aWa life

August 2017
# 324

Living the Awa Life throughAwa Odori

Awa Shoku: Eat cool, drink
cool, be cool
The Key to Language Learning

1

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

Well, we don't need to tell you what's coming this month: it's Awa Odori season! You will hear the
lovely Awa Odori song all around the prefecture, especially during the evening when all the groups arepracticing outdoors. I always feel that this creates a special atmosphere and Tokushima just feels so
lively and vibrant with all the dancers doing there best to put up a great performance. Let's enjoy thisspecial time of the year and stay cool!
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:

awalife@gmail.com
Your editors,
Daralyn and Franzi
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:
Daralyn Yee and Franziska Neugebauer
Contributors This Month:
Kazue Inoue, Lance Kita, Nan Zhang, Junko Kimura, Fusa Tamaki

Contents
Pg. 2-3:

Living the Awa Life through Awa Odori

Pg. 4-5:

Perseverance and Motivation is Key

		in Language Learning

Pg. 5:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 6:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 7:

Awa Shoku: Eat cool, drink cool, be cool		Pg. 8-9:

Events and Memoranda

2

Living the Awa Life through Awa Odori
By Daralyn Yee and Nan Zhang

Do you hear the voices of the Awa Odori
dancers yelling “Yattosa, Yatto Yatto” inyour neighborhood? Every year from August 12th
through the 15th, the Awa Odori Festival is heldin Tokushima. Through our work and numerous
interpretation jobs, we have the opportunity towatch the dance many times throughout the year.
Each time that I watch it, I always feel glad to havecome to such an exciting and vibrant prefecture.
Because I had come all the way to Tokushima, I
really wanted to learn how to dance the Awa Odori
while learning more about the culture of this areaat the same time. However, I did not know where I
could learn this wonderful dance. Coincidentally, a
prefectural staff member that I met on a businesstrip invited fellow CIR Nan and I to come and try
it out, and we have been practicing since then. It
has been about 3 months since started practicing
with Musou-ren （無双連 むそうれん ; Note: Musoumeans unparalleled） , a famous Awa odori group.
Experiencing Onna Odori (Womens Dance)
By Daralyn Yee
Disclaimer: I have never been good at dancing.
However, I wanted to learn more about theculture of Tokushima while trying something new

Daralyn with fellow ren members Sayaka(left) and Hina (right)
this year and joined Musou-ren in May, and now
dance Onna-odori (women’s dance). Every time
I have watched it, I thought that it was such an
elegant dance filled with passion. I had originally
thought that Awa Odori was just sticking out yourarms and legs, then bringing them back, but I

3

was wrong. In order to dance elegantly, it takes
more than 5 minutes (the typical amount of timethat Awa Odori is taught at a performance) tolearn the dance in its entirety, with the appropriate
postures and movements. Every time I go topractice, I end up sweating quite a bit and mymuscles hurt a lot. However, when I concentrateon dancing, it is as if every problem of my life
disappears and I feel very refreshed and ready to
go to work the next day. It is also great exercise.
The lesson that I have been learning from Awa
Odori is to not give up and to learn from mymistakes. In life I have tried many sports. I don’t
have good motor skills and take much longer
to learn than most people to learn anything that
includes body movement. I always think “it is
impossible”, and give up because I have neverexceeded outside of the field of academics.
The other dancers have been very kind to me
and have supported and cheered me on. Even
though I make numerous mistakes, they still
say “Let’s keep on going! I know you can do it.”
When dancing onna odori, one must keep theireyes straight in front of them and continue todance forward, no matter how much in pain
one's legs and arms are. Similarly, in life there
are a lot of difficult times, but I must continue tomove forward and keep positive. Awa Odori has
already made an impact in my life in these short
three months. I am looking forward to being apartof the local community, and dancing in one ofJapan's most internationally renowned festivals.
Experiencing Otoko Odori (Males Dance)
By Nan Zhang
Compared to the elegant Onna Odori, theotoko odori is a dynamic and free spirited
dance, graceful, but yet bold. Those whohave experienced Awa Odori know that thecharacteristic of Awa Odori is sticking out arms
and legs at the same time to the two rhythmed
beat. If you are able to master this, you can dance
to the beat of the music. However, joining a ren
and learning Awa Odori is a different story. As itis said that “A journey of a thousand miles, there

