aWa life
Introducing Kaiyo's

May 2023

Hahagawa River!

# 390

Welcome Messages!

Gairaigo Galore:
ドクターカー
Introduction to AIA

1

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

I think everyone can agree that Golden Week is a beloved part of May. Does everyone have any plansfor Golden Week this year? All of the tourism spots will certainly be busy, but it’s a nice chance to explore other prefectures, or maybe even spots in Tokushima you haven’t been to yet! If you don’t doanything for Golden Week, maybe you’ll want to check out some of the other events happening in May.
There’s an Onsen Matsuri over in Kamiyama and an open garden event that will be happening in Awa
City! Have a great May!
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,
Sydney and Nico

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 Nico Bohnsack
Contributors This Month:
Tony Lu, Chen Fangyu, Akiko Menjo, Ai Hattori, Shoko Nomizu, Seiya Nomura and Yoko Aoki

Contents

Pg. 2-3: Introducing Kaiyo's Hahagawa River!

2

Pg. 3-4: Welcome Messages!
Pg. 5:

Tokushima Culture and Reading Corner: 鳴門の渦潮

Pg. 5:

Gairaigo Galore: ドクターカー

Pg. 6:

Introduction to AIA

Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Introducing Kaiyo’s Hahagawa River!
By: Tony Lu

H

ey there! It’s Tony here, one of the Kaiyo
CIR’s! This time around, I’ll be introducing aplace I thinkmost nonKaiyo people
aren’t familiar
with, theHahagawa
River!

You may havehear d o f th e
StatueKaifu Riverthat runs
throughKaiyo. The
Hahagawa
is a stretchof river thatruns mostly
parallelt h eHahagawa Riverbank where the festival t o
lar ger Ka i f u
stands are held
R i v e r, a n deventuallymerges with
it at the endof its stream.
The riveris hometo multiple
Hahagawa upstream shot with boat
attractions,boarding area
most notably
The Hahagawa Bridge and Firefly

the Genji fireflies, which we celebrate with aweek-long festival in early June each year. The
firefly festival is so popular, it draws many tourists
from all over Tokushima Prefecture. Only on thefirst day of the festival, locals run festival stands
along the riverbank in the evening, but the main
attraction is the nightly boat ride.
F o r as m a l lfee, theboat willtake you
upstream
to see thefireflies
up closei n t h e i r Low-light shot of fireflies hovering above
naturalHahagawa
habitat,glowing and floating above the river. With somehandy camerawork, you can get some pretty coolshots! Here’s one we took last year!
Due to the pandemic, the festival has beencanceled for the past couple of years. However,with everything opening up across Japan,
hopefully it will happen this year! The Global
Kaiyo team might even have our own stand, so
please keep an eye out for us if you happen to be
down here!
It is said that the fireflies gather here because of

3

the cleanliness of the water, which may be thereason why the Hahagawa is also the natural
habitat for a protected species of giant eels.
These eels can weigh up to 20 kilograms andcan grow up to approximately 2 meters in length,with a body
circumferenceof up to 60
centimeters!
A peculiar split
rock formation
can be foundi n t h e r i v e r.
The Seriwari RockThe rock is the
subject of aninteresting legend involving a giant eel, looselytranslated here:
A long time ago, there was a great eel that lived
in the Hahagawa River that hid in the crevicesof a large rock. The great eel eventually grewto the point where it could no longer get out.
Because the great eel was unable to leave thecrevice, baby eels worked hard to bring in food tofeed the great eel. However, the great eel’s body
kept growing bigger and bigger until one day, it
finally split the big rock in half. The rock has since
been called 'Seriwari-iwa' or 'Sake-iwa' and has
become a habitat for giant eels.

Welcome Messages!

Chen Fangyu, Multilingual Consultation Staff
Hello, everyone, it’s nice to meet you. My nameis Chen Fangyu. I started working at TOPIA
from April as a multilingual consultation staff(Chinese). My primary duties include providing
consultation for daily life issues, work issues,
studying, etc. to foreigners living in the prefecture,
as well as tourism information for foreigners
visiting Tokushima. In addition to that, I am also incharge of planning, editing, and sending out Awa
Seikatsu – a monthly Chinese newsletter. I’ve juststarted working here so there is a lot that I don’tknow, but I hope to rely on everyone’s knowledge.
I look forward to working with you all.

