The
X-Pat Files - January 2007
(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 (www.sueconolly.net).
Contents for This Edition
1. Happy New Year
2. Organic Food
3. Losing Weight
4. Street Hockey
5. Charity Yoga
6. Silver Service
7. Snow Festivals
8. Meet & Greet Luncheon
9. Emergency Medical Services over New Year
10. New Beginnings, New Ends
**************************************************
1. Happy New
Year
Sue Conolly
New Year in Japan is special, like Christmas in Western
countries. If you are lucky enough to be here over this season,
you have already had your first snow of the year, but there are so many
ways you can make O-Shogatsu really memorable.
Each year in Japan is viewed as seperate. You may have noticed
several ways in which Japanese people bring the year to an end, such as
bonenkai (end of year party) and ohsohji (end of year clean). It
is as if you are scrubbing the old year away, to prepare for the
new.
A perfect illustration of this is o-sechi
ryori, or New Year food. The preparation of New Year food
should be finished by the end of the year, so the food typically lasts
for a long time to give busy housewives a break from cooking while
relatives descend upon her house. The same food is arranged and
then leftovers re-arranged in the beautiful laquer boxes or o-juubako.
At the end of the New Year period, on the 7th of January, special gruel
made from rice and 7 herbs, nanakusa-gayu,
is made in the belief it will remove evil spirits from the body and
prevent illness.
On the night of the 31st, turn on the TV and switch to NHK to find the
traditional Japanese "kohaku",
where the red team and the white team take turns to perform for points
that add up during the evening. To appear on Kohaku is an actor
or singer's dream, as it means that they have really "arrived" in show
business.
Close to midnight, television cameras will turn to various temples
around the country as they gather for the tolling of the bells.
The bell in each temple is struck 108 times, and with each
reverberation the evil of the previous year is erased while the fresh
new year is welcomed optimistically. If you would like to see, or
to take part in this ceremony, you can go to any good-sized temple on
the night, such as Osu-Kannon
or Banshoji
in Osu, Nittaiji
Temple in Kakuozan, Toganji
in Motoyama or Koshoji
in Yagoto.
See in the New Year at any shrine for the proper blessing. Some
people visit the temple and the shrine all in one night, while others
visit the shrine in the first few days of the New Year. This is called Hatsumode. Of
course, the more famous the shrine, the more crowded the New Year, but
you've never really experienced Japanese o-shogatsu until you have been
pressed up against other bodies in the cold winter air. Two really
famous shrines in this area are Atsuta Shrine or
Ise Shrine in
Mie Prefecture, but you don't have to go to these extremes. Your
local shrine is just as likely to have hot sake warmed for you around
midnight, omikuji or
fortunes for you to read, and ema (wish
boards) on which you can write your wishes for the New Year.
Finally, one of the most important traditions of the New Year is that
of nengajo,
the Japanese version of Christmas cards. The average family sends
more than 100 of these cards to friends and family, also to old school
teachers, old friends not met in years... and in some cases these
yearly cards are the only way of staying connected. They come in
many designs, but it is very popular thesedays to design your own to
include family photos that will tell the recipient at a glance who you
are and what you are doing in the world.
Whoever you are and whatever you are doing this New Year, I wish you
all the very best for 2007. In the spirit of "wash away the old,
welcome in the new", this edition of the X-Pat Files contains some
information you might find useful for your fresh start in 2007!
**************************************************
2.
Organic Food
(thank you to Marie Langlois
for information contained within this submission)
This topic interests me lately, and although I am no expert in
organic food, I do know that it tastes better and is good for my
body! It's also good for the planet, as evidenced by
organizations such as Japan for Sustainability (click here for their relevant
newsletter).
Alishan Organic Center
in Saitama is a community based project started by two expatriates who
simply wanted to find some organic breakfast cereal here in
Japan. Many years later, and now their company Tengu
Foods ships all kinds of organic food and produce all over Japan.
