II Jan 2008 What·s Hap_pening 06ihiro? Issue 190 -====-----lintemational and Domestic Relations Section Newsletter 1------:====:::::.­

! ® What'. IHppenjrw in ObibirP <-aothlr _,letter) A Window into Obihiro for English Speakers Make sure to check the City of Obihiro's Homepage for new information in English. Not only is there crucial info about Emergencies, Important paperwork, and Everyday life, but you can also get the latest issue of this newsletter ; ® E-.yday Lif. before anyone else! MAy..to gr !eey" ClIhi'o G«Iwe QjsJmotPjck-w Pm «ld Momeri One of the larger new additions to the web page is a CitY G«Iwe 8M. comprehensive Disaster and Evacuation Map. It is in color and covers the entire city. It is split up into 7 districts, so i ® J..-wm p.....-t find out your district and then look at your area-specific I The Pow Smem I EII'ClIoym' Pojon I Pojon Bef!cd

® u.eful link. Obihiro's Homepage is: Tgkacbi l1lemotjpoal AuocWjon rilmA>: www.city.obihiro.hokkaido.jp They hove 0 comprehentive L...q Guide fgr vlI'ious ospect. 01 IHe here in TakAChl They ol.e Look at the upper right side of the homepage. Click on the ENGLISH button and it will take you to all the ® Abaut Obillir. English content Obihiro has to offer! i (bills!' i S;m Cilia

Want to make friends, and sweat your stress away? Come on down to the Tokachi International Relations Center (TIRC, West 20 South 6 in Obihiro) on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, and you can play mini­ volleyball (volleyball that uses a soft blOW-Up ball) with friendly people from all different cultures and backgrounds. Beginners are absolutely welcome!

-disco danCing after sconng a point is optional (pic at left)

Contact us : Tokachi International Relations Center (The TIRC) West 20 South 6, in Obihiro [email protected] TEL: 0155-34-0122

Pg.l: Webpage and Mini-volleyball Pg.2: Events and Fun in Tokachi Pg.3: Winter Emergencies and Nabe ryori Pg.4: Movie Schedule, Japanese Class 1 yen o Iro

When What Where/Contact # Every Sat., Sun. Draft Horse Racing: This is probably what Obihiro is and Mon. from most famous for. In these Ban'ei horse races, huge work *J!~l.~tI now to March horses pull sleds loaded with weights. Sometimes the Obihiro Horse Racetrack 30th sand track gets covered with a soft white blanket of snow. 0155-34-0825 First race at 11 :00 Obihiro doesn't have a heated racetrack, so it specializes Last race at 17:00 in these winter snow races.

12/6 to Feb Winter Zoo: ;lStF{}011.J~1II (Open Fri Sat Sun The Zoo opens in conjunction with the Obihiro Ice . Obihiro Zoo and Holidays) Festival 1 Come see how lions, elephants, and giraffes 0155-24-2437 11:00-14:00 1 survive in cold snowy Obihiro! Shikaribetsu Lake Kotan: "Kotan" means village in the 1/20 to 3/31 language of the Ainu. There is going to be a village built ?&}}IJ~ (everyday) on the frozen Shikaribetsu Lake. There will be an open Shikaribetsu Lake 10:00 - 22:00 air onsen (hot bath), an "ice bar" completely constructed of 01556-9-8181 ice, and igloos too!

Story Telling Around the World: This month we will ~(1)~mtU'·+J11 1/24 Tokachi International Relations Center (Sat) be reading an American children's book in both English and Japanese. We will also play some games and have a TEL 0155-34-0122 14:00 - 15:00 nd FAX 0155-34-0165 RSVP good time. Target audience: children from 3 yrs. old to 2 grade elementary students. RSVP by TEL, F~X, or email.­ [email protected]

1/24 International Talk: Come and exchange ideas in this ~(1)~mtU'·+J11 (Sat) casual forum. This month we will be talking about that Tokachi International Relations Center 19:00 - 21 :00 little paradise ofthe South Pacific; Samoa TEL 0155-34-0122 Tokachi River Hakucho Festival: This "White Bird" +JIIJI15AHR7?7'\-?, 1/24-3/1 festival is going to have a light and sound fantasy show +JIIf.J{.li1}III, \"T'/?J!tI (everyday) that will take you to a wonderful whimsical world! There Tokachi River Aqua Park, 19:00-21 :00 will also be full impact snow rafting, snow hut building Tokachigaoka Park and a snow slide! 0155-32-6633

Obihiro Ice Festival: There's going to be huge snow 1/30-2/1 sculptures, a big snow slide, ice sculptures, and even a *J!~7.1i1}1II (Fri Sat Sun) snow maze! This is one ofObihiro's biggest and most Green Park in Obihiro 10:00-20:00 famous festivals, and it rivals Sapporo's famous Snow 0155-22-8600 Festival.

lokachi River Obihiro Hakucho Festival Ice Festival

Note: The Sapporo Snow Festival ~~~'sOl}eb' (probably Hokkaido's biggest tourist ~fo17! ~ attraction) will be Feb. 5th - 11 th• ~•• If you don't have hotel reservations ~

2 yet, you may be too late... Winter Emergencies! Useful survival info for living in Obihiro

