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

my trip to germany
ike I said last month in
my introduction, I went toGermany in September for
one week on business. You
may have already heard, but
Tokushima and Germany arestarting relations with eachother, between the state ofNiedersachsen and us. Thisis special because Tokushima
is the third place in Japanto have a formal agreementof relations with Germany,yay! And we did cool stuff,
like showing the ningyo
joruri puppet theatre andhakomawashi.
These are very traditional
things. Ningyo joruri started
in the Edo period and was
finally established in the
middle of the 19th century by
Bunrakuken, who founded his
so-called Bunraku-Za theatre.
He made many efforts topopularize the tradition. The
word ningyo means 'puppet'and joruri is a combination
word for 'reciting a story bya storyteller and singer' and"TOPPY"
November 2007 No. 209
by mario dammannmiree52@yahoo.co.jp

lmario interpreting for a hakomawashi puppet play on thestreets of germany'play of the shamisen'.
Even today Tokushima has
the most puppet theatres in
the country and everyday,
somewhere there is a play.
Like the Keisei Awa no Naruto,
a story of a girl looking for her
parents. On her pilgrimage
the girl finds her mother, but
isn’t aware of it. The motherrealizes it is her own daughter,but she doesn’t want toburden the girl any more withher sad existence, and so thestory continues. I don’t haveenough space here to describe
it all, but if you want to know
more about ningyo joruri,
please write an email and I
will send you some links.

my trip to germany ... con't on page 3

inside awa life this month
my trip to germany - 1,3,8 ... english speech contest - 4
the tanuki matsuri - 5,6 ... nengajō - 6
a change in immigration, autumn leaves - 7 ... letter from suketo hoikuen - 8
japanese lesson - 9 ... memoranda - 10, 11, 12

awa life

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 & Mario Dammann
Contributors This Month:
Andrew Dahms, Mario Dammann, Kanako Ikezoe,
Kazue Inoue, Kaori Tamada and Claire Tanaka

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
fter a sudden and very cold turn inthe weather, we head straight into
Autumn and one of the most culturally
busy periods of the Japanese calender.
There is viewing of the autumn leaves, time formikan picking, and oden once again claims
its place as the food of the season. And don't
forget - shogatsu and the new year's holidays
are just around the corner! It isn't all fun andgames, however, as the weather makes it
easier to catch cold, and new laws change theway visitors to Japan (and returnees!) enter thecountry. Check out the article on page sevenfor more information. Well, November looks to
be a busy month again this year - I hope you
all make the most of it!
Cheers, Andrew

ello and Guten Tag, welcome back to
Awa Life. It’s getting cold and autumnly.
Sometimes it rains and sometimes it
doesn’t. I use my weekends to get into
the nature. In parks and forests, I can feelthat I’m still alive. Where are you going in yourfreetime? Getting to an Autumn Festival (akimatsuri) to a shrine near your place? Visit
friends and drinking tea? It’s up to you, do yourbest to relax in your free time. This country has
lot's of things to do, for everyone of us. So, thismonth you can read my promised article about
my trip to Germany. Thanks to everyone, who
made this trip possible! And last but not least,
don't forget my monthly slogan: We have tosave the planet!
Danke! Marioahholding strong - even today the tradition of collecting alms is still in practice, offering a sharp contrast between the old andthe modern (photo by andrew dahms)-2-

my trip to germany ... con't from page 1

a small lineup of the dolls used in awa puppet theatre, wearing costumes as
elaborate and well-made as the real deal

Hakomawashi is alsoa kind of puppet play. The
puppets are carried in wooden
boxes at New Year's acrossthe whole country to bringgood luck and happiness toeveryone. Actually, we have an'Association for Reviving the
Hakomawashi Puppet Play'in Tokushima. Two women
perform the show, one playing
the taiko and the otherperforming with the puppet.
The puppets they use eachhave their own purpose as
well - three to banish bad luckfrom the past year, and thefourth is Ebisu, Japan's mostpopular god who hands out
good luck to everybody. The
players also
perform on auspicious events,
like weddings or 'signing thepartnership agreement for
Niedersachsen and Tokushima,
to have an exchange inculture, education, sports andeconomy'. You see? This was
the reason why we brought
this huge project to Germany.

I think it was worth the effort- t h e G e r m a n s w e r e ve r y
excited. Of course, the plays
can be a little bit difﬁcult andlong for ﬁrst-time viewers, but
the more you see, the moreenjoyable they become. I saw
it the ﬁrst time in mid-August,and until now I have seen it
many times. It is so good tohave this famous traditionalcustom here in Tokushima. I
even planned to join a theatre
and try to play a ﬁgure!
Now back to the real
story, as this was only the
background! We started ourtrip on Wednesday, September
12 at four in the morning infront of Tokushima station.
We drove to the airport bybus and at Kansai Airport we
met the Governor and all the
famous and important people.
The Governor held a speech at
a VIP lounge and the televisionand newspaper staff were
ﬁlming or writing articles. Not
with me, because I ﬂed in theright moment.

