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Today's Contents:
1. The first bits: SARS update, New Program Catalog & Course, Events, Travel destinations
2. Course information
3. Student Interview: Karin Ohashi
4. In the News: "Hatcho miso and piles of rocks"
5. Things Japanese: Weddings
6. About The Yamasa Institute for Japanese Studies
7. Subscription Information
1. The first bits.
We are pleased to announce that as of 2003/05/09 there are no reports of any SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) cases in Japan. The two cases listed by the WHO have been confirmed as false alarms. As mentioned in the last issue of the newsletter quarantine and immigration checks at Japanese airports are tighter than usual, especially of you are flying to Japan from Asian airports or Toronto. For more details on the situation, please take a look at Yamasa's own SARS updates page at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/sars.html. If you need any further information on the subject don't hesitate to contact admissions@yamasa.org.
What's happening with the homepage? : A complete overhaul basically. Should be done by the end of the month. The new program catalog is now online including our new "Refresher" course. Leveraging Yamasa's heavy investment in Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL) technologies, the new customizable program is now available on-demand and unique in that it can be commenced on any weekday of the year. Also updated is the Location directory - check out our new much improved clickable maps of Hane-cho and the local area including the trains. We've also uploaded a new OCJS directory, start studying before you come!
(a) Things to do:
Kyu-do class: Kyu-do (archery) classes for beginners up to intermediate level will take place every Tuesday and Thursday 6:30pm - 8:30pm at Okazaki Chu Sogo Koen (central park) from June 6th to July 26th. The cost for the course, insurance and text is a very reasonable 6,000 Yen (bow and arrow rental is separate). For more information contact Mr. Ochiai at the 'Taiku kyokai' on (0564) 23-0803. The application deadline is Thursday May 26th.
Iai-do: If archery is not your cup of tea then why not try Iai-do, the art of swordmanship. A beginners class will take place every Wednesday, 7:00pm - 8:45pm at Okazaki Chu Sogo Koen Gym (central park) from June 4th to July 30th. The cost for the course, and accompanying text is 4,500 Yen. To apply send a postcard to:
Iai-do Beginner's Class,
c/o Okazaki PE Association,
7 Mutsuna
honmachi,
Okazaki 444
Please write your name, address, age and phone number on the postcard. For more information call (0564) 53-7644. The application deadline is May 26th.
Summer Tour Schedule: Do you want to see a little bit more than Okazaki? Eager to get away for a day trip or weekend? Then some of the upcoming tours during May and June will be for you. These trips provide a great opportunity for you to visit locations much cheaper of the price that it would cost normally, with an experienced guide and door-to-door service:
May 17th - Day trip - A trip to the vast waters of Lake Biwa, including (a slightly expensive but worthwhile) cruise to the sacred island of Chikubu, beautiful Hikonejo and Genkyuen and the battlefield of Sekigahara. Destinations include
Sekigahara,
Hikone Castle and Genkyu-en, Lake Biwa Cruise,
Chikubu Island - Tsukubusuma-jinja and Hougon-ji
(Cost: 9,600 yen including tax. Departure from your accommodation on May 17th at 0630, return by 2030. Includes all transport, all admission fees. Does not include lunch.)
May 18th - Day trip - A day trip into the remote mountains bordering Mie and Nara to visit Ninja country, taking in the highest castle walls in Japan, a former Ninja residence, an onsen and cable car to the mountain top of Gozaisho-dake. Destinations include
Iga-Ueno:
Ueno Castle,
Ninja Yashiki,
Gozaisho-dake,
Yunoyama Onsen
(Cost: 6,600 yen including tax. Departure from your accommodation on May 18th at 0630, return by 2030. Includes all transport, all admission fees. Does not include lunch.)
May 31st - Day trip - to northern Nara, we visit Nara:
Kasuga Taisha,
Nara Park,
Nigatsudo,
Todaiji,
Neiraku
(Cost: 6,600 yen including tax. Departure from your accommodation on May 31st 0700, return by 2030. Includes all transport, all admission fees. Does not include lunch.)
