aWa life

March 2017
# 320

Tokushima Marathon:
10th Anniversary

Awa Shoku: Wakame
SeaweedExperiencing the
Pilgrimage for a Day

1

Awa Life is a Monthly Publication of the Tokushima
Prefectural International Exchange Association

Spring is coming closer and closer. We can feel it all around us, with the birds starting to sing in themorning and plum blossoms appear slowly on the trees. This also means the popular Tokushima
Marathon will take place again this year for the 10th time. Are you going to participate and run the 42
km course? If you decide to challenge yourself we wish you good luck and がんばってください . Also,
we would like to thank all of you for sending back your surveys! We look forward to serving you better.
For all of those who like writing, please feel free to submit an article to us at any point in time aboutbasically anything. There are a few limitations though, such as you can’t write about religion, politics,
commercial activities or businesses or anything that we deem inappropriate. But, other than that, we
would be more than happy to receive articles about anything and everything including but not limited
to, concerts, lectures, other events, culture, sports, community group information or anything cool that’s
happening in your local community.
We highly appreciate all of your articles and we love reading them. So if that writing bug of yours isbuzzing about, grab a pen or a computer and write and send away! Please send all submissions to ouremail:

awalife@gmail.com

Your editors,
Daralyn and Franzi

Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi, Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN, Clement Plaza 6F
Tel: 088-656-3303 Fax: 088-652-0616
http://www.topia.ne.jp/
Download a PDF file of awa life or view the online version by going to TOPIA's website!

Editors:
Daralyn Yee and Franziska Neugebauer
Contributors This Month:
Kazue Inoue, Haruko Miyoshi, Lance Kita, Junko Kimura, Jessica Needham, Rika Macauley2Contents
Pg. 2:

Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

Pg. 3-4:

Tokushima Marathon: 10th Anniversary

Pg. 5-6:

Experiencing the Pilgrimage for a Day

Pg. 6-7:

Monitor Tour: Exploring Our New Home		

Pg. 8:

Japanese Lesson

Pg. 9:

Awa Shoku: You see weeds? I seaweed!

Pg. 10-11: Events and Memoranda
Letter from SUKETO NAKAYOSHI

By Kazue Inoue (Center for Early Childhood Education and Care SUKETO NAKAYOSHI)D

o your children have problems withconstipation? In specific, mothers may haveanxiety because small children are still not at astage where they can self-manage.
Ways to cure constipation:・Live a regular lifestyle.
・Be cautious about diet. Eat foods that cureconstipation (gobo (burdock root), satsuma imo(variety of sweet potato), grain, mushrooms,
soy products, konyaku, seaweed, fruits, kanten(agar), yogurt, olive oil, natto (fermented
soybeans), etc.)
・Stay hydrated. Drinking one cup of boiled waterthat has been cooled is effective.
・Have your child do proper exercises. It is
important to train the muscles.
・Be sure to form bathroom habits…However,there are cases of this being of emotional burden,
where your child may become constipated inwhich this is a failure. Therefore, be sure not toscold your child while forming these habits. (Also,
for children still in diapers, be sure to take time
to do this after each meal.)*It is best to cure constipation by changing one’s
lifestyle. In the case that it is incurable, it is best
to consult with a doctor.
＊＊＊
Flower card

Materials: construction paper, scissors, pen
Directions:
1) Fold a piece of construction paper as seenin the image above. Cut the paper so that it isshaped like a flower.
2) In the middle of the flower, draw a picture.
3) Following the folds, fold up the petal part inorder.
*You can use it like this as a message card andput it in top of a present. Also, keep it in its folded
state and let it float atop of bath water. You canlook forward to the flower opening over time.

