The X-Pat Files
February 2009
(Brought to you
by H&R Consultants)
The X-Pat
Files Community E-Newsletter provides a forum for the spread of
information useful for English speakers living in Aichi. You can use the
newsletter as an informational resource, and of course you can send in
information you would like to share.
This newsletter is a community service from
The Japan Real Estate and Relocation company, H&R Consultants (www.japanhomesearch.com), and is edited by Sue Conolly (http://web.mac.com/conolly).
Contents for This Edition
1. Nagoya International Center on your
Mobile Phone
2. Uni/Piago and a Turkish Fast Food
Restaurant
3. ESTA Electronic System for
Travel Authorization
4. Cross-Cultural Counselling
5. Arty Events at the Nagoya
International Center
6. Asuke Castle
7. Meet and Greet
8. Keiko’s Cakes
9. Layer’s Healthy Burgers
10. Light Up Your Life
**************************************************
1. Nagoya
International Center on your Mobile Phone
I always like to use my mobile phone to look
up the train timetable, measurement conversions, local weather, shopping
information and language dictionaries. It’s a privilege I enjoy thanks to
modern technology, and also thanks to my ability to read basic Japanese (the
wide world opens up with just a little language, I assure you!).
However, I’ve recently discovered that
Nagoya International Center does have a mobile phone friendly English website,
from which you can look up some information.
The URL (which you can type into your mobile
phone website browser and then save in your bookmark settings) is http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/mobile/.
Today’s weather in Nagoya (including temperature
in Farenheit and Celcius) is right there on the front page, and you can click
to:
1 Access & Hours
(basic information about Nagoya International Center)
3 NIC Services (Civic
Advisory Service, Legal Advice, Personal Counseling, Information Counter)
5 Nagoya Events (such as
festivals and other special events in the upcoming month)
6 Quick Advice
(this month seems to be “Hay Fever”, includes vocabulary in Japanese)
7 Ticket Giveaway
(this month to the Doggy Extravaganza “Wanyan Dome”)
8 Disaster Prevention
(all you need to know to prepare yourself for an earthquake)
- Holiday Emergency
Clinics (in Nagoya City, also a link to a 24 Hour phone service for across
Aichi)
- Search the
NIC Library (Search by keyword, or browse by category or language)
- First / Last Subway
Times (search by station name… very handy if you are out on the town!)
++External Tools++
■ Jorudan Train Route Finder
(however I was not able to use this link from MY mobile phone)
■ E
to J Dictionary (English to
Japanese)
■ J to E
Dictionary (Japanese to English - both dictionaries care of Monash
University in Australia)
■ JOSEF Emergency
Info (Emergency Information, see below)
The Japan Operation System of Emergency
information for Foreigners (JOSEF) (established by FM Waiwai, Multilanguage
Center FACIL, and Global Contents Co. Ltd.) has set up a cell-phone website in
ten different languages (English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai,
Vietnamese, Tagalog, Indonesia, and easy Japanese) about how to be prepared for
earthquakes and typhoons and how to respond to them when they occur. By providing multilingual disaster
prevention information through a cell-phone website, this site aims to help
foreigners learn about disaster prevention in their own language and take
appropriate action in the event of a disaster.
**************************************************
2. Uny/Piago and a Turkish
Fast Food Restaurant
Thank you to Helen Kawachi for this
submission
For those of you who live near one of the
old Uny supermarkets (part of Apita), they are changing their name to Piago. Apparently
they are trying to sound modern!
On the 6th floor of the Imaike Uni/Piago in
the food court, a new Turkish fast food
restaurant has opened.
AYHAN TANTUNI
Tel/Fax: 052-732-5299
Station Name: Imaike on the Higashiyama Line, 5 minutes
from Sakae
Exit Number: 9
The menu includes: beef tantuni, chicken kebab
- pita sandwich, chicken salad, bread sandwich, kebab bowl, chips/french fries,
soft drinks and Turkish ice cream. Prices are very reasonable (eg pita sandwich
390yen single or 700yen double, full of freshly sliced chicken, loads of salad).
