KCC NEWS Vol.73 1st, May, 2022

MAY, 2022

Kashiwa 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

Vol.
73

Humanitarian Crisis Relief for Ukraine
Thanks to your warm support, we were able to send 177, 000 yen ( as of 3/31) to the Japanese Red Cross Society.
Hereafter, together with the City of Kashiwa, we will support Ukrainians who have taken refuge inKashiwa. We will continue to have a donation box at the KCC office and would appreciate your support.
We are also looking for volunteers to help Ukrainians. If you are interested in helping us withinterpretation, translation, daily life assistance, or hosting a homestay, please register on our website.
https://www.kira-kira.jp/ukraine_support.html

Kashiwa Citizen's Activity Festa 2022 will be Held!
Date: Sunday, May 22, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Places: Kashiwa Station East Exit Deck, Family Kashiwa Front
Plaza, Kashiwa Station Shopping Street “ Howdy Mall, ” andPalette Kashiwa
KCC will hold a food drive and an international exchange
panel exhibition at Palette Kashiwa.
There will also be
events by other organizations, such as an origami class andKashiwa Seikatsu Club presentation.

Online Interactions with People Around the Worldby KEYS (Kashiwa Exchange Youth Society)
Date and Time: Sundays, May 8 and June 12,
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa or online (Zoom, etc.)
Participants: Elementary, middle and high school, anduniversity students living in Kashiwa or attending schools inthe city. The first 20 applicants for each day.
Content: Real- time communication with people across theworld using online tools such as Zoom.
Application: Sign up directly at the KCC office, or send an
email to boshu-1@kira-kira.jp from 9:00 a.m. on Monday,May 2.

The 2nd Cross-cultural Teatime"Kingdom of the Sky, Kingdom of Lesotho”
The Kingdom of Lesotho is an independent country surroundedby the Republic of South Africa in southern Africa. Its unique
history, nature, culture, and tourism will be introduced.
Date: Saturday, June 18, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa, Rooms A, B, and C
Lecturers: Mr. Tsepo Samson Joshua
MAKAKANE ( First Secretary, Embassy ofthe Kingdom of Lesotho )Mr. Takehiro FUJIE ( Tradeand Investment Promotion
Flag of theOfficer,
Embassy of theKingdom of Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho)
Number of participants: 50
Participation fee: 300 yen
Application: Sign up directly at theKCC office, or send an email toboshu-1@kira-kira.jp from Monday,
May 16.

Kashiwanoha Interactive Mini Walking TourFree Legal Advice andAdministrative Procedure
Support for Foreign Residents

In May, when the leaves are freshly green, why don' t you take a walk in Kombukuro
Nature and Natural History Park and feel nature? The park is one of the precious forests
left in the Kashiwanoha area. There remain the ruins of a horse pasture from the Edo
Period and war relics as well.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Meet: Deck in front of UDCK (adjacent to the west exit of TX Kashiwanoha Campus Station)
Dismissal: Kashiwanoha Park
Course: Kashiwanoha Campus Station - Kombukuro Nature and NaturalHistory Park - The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Campus - Kashiwanoha Park
Number of participants: Approx. 15
Participation fee: 100 yen
Registration: Sign up directly at the KCC office by Friday, May 20, or send an
email to boshu-2@kira-kira.jp.
Please wear comfortable walking clothes and shoes, and bring a drink and a towel.

To foreign residents. Are you inneed of help?
Lawyers andadministrative procedure specialists
are available for consultation. You
can ask for specialist’ s advice on
issues such as family or partner
violence, divorce, visa procedures,and problems at work.
Reservation necessary.
Date and Time: Wednesday, Maｙ
25, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa, Room A
Reservation: the KCC office

Maletsunyane Falls (192m)

Please be sure to 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 or cha
nged depending on the CO V ID-19 infection status. Please contact the office for details.

