aWa life

July 2016# 312

Tebajima: A Hidden Islandin Tokushima

Polar Smile

Awa Shoku: Not-So-Skinny
Noodles to Beat the Heat

An Interview with Miho Kagawa
Events: Summer Festivals
and Fireworks

Join in on the Awa Odori Fun:
Arasowa-ren Application

1

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

Only about a month left till Awa Odori! I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but time has really been
flying right on by. Now that we'll be expecting more sun and blue skies, it'll be beach season! Luckily,
we have lots of water around us, be it a beach or a waterfall, so defintely make a trip out to explore
more of Tokushima's beautiful natural surroundings this summer.
For all of those who like writing, please feel free to submit an article to us at any point in time aboutbasically anything. There are a few limitations though, such as you can’t write about religion, politics,
commercial activities or businesses or anything that we deem inappropriate. But, other than that, we
would be more than happy to receive articles about anything and everything including but not limited
to, concerts, lectures, other events, culture, sports, community group information or anything cool that’s
happening in your local community.
We highly appreaciate all of your articles and we love reading them. So if that writing bug of yours isbuzzing about, grab a pen or a computer and write and send away! Please send all submissions to ouremail:

awalife@gmail.com!
Your editor,
Jenifer
Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi, Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN Clement Plaza 6F
Tel: 088-656-3303 Fax: 088-652-0616
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view the online version by going to TOPIA's website!

Editor:Jenifer Tanikawa
Contributors This Month:
Junko Kimura, Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, Yoko Aoki, Christopher Bunn

Contents
Pg. 2-3: A Hidden Island in Tokushima2

Pg. 3-5: Polar Smile: An Interview with Miho Kagawa
Pg. 5, 8: Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI
Pg. 6:

Awa Shoku: Not-So-Skinny Noodles to Beat the Heat

Pg. 7-8: Japanese Lesson
Pg. 9-11: Events and Memoranda*For information about how to apply to be a part of the Arasowa-ren dance troupe, please checkpage 11. Applications are limited, so we encourage you all to apply as soon as you can.

A Hidden Island in Tokushima
By Junko KimuraH

ave you heard of an island called, “Tebajima”?
Tebajima became a well known island in
Tokushima Prefecture because of the Mugi
Tebajima Art Exhibition that started in 2013, so
there may be a few of you that already visited thisisland during the exhibition. I went to the island
for the exhibition in 2013, yet I felt like I didn’t get
to see the island wellenough. I decided
to visit again at the
beginning of June towalk around to takephotos and talk to
the locals.
Tebajima is a small
island that is located
3.27km south of Mugi
Port. The length of
the island is 4km. It
is believed that five
families from Mugi town moved to the island in1800 and the story of Tebajima begun from there.
There are 93 Tebajima residents as of June 1st,2016. The island population is aging rapidly. Since
the island is small, four hours is enough to see
everything. When the weather is nice, you cansee Wakayama Pref. (East), Muroto in Kochi Pref.

(West), Pacific Ocean (South) and the Shikoku
Mountains (North) from the Tebajima Lighthouse.
The weather was pretty cloudy with some rain
while I was there, so I couldn’t get a clear view.
When I landed on the island, subtropical plants
such as hibiscus welcomed us. I felt like I had
arrived on sometropical island
like Okinawa or aSoutheast Asian
country. Once you
take a path to go
to the lighthouse,
it’s like a tropicalrainforest especially after somerain.
If you visit, youwill notice thateach house has its own character. I took my timeobserving each house closely and enjoyed taking
photos of them. There are houses from the Meiji
Era to the Showa Era. There are two wooden
doors called “Uwasemi” and “Shitasemi.” They
become shutters if you close them. The upper
door is used to block sunlight and the lower door

3

A Hidden Island in Tokushima

could be opened, allowing the residents to sit andchat with their neighbors or do some work. The
style is called “Misezukuri” or “Buchozkuri”, which
was a popular style for houses in fishing villages
in southern Tokushima Pref. through Toyo-cho,
Kochi Pref.
It’s very hard not to notice the black and vivid blue
houses on the island. I could not stop wondering
why they were that color and decided to ask arandom Tebajima resident. She said, “The island
is surrounded by the sea, so houses get rusted
easily. If you paint with other colors, it won’t lastfor one month. Metallic black is the best, yet wehave to paint at least once every year.” I asked
if the blue color works the same as the metallic
black.” She said, “Blue paint is just leftover frompainting ship hulls.”

