阿波ライフ

262

AWA LIFE

A monthly newsletter for the international residents of Tokushima Prefecture, produced
by TOPIA, the Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association.

May

Toppy says: “Don’t h8!”

the peter pan you never knew
Sarah Nelson

In case you
didn't know,
Tokushima AJET
does not havea monopoly
on awesomemusicals,

An interview with Lisa Yasutake, the producer of this year's Kochi
Tosaben musical, "Ekin in Neverland"since our JET counterparts in Kochi
also put on a bangin' show every
year, with the primary difference

being all the dialogue is in the local
Japanese dialect of tosaben . They
also donate their proceeds every

President Hook and his pirates

year to funding one or two students

Seinenkai and its members?

to go study abroad! My buddy Lisa

GENKI Seinenkai started in 1996
and we have put on a musical in
the local dialect every year sincethen. The musical is made fromscratch--the script, songs andlyrics, choreography, costumes,
sets and props, posters, etc. This
year, we are made up of 17 actors,
about 10 crew members (notincluding actors who are crew aswell) and 8 Japanese volunteers.
Most of the members are ALTs
or CIRs with the JET Program,
although some years we haveother foreigners living in Kochi

Yasutake, who is this year's producer,
was kind enough to answer a
few burning questions for me:
How did the musical get
started? How many years
has it been running?

GENKI Seinenkai started witha JET working at the kencho
in Kochi, and it has definitely
grown over the years! This year's
musical is the 17th production.
Could you tell me about Genkiand Japanese people join as well.
What is this year's story
about, and who wrote it?

This year's story is a mash-up of
Ekin, a famous painter from Kochi
known for his vivid depictionsof kabuki plays, and the story ofPeter Pan. Ekin is fired from his
job as a painter, being framed formaking a forgery, and is invitedby Pita Pan (yes, PITA Pan) to theworld of Never Neba-neba Land.
There he encouters Lost Voice, anidle group of quirky characters notready to grow up. Chasing Pita

The Peter Pan You Never Knew ...continued on page 3

262
May

awa life

Toppy says: “Don’t h8!”This month in Awa Life
1

The Peter Pan You Never
Knew
Sarah Nelson

4

Housing for Snakes
Remco Rijkhoff

6

Irene's Recipe Corner
Irene Wachuga

7

Topizo at Large

8Japanese Lesson

9

Letter from Suketo Hoikuen

editor's page
Howdy Tokers,Ahhh, the merry month of May. What
can I say about this month? Sometimes
it’s a struggle to ﬁnd something relevant
to write in this bit. Would anyone reallycare if I wrote something irr elevant...? Such as how
many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie
Roll Pop? (Does anyone really know? Maybe weshould ask Lil’ Kim...)Anyway, this month we have an interview by
yours truly with the producer of an annual volunteer
musical...not in Tokushima! Haha. Gotcha. Also moreoven-building adventures from our friend Remco out
west, a recipe, another dubious comic, and so muchmore. Eat your proverbial heart out, dear readers.
Best,
Sarah

Sarah Nelson

Yoko Aoki

Kazue Inoue

10 News & Events
12 Memoranda

awa life

is a monthly publication of the Tokushima Prefectural
International Exchange Association (TOPIA).
Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)〒 770-0831
Tokushima City, Terashima Honcho Nishi 1-61
Clement Plaza 6F
Tel
088-656-3303
Fax 088-652-0616
Email topia@topia.ne.jp
HP www.topia.ne.jp
An electronic version of Awa Life is also available fordownload from the TOPIA homepage.

2

TOPIA

The Peter Pan You Never Knew ...continued from page 1

Pita Pan and Tink

Pan and Lost Voice is President
Hook of Pirates, Inc. (a company
selling pirated goods) and hissalarymen underlings. Ekin getscaught up in the hubbub of these
two groups, and the rest you'll justhave to find out from the show!
We had a brainstorming session
with a bunch of people to decide
the theme and another meeting
to solidify the storyline. This
storyline was passed on to 6 writers(ALTs and CIRs) who then wrote
a scene each in Japanese. I strung
together the scenes so they madesense with each other, then asked
many native tosaben speakers
to check it. There were probably
more than 10 of us involved in
the whole writing process.