Introducing Kaiyo's Hahagawa River!
Aside from thefireflies andgiant eels, if
you follow theriver upstream,y o u ’ l leventuallyreach theNamikiri Fudoson Temple
N a m i k i r i
F u d o s o n
Te m p l e . I t ’ sdefinitely
another mustvisit place inKaiyo with itsfeather-like
moss. We’ve
actually visited Namikiri Fudoson Cedar Trees Holding
Up Boulder
the temple
before, and you can read the full blog on our
website, globalkaiyo.com!
The river runs
right by theentrance ofthe temple,
so there’s no
missing it!
So, if you’re ever in Kaiyo, come and check out
the Hahagawa!

In 1990 I camefrom Shanghai
to Osaka. At
first, I spenta year and ahalf studying
at a Japanese
languageschool in Osaka, and then afterwards I studied ata university in Kyoto as a study abroad student.
After graduating, I worked in Osaka for 7 years,
and then in 2001 I moved to Tokushima. In theblink of an eye, I’ve now been living in Tokushimafor 23 years, and Tokushima has become mysecond home.

4

Welcome Messages
Tokushima is surrounded by mountains andwater, the air is clean, and the food is delicious.
In Japanese there is an expression “ 住 め ば 都 ”
that roughly translates to “home is where you
make it”, and I too slowly became accustomed toTokushima. Recently I had the chance to act asa tour guide for Chinese tourists who came fromthe US to visit Tokushima. As I had never acted
as a tour guide before, I was a bit nervous at first,
but during the tour my feelings for Tokushimanaturally spilled out and I managed to capture thehearts of the tourists who were very satisfied andsaid that they wanted to visit Tokushima again.
The bus driver even joked about how much love
I have for Tokushima. Thanks to this experience,
Akiko Menjo, CLAIR Tokushima Branch
Temporary Staff Member
Hello, everyone, it’s nice to meet you. My nameis Akiko Menjo, and I started working here from
April. Although I’ve only been working at TOPIA
for a few days, it has a very cheery and warm
atmosphere that makes it easy to relax in.
Starting from last year I started learning tanka.
Tanka is kind of like an old Japanese-style ofshort poems. On my days off I also like to visit
the temples of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
Slowly climbing the stone steps of the mountaintemples, I often find when you look backwards
you are treated to a beautiful view. Times likethat make my heart feel full of emotion. Once I
Ai Hattori, JICA Tokushima Desk
Nice to meet you all. My name is Hattori, andI have started working as a Coordinator forInternational Cooperation for the JICA Tokushima
Desk. I loved Tokushima and visited many times,
and before I knew it, I ended up moving here.
As a JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, I
worked as a physical education teacher in the
Republic of Maldives. Because I interacted withand ate together with the locals a lot, I’ve grown
to love spicy food, and I’ve become quite goodat fishing. I believe I grew to love Tokushima
due to its slightly spicy Tokushima ramen and its
environment that is perfect for fishing.
My hobbies are fishing, surfing, snowboarding,

I was able to gain more confidence in guiding
foreign tourists.
I’ve lived in Japan for a long time, so I have atleast some knowledge of what is necessary to livein Japan, as well as knowledge about Tokushima’s
customs and traditions. So that foreigners can livewith ease in Tokushima, I hope to be able to help
solve a variety of worries that everyone may have.
As well, I hope to help those who visit Tokushima
fall in love with it and be a part of Tokushima’s
tourism growth. Even if only in a small way, I hopeto aid in Tokushima’s economic revitalization andgrowth.

get better attanka, I’d liketo be able
to compose
tanka that
express theemotions I feelat those times.
Out of the 47
prefectures in Japan, for those that choose to visit
Tokushima and visit TOPIA, I hope that I can be ofat least some help. I look forward to meeting youall.
g o l f i n g ,camping, andcooking. Allof them I’ve
done just a
bit (lol), but
I have donegolf a bit mores e r i o u s l y. I
hope to beable to do a lot of fun things with everyone living
here in Tokushima. I look forward to meeting youall.
For those who are interested, here’s a picture ofme.（ ＾ ０ ＾ ）‘ (It was mandatory lol.) I’ll be at
TOPIA, so feel free to stop by!

