English Helpful Information

for Foreign Residents

No. 79 Summer, 2019

English Published by Sagamihara International Lounge URL: http://www.sagamihara-international.jp

New era name for the new age

尹 英姫（Yoon Yeonghui）

For people from other countries, the “Era name” is one of the most curious things about Japan. Some people who came to Japan, have difficulty getting used to era names such as “Taisho”, “Showa” or “Heisei”. Instead of using the Christian calendar, when they go to city offices, hospitals or other places, they are required to write their dates of birth using the Japanese calendar, which can be confusing to them. I hear that nowadays no other countries in the world use era names. Era names first came to use in China in 156 B.C. to represent the emperors' rule over the time period. Afterwards, the use of Era names spread to other countries which used Kanji, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. In Japan, era names first came to be used in 645 A.D., and from the first era “Taika”, 247 era names have been used. Era names are generally composed of two Chinese characters, which have to be easy to read and write, have good meanings which represent the Japanese people's ideals and should be original names which haven't been used before and are not commonly used. The Heisei period, which started in 1989 and lasted for 30 years, came to an end, and a new era has started this year. It’s called “Reiwa”. Let's do our best to make it a good era.

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The New Era "Reiwa" Began on the 1st of May

Akio FUKUNISHI

As Ms. Yoon wrote, Japan's new era “Reiwa” started on May first. Some Japanese people say that it would be better to use only the Christian calendar, while others say that we should continue to pay respect to tradition and use era names which are provided when new emperors ascend to the throne. According to tradition, a new emperor ascends the throne after the previous emperor’s demise, but “Reiwa” is different. The previous emperor decided to abdicate the throne, so the Crown Prince was enthroned. Therefore many Japanese people celebrated “Reiwa”'s coming by paying homage to the previous emperor along with giving their blessings to the new emperor. This is the first time in around 200 years that a new emperor ascended the throne while the previous emperor was still alive, so Japan was surrounded by a joyful celebrating atmosphere. The current law states that; only males can succeed the throne, although there are historical records of female emperors ruling in Japan. The new emperor has no son, so his six-year-younger brother is to be the next heir. Arguments concerning having a female emperor might heat up. One of Japan’s literature scholars, who is assumed to be the creator of the name “Reiwa”, says that a new era is born along with the accession of a new emperor, so it has cultural significance. Considering that Japan hasn’t suffered from a war in the 30 years of “Heisei”, we really do hope that “Reiwa” will also be a peaceful era.

2 Let’s cheer, for the Olympic Games in Sagamihara!

Information on the Cycling Road Race of “Tokyo 2020 Test Event” on July 21st Ichie NISHIDA As a rehearsal for the Tokyo Olympic Games, “Test Events” for the Cycling Road Race will be held on the actual course this year. The route through Sagamihara is written below. Why don’t you come to cheer the riders on! Date : July 21, 2019 12:00 start ~ 17:15 finish Course : Starts from Musashino-no-mori Park (on the border of Fuchū, Chōfu and Mitaka in Tokyo) Finishes at the Fuji International Speedway (in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture) Participants : 24 Teams representing their countries will participate. 《The Route Through Sagamihara》 Minami-Osawa on Tokyo Metropolitan Road 158 ⇒ Machida Road 47 ⇒ Aihara Interchange on Hachioji bypass ⇒ Moving south along National Route 16 ⇒ Turn right at the Moto-Hashimoto intersection for Aihara ⇒ Turn left at the Aihara2 intersection ⇒ Aiharadai National Route 413 ⇒ From Kubosawa to the Old Ogura Bridge ⇒ The Kushikawa Bridge ⇒ Turn left at the Aoyama intersection ⇒ The Doshi Road ⇒ Lake Yamanaka

I would recommend the following places to spectate the event: (1)The southern footway of the New Ogura Bridge where you can see the Old Ogura Bridge. (2)National Route 16, which you can walk to from Hashimoto Station. (3)Machida Road which you can also walk to from Tamasakai Station, the Keio Sagamihara Line. It’s about 38kms away from the starting point to the Aihara Interchange, so you will be able to see the riders within an hour of the race starting. Although the medals will be given to the individual winners, the Cycling Road Race has the distinction of playing as a team. Each country allocates from between 1 to 5 athletes to represent the country. One of the athletes will be chosen to be the "ace" and they will be assisted by the other athletes from the same team to help them win a higher place. Why don’t you check the course on YouTube? You'll really come to understand their passion. Male athletes generally cycle 250kms taking around 5~6 hours. It’s the perfect opportunity to really appreciate the speed and endurance of these incredible athletes who cycle at an average speed of 50kms per hour. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the first medals of the games will be given to the winners of this Cycling Road Race. Why don’t you come to cheer them on?

3 -Old Town Atmosphere in Hoi An-

World Cultural Heritage in Vietnam

Kuin KOMODA

Hoi An is an old seaside town in central Vietnam. It’s 30kms away, 30 minutes by car from the famous city Da Nang. Fortunately, it has been well preserved without any damage, all the way back from the French Colonial Age through the Vietnam War. Hoi An was the center of international trade around the 16th century and used to be the most prosperous port where numerous traders gathered from Japan, China, Portugal, Spain and Holland. The town, which had a calm and old-fashioned atmosphere, became a popular tourist spot. The history of mixed various cultures can be seen in the buildings, such as wooden shop houses and Chinese styled temples, colorful buildings of French Colonial style, and “Tube Houses” long narrow houses of Vietnamese design. On the 14th of every month, the Lantern Festival, a fantastic traditional festival, is held. If you come to visit Hoi An, you should definitely go to see the bridge “Chùa Cầ u” (it’s also called Japan’s bridge). It was built by Japanese merchants in the 16th century and became a symbol of friendship between Japan and Vietnam. Recently it was officially chosen as one of Hoi An’s historical heritage sites. Hoi An is a peaceful and calm town, and people living there are mild natured and friendly. The tastes of Hoi An are varied and delicious. I strongly recommend the chicken rice and Cao Lau (a kind of noodle, which might come from Japan.) Hoi An was registered as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1999. If you come to Vietnam, why don’t you visit Hoi An?

Japan’s Bridge An old building with lantern lanterns 4