#289

August 2014
A Visit to Konjiji Temple
By David C. Moreton

Painting of pilgrim family at Konjiji (David C. Moreton)

Oliver Statler (1912-2003),
a renowned scholar on
the Shikoku pilgrimage
and author of Japanese
Pilgrimage (1983), said in adocumentary that, “visits tothe temples do not constitutethe pilgrimage, they merely
punctuate it.” He was referringto the eighty-eight officiallydesignated Buddhist temples
along the Shikoku pilgrimage

route, which at times arelocated very far apart.
However, I would like toemphasize that there aremany more sites such as
Shinto shrines, bekkaku

Page 1, 3-4: A Visit to Konjiji Temple
Page 4-6: Paying It Forward; Page 6-7: Gojahei-Ren: Keeping With Traditions
Page 8: Fitness Corner; Letter from Suketo Hoikuen; Page 9: Irene's Recipe Corner
Page 9-10: Crime Prevention Tips; Page 10: Japanese Lesson
Page 11-12: Events & Memoranda

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

Jenifer Tanikawa & Martin RathmannDavid C. Moreton, Junko Kimura, Rochelle
Holmes, Clint Eckstein, Kazue Inoue, Irene
Wachuga, Takako Yamada

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

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

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

If you have something you
would like to share with
the Tokushima community,
email the editors atconcerts,
lectures, and other event
information, cultural, sporting,and other community
group information, etcetera.

Awa odori dancers adorned in the full female outfit (Junko Kimura)

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A Visti to Konjiji Temple(Con't from Page 1)(: special) temples,bangai (: outside thenumber) sites, okunoin (: inner sanctuary), andodō (: small building)that play an equal role in
the pilgrimage and areworth visiting.
One such place is Konjiji
temple, which is the okunoinof Temple 13, Dainichiji,
and is located about twentyfive minutes by car from
Bunka no Mori (Tokushima
Pref. Library). This temple
is located at an elevationof 310m (slightly higher
than Mt. Bizan at 280m)
and offers a great view ofTokushima city. To get there
you can drive up a long,steep and winding road orwalk up the henromichi(pilgrim path) as many
people do on their way
from Temple 12, Shōsanji
to Temple 13, Dainichiji.
It is believed that during
the 7th century, En no
Gyōja (634-701), a Buddhist
ascetic said to be thefounder of Shugendō (mountainasceticism) founded thistemple. Then Kōbō Daishi(774-835) came in the 8th
century and while he wastraining here carved astatue of the main deity,
Zaō Gongen ()
and placed it in a cave.
Konjiji gradually becamea training place for peopleinterested in Shugendō andthe nearby waterfall wasused as a mean of training
and purification. The temple
fell into disuse, but during the
16th century Lord Hachisuka,
who controlled the Tokushimadomain, offered his support
after Zaō Gongen appearedin his dream and instructed
him on how to win a battle.
As a sign of gratitude,
Hachisuka asked a Buddhist
sculpturist to carve a statueof Zaō Gongen and present
it to the temple. These
two statues are hidden
behind a door in the cavewithin the main hall, but
you can see a 90cm tallstatue of Amida Nyorai,
said to have been carved
in the 15th century, which
has been designated as acultural treasure of Tokushima.
Gradually the temple once
again fell into disuse, but
in the 19th century a
Buddhist priest called Teia(
: 1805-1885) worked
fervently in the community
to gather support for its
restoration. (His grave islocated beneath the lantern
tower.) And again, afterWorld War II, work wasdone to restore the temple
to a usable state.

schedule can be seen on
the temple`s website, but
the goma (fire) rituals held
once or twice a month in themain hall are something
to be experienced. As well,every April there is a huge
festival during which a
portable shrine is carriedaround the temple grounds
by children. This is followedby an arm-wrestling tournament,
mochi (pounded rice cake)throwing activity, goma
ceremony, and a free prize
giveaway - all of which
attracts a lot of people.
For the giveaway anyone
who would like to have achance to win something
goes into the main halland receives a numberedcard (one card per person),then goes to the open
area in front of the officebuilding and listens to thenumbers being called. Thereis a wide variety of prizes
such as cases of beer,bottles of sake, small pieces
of furniture, electronic goods(like the blood pressure
monitor that I won). The
great prize is a huge
plasma TV!!! It does notcost anything to get a
numbered card.

