ファミプラ

Online Interview with Haitham-san from Egypt【English subtitles】

2020-11-05 by Taka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NqAKZBpM0A&feature=youtu.be

Hi, how are you doing?
We had an online interview with Haitham-san from Egypt and asked about life in Japan. It is always fun to meet someone from different countries!
Below is what we talked about:

0:06 Introduction

0:50 When did you move to Takayama? 高山にいつから移住したの？

1:09 Where in Japan did you live before? 以前は日本のどこにいたの？

1:50 What did you study in school? 学校では何を勉強したの？

2:09 How many Egyptians are there in Japan? 日本にいるエジプト人はどれくらい？

2:23 Is learning Japanese popular in Egypt? 日本語を学んでいるエジプト人は多い？

3:15 Why did you decide to study Japanese? なぜ日本語を学んだの？

3:50 Was it hard to get used to life in Japan? 日本に慣れるのは大変だった？

5:10 Any difficulties after moving to Takayama? 高山に来てから苦労はあった？

5:50 Why did you choose to move to Takayama? 高山に来た理由は？

6:55 Any things you want the city to work on? 高山で改善して欲しい事は？

8:55 Any plans for the future? 今後やりたい事は？

11:14 Advice for new-comers! これから日本に移住予定の人にアドバイス

13:12 After the Interview インタビューを終えて

We will keep on making connections online/offline.
About our organization, Family Planet Japan, please visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/familyplanetjapan

See you next time!
Taka

Interview with a foreign worker from Mexico

2020-06-12 by Taka

How’s everything?
We had another online interview with our new friend from Mexico, Uriel-san.

30min interview movie with English subtitles!

0:38 日本に来たのはいつ？　When did you come to Japan?
1:37 どこで日本語を学んだの？ Where did you learn Japanese?
2:08 日本に来たきっかけは？ What brought you to Japan?
3:17 メキシコでは日本語を学んでいる人は多い？ Do many people study Japanese in Mexico?
3:43 どうやって日本語を勉強したの？ How did you learn Japanese?
5:27 日本での仕事は? What do you do in Japan?
6:32 いつから高山に？ When did you move to Takayama?
6:49 地方の生活は慣れた？ How’s life in countryside?
7:18 初めて日本に来たときの苦労 Did you have any difficulties when you first came to Japan?
8:02 日本に移住してから苦労したことは？Did you have any difficulties after moving to Japan?
8:40 日本とメキシコの文化の違い Differences between Japan and Mexico.
10:52 日本の食べ物はどうですか？ How’s the food in Japan?
12:35 日本でメキシコの料理を食べる？ Do you eat Mexican food in Japan sometimes?
13:20 ホームシックになる？ Do you get homesick?
14:12 他の外国人移住者と交流はある？ Do you meet other foreign workers?
14:50 東京にいた時は交流の機会はありましたか？ How about when you were in Tokyo?
15:55 交流イベントの重要性 The importance of meetup events.
16:32 多文化共生を実現させるには？ What can we do to live in harmony?20:44 先輩移住者としてアドバイス Tips for new-comers.
21:56 これからも日本に？ Will you stay in Japan?
22:29 高山での生活における改善点 Any improvements suggested for Takayama?
25:03 今回インタビューをしてみて After the interview

I hope it will be helpful for those who are planning to move to Japan to know about what’s it like to live here.

See you next time!
Taka

*I’m a professional composer by the way.
You can listen/download my album below.
Free Somebody
Skyhigh

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: [email protected]

5 great things in a beautiful water town, Gujo Hachiman

2019-10-22 by Taka

Hi, How are you? I’ve been traveling in Gifu area these days!

This time I wrote about a relatively unknown area to tourists, Gujo Hachiman. It is a small, riverside town which was founded in the 16th century as a castle town.
Gujo is known for clear water, Ayu river fish, and Gujo dance festival.

Below are the 5 major places I visited and things you should check in Gujo Hachiman.

1.Hachiman castle

Located on top of a hill, it is one of the oldest reconstructed wooden castles in Japan.
It was founded in 1559, destroyed in the early Meiji period(1868-1912) during Japan’s attempts to modernize called the Meiji Restoration, and was reconstructed in 1933.
There is a museum inside of it, displaying a lot of materials from samurai era including the samurai armors, the heirloom of Aoyama clan, and samurai swords.
The castle keep is an important cultural property, and it was listed as one of the 100 Japanese castles in 2017. You can enjoy a panoramic view from there.During Autumn leaf season, the maple trees surrounding the area attract visitors.

You can get to the castle by car or taxi. Or, if you like hiking, you can get there on foot. It takes about 20 min to get to the top.

top of hachiman castle — Great view from the top of the castle

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm (Mar to May, Sep to Oct)
8:00am to 6:00pm (June to Aug)
9:00am to 4:30pm (Nov to Feb)
*Closed from Dec 20th to Jan 10th

Price: 310yen (650yen for a ticket that includes the visit to the Hakurankan Museum)

2.Hakurankan Museum

It is a museum located near Hachiman castle.
It includes an exhibition, Gujo Odori demonstration, and Museum gift shop. You can learn about History and culture of Gujo-Hachiman here.

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm (During Gujo-Odori event, it is open until 6:00pm)
Price: 540yen to enter. *Closed from Dec 24th to Jan 2nd

3.Gujo-Otori (Dance festival)

It is held from mid-July to early Sep (over 30 nights every day) every year.
It is designated as a significant intangible cultural folk asset by the Japanese government.
It was originally started to encourage the town’s citizens to get together, and it has a history of over 400 years.
Dancers make a big circle and perform to the traditional music of Shamisen, Bamboo flute, and Taiko Drums.
During Obon season in the summer, the festival continues all night and over 30,000 people gather.

Lanterns for Gujo Odori. Too bad that I couldn’t be there during the event!!

4.Igawa Komochi

There is a small canal called Igawa Komochi located near the river (Yoshida river) close to Hachiman castle.
Big Koi fish swim there peacefully and it really is a beautiful canal.
Although it is small and short, the canal is very unique and worth visiting to take pictures!

5.Food replicas

Gujo hachiman is known as the home town of food replicas.
You can not only enjoy watching very realistic food replicas, but also make them and take home as souveniors!
Samples are from Japanese food like temple and sushi to other kinds like pizza, curry, cake, etc.
There are many places where you can make your own, but one of the most popular is Sample Kobo. The main shop (Honkon) is open from 9:00am to 17:00pm (closed on Tuesdays).

Access

From Nagoya

Take JR Tokaido Line or Meitetsu Konsen Line to Gifu station.
Then, take JR Takayama Line to Mino Ota Station, and use Nagaragawa Railway to Gujo Hachiman Station.
(It is about 2 hours and 50 min travel)

From Takayama

Take Nohi express bus to Gujo-Hachiman station.
(It is about 1 hour and 45 min travel)

At a cafe by the river. It was so peaceful that I could be there forever!

The city is very compact and rural, so you can see things just walking around. If you would like to enjoy a quiet, country side of Japan (and less touristy area), Gujo Hachiman is a great place to visit!