#293

awa life

December 2014

A 100-year History of Foreigners and the Shikoku Pilgrimage
Part 1
By David C. MoretonW

ith the end of 2014 quickly approaching,special events held at temples and museums around Shikoku commemorating thefounding of the Shikoku pilgrimage route by
Kūkai/Kōbō Daishi 1200 years ago will end.
However, few people are aware that 2014 also
marks the 100th year of foreigners observing
and experiencing this increasingly popular pilgrimage route. In two articles I would like todescribe key people, events and publications
related to this under examined part of the history of the Shikoku pilgrimage.
The earliest reference to the Shikoku pilgrimage is made by the Portuguese writer and naval officer Wenceslau de Moraes (1854-1929).
Moraes lived in Kobe between 1898 and 1913
and in Tokushima from 1913 until his deathin 1929. He was a prolific writer about life inJapan. In “Bon-Odori in Tokushima – Essaysof a Portuguese hermit in Japan” there is anentry dated July 14, 1914 in which he wrote,“Something should be said with respect to thepilgrims of Tokushima, ohenrosan, the `noble
pilgrims` as they are called here. It might bebetter to say – pilgrims of Shikoku…the pilgrim
must expose himself to a thousand risks and athousand fatigues; the greater the adventures
A 100-year History...continued on page 3

Inside awa life This Month

Page 1, 3-4: A 100-year History of Foreigners and the Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 1
Page 4-6: Day Trip to Temples 13 Through 17
Page 6-7: Characteristics of the Ningyo Joruri; Page 7: Letter From Suketo Hoikuen
Page 8-9: Japanese Lesson
Page 9-10: Student Ambassadors: From France to Tokushima
Page 11: Recipe Corner, Autumn is Festival Season
Page 12: Events & Memoranda
1awa life is a monthly publication of theTokushima Prefectural International Exchange
Association (TOPIA)

Editors:
Jenifer Tanikawa & Till Dumke
Contributors This Month:David C. Moreton, Tanisha Melanie Campbell,
Awa Jurobe Yashiki, Kazue Inoue, Yoko Aoki,
Students of Institution Saint Joseph, Aparna
Matale, Shinobu Watari

To k u s h i m a P r e f e c t u r a l I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Exchange Association (TOPIA)
Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@topia.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!

Show Tokushima Some Love: Awaglot
The literary corner of AwaLife,
Awaglot, is a combination of
the words "awa" and "polyglot",which means multilingual. Be
it fiction, nonfiction, prose or
poetry; funny, sad, long or short,
we want your submissions! If
you like to write, then express
yourself!
There is also a classifieds
section for you, our readers, topost ads in, but a few rules doapply!

The following will not be
posted: Religious, political,
or commercial activities,businesses searching for clientsor employees, things the Awa
Life editors deem inappropriate.
BUT, you can totally submit
this stuff: concerts, lectures,and other event information,
cultural, sporting, and othercommunity group information,
etcetera.

Snow starting to fall on the mountainside2

If you have something you
would like to share with theTokushima community, email
the editors at:awalife@gmail.com!

Foreigners and the Shikoku Pilgrimage(Con't from Page 1)

A young Frederick Starrfor his devotions, the moremeritous his actions become…”(p60) Unfortunately Moraes
does not mention in his writings
about experiencing the pilgrimage himself.
The first Westerner to embark
on the Shikoku pilgrimage wasFrederick Starr (1854-1933),
an American anthropologist
from the University of Chicago. In 1917, he completed half
the route from Matsuyama to
Komatsushima in about ten
days, and then in 1921, madethe whole pilgrimage startingand finishing from Komatsushima by foot, rickshaw and train
in about thirty days. Starr had
a great interest in Kūkai/Kōbō
Daishi and this was his main
reason for making the pilgrimage. The other motive was toobserve the compassionate
customs of the Shikoku people.
However, in his diaries and letters to his mother he often complained about the risks and fatigue mentioned by Moraes. For
example, “If I had really realized
its length and difficulties, I doubt
I would have had the courage toundertake it.” (March 27, 1921
letter). On the other hand, Starralso frequently mentioned being