Living the Awa Life through Awa Odori
is no doubt that Awa Odori also starts with one
step as well. Every person who begins Awa Odori
must start practicing with the feet. To be able toperform on stage, it takes many years of practice.
In otoko odori, we bring our foot out and put theweight on our other foot. Holding this position is
not easy and if I don’t practice the dance withmy body, it is difficult to move in the way that I’dlike to. Awa Odori is 70% legs, and 30% arms. If
you can master the movement of your feet, andadd in the correct posture and hand movements,
the dance will come together beautifully.
It’s been 3 months since I joined Musou-ren.
Under the encouragement of my teachers and myseniors I, who was not making any progress in the
beginning, am now able to dance the Awa Odori
while moving my Uchiwa to the rhythm. During
the practice I’m also not treated any different
because I’m a foreign resident, and am being
instructed with sincerity and strict requisition.
With the main event being held in August, all of
the members of our ren are putting in their best
efforts in to their feet and hand movement foran outstanding performance. If you have comeall the way here to live in Tokushima, you can’t
miss the Awa Odori. Apart from the famous rens,
there is also the Arasowaren that gives overseas
residents the chance to dance Awa Odori. Without
any relation to age, nationality, race, or religion,
all people can dance in a Japanese yukata or
happi to the two beat rhythm. In this hot summer,
will you dance with the group of passionate
dancers and feel the excitement of Tokushima
in this traditional Japanese summer festival?

Perseverance and Motivation is Key
in Language Learning
By Daralyn Yee

Recently I have been holding an “English
Language Lunch”, for my coworkers to havethe chance to practice their English freely. It isquite casual, sometimes I just get them to have aconversation, other times I teach useful phrases.
The other week we talked about small talk in
Western countries, and discussed the question“What is your spirit animal?” As the weeks pass,
I notice that my colleagues are gaining more andmore confidence in speaking up and are picking
up new words as time passes.
Practicing conversation with themhas brought me back to the days
when I was studying Japanese. 10
years have passed since I started
studying, but I never started having real
conversations until about five years
ago. Up until that point, I had never
had a real conversation with someone
in Japanese outside of the classroom.
Though there are a lot of Japanese who
visit and live in Hawaii, I was always too
nervous to speak because I didn’t thinkanyone would understand. “Would thatbe correct to say?” “If I say that, would
they understand?” I wondered.
It was not until I entered a training program that I
started to have conversations in Japanese. The
first rule of the program: If at all possible, please
only speak in Japanese. When I saw this, I felt
doomed because I had not had an adequate
Japanese conversation up until that point. Thiswas followed by planning for a group tour withpeople who came from non-English speaking
countries. As we planned, I could understanda majority of what was said, but if I wanted tosay something, I could not say everything that I
wanted to say in Japanese. The following day, wewent on the tour that we planned and it was reallystressful. It was my first time to explore Osakaand I was not sure what was happening the wholetime. The following day, I was so stressed out tothe point that I felt ill.

4

However, things changed when I made some newfriends from other countries around the world.
I really wanted to talk with them and wanted toknow about their home countries. It was enjoyable
to spend time with them, so I tried my best tocommunicate what I could with the language
knowledge that I had. Slowly but surely I started
to understand what they were saying, and before
long I was able to have a very basic conversation
without giving myself a headache.
I don’t think that it is only language
skills that determine whether a person
can become able to communicate ina second language, perseverance isa characteristic necessary to be able
to communicate in a foreign language.
When one simply says “I can’t”, “It’simpossible”, that is already enoughto stop them from fulfilling their fullest
potential. Those two phrases are
not just phrases that come out of
one’s mouth, it is a mindset that canaffect a person’s actions and attitude.
Improvement starts within oneself,
having an attitude of perseverance
and believing that even though it is notpossible now, that one day after putting
in much effort.
Not only is perseverance vital, motivation isequally necessary in order to continue learning.
In Japanese there is a saying「初心を忘るべからず」（shoshin wo wasuru bekarazu). It means“Don’t forget your first intentions”. In the midst of
trying to achieve a goal, it is easy to feel weary
and give up because things don’t feel possible.
As for me, I often get to a point where I feel that I
am just incapable of speaking Japanese. But it isimportant for me to take a step back and see how
far I have come from the beginning, and what myintentions are so I can continue to work towards
getting better at it rather than continuing to be
pessimistic. It isn’t about what can’t be done, it’s
about looking forward towards what is capable in5Perseverance and Motivation is Key in Language Learning

