MinamiAwaji (JP) Infomation Blog

East Japan Earthquake

2011-03-20T17:22:00.000+09:00

On 11 of March, there was very shocking earthquake named "East Japan Earthquake" happened.
In some area of Minami Awaji city, there were tsunami warning announced, and people living in the area had to escape.

Fortunately, peoples and buildings in Minami Awaji city have been all safe at this moment, and most of them are returning to their daily lives.

However, because some of foreign media (TV, newspaper) have been broadcasting the incidents, specially about disaster of Fukushima nuclear power plant, a bit exaggeratingly with little knowledges of regional distance, many foreign people even living in Kansai area or southern parts have been escaping to their home countries.
About figure of Japan, there are about 3,000km from north to south, and the location of earthquake happened is 800 to 1,000 km from north. Kansai area is located in 1,000 km distance from south.
The influence of disaster of Fukushima nuclear power plant has been covering 20 - 30 km from the plant, so Kansai people don't need to take care too much about the affects.

Please do not get swayed by overmuch broadcasts, and keep your cool judgement.

If you need information about this earthquake, I might support to get information.

"Onion Kitchen"

2011-03-06T13:42:00.000+09:00

There are several kinds of so-called "local development activities" like local festival, introducing industries from urban area and local food.
"Onion Kitchen" is one of that kinds of activities in Awaji Island, and also one of the few examples of best practice.

Onion Kitchen is managed by MinamiAwaji Commerce and Industry Association.
Onion Kitchen has now two main selling products, one is "Onion Chips" and another is "Onion Pound Cake".
Onion Chips has got prize of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2010.

Onion Chips are made of, of course, Awaji onions! They are processed very specially, so you can enjoy onion-itself taste and flavor.
One package includes 15g, and price is 250yen. It feels a little bit expensive, but provides us a premium snack taste.

You can buy them through the website and at the place of UZUSHIO roadside station.
Please try it!

Photo: Onion Chips

Announcement: I stop my blog activity until the end of June, 2010.

2010-05-05T11:19:00.001+09:00

Thank you very much for your accessing this blog!
I'd like to annouce that I have stopped my blog updating activities untile the end of June 2010, because of my physical move from Tokyo to Hyogo Pref.
I will start again from July 2010!

See you in July 2010!

"Flower and Green Fair" 20th Mar. to 30th May.

2010-03-23T21:58:00.000+09:00

This is not a MinamiAwaji event, but very big and popular one in Awaji Island.
"Flower and Green Fair 2010" has been held at Awaji Yume Butai located in the northern part of Awaji Island.

The event webiste is here → http://www.awajihanahaku2010.jp/index.htm

The theme is "A New Colaboration of human beings and nature."
I cannot believe that there are no English or Chinese instruction on the web even thought such a big event...

Anyway, through the period of the event, there are many kinds of exhibitions, music concerts, contests and symposium.
For example, in the next weekend (27th and 28th Mar.), a cycling festival is going to be planed on Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.

The event calendar is here →　http://www.awajihanahaku2010.jp/eventtop_weekly.htm

Please visite and enjoy it!

Awaji Island Roll Playing Game "Onion Quest" will start from 28, Teb.

2010-02-22T19:37:00.000+09:00

From 28 Feb. 2010 to 31 Mar. 2010, the Awaji Island roll playing game "Onion Quest" will be excuted.
According to the official website of "Onion Quest,"

step1: entry to the mobile website of "Onion Quest" by QR code scanner with your mobile phone,
step2: play a game by following instructions on the mobile web, sometimes with clearing real missions,
step3: and finally, you might win some prizes by ending whole missions.

The game is constructed based on the fictious story that Awaji Island has faces crisis of invasion by some dark sides, and you are the person to save Awaji Island from that crisis.
There are animated characters prepared.

Hyogo Pref, Honshu-Shikoku Highway agency, Hyogo Tourism Agency and some other organizations have sponsered this project as one of the Awaji Island tourism activities.

Unfortunately, at this time, there are provided only in Japanese, so I try to ask any other language availability.

