awa life
A monthly newsletter for international residents of Tokushima, produced
by TOPIA, the Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association.

take the fall

"TOPPY"
August 2007 No. 206
by matt lindsay
awalife@gmail.com

here is somethingor torii gates can often bealluring aboutfound by falls. According towaterfalls. Their purity
this ancient animist belief
is reflected in theirsystem, gods or spirits
location, often close to(known as kami) manifest
the source of streams orthemselves in nature. A
rivers. As you approachwaterfall therefore actuallythem, their power
represents a god or spirit.
becomes apparent as theWith the co-existence
silence of the forest isof Buddhism alongsidebroken by the booming
Shinto, it’s perhaps notsound of cascading water.
surprising that Buddhist
Personally, I like to thinkdeities are also presentof waterfalls as a symbol
at some waterfalls. The
for the flow of energy
m o s t c o m m o n l y fo u n dthat we can receive fromdeity is the ferociousnature.
looking Buddhist fire
There are a number of
divinity, Fudo-myou. Many
myths associated withwaterfalls are in factwaterfalls. One of thenamed after this deity best known of these is todoroki waterfall - up loud (photo by yoko kohara) there are numerous ‘Fudo
the Chinese legend thatno Taki’ located aroundovercome obstacles in life.)says dragons inhabit some The dragon’s affinity with Japan.
waterfalls. These falls are waterfalls is apparent from
There is also a modern-day
said to have ‘dragon gates’ at examination of the Chinese myth pertaining to waterfalls
them. If a carp can manage characters for both: just add that minus ions are contained
to leap over one of these water to dragon ( ᆂ ) and you in the atmosphere aroundgates it will metamorphose have waterfall ( ൑ )!
them. These minus ions
into a dragon. (This myth
In Japan small Shinto shrines supposedly give us energy andserves as an allegory of thedetermination required totake the fall ... con't on page 5tinside awa life this monthtake the fall - 1 , 5 ... awa odori - 3 ... ow! my tax obligation - 4
getting married in japan - 6 ... martin's manga corner - 7
letter from suketo hoikuen / shin mai mama nikki - 8
japanese lesson - 9 ... memoranda - 10, 11, 12

awa life

Tokushima Prefectural International
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@fm.nmt.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/

is a monthly publication of the Tokushima
Prefectural International Exchange Association(TOPIA)
Andrew Dahms & Claire Tanaka
Contributors This Month:
Andrew Dahms, Kazue Inoue, Matthew Lindsay,
Sachiko Muramatsu, Martin O'Brien, Chris Riedl,
Claire Tanaka, and Eiji Towatari

Download a PDF file of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!
http://www.topia.ne.jp/e_index.htm

from the editors
have been putting off writing this until thelast minute, but I can't wait any longer.
This is my last issue as editor of Awa Life!
After four long years at the helm, as of July
28th I am no longer working for TOPIA and thePrefecture's Cultural and International Affairs
Division. I'll be sticking around Tokushima
though and I'm sure I'll be making the odd
contribution to Awa Life as well so you haven't
seen the last of me. I would like to thank
Awa Life for teaching me how to use Adobe
InDesign, how to deal with it when people
can't stick to deadlines, how to brutally edit
others' work without feeling guilty, how to learn
from my mistakes, and best of all, for teaching
me to think hard about the English-speaking
residents of Tokushima, and what they need ina newsletter. Thank you all!
love, Claire

ear awa life readers, how are you
spending the summer weeks? The
beaches are open, Awa Odori is here
and the weather is perfect for getting
outdoors. To tell the truth, though, I've always
found summer in Tokushima to be a funny old
thing. The weeks before Awa Odori are filledwith dancing practice, firework festivals and thesound of cicadas, and everything is wonderfuland exciting. But as soon as the clock ticks
August 16, the streets empty and you could firea canon through the streets without hitting asoul. It's almost as though those few days from
August 12-15 are the true Tokushima summer,and everything else in the year is relative tothose few days. From then on autumn is on thehorizon and so Tokushima starts recharging foranother year.
Cheers, Andrewidawa odori dancers burning up the streets of tokushima in the mid-august heat (photo by andrew dahms)-2-

awa odori guideaugust is here, and alongwith it Awa Odori! It isgoing to be held over fourdays from Saturday, August
12 to Wednesday, August 15, andthere are a lot of opportunities foryou to join in or view the dance.
The map below shows the innerTokushima City area, with theformal dancing stages marked withstars. The seats in front of City
Hall and at Aibahama Park are paidseating areas, while all other areas
are free.
Tickets for paid seating costs
from 800 yen to 1800 yen, with anadditional cost of 200 yen if boughton the same day. These seats
are used during dance displays
from 18:00 to 20:00 and 20:30 to
22:30 on each day of the dances.
Tickets can be purchased at mostconvenience stores.
In case of rain, you can still enjoy
Awa Odori indoors at the Awa Odori
Kaikan, the Kyodo Bunka Kaikan
and the Bunka Center.
Regional Awa Odori Festivals
You can catch the action of Awa

submitted
awalife@gmail.com

Odori all around the prefecture.
Wakimachi Udatsu:
August 13, 19:30-22:00
Thirteen dancing groups from inand outside the town will come anddance in the historical streets of
Wakimachi.
Ikeda:
August 13 - 16, 19:00 - 22:30
Thirty dance groups will dance
throughout Ikeda-cho, Miyoshishi. Paid and non-paid seating isavailable.
Sadamitsu:
August 14 - 16, 19:00 -22:00
Awa Odori will be held in the
Sadamitsu Shopping Arcade andother places in the city, including
various famous dance groups from
Tokushima City.
Katsuura:
August 16, 18:00 - 22:00
Awa Odori in Katsuura will be held
on Tuesday 16, with performancesfrom dance groups from inside thetown, as well as children's groups.
Free to watch.