welcomed and treated with hospitality wherever he went. He
was so impressed by his reception at Kompira Shrine in Kagawa prefecture during his firstpilgrimage that he wrote “Courtesy and Hospitality” with brushand black ink on paper - now aframed memoir hanging in theshrine museum today. At theend of his 1921 pilgrimage hewrote a letter to all eight-eighttemples in which he expressed
his gratitude for kindness shownto him and said that the pilgrimage around Shikoku had been
one of the most interesting experiences in his life.
In July 1914, World War I brokeout and close to 5,000 Germans
were captured by the Japanese
during the Siege of Tsingtao in
China in early November 1914.
The Germans were split up and
put into PoW camps around Japan, of which one was Tokushima – close to the present-day
prefectural office buildings.
Then when a new camp called
Bandō ( 板 東 ), was completed
between Temple 1, Ryozenji
and Temple 2, Gokurakuji inearly April 1917, Germans froma few camps were moved here.
The Japanese commander wasvery accommodating and let theGermans interact relatively freely with the local people. In fact,in early March of 1918 an exhibition was held on the groundsof Ryozenji and at a publichall across the street from thetemple. Here the Germans
displayed art objects they had
made, sold food and played music on the temple grounds. The
twelve day event was so popular that approximately 45,000
people came to visit. This is the
only case when a temple along
the Shikoku pilgrimage was
directly involved with PoWs.
In June, one German wrote alengthy article entitled, “Pilgrimage to the Eighty-eight Holy
Places of Shikoku” in the camp
newsletter. In it, he stated thata “real” pilgrim does not use
trains, bus, rickshaw or ship,
but walks the pilgrimage. As
well, that the spring is the best
time to make the pilgrimage andsettai (the custom of giving) isa tradition seen in the village
along the way. (Die Baracke,
June 8, 1918)
The war ended in 1918, yet theBando camp did not close until
1920 and even still some Germans decided to stay and workin Japan. One of them was
Hermann Bohner who foundSign written by Frederick Starr in 1917
3

Foreigners and the Shikoku Pilgrimage(Con't from Page 3)

work for his younger brother,
Alfred Bohner (1884-1954),
in Matsuyama. In 1922 Alfred
came with his wife from Germany and stayed for six years.
In 1927, he completed the pilgrimage and in 1931 publishedan academic book about the
Shikoku pilgrimage including
about ninety photographs oftemples and pilgrims. Bohner,
like Starr, received a lot of gifts
and kindness from the local
people, but sometimes it led tohumorous situations. For example he wrote that as a German
he was repeatedly given beer at
breakfast because it is written injunior high school textbooks thatbeer replaces tea in Germany.
But he is greatly surprised tothe degree at which this selflesscustom of giving is carried out
and said that it is something
not dreamed of in modern cities, even in Japan. Copies of
Alfred’s original book are very
hard to find, but in recent years,
the author has republished theGerman edition as well as published an English translation,
which was done by an American
friend of Alfred’s in 1941.
Then for the next forty years
until the late 1960s there are
no references of non-Japanesecoming to make the Shikoku
pilgrimage nor are there any
publications about their experiences. There are only a few
short descriptions of certain

temples along the pilgrimage
route in guidebooks made forforeign tourists. For example,
in 1936 and 1947 the Japanese Tourist Bureau publisheda small booklet in English titled“How to See Shikoku” on which
they put a pilgrim on the cover and state that “Shikoku has
been a land of pilgrims and the
88 temples of [Kōbō] Daishi are
still preserved.” Unfortunately
the history of foreigners and the
Shikoku pilgrimage does not resume until Oliver Statler comesto Matsuyama in 1968. The next
article will examine the period
from Statler until the presentday.

Day Trip to Temples 13 Through 17

By Tanisha Melanie Campbell
we may randomly be greeted by
the locals who will give us small
gifts, osettai ( お 接 待 ), for the
tough journey ahead. In return,
we give out a small piece of
paper with our name written on
it called a gan-i ( 願 意 ). The
gan-i represents our gratitude
and our ‘heart’ as the people
around us support us in theirown way.

