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

no strings attached"TOPPY"
April 2007 No. 202
by andrew dahms
until_eternity@hotmail.com

fter last year's successin Peter Pan, this year
the Tokushima AJET
crew tackled the big
project of putting the classic
tale of Pinocchio on stage.

a

The Long Road Ahead
I t wa s a c o l d m o r n i n g i n
December when I hopped
on a train heading west outof Tokushima City and mademy way t o t h e Ka m o j i m a
Community Hall to see thepractice set to take place
there. Upon arrival I found thebuilding almost empty, andeverything silent but for thesound of a few voices that leadme into the main hall where
I found the cast practicing
their lines. The lights were
down except for the stage,
the theatre seats empty, andthe heating was off, everyone
wearing jumpers and gloves toward off the cold. But there, afull three months in advance ofthe first performance, the cast
was assembled and running

the arrival of pinocchio!

no strings attached ... con't on page 3

inside awa life this monthno strings attached - 1, 3 ... flowers and awa odori - 4
racoon dog's battle in awa / letter from suketo - 5 ... staff farewells - 6
martin's manga corner - 7 ... 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, James Disley, Cho Gun, Kazue
Inoue, Toshihiro Noguchi, Martin O'Brien, Claire
Tanaka and the Hanoura-cho English Conversation
Class

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

from the editors
was very lucky in this past month to have abox seat at the Osaka Sumo Basho on day
two, when Asashoryu lost his second boutof the tournament. I know it's not goodmanners to throw your cushion after a sumo
match, but I have to admit, I did it. I've always
wanted to try it. Later, I noticed somethinginteresting while watching the tournament on
TV. After a particularly cushion-throwing-worthy
match, the camera would cut to a close-up of
one of the wrestlers and cushions would only
be visible if they passed between the wrestler's
face and the camera. In the past, cushioncoated dohyo were common on TV at the endof a good match. Could this be an attempt
to try reduce exposure to this undesirable
behaviour to help curb it from happening?

pril is one of the most beautiful times
in the year, with the cherry blossoms infull bloom, and nice warm days and cool
evenings in which to spend the time.
Roadsides and parks, rivers and mountains
alike are dressed in a myriad of colours andeverywhere about the trees sport a new growthof green leaves. As you may know, April isalso a time for changes and new beginnings,
coinciding with the start of the new fiscal
year, staff changes, a new school year andmuch more. While it can also be a busy time,
I hope you have something new and exciting
to look forward to this spring, and also havethe opportunity to enjoy the lovely warm
temperature outdoors.
Cheers, Andrew

Iaduring april, the rice-planting season begins and within a few weeks tokushima is lush and green(photo by james disley)-2-pinocchio ... con't from page 1
over their lines in preparation
for the big day.
Fast forward to early March,
and while the weather was
little improved, the engine
behind the musical had
pushed on into full production.
A Tale of Five Cities
As in past years, the musicalhas not been contained to justone location in the prefecture
but has instead moved aroundto many different regions. In
total it saw five performances
this year, with the entire castand crew moving all the way
from Hiwasa on a Saturday
evening to Mikamo in Miyoshi
City the next morning on the
opening weekend. And, after
a huge performance in Ishii
Town attracting an audienceof over 300 people, on
Sunday March 11 the musicalreturned to Tokushima City
for the first time in several
years. As always, the last
performance in the run washeld at the Odeon-za theatrein the town of Wakimachi,with a very warm and opening
atmosphere that really lets
the audience be a part of thestory as it unravels on stage.

The Show Goes On
The script for Pinocchio waswritten by veteran musicalscript writer Chris Riedl, once
again mixing a classic talewith references to modern
society and Tokushima as well.
A lot of effort was also placedon making the English easy tounderstand, and much of thehumor in the play was given alittle help from the occassional
Japanese and plenty of sightjokes.
As for the story itself, it
follows the tale of Gepetto,
who after a dismal blind
date organised by his friend
Antionio, decides to make his
own little boy out of a block ofmagic wood. And after making
a wish on the wishing star,
Pinocchio is brought to life
and is told that if he is braveand honest, one day he canbecome a real boy. However,l i fe i s n o t s o s i m p l e a n dtroubles await Pinocchio at
every turn - the wiles of a fox
and tanuki who try to trick him
into show business, and being
taken along by the school
bully who tries to tempt him
into joining his ways. However,in the end it is Pinocchio whojiminy cricket (far right) interferes in mrs. fox and mr. tanuki's plans to trick
pinocchio into a life of show business-3-