5

Tokushima Culture and Reading Corner: 鳴門の渦潮
By: Shoko Nomizu***Starting from this month we will introduce famous sightseeing places, specialty items, etc. from
Tokushima. We will tell you more about Tokushima’s charm.***
なる と

うず しお

い

みなさんは、鳴門の渦潮に
うずしお

の渦潮は

行ったことが干潮の海面の差によって、激しい潮の流れが

渦潮を

見ることが

してください。

がつ げ じゅん

とく

あき

おお

秋の

がつ

かくにん

確認できます。
）
うつく

鳴門公園からは、美しいす。

がつ げ じゅん

の

かん

いち ど

い

確認
はる

できるのは、春の
ちょっけい

じ かん

大鳴門橋にある 「渦の道」

うず しお

かく にん

必ず

日や時間

おおなる と きょう

ちか

また、船 に乗 って

おお

け しき

雄 大 な渦 潮 をかなら渦の大きさは、直径 20 〜 30m にも景色を、そして
かく だい

自然現象です。

時間を

見ることが

うず

ひ

いわれています。
（大潮の橋 の上のガラスから感できます。

とき

その時の

鳴門

じ かん

み

大きい渦（大潮）をはし

ふね

発生してできる

おお しお

おお しお

潮見表で
ある

うず

せ かい いち

しお み ひょう

を歩 くと

おお

なる と

し ぜんげんしょう

しお み ひょう9 月から 11 月下旬です。

なり、その大きさは、世界一となる と こうえん

はっせい

かい

また、１年のうちで、特に3 月から 5 月下旬となができる時間は、1 日に、２回だけなので、「潮見表」でねんも観光地です。

満潮と

にち

しお

かん こう ち

有名な

かいめん

じ かん

はげ

ゆう めい

徳島県の

かんちょう

み

さ

とく しま けん

まんちょう

うず しお

がつ

ありますか。

うずみちみ見 ることがはく りょく まん てん

近 くまで行 くと、迫 力 満 点 の

できま

うず しお

たい

渦潮を

体

い

ぜひ、一度、行ってみてください。

Vocabulary List
うずしお

渦潮

Whirlpool

かんこう ち観光地 Sightseeing Spot
まんちょう

満潮
かんちょう

干潮

High Tide
Low Tide

はげ

Intense

激しい
しお

なが

Tidal Current

潮の流れ
し ぜんげんしょう

自然現 象
しお み ひょう潮見 表

ドクターカー(Ambulance with a doctor onboard)
By: Sydney Bartig

Natural Phenomenon
Tide Table

ちょっけい

直径
かくだい

拡大
はくりょくまんてん

迫 力 満点たいかん

体感

Diameter
Expansive
Full Impact
Experience

Gairaigo Galore

I was doing a translation recently and an interesting katakana word came up that caught my eye,so I thought I would share it with everyone this month. That word was “ ドクターカー ”, which if
you translate it literally is “doctor car”. However, we of course don’t use that phrase in English, so
I was a bit puzzled at the meaning. A car belonging to a doctor? A weird way to say ambulance? A
car that is a doctor? (That last one’s a joke, though it does certainly invoke an interesting image.)
It’s actually close to my second thought - it’s a type of ambulance where a doctor is on board.
This is a wasei-eigo word, and it actually differs from the word 救急車 , which means ambulancein Japanese. ( 救 急 meaning first aid and 車 for vehicle.) The purpose of a ド ク タ ー カ ー is todispatch doctors and nurses to the scenes of accidents, etc. so that they may administer first-aid,
emergency care, and other care there. However, a 救急車 is what we would normally think of when
we think of an ambulance (at least in the US), where it transports
patients to a hospital where a doctor can then administer medicalcare there.
Just a side note for those who may not know, if you’re ever inan accident or need to call an ambulance here in Japan, thenumber is “119”. The ambulance ride to the hospital is even freeof charge!