the meantime, and taking small steps in order toachieve a goal.
Also, it is very important to have fun and enjoy
language sometimes. You may be wondering how
language can be fun when it may just seem like awhole bunch of words and memorization. There
are times where it is important to be diligent, sit
down, and learn, but it is just as important to findsomething to enjoy. One of my favorite ways toenjoy any language that I learn (or attempt tolearn), is listening to music in that language. The
melodies are catchy, and I just can’t help but tolook up the lyrics, figure out the meaning in order
to try to sing along.

Learning a new language is not easy, and there
are many challenges and road blocks that may
face us. However, it can be very rewarding,leading to new encounters in life. I hope that eachone of you will be able to find your own way tostay motivated and continue to study Japanese,or whatever language you may be studying.

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

By Kazue Inoue (Center for Early Childhood Education and Care SUKETO NAKAYOSHI)L

ast month, the parents and children of theeducation center came to make syrup out of
amanatsu and ume enzyme syrups. An enzyme
syrup is a syrup filled with enzymes and can befermented by microorganisms that can be foundon the body, and fermentative bacteria that can befound naturally in foods. It can be made by putting
seasonal fruits and vegetables in sugar. When
your stomach is not feeling well, and you don’t
have an appetite, add some enzyme syrup to
water to dilute the syrup to create a drink that will
make you feel better. It is also perfect to combat
the summer heat. (If you are interested, pleaselook online for more information)

There are a lot of illnesses that children can easily
catch, so please be sure to keep aware of yourchild’s health. Illnesses that children commonlycatch:
・Pool Fever (Pharyngoconjunctival fever): The
cause of this illness is the Adenovirus whichcauses a high fever and a sore throat.
・Herpengina (Acute viral pharyngitis): A highfever followed by blisters developing in thethroat. One may be unable to eat because of asore throat.
・Hand-foot-and-mouth disease: Rash andblisters develop on the hands, feet, and insideand outside of the mouth. In some cases, a feverof 37 to 38 degrees Celsius may develop. One
may be unable to eat because of a sore throat.
* If your child shows signs of any of the above
illnesses, please consult with a medical institution
immediately.
＊＊＊
Handmade Toys: “Peek-a-Boo”
Materials: paper, pen, scissors
Directions:1) Cut a triangle piece of paper and cut thecorners so that they are rounded. Fold the paper
as shown with the dotted lines on the diagram.
2) Draw an animal that you like inside of thepaper.
*Instructions: Play with it by closing and opening
the flaps of the paper, and saying “Peek-a-Boo”!

6Japanese Lesson
By Fusa Tamaki「とき」Today we will be learning how to use the word「とき」to connect two sentences.
はん

（１）

た

い

ご飯を食べるとき、「いただきます」と言います。
Before I start eating my meal I say "itadakimasu".
はん

（２）

た

い

ご飯を食べたとき「ごちそうさま」と言います。
After I finished eating my meal I say "gochisousama".
		

Sentence（１）implies "before eating" and the meaning of sentence（２）is "after eating". Let's have acloser look at both sentences. In sentence（１）the phrase "itadakimasu" already implies that it is an action
before starting to eat as we know from general habits in Japan. But more importantly you will understandthat the action is happening from now on if you take a closer look at the verb in front of the word「とき」
which is in dictionary form. In sentence（２）the verb in front of「とき」is written in た - form which tells
you, that the action is already finished. This is implied from the phrase "gochisousama" which is typicallyused after finishing a meal. By figuring out the time relation, you can figure out which form to use whenutilizing sentence pattern「A とき B」.
If both parts of the sentence have a time relation the verb in front of the「とき」 can tell you whether theaction in sentence A happens before or after the action in sentence B. In case that action A happens after
action B the verb will be in dictonary form. If action A has already happened before action B the verb will
きのう

ばん ごはんた

be writte in た - form. Even if you talk about an action in the past like「昨日、晩御飯を食べるとき、いただ
いきますと言いました。」 the verb in front of「とき」will still tell you, whether sentence part A is happening
before or after action B.
Let's practice:
Please use the verb from the「」and fill in the (

にほん

はは

１．日本へ（) using the appropriate form of the verb.

