~~ 06ifiiro? -=====----1 International and Domestic Relations Section Newsletter 1-----======-­

May 2008

Issue 181

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony The spring session of "The Four Season Tea

Ceremony" starts in June. This event introduces traditional Japanese culture to foreign (and less knowledgeable native) residents of Tokachi. Don't worry if you don't know about tea ceremony rules and the philosophy behind it; this is the place to learn all of that cultural goodness!

The equipment used, the kimono (traditional Japanese clothing) worn, and the sweet treats served, change from season to season. Enjoying the changing of the seasons through the changing ceremony is a crucial part of understanding the Japanese tea ceremony. The instructor, who will be serving you personally, has decades of experience, and will teach you how to fully enjoy the tea ceremony. Of course there will be an English interpreter so language won't be a problem! ) ©

The first tea ceremony this year is the "Spring Tea Ceremony" held on June 1st (Sunday). Come in and enjoy Japanese culture with us!

i-----------------------------------------------­: I

Date: June 1st. Sunday lOam to 2pm (about 20 min. per session) I

: Place: TIRC tea ceremony room "Sei fu an" , : West 20 South 4, Obihiro I I

: Fee: Free I

: Apply to... tirc@city.obihiro.hokkaido,jp I

Free Japanese Classes for your benefit

One small program run by the City of Obihiro and the Tokachi International Association (TIA) is the offering of free Japanese language classes at Obihiro City Hall. Learning Japanese will not only make life in Japan much

easier for you, but it also has the following benefits. You will be able to better communicate with your spouse and make new friends. You will be able to communicat with your boss, coworkers, and landlord to avoid problems. You will gain the confidence to "dive into" Japanese society to go shopping, go to movies, or even volunteer your time for a good cause. You will also learn to read and be able to decipher important documents.

The classes we offer here at City Hall offer: *a jumpstart for self-study *a place to practice Japanese with a native teacher *a place to meet others learning Japanese *a place to make friends *a place to gain/exchange information

I hope to see you at this month's Japanese classes! Check out the back page (pg. 4) for details on how to sign up for these free Japanese classes right away!

a It- Pg.l: Tea Ceremony and Japanese Class Pg.2: Events and Fun in Tolcachi a o Pg.3: Did You Know?, and "Hanami" Pg.4: Movie Schedule, Japanese Class ~

III , .. ~ . »

Events in Tokachi and Obihiro View the beautiful sakura in Green Park Obihiro

Learn about the U.S.A on May 17th!!!

When

5/3 (Sat)

6:30 -Doors open at 6pm!

5/11 (Sun)

10:00 - 15:00

What

Chromatic Harmonica Night: A FREE concert being put on by a local harmonica school here in

Obihiro.

Obihiro Sakura Festival: Come view transient beauty of the sakura (cherry blossoms) at Obihiro's

Midorigaoka Park, while playing fun games and listening to live bands.

