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

deutschland in japan 2005as the only German
Coordinator of International
Relations (CIR) in Tokushima,
I arrived in August 2004. I
am appointed to the city of Naruto,
but everybody who has seen thecity hall will understand my delightfor having my workplace in the"Deutsches Haus," a impressive
western-style building in the west of
Naruto - and a must see for all who
have not yet been there!
Besides guiding "foreign" tourists
through our exhibition on German
POWs in World War I, I am busytranslating for the exchange on
various levels with Germany andwith organizing events.
We are going to have a particularlyhigh number of events from
April onward - the reason is theupcoming year of "Germany in Japan" and will
be presented in a little more detail in this article.
"Deutschland in Japan (Germany in Japan)"will be launched ofﬁcially on April 4th in Tokyoand aims in promoting Germany through anumber of events in the fields of Culture,
Economy, and Science for about one year.
These events include art exhibitions, concerts,
symposiums and sports and introduce thediversity of Germany, especially to the young
generation in Japan.
Since the Meiji period, Japan and Germany
have had special ties, kept alive by exchanges
rich in diversity, mutual understanding,and substantial cooperation built on thesefoundations. Today, the aim of German
foreign policy in Japan is not only to cultivate"TOPPY"
April 2005 No. 178
by mattias herschfeld
awa-life@ttias.dethis long-standing friendship, butalso to engage young people in a
relationship which has stood the testof time, and to embed Germany in
the Japanese consciousness anew.
In concrete terms, this means:strengthening Germany's positive
image in Japan, broadening thescope of positive ideas associatedwith Germany, and gaining new
target groups and friends.
"Germany in Japan" consists of an
extensive calendar of events built
on the pillars of Culture, Economy
and Science, and a Japan-wide
media initiative. The list of culturalprojects already exceeds threehundred. The systematic integrationof contributions by the economic
and scientific sectors, the Länder,
Japanese-German associations andcity partnerships further lengthens the project
list.
Here are a few ﬂagship projects of Germany
in Japan 2005/2006:- guest performances by theBayerische Staatsoper, the Staatskapelle Berlin
under conductor Daniel Barenboim as well asother renowned German musical ensembles;- an exhibition on Berlin's Museum Island(UNESCO World Heritage site) at Tokyo's
National Museum, from the archaeology ofancient antiquity to romantic painting;- an exhibition on art in the second half of the
19th century in Berlin and Tokyo and mutualinﬂuences, as well as an exhibition on today's
art scenes in Berlin and Tokyo, are currently
being considered.
- an exhibition of works from the Art Collections

deutschland... con't on page 8

contents
deutschland in japan 2005 - 1, 8 ... renewing your driver's license - 3
vrksana - tree pose - 4 ... tastes of awa: miso madness - 5
11th annual AJET musical - 6 ... TOPIA farewells - 7 ... disaster preparedness - 8
martin's anime corner - 9 japanese in the news - 10letter from suketo hoikuen - 10 ... japanese lesson - 11 ... memoranda - 12~15
tv movie guide - 15 ... cinema guide - 16from the editorsghreetings, dear Awa Life readers! I hope
you are well. I am unfortunately not in
the best of form due to the fact I am
suffering from hay fever at the moment.
Japan is hit pretty badly when it comes tohay fever due to the fact that there are somany trees in the mountainous areas. This
year is especially bad as a record amount ofcedar pollen is predicted. Its not bad news foreveryone, however, as drug companies hope tocash in with the numerous range of hay fever
medicine and products that they are offering.
It is estimated that the market for hay fever
drugs this year will be 56 billion yen. I haven’tbought any hay fever medicine yet but I think it
is only a matter of time, so wish me well. Until
next time,
Peace, Martin

ello again from the Awa Life editorial
desk! I know I say this every month,
but this month's edition of Awa Lifeis particularly full of contributions! It
is always an exciting moment for me whenpeople approach me with a piece they've
written. The English-speaking community inTokushima is incredibly diverse, and sometimes
it is hard to accurately reflect that within thepages of this paper, but I feel like I am getting
closer each month. If you are reading thisand feel you have a unique perspective to add
to the Awa Life mix and you're interested inwriting something for us, please get in touch!
We would love to hear from you.
In this issue we bring you the ﬁrst installmentof a new feature from Suketo Hoikuen (p. 10)with information for English-speaking residents
with small children.
Love, Claire

awa life

Tokushima Prefectural International
Exchange Association (TOPIA)
Clement Plaza 6F
1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi
Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN
tel: 088.656.3303
fax: 088.652.0616
topia@fm.nmt.ne.jp
http://www.topia.ne.jp/

is a monthly publication of the Tokushima
Prefectural International Exchange Association(TOPIA)
Editors:
Claire Kinder & Martin O'Brien
Contributors This Month:
Jenna Beck, Mattias Herschfeld, Junko Kimura,Claire Kinder, David Moreton, Kaori Sakamoto,
Jon Teakle, Sachiko Ozaki,
Martin O'Brien, and Don Weiss

Download a PDF ﬁle of awa life or view theonline version by going to TOPIA's website!
http://www.topia.ne.jp/e_index/e_index.htm

awa life welcomes announcements, articles,

English Information on FM Tokushima:"Talk Up Tokushima" Thursdays @ 9:15am
Tokushima City 80.7 Ikeda 82.3
Anan 78.4
Hiwasa 77.7

opinions, letters, art and photographs. Please
send contributions to the editors at TOPIA. You
can also write (or call in!) for a free subscription.