I

3

Tokushima Marathon: 10th Anniversary
By Daralyn Yee & Franziska Neugebauert ' s t h a t t i m e o f y e a r a g a i n ! The annual
Tokushima Marathon will kick of on March 26th
and this year marks its 10th year anniversary.
Though the marathon typically takes place in April,
this year it will take place one month earlier sothat participants can run in a comfortable climate.
Because this is our first year in Tokushima, wewanted to know more about this marathon. In

this issue, we ask the head of the marathon,
Mr. Toshifumi Morisaki of the Festivity Planning
Division, what it takes to organize such a large
event, and give our readers a behind the scenes
look at this popular annual marathon. Be sure tojoin the crowds and cheer on the runners for thisspecial 10th Anniversary Marathon! Also, best ofluck to those participating!

Is this your first year organizing theTokushima Marathon?
Yes, it is the first year that I am responsible fororganizing the event. I was actually already part ofthe committee for last year’s Tokushima Marathon
which took place on April 24th in 2016 but since I
just started working in the executive committee in
April 2016, I do not have much knowledge about
the whole organizing process.

control of the roads with the police and others who
often use the road. Because of this, the opinion ofthese people is necessary or else we are unable
to proceed, it takes a bit of time to settle theseissues. During the marathon the traffic on theroads is restricted. The citizens allow us to use
the road during this time, but we have to makesure that these issues are handled and discussedwith care and precision.
What is different this year compared to lastyear’s Tokushima Marathon?
Since this year marks the 10th anniversary of theTokushima Marathon we established a special
Fun Run. The Fun Run takes place over a 3.5
km long course on the day before the actual
Marathon. Middle school students and up canparticipate just for fun. Furthermore, we adjusted
the starting point to a more wide area this year
which means more people can start running fromthe same line at the same time. The other years
the starting point was too narrow and it took along time until every runner was able to finally
start running the marathon.

What is difficult in organizing such a large
event?
The marathon uses the public road that thecitizens' use. We need to have everyone’s
understanding, and also need to coordinate theHow many runners are participating this year?
We are still in the process of finalizing theTokushima Marathon
numbers for this year. This year we received
14,300 applicants online. We reached thesenumbers in about only three days. There are also
applicants who have applied through different
methods such as banktransfer. Because there
were various w ays toapply, we are still in
the process of counting
the applicants for the
marathon. Foreign
runners have also been
applying through a travel
agency. Our executive
committee still has notcounted all of the applications. The maximum
capacity for the marathon is 15,000 people.
How many are from abroad?
We do not have exact numbers for this either,
but there is definitely a rise in the number ofparticipants than there was last year. I believe lastyear there were about
135 foreign entries.
This year’s number isdefinitely much larger
than that. We havea lot of participantsfrom Taiwan and
China. Word about the
marathon probably
spreads quite quickly
in these countries. We
advertise the marathon through travel agencies
for those abroad, and our staff has also goneto Taiwan to promote the marathon. Following
the participants from China and Taiwan, there
are many participants from America, England,and Australia. However, there are not many
participants from Western countries as comparedto Asian countries.
Do they come specifically for the marathon or
do they come for other reasons?
I believe there are many different cases
depending on the individuals themselves. They
come all the way to Japan, so I suppose that they
are doing some sightseeing.

4

How many volunteers are supporting theevent every year?
We have about over 2,000, a little less than 3,000
volunteers to assist with the marathon this year.
There are volunteers
who assist with thebasics such as passing
out water, and those
who also cheer on therunners. In addition to
those volunteers, we also
have some who assist
with the operations.
Though we have stopped
doing the packet pickup for Japanese runners, we still need people tostore the bags of the runner’s away, and also deal
with packet pick up for runners from abroad.
What makes the Tokushima Marathon special
compared to other Marathons?
The number one thing that makes Tokushima
Marathon special is
the “Omotenashi”( h o s p i t a l i t y ) .
Omotenashi is anabsolutely important
aspect in the Tokushima
Marathon. What thismeans in specific is thatpeople along the route
give runners Tokushimaspecialty food anddrinks as they run along the path. During the firstmarathon we had requested for people to give out
food and drinks to the runners. However, later it
was unnecessary to request groups of people todo this as people were already forming their owngroups to pass out food and drinks to the runners
themselves. Another positive aspect about the
marathon is that there is an abundant amountof time to complete the marathon. Tokushima
Marathon’s time limit is 7 hours. For beginners,
the time limit make it a little easier and gives themtime to complete a marathon. We also hear fromthe runners that the scenery of the Yoshino Riveris quite beautiful and nice to look at while running
the Tokushima Marathon.

