aWa life
January 2015
# 294

2015
Year of the Sheep

New Awa Life Design for
the New Year!

1

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

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you enjoyed the holidays with your family and or friends. We
want to thank you for reading Awa Life and we hope you stay with us for another year. For 2015 weare making a couple of changes concerning the design of Awa Life. We hope you like it and that thiswill also encourage you to write more articles for our little publication. Every article you send us isappreciated so please consider becoming a writer! A few rules will apply though so please look below
to see what content we encourage you to write about and what kind of stuff we cannot publish.
You can totally submit articles about concerts, lectures, and other event information, cultural,
sporting, and other community group information, etcetera.
BUT, the following will not be posted: Religious, political, or commercial activities, businesses
searching for clients or employees, things the Awa Life editors deem inappropriate.
If you have something you would like to share with the Tokushima community, email the editors at:awalife@gmail.com!
Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)			http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Clement Plaza 6F					topia@topia.ne.jp
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi				tel: 088.656.3303
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN			
fax: 088.652.0616
Download a PDF file of awa life or view the online version by going to TOPIA's website!

H
A
P
P
Y

あ
け
ま
し
て
お
め
で
と
う
ご
ざ
い
ま
す
！

N
E
W
Y
E
A
R
!
Editors:
Jenifer Tanikawa & Till Dumke
Contributors This Month:David C. Moreton, Lance Kita, Yoko Aoki, Kazue Inoue, Melissa Palsenbarg,
Jenifer Tanikawa

Contents2

Pg. 2-3: Wander-ful Tabi: Breaking Bad…Luck: My Yakudoshi YearPg. 4-6: A 100-year History of Foreigners and the Shikoku
Pilgrimage – Part 2
Pg. 6-7: Sodo Kimono Contest
Pg. 7-8: A Letter from Suketo Hoikuen
Pg. 8-9: Japanese Lesson
Pg. 9-10: Osechi Recipe
Pg. 10-11: Events and Memoranda

Wander-ful Tabi: Breaking Bad…Luck: My Yakudoshi Year
By Lance Kita

33, 42, 61…not the
combination to my locker
or some cryptic numbers froma Hawaii-based TV series, butsome seriously unlucky years
according to Japanese belief.
The dreaded yakudoshi ( 厄 年 )are a series of years that aresupposed to be plagued bybad luck and misfortune. For
women, they are 19, 33 and 37,

and for men it’s 25, 42 and 61.
In some regions, 61 is also a
yakudoshi for women. For eachgender, the middle number isthe most significant age.
As my 41st birthday arrived in
October, so did my yakudoshi.
No, my math is not wrong…
here’s where things get a little
complicated. The Japanesealso believe that you are already

The Hondo offering area for Yakuoji Temple. Bow, drop your coin,shake the rope to ring the gong, bring hands together in prayer,then bow again.

one year old when you are born,having spent most of that year
in your mother. So according
to this practice of kazoe-doshi( 数え年 ), this is technically my
42nd birthday and therefore mymain yakudoshi. Just minus
one from the years above to
get your actual yakudoshi age.
Confused? So are many locals,so just consult your nearest
temple or shrine, which often
has a chart of the yakudoshi
years posted somewhere.
So how is one supposed to greet
this period of impending doom?
Simply pray the bad stuff away.
Luckily, Yakuoji Temple ( 薬王寺 )(Temple #23 on the Shikoku 88
Pilgrimage) specializes in yakubarai ( 厄 払 い ), the rituals andceremonies to get rid of bad
luck. The temple, near Hiwasa( 日 和 佐 ) Station in Minami
Town, is built on a hill accessibleby three stone staircases.
The first has 33 steps, thesecond has 42, and the third3

has 61, corresponding to thewomen’s, men’s, and combined
yakudoshi. With a handful of
one-yen coins in my pocket, I
ascended the second staircase,placing a coin on each step asis the custom for this temple.
Bending down to do that as you
go up is trickier than it looks (oram I just getting older?).
With the final coin I foundmyself in front of the Hondo( 本 堂 ) , w h e r e I o ff e r e d ayakuyoke ( 厄 除 ) (dispelling
bad luck) candle before offeringa more substantial coin at thealtar and putting my hands
together in prayer, desperately
wishing for better days andbetter circumstances. Since
this is one of the Shingon secttemples, I repeated the same at
the Daishido (大 師 堂) hall.
You can make an appointment
with a priest to perform a yakubarai ceremony for a nominal
donation, but I contented myself
with purchasing a yakuyokeo-mamori, a protective amulet

