Volume 14, Number 1 |
For those interested in testing out their Japanese language proficiency, you'll have an opportunity to do that on Jan. 29 if you're willing to go to either Tokyo or Hitachi. Tests will also be held on April 29, June 18, Sept. 17 and Nov. 5. The exam costs 2100 yen for the upper levels and 1500 yen for the lower levels. For the January test, you need to have your application in by Jan. 19.
Inquiries can be made by phone to 03-3368-8106 and applications can be sent by fax to 03-3368-8107. A web page is available at http://www.jtest.org/jtest/.
The Tokyo test site is at the Zeikei Gakuin near Takadanobaba Station and the Hitachi test site is at the Ibaraki Kokusai Gakuin near Hitachi Station.
While windy March is considered the prime time for kite flying in many Western countries, January is the traditional season in Japan. Three kite flying events are scheduled for late January in the southern Ibaraki area within easy driving distance from Tsukuba. These include very large kites taking many people to control, and if the weather is good, they are quite a sight to see.
Toride Tone River Kite Festival
Saturday, January 22nd at the Toride Ryokuchi Undo Koen, located along the banks of the Tone River. If traveling by car, you will need to approach the park by crossing over the Joban tracks from Highway 6. By train, it's a 5 min. walk from the East Gate of Toride Station. Contact number: 0297-74-2141.
Oyako Kite Festival
Sunday, January 23rd at the Otone Undo Koen
Contact number 0297-45-1111.
Shinshun Kokai River Kite Festival
Sunday, January 30th at the Fuminari Bashi Grounds. From the Yatabe Interchange on the Joban expressway, continue on to the center of Ina Machi. Turn right at the T-intersection and follow that road (route 19) on towards Toride. The grounds are located where that road crosses the Kokai River. Contact number 0297-58-2111.
OVERVIEW: This festival presents many films rarely shown outside of the countries in which they were made. While some are mainstream, most are alternative films. The main purpose of this festival is to introduce rarely shown classic movies.
VENUE: Tsukuba Women's University (Auditorium) Azuma 3-1, Tsukuba-shi
TIME: 6:30-8:30 (note that some films run longer than others)
Note that seating is limited to 500.
COST: No charge for any of the films INQUIRIES: (0298)58-4813 (Japanese); (0298)58-6337 (English); juppe@in.kasei.ac.jp
SCHEDULED FILMS
January 20 Mere Jeevan Saathi (India, 1965)
January 27 Mexican Bus Ride (Mexico, 1951)
February 3 Cold Days (Hungary, 1966)
February 10 Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Ukraine, 1964)
February 17 Time for Revenge (Argentina, 1983)
February 24 Black Orpheus (Brazil, 1958)
All films are in the original language with English subtitles.
As part of its activities, the Tsukuba Information Center sponsors a bilingual discussion group the fourth Wednesday of every month from 2 to 4 pm, with invited guests giving a presentation from their area of expertise or experience. This month, we are pleased to have Ms. Milan Chang, who will be speaking on the subject of Korea and Japan as next-door neighbors. Her presentation is entitled, So similar, yet so different.
Korea and Japan, though geographically and historically close to one another, are different in so many ways. This is the impression Ms. Chan had when she first came to Japan, and she is constantly revising that impression. Closeness doesn't mean similarity. Take the British and French, for example. Ms. Chan will speak as a Korean perspective, but Japanese and non-Japanese as well are encouraged to share their opinions. It will be interesting to see how two similar countries can be so different, and to see what people from each country think about the other.
The Coffee Hour is meant to be an informal exchange of information and opinions. English and Japanese are both used with efforts made to make sure those who can't understand one or the other are able to at least get the gist of the conversation. Likewise, you don't need to commit yourself to the entire two hours and can come and go freely. So drop by, whether for a short time or for the entire two hours, and enjoy some free refreshments along with a stimulating discussion. Please let us hear your opinions as well.
The Ibaraki Hash House Harriers, that crazy international drinking club with a running problem, will host its next event January 30th, 1pm, Tsuchiura Station. The 6k mystery course, which can be run, jogged, or walked, will be followed by a beer drinking ceremony (soft drinks too) with songs, snacks and friendship. After that, we'll go to a local izakaya for dinner and more beer!!! Join us, rain or shine, for some fun and exercise!!! Everyone welcome. More info??? Contact ToeJam at: rika0520@aol.com or call: 0298-21-9372.