5

Experiencing the Pilgrimage for a Day

T

he Shikoku pilgrimage trail, which holds
a 1,200 year old history, was listed as
an important Japanese Heritage site in 2013.
Currently, the four prefectures of Shikoku haveinitiated registration of the
Shikoku Henro 88-temple
pilgrimage and the trail itself
as a World Heritage Site. The
area I am living in is close to thepilgrimage and since I was achild I am used to seeing pilgrims
walking alongside it. When I wasin the sixth grade in elementary
school I accompanied my auntt o M t . K o y a i n Wa k a y a m aprefecture where she went to the
Okunoin temple to give thanks
for being able to complete thepilgrimage. Although I always
felt close to the pilgrims during my everyday life
I have only visited a few of the 88 temples forsightseeing. While working at TOPIA I had thechance to talk a lot with foreign tourists about
their walking experiences as a pilgrim and during
these conversations I started
thinking that I want to walk it aswell one day. I found out that
the NPO Tokushima Kyoseijuku
Ippokai offers a guided tour forforeign residents in Tokushimafrom temple no.1 to temple no.5.
Although I’m Japanese and not
a foreign resident, I kept thinking
that this experience will surely be
helpful for my work when giving
information to tourists, therefore
I applied for the guided tour andgot accepted.
My first walking experience of the pilgrimage took
place last year on December 10th, a Saturday.
I remember that it was chilly and the wind was
blowing a little. At the meeting point a memberof the NPO Tokushima Kyoseijuku Ippokai
welcomed me and I got on the bus. As soon as
the bus departed, our special guide from the
Reijokai (Shikoku pilgrimage specialist) explained

By Junko Kimura

the origins of the Shikoku pilgrimage as wellas the procedure and manners when visitinga temple and I learned how to pray correctly.
When we arrived at Temple no.1 Ryozenji, allparticipants put on the pilgrim
outfit, a white robe, a sedgewoven bamboo hat and apilgrim's staff. We bowed at themain temple gate and started ourjourney by entering the temple
grounds. It was my first time
visiting Ryozenji Temple as apilgrim and I was in an extremely
fresh mood. After I cleansed
myself at the purification site I
payed my respects at the temple.
The Heart Sutra that our guidehas distributed beforehand was
all written in Romanized lettersand therefore easy to understand for overseas
residents. I think most of the participants recited
the Heart Sutra for the first time but everybody did
it very well.
Most of the participants of our
tour were exchange studentsl i v i n g w i t h i n To k u s h i m aprefecture, holding residency
in countries such as China,
Vietnam, the Philippines,
England, Canada, and France.
That day we all walked the 12
km pilgrimage trail from temple
one to temple five. First I wasworried whether I would be able
to walk the whole trail, but in theend I had a great time talking tothe other participants about theirlife in Tokushima, their homecountries and the pilgrimage itself.
Later on, I received a message from a
Vietnamese exchange student that I was talking
to that day and a picture of us via a staff member.
He wrote: “This photo shows the faces of two
women and myself. We all look very happy. WhenI look at this picture I always feel like I should love

6

Experiencing the Pilgrimage for a Day
life more and will aim for a better future and try
my best to achieve that. I wish you all a happylife full of laughter”. When I read this message, I
was able to feel the importance of the connection
between humans through this experience.
The whole Shikoku pilgrimage is about 1,400 km
long, and even if you complete it quickly, it seems
that it takes at least 40 days to walk it. I felt coldin the light rain. I only walked 12 km on a flat trail
this time, but as a matter of fact that was just one
little part of the whole pilgrimage. The people whowalk the pilgrimage don’t know what will occur
during their pilgrimage and the weather probably
has a great influence on their plans. But all pf thepilgrims I have met so far told me with a smilethat they spent a wonderful time doing it. The
great nature of Shikoku and the warm hospitality
on the pilgrimage road made them feel like all
their hard times/problems are far away and thatis why they could answer with a smile. Therefore
I wish to take this experience as an opportunity
to introduce the magnificence of the Shikoku
pilgrimage to more foreign citizens.

