by Eleanor Olds Batchelder
eob@post.harvard.edu
ningen.human.tsukuba.ac.jp
Useful resources and personal advice from one foreigner to another
This article was written by one foreigner, with a little help from her friends. I wanted to help newcomers get acquainted with the excellent information resources in the city as quickly as possible, so this guide is mostly about where to get information. It is specific to the Tsukuba area, and it pretty much ignores the enormous number of resources in Tokyo and/or nationally; however, you shouldn't!
There isn't much here about automobiles or children, because I was car-less and child-less in Tsukuba. Maybe somebody will add this. Please send any corrections or additions by email.
Key to this page:
Holidays: Everything in Japan tends to close in the period 12/28 to 1/4, so those are not noted here, but other holidays are. Always call ahead during that Year-End/Year-Beginning time.
Language codes: [E]nglish, [J]apanese, [B]engali, [C]hinese, [F]rench, [G]erman, [I]talian, [K]orean, [Pe]rsian, [P]ortuguese, [R]ussian, [S]panish, [T]agalog, [Th]ai.
[E/J] (with a slash mark) means two versions, one in English and one in Japanese, while [EJ] (no slash) means bilingual (same source handles both).
When you apply for your alien registration card at the Sakura City Hall, go to the International Affairs Section (on the main floor, to your right as you enter) and pick up some local newsletters, a garbage calendar [J] and explanation [ECK], and a map. If you are a short-term visitor (less than three months) and therefore don't need to register, visit the Sakura City Hall or the TsIC (see below) to pick up these items.
TsIC is not a tourist center, but is there to help new residents, both foreign and Japanese. The staff there includes two English speakers. They have a lot of information about resources in Tsukuba, but you will have to be assertive and ask questions. On the plaza above the central bus terminal, next to Nova Hall. Open 10-5, seven days a week. Tel: 029-852-6789 [JEI], www@info-tsukuba.org www.info-tsukuba.org/english
TAIRA is an email list for the foreign community in Tsukuba to exchange information about life in Japan. Even before you arrive, subscribe to it (email to majordomo@eve.bk.tsukuba.ac.jp with 'subscribe TAIRA' in the message body). You'll receive 5-10 messages a day on a variety of subjects, at least some of which are likely to be useful and interesting to you. It is the best place to ask for whatever specific information you need: Where to buy large-size ski boots? How can I see Japanese in my computer? Where can I find a piano teacher who speaks English? Often has announcements of local events, and cars and household furnishings for sale ("sayonara sales"), sometimes very cheaply. Most messages are in English, but members are from all over the world; if you send a message in your own language, probably people will respond (have to use the Roman alphabet, however).
In the "Ars" (a-ru-su) building, just north of Tsukuba Center, accessible from the upper or the street level. Stop at the circulation desk and ask for the Guide pamphlet [J/E/C/K], then head for the foreign books section (to the back and right). A good selection [E/C/F/G/I?/K/P/R/S] of general fiction and nonfiction, including many books on Japanese life, culture, travel, etc., and travel guides for foreign countries, and some maps of Japan and Tsukuba in English. Residents can get a borrower's card quickly. Open: Tu-Fr 9:30-7:00; Sa-Su 9:30-5:00; closed Mo and various other days, get a current calendar when you visit. It may be buried in a Japanese flyer, so ask (karendaa). Tel: 029-856-4311 [J] www2.library.ne.jp/tsukuba
You may have to take a walk around town to get these, as they are not all available in one place. Have a look at the pamphlets section of the Alien Times site.
For relaxation, meeting people, improving yourself, or just killing time...
Groups aimed at foreigners and/or in English
Groups which are largely for, and in, Japanese
No one keeps a list of these, but here are some types that I know exist, to fire your imagination. When you decide what you want, ask at the TsIC, ask at your workplace, ask!
