aWa life

Wiping Out With Stylein Kaiyo

Gairaigo Galore:
アンチJapanese Culture andReading Corner:
Introduction to the Minami
Multicultural Coexistence
Network (Harmony)

暑中見舞い

July 2022
# 381

1

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

It’s now that time of year where you hear your coworkers exclaim “ 暑い！ ”. I’m especially a winter-typeof person, so the summer months can be tough. However, this month we have a pretty interesting article regarding surfing in Kaiyo! I’ve never tried surfing myself, but it seems like a great way to cool off inthese summer months. For those that have the chance, why not try out one of the many water sportsthat Tokushima has to offer? There’s not only surfing, but also SUP, rafting, etc.
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:
Samantha Harris, Junko Kimura, Mie Yuuki, Naoko Yoshida, and Kazue Inoue

Contents

Pg. 2-4: Wiping Out With Style in Kaiyo

2

Pg. 5:

Japanese Culture and Reading Corner: 暑中見舞い

Pg. 5:

Gairaigo Galore: アンチ

Pg. 6:

Minami Multicultural Coexistence Network (Harmony)Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 8

Events and Memoranda

Pg. 9:
Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI
Wiping Out With Style in Kaiyo
By: Samantha HarrisOn my first trip to Kaiyo, the little town on
the southern edge of Tokushima certainly
lived up to its name. The sun ("yo") and the sea("kai") combined with the cerulean sky in a picturestraight out of a desktop screensaver. Sandy
beaches punctuated the green hills and rocky
cliffs. I felt transported to a whole different side ofJapan.
But I wasn't here to sit back and enjoy the view.
Instead, I'd come to attempt a feat of humanarrogance called surfing--for the first time.
Despite growing up by the ocean, I'd never surfed.
On the small barrier island off the coast of North
Caroline where I lived, surfing made you a surfer.
This identity clashed with my semi-goth Drama
Club aesthetic. I'd taken a longboard out onceor twice, but only to lounge in the gentle wavesof the Atlantic. Standing up always seemed liketoo much work. I'd never looked at an enormous
wave and thought, "I've gotta get on that!" Morelike, I'll watch from the safety of the shore, thankyou very much.
And yet, sitting in the surf rental van on our way
to catch some waves, I didn't feel anxious. No
fears circulated in the ordinarily anxiety-plagued
washing drum of my mind. I was too excited to getback in the saltwater and too overwhelmed by thebeauty of my surroundings.

By thetime wegot to thebeach, I
felt like a
dog on aroad trip,
achingto jumpout andrun. Letme in that
ocean, letme in!!
But something was wrong. The sea here was aglossy mirror without a wave in sight. After a few
phone calls, our surfing guides moved on, taking
us somewhere promised to have good waves.
I watched the ocean glide by as we drove, thewaves growing more turbulent as we neared theborder between Tokushima and Kochi.
We stopped at a sandy parking lot and piled out,a group of eight men and three women, including
myself. Time for the first challenge: carrying oursurfboards to the shore.
This would require more effort than I'd anticipated.
The boards were clunky and awkward to hold withmy short arms. Did I consider how it might feel if,
after a wipeout, one of these big boys hit me in

3
the head? Well, I'd find out soon enough.
After we'd landed at the shore and had the chance
to look around, my first thought was, "wow, there's
a lot of surfers here!" My second thought was thatthey all seemed like they knew what they were
doing. We were definitely the only surfing newbies
here. Even the kids were riding waves with noproblem.
My third thought–those were some big freaking
waves.
Did I feel
nervous yet?
Maybe a little. I
watered it down
by reminding
myself I was,f i r s t a n dforemost, awoman ofthe ocean. A
Pisces, raisedby the water;
someone who'donce snorkeledalongsidebarracuda in
the Philippine
Sea, lived through countless hurricanes, seen
her neighbor's house destroyed by a water spout.
Waves didn't scare me!
We practiced on the sand first. Lay down, elbows
in, then jump! into stance. Left-handed andalways opposite, I naturally stood goofy. "Likeyoga," I said, reminding myself to keep my elbows
tucked in like in cobra, then lift from my core likein vinyasa.
Finally, I had the foundation down. Even if I
couldn't stand once, I'd be in that magical,
crystal blue water for several hours. Nothing elsemattered.
We paddled out, a herd of awkward amateurs