Monitor Tour: Exploring Our New Home
By Jessica NeedhamT

he last thing I thought I’d be doing inTokushima is listening to reggae music andeating a nauseating amount of strawberries within
a nine minute walk from my house. Tokushima
is known for sudachi, sweet potatoes, uzushio(Whirlpools), and of course Awa Odori, but during
the tourism feedback tour I was exposed to theless known side of Tokushima tourism.
Our tour began at 8:50 with a visit to the Udatsu
indigo merchant town where examples of oldudatsu-style Japanese architecture lined thestreets. An elderly man dressed proudly in indigo
brought us along the streets, introducing us to
the firewall construction style of the area (hint: it
involved recycled urine) and the difficult lifestyleindigo dyeing presented. While indigo is verymuch a part of Tokushima, and everything fromindigo scarves to phone straps can be found inomiyage shops, it was interesting to visit the place
where this style of colour put Tokushima on themap historically.
As the day progressed an odd pattern emerged.
From posters in the washroom, to bottles of handcream in the souvenir stores, one man’s facecontinued to plaster every surface in Mima. He
was dubbed “Japanese Flower Legolas” by someof the tour attendees due to his long blond hairand his penchant for flowers. Japanese Flower
Legolas, as it turns out, was Shogo Kariyazaki,
the creator of the “Udatsu wo ikeru” flower exhibit

we visited while at Udatsu. Mima was a prime
place for a flower exhibit due to the large numberof orchids housed there (a new Tokushima
surprise).

Last time
I visited
Juuraku-ji
Temple it wasfor English
Camp in theskin-melting
h e a t o fTokushima’s
summer, so this time was thankfully far morebearable. We traced sutras at Juuraku-ji Temple
and then finished the tour on a highlight bypicking strawberries in Naruto. Being unable
to take the strawberries home was a strange
concept, especially coming from North America
where canning is important to survive the soul-

7sucking winter. As we tour goers walked along
the greenhouse and sampled the fist-sizedstrawberries it was quickly apparent that the family
who had brought strawberry
shortcake supplies were not
only geniuses, but pioneersof maximizing your strawberryeating potential. For 2,000 Yen
it’s important to eat your money’s
worth.
Overall, eating omiyage-grade
strawberries, uncovering themystery of Mima’s Japanese Flower
Legolas, and learning about firewall
construction are not things I would
have associated with Tokushima. It
goes to show that we as a prefecture
have a lot of unique things to offer
tourists.
By Rika MacauleyW

hen ALTs from around Japanfind out where I live, theoften ask me, “Tokushima!?
What’s in Tokushima?” andmy standard answer is usually,“Awa Odori, sudachi, Tokushimaramen and some whirlpools”. I
jumped at the chance to headout on a tour to discover more ofwhat Tokushima has to offer totourists.
Our first stop on the tour was theUdatsu townscape in western
Tokushima. This area has along indigo-dyeing heritage andfamous building construction.
I learned that “udatsu” arefire-preventing protrusions onhouses and buildings, so that
if the building caught fire, it wouldn’t jump to thenext building over. The tour guide that took us
around delighted in telling us quirky stories likepointing out the birthplace of a Japanese chessmaster, and talking about how they used to curewood with urine (!). From here, we made our way