Central Park
Tokushima
Station

Aib

ah

am

aP
ark

City Hall

Sh
inm
ac
hi
Ri
ve
r

-3-

Tokushima Airport:
August 12, 10:00, 11:40, 14:00
On the first day of Awa Odori, there
will be a display at the Tokushima
Airport to welcome visitors to theprefecture.
Naruto City:
August 9-11, 19:30 - 22:00
T h e N a r u t o A wa O d o r i i s t h eearliest in the prefecture, with over
30 dance groups dancing in the city
shopping arcards, by the JR Naruto
Station West Entrance, and fixedlocations each day. Cost is 800 yen,or 700 yen pre-paid.
Higashi Miyoshi:
August 13 - 16
Awa Odori will be held all
throughout the town. There is nocost for viewing.
Kamojima:
August 14-16, 19:00 - 22:00
O ve r 2 5 d a n c e fa m o u s d a n c egroups and local groups will
be dancing each day along themain road through the town of
Kamojima. Seating is free.

ow, my tax obligation!
f you have worked inJapan for more than one
year, you might have beensurprised to receive a bill
for municipal tax from yourlocal government this June.
If you have been here formore than two years, youwere probably upset to findout how much the tax has
increased compared to theprevious year! You might havesuspected that there wassome kind of miscalculation,and tried to query yourtown’s tax department or yourco-workers? I figured you musthave. I work for Tokushima
City’s tax department, andwe have been swamped withcalls and visits from people
asking questions since the bills
went out in June. Actually, theJapanese tax system changed
significantly this year, with ashifting of the cost burden
between central and local
governments. Here is a shortsummary of the municipal tax
system and the main revised
points.
Municipal tax is calculated
based on the total income ofthe previous year, so you are
first subject to full taxationfrom after you’ve lived in Japanfor two years. This year, 3
trillion yen of tax revenue wastransferred from national taxes(income tax) to local taxes(inhabitanttax). This is a parttbonj!juubj̛lbjlblv
of the “ ં ‫ڴڔ‬ല‫ ” ޹ނ‬threepart-reform (integrated reformof subsidies, local allocation
tax and transfer of tax revenue
sourced from national to local
governments). Consequently,
the progressive rate structureof inhabitant tax (it used to bea three bracket structure withtax ranging from 5% to 13%)
was reformed into a flat 10%iregardless of income.
If you earned 200,000
yent p v tivv ozvv
per month, your “ ೳ ଭ ໚ ”gross income of the previous
year (12 months) will havebeen a ttotalof 2.4 million yen.
p v t i p uplv
Your “ ೳ ୸ ຜ ”net income willautomatically be calculated
asl j1.5
million yen. Then, yourt p l p v k p hblv
“ ࠰೉োஊ޽ ” basic deduction
will be 330,000 yen from yourl b
net
income,resulting in a “ ‫ݡ‬
{fj
tip
uplv
౯ ୸ ຜ ” taxable income of
1,170,000 yen. If you have a
spouse, children, dependents,o r p a i d s o c i a l i n s u ra n c e ,life insurance, or casualty

tokushima city tax department(photo by eiji towatari)

insurance premiums, or hadlarge medical expenses lastyear, you have a chance ofadded allowable deduction.
Until last year, taxable income
less than 2 million yen (mostsalaried workers are often inthis range) remained within the
5% tax rate. You can imagine
how everyone felt when their
tax was increased to 10% thisyear! Tax was doubled, whew!!
Municipal
tax consists of two
t i p uplv xbsj
parts, “ ୸ ຜ ߆ ” incomel j orate,
upv
identifi
ed above, and “ ࣍ ๷xbsj߆ ” per capita rate (4,000yen). Basically, everyone ischarged the total amount of
both, but as a transitional
measure to bufferdipvthisyear’
tfj lpv k p
s sharp tax hike, “ ු ౘ ো ஊ ”-4-by eiji towatari
dumbtype1999@hotmail.co.jp

deduction from the tax amount
was added to take some of
the burden off of taxpayers.
It depends on the individual,
but around 2,500 yen is theaverage deduction. As a result,most taxpayer’s bills are higher
than last year, even if they
didn’t get a salary increase.
Instead, the progressive rate
structure of National income
tax was reformed into new
structure with tax rates
ranging from 5% to 40% (itused to be from 10% to 37%)
as well. Under the revised law,taxable income less than 1.95
million yen will fall within the
5% category which used to bea minimum of 10% up until
last year. Different from local
inhabitant tax, national income
tax is imposed on earningsof the current year, and has
different amount of deduction.
According to the national tax
agency, the tax burden forincome tax and inhabitant
tax combined basically willremain unchanged. The actual
amount of individual people’s
tax burdens, however, may
increase depending on otherfactors,
including abolition ofu f j sjutv h f o { f j“ ช ᅴ ॲ ౯ ” the fixed-rate
tax reduction measures (10%of national income tax up to125,000 yen and 7.5% of local
inhabitant tax up to 20,000yen) enacted to stimulate
economic recovery. That istrue, but do you agree withthis explanation? Someone
may say that the tax rate justbecame normal again andthat it had been unrealistically
low up until now, however
one thing is certain; many
taxpayer’s burdens (includingt h e a u t h o r ’s ) g o t l a rg e r
compared to last year.

