北クィーンズランド 豪日協会 November 2009 / Issue 14 A u s t r a li a J ap an S oc i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Inside this issue: AJS Scholarship Cairns Sun Newspaper Article - 7th October 2009 1 Recipients President AGM Report 2 AJS Committee 2009-2010 3 AJS FNQ Scholarship Program 4-7 Oyama City 8-9 Minami Town 10-13 Rice Field Art 14-15 Discover Japan 09 16-17 AJS Annual Dinner 18 Function Invitation Okonomiyaki 19 Fun Night Rotary Fundraising 20 Film Night Japanese Culture 21 November Membership Form 22 Language Exchange 23 FM 89.1 Corporate Members AJS Charter From Editor 24 Page 2 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r AJS FNQ President AGM Report - 22.10.09 The AJS FNQ has been an identity in Cairns for more than 25 years. It draws its membership from a wide cross section of the community, including schools, students, teachers, individuals, families, businesses and corporate and for 2008-09, I believe it to have been another AJS success. The bank balance may not reflect the true value of the years achievements and I believe the value of awareness and AJS exposure has an equal value. I would like to acknowledge the current AJS committee for having completed a fantastic job in supporting the events and functions. In this report I would like to focus onto a few activities and acknowledgements for the year, and in no particular order: Student Scholarship: This has been in recent years the main focus for AJS. The Student Scholarship Program sends two Cairns year 9/10 students, to the two Japanese Sister Cites of Cairns. It has been a huge financial challenge for 2009 because we were unsuccessful with grant funding applications but again, we are sending two more worthy students to Japan for 4-5 weeks. You may think I am a little bias, but Makoto Kamatani-Haynes has been absolutely amazing, up late, emails to Japan, telephone calls to Japan, discussions with the Board of Education and Councils and discussions with the two Mayors and much more. On behalf of the AJS, I thank you for your dedication and commitment to this AJS project. Flavours of Japan: Our second year with this fun food event was another success with almost 60 people attending at Ocha Cha, Palm Court, Lake Street. Chizuru Takao again took on the organising of this fun and friendship event. Good food was had by all and I know many are looking forward to 2010 event. Communication: The Society this year went to another level of professionalism with communications thanks to Jody Scott. Jody was proactive enough to recognise the AJS lacked a professional business email address. The AJS FNQ now have generic email addresses which I encourage all to use. president@ajsfnq.org.au and scholarship@ajsfnq.org.au are just two examples and the other generic emails should be posted on the website soon: www.ajsfnq.org.au Thank you Jody for this initiative and for all your work with the AJS website. Fun Food Fundraisers: The AJS had two food fundraising networking events on the Esplanade in recent months and both were great successes. Functions such as these, Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba are not only to raise the needy funds for the AJS Scholarship but for members to catch-up and have a great time. These networking events would not be so easy to stage without the hard working committee and volunteers. I would like to single out, Chizuru and Makoto again not only for their tasteful cooking but for the amazing cabbage cutting skill ! Kay Holmes and Mikie for their assistance with the cooking and Barry & Ella Struber for there skills in drink control and distribution. Well done to all and are you ready for the next one ? 27.11.09 Page 3 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Family Film Nights: The AJS two Family Film nights were also easy to manage events, thanks to Sam Sakamoto and the Tjapukai Theatre at Smithfield. There valuable support to AJS has assisted again with the scholarship fundraising. These events were well supported by committee, members and guests and because of the success, the AJS is planning three for 2010. Thank you Sam Sakamoto. Cairns Japanese Sister Cities of Minami Town and Oyama City. I would like to acknowledge the two Councils of these Japanese Cities for their support of the AJS Student Scholarship Program. The cooperation of all parties is vital to the success of this scholarship and the effective communications between all parties make the process an easy one. The contact is also special due to the friendships and bridge building between these Cities and Cairns. Thank you to Mayor Okubo and the Oyama Board of Education and to Mayor Kageji of Minami and his team, for the acceptance of the AJS FNQ Scholarship Program again in 2009. The Newsletters, The AJS Newsletter is another valuable AJS marketing tool, thanks to Makoto Kamatani-Haynes, whereby every 3-months or so, members are able to receive an update of AJS activities and events and I ask that everyone receiving the Newsletter to share with others and assist in the promotion of the AJS in seeking mew members and supporter for our cause. Thank you again Makoto. Some more thanks, to the Cairns Regional Council, especially Mayor Val Schier, CR. Alan Blake, Cr. Diane Forsyth, Krystyn James and other Council members for their support during the past year. It has been appreciated and the AJS looks forward to a positive future working relationship with the Cairns Regional Council. Last but certainly not least, the Branch Office in Cairns for Consulate General of Japan at Brisbane, Mr. Tsuguyoshi Hada, his family and the office team, who have been