their trip, but it does help.
perfect and past
progressive verb
How is the musical received
conjugation. There isby audiences in Kochi?
a difference between
雨がふりゆう、ふっ We do get a lot of positive
ちゅう、ふりよった、 feedback. Sometimes we're toldthat they couldn't understandand ふっちょった .
half the things that were being
said, but that they were throughly
Could you tell me a bitentertained. There are some people
about the fund for kids
who come to watch every year!
to go study abroad?
For the GENKI
What kinds of viewers
scholarship, wecome to the show?
advertise theapplication to students This depends on the location.
In the inaka, we get a lot of oldaround Kochi throughpeople who just adore the idea
JETs and newspaperof us speaking in tosaben. In
articles. There is athe city we get a lot of families
criteria that they beoriginally from Kochi or with young children (our secretlive in Kochi now, and have applied goal each year is to make at least
one of them cry!). We don't getor plan to apply to a certain study
as many students as we would
program. We usually get about 3-5
like, but I did go to an English
applicants a year, so they have aCamp at another JET's school
pretty good chance of getting it!
After the applications are in, we ask once and was approached by abunch of squeaking girls asking
them to come in for an interview(usually the producer and directors if I was Ouma from the musical(this was a year after the fact, so I
on the panel), then we choose who
was impressed that I left such an
and how much, depending on our
impression!). Of course, at every
budget. We try to choose people
place we go, we do get a lot of
who express a passion to return
JETs and coworkers in the area
to Kochi and help internationalize
coming out to show their support.
here. The scholarship we give
doesn't cover the whole cost of

Do the JET participants ever havedifficulty with the tosaben dialect?

Yes. Even for those who speak
Japanese, the intonation of tosaben
is difficult to master. Also, tosaben
is the only dialect in Japanese (orso I've been told) to have a present
perfect, present progressive, past

TOPIA

Pita, Tink, and the Lost Voice ( ロストボイス )3

“Obaachansand ojiichansare proud of us
because we speak
more tosaben
than the younger
generation
here...In a way, I
guess we get thepeople of Kochi
to reflect on theirown language
and identity.”
Do you think the show
contributes to international
exchange in the community?

Yeah, definitely. Even from theplanning stages, when I ask
coworkers and people I teachEnglish to help me with Tosaben,that breaks down walls very
quickly. Actors asking theircoworkers or Japanese friends
for help with their tosaben lines
create new bonds not possible withEnglish or standard Japanese. I
think the people here are thrilled

when they realize that foreigners
want to learn their dialect.
Suddenly we JETs go from being
foreigners who simply come andgo (taking a lot of money!) tobeing individuals who are here
because we want to learn about
and be a part of the community.
Some people even feel encouraged
to study English (or anotherlanguage) saying that if it's
possible for us to learn tosaben,
there may be hope for them.
Also, the smaller towns andvillages don't get a lot of big
shows, and some of the older
people can't easily make the trip
to the city, so the people there
really appreciate the fact that wetravel so far to bring the show tothem. They have their respective
ALT or CIR, but it's rare that they
get a large number of gaikokujin
in their town at one time.
Obaachans and ojiichans areproud of us because we speak
more tosaben than the younger
generation here. They say thatyounger people in Kochi should
feel proud of their dialect andnot be ashamed because it
makes them sound like country

Housing for snakes
Remco Rijkhoff“R

ecently a brand new
housing complex
for snakes and bugs has been
constructed in Mima. The grandopening of this complex –which was entirely designed andconstructed by Remco Rijkhoff,
the Dutch C.I.R. in Mima City took place during Golden Week.
All snakes and bugs currently
residing in the Tokushima area4

bumpkins. In a way, I guess we get
the people of Kochi to reflect on
their own language and identity.
What do you and the other
JET participants get out of
the show personally?

Having practices each weekend
does help us get out of bed in thecold winter when we're more likely
to be less active. Practices offer
us a chance to come together andbond, something I feel helps tobring together the whole Kochi JET
community. Some JETs come frompretty far each weekend, but I thinkthey find it worth it for the chance
to get out of their coop and get out
and socialize. Of course, there arepeople who are interested in theater,
dance and music, so it gives them an
opportunity to offer up their skills.
For JETs with less-than-satisfying
work, the musical helps establish asense of usefulness or productivity.
Also, in terms of learning tosaben,
it helps some participants get closer
with their community ("Ha! You
speak Tosaben? Let's talk!") andstudents ("OMG Lisa-Sensei justsaid 'Shicchuu!'"). It is a lot of hard
work, but that feeling after thelast show is just priceless.