take the fall ... con't from page 1
E i g h t o f t h e s e Kamiyama. This fall is actuallyf a l l s a r e f o u n d the culmination of a series ofon Shikoku, with falls, located in a picturesque,t h r e e o f t h e m shady valley. Amagoi means ‘toi n T o k u s h i m a pray for rain’, an appropriate
Prefecture.
activity you could say, sinceT h e t a l l e s t o f Kamiyama literally translates
Tokushima’s three to ‘Spirit Mountain’.
chosen falls,
During summer a visit toTodoroki-no-Taki, is one of these falls can be alocated in the south great way to beat the heat.
of the prefecture in You might like to enjoy a
Kaiyo (previously shower, courtesy of Mother
Kainan). Todoroki Nature, or just cool off with am e a n s ‘ r o a r o r dip in a base pool. You may
b o o m r e s o u n d ’. even be lucky enough to spot
Approaching the a rainbow in the dissipating
fall you will hear mist, if the light is right. Enjoy
its roar for sure. If nature’s wealth – a waterfall is
you’re game, take the pot of gold at the end of
a s w i m t h r o u g h the rainbow.
the crevice into the
For extensive information
cavernous pool at on Tokushima’s waterfalls (inthe base of this Japanese):ogama waterfall - into the pot(photo by matt lindsay)
mighty cascade and http://www.ne.jp/asahi/photo/vitality. Who knows? Maybe the boom resound will soon takeno/
this rumour is true- I always become apparent.
feel refreshed after visiting a
O g a m a - n o -Ta k i i s t h ewaterfall.
m o s t r e m o t e wa t e r fa l l o f
Japan’s mountain ascetics, Tokushima’s ‘chosen
known as yamabushi, also three’. Located deepa t t e s t t o t h e e n e r g i z i n g in the mountains of
nature of waterfalls. These Kisawa, the scale
practitioners of the hybrid of the surroundings
Shinto-Buddhist religion, h e r e i s s u r e t o
Shugendo, devote themselves impress. (Check out
to nature for personal and t h e f u n k y t u n n e lspiritual development. Part next to the fall that’so f t h e i r t ra i n i n g i nvo l ve s just a hole blasted
meditating under waterfalls, through the rock.)(taki-shugyou). They are O g a m a m e a n s ‘ aeven known to perform this pot or cauldron’ - ap ra c t i c e i n t h e h e i g h t o f fitting description for
winter!
how this majestic
Being such a mountainous fall has carved theand well-watered nation, there landscape beneathis no shortage of waterfalls it.
in Japan. And with the strong
The nearest
Japanese penchant for and most easily
categorizing and ranking, it’ a c c e s s i b l e o f t h es no surprise that there is a chosen three falls
amagoi waterfall - jet to stream‘Top 100 Falls’, (Hyakumeitaki). is Amagoi-no-Taki in(photo by matt lindsay)-5-

getting married in japan
married the most wonderful
woman in the world inMarch this year. We had
a beautiful ceremony inan open air chapel in Hawaii,
followed by a reception with
our family and friends in a
traditional Hawaiian banquet
hall on the grounds of the
Bishop Museum.
Actually, that's not entirely
true. I did marry the mostwonderful woman in theworld, and we did have awonderful ceremony andreception in Hawaii. However,
the actual documents verifying
our union were completed in
October 2006.
The reason for this is thatas an American wanting
to marry a Japanese, thepaperwork was much easierin Japan. In fact, it wasn't
just easier, it was downright
simple. Granted, there werea few hiccups in the process,such as when the town office
workers could not figure out
where to put my middle name.
There were only two spaces
for names on the application
for marriage: given and family.
We eventually worked out that
I should squeeze my first andmiddle names into the onebox.

iThere were a few otherbureaucratic hoops we had tojump through, including taking
a day off work to go to Osaka
to the US Consulate to obtainan affidavit proving I was
single. But on a bright andsunny Sunday we nervously
walked into a darkened towno f f i c e t o h a n d o u r fo r m sover to the only person inattendance, a slovenly dressed
man in track pants and a dirty
t-shirt smoking a cigaretteand looking half-asleep. He
accepted the papers and weleft legally married.
We were giddy, of course,
but I felt a bit let down. We
just got married and I didn't
even have to put my hanko
on anything. I was sure we
had missed a step. But no,that was it. I realized later that
we didn't even need both of us
to be there. But that was justthe paperwork, THE WEDDING
was five months away. And
there is a world of difference
between 'getting married' and'having a wedding'. Those
whom are married and had awedding ceremony will knowwhat I'm talking about. And
an international wedding held
in a neutral site added several
extra wrinkles as well.

august fireworks
s firework displays
continue this August,here is a quick rundownof some of the hotplaces to be:aKamojima Fireworks:
This displays is set to be heldon Monday, August 6 from8:00-9:00pm at the Kamojima
U n d o - j o i n Yo s h i n o g a w aby chris riedl
awalife@gmail.com