Closer to home, there is an organic food supermarket and cafe in
Issha. Sonne Garten (Pronounced "Zonne Garten") organic produce
shop and Poran organic cafe are a three minute walk from Issha Station
on the Higashiyama (yellow) line. Come out of exit 2, and walk
south to the Intersection "Issha South" to see Polan cafe and Sonne
Bakery on your left, and Sonne Garten up ahead on your right. Not
only does Sonne Garten sell locally grown organic produce, it sells an
organic way of life - books, clothing made from organic cotton, wooden
toys. There is a Japanese
website, and a map
on this page. On the section for the cafe (marked with the little
coffee cup) they show a picture of some yummy mulled wine
that seems perfect for warming up on a cold winter's day. Closed
for New Year, Sonne Garten will open its doors again on January 5th.
**************************************************
3. Losing Weight
(thank you to Sven Tapp
for this submission)
Want to get in Change your body? Fitness? General Health? For free?
Hello. My Name is Mike Sakkers. I am a nutritionist and a personal
trainer. I am currently testing the contents of a book I am trying to
write. I have been researching ways to get results the fastest and most
permanent from people I work with. I think I have finally found a very
strong system I feel is sound enough to write a book about.
Right now I need people to test the system on, as I work out the bugs!
I am currently meeting people near Nagoya station every Sunday night at
Starbucks, Dennys or any place around that area. I need about 4-6 hours
from every person spread out over about 2-3 meetings. I am currently
looking for English speakers but I could probably explain most things
in Japanese. I do most of my work getting people in the right frame of
mind so that they can find the solution on their own but I am also a
large resource being a trainer and nutritionist.
My Qualifications are a B.S. in Nutritional Biochemistry from the
number one Nutrition school in the US, UC Davis. I have also an
extensive Exercise Physiology and medical background as I was applying
to medical school at the same time I ran away to Japan to escape 7 more
years of school. I have worked as a fitness model in LA as well as
being 35+ lbs overweight in my early 20’s. I have helped 100s of people
lose weight with Diet and Training alone. Now I hope to help 1000s lose
it permanently with an approach focusing on the true problem, you, and
your thinking.
So if you are interested please drop me a line at mikesakkers@gmail.com
I am happy to teach groups or one on one.
I look forward to working with you.
**************************************************
4. Street Hockey
The Tokai Japan Canada Society runs monthly street hockey
games from October to June, on the third Sunday of every month.
If you're looking for a New Year's resolution that is both fun and
healthy, this could be one that is easy to stick to! The next
game is scheduled for January the 21st from 10:30 to 13:00, under the
expressway at Shirakawa Park. Click here for more
details, or mail to info@tjcs.jp.
**************************************************
5. Charity Yoga
(thank you to Marie
Langlois for this submission)
Do something for yourself while helping others at the same time!
When:
Saturday, January 20, 2007 OR
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Time:
6:30pm-7:30pm
Where:
ViAura Yoga Studio
Takasaka Building, 9F, 3-14-14,
Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya
(30 second walk from Sakae exit #1, Higashiyama (yellow) subway line, click here for map)
Please contact Marie at mlanglois84@hotmail.com, or call 090-6581-9508
to reserve your place.
• Please sign-up for 1 class only
• Limited space available
• A minimum of a 500yen donation would be greatly
appreciated
• All proceeds will be donated to the Children of the
Washinkan Children's Home in Nagoya
**************************************************
6. Silver Service
The Silver Service, named for the silver colour of the
participants hair, is a system whereby retired people may find
part-time employment in the community. It is a win-win situation
- the workers find gainful work in an area in which they want to work,
and the employer gets a worker for a really reasonable rate.
Silver Service work has many categories - they will clean up your
garden, babysit your children, clean your house.... all for a
reasonable hourly rate. I have used Silver Services for many
things, and I have had many good experiences.
