#276

august 2013group picture of all participants of the speech contest

The winning speech fromthe 2013 Tokushima
Prefectural Japanese
Speech Contest!
"Good Afternoon Ladies
and Gentleman. My nameis Tsolmon, and I am
from Mongolia.
First and foremost, I’d liketo ask you all a question– do you have friends
from foreign countries? Do
the Japanese amongst
you have foreign friends;
do the non-Japaneseamongstyou
haveJapanese friends? Thoseof you looking to start
making such friends, or
those simply looking to
make more, I urge you
to listen to my story.

To me, Japanese people
are foreigners, andtoday I would like to talkabout my impressionsof Japanese people. I
believe my experiences
highlight how we cankeep moving forwardwith globalization.
My first encounter witha Japanese person waspage 1, page 3-4: learning from different cultures (con't)
page 5: irene's recipe corner, page 6: a letter from suketo hoikuen
page 7-8: japanese lesson, page 8-10: undertaking the shikoku 88
page 11-12: events & memoranda
1

is a monthly publication of theTokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)

Emma Boardman & Martin Rathmann
Naomi Savarese, Sachiko Muramatsu,

Irene Wachuga, Kazue Inoue, Tsolmon

Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@topia.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!

show tokushima some love: awaglot
The literary corner of
AwaLife, Awaglot, is acombination of the words"awa" and "polyglot", whichmeans multilingual. Be it
fiction, nonfiction, prose or
poetry; funny, sad, long or
short, we want yoursubmissions! If you like towrite, then express yourself!
There is also a classifieds
section for you, ourreaders, to post ads in,
but a few rules do apply!

Religious, political,
or commercial activities,businesses searching forclients or employees, things
the Awa Life editors deem
inappropriate.

concerts, lectures, andother event information,
cultural, sporting, andother community group
information, etcetera.

tanuki (martin rathmann)

2

If you have something you
would like to share with theTokushimacommunity,
email the editors at

(con't from page 1)
not in Tokushima. It was
11 years ago when I
studied abroad in China.
That Japanese person
was the top student inour class.
His handwriting was
beautiful, and his English
was also fantastic. No
matter how hard I tried,
I could never do better
than him. For the time
being, my impression ofJapanese people was“how clever they are!”tsolmonMy second encounter
with Japanese people
was when I came toTokushima, and met
everybody here. I havemet a variety of people
in Tokushima – university
professors, students, andpeople out and about intheworking
world.
Currently, even my 2year old daughter ismakingplentyofacquaintances at kindergarten. Obviously, I’ve
learnt not just about
people, but also about
culture. I’ve not only
experiencedTea
ceremony, Kabuki andmore, but I’ve practiced
them every day!
It’s hard to say whether
there is more to bedone, but I do think thatJapan is a country which
above all strives toprotect its rich culture.

I’m particularly interested
in greetings culture. For
example, when you study
Japanese, you learn thelanguage used whensaying goodbye. For
that one simple act,
there are a variety ofphrases and gestures,and the decision of which
respective greeting touse is based on who
the listener is. These
include “Jya, mata”,“Sayonara”, “Mata kondo,
tanoshimi ni shiteimasu”,“Sensei,osaki
nishitsurei shimasu”, and“Otsukaresamadeshita”.
I especially think theJapanese daily cultureof lowering your head ina show of respect to theperson you are greetingis fantastic. Japanesepeople value the feelingsof others over the
feelings of themselves.

Every day, no matter
where I am, every time
I am greeted by thesight of the Japanese
low bow, I can’t help but
wonder whether therespect for others foundin Japan is stronger
than that in othercountries.
On the other hand, bows
between young Japanesearedecreasing,andrecently a simple nod andahandshake
have
become common place. I
wonder why this is? Is it
because it makes it
easier to engage with
non-Japanesepeople?
What do you all do? Whateffect do you think thiswill have on the future ofJapanese greetings culture?

Mahatma Gandhi said
that “A nation's culture
resides in the hearts3

(con't from page 3)
and in the soul of its
people”. It is for thereason that I believethat even in 100 years
time, Japan’s uniquebowing culture will not
disappear.
In conclusion I would liketo make the following
two points:
Firstly, if you are to not
be left behind in global
society, I want you tolearn the language ofyour friends, not justJapanese – a foreign
language. Becoming able
to speak a sharedlanguage is somethingwhich is particularly
important for young
people.
Secondly, if you want tobecome friends withforeigners, I think thebest place to start is byusing the foreign language
you have put so much
effort into learning, andby communicating yourcountry’s important culture-Japanese culture - toforeigners. If you wantsomeone to teach you
about a different culture,it’s important to be
curious, and not be
afraid to ask questions.
Through this, you cangain new knowledge

4

the speech contest winner tsolmon

and new connections,
don’t you think?

