KCC NEWS vol. 65 Sept 2021

KCCNewsletter

9Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center
Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center
Palette Kashiwa
2-7-1-301 Kashiwa, Kashiwa
Chiba, Japan 277-0005
Tel: 04-7157-0281 Fax: 04-7165-7321
e-mail: kcc@kira-kira.jp
URL: https://www.kcc.kira-kira.jp

2021

Kashiwa de International Exchange Festa 2021 (10/24)
International Exchange Week (10/25 – 10/31)
To avoid spreading COVID-19, we have decided to hold Kashiwa de International Exchange Festa 2021 online. We will introduce
our sister and friendship cities and the international exchange activities with them, as well as introduce our activities to create symbiotic
environment for increasing number offoreign residents. We are also planningto give quizzes and to have live remotecommunication with our friends abroad.
We hope you will have a closer interest in
the international exchange activities ofour city.
Festa 2020
Kashiwa International Exchange week will be held from
October 25 to 31. Different groups and organizations in Kashiwa will
introduce their activities.
ATTENTION

The 4th Foodbank KCC
Date and Time:		

Sunday, September 26
9:30am to 11:30amPlace:		
Palette Kashiwa Multipurpose Space A		
Address: Day One Tower 3F,			1-7-1-301 Kashiwa, Kashiwa
Free food includes: Canned food, noodles, water, sweets••The event will be over when all the food is distributed.
Please bring your own eco bag.
Questions?

Please call KCC office.

Next Foodbank KCC: Sunday, 10/31.

Cross-cultural Teatime “Kingdom of Lesotho – Kingdom of the Sky”

Do you know a country called Kingdom of Lesotho? It is a constitutional monarchy surrounded by the Republic of SouthAfrica. Lesotho is just over 30,000km2 (about 1.6 larger than Shikoku area) and, since it lies entirely about 1,400m in elevation,
it is called “Switzerland of Africa” or “the Roof of Southern Africa”. We had a marathon runner from Lesotho in the Tokyo 2020
Olympics.
We were planning to have two representatives from the Embassy of Lesotho give a lecture
about Lesotho on September 18, but we had to postpone it due to the wide spread of the COVID-19
infection. We will inform you just as soon as we know the alternative date, so please look forward.
Photo:Pony treck near 192m Maletsunyane FallsAnnouncement from other organizations“Online Study Meeting”
for KIRA members

High School Information Session
for foreign residents

Date and Time:		
Study Title:		Lecturer:				
Fee:
Capacity:		

Information sessions for foreign junior high school students willing to enter
Japanese high school and their parents will be held. Interpreter will be provided.
Session Fee: Free Material Fee: 100 yen

Thursday, September 16, 2021
8:00pm - 9:10pm		
“Online Exchange –Fun Experience Workshop”
Ms. Kumiko Yamaguchi(Interactive Training inCommunication – Japan)
Free				25Apply at KCC office or send your name and phone
number to boshu-1@kira-kira.jp. We will provide
you with necessary class information.
The next study meeting “Easy Japanese #4 Group
Study” will be held on October 21.

PlaceDate

Contact

Apply by

Matsudo Civic Center

9/26 (Sun)047-317-5798

9/19

Chiba University
West Chiba Campus

10/10 (Sun)080-3175-9539

10/3

Nikke Colton Plaza
Hall (Ichikawa city)

10/17 (Sun)090-2468-1037

10/10

Please follow these COVID-19 infection control requests.
1. Participant must be a 3rd grade Jr. high school student ora graduate and a parent.
2. Participant must apply beforehand.
3. Participant must wear a mask to attend. If you have afever, you must not attend.

Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center

KCC NEWS vol. 65 Sept 2021

High School in Kashiwa with International Exchange programs
Series IWe sent a questionnaire to high schools in Kashiwa to know international related
activities the school might offer. This is the first of the series.

