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Today's Contents:
1. The first bits: Okazaki Concert Hall, Ofuro Bar update, Trash
recycling, Ski-ing in Gifu Ken, Free Japanese Classes, Discount Rail
tickets, Online Dictionary
2. Course information.
3. Student Interview: Glenn Siquian (SILAC)
4. Japan Guide: Sapporo Snow Festival
5. About The Yamasa Institute for Japanese Studies
6. Subscription Information
1. The first bits.
(a) Things to do:
(b) Okazaki Civic Center and Concert Hall:
The largest building development in Okazaki since the shopping mall complex was completed 18 months ago, Okazaki will have a new, state of the art, Civic Center and concert hall from the end of April. The concert hall, which has its grand opening on the 28th of April with a Gala concert, will be host to a variety of concerts and productions ranging from Jazz to classical and from single recitals to full orchestras. The Concert hall, which forms part of the Civic Center, can seat over 400 people has been under construction for nearly 2 years. It is situated just 500 metres from JR Okazaki station and a 5 minute walk from Yamasa's campus. For more information on the Civic Center call (0564) 72-5111 (in Japanese) and 052-320-9999 for tickets.
(c) Ofuro bar completed:
Yamasa's on-campus watering hole, the Ofuro bar, has finally been completed by local students studying architecture at the Aichi Sangyo University and will officially open sometime during April. Declan has been looking forward to drinking there since this time last year (see issue 26 of the newsletter) and I'm sure you'll see him propping up the bar on the regular basis..........We are currently looking for people to staff the bar for about 4 hours in the evenings from Monday to Saturday. Experience of working in a bar is an advantage and you must have some Japanese language ability. Please see Declan Murphy in the International Office for more information.
(d) Cherry Blossom:
It's that time of year again when the Cherry Blossom (sakura) gives thousands of Japanese people an excuse to take a break from work and a have a drink under one of the many trees that make Japan look so beautiful. Although the majority of the cherry trees only bloom for a couple of days, you can follow the trees blooming from Okinawa in January, through Tokyo in April and right up to Hokkaido in May. You might see daily news reports on television charting the progress of the sakura. In Okazaki, the best place to go is Higashi Okazaki, down by the Otogawa river near Okazaki Castle.
(e) Recycling of trash:
From January 14th 2002 Okazaki City government brought in new rules regarding the sorting and separation of trash. Okazaki had rules in place before this time to deal with recycling trash but since January the rules have become more detailed and it is now necessary to separate trash into a number of different types. The main categories are:
Other categories include large size trash such as furniture, hazardous waste
which includes fluorescent light tubes and batteries and household appliances
that require a recycling fee before they are disposed of (televisions,
refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners).
Please make sure that
you separate all your trash before you put it out and if you are unsure what
trash fits into which category or the recycling days then please ask for more
information at Student affairs. They also have copies of the Official guide to
reducing trash printed by Okazaki City government.
(f) Graduation congratulations:
Congratulations to all those students who graduated from Yamasa on the 20th of March. Many of our students will be going on to further education institutions or full-time work in Japan, and others will be returning to their home countries. We also say goodbye to 3 members of Yamasa's teaching staff - Eriko Onishi, Yumie Yato and Ai Nakagawa. We wish them all the best and hope that they have time to come back and visit at some in the future.
I would also like to mention a special goodbye to Yamasa's housing coordinator Kyoko Kurokawa who is leaving after 3 years of juggling accommodation, homestays and futons (as well as number of things) for the thousands of students that have passed through Yamasa in that time. If you are wondering who is taking over from Kyoko then you'll have to read the next issue of the Newsletter when I interview the new housing coordinator........
(g) Discount Rail, Universal Studios and Disneyland Tickets:
Travel in Japan can be expensive, but if you plan your schedule well you can save a fortune with the seishun ju-hachi kippu. This is on sale again from February 20th to March 31st for use between March 1st and April 10th. The ticket costs 11,500 Yen and can be used on all JR lines throughout Japan, over a five day period or for five separate one day trips. The ticket can be purchased from your local JR ticket office.
