aWa life

April 2018
# 331

Monitor Tour:New Discoveriesin Tokushima

Awa Shoku:
Sakura of the Sea

Welcoming New
TOPIA Staff &Farewell Message

1

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

First, we would like to apologize for not having an issue last month. We hope to make it up to you witha beautiful spring themed issue this month! Besides October, April is often considered the best time inJapan because the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in most regions of the country and the weather ispleasantly mild. Companies start their fiscal year, and schools start new classes from April. Moreover,a lot of things like marriage, traveling, moving, studying, and diet are talked about in this new season.
April gives the feeling of being refreshed and starting something new. So let's not become bothered byspring fatigue and enjoy the various aspects of spring.
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,
Daralyn, Franzi, and Tom

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:
Daralyn Yee, Franziska Neugebauer and Tom Wehrmann
Contributors This Month:Bethany Johnson, Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, Naomi Fukumi, Fusa Tamaki

2Contents

Pg. 2-3: Monitor Tour: New Discoveries in Tokushima
Pg. 4:

Welcoming New TOPIA Staff

Pg. 4-5: TOPIA Staff Farewell Messages
Pg. 5:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 6:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 7:

Awa Shoku: Sakura of the Sea

Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda

Monitor Tour: New Discoveries in Tokushima
By Bethany Johnson

Thanks to Discover Tokushima, I was fortunate
enough to participate on a tour around
Tokushima prefecture, visiting many places I’dnever seen before. Although I have been in
Tokushima for seven months, I feel like there
are always new things and beautiful places todiscover in this lovely prefecture.
On the tour, we first visited Omatsugongen Shrine
in Anan, the "cat shrine.” It’s a very lovely woodedarea, scattered with cat statues; we enjoyed taking
a walk through the lush green and fading winterflowers that withered on trees and gravestones,
and squeezing through rocky passages. Shinto
shrines are inexplicably lovely, and discovering
them buried deep in the mountains in the middleof nowhere is something I love about this historyrich place. Tokushima is ancient, and I always findmyself wondering how many generations havetread the paths of old towns like Sanagouchi,
Katsuura, Kamikatsu and Naka.
Next, we visited Tairyuji Temple, the 21st templeof the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. We took aropeway, gently floating over two mountains on

The 10 minute ropeway ride to Tairyuji Temple
offers a fantastic view over the surrounding
mountains.
the way to the top. The scenery below us was
pillowed with fall colours; soft greens and warm
yellows and browns. Despite it being winter, it
amazes me that Tokushima’s mountain trees retain
so much greenery. In Canada where I’m from,when winter comes all the trees shed their leaves,staying barren and frozen with a layer of snow. But
Tokushima doesn’t get cold enough for the snow
to stick around, which means a lot of different
types of trees can thrive here, too, I suppose!

3

Monitor Tour: New Discoveries in Tokushima

Riding the ropeway was one of my favourite partsof the tour. We spotted statues perched in the
distance as we passed. The ancient Japanesemust have been pretty tenacious to build a temple
so high up ona mountain.
Two of theother 88
temples,
Shousanji
and Kakurinji,
are similarly
situated atop
mountains
and arepretty perilous
to get to,especiallyby bus. But
the view
is definitely
w o r t h i t . Long stairs are leading to the main
hall of Tairyuji Temple.
Tairyuji was
my favourite of the temples I’ve visited thus far.
There’s a lot to see up there, and many routes towalk. I was surprised to even find a corner of themountain with a sign pointing down. “Great Naruto
Bridge” was written on it, meaning the bridge canbe seen from that location! (Although we didn’t
spot it that day! I think we needed to walk further
down.)

My favourite part of the tour was visiting astorehouse in Katsuura where they keep shelves
upon shelves of flawless mikan (mandarinoranges). These are stored and sold after the
mikan season ends,
but we were lucky
enough to be able tosample some! Mikan
are one of my favourite
fruits, and Katsuura
is famous for them.
These oranges were lush,juicy and perfectly sweet.
Happiness! We ate themwhile enjoying Katsuura’s
gorgeous scenery; dipping
mountains and layered rice
fields. Then we tossed theorange skins into the nearby
mikan grove to fertilize the ground.
We were also able to do kusaki dyeing. Various
natural dyes were laid before us, and I choose alovely yellow made from bark and we dyed somehandkerchiefs. Tokushima is known for its indigodye, so it was neat to be able to choose from sucha variety of other colours, and my handkerchief
turned out so nice!

