aWa life
Japanese Support
Volunteers Training
CourseIntroduction to theTokushima Cleaning
Learning GroupInterview with
Kanematsu-san

Gairaigo Galore:
アンケート

February 2022
# 376

1

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

While February is usually a relatively cold and dark month in Tokushima, it has lots to offer in terms of
festivities and seasonal events. Besides two public holidays, festivities and seasonal features such as
Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and the peak of Japan’s strawberry season fall into February. How about
eating some sushi rolls (the famous ehomaki) for Setsubun, sending your loved ones some Valentine’s
chocolate, and enjoying an all-you-can-eat experience at a strawberry farm?
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 appreciate 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:Your editors,
Sydney and Nicoawalife@gmail.com
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!

Editors:
Sydney Bartig and Nico Bohnsack
Contributors This Month:
Qing Liu, Fumiko Kanematsu (interviewee), Mako Kobayashi, Kanno Hiroshi, Yoko Aoki

Contents

Pg. 2-3: Interview with Kanematsu-sanPg. 4:

Japanese Support Volunteers Training Course

Pg. 5:

Japanese Culture and Reading Corner:2

バレンタインデー
Pg. 5:

Gairaigo Galore: アンケート

Pg. 6:

Introduction to the Tokushima Cleaning LearningGroupPg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8-9

Events & MemorandaInterview with Kanematsu-san
By: Qing Liu

T

he Tokushima Prefectural Labor and Welfare
Council is commissioned to provide support
programs for youth, the ice age generation, andthose who are in
need. If you takea look at theirwebsite, you can
see that they
are conducting
projects to support
foreigners inregards to their
daily lives and jobs.
One such projectfor foreigner’s job
training. During the2019 fiscal year
for the “Beginners
Caregiving Training
for Foreigners
Living in the Prefecture”, six foreign residents
obtained caregiving qualifications.
Training aimed at Japanese people takes 2
months, and training for foreigners takes 4months. The reason for this is that it’s necessary
for foreigners to study Japanese as well during
their training. In 2019, a course for mid-level

Japanese and caregiving training was held, butthere were few people who were at the mid-levelof Japanese. In 2020 the course was canceled
due to COVID-19.
In 2021 thecourse became ab e g i n n e r ’s l e v e lJapanese course
plus caregiving
training course.
Students are taught
words related tocaregiving, skills,
and how to write
daily reports.
For the students,
the most difficultp a r t i s t h elanguage. They
understand the necessary movements, but find
it difficult to know which words are easy for theelderly to understand as well as which words
to use to respect the patient and not hurt theirpride. A variety of situations involving the elderly
are taught, and it’s necessary to test them out.
Everyone was very adept, and they all worked
hard for their goal, even going so far as to3Interview with Kanematsu-san
3. Question: Once the students have graduatedand start working, is there anything that you areworried about?
Teacher: I worry about their relationship with theircolleagues. There are both kind and strict people.
There are also Japanese people who are not very
good at communication.
4. Teacher: Foreign students are very good atlearning by watching people’s movements. Thisability to see others is one that is universal, andcommunication is essential for caregiving work.

listen to their textbook CD in their cars. Some ofthe students who have visited facilities for theelderly to learn or participate in training have beenasked to come back.
Once a week, break time is used to conduct
interviews. They talk about their goal for thatweek and any problems that they may be having.
Kanematsu-san remarked on how she hoped thetraining would be useful for the student’s futures
and that they could continue the program. She
hopes that students who finish the program will
recommend it to other foreigners.
Interview with the teacher:
1.Teacher: When the foreign students don’t
understand something, they clearly say so. Whenteaching foreign students, it’s important not to use
technical terms, but rather to use words that will
be useful in the workplace and that are easy tounderstand.
2. Question: When you’re teaching, has there everbeen a time when the students didn’t understandwhat you were saying?
Teacher: When they don’t understand I try
conveying the meaning with movements. If they
can get the main point then they can understand.

Interview with the students:
1. I did caregiving work before, but there was a
lot of technical terms that I didn’t understand. I’m
studying here once again.
2. I wanted to study last year, but I was unable tobecause of COVID-19. By studying Japanese andlearning skills, I can more clearly see my future
which makes me happy.