Feb. 3rd is the traditional beginning of Spring festival (seems a little early, doesn't it?) when a kind of Jack-and-the-beanstalk ceremony is performed, with beans being thrown out the door. No mythological giants in the sky await a magical beanstalk to reach them, however, as this tradition is meant to keep the giants (that is, demons) from entering into one's home and bringing bad luck. Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi (Demons (stay) outside; happiness (come) inside) is the phrase chanted as the setsubun (literally dividing of the seasons) beans are tossed out the door.
Much pomp and ceremony surround this festival, and various shrines and temples compete with each other to come up with their own innovations. Tsukuba's own Mt. Tsukuba Shrine is a picturesque place to take in this bit of Japanese culture, and you can include a cable car ride to the top for a great view if the weather is good. Being a Thursday this year (and not an official holiday), it should not be that crowded. Nevertheless, plan to go early if you are driving as parking places are a premium.
By popular demand, the International Cooking Class sponsored by Tsukuba Cultural Foundation, is returning to the local schedule of events! The class enhances communication through food, culture and international exchange. Why don't you come and join us to make and taste Russian dishes?
Cooking: Russian Home Cooking
Date: Feb. 20, 2000
Time: 10:00 to 14:00
Place: Kasuga Public Hall Cooking Room (2-36-1 Kasuga Tsukuba tel. 0298-52-5422)
Limit: 30 people
Instructor: Russian housewives that are Tsukuba residents
An English language interdenominational worship service is held once a month normally on the fourth Sunday of every month at 2 pm at the Tsukuba Gakuen Church near Daiei. The Japanese language congregation meets every Sunday morning at 10:30 am, and the service is translated into English over headphones. There is also a Bible Study in English every Tuesday evening at 8:00 pm in the Christian Center. For more information or help with transportation, call Tim Boyle at 55-1907.
The Tsukuba Catholic Church has an English mass at 8:00 am every Sunday and the Japanese masses on Saturday night (6 pm) and Sunday morning (10 am) are accompanied by a summary of the message in English. There is even a Spanish mass on the 3rd Sunday at 3 pm. On the last Sunday of the month, there is a coffee social after the English mass. For information, call the church at 36-1723. The Tsuchiura Catholic Church offers an English mass on the last Sunday of each month at 3 pm (tel. 21-1501). There is also a Portuguese mass on the 3rd Saturday at 7 pm.
The Tsukuba Baptist Church offers an English language Bible study before the Japanese service every Sunday from 10 to 11 am. It is located in Inarimae just east of Nishi Odori on the street closest to the meteorological observation tower. Tel. 58-0655.
The Megumi Church in Tsuchiura (489-1 Kami Takatsu) also offers English translation of their 10:30 am Japanese service over ear phones. An English Bible class is held every Sunday morning at 9:00 am. There is also an International Fellowship group that holds a monthly pot luck dinner usually on the third Saturday. For information on that, call Melissa Ishio at 38-1374. For more information, call the church at 22-2244 or e-mail LDN03144@niftyserve.or.jp (Also see their Tsuchiura Megumi Church Web Page at http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/ro/tmc/index.html).
The Tokyo International Church, Tsukuba Branch in Amakubo 3-3-5 (across from Tsukuba Univ.) offers a 10:30-noon Chinese (Mandarin) service interpreted into both English and Japanese. There is also an English language Bible study every Sunday evening at 7 pm. For information, call Rev. Huang at 52-6820.
The International Christian Assembly meets every Sunday at their new building just off of Tsuchiura-Gakuen Sen east of Tsukuba (just behind the restaurant with the dragon on the roof) from 10 am for Bible Study and 10:30 am for worship. For more information, call Richard Swan at 36-0993.
The Nozomi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tsuchiura (23-27 Komatsu 3-chome) also offers programs in English, including a worship service Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and a Bible class on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am. English Bible information courses are available any time. For more information, call Glen Hieb at 0298-21-3578.
The Tsuchiura Christian Church offers an English message translated into Japanese every Sunday morning at 10:30 am. For information, contact Paul Axton at 56-2167.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tsukuba ward is located at Higashi 2-21-22 by Higashi Middle School between Doho Park and Tsuchiura Noda Sen. Services are translated into English over headphones. The Sacrament Meeting begins at 10 am followed by Sunday School at 11:10 am and Priesthood and Relief Society at noon. A Gospel Doctrine class in English is also offered. For more information, contact 52-6548.