Bethany and her friend Abby enjoying
the Monitor Tour!
The sign saying "Great Naruto Bridge" is pointing
in the direction where the bridge can be seen
under good weather conditions.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. I’ve seen
a lot of Tokushima, but I feel like there’s still somuch more to root out. My next goal is Iya Valley
and Oboke Gorge!

Welcoming New TOPIA Staff
By Yoshie HamaguchiN

ice to meet you everyone. My name is
Yoshie Hamaguchi and I started working
at TOPIA from February. Everyone at TOPIA iswonderful and I am glad that they have allowed
me to join the team.

4

visitors to Tokushima from abroad will feel that
Tokushima is a splendid place.
I’m still new, but I look forward to working with youall.

Some of my hobbies include making pancakes,
taking pictures, and singing songs. Lately oneof the things that I have started to enjoy is goingto Karaoke by myself, so I have added it as oneof my hobbies. Unfortunately, I have not been
abroad once. However, I am continuously hoping
for world peace. Even though our countries andculture are different, our existence as humans is
the same. I will put in my best efforts daily so that

TOPIA Farewell Messages
Thankful for Many Encounters
By Naomi Fukumi

When I came to TOPIA for the first time almost
3 years ago, I didn’t know what kind of place
TOPIA was and the specific type of work that was
being done here. My main job at TOPIA was togive multilingual support to overseas residents inTokushima, publish the Chinese newsletter “Awa
Seikatsu”, and also give tourist information to
overseas visitors. Additionally, I did a wide range"Think Globally, Act Globally"
By Haruka Uenishi
As I look back at the two years that I have workedof jobs unique to TOPIA related to activities such
as Japanese class, Arasowaren, International
Understanding Forum, and other various
volunteer activities. Through this job, I graduallycame to know about the circumstances ofoverseas residents in Tokushima and Tokushima’s
international relations, and information on tourist
attractions. This job has also allowed me tomeet a lot of people. I also want to thank thepeople who spoke with me directly, via e-mailor telephone, the readers of Awa Seikatsu, andall other people who have given their support inways unbeknownst to me. Only because of yourunderstanding and cooperation I was able to
make it this far. All of the work that I did was not
simple, but on the other hand I was satisfied by
the work I did. It would make me happy to knowthat I was able to be of service to you. These
three years at TOPIA have been an invaluable
experience and my world has become larger.
In conclusion, I would like to use this opportunity
to express my appreciation. Thank you verymuch.
as the Coordinator for International Cooperationin Tokushima prefecture, I would like to express
my thanks to everyone I have worked with. Twoand a half years ago, I finished my two-year5

appointment as a Japan Overseas Cooperation
Volunteer in Kenya. I remember that at the time,
I, who had just cameback home to Tokushima
at the time, gazed at
the city from the top of
Mt. Bizan and thought,“I want to do a job thatwould connect theworld with the wonderfulpeople and companies
o f To k u s h i m a . ” A f t e r
that, I luckily was
hired as a Coordinatorfor International
Cooperation. Through my work, I was able tohave countless encounters, and thanks to eachand every one that I have met, I have been able
to rediscover and recognize the wonderful thingsand people of Tokushima. I was once again able

TOPIA Farewell Messages
to feel that the world is small, but still seems wide,
and also far but still connected.
My position will change,
but I would like to continue
to use the experiencethat I have gained andmake Tokushima and theworld a better place with
Tokushima’s resources.
I was able to work inthis position for two
years with the support ofthose who participatedand cooperated withdispatched lectures, everyone who worked withme at TOPIA, and all of the JICA trainees. In the
future I want to keep involved in international
cooperation and regional revitalization, so I ask
for your continuous support. Thank you.