Japanese Support Volunteers Training Course
By: Mako KobayashiEvery year TOPIA holds the “JapaneseSupport Volunteers Training Course”, but
this year it was held online from November to
February (9 times). During this course, thosewith an interest in supporting foreigners throughJapanese study support for Japanese and how
to teach it. The goal is to work as a Japanesevolunteer after the course is over.
Currently there are about 6,600 foreign residents
from 80 different countries and regions living inTokushima Prefecture. In order to support theseresidents in terms of Japanese, the prefecturecommissioned 9 organizations including TOPIA
to establish Japanese classes. Many of these
Japanese classes are made possible thanks tovolunteers, and many of these volunteers andnecessary in order to run these Japanese classes.

A look at the training course

they might have troubles or questions, and I learnsomething new every class. Through this course I
want to be able to create a place where foreigners
who want to learn Japanese can have fun
speaking and where we can work out questions inJapanese.
Additionally, a Japanese classroom should be aplace not only for students to learn the language,
but to learn about Japanese culture and customs
as well. By being able to connect with many
people it creates a “place for one’s heart”. The
one’s who have the important role of creatingsuch a place are the volunteers. I hope to become
one of the people who holds that role, and through
TOPIA I hope that many people will be interested
in creating a place for foreigners to belong.

An actual Japanese class held at TOPIA

Unlike normal years, the course was held online
this year, however we had 40 people interested inJapanese support take part in the course.
Before I started working at TOPIA, when I saw aforeigner in trouble, I would always talk to themin English. However, by interacting with peopleof a variety of nationalities at TOPIA, I havecome to learn about “simple Japanese” and that
it is possible to understand one another throughsimple words and short phrases. Since taking thiscourse, I have had many opportunities to thinkby the “learner’s point of view” and see where4

Yo u c a n f i n dJapanese teachingmaterials that TOPIA
has created online!
Take a look!
(TOPIA’s website).

5Japanese Culture and Reading Corner:
バレンタインデー
By: Mako Kobayashi
がつ

せいしき

にち

2 月 14 日が

みなさんは

ひ

な まえ

きょう

正式な名前はいわ

タイン司祭をひる日でさか

セイントバレンタインデーで、キリスト教の

し さい

し

バレンタインデー（St. Valentine's Day）という日だと知っていますか。

ひお祝いする日です。

くにぐに

せいじん

盛んな国々では、 聖人である

いっぱんてき

たいせつ

ひと

おく

一般的には

大切な人に

バレン

いわ

プレゼントを贈って、 お祝いを

す

ゆうめい

有名です。

に ほん

じょ せい

だん せい

おく

日 本 では 女 性 が 男 性 にぎ り

チョコレートをていばん

最近では、その定番も

みなさんの

がっ こう

だん せい

学校の

男性に

います。

へん か

とも

とも

変化していて、 友だちに
か

コ」として

かい しゃ

ひと

「義理チョコ」として あげる人も
さいきん

てい ばん

贈 ることが定 番 ですが、 会 社 や
じ ぶん

じ ぶん

あげる 「友チョコ」、自分のための 「自分チョて づく買ったり、 手作りしたりします。

チョコレートをくに

たいせつ国では、 バレンタインデーには

大切な人に

ひと

なに

おく

何かを

贈りますか。

Vocabulary List
正式なOfficial

お祝いする Celebrate

盛んな

Active

贈り物

Gift

最近 Recently

贈る

Give

義理 Duty

一般的に In general

アンケート (Questionnaire)
By: Sydney Bartig

定番 Standard (thing)

買う BuyGairaigo Galore

If you’ve lived in Japan long enough then you’ve probably run across the word
“ ア ン ケ ー ト ” at some point. Maybe you've been stopped at the supermarket
or near the station and asked to fill one out. It’s a word that many learn early intheir Japanese-studying career and in English means questionnaire or survey.
In fact, there was recently a survey sent out to all foreigners living in Tokushima
Prefecture, so perhaps you took notice of this word at that time? Rather thancoming from English, アンケート originates from the similarly sounding French
word “enquête”.
Now you might wonder,
what is the difference
ちょう さ
between ア ン ケ ー ト and the word 調 査 which, when looked up in
English, have quite similar definitions. An ア ン ケ ー ト is used
to askちょう さmultiple people the same set of questions, and is one type of 調 査 . A
ちょう さ
調 査 uses various methods to collect data and understand the state ofthings, trends, facts, etc. Hopefully this will help you with distinguishing
the two words!

