VOLUME 13, ISSUE 3
WINTER 2020 FREE!/無料
nagazasshi
CONTENTS
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 3
WINTER 2020
4 15 REALISTIC SELF-CARE IDEAS Tips for being kind to yourself
The end of 2020 approaches. In an odd paradox, the year has felt both everlasting and instantaneous. Like many others, I have been waiting for the miracle of a vaccine to come for almost a year now. Like many others, I’ve had to cancel plans, spend important holidays alone, and avoid seeing loved ones at greater risk than I. Anxiety and worry have become constant companions, but haven’t replaced the loss of seeing family and friends. Yet, we have hope going into 2021. The day I’m writing this, the very first person was vaccinated against Covid-19 in the UK. The roll out of the vaccines coincides so perfectly with the new year that 2021 is even more of a fresh start than the average one. Some of us did well with last year’s new year’s resolutions, or even quarantine resolutions, but no matter how 2020 went, the Nagazasshi is here to help you get kick-started on 2021. First, we bring you some mental health tips to start the year from a good head space. We have artwork, tips for learning Japanese, and an article about fishing to help inspire you to pick up a new hobby or add more fuel to your current hobby fire. With the coming vaccine and the possibility of travel on the horizon, we have articles about the flowers and mascots of Kyushu, and about Kagoshima. Even if you can’t travel too far anytime soon, hopefully you will find some gems close to where you live. Whether you can engage in old traditions or you’re creating new, socially-distanced ones this holiday season, good luck. From all of us here at the Nagazasshi, we wish you a happy new year full of joy and love.
6 FLOWERS OF NAGASAKI An annotated calendar
8 CREATIVE SUBMISSIONS Be inspired by local talent
10 NAGASAKI MASCOTS
Learn about the local cuddly representatives
12 FISHING
A personal account
14 KAGOSHIMA, THE SOUTHERN GEM
Explore Kyushu's unique southern prefecture
16 RONNIE'S JAPANESE TIPS
Brush up on the basics and beyond
18 NIHONGO ON THE GO
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Clara Altfeld PRODUCTION MANAGER: J.S. EDITORS: Abbie Philpott, Kane Pride COPY EDITOR: Deidre Foley, Ronnie Triminio DESIGNER: Charlotte Gautier SOCIAL MEDIA: J.S., Clara Altfeld CONTRIBUTORS: Elizabeth Barlow, Angie Congrove, Ivy Jenn, Sara Magugliani FOUNDERS: Andrew Morris, Matthew Nelson
Clara Altfeld Editor-in-chief
COVER ILLUSTRATION: Charlotte Gautier INSIDE-COVER PHOTO: Charlotte Gautier
@nagazasshi
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Self-care gets a lot of media attention and rightly so, it is of crucial importance. In the past few years you have probably seen the term thrown around the internet, used as a hashtag on Instagram underneath photos of bath bombs and face masks. In the wake of COVID-19 it’s a term that we are seeing more and more of particularly in the mainstream media. But what is self-care? What is its value? And, most importantly, what are some practical self-care strategies that we can all try? Self-care is the concept of consciously tending to one’s own being. What does that actually mean? It means showing up for yourself, taking a second to stop and look inside and reflect on how you feel. My aim is to attempt to demystify self-care and provide some accessible activities that you can do when you are feeling overwhelmed, run down or just in need of a bit of TLC. Bearing in mind that Christmas and New Year are fast approaching in what is set to be a slightly strange festive season for us all, let’s explore some self-care ideas for anyone who is having a tough time.
1) Daily routines
Structure can be critical in maintaining physical and mental health. Most people will have time off during the holiday period so make sure to try to stick to some form of routine. Even if it’s just aiming to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
2) Get enough sleep The importance of sleep and mental health cannot be understated. Some studies claim that between 7-9 hours is a good amount of sleep for most adults but in reality, it’s different for everyone. If you feel like you aren’t getting enough sleep try going to bed 15 minutes earlier than you normally would, then keep adding 15 minutes onto each night until you find the perfect amount of sleep for you. 3) Eat well
Fruits and vegetables are good for us. Treats in moderation are good for us. We all know this but it’s so much easier said than done isn’t it? The link between food and mood can be significant, if you are interested give ‘food and mood mind mental health charity’ a quick Google.
4) Drink enough water
Humans are just more complex
cucumbers with anxiety.
5) Do something creative Don’t think about whether the thing you produce matches the idea of the final product that you had. Just do something creative for creativity's sake. 6) Talk to people
Although we may be geographically separated from the ones we love this holiday season we can still connect with them. Find a way to speak to people that you miss, plan a fun video call with your family or friends in other countries or different parts of Japan.