Introduction to AIA

By: Seiya Nomura, Vice President

In October 2020, theAnan City International
Association was able
to celebrate its 30tha n n i v e r s a r y. I n o r d e r t ocommemorate the occasion,
we solicited logo mark ideas
for our association from the citizens of Anan City.
From the many submissions we received, we
decided on the logo mark featured on the top
left. This logo mark features the letter “A” from
Anan City, as well as images of sunflowers, thecity’s flower, and the earth. Additionally, under
our slogan of “Diversity Connects Japan and theWorld”, we will aim to be an organization that
understands our citizens and steadily continue
with our activities.
In addition
to Tomiokacho, Anan
C i t y, w ealso openedan e wJapaneseclass inAratanocho, Anan
City starting from July 7th, 2019. Currently, there
are over 330 foreign residents in Anan City, andthat number is only expected to increase. Byholding Japanese classes, we hope to support
the development of the participant’s Japanese
languageskills, aswell as toeliminatelanguagebarriers asmuch aspossible.
W h i l e
promotingexchange
between foreign residents and the citizens of Anan
City, we strive to create a city where everyone can

6live peacefully and where a diversity of cultures
can thrive.
The directors and language class staff all workas volunteers, but they are only able to interact
with a small portion of the foreigners livingin the prefecture. Additionally, recently due
to COVID-19, numerous projects have beencanceled or postponed. However, during these
4-5 years, we have had our 30 citizen supporters
and organizations increase to 80. Starting fromthis fiscal year, we would like to resume projects
as they were prior to COVID-19. Moving forward,
we will continue to make efforts to expand our
network.
Introduction to AIA Projects
1. Japanese Classes: Every Sunday●
Tomioka Kominkan 10:00 - 12:00●
Aratano Kominkan 13:30 - 15:30
English Classes: Every 2nd & 4th Monday●
Tomioka Kominkan 19:30 - 21:00
Chinese Classes: Every Thursday●
Tomioka Kominkan 19:30 - 21:00
2. Awa Odori (Participation in Anan’s Summer
Festival)
3. Japanese Speech Contest
4. New Year’s Party (Exchange between foreign
residents and citizens of Anan)
5. Participation in the Anan City Human Rights
Festival(Exchange between foreign residents and citizens
of Anan)
6. Cooking Class by study abroad students of the
National Institute of Technology, Anan College
7. Bus Outing

7Japanese Lesson

By: Yoko Aoki

こんげつ

かんたん

今月は

簡単な あいさつの日本語をに ほん ごべんきょう

勉 強 しましょう。

This month, let’s study simple greetings in Japanese.
１）おはようございます

Good Morning＊おはよう＊「おはようございます」is more polite than「おはよう」.

２）こんにちはHello３）こんばんはGood Evening

４）さようなら＊しつれいします＊じゃ またGood-bye＊「しつれいします」is more polite than「さようなら」. Use for those who are a higher position than you.
「じゃ また」can be used for those you are close with or those who are younger than you.

５）ありがとう ございます＊ありがとうThank You＊「ありがとうございます」is more polite than「ありがとう」.

Conversation：When A-san is helped by or given a present by B-san:
A さん「ありがとうございます」－ B さん「どういたしまして」
６）すみません …① To call out to someone② To apologize

みず①（Example：レストランで）「すみません。お水をください。
」
やくそく

じかん

おく

②（Example：約束の時間に遅れて）「おそくなって、すみません。」

すみません＊「ごめんなさい」is used for those you are close with or children.
「もうしわけありません」is an extremely polite expression.

【How should you respond?】
はな

１.トピアのスタッフに話しかけたいとき
When you want to talk to a TOPIA staff member.
ししんせつ

２.知らない人に親切にしてもらったとき
When someone you don’t know does something nice for you.

Answers: 1.「すみません」 2.「ありがとうございます」

8

Events & Memoranda

Kamiyama Onsen Matsuri
神山温泉まつりIt’s time for the yearly onsen matsuri. ♪ There will
be many fun events, such as sales of Kamiyama
specialty products, a bazaar, performances of
Ningyo Joruri puppet theater, and pounding of
mochi rice cakes.

毎年恒例の温泉まつりです♪神山特産品青果物販* Due to COVID-19, the amego fishing event has
been canceled.