Wiping Out With Style in Kaiyo
joining the speckled mass of wetsuit-clad surfers.
The water felt amazing, even in October.
I almost forgot we weren't there to relax. We had
work to do. Namely, conquering the enormous
waves that seemed to grow tenfold in size once
we'd reached the Surf Zone.
"Okii…. Okii… very big..."Our surf instructors looked worried, but we ploweda h e a d ,focused solely
on our goal.
Then the first
monster wave
appeared.
I'd been inrough waters
before. I'dfelt my bodytoss against
the current,
tumbling
through thesand, comingu p w i t hscrapes andsometimes even blood. But it'd been a while.
"Oh, no no no no no."I shook my head as if my own disapproval could
will the massive wave approaching us into
nonexistence.
The wave didn't care. It devoured the sky, amountain of water puffing itself up like an angrysnake.
Time for an anecdote.
My first time in Tokyo, my little sister and I
ventured alone into Akihabara. We roamed
through a Sega station until we reached theWiping Out With Style in Kaiyo
realm of dim lighting and cigarette smoke. We ran
straight to a familiar game called Street Fighter.
I fed the machine a few coins. Our slight
confidence came from our history playing thegame in our local movie theater arcade. Yeah, we
knew how to hit the jump and punch buttons! We
connected with another player in the dark room
and immediately struck the controls as fast as we
could. Our first opponent was a freaking panda
bear. Less than thirty seconds passed. "K.O.!"
We were knocked out before we'd gotten a single
punch in.
No way. We tried again. As soon as we entered
the battle, our competition assaulted us with more
combos than the human eye could register. We
were entirely out of our league. So, we let go of
the controls and laughed. This was nuts! This was
absurd! We were a couple of noobs getting ourbutts handed to us on a silver platter by people
who lived and breathed Street Fighter. We werea couple of American teenagers let loose on thestreets of Tokyo with no clue what we were up
against. This made no sense! This didn't matter!
Losing had never been so much fun.
I didn't recall all this as I watched the wave
approach. The only thought in my mind was,"Wow, this is going to hurt." But I laughed, just as
my sister and I had laughed all those years ago.
I laughed about how ridiculous and wonderful
the world was at that moment. I was in the mostbeautiful place on Earth. I was attempting to standon a polystyrene board and ride a wave, and whoin the world was the first person who looked ata wall of saltwater and thought, "I'm gonna ride
that?"
The wave crashed, as all waves do, no matter
how much you yell at it. I swallowed a generous
amount of saltwater as the world flipped insideand out. At some point, board and skull collided,and I gained a cartoonish knot on the top of myhead.
Did it hurt? Yes. A lot. Was I sore the nextmorning? More than I'd been in as long as I could

4

remember, but a trip to an onsen with an outdoor
bath and an incredible ocean view soothed someof the aches.
As for actually surfing, I managed to stand up
a grand total of seven times with the help of mypatient teachers, who reminded me to stay "highand low!" in a hodgepodge of Japanese andEnglish.
One embarrassing video posted on Facebook
captures me managing to ride on a wave for a
handful of seconds before losing my balance andcapsizing. I reemerge from the water and throw
up my hands like an Olympic gymnast, howling a
cry of achievement.
I did it! I did something I never even imagined I
could. I am here, bruises and all. Each mistake I
make only gives me more experience. I am living,
loudly and colorfully.
If you have the ability, try surfing in Tokushima.
Actually, give anything you previously thought
you could never do a genuine chance. Go into itwith no expectations. Leave with the knowledge
you're granted. Stand wide and low, awaiting thenext opportunity. And know that there's plentyof adventure to be had in the seas and sands ofTokushima.

