KCC NEWS Vol.84 1st, April, 2023

April, 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

Citizens' Delegation Tour to Torrance to Commemorate the 50th Anniversaryof Sister City Affiliation (2/16-2/23)

Vol.
84

A total of 44 Kashiwa citizens, including Mayor Kazum i Ota, City Council Chair, Mr. Norihito Tsum uraya, city
officials, and som e of the m em bers of the Kashiwa International Relations
Association, visited Torrance in California on February16 to 23. The visitors
received a hearty welcom e from Mayor George Chen of Torrance, as well as
Torrance Sister City Association m em bers, and m any other citizens.
At the welcom ing cerem ony in front of the City Hall, m any city em ployees
welcom ed us by waving the sm all national flags of Japan and the U.S., and theTorrance citizen's chorus sang the national anthem s of the two countries. Theym ade us feel deeply grateful for the peace relationship . As was custom ary, a
Citizens of Kashiwa and Torrance
together at the picnic
com m em orative cherry tree planting was held on the City Hall grounds. At the(Photo courtesy of City of Torrance)
Torrance Art Museum , a special exhibition by Japanese and Japanese
Am erican artists was being held to celebrate our 50th anniversary. At Torrance North
High School, which is the sister school of Kashiwa Municipal High School, the students
also sang the national anthem s of both countries for us. At lunch tim e, we enjoyedconversations in Japanese with the high school students who were taking Japanese
language classes. After lunch, they gave us a school tour of their large cam pus, where
1, 800 students study. That evening, the delegation was divided into two groups: theMayor' s Dinner group and the Hom e Visit group . At the hom e visit, the visitors m ade
new friendships with the newly acquainted fam ilies. At the picnic in W ilson Park, all of
us wore the yellow sister city T- shirts and renewed old friendships. There was even areunion of a form er Kashiwa exchange student and his Torrance host fam ily m em ber,
who had not seen each other in decades. On the last day, the Sayonara Banquet featured
the 50th anniversary signing by the two m ayors, and we paid tribute to Mikko Haggott Mayor Kazumi Ota at theHenson, who passed away last year and was instrum ental in the establishm ent of the signpost of Kashiwa Street
and Kashiwa Court
sister city agreem ent. W e pledged to further strengthen the ties between the two cities. A
delegation from Torrance is scheduled to visit Kashiwa this October.

A Tour of the Former Yoshida Family Residence with Hina Doll Displays (2/28)
A total of 24 participants (two from the Philippines, one from China, and 21 from Japan) listened attentively tothe detailed explanation from Mr. Miyata, a volunteer guide, on om oya( living space area) , shoin ( study) , shin- zashiki ( new reception room swith tatam i- m ats) , the garden, etc. In the garden, he explained theinfluence of Chinese philosophy on Japanese garden design and showed
us the seasonal photo spots.
In front of the hina decorations, which is the m ain event of the tour,
the visitors m et the artists of the ceram ic hina dolls and of the hanging
hina ornam ents. They actively exchanged a lot of questions and answers
Participants listening to the presentation
about the hina decorations.
of a hina doll artist.
After the tour, som e visitors enjoyed coffee or lunch at the
Nagayam on Café on the prem ises, adm iring the plum blossom s in full bloom . In the warm early spring weather,
it was an enjoyable day to learn about the place with significant history and culture. W e thought we would liketo com e back all year-round in any season, including in the seasons of cherry blossom s and autum n leaves.
<NO TE>Please include the event nam e, y our nam e and phone num ber when apply ing by em ail The events m ay be cancelled depending on the Covid-19 situation. Contact the office for m ore inform ation. Please wear a m ask when participating.