Kashiwa Municipal High School
Q1
Please tell us about your international exchange programs.
A1
We have one sister school each in the US, Australia, and China. Using the advantage of being a municipal school,we can have many opportunities of international exchanges. We have a couple of exchange programs for ourstudents. Every year the entire 2nd grade students in International Education Class visited North High School(NHS), our sister school in Torrance, CA and stayed in a homestay for 8 days in November. In exchange, students from NHS came to our school and stayed with our students’ family in the following May. Another program is for applicants from all grades. They visited the sister schools in Australia and China every other year fora language program, and students from the sister schools visited us as well.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we had to cancel these programs in 2020, but we connected with NHS via online twice last year to keep up with the local news and played quiz.
Q2
Are there any foreign students in your school?
If so, which country are they from?
A2
We have total of 16 foreign students in the international education class in every grade. They are from Ukraine,
Philippines, Nigeria, China, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, and Nepal.
Q3
Are you accepting returnees?
A3
Yes, we accept them through the Chiba prefecture public high school special admission selection program forthe returnees. The admitted students will be in the international education class.
Q4
Do you allocate a certain number to foreign students? Are there any foreign students who take a regular entrance examination?
A4
We accept foreign students through a special admission selection in the same way as the returnees. They will bein the international education class. If foreign students want to be in the regular classes, they must take the regular entrance examination. There are about 25 students per grade in the international education class that we callClass A, and they stay in the class for the entire 3 years of high school. In many cases we receive a request fromjunior high school prior to entrance and we discuss entrance requirements.
Q5
Do you have programs to support foreign students?
A5
We have an international department to support foreign and returnee students, and to manage study abroad
programs for regular students. After admitted, we test foreign and returnee students to know their Japanesecomprehension ability. If needed we give them special Japanese class instead of regular class to strengthen a particular part of Japanese such as classic Japanese. We have support teachers to help them with a particular subject.
When a foreign or returnee student needs help with Japanese, we offer supplemental lessons after school: Every
day for the 1st graders, and 2 or 3 days a week for the 2nd and 3rd graders. Clerks in the international department support their students by checking their progress and by keeping in touch with their parents.

Students in English Conversation ClubKCC NEWS vol. 65 Sept 2021

Kashiwa Cross-cultural CenterTokyo 2020 Olympics Volunteers Special - I

Moved by the words from the athletes

Moto Hashimoto (Kashiwa resident)

I thought it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity so applied to be an Olympic volunteer. I was assigned to the press
department of archery and worked 5 days in an interview area called the mix zone. I asked the press which athlete they wanted
to interview and guided the athlete to the zone after a match. It was fun to be able to communicate with both reporters and athletes in English. I also cheered every athlete in the best way I could when they passed the area to go to the match.
When Mr. Muto lost his individual match, he said in the interview, “Wind had nothing to do with my loss. It was myability. We won the bronze medal in the team competition
as a team.” His match was held right after the storm andthe wind was strong, but he accepted the result humbly andbowed deeply even to us volunteers. Such modest attitude
moved me profoundly.
Mr. Furukawa who won the bronze medal in the individual competition mentioned, “The volunteers cheered me
before the match by saying ‘Ganbatte kudasai’ – do your best.
That made me realize that this Olympics was indeed held inJapan and gave me power.” I am thankful to know people not
only being splendid as athlete but also wonderful as humanin this experience.
Photo: Ms. Hashimoto wearing a pink mask