The system is a little complicated - first you call up to get an
appointment with a Silver Service officer, who will then arrange to
come to your house to interview you about your needs. Then, they
use this information to find the most suitable worker for you, and they
act as a go-between. Then, they will visit your house again, this
time bringing the babysitter/cleaner/gardener, so that both parties can
meet and terms of employment can be reached. The worker will then
come to your house on a regular or semi-regular basis to carry out
their work, and you will be billed by the silver service office.
There is a little bit of paper-work to fill out each month for a
regular worker, but it's all fairly straight forward. The Silver
Service can also be used on a one-off basis, for example if you want to
weed your garden thoroughly once a year.
It does require a little bit of planning, and a little bit of Japanese
- but the payoffs are great! Use these phone numbers to get
started:
Nagoya
Silver Service Centre Head Office 3-12-1 Gokiso Dori, Showa-ku
Phone: 842-4688（Fax: 842-4894）
East
Division (Showa, Mizuho, Midori, Tempaku)
Phone: 842-4694（Fax: 842-4894）
West
Division (Kita, Nishi, Nakamura, Naka)
Phone: 524-2181（Fax: 532-6058）
South
Division (Atsuta, Nakagawa, Minato, Minami)
Phone: 671-3161（Fax: 683-1614）
North
Division (Chikusa, Higashi, Moriyama, Meito)
Phone: 932-2801（Fax: 931-9513）
The Following Japanese Websites have contact information and maps for
Silver Service Centres around Aichi Prefecture.
Toyota Silver Service Centre
Komaki
Silver Service Centre
Kasugai
Silver Service Centre
Owari
Asahi Silver Service Centre
Ichinomiya
Silver Service Centre
Nagakute
Silver Service Centre
Toyohashi
Silver Service Centre
Inuyama Silver Service Centre
Other Silver Service
Centres listed by area
**************************************************
7. Snow Festivals
(thank you to Jim Braithwaite for
information contained within this submission)
The famous Sapporo
Snow Festival is on again this year from Tuesday the 6th to Monday
the 12th of February. Anyone who has ever been, rants about the
gorgeous ice sculptures on show in the main street. Nagoya
resident Jim Braithwaite writes:
Our trip to Sapporo is still the
highlight of our time in Japan so far and we cannot recommend it highly
enough. The festival is spread over three sites. In the city
centre, Odori park is the heart of the event and contains hundreds of
snow sculptures ranging from child sized mushrooms (cute) to whole
buildings (seriously impressive!). The Sapporo equivalent of the
TV tower is at one end of the park, which adds to the absolutely
wonderful feel of the place, particularly at night when it all becomes
truly magical. The ice sculptures are a few blocks
away. This is a smaller affair, but showcases some seriously
artistic carving. If you arrive a few days early, as we did, you
can see the craftsmen at work with their pick axes, chainsaws and
blowlamps! (You also get to avoid the worst of the crowds, of
course).
The Satoland site is a good way
outside the city centre – it took us about an hour to drive there – but
was different again, and well worth the trek. This is where they
have excellent ice slides, bamboo skiing and various other ‘family’
activities as well as a load more snow sculptures!
If you do have time away from viewing
the sculptures there is floodlit skiing right on the edge of the city.
It goes without saying, but do
prepare to wrap up warm! Almost as impressive as the sculptures
was the amount of snow that fell while we were there!
If you would like to check our photos
of the festival, please e-mail me at:
helenagg@yahoo.co.uk
If you're keen to get to this festival this year, check out the Japan Guide page
for discount airfares. For example, did you know that if you have
a birthday in the week of travel, you and 3 other passengers can travel
anywhere in Japan by plane for 12,000 yen? That means a four
person family can travel to the snow festival for less than $1000
airfares, and that's return!