A fisherman preparing for next day's fishing trip.

There are no motorcars on the island. The locals
get around by bicycle or foot. When they carryheavy things, they use wheelbarrows, which I
find very cute and colorful! Wheelbarrow is called“Kuruma” on the island, which means motorcar
in Japanese. I almost bumped into a person who
was riding a bicycle and she said, “You almost got
into a traffic accident in Tebajima!”
If you get a chance, it’s worth visiting the island
to explore. Mugi Port is about 20mins by footfrom JR Mugi Station. If you are driving, there isa parking lot for 10 cars for free right before you
get into Mugi Port. You take a boat for 15mins.
The boat makes 6 round trips each day, but it canbe cancelled due to bad weather. Each way is
220yen for an adult and you pay on the boat.

A "kuruma" on the island.

Polar Smile: An Interview with Miho Kagawa

Fluffy baby penguins falling asleep amidst thesnow, a mother polar bear taking care of herbabies and a harp seal
staring adoringly into thecamera lens – prepare tohave your heart melt when
you visit this photography
exhibition. During midJune, I had the chance togo west to the Awagami
Factory where the "Polar
Smile" photography
exhibition is being held.
All of the photos displayed

By Jenifer Tanikawa

at this exhibition were shot by Miho Kagawa, aphotographer from Tokushima, over a span often years. To date, she
has traveled to places
like Antarctica, Svalbard,
Greenland, Iceland andChurchill (Canada) to
get these amazing andadorable shots of polar
animals.
The exhibition will be goingon until Sunday, July 10th
at the Awagami Factory, soPolar Smile
don’t miss out! She also recently published a bookof her photos, so you can get your daily dose of“aw” through this book. I not only had the chance
to visit the exhibit, but I also had the chance to sit
down and talk to Ms. Miho Kagawa.
How did you get into photography?
In my fourth year of university, I also beganattending classes at a night school. The
school I went to was a design school and I had
photography classes once a week. Of all theclasses, I really liked photography and I really got
into it.
Were animals always asubject of your photography?
No, not always. I really
liked travelling, so I would
always take photos on mytrip for memory, but just witha compact camera. During
2000 to 2001, I made a longtrip out to South America andthat’s where I first became
interested in taking photosof animals and the naturallandscape and after thattrip I started using an SLR
camera.
Looking at your photos,
you have some great closeups. How did you get thoseshots?
When you’re taking photosof animals, you want to be at eye-level with theanimals themselves. Just like humans, staring at
the animals at eye-level is less daunting for the
animals, as opposed to being stared down at.
When I’m waiting for a good shot with my camera
in hand, some of the curious ones will even feel
comfortable enough to come over to me, well notpolar bears though, I wouldn’t be too happy abouta polar bear coming over to me.
How close can you get to the animals?
So for penguins, because of the Antarctic Treaty,