Where/Contact #

C:. fJ\t:, -.J7-+1 v1'~~-*- )\; Tokachi Plaza, Rainbow Hall

0155-23-1245

~~~~fr~~~~~-~~~-~ Big "Green" Stage in Midorigaoka

Park in Obihiro 0155-22-3906

~~IJ~ J1giBlBT Mid-May Shikaribetsu Lake melts and is open for use Shikaribetsu Lake in Shikaoi

5/17 (Sat)

14:00 -'16:00

U.S.A. Talk: 3 Americans, currently living in Obihiro, are going to be talking about their homeland

and about their lives in Obihiro. Come talk in Japanese AND English and learn everything you ever

wanted to about America and its people!

Love Country Sakura Festival:

0156-66-4034

~O)~mtii·+JII Tokachi International Relations

Center TEL 0155-34-0122

5/17 Live concerts and character performances, fresh ~t~lE~mt~ (Sat) Tokachi foods, and fun games. In addition to a Ban'ei Kita Aikoku Event Grounds

10:00 ­ 15:00 race horse promotional event, there will also be a 0155-48-8380

5/18 (Sun)

8:00 -11:00

western horse show.

Community Tree Planting: Come plant trees to make Obihiro a greener place and to slow Global

Warming. Meet at the TIRC (info at right) Sign up at: ouisa08@gmail.com

Shintokuyama Nature Park Light-Up: This park in

~O)~mtii· +JII Tokachi International Relations

Center (TIRC) TEL 0155-34-0122

Mid-April to Shintoku is famous for its beautiful sakura. They will Jfit*L1J§~~1II the end of May be lighting up approximately 2300 sakura trees so Shintokuyama Nature Park 17:00 - 22:00 that everyone can do hanami (flower viewing) all day 0156-64-0525

5/24 (Sat)

14:00 - 15:00 RSVP please

and night!

Story Telling Around the World: This month a student studying at Obihiro University is going to share a

story from their homeland, Korea. The children's book will be read in both Korean and Japanese. Target audience:

children from 3 yrs. old to 2nd grade elementary students. RSVP by TEL, FAX, or email.

~O)~mtm·+JII Tokachi International Relations

Center TEL 0155-34-0122 FAX 0155-34-0165

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because the blossoms only bloom for a very short time; usually no more than two weeks. The first cherry blossoms southern island of Okinawa (January) while on tbe northern much lat lri the::r:

in mid-May. celebrating hCllftl1ni. In the rest of Japan, people usually have sushi and various sorts of boxed lunches at thei great northern island, we fire up open grills for some good

~ .. ~.L...rtje u ' f u

you h example: Nlido 'gaoka Pluk (Obihiro), Suzuran Park (Otofuke), Tokachijinja (Hiro), (Shintoku), Enjoy the cherry blossoms and invite me to your hanami party too, if you have room! (Rocio Ushijima,

A small insight into any and all aspects of life in Japan 1a an Pfash forecast is announced each year by

eteorological Agency and is watched Han~~(~~~:iwl~ow~ing.) i. y by hose who plan to have hanami parties

one of the most popular events of Spring. ,Crowds of people - families, groups of friends, and groups of coworkers usually bring plastic bloom in the subtropicaltarps to sit under the fully blooming cherry blossom trees in parks and ha\l a i 'sland of Hokkaido they bloom celebration. The picnic fare usual y consists of a May.wide variety offoods, snack foods. and Sake (rice

1 the blossoms should bloom wine) or other drinks. Flower viewers often

er. we have a unique way ofdancing or do karaoke in addition to eojoyiog the delicate pink blossoms. Hanarni parties can l>e during the day or at night. Sakura viewed at nigh hanami parties, but here in the are called yozakura (~~).

In very popular hanami locations t 01' ji"gisukan (mutton)

competition fo prime r>icnic spots is Groups claim spots by afriving very early In the

ant to have your own hanami party,morning and sitlin aU day long until various options in Tokachi. For celebrations b g'n n the even in . employees are ·'0 a I given this ·sitting"

Honbetsu Park (Honbetsu),job to reserve spa 0 e company celebratio Shintoku Jinjayamaso, it's not unusual to see a young man in etc. business suit sitting under a ,cherry tree all day. The practice of hiring homeless people to do this • sitting is also not uncommon these days. Obihiro's CIR from Peru)

DID YOU KNOW~~~ The number of foreigners all across Japan and Hokkaido has

been increasing greatly in recent years. Foreign nationals living in Hokkaido are increasing every year, and the City of Obihiro and the Tokachi area (where we live) is also experiencing this trend. Presently there are nearly 20,000 registered foreigners in Hokkaido which includes the steadily increasing total of 929 foreigners living in Tokachi.

However, due to differences in language, culture, and customs, friction, conflict, and not fitting into the local community are not uncommon situations foreigners find themselves in. Because most information about government policies and daily life is provided mainly in Japanese, foreigners have problems receiving necessary public services, and special support systems become more necessary in case of natural disasters.

