aWa life

Umeshu Matsuri: Good
Times with Plum Wine

Honorary CitizenshipAward from Leiria City

Awa Shoku: Tis the Gairaigo Galore:
Season for Berries?
コンセント

February 2020
# 352

Cat Day in Japan!

1

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

February is usually the coldest month of the year here in Tokushima. While enjoying the cool weather outside can be a relaxing activity, chilling inside your warm home is surely a good idea as well.
Why not use this month’s public holidays as a starting point and learn more about Japanese history?
February 11th, for example, is National Foundation Day (Kenkoku Kinen no Hi 建国記念の日 ), where
Japan celebrates the mythological foundation of Japan, and which is also a very controversial holiday
because of its past history. Moreover, thanks to the new emperor Naruhito, we can also look forward toa newly created holiday on February 23rd (24th is a substitute holiday) when his birthday is celebrated.
Doors to Japanese history and culture can be found everywhere. You just have to open them.
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,
Sydney and Nico

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:
Sydney Bartig and Nico Bohnsack
Contributors This Month:
Emily Yocom, AJET Musical Committee, Shinobu Watari, Lance Kita and Kyoko Kamura

Contents

Pg. 2-3: Umeshu Matsuri: Good Times with Plum WinePg. 3:

2020 AJET MusicalPg. 4:

Honorary Citizenship Award from Leiria City

Pg. 5:Cat Day in Japan!

Pg. 5:

Gairaigo Galore: コンセント

Pg. 6:

Awa Shoku: Tis the Season for Berries?

Pg. 7:

Japanese Lesson

2

Pg. 8-9: Events and Memoranda
Umeshu Matsuri: Good Times with Plum Wine
By Emily YocomT

he 11th Annual Umeshu Matsuri (PlumWine Festival) is an event for plum farmers
in Misato, Yoshinogawa City to showcase theirplum wines to the community. Misato is Japan's
first ever "plum zone," meaning it's nationallyrecognized for its umeshu production. The
town boasts
five breweries,
each producing
their own uniquevarieties ofumeshu that differ
due to plum variety
and ripeness, thetype of liquor used,
the ratios of the
mixture, and theage.
The Umeshu
Matsuri provided
an opportunity to sample these various plum
wines. It was also a pretty good reason to drink
before noon, so it was a no-brainer for me, myboyfriend visiting from the States, and a few
coworkers that we had to go check it out.
A shuttle bus was available to haul a groupof drunken visitors between the 9 tasting
locations. The first location we visited was arecommendation from a coworker. Here, wetasted four varieties of umeshu. They ranged
from light peach in color to a deep magenta, withalcohol contents differing by dozens of percentage
points. The hospitality we received - by means offree snacks like veggie sticks, oden, yakitori, andeven umeshu pound cake- along with the friendly
attitude of the farmers
made us lose track oftime.
F e e l i n g t i p s y, w eheaded to the next
spot that enticed us -- arestaurant settled deepin the mountains. Afterdeboarding the shuttlebus, we (very carefully)
hiked 20 minutes up
the slope, encouragedby signs telling us to keep going ( あ と す こ しが ん ば っ て！ ) along the way. At the end of thehike, we were greeted by the friendly folk of
the restaurant and their dogs. We sipped theirhomemade plum wines, soaked our feet in yuzu
baths, and yelled down the mountain to kids who
were yelling up in hopes of getting a response.
The day had just about ended, so we rinsed

3

Umeshu Matsuri: Good Times with Plum Wineour glasses, dried our feet,and headed back down themountain. There was anotherspot on the way down, so westopped by. Even though they
were closing for the day, thefarmers let us try their umeshu
as we mingled. They taught usof Misato's "plum zone" status
and how each farm in the area
produces vastly different plums.
No sooner than we were lostin conversation did we realize
we'd missed the last shuttle
bus back. Drunk and lost in
the middle of the mountains,
we were saved by one of the2020 AJET MusicalT

he AJET English
musical will be held forthe 26th time this March!
This year's story is the"Wizard of Oz", so makesure to come check it out!
The protagonist, Dorothy, isa girl who dreams of city life.
One day, Dorothy’s houseis swept up in a tornado
and is blown all the way
to the mysterious Land of
Oz! However, for Dorothy,
who is sick to death ofher rural life, this is like a
dream come true. In order
to meet the “Wizard of Oz”,
she sets off on a journey tothe Emerald City. Along theway she meets some newcompanions and together
they fight against thewitch. Through her journey,
Dorothy ends up learning
the importance of family.
Poster Design: Ryan Esch

women who offered us a rideback to the station. We humbly
accepted her offer and headedhome.
Looking back on this experience,
I can say it was one of thebest I've had during my time inTokushima. The Umeshu Matsuri
was a slice of rural life that I
truly couldn't have experienced
anywhere else. The hospitality
shown to me by the farmers,
along with their pride for theirwork, made the hangover morethan worth it.

