awa life "TOPPY" A monthly newsletter for inter na tion al resi dents of Tokushima, produced by TOPIA, the Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association. June 2007 No. 204 by yasuyo suzue introduction to iyeo [email protected] e sent some interview questions to Yasuyo Suzue, president wof IYEO, to find out a little more about one of Tokushima's more active international exchange groups. Here are here responses. 1. When was IYEO created, and for what goal? The International Youth Exchange Organization of Japan (IYEO) was started in 1959 by ex-participants of international youth exchange Tokushima IYEO members with guests from the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth 2006 programs sponsored by the Cabinet Offi ce of the Japanese of the 47 prefectural branches, 2. President Suzue, how government. Currently, there with volunteer members did you join IYEO? are approximately 14,000 consisting primarily of people members nationwide. In 1985, who are ex-participants of I joined the Cabinet Office- the Japanese Youth Goodwill international youth exchange sponsored “Ship for World Mission Seiyu-kai and the programs sponsored by the Youth” program in 2001. Seinen-no-fune-no-kai were Cabinet Office. We work My childhood friend was a united into the International to promote international participant on the Ship for Youth Exchange Organization exchange in Tokushima World Youth in 1998, and of Japan. prefecture. she told me all about it after The Tokushima International she came back, so that made Youth Organization (Tokushima-ken IYEO) is one introduction to iyeo ... con't on page 3 inside awa life this month introduction to iyeo - 1, 3 ... a splash of colour - 4,6 omatsu daigongen - 5 ... cold curry wraps - 6 martin's manga corner - 7 ... letter from suketo hoikuen / shin mai mama nikki - 8 japanese lesson - 9 ... memoranda - 10, 11, 12 awa life Tokushima Prefectural International Exchange Association (TOPIA) is a monthly publication of the Tokushima Clement Plaza 6F Pre fec tur al International Exchange Asso ci a tion 1-61 Terashima Honcho Nishi (TOPIA) Tokushima City 770-0831 JAPAN tel: 088.656.3303 fax: 088.652.0616 Andrew Dahms & Claire Tanaka [email protected] http://www.topia.ne.jp/ Contributors This Month: Andrew Dahms, James Disley, Kazue Inoue, Download a PDF fi le of awa life or view the Hanoura Conversation Class, Junko Nagamachi, online version by going to TOPIA's website! Yasuyo Suzue, Martin O'Brien, Brian Petersen, and http://www.topia.ne.jp/e_index.htm Claire Tanaka from the editors recent trip to the local grocery store ear Awa Life readers, this past month showed me that tomatoes are in season has been a busy one indeed. With the now - I bought nine large locally-grown opening of the Tokushima-fi lmed 'Bizan', atomatoes for 300 yen! I also scored da large earthquake in neighbouring Ehime a pile of strawberries for 500 yen a couple and yet another bout of climate hiccups, not a weeks ago and made jam with them. It was day went by without something to talk about. easier than I thought! Cut and lightly mash And now, heading into June we are well and the berries, then cook them in a pot with an truly on the way to another hot and sweltering amount of sugar equal to the amount of berries summer, and all that entails. For those less- (ie. 2 cups berries, 2 cups sugar) and the juice inclined to the hotter months, however it is not of a lemon. Boil the mixture until it starts to get all bad - short sleeves at work for Cool Biz, the thick (if you have a candy thermometer, 105̊c opening of beer gardens and all too soon the is the goal here), skimming the white scum as sounds of the yoshikono floating through the you go. If you make a small batch, you can streets as the dancing groups practice for Awa just keep it in a jar in the fridge and not worry Odori. The year sure moves along at breakneck about sealing the jar. If you have any culinary pace, but it's nice to have things to look adventures this summer, why not write up your forward to as well. fi ndings and send them to us at Awa Life? cheers, Andrew love, Claire festival stall banners displaying the characters for 'special-made ice', or kakogori (crushed ice) a popular cool treat as the days get hotter with the approach of summer (photo by james disley) -2- introduction to iyeo ... con't from page 1 me want to go. I saw all her Tokushima. the participants for many years photographs and heard her We also hold barbecue and go to see them overseas stories about being on the parties, oyster parties, as well. If you are interested boat and visiting various Japanese lessons for Chinese in participating, by all means