T

Japanese garden at the kokubunji temple

he staff for the Shikoku
Walking event had explained
the basics to us as we wereriding the bus to the first site. A
henro ( 遍路 ) is translated to apilgrim. They walk from temple
to temple for spiritual training.
4

The pilgrims’ goal is to beenlightened and to experiencea satori ( 悟り). We are adorned
with a walking stick called atsue ( 杖 ) and a straw hat toprotect us from the sun called asugegasa ( 菅 笠 ). As we walk,

The first pilgrim to start thistradition was Otaji-san and
one thing we often say as
a commemoration to him isdougyouninin ( 同行二人 ) whichmeans that “you are always apair” (Kobo Daishi is always withyou – on your journey). It waseven believed that he would
sleep under bridges during his
pilgrimage. Therefore, when
we cross a bridge, we are notsupposed to let our walking
sticks touch the ground so as tonot “wake him” from his sleep.

Day Trip to Temples 13 through 17(Con't from Page 4)

Overall, we had arrived
a short distance from theDainichiji temple ( 大 日 寺 ),we crossed the Akui river toreach the Jorakuji temple ( 常楽 寺 ), shortly followed by the
Kokubunji temple ( 国分寺 ), wethen took a short break near
the Tokushima ArchaeologicalMuseum, we walked to the
Kanonji temple ( 観 音 寺 ）andfinished with the Idoji temple( 井戸寺 ). The Idoji temple hada small shop where we could
buy some charms and othersouvenirs.
Once we arrive at the first
temple, Dainichi temple, there
is a particular process we haveto follow. First, before entering
the sacred realm, we have tobow at the gate and enter fromthe left, stepping over the ledge
with our left foot first. We thenproceed to the “purification”
process where we approach
the well, take the ladle with ourright hand and scoop up somewater, wash our left hand first,
then our right hand and let theremaining water run down along
the handle with the one scoopof water. Also, the “soiled” watermust not fall back into the mainbasin; we have to let it fall onto
the ground (or a designatedarea) by the well.
After being purified, we cancontinue with the ritual witheither the candle process orthe incense process. We startby lighting a candle and putting
into a type of armoire followedby lighting three incenses,
representing the past, present
and future, then placing themin the holder as close to the
middle as possible. We thenapproach the long rope thatis hanging from the temple’s

ceiling and ring the gong (this is
supposed to the get the spirit’s
attention), throw in a coin of any
value of your choice then makea small wish or a prayer. We
then place one of our gami inthe small box on the side to saythat we passed by here as ahenro. The final step to end thatritual is to chant the Heart Sutra(Hannya Shin-Gyou 般若心経 ).
Each temple has two areasin which we repeat the ritualfrom the candles to the sutra.
So having visited five temples
that day, we sang the sutra tentimes. Once we are finished,
our Ohenro book gets stamped,at each temple, and signed by
the locals who manage it. It isa type of token of confirmationthat we came and prayed there
as a pilgrim of Otaji-san. As weleave, we bow again to show
our thanks and a respectful
departure. This entire process
is repeated at each of the fivetemples.
At the Idoji-temple, we were
fortunate enough to be allowed
to witness the 11-faced statue.
The statue is unique as it was

Jorakuji temple
5Day Trip to Temples 13 Through 17(Con't from Page 5)

the first ‘beautiful’ piece of art
that Tokushima ever had. It is
carved out of a single tree trunk(no parts are attached) and has
been the symbol of hope as thearea had faced a time of war. In
the 14th and 16th centuries, thetemple had been burnt down
and each time, the monk incharge made it his first priority
to save the statue. It had evensurvived the large earthquake
Japan had experienced a few
years ago but the current monkin charge and the locals are a bit
worried if the statue will survive
the next large earthquake thatis due to hit soon.
For my experience, the entire
pilgrimage lasted for the entire
day and it was quite fulfilling.
There were a number of stretches

where the walk was quite long
but having met a couple ofAmericans and one JapaneseAmerican, I felt less alienated tobe acquainted with other people
who also have the experienceof having to learn how to settle
into such a foreign country.
Pertaining to the walk, of thefive temples, my favourite one
was the Kokubunji temple.
The monk who manages it had
also built a zen garden in theback. He had been to China
more than 50 times and hehad admitted that the garden
had a fundamental influence
from the zen gardens he hadseen in China. It was truly
phenomenal because I didn’t
quite know what to expect. I had
seen several pictures of zen
gardens in travelogues and on

the internet but the experience
is not the same as actually
stepping into one. I feel that I
may have perhaps experienced
a satori when I set my eyes on
the garden. I can’t quite explain
it but I was, somehow, deeply
moved and I don’t think I saw
the world the same way, afterthat moment. I didn’t want toleave, there was somethingdrawing me in. I had perhaps
achieved a certain state of mind
that was different from how I
felt back at home in Canada
and different from how I felt
when I first arrived in Japan. I
look forward to discovering thatfeeling again when I visit otherscenic and memorable places
because it was really refreshingto know that I still had a lot
more to learn about myself.

