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2020.3.20 vol.106Nishinomiya Cit y International Association Newslet ter

Fure

ai T

sush

in

Promotion of Japanese Language Education

公益財団法人 西宮市国際交流協会〒662-0911 西宮市池田町11番1号 （フレンテ西宮4F）TEL（0798）32-8680FAX（0798）32-8678

WEBSITE▶E-mail : nia@nishi.or.jp

A law concerning the promotion of Japanese language education was promulgated and enforced on June 28, 2019. The law stipulates that national and local governments are responsible for implementing measures related to Japanese language education and requires employers who employ foreign workers to help workers and their families have the opportunity to learn Japanese. The number of foreigners has increased due to labor shortage. To live in Japan without difficulty, however, foreigners need to overcome language barriers. The direction of the law is consistent with this necessity. The law requires governments to take the necessary financial measures to implement concrete policies which can help those municipalities and our country. However, the law sets out mostly basic principles, and how to implement them as concrete measures is an issue for the national and local governments now.

There are foreign children who need to learn the Japanese language living in Japan. According to a 2016 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology survey, there were 43,947 children who needed Japanese language education at elementary schools, junior high schools and special schools - 1.7 times as many as 10 years before. Among them, 24% of the children were “unsupported” without receiving any instruction. The revised Immigration Law that came into force last spring includes “Specific Skills No. 2” that allows foreign workers to bring their family members. Therefore, it is expected that more and more children will need Japanese language education.

In Nishinomiya city, the Nishinomiya City International Association offers foreigners Japanese language classes instructed by volunteer teachers. However, in recent years, foreign

residents have started to live in rural areas where there are no Japanese language classes, and regiona l disparities have arisen. The law also requires a qualification system for Japanese language teachers. We hope that our administration, including the national government, will assure the quantity and quality of Japanese language teachers and promote a system where anyone can receive Japanese language education whenever they want. Our association dispatches volunteer Japanese language teachers once a week （Tuesday） to public elementary and junior high school students who want instructions. In addition, we hold a “Japanese Nakayoshi Hiroba” course for the city’s public elementary and junior high school students and their parents every Thursday. The Nishinomiya City International Exchange Association will work to secure volunteers with the support of the government, including the financial aspect, and will continue to support foreign residents together with local citizens and volunteers. We would appreciate your understanding and support very much.

On February 9th, our 24th International Exchange Day enjoyed great success. We appreciate all the support we received from our volunteers and other people involved. We had so many visitors and participants that it looked a little overcrowded at times, but it ended nicely with a fun atmosphere owing to your coopera-tion. Thank you all for your great participation！

Thanks for your support forour International Exchange Day♡

To Eliminate Language Barriers

Increasing Unsupported Children

NIA Offers Japanese Language Classes

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Sweetsin theWorld23

Kimono Day：Wear a long-sleeved kimono and enjoy matcha green teafor a Japanese cultural experience.

The type of kimono called “furisode” with long sleeves, elegant patterns and gorgeous colors is the most formal attire worn by unmarried women when celebrating Coming of Age Day and, on weddings. To encourage foreigners to experience the Japanese New Year’s feeling, our Cultural Exchange Volunteer Club holds a kimono day for foreigners in January every year.

In this event, foreigners have an opportunity to try something that many of them long to try at least once. They can wear a kimono with their hair tied up high, take a commemorative photo in front of the New Year’s decorations, and enjoy matcha with Japanese sweets. It’s one of our attempts to offer foreigners opportunities to enjoy Japanese culture. It is an annually held event. I interviewed some of the participants. One foreign participant who wore a kimono for the first time said she was surprised by the complexity of the dressing process and the use of so

many strings. But she was very happy to see herself looking like a princess in a kimono. The couple who tried a furisode （for females） and a hakama （for males） looked really cool.

A mother and her daughter （5） came again, following last year, because the daughter had enjoyed the experience last year so much. Both the mother and the daughter dressed up in cute kimonos and enjoyed green tea just like the previous year. One person participated for the third time and seemed to know

the volunteer members very well. She was telling them that her parents in her home country were very happy to see her kimono photos last year. She will send photos and please her parents again this year. The volunteer staff seemed to think it important to have good communication with the participants, explaining and responding to them while helping the foreigners’ kimono experiences. It seemed that a lot of work had been needed to prepare kimonos and the tea room setting. Especially, putting a lot of kimonos away after the event seemed like a daunting task. But the staff members say it's worthwhile because they can make people happy and also they don’t mind because they are used to doing it every year. The group is looking for more volunteers and also donations of any furisode and tea bowls sleeping in your closets. If you can, please contact the association.

