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

take the train to turtle town

"TOPPY"
June 2005 No. 180
by elliott green and damon abbott
awalife@gmail.com

signpost for Ohama beach in Hiwasa

o s t p e o p l e t ra v e l i n g s o u t h o u tof Tokushima City will have themisconception that the sleepy towns
they pass through have nothing tooffer in the way of entertainment. However,venturing into one of these towns could change
your outlook.
Hiwasa is one such town. Located 60 km
south of Tokushima City, this quaint seaside
town is a veritable playground for outdoor
enthusiasts.
After spending a few hours in Hiwasa, it’s easy
to see that this is a tight-knit community where
everyone is familiar with one another, families
run generations deep and you don’t need tolock your door when you leave the house.
Although Hiwasa is far from a bustling
metropolis, there are quite a few attractions
worth your time.
Yakuoji Temple is the most prominent featureof Hiwasa. It is the 23rd temple of the 88mtemple circuit and gives superb panoramic
views of Hiwasa and the seafront. Famed for
warding off evil spirits, it is said that if women
drop money on each of the first 33 steps
and men on the next 42, the spirits will bebanished.
The most recent addition to Hiwasa’s tourist
attractions found just down the road from
Yakuoji Temple, is its brand new visitors centre.
The centre consists of a gift shop, an organic
foods shop and a foot bath to bathe yourtired feet. It also offers a chance to chat withpilgrims gearing themselves up for the longwalk between temples 23 and 24.
When most Japanese in Tokushima-ken hear
you are visiting Hiwasa, they will probably say,“Ahh, turtles neh?”. Hiwasa is widely known for
its Loggerhead turtles that come to lay theireggs there in early summer.
Ohama beach is 500m in length and has been
selected as one of Japan’s 100 best beaches.

turtle town... con't on page 8

contents
take the train to turtle town - 1, 8 ... tales of the tanuki in awa - 3
yoga - utthita trikonasana - 4 ... tastes of awa: wasabi - 5
set in stone: shikoku karst - 6, 7 ... believe it or not - 7
martin's anime corner - 9 japanese in the news - 10letter from suketo hoikuen - 10 ... japanese lesson - 11 ... memoranda - 12~15
tv movie guide - 15 ... cinema guide - 16from the editors

ccording to the Japan Meteorological
Agency the rainy season is set tobegin on June the 4th and end on July
17th. While the rain season is a major
source of annoyance for people (especiallyforeigners like me who are not familiar withthis meteorological phenomenon), its presence
does not necessarily mean that we should
spend all our time indoors chilling under theaircon dreaming of cloudless sunny days. For
example there is nothing more relaxing thansitting in an open air hot spring while viewing
the cloudy landscape and listening to the patterof the rain. While you are in the onsen, it might
be a good time to think about the Japanese
aesthetic system of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi
is beauty of things imperfect, modest andunconventional. If that sounds a strange andover the top don't blame me I am just trying to
get through the rainy season.
Peace, Martinaou will notice that I have changed myname in the 'contributors' section below you can read all about my adventures inbureaucracy on the road to wedded blisson page 10, and maybe learn some new words
at the same time. Speaking of learning new
words, the application period for the Japanese
Language Proﬁciency Test is coming up again.
The test is held every year on the ﬁrst Sundayin December, but the application period is from
July to September - which means you have atleast three months of dread to look forward tofrom the time you submit your appilcation until
the actual test date. The nearest test location
to Tokushima is Takamatsu's Kagawa University,
but I took mine in Hiroshima last year, just forfun. See the details about the JLPT on page 14of this issue. You've got half a year to study why not give it a try?
Love, Claireyawa 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)
Editors:
Claire Tanaka & Martin O'Brien
Contributors This Month:Damon Abbott, Elliott Green, Junko Kimura,Matt Lindsay, Kevin McDowell, Kaori Sakamoto,Fusa Tamaki, Claire Tanaka, Jon Teakle,
Martin O'Brien, and Don Weiss

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

awa life welcomes announcements, articles,
opinions, letters, art and photographs. Please
send contributions to the editors at TOPIA. You
can also write (or call in!) for a free subscription.

English Information on FM Tokushima:"Talk Up Tokushima" Thursdays @ 9:15am
Tokushima City 80.7 Ikeda 82.3
Anan 78.4
Hiwasa 77.7

-2-

tales of the tanuki in awa
orse Dungh

The Haibaragawa
River plain, running
between Mima-gun
and Awa-gun, ordinarily hadvery little water in it. As thename implies, however, it was
indeed a riverbed. Extending
to include seven or eightvillages, it was a very lonely
place at night. One night a
fellow from Haibara village
on the west bank of the rivercrossed over to Iwatsu, on
the east side, for a little nighttime entertainment. Laterthat night, on his return toHaibara, a young girl appeared
before him. Saying that she
was lonely and scared, she
asked the man if he would
accompany her home. The
man, realizing that the girl
was actually a tanuki inhuman form, decided to try
to capture the tanuki alive.
‘Well, well, let’s be on our
way then,’ he said. The girlreplied, ‘please take my hand.’So he took hold of her wrist,
all the while thinking, ‘I’ve got
her now.’ Upon reaching his
doorway and just as he wasabout to try to get the girl to
go inside, the girl, said, ‘myhand is starting to hurt, would
you please hold the other one.
Having no problem with her
request he let go of her hand.
As he suddenly felt her let go,
he opened his own hand and,much to his surprise, found apiece of horse dung in it.
This folktale, from Awa no
Tanuki no Hanashi, shows
the tanuki (badger/raccoondog) at its mischievous best.
Tanuki (along with kitsune- fox) occupy a primary placein Japanese folklore. Tanuki

are tricksters: bewitching
humans, hurting and harming,
rewarding good deeds andrevenging wrongs. Tanuki ﬂit
around the fringes of humansociety, lurking under bridges,
skulking through lonely woods,
taking on the garb and formof priests, peasants, andinanimate objects.
Tokushima prefecture is rifewith tanuki tales. As Awa no
Tanuki no Hanashi explains,most of the tales originate
in the plains and inhabitedareas rather than in thedesolate mountainous partsof the prefecture. The animal- as well as the creature ofmyth and legend, exists inthe borderlands, between thefields and forests. So, while
there are stories of mountaintanuki, most of the tales
involve interactions between
tanuki and humans that
center on “normal” societal
relations. In these encounters,
however, normality is often
reversed and skewed. This
peripheral existence seems
to be central to the tanuki
tales, as the animals in myth
act as links to a forbidden kindof behavior – behavior that isoften far removed from propersocietal norms.
There are many types oftanuki tales. Awa no Tanuki
no Hanashi categorizes themas follows: tales of tanuki
fires, tanuki imitations,tanuki tricks, methods forbewitching humans, tanuki
tricks on humans, failed
a tt e m p t s t o t r i c k , b a tt l e s
between tanuki groups,
tanuki revenge, recompense,
tricking humans into falling inlove, and tanuki tricked bypeople and foxes.
-3-by kevin mcdowellmcdktm2@yahoo.com