Breaking Bad…Luck: My Yakudoshi Year

By Lance Kita

that I attached to my
bag to guard me forthe coming year. The
landmark building at
Yakuoji is the large
pagoda (admission
to go inside) at the
top of the hill, but
that’s where the 61step staircase is,and…one unlucky
staircase at a time,please.
Hawaii’s large Nikkei
population somehow
adopted a totallydifferent approachto yakudoshi. Our
unique tradition involves throwing a big
party for men’s 42nd birthdays,
to gather enough good luckto cancel out the bad stuff. I
mean, any excuse for a party,
right? So after a quick onsen
footbath (free!) at the Michi no
Eki roadside stop in front of thestation, I hopped back on the
train for a night of karaoke withfriends.

Yakuoji Temple is a 5 minute
walk from JR Hiwasa Station.
It’s about 60 minutes by the
JR special express Muroto
from Tokushima Station, or
about 90 minutes by local
train. Its Japanese homepage
is yakuouji.net/index.html (noEnglish).

Numbers may be just numbers,
but one can’t be too cautious
with old age…how ironic Tokushima’s solution to yakudoshi
years require one to climb highstairs. I guess life is aj o u r n e y, a n d ajourney begins
with a single
step…I’m now
starting the next
climb to age 60…
wish me luck!
The most visible part of Yakuoji Temple from the roadis the vermillion pagoda at the top of the complex.

Almost any temple or shrine will
have a yakudoshi calendar.

A 100-year History of Foreigners and the Shikoku
Pilgrimage – Part 2
By David C. MoretonIt is hard to believe thata new year has arrived.
2014 has gone foreverand 2015 lies ahead. Have
you made any New Year`s
resolutions? In this second
article on the history of
foreigners and the Shikoku
pilgrimage I will examine
the period between the
1960s and 2014, andin doing so, hope that it
will lead to an increased
interest in this pilgrimage
route and make you wantto get out and experiencesome or all of it this year.
Oliver Statler (1915-2002),
a researcher of Japan fromthe University of Hawaii,
was very influential inpromoting the Shikoku
pilgrimage to the West.
During WWII, he worked
as military personnel in thePhilippines and New Guinea,
and between 1947-1954 worked
in Tokyo and Yokohama. Later,while staying in Shimoda City
(Shizuoka Prefecture) in 19601961, he visited Shikoku forthe first time and thought that
he would like to write about thepilgrimage someday. In 1968,
he returned to Japan and stayedin Matsuyama City for three
years. During this time he madethe pilgrimage several times
on his own, but then during
the 1970s and 1980s often led“pilgrimage tours” for groupsof students from Hawaii and
Kyoto. In one article he wrote,“The Shikoku pilgrimage draws
on the roots of Japanese culture
and the study of it cannot help

but illuminate that culture” butalso stressed that “the temples
punctuate the pilgrimage, they
do not constitute it” (Matsuyama
Univ. of Commerce Review,1975). He also strongly felt that“going around in a bus or a car
may be meritorious, but it is not
ascetic exercise and it is not
performing the pilgrimage” (letter
written by Statler, 1979). In
1983, Statler published a book,
Japanese Pilgrimage, in which
he intertwined stories from thehistory of the pilgrimage and his
own experiences as a pilgrim.
However, unlike Bohner`s book,
Japanese Pilgrimage wasdistributed throughout the West
and, as a result, allowed people
to learn about this historicallyand culturally rich journey inEnglish.
Some Japanese people also4

published books in English,
which helped to promote
the Shikoku pilgrimage. For
example, Mayumi Banzai
wrote A Pilgrimage to the 88
Temples in Shikoku, Japan,
based on her pilgrimages
around the island in 1971
and 1972. In the Preface
she wrote that she wants“to explain as much as [she]can to foreign visitors in thehope that they will agreewith [her] conclusion that
Kobo Daishi was the purest
and most hardworking
priest who ever lived inJapan” (Banzai, p10).
A n o t h e r, a n d p e r h a p smore widely known, book
was A Henro Pilgrimage
Guide to the 88 Templesof Shikoku Island, Japan
published by Bishop Taisen
Miyata in the United States in
1984. After graduating from
Koyasan University, Miyata went
to the US and in 1959 took over
the Koyasan Betsuin Temple
in Los Angeles. He made the
Shikoku pilgrimage seven times

