Vol.792016Summer

Kyoto Prefectural International CenterKyoto Prefectural International Center

volunteer. Others who lived in unaffected towns offered their room for a sleep-over. Most international residents were staying in shelters or at rooms of friends for some nights. Fortunately most of them could go back to their own apartments, or other accommodation found by universities and work places.

●Keep bottles of water and energy bars at home.●Don’t put big furniture around where you sleep.●Don’t stay alone.●Don’t move too early (wait until the aftershocks

cease).●Listen to news (ask for translations, if you

can’t understand it).●Try to conserve your phone’s battery (it’ll be

your life).●Tell more than one person where you are.●If you have a chance to get out of urban

areas, take it! (All supermarkets are closed, shelters are over-crowded etc.)●If you’re sleeping in your car, be aware of

deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) aka “economy class syndrome”.

Relief activities linked to the Kumamoto earthquakeBy Noriaki KONDO, head of planning section in KPIC

On April 14th and 16th, earthquakes measuring up to 7 on the Shindo scale (Japanese earthquake intensity scale) rocked the prefecture of Kumamoto. We received an aid request from Kumamoto International Foundation, located in the stricken area, and I went there as part of the relief efforts. A multilingual support center was set up inside the Kumamoto City International Center, managed by the foundation, to support international residents, and around 50 people from other international associations throughout Japan gathered to help. When a disaster happens, international residents who don’t understand Japanese might not receive proper support, such as not getting the information sent out

by local governments, not being able to access water or food supplies, or not getting a Disaster Victim Certificate issued (risaishomeisho). Depending on their birthplace, some might not even have experienced earthquakes and don’t know how to react due to lack of proper knowledge. Therefore, the role of a multilingual support center is to provide such support and information to the aforementioned international residents. It has 2 roles. First, tour the evacuation shelters, assess the needs of those who sought refuge there and provide necessary information. We were often told “I don’t understand the shelter’s announcements”, “Japanese around wouldn’t talk to me and I feel lonely” or “I thought foreigners weren’t supposed to eat the food provided in the shelter”. They were happy to be able to speak their native language with the staff. Then, the center has to provide multilingual disaster-related information. We translated information released in Japanese into other languages and published it online or put it in evacuation shelters. We translated information into English, Chinese and Korean as well as easy Japanese to reach out to as many people as possible.

We often have the idea that because of the language barrier, international residents need support during times of disaster but I met a local restaurant owner from Sri Lanka as well as Filipino and Nepalese communities who provided food in shelters, Muslim associations who brought food from outside the prefecture, and international students who helped with managing the shelters. Many international residents were the ones actually providing support. In times of disaster, no matter your nationality, the “Japanese / foreigners” distinction is not longer relevant as we all have to act together as residents of the same area and community to help each other get through. That’s what that experience taught me.

The night the ground shookBy Billy Preißinger, CIR in Kumamoto City

I’ve been working as a CIR in the Kumamoto city hall for two years. I was told there was a small chance that a big earthquake could hit Kyushu in the next 30 years. So my preparations for such a disaster were less, but luckily

I made the right decisions and wasn’t hurt. This is about my experience. After the foreshock hit Kumamoto on April 14th, everyone believed that was the main event. However, news still warned us about aftershocks with magnitude up to 6. So I slept to a friend’s house and we also decided to fill her bathtub with water. That night another strong earthquake hit Kumamoto at 1.25 a.m.

Fortunately, my friend has nearly no furniture that could fall over. If I had been in my room, I definitely would have been hurt or even worse. After the aftershocks started to calm down, we evacuated to a park nearby. We were lucky that my friend had a lot of energy bars at home. We had water, but no bottles to take it with us, but we found some tea in a vending machine. Convenience stores were a mess.After the day dawned, we decided to go to her parents’ house who live in the countryside and still had running water and electricity. When I got back to my apartment one week later, it had a yellow label on which said “Limited Entry”, meaning that the room was unsafe, but can be repaired. The owner agreed to my moving out.

Telephone networks weren’t working for some hours, but international foreign residents were connected via SNS. Japanese speakers translated information about where to get water and food as well as opportunities to

Celebrating

1996-201620years

From October 1st 2016, the Center will be relocating to the B1 floor of the Mielparque building, next to Kyoto station. Please check our website for more details.

Important notice!