Running through all this,and perhaps most notable,
is the tanuki’s main meansof disarming and defeating
opponents: an extremely large
and very malleable scrotum. In
Japanese Ghosts and Demons,Brenda Jordan writes, “He [thetanuki] delights in wonderful,
crazy, and dangerous pranks
with his huge scrotum, which
can measure as much as eightmats in size (144 square feet).
He can drag it behind him
like a train, drape himself in
it as in a kimono, use it asan umbrella, or have puppets
dance on it. He is not above
taking a hunter by surpriseand strangling him with it. ”
Again, this shows the tanuki’s
place as an anti-hero, existingat the edges of normality,
wielding a very awkward andunusual sort of weapon.
Tanuki tales in Tokushima,
for the most part, come fromthe areas around towns andsettled areas where animals
and humans co-exist. Tanuki
in folklore, then, take on theguise and function of humans.
In some ways and in someof the tales this means thattanuki reinforce positive social
norms. In other, darker, stories
however, tanuki cross thebounds, harming and killing;in revenge or just out of asense of mischievousness. Folk
tales centered on tanuki as atrickster and mischief makerserve to show a shadowy
world where the usual patternsof behavior are often reversed
and overturned when tanuki
and townsfolk meet in lonely
forests at night.
*special thanks to Aoki-sensei foroffering his insights on the Awa folk
tales.

yoga - utthita trikonasanaby jon teakle
yogatokushima@yahoo.com

utthita means extended
and Trikonasana means
triangle. This posecreates a number oftriangles with the body. This isa really good pose for working
with body alignment.
Step 1
From standing pose
( Tadasana) jump the feet
3-4 feet apart, at the sametime stretch the arms out
to the sides, level with yourshoulders, palms down. Arms
and legs are straight and fully
extended.
Step 2
Turn the right foot in about
20° and the left foot out 90°(move the toes and keep theheels in place). Keep both legs
locked, the outside of the rightfoot is pressing down, toes ofthe left foot are spread.
Step 3
As you exhale, reach forward
and then down with the leftarm, place the left hand on
the shin, on the ankle, or (ifyour body permits it) on thefloor behind the leg (fingertips
by the heel in line with thefront foot). Stretch the rightarm upwards, palm facing to
the side). Form a straight linefrom one hand to the other.
Keep both legs locked, roll
the right hip up, as you do
this the trunk will revolve withthe hip. Look up towards theright hand but if you feel any
tension in the neck, look to theside or down. Your head andthe trunk of your body should
be directly over your left leg.
IMPORTANT
Alignment is your focus withJon demonstrates Utthita Trikonasana - the triangle pose

this pose. Most people try to
get their hand down as far as
possible but in doing so you’ll
push your butt out and losealignment. It’s better to place
your hand on your ankle, shinor on a block and keep thecorrect position.
Remember that your head
and trunk should be over yourleft leg, both knees locked andpushing your hips the same
way as the trunk of your bodyis facing.
Hold the pose for about aminute and as always, repeaton the other side for the samelength of time.
Work in The Pose
-Don’t put all your weighton the your left hand, byextending up with the righthand you’ ll make the left
lighter. (Imagine something ispulling your hand towards theceiling).
-Keep the neck in line with thespine, don’t just let your headhang down.

-Extend the spine from thecoccyx to the head.
-Its hard to check your own
alignment in this pose, so try
to imagine your body being as
narrow as possible, keep thehips pushing to the side thatyour body is facing, this will
increase the stretch too.
-If you don’t feel any stretch
in the legs, try widening yourstance a little.
Combining Poses
When possible, it’s always
good to combine poses into asequence. You can move into
Trikonasana from last months
pose. From Virabhadrasana II,
breathe in and straighten thefront leg, as you exhale follow
Step 3 above.
Benefits
This pose strengthens andtones the leg muscles, reduces
stiffness in the legs andhips, as well as helping withbackaches and neck pains.
Namaste, Jon.

-4-

tastes of awa - wasabi
asabi, the green pastethat gives sushi its
bite (and sometimes
it's flame if the sushi
chef overdoes it) is sometimes
called "Japanese horseradish."C o n v e r s e l y, i n J a p a n e s e ,"horseradish" is called ౦ ᄼ ҃щ ѧ (seiyo wasabi) whichtranslates literally as "Westernwasabi." In Japanese, real
wasabi is sometimes referred
to as ႎ҃щѧ (hon wasabi),
which translates literally as"real wasabi."
So we're all agreed, then,that wasabi is real wasabi,
right? Think again. I just took
a look at the box that mywasabi comes in (I buy the
tubes that almost everyone
uses at home) and discoveredthat it contains both hon
wasabi and! seiyo wasabi -in what proportions, the box
doesn't say. [Sigh!]
Don't think you can getaround this by buying thepowder in the tiny tins andmixing it with water. That haseither little or no "real wasabi"in it.
Of course, maybe I shouldn't
complain too much, since
REAL real wasabi looks like
this:

w

and costs, as you can see,
WAY more than you usuallywant to spend, which is why

the supermarket puts it insuch an attractive little basket.
Maybe you'll be seduced bybeauty.
A c t u a l l y, w a s a b i a n dhorseradish are close cousins.
That probably explains whyboth are hot in the sameway, the sort of up-yournose hotness that's so
different from the habanero
pepper in-your-mouth-andthroat hotness. It's sort ofan interesting cultural divide.
Many Japanese say they don't
like "spicy" food, meaning they
don't like Tabasco and otherpepper-based sauces. Whenpeople say that, I counter, "butyou like wasabi, don't you?"and I'm always told, "That's
different." Which is true,
though both in English andin Japanese, the same words
are applied to both kinds ofhotness, "spicy" in English, ఓи (karai) in Japanese. Yet I
know people in the U.S. wholove spicy Mexican food (orwhat passes for spicy Mexican
food in the U.S.) who think
wasabi is too hot!
If you want to splurge on
REAL real wasabi, buy astick and grate it, then usethat freshly-grated wasabi
just as you'd use the semiersatz wasabi from the tube
or the wholly ersatz powdered
stuff from the tin. But you'll
probably want to use more.
True wasabi, freshly grated,
has almost none of theharshness you're used to andthe fragrance is heavenly,
especially after the hotness
cleans out your sinuses withthe ﬁrst bite.
Here's a great recipe for
REAL real wasabi, and not abad one even for the others.
-5-