We chose Hawaii because
geographically and culturally
it was almost perfectly inbetween America and Japan.
It was also more fair thanasking one side or the otherto cross the entire ocean.
We really wanted it to be acoming together, not just of
two people, but of two families
and two different cultures.
Hawaii was perfect. And
come on, do you really need
another excuse to take a trip
to Hawaii?!
The wedding did require a lotof time, planning, and a whole
lot of help from our friends andfamily, but in the end we wereable to enjoy the moment. Of
course, we do have a problem
when people ask us, "So whenis your anniversary?" We cansay October 22nd, the day themarriage was made official in
the eyes of the government.
But we prefer to say March
29th, the day we came
together with our two families
to celebrate our union; the day
Akiyo wore a white wedding
dress, I wore a hauri hakama,
we force-fed each other slices
of wedding cake and danced
till they kicked us out. In
other words, the day we came
together in our hearts.
by andrew dahms
until_eternity@hotmail.com

City. A total of nine hundred
fireworks are planned.
Naruto City Fireworks:
Three thousand fireworks
are set for this display in
Minamihama, Muya-cho
Naruto City from 8:00-9:00
pm, Tuesday August 8. Fivehundred paid car parking spots
are available.
-6-

Nouryou Fireworks
Festival: A total of 600
fireworks are set for thisfestival on Tuesday, August
14 from 9:00pm, at Shibo,
Mino-cho in Miyoshi City. You
may need some extra time
getting there, however, as
there is no parking available
on the grounds where thefestival will take place.

martin's manga corner
Title: Natsuko no Sake( ݊તѢଢ )Manga-ka:
Oze AkiraPublisher:
KodanshaFirst published: (1994)
No of volumes: 12
atsuko no Sake is amuch loved manga
which concerns thelife of Natsuko, ayoung woman who comesfrom a family of sake makers
in Niigata. Traditionally, thebusiness of sake brewing
is strictly reserved for men,
however when Natsuko's
brother dies she decides tobreak with tradition and takecharge of the family brewery.
This is not an easy decision for
Natsuko as it involves leaving
her high-paying job as a copy
writer in Tokyo and comeback to a rural community
whose ways and conventions
she is sometimes at odds with.
Natsuko's main problem istrying to get local farmers
to try out more traditional
methods of farming, which
would enable her to make amore superior sake. Natsuko
is determined to brew sakethe way her brother would
have wanted. Her brotherhad decided to forgo modern
methods after hearing about
the unsurpassed excellence ofsake made from an old, now
little-used strain of rice known
as Tatsunishiki rice.
Her mission is an uphillbattle; she struggles to growthe rice seeds, and then to
get the crop cultivated inlarge enough amounts, notto mention the back breaking
labor that is associated withtraditional methods of farming.
One example of this is whenntiny bugs infest the rice crop,
Natsuko has to painstakingly
remove them all by hand as
she has decided that using
agricultural pesticides would
be detrimental to the sake.
Despite all these hardships,
she perseveres and realizes
her dream. This form offighting against all odds theme
is not uncommon in mangaand drama in Japan, but whatsets Natsuko no Sake apart is
its use of a strong female rolemodel challenging perceived
notions of how things shouldb e d o n e . I t a l s o o ffe r s agreat deal of insight into thehardship and conformity ofrural life, the conflict between
traditional and modern waysof farming, not to mention
the complex traditions andpractices that are involved inthis ancient brewing tradition.
After the success of Natsuko
no Sake, its author Oze
Akira wrote a prequel series
called Natsu no Kura (Natsu's
Brewery). In Natsu no Kura,
Oze introduces us to Natsuko's
g ra n d m o t h e r, N a t s u . L i ke
her granddaughter, she muststruggle to gain acceptancein the sake making business,
which she manages to achieve
despite the taboos, due to her
excellent nose for sake andunderstanding of what makes
a quality sake. Natsu does
not come from a sake-making
family but instead marries
into one, which makes her an
outsider in more ways thanone. Like her granddaughter,
Natsu never expected to be
making sake as her husbandZenzo had been studying inTokyo, and in similar fashion to
Natsuko, a death in the family
brings the couple back to-7-

by martin o'brien
martinobrien2004@gmail.com

rural Niigata. Zenzo and Natsu
revive the family's sake-making
business by introducing
modern methods of production
and bringing in newtechnological advances likeelectricity into the production
process. The background of
Natsu no Kura is very similar to
Natsuko no Sake in the sensethat they are both womentrying to make the best ofwhat they have and overcome
the obstacles that are part oftheir profession. The difference
between the two stories islargely defined by the eras inwhich they are set. Natsu no
Kura is set in the early partof the 20th century while
Natsuko no Sake has a modern
day setting. Both depict thechallenges that face womenin Japanese society. In Natsu
no Kura, we see a portrayal of
the conservative nature of theextended family structure andthe difficulties that can arise
when one challenges one's
role in it. Conversely, Natsuko
no Sake depicts the freedoms
and opportunities that womenenjoy in modern day society
and how these often come at
the expense of relationships
and family. This novel strives
to show that no matter whatchange brings there will
always be those with the willand determination to face theirtrials and tribulations withcourage while still maintaining
values and traditions.
Natsuko no Sake wasserialized in Weekly Morning
magazine between 1988 and1991 and is now available ina 12 volume set. It was madeinto a TV drama of the same
name in 1994.

