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Today's Contents:
1. The first bits: Museum displays, Ski-ing in Gifu Ken, Free Japanese Classes, Discount Rail tickets, Online Dictionary.
2. Course information.
3. Student Interview: Francois Brunner (CALL/Private)
4. Japan Guide: Hounen Matsuri
5. About The Yamasa Institute for Japanese Studies
6. Subscription Information
1. The first bits.
(a) Things to do:
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) 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
(e) 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 for the latest information on availability.
(f) Radio Show:
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Joseph Huang and teachers in FM Okazaki studio |
If you would like to request a song, make a dedication or send Joseph a message to be read out during his show please come to the International Office or fax Joseph directly on 0564 55-8764 (make sure you include his name and your own name on the fax).
(g) Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) lessons:
Nowadays most Japanese people use pencils, pens and often computers to write letters and documents. But the art of shodo (calligraphy), where an ink-dipped brush is used to create Chinese kanji and Japanese kana characters, remains a traditional part of Japan's culture. If you would like to learn more about shodo then come to the Student Village every Monday night at 7.00pm - 8.00pm where Kato Erina sensei will be taking a shodo lesson. There is no fee (if you would like to buy a shodo writing set then this can be purchased for 1,500 Yen) and anybody is welcome to join. Please come to the International Office before Thursday if you wish to register to take part.
(h) 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.
(i) 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
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 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 for more information.
Short-term courses:
| Discovery Tour starting on April 19th - itinerary at: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_20020419.html Contact Admissions 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 Skiing at Shin Hotaka, Mount Fuji, Shiraito-no-taki waterfalls. Takayama Jinya, Sekigahara battlefield, Lake Biwa, Asuke, Hakone, the temples and shirines of Kyoto, Toyota Motor Factory and kaikan, Lake shoujiko, Narusawa Ice Cave and Takayama. There is also a tour of the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya Towers, and the Asahi Brewery as well as many other locations. |
Other Discovery Tours all have vacancies - contact Admissions 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 as soon as possible for information.
3. Student Interview: Francois Brunner (CALL/Private)
 |
| Francois Brunner |
Jon: You've just finished your studies here today, how has it been?
Francois: Very interesting, I worked very hard. For me, I really learned a lot and now my head is full up!! I'm not an expert on Japanese language teachers, but the ones I had I thought were really good. The choice I made to have 3 private lessons and then one CALL seminar lesson was certainly the right one.
J: You were one of the first people to take lessons in the new CALL seminar program; how were they?
F: I think what you've done with the computer based learning is fantastic. There were a few problems at the beginning with the computer, but nothing serious. I was given simple instructions on how to use the program, but I think you need to find to find your own way of using the software and how you will get the most out of it. I found it very productive.
J: How many teachers did you have for the private and CALL seminar lessons?
F: I had three teachers. Nagato sensei was my teacher for all the private lessons and then I had Tadashi Sugita sensei and Erina Kato sensei for the CALL seminar lessons. Erina sensei has a very nice way with drawings to explain things easily.
J: What accommodation did you stay in?
F: A homestay.
J: Did you find that a good experience?
F: It was fantastic! They were a lovely family and we understand eachother very well. It gave me the chance to live in a family and the opportunity to experience many things I wouldn't have otherwise. I went on many excursions whilst I was staying with them.
J: Where did you go?
F: I was...........
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/student_int_24.html
4. Japan Guide: Hounen Festival
The Hounen festival at Tagata shrine is one of the most famous (or infamous?) festivals in Japan. Every year on March 15 a huge two and a half meter wooden phallus is carried the short distance between two shrines attracting visitors from all over Japan and international media attention. The festival is fun with a lot of sake drinking; however the background of the festival is rather more serious.
Hounen means 'bountiful year' and like many cultures, Japan had numerous fertility rituals appealing to gods or spirits for a good harvest. Spring is the time of regeneration where seeds sprout and....
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/aichi/tagata_jinja.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