by don weiss
woosongdonald@
yahoo.colm

It's perfect for these humid,very humid, wet wet days
while you're waiting for the
Cat in the Hat to step in on
the mat. The humidity reallybrings out the aroma of thewasabi in the soy sauce andthe nori which really smells
rather nice, doesn't it?
Cucumber RollsсѹкѾѢ‫߬ുކ‬с̛(kyuri no nori maki)(adapted from "The Heart ofZen Cuisine" by Yoneda Soei)
Ingredients
1 cucumber
1 sheet of nori
Sauce
1 teaspoon fresh grated
wasabi1 Tablespoon soy sauce(regular soy sauce, karakuchi)
1 -- Cut the nori in half. Place
one half, shiny side down, on amaki-su (bamboo sushi rollingmat).
2 -- Trim the stem end andflower bud off the cucumber.
C u t i t i n h a l f. T h e n c u teach half into four pieces
lengthwise. You'll end up witheight cucumber sticks. Put
four of these about 1/3 of theway up the nori. Roll it up,
wetting the edge of the nori
SLIGHTLY to make it holdtogether. (Mine usually don't
hold together very well but
that's what fingers are for,right?)
3 -- Mix the wasabi and soy
sauce and put it in a little
dipping bowl.
4 -- Serve. Dip. Eat.
Enjoy the burn!

set in stone: shikoku karst’d actually goneto Shikoku
Karst before,
however myonly recollections
were how remote
it was and having
to put snow tires
on my friend’scar. I checked thedictionary for adefinition of karst- "a n a r e a o fiirregular limestone
in which erosion
has produced
fissures, sinkholes,
undergroundstreams, and caverns. " Spring
having arrived, I set off withmy family to view it properly
this time.
To keep costs to a minimum
we’d decided to camp and use
local roads rather than theexpressway, but by the time
we had reached Iyo-Saijo in
Ehime daylight was diminishingrapidly. We were undeterredhowever, having located an
ideal camping spot with grassand shade and toilets close by.
Our tent erected, my son
Reni and I set off to explore.
As we wandered about wemet a mother with her three
young boys appreciating theChildren’s Day decorations – achain of colourful koi nobori(carp-shaped streamers)
stretched over the nearby
Kamo River. She and her eldest
son informed me that thearea was plentiful in wildlife
including tanuki (raccoondogs) and inoshishi (wildboar) and renowned for its
pure drinking water.
Following dinner we went to
the nearby Ishizuchi Onsen
to wash. Despite a luxurious

local karst ice cream producer

appearance the hot spring
resort was rather frugal- nosoap or shampoo provided andan entrance fee for infants.
Unfortunately the watertemperature was too hot forlittle Reni so only my wife Yoko
was able to enjoy the colorfularray of baths inside.
Upon returning to ourcampsite we found amysterious Kitty-chan bag.
After some deliberationw e o p e n e d i t t o d i s c ove r
takenoko (bamboo shoot)tempura and bread rollswith a message explainingthat the food was a giftfrom the family we had met.
Pleasantly surprised by suchfriendliness we settled down
to a comfortable night’s sleep.
The next morning we set
off into the mountains. As wewove our way up steep slopes
and down deep valleys, theviews were breathtaking, thefresh spring foliage vibrant. It
was difﬁcult to relax however,
never knowing what might
be looming around the next
hairpin turn.

by matt lindsay
surfmatt@outdoorjapan.com

After a few hours
it was a relief tocome to a summit
where there wasspace to park,
stretch the legs,
breathe in thecrisp, clean airand enjoy the
panoramic views.
There was also aninteresting shop
run by a kindelderly couple
selling a varietyof organic-type
foods such assansai mountainvegetables and pickled wasabi.
We continued onward past
the majestic, jagged peakof Ishizuchi-san, Shikoku’s highest peak. Climbing theﬁnal ascent to our destination,
dimly lit forest gave way to
low-lying vegetation thenpasture near the summit.
Scattered among the grasswere limestone outcrops withc o w s s e r e n e l y g ra z i n g . A
wind turbine towered above
this scene, its blades steadily
whirling.
While soaking up theatmosphere, couples andfamilies milled about posing
for photos or licking the locally
produced ice cream. Hungry
after our long drive, we sat
down to enjoy a picnic lunch.
Once satisfied, we set off onfoot to explore the lunar-likelandscape. Along the way westopped to chat with some of
the friendly locals - the cows,
who reciprocated the ice
cream licking by licking us.
We decided to venture alittle further down the roadb y c a r, a c r o s s t h e E h i m eshikoku karst... con't on page 7-6-

believe it or not!
a p , Ta p ! W h e n I w a s
talking with one of myAmerican friends, shesuddenly knocked onher table twice. I had no
idea why she did that during
our conversation. I thoughtthat she did it because shewanted me to stop talking.
She explained that I was
saying something that she did
not want to happen, so she
knocked the wood table towish it would not happen toher. Do you know about thesekinds of actions? There aresuperstitions that people havebelieved in for many years.
There are many superstitionsin Japan too that we pass
d o w n f r o m g e n e ra t i o n t ogeneration. I used to live
w i t h my g ra n d m o t h e r, s oshe always taught me those,and I still believe in some ofthem. I am going to introducetby junko kimura
snowbird@fastmail.fm

some of the superstitions that
Tokushima or Japanese peopleknow.
-If you play with ﬁre, you'll wet
your bed-If you whistle in the night, asnake will appear.
-If you do not put away dolls(displayed at the Girls’ Dolls’
Festival) on the 3rd of March,
you will get married late.
-When your lower tooth comes
out, throw it to the roof. If it isan upper tooth, throw it downin the space under the porch,so you will have a strong adulttooth.
-Sleeping with your head tothe north is bad luck.
-If you put skin the snake has
shed in your wallet, you will
get rich.
-If a frog croaks, it will rainsoon.
-When barn swallows ﬂy lower,
it will rain soon.