KCC NEWS Vol.73 1st, May, 2022
The 1st Cross-cultural Teatime"Sports and the Great Outdoors in Canada" (4/9)
The lecturer was Dr. Connor Bottrell, who came from Canada to the Kavli
Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University ofTokyo Kashiwanoha Campus. He has been in Japan for about a year and ahalf, but since he speaks English in his daily life at his research institute, theevent was held in English with interpreters.
The first half of the session featured outdoor sports such as sailing, coastal
hiking, crabbing, surfing, touring, and cross- country skiing in the great
Juan de Fuca Straightoutdoors in Canada from west ( Vancouver) to east ( Montreal) , as well as
nature and wildlife in the national parks in the Rocky Mountains and theProvince of Alberta. They were presented with vivid slides.
The second half of the session included quizzes on topics such as Canadiannature and food culture.
Get to know Canada! ---Quiz Corner(Choose the answer from the three choices. The The participants weresurprised to hear thecorrect answers are on page 3.)
Dog-sledding
Q1: How do you get the attention of a waiter in a answer to the question of"W
hatwouldyou
doifyou
Canadian restaurant?
A. Raise your voice. B. Make silent eye contact.
encountered a fierce grizzly
C. Raise your hand.
bear while hiking? " The
Q2: In what obscure race do Vancouver Island answer was "Speak softly toresidents compete against each other?
gently alert the bear!"A. Bathtub RaceB. Cheese Wheel Race
During the Q& A time at
C. Wife-carrying Racethe end of the event, theQ3: What does someone from Montreal mean participants
asked
Emerald Lake
when they say they want a "pull-on-the-snow? "questions in English to Dr.
A. pulling a sled on the snow
Bottrell, and when he and his wife took turns singing
B. maple syrup poured over snow or ice flakes
the Canadian national anthem in English and French,
C. pulling a dog sledthere was a round of applause. It was a friendly event
Q4: What is the most popular snack in Canada?
that further deepened international understanding
A. hot dog
B. hamburgerand exchange.
C. pasta snack topped with cheese

KEYS Cherry-Blossom Viewing (3/27)
This was the first outdoor event organized by KEYS in two years. Tempted out
by the warm spring weather, we all went together to see cherry blossoms inKashiwa Furusato Park. The participants were two students starting college thisApril, a high school student who was an exchange student to Camden, twostudents from New York and California, three students from Asia, and the KEYS
supporters. On such topics as our schools, hobbies, and the places we live, theKEYS students talked in English in a way that was easy to understand.
Reciprocally, we learned from the American guests that personality traits andAt Kashiwa Furusato Parkcustoms are different between the East Coast and the West Coast. Also, weplayed an interesting recreational game using an app called " Heads Up, " and enjoyed the differences andsimilarities between us. We all spent an enjoyable time together with smiles.

Multilingual Disaster Support Project for Foreign Residents
Japan is a disaster- prone country with earthquakes, floods, and other disasters.
W hen a disaster occurs, people from abroad seem to feel very uneasy because they
have trouble understanding the official information. There are about 10,000 foreign
residents in Kashiwa. For these people, we are preparing to provide information in
multiple languages in times of disaster. Also, we are working with the Kashiwa City
Disaster Prevention and Safety Division to create a disaster prevention video forforeign residents. If you are interested, please join us. For inquiries, contact the KCC
Evacuation shelter signboard
office.

