KCC NEWS Vol.81 1st, January, 2023

January, 2023

Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center

Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center,Palette Kashiwa
1-7-1-301 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

Vol.
81

New Year’s Message from the President

Akemi Kosuge, President of Kashiwa International Relations Associations (KIRA),
the designated administrator of Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center (KCC)

Happy new year! I w ish you all good health and happiness.
It was a year of turmoil around the w orld last year. From Coronavirus and climatechange to w ars and human rights issues, w e have entered the new year w ith greatchallenges common to all humankind. In our activities for coexistence, I believe that w ehave entered an era in w hich w e should not only talk about exchanges betw een
countries in human communities, but also about coexistence w ith nature and other living
creatures on a global scale. Let’ s get creative in our activities w hile coexisting w ith
Coronavirus, stand w ith the displaced people of Ukraine, seek new forms of international
interaction for peace, and move forw ard one step at a time.
Our activities are supported by Kashiw a International Relations Association (KIRA), andat its 30th anniversary lecture, the w orld champion w heelchair tennis player, Shingo
Kunieda gave a talk. His lecture and smile motivated us to w ork hard in our mission. Furthermore, in the N ew
Year, w e w ill hold the 30th anniversary ceremony w ith Mayor Ota of Kashiw a city. I am grateful to ourpredecessors and supporters w ho have contributed to Kashiw a's international exchanges, and I reaffirm mycommitment to the civic activities. Also, in coming spring, an anniversary commemorative publication ( inboth English and Japanese) w ill be available. It w ill contain the history of Kashiw a's international exchanges,
w hich began w ith a youth exchange program w ith its sister city. W e can publicize Kashiwa's international
interaction to the w orld!
I end this message with my thanks for your support, hoping for your continued help in the years to come.

Kashiwa International Relations Association’s 30th Anniversary “Lecture by Shingo Kunieda" (12/4)
W heelchair tennis player Shingo Kunieda, w ho had achieved the“ career golden slam,” w as invited to be a lecturer at the Crystal Hall ofAmuser Kashiw a. The title of the lecture w as “ Sports and International
Exchange,” and there w ere many participants in the hall for the tw o-hour
lecture. The first part w as an interview - style talk w ith Mr. Kunieda andfive student interview ers, and the second part w as a Q& A session
betw een the lecturer and the audience. He developed a spinal corddisease at the age of nine and became w heelchair-bound, but it w as hismother' s suggestion that led him to w heelchair tennis. He also talked
about his challenging life as a player, saying that his matches at home
and abroad counted for 150 days a year, and that he often missed Japan Mr. Shingo Kunieda talking in the lecturew hen he toured abroad. Mr. Kunieda has achieved many great accomplishments on the international scenes.
His lecture w ith amusing stories show ed his personality, way of thinking, and w ay of life; and they inspired
and deeply impressed the audience. He said, “To realize your hopes and dreams, it is important to believe inyourself and w ork on it.” I felt that the audience took the w ords as an encouragement from Mr. Kunieda forthe new year to come.

KCC NEWS Vol.81 1st, January, 2023

Date: November 24, 2022
Moderator: Noriko Fujita

KCC NEWS Vol.81 1st, January, 2023

Place: Palette Kashiwa Multipurpose Space A
Participants: Ms. Mie Enokizono, Ms. Silvia Hata, Mｓ. Ma Tsyrfarn
Records: Kanae Omori, Yoko Nakano (Public Relations Subcommittee)

Moderator: You have lived in Japan for a long time. Did you have any problems when you came to Japan?
Enokizono: I came to Japan to study hotel science at a Japanese university. At first, I could not speak Japanese, but I
could communicate in English, so there were few problems. The classes at the Japanese language school were only inJapanese, so I had to look up things I did not understand after I got home. I had a hard time every day, but I enjoyed it verymuch. At that time, I did not know how to say gas station in Japanese and asked, “ Where do you go when your car ishungry? ” I still cannot forget this. One year after I came to Japan, I started working part- time at a famous kushiyaki
restaurant in Ginza. I learned a lot from talking with customers who dropped by the restaurant, including customers on
the Hato Bus tour.
Hata: I came to Japan with my Japanese American husband, and soon after we came to Japan, I had a child, so I did nothave time to learn Japanese. It was difficult for me to go to the hairdresser because I could not explain in Japanese howmuch I wanted my hair cut and what kind of hairstyle I wanted. When I went shopping at a store, I had a hard time
because I did not know the name of the item I wanted or which item I wanted. At the nursery school where my child went,teachers drew pictures and explained what I could not understand. And they spoke to me in simple Japanese. When I wassick, I was in great trouble. The doctor wrote an explanation of the illness in English and explained each of the medicines inEnglish.
Ma: When I had to go to the hospital in an emergency, I had a hard time finding a hospital to take care of me. Even if I
called an ambulance, it took a long time to get to the hospital because they had to look for a hospital that accepted me. InTaiwan, I can go directly to the hospital. I was also confused because the system is different from my country. In Japan, thefirst medical examination fee at a large hospital is very high if you do not have a letter of introduction. If you go to adifferent department in the same hospital, you have to pay the first medical examination fee at the department.
Moderator: Many people go to big hospitals for a minor cold or injury, and big hospitals are very crowded. To solve thisproblem, we have had a system where people see their family doctor in their neighborhood. And when the doctor
decides that an examination, hospitalization, or surgery is necessary, the doctor writes a letter of introduction to a bighospital, and others who do not have a letter of introduction pay a high initial visit fee.
Moderator: Do you have universal health insurance in your country?
Ma & Enokizono: We also have health insurance that everyone can participate in , just like Japanese insurance. Since wewere born, we have had our social number. Through this number, we receive insurance and various payments from thegovernment. We wonder why some people in Japan do not like to have their numbers.
Moderator: Ms. Enokizono, your Japanese is so beautiful and polite. How did you learn it?
Enokizono: In Korea, honorific language, polite language, humble language, and casual language are spoken
appropriately. I learned polite language from scratch at a Japanese language school. Therefore, when I teach Korean, Istart with polite words.
Moderator: Now that you have gotten used to life in Japan, do you have any problems or things you need?
Ma & Enokizono: There are few streetlights in parks, so it is very dark for me to take a walk in a park at night. I want thecity office to install more streetlights in parks like residential areas. There is not much exercise equipment for adults inparks. In Taiwan and Korea, it is normal for parks to have exercise equipment for adults, and everyone can exercise withthe equipment without going to a gym. How about if Kashiwa City first installs exercise equipment for adults in its parks