Kumamoto Earthquake:Experiences of International and Japanese residents

CORNERS OF KYOTO PREFECTURE

Fukuchiyama City (northern Kyoto Prefecture)

F ukuchiyama is a city in the northern part of Kyoto prefecture, in the Chuutan region. Quite large for a city in the countryside, Fukuchiyama JR station is the last stop for inner city train lines that go to Kyoto City, as well as Osaka. It also serves as the

connection to the Kyoto Tango railway line to the northernmost regions of Kyoto, including Amanohashidate, and Kinosaki. As such, Fukuchiyama city serves as a convenient hub to access many different kinds of areas in the Kansai region.Fukuchiyama is famous for its castle. As one of the oldest established cities in Kyoto Prefecture, as well as all of Japan, rich history and culture can be felt throughout the city, to which the castle serves as a focal point. Fukuchiyama castle towers above the town and boasts excellent views of the whole city. Once a year, Fukuchiyama city hosts a Kunoichi (female ninja) competition marathon. Women from all over Japan gather at Fukuchiyama castle and compete in an obstacle course for the title of No.1 Kunoichi in Japan. In the immediate vicinity of the castle is Yurano Park, a circular garden which hosts a multitude of shops and restaurants, all with views of the castle.

Fukuchiyama is also known as a dessert town. There are numerous bakeries, cafes, and sweet shops, most of them locally owned. Many bakeries like to boast a menu of both traditional, regional desserts, as well as modern sweets.As a very traditional town, there are also numerous Washoku style restaurants, many predating the 20th century! Eating at one of these restaurants is an opportunity to discover genuine authentic Japanese dining, and my visiting friends and family have always been blown away by the experience.

Fukuchiyama is quite the unique town. Nestled away in the countryside, though not left wanting for most big city amenities, Fukuchiyama is truly an authentic, traditional Kyoto city. From here, one has access to many kinds of regions in Kansai, from the beautiful beaches of Amanohashidate, to the bustling hubs of Osaka. It really is a gem of a town.

French cooking class in Oyamazaki town French dance at Yawata elementary school French booth at Nantan Kids Carnival On to the next challenge!

ways to create new things from that cultural synergy. In a few months after my arrival, I already translated for Kyoto Prefecture Governor and the Quebec Prime Minister, met South-East Asian ministers and sultans, organized wine seminars, spent a week with elementary students cooking crepes, singing French songs and cleaning the halls together.... And now, it’s time to embark on the next adventure and say goodbye to this place and its wonderful people which I consider a bit like my Kyoto family and also my role models. I hope that my “legacy” will keep blossoming in the shape of exchanges between Kyoto and

Southern France through the friendship agreement I helped build, with all the people and students I interacted with to encourage them to learn French or get out of Japan to experience other cultures, and especially broaden their minds about the infinite set of values and ways to envision life that do exist. We are more than 7 billion players in this beautiful world and it’s up to us to shape the future we want to live in, all together. Spending these 5 years with the people at the Center and the Prefectural office, as well as the people of Kyoto has been a privilege and I am leaving blessed with unforgettable memories, a priceless experience and a warm place in my heart to support me on the next step in life and my career. I will still be around so say hi if we cross paths!

Julian Bustos, ALT in Fukuchiyama City

Sweets paradise

Fukuchiyama castle

FukuchiyamaCity

Kyoto City

☞h�p://www.kpic.or.jp/shichoson/ kyoiku/bogosien.html

The brochure can be downloaded from the following link. Please do not hesitate to use it!

This publication has been released by KPIC in Japanese, Filipino and Chinese (English to follow). Foreign Language Supporters are those supporting children with an international background in schools who do not understand enough Japanese. They become an intermediary between the child and its teachers and classmates, and provide interpreting or help with classes. This brochure was made based on active school supporters’ experiences and gives advice about what to pay attention to (in the form of a Q&A on topics such as confidentiality, neutrality and impartiality, self-management), how to build a good communication with the child and school, how to improve one’s interpreting skills etc.

So it’s been 5 years. It both feels like I just arrived yesterday and that I’ve been here for much longer at the same time. When I first arrived

at the Center, freshly out of graduate school, I remember two things: the very Japanese setting of the office (desk arrangement and files everywhere!) and how the department manager asked me straight away: “so what do you want to do?” This set the tone for the amazing ride these five years have been: finding the right balance between adapting to a Japanese office and work environment, while still being myself and finding

New publication release: “For Foreign Language Supporters in Japanese Schools”

Farewell, KPIC! Greetings from Alice Bonamy, the Coordinator of International Relations

1. Please tell us about yourself and how you came to live in Kyoto.

My name is Thomas Bertrand, I am 35 years old and come from France near Lyon. I have loved Japan ever since I was a kid, and studied in Kyoto University in 2003 for one year as an exchange student. I then came back to work, got married and have been living here in Kyoto.

2. What made you want to create your own company in Japan?

Since long ago, I knew I wanted to be my own boss. Being a foreigner in Japan made me feel freer to start something new than I would have been in France, without friends and family judging me. Living in a different culture triggers creativity rather than if you were back home in your comfort zone. Especially here in Japan, willingness to work hard and efforts are acknowledged. Sometimes Japan can be tiring, but once you overcome that feeling, you feel ready to broaden your horizons because there are a lot of opportunities.