-If you eat eel and pickledplum together, you will get a
stomachache.
-People with big earlobes aregoing to be rich.
-If you don’t hide yourbellybutton while thunder
rumbles, your bellybutton will
be stolen by Kaminari-sama.
(Japanese kids are taught
by their parents that there
is a scary man who creates
thunder and lightning withdrums in the dark clouds who
has a huge bellybutton)
Did you know any of those?
While writing this article, mycolleague suggested that I
whistle in the night and catcha snake to peel the skin, so
I could put it in my wallet tobe rich in the future. I might
do it if I end up taking all themoney out from my piggy
bank someday.

waited inthe car forthe visibility to improve. There
would be no amazing sunrise
spectacle this morning but theviews we had managed to see
and the people and cows we
had met along the way had
been a more than just reward
for our effort.

Approaching from Kochi(and by public transport):
From Susaki take route 197
until it meets with route 439.
Turn right here and ﬁnally turnleft onto route 48, a minor
road to the karst.

shikoku karst... con't from page 6
boundary and into Kochi.
Descending the other sideof the plateau we noticed apipe with water gushing from
it. A sign boasted “the bestwater in Japan”. From thesource of the Shimanto River,supposedly Japan’s cleanest
river, the crystal-clear liquid
was indeed delicious.
The weather became
more and more ominous asdarkness encroached. During
the night the rain arrived. By
early morning small puddles
had accumulated within our
tent making it difficult tosleep any longer. A dense
fog blanketed the area
however, making it impossible
to retreat. With no otheralternative we packed up andGetting there:
Approaching from Ehime:A ) Ta k e M a t s u y a m aExpressway (or route 11)
to Kawauchi then route 494
to Mikawa and route 33 to
Yanadani. Finally turn rightonto route 440 to the karst.
B) For a more scenic routefrom Iyo Saijo take route 194
then the Ishizuchi Skyline roadwest to connect with route494 and proceed as above.
-7-

Facilities/Accommodation
Ehime side: There is aguesthouse with a restaurant.
There are also bungalows forrent or you can camp (free ofcharge).
Kochi side: There is anotherguesthouse across the borderwith a restaurant and onsen.
There are also bungalowsfor rent here and a camping
ground. See here for prices:h tt p : / / w w w. t e n g u s o. c o m /shisetu/ryokin.html

turtle town... con't from page 1
Set in a cove, gently lapping
waves make the perfectenvironment for migratory
Loggerhead turtles to lay their
eggs.
Local festivals surroundtheir arrival in June, and thehatching of the turtles is inlate July. Hiwasa ChelonianMuseum, located on thebeach, is a research centre
to inform the public about
the turtles and help care fora select number of hatchlings
each year. It is an informative
museum for the scientifically
inclined. Interesting to a point,
it can be tedious for some.
Perhaps its most exciting
attraction is the number ofprotected turtles ranging inage from 1 to 50 years.
Open from 9:00am to
5:00pm, it costs 600 yen
for adults and 500 yen forstudents.
Set atop Shiroyama Hill,
Hiwasa Castle is visible fromall of Hiwasa town. Thought tobe on the foundations of theoriginal Hiwasa Castle built in
1585, Hiwasa-jō was rebuilt
in 1978. The modern version
houses an exhibition room
displaying historical artifacts
and documented histories
of other Japanese castles.
Located on the top ﬂoor is anobservation deck with viewsof the ocean. Admission is 200
yen.
However, if the castle doesn’t
float your boat and you arelooking for a healthy way tospend your day, starting at
the foot of Hiwasa Castle,
is the Shikoku-no-michi trail
which leads one along the
Senba sea cliffs. This 12km
walk, although breathtaking,requires considerable effort

Yakuoji street with Yakuoji temple inthe distanceat times, but is well worth it.
A fine activity for any sunny
afternoon, the trail is wellmaintained, and even has abomb crater from World War
II. Bring the camera and apicnic lunch and you are set
for the day.
The Shikoku-no-michi trail
eventually leads out onto the
Minami Awa Sunline. This
unparalleled 12km stretchof country road traces the
backbone of the coastal
mountains of the Muruto Anan
Kaigan National Park. The
road offers drivers spectacularocean vistas and exploring
the many turnoffs along thisroute will lead you to several
hidden coves and abandoned
beaches. These beaches
are great for sunbathing,swimmi ng and sno rke ling
without the crowds at theofficial swimming beaches
further South.
For those who like to get
naked in the summer heat,
Hiwasa is blessed to have two
exceptional onsens within a
10 minute drive. Shiroi Toudai
Hotel is located on a cliff top
near Ohama beach in Hiwasa.
By Japanese standards, it is a-8-

small regular onsen, with the
exception of their rotenburo.
The outdoor bath provides
a relaxing panorama fromwhich one can calmly view
the ocean swells. The waves
crash into rocks 150 feetbelow as you soak and relax
and at 500 yen, this is a mustfor anyone visiting Hiwasa.
Compared to Shiroi Toudai
onsen, the Onigaiwa onsen
can almost be described asa water amusement park.
Located in the mountains
halfway between Hiwasa andMugi on route 55, this onsen
provides enormous pools andnumerous jets for massage,
4 other pools, a sauna andshowers that are beyond
description. Finally, when
you leave the baths, there
are a number of massage
chairs to work out any knots
that the water did not melt
away. The Onigaiwa onsen iswell worth its steep 1000 yen
admission.
Before leaving Hiwasa,
no trip is complete without
dining at one of its many
restaurants. Restaurants
range from izakaya bars toudon noodle shops, but thepick of the bunch is Anando
curry house, which doubles
as an Indian gift shop ando f t e n s h o w c a s e s va r i o u smusical artists from aroundthe world (Make sure you eat
before 7:00pm as the town
tends to close up early).
So if you are travelingsouth anytime soon, and thethought of sharing a beachwith 500 other people isn’t
that thrilling, come on down
to turtle town and find out
what the hype is about for
yourself.