KCC NEWS Vol.84 1st, April, 2023
The Seventh Japanese Speech Contest in Kashiwa by Foreign Residents --- Mayor’s Award Winner“School Teachers”

Sherazi Noor ul Safi From Pakistan

Hello, everyone! I am Sherazi Noor ul Safi from Pakistan.
The theme of my speech is “School Teachers.” What kindof image do you have of a teacher? Kind, scary, funny, strict? To me, a teacher is a person who nurtures us not only
educationally, but also mentally and emotionally. Someone
who teaches us every day with a smile on their face. I
always wonder why our teachers are so cheerful andsmiling. I would like to talk about such teachers.
I first came to Japan in 2015. I went to school from theend of the 4th grade to the 5th grade. On my first day ofschool, my teacher came to my house and took me to school
Ms. Sherazi Noor ul Safi
together. At that time, I could only understand " yes" inJapanese. So, a Japanese teacher who could speak English came twice a week to help me. My teacher
also learned to say "goodbye" in my native Urdu and wished me good-bye every day. I was very happy
and will never forget my first teacher in Japan.
A year later, I went back to Pakistan, my home country. However, I strongly wanted to study inJapan, so after five years, in November 2021, I returned to Japan and entered a Japanese school
again. At that time, I could speak a little Japanese, but I could not write or read kanji. Even if I could
read them, I had no idea what they meant. I was in the third year of junior high school at the time,and I was very worried about whether I would be able to enter high school. My math teacher taughtme the basics of junior high school math in a very kind way. Also, my homeroom teacher thoughtvery carefully about which high school was best suited to me and worked very hard to find the right
one for me. I am very grateful for that.
And now I have successfully entered high school. I am now taking all the classes in Japanese. It isvery hard to keep up with the classes because they are difficult to understand, but I am doing mybest. When I ask a question, all of the teachers are always kind and explain in a way I can understand.
Besides studying, I was interested in the student council. I wanted to run for the student council, so
I asked my teacher about it. I was about to give up because the work of the student council soundedvery hard, and my Japanese was still not good enough. But my teacher said, "Even if your Japanese is
not so good, it is okay as long as you are motivated." These words gave me a supportive push and I
decided to run for Student Council. I did my best to give a campaign speech. As a result, I was elected
as Vice President, which I could not believe at first. I am grateful to the teacher. And not only myteachers in Japan, but also a teacher I had in Pakistan has been helping me. When I participated in
an English speech contest the other day, I was very nervous, so I sent an e- mail to the teacher inPakistan. I had a reply saying, "You're my girl, you can do it," and it cheered me up and made me very
happy.
W henever I have a question, I always ask the teachers. Sometimes I ask the same question several
times, but each time they explain to me in an easier way to understand. They teach and talk to andhelp me a lot other than school subjects. In this way, meeting with such teachers in my daily life
have changed my life a lot, and I am very happy now. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

Online Study Session “Let’s Enjoy SNS: Basic Knowledge of TikTok and YouTube”
Date & Time: Thursday, April 20, 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Lecturere: Mr. Takahiro Kageyama
Participation fee: freeNumber of Participants: 30
Application: Sign up directly at the KCC office or send an email to < boshu- 1@ kira- kira.jp> . Please write
your name and phone number. We will send you the URL for participation on the day.
Upcoming study session: Thursday May 25, 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Inclusive Society #1 -Foreigners Issues Around Us- ”
Lecturer: Hatsuo Sugishita

KCC NEWS Vol.84 1st, April, 2023

My Visit to Torrance as a Student Delegate Changed My Life 180 Degrees

Tamiko Ooka (1980 Kashiwa Student Delegate)

