aWa life

February 2018
# 330

Daralyn’s Lunar
New Year
Awa Shoku: Luck of
the Roll

AJET Musical:
TokuSing Animal Music

1

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

We have entered in to one of the coldest months in the calendar, February. Luckily we have articles
and events in this month's Awa Life to warm up your spirits! First, read more about the folks at AJETMusical putting in their best efforts in to this year's musical production, "TokuSing: Tokushima's Got
Talent". You can also journey with Daralyn to her warm and sunny hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii tofind out more about how Lunar New Year is celebrated outside of Asia! Please take care of your healthand stay warm.
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:
Jaime Smith, Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, Adam Christenson, Sachiko Muramatsu, Coal Chris

2

Contents
Pg. 2-3:

AJET Musical: TokuSing - Animal MusicPg. 4-5:

Bringing in the New Year Twice: Daralyn’s Lunar 				

New YearPg. 5:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 6:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 7:

Awa Shoku: Luck of the Roll

Pg. 8-9:

Events and Memoranda

AJET Musical: TokuSing - Animal Music
By Adam Christenson

R

eturning to Tokushima from Christmas
vacation, my eye glanced upon a strange
news report playing on the airport television:"Reports of unusual animal behavior in every
corner of Tokushima." Is El Niño to blame? I
didn’t think much of it at first, dismissing it asanother nightly news fluff piece, and when I finally
returned to my apartment in Miyoshi, I collapsed
into slumber, exhausted from my travels. My
rest was short lived, however, for early in themorning, a resounding blast from an elephant’s
trunk interrupted my snooze! At first I thought
I dreamed it, but no - the ringing in my ears
confirmed the one of a kind sound. As frightened
as I was, however, I must admit that it sounded
nice - a strong vibrato, carrying the weight ofthe performer and the unchecked emotion ofsomeone releasing all their cares. A richness ofsound danced in my ears - the elephant sings!
Fascinated, I surveyed Facebook for answers.
What could this mean? Animals were singing
everywhere, from gospel-growlin’ geese to
deep bluesy turtles to heavy metal hedgehogs.
Wherefore this wondrous occurrence? What

could the occasion be? The Tokushima Musical,of course! This will be the 24th incarnation of
the musical. It is a long tradition that has been
passed down in the community, and the castis very excited to bring you this production for
free thanks to the generousity of the community!
Everything in the show is created and directed
by JET programme participants and members of
the community - from the props to the costumes
to the script. Work began in October and the firstrehearsal started this month in January. Plenty oftime until the first show in March!

Rehearsals started - everybody is getting
prepared!

3

AJET Musical: TokuSing - Animal Music
Buster Moon, an eternally optimistic koala, as heseeks to reinvent himself and his theater with amusical contest. Not everything goes as planned,

The crew is getting organized forbackdrop and props.
Auditions were a lot of fun for everyone involved.
Each actor submitted a singing sample and had
the opportunity to play with the script, trying out
different combinations of lines and roles. The
actors played different types of theater games
like Zip-zap-zop andNinja to warm up andbuild camaraderie.
The theater should bea place of trust, andit seems that the castwill be no exception.
The script writing
process was hard
work! It was a teame ff o r t t o c o n d e n s e
the long, movie sized
script into somethingusable on the stage,
but the hard-working
script team reallycame through. Theirgoals were to make iteasy to understand forEnglish and Japanese
speaking audiencesalike, as well as makesure that the music is
fun and compliments
the events on stage.
The story follows

Original choreography is created by the
hardworking cast members.
as there are many obstacles to overcome. There’s
the old, rickety theater that must be taken careof, no money to fund the budget, and most of all,the motley groupof singers must
learn to believe inthemselves. Will
they come together
and put on thegreatest show
To k u s h i m a h a sever seen? Findout at one of thefive performances
below.
This adaptation
features easier
English and someJapanese forpeople who needhelp following
along, and ofcourse, you don’t
need to understandevery word to enjoy
the rockin’ music!
Please come out
and enjoy the show!