（Y. I）

Colorful chai beverages that are often seen on a street corner or food stalls in the south of Vietnam is a dessert which contains fruit, beans and agar etc. It has been loved by people for long time. One of the origin stories is that it was served with tea in a case of a Buddhis-tic event （such as Buddha’s birthday event） to visitors from far away. The contents of each serving can be varied, such as fruits from the local area or various compotes etc. Vietnam is a long and thin country that lies north and south. In the south area where the climate is warm all the time, cold chai that contains jelly and crushed ice is popular, on the other hand in the north area, hot chai, in which warm syrup and hot coconut milk are poured, is common. As various kinds are shown in a glass case at special chai stores, people can pick up and enjoy their favorite one to their own taste. Why don’t you try to find the chai that suits your taste？ （Y. U）

Ingredients（for 4 people）　・Tapioca ………… 3 tablespoon・Shiratamako-powder…………………… 4 tablespoon・Coconut Milk ………… 200cc・Milk……………………… 100cc・Sugar……… 1 or 2 tablespoon・Compote of Azuki, Black beans and Green beans・Fruits or Jelly（your choice）How to make①Boil Tapioca in a generous amount of hot water for 20min. and put them under cold water, then drain in a colander.②Put Shiratamako-powder into a bowl and pour water little by little, then mix and knead them to make 8 round balls. See the

directions on the product’s bag.③Put coconut-milk, milk and sugar into a pan and heat it to melt sugar.*If you wish to make cold chai, cool it in a refrigerator.④Add ① with ③ and mix.⑤Put Shiratama balls, beans, your favor i te fruits into a serving dish and pour over Tapioca coconut milk of ④. Put crushed ice for cold chai.

NIA organizes various events and seminars to promote international exchanges and understanding. Let us introduce one of these programs.

“Chè”from Vietnam

Sweets have a way of melting people’s hearts with both the young and adults. This column will introduce you to various sweets from around the globe, and are associated with seasonal events.

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NIA Information Box INFORMATION

2424

The interviewee in this issue is Ms. Ong Shimin, who is now in her senior year at Kansai University of International Studies, as well as a certified “Bosaishi” （disaster prevention officer）& first aid practitioner, from Singapore. Ms. Shimin has opened a Disaster Prevention Class for non-Japanese people and occasionally lectures at her campus.

Having heard from non-Japanese people about the reason or motivation why they wish to live in Japan, I have not been surprised very much. However, in this interview, I was so impressed by the honorableness in her reason for coming and wanting to stay in Japan. As it is the 25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, her suggestions seem to have special importance. Ms. Shimin was born and raised in Singapore as the middle of 3 children, including her twin brother. Pursuing an education in Singapore, after graduating high school she entered an art related vocational school. At that time, she was interested in the quality of Japanese industrial design as it focuses on the users’ convenience. In order to study

abroad, she worked for 3 years to save money and came to Japan in the spring of 2014. First, she studied the Japanese language at a language school in Kobe, then entered the Department of Education at Kansai University of International Studies. At that time, she thought she did not have many opt i ons o ther than becoming an English teacher in Japan.

One day, while enjoying a happy college life, she happened to be a bystander for an elderly person who had trouble on a street. She had come to admire the firemen as she was impressed by their quick & exact motions. Since then, she began attending a disaster prevention class and acquired a certificate to be an

emergency treatment practitioner, as well as a “Bosaishi” （disaster prevention officer）, which allows her to work as a workshop t ra iner . She became a member of the disaster prevention circle at the University where they promote act iv i t i es for expand ing d i sas ter prevention consciousness. Japan is an especially disaster-prone country. In recent years, natural disasters such as earthquakes , tsunamis , and flooding have happened continuously. Ms. Shimin hopes for visitors from other countr ies to have as much d isaster prevent ion consc iousness as nat ive Japanese people do. For that, she uses Eng l i sh a t the workshop when the audience members are non-Japanese and uses easy words when they are young children. She would like to work where she could use her knowledge and qualifications after graduation. She hasn’t found it though. She is worried that the guidance from AED may be too hard as some terms are too specialized for the general public. She believes that everyone should practice CPR incase one’s family member falls. At 28 years old now, she was told she must be younger if wishes to become a fire fighter. I wish I could find a spot where she would be able to use her powerful intention as much as possible. （M. M）

Wish to workfor Emergency lifesaving

Spring Events

Date & Time

May. 17 （Sun.）, 2020 13：00～16：00

LegalProblems

NIAConferenceRoom

Subject Place

Free Consultation for Non-Japanese residents

For foreign residents interested in learning Japa-nese and making friends with Japanese people in an informal setting：Basic: ① For people who have never studied Japanese （limited to 10 people）.Elementary:　② For people who understand hiragana and kataka-

na, and basic communication in Japanese （limited to 10 people）.