wins out, saving his father,lost at sea, from a giant killer
shark. And as for the end?
Well, no giveaways, but let's
just say Pinocchio will havea lot of time now to get thecrinks out of his neck.
But of course the best critics
are the audience. Let's see
what some of them had tosay:"It was my first time, andI came with my son. I
don't think he was able
to understand everything,but it was easy to follow
and understand by simply
watching, so we both enjoyed
it. I think it was reallyinteresting to have references
to Tokushima and modern day
society in it as well - I wasquite surprised!""It was kind of fun, and it waseasy to understand. You could
really feel in touch with thecharacters and the story.""I think anyone who watches
the play will be able to enjoy
it. While being aimed primarily
at the younger members of
the audience, some of theh u m o r a n d t o p i c s ra i s e d
are aimed at a more adultaudience. It offered a viewof some parts of Japanesesociety from a different
perspective, thus providing agood insight as well."While the madness andmayhem of the AJET musicalhas seen its end for anotheryear, who knows what will
await us in 2008? Only time
can tell, but one thing I cansay and say with confidence isthat the show this year will bea hard act to follow.

flowers and awa odori
hile thoughts of Awa
Odori most commonly
conjure up images of
those four hot andsweaty nights in the streetsof Tokushima each year inAugust, there is another option
available - the Hana Haru
Festa.

w

Flowers and Awa Odori
In 2007 the Hana Haru Festasees its 10th year running as
one of the larger festivals heldin Tokushima City throughoutt h e y e a r. C o m b i n i n g t h eusual festival fare of markets
and local produce, the main
defining feature of the Hana
Haru Festa is that it provides
the chance to see Awa Odori
during the daytime, the only
time in the year when this ispossible!
However it is not all justabout Awa Odori. The Hana
Haru Festa is also home to alarge stage area hosting local
music and modern dance
performances, live radio
broadcasts, fashion shows andvarious other cultural displays
run across the three days ofthe event.

The Shinmachi Bridge
The Shinmachi Bridge andAibahama Park where thefestival is located are places ofsome historical note for Awa
Odori. In olden times, it was
forbidden for people to danceoutside of the district in town
in which they lived. But people
being people, ways aroundthis ruling were found, and the
Shinmachi Bridge was one ofthose. Back then, the bridge
lay at the edge of two districts,
and people from either area
would come together to dance
there and enjoy the festival
t o g e t h e r. E v e n n o w t h e
Shinmachi Bridge is a majorsite for the dance as one of
the main dancing stages.
Just the Occassion
While prime viewing season
for cherry blossoms is aroundthe start of April this year, thetiming of the Hana Haru Festa
is at the end of April and rightin the midst of spring. This
year it is going to be held on
the weekend from Saturday,
April 28 to Monday, April 30 (apublic holiday). Why not takethis chance to shake off theby andrew dahms
until_eternity@hotmail.com

an awa odori dancer in full dance
costumecold of winter and get outside
for some fun by the riverside!
All Year Long
Don't forget, you can see
Awa Odori all year long at the
Awa Odori Kaikan found in
Tokushima City. Not only can
you see displays of the dance,
but there is also a museum on
the 3F (adults 300 yen, juniorhigh school students andbelow 150 yen) and a libraryon the 2F (free).

a display by a professional awa dance troupe at the hana haru festa-4-

raccoon dog's battle in awa
here is a famous folktale
about a battle of the tanuki(raccoon dogs) in Awa.
Long ago, two prominent
tanuki in Shikoku, Kincho andRokuemon, had a battle at the
Katsuura riverside (Katsuura
is west of Komatsushima,
towards the mountains). Six
hundred tanuki fought all
through the night and thebodies of the fallen covered
the surface of the river.
This is the story of tanuki inTokushima in the Tenpo Period(1830-1844). Rokuemon wasa bad tanuki that deceived
people and stole theirbelongings. Kincho defeatedhim but was seriously
wounded and later died. If
you want to know this story inmore detail, please see: http://t

www2.shikoku-u.ac.jp/englishdept/tanuki/page3.html

a sign for what is said to be the siteof the battle

Kincho's final resting place
is Kincho Shrine. Also, there
is a big raccon dog statue at
Komatsushima station parknear Tokushima Sekijuji (Red
Cross) Hospital. When you
clap your hands in front of
the statue, water will start toletter from suketo hoikuen
ow we have come tothe month of April, andunder the light of thespring sun beautiful
flowers being to bloom andthe insects get to work once
again. And naturally, now isa time of change in childrens'
daily life as well. It is also atime for various hopes andalso for feelings of trepidation,so make sure to be aware of
how your children are feelingand help them feel at ease if
they are worried.