martin's anime corner
Title: Spirited Away
千と千尋の神隠し
Directed by: Miyazaki Hayao
Creators: Studio GhibliInternational Distribution:
Walt Disney Pictures
Released: Japan (2001) U.S. (2001)
Length: Approx 125 minutes

n M ay, I r e v i e w e d t h efilm Lupin the Third: The
Castle of Cagliostro which
was directed by Hayao
Miyazaki. Miyazaki is regarded
by many as Japan’s most
famous anime director. He has
directed films such as Tonari
no Totoro , Princess Monokeand Howl’s Moving Castle andhe has been responsible forthe creation of Studio Ghibli.
Spirited Away was Miyazaki`sﬁrst ﬁlm that had a signiﬁcantcultural impact outside Japan,
being reviewed in most major
newspapers and on show inmany theatres worldwide.
Meanwhile, back in Japan
Spirited Away became thehighest grossing film in box
office history taking in morethan 25 billion yen. The film
is worthy of this praise, but
the attention awarded to thefilm stems mainly from theconsistently high quality workthat Miyazaki has brought
forth throughout the years as
opposed to the merits of thisﬁlm in particular.
The film begins with ayoung girl Chihiro who issulking in the back of a car
as her parents drive to their
new home. On the way they
happen upon what they thinkis an abandoned theme park.
After wandering around for awhile they find a buffet tableladen with food, thinking it
a restautant, the parentsicommence eating while Chihiro
explores the place further.
As night approaches, Chihiro
returns to her parents only tofind two pigs sitting in theirseats still eating. Hearing
strange voices and sounds,
she tries to get out of thetheme park but ﬁnds that she
is trapped behind a gushing
river which was only a small
stream when she arrived.
Chihiro soon discovers that
she is in a hot spring resort
where the customers are gods
and spirits, and where herparents have been turned into
pigs. With the help of a boy
her own age named Haku, shemanages to persuade Yubaba
the evil owner of the onsen
to give her a job so she cansomehow rescue her parents.
This film might not havebeen made had Miyazaki not
run into the young 10 year
old daughter of one of hiscolleagues. Amazed by herbored and disaffected manner
he was inspired to make afilm for young people her
age to show them that justbecause they are young that
doesn’t mean that they are
not appreciated. In the samevein, Miyazaki tries to convey
the message that being young
does not necessarily meanthat one will be exempt fromthe various challenges andresponsibilities that life brings.
In the ﬁlm Chihiro is a moody
pre-teen but when she is facedwith the fact that she might
never see her parents again,
she has to try to save themand in doing so she reveals
her true character.
Miyazaki`s films always
gently convey the message
that we must strive to do-9-by martin o'brien
martinobrien2004@gmail.com

the right thing and make theright decisions despite thepressures of the world aroundus. Chihiro starts out as anapathetic child who wants
to get home as quickly as
possible, however when her
parents are possessed, shemust then desperately race
against the clock for a way
to get them back. Throughher adventures she realizes
that something that is worth
fighting for will always entail
demonstrating ones bravery
and love to achieve it.
Miyazaki makes Japanesefairy tales with their gods andmonsters, heroes and villainscome to life in a fast-paceda c t i o n -a d ve n t u r e s e tt i n g .
Although the film is visually
startling with its wonderfully
detailed animation andinnumerable mind-boggling
characters, the story itself
brings no real surprises. The"lost in a strange world andmust ﬁnd a way out" theme is
not particularly original but thegods and spirits that Miyazaki
has conjured up, each with
their own personality traits
are truly memorable. Unlike
a great deal of Japaneseproduced anime ﬁlms, Spirited
Away is a film that could be
described culturally speaking
as unmistakably Japanese.
The traits and manners,
conventions and behavior of
the characters allow for anhonest and accessible portrayalof Japanese culture. Miyazaki
has succeeded in creating apiece of animation that reveals
traditional Japanese culture ina setting that is far from stuffy
and is likely to appeal to all
regardless of age or cultural
background.

by claire tanaka
clairish@gmail.com

japanese in the newsas I mentioned inlast month's selfintroduction, I got
married recently! Thanks
to this experience, I learned
a lot of new things, which I
would like to share with you.
Deciding to get married was
the easiest part. Then, I had
to go to the Canadian Embassy
in Osaka to get a ਛ ‫ ہ‬ᅅ ॉ࣭ ྏ ெ ა ୿ (kon'in yōken
gubi shōmeisho) - which iscalled a Certificate of Legal
Capacity to Contract Marriage
in English. It is a letter inboth Japanese and English
which states that I am legallyeligible to marry. A friend ofmine is getting married thissummer, and she just happens
to hold citizenship in threedifferent countries - Canada,
the United States, and theUnited Kingdom - so she had
to get three kon'in yōken
gubi shōmeishos! One fromeach country's embassy. My
husband had to get a copyof his family register - অ౺ກ
ႎ! (koseki tōhon) and we
picked up a 婚 姻 届 (kon'in
todoke) marriage registration
form - at City Hall and had
our friends over one night
to write their names and put
their stamps down as ourெ గ (shonin) witnesses.
They didn't have to come toCity Hall with us when we
submitted the paperwork,
though, which was convenient.
We were both scared we'dmake a mistake filling out
the long, confusing kon'in
todoke form, so we saved
it to fill out once we got
to the office. The staff

obviously don't get many ਇੑ ॅ ਛ (kokusai kekkon)
international marriages, since
they were consulting theirhandbooks the whole time.
Once we ﬁnished ﬁlling out
the form, I asked the natural
question, "Now I'm Mrs.
Tanaka, right?" and the City
Hall staff said, "No, you haveto get your passport changed
first, then we'll change yourname here." I looked into
this, and apparently I have tosubmit my husband's kosekitōhon to the CanadianEmbassy with my namelisted as 'Tanaka' before they
will change my passport to'Tanaka,' but in order to havemy new name entered, I ﬁrst
have to get the name on mypassport changed! Adventures
in Bureaucracy, indeed.

letter from suketo hoikuen
his month's theme is:"Fostering Kindness inYour Child."t

It’s hard to raise a child, but
it’s so rewarding! There areso many moments of laughterand smiles. That’s how wemanage to keep on doing ourbest every day, right?
So, what kind of child would
you like to raise? When asked
this question, people answer
in many different ways, butmany people say “I’d like toraise a kind child; one who
thinks of others.” So, how can
we raise these kind, caring
children? Let’s see what Mom
and Dad can do…
One year old… Children
mimic the kind actions ofothers. (They will copy thekind things that are done forthem.) When your child kisses
you better when you hurtyouself, or tucks you in when
you take a nap, that kindof behavior is the start of agentle and loving child.
Two years old… Children
can show kindness to theirfriends. At this age, you will
start to see your child sharing
toys and snacks with friends,
and wiping friends’ tears awaywhen they cry. It’s importantto tell your children “thankyou” when they do thesethings. This is how they begin
to learn that this is good, kind
behaviour.
Three years old… Children
develop an awareness of theirkind acts. If a child has beenpraised for their kind behavior-10-

when they were younger, they
will become to think, “I am akind person” by this age, andtheir generous behaviour willcontinue. This is when it isimportant to continue to use“thank you” and other words
to reinforce their actions. Your
child will become more selfconﬁdent, and this will be thebase for a gentle personality.
Even when children get bigger,
they do not forget whey they
are taught when they aresmall.
Remember, “Thank you is themagic word!”-Kaori Sakamoto
Suketo Hoikuen
www.suketo.jp

by fusa tamaki

japanese lesson: ~noni,~

jtmtoku-lesson@mbk.nifty.com

n this month's lesson, we will earn about Ѣџ (noni) for connecting two clauses. Ѣџ is used when what is stated in the second clause runs contrary to what is expected from the ﬁrst clause.

iиїыѻкх҇ѵи ѭ҇сѻк

ࢫыѓѢ
EX. 1! ‫ ڴ‬ౠॖ჏̛ိ
њ҇џ̜ҸҫҺѣ̛Ϧ฾ћыѓ̝
Even though I studied very
hard, I got zero points on thetest.
The speaker (boy) expectedthat he would
get a goodscore because
he studied
very hard. So
he naturally
feels disappointed that hecould not get a good score.
The second clause implies
feelings of unexpectedness or
dissatisfaction.