very special with the AJS support for 2009. To conclude, I would like to sincerely thank ALL the committee, our supporters and everyone else involved in contributing to another successful AJS year and for your patience, support and understanding, for me, it’s been an honour and a pleasure to be part of the Society and I believe the AJS is on the right track for the future Best wishes to you all and success and safety for 2010. Jeff Haynes - AJS FNQ President 2008-09 AJS FNQ Committee 2009-10 President: Jeff Haynes Vice President (JSC): Sam Sakamoto Secretary: Vacant Treasurer & Membership: Chizuru Takao, Student Scholarship Coordinator & Newsletter Editor: Makoto Kamatani-Haynes Membership & Japanese Community Awareness: Kay Holmes Cairns School Awareness: Jenni Campbell Cairns Regional Council Coordinator: Cr. Diane Forsyth General Committee: Jody Scott, Barry & Ella Struber, (Contact details are on the website) Honorary Members: TBA Page 4 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r AJS FNQ 2008 Scholarship ScholarshipStudents Award Winners AJS in 2009 Profile “REBECCA ANN COXON ” Age: 16 Name of School: Trinity Anglican School (Year 10) Birthday: 19th August 1993 Place of Birth: Cairns, Queensland Family: Father Colin, Mother Alice and younger brother Benjamin and me. “BENJAMIN JOEL MAHLER ” Age: 15 Name of School: Peace Lutheran College (Year 10) Birthday: 17th February 1994 Place of Birth: Melbourne Victoria Family: Father Anthony, Mother Kellie, younger sister Micaeka, younger brother Jacob & Samuel and me. AJS FNQ Scholarship Candidates 2009 - Top 5 REBECCA BENJAMIN GEORGIA NIKI ALEX Trinity Anglican Peace Lutheran St Mary Trinity Bay Trinity Bay Page 5 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 AJS Students 2007 Dec - 2008 Jan AJS Students 2008 Dec - 2009 Jan Elise & Nicole Zac & Ruby Thank you for all your hard work and friendship!! Ms Kazumi Horie Ms Satoko Tanabe Ms Norimi Yamaoka from Oyama City Council from Oyama City Council from Minami Town Council On Behalf of AJS FNQ, we would like to say a big “THANK YOU” to the above ladies from the Cairns Sister Cities in Japan. Their friendship, hard work and support for the student scholarship is invaluable. These ladies stand in the middle and provide the communication between their city/town, the AJS and Cairns. Without their support the AJS would not be able to experience the successful student scholarship program. Best regards, Makoto Kamatani-Haynes Student Scholarship Coordinator Newsletter Editor Page 6 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r REBECCA ANN COXON - Trinity Anglican School My name is Rebecca and I am one of the recipients for the AJS scholarship in 2009. Receiving the scholarship is one of the best things that has happened to me. For nearly the whole of my school life I have been learning Japanese, yet I have never had a chance to visit Japan. The AJS scholarship has finally given me the opportunity and I plan to make the most of it. One of the things I am looking forward to most is going to school in Japan and staying with a host family. I am very excited about making new friends and experiencing the different way of life in Japan. I can’t wait to experience Japanese culture first-hand, especially over Christmas and New Years time. The trip to Japan is coming so quickly. In less than two months I will be on a plane flying to Narita. Then I will be in Japan for over a month all by myself! When I am in Japan I hope to get better at speaking Japanese confidently and listening to and understanding Japanese conversations. I have wanted to go to Japan for the last three years and now I actually am thanks to the AJS! Even before I got the scholarship, I attended many of the AJS events throughout the year as they were very interesting and enjoyable. I have learnt heaps and had lots of fun at the various events in the last year. I especially enjoyed going to Ocha-cha with my family and watching movies at Tjapukai. In the future I would like to continue to attend these events and assist the AJS in anyway possible. Thanks AJS for giving me a dream come true! Page 7 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 BENJAMIN JOEL MAHLER - Peace Lutheran College There was a time when the picture of Japan in my mind consisted of only sumo, ninjas and samurai swords. That was when I was about seven. Over some years this mental painting of the place grew in my mind to include sushi, chopsticks, Mt Fuji and Toyota. It was when I moved to Cairns that a real interest in Japan awoke in me. Leaving Victoria and the schools there, which most commonly taught German as a second language, my new school in Cairns offered Japanese instead. Now I know a lot more about Japan than when I was seven and I’ll even admit that I can read and write a little Japanese too, thanks to my Japanese teachers! I think Japan is such a cool place, even though I’ve never been there before. The Australia Japan Society (AJS) this year privileged me and one other student with the opportunity to represent Australia and the AJS as exchange students in Japan. It’s no ordinary trip to Japan, I can tell you that. We’ll each live with a Japanese family, attend Japanese school and eat Japanese food (Yes!!) with no English for one month. It’s a bit scary and from today I have to keep my mind wide open to be ready for the culture and language, but the AJS, parents and friends and teachers from Peace Lutheran College (my school) are being really supportive, which is turning my anxiety into excitement. You see that’s what it’s all about. People working together to create this relationship