n

not only for babies but older
children as well.
* Once your children learn
how to talk, make sure to
make all efforts to listen tothem. Once children feel they
have been heard and their
feelings properly accepted,
they can build up the desire tokeep pushing forward.
* Recognise your childrens'
efforts. Telling your children to

Points for Giving YourChild Encouragement* For babies, touch is mostimportant. Hold your baby andtalk to them with a smile on
your face. Naturally this works-5-by the hanoura-cho
engish conversation classflow out from behind it. In the
middle of July there are someevents at this place such as
Awa Odori and also a Japanese
speech contest for foreign
residents.
Are you familiar with Kinchomanju? It's a sweet cake anda very famous product inTokushima, created in memoryof Kincho. You can buy it atHallelujah shops. There isalso the Awa-no-sato where
you can try and taste it at thefactory there.
Moemon is a benefactor for
Kincho and and Kincho neverforgot his obligation. This is a
Tanuki's Warring State Period
story. We have a question,
though - tanuki statues always
have two very big balls. They
are too big! Why? Please tell
us if you have any idea.

by kazue inoue
suketo hoikuen staff

do their best when they havebeen unable to do somethingis less effective than letting
them know they have done agood job when they succeed.
This month's toy: Origami
Fun! You will need a pieceof paper and magic marker.
Then, draw on the paper asin the diagram below (bothinside and out) and as you
fold each edge you can create
a new facial expression.

staff farewells

submitted
awalife@gmail.com

nce yet again as April
comes around thereis the annual staff
changeover, and thisyear we bid farewell to twoof our staff at TOPIA - Cho
Gun, Chinese Coordinator forInternational Relations, andMr. Noguchi, friend to many of
the international residents ofour prefecture.

O

Cho GunSoon the cherry blossoms
will be in full bloom, andTokushima will arrive in thebeautiful season of spring. To
have to leave at such a time ofbeauty and serenity is a verysaddening thought.
The year I have spent here
has passed in the blink ofan eye, and I find I've still
yet to take the time to fully
experience all that Tokushima
has to offer. Coming here wasa wonderful opportunity forme, but as they say, time flies,
and now the time has come tomake my way back home.
When I leave however I willgo with many fond thoughts
and memories in my heart.
I will never forget the many
people whom I met here,
and the many times we haveworked together. The smilingfaces of so many people whom
I never had the chance tomeet, silver-haired men andwomen, brash young children,and kind ladies... each flits
past my mind's eye now like aslideshow.
When I arrive home to acity lined with tall high-risebuildings, a new start will be
awaiting me, and I would liketo do my very best. But last ofall, I would like to end with thebest hopes for the health andtopia staff mr. toshihiro noguchi and mr. cho gun

happiness of you all. Farewell
Tokushima.
Noguchi Toshihiro
My last day at TOPIA wason March 31, 2007. Over thelast five years since 2002, I
have been working here in
the office, the first three yearsof which I spent as a staff
member of JICA (the Japan
International Cooperation
Association) and theremaining two years as a staff
member of TOPIA itself.
The five years I have spentworking at TOPIA have beenvery fulfilling, and it has beena wonderful time for me here.
And while I've never really had
any luck with the lotto, I think
I've had a lot of good luck
throughout my life. During
my time at TOPIA, everyone
has been very warm and open
towards me. And naturally the-6-people to whom I am indebted
are not only Japanese, butfrom Asia, Africa, America
and Oceania, and many othercountries as well. They haveforgiven me my mistakes, andhave even helped me in timesof trouble, for which I am very
grateful.
Starting on April 1, I will bea supporter of TOPIA mucha s yo u a l l a re . A n d i n s odoing I intend to continue tosupport the various programs
at TOPIA from the outside
as well. In the times ahead,
I would like to work towards
a bright tomorrow together
with the cooperation of notjust the Japanese and foreign
residents living in Tokushima
but throughout the entire
world. I ask for your support
in this venture, and last of all I
would like to thank you all for
five wonderful years.