Dates and Time: 　Every Thurs. from April.9 ～Jul. 2（13 lessons）10：30～12：00Content: “Minna no Nihongo ShokyuuⅠ”Fee: ￥3,000 （Including workbook）

Japanese Language Chat Square for Foreigners

For foreign residents working during the daytime：①Basic: For people who have never studied Jap-

anese （limited to 15 people）.②Elementary: For people who understand simple everyday conver-sation, basic Japanese greetings. （limited to 15 people）.③Intermediate: For people who have an intermediate understand-ing of Japanese and want to continue to develop. （limited to 15 people）.Dates and Time: 　Every Wed. from May.13～Jul.15（10 lessons）18：30～20：00Instructor: Japanese instructor Fee: ￥ 5,000 （Including course materials）

*No fees required

Japanese Language Course for Foreigners

A judicial scrivener and an administrative scriven-er will provide consultations free of charge （under seal of secrecy）. English and Chinese interpreters on duty. If your language is other than these lan-guages, please call to make an appointment.

April 11（Sat）11：00～13：00

Date/TimeCherry Blossom Viewing

Ikeda Park（Meet at NIA at 11：00）

April 27（Mon）10：30～12：00

Let’s Play at Mutsumi Children’s Center （Meet at NIA at 10：30）

Event Venue

International Kids Club :an association of multi-cultural pre-school age children and their guardians

Interview ～Ms. Ong Shimin（from Singapore）～

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N I A I n f o r m a t i o n B o x

Keep buildings in good condition.

NIPPON KANZAI Co., Ltd.

Headquarters:2-1-10 Nipponbashi Chuo-ku Tokyo-to 〒103-0027 JapanMain Shop: 9-16 Rokutanji-cho Nishinomiya-shi Hyogo-ken 〒662-8588

06-6303-0112osaka@homestay-in-japan.com（営業時間：平日10：00～19：00）

詳細は下記までお気軽にお問い合わせください

ご興味のある方はまずはお気軽に資料請求ください

ホームステイ イン ジャパン

● 期　間 ： 1週間～● 国　籍 ： 欧米圏9割、アジア圏1割● 謝礼金 ： 1,500円～2,500円／泊 （※食事プランにより異なります）

ご家庭で国際交流してみませんか？

短期留学生ホストファミリー募集

Helpers are wanted

NPO Company Main Stream Organization〒662-08449-3 Nishifuku-cho, Nishinomiya City, HyogoTEL 0798-66-5122FAX 0798-66-5133URL https：//www.cilmsa.com/

● Hourly wage　1,100 yen or more, travel cost maximum 1,000 yen per 1 time

● Description of job　Assist of daily life for a physically challenged person living in a neighborhood (same gender assistant)

● Date & Time　Work in shifts & flexible like as 1 day per week

● Work location　At a client’s house in Nishinomiya City

※Japanese language ability (daily conversation) is required.

　 Women are welcome

Inexperienced peopleare welcome

Our appreciation goes to the following organizationsfor the generous support for our 24th

Nishinomiya International Exchange Day.（in no particular order）■■■■■■■

■■■■■■

Nishinomiya City Management Co., Ltd.Ozeki Co., Ltd.Kansai Technology Consultants Co., Ltd.Sakura FM Co., Ltd.Nextage Co., Ltd.Nishinomiya Pharmacists AssociationNishinomiya Calligraphy Association

Nishinomiya-Shaoxing Friendship AssociationNishinomiya-Spokane Sister City Society Nishinomiya-Londrina Friendship AssociationNishinomiya UNESCO AssociationEducational Corporation Mukogawa GakuinKidZania Koshien

Events and disaster information etc.are provided in multiple languages.

Nishinomiya CityInternational Association （NIA）

We recommend that you to registerfor our Facebook page.

Facebook

11-1, Ikeda-cho, Nishinomiya City

Worth morethan the price

Specialty Shopsof Frente Nishinomiya

Frente Nishinomiya

Official Facebook Information are now distributed

Official Application Information is now distributed

The gourmet street on the1st floor is open after 20:00.

