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Today's Contents:
1. The first bits: Things To Do, Summer festivals, JETRO test, Mt. Fuji trip, discount train travel.
2. Course information.
3. Staff Interview: Kikuyo Furukawa (Student Village Caretaker Manager)
4. Japan Guide: Ayu Fishing
5. About The Yamasa Institute for Japanese Studies
6. Subscription Information
1. The first bits.
(a) Things to do:
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| Mikoshi Festival |
Mikoshi Festival: How would you like carry a large heavy object around Okazaki whilst making a lot of noise? Yamasa students build their own Mikoshi 'float' to parade through the streets of Okazaki along with hundreds of other people. Last year the Yamasa's 'float' won a prize from a panel of judges - can we do any better this year? More information will be posted in Aoi Hall and Yamasa II building.
Hanabi: Nearly 500,000 people will be expected to descend on Okazaki for one of the largest firework festivals in the whole of Japan. The display, including over 200,000 fireworks, will be held near Okazaki Castle on Saturday August 3rd - sunset onwards - Be early if you want a good viewing spot. See Japan Guide - issue 2 and Things Japanese - issue 16 for more information.
Tanabata Matsuri: Inchinomiya City's famous Tanabata (Star) festival will be held from 25th - 28th of July. To get there from Okazaki take the JR line to Owari-Ichinomiya station.
Toyohama Tai Matsuri: One of the more bizarre festivals that takes places over the Summer has young men running naked through the streets of Toyohama behind a 50 foot sea bream made of wood and bamboo! At the end of the festival, the participants take the giant fish into the sea offering prayers for a good catch. To get there take the Meitetsu Kowa line to Kowa station and from there take a Chita bus to Toyohama. The festival takes place on July 27th and 28th. Call (0569) 65-0004 for more information.
32nd Nagoya Summer Festival: Also on July 27th - 28th there will be various street performances, with music, shows and even wrestling in central Nagoya. Make your way to Sakae subway station and you can't miss it.
(b) Seishun ju-hachi (18) kippu:
The seishun ju-hachi kippu is on sale again from now until August 31st, for travel between July 20th to September 10th. The ticket, which is available from all JR ticket offices, costs 11,500 Yen and can be used on all local JR train lines over five consecutive, or non-consecutive days. It allows you to travel as far as you want for just 2,300 Yen! The ticket can be used on local and rapid trains, but not express trains or shinkansens. If you can't get away during the Summer then the next time the ticket will be available to purchase is December 1st to January 20th, and February 20th to March 31st 2003.
(c) Japanese Language Proficiency Test application:
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is held in December every year in Japan and applications are now being taken for students enrolling in a course at Yamasa, who will not be in Japan to complete an application in person. If you are going to be studying at Yamasa through December this year and would like Yamasa to apply on your behalf to take the test please contact admissions@yamasa.org stating which level of the test you would to apply for (1,2,3 or 4). Please note that it is not possible to take two exams, for example, Level 2 and Level 3. The deadline for applications to Yamasa is towards the end of August.
(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) 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.
(f) 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
Until the middle of August all of Yamasa's accommodation is full and the only accommodation available between now and then is in the Rec World Hotel. Students applying for courses from August and wishing to stay in accommodation which is currently unavailable will be placed on a waiting list. Homestay accommodation is full until September. 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 and April 2003: Thank you to everybody who applied for a student visa from October. We received a record number of applications and there was strong competition for places. Applications for the October 2002 student visa start have now closed (though applications currently in process will still be accepted). The next student visa start date is April 2003 and we will begin accepting application kits from October. 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. 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 April 2003 start please contact Admissions for more information.
Short-term courses:
| Discovery Tour starting on September 6th - itinerary at: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_20020906.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 Includes Kamikochi, Takayama Jinya, Nara - Todaiji, Nara Park, Toyota Motor Factory and Kaikan, Okutono Jinya, Seto, Kyoto - Ryoanji, Nijo Castle, Kiyomizudera, Jishu Jinja, Lake Shoujiko, Mt. Fuji viewing, Magome, Tsumago, 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 from August 22nd but accommodation is very limited. Contact Admissions as soon as possible for information.
3. Staff Interview: Kikuyo Furukawa (Student Village Caretaker Manager)
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| Kikuyo Furukawa |
Tatsuya Kato, a previous Staff Interviewee carried out this weeks newsletter interview:
Tatsuya Kato: Hello, Mrs Furukawa, you've had your hair cut!
Kikuyo Furukawa That's right, the other day I made the big decision to cut a lot off.
T: What was the reason? Because it's summer at the moment and you though it would be cooler?
F: Yes. I've had long hair for some time, but this summer I decided to have it cut short.
T: There will be a picture sent together with this interview for the newsletter so students who have graduated will
be able to see your new hair cut. Later on today I'd like to take one photo of you.
F: That's good because students who have stayed in the Student Village
might get in touch with me again. Actually,
I sometimes receive letters or emails from students who have returned home and that's one of the most encouraging parts of
the job I do. Students tell me about what they have been doing recently and it's rare to meet friends abroad, but I have
the chance to meet people at the Student Village which is a good thing.
T: How long have you been caretaker manager of the Student Village?
F: Since the end of March 2000, so nearly 2 years and 4 months.
T: In the Student Village there are 50 rooms with space for 70 people. On top of that there are a lot of short-term
students who are staying for no more than 12 weeks. So in the 2 years and four months you have been working there must have
been many students who have stayed here?
F: Yes, many nationalities. Depending on the season, the numbers, type and nationality of the students change. Also, depending on the year, there is a tendancy for....................................
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/staff_int_22.html
4. Japan Guide: Ayu Fishing
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| Click to enlarge |
They have a lifespan of only 1 year and are found in the many fast flowing rivers of Japan. Unfortunately dam construction has seriously affected their habitat, although it should be noted that the impact of dams and other man-made structures on the Ayu is one of the causes of the growing environmental awareness in Japan.
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| Click to enlarge |
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| Click to enlarge |
The origins of yana are unknown, though the Ainu (Japan's indigenous people) and the Japanese have long raised these fish and harvested annual catches. This fishing technique is not restricted to Japan, and was widely practised across the Eurasian continent wherever the environment suited.
The basic method used is to funnel the water of a river so that it passes over a small weir, usually less than a meter high. A platform (typically made from bamboo) is then built below the weir, so that the water and smaller inhabitants of the river pass through the gaps and continue downstream. By placing the poles of the platform close enough together, any fish washed over the weir will then be trapped and easily caught by people fishing there.
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/aichi/ayu.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