martin's manga corner
Title: Godfather's Son( ҦҵһӇғ̶Ҩ̶Ѣ഍ત ),Author/Illustrator: Osamu
TezukaPublisher: Shueisha
First published: Japan(1972)
No of volumes: Ones a m u Te z u k a w a s
one of the firstmanga artists to gainwidespread popularity
among the Japanese public,
and it's as a result of this that
he is often cited as being the
Father of Manga. Osamu was
responsible for a diverse andprolific output of manga andanime from his first successwith New Treasure Island(Shin Takarajima) in 1947
to many unfinished projects
he was working up until his
death in 1989. Osamu set the
manga and anime ball rollingin terms of the number ofartists that he inspired andthe subsequent mass appeal
that manga culture would
enjoy in Japan. Not just an
innovator, his vast creative
output continues to reappear
in various formats mostnoticeably with the recent
Dororo film which is based on
his original manga series.
Osamu was incredibly prolific;
i n t h e re c e n t l y p u b l i s h e dComplete Manga Works ofTezuka Osamu there are an
incredible 400 volumes withover 80,000 pages. Osamu's
ability to write for a multitude
of genres means that there issomething for all tastes in thisoeuvre. An excellent place tostart is Godfather's Son, whichcontains a number of stories,
some of which are somewhatoautobiographical in nature andother obvious fictional stories
which provide an excellent
cross section of the kind of
themes that he wrote about
and the underlying values
that guided him. Most of thestories in Godfathers son are
set in 1940s Japan. Osamu
himself lived in this time ofgreat hardship and it left him
with an unmistaken belief inthe futility of war, and of thetragedy it caused and theways that it touched the livesof those who lived through it.
There are seven stories
in Godfather's Son: 1.
Godfather's Son (Godfather
no Musuko), 2. ZEPHYRUS, 3.
Departure for 1985 (1985 e
no Tabidachi), 4. The Paper
Fortress (Kami no Toride), 5.
The Hunger Blues (Sukippara
No Burussu), 6. Peekaboo!
( I n a i i n a i b a a ) , a n d 7.
Akuemon. Godfathers Son is
set in Osamu's school days
where he managed to befriend
the school bully whose father
is the local Yakuza boss byimpressing him with his comic
books. At first Osamu and thebully start out as adversaries
but they soon find out they
have a lot in common andbecome the best of friends. It'sa humorous story, but one that
ends poignantly with the helast cell in the story depicting a
war scene, and a note that his
unlikely friend ended up dyingin the war. It's a striking touch,and an undeniable reference tothe friends that he lost during
the war, to the faces thatwould never grow old and who
only live in nostalgic memoriesof childhood days.
ZEPHYRUS concerns an
insect-obsessed youth and-7-by martin o'brien
martinobrien2004@gmail.com

his quest to capture a rare
Zephyrus butterfly to add to
his collection amid the chaosand panic of wartime Japan.
The story had an ecologicaltheme that nature-lover
Osamu wished to express. He
shows how the destructionof war and the emphasis onindustry in modern Japan
meant that many of the hills
and forests where he chased
butterflies are clearly a thing of
the past, having given way todevelopment and progress. In
ZEPHYRUS the rare butterflies
are attributed with certain
human characteristics and are
portrayed at times as winged
nymphs. This anthromorphism
device is typical of Osamu.
Departure for 1985 is a timeslip story where three war
orphans are temporarily sent
to a prosperous future that
contrasts greatly with the timethat they have come from. In
1985, they meet their future
selves and see the bright
future that is possible. It offers
an interesting insight into theharsh life that many people
faced in the early post war
years, but also the sense ofhope and promise that woulds o o n e m e r g e . T h e Pa p e r
Fortress, The Hunger Bluesand Peekaboo! are all in parts
autobiographical and show
life in wartime Japan and how
it influenced Osamu's world
view. The last story Akuemon
is a departure from the otherwartime stories, and is isabout an enchanted fox who
outwits a bunch of determined
hunters. Akuemon is probably
the best know of the stories in
Godfathers Son as it was latermade into the seminal animeof the same name.

shin-mai mama nikkis promised, I will bespending this month’scolumn talking about
travelling around Japan
with a toddler in tow. I met
up with my parents in Osakaand we travelled to Arimaand Kurashiki before sending
my parents on to Hiroshima
while Sofie and I returned toTokushima.
Fortunately, my daughter isunder age six, so she can ride
public transportation for free!
Unfortunately, that means
we had to share one tiny,squishy seat on the packed
bus to Osaka. Fortunately, thebus had a bathroom where
I could change her diapers.
Unfortunately, having forgotten
to bring diapers, I was forced
to improvise with a towel.
Fortunately, my motherin-law paid for me to takemy parents to see sumo in
Osaka! Unfortunately, I spent
the whole time trying to keep
my daughter corralled in ourbox seat and wasn’t able toconcentrate on the bouts.
Fortunately, I was able totake my parents to stay inan affordable ryokan in the
Arima Onsen area which had
its own private hot spring!
Unfortunately, the water wasaso hot that my daughter could
only stay in for a minute or
two, which meant I too could
only stay in for a minute or
two.
Fortunately, there was acool toy museum in Arima(www.arima-toys.jp ) where
Sofie could play with the toys
and run around to her hearts
content. Unfortunately, she
didn’t want to leave when it
was time to go to lunch.
Fortunately, we went toKurashiki and enjoyed the(mostly) kid-proof museums,
the beautiful canal, and thefree indoor resting place fortourists. Unfortunately it was
freezing cold and raining while
we were there.
Unfortunately, Sofie is still too
little to be expected to walkeverywhere on her own, so myparents and I had to carry her
a lot. Fortunately, I burned somany calories by carrying her
everywhere that I was able toeat a ton of tasty food and not
gain any weight.
Unfortunately, the ride homefrom Okayama on the train
wa s h e l l – t h e O k a ya m a Takamatsu leg was crowded
and Sofie cried the whole time,
and the Takamatsu-Tokushimaleg was spent in the nasty

