#281

January 2014

Happy New Year!

Artwork by: Hisatoyo Murasawa

Page 3-4: Seeing in the Rising Sun
Page 4-5, 9: Wander-ful Tabi: Sengu Shrines
Page 6: Fitness Corner; Page 7: Letter from Suketo Hoikuen
Page 8-9: Japanese Lesson; Page 10: Irene's Recipe Corner
Page 11-12: Events & Memoranda

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is a monthly publication of theTokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)

Jenifer Tanikawa & Martin Rathmann
Hisatoyo Murasawa, Yuri Ikegami, Matt
Lindsay, Lance Kita, Clint Eckstein, Kazue
Inoue, Kyoko Kamura, Irene Wachuga

Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@topia.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!

Happy New Year! Frohes Neues Jahr!
Another year has comeand gone in a blink of aneye, and here we areready to embark on a
new year, 2014! You may
all have noticed the everso gallantly prancing horse
gracing our cover andyou may have pondered
to yourself as to why ahorse is featured on the
cover. Well, it just so
happens to be the Chinese
astrological year of thehorse.
Horses aside, we are
excited to see what 2014
has in store for us. With
the new year, we decided
to make slight changes to
the Awa Life design inregards to the formatting of
the headlines and captions.
Of course we are always
open to submissions andsuggestions, so email
away!

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Be it fiction, nonfiction,prose or poetry; funny,sad, long or short, wewant your submissions! If
you like to write, thenexpress yourself!
There is also a classifieds
section for you, ourreaders, to post ads in,
but a few rules do apply!
The following will not be
posted: Religious, political,
or commercial activities,businesses searching forclients or employees,
things the Awa Life editors
deem inappropriate.

the Tokushima community,
email the editors at
awalife@gmail.com!
Whether you’re an avid
reader or new to Awa Lifeor perhaps you justhappened to pick it up,
we hope you’ll enjoy
reading this issue andmany more to come!
Well, we hope you’ll havean absolutely scintillating
year!
Your editors,
Martin and Jenifer

BUT, you can totallysubmit this stuff:
Concerts, lectures, andother event information,
cultural, sporting, andother community group
information, etcetera.
If you have something you
would like to share with

Artwork by: Yuri Ikegami

Seeing in the Rising Sun
By Matt Lindsaythat traditionally flock toTokushima's best known
shrine, Oasa Jinja.

Taiko drummers beating the chill on Bizan (Matt Lindsay)

So here you are in the'land of the rising sun' to
see in the New Year.
What to do? Dependingon the weather, theanswer should be crystal
clear - witness the firstsunrise of the year, an
experience known as
hatsuhinode () .
There are two ways you
can approach hatsuhinode;
for the hardcore party
types, countdown the New
Year then party throughuntil daybreak, for thequieter types you might
prefer to get some sleep
before rising at dawn.
In
recentyears
inTokushima, a hatsuhinodeevent has been held at
the summit of Mt Bizan.
Wearing only thin cotton
clothes, taiko drummers
braved the elements toperform before those who
had assembled to enjoy
the expansive views of
the sun rising over thecity. Perhaps it was just alittle too cold for those
hardy drummers to take,as unfortunately this year
there will not be any
performances at the top.
Nonetheless, it still will bepossible to enjoy the firstsunrise of the year withouteven having to hike ordrive to the summit. The
Bizan Ropeway, whichruns from the Awa Odori
Kaikan at the foot of
Bizan to the summit, will
be open from 6 a.m.
While you're at the top
you can kill two birds with
one stone so to speak
too. The first visit to ashrine for the year, known
as hatsumode (), isa deeply engrained New
Year custom, where people
pray for a happy andprosperous year. As there
is a small shrine at thesummit, you can observe
this custom here andthereby avoid the crazytraffic jams and crowds

This year the focus of
hatsuhinode will shift frommountain to coast. From
6:30 a.m, Uzu-no-michi,
the walkway under the
Naruto Bridge, will be
open to the public. Hereyou can witness the firstsunrise of 2014 over the
Pacific
Ocean
while
suspended directly above
Naruto's famous Uzushio whirlpools. For thoseenthusiastic enough tobrave the cold, free hot
drinks will be handed out.
(Most likely the hot ginger
drink, shoga-yu, which
therapeutically warms the
body.) Later in the day
between 1 and 2 p.m., there
will be performances ofthe shishimai lion dance,
another New Year custom.

This year's Hatsuhinodeevent will be at Naruto's Uzushio whirlpools (Matt Lindsay)

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Seeing in the Rising Sun(con't from page 3)

If getting out on New
Year's Day sounds liketoo much effort for you,there are opportunities toenjoy other New Yearfestivities at Uzu-no-michi
in the following days. On
January 2nd traditional

New Year zenzai redbean soup with a local
flavour of Naruto kintoki
sweet potato will beavailable free of charge.
To conclude the event,there will be performances of the Awa Odori
on January 3rd.