Monitor Tour: Exploring Our New Hometo the Mima area to check out a flower show andAnmitsukan. This area is famous for its orchid
exhibitions. The flower show was in a traditional
Japanese building and we hadalready learned about some of
the architecture from the udatsutour so that was an added
bonus. We had lunch here too,at a restaurant that is well-known
around the prefecture for its soupwith handmade noodles. (MyJTEs were very jealous when I
told them I was having lunch there!)
We were presented with beautiful
bowls of noodle soup, rice, salad
and seaweed & egg soup. Afterlunch we found ourselves wandering
through buildings nearly burstingwith thousands of orchids in everycolor. We were warmly invited by thestaff to sample orchid juice, orchidwine, orchid tea and orchid candy.
After lunch, we were off to Juurakuj i Te m p l e t o t r a c e B u d d h i s tsutras. I was at this temple in thesummer for English camp, and it
was wonderful to have a chance
to visit again when I could
comfortably be outside for morethan thirty seconds. Tracing
sutras was relaxing but a little
difficult for me since I don’t know
kanji. Mine looked pretty, but I’msure it was illegible.
Finally, we made our way to
Naruto’s greenhouse strawberry
farm. We were greeted by asoft blast of reggae music anda friendly guy with dreads whocame out and gave us little
plastic trays, and told us we could eat to ourheart’s content for an hour. For me, I can’t say
there’s anything more perfect than wandering
inside a warm greenhouse, picking omiyagequality strawberries right off the vine andmunching on them while listening to Bob Marley.

8Japanese Lesson
By Haruko Miyoshi

Particles Attached to Nouns that Express Time
Last month, we were able to go over the basics of particles attached to location expressing nouns. This
month we will be reviewing particles attached to nouns that express time.
The underlined parts in sentences 1.~9. are nouns that expresses time. In the (), what is the bestanswer? Choose an answer from within the box above. (The answers are at the end of the page.)

が

を

に

へ

ねん

にほん

とうきょう

あした

かいしゃ

じ

あ

）開きます。 (The department store opens from 10 o'clock.)

4. デパートは 10 時（
きょねん

くに

5. 友達は去年（
こんしゅう

びよういん

がつ

8. 息子は火曜日（

い）美容院へ行きます。 (I will go to the beauty salon this week.)）あります。 (The Awa Odori Festival is in August.)

7. 阿波踊りは 8 月（
かようび

かえ

）国へ帰りました。 (Last year, my friend returned home to his country.)

6. わたしは今週（
あ わ おどやす）会社を休みます。 (I will take off from work tomorrow.)

3. わたしは明日（

むすこい）東京に行きます。 (My daughter will go to Tokyo next month.)

2. 娘は来月（

ともだちき）日本へ来ました。 (I came to Japan in 2013.)

1. わたしは 2013 年（
むすめ らいげつ×（A particle is unnecessary）

で

なら

い

）ピアノを習いに行きます。 (My son will go to learn piano on Tuesday.)にち

きゅうりょう）給 料をもらいます。 (I will receive my salary on the 25th.)

9. わたしは 25 日（

In general, the particle that is attached to nouns that express time is「に」. However, there are cases
where the particle「 に 」is not attached. Therefore, in which situation should it be attached, and inwhich should it not be attached? The rules are simple.
In the case that the noun expressing time is similar to the
Attach the particle「に」following format:
ねん

がつ

にち

じ

「○○○○年」「〇月」
「○○日」
「〇」
「○○時」, etc.

In the case that the noun expressing time is similar to
きょう

あした

Do not attach the particle
「に」

こんげつ

らいげつ

せんしゅう こんしゅう らいしゅう

きのう来月」「先週 / 今週 / 来週」「昨日 / 今日 / 明日」, etc.

3. ×

せんげつ

2. ×

らいねん

1. に

ことし

Answers:

きょねん

the following format:「去年 / 今年 / 来年」「先月 / 今月 /

4. に

5. ×

6. ×

7. に

8. に

9. に

9

Awa Shoku: You see weeds? I seaweed!

M

any people’s revulsion upon hearing theword “seaweed” may come from its unfair
image of being a slimy, smelly green alien plant. If
I can suggest one seaweed to change your mind,
it would be wakame ( 若布 Undaria pinnatifida).
However, not just any limp squares of seaweed
in a lukewarm bowl of miso soup from a ricebowl chain restaurant. One of the top 3 wakameproducing regions are the waters around Naruto( 鳴 門 ), and you’ll fall in love with the crunchy
quality of its mineral-rich sea veggie.