by claire tanaka
clairish@gmail.com

smoking car because I
wanted a whole two-seater tomyself and the non-smoking
section was full, except for
t h e r e s e r ve d s e a t s w h i c hwere empty! Fortunately, wewere able to make a pit-stopin Takamatsu and get some
shopping done, eat yummy
tai-yaki, and run around in
the open square in front of thestation before going the restof the way home.
All in all, it was a good trip.
Sofie got to spend lots oftime with her grandparents
and they were happy to takelots of pit-stops to rest while
Sofie played. If I were to doit again, I would pack morediapers and more snacks.
Also I think I’d rather pick one
destination and spend several
days there instead of changing
locations every day or two.
Most important of all, thenext time I go to Takamatsu,
I’m getting a reserved seatin the non-smoking car!
Incidentally, the charge for areserved seat from Tokushima
to Takamatsu is 510 yen in theoff season and 710 yen in thehigh season. That's one morereason to travel in the off
season if you can swing it!

sofie with her grandpa in kurashiki, okayama prefecture-8-japanese lesson

by toshiko yamamizop h p s v

p h p u u f n p s b v

xbsjlbo

re you familiar with the words͐о шѿ͑,͐о шїњѶѽк͑and͐߆ Ѿߪ͑? They areused often when going to restaurants or parties with your friends and co-workers (however,not when you go with members of your family).

a1: Which of the following three explanations best fits each of the three terms?
A
When you go to pay the bill, everyone pays the same amounẗ́when with co-wokers or friendsͅ
B
When you pay for someone else (a friend or co-worker)
̈́superiors paying for their , friends for friends or co-workers for other co-workers)
C
When someone pays for you (a superior, a friend or co-woker)
p h p s v

ошѿ!

p h p u u f n p s b v!

̛ошїњѶѽк!

4,000 yen

0 yen

0 yen 0 yen

xbsjlbo!

̛̛!߆Ѿߪ

4,000 yen

0 yen

0 yen

0 yen

1,000 yen each͕!= Speaker
2: In the following conversation, fill in the gaps in each sentence with phrases
from 1-4 in the box below.
t p s p t p s p