The Jewish Community of Japan invites anyone of the Jewish faith in the Tsukuba area to feel welcome at any of their programs in Tokyo. Sabbath services each Friday at 6:30 pm followed by Sabbath dinner; Kosher Kitchen, Saturday morning, 9:30 am. Contact 3-8-8 Hiroo, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150; tel. 03-3400-2559, fax. 03-3400-1827.
by Time Boyle
The December issue of The Alien Times featured a cover saying The Last Alien Times of the Millennium, and it naturally follows that this issue is The First Alien Times of the New Millennium. Or is it?
In the Feb. '94 issue, we featured an article on the issue of when the 21st Century begins, noting that the majority of Japanese simply assumed that it begins on Jan. 1, 2001, while most people in the West have been working on the assumption that it would begin right along with the Y2K rollover. The grand celebrations that we witnessed this past New Year's Eve were far more grand than any other New Year's celebrations that have ever taken place, and there seems little doubt that next year's events will be much more subdued, at least in most of the world.
An article in the Jan. 6 issue of the Daily Yomiuri, however, reveals that there is still considerable confusion on the issue here in Japan. It was entitled, 'Ferris wheel to be built for 2001 countdown event' and began with the following enigmatic words: 'Now that the new millennium has begun, an Osaka amusement park company will launch a project in mid-January to celebrate the next big event: the turn of the century. The company will begin building the nation's largest Ferris wheel, to be completed in time for a centennial countdown event at the year's end.'
So, we seem to have a rather interesting situation, with both the new decade (which everyone seems to agree began this month) and the new millennium having already begun, while the new century is still a year away! (By the way, now that the decade of the nineties has come and gone, what do we call this decade?) Clearly, there is an inconsistency here.
The problem is actually the fault of the Romans, who didn't include the concept of zero in their numbering system. When our present calendar years were first devised in the 4th Century, they tried to calculate from historical records when Jesus was born and begin counting from there. They didn't, however, begin with zero, since they didn't have that concept, but instead began with 1 AD. Thus, there is no 0 BC or 0 AD, with the calendar going directly from 1 BC to 1 AD. Therefore, from that standpoint, the Japanese way of looking at the issue is technically correct. The 21st Century (as well as the 3rd Millennium) begin in 2001. But then, the same is true with each decade as well. Otherwise, the first decade would only have had 9 years. But I know of no one who thinks the decade of the nineties still has a year to go!
Just as an interesting aside, we now know that the 4th Century Romans were at least a few years off in their calculations, as the events referred to in the Bible that were associated with Christ's birth have been positively dated a few years earlier than what they thought. King Herod, for instance, died in what we now call 4 BC, and so that would put Jesus' birth a year or two before that. Thus, that would make this year in reality to be 2005 or 2006.
Needless to say, it is not an option for us to try to correct the present calendar to reflect that fact, and besides, time is only a relative concept anyway. We are stuck with our present system, like it or not.
In fact, the Japanese have the additional problem (from my western bias) of having to deal with another way of counting years, namely the year of the emperor, with this year being Heisei 12. On top of that, they, like the Romans, had a different way of counting than that which is presently employed. Prior to the end of WWII, the Japanese counted their age as 1 year old at the date of birth. With the advent of the American Occupation, however, Japanese all became a year younger (to the delight of many, no doubt) when the Western system was adopted. It wasn't totally abandoned, however, as, for instance, when the centenarian twins Kin san and Gin san first became celebrities almost 10 years ago (they're still going strong as the world's oldest twins), they were pictured as being 100 years old, when, in fact, they were only 99 according to the official calendar.
While the kazoedoshi reckoning of age used traditionally has for the most part gone out of use, the method of counting time prior to birth is still based on that same idea. This results in the Japanese considering a normal pregnancy to be 10 months long. (Aren't you mothers glad it really isn't? Nine is enough!) It's still approximately 270 days from conception to birth, but according to their way of counting, you are in effect a month old already at conception.
