city life may april edition

Spring! Spring has

come, heralded by more

sensible temperatures

and a fleeting visit by

the sakura zensen – or

sakura front – as it

makes its way up the

country.

In Sakai, the sakura

generally arrives

around the first week

of April but depending

on all manner of fac-

tors, it could arrive be-

fore or after that, so

keep an eye out for it!

Sakura or cherry blos-

som is one of a number

of natural phenomena

considered indispensa-

ble parts of Japanese

culture. While the sa-

kura seldom lasts more

than two weeks in any

one place, there is a

considerable period be-

tween the start of

the season in Okina-

wa and its end in

Hokkaido. Such is

public interest that

the progress of the

sakura up the coun-

try is reported along

with the weather

and pollen report on

the evening news!

Hanami (literally

“flower viewing”) is the

practice of viewing

cherry blossom. Hana-mi often involves pic-

nics, the consumption

of sake, and the compo-

sition of haiku poems.

It is a fine chance for

people to let their hair

down and relax with

friends and family.

Yozakura (literally

“night sakura”) is han-ami done at night, un-

der the light

of lanterns

and the moon.

Sakura is also

the theme of

numerous

enka songs,

and the gift-

ing of cherry

trees by the

national gov-

ernment, local govern-

ments and other organ-

isations to cities over-

seas is quite common

as a symbol of friend-

ship. Part of the beauty

of sakura is in its short

-lived nature, which is

often compared to that

of life itself.

Such is the Japanese

adoration for cherry

blossom that cherry

trees have, for many

hundreds of years, been

planted on purpose.

They can be found

adorning the sides of

roads, parks, temple

and school grounds,

and just about every-

where else. In Sakai we

are blessed with many

fine parks and temples

which are known for

their sakura. See below

for details on the best

hanami spots in Sakai.

APRIL / MAY 2014 EDITION

Spring is here!

CITY LIFE

Sakura Spots 2

Picture Book Fair 2

Kids’ Support Centre 2

New Cycle Facility 3

Sakai City Museum 4

Taxes / School Subsidies 5

International Volunteers 6

Inside this issue:

Message from the Editor

Well, here we are, al-ready in April! It seems like only yesterday I was writing the New Year’s edition and now we’re a quarter of the way through the year.

As always, in this edi-tion there are plenty of events to keep you en-tertained along with a number of important notices from various city government depart-ments.

As of this month, we will be uploading a colour PDF version of City Life onto the City Life web-site. Be sure to check it out!

Felix

Place: the lobby of the Sakai Central

Library.

Access: the library is next to Daisen

Park and is easily accessed from

Mozu Station on the JR Hanwa

Line.

This April the Central Library will

be running a foreign picture book

fair centred on books donated to the

library by Soroptimist International

Sakai in 2013. These picture books

will be on display, some of them

alongside their Japanese-translated

versions.

The collection includes everything

from Thai picture books, popular

books, and old favourites through to

books only recently released.

When the book fair is over, the books

will be available for borrowing. Period: 1st of April – 30th of April

Here you are: a by-no-means com-

prehensive list of sites you might

head to to see sakura this spring.

Continuing with the flower viewing

theme, but moving now to the end of

April, we have a dazzling display of

azaleas, known as tsutsuji in Japan,

to tell you about.

In Golden Week (at the end of April

and start of May), the city will be

brought to life by the vibrant flowers

of the tsutsuji (azalea) trees.

Perhaps the best places to enjoy the

tsutsuji in Sakai are the Asakayama

Greenway which is on the site of the

old Asakayama water filtration

plant, and the adjacent Asakayama

Park. The water filtration plant’s

stand of azaleas stretches some 600

metres and has 2500 trees, a

mixture of newly planted ones and

others over 70 years old.

Up until now, the water filtration

plant was only opened for the

Some Sakura Spott ing Spots

PAGE TWO CITY LIFE

Daisen Park Alight JR Hanwa Line at Mozu Station, or alight Nankai

Bus at Daisen-cho bus stop

Nishihara Park Alight Semboku Rapid Railway at Toga Mikita Station

Kozen Park Take Nankai Bus from Izumigaoka Station (Semboku

Rapid Railway), alight at Takeshirodaiguchi bus stop

Ohama Park Alight Nankai Line at Sakai Station

Ohasu Park Alight Semboku Rapid Railway at Izumigaoka Station

Chozenji Temple Alight Nankai Koya Line at Sakai Higashi Station

Shirasagi Park Alight Nankai Koya Line at Shirasagi Station

Kamotani Park Alight Semboku Rapid Railway at Komyoike Station

Azaleas at the Asakayama Water Filtration Plant!

blossoming of the azalea trees but

now, with the newly completed

greenway, you can walk there

anytime. The best time for viewing

is between April 26th and May 6th.