JR hasn't stopped with the ju-hachi kippu but is also providing discounts on the entry fee and travel from Nagoya (by Shinkansen!) to Universal Studios Japan (USJ) and Tokyo Disneyland. The higaeri holiday kippu for USJ is available on weekends and national holidays - the price of the ticket is 12,900 Yen and includes return travel from Nagoya and entrance fee to USJ. The tickets for Tokyo Disneyland/Disneysea cost from 24,980 Yen for a one day pass and return travel on either the kodama or hikari shinkansens. It is recommended that reservations are made in advance. The tickets for both these these theme-parks can be purchased from all major travel agencies or at Nagoya station's midori-no-madoguchi.
(h) Ski-ing:
There is still time to get some skiing in before the season ends and one of the cheapest ways is to take advantage of the special offer that JR (Japan Raliways) is running in conjuction with Ciao Ontake Snow Resort would be for you. For just 6,000 Yen you can get return travel from Nagoya to the resort in Gifu Prefecture and a full day's ski pass and free 2 hour ski or snowboard lesson. Check out http://www.ciao.co.jp for more information on prices and other deals available. Having been there in January, I can recommend this resort as it was easy to get to and efficiently run. Beware, however, if you are an absolute beginner there are no drag lifts for access to the nursery slopes and late in the season there may be a lack of snow cover.
(i) Online Kanji Dictionary now accessible:
On Thursday 17th of January the programmers in the back office released the test version of Yamasa's OCJS Online Dictionary. This dictionary is published in English, Chinese (Traditional), Spanish, Korean, German and Czech and includes both a word dictionary and a Kanji dictionary in an online database. At the moment the only version you will be able to see is the test version, so the server will be very slow. It will give you a good idea of some of the resources that the OCJS project has been working on over the last 18 months, so if you have the time have a look at:
http://www.yamasa.org/ocjs/kanjijiten/index.html
(j) New format Acceleration Program from April:
The new Acceleration program has proved very popular and Format 1 is full until October and Format 2 is full until the beginning of August. We are receiving applications on a daily basis so contact admissions@yamasa.org for the latest information on availability.
(k) Radio Show:
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|
Joseph Huang and teachers in FM Okazaki studio |
Streaming audio has now been restored. However due to the continued legal uncertainty concerning music copyright, we will not stream the audio whenever music is being played on the local airwaves (FM 76.3) - the only way we could restore the streaming audio during the talk and news components was to remove the background music which is popular in Japan. The URL for FM Okazaki is http://www.763.fm/live.html and you will need to download a player if you haven't already done so. Please note that music comprises about 1/3 of each program - if two songs are played consecutively then you may need to wait a few minutes before you can hear the station again.
The programming of the station is a good way to practice your Japanese language listening skills. The program schedule for April to June is now online (in Japanese of course) in pdf format. Please note that it's a heavy file and will open inn a new window. You can download the document at http://64.56.185.232/pdf/fm0204_06.pdf
(l) Jobs:
| A local company is interested in hiring a Japanese speaking foreigner with marketing experience to work as product manager handling a major project. The product range is from a major european manufacturer. The successful applicant should be degree qualified, fluent in English, have Japanese proficiency of upper intermediate or higher (equivalent of Level 2 minimum) and be committed to work for minimum of 2-3 years. For details contact Declan Murphy at the International Office. |
Recruitment ongoing for the following positions at Yamasa:
see http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/careers.html for details and other vacancies, and contact careers@yamasa.org if you are interested in applying. Most are connected with web publishing and translation. Study Japanese for free in exchange for part-time work in the International Office. These are ongoing positions - we need people all year round, so please contact us if you are interested in positions later in the year as well.
(m) 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@yamasa.org
Email: newsletter@yamasa.org
URL: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/
URL: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/
2. Course Information
Accommodation
From April to May Villa Studio Apartments 3 and 4 are full, Residence U and K are also full until June and Residence L is full until July 2002. There are a limited number of rooms available in the Student Village. Students applying for courses from March and wishing to stay in accommodation which is currently unavailable will be placed on a waiting list. There are usually some last-minute changes, so check with admissions@yamasa.org for information or see the availability file for details. Please note that accommodation is not reserved until we have recieved the tuition fees for your chosen course in full.