-2-

renewing your driver's licensein December 2002, I went
through the process ofobtaining a Japanese
driver's license. The written
test and eye examination
were easy. However, at thattime, Canadians also had totake to the driving test. So
one day I drove my car to thedriving license center near
Omiko beach, took the teston their driving course andfailed (about 4,000 yen down
the drain), then drove home.
I came back on a Monday
morning at 6:30am (the only
time they allowed) and took adriving lesson for 45 minutes(about 6,500 yen) and drove
home. Later that day, I drove
back to the center and retookthe driving test on their coursein their car. Luckily I passed
but still had to pay the 4,000
yen again! I was so happy topass that hurdle and walked
away with a 3-year Japaneselicense! However, I heard ofmany others and met someother foreigners during thisperiod who were not so
fortunate.
Then in the fall of 2004, I
received a postcard noticefrom the Driving License
Center stating that it was time
to renew my license. So, atthe end of January I went in(they allow you to apply amonth before or after yourbirthday between 8:30-9:30
or 13:00-14:00, Monday to
Friday). A woman asked,”
Are you here to renew yourlicense.” I replied, “Yes.” Shesaid, “Okay, write your namehere, here, and here. Thenanswer these questions. Can
you understand Japanese?”(All forms and questioning
are in Japanese). “Okay, now

by david moreton
dc_moreton@yahoo.ca

the turnoff to the driving centretake them to window No. 3.”
I did so and was told to wait.
Moments later, I was called
and asked to pay the fee(3,950 yen). The woman there
waved some papers and said,“Can you read Japanese?”(They were an advertisement
for something) Then I was told
to go upstairs where I handed
the forms to someone else,
sat down a few minutes, wascalled and told to go get myphoto taken. After that wasdone, I was told to follow theblue line on the floor (there
are about 4 colours. I wonder
they all mean?) and go up
to the fourth floor where thelecture would be held. (What!
A lecture…!) After entering
the building about 20 minutes
had passed and now I sat inan empty classroom thinking,“Ok, what is next?” I looked at
the board and there written in
Japanese is the lecture time –from 9:40 to 11:40. (Oh my…
it is just past 9am!) I pulled
out the book that I brought
and started reading. By lecture
time, only two other people
had come in and there we sat
for the next two hours listening
to the ‘teacher’ talk about
driving safety etc. etc. as wellas watching a couple of 10-20
minutes videos on driving.
There was a 5-minute break-3-

halfway through! I don’t think
the teacher even realized there
was a gaijin sitting amongst his
audience. He just blabberedon as if he has done this classa thousand times. He ended
right on time, asked if there
were any questions (There
were none), and then calledsomeone on the phone sayingthat the class was over. Soon
afterward, a woman appearedwith our new driver licenses.
We had to sign or stamp aform certifying that we hadreceived them and then we
could go! YAHOO! However,I stayed for a moment andasked the teacher, “W h a t
happens if there are foreigners
who do not understandJapanese? Do they still have togo through this same class?”
In short, his answer to the ﬁrst
question was, “Nothing” andto the second question, “Yes.”
One must sit through that
lecture to get your new license
at the end. Now my license isblue and it is good for anotherthree years. What will happen
then? Do I have to go throughthat same class again? Hmm…
A reminder: Your international driver's
license is only good for the ﬁrst year you
spend in Japan, or until one year after
you acquire the license - whatever comes
first. So, if you are approaching thestart of your second year in Japan, you'dbetter get that Japanese license or suffer
the consequences!

vrksana - tree poseby jon teakle
yogatokushima@yahoo.com

from standing position( Ta d a s a n a ) , b e n d t h eright knee, reach down
and grasp the right ankle
with the right hand. Placethe sole of the right foot ashigh as possible on the innerleft thigh. Keep the left footfirmly down trying not to lose
weight on the inside of theleft standing foot. The heelof the right foot should cometoward your groin with thetoes pointing down. Pull theright heel as high as possibleon the inside of your left leg
with your right hand. Press
the sole of the foot into yourstanding leg. The muscles ofthe left thigh should be flexed,
this helps the right heel to geta better grip on the inner left
leg muscles and helps keep
the right heel from slipping
down the left leg.
Keep your head straight but
focus your gaze at a pointon the floor in front of you,looking down at a 45 degree
angle, this is important as it
will really help your balance.
Keep your hips aligned (i.e.
don’t stick your butt out),
and your left knee should bestraight while your right knee
is pushing back, so that it isin line with the right hip, (but
don’t push it, go as far as you
can without pulling the left hip
forwards).
Extend your arms overhead
as high as you can, place
the palms together and keep
the elbows straight. Stretch
the sides of the body as you
focus on extending your torso
upwards. The toes of thegrounded left foot should bespread and the sole of the footshould be firmly planted withthe weight spread evenly.

Jon demonstrates the tree pose

Breathe evenly and be
careful not to hold the breath,
which often happens if you
are new to balance poses, as
you tend to be focusing too
much on your balance. Holdthe pose for 30 seconds toa minute, longer if you feel
comfortable. Exhale as you
bring the arms and right leg
down. Then repeat the above
with the right leg down andraising the left foot.
Variations for beginners:
Practice the pose against
the wall until your balance
improves. (Also helps withalignment of the pelvis)
Pa ra l l e l a r m s , r e a c h i n g-4-straight up without the palms
touching.
Hands in front of the chest
in prayer position (balance iseasier and this should be done
if you suffer from high bloodpressure).
Wrap a strap around theankle of the bent leg and use
it to raise the foot. Also good
if you have trouble keeping
the foot in place.
Don’ t worry if you havetrouble with the balance atfirst, with practice this will
i m p r o v e . Yo u c a n a l w a y s
imagine that you have roots
extending out from the sole ofyour foot into the ground likea tree, weird as it may sound,
this can help.

tastes of awa - miso madnessm

iso is a paste ofsoybeans and(usually) rice orbarley that has been
partly digested by a mold.
Simple, right?
Well, actually, no, it's far
from simple. In fact, less isknown for certain about thedevelopment of miso thanalmost any other essential
ingredient of Japanesecooking. And the emphasisshould be on the word
essential. A few decades ago(he fudges, lacking recent
statistics) Japanese made andconsumed about 700,000 tonsof miso per year.
700,000 x 1,000 kg =700,000,000 kg ÷ 120,000,000
Japanese = 5.8 kg per person
per year.
That includes babies andother individuals who don't
eat miso, so those who do eat
plenty of miso soup.
Of course, miso is used
for much more than soup.
Sometimes I'll top my morning
tofu with a teaspoon of miso.
Sometimes I'll put yuzu miso
on my breakfast tofu or onvegetables at dinner. And, likeyou, I'll sometimes eat miso
mayonnaise at a restaurant,
especially restaurants in Kyoto,
served with a meal that looks
too beautiful to eat.
Supermarket shelves usually
have at least a dozen different
kinds of miso, but the mainones fall into three generalcategories, white miso, redmiso, and "regular" or brown
miso. All are made fromsoybeans, rice or barley, ricemold, salt and, unfortunately,
lots of other stuff, most ofwhich we don't want to know
about because it has long,by don weiss
woosongdonald@
yahoo.colm