4

Bringing in the New Year Twice: Daralyn’s Lunar New Year
By Daralyn Yee

H

ow do you bring in the New Year? Becauseof my Chinese and Japanese ethnic
background, I am able to celebrate New Year’s
twice! This makes for double the excitement in
the beginning of the year. After bringing in the
new year on January 1st, about a month later, it
is time to celebrate the new year’s again throughShunsetsu ( 春 節 Lunar New Year)! You may
think that this is only celebrated in Asia, butothers of East Asian roots in other countries arecelebrating this holiday around the world too. In
this article I would like to take you on a journey
to Hawaii and tell you how I celebrate the Asian
Lunar New Year outside of East Asia.
Lunar New Year marks the beginning of spring
and the New Year for many countries across East
Asia. Because it is based off of the lunar calendar,
the date changes every year. Traditionally it isa major holiday where offerings are made togods and ancestors, and is a time to bring family
together. Many people in Hawaii are ethnically
Chinese, and this holiday is a great way for us
to not only celebrate but to also come to know
more about our culture. When I lived in Hawaii,
I looked forward to the vibrant celebrations heldin our local Chinatown, and visiting my popo ( 婆婆 grandma) and gung gung ( 公 公 grandpa) ’s
house every year.
Lunar New Year celebrations in Hawaii start off in
Chinatown a few weeks before the actual date.
On one of the weekends, some of the main streetsof the town are closed off and a block party fullof food and product booths, performances, and aparade ensues. Walking through the streets, youwill spot a few symbols of the New Year. First,
you will see Daffodils, also known as Narcissus
Flower, being sold at many shops. This flower,with a yellow cup like corona surrounded by white
petals, is a sign of prosperity and good fortune.
The bulb is held in place with pebbles in a dishfilled with water, and placed in the sun. Its lightfragrance is a reminder that spring is ahead.
Second, you will see the brightest shade of red
used on decorations of many varieties such as
lanterns. This is a color known for good fortune

The best part of this loud and energetic
performance is the close-up interaction that thelions have with the audience.
and joy and during the event it brightens up thetown. Third, no matter what corner you turn, youwill see a Southern style lion dance performance.
The purpose of this dynamic performing art is toscare away the evil spirits with the loud noises of
the gong, drums, and fireworks lit up preluding
the performance. People in Hawaii often “feed”
the lions’ money for good luck. Not only is it agreat method of warding off evil spirits, it is also
amusing to watch the dancers make the lion
look alive and move to the beat of the gongs anddrums. Taking in the sights and sounds of thecelebrations is a great start to my “Second New
Year”, and I always look forward to it.
On the day of Lunar New Year, I call my
grandparents and greet them with “Gong Hey
Fat Choi” ( 恭 喜 發 財 ), which is Cantonese for“May you have a prosperous New Year”. Usually
it is a regular work/school day back in Hawaii,
so we wait to visit them at their house during theweekend. In the meantime, my family usually
has some Gau, also known as Nin Gou ( 年糕 ),which we buy from the festivities in Chinatown.
It is a sweet and sticky New Year’s rice cake,with a date decorated in the middle. It symbolizes
advancement and growth because it sounds
similar to “Year high” ( 年高 ). When we finally visiton the weekend, my grandma had already been
busy in the kitchen making Jai ,also known as5Bringing in the New Year Twice: Daralyn’s Lunar New Year

Lo Han Jai ( 羅 漢 齋 ), for every single memberof our family and even enough to take home
leftovers. It is a soy sauce based vegetarian dishwith more than 10 different ingredients that are
typically not eaten in Western countries. A coupleof my favorite ingredients include golden lily buds,
symbolizes wealth; tree ear fungus, symbolizes
longevity; and black mushrooms, welcoming
spring and symbolizes taking opportunities. And
lastly, we can’t forget the red money envelopes,
lai see ( 利 市 , also known as 紅 包 ) ! The
envelopes have various words in Chinese written
on it, and lucky symbols wishing for luck or good
health. I can feel my grandparent’s well wishes
through all of the things that they kindly prepare.
As you may have realized while reading thisarticle, there are so many symbols during the
Lunar New Year that bring good wishes for the
New Year. I am lucky to have been brought
up in this rich culture where I can receive well
wishes all the time, even through delicious food!

Fresh Lo Han Jai made by my popo!
Having the opportunities to learn about Chinese
New Year culture in Hawaii has given me a newunderstanding for my family’s culture, and givesme the chance to celebrate the new years in two
different ways. I hope that all of you will have thesame chance to celebrate New Year’s in this new
way too!

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

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

t is finally February. Though according to thecalendar it is considered to be “spring”, the cold
weather continues, so please be sure to take careof your health. In this season when it is easy tocatch a cold, there are a lot of children who havea runny nose, and this causes many children tohave a middle-ear infection. One way to prevent
this is connected to blowing your nose, so let’s
practice blowing our noses.
First, close your child’s mouth, and close one
side of your child’s nose. Then, have your childblow out air from one nostril. At that time, besure to time the blowing by saying “Fun” (blowing
sound). However, be sure that your child does
not blow too hard as it will damage their ears.
For children who have a difficulty blowing theirnose, wet a piece of small tissue and put the tip
in to the opening of your child’s nose. As theybreathe, the tissue will move around, and thismakes for an interesting means of practicing.