7) Fresh air
Go outside stretch your legs and breathe in the fresh air. Even if it’s standing on your balcony for ten seconds.
8) Movement
Any exercise is better than no exercise! Home workout, yoga, walk or run do something that you enjoy.
9) Find 'you' time This is where the baths and face masks come in — thank you Instagram. In all seriousness, identify what
it is that you need to feel renewed and recharged, then carve out some time to do that for yourself. Baths, face masks, quiet walk, reading, guilt free scrolling of social media anything is ok.
10) Stop for a minute or two This can be difficult to do especially if you are not in the habit of doing it. There are some great meditations and mindfulness sessions available on the Headspace YouTube channel. 11) Pay attention to negative self-talk
Self-talk does a lot to shape our mood, stress levels and whether we feel overwhelmed or not. Acknowledging how we talk to ourselves is important. If you notice that you are talking to yourself negatively or harshly try to question and reframe it. Try to talk to yourself gently, like how you would talk to a small child.
12) Try not to put any pressure on yourself This year has been incredibly tough for a variety of different reasons. For those of us anticipating a Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year in Japan without being able to return to our home countries let’s be gentle on ourselves. Cried in the supermarket because you couldn’t find the thing you were looking for, that’s ok. Didn’t enjoy something that you usually love doing and you don’t know why, that’s ok. Couldn’t quite muster up the energy to reply to messages or speak to friends, also ok. It’s completely fine, give yourself the permission to just be, rest and try again tomorrow. 13) Favourite things Watch your favourite TV show or film, read your favourite book or manga, wear your favourite clothes. 14) Clean one room The physical environment that we spend our time in can have a big impact on our mood. Open windows and let some fresh air and sunshine in.
15) Laugh Watch funny videos or do something silly. The internet has blessed us with thousands of funny cat videos. Bonus points if you find something Christmas themed to laugh at. Let’s be gentle on ourselves this Christmas and New Year, have a wonderful festive period everyone!
TEXT: Elizabeth Barlow
TEXT: Abbie Philpott
Nagasaki might not have the excitement of Tokyo or the charm of Kyoto, but it is blessed with a variety of awe-inspiring flowers. Whatever the season, use our calendar and location recommendations to enjoy some beautiful flowers every month of the year!
Saikai National Park Nagushiyama (西海国立 長串山公園)
Hachimakiyama Observatory (鉢巻山展望所)
Fujiyama Shrine (藤山神社)
Omura Park (大村公園)
Huis Ten Bosch
Hatsuzaki Observatory Park (初崎展望公園)
Karako Lotus Gardens (唐比ハス園)
Nomozaki Daffodil Festival Kofukuji Temple (興福寺)
Shimabara Hibaruyama Flower Park (しまばら 火張山花公園) Shimabara Castle
Move over Kumamon, it’s the Nagasaki mascots’ time to shine. Although the Kumamoto Prefecture mascot is very well-known, he is just one of thousands of yuru-kyara (mascot characters) in Japan. Generally speaking, mascot characters can be split into two groups: gotochi-kyara (regional characters) and company characters. Regional characters are usually created by a town with the goal of promoting local industry and tourism. These mascots often get their features from the local culture, history, geography, or special product (see: Chako-chan in Higashisonogi) of the area they represent. Company characters are made to represent other types of groups or organizations — anything ranging from a railway company to a museum.
Unai-san is an eel fairy from Isahaya. It enjoys going on walks around town and posting pictures of its outings on social media.
Ganba-kun and Ramba-chan are Mandarin ducks, childhood friends, and representatives of the Nagasaki Kokutai Taikai (Nagasaki National Athletic Meet). They encourage all people in Nagasaki to have an active and healthy lifestyle.
Shimbaran is a guardian deity who carries a gourd of Shimabara spring water. He was created by Shimabaran local Noriyuki Konishi, who wrote the Yokai Watch manga.
Do you know any mascot characters in Nagasaki? Check out the Nagazasshi’s picks below and tell us your favorite on our social media! TEXT: Deidre Foley
Goto City has a terrific trio of mascot characters. Baramon-chan borrows his appearance from traditional baramon kites, and his name is from baraka, which means “healthy boy” in the Goto dialect. Gotorin wears a white veil with a stained glass pattern, which pays homage to the churches of Goto; she also wears a camellia flower on her head. Tsubakineko also has a large camellia flower on its head, which may promote the Camellia Park on the island.
Chako-chan is a tea fairy whose body is a tea fruit, and whose limbs and hat are tea leaves. She represents and promotes the local specialty, Sonogi tea.