letter from suketo hoikuen
yphoons have always beena part of life in Japan, but
it seems that in recent
years they have beengetting stronger and more
frequent. September is always
a big month for typhoons, so
please take care.
This month I want tointroduce some ways torespond to children's sudden
injuries.
1. Head Injuries-if they get a lump... apply
a cold pack to the area andkeep an eye on it. If you areworried, take your child to thehospital.
-if there is blood... applypressure to stop the blood. If
there is a lot of blood, call an
ambulance (dial 119).
-if there is repeatedvomiting, seizures, or lossof consciousness... call an
ambulance.
2. Burns-cool the area with runningwater or ice for more than tentminutes.
-if the burned area is larger
than a 500 yen coin and it
seems serious, take your childto the hospital while keeping
the area cool.
3. Nosebleeds-lean forward slightly whilepinching the base of the nosetightly, or plug the nose withballed-up tissue.
-if a nosebleed continues formore than ten minutes after
a blow to the head, go to thehospital.
4. Swallowing a foreign
object-help the child to expel theshin-mai mama nikki
his will be my last shin-mai
mama nikki for a while.
I hope I will be able tocontribute to the Englishspeaking childrearing scene in
Tokushima in the future withthe occasional special feature,
but this will be my last regularcolumn.
Pool season has started at
daycare, so that means the
daycare yard is covered withdifferent sizes of toy pools the 5 year-olds get a relatively
large waist-high pool, while
the littler kids get wading
pools. Parents have to put acircle (meaning healthy) or Xt(meaning not healthy) next
to their child's name on alist every morning, indicating
whether their child is healthy
enough to go in the pool ornot. Kids with stomach upsets,runny noses, or slight fevers
are not allowed in the pool.
Also, if the parent forgets tomark a circle or X, the child is
not allowed in the pool.
Lately they have beenplaying the Awa Odori music
on CD at daycare, getting thekids ready for the Awa Odori
Festival. There is a little minifestival for the kids in a parknear the daycare a day before-8-

by kazue inoue
suketo hoikuen staff

object. With babies, turn thebaby face down on your lap
and hit the upper back. Witholder children, grasp themaround the waist from behind
and apply pressure to thesolar plexus.
-take your child to the hospital
immediately if cigarettes,
batteries, detergent, or otheritems like that are ingested.
Accidents can happen, evenwhen we take precautions.
The most important thing is tostay calm and take appropriate
action when an accident
happens.
This Month's Toy: ClothespinSumo-paste paper faces onto twoclothespins and attach strings
to them.
-cut out a sumo ring fromcardboard-clip the pins on and eachplayer pulls a string.
-the first clip to fall off is theloser.

by claire tanaka
clairish@gmail.com

the main festival starts. That's
nice - they can dance and playwithout having to worry about
being tripped over or getting
lost in the crowd of the main
festival. I would have been
roped into volunteering at thisschool festival since I am on
the PTA, but we will be outof the country then! Oops. I
guess I will have to volunteer
extra-hard at the Sports Day
event this fall. Long-timereaders will remember the
crawling race for babies at last
year's Sports Day. I wonder
what the littlest kiddies will bedoing this year?

japanese lessonby sachiko muramatsut p s f o j

t p s f o b s bt p s f e f͐ёҀўѽ͑and͐ёҀћ͑.
his
month
we will discuss
the usage of phrases
like͐ёҀџ͑Mffu b oblb t b o x bl p o p l b j t i b o j i b j u u f obhb jo e f t v l bᅩ̡โඨщ҇ѣ̜чѢ‫ݵ‬ଂџ໚їњෙи҇ћэп̝(Lee:
Tanaka-san,have yout beenin this company long?)u b oblbjfh p ofo n f e f t v
p o p n b f x b j u u o f o h v s b j utvup n f n b t i j u bโඨ̡им̜ϫ໩წћэ̝ёѢಶѣ 10 ໩фѽи ࣌ ѵѲыѓ̝̈́M fTanaka:No, it's my fifth
year. Before that I worked for ten years.ͅ
fu p j v l p u p x b
j { f o iplb o p l b j t i b o j utvup n f u f j u b o e f t v l bᅩ̡ќикчќѣ؋̜‫ڒ‬ಶ‫ޒ‬Ѣ‫ݵ‬ଂџ ࣌ ѵњиѓ҇ћэп̝̈́u Lee:ͅ
Sof youmean
you worked for another company?
b oblbfe b j hblv x p e f u f t v h v h j o l p v o j i b j s j n b t i j u b h bt p o p b u p n i l b j u f o tiplv t i j u f j s v o e f t v
โඨ̡мм̝ോ޺҆୞њэф࣠৪џ໚ѾѲыѓр̜ёѢঝ 2 ‫ݷ‬฼ ௰ ыњиѿ҇ћэ̝
̈́Tanaka: Yes. I started n working
at a bank after I graduated from university, but I have changed
bf o p lbjtib x b l p o q z v v u b b o p lbjtib e f tij u b
Ѣ
‫ݵ‬
ଂ
ѣ
ҥӥӆӗ̶ұ̶Ѣ‫ݵ‬ଂћыѓ̝̈́My last job was at a computer*ಶjobs twice since
then.
t p v
j
v x b l f e f
j n b o p l b j t i b x b san l b j n f o p l b j t i b o b o e f t v
̈́So that makes this my third
company.ͅёкик҃хћ،̜ਗѢ‫ݵ‬ଂѣ 3 ‫ݷ‬წѢ‫ݵ‬ଂў҇ћэ̝
job.ͅ