Business hoursof the

Specialty Shops

NITORI

Nationality Number Percent

Total Nishinomiya population 487,337The percentage of foreign residents in Nishinomiya 1.45％

South and North KoreaChinaVietnamU.S.A.The PhilippinesTaiwanNepalBrazil74 Other countries

Total

※as of March, 2020

Current Number of Foreign Residentsin Nishinomiya

Current Number of Foreign Residentsin Nishinomiya

3,2921,3067812472311591541077927,069

46.6％18.5％11.0％3.5％3.3％2.2％2.2％1.5％11.2％100％

May1st * ”Nishinomiya C

ity News” No. 177,178 pub-

lished.8th *The first term

of “Japanese Language

Course for Foreigners” starts. （Wedn

es-

days, 18：30～20：00, through June 27;

10

classes）

12th *Manabo, Hanaso Nihongo （Let’s learn and speak Japanese

Course）（Sundays, 10：30～12：00 through

July 14）

14th *Board of Education sends instruct

ors to Japanese classes

（once a week through March）.

15th *International Kids Club： Let’s play

in Miyakko Kids Park！

18th *Chikyukko Club： orientation

19th *Free Consultation Service for F

oreigners on legal and

other issues25th *Spanish Chatti

ng Club 1

26th *Cultural Exchange： Try Matcha Green Tea

June1st *“Nishinomiya City News” No. 179,180 pub-lished.*The 1st homestay/home-visit program for foreign students （～24th） conducted every weekend in June

3rd *International Kids Club： Let’s enjoy the rainy season.15th *Chikyukko Club： Jamaica

*One day bus tour around the city for homestay students*International Café： a Vietnamese tea party

16th *Food Culture Exchange： Making Irodori bento lunch boxes

▲Challengers making bento！

▲Everyone is seriously watchin

g the demonstration.

▲At the Nishinomiya Fire Station

April1st *One-on-one Japanese lessons by the Nishi-nomiya Volunteer Japanese Teaching Group （90 minutes; once a week; through the end of March）*

*“Nishinomiya City News” No.175,176 published by the Nishi-nomiya English Interpretation & Translation Volunteer Group.

5th *“Disaster Prevention Class for Foreign Students” at Kwan-sei Gakuin University.

6th *International Kids Club： cherry blossom viewing*Sakura FM program “Bridges across Communities” starts. （1st Sat Chinese; 2nd & 4th Sat English;, 3rd Sat Portu-guese; all from 12：00 p.m.-12：15p.m.）

10th *Fudebako, class to help children of multicultural back-grounds with their school studies in Takasu every Wednes-day; The same class held in JR Nishinomiya class on 2nd & 4th Thursdays（till March）.

10th～21st *Lot-et-Garrone & Agen Week11th *Japanese Language Chat Square for Foreigners （Thurs-

days, 10：30～12：00 through July 11; 13 classes）*The first term of “Nihongo Nakayoshi Hiroba” （The Japa-nese language class for foreign children and their parents after school）（Thursdays,16：00～17：30, through March 12）

Fureai TsushinNishinomiya City International Association Newsletter／ふれあい通信　第１０６号

▲Working hard on difficult subjects

▲Foreign volunteers helping sta

lls

July 1st *“Nishinomiya City News” No.181,182 pub-lished.13th *Participation in a local event, Somen-nagashi14th *Free Consultation Service on the Residen-tial Status for Foreigners18th *First Aid Workshop for Foreigners

August 1st *“Nishinomiya C

ity News” No.183, 184 pub-

lished.3rd & 4th *Participa

tion in Takasu Festival

24th *Participation in Koto Fureai Su

mmer Festival

23rd *Cultural exchange： Yukata Day

14th *Enjoy in French15th *English classes by a native English teachers （First Step,

Beginners, Elementary, Intermediate, and Kids’ courses; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through February）

20th *Sakura FM program “Genki Jirushi Kokusai Koryu” starts. （3rd & 4th Saturdays every month, 11：30～11：50）

26th *Enjoy in English for Kids

*Accepted an intern of international exc

hange programs, 王

才偉氏from Shaoxing, China （who staye

d in Nishinomiya

until Dec. 20）.28th *Enjoy in Korea

n20th * Chikyukko Club： Vietnam

NIA Activity Digest for theFiscal Year, 2019

Report of the Variety of Projects That NIA Carried Out

In the year of 2019, NIA has carried out various kinds of projects:

November1st *“Nishinomiya City News” No.189 &190 pub-lished.