KCC NEWS Vol.73 1st, May, 2022

Exchange Program Inspired Me to Study in the U.S.
Arata Kawabe
As an exchange student in 2019, I stayed in the sister city of Torrance, California, for about threeweeks. It was the first time I participated in KIRA’s activities. Currently, due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have participated in KEYS (Kashiwa Exchange Youth Society) meetings online.
My reason for participating in the sister city exchange program by KIRA was that I wanted to learn
more about overseas countries. One of the reasons I wanted to know this was a newspaper article I
happened to see, " Japanese Universities Slump in World University Rankings. ” Although this kind ofassessment is only one-sided, it was somewhat discouraging for me as I was preparing for the university
entrance exams in Japan. At that time, I began to see the option of going on to an overseas university,and I also thought I wanted to take the initiative in participating in international exchange activities.
Then, as I wished, I entered a university in
Wyoming, where I am in the first year of abachelor' s degree program in the College ofLiberal Arts. Simultaneously majoring in three
departments (Mathematics, Physics, and Biology)
is something I did by my own initiative. My
experience as an exchange student pushed me todo so. When I had friendly discussions withAmerican high school students, I was shocked by
the way they could articulate in their own words
the reasons for their choice of university and themajor. It led me to realize the importance ofreconsidering what common sense is according
to my own scale and preferences. Simultaneously
majoring in three different departments is theHorseback Riding Experience
result of this realization. In addition to this, I
have also benefited from my experience as an exchange student. For example, in extracurricular activities
at the university, I introduced to the student community the characteristics of Japan and Asia from theperspective of an international student. This was based on my experience of explaining the charm ofKashiwa City when I was an exchange student.
The Wyoming State population is the smallest among the 50 states in the U. S. , with about 580, 000
people as of 2022. This is about 1.4 times the population of Kashiwa city. On the other hand, Wyoming
has an area of approximately 250,000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to about 66% of the landarea of Japan. If you walk for a few minutes fromthe campus, you will see magnificent nature.
Yellowstone National Park, a World Heritage Site,is located in the northwestern part of the state.
The low population density also has its benefits.
For example, while many universities in U.S. cities
are now offering online classes across the board,
face- to- face classes are being offered relatively
safely at my university. Residents say that life ismuch the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am going to participate in KIRA’ s activities
online from Wyoming. I hope to improve myknowledge of the world to help high school
students interested in learning practical English
Christmas Paradeand studying abroad in the United States. Myexperience as an exchange student was a turning point for me to broaden my horizons and review myway of thinking, including my career decisions. I sincerely hope that the exchange student program will
resume as soon as possible. (At the Wyoming campus in April 2022)

Answers to the quiz “Get to Know about Canada (page 2):

Q1: B, Q2: A, Q3: B, Q4: C

KCC NEWS Vol.73 1st, May, 2022

Japanese Shonan Classes
Online Classes
Sun

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I (2 classes), Intermediate Ⅱ

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

In-person Classes (Shonan Community Center)Thu

0:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Minna no Nihongo , PrimaryⅠ, Intermediate I

Sun

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I
Japanese Kashiwa Classes
Online Classes

Tue

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I (Unit 23 -)Wed

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

Conversation elementary level 2 B

Wed

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I (Unit 19 -)Thu

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

Conversation elementary level 1 (For Beginners, Primary 1)

Thu

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Conversation elementary level 2 A

Fri

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

Minna no Nihongo ,PrimaryⅡ (Unit 44 -)Sat

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

Conversation intermediate level
In-person Classes （Pallette Kashiwa 4/9 -）Sat

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I（Unit 4 -）Consultation for Foreign Residents
Monday: Spanish
Tuesday: Korean (only the 2nd and 4th Tuesday)“Skills Development: Hosting a Zoom Meeting (second half)” Wednesday: Chinese
Thursday: English
Date and Time: Thursday, May 26 ,Friday: Chinese
8:00 p.m. - 9:10 p.m.
※ 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. everyday
Lecturer: Kumiko Yamaguchi (Interactive Training
Consultation Counter for Foreign Residents (Mainin Communication - Japan)
City Hall 3F)
Participation fee: Free
TEL: 04 - 7168 - 1033 No reservation required.
Number of participants: 25
Application: Sign up at the KCC office, or send an
Kashiwa information Delivery Service
email toboshu- 1@ kira- kira. jp with your nameSign up to receive email announcements fromand phone number. We will send you the invitation
the city, such as information about earthquakes,
link on the day.
fires, crime, and infectious disease
Next meeting: Thursday, June 16,
8:00 p.m. - 9:10 p.m. “Easy Japanese(first half)” outbreaks in the language of yourchoice. Send a blank email to thisInformation about
address to register.
COVID-19 for Foreign Residents
Also, please read Kashiwa City
Available in multiple languages
Magazine. It contains information
about COVID-19 vaccination.

Online study meeting for KIRA members

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: Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center designated administrator Specified non-profit organization,Kashiwa International Relations Association General Affairs Committee Public Relations Division