ひ こうじょうおくき）とき、母に飛 行 場 まで送ってもらいました。「来ます」
えい ご

２. アメリカに（

か

もの

い

）とき、英語で買い物しました。 「行きます」

へ や

はい

３．部屋に（しんぶん

よ）とき、めがねをかけていました。 「読みます」

あたま いたくすり

５．ゆうべ頭が痛かったので、（のね）ときに、薬を飲みました。「寝ます」

たなか

はな

６．このことは、あした、田中さんに（あ）ときに、話しましょう。 「会います」

まいあさ

い

７．毎朝、（お）とき、「おはよう」と言いましょう。 「起きます」

2．行った
い

く

Answers:

3．入る
はい

4．読む
よ

はは

４．去年まで、母は新聞を（

１．来る

きょねん

）とき、ドアをノックします。 「入ります」

5．寝る
ね

6．会った
あ

7．起きた
お

7
A

Awa Shoku: Eat cool, drink cool, be cooltsui desu ne!! Despite the Cool Biz casual
attire in the office and air conditioning, Japanis SOOOOOO HOT in the summer! Even I as a
Hawaiian can’t deal with the sweltering heat andhumidity. What can we do to keep from melting?
Here is a Top 5 list of ways to beat the heat using
some local culinary know-how… (in no particularorder)

By Lance Kita

Many stalls are starting to sell lightly pickled
cucumbers (kyuri 胡 瓜 ) on a stick. For a few
coins, you can pick a chilled cuke out of the icy
barrel of brine and be on your way without being
exposed to hot oil or heated iron griddles. Not
only are they low in calories, but the salt will keep
you from getting dehydrated.

#5 SHAVED ICE – Frozen water
is the fastest way to cool down,
but pour sweet syrup over flakesof shaved ice, and you have adessert that blows away a hotsummer day. Kakigoori ( か き氷 ) dates back as far as the
Heian Period, but the shaved
ice we know today rose tomass popularity during the Meiji
Period. The stuff at festivals is
nothing more than colored sugarwater, but recently, sweet shops
and cafes are offering gourmet
kakigoori with syrups made of Shaved Ice - Kakigoori, perfect tocool down really quickly
100% real fruit and other natural
toppings. Search out this great
way to enjoy locallygrown fruits.

#2 NAMBAN-ZUKE – The
hot sun is bad news for fresh
seafood, so use the power ofpickling. Namban-zuke ( 南 蛮
漬 け ) involves dredging fishin flour and deep-frying them
until crisp. The fish is thencovered in a vinegar sauce,
often accompanied by julienned
carrots and onions, and chilled.
You can keep it in the fridgefor 4-5 days, and this make agreat safe dish for picnics. The
tartness cuts through the oilinessof the fish and perks up yourappetite on hot, humid days.
With horse mackerel (aji 鯵 ) in
season, why not have a regular
stock on hand for aneasy light supper orlate-night snack withyour sake.

# 4 TA R A I U D O N –Drive to Awa City ( 阿# 1 S A LT Y D R I N K S
波 市 ) and head north– Wa t e r i s o n e o fthrough the Donari
the best things forDistrict ( 土成 ) up the
your body in the
Miyagochidani Riversummer sun, but( 宮 川 内 谷 川 ) to findwithout salt and otherrestaurants sellingminerals, you’ll sweat
tarai udon ( たらいう
it all out in no time.
どん ), noodles served
Tarai Udon - speciality from Awa City
Convenience storesin a large wooden tub.
The dipping sauce was originally made with stock and supermarkets are offering an array of drinks
from river fish, truly a taste of the mountains. fortified with salt and minerals, including salty
Add some deep-fried river crabs and you have a lychee, salty watermelon, and salty lemon. Or
make your own. Just squeeze a couple of sudachi
pleasant lunch away from the city heat.
into an empty drink bottle, add a large pinch or#3 CUCUMBER ON A STICK – Tired of the two of salt, and fill with water. Shake for a minute
neverending fried food options at local festivals? and chill.