Introduction to the Tokushima Cleaning Learning GroupBy: Kanno Hiroshi, Secretariat

T

he Tokushima Cleaning Learning Group(Tokushima Souji Manabukai) is a groupof people who understand the philosophy ofHidesaburo Kagiyama, the founder of the NPO"Let's Make Japan Beautiful”. It was establishedon November 27th, 2005, and this year they will
be marking their 16th year. Rather than beinga “cleaning learning group”, this group primarily
cleans school toilets and is a self-improvement
group where we take time to notice the important
things in life. Alongside teachers and students,
the group cleans toilets and forms important
memories together.

6

aided in creating a beautiful country. Through thisprogram, the group was able to convey Japan’s
cleaning culture and the importance of cleaning,as well as plan for future exchange.
The group’s activities also serve as leader training
for many companies’ executives. Recently, many
young employees of supporting companies havealso been participating in the activities, and it
serves as hope for a bright future for Japan.
The group hopes to create a beautiful country
through participating in these activities each year,
and hopes that the activities will spread to otherplaces as well.

At the monthly annual meeting in Decemberof 2021, the group had held their program 198
times. Additionally, once a year the Shikoku Blockmeeting is held where information is exchanged
and they aim to better themselves as a group.
From 2013, they made their way to Taiwan. In thesame year the “Taiwan Beautification Association”
was reborn as a new organization, and throughcleaning activities, aid with social contribution
activities and leader training has been madepossible thanks to the cooperation of the NPO
Let’s Make Japan Beautiful. April 2019 marked
the 7th time we were able to go to Taiwan, andwe were able to participate in a cleaning activities
competition and understand the current situationand future trends. Volunteers gathered and,forgetting about the heat, cleaned the school’s
toilets which helped improve their own mind and7Japanese Lesson

By: Yoko Aoki

This month let’s study sentence patterns that use verbs and the て (te) form.
きでLike in the sentence 「コートを着て出かけます」, て is used to show that, while wearing your coat,
you will do the next action/verb (going out). It is also used to express means, such as in the sentenceかおぼ「書いて覚 えます」.
さむ

き

で

１［て Form］：Example:「寒 いですから、コートを①着て ぼうしを②かぶって 出かけます」＊The small number in the upper right of the verbs is the verb group.
き例き① 着ます２→着て② かぶります１→かぶってしんぶん③ めがねを かけます２→かけてももよ「めがねをかけて 新 聞 を読みます。
」
い④ おべんとうを 持ちます１→持って「おべんとうを持って ハイキングに行きました。
」
うんてん⑤ シートベルトを します３→してい「シートベルトをして 運 転 してください。
」のい⑥ さとうを 入れます２→入れて「さとうを入れて コーヒーを飲みます。
」

２ Try making sentences.
きい

１あかいドレスを 着ます＋パーティーに 行きます

２エアコンをつけます２＋ねます

あめ

ひ

ある

い

３雨 の日は かさを さします１（put up an umbrella）＋歩 いて行きます

え

いろ

つか

４この絵は 色 えんぴつを 使 いました１＋かきました

こたえ：１あかいドレスをきて パーティーに いきます。２エアコンをつけて ねます。
３あめのひは かさを さしてあるいていきます。４このえは いろえんぴつを つかって かきました。