Spectator events
Libraries
Bookstores with English books
Most new and used booksellers in Tsukuba have at least a shelf or two of foreign-language books. For a bit more, try:
For a listing of local religious activities in English, see Alien Times (Tsukuba Topics - Religion).
Free public access to the internet is available at the Library, the Citizen's Support Centre, the Community Network Centre, some Community Centres and City Halls (soon to be all).
Consult in person or by phone at the Ibaraki International Association, Mito. Tel: 029-244-3811 [E/J/P/C/Th/T/(Pe)/S], 9-4:30. "Legal, labor, residency, marriage, and general life problems. Free and confidential, with interpreter."
The best city map is available free [J/E] at TsIC and City Hall (Sakura Branch - Int'l Affairs Section. See the maps page of the Alien Times website for other possibilities.
Household furnishings, appliances, etc.
Daily necessities
The Tsukuba Cultural Foundation has organized an international cooking class to enhance communication through food, culture and international exchange.
Date/Time: March 7th (Fri..) 10 am to 2 pm
Place: Kasuga Public Hall (2-36-1, Kasuga), tel: 852-5422‚W
Instructor: Mrs. Nany Abusinna
Fee: 500 yen
There is a limit of 25 persons. To register and for more information, call the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation at 856-7007.
March 8 (Sat) 10:00-16:00; March 9 (Sun) 10:00-15:00
Students of the ikebana class of the Tsukuba International Exchange Room will be displaying their works of art on the 2nd floor of the Tsukuba Information Center (next to Nova Hall). There will be many interesting arrangements by the students who come from around the world.
March 9 (Sun) 10:00-14:00
The Chanoyu class will be also offering free "green tea and sweets" service. Why not come and enjoy a little taste of Japanese culture?
Inquiries: TEL 029-852- 6789 (10:00 to 17:00)
This month we will have a tea party. Please bring your favorite tea or snacks (or sweets) and let us try them. Sandwiches and rice balls will be served. You can try Japanese traditional tea MACCHA as well. Join us and have a lot of fun. If you plan to participate and if you need a ride, please contact us by March 7 (Friday).
When: March 10, Monday, 10:00am - noon
Where: Platform (Takezono 1-2-1, 1st floor of Toshi Kodan, which is on Tsuchiura Gakuen Dori, between the Oshimizu Park and the Central Police Station. There is no parking lot for the place. Please use the toll parking lots in case you come by car (160 yen or so per hour).
What to Bring: cups, plates, spoons & folks, beverages and foods for your children, tea (from your country, etc) with a pot and snacks or sweets (please bring one dish, if possible). Please bring small card with your name and a name of your tea or snacks.
Contact/Inquiries: Ms. Nishizawa 029-855-7888, Ms. Yunoki at 029-856-3321
Malaysia is a tropical country situated 7 degrees north of the Equator in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is a federation of 13 states forming a parliamentary monarchy, comprising two distinct regions separated by some 650 km of the South China Sea. The capital and the largest city, Kuala Lumpur, is the focal point of new Malaysia.
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous ethnic groups living side by side in peaceful co-existence. Malaysia is a melting pot of several major cultural traditions that stem from its strategic position between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diverse heritage. The easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural interaction is to look at the open door policy maintained during religious festivals.
Exotic flora and fauna are an intrinsic part of the wild life and there is unspoiled beauty throughout the Malaysia. Although Malaysia's size is about 90% to that of Japan, natural trees and forests cover almost three-quarters of the land, an area equivalent to almost the entirety of Honshu and Hokkaido. The primal forests, ranging from shoreline mangrove, rain forest to mountaintop oak, are the attraction of Malaysia for anyone who appreciates the natural world.
To know more about this fascinating country, please join this month's guest speaker from Malaysia, Dr. Tan Chin-Ping. He will share with you the many faces of Malaysia. He lives in Ninomiya House and is a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Food Research Institute.