While it’s bound to becold, you’re sure to feelthe warmth of the local
community should you
venture out for New Year.
Whatever you do, be safe,
be happy and have agood one. Yoi-o-toshi-wo!

Wander-ful Tabi: Sengu Shrines - Cycles of Life (Part 1)
By Lance Kita
How fast 20 years pass...
In 1993, I first stepped footin Japan as an exchange
student in Kobe. Wondering
if I'll ever come backagain (little did I know), I
fervently traveled whenevera holiday presented itself.
Two decades later (nine years
of it spent in Tokushima),a pair of trips stirred such
powerful memories that I
chose to revisit them
recently.
An early January 1994 trip
brought me to Shimane
Prefecture. My Hawaiian
blood was struggling with
the newfound cold of theJapan Sea, but uponentering the pine forest of
Izumo Taisha)
Shrine, the wind stilled
and what loomed before
me were the gracefulcurves of a shingled roof
and a massive straw rope,
twisted and hung from its
rafters.
The land of Izumo is
steeped in myth, being the4

The famed shimenawa, or rice straw rope, hanging from thehaiden (offertory hall) of Izumo Taisha is one of the biggest
in Japan. (Lance Kita)

exiled home of Susano-o), one of thethree major deities bornfrom the creation gods
Izanagi and Izanami. Herehe slayed the great dragon
Yamata-no-Orochi), finding a sacredsword in its tail. This blade,
Kusanagi-no-tachi), is one of thethree sacred Imperial
treasures.
The shrine's main deity is

Oo-kuni-nushi),
now known as the deity of
wealth Daikoku)
and one of the seven
lucky gods depicted on
New Year's decorations.
He helped to finish theformation of Ashihara-noNakatsukuni, what are
now the islands of Japan.
Upon its completion, heyielded control of the land
to descendants of the sun
goddess Amaterasu), Susano-o’s sister.

Wander-ful Tabi: Sengu Shrines(con't from page 4)
In return, he asked that ashrine be built for him thatreached to the heavens.
Although Izumo Taisha's
main hall is the tallest
shrine building in Japan,
massive tree trunks boundtogether in triplets were
found in 2000, leading
researchers to estimatethat older versions may
have been 48 meters tall!
Truly a shrine of heavenly
proportions!
I was told that all of thegods in Japan gathered
here once a year, andthat the tenth month ofthe lunar calendar, Kannazuki) ("the monthof no gods") derived its
name from this annual
event. When Oo-kuni-nushi
relinquished control of thetangible world, he wasgiven reign over the realmof the unseen world,
symbolized by a concept

called "en". En arethe spiritual connections
that ties people's destinies
together, threads woven
into a tapestry of ourlives. The gods gather
every year to discuss how
en will be doled out in the
coming year.
I visited Izumo in early
December, a week after
the gods returned home.
Now is a great time tovisit Izumo Taisha because
it recently underwent a
five-year sengu),
or rebuilding/restoration,that occurs every 60
years. The shingled roofs
are pristine and cleanshaven, still immune tothe slow advance of mossand the elements. Insteadof the usual two claps, I
clapped four times inaccordancewiththetradition that you arepraying for you and theperson you are destined

Oo-kuni-nushi relinquished control of the Japanese islands
here at Inasa Beach. In return, Izumo Taisha was built for him.
(Lance Kita)

to meet. I bought an enmusubi), matchmaking amulet, which iswhat the shrine is most
famous for. As I headed
toward the sea on myrental bike, I made aquick stop at Kami-no-miya), a non-descript shrine
thatservesasthemeeting house for thegods during Kannazuki,
before ending at the frigid
Inasa Beach),the site where Oo-kuninushi traded the mortal
world for a grand shrine
and power over spiritualfate. As I shielded myeyes from the whipping
winds and sands, I felt astrange sense of calmand renewed energy.
In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians
are spiritually connected
to sites called wahi pana,lands that are consideredsacred simply because
there is a story to be toldof that area. The wahipana of Izumo connects
Japanese people to theirislands by the threads ofmyth and legend woven
into their cultural history.
Coming back to it after 20
years renewed my links
to this country, layered
like the shingles on theshrine's roof.
Wander-ful Tabi: Sengu
Shrines...continued
on page 95Fitness CornerSo, you’re doing well on
your workouts, but it’smoving into the middle ofwinter, your apartment iscold, and you need tomake sure to warm up
your muscles so you
don’t get hurt during yourawesome workout! Hereis one good way to warm
up and help you prevent
injury:Stretching your muscles
is a great idea, but you
can’t properly stretch a cold
muscle. Dynamic stretchinguses slow controlled movements to loosen yourmuscles and prepare you
for more strenuous exercise.
It looks a little silly, but itworks great. Here aresome of my favorites.
- Hug your knee: Walk
forward, bringing your left
knee to your chest andgrabbing your left shin togive a light stretch. Do thesame with your right leg.
Continue walking forwards
and alternate between
your left and right legs.