After all this, we checked inwith our whole puppet theatre
equipment (a whopping great
160kg!) drank our last coffee
and headed to the gate toboard the plane. After a long
13 hours in the air we landed
in Frankfurt, Germany's onlyinternational airport (only realinternational - a connection to
the rest of the world, not only
Europe). Here we transferred
to a ﬂight to Hanover and thatwas it for the day. We wereof course very exhausted,but I think we managed wellenough.
The next day we had our
ﬁrst performance, at the place
which is going to be written
into all the history books: theplace where Governor Iizumi
a n d P r i m e M i n i s t e r Wu l f fsigned the agreement for theexchange between our states.
It was very nice and everybody
was smiling. PM Wulff received
h i s g o o d l u c k fr o m E b i s u
and this was a symbol for
relationships to come.
The next day we got up
early and went to the old City
Hall of Hanover. We started
preparations at 10:00 andt h e p l ay b e g a n a t 1 8 : 3 0 .
It was a big success, withmost people staying on fora reception with drinks andfingerfood, and it made mevery happy that I could help.
I had also many chances totalk to the guests. They told
me about their fascination
with these kinds of Japanesetraditions. Many of them do
not understand Japanese,but they are interested in theculture, religion, etc. of Japan.
Only a few had actually been
there before and were happy

my trip to germany ... con't on page 8-3-

how wonderful osettai is!
his past Monday, October
8 saw the prefectural highschool english speechcompetition, with a totalof 27 participants from schools
throughout the prefecture.
As always, competition washigh and choosing a winnerproved more to be quite thechallenge. However, in theend it was Kanako Ikezoe ofTokushima Municipal HighSchool who took first prize.
Here is her speech, titled 'How
wonderful Osettai is!'t

Mottainai - it’s a Japaneseword that conveys a certain
humanitarian spirit. My motheroften says this word to me.
When I fail to finish all thefood on my plate, she mutters,"Aah, mottainai, Kanako",and eats my leftovers for me.
She gains a lot of weight fromdoing this. But Sssssh! Don’t
tell her I said so!!!!
Wangari Maathai became
the first African woman
to win the Nobel Peace
Prize as an environmental
activist. She encountered
this word, mottainai whenshe visited Japan. She wasimpressed that the meaningof the word encapsulated theneed to 'reduce, reuse, andrecycle'. She advocated themottainai concept at a UN
conference and even now
she is seeking to turn it into a
global campaign to sustain ourenvironment responsibly.
From this, mottainai
becomes a global word. I amvery proud that the Japanese
wisdom, rooted in ordinary life
now plays such an importantrole globaly.
I want to introduce anothergreat Japanese word to thekanako ikezoe, winner of this year's
prefectural english speech competition(photo by andrew dahms)

international community fromhere in Tokushima. That word
is 'osettai'.
There is an eighty- eighttemple pilgrimage around theisland of Shikoku. Famous
Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi issaid to have established thispilgrimage more than one
thousand years ago. Since
then, countless people havecome to Shikoku to pray at theeighty-eight Buddhist temples.
A custom has developed overcenturies whereby Shikoku
residents welcome them byproviding gifts of food, lodging
or money. This act of supportand sharing is called osettai.
The 23rd temple, Yakuo-ji, islocated in Minami-cho, where
my grandmother lives. She
is a tea ceremony instructor.
Every spring my grandmotherand her students give osettai
at Yakuo-ji and sometimes I
help them. Many people visit
Yakuo-ji and some of themeven come from overseas.
"Hello! Would you like to have-4-by kanako ikezoe
awalife@gmail.com

some rest?" we ask them andserve tea. After resting, their
weary faces relax and light up
into a smile. They are always
thankful. I am also very happy
and at the same time thankful
for the opportunity to giveosettai to them. I feel that
our hearts are united beyond
cultural differences.
One pilgrim said to me,"I received osettai almoste v e r y d a y. F r u i t f r o m ag r o c e r, r i c e b a l l s f r o m ahousewife, and kindness andencouragement from everyone
I met. The best aspect ofthe pilgrimage for me is thewonderful people I meet along
the way."
How wonderful osettai is! It
provides love and compassion
to others that modern people
tend to forget. I believe thatosettai can heal people’s
minds like nothing else.
There are so many tragic
incidents happening in thew o r l d s u c h a s w a r. W a rcauses famine, poverty andsuffering to many people.
The road to world peace is
not through war. I believethat our pilgrimage toward
peace should be filled withlove and compassion. And thepilgrimage begins first in theminds of us all. Taking the ﬁrst
steps of this journey with theprinciples of osettai provides
an essential foundation toachieving a peaceful world.
I would like to spread themindset of osettai from here.
In the future, I hope that it
will become a global word,
together with mottainai. I
believe that these wonderful
Japanese words can makeour world a brighter and morepeaceful place.