5

A 100-year history of foreigners and the Shikoku
Pilgrimage – Part 2

between 1955 and 1992, andlast year at the age of 82 guided
a group from California on hislast “pilgrimage tour.” In his
book, which has gone throughfour editions (latest 2006), he
includes explanations on how
to make the pilgrimage anddescribes the history of eachtemple and the major deities
seen at the temples. Miyata
knew about Statler and wrote,“I am thankful for his work andeffort to introduce the Shikoku henro to the Westerners”(Miyata, 157). Unfortunately,
unlike Statler`s book, both ofthese books are almost impossible to obtain nowadays.
From the 1970s onwards
other people from around theworld who embarked on the
Shikoku pilgrimage have written
articles or books about theirexperience. As well, various
documentaries have been

By David C. Moreton

made and descriptions included
in guidebooks to Japan. For
example, the 2005 Lonely
Planet recommends that, “If you
have time and the inclination thebest way to see and experience
Shikoku is to journey around the88 Sacred Temples. Shikoku isa very special place, but a lot of
people rush through and leave
without really understanding
what it has to offer” (p569).
H o w e v e r, u n t i l t h e w i d e spread use of the Internet
information on the pilgrimage
could be difficult to acquire. In
1999, David Turkington fromthe US used this new form ofcommunication to share his
pilgrim experience in almost
real time by uploading his diary
every few days on to his website
via public phones. Actually it
was Statler`s book that he foundat a bookstore in Tokyo in the
1980s that triggered his curiosity
in the pilgrimage so much thatafter reading the book he knewthat someday he would travel
to Shikoku and walk thepilgrimage. Presently
Turkington`s website
is the best in English
with lots of practicalinformation regarding the
Shikoku pilgrimage andalso includes a forum
where people can post
questions and answers
about the journey. (www.
shikokuhenrotrail.com)
Yet with even more andmore material in printed
form and explanations
and descriptions on
the Internet, foreigners

still had problems getting
around because there was no
guidebook in English until 2007.
However, with the publicationof the Shikoku Japan 88 Route
Guide people could now readthe maps for the route without
knowing any Japanese. In fact,
the popularity of the book has
been so great that more than
3500 copies have been sold inseven years!
No one can deny that the number of foreigners making the
Shikoku pilgrimage are growing
due to a dramatic surge in theamount of information on theInternet and exposure via themass media. Yet what will the
future be like regarding this partof the pilgrimage? People likeStarr, Bohner and Statler andmany others in the past havegreatly enjoyed this pilgrimage,so perhaps during 2015 get out
and experience it for yourself,
and then help to preserve it forpeople from around the world toenjoy in the future.

Sodo Kimono Contest
By Melissa Palsenbarg

K

imono can be extremely
intimidating to someone
who doesn’t have any
experience with them. There
are multiple layers of clothing
and lots of ties and clips tohold it all together. It can takean extremely long time to get
dressed neatly and properly.
And there seems to be countless rules and guidelines tofollow. All of this can makekimono an intimidating mountainto climb for anyone. The highstandards of a properly worn
kimono is something that allpractitioners hope to achieve.
The Sodo Academy, the largest
kimono school in Japan, holds
an annual contest to give
kimono enthusiasts from acrossthe country a chance to show
off their sills in kitsuke (the artof dressing in kimono), and thisyear ’s preliminary round for
Shikoku and Chugoku was heldin Tokushima.
Contestants were divided into
women’s furisode (a formal
kimono for unmarried women),

women’s tomesode (a formal
kimono for married women),
women’s casual kimono, men’skimono, a children’s category, aforeigner’s category, and a teamcategory (with three contestants
per team co-operating to geteveryone dressed).
For each category, participants came out with all theundergarments already on andthe kimono lightly tied aroundthe waist. Once the signal
was given to start, participants
had seven minutes (eight forforeig n e rs) to g e t p ro p e rl y
dressed and tie the obi before
presenting themselves tothe judges.
Participants
were judged on their speed,smoothness in their kitsuke,and how close they came to theideal look.
Some of the participants worked
incredibly fast. The fastest
kistuke of the day was thewinner of the men’s category.
His final time was 2:13. He’s a
16 year old junior high school
student who practices three