Today, many exciting events
are held at Konjiji, but I
recommend going earlybecause the parking lot issmall and trying to park on
the narrow road can betreacherous. A detailed

Even though visiting a sacredsite, such as a temple or
shrine, and viewing thebuildings, gardens, and otherstructures may be interesting,personally I like to look forevidence of people who
3

A Visit to Konjiji Temple(Con't from Page 3)
have actually visited thatplace in the past. At Konjiji,
I found such in the mainhall. When you go up thestairs look to your right.
There you will see apainting of a family of four– father, mother and twochildren - in white pilgrim
attire. The father is carrying
a small shrine on his
back. In the upper left
corner there are three deities- Zaō Gongen, Fudō Myōōand Kōbō Daishi – on a
cloud. The date states "thesixth month of Meiji 11(1878)" and the location is“Hasuike village, Takaoka
district, Kochi prefecture.”
It is believed that thefamily was from this village

and one of the children
got sick so the parents
fervently prayed for him toget better. Zaō Gongen
appeared to them in their
dream and said that all
would be well, and as aresult, the boy was cured.
To show their gratitude,
the family embarked on
the Shikoku pilgrimage andwhen they arrived at Konjiji
they found out that thistemple`s main deity wasZaō Gongen, so a tokenof their appreciation, thefather left behind the small
shrine that he had been
carrying on his back, which
can be seen today in thesmall building just below
the main hall.

There are many otherinteresting things to see at
Konjiji, but unfortunately notenough space to write
about them, so when you
have some time please
visit this interesting temple
that is one of many sitesthat punctuate the Shikoku
pilgrimage.
Temple Information:
Accommodation available
for 4,000yen/night/person(no meals)
Website:www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~konjiji/
Tel: 088-644-1232

Paying It Forward
By Rochelle Holmes
The following is the winningspeech from the 2014
Tokushima Prefectural Japanese
Speech Contest:
Have you ever received areally special gift? How
did you feel? Maybe you
said “Thank you, thankyou!” again and again. On
the other hand, maybe youwere so moved you couldn’t
say anything. Or perhaps
you gave something backin return? I think thatmoment of thankfulness isextremely important. Today,
I will tell you how gratefulness can change theworld.
4

Speech Contest Grand Prize Recipient Rochelle Holmes

Before coming to Japan, I
had heard that Japanesepeople give gifts all thetime. I imagined a house
cluttered up with nick-knacks
and forgotten toys. How

could Japanese people giveand take so much withsuch tiny houses? Insteadof giving big gifts, I was
surprised to see how often
the omiyage turned out tobe food or useful things

Paying It Forward(Con't from Page 4)
from other prefectures. In
America it would be strange
to give a towel or rice
scooper to a friend. Couldn’t
they just buy it themselves?
But in Japan, regional
specialties make these
gifts both thoughtful andexciting.
All of this omiyage is a
result of 'on' (gratitude), theobligation to repay kindness
in the future. It encourages
dependent relationships thatwork toward a harmonious
community and country. I
admired the way these
gifts connected people toeach other.
Still, knowing about thisculture of gift giving didn’t
make it any easier to live
in. I was always keeping
mental lists of people who
had given me something
and wondering how toshow them gratitude. My
first big experience waswith an obaasan (elderlylady) in Kitajima. One day
when I was lost, an oldlady called out from her
garden, “What are you up
to?” “I’m lost,” I said, andwe jumped into conversation.
That day I left with a big
bag of vegetables. When I
came back to give hersome cookies, she wouldn’t
let me leave without moreof her fresh food. So ofcourse I had to return again
with something else. She
became my very own
Japanese grandma, tied
together through the gifts
we share.
But then there were othercircumstances where I
couldn’t repay the favor.
During my first Christmas
in Japan, singing familiar
church songs made me

cry with nostalgia. Thatnight I came home to finda bag of KFC on my door
handle from my pastor’swife. In my homesickness,
it was exactly what I
needed; the taste of America.
How could I return thethoughtfulness she showedme that day?
After many experiences like
this, I was overwhelmedby the sense of 'on'. The
people of Tokushima haveinvested much time andcare in us temporary visitors
here. Even when we can’t
give back directly, I believe
we have a responsibility
to keep it going. When I
go back to the US, I wantto have the same generosity
toward the foreign community
there. I want to welcome
them with the samekindness I witnessed solavishly in Japan, with noParticipants and the judges of the speech contest