Mix the juice and peel into
the miso. Let it sit for atleast a week. Eat it on top ofanything.

a miso rainbow

scientific names and probably
shouldn't be in our foodanyway. But there it is, inalmost all the miso you'll findon supermarket shelves, andin such small quantities thatthe companies that make themiso are certain it won't hurt
us at all.
Most miso soup is madewith regular (brown) miso,
though you can make thesame soup with any miso.
Around the cities of Okazaki,
Toyota (where the cars comefrom) and Nagoya, miso madefrom soybeans only (no rice orbarley) is used for most soups
and sauces. It's called hatcho
miso. You can buy it in manysupermarkets.
Brown miso is a good basefor yuzu miso, which the kids
at Kitagawa Elementary School
made to sell at the school
festival last year. I still have alittle in my fridge, though soon
it will go the way of all miso,
eaten with tofu or vegetables.
Yuzu Miso
100 g. brown or red miso
2 Tablespoons yuzu juice (2 or
3 yuzu)2 Tablespoons sugar
Yuzu peel from the 2 or 3 yuzu
you squeezed to get the juice
Slice the peel as thin as you
can. The ideal is to end up
with shreds about 2 – 3 cmlong but as thin as possible.
-5-

Miso Mayonaise
That's a modern name for avariety of sauces, all basedon the idea that white miso,
thinned with sake or mirinplus other flavorings, is oneof the best of all possible foodtoppings. When I make it, I
usually just thin out the miso
with a little mirin and add adash of vinegar. You can getmuch fancier, using tomato
juice or green vegetable puree
to produce red or green miso
mayo.
Sesame Miso Dressing
3 Tablespoons white sesameseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons white miso
1 Tablespoon sake
1/4 teaspoon JapanesemustardToast the sesame seeds in adry pan until they start to pop.
Grind them in a suribachi (aJapanese mortar and pestle.)
Mix everything together. Serveover vegetables. It might work
as a salad dressing, too. I've
never tried it that way.
Vinegar Miso Dressing
100g white miso
2 Tablespoons mirin
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons vinegar
M i x e v e r y t h i n g t o g e t h e r.
Serve over wakame, negi (theJapanese onion that is often
called a leek, though it's only
a leek cousin) or salad. (Thisone I have used as salad
dressing – it's great.)11th annual AJET musicaltby jenna beckjenna.beck@gmail.com

he 11th AJET musicalrocked. Twenty-ﬁve English
speakers from around the
ken came together andgave Tokushima residents justwhat the flyers promised—A
Night of Fantasy.
The narrator Claire Kinder
kicked off the evening with a“ganbatte” to the audience
for listening to an entire playin English. The kids in thecrowd certainly kept up, andeven participated with shoutsof “goodnight” to the ill-fatedGoldilocks. “Our target English

above: "we must... get the bears" the three bears (Dan Bentley, Audrey
Yap, and Rory Dyck) face the bear
catchers (Joe Mochnick and Martin
Weyman) photo by Junko Kimura.

left: "why grandma! what big teeth
you have!" - little red riding hood (JaneFleming) approaches the big bad wolf
(Brian Wright) photo by Claire Kinder

below: "hey big spender, spend a little
time on me" - Cinderella's ugly stepsisters (Joe Mochnick, Elliot Green,and Jody McCarthy) dream about the
Prince, while Mother (Dea Mochnick)looks on. photo by Claire Kinder

ability was that of 13-14 year
old Japanese students,” says
director Sarah Poole. “We took
some of the phrases straightout of the Sunshine textbook.”
The players performed
three classic tales; Goldilocks,
Little Red Riding Hood, andCinderella. “We wanted something that would entertain
children and amuse the adults
as well.” (Poole) The result?
Audience members saw bears
singing karaoke, Red Riding
Hood dancing with salarymen
on the train to Higashi Iya, andsome quality cross-dressing
from Cindrella’s step sisters.
-6-topia farewellst

his April, two of TOPIA's
staff will be leaving not
o n l y TO P I A , b u t t h e ywill be leaving Japan
altogether! Our Chinese
Coordinator of International
Relations, Wan Xiao Jiang
will be returning to his home
in China, and longtime staff
Nomizu Shoko will be moving
to Indonesia after 12 years ofworking at TOPIA! Here are
their final words to the Awa
Life readership:
Wan Xiao Jiang
The long winter has ended
and spring has come; theseason of the cherry blossoms
is here. They say cherry
blossoms are popular because
the sight of them in full bloom,
and then their sudden end
moves the hearts of all who
see them. They also say that
March is the season of partingin Japan. Towards the end of
March and the beginning ofApril, at schools, government
offices, and businesses,
everyone is feeling unsettled.
Graduates leaving school,
students entering school, newemployees… so many people
start a new life at this timeof year. During this season,
there is the sadness of parting,as well as the excitement ofmeeting new people.
My year in Tokushima as a
Coordinator of International
Relations has come to an end,
and it’s ﬁnally time to go home.
My daily life in Tokushima
has become a collection of
unforgettable memories.
Thanks to all the friends I
made in Tokushima, I was able
to really enjoy my time here.
During my year in Tokushima,
I rode my bicycle all the way

a message from topia
topia@fm.nmt.ne.jp

to the dynamic whirlpoolsof Naruto, and to the coastline of Anan. I was able toclimb with my friends the twotallest mountains in WesternJapan: Mt. Tsurugi and Mt.
Ishitsuchi. I ran in both the
Ogawara Kogen Marathon andthe Hiwasa Turtle Marathon.
Last summer, I participatedi n t h e w o r l d fa m o u s Awa
Odori, and this winter, I wasable to experience downhill
skiing for the ﬁrst time. Thesee x p e r i e n c e s fe e l l i ke j u s tyesterday for me now. They
have been burned into mymemory so that I will neverforget my experiences here.
Most importantly though, I
want to treasure all the friends
I have made in Tokushima andkeep in touch with them evenafter I go home.
T h a n k y o u , To k u s h i m a !
Thank you, friends! If you
have the chance, please cometo Guangdong, China. I'm
waiting for you there.
Shoko Nomizu“Pray for the courage to havea wish” – this is what I told
myself when, seventeen years
ago, I decided to take theexam to join the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers,
and when I passed theexam and had to face heavy
objections from my parents,
and then when I was stationed
Ghana to teach dressmaking
as a JOCV member.
This time, I decided to leave
my job on March 31 to bringmy two children with me andjoin my partner where he isposted for work in Indonesia.
This decision took a lotof courage for me. I can’t
count all the worries I have:-7-

terrorism, earthquakes, mychildren’s education, and what
will happen after we return toJapan. At the same time, it’salso very hard for me to leave
my beloved job and friends.
However, because I think it’s
important for my family to
be together, I mustered all
my courage and made thisdecision.
During my time working at
TOPIA, the number of longterm foreign residents has
increased, and the content of
my work has changed fromrunning events, to working towards laying the groundwork
for a multicultural . I’m notsure what I have accomplishedduring this time, but I wasable to really feel how hard it
can be for people living in aforeign culture, with a different system than they are used
to. I think that more than ever,a support system is necessary
for these people.
“Accept the parts that are
different, and take care of
the parts that we share” –this is not something we
can say about the relations
between Japanese people andforeigners, but something we
can say about the relationships
between individuals. After I
go to Indonesia, I want toremember this feeling, andbe optimistic in my life there.
After my experience in Ghana,my time in Indonesia will be
my second experience living as
a foreigner. I’m sure I will havea lot of difficulties, but I willcontinue to be myself, living
in my own way. I had the helpof a lot of people in the past
twelve years. Thank you all somuch from the bottom of myheart. Terima kasih!

deutschland... con't from page 1 new prefectural
Dresden in Tokyo and Kobe;- an exhibition with works
by sculptor Ernst Barlach inseveral Japanese museums.
The Goethe-Institut isplanning festivals, some ofw h i c h a r e o p e n - a i r, w i t hthemes such as dance,theatre, film, light and soundinstallations, design and otherexhibitions, which will aim
chiefly at reaching Japan's
young generation and raising
their interest in Germany.
Apart from cultural events inthe strict sense of the word,
Germany will present itself inJapan with events in many
fields, such as: business,science and technology, environment, and special exchange
programmes for citizens.
Special Events inTokushima
Toei Co. plans to make a ﬁlm
featuring the defunct Bando
Prisoners' Camp in Tokushima
Prefecture, where German
prisoners during World War
I played Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony, for the ﬁrst time inJapan.
According to sources close
to the movie production
company, the film will depict
the friendship that emerged
between people of Oasa town
near Naruto City, where theBando camp was located,
and the German prisonersof war led to the first playing in Japan of 'Choral'
in the last movement of
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
The Tokushima Prefectural
Government, the Naruto
City Office and businesses in
the prefecture have decided
to contribute a total of 100
million yen towards costs of
the ﬁlm making.

Since the German
Government will hold 'Germany
in Japan' events in 2005,
Naruto City and the Naruto
Society for Singing the Ninth
Symphony, which is a Narutobased nonprofit organization,plans to hold on June 5 aconcert at Naruto City Festival
Hall, in which Naruto citizens
and German people residing
in Japan will sing the Ninth
Symphony's Chorale together
as an event for further
promoting exchanges
between Naruto citizens andGerman people. The German
participants will be chosenfrom among officials of theGerman Embassy in Tokyoand the German consulates
in the Kansai region as wellas German business people
and students residing in theregion.
The Ninth Symphony concert,
to be held at the Naruto City
Festival Hall, is an annual
affair hosted by the city since
1982, which brings together
some 600 people from various
parts of the prefecture andother parts of the country.
In the “Deutsches Haus”(German House) in Naruto– basically a museum on
the POW Camp Bando, but
featuring also a store withGerman products like beer,
toys etc. and a concert hall
– we are planning a wide
range of events, starting withan Easter Sunday for Kids,
including wine seminars,
exhibitions, and concerts.
Watch out for announcementsin Awa Life or contact me
directly:
Mattias Hirschfeld, CIR in the“Deutsches Haus” Naruto
awa-life@ttias.de-8-

disaster
preparedness plant

he Tokushima Prefecture
Nankai Earthquake
Countermeasures
Division has implemented
their new system forsupporting people in theevent of a major naturald i s a s t e r. T h i s s y s t e mengages the help of a varietyof local businesses, including
gas stations, supermarkets,and convenience stores.
These businesses will
display a logo in theirfront window, indicatingthat they are preparedto supply information toevacuees in the event of anatural disaster. While thesebusinesses can not provide
money or supplies in an
emergency situation, they will
be equipped to direct citizens
to the nearest evacuation
centre, and provide otherguidance in the event of adisaster. These shops will
also be equipped with handy
multi-lingual cards in order tocommunicate with residents
who speak languages otherthan Japanese. These cards
will have information printed
in: English, Chinese, Korean,
Portuguese, and German.
for more information,
call: 088.621.2297(in Japanese)martin's anime corner
Title: Lupin the Third:
The Castle of Cagliostro( ルパン三世 - カリオストロの城 )Directed by: Miyazaki Hayao
Creators: Studio GhibliInternational Distribution:
Palm Pictures/Manga Video
Released: Japan (1979) U.S. (1991)
Length: Approx. 100 minuteslupin the Third is one of
the most well known andwell established anime
franchises having remained
popular for over 35 years.
It has spawned over 228 TV
episodes, 6 theatrical films, 5Original Animation Videos, and16 TV specials not to mention
three Playstation games. Manyof these have been dubbed
and shown on TV channels in
Europe and the US. Due to theprolific output and success ofthe franchise, it could easily
be said that Lupin the Third
constitutes a genre in its own
right. Lupin was shown on
TV channels in the Westernworld before the anime genre
e ve r b e c a m e p o p u l a r. I t s
early and continued successoverseas is probably due tothe fact that there are very
few difficult Japanese culturalreferences. The characterscome from various countries
and the action takes placein glamorous locations
throughout the world.
Lupin is a globe-trotting
m a s t e r t h i e f, t h e d i r e c t
descendant of gentleman thief
Arsène Lupin. Lupin with his
sidekicks, the moody beatnik
Jigen and stoic samurai
Goemon travel around theworld in search of loot to pilfer.
On their tail is the irrepressible
but usually unsuccessful
Inspector Zenigata of Interpol