џ ѯ ҇ӓ Ҕ Ӝ ̶ щ ҇ ѣ̛ ໘ ႎ
EX. 2
Ѿѹкру
џ̛ᅽ ޺ыѓ̛чќр̛ўиџ ѯ ҇ шѢџ̛̜໘ႎতр̛ѮѽѮѽћ
э̝Mary has never studied abroadin Japan, but she can speak
Japanese ﬂuently.
The speaker
didn't expectthat Mary would
be able tospeak Japanese
fluently. In thesecond clause, the fact which
the speaker didn't expect istold, and the speaker's feelingsof astonisment is implied too.

͹ Important grammar points:の に follows verbs, adjectives,or nouns.
Verbplain form
Adjective plain form + Ѣџ
Noun N だ → N な
The clause that comes after のに must state a fact, therefore
you can't have a sentence like:
жыѓ

жѵ

ѩ

ћ

͙ა ໘̛‫ ۑ‬р̛৵ ѿѢџ̛୞
пхѲэ̝
жыѓ

жѵ

ѩ

͵̛ა໘̛‫ۑ‬р̛৵їњѶ̛̜ћ୞пхѲэ̝
Even if it rains tomorrow, I'll
go out.

ώ Let's Practice! ώTranslate the phrases using ̻Ѣџ , and match them up with the appropriate continuation.
њјєThough Tomoko is not busy 1.

.A ଚ฿їњ̛уҀѲя҇

Though today is a beautiful day 2.

.B ိࢫыѲя̛҇ћыѓ

Though I have a ﬁnal exam today 3.
Though I gave my husband a present 4.
Though I heard that Japanese was easy 5.

ѭ҇сѻк

Ѵюп

.C ໍыићэ
и.D жѾрќк͑ќ̛ॸиѲя҇ћыѓ
им.E ‫݌‬џ̛иўуњѣ̛ўѾѲя҇

ώ Answers ώќѶчщ҇ѣ̛ၭыуўиѢџ̛̜ଚ฿їњ̛уҀѲя̝҇
!1-A
сѻк
њ҇с
им
̛‫݌‬џ̛иўуњѣ̛ўѾѲя̛̝҇2-Eਗ໘ѣ̛ии̛ีࡂўѢџ̜сѻкщиыѹк ы х ҇ѭ҇сѻкਗ໘ѣ̛਻ସી५р̛жѿѢџ̛̜ိࢫ̛ыѲя҇ћыѓ̛̝3-Bоїќи࿍џ̛ӉӞҮӥҺ̛҆жцѓѢџ̛̜͐жѾрќк͑ќ̛ॸиѲя҇ћыѓ̝4-Dџ ѯ ҇ шѸщсѴюп̛ໍыићэ̝5-C໘ႎতѣ̛‫ڟ‬ыиќ̛ဍиѓѢџ̜
њјє

-11-

memoranda
Grimm'sIllustrations

Library Volunteersన୿૬ӎӛӥҸҕҔျ୆ඨAs mentioned in the December 2004 issue of Awa Life,͐ҢӜӒດᇭ͑ҖӛҫҺ८‫ึݬ‬

the TOPIA library system is currently being updated - weare entering the digital age! Kevin McDowell is heading
the project, and needs some volunteers to help out withlabeling the books with the new barcode stickers. He canset it up so you can come in to TOPIA whenever you are

As a part of the "Year of Germany in Japan" there will be adisplay of illustrations from Grimm's fairy tales on display
at German House (Doitsu-kan) in Naruto. These are theoriginal illustrations used in collections of the famous
German Grimm's Fairy Tales.

free and do a little work - no big committment!

when: June 5 - 30, 9:30 - 16:30

Contact Kevin if you want to volunteer:where: Doitsu-kan in Naruto, near Bando Statione-mail: mcdktm2@yahoo.com

cost: freetel. 622-9611 ext. 3444 or 656-5855

for more info: 088.689.0099 or
doitukan@city.naruto.lg.jp

Arasowaren
Musicians Wanted!

FireﬂiesӍұӝѢ჎୸

жѽё҃ᇌћ
ეѾ࿾҆ျ୆ыњиѲэ

Visit your local river and see if you can spot some of these

The international Awa Odori dance group Arasowaren islooking for musicians to play at this summer's Awa Odori

glowing bugs! Fireflies can be spotted in the following
locations around the prefecture in early to mid-June.

festival (August 12-15)! Try the fue (ﬂute), kane (gong),
taiko (drum), or shamisen (three-stringed instrument).

Tokushima City - Sonose River
Yoshinogawa City - Kawata River

No experience is necessary.

Miyoshi-cho - Masugawa Elementary School
Lessons start June 13 (Monday) at 6:30 at the Seishonen

Ikeda-cho - Ayukurushidani River
Yamashiro-cho - Hotaru no Sato Park

Centre, and continue every Monday until mid-July.
For more info: contact Harada-san at TOPIA

Submit!

tel: 088-656-3303
e-mail: topia@fn.nmt.ne.jpࡋૈ҆ျ୆ыњиѲэ
Would you like to write for Awa Life? We are always

Tastes of Awa

looking for new articles to publish. In particular, thosewhich serve some kind of use to the English-speaking٬༂ѢႳ

population of Tokushima. We can not pay for submissions,Interested in the ﬁne points of healthy Japanese cooking?
Looking for ways to use up the vegetables your neignbour
gave you? Ask Don! Don Weiss, author of 'Tastes of Awa,'(page 5) is looking for reader's suggestions for future columns. What aspects of Japanese food interest you? Whatwould you like to know how to cook? Send Don a message
with your questions and ideas:

but we can offer the kind of glory that can only come fromseeing your own name in print.
for more info, and detailed submission guidelines,
e-mail: awalife@gmail.com
write to: Awa Life
c/o TOPIA
1-61 Terashimahoncho-nishi
Tokushima City, 770-0831

e-mail: woosongdonald@yahoo.com-12-

memoranda
Theatre Festival at
Bunka no MoriHey International
Families!