Accommodation in apartments in the annexe of the Rec World Hotel (near Daijuji Temple) will be used whenever Yamasa's accommodation becomes full. The prices for the "1K-Single" and "2K-Shared" room options have been discounted and are now the same price as the Student Village. For more information on the apartments in the Rec World Hotel annexe, please see the following pages:
http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/hotel.html (for accommodation description)
http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/tankisei.html (for price list of accommodation)
Message from Housing Office: 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: Applications for October 2002: Applications are now being taken for the next student visa start date of October, the application deadline for which is June 20th 2002. If you need more information about these 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 2002 start please complete an application form online (see http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/apply.html for details) or contact admissions@yamasa.org for more information.
Short-term courses:
| Discovery Tour starting on June 14th - itinerary at: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_20020614.html Contact admissions@yamasa.org for details. There are still a few places available - join a very small private tour: There are still a number of places available - join a very small private tour: Includes Denpark, Tsumago, Nakasendo route, Magome, Toson Memorial, Obara washi, Hamanako, Dogashima, Shimoda Bay, Minami Izu, Onsen and Gourmet: Seafood, Kyoto - Ryoanji, Nijo Castle, Kiyomizudera, Jishu Jinja, Mt Fuji, Nara, Tenryu Gorge, Komagane-take, Minami Shinshu Brewery as well as many other locations. |
Other Discovery Tours all have vacancies - contact admissions@yamasa.org for further information. Tour dates for next year are available at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_dates.html
All SILAC programs have space but accommodation is very limited. Contact admissions@yamasa.org as soon as possible for information.
3. Student Interview: Glenn Siquian (SILAC)
 |
| Glenn Siquian |
Jon: How's the course going?
Glenn: SILAC is really good. We do a chapter from the text book a day and since we practice every day, it's hard to forget things.
J: How about the pace of the program?
G: It's almost perfect. Every now and then there's a student who might slow it down a bit but that's the way it goes sometimes.
J: Did you know Japanese before you arrived at Yamasa?
G: A little, but not enough to be able to speak properly. Now I know enough Japanese to have conversations with people.
J: Why are you studying Japanese?
G: Many reasons. When I was studying martial arts in America it was useful to know some Japanese. I like languages in general but I don't have a huge amount of money so I had to narrow it down to one language and that was Japanese. I also find the culture interesting.
J: Apart from English, what other languages do you speak?
G: Tagalog.
J: Have you used your Tagalog in Japan at all?
G: Surprisingly, yes! I've actually used it more than I did when I was in America. I met some mormons, one of which was a Philippino. We talked for about an hour - I didn't expect to be using any other languages apart from Japanese and sometimes English.
J: Do you find you get many opportunities to practice your Japanese outside of class?
G: Yeh, any time you have to do anything outside of the Student Village it's basically all Japanese.
J: And what do you think of the Student Village?
G: Pretty cool because...........
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/student_int_25.html
4. Japan Guide: Sapporo Snow Festival
Its not until February, but its worth preparing for. The Sapporo Snow festival is an event not to be missed. It takes place in early February for 7 days (the actual day of the following year's festival is decided immediately after each festival finishes) and literally hundreds of snow and ice sculptures are created in three areas of Sapporo City: Odori Koen (snow sculptures), Susukino (ice sculptures) and on the grounds of the Japanese Self-Defense Force base at Makomanai (snow sculptures). It is one of the largest winter events in Japan and is absolutely magic.
The festival began spontaneously - in 1950 a group of 6 local high school students decided to build snow sculptures in Odori Park.....
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/hokkaido/snow_festival.html
5. 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
6. 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.
(c) 2002 The Yamasa Institute Aichi Center for Japanese Studies
1-2-1 Hanehigashi-machi
Okazaki Aichi Japan 444-0832
Tel: +81 (0) 564 55 8111 Fax: +81 (0) 564
55 8113
URL: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/
Email: admissions@yamasa.org