"Whole Awaji-Island Museum"

2010-01-27T14:41:00.000+09:00

Hyogo Pref.Gov. has been excuting the project "Whole Awaji-Island Museum" since 2009.
The website url is http://web.pref.hyogo.jp/aw01/aw01_1_000000061.html (but only in Japanese).

In this project, the gov. has invited "treasure of Awaji-Island for you" from citizens, and those treasures have been opend on the web.
There are various kinds of treasures; monument, specific person, temple, shirine, Jizo...

Recently in Japan, the sightseeing trend has been shifted from group tour to very personal tour. And those local monument, temple or some interesting personality have been looked as local resources for recent tourists.
So that I have been interested in the project of Hyogo Pref. Gov. of "Whole Awaji-Island Museum."
However, ! as there are no maps, no detail address information with each treasure, anybody other than people who live there can reach those location...

And finally, I (as a member of NPO "Minami-Awaji Information Community") has created the google maps version of the whole Awaji-Island Museum on this website.
(now on the way)

Please visite this website, and visite the "treasure" by yourselves!

↓those are some of "treasure"

送信者

送信者 onion-city.com

15th of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

2010-01-17T15:06:00.000+09:00

Don't forget Jan. 17th, 1995.
At the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, I was a high school student and living in Minamiawaji area. The day was the next day of the national university entrance examination of myself, and I was sleeping deeply because of such early morning.
If the day was come in a day earlier, I was stayed in Sannomiya, Kobe city where had been destroyed by earthquake and fire, I might have been not living now.

There are many event planned around Kobe city and Awaji Island, so please visit and learn that earthquake.

Awaji-ben vol.2: "Omossyoi."(おもっしょい。)="It's interesting!!"

2010-01-09T16:14:00.001+09:00

I have thought I'd like to pick up at least one Awaji-ben in the blog since the last post in 27th Nov., but this is the second time to do it...

This time I try to pick up the Awaji-ben "Omossyoi." (おもっしょい。)

-interpretation: It's interesting.
-in standard Japanese: "O-mo-shi-ro-i."(おもしろい。)
-example conversation:
A: "He is a really omossyoi man!"

You can listen to the real voice conversation click here. (provided by awajiben.net)

In Kansai area, people usually use not "Omossyoi" but "O-mo-ro-i"(おもろい).
There is a blog which a Minamiawaji living man has run the website with the title "Omossyoi Awaji-shima." You can see some videos of Awaji events on this website. Please check it!

Onion Soup

2010-01-03T15:27:00.001+09:00

Awaji island, especially Minamiawaji area, is very famous producer of "onion," ranked as No.4 city of those production amount in all over Japan.
There are many kinds of onion related souvenirs like onion pie, onion dressing, onion flavored noodle, onion pickles...but I would recommend "Onion Soup."

Ten cups of onion soup are packed as a souvenir at 480-yen, and each cup of soup is composed with one onion soup powder and one bag of flied onion. You can have a soup just after adding hot water onto those soup powder and flied onion.

"Onion soup" souvenir is the most hot-selling good in the Awaji highway oasis parking area on Honshu-Shikoku Expressway.

When I am going back to Awaji, I always buy 2-3 pack of onion soup.
*you can buy them also through the internet: shopping website

400th anniversary of Awaji traditional clay tile industry (淡路瓦産業)

2009-12-05T14:44:00.003+09:00

In Minamiawaji area, especially TSUI area, there are many clay tile industries operated. "Awaji clay tile industry" (淡路瓦産業) has 400-year history, and next year, 2010, will be the 400th anniversary.
Awaji clay tile industry association has planned and proceeded some projects for this anniversary. For example, art decoration for public toilets and garbage stations, exhibition and events.
Awaji clay tile industry had once flourished, but now the number of companies remained is beeing one-third of that time because people want light-weight and cost-saving roof for their house after experiencing the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Young generation members of Awaji clay tile industry association have been taking actions to recover from these declination!
The official blog of the 400th anniversary is here.
I look forward to participating some 400th anniversary events next year!

Mr. and Ms. Shimizu is a member of those young generation.
They have started their gallary "VASARA" to provide place to communicate directly with their costomers (usual consumers, housing makers, designers...).
And you can buy some clay tiles for name-plate, nameboard at the gallary.