Another time related difference between Japan and other countries is the use of gengo (the year of the emperor's reign) for counting years. The Japanese way of counting years is related to the kazoedoshi system in that the final year of one emperor's reign is also the first year of the next era, no matter how short it is. Thus, while 1989 is Showa 64, the last year of the reign of Emperor Hirohito (now referred to in Japan as Emperor Showa), it is also Heisei 1, and thus 1990 was Heisei 2. This also the reason you'll find very few people who were born in Showa 1. The Taisho Emperor died just a few days before the end of 1926, and so Showa 1 was only a few days long. On Jan. 1, 1927, it was already Showa 2. Even though the gengo system is unwieldy (especially when you need to figure out how many years ago Meiji 25 or whatever was), it is a strongly held tradition and is even mandatory on all government documents.
When Einstein first came out with his theory of relativity, he had something far more profound in mind, but when it comes to this aspect of time as well, it certainly is relative.
by the Jackroller
So, here we are at what is arguably the dawn of the new millennium. We've survived Y2K without a hitch (ex- cept for some slot machines in North Carolina, USA). America On Line (AOL) is trying to merge with Time-Warner in an attempt to "shape our lives." Linux is gradually taking over Wintel desktops world-wide with its open architecture and open philosophy. Apple is not only profitable, but has prophesied numerous computer industry technical firsts. The future is now.
Understanding that we are at a revolutionary stage in technological and social development, I have a question for all you AT readers out there: what is community?
A little more than a year ago, a guy called Lazlo posed a similar question at a seminar I attended. The audience was a group of foreign English teachers employed in public and private schools throughout lbaraki. The context was simple: all of us had lived in Japan for some measure of time, and Lazlo wanted to know when we stopped being "guests in Japan" and started being community members. Included below are a few of the criteria he offered to help determine our status in Japan:
My answers were:
Seldom would they make any serious attempts to change things.
Those criteria made me stop and think a while. At the time I had lived in Japan for close to a year and a half: much longer than any normal guest would be tolerated. Like any civil servant, I paid taxes, social security and health care. Finally, when I saw things I disapproved of, particularly Japanese stereotypes about foreigners, I tried hard to change them. In doing the things listed above I had undoubtedly ceased being a guest in this country.
With the advent of the intemet ideas of community have radically changed. Community has become more purely social: we don't need to live somewhere special to be part of an intellectual "cyber community." However, the criteria for being a community member still apply. "Cyber community members" often join and choose to stay. They "pay" by contributing intellectual capital, or ideas. Furthermore, "cyber community members" are constantly at work attempting to change their surroundings to make them more hospitable and user friendly.
Living in Japan I often hear talk about the so-called "Gaijin Community." I Iike to think that this is just short hand for "gaijin members of the Japanese community," but I'd like to see if the rules of community apply to foreigners living here.
By now you might be asking yourself what the point to all this nonsense is. Well here it is: if you've read this far, you now may believe you that you are a member of the "gaijin community" in Japan. As a member of the gaijin community in Tsukuba, it is time to pay your dues. Every month you, our loyal readers, pick up your copy of the AT and read it cover to cover. If you've been here long enough you make a mental check list of the material that you've read in previous issues or when browsing the internet. But most of the time you do these things without giving back: whether that means shopping at our sponsors' businesses, or just dropping a thank-you note to the Expo Foundation or the lowly editors of this publication.
So, we're giving you a chance to do something; something positive as a member of the AT reading community. We are asking you to contribute something, anything. We are dying for original material, but as editors we've done all we can. Only you, our loyal readers, can improve this publication., From reading some well written posts on TAIRA-net and hearing a number of eloquent (albeit a bit drunken) arguments at Frontier, I know that there are people out there with original and interesting things to say. Why not share them with the rest of us so we can grow as a community?
Aren't we all happy that Y2K has come and gone without any Y2K-os (as in chaos, in case you didn't catch it)? Many doomsday scenarios were part of the rumor mill, but at least the immediate collapse of modern civilization type scenarios has proven to have been false. Nevertheless, all of the hype about the roll-over has perhaps made us more aware of time and its influence on our lives. The following is a short essay of unknown authorship that I think speaks to people of all philosophical and religious persuasions. We present it to you our readers as a Happy New Year's (Century's, Millennium's) thought.
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.
So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy. Remember: Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people become friends and stay a while leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend!! Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present! I think this is special. Live and savor every moment. This is not a dress rehearsal!
Thought for the day:
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching.