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★ IIA News Letter, December 2020 ★
Ichikawa International Exchange Association (IIA)
2nd Floor, 2-1-7 Yawata, Ichikawa, Japan 272-0021
Phone: 047-332-0100 email: info@iia21.jp
It is entering the busiest season of the year. This issue contains the report of theIIA events such as study session and also public information from the Cabinet
Secretariat. The big bright news is breaking in. Hayabusa 2 brought back thetreasure box “Tamatebako” from the mini planet “Ryugu”. I hope it will include not
only the data of origin of the earth but also the key to destroy coronavirus. We
hope you will have a good year in new manner, even if we are being suffered by
COVID-19.
【Outdoor Study Meeting on Nov.1】 (Interpre. & Transl. Committee)
Avoiding "3Cs” this year, the I&T Committee members went to the Ichikawa City
Archaeology/History/Folklore Museum and Horinouchi Shell Mounds instead of theregular bus tour. We met on-site and took curators’ lectures first.
Their interesting talks made us think about the people who lived here in the Jomon
period. Dividing into two groups, we looked around museums and shell mounds
while learning how to translate Japanese into our languages in charge (English,German, Spanish, and Chinese).
We were able to spend a wonderful and productive time on a clear autumn day.
(Hiromi Nagasawa
http://www.iia21.jp/itckogai20101.jpg ←Participants and lecturers
http://www.iia21.jp/itckogai20102.jpg ←Participants, listening history of Ichikawa
seriously【World Friends: Video Letter】(Interpre. & Transl. Committee、Public Relations
Committee)
This year, Fukijima Elementary School and St. Nicolas School in Issy-LesMoulineaux City are participating. The first video was sent from Japan at the end ofAugust. Children were speaking in English about school days, subjects, and annualevents. Now, we received the letter from Issy, speaking about the origin of theschool, information about the school, a day at the dormitory and so on. It wasshown to all sixth graders on December 1st. Children are so curious about Frenchschool systems and questioned many.

The third video will be sent from Japan inDecember. They must be an ambitious work that incorporates their questions.
(Tsuyoshi Shinohara)【Folk tales related to epidemic disease in Ichikawa】 (Leshan City Committee)
I have listened three folk tales below.
・ The tale since 13th century to Myoshouji, Kitakata. If we take a decoction ofcherry bark, smallpox is cured perfectly.
・ The tale of Harakiri-sam since 17th century to the small stone pagoda,
Kitakokubun. It is called Cough God, who mourns the samurai who loved Sake anddied with hara-kiri or. suicide by disembowelment. If you recite the sutra 500,000
times and step on, the cough is cured perfectly.
・ The tale of fireworks since 18th century in Minato Shinden. Only the fireworks ofcertain period were being permitted to mourn the dead people. However, one
official who did not allow fireworks since the epidemic cold occurred and he diedfirst.
I prayed that COVID-19 would end soon and the peaceful life would return. (KazukoSato)【Cabinet Secretariat Public Information】• Refrain from going to places where the Three C’s are likely to occur, such as
events, going out to eat, and other places where infection prevention measures are
not strongly enforced. You should particularly refrain from attending parties andevents where an unspecified number of people can gather and talk in loud voices.
• If you participate in any events, go out to eat, etc., take appropriate infection
prevention measures by keeping a safe distance from others, disinfecting yourhands, wearing a mask, and refraining from speaking in a loud voice.
• Refrain from late night drinking in crowded streets and restaurants orparticipating in similar events as much as possible.
• Find new ways to have fun at home such as spending time with your family or
joining online events.
https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kokusai/english/information/residents/coronamatsuri.
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