and the beautiful Mine Fujiko;a fellow thief and sometimes
rival. The various episodes andﬁlms which Lupin had been inhave often caused some mild
controversy as Lupin is seen
by many as a rather politicallyincorrect character; he isa thief, for one, who chain
smokes, drinks and hits on(usually unsuccesfully) every
woman he meets. As theanimation has had a mainly
male teenage audience, thenature of the character and his
adventures have often resulted
in complaints from Japaneseparents' associations. There isvery little controversy in “TheCastle of Cagliostro” and it isdeﬁnitely suitable for all ages.
In this respect the character of
Lupin is dramatically different
compared to other Lupin the
Third films. Although “TheCastle of Cagliostro” is an
excellent ﬁlm, it is not in many
ways a typical Lupin the Thirdﬁlm.
The film is directed byMiyazaki Hayao (who would
later go on to direct “Spirited
Away” and “Howl’s Moving
Castle”). In the film Lupin
and Jigen successfully rob acasino but soon discover thatthe money is counterfeit. They
head to Cagliostro, a small
European country, where they
believe the counterfeit money
originated. In Cagliostro, they
witness the kidnapping of ayoung woman and see herbeing taken by boat to themassive castle of the Countof Cagliostro. Lupin and hiscohorts followed closely behindby Inspector Zenigata andMine Fujiko attempt to rescue
the woman from the clutchesof the count and discover the-9-by martin o'brien
martinobrien2004@gmail.com

secret behind the castle inwhich he resides. It isn’t long
before the locals discover
Lupin nosing around not tomention Inspector Zenigata
and his less-than crack team of
dedicated Interpol operatives.
The film is a James Bondesque adventure with a plotthat displays more intelligence
and wit than the average Bondfilm. Miyazaki Hayao’s touch
can be seen throughout andalthough it is one of his earlyfilms the attention to detailin regard to the animationand plot and the easy going
warmth that his characters
display is very much inevidence. The film makes foran excellent action adventure
animation and there are many
memorable scenes throughout.
“Lupin the Third: The Castleof Cagliostro” is a classic pieceof animation and is consideredby many to be the best Lupin
the Third feature length film.
There are a myriad of Lupin
the Third anime episodes andﬁlms out there on DVD/video,
and in my opinion The Castleof Cagliostro is probably thebest place to start.
The DVD version of “Lupin
the Third: The Castle ofCagliostro” that I watched was
the Japanese version, unlike
most of the Japanese version
Lupin the Third feature ﬁlms it
has English subtitles. It might
be advisable to get the dubbed
versions released for the US
and European markets. Other
Lupin the Third theatrical ﬁlms
include Strange Psychokinetic
Strategy (1974), Lupin Vs. theClone (1978), Legend of theGold of Babylon (1985), To
Hell with Nostradamus! (1995),
Dead Or Alive (1996)

japanese in the newsapril is a time of new
beginnings in Japan; thestart of a new school
year, and a new fiscal
year as well. This is the timeof year when many people
are transferred to different
positions within their jobs,
which means just about
everyone in the country is
experiencing something new
this month, be it new coworkers, a new school, a newjob, or even a new town! The
thrill of the new combinedwith the long-awaited spring
weather means everyone isworking hard for the monthof April. Then May hits andeveryone reaches a sort ofslump. There is a name forthis - 五 月 病 - gogatsubyō - May sickness. After amonth of everyone trying theirhardest to fit into their new
environments, May is when it
all falls apart.
Luckily for everyone, just as
the gogatsu byō is startingt o k i c k i n , G o l d e n We e kcomes along and saves thed a y ! G o l d e n We e k , o f t e n
abbreviated in print to GW, is aconvenient cluster of holidays
that occurs around the end of
April and beginning of May.
First, we have み ど り の 日 midori no hi - Green Day(formerly the Showa Emperor's
Birthday - there is a proposal
to change the name of thisholiday to showa no hi), on
April 29, followed soon after by
憲法記念日 - kenpō kinenbi Constitution Day on May 3, therather unimaginatively named
国 民 の 休 日 - kokumin nokyūjitsu - People's Holiday on
May 4 (this day would be the
new midori no hi if the 29th
becomes showa no hi), andby claire kinder
clairish@gmail.com

finally こどもの日 - kodomono hi - Children's Day on
May 5. If you play your cards
right and take a couple extra
days off, you could have awhopping ten days of holiday
in a row this May! Sounds
like a good time for a holiday
ove r s e a s , r i g h t ? To o b a deveryone else in the country
has the same idea as you andI! Air ticket prices, as well as
hotel fees are at their absolutepeak during this national weekof freedom. For many people
in Japan, this is one of the
only chances all year they will
have to take a long holiday,
so they wind up swallowing
the costs and counting theirblessings.
So why is it called Golden
Week? This term wasoriginally coined by movie
theatres soon after this holiday
period came to be, after 1948.
It was a sort of marketingcatch-phrase to remind people
that it was an ideal chance (a'golden' opportunity!) to go
see a film. Incidentally, what
is known as 'prime time' (7pm
- 10pm) television in English,
is referred to as the 'golden
time' or 'golden hour' inJapanese. Could there besome relation?
While people's senior years
are referred to as the 'golden
years' in English, the term'silver' is more common in
Japan. For example, the seatson the train reserved forpeople with mobility issues
are called the 'silver seats'and 'silver sangyo' referrs tobusinesses which target seniorcitizens, such as retirement
homes, medical products, andentertainment facilities geared
towards an older crowd.
-10-

letter from suketo
hoikuensuketo Hoikuen (Suketo
daycare) holds a freeinternational children's salon
day every Thursday startingat 10:30. International
parents and children are
welcome to come andparticipate at no charge.
Starting this month,
Awa Life will begin
featuring a monthly "letterfrom Suketo Hoikuen"
featuring information on
childcare and related topics
from the staff of Suketo
Hoikuen.

