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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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March 2021page 1 |
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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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March 2021page 1 |
March 2021 page 1 TOPICS
Public Baths Let Patients to Cover Scars
People in general are supposed to bathe without any clothing in Japanese public baths.While the country asks people to understand that some cancer patients want to cover their operation scars, public bath users don't always understand. Officials in the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour in charge of the hygiene of public bathhouses, say people are allowed to use something to cover scars, such as those from breast cancer or skin grafts, as long as soap is completely rinsed out before going in the bathtub.Health authorities have posted a notice on their website or Twitter to ask for understanding and consideration from public. There is no rule about the material or shape of the cover. One mail-order company handling products for women cancer patients sells water repellent covers made of nylon and polyurethan. However, some bathing facilities are unwilling to accept or tell users about the ministry's policy because they want to avoid trouble among bathers.Three public bathhouses in the Dogo area: Dogo Onsen Honkan, Tsubaki-no-Yu, and Asuka-no-Yu, allow people who underwent operations to wear scar covers. Posters have been put at the entrance of the Honkan and in the dressing room of Tsubaki-no-Yu for two years. They say they want people to enjoy bathing without having to worry about their scars. The city sent them to 300 facilities such as public baths and hotels, and posted it on their website. (February 14, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Ehime Man in School Textbook
A director of the NPO, "International Exchange Support Association," based in Matsuyama-city, presented 18 copies of his book to Seiyo-city, western Ehime, on January 28. Seiyo-city is planning to give them to schools and libraries in the city. The director, Matsushita Bunji, taught judo in Zambia as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer for two years from 1970. He kept working on international exchange even after he came back to Japan and published a book titled "Muli bwanji! (meaning How are you?) The Land of the Sun." in 1986, based on the diary he kept in Zambia. His work drew so much attention that he was cited as an example of "Heroes for each child" in an English textbook for fifth graders published by Kairyudo-Shuppan. The textbook has been adopted since 2020. He said he wanted children to think positively about how their dreams could come true regardless of the environment they are placed in. (February 7, Ehime Shimbun) |
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The Biggest Number of Foreign Workers Recorded in Ehime
According to the Ehime Labour Bureau, the number of foreign workers in Ehime prefecture is 10,430 (+6.6% compared to the same period of the previous year) as of October 2020, and the number of offices employing foreign workers is 1,818 (+8.4%). Both numbers are the highest ever recorded. However, the rate of increase of foreign workers has drastically declined from 16.8% recorded last year, with the worsened employment situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 1,163 offices out of the 1,818 with foreign workers, 64.0%, have less than 30 employees (+8.7%). Analysis by the Ehime Labour Bureau indicates that small enterprises are suffering from labour shortages. 67.7% of the foreign workers’ visa status is Technical Intern Trainee. Ehime is the second highest in number after Miyazaki. As for nationality, 3,567 (34.2%) are Vietnamese, 2,926 (28.1%) are Chinese, and 1,835 (17.6%) are from the Philippines. 63.4% of are working in manufacturing, the highest rate in Japan. They are working mostly in the areas of transport-related machinery and equipment, textiles, and food. 33.8% are in Imabari, and 24.7% are in Matsuyama. 94 of them hold the new status of Specific Skilled Worker which was established in April 2019 to expand the acceptance of foreigners. According to the Labour Bureau, it might be difficult to accept foreign workers in 2021, since it has become tough even for Japanese seeking jobs to find one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (February 5, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Multi-Language Disaster Information
To prepare for such disasters as the Nankai Trough Earthquake, Ehime prefecture produced a manual for establishing a Multi-Language Disaster Relief Center that will offer assistance to foreigners living in Ehime. Volunteers who can consult with and answer questions from foreigners suffering from a disaster are being recruited throughout the prefecture, and a scheme to provide information related to disasters in multi-languages will be launched. It is still to be determined whether the center will be set up after a disaster occurs to deal with the damages that the foreigners suffer and the situation that they face. Once the center is set up, information in multi-languages will be sent out through the website of the prefecture and SNS of the Ehime Prefecture International Center, and a consultation service to help with dealing with the aftermath will be launched. Also, the dispatch of translators to evacuation stations will be arranged as necessary.As of June 2020, the number of foreigners living in Ehime prefecture is 13,630 from 98 countries/regions. If you are interested in volunteering as translator/interpreter, call EPIC at 089-917-5678.(February 4, Asahi Shimbun Digital) |
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Second Stage of Dogo Onsen Honkan Restoration to Start
The second stage of the conservation and repair work being carried out on the Dogo Onsen Honkan, an important cultural property of Japan, is scheduled to start this summer in July. The first floor-bath Kami-no-Yu (Bath of the Gods), which is currently open, will close, and the second-floor-bath Tama-no-Yu (Bath of the Spirits) will reopen for the first time in about two and a half years. The conservation and repair work started in January 2019 and is scheduled for completion in December 2024. The public baths are now partially open while the repair work continues. According to the city, after the first stage work on Yushinden (third-floor room reserved for visiting emperors)/Tama-no-Yu is completed, the second stage of work will start on Kami-no-Yu. Kami-no-Yu will be closed from July 5 to 14, and Tama-no-Yu will resume operation from July 15. The entrance will move to the east side. The resting areas on the 2nd and 3rd floors will be closed. A tent-like structure adorned with a depiction of a firebird now covering two-thirds of the building on the east side, will be removed after the holidays in May. From July to December, a new roof and structure will be installed to cover two-thirds of the west side. Scaffolding will be installed inside the building at the beginning of next year. During this period, the roads surrounding the building will be closed at night. The city expects 39% of the conservation and repair work to be completed by the end of this year. To pass on the treasure of Matsuyama to the future, parts of the main building will be reused, and the roof will be replaced and made earthquake-resistant. The total cost of the project is about 2.6 billion yen. (February 3, Asahi Shimbun Digital) |
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Akaishi Goyomatsu Bonsai Shipped to the European Union
A shipment of Akaishi Goyomatsu bonsai, a specialty of Shikokuchuo City (Ehime Prefecture), was sent to the European Union (EU) on January 28. According to the Akaishi Goyomatsu Export Trade Association, 242 trees were exported to Germany and Austria in 2020, valued at about 20 million yen. According to the association, exports began in 2016 following the growing popularity of bonsai in Europe. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, demand is steadily increasing in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Although there have been restrictions, such as on travel due to the pandemic over the past year, with prefectural support, the association established a business alliance with the largest Japanese garden in Europe, The Bonsai Museum in southern Austria. On January 28, six staff members of the association prepared the bonsai (15 to 70 years old; 30 to 250 cm tall), which had been quarantined in advance, and were then loaded into a container for transport by ship. The bonsai are scheduled to arrive in Hamburg, Germany on March 10, and they will be sold from the end of June after being quarantined locally. The chairman of the association, Moritaka Junichi, said, "We are expecting to expand marketing channels in Europe based on a new partnership in Austria. Most of the growers are in their 70s and 80s, so we want to secure our future by making a profit." Akaishi Goyomatsu is native to the Akaishi Mountains, which straddles the Doi area of Shikokuchuo City and Niihama City. The association was established in 2019. The export business has been certified as GFP (The Global Farmers / Fishermen / Foresters / Food Manufacturers Project) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the association is aiming for exports worth 100 million yen in 2023. (January 29, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Matsuyama International Center |