Mr. and Ms. Shimizu are nice and friendly, so I recommend to visit this garally.

↓the clay tile garally "VASARA"

↓Mr. and Mrs. Shimizu.

より大きな地図で Minamiawaji Info Map を表示

Awaji-ben vol.1: "cha-wa-re."(ちゃわれ。)="No! It's wrong!"

2009-11-27T19:41:00.000+09:00

Since I'm glad to have got a request of "Awaji-ben interpretation," I'd like to start it little by little.
About "Awaji-ben," there is very rich and exellent website "awajiben.net," so basically I quote words and phrases from this website and add some explanation originally.

The first Awaji-ben I try to pick up is "cha-wa-re."(ちゃわれ。).

-interpretation: No! It's wrong!
-in standard Japanese: "chi-ga-u-yo."(ちがうよ。)
-example conversation:
A: "Didn't you go to your girlfriend house last night?"
B: "Cha-wa-re! I just went shopping."

You can listen to the real voice conversation click here. (provided by awajiben.net)

"Cha-wa-re!" has some derivatives like "Cha-u-yo!"(ちゃうよ。), "Cha-u-cha-u!"（ちゃう、ちゃう）. (I don't know exactly which word is an original and which are derivatives.)
"Cha-u-cha-u!" is used not only in Awaji island but around Kansai area.

"Flying Dog Studio" （飛行犬撮影所）

2009-11-18T15:33:00.000+09:00

In Ikari area of Minamiawaji, there is very famous dog run "Flying Dog Studio" (飛行犬撮影所).
The owner Mr. Matoba is a professional photographer, and many dogs and their family (means their guardians) from all over Japan visit and enjoy beeing taken their flying shots there.
Mr. Matoba has started this business for revitalization of Ikari area. This purpose has been partly accomplished because 3,000 to 4,000 dogs (with about 10,000 guardians) have visited there in every year. But any business like cafe, resort inn, shops etc... other than this dog run have not been created yet, so that the spreading effect of this revitalization idea has still been limited.
I hope some other business will be created in near future.

The entrance fee with 2 photos of each dog is 1,500yen.
If you'd like to visit here, you had better register before your visiting.

E-mail: awaji[at]plum.plala.or.jp
TEL:　0799-39-1160

より大きな地図で Minamiawaji Info Map を表示

How to get a vaccine of "influenza virus" ?

2009-11-11T21:04:00.000+09:00

In all over Japan, vaccine of influenza virus have been distributed to the citizens, gradually.
About Minamiawaji area, the Hyogo Prefecture has provided information of how we can get a vaccine.
According to the Hyogo Pref., people, who have a primary desease, who are babies or children, have a priority to get vaccines, and those people can apply from the mid-November 2009.

Please check the detail information on the Hyogo Pref. web.
*caution: the website provided only in Japanse, so if you'd like to get information in foreign language, you had better directly phone-call to "0799-44-3004" (Health Department of Minamiawaji city).

"Danjiri Uta" - song of floats - (だんじり唄)

2009-11-09T00:00:00.001+09:00

"Danjiri Uta" has been very popular Minamiawaji traditional culture than the traditional puppet show in the now.
Its history has been since 18c (at the late of Edo era), and it has been formed by departing just "song part" from the traditional puppet show. So lyrics of songs are same as stories of the puppet show. Because of those relationships between "Danjiri Uta" and the puppet show, some say it as "Opera of Awaji Island" !
Now there are about 100 Danjiri-Uta groups in Awaji island, and every year Danjiri Uta contest has been held.
You can watch some videos of Danjiri Uta from this website.

Women Danjiri Uta group "UTAIMASENKA" (shall we sing?) .
They have original costumes on them.

Very cute back shot.

"Oino Shimizu" (御井の清水)

2009-11-06T10:31:00.000+09:00

A bottled water has been popular recently, even though people can drink tap water in Japan. About myself, I have been drinking bottled water from about 10 years ago, despite I know I can drink tap water...
And recently many local natual bottled water has been available, and some water industry operated by local bodies (ex. Osaka city, Kobe city) have got into bottled water market to cover decreasing demands of tap water.