A:
B:
A:
B:
A:
B:

``````````
ёe fҁёҁ
oqzp p u p u u fbbl p s f x b xbubtij h b i b s b j n b t v
̈́฿
ྲ҆
ќ
їњͅж
ж̜ч
Ҁѣ શ р࿻иѲэj j o e f t v z p xbubtij h bии҇ћэѼ̝શ р ``````````
e f n pj u t v n p h p d i j t p v o j o b u u f j n b t v l b s b
l z p v x b
ћ
Ѷ̜и
јѶш
ѕёкџ
ў
їњиѲэпѽ̜ਗ໘ѣ ``````````
j j o e f t v z p
l z p v x b xbubtij h b t b t p u u b o e b l b s bии҇ћэѼ̝ਗ
໘ѣ
શ
р
щ
ёїѓ҇є
пѽ
e p v n p t v n j n b t f okbl z p v x b ipoupv o j b s j h b u p v h p { b j n b t i j u bѝкѶэѳѲя̝҇ьѷ `````````` ਗ໘ѣႎ๴џжѾрќкшъиѲыѓ
xbubtij o j i b s b x b t f u f l v e b t b jp h p s v l b s b

h p d i j t p v o j o b s j n b t v

l b f s j n b t i p v l bϧ̡ શ џ࿻҃яњуєщи , Ϩ̡ошѿпѽ , ϩ̡шѕёкџўѾѲэ , Ϫ̡ࡀѾѲыѻкп
Are you familiar with this Japanese custom?
When someone gives you something or does something for you (for example, when you recievea gift from a person who has recently been on vacation), invites you to their house, or pays thebill atl pao prestaurant,
you say thank you to them then, but the next time you meet them you must
bjeb b s j h b u p
to deepen communication
say ' ч Ѣࠖж Ѿрќк " or 'thank you for the other day'. This helps
l p o p b j e b
and strengthen ties of friendship with one another. The phrase ч Ѣ ࠖ usually refers to aperiodof time around a week, but it is often
used for even over a month. Othern similarphrasesl p o p n b f x b
l j o p v x b
p v e b j c v nbf
Ѣ
ಶ
ѣ
੦
໘
ѣ
Ѷ
к
є
и
Ѫಶ
ч
"thank you for before","thank you for yesterday", andareo j o b s j n b t v h bџўѾѲэр , "it was some time ago now, but...".
1:!߆Ѿߪ̜ошѿ̜ошїњѶѽк
p h p s v

2: 4, 2, 1, 3p h p u u f n p s b v-9-xbsjlboAnswers:

memoranda
Kitajima Tulip Fairၾ๥ҳӗ̶ӜҵӉӇҙҔ

The town of Kitajima, one of the largest tulip producingҳӗ̶ӜҵӉോౠઌඑћжѿၾ๥෎ћѣ̜ോࡊჟҳӗ̶

regions in Japan, is holding a fair in the Kitajima TulipӜҵӉӇҙҔр‫ލ‬ਹщҀѿᄫชћэ̝ၾ๥෎ҳӗ̶Ӝҵ

Park. In this park area, over 40,000 flowers from overӉর‫܆‬џњ̜ᄃ 61 ଟᆬѢҳӗ̶ӜҵӉр 5 Ⴎ 4 ಑ႎ‫ڒ‬௑

50 different varities will be in bloom, covering 2,000m
squared! There will also be mini-events held each Sunday
for the duration.
When:

Where:

Ѷ੝сঐѾѲэ̝Ѳѓ̜࠼ࠖඨѢႚ໘ᄹ໘џӑҽҖӋӥ
Һр৪҃ҀѲэ̝ѐѦчѢ࠿‫ݵ‬џшᅥуєщи̤

Sunday, April 1 to Friday, April 27 (however,໘ૐ ;! 5 ै 2 ໘̈́໘̻ͅ 5 ै 38 ໘̝̈́ࣞͅѓє!

end date depends on length of flowers' bloom)ы‫ݚ‬рସ҃Ѿ૑ൌџସᆇќщяњиѓєсѲэ̝

9:00 - 17:00!

The Kitajima Tulip Park, on the south side of the௘୸ ;! ཛྷჾऎၾ๥෎̜ၾ๥ҳӗ̶ӜҵӉর‫̈́܆‬ၾ๥ඨ!!

Kitajima Central Park, Kitajima-cho, Itano-gun

!

Cost:

Free

Info:

Call the Kitajima Lifestyle and Industry Division!

ႚ໘ :̡11 ̻ 28̡11‫ܡ‬৬܏Ѣ໊ၑნџжѿͅ

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ
ைыу ;!ၾ๥෎ౠߊઌࣄ‫ݡ‬Ѳћใᇭ! 199.7:9.:917

at 088-698-9806

Hana Haru Festaѣў̠ѣѿ̠Ӈҙҫұ