ဌ݁Ѣః܏ऺӇҙҫҸҕӂӝ

Ѹе̜ਇੑ‫݌‬ഖѓѕ̤

See live theatre every weekend in June at Bunka no Mori's

Tokushima City's Suketo Hoikuen and TOPIA present

21st Century Theatre.

International Child-rearing Salons. Please come and meetother international families like yours! There is no fee forwhen: Saturdays and Sundays, for the entire month ofparticipation.

June. Performance times change depending on the show.
where: Bunka no Mori's 21st Century Theatre

at TOPIA

cost:free(Tokushima City, Clement Building 6F)

for more info: www.comet.go.jp or 088.668.1111

when: every third Sunday from 14:00 - 16:00
cost: free
for more info: 088.656.3303

TOPIA's Library

at Suketo Hoikuen

ҺӆҔѢన୿૬

(Tokushima City, Nakayoshino-cho 1-61)
when: every Thursday from 10:00 - 14:00

If you are a Tokushima resident (regardless of nationality)

cost: free

you can get a library card for TOPIA's library, and borrowfor more info: 070.5681.1230

books free of charge! The library has mostly English,
Chinese, and Japanese books, with a small section ofalso...

novels written in other European languages.

Contact Suketo Hoikuen about Japanese lessons forBooks that have been culled from TOPIA's library areparents with small children, and Chinese and English

available for people to take home for free. Come to TOPIA

language child-rearing consultation services.

anytime and take a look in the big boxes marked free.
Donations of books are also accepted year-round!

Tokushima Vortisຝ๥ӎӝҸҕҫ໘ธ

Upcoming home games for Tokushima's new J-League

Awa Life Free
Subscription
Service٬༂ӛҖӇჅᆍᄧ೽ҧ̶Ӆҫ

soccer team, Vortis. Home games are held in Naruto at
the Naruto Athletic Field.

How many copies of Awa Life do you get in the
mail each month? None? One? More than one?? Is

June 18 (Sat) 14:00 - vs. Kyoto Purple Sangait addressed properly? Is your name spelled right?

July 2 (Sat) 19:00 - vs. Thespa Kusatsu

Please notify us of any corrections you'd like made toJuly 13 (Wed) 19:00 - vs. Vegalta Sendai

your subscription information. If you are a resident ofTokushima, you can have Awa Life mailed to you free of

web: www.vortis.jp

charge.

tickets: in advance: ]1500 (B seats) ]2000 (A seats)at the gate: ]2000 (B seats) ]2500 (A seats)

e-mail: awalife@gmail.com
post: Awa Life

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Lawson's

c/o TOPIA

convenience stores and at local sports supply shops such

1-61 Terashimahoncho-nishi

as Sasakura Sports and Alex Sports.

Tokushima City, 770-0831
or: come to TOPIA in person-13-memoranda
Japanese Lessons
in Aizumi-choYour Message Hereᅣ୉෎!໘ႎত৬ਸ਼

Awa Life is one of the best ways to reach the English-чѢҫӌ̶ҫ҆ચиуєщи

speaking community of Tokushima. If you have a nonThis class uses the textbook 'Minna no Nihongo I." Classes

proﬁt activity that you'd like to promote, let us know andare taught by Aizumi International Exchange Association

we can print it here in the 'Memoranda' section. Deadline

Members Akiko Tsuji and Kaori Tamada.

for submissions is the 20th of each month.
contact: awalife@gmail.com

when: ongoing - Thursday nights 7:00 - 8:30pm

Counselling
Service at TOPIA

where: Aizumi Welfare Center, near Aizumi Town Ofﬁce
cost: ]1000
for more info: e-mail: aizumi_kokusai@garnet.nmt.ne.jp
tel. 088.692.9951

ҺӆҔѢ೰ඎೱ঵

fax. 088.692.1626

TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all

The Japanese
Language
Proﬁciency Test

foreign residents to help with issues involving accidents,
working conditions, housing, visas, international marriage,and more. Counselling is available in English andJapanese. Please note that although every effort will be
made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.

໘ႎত໷ᆛી५

Monday to Thursday

Take this annual test to see how far you've progressed in

10:00 - 17:00

your language study, or to improve the contents of yourtel. 088.656.3303 or 088.656.3320 (allows three way

resume!

conversations with an interpreter)

application period: July 4 - September 5
test date: December 4 (Sunday)
test locations: Kobe, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, and otherCar for Sale

big cities nearbyଆ҆༞ѾѲэ

cost: application pack costs!]500, test fee is ]5,500

Toyota Town Ace Van

for more info: www.jees.or.jp

Shaken until December 2006
160,000yen
4WD automatic

Shikoku Henro
LectureExcellent condition both inside and out
CD and MD player
It gets approx 250km for 3000yen‫ޒ‬ਇగѢწпѽॣѓટਇါᇓ

Spacious Boot/trunk

Local scholar, David Morton, speaks in Japanese on the

Seats become sleeping area

Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimmage as viewed through his

Air conditioning and heating controls in front and rear

unique perspective as a foreign resident.

Large sunroof in back and regular for driver

Tinted windows and curtains

Seats 7 people and luggage very comfortably
Very easy to steer and park.

when: June 18 (Saturday) 2:00 - 3:30
where: Aizumi Chomin Theatre (4F of Town Hall)
cost: freeIf you would like to see pictures, please email me

for more info: call HIROBA's Ms. Usuzumi 088.692.6289

Karen: karenreid39@hotmail.com-14-

memoranda
The Chiiori Project

Speech ContestҳҖҜӜ̠ӉӟҪҙҡҺ

ຝ๥ॡ໘ႎতုᇪോ‫ݵ‬June2005 Tokushima Prefecture

10 - 12 Country Cooking - Soba & Tofu

Japanese Speech Contest For Foreign Residents

17-19 Vine Crafts
24 - 26 Japanese Music & Jam Night

Around 10-12 contestants will be selected basedon country of origin, ensuring that a wide variety ofJulynationalities are able to participate. There will be an event

1 - 3 Mountain Trekking - Mt. Mimune

following the contest where contestants will be available to8 - 10 Country Cooking - Soba & Tofu

answer questions from the audience

15 - 18 Long Weekend Open House
22 - 24 River Rafting Weekend

date: 10 July, 2005 (Sunday)

29 - 31 Straw Raincoat Making

place: Tokushima Kyodo Bunka Kaikan
for: Foreign Residents of Tokushima

Augusttheme: A topic of your choice relating to Japan,

5 - 7 Democrats Abroad Retreat

international affairs, international cultural exchange and

12 - 15 Obon Open House

cooperation.