Tanuki can be called tangi in the Saikai dialect, hence the name Tangi-kun. He originated as a mascot for Saikai’s Genki Mura, a tourist attraction which offers several agricultural experiences.
The phrase “when life gives you lemons” has always been a source of confusion for me. I remember the first time I ever heard it, that fateful day in Ms. Reid’s kindergarten class. She introduced the proverbial phrase “when life gives you lemons” to be a metaphor for unexpected hardship. Why this was part of the kindergarten curriculum, I can’t say. I was nonetheless grateful, however, to learn this important lesson. It moved me because for a long time, I thought lemons were underappreciated. If life gave me free lemons, I would rejoice and thank the fruit-blessing deity that bestowed them upon me. This is an extremely long-winded introduction to my article about fishing. If you’re confused, don’t worry, as am I. But hey, we’re already in this metaphorical car with a destination figured out, so might as well enjoy the ride as I take you on a fishing trip in Ukujima. Ukujima is an island off the coast of Sasebo and home to a myriad of persnickety cats and very chill old people, which make up 99% of the island’s total demographic. You might be thinking, wow this girl seems to have a penchant for hyperbole. I do, but that’s neither here nor there. I am not exaggerating when I say that Ukujima is the geriatric, feline capital of Japan. As a result, fishing is a big deal because it feeds the cats and gives old people something to do. Most people who grasp the nuance of proverbial phrases would think life gave them lemons when assigned to an island like mine. Young people have in recent years left the island by the literal boatfulls in search for a place less lemony. I, on the other hand, have whole-heartedly accepted the lemons and made--not lemonade--but lemon seasoned Nanbanzuke, which is fried fish marinated in vinegar. The first time I went fishing, I was invited by the mother of my students. They are a cute sitcomy family of five, with a cute little sister, Maho, a grumpy but endearing middle child, Riho, and eldest brother, Kosuke, with dreams of making it in a big city. When we started fishing last autumn at noon, I had no idea that I was a respectable slightly-above-average-fisherwoman. The father helped me set up my rod and taught me how to secure at its end a small perforated bait box about the size of a thimble for a midsized giant (imagine one that Hagrid would use). You fill the box with a shrimp mixture and then slowly lower the line. My pro-tip is to first dip the bait box barely below the surface of the water for about 20 seconds. The smell lures in the fish and they’ll gather and swarm underneath. After you see the torpedo of fish underneath, you slowly lower the line. As the fish plunge in a flurry, they get caught in the hooks of your line. This allows you to catch multiple fish at once, sometimes up to three or four. I made sure to casually swing the fruits (or I guess fish) of my labor around Maho so she would think I was cool. The youth are impressionable so like the responsible child educator I am, I took advantage
of that to get street cred. It’s hard to make it as a fisherwoman in Ukujima, where apparently everyone and everyone’s dog can fish, so I had to take the scraps of respect I could get. Fishing is more than a survival skill--it’s also a form of craft, community, and creativity. Learning how to fish from Kosuke, I can see how the art of fishing was passed down from generation to generation. His father was a fisherman, as was his grandfather. In between each catch, I talked to his family and learned that Maho’s dream is to become a pastry chef, Riho wants to work as a nurse in Fukuoka and drink bubble tea all day, and Kosuke wants to be a hairstylist and travel around America. Their mother and father own a local ryokan, where they are known for their various traditional fish delicacies. Given the family’s long and humble history of fishing, they’ve honed and perfected the ways to cook fish. It’s the type of cuisine borne of survival, necessity, and family tradition. Every part of the process--from catching the fish to cooking it to eating it in one’s own home--is a representation of Ukujima’s livelihood. TEXT: Ivy Jenn
Kagoshima. Let’s be honest. It’s probably not the first place you would think of visiting when COVID-19 clears up. However, both the city and prefecture are one of the most underrated locations in the entire country. Nestled away in the southernmost region of Kyushu, Kagoshima has plenty to offer those willing to make the trip. From hiking the volcanic island, Sakurajima, to relaxing in the hot sand baths of Ibusuki, to shopping up and down the streets of Tenmonkan, there is something here for everyone to enjoy. If you’re interested, then getting to Kagoshima can be done via nearly every mode of transportation. Flying in by plane? The airport is only 40 minutes outside the city center. Once you land, a limousine bus service can take you downtown for 1,300 yen. That being said, if you’re in Nagasaki, then I would recommend driving or taking the train instead. The train will get you there in roughly 3.5hrs from Nagasaki Station, but requires you to transfer at Shin-Tosu station and costs about 14,000 yen. Driving from Nagasaki city takes 4.5hrs on average by highway. While this might be a bit of a slog for some, it pays off given how much freedom you will have upon arriving. This is doubly true for exploring Sakurajima. Having a car there will make your experience considerably better. As the most famous attraction in Kagoshima, Sakurajima is also the most visible. The active volcano towers 1117 meters high and spans over 50km in area. Getting to the volcano is simple and cheap. There is a 24/7 ferry running from the city port to the volcanic island at fifteen minute intervals. It costs 200 yen per person and about 1,400 yen for the average sized kei car, one way. Once you get there, you’ll see that Sakurajima is all about nature. On the Nagisa Lava Trail, you can hike for three kilometers and take in the vines, grasses and other plants growing wild across the volcanic soil. At the end of the trail, you can rest your feet in the naturally heated foot baths while gazing out at the Kagoshima skyline. If you plan to go elsewhere on the island, this is when you’ll want to have a car. The bus schedule is fairly irregular, and it’s not fun to ride if you’re dealing with summer heat. With a car, you can easily access sites like the Yunohira observation point, the highest point you’re legally allowed to climb on the volcano, and the Kurokami Shrine Gate, a gate buried up to its top by volcanic ash and other nature trails. Driving around the entire island can be done in about an hour, which I would recommend if you went through the trouble of bringing a car.