The ice cream stretches and doesn't fall out of the cone if you tip it upside
down. Hard to explain, but Japanese customers seem to all know about it.
The owner is Turkish and his wife is
Japanese and they both speak English.
Just south of Imaike Station on the Higashiyama
line, Piago has 250 parking spaces and is open from 10am to 8pm (9pm for the
supermarket on the ground floor). Parking is free if you show your shopping
receipts. If you are trying to find it with your navigation system, the phone
number is 052-741-2550 and there is a map here.
**************************************************
3. ESTA Electronic
System for Travel Authorization
If you are a Japanese citizen or a citizen
of one of 35 lucky countries (see list below), then you were previously not
required to apply for a visa to enter the United States for a short visit.
These countries were part of a Visa Waiver program, but now they require travel authorization, in the
form of ESTA,
Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
If you are a citizen
of one of the Visa Waiver countries, you will now be required to apply for ESTA (online or through your travel agent)
before you enter the United States.
There are currently 35 Visa Waiver countries
that as of January 12, 2009 require an approved Travel Authorization to visit
the United States via air or sea. Individuals holding a passport from any of
these countries may visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program under
certain conditions. Travelers with a
passport from any other country (not a visa waiver country) must obtain a B-1
or B-2 Visitor Visa in advance. The ESTA - Travel Authorization
Application Guide explains how Visa Waiver travelers can apply for their
own Travel Authorization. Citizens that hold multiple citizenships (dual
citizens) and several passports from Visa Waiver countries must apply for a
separate Travel Authorization per passport. Note that a travel authorization
(ESTA) must be applied for online in advance, while Form I-94W is normally
completed while flying or at the U.S. port of entry.
The current list of Visa Waiver countries is:
Andorra
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brunei
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Republic of Korea
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
San Marino
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
New Zealand
United Kingdom
By the way, if you are visiting Australia
then there is a similar arrangement called ETA (Electronic Travel Authority)
that must be attained by citizens of many countries such as Japan and the
United States of America (among others, see here
for a list) before visiting Australia.
As is the case for any country, it is best
to contact the country’s embassy or consulate before you travel to make sure
that you have permission to enter. Here are some contact details for offices in
Nagoya, but please be aware that for visa information you may have to call an
embassy in Tokyo (you can find a list here)
American Consulate +
American Center
Nagoya International Center Building 6F,
Nagono 1-47-1,
Nakamura-ku, Nagoya
052-581-4501 / FAX 052-581-3190
052-581-8641 (American Center)
Australian Consulate
Amnat Building 13F, Sakae 1-3-3, Naka-ku,
Nagoya
052-211-0630
Consulate-General of
Brazil
Shirakawa Daihachi Building 2F, Marunouchi
1-10-29, Naka-ku, Nagoya
052-222-1077/8
Consulate of Canada
Nakato Marunouchi Building 6F, Marunouchi
3-17-6, Naka-ku, Nagoya 460-0002
052-972-0450
Consulate-General of
the Republic of Korea
Meieki Minami 1-19-12, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya
052-586-9221/6
**************************************************
4. Cross-Cultural
Counselling
When you are facing any challenging
situation in life there are three options reflective of self-responsibility:
change the situation, remove yourself from the situation, or accept the
situation in its entirety. Each option involves change in some form. Are you
ready for a change?
Change is the ultimate goal of counselling
and personal development groups. It may come in the form of helping people discover
new perspectives, develop options and make choices, explore values and ways to
live by them, or by tapping into the power to influence thoughts, feelings,
behaviour, and relationships. Jillian Mickleborough-Sugiyama provides services
that celebrate this unique human potential for change.
I have known Jillian for several years. A
long-term resident of Nagoya, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and
experience related to life transitions, crisis, and cultural diversity.
Incorporating theoretical concepts from existential, cognitive,
person-centered, feminist, developmental, and systems approaches into her
practice, Jillian works with individuals, including adolescents and children,
and couples.