the awa tanuki festivalor those who have spentsome time in Tokushima,
you may have guessedthat tanuki play a pretty
big part in local culture.
In the April 2007 Awa Life(issue 202, pg. 5) we took
a look at the tanuki battleof Komatsushima, and wehave all seen the statues andimages of tanuki in the streets
and in front of store windows
as well. It comes as little
surprise then that Shikoku is
known as the home of thetanuki, and it comes as evenless of a surprise that a placefilled with tanuki stories andmyths should have an event
dedicated to them as well.

fTanuki Traditions
The Awa Tanuki Festival was
first held in November 1978.
Yet, in spite of the promising
name, there are actually noreal tanuki in attendance.

Rather, the purpose of thefestival is less to celebrate
the furry existance of tanuki
than as an opportunity topromote both local products
and local talent, and to help
draw visitors to Tokushima. In
fact, I like to think of it as theautumn version of the Hana
Haru Festa, except minus the
awa odori and with a lot more
fur, fake though it may be.
The Tanuki SongAs with many other festivals
and occassions in Japan, the
Awa Tanuki Festival has its
own song. The four versesof this rather light-hearted
jingle can be heard now andthen on TV around the time ofthe event, and at the festival
itself (on loop, all day long...).
The first verse goes a little
something like this:A strange sound in the middle

by andrew dahms
until_eternity@hotmail.com

of the night, koto koto koto
koto koto koto, out behind theold shrine, "oh, it wasn't me"
they say, aha! it must havebeen the tanuki! koto koto
koto koto koto koto, that's
right, the tanuki of awa.
Tanuki Stories
Komatsushima's tanuki battle
is not the only such folk story
involving tanuki in Tokushima.
In fact, there are several
folktales featuring thesemischevious little creatures.
For example, it is said in
the Iya Valley that long ago
a tanuki could be found near
the embankment to one of
the famous iya vine bridges.
When people would try to
cross here at night, the tanuki
would confuse the travellers
by making it seems as though
the bridge had split into two,
making it impossible to cross.
It was also said that tanuki inthe awa tanuki festival ... con't on page 6

one of the many and varied dancing groups on show at the awa tanuki festival strikes a pose for the camera-5-

nengajōell, it has come around to that time of the year again. In last November's edition, we
showed you how to make Japanese nengajō - cards that are sent out at year-end much
like Christmas cards are in the west. Let's have a recap of how to go about it.

сїњ

①

7 7 0 0 8 3 150② ໩‫ݰ‬

put
your

ѡ҇р

②
໩‫ݰ‬
nenga / New Year's
Card
This will let the postman know to post yourcard on January 1st.
ќыєѲ

③
о໩ࣈ
otoshidama / New
Year's Gift
The otoshidama
lottery is held around
January 15th every year
- check your numbers
at the post ofﬁce to see
if you won a prize!

address

④

㥘

⑤

here

③

⑥

ຝ๥ॡຝ๥દ્๥ႎ෎౦⇀∤⇅⇀≏⊈⊀⊎≧̠≶⊅≖⇅‫ގ‬nengajō sold by thepost ofﬁce already havea stamp printed onthem. If you make yourown, you'll have to buy
a 50 yen stamp to put
on it. There are somewith special New Year's
designs that include
otoshidama lottery
numbers.

ᄧ̛̛ာ̛̛ѣ̛̛р̛̛с

①

̛̛̛̛

ಂଚ
kitte / stampതᇤᄻ̛ અโ !

w

by claire tanaka
clairish@gmail.com

޽ߌ߹ߒߡ߅߼ߢߣ߁
ߏߑ޿߹ߔ

A7777 ೎The address ④
is written on theright hand side,starting with theprefecture, thenc i t y, g e t t i n gsmaller until
the apartment
number is at the
end.

о໩ࣈ

777777

When you address ⑤
your nengajō, makesure you щѲ
write thehonouriﬁc ᄻ! (sama)at the end of therecipient's name,but be careful not towrite it at the end ofyour own!

రᣤ೓
nezumi / rat⑥

People usually decorate their cards with
an illustration of the Chinese Zodiac
animal for the coming year, or the kanji
for that zodiac animal. There are no hardand fast rules, though, making it theperfect opportunity for you to express
your creativity!