6

hours a day. Even the children
did well. The first child to finish
dressing was five years old, andshe finished in less than fiveminutes.
While Japanese participants
were judged in their own
separate categories, all theforeigners were in one category.
The eight participants included
six participants in furisode, one
in a casual kimono, and one
man wearing hakama.
The participants dressing
in a furisode had an added
challenge! There are certain
obi knots that can only becompleted with the help ofanother person. All the obi
knots that are appropriate towear with a furisode fall into thiscategory. However the Sodo
Academy has developed a tool
called a biyousugata that lets
you tie the obi yourself on thefloor before wrapping it aroundyour waist and securing it.
Participants had about threeminutes to tie the obi, threeminutes to put on the kimono,
and two minutes to secure theobi and check that everything
was still in place. And nobody
was eliminated for goingovertime!

7

Sodo Kimono Contest

By Melissa Palsenbarg

The top two contestants in theforeigner’s category this year
w e r e b o t h f r o m To k u s h i m a(congratulations!).
They’ll go on to the nationalc o m p e t i t i o n i n To k y o n e x tspring. Seeing a foreigner dress
themselves in kimono in aroundfive minutes makes that kimono
mountain seem a little easier
to climb. If you are interested
in learning for free, please join
our Tokushima Kimono groupon Facebook. Also, for more
information on kimono, or if you
want to see more photos fromthe contest, please check out
www.readysetkimono.com

Letter From Suketo Hoikuen

By Kazue Inoue

H

appy New Year! Every year
temples and shrines around
Japan will be filled with families
wishing for everyone’s healthand luck, in a tradition calledhatsumode.
Whether it is God, Buddha,
Santa Claus, and so on, people
will believe in and pray to an
invisible being. By the timechildren reach the age of 1 ½,
they will begin to pretend play,including pretending to eat foodwhen playing house or using
various objects as different
things. This is evidence that
their imagination skills are
increasing. As their imagination
skills develop, so will theirthinking skills, which will foster
flexible thinking. As well, it
will help them become more
empathetic and able to properly
assess other’s feelings, and will
also help children have a better
sense of self.

Imagination skills will show
significant growth between theages of 1 ½ and 4 years old
so let them engage in various
pretend play to help foster their
imagination. For example, (1)Use items with simple shapes
and colors, (2) things that areeasily malleable by children(such as water, sand, dirt,mud, modeling clay, origami,
newspaper, and building blocks)
and so on. The better theimagination and the more open
their mind are, they will be able
to get along with more people
and will be able to make morefriends not only at an early age
but also later on in life.

8

Letter From Suketo Hoikuen
By Kazue Inoue
This Month’s Craft
Handmade Kite

StringCardboard

Materials
Plastic bag
Vinyl tape
Scissor
Tape
Paper masking tape (or strips ofpaper)
Construction paper
Glue

Directions(1) Cut open the bottom of aplastic bag and then wrap the
top with electrical (vinyl) tape.
(2) Tape strips of paper masking
tape to the bottom of the bag(you can also just cut up stripsof paper and tape it on as well).
Then create the eyes and nosewith construction paper andstick it on.
(3)Tie a string to the top of thebag (refer to diagram). Make
sure you have about 1-2m left ofthe string so you can let the kite
fly and then wrap the rest of thestring onto a piece cardboard.
*Enjoy flying your kite in opens
areas like parks.

Japanese Lesson
By Yoko Aoki

あけましておめでとうございます。
こ とし

たの

に ほん ごべんきょう

今年も “Japanese Lesson” で楽しく日本語を勉強しましょう。
Happy New Year! Another new year means another fun year of learning Japanese.
こんげつ

れんしゅう

つか

今月のことばは「～てみます」です。練習をして使ってみましょう。
This month we will be learning how to use “ ～てみます ”. We will practice using it a few times then you
can try using the word yourself.
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
かいわき

着てみてもいいですか。 May I try this coat on ?