The 7th Japanese Speech Contest by Foreign Residents in Kashiwa
Foreign residents in Tokatsu area will present in Japanese
what they feel, think and discover in their daily life in Japan.
You can come to the event or watch it online. We look forward to your participation.
Date & Time: Sunday, February 5, 12:00 at noon - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa Open Space
Number of applicants: First 70 applicants
Online viewing: First 100 applicantsApplication: Thursday February 2,Sign up directly at the KCC office or send an email to boshu-2@kira-kira.jp
For those who wish to watch online: https://forms.office.com/r/4NErp3jUu
Participation fee: Free
For details and the latest information, please visit the KCC website.

Free Legal Advice and Administrative Procedure Support for Foreign Residents
To foreign residents. Are you in need of help? Lawyers and administrative specialists are available for consultation.
You can ask for specialists’ advice on issues such as family or partner violence, divorce, VISA procedures, andproblems at work.
Reservation necessary Reservation: KCC office
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 25,1:00 p.m.-5:00p.m. Place: Palette Kashiwa, Room A

Profiles of Participants
Ms. Mie Enokizono: FromSouth Korea, she has lived

and then tells other municipalities that this will improve people’ shealth?
in Japan for about 28 years.
Hata: I have had trouble recently because most public procedures
Ms. Enokizono is a Korean
are online. I can no longer call and ask someone directly to solve mylanguage instructor at KCC
problems. If possible, I would like to go to the counter and ask
andworks as an advisor forsomeone. Also, I have trouble because the year-end tax adjustment isforeigners twice a month atnow online.
Enokizono: In Japan, the Wi-Fi connection is not very good. I would the city hall.
like to see more places where Wi-Fi is available.
Ms. Silvia Hata: From Peru,
Ma & Enokizono: I think Japan is behind in digitalization comparedshe has lived in Japan for 30
to Taiwan and Korea. In Taiwan and Korea, most shoppingyears. Ms. Hata works at atransactions are cashless.
bigforeign supermarket andHata: In Peru, Wi-Fi is not very available, and most payments are incash.
has been learning JapaneseModerator: What kind of KCC office would you like to go to?
at KCC Japanese language
Enokizono: When I go to the KlCC office, everyone seems busy class for four years.
working hard, and it is hard to talk to them. I would like to see justMｓ . Ma Tsyrfarn: From
one person sitting at the counter facing the visitors. I think it wouldTaiwan,
she has lived in
be much easier for visitors to talk to them if someone who responds
Japan for 18 years. Ms. Mato visitors is there even while they are working.
Moderator: What kind of events would you like to participate in?
works at a supermarket.
Enokizono: I would like to participate in Japanese cultural events, Before
theCoronasuch as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, origami, etc. I would likepandemic, ｓ he worked as
you to change the day of the week for the events each time. If events
are held on a fixed day of the week and that day is my work day, I an interpreter at acannot always attend. As I would like to learn tea ceremony and kindergarten and nurseryflower arrangement continuously, I would like these events held school. She is active inmore often than just once a year. And I would like to experience real various events as a member
Mochi-tsuki, making rice cakes, with a mallet and mortar. I would of KIRAKIC.
also like to try Zen meditation.
Moderator: We have had a workshop on Osechi- ryori, New Yeardishes. Do you make Japanese Osechi dishes?
Ma & Enokizono: I usually buy what I like.
Enokizono: My mother makes kimchi and sends it to me. In Korea, there are kimchi vacations and kimchi bonuses.
However, young people do not seem to make kimchi by themselves anymore.
Hata: Christmas is more celebrated than New Year in Peru.
Ma: In Taiwan, Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration.
Enokizono: Many people are learning Korean, so I wish there were more opportunities to communicate using thatlanguage. And I hope we can have exchanges at the citizen level.
Moderator: Thank you very much for attending this discussion.

Online Study Session for KIRA Members“Easy Japanese Application: Information Transmission to Foreign Residents”
Date & Time: Thursday, January 19, 8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Lecturer: Ms. Tomoe Uchida (instructor of easy Japanese)
Participation fee: Free
Number of participants: 25
Application: Sign up directly at the KCC office or send an email to boshu- 2@ kira- kira. jp
with your name and phone number. W e will send you the invitation link on the day.
Next session: Thursday, March 16, 8:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. "Effective Vocaliztion 2" by Lecturer NaomiYamazaki<NO TE>Please include the event nam e, y our nam e and phone num ber when applying by em ail The events m ay be cancelled depending on the Covid-19 situation. Contact the office for m ore inform ation. P lease wear a m ask when participating.