For those who just can't make it to Hokkaido, there is something closer
to home that may whet your apetite and inspire you to make the effort
next year. It's the annual Ice-Sculpting Festival in Matsumoto,
and teams from all over Japan and the world arrive to create giant
sculptures out of block ice, ready for the judging in the
morning. It's a very Japanese experience - teams working
absolutely tirelessly overnight for the judging early the next morning
before their sculptures will melt into the moat of the glorious
Matsumoto Castle. You can see pictures of the one of the
overnight teams on this
website, and the offical website here
(sorry, both in Japanese). This year the competition takes place
from the 27th to the 28th of January, and it is recommended to stay in
close accommodation so that you can keep checking back on the sculpture
progress. One such place is the very old and very Japanese Marumo Ryokan, but if they
are full there, you can ask for booking assistance at other
establishments with the help of the Matsumoto Tourism Information
Centre. Open from 9am to 5:45pm daily, the phone number is 0263-32-2814
(Fax 0263-32-2841), and you can also contact them by e-mail at:
ekimae-info@po.mcci.or.jp.
**************************************************
8. Meet & Greet
(thank you to Helen Braithwaite 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, 9th of January
Time: 11:30am -
Place: http://www.shooters-nagoya.com/
Price: 1500 yen for buffet lunch and a drink
RSVP: Please RSVP by Saturday the 6th of January
2007.
RSVP
to Helen Braithwaite at helenagg@yahoo.co.uk or by phone 090-2186-3717
during office hours.
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. Since
they are opening the restaurant especially for us, I want to keep these
Meet & Greet lunches well attended as they are a valuable resource
for newcomers to the area. Please mark it on your calendar -
every month on the second Tuesday, and let me know if you can come.
**************************************************
9. New Year Emergencies
From
December 29 to January 3 most hospitals and clinics will be closed.
Only certain designated hospitals will be open during this period.
Please refer to this list for the emergency clinic closest to
you. In the case of a real emergency, call an ambulance by
dialling 119 (may not work from cell phones), and saying KYUU-KYUU
DESU... do not hang up until the dispatcher understands your name and
location - if the phone is off the hook long enough they will also be
able to trace your call even if your Japanese is not perfect.
Chikusa
Ward
Imaike 5-4-15, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-733-1191
Subway Higashiyama / Sakuradori Line IMAIKE
Kita
Ward
Shimoiida-cho 3-3-2, Kita-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-915-5351
Subway Meijo Line
HEIAN-DORI
Nishi
Ward
Josai 4-15-10, Nishi-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-531-2929
Subway Tsurumai Line JOSHIN
Nakamura Ward
Noritake-hondori 2-80-2, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-471-8311
City Bus NORITAKE HONDORI
Showa
Ward
Kawana-cho 2-4-4,, Showa-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-763-3115
City Bus YASUDADORI or Subway Sakuradori Line FUKIAGE
Mizuho
Ward
Moronaga-cho 9-3, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-832-8001
Subway Meijo Line MIZUHO UNDOJO HIGASHI
Atsuta
Ward
Temma1-5-4, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-689-7854
Subway Meijo Line
TEMMA-CHO
Nakagawa
Ward
Takabata 1-222, Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-361-7271
Subway Higashiyama Line TAKABATA
Minato
Ward
Koraku 2-6-18, Minato-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-653-7878
Subway Meiko Line
MINATO KUYAKUSHO
Minami Ward
Nishimatabei-cho 4-8-1, Minami-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-611-0990
Meitetsu Tokoname / Kowa Line OE
Moriyama
Ward
Obata1-3-2, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-795-0099
City Bus MORIYAMA KUYAKUSHO
Meitetsu Seto Line OBATA
Midori
Ward
Ikegami 98-5, Narumi-cho, Midori-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-892-1133
City Bus IKEGAMI
Meito
Ward
Choda-cho 35, Meito-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-774-6631
Subway Higashiyama Line KAMIYASHIRO
Tempaku Ward
Ikeba 2-2403, Tempaku-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-801-0599
City Bus ISHIYAKUSHI
Toyota Memorial
Hospital
Heiwa-cho 1-1, Toyota City
Phone: 0565-28-0100
The rest of this list does not contain a link to a map, so the best
thing to do is to put the phone number into your navigation, or to have
a Japanese friend call for you ahead of time before you set out.