5Japanese Culture and Reading Corner: 暑中見舞い
By: Junko Kimura

し こく ち ほう

がつ

つ

ゆ

あ

なつ

あつ

か

あつ

いちばんきびおく四国地方では ７月に 梅雨が 明けて、夏の 暑さに 変わっていきます。暑さが 一番厳しいときに 送
き せつ

あいさつ

しょちゅう み ま

か

みじか

あいさつ

まいにち

あつ

る 季節の 挨拶に「暑 中 見舞い」が あります。はがきに 書く 短い 挨拶です。
「毎日 暑いですが、
からだ

たいせつ

か

しょちゅう み まあか ぞく

体を 大切に してください」などと 書きます。暑 中 見舞いは、なかなか 会えない
せ わ

かた

おく

むかし

ぼん

ともだち

家族や 友達、さとがえ

そして いつも お世話に なっている方たちに 送ります。昔は、お盆に 里帰り
とき

そ せん

れい

しな

そな

え ど じ だいせわする時に、祖先の 霊に 品を 供えていました。江戸時代になると、お世話に なっ
ひと

おく

もの

よう

めい じ

ねん

ゆう びん

ている人たちに 贈り物を する様に なりました。しかし、明治６年に 郵便の
せい ど

はったつ

おく

いま

制度が 発達してから、はがきを 送るように なりました。今は、スマートフォ
れんらく

こ とし

なつ

しょちゅう み

ま

たいせつ

ひと

ンなどで すぐに 連絡が できますが、今年の 夏は 暑 中 見舞いを 大切な人にか書いてみてください。

Vocabulary List
つ ゆ

Rainy Season

梅雨
ち ほう

Area

地方
きび

Intense

厳しい
き せつ

あいさつ

さとがえ

里帰り
そ せん

祖先
れい

霊
しな

季節の挨拶 Seasonal Greetings 品
ぼん

お盆

Obon

アンチ (Anti)
By: Sydney Bartig

そな

供える

Returning Home
Ancestor
Spirit
Item
Offer

おく

もの

贈り物
ゆうびん

郵便
せい ど

制度
はったつ

Present
Post
System発達

Development

スマートフォン

Cellphone

Gairaigo Galore

Have you ever seen the word “ アンチ ” come up when studying or speaking Japanese? The word
アンチ comes from the English word “antipathy” (a feeling of strong dislike), although it is often justtranslated as “anti”. It can be used in a variety of words in essentially the same way it is used in
English. Just like in English, it is added the beginning of the word. Some of these words include: アンチテーゼ (antithesis), アンチウイルス (anti-virus), アンチエージング (anti-aging), etc.
あん ち

In a completely あん
different
use of the word, 安地 is used in video games to describe a safe zone. It
ぜん ち たいcomes from the 安全地帯 , which means “safety zone”.
However, the word ア ン チ can be used in a much more malicious
way as well. Especially on the internet, it can be used to describe
someone who is an “anti-fan” or, more commonly used in English, a“hater”. It can be used for someone who is against a certain group,
individual, company, product, sports team, idol group, etc., anddoesn’t have a good connotation attached to it.
Perhaps you’ll come across this word being used on the internet?

Introduction to the Minami Multicultural Coexistence
Network (Harmony)
By: Mie Yuuki

6The Japanese volunteer group “Harmony”
was established in Minami Town as part of
the Agency of Cultural Affair’s “Local JapaneseClasses Startup Program” that was adopted for 3
years from fiscal year 2016. The goal of our groupis to teach foreigners living in the area essential
Japanese for their everyday lives, make surethey are not isolated, and ensure that they canlead a smooth life in society. As well, we aim tocreate a multicultural town where both foreigners
and new residents can live in coexistence.
Japanese classes, one of the goals of Harmony,
began in the second year of the project (2017),
and have been continuing for 6 years. There
was once a time where there were participantsfrom Kaiyo Town, putting the Japanese classes
at approximately 20 people. However, due tothe COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers havedecreased, and at the community center where
the in-person Minami Japanese classes are
held, there are about 4~6 people when including
students and supporters. The aim is to create funclasses that take advantage of the small numberof students and to meet their needs, focusing onpair work that utilizes games, picture books, etc.
As a COVID-19 countermeasure, we also hold an
online Japanese class once a week that utilizes
the “Irodori Nihongo” textbook. Penguin Japaneseclasses are also available for pre-school age
children of foreigners.
Another goal of Harmony is to transform Minami
Town into an open, multicultural town. 3 years
ago, before the start of COVID-19, many eventswere held to give foreigners and Japanese
locals a place and time to interact. These events
included a “Sakura & Old-style House Tour” tocoincide with the Hiwasa Sakura Festival in April,a “Yukata Wearing” event to coincide with the Sea
Turtle Festival in July, a “Town Walking Event toenjoy the Festival” to coincide with the Autumn
Festival in October, setting up a cultural exchangebooth at the Hiwasa/Nico Nico Human Rights
Festival in November, and holding the “Disaster
Prevention Workshop Minami” for foreigner
residents in January.