countries, and I saw how trainees, and through these let us know! You can contact much she had grown as a activies we interact with us at the following email person, and thought it was foreign people who live in address – tokushima@iyeo. really wonderful. She told me Tokushima. We also help to or.jp “Yasuyo-chan, I think you’d be recruit participants for the really suited for it. You should Cabinet Office programs 5: Do you have any other apply!” And her words made by holding panel photo comments? me want to do it even more. exhibitions, lectures by recent I didn’t even know I’d have to participants, and presentations I’d like to take this opportunity take an exam, but I’d already about the programs several to talk about the above made up my mind to go. times per year. program, which is divided To tell you the truth, up into the Ship for World Youth, until I’d decided to apply, 4: Is there a way for Ship for South-East Asian I didn’t even know IYEO readers to get involved in Youth, Overseas Exchange existed. When I took the IYEO activities? Program, Japan-China Youth Cabinet Office’s selection Friendship Exchange Program, exam, I had some phone calls Yes, foreign residents in and the Japan-Korea Youth from the IYEO president and Tokushima can participate Friendship Exchange program. other members, and they in IYEO events such as Advertising for participants gave me some good advice barbeques and oyster for these programs beings in and encouragement. That cooking parties, as well as March each year, and after was how I first found out participating in the welcome selection and brief orientation about IYEO. After I came back party for an international the selected young men and from the program, I became exchange program held by women become participants. a Tokushima IYEO member the Cabinet Office each year You can see these and started helping out a little inviting young men and advertisements on the Cabinet bit, and before I knew it, I’d women from overseas to and Tokushima Prefecture become the president! Tokushima. Participants come homepages from February to from many countries, maybe March each year, and IYEO 3. Could you tell me a bit even yours as well, and I think also places ads in the local about Tokushima IYEO’s this opportunity to talk to Tokushima newspaper so keep activities in more detail? many different people of many an eye out! different backgrounds is highly For foreign residents, you can The biggest thing we do is to valuable. find out more information serve as the regional program For Japanese readers, about participating in your facilitators for the Cabinet it is also possible for you home countries. For more Office Youth International to volunteer to become information you can also check Exchange Programs. The host families for the the IYEO homepage at http:// length of time depends on the aforementioned program www.iyeo.or.jp (an English program, but when the youth while the participants stay in page is also available). Some program participants come to Tokushima. The regions that participants in the programs Japan, they all go to various participants come from differ hear about them while living regions to do a homestay and each year, but participants in Japan, and then apply to participate in local cultural come from many countries join once they head back experiences for 3-5 days. We such as from Asia, the Middle home. Maybe you could be a are in charge of providing East, Europe and Africa. participant in one of the next the homestay and cultural Amongst these, some host programs? Give it a go and program for youth who visit families maintain contact with see what you think. -3- by andrew dahms a splash of colour [email protected] t was on a recent trip out of Tokushima to Fukui prefecture when I first iencountered one of the rag-tag street performing groups known as chindon- ya. My only other recollection of them was a one-man band I saw in Tokyo, which at the time left far less an impression on me than the nearby buildings adorned with giant statues of ultra-man and the gothic cosplayers lining the streets nearby. Come to think of it, it probably didn't stand out all that much either. This time, however, the two members of the very colourful chindon-ya performers i witnessed in the difference was inescapable. shopping centers around fukui station that day with all the and gusto of a town crier, the group made its years. They have also been chindon-ya was a candy- way through the midst of the known by the name of tozai- salesman in Osaka by the thick shopping market crowds ya, the word tozai being a name of Amekatsu, who used to more open areas where common call for attention.