Though there are individual differences, amajority of children are able to blow their nosewell by the age of 3. Until they are able to blow
their nose, be sure to assist your child in blowing
their nose.
＊＊＊
Talking Dog

1) Overlap two strips of paper with the dimensionsof 3cmx12cm and fold 1/3 of each strip outwards.
2) Take a 3cmx12cm strip of paper and wrap it
around the center of the folded paper you createdin step 1. (Glue the strip together)
3) If you move the wrapped strip of paper back,the dog’s mouth will open.
4) Cut parts of the strip to make a tail for the dog
and glue the two strips together. To top it off,
attach a face, nose, and mouth.

6Japanese Lesson
By Sachiko Muramatsu「で」「に」「～において」A lot of particles exist in the Japanese language, and each of them have different ways of use. This
month, let’s learn how to express a location with particles. In this lesson, we will study the particles「で」and「に」and the phrase「～において」which can be used in the same way.
Maria, a student, is asking her teacher a question in Japanese class.
せんせい

こ

がっこう

じゅぎょうさんかん

し

も

かえ

なか

マリア：先生、きのう子どもが学校から授 業参観のお知らせを持って帰ったんですが、その中に		
じゅぎょうさんかん ご

きょうしつがっきゅうこんだんかい おこな

か

きょうしつ

「授 業参 観後、教室において学 級懇談会も行います。
」と書いてありました。
「教室において」
きょうしつ

おな

い み

というのは「教室で」と同じ意味ですか。
あらた

先

い

かた

ことば

つか

い み

生：そうですよ。改まった言い方をするときに「～において」という言葉を使いますが、意味は「で」とおなじですよ。

マリア : わかりました。ありがとうございました。
「で」、「に」、and「～において」can be used in the following ways:
★「で」
：

きょうしつ

べんきょう

① Marks the place where an action has occured.（e.g. 教 室で勉強する）
たいいくかん

たいかい② Marks a place of which an event is happening. (e.g. 体育館でスポーツ大会がある）

★「に」
：

いえ

なか

ねこ

① Marks the location of where something exists.（e.g. 家の中に猫がいる）

にわ

はな

さ

② Marks the place of an action or condition that is actively occurring.
（e.g. 庭に花が咲いている）★「～において」：

Marks a place at which something is happening. It has the same meaning as「で」but sounds
さくじつ

だい

そつぎょうしきmore formal and is not used in daily conversations.（e.g. 昨日、この大ホールにおいて卒 業式
おこなが行われました）
Practice:
Please fill in「で」,「に」or「～において」in the brackets。
あにいまけいえいがく

１．兄は今、アメリカ（
わたし せんしゅうに ち よ う び いちにちじゅういえほん

２．私は先週の日曜日、一 日中家（
ねん

べんきょう

）経営学（business economics）を勉強している。
よさんぽ）いて、本を読んだり、散歩したりしていた。

がつ とお かし ちょうしゃへ い わ しょう３．2017 年 12 月 1 0 日、ノルウェーのオスロ市 庁 舎（city hall）（
じゅしょうしき）ノーベル平和賞 の		

おこな

授 賞式（award ceremony）が行われた。
だいがく

しょくどう

にわ

くさ

５．庭（
ほんじつ

りゅうがくせい）留学生のパーティーがあります。
は

じかん

くさと

) 草がいっぱい生えてきたので、2 時間くらい草取りをした。
こっかい

６．本日、国会（

しゅしょう

し せ い ほうしんえんせつ

おこな）首相の施政方 針演説（administrative policy speech）が行われる。
参考文献 : 初級日本語文法総まとめ、中級日本語文法要点整理（スリーエーネットワーク）
Answers: １．
（で） ２．
（に） ３．
（において）
４．
（で） ５．（に） 6．（において）こんや

４．今夜、大学の食堂（

7

F

ebruary 3 is Setsubun ( 節分 ), which literallymeans “seasonal divider,”and is just one of 24 suchtraditional checkpoints during
the year. Setsubun is considereda time when “oni” ( 鬼 , ogres,demons) appear and bringsickness and calamity. People
throw beans (roasted soybeans
or in Eastern Japan peanuts) attheir door, saying “Oni wa soto,
fuku wa uchi”「鬼は外、福は内 」(Ogres out! Luck in!). People eat
the same number of beans as
their age for good health.