Chatting CaféDue to COVID-19, the town’s events have beencancelled, and we’ve had to cancel Harmony’s
events as well. For the past 2 years, membersof Harmony have been holding informal events
without PR, such as handicraft classes andoutdoors walking events. Work for the “Chatting
Café” and “Harmony Garden” has been continued
by volunteers. We hope that the COVID-19
situation will improve soon, and that this year
we will be able to plan a variety of events.
We hope to show foreigners living in Minami
Town and Tokushima Prefecture in general thecharm of Hiwasa. We believe that participatingin multicultural exchange and getting to know
and understand each other’s culture is tied tomulticultural coexistence.
Moving forward, Harmony plans to cooperate witha variety of organizations, groups, and the local
people to conduct a variety of activities and aim
for multicultural coexistence.
Harmony Website:
https://hearmony.amebaownd.com/
Harmony Blog:
https://ameblo.jp/southernwind33/
We also have a Facebook page, so if you searchfor“ハーモニー ” you can check us out.
Harmony Contact Information:
yukishoka33@mc.pikara.ne.jp

7Japanese Lesson
By: Naoko Yoshida[~ ほしいです」[ たいです ] [ てほしいです ]This month, let’s study 3 ways to express the speaker’s desires.
「～ほしいです」「～たいです」「～てほしいです」

Conversation between a child and parent.
Ａ：大学に合格しましたね。お祝いは何がいいですか。
だいがく

ごうかく

いわ

なに

Ｂ：パソコンがほしいです。高いレストランに行きたいです。
たかい

Both「～ほしいです」 and「～たいです」express the speaker’s desires. The
forms are as follows.
（わたしは）Ｎが ほしいです（わたしは）ＮをⅤます形 ＋ たいです

※ Particles other than を can also be used.
れい

きょうと

い

た

例 京都｛に/へ｝行きたいです。
がい こく

おいしいすし｛を/が｝食べたいです。

はたら

外国で 働 きたいです。

「～てほしいです」expresses a desire you would like from another person. The forms are
as follows.
（わたしは）（人）に Ⅴて形 ＋ほしいです
Ａ：携帯電話を使いたいです。でも、 難 しいです。
けいたいでん わ

つか

むずか

おし

B さん、ちょっと教えてほしいんですが……。
B：いいですよ。
「～ほしいです」is a bit of a pushy way to express your desires, so when addressing a
superior or when you want to be polite, use「～ていただきたいんですが……」instead.
れい

か

か

例 ペンを貸してほしいんですが……。→ペンを貸していただきたいんですが……。

Practice Questions
Change the word inside of the（）to the correct form and write it on the

Write the correct particle inside the〈
に もつ

〉.

おも

て つだ

① 荷物がとても重いです。ちょっと
やす

④ 学生〈

〉ほしいです。

ほん

おも

〉この本を
③が

がくせい

か

たいです。
（買います）
よと思います。
（読みます）②を/が 買いいそが③ 忙 しいです。休み〈

〉

んですが。
（手伝います）答え ①手伝ってほしい/手伝っていただきたい

くるま② アルバイトをして 車 〈.