A follow-up article from Remco in Mima about his second oven-building
adventureare kindly invited to check out
the premises. They can stay ifthey like; rent will be free.”It’s been a year since I completed
the building of a medieval stoneoven in Mima which, since then,has been used by scholars, students,
tourists and other interested people
to make bread and pizza, and to
experience a little bit of European

cuisine. I guess you could say it has
been a great success. When I visitedBlue Villa Anabuki (an onsen resort
along the Anabuki River in Mima)in October 2011 in order to discuss
the use of their barbecue house fora Dutch smoking day, it did nottake long before the conversation
took another turn: “We would love
to have a stone oven here. Could
you build one for us?” I must say,

TOPIAthe oven wall properly penetrated
by a temperature probe from
Down Under. This could work!

An unstoppable duo of smoking and baking“I must say, I
had a great time
designing andbuilding the lastone, a project thattook me almost ayear, but building
another one? I had
to think about it…for almost awhole minute.”
I had a great time designing andbuilding the last one, a projectthat took me almost a year, butbuilding another one? I had tothink about it…for almost a whole
minute. "Sure, I would love too!"

I could not help myself. I have toadmit it. I am hooked on buildingstone ovens, because it is justso much fun to do! “Here we goagain” I thought, while walking
down to the barbecue house where
the oven was eventually to bebuilt. This new oven had to meet a
couple of particular requirements,
which the designer within me had
to deal with. The oven had to be:

TOPIA* cheap* simple to use* a pizza oven* a smoker!
* relatively narrow (to fit onto
a 0.75m x 3m workbench)
After months of studying andhaving dozens of ideas, I cameup with the following design: ahorizontal smoker-oven combi, theleft 2 meters a good old fashioned
American steel barbecue-smoker,
the right 2 meters an Italian tunnelshaped stone pizza oven, covered
with a thick layer of Japanese loam
mixed according to a Dutch recipe,

And then my luck started to kickin. ● I needed a massive steel pipe,
approximately 75cm in diameter,
to make a smoker out of ➡ foundcheaply at a local scrapyard ● I
needed many metal bits and pieces
that you ordinarily don't find inany store ➡ given to me for free
by a local steel factory after I
popped by with an odd request for
metal scrap ● I needed someone
to weld the smoker ➡ done
cheaply by a friend of a friend● I needed someone who could
build a concrete supporting slab
➡ done cheaply by a friend who
is a temple carpenter ● I needed
20 of bags of sand ➡ given tome for free by a local cement
factory ● I needed a mixer tomix my loam with ➡ lent to me
for free by a friend of a friend.
And the list goes on and on…
And now, after 4 months of hard
physical labor, a period during
which I hardly showed up at the

The afore-mentioned housing

5

office and replaced my regulartools of electronic dictionary andlaptop for hammer, chisel, grinder& trowel, my oven-smoker ispractically finished. A final
portion of luck came to me justone month before completion,
when I had taken to the idea ofcovering the complete supporting
section of the oven with clay inwhich I would insert river stones
from our beautiful Anabuki River.
When I showed the results of
one day of experimenting to afriend of a friend—who happens
to be a traditional Japanesegardener—this guy did not holdback in his judgment. He gave
it to me plain and simple, as

I like it: “It looks like crap!”

somewhere to live too, right?”“You've built such a beautiful
oven, such a beautiful smoker,
and then you decide to decorate
it with such a cheap-looking clay
layer with pressed-in stones. I
don't like it. My advice to you is,
get rid of it! “But what should I do
then?” I asked, “I want to see lotsof colourful river stones”. “Aha.
I think you should try to lay thestones as if they were bricks. Stackthem layer for layer so you’ll only
see their sides, and make sure thatyou don’t see the mortar but plentyof sukima (spaces in between),‘cause we Japanese like sukima,
and the snakes and bugs needSo, that's what I did. In ten
minutes I chiseled away one dayof hard labor, and in the following
four weeks I laid the river stones
I collected in a way that Japaneselike it best, with plenty of sukima
for snakes and bugs to live in. So,
if you are fond of sukima yourself,
and you enjoy eating stone-ovenpizza or smoked pork or fish,
please contact Blue Villa Anabuki
in Mima City (0883-55-3777) toarrange a gastronomical experiencealong the cleanest and mostbeautiful river of Shikoku. Just one
thing: don’t mind the snakes…

irene’s recipe corner

Buri (Yellowtail) Teriyaki!