t

u p

j

v

l p u p x b؋͐ќикчќѣ͑Commonly used when confirming the correctness of a conclusion or opinion
reachedbased
on what the other person said. j n b obsv u p o p ibtij x p x b u b u u f j s v t p v e f t v z pKbnft t b o l b s b n f . s v h b b s j n b tij u bA̡Ҫ ҙ̶ӒҬщ ҇ п ѽ ӓ ̶ӝр ж Ѿ Ѳ ы ѓ̝ਗ ე ჷ Ѣ ࢲ ҆ ํ їњи ѿ ё к ћ э Ѽ̝(I got an
e-mailfromJames. Heb says
he's crossing the Naruto Bridge right now.)u p jv l p u p x b
u p yonjuppun h v s b j e f l p d i j s b o j u t v l j n b t v o f
B̡ќ и к ч ќ ѣ̜ж ќ 40 ကф ѽ и ћ ч ѕ ѽ џ ට с Ѳ э ѡ̝(So that means he'll be here in
about 40 minutes.)
t p

j

v

x b l f e f،͐ёкик҃хћ͑Followed by a statement expressing a conclusion or result. The preceding
sentence explains the circumstances of or reasons that brought about the conclusion or the
result.
A detailed
explanation is usually givenin the preceding sentence.
p p tblb o j u f o l j o t v s v t p v e f t v o f
h p l b {plv n p j t t i p o j j l v o e f t v l b
b t b o
щ
҇
̜ോ
ਖ਼
џ
฼
࣌
э
ѿ
ё
к
ћ
э
ѡ
̝ш
‫݌‬
ഖѶ‫୽ڴ‬џ৪у҇ћэп̝(I heard B-san is being̡
A B
transferred
to Osaka. Will his family go too?)jf
utvnb x b uplvtijnb x p e f u b l v o b j u p j u u f j s v t i j
nvtv l p x b l p uptij l p l p k v l f o o b o e f t v
t p v
jv x b l f
м
̜ਾ
ѣ
ຝ
๥
҆
୞
ѓ
у
ў
и
ќ
ॸ
їњи
ѿ
ы
̜഍
ત
ѣ
ਗ
໩
৸
৑
ଥ
५
ў
҇
ћ
э
̝ё
к
и
к
҃х
Be ̡и
f
i j u p s j e f p p tblb i f j l v l p u p o j t i j n b t i j u bћ̜‫ڴ‬గћോਖ਼Ѭ৪учќџыѲыѓ̝(No, his wife says she doesn't want to leave Tokushima,and his son is in the middle of high school entrance exams. So that means he's decided go to
Osaka alone.)t p o p i p l b o p tfutv{plvizpv h f o

s f o tivv n p o e b jёѢѯпѢ ಄ ഗླॵ̻ᇉ଺ჴൎ̻!More connecting phrases - practice questions
Completethe sentence by filling in the appropriate
phrase from the list below.
M f f t b o x b o j i p o h p h b ibob t f s v
f j h p n p kpv { v e bщ҇ѣ໘ႎতрᇭяѿ̛̛̛̛̛̝̈́ͅ۷ত
Ѷ௑ଚє̝ϧ̟ᅩ
njdij h b u p u f n p l p o e f j u b
n i j u p p u n d i j lplv t i j u b
ကඛ
њ
Ѷ
ਔ
҇
ћ
и
ѓ
̝
̛̛̛̛̛̈́ͅ
ਅыѓ̝Ϩ̟ທрlќ
20z p v o p l b j h j x b utvlb s f n b t i j u b o f‫ࡢݵ‬ѣ ྀ ҀѲыѓѡ̝ t b o x b obutvzbtv n j x b j u t v u p s v o e f t v l bϩ̟A̡ਗt ໘Ѣ
p v e f t v o fћэѡ̛̛̛̛̛̝̈́ͅA щ҇ѣ̜݊ࡷѳѣијଘѿ҇ћэп̛̛̝ϸ̡ёk к
j juugo g v o o p c b t v o j o p s j u b j o e f t v h bsanѾѓи҇ћэр¦¦¦̝
Ϫ̟A̡3 ૐ 1 5 ကѢӂҫџk௔
j o j l p l p x p e f u f n p n b o j b j n b t v z psan̛̛B:̛̛̛̛̛̛̈́ͅ3 ૐџчч҆୞њѶࠖџ৽иѲэѼ̝u p l p s p e ft p s f o b s bt p s f o j

t p s f e fќчҁћ (by the way)̛ёҀўѽ (if that's the case)̛ёҀџ (in addition)̛ёҀћ (and that is why)ϧ̟ёҀџ̛Ϩ̟ёҀћ̛ϩ̟ќчҁћ̛Ϫ̟ёҀўѽt p s f e f

u p l p s p e ft p s f o b s btijo o j i p o h p o p divvlzvv

U i s f f ! B ! O f u x p s l

Reference materials used:͐ఁ໘ႎতѢඨࢇ͑ҫӜ̶Қ̶ҿҵҺӡ̶ҡ-9-t p s f o j

Answers:

memoranda
Awa Odori at
Tokushima Airport

ຝ๥ࣱৗћ
٬༂ᅇѾ

Come along to the Tokushima Airport terminal to seeчѢ࠿‫ݵ‬џຝ๥ࣱৗ҆୞ѿࠑযࡰѸ୞ළ̠ᆅ৪пѽࡀѿ

displays of Awa Odori as dancers greet visitors and home-ॡჁ҆सмѿ٬༂ᅇѾѢҹҕҫӉӞҖ҆шᅥуєщи̤comers in preparation for the event!
໘ૐ̡! 9 ै 23 ໘̈́໘ͅWhen: Sunday, August 12

௘୸̡! 21;11-!25;11-!25;11

10:00, 11:45, 14:00

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Where: At the entrance to the Tokushima Airport
Cost:

terminal, in Matsushige-choჴ৽я̡!ຝ๥ࣱৗӅӝѲћใᇭ

Free

!