【会話】このコートをみ

マリア：すみません。そのコートを見せてください。
てんいん

店員：どうぞ。
き

マリア：このコートを 着てみてもいいですか。
てんいん

しちゃくしつ店員：ええ。試着室はこちらです。

いかがですか。
きマリア：着てみました。ここが
てんいん

ちょっと

きついです。

き

店員：では
すこ

こちらのサイズを着てみてください。
おお		 少し大きいサイズです。
マリア：これならてんいん

ゆったりしています。ちょうど

いいです。

に あ

店員：よくお似合いですよ。
マリア：そうですか。じゃ、これにします。
てんいん

店員：ありがとうございます。
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
どう し＜

動詞 てフォーム + みます
～てみます
き

＞

／

Try to do ～～てみてください
Please try to do ～／～てみてもいいですか
May I try to do ～？

き

き

着てみます

着てみてください

着てみてもいいですか

くつを はきます→はいてみます

はいてみてください

はいてみてもいいですか

た

た

た

食べてみてください

食べてみてもいいですか

着ます→

き

try to do ～た

食べます→食べてみます
つか

つか

使います→使ってみます

つか

つか使ってみてください

使ってみてもいいですか9Japanese Lesson

By Yoko Aoki
つかほかに「～てみましょう／～てみませんか／～てみたいです／～てみたらどうですか」もよく使います。
The following are often used as well: “～てみましょう／～てみませんか／～てみたいです／～てみたらどうですか”.
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
れんしゅう

れい

み

【練習】（例）デパートでかき

すてきなコートを見つけました。買うまえに着たいです。
きすみません。このコートを着てみてもいいですか。
つか①

このくつをはきます③

この車に乗りますくるま②

このスマートフォンを使います④

この帽子をかぶりますのぼうし

Osechi Recipe

By Jenifer Tanikawa

Ec o m e s a r o u n d , c o l o r f u l osechi ryori tradition.
very year when New Year

have been the very start of theand elaborate looking dishes
will line the tables of Japanesehouseholds. These traditional
New Year’s food is called osechi
ryori ( 御節料理 ) and are eaten
to celebrate the new year andto wish for happiness, healthand prosperity for the upcoming
year.

During the Heian Period,
the Imperial Court began tocelebrate the five importantseasons in an event called
the sechie ( 節 会 ), where theygave offerings to god and hadmeals prepared to celebrate
this major event. This customof celebrating these five specialdays was introduced to Japan
from China.

This tradition is said to go
back hundreds of years to the
Heian Period, finding its rootsin Chinese customs. Back then,to mark the changing of theseason and to give thanks to
god for the food they harvested,
they would leave offerings forgod called osechiku ( 御 節 供 ).
They would then use theofferings to create a meal calledosechiku ryori ( 御節供料理 ) ,which was eaten to express
thanks and to wish for successin both agriculture and fishing.
And this osechiku ryori is said to

It wasn't until the Edo Period,
where commoners begin to eat
festive meals to celebrate the
new year. Originally osechi was
not limited to New Years, but as
it was one of the most importantdays of the year, the meal they
had at New Years came to becalled osechi ryori.
Osechi ryori are traditionallyserved in special boxes called
the jubako ( 重 箱 ) and theboxes are stacked on top of

10

Osechi Recipe

By Jenifer Tanikawa
each other, to symbolize themany layers of happiness. Eachjubako are filled with food that
all hold a symbolic meaning.

that of an arched back of theelderly, basically meaning, live
long enough that your back will
become arched.

Black Soybean
Kuro mame ( 黒豆 )The black soybean has twomeanings, both of which areplay-on words with the word
mame or beans. The first
meaning is “mame ni kurasu( まめに暮らす )” , which means
to lead a healthy life and theother “mame ni hataraku ( ま めに働く )” means working hard.

Herring Roe
Kazunoko ( 数の子 )The herring roe consists ofmany eggs, which symbolizes
fertility and the hope that thefamily will be gifted with many
children.