Honorary Citizenship Award from Leiria City
By: Shinobu WatariTokushima City and Leiria City in Portugal
have been sister cities for 50 years now. On
October 9th, 2019 in Leiria City, a ceremony washeld to commemorate this 50 year relationship. In
January of 2019, the former mayor of Leiria City
invited me to attend the ceremony.
Since 2010, (approximately every 2 years) I haveinvited a total of 9 students and 1 teacher from
Leiria City to visit Japan (all expenses, including
flight fare, paid). I showed them around Osaka,
Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo, Kochi, Takamatsu,
and Tokushima prefecture (Iya Kazurabashi,
Oboke, and Koboke). I also introduced them tovarious elements of Japanese culture such as
Japanese manners and customs, Japanese highschools, and the Awa Odori, which they had achance to try themselves. These experiences
further deepened the bonds between Tokushima
City and Leiria City, and in response the mayor
of Leiria city presented me with a gold medal
signifying honorary citizenship. After receiving thegold medal, I also gave a speech in Portuguese
expressing my deep respect for Portugal.
About 100 years ago, Wenceslau de Moraes (anavy officer and later vice-consul at the Kobe
Consulate) migrated to Tokushima. He sent
articles back to Portugal and Europe detailingJapanese culture and arts. He also wrote many
books introducing Japan such as “Oyone andKoharu” ( お ヨ ネ と コ ハ ル ), “The Japanese
Spirit” ( 日 本 精 神 ), "Bon Dance in Tokushima"( 徳 島 の 盆 踊 り ), and “Tea Ceremony” ( 茶 道 ).
He took permanent residence in Tokushima, helda love for Japan, andthen passed away inTokushima.
Feeling incredibly
grateful for Moraes’
efforts, I invited young
people from Leiria City
who were interested
in learning more about
Japan to come and visit
Japan.

Former Mayor Castro

Present Mayor Lopez

45

Cat Day in Japan!
By: Sydney Bartig

D

id you know that February 22nd is an
important day in Japan? It’s actually themost important day! Well… if you’re a cat loverthat is. That’s right, February 22nd is Cat Day, orin Japanese, Neko no Hi 猫の日 . It’s an unofficial
holiday that has been around for some time inJapan and is the perfect chance to celebrate
the world’s cutest creatures – cats! But why
February 22nd? Well, that’s because when you
put February 22nd into all numbers you get 2/22.
As you may know, “2” in Japanese is pronounced
as ni ( に ). This is slightly similar to the sound“nya” ( ニャ ) which is the sound that cats make inJapanese. So, once you put 2/22 together you getnya, nya, nya! Japan sure does love its play onwords.

called “Omatsudaigongen”. The shrine is literally
filled with cat statues, maneki neko, and all things
cats. It also has a very interesting legend, but
that’s a story for another day!
Hopefully you can find a purrfect way to celebrate
Cat Day this February!

On Cat Day you might notice even more people
posting cuddly pictures of their feline friends
online to celebrate. If you don’t have a cat of yourown, why not try visiting one of the cat cafes inTokushima? Or did you know that Tokushima evenhas its own cat shrine?! It’s located in Anan and

Gairaigo Galore

コンセント (consent; meaning: electrical outlet)
By Nico Bohnsack
There will be times in Japan when you have to search for an electrical outlet, sometimes it mighteven be crucial to get your devices running, start your presentation, etc. Sometimes you mightalso have to search for adapters in electronic stores before you travel to another country. It can be
helpful then to know the Japanese word for “electrical outlet”. Sure, you could try to use アウトレッ
ト (autoretto), but you will soon realize that Japanese tend to think of big outlet malls rather than ofelectrical outlets. The correct word is コンセント (consent). Perhaps
that surprises you as much as it did me. What does consent, similar
to the words “acquiescence” or “approval”, have to do with anelectrical outlet?
The roots lay in the year 1924 (Taisho era) when Japan’s first electric
power company, Tokyo Dento, referred to the combination of a plugand an electrical outlet as コンセントプラグ (consent plug) insidetheir official regulations. Already during the Meiji era (1868 - 1912),
where trade and exchange with foreign nations flourished, a British
product called “concentric plug” with concentric contacts found its
way to Japan, which was probably the motive for Tokyo Dento tochoose the expression コンセントプラグ for normal outlets (plus plugs) as well. The company’s
regulations were later revised and electrical outlets without plugs were then called コンセント andsingle plugs プラグ . This hasn't changed even in the present day.