Characteristics of the Ningyo Joruri

By the Awa Jurobe Yashiki

A

Otsuru and Oyumi

wa Ningyo Joruri is a puppet show created by thefusion of three artistries, joruri(dramatic recitation) of gidayu-bushi (ballad drama music), futozao-shamisen (thicknecked and three-stringed
instrument) and sannin-zukai(three puppeteers)
Awa Ningyo Joruri has been
6

passed down to this day as a
traditional art that Tokushima
can proudly show.
In Tokushima, so-called Awano-Te (dynamic puppeteering)using much larger puppets witha glossy finishing than thoseused in bunraku has been used
to appeal the audience because
ningyo joruri has usually been

performed in open-air farm-village stages or temporary stagesin Tokushima.
In addition, doll-making hasflourished in Tokushima to supply dolls to puppet troupes not
only in Tokushima but also in
Awaji-shima who have been
traveling around Japan, sothat many great ningyo-shi(doll-making masters) appearedsuch as Tenguhisa, Ningyochu
and Ningyotomi in the past andnot a few skilled ningyo-shi are
still working actively in Tokushima.
Hakomawashi is another important puppeteering style unique toTokushima and is still performed
here. Puppeteers store puppets
in two crates, carry them onshoulder-poles and manipulate puppets on street corners
where people gather. On New
Year’s, auspicious dolls such as

Characteristics of the Ningyo Joruri(Con't from Page 6)

Sanbaso (doll used for festive
occasions wishing for good harvest etc.) and Ebisu (doll of the
god of good fortune) are used
for door-to-door puppeteering.
Open Hours and Entrance Fees
Open hours: 9:30-17:00 (9:3018:00 from July 1 to August 31)
Closed: From December 31 toJanuary 3
Entrance fees: Adults: 410 yen
Senior high school and university students: 300 yen
Elementary and junior highschool students: 200 yen
Regular performance time:
Weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays
and national holidays: 11:00, 14:00
August 11 to 14: 10:00, 11:30,
13:30, 15:00*Regarding special performances, please ask us for the information in advance

Kawauchi Loopline (counter-clockwise) from Tokushima
City Bus terminal No. 7 andgetting off at Jurobe Yashiki bus
stop
Tokushima Expressway: 5 minutes from Tokushima Interchange
Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway: 20 minutes from Naruto
Interchange

AccessFrom JR Tokushima station:
15 minutes by car.
About 25 minutes by the

Letter From Suketo Hoikuen
By Kazue InoueDuring this time of the year,
the temperature will dropin the mornings and evenings,
making people more susceptible to illnesses such as a cold.
But this time of the year is also
when there are many fun eventsfor children, such as Christmas
parties and rice-cake making
events. So, take care of yourself
and enjoy the winter season.
This month we will be introducing ways to teach your children
how to blow their nose. Start by
doing breathing practices andteaching them how to breathethrough their nose. Children
love mimicking adults, so include this in part of their usual
playtime. Cut a single sheetof tissue paper into strips, wet
the tip a bit and stick it on yournose. Every time you breathe,
the tissue paper will move andchildren will want to copy you.

able to blow their own nose byaround 3, but of course, it will
depend on each individual child.
Until they can blow it on theirown, help them out through theprocess.
As the nose acts as a filter
and prevents cold viruses fromcoming in, blowing your nose
properly is one type of cold prevention.
***
This Month’s Craft
Pine Cone Tree
Materials
Pine Cone
Beads, sequins, etc.

Glue
Plastic bottle cap
Cloth or wrapping paper
Cotton fluff or spray paint (optional)
Directions
1) Glue on beads and sequins
onto the pine cone (you can buy
these at 100 yen stores). You
can also spray paint it or add
cotton fluff to imitate snow tomake it look fancier.
2)Decorate a plastic bottle capwith cloth or cute wrapping
paper to make the base of thetree. Glue on the pine cone tothis base.