Events & Memoranda
Tokushima Prefectural Disaster
Prevention Center Study Tour8

The Tokushima Prefectural Government, in conjunction with the Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA) is proud to announce a study tour for foreign residents at the Tokushima Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center to provide information on what to do in case of a natural disaster.
Date: 		Sunday, September 3, 13:00-15:30
		13:00 – Leave Tokushima Station by bus for the center		15:30 – Arrive back at Tokushima Station by bus
Location:
Tokushima Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center＊ For more details please refer to last months Awa Life.
＊ If you have any questions please contact Ms. Kimura at (088) 656-3303.

Rakugo in Easy to Understand Japanese
やさしい日本語の落語会
Come and listen to Rakugo (Japanese traditional 日本の伝統芸能「落語」をきいてみませんか？
「やさしい日本語での落語会」
entertainment) in simple Japanese.
噺家（はなす人）：桂 七福 氏Storyteller: Katsura Shichifuku
演目： 時うどん
Program: Toki Udon
日時： 8 月 20 日（日）When: August 20 (Sun)10 時 30 分～ 11:45 時 (10 時開場）
10:30 - 11:45 (Doors open at 10:00 AM)
場所： 徳島県国際交流協会（TOPIA）
Where: TOPIA, Clement Plaza 6F
Apply: 088-656-3303/coordinator2@topia.ne.jp 申込み：088-656-3303/coordinator2@topia.ne.jp(Max: 80 people, first come first serve basis)（定員 80 名申し込み順）

Let's Dance Awa Odori
阿波おどりを一緒に踊りましょう！
T.I.A. (Tokushima International Association) willorganize an Awa Odori group on August 12th.
Overseas residents and Japanese nationals arewelcome to join. Enjoy a festive summer night inTokushima!
When: August 12 (Sat)Light meal: 16:00 - 17:00
Practice: 17:30 Departure: 18:00
Where: T.I.A., 1-88 Shinkura-cho Tokushima cityFee (including light meal):
500 yen: Foreigners & T.I.A. Members
1000 yen: Junior High and below
2000 yen: High School students and up

徳島市国際交流協会では、今年も阿波おどり連を編成し踊っていきます。外国から来られている皆様にも参加していただき、楽しい阿波おどりにしたいと思っています。
日時： 8 月 12 日（土）受付・軽食：16 時～ 17 時
踊り練習：17 時 30 分～
出発：18 時
場所： TIA、徳島市新蔵町 1 丁目 88
参加費及び軽食代：
500 円：TIA 会員及び外国人
1000 円：中学生以下
2000 円：高校生以上＊ To register and for more information please call 088-622-6066 or send an e-mail to info@tia81.com.

9

Events & Memoranda
Awa Odori Performances in Tokushima
県内の阿波踊り大会

Naruto Summer Fireworks Festival
鳴門市納涼花火大会
To celebrate this years 70 year birthday of Narutocity the Naruto Summer Fireworks Festival willbe especially magnificient. About 7,000 rounds offireworks will be on display.
When: August 7 (Mon)
19:45 - 20:50
Where: Naruto Bunka Kaikan, Muyagawa Shinsui
Park
Info: Naruto Chamber of Commerce andIndustry 088-685-3748, Naruto Tourism
Promotion Division 088-684-1157

阿波おどりシーズンの開幕を告げる鳴門市納涼花
火大会は、撫養川沿いで行われ徳島県下一の規模を誇ります。今年は鳴門市市制施行 70 周年の記
念して、7000 発の花火が打ち上げられます♪
日時： 8 月 7 日（月）19 時 45 分～ 20 時 50 分
場所： 鳴門市文化会館・撫養川沿い親水公園
問い合わせ：鳴門商工会議所 088-685-3748
鳴門市観光振興課 088-684-1157

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)