between Australia and Japan, to build a sort of bridge of understanding and communication between us, it’s the mission of the AJS. That does bear some responsibility on us exchange students and I acknowledge that. You don’t have to catch an aeroplane to experience the excitement of Japan though. The AJS brings it here. All year long they put on wholesome, affordable, family-oriented activities which are all about having fun in a new way and seeing through the eyes of somebody from the other side of the world. Plus the activities make it possible for them to send two Cairns students to Japan every year. So if you find your kids are spending all Saturday watching TV, why not check out what activities AJS is putting on in your community and go on a cultural outing that is still well within your comfort zone. The whole world is an amazing place and every person is a little piece of it. Even though it isn’t farewell yet, I wish everybody good fortune and can’t wait j a a m a t a n e to report about my time in Japan. Until next time, じゃあ、またね! Page 8 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Message from Oyama - Ricky Sheward G’day everyone. I’m Ricky, one of the CIR/ALTs here in Oyama City. Last time, Cath gave you a general overview of our job as well as some of the places to go in the general area. Today I’d like to share some of the school experiences I’ve had during my time here in Japan and give any aspiring CIR/ALTs an idea of what to expect. ALT/CIR Team - Above Richard, Ricky & David Below Cath First, a bit of background to Japan’s schooling system. For starters, instead of having 4 terms (2 semesters) of schooling per year, they divide a school year into 3 semesters with school starting in late April and finishing late February. Students go from Kindergarten to Primary School Grades 1 – 6), then to Junior High School (Grades 7 – 9) followed by Senior High School (Grades 10 – 12). I have worked at Oyama Junior High School for the past year and a half. I’m an Assistant Language Teacher for the English classes. This means that I’m teamed up with the English Teachers of the school and we teach the class as a team. Usually we make a general plan before the class and try to include a fun activity or two. Most of the students are really shy so getting them to come out and speak English is a bit challenging. But once they get going, they tackle anything you give them with awesome energy. Mayor Mr. Okubo Mikoshi Festival All the students join a sport/culture club when they come to Junior High School. This becomes their main source of exercise and most will train after school everyday and on the weekends. Add on top of the homework they get daily and you start to get a picture of how dedicated these kids are to their schoolwork. I sometimes join in with one of the sporting clubs and challenge the students. It’s really Page 9 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Embarrassing when a 23 year old loses to a 14 year old in a game of basketball… Ricky - Working Magic on the BBQ (Oyama Firework) There are a few major events during the year. Right now we’re getting ready for the Autumn Sports Festival. Unlike the sports festivals in Australia, most of the events are team-based such as tug-ofwar and relays. The students spend a lot of time getting ready for the event and it’s a great bonding experience for both the students and teachers. Not to mention fun, when you’re running against the kids! There’s also the School Festival where the students put their hard work on display for all to see. They also practice for the choral event, the arm-wrestling matches and the Brass Band Club put on a great show as well. While here, I’ve come to appreciate the dedication the students show to their school and have been fortunate to be part of many of the yearly major events. It’s always interesting to see other cultures in action and it’s really rewarding to know that you are part of it. Until next time Ricky Sheward. David & Cath - Cutting vegetables (Oyama Firework) 32nd PR Ambassador to Oyama City On 5th July 2009 the Japanese actress Rina Koike was appointed a "PR Ambassador” to Oyama City within the Tochigi Prefecture. Rina was born in 1993 and was raised there and is currently attending the High School in Oyama City. Rina received the “Letter of Appointment” from Mayor Okobo at City Hall. Rina also says: "I am glad to be elected as the PR Ambassador to Oyama City and I will work hard for the city and will try to get to know as many people as possible!" Rina is the 32nd ambassador to be named by the city and is the youngest as at this time. The AJS wish her well with this exciting task in Oyama. Page 10 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Message from Minami - Thomas Ball Hello to readers in Australia and Japan and beyond. The city of Cairns in Australia, famous as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, has two sister cities in Japan called Minami and Oyama. I live in the smaller or Cairn’s sister cities, Minami Town. I would like to tell readers in Oyama and Cairns a little bit about their sister city Minami. Thomas Ball “Well Kame” - Filming (Meaning Well Turtle) Minami is located on the east coast of Shikoku, the fourth largest Island of Japan. The town has about 30 kilometers of rocky coast bordering the Pacific Ocean, punctuated by sheltered sandy beaches. The dramatic cliffs, headlands and tall spiky islands just offshore look a bit like a Chinese landscape painting. Away from the coast, this is an area of steep, densely forested mountains and peaceful river valleys lined with houses, fields, and