Awa Shoku: Tis the Season for Berries?
By: Lance Kita

And Michael, you would fall
and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in the summertime— “White Winter Hymnal”, Fleet FoxesIn the song above, the lyrics contrast the white
winter snow with red summer strawberries.
However, a Japanese person under the age of 40
may be bemused by this, as strawberries here areas synonymous withwinter as the snow.
Wait, what? Yes, let’s
take a look at how
seasons changed forthese ruby-red berries.

6

the main way these fruits are grown. The semicylindrical hothouses are made with wire andclear plastic, and the bushes are grown on raisedrows of soil, or in boxes raised off the floor foreasy picking/harvesting and to prevent a snap
frost from causing severe damage.

But WHY go through all the trouble of growing
these berries in winter? Well, it boils down toconsumerism.
Turns out thebiggest harvestof strawberries
happens aroundmid-December…
just in time for
Christmas. Since
Strawberries werethe late 1980s,
introduced to Japan
Christmas cakesby the Dutch in the
クリスマスケー
early Edo Period, andキ (sponge cakespread throughoutwith layers of
the countryside by thewhipped cream
1800s. At that time, theand strawberries)
natural growing season Momo-ichigo strawberries are grown in Sanagochi Village,
have become a
had them bearing fruit along with their royal Sakura Momo-ichigo Cousins
quintessential partaround May or June (as(Photos: Bethany Johnson)of that holiday, andwith most other regions
demand for berries
around the world), and a list of seasonal haiku
peaks high. The heart-shaped red fruits also
words notes that ichigo 苺 (strawberry) is an early
do well around Valentine’s Day in February. So
summer word.
strawberries have shifted to a cold-weather crop
thanks to warm-house technology.
So why is it that Japan’s peak season for
strawberries is now November to April? You heard
In Tokushima, the major variety of strawberry isthat right… checking 10 different Tokushima farms
Sachinoka さ ち の か , a sweet hardy type thatthat offer strawberry picking (ichigo-gari いちご狩
ships out well to supermarkets. However, the onlyり ) finds that the main season for these events isvillage in Tokushima, Sanagochi 佐 那 河 内 村 ,February to April. By the way, this is an amazing
has a select group of farmers who grow Sakura
way to enjoy these fruits! Pay around 1500-2000
Momo-ichigo さくらももいちご , extra-large andyen, and you can pick all the berries you can
extra-sweet fruits that go for 500-1000 yen PER
eat for 40-60 minutes. Some places will let you
BERRY! Although most of these are luxury items
bring condiments like condensed milk, chocolate
shipped out to high-end clientele, you can stillsauce, or softened cream cheese, and for an
enjoy local berries at ichigo-gari or buy one of my
extra charge you can take home a pack for further
favorite fruit-based Japanese sweets, the ichigoberry-licious snacking. Look for ichigo-gari tours
daifuku い ち ご 大 福 . These dessert dumplings
at farms in Naruto, Komatsushima, and evenare strawberries coated in sweet bean paste (ankoHigashi Miyoshi.
餡子 ) and wrapped in a thin sweet sticky layer ofrice cake (mochi 餅 ). As you bite into the snowOops, didn’t answer the question in the lastwhite daifuku and gaze upon the juicy red berry
paragraph, and I’m sure that the thought of picking
within, you can contemplate this convoluted story
berries in frigid, mountainous Higashi Miyoshi
of how a summer berry made it into your winterCity doesn’t make a lot of sense. Well, it turns out
stomach.
that plastic hothouse cultivation of strawberries is7Japanese Lesson

By: Kyoko Kamura

The Use of「か」after Interrogatives
いWhen you put「か」after「どこ」, such as in「どこかへ行きましたか。
」, or you don't, such as in「どいこへ行きましたか。
」,the meaning is different. Let’s think about the difference a bit more in detail!
にちようび