19 - 21 River Rafting

time limit: under 7 minutes

26 - 28 Nagashi Somen and Bamboo Crafts

apply to: TOPIA
Applications accepted while places are available.

Basic rate: ]6000 per night,

for more info: TOPIA.

Extra charges apply for weekend events.

TEL: 088-656-3303 FAX: 088-652-0616

for more info: www.chiiori.org
contact: reservations@chiiori.org or tel. 0883.88.5290

tv movie schedule・june
Japanese television broadcasts most foreign movies in their original language as well as in Japanese. Bilingually equipped
TVs can be ﬂipped between these two audio channels by selecting the ܿ౤ಂ഼ button on the remote control.

Date

Time Place

Nat.

ұҖҺӝ

Title
Notting Hill♥

Tue. 14late nightؐ BCD

USA '99ӀҵҸҕӥҢӄӝѢ
ᇄగ

Sat. 18

9:00

ؒ࠘౦USA '02Ҩ̠ӜӥҢThe RingSun. 19

9:00

ؐ BCD

USA '01ҢӛҫӁҘҫ

The Glass House

Tue. 21late night؋ટਇUSA '75

ҩӕӥӉ̶

Shampoo☺

Fri. 24

9:03

؋ટਇUSA '99

Sat. 25

9:00

ؒ࠘౦

JPN '04‫ܔކ‬Sat. 25late nightؐ BCD

HK '97Ó³Åß̠³Þ̠ÏÞ»Þ

Tue. 28late night؋ટਇUSA '94‫ۥ‬჏Ѣ᧩

Sat. 30late nightؒ࠘౦USA '98‫ٵ‬ჄѢ༅ဦ

horror? mystery‫ޓ‬suspense‫ ☺ ޓ‬comedy¾Á±̠´¬±¾ß̛µÌàÀ±Åß 2 Star Wars: Episode IÍ¨ÞÅÒ̠ÓÆ¾!
the Phantom Menace
Umizaru

Made In Hong Kong

Safe Passage

Shattered Image

5(science ﬁction ‫ޓ‬drama action ♥love & romance 5(This schedule is subject to change.

-15-

5(

cinema guide
TOKUSHIMA HALL ຝ๥Ӎ̶ӝ
(Saiwai-cho - near the Central
Post Ofﬁce)
088.653.1802
TOKUSHIMA TOHO ຝ๥๪၉(Kagoya-machi - in Higashi
Shinmachi Arcade)088.625.5311
TOHO CINEMA ๪၉ҩҿӐ(Kagoya-machi - in Higashi
Shinmachi Arcade)088.625.5311
ATTACK HEIWA Ҕұҵҡဓᇬ(Kuramoto 2 cho-me - near
Kuramoto Station)
088.631.6490
HEIWA DOLBY !ဓᇬһӝӅ̶
(Kuramoto 2 cho-me )088.631.6490

Kingdom of Heaven͔USA͕!ҟӥҢҲӒ̠Ҝӈ̠ӊӈӥRegular tickets ψ ]1800 1st of each month ψ ]1000‫ޓ‬
Ladies’ day / Tuesday ψ ]1000 Men’s day / Friday ψ ]1000
Sengoku Jieitai 1549͔JPN͕!ಗਇ૛۸െ 265:!(in Japanese)
Regular tickets ψ ]1800 1st of each month ψ ]1000
Ladies’ Day / Wednesday ψ ]1000 Men’s Day / Thursday ψ ]1000
Ladder 49͔USA͕!‫ܐ‬ѢӓӔӜҔӝ
Regular tickets ψ ]1800 1st of each month ψ ]1000
Customer Appreciation Day / Wednesday ψ ]1000
Million Dollar Baby͔USA͕!ӑӜҜӥҲӛ̶̠ӋҖӅ̶
1st of each month ψ ]1000 Customer Appreciation Day/ Wednesday ψ ]1000
Batman Begins͔USA͕!ӂҵҺӐӥ̛ӅҠӥҬfrom 6/18

Regular tickets ψ ]1800 1st of each month ψ!]1000
Customer Appreciation Day / Wednesday ψ ]1000

KITAJIMA CINEMA SUNSHINE*FUJI GRAND*Miss Congenialty 2 - Armed and Fabulous-͔USA͕!
ҹӥҪӕӛҫ̛Ӆӗ̶Ҹҕ̶Ϩၾ๥ҩҿӐҧӥҩӕҖӥ
̈́Kitajima-cho Tainohamaͅ
088.697.3113
088.697.3111
̈́24 ૐࠖҸ̶Ӊ‫ڎ‬຾!.!
24 hour recorded messageͅ

The Interpreter͔USA͕!Ҩ̠Җӥұ̶ӉӜұ̶

until 6/17

The Ring͔USA͕!Ҩ̠ӜӥҢfrom 6/18
Batman Begins͔USA͕!ӂҵҺӐӥ̛ӅҠӥҬ
Yokkakan no Kiseki͔JPN͕!ટ໘ࠖѢ࠱ಀ )jo!Kbqboftf*
Hostage͔USA̛ӍҫҸ̶ҪCloser͔USA͕!ҡӟ̶ҧ̶

Regular tickets ψ ]1800
The 1st of each month ψ ]1000
Ladies’ Day / Wednesday ψ ]1000

Densha Otoko͔JPN͕ใଆඍ )jo!Kbqboftf*
Million Dollar Baby͔USA͕!ӑӜҜӥҲӛ̶̠ӋҖӅ̶
Ladder 49͔USA͕!‫ܐ‬ѢӓӔӜҔӝ
The Forgotten͔USA͕!Ӈқ̶ҞҵҺӥKingdom of Heaven͔USA͕!ҟӥҢҲӒ̠Ҝӈ̠ӊӈӥ
Hitch͔USA͕!਻ঝѢᇄѢѣьѵၑcoming soon:ଥх઱ѵњиѲэп

At Kitajima Sunshine Cinema in Fuji Grand this July:గग़Ѣ୓ѳStar Wars: Revenge of the Sithstarring Ewan MacGregor and Natalie Portman-16-