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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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December 2020page 1 |
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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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December 2020page 1 |
December 2020 page 1 TOPICS
Medical Care in Ehime for COVID-19
Here is recent information concerning the Covid-19 pandemic. Ehime Prefecture urges everyone to avoid going to bars or restaurants where you will be in close proximity with other people for an extended time. If you do go out to eat or drink, take your mask off only when eating or drinking and do not talk in a loud voice. Also avoid travel outside of Ehime. The Ehime Prefecture International Center has prepared information for Covid-19 related issues, including visa extension and losing a job. There are also links to information in languages other than English or Japanese. http://www.epic.or.jp/news_and_topics/?page_id=3300 Ehime Prefecture has updated the proper procedure to follow if you think you may be infected with Covid-19. 1.If you have light cold symptoms such as a low fever, wait to see if you get better. 2.If the symptoms worsen, call a doctor. Do not go to a clinic or hospital without calling first. If you don't know where to call you can contact the Matsuyama Consultation Center: 089-909-3483. (Have someone call for you if you cannot speak Japanese.) They will tell you the medical facility to contact nearest you. 3.If you are told to go in for an exam, the doctor may request that you get an antigen or PCR test. If you test positive please follow the doctor's directions. 4.If you test negative, please rest at home until you get better. If you cannot speak Japanese you can call the AMDA Medical Information Center for general assistance. They can explain the medical system and help you find where to go for consultation. Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00 (Closed Dec. 29-Jan 3.) Call 03-6233-9266 in English. https://www.amdamedicalcenter.com/activities According to the prefecture, 568 medical facilities in Ehime (as of November 6) accept patients with fever. 313 out of 568 conduct both the test and examination, and 255 provide examinations only. So, once again, please call before going to a clinic or hospital. Dr. Hiroshi Murakami, Chairperson of the Ehime Medical Association, says "All unwell people should not hesitate to visit the clinic, since each facility has taken proper measures to accept patients with fever, such as a separate waiting area or timing." |
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Students from Taipei teach about Taiwan
The Matsuyama Board of Education commissioned two 22 year-old Taiwanese international students at St. Catherine University to promote exchange for elementary and junior high school students between Taipei and Matsuyama. They are appointed to teach the history and culture of Taipei in classes at school and promote exchange among students. The two cities have been cooperating in a wide range of projects, including sightseeing and culture since they signed a friendship agreement in 2014. Last February the students got a favorite response when they conducted an interaction class at a municipal school called Yuzuki Elementary School. Then the city officially asked them to help school children learn more about Taipei. On November 19, the superintendent of the board of education handed them letters of appointment at the city hall. One student hopes to work in Japan, and the other is interested in sightseeing. They said they wanted to understand the Japanese way of feeling and thinking through conveying Taiwanese culture and food.(November 20, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Large Parking Opens
A multistory parking garage, Kisuke Samban-cho Parking, has opened. It is the largest parking lot in the center of the city, and has 292 spaces. Don Quijote, a discount store, is next to it. A manager is there 24/7 to help ensure women's safety. The parking fee is 120 yen per 30 minutes. If you buy something at Don Quijote, the first 30 minutes is free, and 1 hour is free with a purchase of more than 500 yen. There is also bicycle parking. The entrance for pedestrians is connected to the Okaido shopping arcade.(November 16, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Matsuyama Distributing "Manhole Card"
The sewerage department of Matsuyama city has issued manhole cards with the design of manhole lids which feature Dogo Onsen Honkan and the Phoenix, in cooperation with the Dogo REBORN Project. They plan to give away the cards at the ticket office of the Dogo Onsen annex, Asuka-no-Yu, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. starting December 17. A special tent will be put up by the front entrance on December 17th-20th, 26th, and 27th for distributing the cards in order to avoid the close-contact setting by separating card-seekers from bathers. The cards can't be reserved or mailed. One person can get only one. Dogo Onsen Honkan has been under earthquake resistance construction. The bare roof of the building is covered with artwork of the great manga artist, Osamu Tezuka's masterpiece Hi-no-tori. As the one year anniversary of the appearance of "Phoenix" on the roof, a manhole lid was installed southwest of the Honkan last July. The concept of the design is that the history of the preservation repair work of the Honkan will be passed down and the Phoenix will watch and protect Dogo even after construction. Manhole Cards are issued by sewerage PR platform, which involves industry, government, and academia. Local governments throughout country can apply for them. So far 535 local governments have issued 667 kinds of cards. Matsuyama has already issued one kind of card with the design of its city flower, camellia, and double cross splashed-pattern of Iyo-kasuri and given them out since December 2016 at Saka-no-Ue-no-Kumo Museum.(November 14, Ehime Shimbun) |