After a day of hiking, you’re sure to have worked up an appetite. When it comes to dining in Kagoshima, I recommend trying “kurobuta” black pork. The fried pork cutlet I had from Kurokatsu Tei was the juiciest, tastiest tonkatsu I’ve ever had in my life. The meat was melt in your mouth good, and came at a reasonable price, too. They also throw in a pork bone based soup as a side on top of the normal fare. If you’re a fan of all things pork, then this restaurant is a must visit when you’re in the city. One of the things that struck me most about Kagoshima was how much space there was. Compared with Nagasaki, Kagoshima reminded me of the U.S. in terms of how open things were. The roads were wide, the cars you saw on the street were big and the stores were massive. If you plan on shopping, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed with choice. Kagoshima is a growing city and it shows. One of the super centers that stood out during my visit was a place called “N’s City.” This shopping center was like a fortress filled from top to bottom with everything you could imagine. N’s had fresh grocers, home improvement stores, pet shops, bakeries, gaming centers and even car dealerships inside. If there is ever a zombie apocalypse, you can probably live inside of this place for years before running out of stuff. Give this place a visit if you can. The last thing that deserves special mention is Ibusuki. While Ibusuki lies about an hour outside of Kagoshima itself, you won’t regret checking out the Saraku Sand Bath Hall. At this onsen, the staff members will bury you up to your neck in heated sand. The sand gets warmed directly by the natural onsen water. Once you’re packed in, you can stay under for up to ten minutes. If it gets too hot, you can stand up and leave at any time. Going from piping hot sand to the cold pool in the onsen was pretty invigorating, and with a price tag of 1,100 yen, Saraku should be on everybody’s list. While Kagoshima might not have the same appeal as more famous cities like Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka, it still has plenty going for it. This hidden gem features great museums, a decently sized aquarium, amazing restaurants and lots of vibrant nature. If you don’t mind heading to the southernmost region of mainland Japan, then be sure to throw Kagoshima on your to-do list once the pandemic is over.
TEXT: Kane Pride
With winter time comes not only holiday cheer and presents (the coronavirus notwithstanding) but also the bi-annual 日本語能力試験, or the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Easily the most wellknown metric for people around the world learning Japanese to expand their educational and career opportunities. The test ranges between levels 1-5, with 5 being the lowest level and 1 being the most difficult to pass. If you’re interested in taking these tests or just want to improve your Japanese, here are a few things I’ve learned in my studies.
Examine How You Learn! While it sounds counterintuitive, taking a look at how you learn your native language can provide some needed insight on what learning strategies work and don’t work for you. Did the school structure keep you focused, or did it not engage you? Are you a visual or interpersonal learner? For me, I learn best when I’m in a classroom setting, with a clear goal in mind and struggle a lot when I need to study alone. To prepare for the JLPT, I’ve started taking classes twice a week at Sasebo’s English Academy Cultivate, which offers evening classes in Japanese. If traditional classes don’t work for you or your goals in Japanese, then perhaps making Japanese friends through apps such as HelloTalk or just meeting face to face at a local bar might be another way to practice Japanese!
