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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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September 2020page 1 |
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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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September 2020page 1 |
September 2020 page 1 TOPICS
Matsuyama Selected as an "SDGs Future City"
Japan has been selecting cities across the country that have high potential to achieve SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals suggested by the United Nations) as "SDGs Future Cities" since 2018. Among them, especially unique and innovative projects of those cities are designated "Local government SDGs Model Projects." 93 cities and 30 projects have been selected so far. On July 17, Matsuyama was certified first in the Shikoku region as a "SDGs Future City" proposing a "Local government SDGs Model Project." The city is trying to proceed with a sustainable city plan, creating new values from three aspects; economy, society, and environment. The theme of the project Matsuyama proposed is "Sightseeing Future City to make everyone smile, connecting islands, towns, and mountains on the Seto Inland Sea." The city will push forward on the project led mainly by the Matsuyama SDGs Promotion Committee. They aim to pass down valuable resources, such as rich, natural sightseeing attractions, cultural background, and local communities, to their future children. (August 15, Koho Matsuyama) |
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Castle Ropeway Celebrates 65 Years
A ceremony to celebrate the 65th year of the Matsuyama Castle Ropeway was held on August 7. According to Matsuyama city, the chairlift and gondola went into operation on August 7, 1995. It runs 327 meters where the difference of altitude is about 60 meters in about three minutes. The number of passengers was about 540,000 in 2019. Operation was stopped on April 15 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It restarted on June 19, limiting the number of passengers from 47 to 10 for social distancing. (August 12, Ehime Shimbun) |
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In Remembrance of Korean Workers
On August 7, a memorial service was held at a graveyard on Mt. Besshi, Niihama, eastern Ehime. About 15 people attended, including members of the prefectural headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, and students of the Korean Primary and Middle School in Matsuyama. They prayed for the Koreans who were forced to work in the copper mines of Mt. Besshi and died there during the Pacific War. The attendants cleaned around the graveyard and monument carefully, and offered fruit and incense sticks in front of the monument. According to the Association, more than 2000 Korean people were taken to the mine. Since 1991, a volunteer group has conducted investigations of the graveyard based on the witness of survivors. So far they have found 37 stone-piled graves near the temple called Nank-In and confirmed identities of three graves by checking the documents of the temple. The memorial service has been held every year since 1997. A member of the Association said, "It is important that each of us should consider what to do in order not to forget the history of the Koreans who died on this mountain." (August 8, Ehime Shimbun) |
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New Projection Mapping of Firebird Begins at Dogo Onsen
"Blue Firebird" will descend on Dogo. A new projection mapping (video projection) using manga artist Osamu Tezuka's representative work "Firebird" started on the night of August 7th at the Dogo Onsen Main Building (Dogo Yunomachi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture), currently under preservation and repair work. The projection is part of the "Dogo Reborn" project that uses construction work for tourism. The title of the additional special program is "Fireworks by NAKED -Firebird 2020" (about 2 minutes). In the program, a digital-fireworks display and a blue firebird specially licensed by Tezuka Productions appear to convey a message of prayer for regeneration and healing. The north side of the main building was brilliantly colored, and visitors seemed fascinated while taking photos. The City's Dogo Onsen Office says, "In the middle of the Covid-19 fatigue, we want to provide some relief for people's physical and mental health through this new event." Also, the wall art on the north side of the main building has been renewed. Under the theme of a "Message from All Generations," firebird graphics, manga, and well-known lines from the original story are inserted into the pictures and photographs related to each period from the era of myth to the mid-20th century. The new projection mapping is shown every 15 minutes from 6:30 to 9:30 pm every day, alternating with the regular program. The program is scheduled to run until December 27th. The viewing is free of charge.(August 7, Ehime Shimbun Online) |
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Matsuyama Mitsukoshi to Be Renovated
