KCC NEWS Vol.98 1st, June, 2024

Kashiwa Cross-cultural Center

June, 2024

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.
98

The 51st Kashiwa Student Delegates to Torrance were Selected
Last year, w e celebrated the 50th anniversary of the sister city
relationship betw een Kashiw a and Torrance, U.S.A., and the program ofsending youth to Torrance resumed for the first time in four years. T his
year marks the first step tow ard another 50 years of exchange, w ith each
student taking on the role of student ambassador. T he 51st delegatesw ere selected after tw o rounds of interview s. T hey are Fubuki Kaw ase,
T amaki Kato, N agisa Yamamoto, Rento Kobayashi, Ibuki N ishida, Sota
Katsuyama, Genki T akahashi, and Yuya Okabe (titles omitted). During thesix orientation sessions, they learn the know ledge and attitude necessary Adult leader & the student delegates
for the delegation, English conversation, Kashiw a O dori, etc. T hey w ill beunited by trust in each other and aw areness of their role as representatives of Kashiw a City. T hey w ill
leave on August 5, and they’ll experience American family life through homestays, and interaction w ith
T orrance residents through a variety of programs. W e are looking forw ard to their return to Japan on
August 23rd to see how they’ve grow n and matured.

Kashiwa International Exchange Week 2024

D June 24 (Mon) - June 30 (Sun ) P Palette Kashiw a
T he N oto Peninsula earthquake occurred on January 1, 2024. More than 4,600 people are still living inevacuation centers. Foreign residents in Kashiw a must have been surprised by the earthquake. At thisyear’ event, foreign residents, international students studying in Japan, and Japanesepeople w ill talk about earthquakes and other disasters, as w ell as ask questions andgive impressions of life in Japan. (For details, please see the enclosed flyer.)
1) M ulticultural Seminar "Foreign ers and Disasters”
W hat kind of support can foreigners receive in the event of a disaster in Japan?
Can they receive the same support in as Japanese people? W hat kinds ofproblems do foreigners have? Let's listen to w hat an expert has to say.
D June 26 (W ed) 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. P Palette Kashiw a Multipurpose Space B
L Mr. Hatsuo Sugishita, administrative scrivener
2) Th e W orld of Shad ow Puppets, "Th e Th ree Bears" for Paren ts an d Ch ildren
The Three Bears
T he story is from England. Foreign residents w orked together to create theshadow puppets. Fathers, Mothers, and Children, let's enjoy it together!
D June 30 ( Sun) 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. P Palette Kashiw a Multipurpose Space B N 30 people
each for 1) and 2) on a first-come, first-served basis A Directly at the KCC office, or by email to< boshu-1@ kira-kira.jp>
Donations for Noto Peninsula and Taiwan Earthquakes
We have sent 168,339 yen to the Red Cross Society for the Noto Peninsula Earthquake Fund. Thank youvery much for your generous cooperation. We would like to ask for your continued support in ourfundraising for the Taiwan earthquake.

Upcoming Events (July～)

Torrance Youth Visit to Kashiwa (7/10 - 30)
Kashiwa City Youth Visit to Chengde (8/22 - 27)

Kashiwa Youth Visit to Torrance (8/5 - 23)<Request> When applying via email, please be sure to include the event name,your name, and phone number.
DDate & Time PPlace FFee NNumber of applicants LLecturer CContents AApplication RReservation.

KCC NEWS Vol.98 1st, June, 2024

Casual Fun World Café（4/18）

Have you ever heard of W orld Café ? W e held a W orld Café for the first time on April 18th. Participants
prepared drinks and snacks in advance and freely enjoyed them during the session. The atmosphere w as
like being in a café, and people participated in discussions casually.
The instructor first advised that we had to "remove our mental armor w hen participating,” follow ed by
the presentation of “ W hy Are You Here? ” under the discussion theme of “KIRA and Myself.” Afterw ards,
the participants w ere divided into five groups to talk about the topic. They w ere a little uneasy at first,
perhaps because they did not know w hat they w ere supposed to do. But by the end of the event, everyone
was smiling. W e felt that the people w ere fully comfortable, removing their mental armor in the relaxedatmosphere of the seminar. They commented on how much they had enjoyed the seminar and requested
the next one to be held in the near future.