4

we have to maintain at least a five meter distancewith them. If they come up to us then its finethough, so if you’re really still, a lot of the times
they come up to you.
Is each photography trip long?
I spend at least a week at each location. It
depends on the weather, but I’ll spend an entire
day out taking photos.
Do you travel alone? Have you ever been inany dangerous situations with the animals?
Yes, I usually go alone but trips to these places
are always part of a tour. Especially in areas withpolar bears, a tour guide will
always accompany us andwill have a rifle, just in case.
We also usually maintain adistance of 100 meters withthe polar bears, but just incase they attack us, there’s
always a car nearby so we
can jump in right away.
It must be hard taking
pictures of animals since
they are so unpredictable.
It really is hard since they ofcourse never do what you
want them to do and a lotof the times they just don’t
show up. With polar bears,
they aren’t just there so I
have to find them first. I had
to visit Churchill, Manitoba in
Canada five times to get pictures of polar bears.
Of the five trips I made, I came back completely
empty handed for one of them, despite spending
a whole week there.
Have you ever thought about taking picturesof animals that are easier to find?
I think there’s something about seeing these polar
animals living so gallantly in such a harsh naturalenvironment. There’s something really interesting
about it. And of course, they are adorable.

5

Polar Smile

All of your photos for this exhibition are
printed on washi paper. Why did you choose
washi?
I’ve always loved working with washi and it also
has a nice matte finish, it gives the picture a softer
feel. I usually use machine-made ones, but forthis exhibit, I used handmade Japanese paper
so the edges are more textured. This was myfirst time using this paper, but I really liked it, it
really has a nice soft texture. Especially because
the pictures I take are of soft, cuddly animals,
I thought this style of paper would go well withthis type of paper. It really brings out the natural
textures of the animals like the fur.
I also think the washi brings out the warmth of thepicture and it also showcases the quality of thepaper itself. Nowadays, everything is digital, but
this is all made by hand using traditional methods.
What do you want people to get out of thisexhibit?
The theme is polar animals and I wanted toshowcase animals and landscapes that you
normally don’t get to see. I just want people tosee and experience what I’ve experienced myself
since it really isn’t something you can just go see
easily. A lot of the times, photos are a reflectionof your feelings and emotions. I had so much fun
taking these photos, so I hope that I can also put

a smile on the faces of those who see my photos.
What would you like to take pictures of next?
There’s still a lot of places that I wanted to go but
haven’t been able to yet. I’m still in the midst of
travelling around with my exhibition so once I’mdone, next year I want to explore more. I do stillwant to take more pictures of polar animals though.
What is photography to you?
I’ve always loved traveling and photography is a
way to express one’s self. I think that travellingand photography are interlinked – you can’t takephotos without going somewhere and even if
you go travelling, if you don’t have a camera you
can’t take any photos. To me, photography andcameras are tools for relaying my experiences
while travelling to other people. There are somethings that are so hard to describe by just words,
so photos are a great way to express those
things.
Message to our readers:
What I take pictures of are of places and things
that most people probably haven’t been to, so
I hope that through this exhibit, you will get achance to get a glimpse of life in the arctic andantarctic. I hope that these photos will make you
feel warm and see the gentleness of the animals
living in these environments.

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

By Kazue Inoue (Center for Early Childhood Education and Care SUKETO NAKAYOSHI)The Tanabata Festival is celebrated in Japanon July 7th every year. Tanabata is a traditional
Japanese festival that has its roots in China andis celebrated in many ways including, reading
the story of the two star-crossed lovers who were
vanished to either side of the milky way and can
only see each other once a year, decorating
bamboo trees, and hanging slips of paper with
one’s wishes on the branches of the bamboo.
If we are lucky enough to have a clear starry nighton July 7th, make sure you go out and with yourkids to enjoy the view and make a wish upon astar.

Fighting over toys is a common occurrence forkids who are around the age of two. This month,
I would like to introduce ways in which you candeal with these fights.
1. Empathize with your child (You really wanted
that toy, didn’t you?)
2. Tell your child how the other child feels (I’msure your friend wanted it too)
3. Tell them about the basic rules of relationships(Teach them how to use words and phrases like,“May I borrow that?”, “Thank you”, and “Sorry”.
(Continued on page 8)