February 18, 2023 was the third day of our visit to Torrance to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the sister city affiliation, and the " Friendship Festival" was held at the
Armstrong Theater in Torrance. We enjoyed a variety of performances by the people
involved with the sister city exchanges, including a chorus presentation by the Torrance
citizens, singing and taiko drum performances by the former exchange students from
Torrance to Kashiwa, and English rakugo by Shinoharu Tatekawa ( actual name, Ittetsu
Kojima), who was a former exchange student from Kashiwa in 1993. We interviewed Tamiko
Ooka, a Student Delegate in 1980, who also performed opera on this stage for the 50th
Anniversary event.
What made you to apply for the sister city exchange program in 1980?
Ms. Tamiko Ooka
- - - At that time, I was a sophomore in the English and American literature department atuniversity, and I was interested in American culture. Not just visiting places and taking photos. I thought I wanted
to get to know people better and to experience American life.
Please tell us about your observations through your stay in Torrance.
---People in the U.S. were very open-minded and tolerant of different personalities. When I was young, I wasvery assertive. Back then, people in Japan might have thought of me as a strange person. But the American
people accepted me just the way I was. I also made friends with people who I could talk with very closely, andthat made me very happy. People were really kind and nice to me, and I realized “ Human nature is the same
everywhere, even if we live in a different country.”
In what way has the exchange program affected your life?
---The experience changed my life 180 degrees! It made me determined to be a global figure in the future. After
graduating from a Japanese university, I worked for a foreign-owned securities firm in Japan for two years, andthen, I decided to go to the U.S. to study business. After studying in the U.S, I became a reporter for a Japaneselanguage newspaper in Los Angeles, specializing in business. Following that, I was involved in such jobs asmergers and acquisitions (M&A), and real-estate investment financing for a Japanese trust bank. I had lived in the
U.S. for about 15 years and returned to Japan in 1999 for a posting at a major American securities firm to tradenon-performing loans. Now, I am working in investment management at a hedge fund in Tokyo. I owe what I am
today to the opportunity that the sister city program offered to me.
It must have been difficult for a Japanese woman to do so much work in the American business world. How did
you overcome the difficulties?
---It was not easy, but in the U.S., I did not feel so much discrimination against women in the workplace, which
was commonly seen in Japan in those days. And because of that, I think I was blessed with great opportunities atwork in the U.S.
From what I've heard so far, you have had jobs unrelated to music. You studied at a music college, didn’t you?
---I did not go to music school and I sing without being able to read sheet music properly. I love to sing, and one
Christmas my American husband gave me a coupon for voice lessons. While taking the voice lessons, I got
hooked on opera and began singing in amateur opera groups. I have been doing so for more than 15 years.
It must be hard to manage opera lessons and stage performances on top of your busy work in the business world.
How do you manage that?
- - - The less time I have to spend, the more I canconcentrate, especially on what I like to do. While singing
opera, I have learned to understand Italian. Engaging infavorite activities enriches my life, and because of that, I
can work hard.
What do you expect of the young former delegates andthe prospective delegates?
---I encourage the young people to open their minds, tobe flexible in thinking, and to have a lot of impactfulexperiences without any preconceptions. I hope to see
many of them considering themselves as the citizens of
the world while respecting their Japanese roots,
accepting different cultures and people wherever they
live, and openly expressing their opinion without
At the “Friendship Festival,” on the far right.
hesitation.
(Photo courtesy of the City of Torrance）(Interview: Noriko Fujita)

KCC NEWS Vol.84 1st, April, 2023

Japanese Shonan Classes
Online Classes（New Term 4/6-）
Sat

Minna no Nihongo , Primary II

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I and Intermediate II

Sun 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

In-person Classes (Shonan Community Center)
Thu 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I(2 classes)

Sun 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I

Japanese Kashiwa Classes(New Term 4/8 -)Online Classes
Tue

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Wed 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I (Unit 20 - )Conversation Elementary 2B（Level 2）

Wed 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary II (Unit 3 4 - )Thu 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Conversation Elementary 2A (Level 2)

Fri

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Minna no Nihongo ,Primary Ⅱ (Unit 31 - )Sat

9:30 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.

Conversation Intermediate
In-person Classes （Palette Kashiwa ）Thu 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

hiragana/katakana

Thu 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Beginners

Thu 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I（Unit 8 - ）Sat

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I（Unit 7 - ）Sat

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I（Unit 22- ）In-person Classes （Kashiwanoha Service Corner）
Thu 10:00 a.m .- 11:30 a.m.

Conversation Elementary, Introductory and 1

Thu 10:00 a.m .- 11:30 a.m.

Conversation Elementary 2

Free Legal Advice and Administrative Procedure Support for Foreign Residents
To foreign residents. Are you in need of help? Lawyers and administrative procedure specialists areavailable for consultation. You can ask for specialists’ advice on issues such as family or partner
violence, divorce, visa procedures, and problems at work. Reservation necessary.
Date & Time: Wednesday, April 19, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa Room A
Reservation: the KCC officeInformation for Foreign Residents from Kashiwa City
Consultation for Foreign Residents

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

Tel: 04-7157-0281
Fax: 04-7165-7321
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Closed on Sundays and national holidays

KCC Newsletter Edited and Published by: Public Relations Division of General Affairs Committee in Kashiwa International Relations
Association (KIRA), the specified non-profit organization and the designated administrator of Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center (KCC)