Vol. 10 , No.4 August 2000
Club News
In this issue:
1) Old Business 4)Editor's Corner
2) New Business 5) Meishi/Businesses
3) Classifieds/Trading Post
OLD BUSINESS
Adopt-A-Highway
Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!
Kudos and high praise to all whom volunteered their valuable time and precious selves to make Adopt-A-Highway such a success during this summer clean-up session that took place on July 15, 2000. Adopt-A-Highway is such an excellent way for citizens and club groups to help keep "North Carolina Beautiful".
The Nippon Club takes on an area of 2.2 miles along Glenwood Avenue/ Highway 70; each group with the Adopt-A-Highway program agrees to patrol the stretch of their assigned roadway, picking up and bagging trash that accumulates along the roadside. That Saturday morning, twenty-three members and family turned out to bag trash.
Under a bright sun and hot weather, these hard-working folks picked up 50 bags of refuse in about two hours' time. Compared to past turnouts for clean-up operations, this one was a large group, and so the workload was lighter for all participants.
We offer sincere thanks to all those who gave their time and energy to help the Nippon Club make this contribution to our community, and we wish to extend an open invitation to Club members, and all interested parties to join us for the Fall clean-up in about three months' time. Participants included:Kazumi Yamada, Osamu Tomisawa, Kyoko Tomisawa, Hiroshi Sadaki, Masaaki Takamiya, Ryoji Chijiiwa, Eriko Baxter, Morio Matsumiya, Hironori Nishie, Masahiro Yamamoto, Akira Saito, Yukihiko Yamaguchi, Dai Yui, Hideki Miyake, Nobuyuki Saiki, Kozo Matsunaga, Masahiko Otake, Hisato Michikoshi, Marie Moyer, Anna Moyer, and Francis Moyer.
Bon Odori Charlotte
Hosted by the Japanese Association in Charlotte, and sponsored by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, International House, First Union Bank, and The Japan-America Society of Charlotte, the 16th Annual Japanese Dance Festival, BON ODORI, took place on Saturday, July 29 in Charlotte from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Two First Union Plaza. Attendance was good, with several thousand people enjoying themselves. Tickets were $4.00, with children 12 and under free of charge. It was good family fun with prizes, food and entertainment. There was a Japanese drum performance. Bon Odori has become a summer tradition in Charlotte, if you missed it, plan to enjoy this event in Charlotte next summer.
In Japan, BON ODORI is a traditional summer festival, marked by folks dressed up in Yukata,(cotton kimono), enjoying group dances. Street vendors offer roasted corn, and other food treats and of course,a traditional summer evening would not be complete without Ohanabi,(fireworks).Bon Odori takes place in Japan during the summer at various times, depending on the region. BON is a Buddhist festival for welcoming home the souls of departed ancestors.For us North Carolina "Nihonjin", it was July 29th.
NORTH Carolina State University's English As A Second Language
The ESL program that runs during the summer at North Carolina State University for English as a Second Language has finished for another season. International Night was held on July 28, with traditional dress, traditional foods and entertainment put on by the students. Host families, friends and instructors, as well as the students themselves attended the final banquet held at Mckimmon Center, Friday, August 4th, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Students from around the world attend this institute for the six week period, staying near the university in University Towers. They attend classes during the day, and enjoy activities during the weekends. This year's class is one of the largest yet, with eighty students. Probably about 30% of that student body were made up of Japanese students. There are many students attending from Japan, including Hiromi Koizumi.Her family took very good care of me,this newsletter's editor, when I lived in Japan. Best wishes to all students as they get ready to depart for home; have a safe return and thank you for visiting North Carolina!
There is a Japanese Language version of the information pamphlet available at NC Japan Center.If you are interested in attending NCSU's English as a Second Language Institute 2001 next summer, please feel free to contact them at :
e-mail: cpe@ncsu.edu
Community News
New Business
ONE DAY CONSULAR SERVICES: October 28,20000
On October 28,2000,(last Saturday in October)
in Durham, N.C., there will be a one day Japanese Consular
Service set up at Marriott Research Triangle Park, from 9:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m..
The Consulate General of Japan from the Atlanta, Georgia office
will provide this service to all interested Japanese citizens.Please
contact North Carolina Japan Center at 515-3450 for more details.
There are forms on voter registration and passport help available
at Japan Center. The Atlanta consulate can be reached at e mail:ryoji@cgjapanatlanta.org
or fax : 1-404-874-2350; phone is : 1-404-892-2700.
You may also visit The Nippon Club homepage at: here
E mail: nippon_club@geocities.co.jp
This service will attract many people, due to its convenient location for conducting Japanese civic business, please make your plans early, since demand for this One Day Consular Service will be great. A reminder announcement will also appear in the October newsletter.
Call Japan Center, or visit the website for information and maps as needed to find the Marriott Research Triangle Park.
Fall International Festival at Raleigh Civic Center October 6, 7, & 8
The fall Raleigh International Festival will be coming up October 6,7, & 8. The Nippon Club of the Triangle will be looking for volunteers to staff the food booth, as well as helping with origami demonstrations, folk dance, etc. If you would like to volunteer to help the Nippon Club with Its part of demonstrating Japanese culture and sharing with the Raleigh community, please feel free to contact Mr.Masahiko Ohtake at 463-9375, or 486-1438 to get more information. This festival is an excellent way to experience the diverse cultures which grace the Triangle, and it makes excellent family entertainment.