- Active quadriceps stretch:
Walk forward, bringing
your left heel to your butt
and grabbing your ankle
with your left hand to
stretch your quad. Repeat
with the right leg.
- Leg swings: Keeping yourlegs straight and using apole, tree, or chair forbalance, put your weight
onto your left leg andswing your right leg
forward and backwards
ten times. Try to keep
your leg straight without
locking
yourknee.
Keeping your weight on
the left leg swing yourright leg side to side tentimes. Repeat with theother leg.
- Inchworms: Keeping yourlegs straight, bend overand touch your toes.
Slowly walk your hands
forwards, keeping yourfeet still until you arealmost in a push up
position. Keep your hands
where they are and walkyour feet back to yourhands. Stand up, stretch
your hands above yourBy Clint Ecksteinhead, and repeat.
- Lunge and twist: Lunge
forward with your left leg
while keeping your torso
straight. When your left
leg is at a 90 degree
angle, twist your torso to
the left side. Stand backup and repeat with theright leg/right side.
- Arm circles: Hold yourarms straight out to thesides. Using your shoulders,make small circles withyour arms. Do this for 30
seconds and then makecircles in the opposite
direction for another 30
seconds.
- Tip Toes/heel walk: Walk
forward on your tiptoes
for twenty steps without
letting your heels touch
the ground. Now switch
and walk on your heels
for twenty steps keeping
your toes off the ground.
If dynamic stretching isn’t
your thing, do some yoga or
another type of stretchingto keep up your flexibility!
See you next time!

Sunset over the Seto Inland Sea (Martin Rathmann)6Letter From Suketo Hoikuen
By Kazue Inoue
Happy New Year! What
has everyone been up toduring this New Year’s
holiday? In Japan, tocelebrate the New Year(oshogatsu), people
go on their first shrine
visit of the year (hatsumode) and they
enjoy a special New
Year’s osechi meal.
Osechi ryori (
),
which
are
traditional
Japanese meals, are madeup of many different typesof food. As well, each of
the dishes that make uposechisymbolizesaspecial wish or meaning.
For example, the shrimp
is compared to a bent
over senior citizen andsymbolizes a wish for along life. The black soybeans symbolize a wish
for good health. Just as afish has many eggs, thefish roe symbolizes awish to be gifted withmany children. And lastly,
as the roots of theburdock is long and thinand grows deep in thesoil, it symbolizes a wish
for a long and happy life.
Perhaps some of you
have already had osechi
ryori before. I hope thatthe osechi ryori, full ofmany wishes, will bring
you happiness!

This game has long been
played in Japan, and justlike standard badminton,
you hit a birdie with aracket to play.

Instructions
1. Cut open a 1000 ml
milk carton. Cut off theparts as shown in the
diagram.
2. Fold a piece of
cardboard (4cm x 25 cm)
lengthwise. Wrap thebottom portion with tape,and attach it to the milk
carton with tape.
3. Fold the milk carton in
half. Fold the flaps overand tape down to holdthe folded cardboard
together (rounding thecorners will make iteasier to tape together).
Draw on the white portionof the carton.
4. To make the birdie,
tape together two bottle
caps then put it inside acolored plastic bag (20cm
x 20cm) and tie it up.
Wrap the bottle cap withtape over the bag.

Materials
1000 ml Milk Carton
Cardboard (4cm x 25cm)
2 Bottle Caps
Plastic Bag
Scissors
Tape
Pens

How to play
Attach a string to thebirdie, and the safest way
to play is by dangling thebirdie from the racket. As
you hit the birdie, you’llalso be able to enjoy thesound it makes.

or safety, the special
meals that we have forholidays and events are aperfect opportunity to relay
these customs to children.
Lastmonth,
Japan’s
traditional meal, washoku(), was officially added
to the Intangible Cultural
Heritage list by the United
Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization(UNESCO). I hope tocontinue to pass on thistraditional food culture foryears to come.
***

Whether it is a wish forgood harvest, family, health,7

Japanese Lesson
By Kyoko Kamura

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Japanese Lesson
By Kyoko Kamura

Wander-ful Tabi: Sengu Shrines(con't from page 5)
So what of the second trip
I mentioned?
As thisissue is delivered to yourhouse or computer, I am
revisiting that site andfinding new "en" that binds
me to this country. Happy
New Year everyone andmore next time...
Exploring Izumo:
Izumo City in Shimane
Prefecture is about 5hours from Tokushima by
express train. Many of themuseums and attractions
in Izumo and nearby Matsue
City are discounted 30-50%

for foreigners (show yourpassport or resident card).
There is ample multilingualsignage throughout thearea.

