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Today's Contents:
1. Editor, Airport Pickups, New Classrooms, New Accomodation, Winter in Sapporo...Private lessons,
2. Course and accommodation information: Winter 2006-07 Applications, Discovery Tours
3. Things Japanese: "Sumo" - Big men with big bellies.
4. Student Interview: Aaron Burnett (USA, Sapporo/Okazaki)
5. Japan Guide: Hamarikyuu Gardens (Tokyo) & Skiing in Niseko (Hokkaido)
6. About The Yamasa Institute
The late great Douglas Adams once wrote "It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the phrase, as pretty as an airport". I don't know of anyone who considers the new Chubu International Airport to be "pretty", but sitting in one of the cafes here typing this newsletter earlier in the day, I caught myself thinking that Chubu is not too shabby at all. Issue #105 was sent by PHS wireless dialup from Denny's, this edition is about to be uploaded through the airport's wireless system from the green chairs at the Minami Meeting Point, 10 meters from the arrivals gate where I'm waiting for new students to arrive. Hopefully my laptop battery will die soon afterwards so I can justify getting a late lunch. The newsletter by the way is proudly sponsored by the word "new".
(1) The first bits:
(a) New Newsletter Editor: As has been pointed out (Hi David! Hi Deborah!) with almost indecent frequency, the fortnightly newsletter has not been exactly fortnightly of late. And looking at my schedule from hell between now and March, some help is clearly needed. If you are looking for a part time job, have been at Yamasa for at least 6 months, and will be here until at least March, can write & edit, have the patience of Job and don't mind working in an office where noise is not necessarily unusual, then please drop in to Aoi Hall and the International Office.
(b) New Airport Transfer System: From yesterday, we began implementation of our new airport transfer system. Using the hourly airport limousine bus service, reimbursing the fare in full, we will hopefully be able to solve a few problems. In the past we have been providing 3 airport pickups per scheduled day, with the result that jetlagged students often had to spend up to 2 or 3 hours waiting for other students to arrive. Traffic congestion sometimes resulted in our staff not making it to the airport in time to meet students as they emerged from Immigration, especially when flights touched down early. Our 2 minivans have covered more than 200,000 kilometers (125,000+ miles) in the past 4 years alone, burning a lot of fuel on the way. Driving to the new airport costs 4100 yen in road tolls alone, and with gasoline prices high there is now a partial cost recovery fee for pickups. Details are at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/location/airport_pickup.html
(c) New Classrooms: The day the AIJP Summer Quarter finished, we moved the entire SILAC program and faculty to the Yamasa II Building so that construction crews could come in and build an additional 6 classrooms in Aoi Hall. The TV Lounge is sadly no more. The recreation facilities will be moved downstairs and upgraded. The reason for adding 6 more classrooms, taking the number on the 2nd floor of Aoi Hall to 19, is because of our on-going shortage of classroom and teaching capacity for private lessons, something mentioned in the last fortnightly newsletter, err some 4 months ago.
The new classrooms are smaller than our standard and seminar rooms, have good insulation and are designed for private lessons or small groups. Internet access is by wireless LAN. The 6 new rooms should temporarily ease the shortage of facilities, but Teachers are not as easy to add as classrooms. The Admissions Office strongly advises those planning to do private lessons options including Options B & C of the Acceleration program to apply and pay at least 3 months prior to your proposed start date.
(d) New Accommodation: We now have 37 classrooms, but 133 apartments and 69 dormitory rooms are sadly not enough. The Housing Office has worked wonders, but without new construction we are simply unable to provide many successful applicants with their first choice of accommodation. On Tuesday October 10th we will have the Jichinsai ceremony for a new apartment building that will become Yamasa Villa 5. Drawings of the building and apartment layout will be uploaded soon, and we will have a construction photogallery similar to the one we uploaded during the construction of Residence Hane.
(e) New Housing Officer: On June 30th, Yukiko Iijima finished 4 years of hard work as Housing and Homestay Coordinator. The soubetsukai was a lot of fun. The Institute wishes Iijima-san all the best in her new career. Our new Housing honcho is Ms Rie Kawakita, who we will interview in the next newsletter.