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

By Kazue Inoue (Center for Early Childhood Education and Care SUKETO NAKAYOSHI)I

n recent years, the number of children who
have entered kindergarten and certified
preschools has increased, and the amount ofchildren from 0-3 who come to visit child support
programs such as the Wanpaku Class and Child
Raising Support Center has also become larger.
When children pass the age of two, they become
self-centered and depending on the situation,
don’t listen to their parents obediently. With thischange in a child, it is difficult for parents to deal
with and it is most likely the case that they end up
scolding their children.
This period is really challenging for parents. On
top of having an understanding of raising children,
you must have patience with yourself as well. If
you feel like you need to scold your child morethan usual, take a step back, and take a deep
breath. After you calm down, find a way to settle
the situation. If you are still troubled, it is also
okay to cry and tell your child that you don’t knowwhat to do either.
It is also important to find a way to calm yourfrustrations. For example, some great ways
to calm down include eating delicious food,and going out and wearing your favorite outfit.
Sometimes it is important to spend time awayfrom your child and take a moment to refresh.
Soon it will be the perfect season to spend time
outdoors. When you head out to a place where
many parents and children gather, everyone canhave a break. You may also be able to meet somegreat parents and children.

＊＊＊
Rabbit Pen Holder
1) Open a 500ml milk pack and cut as shown inthe diagram.
2) Form the cut portion that you made in step one
in to a triangle shape, and attach with tape.
3) Open the legs and glue on thick paper. Draw aface on the rabbit and the pen holder is complete.

6Japanese Lesson
By Fusa Tamaki

つかかた「ちょっと」の使い方

In Japanese, a single word can have a variety of definitions. One of them includes the usage of “chotto”
in beginner’s grammar, when rejecting an invitation such as the「ちょっと」used in the sentence「アルバイトがあるので、ちょっと…」. Let’s take a look at the other possible definitions that it has.
ことわ

（１）
「断る」ときの「ちょっと」こんばん いっしょはんたＡ : 今晩、一緒にご飯を食べに行きませんか。
Ｂ：すみません、アルバイトがあるので、ちょっと…。

(1) Using “chotto” when rejecting
A: Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight?
B: Sorry, I have to work at my part time job
tonight, so…

い み

（２）
「すこし」という意味の「ちょっと」きゃくさま

Ａ：お 客 様、このジャケットはいかがですか？
すやす

Ｂ：デザインは好きなんだけど、もうちょっと安かった
らなあ。
よ

（３）
「呼びかけ」の「ちょっと」お

Ａ：ちょっと、すみません。ハンカチ落としましたよ。
Ｂ；あ、ありがとうございます。
い み（４）「かなり」という意味の「ちょっと」
りょう り

うでまえ

Ａ：ほんと、おいしかった！ 料 理の腕前、ちょっとしたもんだね。
Ｂ：そう、ほめてくれてうれしい。
ひなん(3) Using “Chotto” to get someone’s attention
A: Excuse me, Sir! You dropped yourhandkerchief!
B: Oh, thank you!
(4) Using “Chotto” to mean “quite”
A: That was very delicious! You’re quite good at
cooking aren’t you?
B: I’m glad you liked it!

つか（５）「非難している」ときに使う「ちょっと」ね

Ａ：ちょっと！

(2) Using “Chotto” to mean “a little”
A: What about this jacket for you, ma’am?
B: I like the design, but only if it were a little
cheaper…

お(5) Using “Chotto” when criticizing people

いつまで寝てるの。もう起きなさいよ。 A: Come on! How long are you going to sleep infor? Wake up!

Exercises:
How is “Chotto” used in the following sentences? In the parenthesis bellow, fill in the appropriate usage
with the corresponding number.
1) Rejection 2) “A little” 3) Get someone’s attention 4) “Quite” 5) Criticism
じつ

１．このかばん、実はちょっといいものなんですよ。
（
１．This bag is actually quite nice.
お

）

てつだ

２．ねえ、ちょっと。そっちが終わったら、こっちを手伝ってくれる？（）

２．Hey, Excuse me. Once you are finished there, could you help me here.
えいが み

い

こんど

どようび

３．その映画見たかったので行きたいんだけど、今度の土曜日はちょっと …。
（）

３．I wanted to go since I wanted to see that movie, but since I have work…
しぼ

４．すだちをちょっと絞っただけで、とてもさっぱりしておいしくなるのよ。
（）

４．By squeezing the sudachi on it just a little, it gives it a very refreshing and delicious taste.
さいふ