199.7::.3942

Contact: Call the Tokushima Airport at 088-699-2831

Exciting Summer
in Wajiki 2007
Once again this year in Wajiki you can enjoy the sounds ofҚҟҧҖҸҕӥҢ̠ҧӐ̶̠Җӥ̠ӡҪҟ
3118"

several popular artists in this outdoors concert. This year'sчѢҖӋӥҺћѣ̜ଓ଄џగࡂѢжѿҔ̶ҸҕҫҺџѼ

performers include Chatmonchee, Otsuka Ai and more!

ѿҥӥҧ̶Һр‫ލ‬пҀѲэ̤ਗ໩ѣോ෭‫̜ٮ‬ҳӕҵҺӔ
When: Monday, August 13ӥҳ̶ўѝ̜ᄻ̳ўҔ̶ҸҕҫҺѢ܏୞҆ᄫชыњиѲ

Grounds open at 9:30, and performances atэ̤

11:30. The event is set to end at 16:30.
Where: The Otsuka Seiyaku Wajiki Factory outdoor

໘ૐ̡! 9 ै 24 ໘̈́ैͅstage, in Naka-cho, Naka-gun.
Cost:

Free!

Contact: Check out the festival homepage (in Japanese)!

:;41 ‫ލ‬௘̜22;41 пѽ‫ލ‬ડ̈́ସ܏ᄫชૐࠖ

!

27;41*

at the following address: http://www.whk.ne.jp/

௘୸̡! ോ෭౥ᄄჾ‫ޒ‬ҫҸ̶Ҫ̜ຽ‫ݰ‬ऎຽ‫ݰ‬෎

~exciting/ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ̤
ჴ৽я̡!ҖӋӥҺ̠Ӎ̶Ӓӌ̶Ҫ҆шᅥуєщи̡!

http://www.whk.ne.jp/~exciting/Anan Water Swim٬໊Ҙқ̶ұ̶ҫҖӒ

Water swim is a new sport which involves holding swim-Ҙқ̶ұ̶ҫҖӒќѣಖѸ‫ކ‬Ѣ૛ಹѢඨћ৪кయ۱Ѣчming races in natural locations such as rivers and oceanќћэ̝beaches.

ࢡ ࡙ ଟ წ̡ ‫ ڴ‬ཤ ඍ அ̡2/6ln̜4ln̜ Қ Ӝ ̶ Һ ඍ அ ӌ ҔThis race features a 1.5km and 3km course, an elite 6km

7ln̜ҪӗҽҔ̠‫ڴ‬ཤҳ̶ӒϪϦϦУ

course, and a 400m junior and team course.
When: August 25, 11:00 to 16:00

໘ૐ̡9 ै 36 ໘ 22 ૐпѽ 27 ૐ!

Where: Kita no Waki Long Beach near Yuki Station௘୸̡ᄡ࠴‫۾‬ѢࣝуџжѿၾѢᇰӟӥҢӅ̶ҳ!

Contact: Anan Open Water Swim Tournament Officeჴ৽я̡!жў҇Ҝ̶ӉӥҘқ̶ұ̶ҫҖӒോ‫ૈݵ‬Ⴣࣅ

03-3465-2444

14.4576.3555-10-

memoranda
Awa Odori With
Niwaka-renџ҃пᇌћ٬༂ᅇѾ઄݇ыѲыѻк̤

If you're looking to take part in the action with Awa Odoriຝ๥દћ٬༂ᅇѾџ઄݇ыѓиၑѣџ҃пᇌџ઄݇ыњѳin Tokushima city, why not join up with Niwaka-ren, aѲя҇п̝઄݇ѣ૛ᄡћ࿴೻Ѷў҇ћѶиићэ̤dance group open to all comers and totally free!
When: Sunday, August 12 to Wednesday, August 15
Reception is at 18:30 and 20:30 each evening
Where: Reception will be held in two places - at theInfo:໘̛ૐ̡9 ै 23 ໘̻ 26 ໘̛̛̛̛ႚ཭ 29;41 ќ 31;41!

̛̛̛̛entrance to the East Shinmachi Shopping Arcade௘̛୸̡દᄂ୸ಶ̛Ⴆѣ̛๪ఁ෎ஒื‫ޛ‬Ѣ౦୞঵!

by the Shinmachi Bridge, and out front ofჴ৽я̡̈́੖ͅຝ๥ॡਇੑপᅺࢤ‫! !ݵ‬Tokushima City Hall.

UFM;!199.767.4414!!

Call the Tokushima City Tourism Association at

GBY;!199.763.1727

088-622-4010

Disaster Study Tour ၻ੆¿ÞÁ±̛¾ÁÄß©Ã²±
TOPIA and the Tokushima Prefectural Governmentຝ๥ॡќ UPQJB ћѣॡ຾џ੓୉эѿ‫ޒ‬ਇగѢၑџ੆‫ޔ‬џ

presents a trip to the Disaster Centre! You can experienceഴэѿྏм҆޺҇ћѶѽкѓѵѢ͐ຝ๥ॡᅵၻ੆ҭӥұ̶

simulated earthquakes, strong winds, and more! LearnҫұҹҕҶҔ̶͑҆‫ލ‬ਹыѲэ̝ҫұҹҕҶҔ̶ћѣ̜what to do when a natural disaster occurs.