Make A Goal (A Reachable Goal) As simple as it sounds! Learning Japanese is a great goal, but it’s a bit vague and grandiose to truly feel like I’ll accomplish it soon. Compare it to “be able to order a big mac combo by myself within two months,” and the latter sounds extremely doable. Having a simple and specific goal stops you from being aimless and more incentivized to complete the goal! Having a short deadline is also effective at keeping you on track. Having it on an accessible place such as the calendar app on your phone is good for keeping you responsible. After you reach your first goal, you should make another similar but a bit more difficult goal in order to continue your studies.
TEXT: Ronnie Triminio
Create A Personalized Study Guide An outline is not only a key tool in writing but also in studying. For learning Japanese, there is a lot you have to study, especially if you come from a country that doesn’t use Chinese characters in the writing system. There are the alphabets (three of them), vocabulary, grammar, speaking, listening and writing. If you know how you learn, then you are equipped to make your own personalized study guide. How many hours in a week will you set aside to study? What will you study on which days? These questions should be answered by your guide. Like your goals, your study guide should be feasible and you work in your regular schedule without adding stress.
Repetition, Repetition Although boring, there’s no doubt that one of the most crucial aspects of learning anything is by through repetition. For Japanese kanji, I strongly recommend using the web browser apps WaniKani or Anki on mobile. Using them every day to review has improved my reading ability by a lot. For listening practice, I recommend listening to the podcast バイリンガルニュース (Bilingual News) on Spotify or Apple Music. They speak in both English and Japanese so even if you aren’t confident in your abilities you will always be able to follow along! Finally, I recommend creating a daily diary. The diary can be written or video depending on what skills you wanted to focus on but I find creating a diary helps me not only practice what I learned, but also allows me to better express my thoughts in Japanese.
Fail (Trust)
...
The hardest for me, but definitely the biggest lesson I learned this year. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because you will make them during your studies. Mistakes are a learning opportunity, not something to be embarrassed about. Remember that to any listener, a person who makes many mistakes but still gets their point across is more fluent than someone who knows all the grammar points but doesn’t speak unless they have to. Join up for some local classes or events to interact with more Japanese people. I signed up to learn how to play the Koto, a Japanese instrument, with a Japanese instructor and I’m extremely glad I did. It’s an experience I could have missed if I didn’t put myself out there. Learning a new language can be an extremely frustrating experience. Even still, Japanese is an interesting language and I don’t regret studying it for a single second. Hopefully these tips will help you in your studies. Wishing the best for the both of us!
TEXT: Will Morgan, Dan Cohen Many people become interested in Japanese because of アニメ (anime) and 漫画 (manga). They can be a window into Japanese culture and understanding them in the original Japanese is a compelling carrot to motivate language study. More than anything, manga and anime expose you to tons of 単語 (tango - words) to be learned. Plus, they give you a large pool of examples of (sometimes zany) social situations where you can glean important context. The one pitfall, however, that catches all too many inexperienced students of Japanese: the pronoun “you”. To native English speakers, many sentences will sound strange and incomplete without a subject expressly stated. This is not the case in Japanese, and anime and manga’s liberal use of Japanese’s various forms of “you”, are meant to color the conversations. IRL Japanese people do not refer to each other as omae, kimi, or anata, except under very specific circumstances. For example:
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あなた (anata) - a word for ‘you’ that may as well mean ‘husband’ owing to its overwhelming use by wives towards husbands. It’s more malleable than that, but as a beginner, err on the side of avoiding this pronoun. 君 (kimi) - a familiar ‘you’, generally used by adults towards children or romantic partners. Some teachers will refer to their classes as kimi-tachi. お前 (omae) - an aggressive ‘you’, generally used by men. Used towards someone unfamiliar, it can be extremely rude. Interestingly enough, it is also often used by boys and men with friends with whom they are close. 貴様 (kisama) follows similar rules but is much less common.
If we can’t say ‘you’ in the above ways, how should we say it? The answer is: you shouldn’t. It’s common in Japanese to simply leave the subject out of a sentence because 文脈 (bunmyaku - context) is sufficient to convey your meaning. Consider the example of asking someone “How are you?” or “do you like sushi?” Japanese drops the “you” because it’s implied. お元気ですか？(o-genki desu ka?) - How are (you)? 寿司は好きですか？ (sushi wa suki desu ka?) - do (you) like sushi? But what about when you need to specify who you are talking to, or who you are talking about? Just use their name, but this is probably a lot less common than you think! 田中さん、寿司は好きですか？ (Tanaka-san, sushi wa suki desu ka?) - do (you) like sushi, Tanaka-san?
Using “you” in Japanese sentences isn’t the worst thing in the world, but learning to work around it as early as possible will only help you get better faster. Good luck and happy studies!