Events & Memoranda

834th Big Hina Matsuri
第 34 回ビッグひな祭り
The first Big Hina Matsuri was held in the springof 1988 and will now be celebrated for the 34th
time. Hina dolls that are no longer used aregathered from families all around the country,
given a memorial service, and then displayed
at this festival. At the center of the festival, you
can find an approximately 8-meter-high 100-step
podium decorated with hina dolls. Approximately
30,000 hina dolls are beautifully displayed at thisfestival.
During the event there will be a variety of stage
performances.
When: February 26th (Sat.) – April 10th (Sun.)
9:00 - 16:00
Where: Hina Doll Museum
Fee: Adults: 300 Yen
Groups: 200 Yen (10 people or more)
Elementary Students: 100 Yen
Inquiries: Big Hina Matsuri Executive Committee
TEL: 0885-42-4334
URL: https://bighinamaturi.jp/

昭和 63 年の春に始まったビッグひな祭りは、今回で 34 回目を迎えます。本祭では、全国より、家庭で飾られなくなった雛人形を集め、供養し、展示させていただいております。場内には、中央にそびえ立つ高さ約 8m「百段のひな壇」をはじめ、約 3 万体もの雛人形が豪華絢爛に飾られています。
期間中は様々なステージプログラムをご用意しております。
日時：2 月 26 日（土）～ 4 月 10 日（日）9：00 ～ 16：00
場所：人形文化交流館
料金：大人 300 円
団体 200 円（10 人以上）
小学生 100 円
問い合わせ：ビッグひな祭り実行委員会
TEL: 0885-42-4334
URL: https://bighinamaturi.jp/

Sakamoto Ohina Meguri
さかもとおひな巡り
Partnered with the “Big Hina Matsuri”, the 「ビッグひな祭り」と連携し、勝浦町坂本地区で“ Sakamoto O hina Megur i” w ill be h e l d a t は「さかもとおひな巡り」が開催されます。
Sakamoto, Katsuura. This year ’s theme is 本年の「さかもとおひな巡り」の展示テーマは。コロナ禍で人々の繋がりが希薄“~Heart~”. Due to COVID-19, the bonds between 『ハート～心～』となり、心と心の繋がりの大切さを強く感じ、そpeople have grown weaker. In order to express
the importance of bonds between hearts, hearts の象徴でもあるハートを会場に散りばめています。
can be found around the venue.
温かい気持ちを感じていただき『おひな巡り』をPlease enjoy this warmth of the “Ohina Meguri”.
お楽しみください。
When: February 26th (Sat.) – March 13th (Sun.)
Where: Around Fureai no Sato Sakamoto
TEL: 0885-44-2110
URL: https://fureainosato.net/485

日時：2 月 26 日（土）～ 3 月 13 日（日）場所 : ふれあいの里さかもと周辺
TEL: 0885-44-2110
URL: https://fureainosato.net/485

9

Events & Memoranda
世界の国々をのぞいてみよう！
（オンライン【Zoom】開催）～世界の未来を担う子どもたちに、国際化社会の一員としての自分を気づかせ、異文化交流や国際理解及び国際協力への意識の醸成を図るための支援事業～★国際理解支援講師によるミニプレゼンテーションを行います。
マツオ（松尾）ドウルシーさん（ポルトガル）、アパルナ マタレさん（インド）、張の 3 人の講師先生をお迎えして、それぞれの国の紹介をしていただきます。

楠さん（中国）＊それぞれの先生の授業を受けた後、質問できる時間があります。知りたいことをいっぱい質問してください。
日時：3 月 6 日 ( 日 ) 13:30 ～ 15:00
場所： Zoom 開催
参加費： 無料
対象者：小学生
申し込み方法：名前、TEL、Email、学年を記入の上、Email で申し込んでください。
締め切り :2 月 28 日（月）TEL: 088-656-3303
FAX: 088-652-0616
E-mail: coordinator3@topia.ne.jp
URL: http://www.topia.ne.jp

Counselling Service at TOPIA・トピアの相談窓口
TOPIA provides consultation on everyday life, education, labor, medical institutions, and disasterprevention; and information on sightseeing spots to overseas residents and visitors. When necessary,
we will refer you to the appropriate organization that can assist with your needs.Counselling is available
in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, 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 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Tel: 088-656-3312 or 088-656-3313 (allows for three-way conversations with an interpreter)