Jillian’s fees are based on the standard set
by her professional association. A counselling session is generally 60 minutes
in length. Her fee is ¥10,000 per session. Jillian’s office hours are flexible
with some time reserved for evening and weekend appointments.
Jillian’s counselling practice is held in
one of the most beautiful settings of Nagoya’s suburbs, near the border of
Meito-ku and Nisshin-shi. The forest view from her office is stunning and is
infused with a sense of privacy and calm, making it a perfect location for
self-reflection.
Jillian is also an experienced group
facilitator and offers the following group programs:
§ Homeward Bound: Preparing for Your Journey,
An Accompanying Partners Guide to a Successful and Meaningful Repatriation. Your expatriation experience in Japan is
coming to a close. Research shows that repatriation is even more challenging
than expatriation. Are you prepared for the last leg of your adventure? In this
group you will learn how to:
o Successfully navigate repatriation as a
multifaceted transition.
o Create an awareness of your global identity.
o Understand and prepare for the impact of
repatriation on your life roles.
§ Anger is the Teacher, Self-Responsibility is
the Lesson. Sometimes life seems unfair and there appears
to be many blocks preventing you from accomplishing what you set out to do. You
may react by yelling and screaming, sulking, churning inside, feeling
depressed, or maybe by hurling insults or laying blame. Chances are your method
has not improved your life. This group is designed to help you use your anger
in more positive ways. By gaining greater clarity about your feelings and
expectations, and using this awareness to move forward, you can use your energy
to take new and different actions on your own behalf. With the group's support,
you will be encouraged to accept responsibility for yourself and to claim your
power to influence your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Topics include:
o Boundary awareness
o Perceptions, expectations and emotions
o Fair fighting
o Origins of anger
§ Limitations and Illuminations. Ever wonder why you keep coming up against
the same challenges in life? This group provides an ideal setting for
discovering how we are seen by others, how our own behaviour affects others,
and why we behave in certain ways. The goals of this group are to increase
awareness of how you influence and can change your relationships with others.
Topics include:
o Reflecting on past relationships, our role
within them, and the impact of that role in our present relationships.
o Identifying and overcoming the risks we
associate with trust.
o Enhancing self-understanding and the steps
needed for change.
o Understanding the impact of our nonverbal
communication.
o Creating congruency in thoughts, feeling,
and actions.
All groups will meet once weekly for eight 3
hour sessions, require 6-12 participants, and cost ¥30,000 per group. The
groups will be held in the privacy of Jillian’s studio in Takenoyama, Nisshin
Shi. Daytime and evening sessions are available and are scheduled to begin in
late February or early March.
If you are interested in learning more about
how counselling can make a difference in your life or in participating in a
group, call Jillian at 090-4163-3392 or email her at jillianms@mac.com
**************************************************
5. Arty Events at the
Nagoya International Center
Nagoya
International Center Photo Contest
Whether you are a professional or an
amateur, own a Pentax or just have a camera on your mobile, enter your photos
and share them with Nagoya. Photos taken with any kind of camera - as long as
the picture is great - can win a NIC Goody Bag.
■Guidelines
Submitted photos will be displayed from
March 1 to March 31 at the NIC 3F Information Counter and on the NIC website -
allowing visitors & staff to vote for their favourite. The winner will be
contacted directly by NIC and then an announcement along with a selection of
the best photos will be displayed on the website.
■Copyright
Copyright of the submitted photos will
belong to the person who took them, but NIC, however, will reserve the right to
use submitted photos in its publications. If photos are utilized, the name of
the person who took the photo will be displayed. Entrants may only enter photos
that they have taken themselves.
■Submissions
The contest’s theme is “Pride”.
The submission deadline is February 28. Submit
your photos by e-mail to photo@nic-nagoya.or.jp
along with the photo’s title, and details of where and when it was taken. The
photo should be no bigger than 2MB.