Matsuyama Mitsukoshi Ltd. will be under renovation in September. It will keep open even during the renovation, and the grand opening is planned in Fall 2021. The number of floors for the department store will be drastically decreased. The rest of the building will be converted to a comprehensive shopping complex containing a hotel and grocery store. It will be the first big renovation since the construction for the current building was completed in 1991. The shops operated by Matsuyama Mitsukoshi will be decreased by 40-50% of the present B1 to 8th floors. A hotel, specialty shops and a food marche will be invited to rent the rest of the space. After the renovation, shops selling food items, especially confection shops popular among the young, will occupy the 1st and B1 floors. Mitsukoshi department store will be located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors. The health and beauty shops will be on the 5th and 6th floors, and the hotel will be operated by Chaharu, which manages a Japanese inn in Dogo. It will be on the 7th and 8th floors. It is hoped that this renovation will help Matsuyama Mitsukoshi to break away from a long-term deficit. Since it became independent in 2010 from Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd., unfortunately no profit has been generated. A loss of 500 million yen was reported in 2019. In addition to that, sales declined by 20% and the number of visitors decreased by 30% in July 2020 in comparison with last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Toru Asada, President of Matsuyama Mitsukoshi, says "Our problem was that we had not been able to take advantage of the best location in Matsuyama." (July 30, Asahi Shimbun Digital) |
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Matsuyama Castle Certified as a Night View Heritage of Japan
On July 22, Matsuyama City (Ehime Prefecture) announced that Matsuyama Castle was certified as a Night View Heritage of Japan by the Japan Night View Heritage Group (Tokyo). The castle is the second place in the prefecture to be designated as such, following the Gujyo-Tenbodai (observatory) in Shikokuchuo City. According to the group, the Night View Heritage of Japan was launched in 2004 with the aim of promoting beautiful nightscapes to tourists. There are four categories: natural night view, facility-type night view, lit night view, and historical and cultural night view. Nationwide, 261 sites have already been certified, including the 21 new sites announced on the day. Matsuyama Castle has been certified as a lit night view heritage. The group acknowledges the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the various lighting events that take place daily from sunset to 11:00 pm. Of the 12 existing castle towers nationwide, only two castles (Matsuyama and Himeji) have a rectangular layout with one main castle tower and two or more smaller towers joined by corridors. The castle towers are illuminated in the display, which people can see from many angles. At the same time, the night scene of downtown from the castle is also beautiful, the group said. The Matsuyama City Tourism and International Exchange Division said, "Matsuyama Castle is a landmark we citizens and tourists love. In the future, we want to try to propose how to enjoy Matsuyama at night by holding events in cooperation with retail businesses." (July 23, Ehime Shimbun Online) |
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COVID-19 Affects Study Abroad
By Ehime University Students (Fujiwara Hayato, Murakami Yuri, Marie Michelet, Nobori Motoyuki, Yamanaka Hinata) Our lives are changing these days. COVID-19 is the reason. We discussed it in a class called Science Communication at Ehime University. We focused on topics about traveling and studying abroad. Studying abroad implies to take in consideration risk management and to prepare for every situation. Today with the Covid-19 crisis, it is even more important to beware of health care issues, particularly about infectious diseases. But there are other issues as well. COVID-19 creates a big problem for study abroad. Eighteen students who were planning to study at Ehime University were not able to matriculate. We interviewed a student who was supposed to come to Ehime University from Korea. He said, "It is difficult to improve Japanese language online compared to face-to-face". In fact, it is certain that face-to-face classes provide more opportunities to speak Japanese with friends. An Ehime University student who went to Sweden had to make an emergency return to Japan after finishing only 2/3 of her term. An Ehime Univ. research team is investigating the knowledge, attitudes and practice of Japanese regarding COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. This survey is done by Internet communication tools. The tools have been developed in educational facilities under COVID-19. It is useful for students learning to have initiative to deal with online classes. It makes them active, not passive, learners. In addition, a student from Malaysia said, "with a network environment they can attend classwork wherever they are". So, we expect that regional disparities of study are resolved. And, there is a possibility that the spread of online classes will be a new way to study abroad. A graduate student from Korea thinks “we are getting better at academic writing because main assignments are mostly written reports thanks to COVID-19. COVID-19 problems are serious, but we test our problem-solving abilities to take advantage of that situation for us. In conclusion, the COVID-19 has caused various changes in the ways of study abroad and communication tools. There are also merits that we can get with this situation. As Ehime University students, we should utilize what we have learned in lectures and what we have experienced under the COVID-19 pandemic. By making use of them, we may be able to discover new benefits in the near future. |
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Matsuyama International Center |