June 7th-8th - 1 night trip - A one night/two day meander along the
shores of Lake Biwa, includes gourmet dining, and the opportunity to visit some
of Japan's gems - including some places so far off the beaten track that
tourists never see them. Destinations include:
June 7th - Sekigahara,
Mount Ibuki, Hikone
Castle and Genkyu-en, Ohmi Hachiman
June 8th - the Merchant Houses
of Ohmi Hachiman, the fabulous canal meguri, Chomeiji.
(Cost: 18,800 Yen.
Departure from your accommodation on June 7th at 0700, return on June 8th by
1930. Includes all transport, all admission fees, accommodation.
Dinner/Breakfast. Does not include lunches.)
June 13th-15th - 2 night trip - takes us to Kobe, visiting the foreign
settlement and Chinatown, before heading on to the majestic white castle of
Himeji. We sample the nightlife, shopping and entertainment of Osaka.
Destinations include:
June 13th - to Kobe
June 14th - Kobe:
Kitano-cho, Nankin-machi, Himeji: Himeji Castle - to Osaka
June 15th -
Osaka: Dotomburi Arcade, Amerika Mura, Universal Studios Japan
(Cost:
23,100 Yen. Departure from Aoi Hall on June 13th at
1700, return on June 15th by 1930. Includes all transport, all admission fees,
accommodation. Dinner/Breakfast. Does not include lunches.)
June 21st-22nd - 1 night trip - This is an overnight trip to
Nara/Yoshino for those who were unable to visit in March (Indiana Jones, Part
II). We visit (and enter) a Kofun period tomb, and historic sites in the
isolated Yoshino region of Nara. Destinations include:
June 21st -
Asuka: Asuka-dera, Ishibutai-kofun, Takamatsuzuka-kofun, Yoshino: Kimpusenji,
Kimpu Jinja
June 22nd - Mount Koya
(Cost: 20,400 Yen. Departure
from your accommodation on June 21st at 0630, return on June 22nd by 1930.
Includes all transport, all admission fees, accommodation. Dinner/Breakfast.
Does not include lunches.)
Free Japanese Classes! Okazaki International Association holds free Japanese lessons taught by volunteers to non-Japanese living in Okazaki. Every Saturday from 2:30pm to 4:30pm at Tatsumigaoka-kaikan (3rd Floor), a 10 minute walk from Higashi Okazaki Station to Higashi Myodaiji cho. And also every 2nd, 3rd and 4th Thursday and Sunday of the month in Aoi Hall at Yamasa from 10:00am - 12:00am. Call 0564-45-5778 for more details, or email yoshiaki_yamamoto@hotmail.com
Free Origami and Kimono Classes! On the first Friday of the month the Okazaki International Association also holds free paper folding classes in Aoi Hall at Yamasa frmo 3:30pm. On the third Friday of every month they hold a kimono class at 2:00pm in Aoi Hall where you can try on a Yukata.
(b) The Online Center:
The Online Center for Japanese Studies is up and running and can be accesssed at http://www.yamasa.org/ocjs/. Passwords can now be obtained through the secure server. A big thank you to everyone who assisted, for full information on updates to the Online Center please click here.
(c) Other bits:
Jon Walden
Admissions Coordinator, International Office
The
Yamasa Institute - Aichi Center for Japanese Studies
1-2-1 Hanehigashimachi
Okazaki
Aichi Japan 444-0832
Tel: +81 (0) 564 55 8111
Fax: +81
(0) 564 55 8174 (admissions)
Fax: +81 (0) 564 55 8113 (student
affairs)
Email: Admissions
Email: newsletter@yamasa.org
URL: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/
URL: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/
2. Course Information
Accommodation
If you are coming to Okazaki during the next few months, please visit the housing availability site, which has just been upgraded.