Come for a variety of events, including local markets,ѣў̠ѣѿ̠ӇҙҫұѢં໘ࠖџํїњᄻ̳ўҖӋӥҺ

dance and music displays, and the rare chance to seeрຝ๥દᅣ௘࿃র‫܆‬ћ৪҃ҀѲэ̝ҲӥҫѸܿ޼єхћ

professional Awa Odori dancing groups perform during theўу̜໩џѓїѓ‫ݷڴ‬єхѢ̜තࠖџᄛ჎ᇌџѼѿҹҕ

day time.
When:ҫӉӞҖрॣѽҀѿ࠿‫ݵ‬ржѾѲэ̝ѐѦшᅥуєщи̤
Saturday, April 28 to Monday, April 30
10:00 - 17:00

໘ૐ̡! 5 ै 39 ໘̈́๘̻ͅ 5 ै 41 ໘̈́ैͅWhere:The Aibahama Park in Tokushima City, next to!

the Shinmachi Bridge

௘୸̡! ຝ๥દᅣ௘࿃র‫܆‬

Cost:

Free

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Call the Hana Haru Festa Executive Committeჴи৽҃я̡ѣў̠ѣѿ̠ӇҙҫұѢ૲৪‫ݵڿڙ‬ѲћInfo:

at 088-655-7331!

21̡11 ̻ 28̡11

ใᇭ 199.7866.8442

Naruto Whirlpools
Prime Viewing

ეჷѢۘ෌
ୣѢോ෌

From the end of march through to the end of april is theႚ໩ 5 ैඨѣეჷѢۘ෌҆ॣѿѢџ਻สўૐ࠼ћэ̝ϩ

best time to see the Naruto whirlpools. During this time,ै݀୪пѽϪै݀୪џпхњ‫ڴ‬໩ћѶїќѶോсиۘр

they grow to the largest sizes in the entire year.

ॣѽҀѲэ̝When:

Now until the end of April

Where:The Naruto Straits by the O-Naruto Bridge

Cost:

Free (however, local tour boats cost 1,500 yen

௘୸̡! ეჷદეჷ‫ࢪކ‬for an adult, and admission to the Uzu no Michi

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ̈́ѓєы̜ۘ෌ࠑযಫўѽോగ 2611 ‫!̜ۘ܅‬is 500 yen for an adult).

!

Call the Naruto City Commerce and Tourismჴ৽я̡!ეჷદஒিࠑয‫ݡ‬Ѳћใᇭ 199.795.2268

Info:໘ૐ̡! ॵ੓̻ 5 ै݀୪

Division at 088-684-1157-10-Ѣທўѽോగ 611 ‫ͅ܅‬

memoranda
Doitsu-kan EventsһҖҶࠛҖӋӥҺ

The 3rd Easter Festivalപ Ȭ ‫ݕ‬Ѵ̔҉ҏ̔਩ќ

Come along to this fun festival, with a mini-concert, eggһҖҶࠛћҖ̶ҫұ̶҆޼ыѶк̤ӑҽҥӥҧ̶Һ̜Ҥ̶

races, games and more in celebration of Easter.

Ӓ̜ҚҵҢӞ̶ҫўѝр৪҃ҀѲэ̝When:

Sunday, April 8 from 12:30 to 15:30

Cost:

500 yen໘ૐ̡! 5 ै 9 ໘̈́໘̛ͅ23̡41 ̻ 26̡41
ࣞ޽̡! 611 ‫܅‬F-Ruhe Concert
A concert with combined flute and piano music is going toҥҺҵ̔ҺӃҀ҉҃Ӄ҅̔Ҙbe held at the Deustches Haus.

Ӈӝ̶ҺќӆҔӀќѢҥӛӎӞ̶ҩәӥћҥӥҧ̶Һр

When:

Sunday, April 15 from 14:00‫ލ‬пҀѲэ̝

Cost:

Adults 1,500 yen, children 500 yen

໘ૐ̡! 5 ै 26 ໘̈́໘̛ͅ25̡11 ̻
ࣞ޽̡! ോగ 2-611 ‫̜܅‬சగ 611 ‫܅‬For more details and information on the Doitsu-kan, takeһҖҶࠛѢҘҙӈҧҖҺџѶࡆಉѢҖӋӥҺ௜၇ўѝa look at the Doitsu-kan homepage for more seasonalржѾѲэ̡iuuq;00xxx/djuz/obsvup/uplvtijnb/kq0̛

event information and other details, here at: http://www.

hfsnboipvtf0joefy/iunm

city.naruto.tokushima.jp/germanhouse/index.html

Tsukimigaoka Park ैॣрࡴ‫ކ‬࿃র‫܆‬Ҝ̶Ӊӥ̤
Opening!
A new park is now open by Tokushima airport inபრ෎џжѿຝ๥ࣱৗѢᆥџఁыуॡᅵैॣрࡴ‫ކ‬࿃রMatsushige-cho, north of Tokushima City. The expansive‫܆‬риѼиѼҜ̶ӉӥыѲэ̝৬܏຾џިଟમಇржѾ̜

park grounds are home to various playground equipmentᄥѧ௘ಇྏѸઈံທ‫ޒڒ‬џѶୗ༫ᄿѢᄛᆍҥҸ̶Ҫр 21