The bright sunlight, thesoftly blowing wind, the scentin the air... tells us that springis here! Children are busy atthis time of year, enteringa new Nursery School or
Kindergarten, or moving up
a grade. A lot of new things
happen in spring! There area lot of expectations andworries during this time aswell. When Mom and Dad
are feeling worred or uneasy,
they pass those feelings onto their children. Try to let
your children know, "I'll takecare of you, so don't worry!"
There is a lot of fun waiting
at daycare, pre-school, orother local activity groups
for your children! I have afeeling that this spring has
plenty of good things instore!
Until next time,
Kaori Sakamoto,Suketo Hoikuen
for more information:
call: 070-5681-1230
or see: www.suketo.jp

japanese lesson: koto ga arimasut

his time, let's take a lookat 'Verb (dictionary form)+ koto ga arimasu' and'Verb (nai form) + koto ga
arimasu' which imply an ideathat actions or occurrences
expressed by verbs sometimes
or occasionally are done orhappen.
Note: In this 'Verb (dictionary form) ／ Verb (nai form)+ koto ga arimasu,' pattern,
adverbs for high frequency
occurrences (ie. always, often,
usually) are never used. Only
adverbs for low frequency occurrences are used (ie. sometimes, occassionally, etc.)◆ Verb (dictionary form) +koto ga arimasu がっこう しょくどう
わたしはたいてい学 校の食 堂
ひるはん
たで昼ご飯を食べます。
I usually have lunch at theschool cafeteria. ('koto ga arimasu' can not be used)
べんとう

もでも、たまにお弁 当を持 っていきます。
But, I sometimes bring a lunch
from home. ('koto ga arimasu'
can be used) がっこう
べんとう
→ わたしは学 校にお弁 当をも持っていくことがあります。

よふ

でも、夜 更かしすると、たま
あさはや
おに朝早く起きられません。
But, I sometimes can’t get up
early the next morning after
staying up all night. ('koto ga
arimasu' can beused)おあさ はや→ わたしは朝 早 く起 きられないことがあります。

___________________________
I occasionally feel drowsy after
I take a cold remedy.
かれ

Practice transforming the sentences below into ones which
use 'koto ga arimasu.' The ﬁrst
sentence is an example.
こ

やくそく

まも

4 彼はときどき約束を守りません。 →_________________________________________________________________________________( 例 ) この機械はたまに故しょう
き かい
障 します。 → この機 械 は
こ しょう
故障することがあります。

Sometimes he doesn’t keep his
promises.

This machine occasionally
breaks down.

5. こ の 自 転 車 は た ま に ブ
レーキがききません。 →___________________________に ほん ご1. トムさんはときどき日本語やすのレッスンを休みます。 →_________________________________________________________________________________じ てん しゃ______________________________________________________
This bicycle sometimes hastrouble with its brakes.

To m s o m e t i m e s s k i p s h i s ［Note］
Japanese lesson.
'Verb (ta form) + koto ga
やまもと

2. 山 本 さ ん は と き ど き お
べんとう
いえ
わす
弁当を家に忘れます。 →_________________________________________________________________________________
M r. Ya m a m o t o s o m e t i m e sforgets his lunch at home.
ぐすり◆ Verb (nai form) + koto ga
arimasu
あさ はやおわたしはいつも朝 早 く起 きます。

jtmtoku-lesson@mbk.nifty.com

I get up early every morning.
('koto ga arimasu' can not be
used)

き かい

Japanese Frequency Words:
×いつも ○○○○○○○○
×よく ○ . ○○ .. ○ .. ○○×たいてい ○ ... ○ .. ○ ..
○ と き ど き ○ ..... ○ ....
○ た ま に ....... ○ .......

by sachiko ozaki

3. かぜ薬 をのんだあと、たねむ
まに眠くなります。 →______________________________________________________-11-

arimasu' expresses someone’s
experience in the past
なっとうたＡ : 納豆を食べたことがありますか。
A: Have you ever eaten nattō
before ?
あさ
Ｂ : え え、 も ち ろ ん。 朝、ひる
ばんた
昼、晩 と食 べることもありますよ。
B: Yes, of course. I sometimes
eat nattō for all three meals.
A: それはすごいですね。
A:That’s amazing.

memoranda
New Law

Germany in JapanA new law comes into effect on April 1, 2005, which states

The opening ceremony of the year of Germany in Japanthat people who hold foreign citizenship and who have awill be held at Doitsu-kan with a piano recital and choral

新しい法律ができました

日本におけるドイツ年

foreign address (ie. who live overseas) must present theirperformance. For more information about the year of Ger-

passports to be copied when they check into a Japanesemany in Japan, see this month's cover story written by thehotel. This law does not apply to foreign nationals who are

Doitsu-kan's Mattias Herschfeld.

registered as living in Japan.
when: April 17, 14:00 〜
when: starting April 1, 2005

where: Naruto's Doitsu-kan, 1F Hall
cost: \500

Koi Nobori Overthe Rivers ofTokushima

for more info:
tel. 088.689.0099 (in Japanese)
fax. 088-689-0909
email: doitukan@city.naruto.lg.jp (in English)
http://www.city.naruto.tokushima.jp/germanhouse/

徳島の川で鯉のぼり

May 5th is Children's Day - a day when colourful flags
shaped like carp (koi nobori) are traditionally flown
outside houses of families who have sons living at home.

Submit!