(f) New Winter Programs in Sapporo: Starting from January 11th and February 8th, the Hokkaido Center is offering two Sapporo winter program modules for those who have a proficiency level roughly equivalent to or higher than the end of Book 1 of the Minna-no-Nihongo series (or Lesson 25 of the OCJS). It is also possible to combined studies in both Okazaki & Sapporo, in a similar way to the new summer program offerings. In addition to the modules, the Japan Discovery Program will have a Hokkaido tour from February 9th to February 20th - you can do the tour only, do it after a Sapporo program (Option B), or participate in the tour from Okazaki. Apart from the Sapporo Snow Festival in February, 2007 will see Sapporo host the FIS World Ski Championships take place February 22nd to March 4th - the first time this event has been held in Asia. Improve your Japanese, and enjoy perfect conditions for skiing and snowboarding in Hokkaido.
(g) New School - "Kurashi-no-gakkou": We have a new neighbour. The Hattori Foundation has opened a new Institute, called the Kurashi-no-gakkou, with the main structure a Taisho Period traditional Japanese House that has been newly renovated for its new role. The new school opened on August 27th, with the first students commencing this month. The school is offering a wide range of courses for local people ranging from macrobiotics to dance, from Korean to homeopathy. The Japanese garden will take some time to re-establish itself. We will put some more information about the school in the next newsletter. A special thanks to Tomas Cermak and Chris Resnik of the International Office for their work in putting together the new Kurashi-no-gakkou website.
(h) New Trip Schedule: The weekend trip schedule up to the end of December is now online, and is also now available in Chinese. AIJP students have the opportunity to visit Toyota Motor Company on October 13th, and there are 7 other trips scheduled including the first skiing and snowboarding trip of the season.
You do not need to already be in Okazaki to apply. If you haven't received your Student ID number yet, you can apply by using your passport number. If you don't know your accommodation allocation yet (or won't require accommodation) just select "Off-Campus". We can change your details after you arrive. Non-students can participate in any of the tours if a guest of a currently enrolled student.
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| Saori and Osamu |
(j) Coming Events: There are a few things on the calendar coming up that are worth seeing:
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(k) Other bits:
The Editor
Yamasa News
The
Yamasa Institute - Aichi Center for Japanese Studies
1-2-1 Hanehigashimachi
Okazaki
Aichi Japan 444-0832
(2) Course Information
Accommodation
If you are coming to Okazaki City during the next few months, please visit the housing availability file (Opens new window).
Message from Rie Kawakita (Housing Officer): Please also note that it is extremely important that you rank your accommodation preferences clearly. Upgrades are possible in the event of cancellations - so if your first preference is a single room in the village, select "Village single" as first choice, "Residence U" as your second choice and so on.
Long-term Courses:
Applications for April Student Visa intake: Admissions for long term visas for April 2007 are now open. Early application is advised due to the selection process and the limited number of visas we are allocated by the Immigration Bureau for April. To download application forms click here.
Short-term courses:
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Due to limited accommodation, early application is advised for all Extension programs. |
Discovery Tours all have vacancies - contact Admissions for further information. Tour dates for this year are available at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_dates.html
3. THINGS JAPANESE: "Sumo" - Big men with big bellies. - Article & photo by Chris Wright (AIJP)
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| Sumo Basho |
Nothing could be further from the truth. Starting over 1500 years ago as simple competitions intended to please gods and crowds alike, Sumo has evolved into Japan's most recognized traditional sport. Two very large men wearing almost nothing and sporting a hairstyle out of a period movie smash into each other at very high speeds, hoping to knock each other down to the floor or out of the ring.
Structure and Rules
The Sumo ring sits upon a mound of hard clay called a dohyo. The ring itself is demarcated by bands of straw, called tawara, that are embedded into the dohyo, and the surface is covered with a thin layer of sand, to which much salt is...