There are lots of different ways to wish someone
a 'Happy New Year' in Japanese. Aside from the above, you
чќы
сѻѡ҇
я ҃
ѡр
could also write ࢌ໩ѣоౌᇭџўѾѲыѓ̝ਗ໩ѶѼҁыуоࠪиыѲэ!)kyonen wa osewa ni narimashita.
kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu - Thanks for all your help in the past year. I'm depending on youр҇ѓ҇again this year). Don't forget to include the date - January 1st has its own special kanji: ७൸ .!gantan.

the awa tanuki festival ... con't from page 5
the area would fake cries ofa woman in distress, drawing
passersby to their aid only toﬁnd nothing. Similar tales canbe found in Ishii, Yuki andother locations around theprefecture.
And of course, I am sure
those Hayao Miyazaki fansamong us are familiar with themovie Pom Poko, of which partwas staged in Tokushima andtells the tale of Tanuki ﬁghting
to keep hold of their traditional
homeland against the advanceof suburbia.
Awa Tanuki Festival 2007
The festival this year isgoing to be held from Friday,
N o v e m b e r 2 t o S u n d a y,
November 4. The event will beheld from 10:00-16:00 eachday, and you can find it in
Aibahama Park in Tokushima
-6-

City.
It is a perfect chance to hearsome live music, get somefestival food and enjoy a day
or two outdoors before thecold of winter sets in. Why notcome along, put on a tanuki
hat and join in the fun?
If you want to ﬁnd out more
about this year's festival, callthe executive committee at
088-655-7667.

a change in immigrationt a r t i n g o n Tu e s d a y,
November 20, all foreign
entrants into Japan will
be required to undertake
ﬁngerprint scanning and havetheir photographs taken before
entering customs to apply
for entrance into the country.
Those refusing to have theirfingerprints checked or phototaken will be automaticallydenied entry.

s

BackgroundThe new laws concerning
immigration were introduced
in response to the heightening
concerns over international
terrorism in the modern age,as well as to introduce a more
effective system of checking
for and controlling the entryof illegal entrants / those withcriminal records. The overallsystem is similar in design andconcept to that currently inaction in the United States ofAmerica.
Exceptions
All arrivals into Japan will be
subject to inspection, except
for those in the following
circumstances:* Special permanent residents* Persons under the age of 16* Persons who are engaged in
diplomatic or ofﬁcial duties.
* Persons under invitation by
the heads of administrative
organs.
* Persons given permission by
the Ministry of Justice to enter
the country under the previous
two conditions.
Use of Private Information
The information collectedautumn leaves
he thermometer shows
only twenty degress
and less left and we are
shaking at night. We loved
the heat, but are now looking
forward to this years koyo,
the turning of the leaves fromgreen into beautiful reds andyellows. There are several
p l a c e s a r o u n d To k u s h i m awhere you can enjoy thiswonderful feeling of Autumn.
The best spots this year are
following:t

Higashi Miyoshi - Minoda
no FuchiWhen: From early to lateNovember.
Where: The Minoda canyon
in the Prefectural Nature Parkin Ashiro, Higashi-Miyoshi-cho,Miyoshi-gun.
Access: Five minutes by car

submitted
awalife@gmail.com

during these inspections will
be subject to the privacy
information laws, and storedsafely. However, it may behanded to police or otherrelevant organizations in casea crime is committed.
More Information
A video is available on theJapanese Government Internet
TV website that provides more
information and a general
overview of what is now
required by foreign visitors
entering (or re-entering)
Japan: http://nettv.gov-online.

go.jp/prg/prg1203.html.
Alternatively, you can checkout the ministry of JusticeHomepage for the full details
in print: http://www.immi-moj.

go.jp/english/index.html

by mario dammann
awalife@gmail.com

from the JR Tsuji station, orfour kilometers along the
To k u s h i m a I k a wa - I ke d aexpressway (IC). Parking isavailable.
Information: Call the
Miyoshi Office for Commerce,
Industry and Sightseeing at
0883-79-5345.
German Village Park
When: Early November.
Where: Naruto-shi, Oasa-cho
Hinoki.
Access: Thirty minutes walkfrom Bando Station on the JR
Kotoku Line.
Information: Call the
Naruto Office for Commerce,
Industry and Sightseeing at
088-684-1157.
Kotsu Gorge
When: From early to late
-7-

November.
Where: Along the Kotsu
Gorge in Yamakawa-cho,
Yoshinogawa-shi.
Access: Just 30 minutes by
car from Yamakawa Station.
Information: Call the
Yo s h i n o g a w a O f f i c e f o r
Commerce, Industry andSightseeing at 0883-22-2226.
Oboke / Koboke
When: Mid to late November.
Where: The Oboke / Koboke
Gorge in Yamashiro-cho,Miyoshi-shi.
Access: You can view theautumn leaves from aboard
the oboke / koboke rivercruise, just 15 minutes walkfrom the JR Oboke Station.
Information: To find out
more, call 0883-86-2432 formore information.