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The Final Episode of the Animation"Phoenix Dogo Onsen" To Be Released
Matsuyama City announced on November 10 that the final episode of the original animated film "Phoenix Dogo Onsen" created by collaboration with Tezuka Productions as a kind of continuation of the prestigious manga artist Osamu Tezuka's masterpiece Hi-no-Tori, the Phoenix. The Dogo Onsen Honkan is now under repair until 2024. It was produced as part of the Dogo Reborn Project scheduled until the end of March in 2021, aiming to take advantage of the undergoing repair work as a tourism resource. The city said that the third episode would be perfect for the final in the series and will be released on November 20. The 8 minute-final episode depicts Saint Ippen as a central character. Ippen is the founder of the Ji-shu sect of Buddhism known for Odori-nembutsu (dancing nembutsu was a dance of prayer in Buddhism.) He is also said to have been born at Hogonji Temple (Dogoyuzuki-cho). In the story, the huge energy of the Phoenix causes a time-slip, which takes Ippen from the Kamakura period (13th-14th c.) to the present times and appears in the future world in another 100 years. Prince Shotoku, Shiki Masaoka, Soseki Natsume, who had appeared in the second film of the series, also appear together. This animation will be released for free on the official websites of the Dogo Reborn Project and Dogo Onsen, and can also be enjoyed on the video monitors installed on the west side of the Dogo Onsen Honkan and the east side in the plaza "Shinrotei." In addition, the city plans to hold an event to commemorate the third anniversary of the grand opening of Annex Asuka-no-Yu from December 12 to January 11 next year. Camellia lanterns will be set inside the courtyard "Tsubaki-no-Mori", and gilded-washi andons (paper-covered lanterns) will be also set in the courtyard. They will be lit up from 5 pm to 10:30 pm. Further information: Dogo Onsen official site: https://dogo.jp/ Dogo Reborn Project official site: https://www.dogoreborn.info/ (November 10, Ehime Shimbun) |
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JOCV Member Produces Teaching Materials for Baseball
A Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), who has temporarily returned home due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, produced video teaching materials for baseball for the children of Costa Rica in Central America. Touched by his strong desire to convey what is good about playing baseball, his former high school teacher and the current baseball team members of his old high school also cooperated with his work. Now he is looking forward to the day when he can go to Costa Rica again with the completed video in hand. Yosui Ochi, a member of JOCV for JICA, used to be a member of the Matsuyama Commercial High School baseball club. After graduating from high school, he entered Nippon Sport Science University. Later, he started working as a health and physical education lecturer at his alma mater and also served as a baseball coach. He said, "At that time, I thought the experience of a cooperative team might be useful in teaching children in the future." He applied for JOCV for JICA and was then sent to Costa Rica last December for a two-year term. Baseball is not at all popular in Costa Rica, so there are only about 1,000 players. To help make baseball more popular, Ochi held baseball classes for elementary and junior high school students at the Baseball Association in Santo Domingo and helped coaches of the association's team under the age of 18 learn how to coach baseball. In March this year when his activities began to expand, the Covid-19 pandemic forced him to return to Japan. Despite this setback, he accepted that it was the correct decision. Rather than dwell on it, he decided to make the temporary return a good opportunity to think about what he could do for the people. First, he used the alumni newsletter of the Matsuyama Commercial High School baseball club to appeal for baseball equipment for the children. He also introduced training they can do at home once a week via the Internet. In addition, he wrote a textbook of more than 100 pages on how the defensive players should move, with or without runners and in the direction of the ball. The video was planned as supplementary teaching material for this textbook. Kazufumi Shigesawa, the manager of the Matsuyama Commercial High School baseball team, who is a former high school teacher, cooperated in making the teaching materials as a supervisor and participated in the video shoot with the players. He said, "I'm very glad that a graduate of this school is working hard to convey great things about Japanese high school baseball to the wider world." The video will be edited in consultation with the staff of the Baseball Association including subtitles in Spanish, and Ochi will take the video with him when he next goes to Costa Rica. Ochi said, "I want to go to Costa Rica again as soon as possible to promote baseball."(October 27, Asahi Shimbun Digital) |
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Matsuyama International Center |