2nd *The 2nd homestay and home-visit program for foreign students （on every November weekend）

5th *Participation in the Nishinomiya Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Drill, training to set up a multi-lingual support center.

Fureai TsushinNishinomiya City International Association Newsletter／ふれあい通信　第１０６号

２０２０～

January1st *“Nishinomiya

City News” No.193 &194

published.12th *Chikyukko Clu

b： Preparation for the 24th

International Exchange Day

19th *Cultural Exchange： Kimono Day *“Ge

t Connected to Local Com-

munity Project” participates in a mochi pounding party *Fre

e

Consultation Service on the Residential Statu

s for Foreigners

20st *International Kids Club： Setsubun

December1st *“Nishinomiya C

ity News” No.191 & 192 pub-

lished.14th *International K

ids Club： Christmas party

*“Get Connected to Local Communi

ty Project”

participates in a New Year’s wreath

making

September 1st *“Nishinomiya City News” No.185,186 pub-lished.2nd *International Kids Club： Nutrition Workshop5th *Japanese Language Chat Square for For-eigners （Thursdays, 10：30-12：00, through Nov. 28; 13 classes）8th *Cooperation with the Akitakada City International Associ-ation’s disaster prevention project12th *The 2nd term of “Nihongo Nakayoshi Hiroba” （Thursdays, 16：00～17：30 through March）14th *Sent a lecturer to the Ashiya City International Associa-tion’s disaster prevention project15th *Free Consultation Service on the Residential Status for Foreigners

19th *Disaster Prevention Class for Foreign Students at Kwansei Gakuin University.21st *Chikyukko Club： Denmark23rd *Participation in the Nishinomiya Matsuri （at Nishinomiya Shrine） as a foreigners’ group.25th *The 2nd term of “Japanese Language Course for Foreigners” （Wednesdays, 18：30～20：00, 10 classes through Nov 28）

February 2nd *Presented our project, Fudebako, at For-eigner Education in Japan Research Meet-ing4th *Accepted an social experience intern, Ms. Verena Heintz, from Kwansei Gakuin Univ. （through March 5）9th *The 24th Nishinomiya International Exchange Day

15th *International Understanding Lecture： “Towards a Multi-cultural Understanding and Multicultural Society” *Food culture exchange： Hong Kong cuisine16th *Spanish Chatting Club ④ * Cooperation with the Ashiya City International Association’s Disaster Prevention Class

28th *Sent a foreign guest to the Kawaragi Junior High School International Understanding Class

▲two terms of Japanese classes for foreigners, annually

▲Participants trying to confirm shelter locations

▲The boy’s first challenge mak

ing a hand-made Shimenawa

March 1st *Enjoy in German15th *Free Consultation Service on the Residen-

tial Status for Foreigners

11th～18th *Spokane Week9th *Participation in the Nishinomiya Furusato Walk *World Rain-

bow Color Festival （collaboration by 6 organizations includ-ing Gwansei Gakuin, Prefectural Board of Education, etc.）

16th *Enjoy in English *The 10th foreigner supporter training in times of disasters *Disaster Prevention Class for Foreign-ers *Chikyukko Club： China

17th *Cultural Exchange： Vietnam18th *International Kids Club： Parent-child exercise20th～27th *Shaoxing Week *Enjoy in Chinese *Sent an instruc-

tor for the city officials’ workshop on using easy Japanese24th *Free Consultation Service for Foreigners on legal and

other issues *IFC members participate in a neighborhood clean-up campaign

October1st *“Nishinomiya City News” No.187 & 188 published.

4th *The introductory Chinese class （Fridays, 18：00～19：30, 10 classes through Decem-ber 6）

7th *International Kids Club： Let’s go on a picnic.

▲Picnic with parents and kids （at Ikeda Park）

7th～15th *Londrina Week13th *Enjoy in Portuguese19th *Chikyukko Club： Turkey26th *Participation in the 43rd Nishinomiya Citizens’ Festival

with a booth. *Spanish Chatting Club 227th *Ordinary First Aid Workshop for foreigners, Enjoy in

English

15th *Food Culture Exchange： New Ye

ar’s dishes *Cooperation

with the Kakogawa City International A

ssociation’s disas-

ter prevention project

21st *Spanish Chatting Club 3 *

23rd *Chikyukko Club： Preparation for

the 24th International

Exchange Day *Enjoy in English for Kids

： Christmas party

27th Sent a foreign quest to the International Understanding Class at Minami Koshien Elementary School29th The second exchange party of IFC members