3. Why Bento boxes in particular? They don’t exist in France. French people like to cook and love eating. Lunch is very important and people do spend money on things related to food. However the “lunch box culture” for children however doesn’t exist in France and people have told me it won’t work for this reason. But many French people who love Japan and are now working do bring their lunch to work. Instead of using a Tupperware and eating from a plate, it’s better to have a beautiful box, isn’t it?

“ I think a strong intuition and the will to start are more important than a market research. ”

4. Did you research the market before launching your business?

No. I found quite a few blogs about Bento and people selling boxes on Ebay but no specialized shops. The French and American media talked about it and famous chefs were using them too. I knew it was going to work and trusted my intuition. I think a strong intuition and the will to start are more important than a market research. When a market starts to emerge, research won’t get you into it, and if I waited, others would have done it instead. I have many competitors now on the online market. If you have that intuition, you can be sure others have it too! It was also the right timing. After the economic crisis in 2008, people stopped eating out and made their own lunch again.

5. So, how did you get started and how did your business become the way it is now?

In 2005, I started a blog writing about life in Kyoto and Japan, and it was very successful. I met a lot of people through that blog: travelers, journalists etc and kept in touch with them. This readership was the supporting foundation that allowed me to launch Bento&co. At that time, I was working freelance and the idea of developing an online shop was growing. My mom one day told me that she had read an article about Bentos and that was it! With my wife, we contacted a few Japanese suppliers and bought our first stock of boxes for 50,000 yen. I had 2 French friends in Kansai who helped me build the website. That’s how it started!

“ Our multilingual staff are very knowledgeable about our products and can answer very specific questions ”

6. You are now selling worldwide, and have opened a shop in Kyoto. How did you expand the business and what is the state of affairs now?

We opened the website 2 to 3 weeks after I got the idea. Thanks to the internet, word of mouth and the people I met through my blog, the French press wrote articles about us and that’s how we got customers right away. 3 months later we were able to buy a new stock of boxes. We started small but got bigger and bigger. At first the website was only in French and geared towards European markets, but thanks to connections with English blogs about Bento we got American customers and opened the English website in 2010, then the Japanese website in 2011.

Paper labels

Collaboration boxes with French brands

�omas Bertrand, the owner

The shop opened in 2012. From 2011 we have also been selling to professionals. The shop has enabled us to get into the Japanese market, with Japanese media talking about it. France is still the main market, with 40% of our sales. Then it’s the US, Canada, Australia and Japan (10% of our sales). We now sell our Bento boxes in 95 countries.

“ It’s a chance to have that double insight; to know Japan and your own culture well, for you can find opportunities in either one. ”

7. You are a French person selling Japanese products in Japan. How do you stand out from competitors?

In Japan, there isn’t really a specialized Bento shop. You can find cheap Bento boxes in supermarkets but foreigners don’t go there. Tokyu Hands and Loft both sell similar products but we are specialists: our multilingual staff (Japanese, English and French) are very knowledgeable about our products and can answer very specific questions. Our products’ range is also very wide: we have boxes in plastic, metal, wood, and bamboo. We also import overseas products from France, India, Thailand, England, China etc. We also change the packaging. Usually, Bento boxes are sold inside a plastic bag only. We take that out and add a paper strap to differentiate our brand and bring out the product. They also all have a tag explaining their features and who made them.

8. Were there any difficulties procedure-wise to start?

Good written and spoken Japanese is needed. Procedures were easy: I went to my local tax office, gave them my address, told them I wanted to start selling online and that was it. When you grow bigger, you’ll need a good public accountant but nothing different than France or any other country.

“ Making that first step is also very important (...) You can start your online shop or business even if it’s not ready because it will never be ”

9. What would you say to other residents that would like to start their own business here?

The only things that matter are your will and intuition, and be passionate about what you do. As a foreigner, you also have to understand the local culture. It’s a chance to have that double insight: know Japan and your own market well, because you can find opportunities in either one.

Make that first step. I’m very glad I didn’t listen to people who told me it wasn’t going to work because of cultural differences or the cost. Get started on your online shop or business even if it’s not ready because it will never be. As long as you still don’t have customers, you don’t have problems! First, get customers and make your first sales. You can think about legal matters and improving your project later. It will keep evolving if you always try to do better than what currently exists!

bentoandco.com / en.bentoandco.com / bentoandco.jp / Company : bertrandco.com

Focus: Starting a business in JapanA salad bowl of cultures – Interview with the owner of Bento&co

For this last installment in our “Kyoto Entrepreneur” series, we met with Thomas Bertrand, the owner of Bento&co, a shop specialized in bento boxes and related utensils. We asked him about his journey and how he became prominent in the world of this intricate product fundamental to the Japanese lifestyle. Let us unwrap this adventure and open the first lid!