Awa Shoku: Luck of the Roll

By Lance Kita

flavors have been added, like kaisen-maki ( 海鮮巻 き ) with strips of sashimi andseafood, maguro rolls, salmon
rolls, and fried shrimp rolls. This
Osaka tradition is spreading
nationwide.

So how old is this tradition?
The roots of this are rolled up in
mystery. It isn’t clear when thistradition started, though there arereferences to it during the Taisho
and Showa Period in Osakasushi restaurant advertisements.
After the war, mention of thistradition faded out until a
Beans are still a big part of the How can sushi ward off demons resurgence in the 1960s.
and misfortune? Read morecelebration, but over the last two about ehou-maki in this article.
decades, so is…sushi?? And
I remember the rolls of sushi
not the little conveyor belt ones,in convenience stores in the
but a whole maki-zushi ( 巻き寿late 1990s when I worked in司 ), with fillings and rice rolled
Matsushige as a JET Programme
into a cylinder with a sheet of
ALT, and that coincided with anori seaweed. Usually sliced, inhuge push by conbini to sell them
Osaka it’s eaten whole, facing a
all over the country. February iscertain auspicious direction (thata slow time for businesses, andchanges every year) without
this was a way to drum up sales,
speaking…!?!?!?!?
similar to the way Valentine’s
Day chocolates were a result
These rolls of sushi are calledof Japanese candy companies
ehou-maki ( 恵 方 巻 き , lucky
looking to increase profits in the
direction rolls), and the basic
1960s. Surprised? Shocked?
o n e s h a v e c u c u m b e r, e g g ,You’d be more surprised how
kampyou ( 干ぴょう , simmered
many food-based “traditions”
gourd strips), and eel in them. This kaisen-maki rolled sushi
have economically-driven origins.
is a modern variant on an
Other ingredients include koya- unusual Setsubun tradition.
The toshikoshi soba ( 年 越 しdofu ( 高 野 豆 腐 , simmered
蕎 麦 ) noodles eaten on New
freeze-dried tofu), shiitake mushrooms, carrots, Year’s Eve and fried chicken at Christmas are justand sakura-denbu ( 桜 で ん ぶ , a sweet pink a few more examples of this.
flaky powder made from ground-up seafood).
This is also a basic recipe for maki-zushi, and can Today, you can find almost anything rolled to eat
be ordered year-round as futo-maki ( 太 巻 ) or for Setsubun, from yakiniku beef to vegetarian
inaka-maki ( 田舎巻 ).
sushi rolls, and even long skinny rolled cakes withwhipped cream for those with the sweet tooth.
You’ll find ehou-maki lined up on the shelves This year, face south-southeast, chow down onof supermarkets and convenience stores on your rolled food in silence, and contemplate the
February 2nd and 3rd. Recently, all kinds of good things to come this year. Have fun!

8

Events & Memoranda
Labor Consultation
労働相談会

This consultation time is open to workers andentrepreneurs. Three members, including members
representing public organizations, employees, andemployers will be available for consultation.

お困りの労働、事業主の方はお気軽にどうぞ

When: All Thursdays in 2018 14:00 - 16:00
February 1, 8, 15, 22 & March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Where: Tokushima Prefectural Office 11th Floor 		
Labor Relations Committee
Fee:
Free
★ Please make a reservation the day before
appointment by 15:00.
★ All consultation will be conducted in Japanese.
Please be sure to provide your own interpreter.

日時： 平成 30 年毎週木曜日

公益・労働者側・使用者側の 3 人の委員が相談に応じます。
14 時～ 16 時

2 月 1 日、8 日、15 日、22 日
3 月 1 日、8 日、15 日、22 日、29 日
場所： 徳島県庁 11 階労働委員会
料金： 相談無料★ 前日の午後 3 時までに予約してください。

19th Annual Shikoku Sake Festival
第 19 回 四国酒まつり
You can taste all of Shikoku’s high quality sakebrands in one place and compare them.

