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Today's Contents:
1. The first bits: Student Visas, Program dates/holidays, Yamamoto House, Internet Connectivity, JLPT, Study Japanese in Sapporo, City Guide
2. Course and accommodation information: April 2006 Applications, Ski trips
3. Things Japanese: Kouyou (Autumn Leaves...)
4. Student Interview: Chris McLaughlin (USA, AIJP)
5. Japan Guide: Historical Village (Hokkaido) & Meiji Jingu (Tokyo)
6. About The Yamasa Institute
(1) The first bits:
(a) Student Visas:
If you have downloaded but not yet submitted a completed student visa application kit for April 2006, you need to be quick.
Our next and last deadline is December 8th - for applicants from OECD countries, aged 30 or less, who have completed full time
studies during the last 2-3 years. As outlined in the selection process applications are accepted on a rolling "first received,
first processed" basis. If you are a native speaker of English or Mandarin you need to be very quick.
Please note that a student visa is only required if you want to study
for 6 months or more. If you plan to enroll for 3 months or less there are a
plethora of choices for you at Yamasa, including
AIJP,
AJSP,
Acceleration,
Discovery and
SILAC.
(b) Program dates and holidays: We have updated the program catalog and now have the course dates and tuition for all courses (except for Discovery - coming soon) up to March 2008. If you need to plan ahead that far, have a look at the program pages. We are already receiving applications for the 2006 Japanese Summer Course options. Due to high rates of accommodation occupancy (see below), early application is advised.
(c) Accommodation shortages and Yamamoto House: Despite the opening of 20 new custom built studio apartments in Residence Hane in June this year, we are still unable to keep up with the demand for student housing. Residence Hane itself was immediately fully booked by current students, so I have deferred the publication of the full files until later in the winter (embarrassing rumours that the delay is partly caused by my inability to understand my own accent when transcribing the video are being vehemently denied). It is a good and bad thing. A bit stressful for staff as we were barely able to accommodate everyone in October, but the accommodation shortage has predictably resulted in SILAC classes that are even smaller than usual for this time of year - good if you are studying in the winter.
Rather than increase the rent, or get students entangled in the sticky web of shikikin and reikin, it has been decided to again increase the number of rooms the Housing Office can make available at below market cost rates. Ideally we would like to build new accommodation on the campus itself, however this is not possible for at least another two years due to the ongoing public works taking place in the area between the Yamasa II building and JR Okazaki station. Since we will need more accommodation before spring, a 5 year lease has been obtained for a building to be called Yamamoto House.
The building is currently being renovated to meet Yamasa's specifications. There will be 11 private study bedrooms, each with refrigerator, TV, desk, broadband internet connection, bed, shelving etc. All to have natural light, airconditioning & heating. The remaining facilities (kitchen, 2 showers with private changing area, 3 toilets, recreation room etc) are shared. As the building will be the closest accommodation to Yamasa's campus (6 minutes walk) and the station (4 minutes walk), at this stage it is intended to become a female only dormitory, replacing Yamasa Villa 2. Full details will be announced towards the end of December. For the time being, have a peak at the Yamamoto House Photogallery
The addition of these 11 rooms would take the total number of apartments and rooms controlled by the Housing Office to 202, of which only 21 (mostly in Residence L) still have Japanese occupants from the time of purchase/lease.
(d) Internet Connectivity: As you may have noticed from updates to the accommodation index, every single apartment and room in the Student Housing portfolio now has broadband internet access. In the case of the Student Village, Residence Hane & Yamamoto House, the internet access is included in the rent. We have considered adjusting the rent to include internet for all other properties (which would allow us to lower the current cost of "rent + connection fee"), however doing so would disadvantage those students (about 15%) who didn't need/want to pay for a connection. We will wait until the percentage drops below 5%.
If you wish to obtain a connection, or have trouble connecting to the internet at any time during your stay, please contact the Student Services ("gakuseika") office. If it is a connectivity problem, and you can connect your laptop to the campus LAN but not your accommodation LAN, there is a form in the office for you to complete and our staff will endeavour to help you as soon as possible. The actual technical support for all internet connectivity issues is being provided by the staff of the International Office. Please note that the technical support only concerns problems with connecting to the internet, not application support. In most cases so far the problems were with the students' computers rather than the actual network, so before requesting tech support it would be appreciated if you could test your laptop by trying to connect via the campus LAN.