Foreign Residents Listened to a Lecture by a Police Officer（5/2）
A police officer from the Kashiw a Police Station gave an easy-to-understand talk to foreigners on topics
such as how to ride a bicycle and w hat to w atch out for in life in Japan. Many of the audience have been
living in Japan for a long time and are accustomed to life in Japan, but even so, they had a lot of questions
to ask.
How to Ride a Bicycle： ▶ Ride on the left side of the road. On sidew alks w here bicycles are allow ed, rideon the left side. ▶ W hat you must not do： Riding under the influence of alcohol; riding w hile looking at
your cell phone or wearing earphones; riding double w ith a passenger; riding side-by-side; riding with one
hand; riding with no lights in the dark. ▶ W ear a helmet to protect your life.
W hat to keep in mind while living in Japan: ▶ Alw ays carry your resident card or passport w ith you
when you go out. Photocopies are not acceptable. If you lose your passport or residence card, report it to
the police immediately. ▶ Be aware of the expiration date of your visa to avoid overstay. ▶ If you are
involved in an incident or accident, call 110!
If it is NOT an emergency, call the Kashiwa Police Station at 04-7148-0110.

KIRA Participated in the Kashiwanoha Marché Couleur（5/11）
The Kashiw anoha Marché
Couleur is a community
participation market held
several times a year in front of
the w est exit of Kashiw anoha
Campus Station. Many booths
are set up, mainly by local
residents.
KIRA
also
participated in this event as a

The World's Fun Fact Quiz
Q1. What is commonly found in Japan but rarely found in other countries?
( 1) Washlet ( warm- water washing toilet seats) ( 2) Karaoke box ( 3) Robotvacuum cleaner
Q2. In Tibet, they have a unique greeting. What is it?
(1) Nose to nose (2) Spit on the hand (3) Stick out the tongue
Q3. In Turin, Italy, there is an ordinance that fines dog owners if this is not doneto their dogs.
(1) Brushing teeth in the morning and at night (2) Taking a daily bath(3) Walking three times a day

PR activity. Since the theme of the event was Mother' s Day, we
prepared a Mother' s Day Quiz from around the w orld, W orld Fun
Fact Quiz, Chinese Character Quiz, and a flag guessing game. It w assunny, but windy and gusty at times. N evertheless, many children
and families visited the event. Through the fun quizzes and games,w e hope that the children learned there are many countries in thew orld w ith different cultures and customs, and that the event w ill
be an opportunity for them to open their eyes to the w orld.
Quiz Answers :Q1-(1) Q2-(3）Q3-(3)Chinese Character Quiz

Multiculturalism: A Lawyer's Perspective
Differences Betw een Foreigners and Japanese as Experienced in the Law Practice
D June 20 （Thu） ８ :00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
L Satoshi Tamama, law yer
Participation method: Online (Zoom)
F FreeA Directly at the KCC Office or email to ＜ boshu- 1@ kira- kira. jp＞ . Include your name andphone number. Applicants w ill be sent a URL to join on the day.

KCC NEWS Vol.98 1st, June, 2024
Suzhou, Nanjing, Hiroshima, Kashiwa - A Life Journey Connecting Japan and China

Ms. Jiang LifFen , the oldest participant in the "8th Japanese Speech Contest in Kashiwa."