Date/Time: March 26 (Wed.)14:00 to 16:00
Guest: Dr. Tan Chin-Ping (Malaysia)
Place: Tsukuba Information Center
Twice a year, TIS puts together a Foreign Buyer's Club order through which FBC donates 5% of the entire order to the school. The order week is from March 10-15, and orders can be placed from anywhere in Japan. FBC catalogs are available at the school or from the Tsukuba Christian Center. The deal includes free shipping to your house. All you need to do is list Tsukuba International School as the intended recipient on space for that purpose on the order form. Even at other times of the year, if you order from FBC, you can list TIS on the form and the school will still get a 2% rebate donation.
The Alien Times website has undergone some major changes over the past few months. Back issues have been put up for 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, most of 1998 and we are now working on 1997. As we go further back in time, the possibility of finding electronic copies of the articles decreases, so that might slow us down a bit. But with our current registry of three or four active website volunteers, I am hopeful that we will make serious progress over the next year.
In addition to putting the back issues online, we have also been building a subject index to the articles in the issues. This is turning into an incredible source of information on a variety of Tsukuba-related topics. Go to the website and click on "Tsukuba Topics" from the menu on the left. You will then be given the option of choosing from any of the categories below:
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Advice
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Hotels
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Residents
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The categories include both articles from the AT past and links to relevant websites that have been selectively chosen to supplement the articles. As we work on getting the past issues online, we will continue to link the articles to this index, in an attempt to give access to both current and historical conditions in Tsukuba.
Furthermore, we have added a Newcomers Guide. Eleanor Olds Batchelder created a pamphlet for people who have just arrived in Tsukuba. With her permission, Alien Times has updated her guide and listed it on the AT site. If you are new to the area (or you've been here a while, but you feel like you might need to know a few more details about our fair city), please have a look at this comprehensive handbook.
As always, the Alien Times awaits your input and co-operation in making both the newsletter and the website superior sources of information on the Tsukuba experience. Please get in touch with us (editor@alientimes.org) if you have any ideas for articles, suggestions for websites to link to the Topics page, or time to help with the website or distribution of the paper copies. We are looking forward to working with you!
The Drivers License site we mentioned in last month's issue has been added to the AT website. If you need to get a Japanese license (obligatory after living in Japan for one year), please see the AT site.
In the coming issues we will present some ideas of what to do around Tsukuba on a sunny Sunday (or a "Moony Monday", for that matter).
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Kasumigaura Park in Tsuchiura is a nice place on the bank of Lake Kasumigaura. The park features an European-style windmill, a nice watermill and an information center where you can see pictures of the fish in the lake and learn about its history (if you understand Japanese, there are also explanations that go along with the pictures). The park is located to the south of Tsuchiura. To go there by bicycle you can of course follow Tsuchiura-Gakuen Dori, but you will be on a crowded road with many cars, which is quiet unpleasant! A nice way from Tsukuba center is to turn left off of Tsuchiura-Gakuen Dori and go across the paddy fields heading westward to the southernmost tip of the Tsukuba-san range (any road in that direction will do it). After a few kilometers across the fields you will reach a river (the Sakura River). Cross it and keep going westward for a few hundred more meters. You will then reach an old railway that has been converted into a bicycle path (you can not miss it: it looks like a road but with poles to prevent cars from turning onto it). Turn to the right and follow the old railway until you get to Tsuchiura. On your way, just before passing under the Joban highway you will see on your left-hand side a little Shinto shrine. After the Joban highway, you are almost at the height of the lake and the fields around the path become wetter. The old railway ends in Tsuchiura City when it meets a river with a small, motorized watermill. Turn to the left and follow the river. You will cross a road, then reach locks and a little tunnel under a railway. Go through the tunnel, and keep going a few more hundred meters until you reach another road. Turn right on that road to cross the river. After a few minutes, you will pass a little harbor on your left and then reach another bridge (just before a "Wondergoo" shop). Turn left on that bridge and follow the narrow road along the shore. After a few hundred meters you should see the windmill (and as you follow the shore you can not really get lost). At the end of this narrow road you will find Kasumigaura Park. You can find more details and pictures of this park at http://alientimes.free.fr. To provide the best ideas to everybody, we need your suggestions. Please email us at sunny-sunday.tsukuba@delerue.org and tell us where you go on sunny Sundays. |
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In Canada, we barely use ATM (automated teller machines -- what you use to get at your money) anymore because almost all stores accept debit. Every bank card is a debit card, so you can use your bank cards to make purchases. This means that you can use your money any old time of the day or night. But even if you need to actually get some cash in your hand, the ATMs are open 24 hours, so you can make withdrawals and deposits whenever you need to.