5Paying It Forward
expectation of return.
It’s our job to not let that
go to waste. We can carry
this obligation with us acrossthe sea to our homelands
and let the goodwill keep
going. When Japan reaches
friendly relations with countries
all across the globe, we’ll
be able to trace those ties
back to the simple gift ofvegetables from an obaasan’s
garden.
***On Sunday, July 13th, 11participants from aroundthe world, including Vietnam,
United States of America,
Nepal, Mongolia, China,
Cambodia, Brazil and Taiwan
performed their 6 minutespeech with much eloquenceat the 2014 Tokushima
Prefectural Japanese SpeechContest. The participants
spoke on various topics
such as Japanese customs
and food to the bonds thatthey have fostered in(Con't from Page 5)
Japan during their stay.
The smiling faces andechoes of laughter filled
the room as the 200 or soguests listened to the
speeches fervently. A big
congratulations to all theentrants!

Gojahei-Ren: Keeping With Traditions
Interview with Hideaki Oka

The Gojahei-ren grace the streets of Tokushima City

“What is awa odori to me?
It’s my life, it’s everything
to me.”
These are the words that
Hideaki Oka, the leader ofJapan’s largest Awa Odori
dance troupe, “Gojahei” (), used to describe
Tokushima’s very own dance,
the Awa Odori. We spent
one Thursday afternoon
6

speaking to him about
Awa Odori.
What makes Gojahei different
from other dance troupes?
Our dance is much slower,
our rhythm is slower. Why?
Awa Odori only gained its
name in the 1920s. Awa
Odori originally was a typeof bon dance that theydanced in the Awa Province(now Tokushima). During
the bon festival, we would
welcome in the spirits of
our ancestors by dancing
the bon dance. And to
welcome them in, we
would dance slowly. It
was officially named the“Awa Odori” in the 1920s
when it started gaining
popularity and the Awa
Odori you see now isdone as part of an event.
We still dance to welcomein the spirits, so that’s why
our dance is slower. Of
course we have to add
new things to keep peopleinterested, but for us 90%
is about keeping withtraditions and 10% is
adding in something new.
But our intention behindthe dance is still thesame.

Gojahei-Ren(Con't from Page 6)
Why did you decide to do
Awa Odori? And when did
you start?
I was 18. During my time,
not everyone had a TV,
nor were there any bowlingcenters or golf courses.
So the only choices we hadin regards to entertainmentand recreation was either
playing catch or doing the
Awa Odori. So I chose
Awa Odori. Back then you
had to pass a test to entera dance troupe, but thesedays everyone can join.
It’s quite the opposite
actually, we have to now
actively look for people tojoin, whereas back thenwhen there was nothing
to do, many wanted tojoin.
Gojahei was the first to
have women dressed in
the men's outfit and doing
the men’s dance. How didthat start?
We are the first to do this.
We started this because
during the 1930s whenmore options emerged likebasketball and soccer, notmany people were joining
Awa Odori. So to save ourtroupe, we set up a training
school for children, 'Chibikko
Gojahei'. But once they
graduate when they reachthe end of elementary
school, the option is toeither do the men's danceor the women's dance, but
as all the children learned

the men's dance, the girls
had nowhere to go. So,
we thought, why not havethe girls dance the men's
dance and wear the men’s
outfit and that’s how the“Onna Happi Odori” started.
What is the most important
thing to remember when
dancing?
It would be how satisfied
you are with your dance.
That’s because you’re joining
the troupe because youwant to and not because
someone forced you into
it. And it’s important toaspire to be better and betterand to want to dance a
dance that no one can.
You want to be at the top,
you want to be in thecenter position. You needto have these ambitions todance.
The driving force behind
Awa Odori isn’t the dance
itself. It is the musicalaccompaniment (hayashi).
The instruments are thekey players that create
the exciting atmospherethat makes it so thateveryone would want todance. All you have to dois dance to the rhythm,
you don’t need words forthat. There are no set
steps either, just twobeats. All you have to dois dance to the two beatand you’ll have a dance ofyour own. The hayashi and