Please make sure that:
(e) Japanese Language Proficiency Test: Light at the end of the tunnel? End of the world as you know it? Whatever, this year's JLPT is December 4th and we wish everyone the best for the day. zenryoku o dashite, ganbatte kudasai! The bar will be open afterwards (but not before...)
For most Yamasa students the examination center is Aichi University's Nagoya Campus (located between Toyota and Nagoya). Please check your test voucher! Ask the teachers if you do not understand where your test center is or how to get there!
For those taking the exam at the aichidaigaku, this is how to get there: Take the Aichi Kanjou (Aikan) line from JR Okazaki to Toyota where you switch to the Toyota Meitetsu Line, direction Nagoya. You'll have to walk from the Aikan station to the Meitetsu station (about 500 meters, as the stations are located in different buildings). Get off at Kurozasa Station (the station's name is also printed on the test voucher) and follow the crowd up the hill to the campus buildings. Make sure you are on time and turn off your keitai phone! Apparently last year some idiots were disqualified because their telephone were ringing or vibrating during the test, and rightly so.
There are still a few days left until the test, so use those days as well as you can. The faculty are more than willing to help you with preparations, even outside the elective classes, so don't hesitate to ask for assistance.
(f) Study Japanese in Sapporo: Why have I been flying to Sapporo so often recently??? Partly it is the weather, the food and the not-too-shabby-beer on offer (in no particular order), but mostly it is the Discovery Program, Sapporo Snow Festival and the pilot programs starting next summer. It has taken 3 years of hard work so far with 3 more years (at least) to go, but we are now accepting applications for a limited range of Japanese programs in Sapporo. The Hokkaido Center for Japanese Studies pages have the (gradually growing) detail, but the short version is that we will be including the first opportunity to study Japanese in two locations, regardless of whether you are enrolling in a short course (summer or winter), or from October 2006, long term studies with a student visa.
As always there will be multiple options. Due to the current lack of economies of scale and the infrastructure required, the Hokkaido Center is not able to offer SILAC or AIJP at this stage, so the initial programs will be similar to the programs Yamasa offered in the period 1996-1999, and less intensive than the ACJS's Okazaki offerings. On the plus side this will also mean you will have more time for travelling in and exploring Hokkaido.
(g) Weekend optional tours: Skiing & snowboarding, cultural sites etc dominate the winter options. From snow monkeys to powder snow, hellraising Tokyo and Kyoto nightlife to studious Toyota motor factory tours. I have been able to add several additional tours to the winter quarter. Cheaper than independent travel by train, with door to door service and a guide. If you are not careful, you can even learn stuff. For all information, prices etc and reservations please peruse the Weekend Tour Index.
The reservations & payments system is available online, but if you prefer to pay cash or by bank transfer, please contact Yamamoto-san in the Student Services office (ground floor, Yamasa II building).
(h) Okazaki City Guide Yamasa's online guide to Okazaki City is about to become suddenly out of date, as with every other publication about Okazaki. On January 1st the town of Nukata is going to be absorbed by Okazaki, increasing the area covered by Okazaki to 387 square kilometers, but fortunately adding only 10,000 or so new inhabitants. Fortunately this won't mean much more sprawl, as Nukata is primarily heavily forested mountain areas too steep for construction. Nukata was historically part of Okazaki anyway.
The online edition of the guidebook is currently being updated by Chris Resnik (AIJP, B class) to make it easier to use, as the previous design was a bit of a rush job. Originally a print publication, our intention is to develop the best guide to Okazaki. If you are looking for a place to do karate, eat succulent delights, visit a Jodo, Zen or any other kind of Buddhist temple in Okazaki, find the perfect souvenir, find out much it costs to send a box full of dictionaries/texts/notes etc home by air economy post at the end of your course, discover which festivals are when, book a hotel for your parents or friends coming to visit you, find out where you can get the perfect pint of Guinness when the student bar is closed on a Monday night, read up on how to open a bank account or find a good camera shop, and so on and so forth, have a good look. English and German editions at the moment. Suggestions for improvements are always welcome.