お

なんかいめ

５．ええ！ちょっと、また、財布、落としたの？これで何回目？（）

５．What! Come on, you dropped your wallet again? How many times have you dropped it already?
アルク

Answers: 1-(4) 2-(3) 3-(1) 4-(2) 5-(5)Reference: 場面別表現 205

7A

s the trees burst into cherry blossoms allover Japan this spring, the seas near Naruto
are also blooming…with tidal eddies known asuzushio ( 渦潮 ), which are at its full whirling powerin spring and fall. Fighting these intense currents
are one of the most delicious and symbolic fishin Japan, and now is an extra special season forthem.
If you look down into the water in Naruto andsee flashes of silver, those are madai ( 真 鯛 or
tai 鯛 red sea bream, Japanese red snapper),often referred to as the “King of Fish” and fetchinghigh prices in Japanese markets. Naruto’s sea
bream are particularly good as the fish have tofight to swim in the straits, which builds up ample
amounts of very firm flesh (think cross-training forfish). Japanese refer to this crunchy-firm texture
as korikori ( コ リ コ リ ), which is the perfect forsashimi and carpaccio. Incredibly, the fish willfight so hard against the currents here, they often
develop thickened tumor-like growths on theirbones, which is a sign that your fish really wascaught in Naruto.
Spring is a good season for these fish as theyswim into the shallows along the Seto Inland
Sea to spawn, when their meat is rich with a fairamount of fat. Some female fish don’t spawn,
and those are called sakura-dai ( 桜 鯛 ), literally“cherry blossom sea bream”, and their meat is
highly prized for its balanced fattiness.
There are so many ways to enjoy the meatinessof sea bream, but during this season you reallywant to choose dishes that showcase the wholefish. If you like sashimi, splurge on some ikezukuri ( 活 け 造 り ) or sugata-zukuri ( 姿 造 り ),where the fish is sliced and the meat is arranged
back on the fish, served with head and tail for
decoration, and body arched as if just out of theocean. Your main course can also feature theentire fish. Try houraku-yaki ( 宝楽焼 ), where thefish is placed on rocks and kelp in a special potof the same name, and surrounded by shellfish,
shrimp, and vegetables. A sprinkle of salt andsplash of sake, and the covered pot steam-roasts

Awa Shoku: Sakura of the Sea

By Lance Kita

everything to perfection. The classic dish is taimeshi ( 鯛飯 ), where rice is placed in a donabe( 土鍋 , ceramic or clay hotpot), and a whole sea
bream placed on top. The fish gently seasons therice as it cooks, and the flaky meat is mixed into
the rice before serving.

Sea bream's firm flesh is great for Western
dishes like this Italian aqua pazza.
Need a smaller, lunch-worthy option? Of course,sushi is always a great way to enjoy tai, and theraw slices are often marinated and served as adonburi ( 丼 , rice bowl), or placed on rice with tea
or dashi stock poured over it for a meal-ending (ordrinking night-ending) dish called ochazuke ( お茶漬け ). Many restaurants will not waste any partof this precious fish, and the head and bones areoften simmered in sweet soy sauce and served asara-daki ( あら炊き ) or ara-ni ( あら煮 ), a tasty
sidekick to your glass of sake or beer. Picking
through the bones for tasty morsels of meat is atreasure hunt you’ll want to try.
You’ll often see whole sea bream at weddings,
New Year, and other important occasions. That’s
because its name “tai” is associated with withthe word medetai ( 目 出 た い ), which means“celebratory, auspicious.” Its red and silver
color also match red and white, the traditionallyauspicious colors for Japanese ceremonies andrites of passage. This king of fish truly has noble
status among the Japanese people, and I can’t
think of a better way to celebrate the coming ofspring than by eating a celebratory fish with afighting spirit from our local waters at the peak of
its season. Enjoy!

Events & Memoranda

Tokushima Prefecture 2018
Japanese Speech Contest - Apply Now!