Previous Winners
NIC
Photo Contest July 2007 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest August 2007 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest September 2007 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest October 2007 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest November 2007 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest December 2007 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest January 2008 Winners
NIC
Photo Contest Summer 2008 Winners
Think you can do better? Enter the contest
and submit your photos by e-mail to us at photo@nic-nagoya.or.jp - please read
the rules
and guidelines before entering.
FAE 23 – The Foreign Artists
Exhibition
When: February 17 to 22 (10:00 to 19:00, 2/22
until 17:00)
Where: Nagoya International Center 4F Exhibition
Rooms
Admission: Free!
This ever-popular exhibition, now in its
23rd year, is organized by the Central Japan International Society (CJIS) and
the Nagoya International Center. The show will feature paintings, pottery,
drawings, prints, sculptures, mixed media, photography, and much more - all
produced by foreign artists living in the Chubu Region. Be sure not to miss
this long-running show and see what the foreign artists are up to!
For more information, please fax or e-mail
your name and contact details to the organizers; fax: 052-774-0483, email - nagoyafae@hotmail.com. It is too late
for new artists submissions for this year, but budding artists, please keep
this exhibition in mind for next year as it is an annual event!
**************************************************
6. Asuke Castle
Thank you to Suzanne Bund for this
submission
Asuke is famous for its beautiful foilage
along the river in November. However, did you know that there is a cute little
castle in the mountains nearby?
As is the case with so many castles, this
one, too, is rebuilt. Nothing splendid like the Nagoya castle or any of the big
ones. In fact it only has two stories and is smaller than the average Japanese
house.
What is special about this castle, the whole
complex is rebuilt, the housing of the warriors, the kitchen, it is a whole
park on the mountain that can be explored.
How to get there: Drive to Asuke as usual, on route 153.
Don't take the new bypass around Asuke.
In the village the road will divide into the
the 153 and the 420 to the right. Take the 420 for about 500m and turn left
right after the school. This is a small uphill road with hardly any traffic.
You can also walk up if you feel like it, it might take about half an hour if
you don't hurry too much. There is a parking lot a bit further down on the 420
just at the 'other end' where everybody goes maple leaves viewing in November.
As most beautiful places in Japan, this one
also closes early in the afternoon - at 16:30.
Entrance from 9:00 - 16:00 daily except year
end/beginning.
Adults - 300 yen
High school students 100 yen
Here is a web address, but Japanese only: http://www.city.toyota.aichi.jp/division_n/facilities/jousekikouenasukejou/
And here is a very
thorough description of the castle by one Japanese school in Okazaki, and
here is another
page in English with some very nice pictures. As you can see, you’ll want
to take your good camera with you!
**************************************************
7. Meet and Greet
Thank you to Joey Tan for this submission
Are you new to town? Do you want to
get out and meet new people? Or do you just want a nice lunch in a quiet,
relaxing atmosphere where you can chat with new friends and old friends?
The Meet & Greet lunch is held on the second Tuesday of the month at Shooters Sports Bar and Grill in
Fushimi.
Date: Tuesday, 10th of February
Time: 11:30 am
Place: Shooters Sports Bar and Grill,
Fushimi http://www.shooters-nagoya.com/
Price: 1500 yen for buffet lunch and a drink
(Pay at the door on the way out)
Please RSVP by Sunday the 8th of February.
RSVP to Joey Tan by e-mail to joeywltan@gmail.com.
Shooters has a relaxed atmosphere and is
closed during the day except for our event, so we have the run of the place.
This means that it is a VERY easy event for mothers with babies or small
children. It also means, however, that I must ask for an RSVP so that
Shooters can cater for the correct number of people.
**************************************************
8. Keiko’s Cakes
Thank you to Geri White for this submission
Keiko's Cakes is an owner operator
baking business in Nagoya. Keiko creates the perfect cake for any occasion
birthday, anniversary, graduation etc., Every cake is a true creation and they
taste good too! She also makes other delicacies such as cupcakes and
cookies, nothing is too big or small for her, AND she is fluent in
English!
Keiko can be contacted on 090-34232842 or
email her at kweenickjp@yahoo.co.jp
**************************************************
9.