The Honden's (main hall) distinctive roof style (taisha-zukuri)
is the oldest design type. (Lance Kita)

9Irene's Recipe Corner
By Irene Wachuga
RISOTTO
Happy New Year. The
holiday season has comeand gone, but the extra
calories refuse to bulge.
After stuffing ourselveswith all the Christmas
delicacies, it's time todetox. So, how aboutsomething delicate andeasy for the digestivesystem? This is an easy
plain risotto, done within
half an hour. Give it a try.
Risotto (Irene Wachuga)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter,(plus 2 more)
1 small onion/a medium
size shallot, finely chopped
2 cups risotto rice (Arborio),
any short grain rice
½ cup dry white wine
6-8 cups chicken orvegetable stock
1 cup grated parmesan
cheeseSalt and pepper to taste

1. Have the stock simmering in a separate pot.
2. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat,
melt the butter and add
the onions. Cook, stirring
until soft and translucent.
About 3 minutes.
3. Add the rice and stir tocoat. Let the rice toast as
you stir constantly for
another 2 minutes. Don’t
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burn.
4. Add the wine andcontinue stirring until it is
all absorbed.
5. Add the stock, one
ladleful at a time, stirringoccasionally. Wait until it
is all absorbed before
adding another one. Keepadding the stock until it’salmost all used up. Checkthe rice for doneness at
this point. The rice should
be cooked, but still has abite to it, or "al dente."
Should take about 15-18
minutes at this point. Add
more stock if you likecreamy risotto.
6. Take the pan off theheat. Stir in the extra
butter and the cheese.
7. Taste and adjust theseasonings.
8. Serve hot.
Notes
- Risotto is very versatile,
so add any veggies/meat

you like. Goes extremely
well with bacon too.
- If adding mushrooms,
add in after sautéing theonions and proceed as
usual.
- If adding green peas or
shrimp, add 2-3 minutes
before you take it off theheat.
- Practice is the only
teacher for cooking risotto.
Different rice varieties will
absorb stock and cookdifferently. So check fordoneness as you cook
until you find your favorite
creamy point.

Events & Memoranda
Taisan Temple Chikara Mochi (Contest of Strength)
Every year on the third Sunday ofJanuary, the temple holds their very firstevent of the year on temple grounds.
Men, women, children, and toddlers
carry rice cakes of various weight,
169kg, 50kg, 10kg and 5kg respectively,
and compete to see who can walk thefurthest in this thrilling competition.
When: January 19 (Sunday)
10:00-15:00 (Sign up from 10:00)
Where: Taisan Temple
Itano District, Kamiita-cho,
Kanyake Aza Daisen 4
Cost: Free
Info: Taisan Temple
TEL: 088-694-5525:1( ) 10:00-15:00: 10:00~)(

Awa Ningyo Joruri Puppet Theater Performance
The Nakamura Sonodayu-za troupe will
be putting on an Awa Ningyo Joruri
performance. For more enjoyement, wehave made the play easier tounderstand. And so, we will be givingout a modernized version of thescreenplay, subtitles will be shown on
screen, and Mr. Takeo Yamato will becommenting on all of the plays. Year by
year we are seeing a growth in theaudience and more and more young
people are coming out to enjoy thisperformance.
When: January 26 (Sunday) 13:00
Where: Yume Hall
(Anan City Cultural Center)
135-1 Nishi Ikeda, Tomioka-cho,Anan City
Cost: 100 yen (Free: High school student
and below)
Info: Non Profit Organization Yume
Hall Civic Council
TEL: 0884-21-0808

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Events & Memoranda!

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As of Dec 1st: New Cycling Law in Effect
In order to help alleviate the number of bicycle related accidents, as of December
1st 2013, a new cycling law has been added to the Road Traffic Law. Cyclists must
now keep to the left-hand side of the road. Cyclists found cycling on the right-handside of the road, may face up to 3 months in prison or a fine of up to 50,000 yen.
Previously, cyclists were allowed to ride on either side of narrow side lanes also
used by pedestrians in the absence of sidewalks, however, now they must stay on
the left side of the road at all times.
For more information please refer to the Metropolitan Police Department website:www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/kotu/bicycle/menu.htm

Counselling Service at TOPIA
TOPIA offers a counselling and advisory service to all foreign residents to help withissues involving accidents, working conditions, housing, visas, international marriage,and more. Counselling is available in English and Japanese. Please note that although
every effort will be made, we may not be able to deal with all cases.
Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)12