い

A：日曜日、どこかへ行きましたか。 Did you go somewhere on Sunday?
いB：はい、行きました。 Yes, I did.
いA：どこへ行きましたか。 Where did you go?
きょうとい

B：京都へ行きました。 I went to Kyoto.
いA doesn’t know if B went out on Sunday. Because of that, A asked,「どこかへ行きましたか。
」 and Bいanswered with,「はい。
」. A now knows that B went out, so A also asked「どこへ行きましたか。
」.
なにInterrogatives (such as どこ・何・いつ・だれ・どれ ) + か are used to indicate places, things, time,
people, etc. that haven't been decided yet. They are interrogative sentences that can be answered with「はい / いいえ」. The postpositional particle after the interrogative + か is often left out.
れいい

例：どこか（へ）行きましたか。Did you go somewhere?
だれき

誰か（が）来ましたか。Did somebody come?

However, you would use just the interrogative when asking for certain places, contents, times etc.
れんしゅう

練習

Try to choose the right answer!

せんせい

じゅぎょう

お

なに

なに

（a. 何か１．先生：（授業が終わって）
せいと

しつもん

b. 何が）質問はありますか。

生徒：いいえ、ありません。
つま

いえ

かえ

うえ

み

だれ

だれ

き

（家に帰って、テーブルの上の２つのカップを見て）（a. 誰か b. 誰が）来たの？
２．妻：
おっと

夫：うん。
つま

だれ

だれ

おっと

き

b. 誰が）来たの？

妻：（a. 誰かとも

夫：ぼくの友だち。
うちゅういb. いつ）宇宙へ行きたいですか。

３．A：（a. いつかい

B：はい。行ってみたいです。
なに

なに

てつだ

b. 何が）お手伝いしましょうか。

４．A：（a. 何かねが

B：はい、お願いします。
５．A：ああ、のどがかわきました。
なに

なに

B：
（a. 何かの

b. 何が）飲みたいですか。

の

A：はい、飲みたいです。
なに

B：（a. 何か

なにの

b. 何が）飲みたいですか。

のA：ビールが飲みたいです。
Answers:

１．何か
なに

２．誰か、誰が
だれ

だれ

３．いつか

４．何か
なに

５．何か、何がなに

なにEvents & Memoranda

8

医療通訳研修徳島県に暮らす 6,000 人を超える外国人は約 80 の国や地域から来ており、過去最高人数となりました。昨年 4 月より入管法の改正を受けて、技能実習生をはじめとする地域の在県外国人はさらに増加することが予想されます。それと同時に、彼らが抱える問題も多岐にわたり、その中でも医療に関わる問題は避けて通ることができません。医療の現場では、時には急を要し命に関わることもありますし、
日本語でのコミュニケーションが難しい患者にとってはストレスがたまってしまいます。診療が円滑におこなわれ、患者のストレスを少しでも解消していくためには、語学ボランティアの方々の支援が必要となる場合があります。今回の研修では、講師の講話やワークショップを通じて、医療通訳の際に多言語で円滑に情報提供できるよう、語学ボランティアの育成・活動促進を図ることを目指します。
（語学研修ではありません）
日時 :2 月 29 日（土）13：00 ～ 16：30
場所 : 公益財団法人 徳島県国際交流協会
参加費 : 無料
対象者 : 通訳言語で日常会話が支障なくできる方
講師 : 村松 紀子 氏 医療通訳研究会（MEDINT）代表
申込方法 : 氏名、電話番号、email アドレス、通訳言語、資格を記入の上、お申し込みください。
お申し込み・お問い合わせ〒 770-0831 徳島市寺島本町西 1-61 クレメントプラザ６階
公益財団法人 徳島県国際交流協会「医療通訳研修」担当宛て
TEL: 088-656-3303 FAX: 088-652-0616 E-mail: coordinator1@topia.ne.jp