8

1. PURPOSE

True internationalization cannot be achieved without first coming in touch with othercultures and ways of life, fostering a sense of international awareness and gaining
mutual understanding with people of the world to create a society in which we canall work and live together in harmony. This speech contest seeks to give a voice tothe international residents of Tokushima Prefecture and engage them in a dialogue
to further discourse on cross-cultural understanding and fostering multiculturalism.

2. DATE & PLACE		

July 22nd, 2018 (Sunday), 13:30 - 16:30
Awagin Hall (Tokushima Prefecture Kyodo Bunka Kaikan), Small Hall (5F)

3. ELIGIBILITY		

Only foreign residents whose native language is not Japanese are eligible to apply.
(However, foreign residents who have had over three years of compulsory
education in Japan and those who have previously won the Grand Prize or theTokushima Prefectural Assembly's Chairman of the Federation of International
Exchange Assembly Members Award are not eligible to apply.)

4.

SELECTION

Application will be open to all foreign residents of Tokushima Prefecture that fulfil
the eligibility requirements. We will ask all applicants to submit an outline of theirspeech (about 800 characters), and after reviewing all of the applications, roughly
10 or so applicants will be chosen to proceed to the final contest.

5.

THEME

The topic is left to your discretion, but it should relate to the event's purpose of
fostering cross-cultural understanding and multiculturalism.

6.

LENGTH

Speeches should be no more than 6 minutes in length.

7.

AWARDS

Grand Prize, one person (Prize: 50,000 yen gift certificate)
The Tokushima Prefectural Assembly's Federation of International Exchange
Assembly Members Chairman’s Award, one person (Prize: 30,000 yen gift
certificate)
Awa Bank Award, one person (Prize: 30,000 yen gift certificate)
Tokushima Bank Award, one person (Prize: 30,000 yen gift certificate)
Tokushima Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award, one person (Prize: 30,000
yen gift certificate)
Tokushima City International Association Special Recognition Award, three people(Prize: 10,000 yen gift certificate)Special Effort Award, to be decided (Prize: 5,000 yen gift certificate)*All participants will receive a participation award.

8.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your application form by mail or fax. Alternatively, you may submit yourapplication in person.

9. DEADLINE		May 29th, 2018 (Tuesday)
Applications must be turned in by 17:00.

10. ORGANIZED BY

Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)

11. CO-ORGANIZER		 Tokushima Regional Conference for Promotion of Student Exchange
12. SPONSORS				The Tokushima Prefectural Assembly's Federation of International Exchange
Assembly Members, Awa Bank, Tokushima Bank, Tokushima Chamber of 		Commerce and Industry, Tokushima International Association (TIA),
Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Nichia Corporation, (TBA)

13. WITH THE
SUPPORT OF

NHK Tokushima, Shikoku Broadcasting, Tokushima Shimbun, Cable TV Tokushima,
FM Tokushima, FM Bizan, (TBA)

14. WHERE TO APPLYTokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)〒 770-0831 1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi, Tokushima City, Clement Plaza 6F
TEL: 088-656-3303 FAX: 088-652-0616

9Events & Memoranda
Hana Haru Festa 2018
はな・はる・フェスタ 2018

In addition to being able to watch indoor andoutdoor performances of Awa Odori dancegroups, this fun event is jam packed with agourmet street where you can try Tokushima’s
delicacies, stage performances, and a corner
where you can enjoy traditional culture. Scan the
QR-code for more information.

阿波おどり有名連の豪華競演を屋内外でたっぷりとご覧いただけるほか、徳島のおいしいものが並ぶグルメストリートや、ステージイベント、伝統文化の体験コーナーなど、楽しいイベントが目白押しです！もっと詳しい情報は QR コードをご確認ください。

When: April 21st & 22nd
Where: Tokushima City Aibahama Park, 		Shinmachi Boardwalk, etc.
Fee: Free
Info: Hana Haru Festa Executive Committee
OfficeTel:088-655-7331

日時： 4 月 21 日・22 日
場所： 徳島市 藍場浜公園、しんまちボード		ウォークほか
料金： 無料
問い合わせ：はな・はる・フェ
スタ実行委員会事務局
TEL： 088-655-7331

Tokushima Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots
徳島県桜名所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 isavailable in English and Japanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not beable to deal with all cases.
Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)