown the steep stone steps descending from themain shrine to the Waterfall.
In this ritual, the mikoshi is plunged into thewaterfall basin, unfolding into a magnificent scenethat unites the bearers, mikoshi and nature.
When: November 12th (Sun.)
14:00 – Todoroki Shrine Ceremony
15:00 – Mikoshi Carrying (Main Shrine to
Waterfall)*Event dates and times may change, so pleaserefer to the website for the latest information.
Where: Kaiyo, Hirai Kareidani 21-1, Todoroki Falls
Inquiries: Todoroki Shrine
TEL: 0884-75-2216
URL: https://www.kaiyo-kankou.jp/en/event/todoroki-autumn-festival/

8

毎年 11 月第 2 日曜に行われる例大祭は、神社を出発して急な石段をかけ降り本滝に向かう暴れ神輿が有名で、特に御神輿を担いだまま滝壺に入る
滝渡御では人と神輿と自然が一体となるような荘厳な情景が繰り広げられます。
日時：
11 月 12 日 ( 日 ) 大里八幡神社秋祭り
14 時～轟神社で祭儀15 時～轟本滝神社への神輿お滝入り※開催日時は変更になる場合がございますので、最新情報はホームページでご確認ください。
場所：
海陽町平井字王余魚谷 21-1
問い合わせ：轟神社
TEL：0884-75-2216
URL：https://www.kaiyo-kankou.jp/event/
event-1055/

TOPIA Events
TOPIA のイベントのお知らせ① H e i s e i z a U N E S C O F u t u r e H e r i t a g e ① 平 成 座 ユ ネ ス コ 未 来 遺 産 登 録 10 周 年
Registration 10 Year Anniversary Performance「人形浄瑠璃記念公演」(Awa Ningyo Joruri Puppet Theater Performance)
11 月 26 日（日） 13：00 ～ 16：00 入場料必要
When: Nov. 26th (Sun.) 13:00-16:00（徳島市川内町 阿波十郎兵衛屋敷にて）
Fee: Admission Fee Required
Where: Awa Jurobe Yashiki,② とくしま農山漁村応援し隊
Kawauchicho, Tokushima City
12 月 10 日 ( 日 ) 8：30 ～ 17：00② Supporting Tokushima's Rural Areas
はっさくの収穫作業 （美馬市穴吹町にて）
Harvesting of Hassaku Oranges
When: December 10th (Sun.) 8:30-17:00③ 国際理解支援フォ－ラム
Where: Anabuki, Mima
12 月 13 日（水）13：30 ～ 15：00（アスティとくしまにて）③ International Understanding Forum
When: December 13th (Wed.)
13:30-15:00
Where: ASTY Tokushima◆ For detailed information, please refer
to our website/Facebook page.

◆ く わ し く は TOPIA ホ － ム ペ － ジ・
フイスブックをみてください。
TOPIA HP

9

Events & Memoranda
Tokushima Fall Foliage Map
徳島紅葉マップ
Miyoshi City

Tokushima City

Tsurugi (Mima)

Iya Valley Late October – Early November

Mt. Tsurugi Middle –Mt. Bizan

Oboke/Koboke Middle – Late November

Late October

Zuiganji Temple

Kazura Bridge Early – Middle November

Jorokuji Temple

Mt. Ryugatake Late October –Early – Middle
NovemberMiddle November
Mt. Hashikura Middle – Late November

Kamiyama (Myozai)

Unpenji Temple Late October –Kamiyama Shinrin Park

Early November

Middle November

Kamikatsu (Katsuura)
Tonokawauchi Keikoku
Late October – Early November

Kaiyo (Kaifu)
Todoroki Falls
Early – Late November

Naka (Naka)
Ko no Sekyo
Yaridokyo Valley
Ogama Falls
Late October – Middle November**Free General Consultation in Miyoshi City**
When: November 7th (Tue.) 13:00 - 16:00
Topics: Visas, Marriage/Divorce, Taxes, Insurance, Etc.
Languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese
See TOPIA's website for making a reservation!
https://www.topia.ne.jp/english/docs/2023101100026/

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)