Next, have your child close theirmouth, hold one side of theirnostrils down and have themblow out. But, if you blow yournose too hard, you will damage
your ears, so please do be careful. Children will successfully be
7Japanese Lesson

By Yoko Aoki

8

Japanese Lesson(Con't from Page 8)

Student Ambassadors: From France to Tokushima
By the Students of Institution Saint JosephJ

oto High School and theInstitution Saint Joseph
in Le Havre, a city located innorth-western France, has hada sister school exchange since1998, and this year marks their
8th exchange. Every two years,
students from St. Joseph willvisit Joto and students from Joto
will visit St. Joseph. This year,
23 students from St. Joseph
participated in a home stay andattended classes at Joto from
October 17 th to the 28 th. Next
year in March, students from
Joto High School will be visiting
St. Joseph.

Students from Institution Saint Joseph

Why did I choose to learn Japanese?
Chloe Alizee Clement
Japan has been an important country to me since I wasyoung. I discovered it when I
was only seven, but I wasn’t
able to understand the language at all. I really wanted tolearn Japanese at this time, but

I had to wait for 6 years before I
was able to. Now, I’m 16, so Japan has been part of half of mylife. Also, because I was studying this difficult (but also wonderful) language, I was able tohave this opportunity to visit thecountry of my dreams, Japan.

Ynesse Ayeb
I chose Japanese as I love thislanguage. As well, it is interesting and really beautiful to me,
I wanted to make Japanese
friends and talk a lot with them,and I want to live there one
day and knowing the language
9

From France to Tokushima(Con't from Page 9)

will help allow me to enjoy thisbeautiful country more.
Ernest Fischer
I’ve been fond of Japan since I
was 10. Manga was the only aspect of Japan that I knew about
but after starting school at St.
Joseph, I wanted to learn Japanese and dreamed of going on
this very trip to Japan. Juniorhigh school made me interested
in Japanese people, culture andbasically everything. So, this is
like a dream come true and I
very much appreciate this opportunity.
Juliette Lecroq
When I heard that we can learn
Japanese at Saint Joseph, I wasvery excited! I really love Asia,
especially Japan. Japanese
language is very beautiful andcool. Japanese food is goodand it is different from French
food. I like anime and manga as
they are very fun, and we don’t
have anything like it in France.
Japanese traditions are very different from French ones. I likehow Japanese are very pleasant and clean. I love Japaneseclothes like yukata and kimono
since they are very beautiful.
Karolane Noury
I wanted to learn Japanese
because I’m very interested inforeign languages. I like Japanese culture and this country
makes me dream. Everything isbeautiful here, and I am thinkingof possibly living here in the future. Joto is welcoming and so
are the students. My host family
is very nice. I thank them for everything they are doing for me. I
will never forget my stay here.
Kelean Lefebvre
I chose to learn Japanese at
10

Practicing calligraphy with the students from Joto High School

St. Joseph because I love Japan. The life, the traditions andthe landscapes are beautiful
and very different from France.
People are gentle, honest andattached to traditions. The foodare amazing and very flavorfuland is different from the foodin France. I was really excitedabout coming to Japan and when
we arrived, it was just as exciting and even more beautiful.
Berenice Saget
I lived in Tokyo, Japan for two
years and a half when I was 12
years old. I was very surprised
to discover this very rich andbeautiful culture. The people
are nice, polite and trustworthy.
I also like the language, as it
is very pretty and harmonious.

When I came back to France,
I decided to carry on learning
Japanese.
Clemence Foulard
I first came in touch with Japanand its culture through manga,
and it made me want to learn
Japanese. I was impressedby the culture and I wanted toknow more about this country.
In our trip to Kyoto, we visited
Kinkakuji, It was impressive because even though there werea lot of people, it was quiet.
The trees were beautiful andgave the area atmosphere. Kiyomizu-dera, was mysterious
with the huge door with the two
Yokai who monitor the temple
and visitors.