四国各地の銘酒を、一堂に飲み比べできる地酒試飲会！

When: February 24th, Tasting from 10:00-16:00,
Evening Event from 20:00-21:30
Where: Awa Ikeda Station Area
Fee:
Tasting - Advanced Tickets 1,600 yen/ At
the door 1,800 yen
Evening Event - Advanced Tickets 2,000
yen/ At the door 2,300 yen★ The event is part of the Kansai International
Tourism Year. When you show your foreign passport
at the reception desk, you can buy day tickets for thetasting event at a discounted price of 1,600 yen.
Info:
Awa Ikeda Chamber of Commerce
Tel： 0883-72-0143

日時： 2 月 24 日、酒試飲会 10 時～ 16 時
夕べ 20 時～ 21 時半		
場所： 阿波池田駅周辺
料金： 酒試飲会 前売り券 1,600 円／当日券		
1,800 円
夕べ 前売り券 2,000 円／当日券 2,300 円★ 本イベントは、「ＫＡＮＳＡＩ国際観光ＹＥＡ R」の連携イベントです。当日券をご購入の際、地酒試飲会受付にパスポートをご提示いただくと、通常1,800 円のところ 1,600 円でご入場いただけます。
問い合わせ：阿波池田商工会議所
TEL： 0883-72-0143“Grow full of energy straight toward the heavens” like
Anan City’s famous bamboo. This festival will be a
fun event offering a broad variety of activities, stage
events, and special products.

阿南市の特産である「竹」のように、「まっすぐ勢い
天に向かって伸びていく」ということで特産品まつり、各種体験コーナー、ステージイベントなど楽しい催しが予定されております。

When: February 25th, 9:00-15:00
Where: Anan City Office
Fee:
Free
Info:
Anan City Living Bamboo Festival Executive 		Committee (Anan City Commerce & Tourism Division)
Tel:0884-22-3290

日時： 2 月 25 日 9 時～ 15 時
場所： 阿南市役所
料金： 無料
問い合わせ：阿南市活竹祭実行委員会（阿南市商工観光課内）

26th Annual Anan Living Bamboo Festival
第 26 回阿南市活竹祭

9Events & Memoranda
Big Hina Matsuri
ビッグひな祭り

The Big Hina Matsuri, which started in 1988 iscelebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Dolls thatare no longer used have been collected, blessed, andput on display for all to see. At the venue you can see
the “100-stair Doll Display” centerpiece that is 8m tall,and 30,000 dolls that are elegantly displayed.

昭和 63 年の春に始まったビッグひな祭りは、今回で30 回目を迎えます。本祭では、全国より、家庭で飾られなくなった雛人形を集め、供養し、展示させていただいております。場内には、中央にそびえ立つ
高さ約 8m「百段のひな壇」をはじめ、約 3 万体もの雛人形が豪華絢爛に飾られています。

When: February 18th - April 8th, 9:00 -16:00
Where: Doll Culture Exchange Hall (Katsuura)
Fee:
Adults 300 yen
Elementary School 300 yen
Info:Doll Cultural Exchange Center
Tel:0885-42-4334

日時： 2 月 18 日～ 4 月 8 日、9 時～ 16 時
場所： 人形文化交流館（勝浦）
料金： 大人 300 円
子供 100 円
問い合わせ：人形文化交流館
TEL:
0885-42-4334

Meiji University Mandolin Club Charity Concert
明治大学マンドリン倶楽部チャリティー演奏会
Come and see this prestigious Mandolin Club from
Meiji University (Tokyo) perform in Tokushima City!
Be taken on a musical journey while listening to theunique sounds of the mandolin. Due to the generosityof the Mandolin Club, the foreign residents ofTokushima have been invited to this event for free.
Visit TOPIA for free tickets to this event. Tickets will
be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.
When: March 1st (Thur) 18:30Where: Asty Tokushima
Info:
TOPIA
Fee:
Free tickets provided at TOPIA on a first 		come, first serve basis.
Tel:088-656-3303

演奏会を通して、マンドリンの特有の美しい音色を聞きながら、素敵な時間をお楽しみいただけます。
マンドリン倶楽部様のお計らいでトピアで招待券を沢山お預かりしております。県内在住外国人の皆様やトピア関係者の皆様で参加希望の方はぜひトピアまでチケットを取りにお越しください。
日時： 3 月１日（木）18 時半～
場所： アスティとくしま
お問い合わせ：徳島県国際交流協会
料金： トピアで無料券を配布いたしております。
( 先着順 )
TEL:

088-656-3303

Correction/ 訂正 :『阿波ライフ』1 月号 8 ページの「災害時ボランティア通訳研修」のお知らせ内容に以下の誤りがありました。
（誤）2 月 17 日（土）→（正）2 月 18 日（日）読者の皆様に謹んでお詫び申し上げ、訂正いたします。

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 is available in English andJapanese. 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: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)