Layers (Healthy Burgers)
Thank you to Joan Stewart for this
submission
LAYERS - In the mood for a juicy, non-greasy
burger? A burger that wouldn't be caught dead at McDonalds? Head on
over to Layers for a great burger, delicious fries (steak fries) and a
nice atmosphere. I like the burger with avocado on it! You can get
all sorts of toppings on your burger, or have a grilled chicken sandwich
instead. You can ask for salad instead of fries. Their non-greasy
onion rings are also very tasty. And, you can wash everything down with a
range of beverages, including imported beer. The atmosphere is very
bright, clean and casual. It is a pretty small place, so I imagine if
you're going at a peak time you might have a short wait. You can also get
take-out or delivery.
Address: Naka-Ku, Marunouchi 3-8-26
Closest Station: Hisayaodori
station on the Sakuradori or Meijo line
Phone Number: 052-961-0121.
Opening Hours: every day from 11:00 am -10:00 pm on
weekdays and 5:00 pm on weekends.
Map: http://www.layers7.com/map.html
Bon Apetit!
**************************************************
10. Light Up
Your Life
Sue Conolly
We’re all just
Protons, Neutrons, Electrons
That rest on a Sunday
Work on a Monday and
someday soon
We’ll be singing the
old tunes
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,
Zip-a-dee-doo
I’ll be sitting on the
porch with you
Then I’ll die and I’ll
fly off into the blue
The
Cat Empire, 2005
I am swimming in university and work
deadlines. And speaking of “deadlines”, six of my friends and neighbours have
died and had their funerals in the last six months – three of those in
the last week. I am swimming in deadlines and death. I am trying to remember to
make the school lunches. I strive to be a good Mum, not to lose my cool. Some
days it’s possible, some not.
Then last night I suddenly let go of it all.
I set the albatross free from around my neck and I came to a realization. I can
do what I can, and no more.
Once you realize that you can do what you
can, and no more, life becomes a lot easier. A sudden sleep on the sofa ceases
to be wrong, it is simply, a well needed rest. Freed from life’s “have to”s I
was then able to make a plan for the days to come. I can do what I can do. And
not one bit more.
So here I am, feeling much lighter, and much
more like living my life and being me. Here are some of the things I’ve been
able to appreciate today, despite having the same deadlines today as I had
yesterday.
I appreciated:
* Two dogs running around chasing each other
in gleeful mirth
* The ever-so-soft rainfall in the air
* The kerosene heater and the way it heats
up the room
* A silly song called “Fly Like a Chicken”
by the Sensitive New Age Cowpersons
* The ease of the X-Pat Files this month
(thanks to some timely donations of information!!)
* My daughter’s extreme excitement over her
sleepover party the day after my deadlines
* A good bento lunch from a supermarket near
my house I have not been to for a while
* The beauty of Mathletics and my daughter’s
excitement at getting her own account to play with her sister
* A forwarded e-mail that irritated me and
inspired me to rant and rave (but in a good way!)
* A really
good book I am reading for university, by a really cool woman
* The breakfast my husband made me
* good friends and good family, near and far
These are the things that I appreciated in
just one day. What will I appreciate tomorrow? Of course I know that some days
are going to be better than other days, but just letting go of the weight of
the world, has made all the difference to me today.
What did you appreciate today? Does my list
seem just a little too glib? Or could it be that like me, you have to let go of
something first, to see the twinkle lights in the trees?
**************************************************
That’s it for this edition of the
newsletter. We hope you found it informative - please let us know what you
would like to see in future editions, and we will attempt to address your
issues.
If you need to find some information
from a previous edition, please try the search function on http://www.xpat-files.com. Carrying out a text search with key
words will take you directly to previous editions of the newsletter in which
information appeared.
A disclaimer - While we do try to check
submissions when they come to me, we do not take responsibility for the
accuracy of any donated information. Nor do we take responsibility if
your experience of places and services you find through this newsletter are not
as rewarding as they were for the person who originally sent in the
information. Obviously everyone`s experience is different.
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