Awa Shoku: Not-So-Skinny Noodles to Beat the Heat
By Lance Kita

In the heat of summer, a bowl of somen ( 素麺 )noodles can whet the most sluggish of appetites.
Taking only several minutes to boil, thin glistening
strands are nestled among cubes of ice, waiting to
be dunked into a blend of soy sauce, dashi, sugar,
and mirin. At summer festivals or community
gatherings, it is often slid down bamboo tubes via
flowing water to waiting chopsticks for a handson challenge called nagashi somen ( 流し素麺 ).
One of my favorite memories of Tokushima wasa rare trip to Kisawa Village ( 木沢村 ) in presentday Naka Town ( 那賀町 ) to eat somen noodles
served in giant bowl-shaped icicles, dipped in asauce that contained the meat of oily grilled river
sweetfish (ayu 鮎 ).
Ironically, you can thank the winter for bringing
us these summer noodles. Somen noodles are
simply wheat flour, salt, and water. The dough iswound back and forth between wooden rods, thenstretched out several meters vertically using a pairof giant chopsticks. What gives them their silky yet
firm texture is the drying process. The noodles arecoated with oil and then dried in the cold winterair. Nara and the mountain areas of Okayama andHyogo are major somen producing areas.
Tokushima has its own claim to fame: Handa
Tenobe Somen ( 半田手延べ素麺 ). Sandwiched
between Mt. Tsurugi and the Yoshino River,former Handa Town ( 半 田 町 ) (now part ofTsurugi Town つ る ぎ 町 ) has brisk wintry gusts
and access to fresh water, and the trading
flatboats of the Edo period brought wheat, Naruto
salt, and oil up to this community. The perfectsomen-making environment.
While most somen are less than 1.3 mm thick,Handa Somen is 1.4-1.6 mm in diameter for avisibly fatter noodle. Insignificant, you say? Au
contraire, the thicker noodle has an al dente
texture that doesn’t go soft or soggy like theirthinner counterparts when served in hot broth as
nyumen ( 煮 麺 ), which explains why this soup
is commonly found on Tokushima menus. Thin
somen can stick or clump together when stirfried with sesame oil and bonito flakes in a classic

6

Okinawan soomin-champuru ( ソ ー ミ ン チ ャ ンプ ル ), but Handa Somen is so sturdy it can beused like vermicelli to make spicy pepperoncino
or chilled tomato pasta.
One fun by-product of somen-making arefushimen ( ふ し め ん ), the curved ends where
the noodle wrapped around the wooden rods.
Traditionally, somen-making families ate them inmiso soup, hotpots, or as a dressed side dish, but
recently the fushimen can be found in markets,
so you can enjoy them in your own home cooking.
So when Japan’s oppressive heat wears you out,
remember that Handa Somen makes a quick,
pick-me-up meal for your summertime blues.
Thanks to Mr. Hideji Okuda for his help in
preparing the Handa Somen dishes in the photos.

Not only are Handa somen noodles thicker, they arewrapped into larger bundles.

Counter clock-wise from the green bowl: Handa somenstands up to hot soup in this dish called nyumen; The
quintessential summer noodle - icy-cold hiyashi somenwith a dipping sauce or dressing; Waste not - you can eat
the fushimen (ends of the stretched noodles) in miso soup.

7Japanese Lesson

By Yoko Aoki

「お／ご～ください」

This month we will be learning the following honorific expression: " お／ご ～ください ”. This is themore formal version of “ ～てください ” and you will often hear this form being used for announcements
made over the intercom in public places like at the station, airport, hospital and department store. Bylearning these expressions, it will help you better understand the instructions and recommendations
that you hear around you.

こんげつ

けい ご ひょうげん

今月は

敬語 表 現のうち、文型「お／ごぶんけい

そんけいひょうげん

えき

がくしゅう

～ください」をくうこう びょういん

おおやけ

ぶんけい

学 習 しましょう。この文型は「～てくだば しょこうないほうそう

つかさい」の尊敬 表 現で、駅や空港、病 院、デパートなど公 の場所の構内放送でも
ひょうげん

がくしゅう

し じ

すす

ないよう

き

この表 現を学 習 して、指示や勧めの内容がよく使われています。

と聞き取れるようにしておきましょう。

つく1. How to Form these Expressions / 作りかた
Group 1 Verb and Group 2 Verb: “ お＋ ○○ます ＋ ください ”
どう し