Toyota City After Hours Clinic
05338‐9‐0616
Toyota Doctor's Association After Hours Clinic
0565‐32‐7150
Nisshin (Higashi Nagoya Doctors Association Emergency Clinic)
05617‐3‐7555
Anjo After Hours Clinic
0566‐76‐2022
Ichinomiya After Hours Clinic
0586‐71‐2766
Inazawa After Hours Clinic
0587‐36‐3006
Inuyama After Hours Clinic
0568‐62‐8100
Iwakura After Hours Clinic
0587‐66‐4708
Okazaki After Hours Clinic
0564-52-1572
Kasugai After Hours Clinic
0568‐84‐3060
Kariya After Hours Clinic
0566-24-1111
Konan After Hours Clinic
0587‐56‐4112
Komaki After Hours Clinic
0568‐75‐2070
Shinshiro After Hours Clinic
05362‐3‐3665
Chita After Hours Clinic
0562‐33‐0050
Tsushima After Hours Clinic & Medical Center
0567‐25‐5210
0567‐24‐3611
Toyohashi After Hours Clinic
0532‐48‐1110
**************************************************
10. New Beginnings, New Ends
People talk a lot about new beginnings around this time
of year. Lists are made of New Years resolutions, and one by one
they are either carried out or fall by the wayside. What is less
talked about, is new ends.
The concept of something ending is perhaps as important as something
beginning. If nothing ended, our plates would just become so full
that our minds would explode. In order to make way for the new,
things have to be pushed aside. If New Years Resolutions do go by
the wayside, it is only because not enough things have ended in order
for the new things to be properly implemented.
I recently decided not to be in charge of the Meet and Greet luncheon
in Nagoya any more. I couldn't even remember how long I had been
doing it, but it came to the point where, on autopilot each month I was
going through the motions of putting out the word, gathering RSVPs,
making time in my schedule to attend, and making contact lists.
It was a good example of something that was on my plate for a few
years, just there, not a bad thing, but something that was taking up
room for other things. I have many other things on my
plate. They include being the president of AFWJ, writing for
Avenues magazine, writing this newsletter, and running a
household. I have to make sure not to fill my plate up so full
that I am not leaving room for the things on my plate that really
nourish me: being a good mother and loving wife, taking photos, writing
just for the love of writing, walking around my neighbourhood.
In 2006 I made the decision not to take any more new clients as a
counsellor or a life coach. This end, for me has been a new
beginning. I find that I have more time to write, I have more
time for my children. I certainly have more time for me.
Last night, I saw midnight at my local shrine and said goodbye to the
year that was 2006. My husband and I, while waiting in line to
ring the bell, exchanged five things for which we are thankful, and one
thing we regret about 2006 - something that we would like to change in
2007. This exchange of words between us took us exactly to the
time when the countdown started. People around us were
excited. They warmed themselves by the giant bonfire with cups of
sweet sake. They opened their fortunes and tied them to a
tree. This morning we got up early and my family climbed Mt
Togoku near my house to catch the first sunrise. The crowd waited
expectantly while the sky got brighter and brighter, and then a cheer
rose as the sun showed itself magically from behind the mountain range
to the east. Old men threw up their hands in the air and cried
"Banzai!". Middle aged ladies took my daughters under their wing
and explained to them the finer points of Japanese culture. The
crowd was joined in the happiness that was the promise of 2007.
And then we all headed down the mountain again to our family homes.
Happy New Year. Goodbye, 2006. Here's to a wonderful beginning!
http://www.sueconolly.net/
**************************************************
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.
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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