Access: JR Hanwa Line – alight at

Asaka Station

Nankai Koya Line – alight at

Asakayama Station

Nankai Bus Kawachi Amami Line –

alight at Aisengakuen-mae

Parking: no parking is available so

please use public transport.

(HP) http://www.sakai-park.or.jp/

Kids’ Support Centre Sakai

Introducing the Kids’ Support

Centre Sakai, a brand new child and

parent-friendly oasis in Sakai,

opening on April 25th (Fri). The

centre is on the ninth floor of the

Sakai Higashi Takashimaya

Building and is a collaborative effort

between the private sector and

Sakai City. It will provide

comfortable surroundings for

children and their parents and

guardians to meet and interact as

well as seek advice. Its goal is to

ease the burden and anxiety of child

rearing and help bring a bit of

excitement to the city centre.

There are four main sections in the

centre: the Kid-O-Kid indoor play

area for children and parents, an

event space, Sakai Mothers

HelloWork, and a space for

gathering and interaction run by

Sakai City.

For more details call the Child

Nuturing Division: (TEL) 072-228-

7612 (FAX) 072-228-8341.

Tour of Japan

Foreign Picture Book Fair

The Sakai stage of the Tour of Japan

cycle race will be taking place on the

18th of May. This year’s is the 17th

time the Tour of Japan has been

held. The Sakai stage marks the

start of the competition and takes

place on a course around Daisen

Park. This year there will be 16

teams—seven from overseas and

nine from within Japan. Come down

and cheer your favourite team on!

Applications are now being accepted

for people who wish to participate in

the Sakai Two Day March which

will be taking place on the 7th and

8th of June. Starting in Daisen Park,

there are eight courses to choose

from, ranging from 4 km to 35 km

in length.

The 4km course which explores the

Mozu Kofungun Ancient Tumulus

Cluster involves walking with

players from the Sakai Blazers

Volleyball Team as well as

explanation of the various

interesting points of the course by

volunteer tourist guides dressed as

historical figures. At Daisen Park

there will be a taiko drumming

performance and a dance, and the

chance to buy some of Sakai’s

traditional products.

Participation costs (for pre-event

registration):

10 km+ courses: 1500 yen per person

(costs 2000 yen on the day)

4 km course: 500 yen

Children up to 3rd year junior high

school students (at the time of the

event) go free.

To register, please collect a leaflet

from the city office administrative

information centre, any ward office

administrative information corner,

any gym, or from the Sports

Promotion Division.

Take the payment slip inside the

leaflet to a post office and pay to

have it stamped. Take the stub with

you on the day as proof of payment.

Please direct enquiries to the Sakai

Two Day March Secretariat

(TEL) 06-6210-5532

(FAX) 06-4800-7201

or to the Sakai City Sports

Promotion Division

(TEL) 072-228-7437

(FAX) 072-228-7454.

In this seminar, an expert will ex-

plain how to make Ceylon tea, a

drink with a 145 year old history,

and “spicy milk tea” made using

world famous Sri Lankan spices.

The seminar will be held on Friday

the 18th of April from 2pm to 4pm at

Sakai International Plaza (1-4-24

Nakakawara-machi, Sakai Ward).

Course cost: 1000 yen

Please bring your own tea cup and

writing materials.

Applications open from April 2nd.

Please apply by postcard, fax or

email to the Honorary Consulate

General of Sri Lanka. Include your

name, address, phone number, and

the number of participants you are

applying for.

(2-6-10-1304 Kitakyuhoji-machi,

Chuo Ward, Osaka City. (TEL) 06-

6282-5534 (FAX) 06-6282-5543

(Email)

[email protected])

Attendance is limited to the first 50

applications received.

Please direct enquiries either to the

Honorary Consulate General

(number above) or to Sakai Interna-

tional Plaza (TEL) 072-340-1090

(FAX) 072-340-1091.

A new cycle port in front of

Nakamozu Station! The pay-for-use Sakai Community

Cycle network which currently has

six “cycle ports” will be opening a

new cycle port outside Nakamozu

Station on the April 1st. The new

facility will be gated and manned

and around 160 bicycles will be

stationed there. Only people who have registered are

able to use the bicycles. Registration

for fixed term use is as follows: Registration is open from 7am to

8pm.