Message from Yukiko Iijima (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:
Student Visa: The next student visa start date is October 2003, which we are now accepting application for. Please note that we will take into account a number of factors when considering a student visa application including age, academic background, nationality and so on - automatic acceptance of a student visa application is not guaranteed. If you need more information about dates, please check the deadlines for the student visa listed in each course in the program catalogue. If you wish to apply for the October 2003 start please contact Admissions for more information.
Short-term courses:
| Tour destinations: The July 11th Discovery Tour visits a variety of destinations including Magome, Hiking the Nakasendo, Tsumago, Toson Memorial, Kyoto, Sekigahara, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Yokohama, Tokugawa Art Museum, Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, Asahi Beer Brewery Tour, Atsuta Jingu and many others. See http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery__20030711a.html for more information. |
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
ll extension programs have space from May 15th and academic programs have space from July.
3. Student Interview: Karin Ohashi - AIJP
 |
| Karin Ohashi |
I went to Yamasa II this morning to ask Karin Ohashi if I could interview her for this week's newsletter. She kindly agreed to it and the interview was scheduled in the afternoon since she doesn't have any elective classes for the day. The interview was done in Japanese.
Patty: Hi Karin, thanks for agreeing to do the interview.
Karin: Oh sure, no problem.
P: Okay, then let's begin. When did you come to Japan?
K: I
came to Japan in June 2002. I was teaching English and German in Matsumoto,
Nagano for 7 months.
P: How was it compared to Okazaki?
K:
Well, Nagano has lots of mountains and very nice landscape, but Okazaki is
better for studying.
P: Why is that?
K: My goal is to study
Japanese, but Nagano doesn't have any language schools like Yamasa. I came to
Yamasa previously about 2 years ago and studied for a month on SILAC.
P:
I see. So what's your impression of Okazaki?
K: Well, my first
impression was that it's like any other city you find in Japan. However, it's
a.............
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/student_int_45.html
4. In the News: New articles
In this edition we have another article to help you practice,
"Hatcho miso and piles of rocks
About "In the News": This section aims to help you improve your understanding of articles in contemporary Japanese print and web media. Articles are from a wide range of sources including business, fashion, music, lifestyle, entertainment, crime, politics, international relations and so on. All articles are printable, and are accompanied by streaming audio files of the article being read at normal speed by male and female native speakers. Furthermore there are questions from the OCJS faculty that will help you confirm your reading or listening comprehension skills. (If you are an advanced learner, you may wish to attempt the questions after first listening to the audio link only, and then read the article to test your listening comprehension skills).
In addition, by using the link generator of the OCJS online dictionary with its definitions and kanji animations, you can easily check the meaning of new words, and also the stroke order of any Kanji that are new for you. The titles of the links ARE NOT translations of the headline accompanying the article (we don't want to give beginner level students too many hints to the answers), but are indicative of the subject field.
5. Things Japanese: Weddings
Spring and Autumn are not only tourist seasons in Japan, but are also the wedding seasons for Japanese people. Generally, wedding ceremonies in Japan are performed in a traditional Shinto-style, very formal and usually very private, with only close family and a few guests present. However, the traditional style is declining in popularity as many weddings are now being performed in other styles. Nearly two-thirds of couples now choose a trip down the aisle, Western-style.
A History of Japanese Marriage:
During the age of aristocracy, Muko-iri was the common marriage system in Japan. A bridegroom would visit his bride every night at her home. Only after the birth of a child or the loss of his parents would the bride be accepted as the wife in the man's home. Among common people labor power was an essential factor to maintain a family. A bridegroom would live with his bride's family to offer his labor for a certain length of time. The practice remains today in the system of adoption by which a man becomes a member of another family by marriage.
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_27.html
6. ABOUT THE YAMASA INSTITUTE'S AICHI CENTER FOR JAPANESE STUDIES
The Yamasa 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
7. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
You are being sent this newsletter because at some time you contacted the Yamasa Institute's Aichi Center for Japanese Studies through email, or you contacted an internet-based Japanese language information service which forwarded your email to us. If you do not want to receive further issues of this newsletter, please send a message to unsubscribe@yamasa.org with the word "unsubscribe" in the title. We apologize for any inconvenience.
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