Irene WachugaTeriyaki is a cooking techniquein which the food is broiled or
grilled in a sweet tare, [marinade].
Teri means the shine or luster
given by the sugar content in thesauce and yaki means the cooking
method of grilling or broiling.
Since grilling is time consuming
and very apt to scorched meals,
this recipe is for pan frying.
The traditional teriyaki foodin Japan is of course fish, butchicken and pork have gained
popularity due to western
influence. Though white meat iswhat works well for this sauce,
hamburgers and meatballs also
taste good. Try using your favorite
meat/fish and give it a try.
Ingredients [serves 4]• 400g yellowtail fillets/100g each• ¼ cup soy sauce/mirin

6

any excess liquid and reserve
the rest of the marinade sauce.

Buri Teriyaki• 2 tbsp sake• 2 tbsp sugar• Cooking oil [about 2 Tbsp]
Cooking
1. Wash the fish to get rid ofexcess salt and smell. Pat dry.
2. Mix the sauce ingredients in aflat dish ware and marinate thefish for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Turning over a couple of times
so the flavor absorbs evenly.
3. Remove the fish, pat dry lightly

4. Heat a fry pan on medium heat,
when very hot, add the oil andswirl around to coat the bottom.
Place fillets skin side down andcook for a few minutes until lightly
browned. Flip over and cook theother side for a couple of minutes.
5. With a paper towel, wipe
off any excess oil from thefry pan and add the marinadesauce. Lower the heat to low,cover and simmer for about 4-5
minutes. Brush or baste the fish
as the sauce simmers. When thesauce thickens, turn off heat.
6. Serve with grated daikon
radish and some green vegetables
with a bowl of hot rice.
Itadakimasu !

TOPIAtopizo at large

TOPIA

A comic by Sarah Nelson7今月の日本語Japanese Lesson
Yoko Aoki

Let’s take a look at words that have many meanings. We will learn the meanings and usages of these handy
words to increase your power of expression in Japanese!
This month’s Topic: Dekiru「 できる 」
The word “dekiru”comes from “dete-kuru.” It basically means “something new has been created, ” “to have theability to create something new, ” etc.
できる 」can, to be possible
くるま うんてん
いそがあそい
中国語ができる。/ 車の運転ができない。/ 忙しくて、遊びに行くことができない。

できる（１）「〜（こと）がた なか

ちゅうごく ご・田中さんはできる」 to be finished, to be completed, to be ready
しゅくだい
・駅前に新しいデパートができた。/ やっと宿題ができた。/ ごはんができたよ。
できる（２）「〜が
えきまえ

あたら

できる」 to be made from ~, to be made of ~たてものき・ 牛 乳からバターやチーズができる。/ この建物は木でできている。
できる（３）「〜から／〜でぎゅうにゅうできる」 to be born, to form, to come out
かお・山田さんに 子どもができた。/ 顔に ＊にきびができた。 ＊「にきび」＝ pimples
できる（４）「〜に
やま だ

こ

〜が

ひと

できる」 to be excellent, to do well (at school), be able
すうがく
がくせい
・ 弟 は ＊数学があまりできない。＊「数学」＝ mathematics / あの学生はよくできる。
できる（５）「（人は）〜が
おとうと

すうがく

もんだい

い

み

問題 : つぎの①〜⑤の「できる」の意味を
こ

べんきょう

① この子は勉強ができる。
（
らいねん

まち

だいがく

はや

かえ

ふた り

あいだ

おんな

④ 二人の間に女の子ができた。
（⑤ このかばんはうしかわ

選んでください。

）③ 今日は 早く帰ることができる。
（
こ

えら

）

② 来年この町に大学ができる。
（
きょ う

a 〜 e から））＊牛の革でできている。（

うしかわ）＊「牛の革」＝ calfskin, cowskin[ a. be born, b. can, c. be made of, d. be completed, e. do well, ]Reference:『日本語ジャーナル』「多義語ミニ辞典」（ 問題の答え

8① e、② d、③ b、④ a、⑤ c、
）

TOPIA

letter from Suketo Hoikuen

Child care advice
from our friends at
Suketo Daycare!

Kazue InoueA“ Take a stroll
3. Plantain Tug-o-War: Using the through your local
stalks of two plantains, cross them park and have funover one another as shown, thendiscovering yourbetween you and your child pull on
the ends of each. The first one that surroundings withrips their stalk is the loser! (hint:
your child, which
the thicker the stalk, the better)
will surely spark
4. Shortawn Foxtail Flute: This
their imagination,
plant is often found in and aroundcuriosity, and fillwater-filled rice paddies. Just
Why not enjoy some of thesethem with thetake off the head, fold the leaf
things in the comfort of your own
down as shown, put the stem toneighbourhood? Take a stroll
vim and vigor
your mouth and blow gently.
through your local park and haveof youth.”
fun discovering your surroundingshhh, the merry month ofMay. Can you smell theverdant greenery? This is thetime of year when your little
ones start to venture outside forplaytime in nature’s bounty. They
will delight in seeing flowers inbloom, touching strange littlebugs, and playing in the sandand mud—and why shouldn't
they? It's a brave new world.