Register at the Nakamozu Station

Cycle Port.

To register bring official

identification such as your driver’s

licence, student ID, or health

insurance card etc. Enquiries: call the

Bicycle Friendly

Community Office

(TEL) 072-228-7636

(FAX) 072-228-0220


Sri Lankan Tea Seminar

PAGE THREE

Sakai Two Day March New Community Cycle

Port

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of

the Sakai—Wellington Sister City

Relationship and a rare visit by the

Wellington mayor, Celia Wade-

Brown, there will be a New Zealand

Fair at Harvest Hill on the weekend

of the 24th and 25th of May (9:30-

18:00 both days)

Events at the fair will include a

sheep shearing exhibition amongst

other amazing spectacles. There will

also be delicious New Zealand food,

drink and other Kiwi-made products

on sale.

More details will be available on the

City Life website towards the end of

April. See you there!!

New Zealand Fair at

Harvest Hill!

mailto:[email protected]

PAGE FOUR CITY LIFE

Sakai Ci ty Museum Museum Exhibitions

The Sakai City Museum is located in

Daisen Park. It holds thematic exhi-

bitions in addition to the general

exhibition on the history and culture

of Sakai.

Special Displays

The Tanomura Chokunyu Exhibi-

tion: Works from His Formative

Years in Sakai

March 29th (Sat) – May 11th, 2014

(Sun)

Venue: First floor Exhibition Corner

Tanomura Chokunyu (1814-1907)

devoted his life of 94 years to the

advancement of the “Literati” or

“Southern School” of painting. Cho-

kunyu was born in present day

Takeda City in Oita Prefecture.

When he was just nine years old, he

became a disciple of Tanomura

Takeda, a painter of the same area.

After the death of his master, Cho-

kunyu moved to Kansai and worked

for 10 years, from his mid-20s to his

mid-30s, in Sakai, establishing him-

self as a painter. His activities while

he was in Sakai were supported by

Tarobe (whose nom de plume was

“Rogaku” 1785-1855), the 13th gener-

ation master of the Koge clan, an old

family, who ran a fish-whole selling

business. Rogaku himself was well

known as one of the “literati” and

enjoyed interaction with others in-

terested, like him, in Japanese and

Chinese poetry, calligraphy, and art.

Starting with three paintings born of

the interaction between Rogaku and

Chokunyu during his time in Sakai,

through some twenty paintings and

writings this exhibition gives valua-

ble insight into the world of literary

and artistic pursuits that people of

culture enjoyed at that time. 2014

marks the 200th anniversary of Cho-

kunyu’s birth. Come and drink in

the charm of the “Literati” or

“Southern School” art that Cho-

kunyu sought in his work during the

cultural flux of the Bakumatsu and

Meiji periods.

Exhibition: The Treasured Hachi-

gamine Buddhas of the Izuminokuni

Hodoji Temple

From May 17th (Sat) to June 15th

(Sun)

Venue: First floor Exhibition Corner

Hachigamine Hodoji in southeastern

Sakai is an ancient temple renowned

for its many cultural treasures.

Amongst them, The Sixteen Arhats

paintings, designated National Im-

portant Cultural Properties, will be

on display having recently under-

gone a six year renovation period

that finished in March last year.

As this exhibition is to celebrate the

anniversary of the completion of

their renovation, all 16 will be on

show in the same place – an exceed-

ingly rare occurrence.

At the same time, various other cul-

tural artifacts kept at Hodoji such as

Buddha statues, Buddhist paintings,

old scrolls with temple’s origins writ-

ten on them, temple name boards

and ancient tiles will be on display,

shedding light on the history of the

former Izuminokuni feu-

dal domain’s an-

cient temple.

Spot Displays

Facing 3.11 – A look back at Sakai’s

Earthquakes

March 11th (Tues) – June 1st (Sun),

2014

Venue: the Spot Display Corner of

the first floor permanent display

hall.

The Great East Japan Earthquake

of March 11th, 2011 made us painful-

ly aware of the horror of natural

disasters and of the brittleness of

civilization. Throughout the ages the

Japanese archipelago has been bat-

tered by many earthquakes and tsu-

nami.

The focus of this display will be

the earthquakes that hit Sakai in

the Early Modern Era and more re-

cent times, and it will look, through

old texts, at society’s struggles with

natural disasters. This collaboration

with the Sakai City Disaster Preven-

tion Planning Office also provides a

valuable opportunity to reflect on

the importance of residents’ disaster

preparedness, especially given the

constant threat we face in Sakai of a

Nankai Earthquake .