どう し

１グループの動詞と２グループの動詞は「お＋ ○○ます ＋ ください」
はい入ります →

例）はいのお入りくださいすす		捨てます → お捨てください		の飲みます →のお飲みくださいかのか

乗り換えます → お乗り換えください

Group 3 Verb: “ ご＋ ○○します ＋ ください ”
どう し

３グループの動詞は「ご＋ ○○します ＋ ください」
ちゅう い

例）

よ やく

確 認 ＊します →ご確認ください ＊「確認します」(to check, to confirm)

かくにん

予約します →よ やく

ご注 意ください

かくにん

		

ちゅう い

注 意します →ご予約くださいかくにん

き*You cannot use this form if the letter before “ します ”, “ 来ます ” and “ ます ” is a single letter
み

き

ね

で

such as “ 見ます ”, “ 着ます ”, “ 寝ます ”, “ います ” and “ 出ます ”.
き

まえ

じ

どう し

み

き

ね

＊「します・来ます」や「ます」の前が ひらがな１字の動詞「見ます・着ます・寝ます・います・
でぶんけい出ます」などはつく

この文型を作ることができません。

れいぶん

2. Examples / 例 文
いそお急ぎください。 (Please hurry.)
の

もの

飲み物は

じ ゆう

と

お取りください。 (Please help yourself to a drink.)

ご自由に
の

こちらから

お乗りください。 (Please get on here.)
みパスポートをあぶ

お見せください。 (Please show us your passport.)
き危ないですから、お気をつけください。 (As it is dangerous, please be careful.)
かい

８階レストランへはり ようこちらのエレベーターをご利用ください。

(To access the restaurant located on the eighth floor, please use this elevator.
サービスカウンターまで

＊

こ

き

おいでください／＊お越しください。＊「＝来てください」(Please visit the service counter.)8Japanese Lesson
れんしゅう

Exercise / 練 習
Try changing the “ ～てください ” form to “ お／ご～ください ”.

い「～てください」を「お／ご1. こちらにじゅうしょ～ください」でな まえ

ご住 所と お名前を言ってみましょうか

書いてください。
↓

しゅうまつ

2. いい週 末をす

過ごしてください。
↓

3. こちらでましばらく 待ってください。
↓
3. こちらでしばらく

2. いい 週 末を
しゅうまつ

1. こちらに
Answers

お待ちください。
まお過ごしください。
すご 住 所と お名前を
じゅうしょ

な まえ

お書きください。
かLetter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI (continued from page 5)You can also teach them other rules like taking
turns that will help make socialize moresmoothly.)
Kids around this age perceive everything as being
centered around them and this is completely
normal! In a way, you can think of them as
beginners when it comes to forming relationships.
Children will naturally learn how to socialize
through trial and error. Furthermore, they will
eventually learn to solve problems by themselves,
so they’ll need moderate supervision.
＊＊＊
Handmade Toys: Bamboo Leaf Boat
Materials
2 bamboo leaves and scissors
Directions
1. Take a bamboo leaf with its petiole(stalk) still intact (5 cm stalk) and fold 2 cm of theside with the stalk. Make two 1 cm cuts on theside that you folded.
2. Take the two strips on the side you cut, andweave one through the other. Repeat steps 1 and
2 for the other side of the leaf.
3. You will use another bamboo leaf to create thesail of the boat. Cut off both sides of the bamboo
leaf to create a rectangle. Create a hole about
1 cm in from the sides of the leaf on both ends.
Stick the stalk through the holes of the sail you
have just created and you are done.
You can make these bamboo leaf boats together
with your entire famliy when you go camping or
just down to the river and see whose boat can go
the fastest.

9

Events & Memoranda
Komatsushima Port Festival
小松島港まつりJuly 16 (16:00-22:00): Food stalls, taiko
performances, hula dance show, Eisa dance, Awa
Odori, traditional Japanese music, etc.
July 17: Yukata contest (18:00), fireworks (20:00)

7/16 16：00 ～ 22：00 屋台、開幕式、和太鼓演奏、フラダンスショー、エイサー、阿波おどり、民謡 等
7/17 18：00 ～浴衣コンテスト、20：00 ～ 21：
10 納涼花火大会

When: July 16-17 (Sat-Sun)
Where: July 16 - Komatsushima Station Park
Tanuki Square, SL Memorial Square
July 17 - Komatsushima Port (new port)
Info: Komatsushima Port Festival Committee
TEL: 0885-32-3809

日時：7 月 16 日 ( 土 )・17 日（日）場所：16 日：小松島ステーションパークたぬき広場、
ＳＬ記念広場
17 日：小松島港（新港地区）岸壁周辺
問合せ：小松島港まつり運営委員会事務局
TEL: 0885-32-3809

1000 fireworks will be lighting up the night sky in
Tsurugi Town. There will be lots of stalls as well.

約 1,000 発の花火がつるぎ町の夜空を彩ります。
会場では夜店も出店され、賑わいます。

When: July 17 (Sun), fireworks from 20:00
Where: Sadamitsu Junior High School
Info: Tsurugi Town Summer Festival Committee
TEL: 0883-62-2222

日時：7 月 17 日（日）、花火スタート 20:00 ～場所：貞光中学校グラウンド
問合せ：つるぎ町夏まつり実行委員会
TEL: 0883-62-2222

Sadamitsu Gion Summer Fireworks Festival
貞光ぎおん夏まつり花火大会

Tokushima Hyotanjima Suito Festival 2016
徳島ひょうたん島水都祭 2016
July 22 (Fri): Pre-event 18:00-21:00
July 23 (Sat): Fireworks festival 11:00-21:00(Fireworks starts at 20:00)
July 24 (Sun): Hyotanjima Music Fest 11:00-19:30

7/22（金）前夜祭 18：00 ～ 21：00
7/23（土）花火祭 11：00 ～ 21：00（花火 20：00 より）
7/24（日）ひょうたん島音楽祭 11：00 ～ 19：30

When: July 22 - 24 (Fri-Sat)
Where: Tokushima City - Aibahama Park (all 3 days),
Shinmachi Riverside Park (July 22 only),
Symbol Mark and around Shimachibashi
1-chome (July 24 only)
Info: Tokushima Hyotanjima Suito Festival Committee
TEL: 088-625-2077

日時：7 月 22 日（金）・23 日（土）・24 日（日）場所：徳島市 藍場浜公園（全日）、新町川水際公園（22 日のみ）、シンボルマーク / 新町橋一丁目付近（24 日のみ）
問合せ：徳島ひょうたん島水都祭実行委員会
TEL: 088-625-2077

2016 Yoshino River Festival
2016 吉野川フェスティバル
There will be live music, dance performances,
fireworks, Awa Odori, sightseeing around the riverand more! There's somehting for everyone, socome and join the fun!!
When: July 29 - 31 (Fri-Sun)
Where: Yoshino River Ground, Tokushima City
Info: Yoshino River Festival Committee
TEL: 090-3783-2084

ライブやダンス、花火、阿波踊り、吉野川遊覧など、子供から大人まで楽しめるイベントが盛りだ
くさん！ぜひ足をお運びください！！
日時：7 月 29 日（金）・30（土）
・31（日）
場所：徳島市 吉野川グラウンド
問合せ：吉野川フェスティバル実行委員会
TEL: 090-3783-2084

Events & Memoranda
Dance with Arasowa-ren
あらそわ連参加募集中

10

The chance to join the Arasowa-ren dance troupe and to secure your place in the 2016 Awa Dance
Festival is here! Make sure you sign up soon, as places go quickly! We are also looking for individuals
to play the instrument, be a staff or to help us dress all the dancers. To play an instrument with us, noexperience is necessary, and there will be practice sessions before the event.
When: Sunday, August 14
Meeting place: Meet at the Awa Kanko Hotel

日時：8 月 14 日（日）集合場所 : 阿波観光ホテル

Schedule:
15:00-16:00
16:20				17:40-21:30

スケジュール :15:00-16:00 集合
16:20~
開会式
17:40~
踊り開始
21:30		踊り終了

Arrive at Awa Kanko Hotel
Opening ceremony of the predance party
Dancing

Participation Fee:
3000 yen for Japanese participants
2000 yen for non-Japanese participants
How to Apply: Apply in person at TOPIA or reply
via paid postcard (see below). On receiving yourapplication, TOPIA will mail you whether you canparticipate or not. We will include a post-officebank account number to where you can pay theparticipation fee within one week. Or you can pay
at TOPIA.
PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept applications
by fax or telephone. You cannot apply on the
day of the event. Also, we cannot refund theparticipation fee for any reason. In the event ofrain, the party and dance will take place inside the
Awa Kanko Hotel. Participants will be limited to
the first 80 applicants. ★ If your applicaiton was
successful, please check-in at the venue by nolater than 16:00.

参加費（中学生以上）：
日本人 3,000 円、外国人 2,000 円
申込み方法：往復はがきにて、①名前②性別③
住所④電話番号⑤国籍⑥年齢（20 歳未満の方のみ）をご記入の上 TOPIA までお申し込みください。また、女踊り（先着 30 名）ご希望の方はその旨をはがきにご記入下さい。
（それ以外の方は男踊りとなります。
）応募者には返信用はがきにより参加の可否をお知らせ致します。参加可能な方には郵便局の振込口座番号をお知らせしますの
で、返信はがき到着後 1 週間以内に参加費をお支払い下さい。尚、一度払い込まれた参加費は、いかなる場合でも払い戻しできませんのでご注意下
さい。
注意：電話・FAX での受付はご遠慮下さい。当日
参加は不可能です。募集定員 80 名になり次第締
め切ります。★当日受付は午後 4 時で終了いたします。運営・着付けスタッフ及び、鳴り物の方、大募集！

11 Events & Memoranda
2016 Tokushima Prefecture Japanese Speech Contest
2016 徳島県日本語弁論大会

Foreign residents whose native language is not Japanese will be giving aspeech in Japanese on various topics such as cultural differences, theirlife in Tokushima, and more. Come down to Awagin Hall to show yoursupport. A reception will follow the speech contest, where you will havethe chance to talk to the contestants and learn more about them and theircultural background.

Date: Sunday, July 10

Time: 13:30 - 16:30
Venue: Awagin Hall (Tokushima Prefecture Kyodo Bunka Kaikan) Small Hall 5F
Entrance Fee: FREE
Reception starts at 17:00
Organized by: Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)
TEL: 088-656-3303

Summer School Japanese Lessons
夏休み子ども日本語教室
Why not enroll your child in the Summer School Japanese Lessons held at TOPIA? Japanese teachers
will be on hand to help your child with their summer homework in class and there will be fun activities
as well, like games and quizzes.
For: Elementary, junior and senior high school students whose first language is not Japanese.
When: July 22, 23, 26, 28, 30, August 2, 4
10:30 - 12:00
Where: TOPIA, Tokushima Station Clement Building 6F
Cost: Free!
Deadline: Applications must be received by Thursday, July 14th.
How to Apply: Fill out the application form and send it to TOPIA via post, fax,
		e-mail or drop it off in person.
For more information, please contact Ms. Nomizu at TOPIA (088-656-3303 orcoordinator2@topia.ne.jp) or visit our official website at: www.topia.ne.jp.

Counselling Service at TOPIA・トピアの相談窓口
TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all foreign residents to help with issues involving
accidents, working conditions, housing, visas, international marriage, and more. Counselling isavailable in English and Japanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not beable to deal with all cases.
Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)