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_40.html
STUDENT INTERVIEW: Aaron Burnett (Summer 2006: Sapporo/Okazaki)
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| Aaron Burnett |
Aaron Burnett was the first student to complete the combined Sapporo/Okazaki summer program. This was the first "airport interview" for the newsletter and we ran short of time.
Declan: Hi Aaron. Thank you for the interview.
Aaron: No problem.
D: You have just finished your program, what did you do and where?
A: I did 4 weeks at the Hokkaido school from July and then transferred to
Okazaki for 6 weeks.
D: Which accommodation were you in?
A: In Sapporo I stayed in Souen
Gakusei Heights and in Okazaki in the Student Village. Single rooms.
D: Why did you decide you wanted to study in Japan?
A: Personal interest. I'd like to work here in the future as well.
D: Where are you from?
A: I live in Michigan.
D: What do you do there?
A: I'm working at ATT, the telephone company. They gave me 3 months holiday so I go back to work next week.
D: How do the two different accommodations compare?
A: I think the room in
Sapporo
was better in terms of its lay out. The desk was at the end of the room near the
window and so it was wider. There was more
room to spread out books and things. And having a fridge close to hand was excellent too.
D: Adding a fridge would be a good idea for the Student Village?
A: Absolutely.
D: Is there a power....
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/student_int_72.html
5. Japan Guide: Hamarikyuu Gardens (Tokyo) & Skiing in Niseko (Hokkaido)
Hamarikyuu Gardens:
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| Hamarikyu Gardens in Tokyo |
It was first built in 1654 by Matsudaira Tsunashige, daimyo of Kofu. Matsudaira was a relative of the shogun (the Tokugawa being essentially a branch of the Matsudaira) and as part of the sankinkotai system spent 6 months of the year in Edo, with the rest of his time administering the feudal domain in Kofu. Looking for somewhere to relax, Matsudaira decided to fill in some of the tidal flats near the mouth of r the Sumidagawa river, and laid out the original garden and buildings. The garden was called the Kofu Hama-yashiki (Kofu Beach pavilion). When his son Ienobu succeeded Tsunashige as daimyo of Kofu, the garden became an important location for meetings, since Ienobu was the shogun's nephew (and somewhat more sane than the 5th shogun). In 1709, the "dog shogun" Tsunayoshi died without a male heir, and as Ienobu was the only lineal descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu he was made Shogun. The garden was relaid, named the....
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/tokyo/hamarikyuu.html
Skiing in Niseko:
Niseko is currently booming, largely as a result of investment from Australia. Together with its main rival Furano in central Hokkaido, the village of Niseko offers some of the best fresh powder skiing in Hokkaido. Niseko has excellent depth, though the powder at Furano tends to be drier. The only areas near Tokyo or Nagoya that can come close to the quality of the powder would be parts of northern Nagano such as Shiga Kogen or some parts of the Hakuba valley such as Tsugaike or Happo One. From December through to March Niseko has very consistent powder conditions despite the low altitude of some runs (below 250 meters asl).
Niseko is a genuinely world-class ski resort, offering challenging runs equal to anything found in Europe or North America. The facilities are excellent and with the influx of new cash are constantly improving. There is an extensive range of "ski in, ski out" accommodation options available on the mountain from budget backpacker hostels, ski lodges and self-contained apartments, to the usual mix of .....
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/hokkaido/niseko_snow.html
6. ABOUT THE YAMASA INSTITUTE
The Yamasa Institute is compromised of three teaching centers:
The Institute is committed to providing high-quality education in the Japanese language. We are a non-profit organization, a part of the Hattori Group. We are accredited by Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education - APJLE, accreditation number B302 - and "the only Institute in the Mikawa region with the appropriate programs, systems, curriculum and facilities required for quality Japanese language education" according to the Ministry of Justice. Further, in recognition of the excellent quality of our programs, we are in the top tier of 'Appropriately Authorized Japanese Language Education Institutes' - in fact, the only school in the Mikawa area with this prestigious recommendation. For full details see the accreditation section on the homepage at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/accreditation.html
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