It has been 10 years since I personally came to Japan. Presently I am working for the City of Obihiro's International and Domestic Relations Section as a Coordinator for International Relations, but even now I don't fully understand how to receive many of the public services I may need.

As you live from day to day, what's the first thing you do when you have to face various problems and conflicts? Do you have someone who can give you advice? Are you able to explain your problem accurately to them?

Before that, there's something that I need to confirm. I want you to understand that foreigners are not "guests", but are simply foreign "residents." If you can't solve a problem on your own, I suggest that you use various public services to help you.

The consultation service I would like to introduce this month is the Obihiro Consumer Affairs Center. The Consumer Affairs Center provides counseling and advice regarding the following consumer related problems; malicious business scams, trouble with product/service contracts, product quality/safety, etc. Consultation is free and they strictly protect your privacy. You may not be sure of what kind of services they offer, so I will give describe one example of what they do.

Last year, Mr. A entered a contract with Cell Phone Company B. Mr. A began using the cell phone and one month later received a bill for 2,650,000 yen (approx. $26,500) Mr. A flew into a panic! Mr. A directly called Company B, but they couldn't come to a resolution. At that point, Mr. A went to the Consumer Affairs Center and the problem was solved thanks to their enthusiastic negotiating.

You can receive consultation from the center in person or by phone. So, if you are ever experiencing any of the above problems, you should consider going to the Consumer Affairs Center in the Tokachi Plaza.

The Obihiro Consumer AffairS Center where you can get free consultation!

.................Ob'ihi~~'c'~~~'~~~';'Aff~i~'c~~'i~~""""" ..... "': Nishi 4 Minami 13 (in the Tokachi Plaza) ~ Consultation Times: Tuesday....Saturday 10:00.... 17:00 ~ Closed: Sundays, Mondays (if Monday is a holiday, c1osed~

the next day) also closed on New Years : TEL 0155-22·8393 or 0155-23-8126 ~ .....................................................................................:

(Khin Maung Tun, Obihiro's CIR from Myanmar)

Ch~;~s~e::;':,t~all May Movies At Cinema Taiyo, Obihiro

May 10 - June

Apr 26-June

Apr 19 ­ May 30

Apr 26 - May 23

Apr 18 ­ May 16

Mar 17 ­ May 23

Japanese

Class Details 5/13 to 7/15 Every Tuesday

Free!

Time: 19:00 to 21:00

Location: 10th Floor of City Hall West 5 South 7 in Obihiro

Sushi Prince (w/subtitles) Japanese

The Golden Compass (voiceover) Japanese

Next (starring Nicholas Cage) English

The Last Princess (Kurosawa remake) Japanese

Lions for Lambs English

m:j'~r;~rm~~~ Apply by Email: intemational@city.obihiro.hokkaido.jp ~§!~ Or by Telephone: 0155-65-4133

Beginner Class Level 2: This session we will be a salon-style conversation class that ranges over a wide variety of topics regarding Japanese culture and life in Japan. Learn by doing, while enjoying tea and casual conversation with your teacher!

Beginner Class: Will be starting from ZERO and building up your speaking and reading ability step by step. The teacher will try to increase the level of the class if the students are already at a higher level

May 10 - June

The Bucket List (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) English May 10 - June

Charlie Wilson's War (true story about Cold War) English May 17 -June

The Chronicles ofNamia: Prince Caspian English May 21 -June

Rambo (2.59 kills per minute ofmovie!) English May 24-June

21 (true story about dominating Las Vegas casinos) English May 31-June

27 Dresses (a romantic comedy...) English May 31- June

10,000 B.C. (the cavemen speak perfect English!) English Apr 26 - May 23

or check online at: http://www.talyogroup.jp/cinemaltheater/_obihirolmovie.shtml (Nishi 3, Minami 7)Tel: (0155) 20-1525

International and Domestic Relations Section Obihiro City Hall

Nishi 5, Minami 7-1 Obihiro, Japan, 080-0867 Phone: (0155) 65-4133

Fax: (0155) 23-0171 E-mail: international@city.obihiro.hokkaido.jp

Greg Hertel -Editor, Events, Movies. Web manager Nauxkaux Yamada, Kotomi Torimoto- General Advisory International and Domestic Relations Section- Articles

What's Happening In Obihlro? can be found at the following locations: Obihiro City Hall, Tokachi International Relations Center, Obihiro University International Center, Obihiro Tourism and Convention Center inside the Obihiro JR Station, Obihiro Public

Library, Cinema Taiyo, Joy English Academy and online at www.clty.oblhlro.hokkaido.jp

·WHIO?· Is a newsletter published monthly by the Obihiro Intema1ional and Domestic Relations Section for residents of the Tokachi District and relll1ed parties. The contcots of this newsJetter do DOt necessarily rep~nt the official views or opinions of the International and Domestic Relations

Section or the City of Obihiro. Questions? Tel (0 I55) 6~-4133 or send e-mail toWInOEditingTcamatintemational@city.obihiro.hokkaido.jp.

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