tie the strips around your wrist.

with your child, which will
surely spark their imagination,
curiosity, and fill them withthe vim and vigor of youth.
Here are some crafts
you can experiment withusing everyday plants:
1. Dandelion Necklace: Pickabout 6-7 dandelions. At the topof each flower’s stem create ahole and stuff the stem of anotherflower through it. Repeat thisprocess, creating a chain, and at the
top of the last flower’s stem, createa hole and stuff the bottom of thefirst flower’s stem through. Tada!
2. Dandelion Watch: Find adandelion with a thick stem. Using
your nails, peel the stem into two
strips, stopping at the flower, then

TOPIA

9

news & events

May 1 June 1

To post an event of your own, send the details via email to the editors at awalife@gmail.com .

Machi Asobi Vol. 8
マチ★アソビ vol.8
In this 8th installment of Tokushima’s increasingly

第 8 回となる今回は、●ひょうたん島周遊船「橋の下美popular anime event known as Machi Asobi there

術館」●ロープウェイアナウンス●エンターテインメン

will be special boat rides around the city center with

ト業界関係者トークイベント●パラソルショップ

artwork underneath the bridges, announcements

メジャック●コスプレイベント

at the Bizan ropeway, a talk show with entertainers

いきます !!

アニなどなど !! 盛り上げてof the industry, and parasol shop stands, cosplay
events, and more!

日時： 5 月 3 日 ( 木・祝 ) ~ 5 月 5 日 ( 土・祝 )場所： 徳島市内中心部他

When: May 3 (Thurs/holiday) - 5 May (Sat/holiday)

問合せ：アニメまつり実行委員会

Where: Tokushima city center

TEL :088-621-2356

Anime Festival Committee

URL：

http://www.machiasobi.com/

TEL:

088-621-2356

入場料：無料！

URL:

http://www.machiasobi.com/

Cost:

Free!

Info:

German Wine Festival
ドイツワイン祭り
At this festival there will be over 100 different kinds

ドイツワイン約 100 種類が勢ぞろい！試飲・販売されま

of wine to sample and purchase. There will also

す。その他ドイツソーセージやドイツビール、ドイツパ

be German sausage, beer, bread, and many other

ンなど、ドイツの美味しいものが大集合！ミ二コンサー

specialties! There will be a mini classical concert andトや、ドイツからのワイン醸造家によるセミナーも開催

a seminar with a wine brewer.

されます♪

When: May 3 (Thurs/holiday) - May 5 (Sat/holiday)

日時： 5 月 3 日 ( 木・祝 ) ~ 5 月 5 日 ( 土・祝 )10:00 ~ 16:00

10:00 - 16:00
Where: Naruto German House

場所： 鳴門市ドイツ館

Info:

Naruto German House

問合せ：鳴門市ドイツ館

TEL:

088-689-0099

TEL :

Free!

入場料：無料！

Cost:

088-689-0099

Japanese Lessons at Suketo Hoikuen (free)
助任保育園の日本語教室（無料）
When: Every Thursday, 11:00 - 12:00

日時： 毎週木曜日、11:00 〜 12:00

Cost:

Free, and child care is also available!

金額： 託児付き（無料）

Info:Call TOPIA at

問合せ：トピアまで

TEL 088-656-3303

10

TEL 088-656-3303

TOPIA

Operation: Mt. Tsurugi Clean Up
剣山クリーンアップ大作戦
Our lovely Mt. Tsurugi, which stands at 1955 meters

多くの登山客でにぎわう、標高 1955m の日本百名山「剣and is one of the 100 tallest mountains in Japan,

山」の登山道を、みんなでキレイにしましょう！春の美enjoys so many tourists coming and going that it is

しい剣山は、見どころもいっぱいです。クリーンアップ

in need of a bit of spring cleaning! As a special gift

参加者特典として、「つるぎの湯 大桜」もしくは「ブルーto volunteers, participants in this effort will receive

ヴィラあなぶき」の入浴券をプレゼントします。ゴミ袋・

a free entry ticket to either the Tsurugi Yu Ozakura

軍手は配布いたします。昼食・飲み物・雨具は各自ご持or Blue Villa Anabuki onsens. Trash bags and gloves

参ください。多くの方のご参加をお待ちしております！

will be provided. Please bring your own lunch anddrinks. Let’s get as many volunteers as we can!