Continuing Exhibitions

Permanent exhibition “Nintoku Ryo

and the Prosperous City of Sakai”

Venue: First Floor Permanent Exhi-

bition Area

First floor UNESCO Heritage Gal-

lery Exhibition (permanent exhibit)

Venue: First floor Kofun Panel Gal-

lery

Opening Hours

Open Tuesday-Sunday 9:30-17:15 (enter by 16:30)

Closed

Mondays

Year-end and New Year Holidays

The day following public holidays

Contact museum for details （TEL:072-245-6201)

Admission Museum Entry only

Adults 200 yen

University/senior high students 100 yen

Elementary/junior high students 50 yen

Discounts apply for groups (20 persons or more). Junior high school students and elementary pupils attending schools or living in Sakai, as well as foreign exchange students with suitable identification are admitted for free.

P u b l i c F a c i l i t y P r i c e s

As a result of the consumption tax

rate rise at the start of April, the

user fees for the following public

facilities will also be changing.

Please enquire to each facility

individually for more details.

-Mihara General Sports Centre

(TEL) 072-369-0577

-Toga Culture Hall

(TEL) 072-296-0015

-Nishi Culture Hall

(TEL) 072-275-0120

-Higashi Culture Hall

(TEL) 072-234-5691

-Nobiyaka Fitness & Health Centre

(TEL) 072-246-5051

-Bicycle parks (TEL) 06-6449-0991

-Izumigaoka Pool

(TEL) 072-291-7577

-Sofia Sakai (TEL) 072-270-8110

The first payments of the Fixed Property Tax and City Planning Tax, as well as

the Light Vehicle Tax are due on Monday, 2 June, 2014. You can pay at

financial institutions, most convenience stores, post offices or at any ward city

tax office. You can also pay by ATM, internet or phone banking. If you wish to

pay by automatic transfer please ensure that you have the necessary funds in

your account on Monday, 2 June.

This year, the 2nd Sakai Women’s

Sumo Tournament will be held on

April 13th (Sunday) from 10 a.m. at

the Ohama Park Sumo Stadium in

Sakai City.

Come along and cheer on your fa-

vourite! Wrestlers from Taiwan,

Hong Kong will make up the inter-

national component – each having

been specially invited by the Japan

Women’s Sumo Federation.


Allowance

3. Those working as casual workers

and registered at HelloWork

4. Those whose Public Assistance

have been suspended or discon-

tinued (excluding instances

where suspension or discontinu-

ance has been caused by a

change in the household make

up)

5. Those who are exempted from—

or subject to reduced— residence,

individual enterprise or fixed

property tax

6. Those who are exempt from Na-

tional Pension contributions

7. Those who are subject to reduced

- or exempted from National

Health Insurance Fees

8. Those who have received loans

from the Living Welfare Fund

The application process can be com-

pleted between April 15th and April

30th (excluding Saturdays, Sundays

and public holidays). Apply either at

the school your child is enrolled at or

bring your name seal (inkan) and

documentation for your bank ac-

count to your local ward office’s ap-

plication area. Those who fall into

categories 3 or 5 – 8 above will need

to bring the relevant documentation

also.

Applications can still be made after

this period at your local ward office’s

Planning and General Affairs Divi-

sion however in that instance, subsi-

dies will be calculated from month

you apply.

Please note that the school expense

subsidy does not roll over automati-

cally and must be reapplied for each

year.

More detailed information will be

delivered through schools at the

start of April and will be available in

English, Chinese, Korean, Portu-

guese, Spanish and Tagalog upon

request.

Please direct enquiries to the School

Affairs Division at Sakai City BoE:

(TEL) 072-228-7485 (FAX) 072-228-

7256. Sakai City offers financial assis-

tance to families with children in

municipal elementary and junior

high schools who have difficulty cov-

ering school fees and other related

expenses. The assistance covers part

of school supply expenses and school

lunch fees. Eligible families will fall

into one of the following groups

based on their total household in-

come from 2013:

2 Person households – up to 1.82

million yen

3 person households – up to 2.37

million yen


million yen


million yen

A declaration of income must be

made before applications can be as-

sessed. Families who moved into

Sakai after the 2nd of January this

year must present a taxation certifi-

cate from their previous local gov-

ernment (kazei shomeisho) for the

2014 fiscal year showing their 2013

income.