症の拡大防止のため中止

When: May 28th (Sun.)
10:00 - 16:00
Where: Kamiyama Onsen
Fee: Free
Inquiries: Kamiyama Onsen Matsuri Executive
Committee (At Kamiyama Onsen)
TEL: 088-676-1117
URL: https://kamiyama-spa.com/

売やバザール、人形浄瑠璃の上演に餅つきなど楽
しいイベントがいっぱいです。
※あめごのつかみ取りは新型コロナウイルス感染

日時 : 5 月 28 日（日）10:00 ～ 16:00
場所 : 神山温泉一帯
料金 : 無料
問い合わせ : 神山温泉まつり実行委員会（神山温泉内）TEL: 088-676-1117
URL: https://kamiyama-spa.com/

Spring Gakujin no Mori Matsuri
春の岳人の森まつり
Iris Gracilipes & Rhododendron Weyrichii Matsuri
Starting from mid-May, Iris Gracilipes and otheralpine plants begin to bloom one after anotherwithin the park, and various events are held inconjunction with the blooming of the flowers.
There are surrounding mountains that you canclimb such as the Mt. Tsurugi Super Forest Road,
Mt. Kumoso, Toishigogen, and Mt. Takagiyama. It
is also established as a base for mountain stream
fishing, and an information center for alpine
plants. Food and lodging are also available. ♪
When: Beginning of May - Mid-May
Where: Shikoku Mountains Botanical Garden“Gakujin no Mori”
Fee: (Admission) Adults(middle schoolers and older): 500 Yen
Elementary Schoolers: 250 Yen
Pre-schoolers: Free
Inquiries: Shikoku Mountains Botanical Garden“Gakujin no Mori”
TEL: 088-677-1147
URL: https://gakujin-no-mori.net/

ヒメシャガ・オンツツジまつり
5 月中旬からはヒメシャガと高山植物が次々と園内で咲き乱れ、花の開花に併せイベントも開催されます。

剣山スーパー林道や雲早山、砥石権現、高城山など周辺登山、渓流釣り、高山植物の情報基地として位置し、食事、宿泊もできます♪
日時 : 5 月上旬 ～ 5 月中旬
場所 : 四国山岳植物園

岳人の森

料金 :［入園料］大人（中学生以上）500 円
小学生 250 円
未就学児無料
問い合わせ : 四国山岳植物園

岳人の森

TEL: 088-677-1147
URL: https://gakujin-no-mori.net/

9

Events & Memoranda

Awa Open Gardens 2023
阿波オープンガーデン 2023

The idea of “open gardens”, opening private 個人のお庭を一般の方に公開するイギリス発祥のgardens to the public, originated in England.
「オープンガーデン」
Awa City has been holding an open gardens
event every year since 2013. This year as well,
the Awa Open Gardens event will be held for 2days only, allowing you to visit gardens locatedaround Awa City!!
There are planned to be 16 gardens available
for viewing this year, including private and publicgardens. 9 gardens will require a ticket to enter,and 7 public gardens/parks will be free to enter.
Please purchase a ticket/map set and tour thegardens by car or other means. There is no bus
service.
When: May 13th (Sat.) & 14th (Sun.)
10:00 - 16:00
Fee: 500 Yen Each Day (includes a map)
*Free for middle schoolers and younger.
However, if you wish to have a map thenthe fee is required.
Inquiries: Awa City Tourism Association
TEL: 0883-35-4211
URL: https://www.awa-kankou.jp/

阿波市でも 2013 年から毎年開催されてきました。
今年も、2 日間限定で阿波市に点在するお庭を巡れる阿波オープンガーデンの開催が決定しました！！今年は、個人の庭や公共の庭、計 16 カ所が開放される予定です。
入場券が必要な庭 9 庭、公園等の公共性の高い庭
7 庭は出入り自由となります。
マップ付きの入場券を購入いただき、自家用車等で巡っていただきます。巡回バスはございません。
日時 : 5 月 13 日 ( 土 )・14 日 ( 日 )10:00 ～ 16:00
料金 : 500 円／各日（地図付き）※中学生以下無料、但し地図が必要な
場合は有料
問い合わせ : 阿波市観光協会
TEL: 0883-35-4211
URL: https://www.awa-kankou.jp/

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)