As you may have noticed, this is not the case in Japan. Not only are debit cards rather unpopular, the ATMs seem to need to get a full 12 hours sleep every day. I will never understand why a machine has to be off for the night. Are they afraid someone will try to break into the machine? If this were likely at all, it would happen a lot more in Canada and the US.
Anyway, as I am not likely to win a battle with the Japanese banking system, I thought that I would let you know one way to get a bit more access to your money. It will cost you extra (of course), but at least you will be able to get your money in a pinch.
There is a company called Enet that places ATMs in certain convenience stores. There are 9 such machines in Tsukuba and 6 in Tsuchiura. The full information can be found on Enet's website (http://www.enetcom.co.jp/), but unfortunately it is only in Japanese. I will give you a brief summary of the Tsukuba locations:
Family Mart (Sakaimatsu, Matsunoki, Kamiyokoba, Omonoi); Ministop (Kurihara, Koyadai, Imagashima); Seven Eleven (Azuma); Sunkus (Azuma).
Be aware that these machines are not open 24 hours. The hours of operation depend on the bank (if you can believe it). The banks that are online at Enet include Joyo, Tokyo Mitsubishi, Mizuho, Chiba, etc. There are 23 banks in total. To give you an example of the hours, Joyo funds can be accessed from 7am to 11pm on weekdays, and 9am to 7pm on weekends. There are, of course, service fees involved, so it's better to use these machines only when you really have to.
In order to provide better information to foreigners who need medical care while in Tsukuba, we are asking you to provide us with some information. Please give us some feedback on the following short questionnaire.
1. What country are you from? ______________
2. How good is your Japanese language ability? ______________ (Fluent. / Good. / Fair. / Poor.)
3. Have you received medical care here in Tsukuba since you arrived? ______________ (Yes. / No.)
If yes, did you experience significant problems?
Comments:
4. As we want to provide recommendations for places foreigners have had good experiences, can you recommend any medical facility (including dental and chiropractic, etc.)? Likewise, are there any you would want to tell people to avoid? If you can, please list reasons why.
Positive:
Negative:
5. Do you have health insurance coverage? ______________ (Yes. / No.)
a. If no, please indicate the reason why you don't have insurance.
b. If yes, please indicate which type? ______________ (National insurance through the city. / National insurance through your office. / Insurance from your home country. / Private.)
c. If yes, do you fill out the forms yourself? ______________ (Yes. / No, I had help.)
d. Have you experienced problems with your health insurance? (Yes. / No.)
If yes, please explain:
6. What is your biggest concern regarding medical care for you and your family? ______________ (Language. / Information. / Quality of service. / Other.)Comments:
7. What kind of support/help would you consider useful in regards to medical problems? ______________ (Interpreters. / Information about hospitals. Help-line for emergencies. / Other.)
Comments:
Thank you for your cooperation:
Tsukuba International Network (TIN is a group of representatives from various organizations including volunteer groups, research institutes, and governmental entities. Its purpose is to work on practical ways of improving the lives of foreign residents.)
Please return this questionnaire to:
E-mail: anna@jistec.or.jp
Fax: 029-853-8260
Mail: Anna Hamakoji, JISTEC
2-20-5, Takezono, Tsukuba, 305-0032
The frontier of scientific imagination can be an elusive horizon. People used to believe that the heavens were made of different stuff from the base matter on Earth - the sun, moon and stars were supposed to be fashioned from special celestial material. The ancients projected a zodiac of creatures and deities across the night sky. Up there, it seemed, normal rules did not apply.