Before I finish, I just wantto say that after 7 years,
I was able to meet withthat Japanese student I
first met in China. At
that time I didn’t talk to
him in Japanese, but I
can’t wait to surprise
him with it next time!
I’m going to keep giving
Japanese my all.
This takes me to theend of my speech –thank you very much forlistening."

irene's recipe cornerby irene wachuga

Tomatoes are growing
left, right and centeron our balconies…
The summer vegetable
is loved by kids andadults alike, and it’srich in lycopene (making
it very beneficial to ourhealth). Next time youwant to spice up yourpicky eaters meal or
wow your buddies,give this recipe a try!
It’s a cool, delicate
sweet treat..yum…!

2 cups of tomato juice
5g of powdered gelatin
70g of granulated sugar
1-2 Tbsp of lemon
juice (or ½ a lemon)
1 Tbsp of Cointreau(an orange flavored liqueur)
Mint leaves (for decoration)

and add the sugar(stirring until it dissolves).
4. Add the lemon and
the Cointreau.
5. Pour into a cooling
pad or small glass
verrines, and cool over
ice water till set. Coolcompletely in the fridge
until just before serving.
6. Top with mint sprigs
and enjoy!

1. In a small cooking
pot, add the tomato
juice and sprinkle thegelatin on top. Stir justenough to mix it up.
2. Let it sit for about 5
minutes.
3. Put on medium low
heat and bring to aboil. Take off the heattomato jelly (irene wachuga)
5Year after year, the hightemperatures and humidityof the Japanese summer
sees cases of heat stroke
appearing one after theother around the country.
Even in kindergartens, theamount of time spentplaying outside in theheat is being reduced.
Children in particular are
not always able to judge
forthemselves
whenenough is enough, and it’s
important that adults areappropriately alert. The
importanceof
takingprecautions to avoid heatstrokegoes
without
saying, but in the eventthat the child seems evena little under the weather,be sure to be quick tomove them to a cool
location,loosentheirclothes and let them rest.
In the event that they lie
down, elevate their legs.
Don’t forget first aid
measuressuchasrehydration, or cooling the
body with water or ice. In
the event that these6

solutions do not lead torecovery, get the child tothe hospital straight away!

Pens/Pencils
Tape
Plastic bottle caps (3 per
stick, 3-5 sticks)
Instructions- Put a stop to exercise when
the temperature rises over
35 degrees. In the event ofhigh humidity, caution isadvised even at 25 degrees.
- Be sure to stay hydrated.
Sweat causes a loss not
only of fluids, but of salt,
making that a diluted
sports drink a good option.
- Light and breezy clothes
are a way to avoid getting too
hot.
- Wear a hat- Resting at the first signof ill health
The roasting summer is
far from over – pleasetake suitable precautions

Materials
Inner tube (from kitchenroll etc)
Wrapping Paper (decoration)

1. Wrap the paper around
the
inner
tube
and
decorate it as you wish
2. Make 3 – 5 sticks bytaping the plastic bottle
lids on top of each otherin sets of 3.
Option: Putting grains ofrice or beads inside thecaps can create interestingsound effects during play!
3. With the decorated
inner tube on the ground,drop the sticks inside,
before pulling the tube so
the child can enjoy thesight of the smaller sticks
forming one tall column!

japanese lessonby sachiko muramatsu

7japanese lessonby sachiko muramatsu

undertaking the shikoku 88
by naomi savarese

Prior to commencing myplacement on the JET
Programme, I foundmyself researching my
new home in Shikoku
online. Setting aside thenumerous pages regarding
Awa Odori, the only
other information I really
discovered was about aseriesoftemplescommonly referred toas the Shikoku 88. I
thought not much more
about it until I reached
Tokushima and wasbustled off to theprefecture’s orientation,an ‘English Camp’, heldat
Juraku-ji Temple
japanese garden featuring a small
koi pond at hanta-ji temple, ehime (number 14 on the trail).
prefecture (naomi savarese)8

Listening to the headmonk detail the historyof the temple andbrowsing through thegift-shop, my interest
was piqued. It was thenthat I set the only
enduring goal for mytime in Japan andpurchased a nokyocho,
or stampbook, intending
tocompletethepilgrimage for myself.
The Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage
is said to have beenfounded around the 9th
century by a Patriarchof Esoteric Buddhism
called Kukai (later tobecome known as Kobo

undertaking the shikoku 88(con't from page 8)

main hall at maegami-ji temple, ehime prefecture (naomi savarese)
One of the few places I’ve found in Shikoku that also has two very lush tracts of grass!