My wish to be an Olympics volunteer came true
Mutsuko Tsukamoto (Kashiwa resident)
I was a university freshman in 1964 when the Olympics was held in Tokyo the last time. Since my university was close
to the National Stadium, some older students worked as volunteers. Their volunteer uniform looked particularly bright and thatmade me determine I would be like them if there was an opportunity.
My wish came true in the Tokyo 2020 and I was assigned as a “field cast” and “city cast”. Volunteer orientations were
held twice in the Olympics Memorial Center and more than ten times online. We learned the history and meanings of the Olympics and Paralympics, overview of each game, and how to support spectators. We also took an English comprehension test.
As a “field cast” I was assigned to weightlifting at Tokyo International Forum. My job was to guide VIPs, press, and theathletes. I worked for 10 days, 4pm to 11pm with dinner, holding “Wear a Mask”, “Don’t Eat and Drink” and the placard thatyou see in my photo. There were many Eastern European and Central and South American people in the venue and many times
they didn’t understand English. One man was in a hurry and showed his smartphone screen with “Where is the restroom?” so I
guided him in Japanese and with gestures. There were about
50 volunteers in my area (with only 3 men) and among us there
were Tunisian and Taiwanese who were living in Japan andfluent in Japanese, and volunteers from Fukuoka and Hyogo
prefectures.
I understand that there were negative opinions about
holding this Olympics, but athletes were happy to be able toparticipate in it even if they couldn’t win a medal. I was mostly
impressed by the following athletes who set the world records:
Ms. Miyake in the 49kg class for being a 5 consecutive Olympics participant, a female player from Uzbekistan whose entire
body but face and hands were covered with black cloth, thefirst female Philippines gold medalist in the 55kg class, a New
Zealand player who underwent sex reassignment surgery, anda male Georgia athlete in the 109kg class.
I was tired every night when I arrived Kashiwa Station, but I was happy if my work as a volunteer was helping
someone, somehow.
Photo: Ms. Tsukamoto holding a placardKashiwa Cross-cultural Center

KCC NEWS vol. 65 Sept 2021

SEPTEMBER Events
Japanese Shonan Classes

Online Japanese Kashiwa Classes

ClassesClasses
Online Japanese Kashiwa Classes

Online Classes
Thurs

10:00 - 11:30

Japanese Intermediate and up

Tue

10:00 - 11:30

Japanese for all Beginning II(1st of the 28 lessons)Sun

10:00 - 11:30

Beginning I, Intermediate I(2 classes)

Tue

19:00 - 20:30

Japanese for all Beginning I(1st of the 14 lessons)Wed

10:00 - 11:30

Japanese intermediate and up

Wed

19:00 - 20:30

Japanese for all Beginning I(1st of the 8 lessons)Thurs

10:00 - 11:30

Beginning Conversation I(Beginner, Beginning 1)

Thurs

13:00 - 14:30

Beginning Conversation 2(Beginning 2)

Fri

19:00 - 20:30

Japanese for all Beginning II(1st of the 36 lessons)Sat

9:30 - 11:20

Intermediate Conversation

In Person Classes
Thurs

10:00 - 12:00

Intermediate I
at Shonan Community Center

Semester starts on 9/2

Semester starts on 9/1

Free legal advice and administrative procedure support for foreign residents
Lawyers and administrative procedure specialists will be available to help foreign residents with legal questions and documents. Any questions or problems are all right, such as visa, domestic violence, divorce, or trouble at the workplace. Please register beforehand.		Date and Time: Sept 22 (Wed)13:00 - 17:00 				Place:		
Palette Kashiwa A		Reservation:
KCC (Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center) OfficeInformation about COVID-19 for foreign residents
Available in multiple languages
https://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld-blog/100/

Kashiwa information delivery service
Sign up to receive email announcements from the city, suchas information about earthquakes, fires, crime, and infectious
disease outbreaks in the language of your choice. Send a blankemail to this address to register.

Questions?
Please contact the office ofKashiwa Cross-cultural Center (KCC)

Also, please read Kashiwa CityMagazine. It contains information
about COVID-19 vaccination.

Tel: 04-7157-0281
Fax: 04-7165-7321
Hours: 8:30 - 17:15
Closed on Sundays and national holidays

KCC Newsletter Edited and Published by: Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center designated administrator
Specified non-profit organization, Kashiwa International Relations Association General Affairs Committee Public Relations Division