32nd Big Hina Matsuri
第 32 回 ビッグひな祭り

The first Big Hina Matsuri was held in the spring of1988 and will now be celebrated for the 32nd time.
Hina dolls that are no longer used are gatheredfrom families all around the country, given amemorial service, and then displayed at thisfestival. At the center of the festival you can find
an approximately 8-meter-high 100-step podium
decorated with hina dolls. Approximately 30,000
hina dolls are beautifully displayed at this festival.
When: February 22nd (Sat) – April 5th (Sun)9:00 – 16:00
Where: Hina Doll Museum (Tsukinose-35-1 Ikuna,
Katsuura, Katsuura District)Fee: Adults: 300 Yen
Groups (10 People or More): 200 Yen
Elementary Schoolers: 100 Yen
Info: Big Hina Matsuri Executive Committee
TEL: 0885-42-4334
U R L : h t t p : / / w w w. t o w n . k a t s u u r a . l g . j p /docs/2010111000514/

昭和 63 年の春に始まったビッグひな祭りは、今回で 32 回目を迎えます。本祭では、全国より、家庭で飾られなくなった雛人形を集め、供養し、展示させていただいております。場内には、中央にそびえ立つ高さ約 8m「百段のひな壇」をはじめ、約 3 万体もの雛人形が豪華絢爛に飾られています。

日時：2 月 22 日（土）～ 4 月 5 日（日）9:00 ～ 16:00
場所：勝浦郡勝浦町大字生名字月ノ瀬 35-1
人形文化交流館
料金：大人 300 円
団体 200 円（10 人以上）
小学生 100 円
お問い合わせ：ビッグひな祭り実行委員会
TEL: 0885-42-4334
U R L : h t t p : / / w w w. t o w n . k a t s u u r a . l g . j p /docs/2010111000514/

9

Events & Memoranda
日本語支援ボランティアスキルアップ講座「つながりながら、つながる日本語を身につける」 活動に TRY

ボランティアが関心を置くべき言語活動は、人とかかわり、つながる言語活動ではないでしょうか？
そうした言語活動の中心になるのは自己表現能力で、その自己表現能力は、学習者とボランティアが交流しながら身につけることができるものだと思います。一緒に研修しませんか！
日時：2 月 22 日（土）13:00 ~ 16:00
講師：西口 光一先生
場所：徳島県国際交流協会（TOPIA） 会議室
お問い合わせ：（公財）徳島県国際交流協会
TEL: 088-656-3303 E メール：coordinator2@topia.ne.jp
詳細は TOPIA のホームページを御覧ください。

The 21st Shikoku Sake Festival
第 21 回 四国酒まつり
The Shikoku Sake Festival is a new year event 『四国酒まつり』は地酒の町・三好市を代表する
representing the city of Miyoshi, famous for its 新春のイベントで、新酒を中心に四国各地の銘酒
local sake. It’s the biggest sake festival in Shikoku
が楽しめる四国最大の酒の祭りです (´ ▽｀ *)where you can enjoy famous sake brands fromall over the island, with new sake creations at the 第 21 回を迎える今回も好評につき、特別企画「地center. Due to popular demand, a special “Sake 酒試飲会」四国の銘酒 80 蔵が大集合いたします！
Tasting Meeting” with about 80 breweries taking
part will take place this year as well.
また市内各所では、三好市近隣の美味しい食品や
Moreover, there will be other events where tasty 素敵な雑貨を販売する「うだつマルシェ」や「銀、「駅前ガーデンカフェ」が開催され
foods from around Miyoshi and other goods are 座よろず市」
sold.
ます。
When: February 22nd (Sat)10:00 – 16:00
Where: Miyoshi-shi Ikeda Sogo Taiikukan (2551-1
Ikeda-cho, Miyoshi, Tokushima 778-0002)
Fee: 2000 Yen (advance ticket), 2300 Yen (boxoffice)Info: Awa Ikeda Chamber of Commerce andIndustry
TEL: 0883-72-0143
URL: http://www.shikoku-sakematuri.com/

日時：2 月 22 日（土）10：00 ～ 16：00
場所：〒 778-0002 徳島県三好市池田町マチ
2551-1 三好市池田総合体育館
料金：前売券：2000 円、当日券：2300 円
お問い合わせ：阿波池田商工会議所
TEL: 0883-72-0143
URL: http://www.shikoku-sakematuri.com/

Counselling Service at TOPIA・トピアの相談窓口
TOPIA provides consultation on everyday life, education, labor, medical institutions, and disasterprevention; and information on sightseeing spots to overseas residents and visitors. When necessary,
we will refer you to the appropriate organization that can assist with your needs.Counselling is available
in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, 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 (closed during the New Year's holidays)
Tel: 088-656-3312 or 088-656-3313 (allows for three-way conversations with an interpreter)