එఖѣၯ࿭҆࡝ૉല५ћсѿ̤੆‫ޔ‬рࡍсѓѽѝкэҀ
Ѥиип҆޺ѪчќрћсѲэ̝ѐѦш઄݇уєщи̝

when: Saturday, September 29, 13:00 - 16:30

໘ૐ̡: ै 3: ໘̈́๘ͅ24;11 ̻ 27;41

where: meet at Tokushima Station at 13:00 and travel

௘୸̡24;11 џຝ๥‫۾‬ћസѕ৽҃я̜ӂҫћၾ๥Ѣၻ੆ҭ

together by bus to the Disaster Centre in Kitajima.

ӥұ̶џ‫ڤ‬ຌ̝

cost: free઄݇ྉ̡Ⴥᆍ

for more info and to register: Call TOPIA 088-656-3303

ఇыਔѳ̜ჴи৽҃я̡UPQJB Ѳћ 199 ± 767 ± 4414

22nd National
Culture Festival:
Odoru Kokubunsaiоѝѿਇဌੑ
ൌϨϨ‫ݷ‬ਇჁဌ݁ੋ
ຝ๥ॡ

The 22nd National Culture Festival will be held inൌ 33 ‫ݷ‬Ѣਇဌੑрຝ๥ॡћ৪҃ҀѲэ̝҃у҃у̜ѝс

Tokushima this year. There are exciting cultural eventsѝсщяѿҖӋӥҺрॡѢިඑћഗ̳๎௘̝ఊઅѢॵ൉

happening in every corner of the prefecture, from modernྖୟпѽ჆࠴ѢӇӛӓӥҥпѽྖ༉ћѢ໷̜ॡѢ̳ࣵѲ

art in Kamiyama, to flamenco in Mugi, to noh in Mima!

ћဌ݁рৃрѿ̤̤̤

When: October 27 to November 4
Where: at locations all over the prefecture

໘ૐ̡21 ै 38 ໘пѽ 22 ै 5 ໘Ѳћ!

Cost: most events are free, but some require application௘୸̡ຝ๥ॡѢިඑin advance.

ࣞ޽̡̛ჅᆍўҖӋӥҺрണир̜ఇыਔѳрྡྷᅅўќ

Contact: the National Culture Festival office atчҁѶжѾѲэ

088-621-2114 (some English spoken) or see theჴ৽я̡!ਇဌੑ૲৪‫̡ݵڿڙ‬199.732.3225

homepage at http://www.odoru-kokubunsai.jp/

iuuq;00xxx/pepsv.lplvcvotbj/kq0-11-memoranda
໘ႎত
໷ᆛી५

The Japanese
Language
Proficiency Test૛ကѢ໘ႎত໷ᆛ҆ް໡ыњѳѲя҇п̣чѢી५ѣႚ
໩ 23 ैџ৪҃ҀѲэ̝ର௰ўѝџјўрѿࡌ୓ўૃެ̝

Take this annual test to see how far you've progressed inိࢫѢѸѾриџѶўѿчѢી५џҳӕӞӥҪыѼк̤

your language study, or to improve the contents of yourresume! Application packs are available at Kinokuniya୞ࠪଥ࿋࠼̡ࠖ8 ै 3 ໘̻ : ै 22 ໘Books in Sogo and at Koyama Books in front of Tokushima

ી५໘̡23 ै 3 ໘̈́໘ᄹ໘ͅ

Station.

ી५එ̡ఊঅદ̜৸பદ̜ৃ๥દ๷಺ਇѢ๒‫̈́ݵ‬ຝ๥ћѣଥхѽҀѲя҇ͅapplication period: July 2 - September 11

ࠪ୿̡611 ‫̈́܅‬ຝ๥દћѣࡈ‫ړ‬Ꭲܴ୿ืќசઅஃ޺ࠛႎื

test date: December 2 (Sunday)ћ༝мѲэͅ

test locations: Kobe, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, and otherଥ५ᆍ̡6̞611 ‫܅‬

big cities nearbyைыу̡xxx/kfft/ps/kq

cost: application pack costs!]500, test fee is ]5,500
for more info: www.jees.or.jp

Living inTokushimaຝ๥ॡౠߊ௜၇
ҘҚӈҧҖҺ

In need of information for daily activities? Come and໘௛ౠߊџоињ௜၇҆о൷ыћэп̝ѐѦ̜ຝ๥ॡрtake a look at the Living in Tokushima website hosted

ӍҫҺыњиѿౠߊ௜၇ҘҚӈҧҖҺ҆шᅥуєщи̤by Tokushima Prefecture, home to information such as
earthquake and typhoon-related messages, tv and movie
guides, events, contact numbers and more.

чѢҘҚӈҧҖҺпѽඑఖ̠ൊ࿭џјињѢ௜၇̜ҸӞӅѸۭ‫ݬ‬ѢҞҖһ̜ҖӋӥҺ௜၇ўѝрѢ௜၇џҔҡҭҫћсѲэ̝Ӄүҥӥ̠ढഷཟᆊၑณ࢝ыњиѲэ̤

Living in Tokushima Computer WebsiteӃүҥӥҧҖҺ

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/index.php

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/index.php
Living in Tokushima Mobile WebsiteढഷҧҖҺ

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/m

http://our.pref.tokushima.jp/e_living/m

Counselling Service at TOPIAҺӆҔѢ೰ඎೱ঵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 and Japanese. Please notethat although every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Monday to Friday, 10:00 - 16:30
tel. 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)ଥх઱ѵњиѲэпగग़Ѣ୓ѳ
-12-