記事を募集しています

Accompanying this tradition, many riverside towns in

Would you like to write for Awa Life? We are always

Tokushima fly long strings of carp flags over their local

looking for new articles to publish. In particular, thoserivers during late April and early May. Here are just a few

which serve some kind of use to the English-speakingof the many places these koi nobori can be viewed:

population of Tokushima. We can not pay for submissions,but we can offer the kind of glory that can only come from

where: Kamikatsu near Tsukigaoka Onsen

seeing your own name in print.

when: April 25 - May 9
for more info, and detailed submission guidelines,
where: Miya River in Donari

e-mail: awalife@gmail.com

when: April 17 - May 8

write to: Awa Life
c/o TOPIA

where: Naka River in Anan City, near Kamodani Bridge

1-61 Terashimahoncho-nishi

when: Late April - Early May

Tokushima City, 770-0831

Tastes of Awa

Origami Class

阿波の味

おりがみクラス

Finally exhausted your supply of treats from home?

Create Japanese traditional symbols of Children's Day (MayLooking for something new to eat? Ask Don! Don Weiss,5) such as the kabuto helmet, with coloured paper!

author of 'Tastes of Awa,' (page 5) is looking for reader'ssuggestions for future columns. What aspects of Japa-

when: April 29 (Holiday Friday) 13:30 - 15:30

nese food interest you? What would you like to know how

instructor: Kazuko Yoshida

to cook? Send Don a message with your questions andwhere: TOPIA, Clement Building 6F

ideas:

cost: free, but register in advance at TOPIA or

e-mail: woosongdonald@yahoo.com

call: 088.656.3303-12-

memoranda
Join a Women's
Basketball Team!
女性バスケをしませんか？

Car For Sale
車を売ります1995 Toyota Corolla - shaken until April 2006, white, 4door, 4WD, automatic, good condition, 1.6L engine, newwhen and where:

CD player, snow tires, 95,000km

Tuesdays 20:00 - 22:00

Asking \250,000.

at Kami-Hachiman Elementary School, Tokushima City

Negotiable.

Fridays 20:00 - 22:00
at Takagawara Chomin Gym, Ishii-cho

for more info: wriba@hotmail.com

cost: 2000 per monthtel. 0883-67-2361

for more info: Coach Masami Matsuda

mobile. 090-5145-0476

090.8972.3281
mmatsuda@js2.so-net.ne.jp

Awa Life Free
Subscription
JET Programme
Postcard Collection Service
JET プログラム葉書コレクション

阿波ライフ無料郵送サービス

Booklets of postcards created from photographs taken

How many copies of Awa Life do you get in the mailby members of the JET Programme are now available foreach month? None? One? More than one?? Is it

free at TOPIA. Each set includes fifteen different cards

addressed properly? Is your name spelled right? Pleasewith photographs of Japanesque scenes from all over the

notify us of any corrections you'd like made to yourcountry.

subscription information or if you would like to have Awa
Life sent to you each month at no charge.

TOPIA's Librarye-mail: awalife@gmail.com
post: Awa Life

トピアの図書室

c/o TOPIA
1-61 Terashimahoncho-nishi

If you are a Tokushima resident (regardless of nationality)

Tokushima City, 770-0831

you can get a library card for TOPIA's library, and borrow

or: come to TOPIA in person

books free of charge! The library has mostly English, Chinese, and Japanese books, with a small section of novels
written in other European languages.
Books that have been culled from TOPIA's library areavailable for people to take home for free. Come to TOPIA
anytime and take a look in the big boxes marked free.
Donations of books are also accepted year-round!

Court Interpreters
Wanted
法廷通訳者募集中

The Tokushima District Court is looking for people withYour Message Here
このスペースを使いくださいhigh ﬂuency in both Japanese and another language whoare interested in becoming paid court interpreters.
for more info, contact: Tokushima Chihō Saibansho
Keijibu Shōtei-gakari

Submit your event information, garage sale, etc. to be

088.652.3141 ext. 331

printed in next month's Awa Life!

or see: http://www.courts.go.jp

contact: awalife@gmail.com-13-

memoranda
Counselling
Service at TOPIA

Hana Haru Festa
はなはるフェスタ

トピアの相談窓口

You don't have to wait until August to experience Awa

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.

Odori in Tokushima! Hana Haru Festa features Awa Odori
dancing, food stands, live performances, and lots of otherfun events in downtown Tokushima City.
when: April 29, 30, and May 1
where: Aibahama Park in downtown Tokushima City
cost: free
for more info: the Hana Haru Festa Committee

Monday to Thursday

088.655.7331 (in Japanese)

10:00 - 17:00
tel. 088.656.3303 or 088.656.3320 (allows three way

The Chiiori Project

conversations with an interpreter)

チイオリ・プロジェクト

Pop Art & Co.

流行するポップ・アート

April
8-10

Wood crafts

Eighty pop art works on loan from Portugal's Sintra

15-17

Mountain vegetable picking and hiking

Museum of Modern Art are on display at Kochi's Prefectural

22-24

TBA

Museum of Art. Featuring works by Andy Warhol,
April 28 - May 8 Golden Week open house

Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more!
There will be a special English guided tour on May 15(Sunday) from 14:00 - 15:00 at no extra charge.

May

Workshops on making your own Pop Art will be held April

13-15

Hiking (Mt Tsurugi to Mt Miune, staying
overnight on the mountain)

29 - May 5 from 10:00 - 16:00 at no extra charge
when: April 3 - May 22

20-22

Iya River Fishing

27-29

Country Cooking

9:00 - 17:00 (closed Mondays)
where: The Museum of Art, Kochi
cost: \850

* designates long weekend/ public holiday

tel. 088-866-8000

Basic rate: \6000 per night,\7000 during Golden Week.

web: http://www.kochi-bunkazaidan.or.jp/~museum

Extra charges apply for weekend events.
for more info: www.chiiori.org

Jomon-era Art

reservations@chiiori.org
tel. 0883.88.5290

縄文の美A display of black-burnished pottery artifacts from Japan'sancient 'Kamegaoka Culture' at Bunka no Mori's Museum.

Your Message Here
このスペースを使いください

when: April 26 - May 29, 9:30 - 17:00 (closed Mondays)
where: Bunka no Mori
cost: \200 for adults, with discounts for students

Submit your event information, garage sale, etc. to be

for more info: 088.668.3636

contact: awalife@gmail.com

printed in next month's Awa Life!