When I went back to Minamiawaji in this summer, I have found "Oino Shimizu" (in Japanese "御井の清水") bottled water sold at Fukura port vending machines.
As I remember, this product has opened to markets very recently (within 5 years, I think).

"Oino Shimizu" is coming from the Rokko mountain group, and stated as "hallucinatory water" in "Kojiki" (A Record of Ancient Matters).
In Kojiki, the Emperor NINTOKU (A.D.313-A.D.399) composed a poem,

『旦夕淡路島の寒水を酌みて、大御水献りき』
(In the morning and evening, lave cold water of Awaji island, and dedicate it to Imperial.)

Now Sansui Co., Ltd. produces and sells the bottled water.
You can find it at some vending machine in Awaji island, or buy it on the web.

"Awaji Island Internet Television"

2009-11-03T20:46:00.000+09:00

NPO "Minamiawaji Information Community" has provided the website "Awaji Island Internet Television" since 2001.
On "Awaji Island Internet Television" website, there are many videos (festival, traditional event, food, etc) posted, and anyone can play them on the web at no charge.
Each video has 5-10 minutes length with Japanese narration.
Even if you cannot understand Japanese, you can enjoy them enough.

Event info! "5th Ceramic Art Festival at Kunto-no-Sato" from 31Oct to 3 Nov. 2009

2009-11-02T22:15:00.002+09:00

From 31 October to 3 November, the 5th Ceramic Art Festival has been held at Kunto-no-Sato (in Japanese "薫陶の郷").
The young artists' group of "Toiro" (means "ten color") is the organizer and exhibitor of ceramic arts and ceramic goods (ex. dish, bowl, cup). You can touch the Japanese traditional ceramic art and get some of goods.
The following is the details of this event.

------
The 5th Ceramic Art Festival at Kunto-no-Sato

period: 31 Oct. to 3 Nov. 2009
place: 1541 Shitori Doi, Minamiawaji city (see map below)
artists: "Toiro"
theme: "serving dishes for guests"

----
I have already visited this event in 31 Oct.
Caution! the event place is very difficult to find and difficult to access without a car, so I recommend you to ask some people near the place when you visit.

The exhibition site is a very usual Japanese house.

Inside of the exhibition house.

My favorite of the exhibited ceramic arts.

より大きな地図で Event Place を表示

Event info! "Interpreting Local Culture with the Culture-Information Literacy" in 14th Nov. 2009.

2009-10-28T23:41:00.003+09:00

Since June 2009, Minamiawaji city and Kobe University has proceeded some research projects based on their "academic-local cooperation agreement."
In this 14th November 2009, the international conference "Interpreting Local Culture with the Culture-Information Literacy" will be held at Minamiawaji Mihara community hall, as one of the accomplishment reports of the research project.

The conference is consisted of two parts. First part, morning session, is the Awaji traditional puppet show by the professional Awaji Ningyo-Za members, and Second part, afternoon session, is seminars about local culture.
This event is free of charge and not necessary to register, so please join in!

About myself, I'm going to join in this event as a staff of Kobe University.
So I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

--Event Program--
14th November, 2009
   at Minamiawaji Mihara community hall (map below)

11:10-12:20 Traditional Puppet Show
-break-
13:40-14:30 Poster Presentation by Kobe University students
14:30-14:45 Opening
14:45-15:20 Seminar1 "Rethinking of Keisei Awa no Naruto"
                    by Janice KANEMITSU (Cornell University)
15:20-15:55 Seminar2 "Rethinking of New Art of Public Entertainment"
                    by Ryoji SASAHARA (National Museum of Ethnology)
15:55-16:30 Seminar3 "Psychology of Puppeteers "
                    by Narisuke UTSUKI (Kobe University)
-break-
16:45-17:45 Comments and Discussion
                    by Hiroki OKADA, Hajime MURAO (Kobe University)
17:45          Closing

↓place of Minamiawaji Mihara community hall

大きな地図で見る

Daily news of Awaji area

2009-10-21T09:34:00.001+09:00

When I visit any city in the first time, I always face difficulty to gain daily news of that area. Fortunately, recently we can access that kind of information through the internet, even so sometimes it's difficult to find the appropriate local broadcast website.