Singing in harmony

Recipe Corner: Potato Croquettes
By Aparna Matale

H

Potato Croquettes

ello my name is Aparna. I
am from India and I would
like to share some recipes that I
have tried with you through awa
life, TOPIA’s monthly newsletter.
Sometimes it doesn’t take muchto make everyone happy, for example, you can prepare these
tempting potato croquettes, thatpeople will enjoy very much andeasy to make. This croquetteis only made with potatoes, flavoured with cheese, pepper andnutmeg.
Ingredients• 2 big potatoes• 2 cubes of processed cheese• salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley
or coriander leaves• 2 yolks• 2 medium eggs/breadcrumbs• vegetable oil for frying (peanut
oil is better)
Directions
Begin by washing the potatoes, leave them whole andwith the skin on. Then boil
them in a pressure cooker forat least 20 minutes, adding
some salt (If you have a normalpot, you can fill it with water
to cover all the potatoes andcook for at least 40 minutes).
When the potatoes are cooked,
allow them to cool a bit, thenremove the skin. Afterwards,
mash the potatoes. Now add
the 2 yolks, chopped parsley
or coriander leaves, pepper,
salt and some grated nutmeg. If you find the mixture
a bit dry, you can add someof the remaining egg whites.
After blending the mixture,
take a small amount, I’ve taken 1 oz (35 g) for example,
and form into a cylinder. Stuff
cheese cube inside the cylinderical croquette. Now we’re
ready to dip the croquette into
the beaten eggs and coat withbreadcrumbs. Do the same forall the remaining croquettes.
When all the croquettes arebreaded, it’s time to fry them.
Heat oil and dip 3-4 croquettes at a time into the oil;
let them turn golden brown,then drain on kitchen paper. If
you like them more crunchy,
bread the croquettes twice.
And the croquettes are ready to
be served with tomato ketchup.

Autumn is Festival Season
By Shinobu WatariL

ast month on November 5th,
the Suwa Shrine Festival
was held in the Sako neighborhood in Tokushima City. Startingat Suwa Shrine, local membersof the community carried aportable Shinto shrine aroundthe community, wishing people
good luck. As autumn is harvest season and as Japan wasa farming nation, every year
many autumn festivals were
held throughout Japan and thistradition continues to this veryday, bringing the community together.

A portable Shinto shrine being carried around the Sako neighborhood

11

Events and Memoranda
Ningyo Joruri Puppet Theater Tokushima Performance
人形浄瑠璃とくしま座公演
When: December 13 (Sat)17:00 - 18:30
Where: Awa Jurobe Yashiki
Cost: General Admission 410 yen, high school anduniversity students 300 yen, junior and elementary school students 200 yen
TEL: 088-665-2202

開催期間 : 12 月 13 日（土）17：00 － 18：30
場所：阿波十郎兵衛屋敷
入場料：一般 410 円、高・大 300 円
小・中 200 円
TEL: 088-665-2202

Naruto Christmas Market
鳴門クリスマスマーケット
The venue for the German-style Christmas market will be decorated with about 50,000 lights.
There will be food vendors and items on sale,mascot characters, concerts and much more!

約 5 万球のイルミネーションで装飾された会場に、ドイツ風クリスマスマーケットが開催されます。ご当地キャラが登場したり、雑貨や飲食の販売、コンサートなどの様々なイベントも企画されています♪

When: December 20 (Sat): 13:00 - 20:00
December 21 (Sun): 13:00 - 19:00
Where: In front of the Naruto City Hall
Cost: Free
Info: Naruto Chamber of Commerce and Industry
TEL: 088-685-3748

開催期間 : 12 月 20 日（土）13：00 － 20：00
12 月 21 日（日）13：00 － 19：00
場所：鳴門市役所広場
入場料：無料
お問合せ：鳴門商工会議所
TEL: 088-685-3748

Ekimae Labour Consultation
駅前労働相談会
The Tokushima Prefecture Labour Relations Commission will be running their last labour consultationof the year. Come and solve work related issues before the end of the year so you can start the newyear fresh. You can make an appointment or come to the venue directly, but in either case, pleasebring an interpreter with you.
When:
Where:Info:
TEL:

December 23 (Tue)13:00-16:30 (Registration closes at 16:00)
Civic Center 4F (Inside the Amico Building)Labour Relations Commission Administrative Bureau088-621-3234

TOPIA Closed During New Year's
TOPIA will be closed from December 27 (Saturday) to January 4 (Sunday) for the New Year’s holidays.
Have a great winter holiday and see you in the new year!

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)

受け止めていますか人権の重み
12