Ren leader Hideaki Oka

the fact that anyone candance is what makes thisdance so great.
We don’t need words toattract people to thisdance. You just have toexperience it. Awa Odori
isn’t a beautiful dance towatch. You just have todance it yourself, and if
you like it then that’s that.
If you think it’s hard, that’s
fine too. Even if you thinkit’s hard but want to do it
again, that’s great too. I
just want everyone toexperience it once.
***
Awa Odori in Tokushima
City
When:August12(Tue)-15(Fri)
18:00 - 20:00 1st performance
20:30 - 22:30 2nd performance
Where:Tokushima city center
Cost: Free (excluding paid
stage seats)
Info:Tokushima City Tourism
Association
TEL: 088-622-4010

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Fitness Corner
By Clint EcksteinThis is a quick burn thatwill kick your butt even if
you only have a few
minutes. All you need is apark bench or some kindof elevated platform. Do
this workout without taking
any breaks between exercises,
just finish it as quickly as
you can. Make sure you
keep good form! It doesn’t

matter how fast you’regoing if you’re not doing
the exercises right.
50 Burpees
50 split squats (single legs
squats with one foot on abench, 25 each leg)
50 tricep dips
50 Bench jumps
50 mountain climbers
50 squats

This workout will work
your whole body as wellas giving you a cardio
workout. Depending on
how much time you haveand how hard you want togo, take a minute or twooff, and do the circuit twoor three times. Have fun!

Letter From Suketo Hoikuen
I hope you are all doing
well despite this hot summer
weather. Every year at
Suketo Hoikuen, we growsummer vegetables in ourgarden with the children. This
year we were able to successfully harvest, cucumbers,
bell peppers, tomato, eggplants,
corn, and much more. At
our center, we value thechildren’s interactions withnature, so in the classrooms,
we are also raising summer
insects (such as Japanese
horned beetles and butterflies)
and we allow children to go
play outside with water,sand and soil.
Your five senses (vision,
hearing, smell, taste andtouch) show the mostdevelopment during earlychildhood. By providing yourchild with more opportunities
to interact with people andthe environment around them,
you are helping your children
develop their senses. Why
8not spend the summer breakor obon break taking yourchildren out to obtain moreexperiences with nature.
This month, I would like tointroduce a type of playthat trains your sense of
touch and is also an
activity that we often do at
Japanese nursery schools.
We will be using the main
ingredients of bread and cake,flour, to make modeling clay.
Unlike oil-based modelingclay, it does not have astrong scent, will not cause
any harm when accidentally
ingested, and most of all it
has a nice soft texture.
***

Materials
Flour 250g
Water 125ml
Pinch of salt

By Kazue Inoue
Instructions
1. In a container, lightly mix
250 g of flour with a pinchof salt (the salt will help
preserve the clay and if
stored in a tightly closed bag,it will last up to a week).
2. Mix in 125 ml of water
into the flour mixture andknead the dough (if you
want to add color to theclay, add food coloring to
the water before adding it
into the flour mixture).
3. Knead the dough welland form into a ball. Oncethe mixture begins to form
into one big lump, lightly
oil your hands and kneadsome more (the oil helps
prevent the flour fromsticking to your hands).
*If the clay is too soft, add
some flour and adjust it toyour desired consistency.

Irene's Recipe Corner
By Irene Wachuga
in my passion for anything
food. It has been fun
being with you every
month for the past coupleof years. It is that time
when the baton must passon to the next foodie, so I
bid you adios. Will beseeing you round town.
Wishing you all a splendid
summer.
And here's something tocool it off.