About Awaji island, I strongly recommend "Kobe shinbun website"(Kobe newspaper company website) to find Awaji daily broadcasts.
"Kobe shinbun"(paper media), is one of the biggiest local newspaper in Japan, has one-hundred years history, has more than 5 million customers around Kansai area. Awaji island is also covered area, so my family home and most of the neighborhoods have read as daily information collection.

On the website, there are daily news of each area in Hyogo Pref, some special reports, and local wether news. But unfortunately , provides only in Japanese...

Kobe Shinbun has published the book of "20-century of Awaji Island"(『淡路の20世紀』). If you can understand Japanese language, please check the following.

Munamiawaji publicly owned hotsprings!

2009-10-14T21:13:00.002+09:00

Minamiawaji city is not famous for hotsprings, but there are a few publicly owned places as follows:

I have ever been to "Sunrise", "Sanyu" and "Uzuno-yu". Those are publicly owned, so that the usage charges are very cheap (around 500yen to 700yen).
More infomation about hotsprings in Awaji island, please check this website (but only in Japanese).

より大きな地図で Minamiawaji "ONSEN"(hotspring) Map を表示

Minamiawaji City council election in 25th Oct. 2009.

2009-10-08T18:50:00.002+09:00

In this October, Minamiawaji city has the regular city council election. The last election, which was the first city council election after the municipal merger, had held 4 years ago, and 27 members have got seats in the coucil.
Unfortunately, I didn't and still don't have a voting right in Minamiawaji, so only I can do is to watch their activities from outsides.

Once I have checked their profile on the Minamiawaji city website, and I have been interested in the following data;

average age : 62 years old (oldest: 84, youngest: 33)
women rate : 3/27
having own website: 5/27

Next time, I would like to check the records of the council !

Who is the Diet member from Minamiawaji?

2009-10-05T13:04:00.003+09:00

Minamiawaji is designated the voting district no.9 of Hyogo Pref., and Mr. NISHIMURA Yasutoshi, from Liberal Democratic Party, has been elected as a lower house member at the last election (August, 2009).
You can check his profile in English on his website.

I was met him by accident at Minamiawaji during his election campaign.
He was energetic, talking much and looks nice. And after the election which the Democratic Party of Japan has got the historic win from LDP, Mr. NISHIMURA had tried to run for the LDP leader election. Unfortunately, he had lost this time, but I and Minamiawaji citizen expect him to be a leading politician in someday.

Search at Amazon.com of Mr.NISHIMURA's Books

↓photo with Mr.NISHIMURA (August, 2009)

shopping mall in Minamiawaji

2009-10-02T13:16:00.003+09:00

Minamiawaji area has some big shopping malls.
Each shopping mall equips foods market, daily commodities, apparel for men, women and children, CDs/DVDs, books, home electronics and small cafe.
But it's not expected to be able to find books for specialists. If you want to find those technical or academic specialized books, I reccoment to go to Miyawaki book store located at Midori-cho area (next to Sumoto-city) in Minamiawaji..

Please check those shopping malls and book stores in the following map.

より大きな地図で Minamiawaji Shopping Mall を表示

Welcome to "MinamiAwaji (JP) information Blog" !

2009-09-30T11:42:00.001+09:00

The purpose of this blog is to provide daily information of Minamiawaji city, Pref. Hyogo, Japan.
I have started this information site because there are very limited information in "English" even though the number of foregin citizens (including temporal visitors as trainee) have been increased.

Minamiawaji-city has been faced the decreasing trend of population. According to the estimation executed in Nattional Institute of Pupulation and Social Security Research, the number of population, now about 50,000, will decline to "35,000" in 2035. The third of population will disappear!!!

To keep Minamiawaji alive, Minamiawaji people have to introduce ourselves to various partners, and minamiawaji people have to understand we live in various reciprocal relationships.
As one of the small efforts, I would like to start this blog anyway.

I welcome the comments and questions from any readers who are interested in Minamiawaji city, Pref. Hyogo, Japan.