(From left/top) fresh, salted, or dried,wakame is available in many forms
In late winter and early spring, you can buy raw
fronds of wakame in local supermarkets. Don’t be
put off by its cola-brown hue…it turns emeraldgreen when blanched in hot water. Try a wakame
shabu-shabu while the stuff is at its freshest. Just
boil a pot of water (add some powdered dashi if
you want some flavor). Cut the wakame into large
pieces. Use chopsticks to swish the seaweed andwatch the magic color change! After 10 seconds,
dip it in ponzu (citrus soy sauce) and enjoy.
You can also buy wakame in several other forms:① Nama-wakame ( 生 若 布 ) – pre-boiled andfresh in the seafood section of supermarkets andfisherman’s markets;② Shio-wakame ( 塩 若 布 ) – long strips
preserved in salt, just needing a few rinses infresh water to wash off the excess salt and restore
its fresh texture; or③ Ito-wakame ( 糸 若 布 ) – dried strips ofBy Lance Kita

seaweed that can be cut to desired lengths andsoaked for a few minutes in water to reconstitute.
For those who need ultimate convenience, thedried stuff also comes pre-cut in little bits (cutwakame カ ッ ト 若 布 ), perfect for tossing into
your bowl of miso soup or hot pot.
Not ready for an all-seaweed mouthful of wakame
shabu-shabu? Try some in your instant miso
soup. Top your bowl of udon noodles with them.
Toss with thinly sliced sweet onions from Awaji
and your favorite salad dressing. Simmer withbamboo shoots, soy sauce, sake, and dashi.
Marinate with sliced daikon, sliced carrots, rice
vinegar and sugar. I even saw wakame tempura
at a local izakaya recently. If a crunchy green
vegetable can work in a recipe, wakame will fit
right in (except stir-frying).
When the wakame love is planted firmly inyour heart, time to explore its other texturally
fascinating parts. The stems (kuki-wakame 茎
若 布 ) are sliced thin and boiled tsukudani-stylein soy sauce and sugar. They add an extremely
firm crunch as an accent to a bowl of hot riceor rice ball. The ruffled stem near the base of
the seaweed is called mekabu ( 和 布 蕪 ), andbecomes a slimy
paste whenminced, rich innutrients andantioxidants, thatmakes a greatsauce on hot
rice or a umamipacked punch toa bowl of clear
broth (suimono
吸 い 物 ). It also is
the perfect pair for
Need a nebaneba (sticky) natto…the ultimate
kick in the morning? Try
healthy breakfast.
mekabu on hot rice!
Let Naruto Wakame be your guide into thewonderful world of nutritious, delicious sea
veggies. The journey starts with a bowl of miso
soup…

Events & Memoranda

10Japanese Classes 2017
Term 1 Schedule
Hour: 10:30-12:00
Location: Meeting rooms at TOPIA
Textbook: We will be using the “Minna no Nihongo I” or the “Minna no Nihongo II” (2nd edition)
textbooks (2,700 yen for the book and audio CD). Please prepare the textbooks on your own. As well,there will be themed lessons on various topics such as seasons and life in Tokushima.
Fee: All classes are free.
DAY

TEACHERLEVELCLASS DESCRIPTION
We will study various forms and expressions such as potential,
volitional, imperative, prohibitive, conditional, reasoning, passive,
causative, and honorific expressions. Japanese speaking
volunteers will assist with conversation exercises.
Text: Minna no Nihongo II – from Chapter 26~50
This is a flexible group study class split up in different levels.
*For parents of young children, a childcare worker will be on
hand to look after your child during the lesson (please inquirein advance). Due to unforeseen circumstances, the rooms maychange.