日時： 5 月 19 日 ( 土 ) 10:00
場所： 剣山見ノ越

登山リフト駐車場

When: May 19 (Sat) 10:00

問合せ：美馬市商工観光課

Where: parking garage at Mt. Tsurugi chair lift

TEL：

Info:

Mima Commerce, Industry and Tourism Div.

入場料：無料！

TEL:

088-621-5225

Cost:

Free!

088-352-2644

Spring Rose Festival
春のバラまつりIn this rose garden there are over 1000 roses of 270

バラ園では、270 種類・1,000 株のバラが植栽され、期

different kinds in bloom, and during the event there

間中には、藍住町の特産品等の販売を行います！

will also be stalls selling local specialties of Aizumi.
日時： 5 月 5 日 ( 土・祝 ) ~ 5 月 20 日 ( 日 )When: May 5 (Sat/holiday) - May 20 (Sun)

場所： 藍住町バラ園

Where: Aizumi Rose Garden

問合せ：藍住町建設産業課

Info:

Aizumi Construction and Industry Division

TEL：

TEL:

088-637-3120

入場料：無料！

Cost:

Free!

088-637-3120

Kamiyama Onsen Festival
神山温泉まつりThe annual Onsen Festival held in Kamiyama

毎年恒例の温泉まつりです。人形浄瑠璃・あめごつかみ

includes Awa Ningyo Joruri puppet performances,

取り・特産品販売など、多種多彩の催しがあります。

games for the kids such as a ﬁsh-catching contest,
and speciality food vendors, among others.

日時： 5 月 27 日 ( 日 ) 10:00 ~ 16:00
場所： 神山温泉保養センター・ホテル四季の里

When: May 27 (Sun) 10:00 - 16:00

問合せ：神山温泉まつり実行委員会

Where: Kamiyama Onsen Preservation Center,

TEL：

Hotel Shiki no Sato
Info:

Kamiyama Onsen Festival CommitteeTEL:

088-676-1117

Cost:

Free!

TOPIA

088-676-1117

入場料：無料！

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2012 Tokushima Japanese Speech Contest
PURPOSE: True internationalisation cannot be achieved without ﬁrst coming in touch with other cultures and waysof life, fostering a sense of international awareness and gaining mutual understanding with people of the world tocreate a society in which we can all work and live together in harmony. This speech contest seeks to give a voice tothe international residents of Tokushima Prefecture and engage them in a dialogue to further discourse on international understanding and cooperation.
DATE & PLACE: July 16th, 2012 (Monday, a public holiday), 13:30 - 16:30
Awagin Hall (Tokushima Prefecture Kyodo Bunka Kaikan)
Main Conference Room (4F)
CONTESTANTS: A total of 10-12 contestants will be chosen from the applications. Only foreign residents of Tokushima Prefecture whose native language is not Japanese and who have not previously participated in this speech
contest are eligible to apply. Also, to provide the event with as much international character as possible, only one
person from any one country is permitted to take part (a maximum of two people are permitted to take part if there
are many applicants from one country).
THEME: The topic is left to your discretion, but it should relate to the event’s purpose of international understanding and international cooperation.
LENGTH: Speeches should be no more than 7 minutes in length.
WHERE TO APPLY: Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association. (TOPIA)
770-0831 Tokushima-shi, Terashima-honcho, Nishi 1-61, Clement Plaza 6F
TEL: 088-656-3303
FAX: 088-652-0616
DEADLINE: May 25, 2012 (Friday) Applications must be turned in by 5:00 pm.

Purple Hotline - Women’s Shelter Network
The Purple Hotline is a free telephone counseling and consulatation service provided by the All Japan Women’s
Shelter Network for women and children faced with problems due to the Tohoku disaster, or domestic violence andother types of abuse. These counselors can provide support and necessary information, so don’t hesitate to call.
English-speaking counselors are available Mondays through Thursdays from 13:00 to 19:00.
Dial 0120-941-826, and non-Japanese callers may press 1 for other language options including Chinese, Thai,
English, Tagalog, Spanish, and Korean.

Counselling Service at TOPIA
トピアの相談窓口
TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all foreign residents to help with issues involving accidents,
working conditions, housing, visas, international marriage, and more. Counselling is available in English andJapanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Every day, 10:00 - 18:00
Tel: 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter) or 088-656-3303

人権守って輝く明日
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TOPIA