Where are you from in China?
I'm from Suzhou, China.
You studied at Hiroshim a University for tw o years from 1987. Could you tell us
about your life before that?
I majored in electrochemistry at university and worked at a chemical plant in
Hunan Province. Starting in 1966, I worked at Nanjing University of Science andTechnology. In 1978, Chairman Deng X iaoping implemented the reform andopening-up policy, leading the Japanese Ministry of Education to invite researchers
from China. Thanks to this, I was able to conduct research at Hiroshima University
Ms. Jiang Lifen
when I was 51 years old. There was a professor at Hiroshima University who
specialized in the field I wanted to research. In China, my husband took care of our son and daughter.
At that tim e, did you conduct your research in Japanese or English?
At the university in China, there were classes to learn English, Russian, and Japanese. I studied
Japanese, so I conducted my research in Japanese at Hiroshima University.
What w ere your first im pressions of Japan and Hiroshima?
I was repeatedly moved by Japan' s advanced science and technology and the kindness of thepeople. I was very grateful to my academic advisor. Also, since it was after the normalization of
diplomatic relations between Japan and China in 1972, the local newspaper reported about Chinese
researchers coming to Hiroshima University. An 88-year-old man saw the article and came to visit me.
He was a former professor at Tokyo W omen's University and a painter. He encouraged me, saying, "China will continue to develop." Unfortunately, he passed away a year later, but his daughter-in-law
continued to take care of me. Once, when I fell off my bicycle and lost consciousness in front of astore, a Japanese student saw it from his room, informed the store staff, and they called an
ambulance. W hen I regained consciousness, I was in the hospital. I can never forget the kindness ofthe people in Hiroshima.
What kind of work did you do after returning to
China?
I returned to Nanjing University of Science andTechnology and continued teaching and research until
I retired in 1996.
I heard you have been to Japan three times. Whenwas the second tim e?
Jiangyin campus of Nanjing University of Science & Technology
My son studied at a Japanese university, found a job,and later started his own company. W hen he got married and my grandchild was born, my husband
and I came to Japan. During my research at Hiroshima University, I didn' t go out much, but thesecond time, we traveled from Ibaraki, where my son lived at the time, to Beppu in Kyushu. W e also
visited Hiroshima together, met with the family of a professor at Hiroshima University, the daughterin-law and children of the painter who helped me, and the person who assisted me during my bicycle
accident. Everyone was very happy to see us again. Japan, which I visited for the second time, haddeveloped even further, but the hardworking and kind nature of the Japanese people hadn't changed.
Congratulations on turning 88 years old. In Japan, we celebrate " B eiju" ( 88th birthday) . Do you
have sim ilar longevity celebrations in China?
Yes, in China, we also celebrate the ages of 60, 70, 80, and 90.
I heard you live w ith your son's fam ily now. What would you like to do in Japan from now on?
My husband passed away four years ago, and I was living alone, so now I live with my son's familyin Kashiwa City. My son's wife encouraged me to "go out and be active," and she brought me to KCC's
Japanese language class. Now, I' m studying Japanese and English. My daughter lives in Toronto,
Canada, and my grandson (my son's son) is studying at a university in Toronto. I traveled to Toronto
last year, so I'm working hard on my English. I'm also practicing the piano at home. I would like to do
volunteer work in the future.
Let's participate in activities together at KIRA! Stay healthy and happy.
(Interview: Noriko Fujita)

KCC NEWS Vol.98 1st, June, 2024

Japanese Shonan Classes
Online Classes
Sat

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary II(Unit 46~)
Minna no Nihongo , Primary I(Unit24~) and Intermediate (Unit1~)

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I(Unit 18~) and Primary Ⅱ(Unit30~)

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I(Unit 8~)(Unit 19~)
Japanese Kashiwa/Kashiwanoha Classes
Online Classes

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I (Unit 19 - )Wed 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Conversation Elementary （Level 2）

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary II (Unit 42 - )Thu 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Conversation Elementary (Level 2)

Fri

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

Minna no Nihongo ,Primary Ⅱ (Unit 43 - )Sat

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

Conversation Intermediate
In-person Classes (Palette Kashiwa)

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

Hiragana, Katakana

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

Beginners, Minna no Nihongo, Primary 1 (Unit 6~)

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I（Unit 11 - ）Sat

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary I（Unit 3 - ）Sat

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

Minna no Nihongo , Primary II (Unit 40 - )In-person Classes (Kashiwanoha Service Corner)
Thu 10:00 a.m .- 11:30 a.m.

Hiragana, Katakana

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

Conversation Elementary Former・Latter

Sat

Intermediate

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

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.
D June 26 (Wed), 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. P Palette Kashiwa Room A R the KCC officeMembers Wanted! Kashiwa International Relations Association (KIRA)

W hy don' t you become a member and join us in international exchange activities? Let' s interact
with foreigners by planning and organizing various events. You don't have to speak English. You
can also make friends. For more information, please visit our website. (Inquiries: the KCC office)Information for Foreign Residents from Kashiwa City

Consultation for Foreign Residents

Email distribution service from Kashiwa City

Sign up to receive email announcement from the city,
Available in English (Thu), Chinese
such
as information on natural disasters, crimes, and fires(Wed and Fri), Spanish (Mon), andof
yourarea in the language of your choice. Scan the QR
Korean (2nd and 4th Tue) from1: 00 p. m. to 5: 00 p. m. at the code and register!
Consultation Counter for ForeignMultilingual “Koho Kashiwa,” monthly official city bulletin
Residents ( City Hall Main Office
Building, 3rd floor).
Scan the QR code and select your language under “ Foreign
Tel: 04 - 7168 – 1033
Language” to read the official city bulletin, “Koho Kashiwa,” selected
No reservation required.
and translated for foreign residents.

Links for Multilingual News & BOSAI INFO (Disaster prevention and Coronavirus)
NHK WORLD-JAPAN

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)