From
April 4(25 times)

TUE

Ms.Miyoshi

Elementary
2, 3

WED

Volunteers

Group
Lesson

THU

Ms.
YamadaBeginner

We will take the first step towards learning basic expressions.
Text: Minna no Nihongo I – from Chapter 1

From
April 6(20 times)

FRI

Ms. Aoki

Elementary1

We will study various verb forms and sentence patterns using
those verb forms.
Text: Minna no Nihongo I – from Chapter 14

From
April 7(20 times)

JTM

Elementary1

We will study various verb forms and sentence patterns using
those verb forms.
Text: Minna no Nihongo I – from Chapter 14

Volunteers

Group
LessonSUN

This is a flexible group study class split up in different levels.

From
April 5(20 times)

From
April 9(20 times)★ Please register for Group Lessons at least a day before class (if you do not sign up in advance andshow up on the day of class, we may not be able to find you a group to study with). As the number ofgroups are limited we may not always be able to form a group that fits your level.
★ If you are unable to attend class, please call and let us know.

TUE

Ms. Kimura
Other

SpecialBeginnersClass

A class for those who cannot read or write hiragana or katakana.
We will study the basics such as, the Japanese alphabet,greetings, numbers, and items. We will also be learning about
Tokushima.

You mayjoin atanytime★ Contact Info: Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA)

6F Clement Plaza, 1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi, Tokushima City 770-0831
		
TEL: 088-656-3303
FAX: 088-652-0616 E-mail: topia@topia.ne.jp★ Classes may be cancelled due to inclement weather such as typhoons, heavy rain, or snow. Pleaseconfirm by calling TOPIA at 088-656-3303.
*Japanese classes are also available at the Anan International Association, Aizumi Town International Exchange
Association, Yoshinogawa International Exchange Association, and NPO Mima no Sato.
*Please visit TOPIA’s Japanese Classes page on our official website for more information (available in Japanese,
English and Chinese).

11 Events & Memoranda
The World of Girl's Day Dolls
ひな人形の世界

The Tokushima Castle Museum will display avariety of Girl's Day Dolls from the Edo era tomodern times.
When: February 11 (Sat, Holiday) - April 2 (Sun)
Where: Tokushima Castle Museum
Fee: 300 Yen / Senior High & college students
200 Yen / free for Jr. High and under
TEL: 088-656-2525

徳島城博物館には江戸時代から近代までの、さまざまな様式のひな人形が展示されております。
日時： 2 月 11 日 ( 土・祝 ) ～ 4 月 2 日 ( 日 )9 時 30 分～ 17 時 00 分
場所： 徳島城博物館
料金： 大人 300 円／高校生・大学生 200 円／
中学生以下無料
TEL： 088-656-2525

Misato Plum Flower Festival
美郷 梅の花まつり
The flowering period differs depending on theplum garden. Please see the URL for details.

梅園によっては開花時期が異なります。開花状況
は美郷ほたる館ホームページをご覧ください。

When: Middle of February - middle of March
Where: Yoshinogawa city, Misato area
Info: Misato-ya
TEL: 0883-26-7888
URL: www.misato-hotarukan.jp

日時： 2 月中旬～ 3 月中旬
場所： 吉野川市美郷
問い合わせ：美郷物産館みさと屋
TEL： 0883-26-7888
URL: www.misato-hotarukan.jp

23rd AJET Tokushima English Musical 2017
Performance Schedule:
February 26 (Sun) Ishii-cho Chuo Kominkan
		15:00-17:00
March 5 (Sun) Tokiwa Plaza		14:00-16:30
March 11 (Sat) Kitajima Town Library, Sousei Hall
		15:00-17:00
March 18 (Sat) Higashi Miyoshi Town Office, 				
Mikamochosha Multipurpose Hall
		14:00-16:00
March 19 (Sun) Wakimachi Theater Odeon-za
		17:00-19:00★For more information, visit www.ajetmusical.com

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 isavailable in English and Japanese. Please note that although every effort will be made, we may not beable to deal with all cases.
Everyday, 10:00 - 18:00 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Tel: 088-656-3303 or 088-656-3320 (allows three-way conversations with an interpreter)