Underground Garbage Collection System
Did you know that Tsukuba has an underground garbage collection system? It is only available to certain houses in the central part of Tsukuba. I think it was installed in Tsukuba because it was the "latest thing" when the city was being developed and they wanted the city to be at the leading edge of municipal services such as garbage collection. Unfortunately, it seems that the idea never really caught on, so there is talk of scrapping (no pun intended) the system.
Read an article about these systems in the Yomiuri.
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Donate Your Used Things
Many people will leave Tsukuba in the next couple of months, so I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about the possibility of donating used items to various charities. The Tell and Sell Japan website has a list of some places that accept used items. One of the charities on that list is particularly in need of children's things. I have included the information below.
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Give Kids a Chance
Will accept rehabilitative equipment for children with special needs, wheelchairs, adaptive chairs, foot braces, leg braces, hip supporters, Type A baby strollers (the big sturdy kind), strollers for twins (front and back style), buggy boards, bike toddler seats (with high back and harness). We are sending them to the Philippines to give to kids with special needs in orphanages and to the poor who can't afford such things. We will pick up around Tokyo and Kanagawa area. Can't pay cash-on-delivery (chakubarai) fees. We are concentrating our collection around Yokohama and can go as far as Chiba or Saitama. No deadline so please spread the word if you know someone who has any of these items. Give Kids A Chance. rshiroiwa[at]yahoo.com
See some items that have already been donated.
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Often these charities cannot afford the cost of having the item shipped, so you may incur some costs when you send your items. However, the idea that people who really need your used items -- people who might not be able to have what you are trying to get rid of unless you make this small effort -- are going to be able to make good use of them might help you justify the cost to yourself.
If you know of any charities or organizations that are not on the list, please let me know and I will add them.
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Capture Go as Communication
The title of today's post may not seem to make a lot of sense. I am writing about the game called "Go", and in particular a simpler variant of the game called "Capture Go". Now does it make more sense?
Yasutoshi Yasuda (安田泰敏) is a 9th level master of Go. He has developed a method to teach all people -- children, elderly people, disabled people -- in many countries how to play Go and to learn to improve their communication skills through the game. His students start by learning to play Capture Go, and then, if they are interested, they can continue to learn how to play the full version of Go.
Yasuda-sensei is very famous for his work in this area. He has written some books, two of which are available in English.
Go as Communication (Read a sample of this book.)
Let's Play Go (Read a sample of this book.)
You can find out more information by doing an internet search of his name and the names of his books.
And now, for the good news!
Yasuda-sensei is coming to Ushiku!
On Sunday, February 25 from 1pm to 4pm, there will be a Capture Go Festival in Ushiku at the Social Welfare Center (Onabakecho 859-3, map). Everyone is welcome, and I have been assured that foreign people are especially welcome. The point of the event is to bring people together through the game of Go, in order to improve communication and understanding, so it will make the event even more successful if foreign people show up.
The deadline for signing up for this event is February 10. Call 029-873-2111 to register (in Japanese).
You can get more information about Go at Wikipedia.
Just to be clear, this event is not specifically designed for foreigners, so there will not be any official language support (such as English interpretation). However, the whole point of the event is to promote communication, so I think that if you go, people will try to communicate with you (as long as you make it look like you want to communicate with them).
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Restaurant Review: La Vie Provencal
La Vie Provencal is a restaurant and bakery that is connected to La Cote d'Azur, the big bakery in Higashi Arai (near Takezono).
I have heard that Cote d'Azur is one of the highest grossing bakeries in Japan, but to be honest, I am not a big fan of fancy schmancy bakeries in Japan. I find that the treats they offer are not sweet enough (because of my lingering Canadian sweet tooth), or that they don't have a strong enough taste, or that they have far too many beans in them to be considered a real dessert. Anyway, both Cote d'Azur and La Vie Provencal are high quality bakeries, but I haven't really been excited about having them in my neighbourhood...
Until today. When I went to Provencal the first time, I just bought some bready things at the counter and ate them in the dining area. I can't recall whether I knew about the restaurant menu at that time. Perhaps I just didn't have time to wait for a meal to be cooked that day. I remember thinking that the bready things were good, but not great. Kind of standard Japanese bakery things, but fancier (and remember, fancy doesn't usually impress me in a bakery).
Today, however, I did have time to order a meal. I had a tomato soup dish with three slices of baguette (two with toppings and one plain) and my friend ordered a kind of soba crepe with salmon, cheese, and vegetables inside (which had a proper name on the menu, but I can't remember it right now). Both of the dishes were deemed delicious by their respective owners, and there was enough there to make sure we were not tempted to go for one of the desserts on the menu (which means that I can't review the desserts -- sad for you, happy for my waistline).
Today's visit forced me to reconsider my opinion of La Vie Provencal. I will definitely start including it in my list of places to recommend when people ask me to suggest a good lunch place.
La Vie Provencal is located on the road that skirts the east side of K's Denki on Tsuchiura Gakuen-sen. If you are coming from Tsukuba Center, drive west on Tsuchiura Gakuen-sen away from Seibu and Jusco. Pass the intersection with Nishi Odori and take a left (south) at the next intersection. Follow that road and you will see La Vie Provencal on your left, about 300 meters (at least that's my impression) from the intersection. If you pass the yakiniku restaurant, you have gone too far. The address is Onozaki 147-1. (Click for a map in Japanese.)
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Seminar on Medical Translation Assistance in Tsukuba
The Ibaraki International Association and Tsukuba Cultural Foundation are holding a seminar on medical translation assistance in Tsukuba. The seminar is open to all people who are involved in medical issues that foreign residents face. The target audience for the seminar includes people who offer translation assistance at medical facilities in Tsukuba, people involved in the medical profession in Tsukuba, and other people who are working towards better international relations in Tsukuba.
Date: February 22, 2007
Time: 1pm to 4:30pm (reception starts at 12:30pm)
Place: Tsukuba International Congress Center (Takezono 2-20-3)
Fee: Free
Information on how to apply (deadline: February 9) can be found on the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation website.
This seminar will be held in Japanese, so it might be difficult for some foreign residents to attend, but I think it important for us to know that these kinds of events happen in Tsukuba. In fact, it would be a lot better if the foreign community were "officially" informed of these kinds of events (instead of finding out about them when I happen to see them on the city hall website while trawling for things to write TsukuBlog posts about) so we could lend our input and experiences to help enrich the event.
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