Date :6th-8th /Oct
Place: Raleigh Civic Center
Web : http://www.internationalfestival.org/
Annual Southeast Origami Festival, September 19-27
In Charlotte, NC during the week of SEPTEMBER
19-27 there will be an Origami Festival. Many are events
scheduled. For more information on exact daily events and
location,
Please contact the festival planners at : (phone) 704-375-3692; (fax)
704-544-9272, or visit the website at : http://www.southeastorigami.home.mindspring.com
Return of "First Thursday"/ Hatsumoku-Kai
We are pleased to announce the return of
Hatsumoku-Kai, or "First Thursday" Club at North
Carolina Japan Center. The first speaker of the season will be Mr.
James Alchediak, of North Carolina State University's Department
of Communications. His topic is entitled: "Video Taping
Japan: Recording Scenes From Classical & Contemporary Japan".
The location for Hatsumoku-Kai is Japan Center,
5 Rosemary St. in Raleigh. Phone # 515-3450; Mr. Alchediak's program will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The "First Thursday" Club meets the first Thursday of each month at NC Japan Center from 5:30-6:30; admission is free and open to all.
Japanese Language Classes For Adults/Fall term 2000
The North Carolina Japan Center will offer an intermediate Japanese Language Class for adults on Tuesday evenings.
TIME: TUESDAYS, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Beginning date: TUESDAY, September 12
Number of sessions: 10
Place : NC Japan Center, 5 Rosemary St.
Phone: 515-3450, fax: 515-3686
Send in the registration form after contacting Japan Center. The cost for tuition is $65.00 and the textbook is Japanese for Busy People. The instructor is Ms. Yoshimi Yamagata Aoyagi.
For an introductory class in Japanese, contact Wake Technical Community College for Ms. Aoyagi's JA 001, Beginning Japanese course, set for Wednesday evenings.
English As A Second Language
The Japan Center will be the location for ESL
classes offered on Saturday mornings, beginning September 2 from
9:30a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
The cost for this tuition is $65.00, and the instructor is Ms.
Carolyn Quarterman
The course will run on the following dates: Sept.2,23, & 30; Oct.7,14,28; Nov.4 & 11; Dec.2 & 9.Contact NC Japan Center for application and information about this course.
Japanese Language School of Raleigh
The Japanese Language School of Raleigh is back in session for its start of the fall term. Classes started August 12th; the JLSR is located at Out Lady Of Lourdes Elementary School at 2710 Overbrooke Dr., Raleigh,NC. If you are interested in contacting the school, please call Mr.Hiroshi Sone, principal, at 515-9064;or Ms.Suwa, secretary, at 515-9066, or fax 515-9065.
Rotary International Cultural Exchange
Rotary Club International is planning a cultural exchange trip to sister clubs in Japan. Members of Rotary Clubs in the Piedmont North Carolina district and non-Rotarians will plan to visit Japan next spring. Non-Rotarian team members must not be related to any Rotarians and be 25 to years of age. Interested persons should contact : Mr. Bill McLaurin at 743-9565. Or, write to P.O. Box 781,Raleigh, NC 27602 for details.Applications must be in by August 31st.
Community Service: Classifieds/Trading Post
As a continuing service
to the community, Nippon Newsletter is introducing a classifieds/trading
post section to the newsletter. If you are new to the area and
need things to furnish your new place, or you need to find a new
place, or you are preparing to depart for Japan and need to sell
your car, this service is for you. You may email the editor with
the facts about what you want to sell, or buy, and a phone
number, fax number or email address contact to reach you. This
will create a marketplace where buyer, seller , or traders can
meet to exchange goods. Any ads sent to me now will appear in the
October/November newsletter. E mail the editor, Margie Reintz at margie_reinitz@hotmail.com
Also, sumimasen, watashi no Nihongo wa, heta desu kedo…if
you wish to place the ad Nihongo de, please e mail to Ms. Junko
Gilbert, who helps the newsletter greatly by doing the
translation portion. Junko San can be reached at: junkogilbert@hotmail.com .
Classifieds/Trading Post
For Sale: CAR, Toyota, straight drive station wagon Tercel,1984,in good condition, got one PhD through grad.school.Call 779-4042 and leave message on voice mail. E mail: margie_reinitz@hotmail.com
Note: YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK
BASIS.
You agree that NIPPON CLUB shall not be responsible or liable for
any loss or damage of any sort
incurred as the result of any such dealings on the Service.
Editor's Corner
I would like to thank all whom
assisted me in preparation of this Nippon Newsletter of the
Triangle. This month's edition is a transfer
of editors. Last month's edition, No.3, was the last Nippon
Newsletter of the Triangle
for outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Ms. Eriko Baxter. Eriko San is
leaving us to enter Law School this fall and we wish her all the
best with this endeavor! That makes me, Margie Reinitz, the new
Editor-in-chief. This month has been my orientation period, and I
have enjoyed the chance to learn new things. I appreciate the
opportunity to serve the community with this project, and look
forward to a productive time together.
I would personally like to thank the people who made this month's
newsletter possible, and without whom, I could not have done it!
Thanks to Eriko Baxter for "editor orientation",to all
club officers for mailing duties to get the newsletter to you
,the reader, thanks to Ms.Asel Beisekulovea and Dr.Suguru Sato
for technical "helpdesk" computer stuff,thanks also to
Mr.Tony Moyer,Director of NC Japan Center, and my former teacher,
for current event & past event news, and most especially, I
would like to thank Ms.Junko Gilbert,who came to my great
assitance by doing the translation.I really appreciate the time
each of you gave me to make this happen!Please feel free to
contact me directly at my e mail: margie_reinitz@hotmail.com
This is your newsletter and I welcome all volunteer editors to
contribute articles or "Letters to the Editor".If you
are interested in writing for us, please contact me, or if you
can contribute translation services, please be in touch!
The workload is always lighter when shared.
nippon_club@geocities.co.jp
August/2000 Copyright (C) Nippon club of the Triangle All Right Reserved.