Bento&coAddress: Kyoto, Nakagyo-Ku, Rokkaku Dori,

FuyachoHigashi Iru, Yaoya-cho 117Tel/Fax: 075-708-2164 Open hours: everyday from 12:00 to 19:00

INFORMATION FROM KPIC

living-e@kpic.or.jp

Living Infoby Email We send email messages full of useful l iving information twice a month. Please send your choice of language (English, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese or Japanese in the hiraga-n a s y l l a b a r y ) t o :

Kyoto Prefectural International Center NEWS Summer 2016 Published by Kyoto Prefectural International Center (KPIC)

Kyoto Prefectural International Center

SUVACO

Subway

N

Kintetsu Gate

JR KyotoIsetan

Hachijo guchi

JR Shinkansen Gate

JR West Gate

JR Central Gate

To 9th Floor KPIC

Kyoto TouristInformation Center

JR Kyoto Sta.

Please take the south elevator from the 2nd

Open hours : 10:00-18:00Closed : 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month,

national holidays, 12/29-1/3

Fax : 075-342-5050E-mail : main@kpic.or.jphttp://www.kpic.or.jp/

Tel : 075-342-5000

Kyoto PrefecturalInternational CenterKyoto Station Building, 9th floor, Karasuma Shiokoji, Shimogyoku, Kyoto 600-8216Please take the south elevator from the 2nd floor of Isetan Department Store.

COUNSELING SERVICES for Kyoto’s International Residents

Our counseling staff will give you information and advice for daily life, preparation for jobs, contacts with graduates working in Japan, etc. This service is free of charge.

An expert can respond to your visa-related questions including those about changing or renewing your status of residence.Please make a reservation at least one week in advance by Web form or Fax.

Support Desk for International Students1 Visa consultation2

■ Consultation days and hours : Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00-17:00■ Languages : Interpretation in English, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Spanish and Portuguese available. Reservation required for interpretation.■ Email : counsel@kpic.or.jp　　　■ TEL : 075-342-0088

Date: Fourth Sunday of every month, 13:00-16:00 (30 minutes/person)Fee: Free of charge.Details: http://www.kpic.or.jp/english/residents/consul.html☞h�p://www.kpic.or.jp/english/residents/consul.html

http://www.kpic.or.jp/english/Web

For more information, please refer toKyoto Prefecture CIRscommon blog☞h�p://tabunkakyoto.wordpress.com/

Application / more information

1 Japanese language classes for international residents

Date

Place

Time

1. Basic class: From October 6th (Thu) to December 19th (Mon), Every Monday and Thursday 2. Conversation class: From October 8th (Sat) to December 10th (Sat), Every Saturday10:15-12:30Kyoto Prefectural International Center1. Basic Class: 6,000 yen for 20 times 2. Conversation Class: 4,000 yen for 10 times15 people per class

Course fee

Participants limit

COUNSELING Q&A for Kyoto’s International Residents

AQIn these sessions, you get to have more insight and information about the companies. Some even hold sessions especially for international students, so keep an eye out for those as it means they are eager to hire people like you! Some companies also use these sessions as the first step of the selection process. Don’t forget to also ask questions. A few good ones:- Do you / why do you hire international students? - In the last 3 years, how many international students have you hired?- What level of Japanese is required?

Check if this company is hiring international staff, if they have overseas offices (including your home country), if their ethics fit yours etc. Ask other employees for their feedback about the work and the work environment. Put companies into 3 groups, in order of interest. Compare them and list the reasons for that choice so your motives become clearer. Bring a letter of motivation that has been previously checked by a job hunting support staff.

Why should I participate incompany’ information seminars (setsumeikai), consultation sessions (soudankai) and exchange parties(kouryukai)? Any advice for those?

Learn the Japanese necessary for daily life with people from all over the world!

Program

Place

2

Date / Time

☞h�p://www.kpic.or.jp/english/learning_japanese/japanese_course/index.html 　

Kyoto International Cooperation Station 2016

September 10th (Sat), 11th (Sun), 2016 10:00-18:00Kyoto station bldg. 2nd floor and 9th floor (inside KPIC)Craft activities, quiz rally with traditional handicraft prizes, booths, presentations and seminars etc. Many activities that both adults and children can enjoy!

Information from other internationalization organizations: Himawari KyoshitsuA support class for children with an international background and their parents/guardians. Children can do their school’s homework and parents/guardians can study Japanese or ask for consultation / advice. Held in the evenings 3 times a month in 2 different places in Kameoka City. 300 yen.For more information, contact Mrs. Kojima: 0771-23-6579 kiyomi-kojima@gaia.eonet.ne.jp ☞h�ps://www.facebook.com/KameokaKokusai/

Discover the activities of various Kyoto-based organizations working in the fields of international cooperation and multiculturalism.