my trip to germany ... con't from page 3
to see their beloved interests
firsthand. The evening wasgood, but the night was
terrible. Because of a night
marathon being held in thecity, our transportation wasn’t
able to get to the venue topick up all our stuff and bringit back to the hotel. There
was no other way but to carryit ourselves. But of course
you can’t handle 160kg at atime, so we had to go several
times to get everything. The
next day we had nice weather
for a performance on thestreet. Many people came(around 60) and watched thehakomawashi. The kids also
could touch them and try to

carry the puppets. This kind ofexperience is not an everyday
event, so I think they werevery thankful to have theopportunity.
You know, I could just keep
going, but there is a point
where you don’t want to read
anymore. You want to see,to feel, to participate. My
suggestion: get in touch witha puppet theatre near you,i.e. the Awa Jurobei Yashiki(see sidebar) and watch it
yourself. It really is something,and you have to see it at least
twice to understand a little.
So what about the inﬂuence inGermany? What will happen in
the future? We will see!

letter from suketo hoikuen
he mornings and evenings
a r e g e tt i n g ve r y c o o l ,welcoming us into Autumn.
However, it is also a very
easy time of year to catch coldor get sick, and it is only goingto keep on getting colder. So,
it is important for your kids
to play outside while they still
can and help build themselves
up against the coming winter.
This time of year is also
perfect for reading together. As
the sun sets earlier with eachpassing day, your children
will be spending more time athome. Reading to them helps
to foster their imagination andcreativity.
Here are some points to getyour kids into reading alongwith mum and dad:
1: If the person reading thebooks to them is interested
in the book, then the children
will also be interested.
2: If your children ask you totread to them, don't pass up
the opportunity!
3: Hold your children on yourlap when you read to them.
4: Even if your children ask
you to read them something
they have heard before, readit to them as though it werethe ﬁrst time.
5: Always have some picture
books on hand, just in case.
Reading a book to yourchildren while holding them on
your lap can bring them greatjoy. It's also fun to ﬁnd books
everyone can read and enjoy
together.

-8-

The Awa Jurobei Yashiki
An old house, renovated andconverted into a theatre /museum for Awa Puppetry.
Show Times: Everyday from11:00, and weekends 11:00
and 14:00.
Cost: Adults 400 yen,
Junior High, Senior High andUniversity Students 300 yen,Primary School Students andbelow 200 yen.
Access: On the left-hand side,
five minutes drive right off
Route 11 just after crossing
the Yoshino River. Visible fromthe roadside. You can also goby bus from Tokushima Stationon the Tomioka Danchi Line.

by kazue inoue
suketo hoikuen staff

This month's toy: peek-aboo!
1: Draw a picture of a face ona plastic bag.
2 : Stick a straw into the
opening and tape it shut sothat the straw is the only way
for air to enter or leave theplastic bag.
3: Hide the straw and plastic
bag in a paper cup, with thestraw sticking out a hole in
the end. You can then playby blowing into the straw,
causing the bag to inﬂate andsuddenly pop up the face on
the bag.

japanese lessonby kaori tamada
jtmtoku-lesson@mbk.nifty.com

ave you ever been to a travel agency in Japan? Travel agencies are very handy for showing
you information on cheap tours and interesting locations to visit. And naturally, the staff
at these stores use very polite language when talking to customers. How about learningsome of this polite language and trying it out next time you go!

hɫɲɨɤɨɮ ɝ ɚ ɢ ɫ ɢ ɭ ɞ ɧ ɝ ɞᅉตй˿șAt the travel agency
ᅣৈധs z p l p v e b j s j u f o o p ijuplzblv
̛̛B̡ࡰ̈́CustomerͅA̡ᆅ৪൉ᅫืѢగ̈́Travel Agentͅ
j s b t t i b j n b t fѽїыѷиѲя̝A̡и
Welcome!
b o p v
obhbop f t v l j j o j j l j u b j o e f t v h bѢк̜ෙჾѬҫҟ̶џ৪сѓи҇ћэр̝I'd like to go to Nagano to go skiing.
B̡жobhbop e f h p { b j n b t v o fobonfjtbnb e f t v l bჾћшъиѲэѡ
̝݃
჎ᄻћ
эп̝
̡ෙ
Nagano? How many people will be going?
A pupobtboojoeftv
గંగћэ̝
Three adults.
B̡ോ
hpzpufj x b j u t v h p s p e f t i p v l bᄫชѣијшҁћ
ыѻкп̝And when would you like to go?
A̡ঞjdijhbutv j u t v l b
nvjlb
oboplb o p n j l l b l b o e f t vैϫ໘̜Ϭ໘̜ϭ໘Ѣϩ໘ࠖћэ̝For three days starting January 5.
B̡ϧe f t i j u b s b l p o p q b l l utv b
b x b j l b h b e f t i p v l b
ыѓѽч
ѢӃ
ҵҡҶ
Ҕ
̶ѣ
и
прћ
ыѻкп̝
How about this package tour then?
A̡ћz p t b t p v e f t v o f
ijzpv x b j l v s b e f t v l bщёкћэѡ̝ྉᄿѣиуѽћэп̝
Hmm, it looks good. How much is it?
B̡ᆕ
p i j u p s j t b n btbnnbo h p t f o f o e f h p { b j n b t v‫ڴ‬గᄻϩ
Ⴎϫ಑‫܅‬ћшъиѲэ̝
The cost is 35,000 yen per person.
A̡оkbl p o p utv b
b e f p ofhbjtijnbtv
ѷ̜ч
ѢҶ
Ҕ
̶ћ
о
ࠪ
иыѲэ̝
̡ь
Ok then, I'll take it!
B
e f h p { b j n b t v