(i) Other bits:
The Editor
Yamasa News
The
Yamasa Institute - Aichi Center for Japanese Studies
1-2-1 Hanehigashimachi
Okazaki
Aichi Japan 444-0832
(2) Course Information
Accommodation
If you are coming to Okazaki during the next few months, please visit the housing availability file (Opens new window).
Message from Yukiko Iijima (Housing Officer): Please also note that it is extremely important that you rank your accommodation preferences clearly. Upgrades are possible in the event of cancellations - so if your first preference is a single room in the village, select "Village single" as first choice, "Residence U" as your second choice and so on.
Long-term Courses:
Applications for April Student Visa intake: Admissions for long term visas for April 2006 are closing soon due to the selection process and the limited number of visas we are allocated by the Immigration Bureau for April. To download application forms click here.
Short-term courses:
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All Extension programs have space from January 5th. For Academic programs, the next available start date for AIJP, AJSP and Acceleration Format 1 is April 5th 2006. For applicants for 1 academic quarter only, using a short term tankitaizai (tourist) or other appropriate visa, applications close February 22nd. |
Skiing/Snowboarding Also, please keep January 20-22, February 18, and March 3-5 free if you want to go skiing or snowboarding in Hakuba in Nagano Prefecture. Ski, snowboard, or try throwing snowballs at me. Retaliation is guaranteed. All details now online.
Discovery Tours all have vacancies - contact Admissions for further information. Tour dates for this year are available at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_dates.html
3. THINGS JAPANESE: Kouyou!
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| Asuke Photogallery |
Kouyou is the autumn equivalent to spring's hanami (watching the cherry blossoms, usually while having a few drinks). Japanese people from close and (sometimes very) far gather at spots where the color changing leaves are especially beautiful and enjoy some beer and some sake while watching the leaves dance with the wind.
Traditionally, goheimochi (roasted ricepaste on a stick) with miso sauce or shouyu (soy) sauce and amazake (a sweet, non-alcoholic but warming drink made from rice) are enjoyed while strolling under the kouyou but recently the same stalls that line up during hanami, hanabitaikai, natsu matsuri etc and all plying there wares, so the usual suspects are available. Furankufurotu (sausages), takiyako (fried tako balls), corn-on-the-cob, chokobanana etc.
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_33.html
4. STUDENT INTERVIEW: Chris McLaughlin (AIJP)
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| Chris McLaughlin |
DM: What made you decide you wanted to study Japanese?
CM: After completing my studies at Yamasa I want to study Japanese history in graduate school so I'll need to be able to read original
documents, speak to people in fieldwork.
DM: What I meant was what was it that initially....
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/student_int_65.html
5. Japan Guide: Historical Village (Hokkaido) & Meiji Jingu (Tokyo)
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| Sapporo Historical Village |
This village is a tourist attraction located at the Nopporo Forest Park on the outskirts of the city. It is a large (54 hectare/119 acre) outdoor museum with about 60 old wooden and stone buildings from the Meiji (1868-1910) and Taisho (1910-1926) periods. The buildings were collected from all over Hokkaido, mostly rescued from demolitions, road widening and other "progress". Sadly, only about 60 buildings out of a much larger architectural heritage could be saved, though in Sapporo City itself buildings such as the Hoheikan, "red bricks", and Sapporo clock tower remain in their original locations.
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/hokkaido/sapporo_historical_village.html
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| Meiji Jingu |
Continued at http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/tokyo/meiji_jingu.html
6. ABOUT THE YAMASA INSTITUTE
The Yamasa Institute is compromised of two teaching centers - the Aichi Center in Okazaki and the Online Center providing Japanese education worldwide. It is committed to providing high-quality education in the Japanese language. We are a non-profit organization, a part of the Hattori Group. We are accredited by Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education - APJLE, accreditation number B302 - and "the only Institute in the Mikawa region with the appropriate programs, systems, curriculum and facilities required for quality Japanese language education" according to the Ministry of Justice. Further, in recognition of the excellent quality of our programs, we are in the top tier of 'Appropriately Authorized Japanese Language Education Institutes' - in fact, the only school in the Mikawa area with this prestigious recommendation. For full details see the accreditation section on the homepage at http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/accreditation.html
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