Dear good readers of Awa
Life. Thank you for putting
up with me as I indulged(Serves 4)
1 ½ cup water melon (cubed,
seeded and frozen)
1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemonjuice
1 ½ cup sparkling wine
Julienned or sliced lemon
for garnish

1. In a blender add thewatermelon, sugar, lemon
juice and half the wineand blend until smooth.
2. Divide equally into 4
glasses and top with theremaining wine.
3. Garnish with lemon if
desired and serve
immediately.
Kampai!!! (Cheers!)

Crime Prevention Tips: Be Careful of "Make Easy Money" Offers
Have you ever received an offer online through e-mail or social networking sites,
asking you if you want to make easy money? If someone that you don’t know asks
you to participate in an easy money making business, be weary, as there is a highchance that you will become a victim of a crime or you will become involved in thecrime as an accomplice. Before you jump at the opportunity, make sure you think
about it carefully. Here are two examples of common cases, in both cases, you arebeing used as a cover up for their illegal operations and you may have the chance ofbeing prosecuted.
Money Transfer Agency Jobs
1) A foreign company will offer to pay you a large commission fee for helping transfer
money from their customers in Japan by using remittance agencies (Western Union,
Brastel, etc.).
2) Upon acceptance of the offer, an unspecified large number of people will transfer
money into your account.
3) You will withdraw this money and transfer it to an overseas account.
The address that you are given to transfer the money too will have nothing to do withthe company or the person that you spoke to. As well, the person who you aresupposed to transfer the money to will often change.
Package Forwarding Jobs
1) You will be offered a commission for receiving a package that is addressed tosomeone else then forwarding the package to another address.
9

Crime Prevention Tips
(Con't from Page 9)2) Upon acceptance of the offer, an unspecified large number of packages
addressed to a stranger will be sent to your home. You will pretend to be that
individual and receive the package.
3) You will forward the package to another address that was given to you.
As you will be receiving packages filled with illegal items, just by receiving
the package, you become involved in the crime.

Japanese Lesson
By Takako Yamada

10Events & Memoranda
Yoshinogawa City Summer Firework Festival
When:
Where:Info:
TEL:

August 6 (Wed)20:00 - 21:00
Yoshinogawa City
Kamojima Sports Field
Yoshinogawa Chamber ofCommerce
0883-24-2274

Naruto City Summer Firework Festival
When:
Where:Info:
TEL:

August 7 (Thu)
20:00 - 21:00
Area around Naruto Culture
Center & Muya River Park
Naruto City Uzushio
Tourist Association
088-684-1731

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

August 9 (Sat) – 11 (Mon)
19:00 - 22:00
Naruto City Center
Free(excludingpaidstageseats)
Naruto City Uzushio
Tourist Association
088-684-1731

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

Cost:
Info:
TEL:

August 12 (Tue) – 15 (Fri)from 19:00 or from 21:00
Meet in front of the Tokushima
City Hall or at the Motomachi
shopping street entrance
Free*
TokushimaCityTourismAssociation
088-622-4010**Optional: 3000 yen deposit fee to rent a happi. Whenyou return the happi, 2500 yen will be returned to you(500 yen will go towards dry cleaning fees).

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

Sunday, September 28, 10:30-13:00
10:30 – Leave Tokushima Station by bus for the center
13:00 – Arrive at Tokushima Station by bus
Location:
Tokushima Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center(Kitajima Town, Tainohama Aza Onishi 165)
Target:Foreign Residents in Tokushima Prefecture
Details:
Disaster prevention guidance via video, simulation of strong winds /earthquakes,
fire fighting and disaster control exercises (English and Chinese Interpreting)
No. Places: 30 people
Cost:
Free
How to apply: Please send in the following information by fax to the address below. You canalso apply by sending the same information by email or postcard.
Name
Gender (M/F)
Address
Nationality
TEL
E-Mail Address
Occupation
Workplace Address
Deadline:
September 22nd, Monday
Applications to:
FAX:
Tokushima-ken Kokusai Koryukyokai FAX (088) 652-0616
Email:
coordinator1@topia.ne.jp
Postcard:
770-0831Tokushima-shi Terashima Honcho
Nishi1-61 Clement Plaza 6F
Koekizaidan Hojin Tokushima-ken Kokusai
Koryukyokai (TOPIA)
Contact:
TOPIA (Kimura) TEL (088) 656-3303

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