e f t vobonfjtbnb

obonfjчъиѲэ͑
̈́polite equivalent჎ᄻ͑̈́respectful equivalenti j uof݃ ჎ͅ΀͐ћof ћ эͅ-͐݃
hpzpufjzpufj
p ijupsjtbnb
psj͐ঞ ᄫช͑̈́respectful equivalent of ᄫ ชͅ-͐о ‫ ڴ‬గᄻ͑̈́respectfulequivalent of ‫ ڴ‬గͅTheseeftijubsb
ыѓѽ͑؋͐ћ
is the polite equivalent ofphrases
are
often
used
in
stores,hotelsandrestaurants.
e b u u b s be b u u b s b
t p v e b u u b s b͐єїѓѽ͑.͐єїѓѽ͑means the same as͐ёкєїѓѽ͑and is used when describing the
speaker’s own opinion based on words and information obtained from another person.
uboblb t b o

l p o p u t v b b x b u b l b j tij

tiplvkj n p u t v j u f o b j z pโඨщ̡҇чѢҶҔ̶ѣ৸иы̜௳ૈѶ࿋ињўиѼ̝
Mr.Tanaka:Thispackage disi j hab vbit
expensive, and you will have to pay for meals seperately.
k po t b oe b u u b s b
utv b b o j t i j z p v z pҪәӥщ̡҇єїѓѽ̜‫ګ‬кҶҔ̶џыѼкѼ̝
John: I'd like to go with a different tour then.
Complete the sentence by ﬁlling in the appropriate phrase from the list below.
̛̛̛̛̈́؋̛̛̛̛ͅ
A̡
b o p vlzpup f j l j u b j o e f t v h bѢк̜࢜๒Ѭ৪сѓи҇ћэр̝B̡ж
j s p j s p o b u t v b b h b h p { b j n b t v z p
e f t v l b
̡и
ҁиҁў
Ҕ̶р
ш
ъиѲэѼ
̝
̛̛̈́،̛̛ͅћэп̝
A p u p o b gvubsj e f Ҷt v
B̡ോగ໏గћэ̝x b j u t v h p s p e f t i p v l bијшҁћыѻкп̝Ä̡̛̛̛́‫̛̛̛ͅ؍‬ѣ
sbjtivv o p e p z p v c j o p ichinichi e b l f o b o e f t v h bхў҇ћэр̝
B̡ᅖୃѢ๘ᄹ໘Ѣ 1l p໘єdijsb o p ijhbfsj c b t v u t v b b x b j l b h b e fѕѽѢ໘ࡀѾӂҫҶҔ̶ѣипрћ
Ä̡̛̛́؎̛̛̛ͅчt i p v l b
!!!ы
ѻкп̝
z p t b t p v e f t v o f
ijzpv x b j l v s b e f t v l bᄿѣиуѽћэп̝
B̡ᆕщёкћэѡ̝ྉichiman g o s e n e n e f h p { b j n b t v̡̛̛̈́؏̛̛̛ͅ
Ⴎ
A k b
1 5 ಑‫܅‬ћшъиѲэ̝l p o p u t v b b e f p o f h b j tijnbtv
B̡ьѷ̜чѢҶҔ̶ћоࠪиыѲэ̝
obonfjtbnb

u b s b

hpzptbopijupsjtbnb

b s j h b u p v h p { b j n b t v

e f t i j u b s b

j l v u t v჎ᄻ̛̛ѓѽ̛̛ঞᄫઍ̛̛о‫ڴ‬గᄻ̛̛жѾрќкшъиѲэ̛̛ћыѓѽ̛̛иуј̛̛݃
hpzpufj
j s b t t i b j n b t fঞᄫช̛̛иѽїыѷиѲя̛
Answer:௙؋иѽїыѷиѲя̛،݃჎ᄻ̛‫؍‬ঞᄫช̛؎ћыѓѽ̛؏о‫ڴ‬గ
j

s

b

t

t

i

b

j n b t fo b o n f j tbnb

h p zpufj

eftijubsb-9-

p ijupsj

memoranda
The Kamojima Kiku ޻ใഩࡂ௵ࣹМњх੽৥ࡂܸྞྒ‫ݓ‬
Ningyo Festival
This festival is host to a large display of chrysanthemumࡤ‫ݚ‬ѢോࡊჟўҹҕҫӉӞ̶рߝ๥ћ‫ލ‬ਹщҀѲэ̝ё