④に 読んでほしい8

Events & Memoranda
Hiwasa Umigame Matsuri (Sea Turtle Festival)
日和佐うみがめまつり
A summer festival held in the town of Minami.
There will be an “Umigame Appreciation Festival”
to pray for the sea turtles (umigame) to comeashore and lay their eggs, as well as a fireworks
show at the end of the festival that will light up
Minami Town’s night sky.

美波町で行われる夏祭りです。うみがめの上陸・※ A portion of this year’s festival will be held on a

※ 2022 年は一部規模を縮小して開催予定。

産卵を祈願する「うみがめ感謝祭」や、お祭りのフィナーレに打上花火が美波町の夜空を彩ります。

reduced scale.
When: July 23rd (Sat.)
Where: Ohama Beach, Minami Town,
Kaifu District
Inquiries: Minami Town Industry Promotion
Division (Umigame Matsuri
Steering Committee)
TEL: 0884-77-3617
URL: https://www.town.minami.lg.jp/foreign_country/jp/sightseeing.html#inline-wrap_fes6

日時：7 月 23 日（土）場所：海部郡美波町

大浜海岸周辺

お問い合わせ：美波町産業振興課（うみがめ祭り運営委員会）
TEL: 0884-77-3617
URL:https://www.town.minami.lg.jp/foreign_country/jp/sightseeing.html#inline-wrap_fes6

Komatsushima Minato Matsuri (Port Festival)
小松島港まつり
Approximately 2,500 fireworks will be set off
during this fireworks display. ♪

花火大会（約 2500 発）等が予定されています ♪

※ Due to a reduced scaling of the event, the Awa
Odori event has been cancelled.

※規模縮小のため阿波おどりは開催中止。

When: July 17th (Sun) 20:00 (Fireworks)
Where: Shinkou Port Area, Komatsushimacho,
Komatsushima City
Inquiries: Komatsushima Minato Matsuri Steering
Committee Secretariat (Within the
Komatsushima City Commerce, Industry,
and Tourism Division)
TEL: 0885-32-3809
U R L : h t t p s : / / w w w. c i t y. k o m a t s u s h i m a . l g . j p /komatsushima-navi/

日時：7 月 17 日（日）20:00 花火
場所：小松島市小松島町新港地区一帯
お問い合わせ：小松島港まつり運営委員会事務局（小松島市商工観光課内）
TEL: 0885-32-3809
URL: https://www.city.komatsushima.lg.jp/
komatsushima-navi/

9Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

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

hildren love to play in the water, sand, dirt,
and mud. Children can play with thesetypes of materials and freely change their shape,
increasing their creativity. They often play withthem at the center. In the hot summer months,
it will also be a fun time to cool down by playing
with water or in the pool. Coming in contact withwater can also have a large influence on a child’s
emotional and physical growth. For example…
••

Immersing themselves in water allows them toexercise their entire body without any strain.
The difference in water and air temperatures
trains the skin, allowing children to become
more resilient to colds.

•

Being in water increases their risk perception.

•

Such open and free play allows for children torefresh both their minds and bodies.

While keeping a watch on the COVID-19 situation,
why not head out to the ocean, river, or a pool?
You can also get creative and create a space forplaying in the water, such as a plastic pool or tub.
Handmade Sweets: Ice Cream (For 1 Person)
1. Pour 100 ml of milk, 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoonsof sugar, and a small amount of vanilla extract(this can be left out if you wish) into a jar witha lid (such as an empty jam jar) and mix.
2. Place (1) into a metal bowl and fill with 500g
of large crushed ice. Evenly sprinkle 200g ofsalt.
3. Every 15 minutes, scape off the ice creamthat has hardened with a spoon. Put on the lid
and turn. Repeat this for 30~60 minutes until
it is done.
*The bottom of the bowl will be extremely cold, so
please be careful.

Counselling Service at TOPIA・トピアの相談窓口
TOPIA provides consultation on everyday life, education, labor, medical institutions, and disaster prevention; andinformation on sightseeing spots to overseas residents and visitors. When necessary, we will refer you to theappropriate organization that can assist with your needs.Counselling is available in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, andJapanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Japanese, English, Chinese: Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Vietnamese: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 10:00 - 14:00
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 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)