As you may know, Hokkaido winters can be quite harsh. There are many things you need to be careful of when winter Sudden illness or comes. Some examples are fires, traffic accidents, freezing water pipes, and there are also many people who get injured major injury from slipping on ice, etc. If you or someone experiences What would you do in these kinds of emergencies? a sudden illness or major injury, I'd like to teach you about how to correctly respond in these call an ambulance right away by situations. dialing 119. (dial same number for fires) When you dial 119, you will have to tell them the following Traffic accident information: If you are involved in an accident, simply dial 110 on any •What's the emergency? phone to call for a patrol car. •What caused it? When you dial 110, you will have to tell them the following •Where are you? (address or nearby landmarks) information: •Your name •What happened? (kotsu-jiko desu: "there's been a traffic •The phone number of the phone you are calling from accident") Ifyou don't know the address ofthe place, try to describe •When? (gofun mae: "five minutes ago") landmarks nearby or use a public telephone (public phones •Where? (Obihiro eki no chikaku: "near Obihiro station") can be immediately traced) . Your name It is possible to dial 119 from a mobile phone •The phone number of the phone you are calling from If you don't know the address ofthe place, try to describe Frozen water pipes landmarks nearby or use a public telephone (public phones Water pipes freeze easily during the cold days of winter. can be immediately traced) If your pipes freeze and burst, it will cost a lot of money to Calling 110 from a mobile phone is possible fix them. To prevent pipe freezing, cut of your water main before Fire going to sleep or before leaving the house. If there is a fire, let others around you know by shouting in a If you need repairs done on a weekend: there are not many loud voice (kaji desu!: "there's a fire!") Then call the fire plumbers that work on nights or weekends, but you can ask department by dialing 119. for one at this phone number 0155-26-1132 (24hrs) When you dial 119, you will have to tell them the following If your pipes are frozen but not bursting yet, you can call the information: same place to see if any plumbers are available: 0155-26­ •Where is the fire? (address or nearby landmarks) 1132 (open 24hrs) •What's burning? I'm sure that you have many fun plans for your winter and It is possible to dial 119 from a mobile phone· New Year's vacation, so please be safe and I'll see you next When you hear the fire truck sirens get closer, go outside to year! Happy New Year! guide them to the fire.

:Japan PCash, A small insight into any and all aspects of life in Japan

Nabe Ryon _~j]f Ingredients: 1 bunch fresh spinach I imagine you have heard the word "nabe ryori" especially 6 cups dashi soup in the wintertime. To us who live in Obihiro, where the 1/3 cup soy sauce temperature is almost similar to that ofa refrigerator, hot 2 Tbsp mirin (sake for cooking) soup to warm our bodies is food we always enjoy. 1/2 tsp salt Nabe ryori is a way of sharing a big pot of soup with 1/4 Ib chicken thigh, cut into bite-size pieces everyone around the table. Each person will serve 4 packages pre-boiled udon noodles themselves the amount they want to eat. For those who are 4 slices kamaboko (processed fish paste) keen to prepare their own naberyori here I present a recipe 6 inches negi (leek), diagonally sliced for nabe yaki udon. 4 eggs *your favorite toppings (tempura, mochi, etc...) Preparation: Boil spinach for a minute and cool in water and drain well. Cut boiled spinach into 1 inch lengths. Mix dashi soup stock, soy sauce, mirin, and salt in a bowl. Divide the soup into four individual earthen pots and cook on medium heat. Add chicken to the soup and simmer until cooked. Add udon noodles to the pot and place kamaboko and spinach on the top. Simmer for a few minutes. Add negi (leek) and drop an egg in the soup. Cover with a lid and stop the heat and let it steam. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy with family or with your friends ... ..itadakimasu! (Article by: Rocio Ushijima, Obihiro's CIR from Peru) 3 ch~;~s~e::A:,t~all January Movies At Cinema Taiyo, Obihiro or check online at: http://www.taiyogroup.jp/cinemaltheater/_obihirolmovie.shtml (Nishi 3, Minami 7)Tel: (0155) 20-1525 Title . Language Starts· Ends

007 Quantum of Solace English Jan 24 - Feb

Mamma Mia! (a romantic comedy musical) English Jan 30 - Feb

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Keanu Reeves) English Dec 19 ­ Jan 29

Che: Part 1 (starring Benicio del Toro) English Jan 10 - Feb

Che: Part 2 (starring Benicio del Toro) English Jan 31 - Feb

Body of Lies (starring Leonardo DiCaprio) English Dec-~n 30

Kansen Retto (all ofJapan gets the plague) Japanese Jan 17 - Feb

20th Century Boy: Chapter 2 (from the popular rnanga) Japanese Jan 31 - Feb

-r..

Wall-E Japanese Dec 5-Jan 16

252 Survivors Japanese Dec 6 -Jan 30

Akai Ito Japanese Dec 20 - Jan 30

K-20 Japanese Dec 20 - Feb

I want to be a shellfish Japanese Nov 22 - Jan 30

Tabitachi: Ashoro Yori Japanese Nov 22 - Jan 16

Movies Ending This Month!

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2008$ 12.1'1

Greg Hertel-Editor, Events, Movies, Web manager International and Domestic Relations Section Naoko Yamada, Kotomi Torimoto- General Advisory Obihiro City Hall International and Domestic Relations Section- Articles Nishi 5, Minami 7-1 What's Happening In Oblhlro? can be found at the following locations: Obihiro City Obihiro, Japan, 080-0867 Hall, Tokachi International Relations Center, Obihiro University International Center, Phone: (0155) 65-4133 Obihiro Tourism and Convention Center inside the Obihiro JR Station, Obihiro Public Fax: (0155) 23-0171 Library, Cinema Taiyo, Joy English Academy and E-mail: [email protected] online at www.clty.obihiro.hokkaldo.jp .; "', ~'/~<" "" ':;\VHIOJ"Is a newsletter published monthly by the Obihiro International and Domestic Relations Section for residents of the Tokachi District and :fCIated parties. The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily represent the official views or opinions of the International and Domestic Relations ;'S~i9I1 o~the City ofObihiro. QueStions? Tel (0155) 65-4133 or send e-mail [email protected]. 4