ﬂowers, the star of which are various sets from historicalѢඨћѣ̜໘ႎѢ౶ᇭѸ OIL һӛӐўѝѢҩ̶ӥр਺ॵdramas and Japanese fairytales in which the characters
are literally dressed in flowers! See the November 2006
issue of Awa Life for more information.

ౖ 29 ໩ 22 ৼ҆шᅥуєщи̝
໘ૐ̡! ϧϧैϨϩ໘̈́ࣞͅѲћ

When: Now, until Friday, November 23.

!

8:00 - 21:00

9;11!.!32;11

௘୸̡! ࡦჾಖદߝ๥෎̜ࡦჾಖદᄂ୸

Where: In front of the Yoshinogawa City Ofﬁce,

Cost:щҀ̜ࡤ‫ݚ‬ћ௪ѽҀњиѲэ̝ைыуѣ٬༂ӛҖӇѢဓ

Kamojima-cho (10 minutes walk from!

the JR Kamojima Station).

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Free!

̈́KS ߝ๥‫۾‬пѽ๊ံϧϦကͅჴ৽я̡!૲৪‫ݵڿڙ‬Ѳћ

Contact: Call the Kiku-Ningyo executive committee at!

0883- 24-2274

ใᇭ 1994.35.3385

Ikawa Ski Grounds ‫ڌ‬౴҉ѽ̔ஶᇛ੣̢НЖміѐ̣Ѻ̔ҧӃ
Open!
The ski grounds at ikawa are opening for a new year, with‫ڮ‬ಖѢҫҟ̶௘рਗ໩ѶиѼиѼҜ̶Ӊӥ̤๴໘̜ҫҟ̶free lift access on the day!

ӜӇҺрჅᆍќўїњиѲэ̝

When: Thursday, November 22.

໘ૐ̡! 22 ै 33 ໘̈́ცͅ9:00 -!

Where: Miyoshi City, Ikawa-cho Kainayama, Ikawa Ski
Cost::;11!.

Grounds.

௘୸̡! ં঻દ‫ڮ‬ಖ෎̈́пиўѸѲͅ‫ڮ‬ಖҫҟ̶௘

Free!

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Contact: Call 0883-78-5005 for more information.

ჴ৽я̡!ใᇭ 1994.89.6116

AnnouncementsМଷЖұғҋ̔҈

A new birth in the family? Have you recently gotten਻̜ࣝॅਛ̠୞ઌўѝѢоѵћѓиҽӗ̶ҫржїѓၑ̜married? Then good news! Awa Life is looking for٬༂ӛҖӇћѣжўѓѢ‫݌‬ഖѢо୙иૈ҆ລ଄Ѣ‫މ‬щ҇

submissions from readers to help you get the word out!
Send us the details and a short blurb, accompanied by apicture if you have any on hand, and we will post it foryou in the next issue of Awa Life!

џཇླыѓиќ઩иѲэ̤ 211 ဌૌธ๗Ѣဌ஻ќ̈́Ѷыжїѓѽͅૼఉ҆٬༂ӛҖӇѲћ೽їњиѓєхѓѽ૑ৼѢ٬༂ӛҖӇџड੐иѓыѲэ̝

Send any submissions to the awalife email address at:٬ ༂ ӛ Җ Ӈ Ѣ ӓ ̶ ӝ Ҕ һ Ӟ ҫ Ѳ ћ о ೽ Ѿ у є щ и̡awalife@gmail.com.

awalife@gmail.com-10-memoranda
Matsushige Culture ஈႾඬ࿪‫ܟ‬਩Festival
Come along to this town festival featuring an exhibition ofபრ෎ဌ݁ࢤ‫ݵ‬Ѣ‫ڿݵ‬џѼѿ੢࿀ึ૘Ѹष໷ཇླрਹщ

local artwork, musical performances and more.

ҀѲэ̝When: Saturday and Sunday, November 10 - 11.
9:00 - 21:00 on Saturday and 9:00 - 16:00 on
Sunday.

໘ૐ̡! 22 ै 21 ໘̈́๘ͅпѽ 22 ໘̈́໘ͅ!

:;11!.!32;11!) ๘̜ͅ:;11!.!27;11̈́໘ͅ

Where: Matushige-cho, Hiroshima, at the Sogo Kaikan

௘୸̡! பრ෎ৃ๥̜ೳ৽‫ࠛݵ‬

Cost:

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Free

Contact: Call the Matushige Board of Education at
088-699-8719

ჴ৽я̡!பრ෎ࢱ‫ݵڿڙڱ‬Ѳћ!

ใᇭ 199.7::.982:

Otani Pottery
Festival in NarutoႲვ઄рഩോஐᄞѐжќ

Every year on the second weekend of November thisႚ໩ 22! ैѢൌ 3! ๘̠໘ᄹ໘џ̜๪ᆟ‫ࢩۇ‬຾ћോ൭லѢ

market is held in Naruto, selling the classic Otani potteryof Tokushima for up to 30% off. There are also workshops
and an art display.
When: Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11ᅀ७р৽ຍћ৪кງ࠯દћэ̝࿗ඌѢ 3!̻!4!߆‫ۂ‬ћഌ༞щҀѲэ̝Ѳѓ̜‫ݵ‬௘ћѣോ൭ல‫ފ‬࿋хࢱ૬̠႑੃ึ̠
‫ึݬފ‬ўѝѶຍૐџ‫ލ‬ਹщҀѲэ̝

9:00 - 16:00
Where: Naruto City, Oasa-cho, Aza Yamada,
Cost:

໘ૐ̡!! 22!ै 21!໘̈́๘ͅ22!໘̈́໘ͅ

on the grounds of Tourin-in.

!

Free!

௘୸̡!! ეჷદോ႕෎ૌઅโ๪ᆟ‫ࢩۇ‬຾

Contact: Call the Otani Pottery Association at
088-689-0204 for more information.

:;11!.!27;11

ࣞ޽̡!! Ⴥᆍჴ৽я̡!ോ൭லງࣄࢤ‫ݵ‬Ѳћใᇭ 199.79:.1315

Joroku Temple
Open to the Publicரᇃફ๽࿾঎‫ݫ‬For a very short time this November, one of the few main

22!ै୷୪̜ా̳Ѣਇપชဌ݁੖Ѣжѿ௒ᇥ્ћ̜ႎຎ̠

temple hall and garden areas designated as nationalญ‫܆‬ўѝрর‫ލ‬щҀѲэ̝cultural assets will be open to the public.
When: Thursday to Sunday, November 1-4
9:00 - 17:00
Where: Tokushima City, Joroku-cho, Joroku Temple
Cost:

໘ૐ̡!! 22!ै 2!໘̈́ც̻ͅ!5!໘̈́໘ͅ
!

:;11!.!28;11

௘୸̡!! ຝ๥દ௒ᇥ෎௒ᇥ્

Grounds

ࣞ޽̡!! ോగ 611!‫܅‬

Adults 500 yen, Junior and Senior High School!

ോ৸ඨ޺ౠ 511!‫܅‬and University Students 400 yen, Primary School!

ச޺ౠ‫ ݀ڒ‬411!‫܅‬

students 300 yen.

ჴ৽я̡!௒ᇥ્ѲћContact: Call the temple at 088-645-0334

!

-11-

ใᇭ 199.756.1445

memoranda
Culture Festival in
Kamiyama

௨੣ඬр
࿪‫ܟ‬ਯ

This festival is host to a wide range of traditional culturalчѢဌ݁ੋћѣихѤў̜୿ທ̜༊ࣣўѝᄻ̳ў฿๻ष

events, including flower arranging, haiku, calligraphy as໷҆ॣѿчќр୞ᅖѲэ̝ёѢѯп̜ૼఉึѶ‫ލ‬пҀ̜well as photographic exhibitions and more. There will also൱ћѶ઄݇ћсѿҝӛҜңോ‫ݵ‬Ѹ‫ڗ‬ণ̠ங࠽ോ‫ݵ‬ўѝр

be a karaoke competition, Japanese chess and a variety ofactivities for everyone to join in and enjoy.

໘ૐ̡! 21 ै 38 ໘̻ 22 ै 5 ໘

When: Saturday, October 27 to Sunday November 4!

10:00 - 16:00

21;11!.!27;11

௘୸̡! ఊઅܽಜମဩќ̜ఊઅ෎৸ᆼ଄ౠઌߊຌҭӥұ̶Where: At Kamiyama Onsen, and the Kamiyama Lifelong
Cost:

жѾѲэ̝

Learning Activities Centerࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Free

ჴ৽я̡!ఊઅ෎ࢱ‫ݵڿڙڱ‬Ѳћ

Contact: Call the Kamiyama Town Board of Education at!

ใᇭ 199.787.2633

088-676-1522

Living inTokushima๻ใिాި஺ဥ
ѶѸҦ҅ѴҘ

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-