and several walking tracks, with names inspired by phasesof the moon. The park is also home to ten cottages
available for staying overnight for a fee, and has over 300
parking spots available. The opening of the park will be๭ѶౘྏщҀњиѲэ̝ඵଆ௘ൊాѣ 411 ൊќўїњи
Ѳэ̝ॡᅵैॣрࡴ‫ކ‬࿃র‫܆‬ѢҜ̶ӉӥѢੑџ๴Ѿ̜ިଟҖӋ

marked by several small events.

ӥҺ҆ᄫชыњиѲэ̝When:

Sunday, April 1

໘ૐ ;! 5 ै 2 ໘̈́໘ͅThe Tsukimigaoka next door to the Tokushima௘୸ ;! பრ෎̜ຝ๥ࣱৗѢᆥ

Airport in Matsushige-cho!

Where:
Cost:

Free

Info:

Call the Matsushige-cho Industry and Tourism

ॡᅵैॣрࡴ‫ކ‬࿃র‫܆‬

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ
ைыу ;!பრ෎ઌࣄࠑয‫ݡ‬Ѳћใᇭ

Divison at 088-699-8714.

!

199.7::.9825

Information Online ౠߊ௜၇ҜӥӛҖӥ
Don't forget to swing by the Living in Tokushima websiteຝ๥ॡ຾Ѣ੓୉‫ޒ‬ਇగ҆ഴ௉џ̜۷তћౠߊ௜၇҆ณ࢝for a complete TV and movie guide, full event listings,ыњиѿҘҚӈҧҖҺржѾѲэ̝Ҕҡҭҫыњиѓє

information on natural disasters and much more!

сѲэќ̜ҸӞӅ཮೎ླ̜ۭ‫ݬ‬Ѣ௑ۭླ̜ҖӋӥҺ௜၇Ѹၻ੆௜၇ўѝ̜ިଟ௜၇р੐їњиѲэ̝For computer: http://ourtokushima.net/e_living/index.phpӃүҥӥпѽ̡http://ourtokushima.net/e_living/index.php

For mobile phones: http://ourtokushima.net/e_living/m/ढഷпѽ̡http://ourtokushima.net/e_living/m/-11-

memoranda
Tsutsuji MatsuriјјьੋѾIn this traditional event, local swordsmen and womenчѢ฿๻ศўҖӋӥҺћѣ̜ॽಗ௘џѕўѳ̜එ७Ѣॏwill be coming together to take part in outdoor swordగѓѕрჾી৽҆৪кഢ̜ࣣ‫ݵ‬ѸҝӛҜңോ‫ݵ‬ўѝр৪

competitions. In addition, there will be poetry readings҃ҀѲэ̝and karaoke!
When:

Sunday, April 22

Where:

Miyoshi City Yamashiro-cho, Kurokawa, by the໘ૐ̡! 5 ै 33 ໘̈́໘ͅformer site of Tao Castle. In the event of rain, it will be௘୸̡! ં঻દઅௗ෎਋ಖ̜โྐௗମဩ̝‫ۑ‬Ѣ௘৽ѣ൉!!

held at the Keisenkan in Yamashiro-cho.

!

Cost:

Free

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Info:

Call the Miyoshi City, Yamashiro-cho Generalჴ৽я̡!ં঻દઅௗ෎ೳ৽ફ୸ઌࣄࠑয‫ݡ‬Ѳћใᇭ

Branch Office, Industry and Tourism Division!

҃Ѿџઅ൉෎Ѣझಜࠛћ৪҃ҀѲэ̝

1994.97.3543

at 0883-86-2432

Koi Nobori at the
Oboke Gorge঩ѢѰѾྃࢩോံ࠭
ࢪ҆۱ф

Each year during this colourful event, a wide variety ofႚ໩чѢҖӋӥҺћѣ̜಺ਇпѽ೽ѽҀњсѓ௱ќѾѝ

koi nobori (large floats in the shape of carp) are displayedѾѢ঩ѢѰѾрോံ࠭๴ѾѢࡦჾಖ҆௪ѽҀњиѲэ̝across the Oboke gorge and in the surrounding area.

Ѳѓ̜шચᄿэѿᄫชѢўи঩ѢѰѾ҆о૏ѕѢၑѣиDonations of any koi nobori you may have lying at home
are also most welcome!

јћѶ̜࠳࿋҆ଥ࿋ыњиѲэ̝

When:

From early April to late May, everyday

໘ૐ̡! 5 ै௑୪̻ 6 ै݀୪

Where:The Yoshino River in Miyoshi City, Yamashiro-

௘୸̡! ં঻દઅௗ෎̜ӞҫҺӛӥѲ҇ўпോံ࠭ࢪѢ!!

cho, just in front of the restaurant Resutoran!

Mannaka Oboke-kyo.

ࣞ޽̡! Ⴥᆍ

Cost:

Free

ჴ৽я̡!ӞҫҺӛӥѲ҇ўпോံ࠭ࢪѲћใᇭ

Info:Call the Resutoran Mannnaka Oboke-kyo!

Ѳмџжѿࡦჾಖମဩ

1994.95.2322

at 0883-84-1211

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-