But as far as science can tell, the universe out there is made of the same boring old gas and dust as we have down here. This seems to hold no matter how far we look out into space: we find the usual brew of atoms, light beams and X-rays.
The cosmos looks suspiciously samey.
Yet it takes a certain kind of imagination to believe that there is a limiting order to the universe, as it does to believe in a science-fiction universe in which anything goes.
In other words, it may take as much imagination to believe that the universe just goes on and on - a dark vast nothingness scattered with yet more dust and stars - as it does to believe that there is an outlandish frontier somewhere, beyond which our 'normal' universe ends, and an unimaginable new one begins.
Reaching such a frontier would be as if a dweller of the interior of a vast continent, who had not guessed that the world was made of anything other than land, suddenly stumbled upon the shore of a great ocean. It would seem like the end of the earth, with a new world of water everywhere stretching to the horizon. This frontier challenges the imagination: does the sea go all the way out from here? And so it goes for us peering into space: is it space all the way out?
It is perhaps natural to believe that stuff just goes on and on indefinitely. But when we look out into spacetime, we seem to perceive the universe as a finite whole unfolding from the Big Bang. This gives us reason to suspect that this is all there is. At least, we have no way of knowing what else might be 'outside' this defined universe. There could yet be a giant celestial turtle holding everything 'up' - but science has no way of perceiving this turtle, or whatever else might be 'out there'.
We may find it hard to imagine an 'outside' to our universe, or whether it's held up by a giant turtle, or forms part of the spout of a giant teapot. But if there is a frontier to discover, we can get a feel for the sensation in store by looking down the telescope from the other end.
Imagine an alien observer adrift in the cosmos - an itinerant whose 'continent' is the endless void of space. Its worldview is pretty much black and white. There is no atmosphere; no sun ever 'goes away'. The stars barely twinkle.
There are only ever a few chemical elements knocking around, locked in rather unappetising combinations. Nothing much moves. All is silent.
After aeons of nothing but this sort of normality, the alien finds itself approaching a curious new dot on the horizon. As it grows closer, a kind of blue-green swirly ice cream reveals itself as an extraordinary new planet. The alien observer finds a surprising new world, bursting with diversity: an exceptional cocktail of substances and landscapes, from iceberg mountains to turquoise lagoons to sandy deserts, which would each make a handsome sample for any single planet. And on top of all that, a rich layer of life: from spiders' webs to suspension bridges, indoor ski slopes and pachinko parlours, sushi conveyors, turtles and teapots.
Our diverse planet gives us a wealth of material for our imagination to work with, as we project from our planetary oasis out over a desert of dust and darkness.
We can easily extrapolate from observed phenomena on Earth, to conjure up molten planets that rain iron, or planets of solid hydrogen, or seas of plasma - quite apart from imagining celestial bestiaries of bug-eyed inhabitants, crustacean-shaped nebulae, macaroni-shaped wormholes or teapot-shaped constellations.
In contrast, in its homeland of the interstellar void, the alien observer has an effort imagining anything other than constellation-shaped constellations. It would really need a science-fiction imagination to grasp what passes for our reality.
In reaching Earth, the alien has burst out of the 'normal' universe into an unimaginable new one. From this perspective, the frontier to the outlandish beyond is real enough - but (after all) just a few kilometres away, directly above us.
Meetings every Wednesday night at Hot Stuff from 9pm. Future walks and information at eve.bk.tsukuba.ac.jp/twmc. Please contact Tadashi Takemori at takemori@eve.bk.tsukuba.ac.jp.
Join the Ibaraki Hash House Harriers, the international drinking club with a running problem. Check our homepage at ibarakih3.infoseek.ne.jp and join the mailing list at groups.yahoo.com/group/IH3.