ShrimpEbi ( 海老 )The shrimp symbolizes a wish
for long life. The arched shapeof the shrimp is compared to

Red and White Kamaboko
Kouhaku Kamaboko ( 紅白蒲鉾 )First of all, the half circle shapeof the kamaboko, or the fish
cake, is said to look like therising sun. Secondly, the redcolor is said to ward off theevil and the white is said torepresent purity. Both of thesecolors are associated with goodluck.
SeaweedKonbu ( 昆布 )The seaweed is said torepresent happiness, as it
is associated with the word,“yorokobu ( 喜ぶ )” which means
joy or happiness.
Red Sea BreamTai ( 鯛 )Tai is associated with the word“medetai ( め で た い )”, which
symbolizes an auspicious event.
Lotus Root
Renkon ( 蓮根 )As the lotus root has manyholes, it symbolizes a clear view
into the future.

Events & Memoranda
平成 26 年度

国際理解支援フォーラム

徳島県在住外国人のみなさんと一緒に「多文化共生」について考えみませんか？
日時：平成 27 年 2 月 8 日（日）13:30 ～ 16:00
場所：（公財）徳島県国際交流協会
内容：

第一部

会議室（徳島駅ビル６Ｆ）

蓮井孝夫氏による講話（NPO 法人 香川国際ボランティアセンター代表理事、元 RNC 日本放送アナウンサー）

		
		
		

第二部

協会登録在住外国人講師による国際理解プレゼンテーション

第三部

意見交換

交流会

＊第三部では在住外国人の方のパフォーマンスや心ばかりのお茶やお菓子もあります。
すてきなひとときを過ごしませんか？ふるってご参加下さい。
＊ 入場料は無料

申し込み・問い合わせ : 当協会 Tel.088-656-3303

FAX 088-652-0616

E-mail: coordinator3@topia.ne.jp
詳細については、当協会のホームページをご覧ください。
http://www.topia.ne.jp
当日参加も大歓迎ですが、できれば事前に電話か FAX またはメールでお申し込みください。

11 Events & Memoranda
Awa Folk Performing Arts Forum
あわ民俗芸能フォーラム
Every different region will have their own different 「民俗芸能」は、歴史や風土の異なる地域に暮ら
history and characteristics, and so every region す人々の生活の中から生まれ、伝承されてきた伝
will have their own unique traditional arts. Come 統文化です。コスモホールで徳島県の民俗芸能のdown to Cosmo Hall to spend the day reveling 面白さや奥深さ、演じる人たちの熱気を感じとり、
in the past while watching the passionate みなさんのこころにあるふるさとの風景が懐かし
performers and experience the joys and depth of くなる時間を一緒に味わいませんか？
folk performing arts.
日時： 1 月 18 日（日）12：30 － 16：00
When: January 18 (Sun), 12:30 – 16:00
Where: Cosmo Hall (Anan City, Hanoura-cho, 場所： コスモホール
阿南市羽ノ浦町中庄上ナカレ 16 － 3Nakanosho, Kaminakare 16-3)
Admission fee: Free
入場料：無料
Info: Tokushima Pref. Board of Education, 問合せ：徳島県教育委員会教育文化政策課
TEL： 088-621-3267
Education and Culture Policy Division
TEL: 088-621-3267

Taisan-ji Temple Mochi Carrying Competition
大山寺の力餅This gathering happens every year on the third
sunday of January inside of the Taisan-ji temple.
The main event is a competition of who can walkthe furthest carrying a heavy pot filled with mochirice cake. For men it is 169kg, for women it is
50kg and for children it is a 10kg heavy keg.
Even observing will invigorate you and before you
know you will shout and cheer for the contestants.

正月の初会式の行事として毎年 1 月第 3 日曜日に大山寺境内で行われます。男 169kg・女 50kg・
子ども 10kg・幼児 5kg の餅をかつぎ、歩いた距
離を競います。見物する方も思わず力が入り思わず歓声を上げてしまう程の名物行事です。

Address: Inside Taisan-ji, Itano-gun, Kamiita-cho,
Kanyake taisan 4
Date: January 18 (Sun)
Entry: Free
Information: Taisan-ji
TEL：088-694-5525
URL：http://taisanji.jp/?page_id=10
Access: 1 hour by car from Tokushima station

開催日
1 月 18 日（日）基本情報
開催地 大山寺境内

板野郡上板町神宅字大山 4

料金 無料
お問い合わせ：大山寺
TEL：088-694-5525
URL：http://taisanji.jp/?page_id=10
アクセス：JR 徳島駅 → 車で 1 時間

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)