Households that fall into the follow-

ing categories are also eligible for

the subsidy.

1. Those receiving Public Assis-

tance

2. Those receiving Child-rearing

School Expense

Subsidies

Women’s Sumo

PAGE FIVE

TAXES DUE

Phone Number Fax Number

Sakai Ward City Tax Office 072 228 7411 072 228 7766

Naka Ward City Tax Office 072 270 8187 072 270 8102

Higashi Ward City Tax Office 072 287 8106 072 287 8115

Nishi Ward City Tax Office 072 275 1907 072 275 1917

Minami Ward City Tax Office 072 290 1806 072 290 1816

Kita Ward City Tax Office 072 258 6724 072 258 6822

Mihara Ward City Tax Office 072 363 9318 072 361 1889

Tax Collection Division (Main Office) 072 228 3957 072 228 7618

Sakai Station

Sakai

Higashi Sta-

Oshoji

Smoking and Littering Ban on

Sakai Streets

Please be aware that there’s a city-wide ban on smoking and littering on streets and roads in Sakai, and that there’s an awareness raising campaign being held in the areas around major stations in city.

In particular, the areas in front of Sakai Higashi Station and Sakai Station, around the Sakai City Office, and along Oshoji St. have been designated as a smoke-free zone—if you’re caught smoking or littering, you could face a ¥1,000 fine—even if you’re riding a bike or scooter at the time!

Let’s all work together as a city to make Sakai a safe and comfortable community, free from litter and second-hand smoke!

Please call the Public Sanitation Division on 072-228-7429 if you have any questions.

http://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/english/visitors/newslett

er/index.html

The objective of City Life

is to provide non-

Japanese residents and

visitors with

information about daily

life and events in Sakai.

Published by the Inter-

national

Division, Sakai City Gov-

ernment, 3-1

Minamikawara-machi,

Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka

590-0078

Tel:072-222-7343

Fax:072-228-7900

City Life is compiled by

Felix Campbell, Coordi-

nator of International

Relations and is pub-

lished on the 1st of every

second month.

Pick up your next copy

of City Life from the 6th

floor of Sakai City Hall or

from:

Kita Ward Office

Naka Ward Office

Minami Ward Office

Nishi Ward Office

Higashi Ward Office

Mihara Ward Office

Foreigners living in Sa-

kai are eligible for free

delivery. Please email

us with your name and

address.

Japanese persons need

to send a self addressed

stamped envelope

(12x24cm)

If you would like to give

feedback or

contribute something to

City Life (event

information, hints for

living in Japan,

recipes etc.) please con-

tact Felix at:

kokusai@

city.sakai.lg.jp

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat

1 2 3 Constitu-

tion Day The Asakayama Azalea Festival is being held

during Golden Week.

4 Greenery

Day 5 Children’s

Day 6 Public

Holiday

7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 Pre-

registrations

for Two Day

March close

16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 New

Zealand Fair

at Harvest

Hill

25 New Zea-

land Fair at

Harvest Hill

26 27 28 29 30 31

Free Multilingual Daily Living Advice for Foreign Residents

The following system exists to promote international exchange and to support resi-

dents for whom Japanese is not their first language.

Volunteer interpreting: volunteer interpreters help out at city-run international ex-

change events or in response to requests for interpreting from residents who

do not speak Japanese. A parallel “Emergency and Disaster Network” also

exists for volunteers who would help out at times of crisis.

For more details, please see the city homepage (in Japanese).

Application forms are available from Sakai International Plaza and on the

city homepage. (TEL) 072-340-1090 (FAX) 072-340-1091

April 2014

May 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat

1 Foreign

Picture Book

Fair begins

2 3 4 5 Look out for Sakura in

early April!

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 Women’s

Sumo Tour-

nament

14 15 16 17 18 Sri

Lankan Tea

Seminar

19

20 21 22 23 24 25 Kids

Support

Centre Sakai

opens

26

27 28 29 Showa

Day 30 Foreign

Picture Book

Fair ends

PAGE SIX CITY LIFE

International Volunteer System Registration

Language Day (1) 9:00-12:00 (2) 13:00-16:00 Venue / Contact

Japanese and

English support is

available in

sessions (1) & (2),

Mon, Wed, Thurs

and Fri

Mon

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Portuguese

----------------------------

Korean

Portuguese, Chinese

Chinese, Spanish

Chinese

--------------------------

Spanish

Sakai International

Plaza

(TEL) 072-228-7499

(FAX) 072-340-1091

city life may april edition

Documents