Daishi). The 88 temples
on the pilgrimage route,laid out in a roughly
circular formation, arefamed as sites where
Kukai spent time training
as a traveling ascetic.
The pilgrimage, or henro
trail, begins in Tokushima(the place of spiritual
awakening)with23
temples littered mostly
along the eastern side of
the prefecture. These arefollowed by 16 temples in
Kochi
prefecture(theplace of ascetic training),
26 temples in Ehime
prefecture (the place ofenlightenment) and roundedout with 23 temples in thenorthern Shikoku prefectureof Kagawa (the place of
nirvana).
These days, largely due
to the incredible distances
between temples (on aroutecovering
some
1200km), many pilgrims
choosetovisit
thetemples by car or bus
tour. However, walking or
cycling the route is
becoming increasingly morecommon as a way to truly
reflect on the journey andconnectwiththeincredible landscape that
Shikoku has to offer.
Having time to achieve
my
goal
only
on
weekends, I opted todrive to each temple –completing the pilgrimage
one part at a time (amethod called kugiri-uchi
in Japanese). This has
seen me spend numerous
Saturdays and Sundays
glued to google maps,
often driving both thelength and breadth of theisland in a somewhat
randomly haphazard fashion,collecting the beautiful
calligraphies in my stampbook

bamboo (martin rathmann)9undertaking the shikoku 88(con't from page 9)
for 300yen a pop. In
the past few weekends
for example, I havevisitedroughly30
temples spread fromthe largely coastal areaof Marugame in Kagawa
prefecture, through themountainous regions of
Ehime prefecture anddown to the very
southernmost tip of theisland at Cape AshizuriMisaki
in
Kochi
prefecture; doubling backto return home and set
out again another day,
I hate to imagine just
how many kilometresI’ve traversed on myway.
The journey has nothaving my stamp-book signed by theresident monk and his friendly little dog been without its trials
either – I’ve often gotten(naomi savarese)of the pouring rain or
the scorching sun,
suffered from ‘temple
apathy’ after attempting
to visit too many sites
in one stint, experienced
minor car breakdowns
and reached one or
two of my destinations
shortly after the officehas closed for the day(rendering me unable
to collect the uniquetemple calligraphy inmybook
without
spending the night inwait) – but I have 7
temples left to visit andI’m anticipating a floodofreliefandanoverwhelming sense ofachievement once I
finally realize my goal!

lost, been at the behest

the view coming down the mountain from yokomine-ji temple, ehime prefecture (naomi savarese)10

events & memoranda
Awa Odori in Tokushima City
When:

Where:
Cost:
Info:
TEL:

August 12 (Mon) - 15 (Thu)
18:00 - 20:00 1st performance
20:30 - 22:30 2nd performance
Tokushima city center
free (excluding paid stage seats)
Tokushima City
TourismAssociation
088-622-4010

Let’s Dance with the Niwaka-Ren!
People who want real experience at theTokushima Awa Odori, can dance freely
with the Niwaka-Ren.
When:
Where:

Cost:
Info:
TEL:

August 12 (Mon) – 15 (Thu)from 18:30 or from 20:30
Meeting point is Tokushimashi in front of the city hall orat the Motomachi shopping
street entrance
free participation
Tokushima City
TourismAssociation
088-622-4010

Awa Odori in Naruto City
When:
Where:
Cost:
Info:
TEL:

August 9 (Fri) – 11 (Sun)19:00 - 22:00
Naruto city center
free (excluding paid stage seats)
Naruto City Uzushio
Tourist Association
088-684-1731

Naruto City Summer Firework Festival
When:
Where:
Info:

August 7 (Wed)20:00 - 21:00
Area around Naruto Culture
Center & Muya River Park
Naruto City Uzushio
Tourist Association

TEL:
11

events & memoranda
Tokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center Study TourThe importance of preparing for the Nankai earthquake expected to hit Tokushima is only
increasing. If a natural disaster occurs, what will you do? Tokushima Prefecture
Government, in conjunction with the Tokushima Prefecture International Exchange
Association (TOPIA) is proud to announce a study tour for foreign residents at theTokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center to provide information on what to do incase of a natural disaster. During the tour you can experience earthquakes, strong winds
and more via simulation, as well as learn about what to do when a disaster occurs.
Date:

Sunday, September 8, 10:00-13:00
10:00 – Leave Tokushima Station by bus for the center
13:00 – Arrive at Tokushima Station by bus
Location:
Tokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center(Kitajima-town, Tainohama Aza Onishi 165)
Target:Foreign Residents in Tokushima Prefecture
Details:
Disaster prevention guidance via video, simulation of strong winds /earthquakes, fire fighting and disaster control exercises, lecture about
earthquakes & tsunami, responding to early Earthquake Warnings andemergency provisions tasting (English and Chinese Interpreting)
No. Places: 40 people
Cost:
Free
How to apply: Please send in the following information by fax to the address below. You canalso apply by sending the same information by email or postcard.
Name
Gender (M/F)
Address
Nationality
TEL
E-Mail Address
Occupation
Workplace Address
Japanese Level.
(1.Daily-use 2.Greetings 3.None)
Deadline:
Applications to:
FAX:
Tokushima-ken Kokusai Koryukyokai FAX (088)652-0616
Email:
coordinator1@topia.ne.jp
Postcard:
770-0831Tokushima-shi Terashima Honcho Nishi1-61 Clement Plaza 6F
Koekizaidan Hojin Tokushima-ken Kokusai Koryukyokai (TOPIA)
Contact:
TOPIA (Kimura) TEL (088)656-3303

Counselling Service at TOPIA
TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all foreign residents to help withissues involving accidents, working conditions, housing, visas, international marriage,and more. Counselling is available in English and Japanese. Please note that although
every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)12