-14-

memoranda
Japanese Cooking
Class

Jam Camp

ジャム・キャンプ

日本料理のクラス

Your kids can have fun learning to play a variety of musicalinstruments and songs while practicing their English

This time, the menu includes: maki (roll) sushi, sumashi

at the same time! Canadian instructors in co-operation

jiru soup, and mizu yokan for dessert. The menu can bewith Kamiyama Board of Education are coming to leadindividually adjusted to suit a vegetarian diet.

this three-day workshop in the mountains of Kamiyama!
Children will be able to stay at the Kamiyama Juniorinstructor: Michie Hamamoto

High dormitory or commute from home. At the end of thewho: foreign residents, and Japanese assistants canthree-day workshop, everyone will record original songs

participate

they have written for a CD that will serve as a souvenir of

when: May 22 (Sunday)

their experience.

Doors open: 9:30

Jam Camp is looking for volunteers to lead games andCooking and eating: 10:00 - 13:00

help with onsite English classes. We are especially looking

where: Uchimachi Community Centre (near City Hall)
cost: \500

for people who can speak both Japanese and English, inorder to help our international facilitators communicate

for more information, or to register:with the kids.

e-mail: kuy@usuzumi.ok1.jp
fax: 088.692.6289

when: May 3-5

Write your name, nationality, and contact information.

where: Kamiyama O-Awa Jinja
cost: \15,000 for students staying overnight,

Please be sure to apply well in advance, as places arelimited! We can not accept unregistered particpants on the\10,000 for students commuting from home

day of the event.

for more info: register@jamcamp.org

presented by: HIROBA Internationalwww.jamcamp.org

tv movie schedule・april

Japanese television broadcasts most foreign movies in their original language as well as in Japanese. Bilingually equipped
TVs can be ﬂipped between these two audio channels by selecting the 音声切替 button on the remote control.

Date

Time Place

Nat.

タイトル

Sat. 99:00⑧関西

USA '92

アラジン

Sun. 10

9:00

⑥ ABC

USA '01

ハムナプトラ２

Sat. 16

9:00⑧関西

FRA '03

Sun. 17

9:00

⑥ ABC

Fri. 22

9:03

Sat. 23

Title
Aladdin

The Mummy Returns

Taxi 3

Taxi 3

USA '94

マスク

The Mask

⑩読売

JPN '92

紅の豚

Porco Rossolate night⑥ ABC

UK '54

アナザー・カントリー

Another CountryTue. 26

late night⑩読売

FRA '54

フレンチ・カンカン

French Cancan

Fri. 29

late night⑩読売

USA '01

ソードフィッシュ

SwordﬁshSat. 30late night⑥ ABC

HK '93

必殺処刑コップ

Extreme Justicehorror ? mysterysuspense comedy

dramaThis schedule is subject to change.

-15-

action ♥love & romance SF science ﬁction

cinema guide
TOKUSHIMA HALL 徳島ホール(Saiwai-cho - near the Central
Post Ofﬁce)
088.653.1802

TOKUSHIMA TOHO 徳島東宝
(Kagoya-machi - in Higashi
Shinmachi Arcade)088.625.5311
TOHO CINEMA 東宝シネマ(Kagoya-machi - in Higashi
Shinmachi Arcade)088.625.5311

Bridget Jones 2 - The Edge of Reason 【USA】
ブリジット・ジョーンズの日記 きれそうなわたしの 12 か月

until 4/15

Hibi【JPN】火火 (in Japanese)from 4/16

Regular tickets → \1800 1st of each month → \1000
Ladies’ day / Tuesday → \1000 Men’s day / Friday → \1000
Lorelei 【JPN】ローレライ (in Japanese)

until 4/15

Crayon Shin-chan【JPN】クレヨンしんちゃん

from 4/16

Regular tickets → \1800 1st of each month → \1000
Ladies’ Day / Wednesday → \1000 Men’s Day / Thursday → \1000
Shark Tale【USA】シャーク・テール

until 4/8

Detective Conan - Strategy Above the Depths【JPN】
名探偵コナン / 水平戦場の陰謀

from 4/9

Regular tickets → \1800 1st of each month → \1000
Customer Appreciation Day / Wednesday → \1000
National Treasure【USA】ナショナル・トレジャー

ATTACK HEIWA アタック平和(Kuramoto 2 cho-me - near
Kuramoto Station)
088.631.6490

Jersey Girl【USA】世界で一番パパが好き！

until 4/15

Constantine【USA】コンスタンティン

from 4/16

1st of each month → \1000 Customer Appreciation Day/ Wednesday → \1000

HEIWA DOLBY 平和ドルビー(Kuramoto 2 cho-me )088.631.6490
KITAJIMA CINEMA SUNSHINE*FUJI GRAND*
北島シネマサンシャイン（Kitajima-cho Tainohama）
088.697.3113
088.697.3111（24 時間テープ案内 24 hour recorded message）

The Aviator【USA】アビエイター
Regular tickets → \1800 1st of each month → \1000
Customer Appreciation Day / Wednesday → \1000
Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind【USA】
エターナル・サンシャイン

until 4/15

Lorelei 【JPN】ローレライ (in Japanese)
Pretty Cure【JPN】ふたりはプリキュア

マックスハート

Crayon Shin-chan【JPN】クレヨンしんちゃん
Infernal Affairs 3【HK】インファナル・アフェアⅢ
from 4/16

Son of the Mask【USA】マスク２
Constantine【USA】コンスタンティンAshurajo no Hitomi【JPN】阿修羅城の瞳

Regular tickets → \1800
The 1st of each month → \1000
Ladies’ Day / Wednesday → \1000

National Treasure【USA】ナショナル・トレジャー
The Aviator【USA】アビエイター
A Very Long Engagement【FRN】ロング・エンゲージメント (in French)
Racing Stripes【USA】レーシング・ストライプス (in Japanese)coming soon:
At Kitajima Sunshine Cinema in Fuji Grand this May:
Shall We Dance - starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez

-16-

人権守って

輝く明日