rice paddies. If you ever come to Minami, be sure to bring a camera, because it is full of scenes fit for a postcard. In fact, Minami is so beautiful it was chosen as the set for the Japanese drama ‘Welcome’ (or ウェルかめin Japanese) filmed here in May 2009 and due to begin airing on the 28th of September this year. The name ‘Minami’ translates directly as ‘Beautiful Wave’. Where Hiwasa meets the Pacific. You can see Hiwasa River in the foreground. Page 11 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Minami is actually made up of two towns, Hiwasa and Yuki, and several small villages in the surrounding area. These towns merged their town councils to form one larger town in 2006. Minami has something for almost everyone, whether you are into nature, culture, history, sports, or surfing, swimming, and fishing. One of the main historical attractions of the town is Yakuoji Temple, which is temple number 23 in the 88 temple pilgrimage around Shikoku. Thousands of pilgrims pass through Minami each year on their way to their ultimate goal. Looking down Sakura Machi main street, temple in the background Many visitors also come to Minami for its many traditional festivals, such as the Hiwasa Autumn festival on 11th October, where groups of about 50 townspeople wearing summer kimono carry portable shrines weighing at least 800kg on their shoulders, while 4 young people ride on top of the shrine. The shrines are carried through the town and all the way into the ocean! A less traditional event, the Hiwasa Sea Turtle triathlon, has been growing rapidly in popularity in recent years. The triathlon involves a swim at Ohama beach, run along the Skyline Highway next to the steep sea cliffs, and a bike ride along the clear Hiwasa River. For nature lovers, Minami has many scenic hikes, impressive views, and interesting wildlife such as the loggerhead turtles which lay their eggs on Ohama beach, and small red land crabs which live around town (and in my garden!). The Minami Sea Turtle Festival is a chance to see hatchlings from sea turtle eggs sent off on their first great journey. All day…. the shrines just kept coming. Page 12 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r To get to Minami from Australia, catch a plane to Osaka, then catch a train or bus from Osaka down to Minami. You could also rent a car, and the Japanese drive on the left as we do in Australia, so there is no confusion there. However, unless your Japanese is pretty good, you better rent a car with an English satellite navigation system or stick to the train and bus! Next morning… 1000 kg of shrines and drummers over wet sand and into the sea. They all carry their shrines to one end of the beach and line up there, then come back, and all this takes most of the day Not easy to get out when there is surf Now that I have told you a little bit about Minami, let me tell you a little about myself and what I do here. My name is Tom, and I’m from Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. I first became interested in Japan while studying geography in high school, and came here with only a few words of Japanese. On living here, I fell in love with Japan and found to my surprise that I really enjoyed learning Japanese. After two years I left Japan and lived in Australia, China, and Korea, but my interest in Japan and Japanese never faded, and I eventually enrolled in university in Australia to study Japanese, which allowed me to do one year as an exchange student at a university in Osaka. I then really wanted to use my Japanese in a work situation, which led me here to Minami. Here I teach English at 5 different elementary and junior high schools as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). I also help the local council strengthen their international ties, hence my second title as Coordinator of International Relations (CIR). My Japanese adventure continues! Page 13 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 I got this job through the Australia Japan Society Far North Queensland, and am greatly indebted to them for their help and support. If you ever decide to come to Minami from Australia, or decide to visit other destinations in Japan, it may be worth contacting the Australia Japan Society Far North Queensland for advice and information. Thomas Ball, Minami, 2009. Off to Akamatsu the same night to see the hand made firework festival. This is the shower of sparks beneath a roman candle 10 meters up in the air Meet the new Mayor of Minami Town… Norbuyoshi Kageji August 2009: Belated but sincere AJS FNQ congratulations and good wishes to Mr. Nobuyoshi Kageji. as newly appointed Mayor of Minami Town. The AJS wishes you every success and prosperity for this new appointment and the AJS shall continue to encourage it’s members and supporters to visit the peaceful and relaxing region and Minami and Yuki Towns. The AJS also look forward to meeting you again personally during our next visit. The 2009 AJS scholarship student recipient, Rebecca Coxon, will be arriving to Minami soon and we look forward to a continued special friendship with the people of Minami. Please pass on our personal well wishes to the former Mayor of Minami, Mr. Fujii who we understand may not be well at present. Thank you. Jeff Haynes & Makoto Kamatani Haynes. AJS FNQ, Australia Page 14 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Rice Field Art - Not Alien Creation Stunning crop art has sprung up across rice fields in Japan. But this is no alien creation - the designs have been cleverly planted. Farmers creating the huge displays use no ink or dye. Instead, different colours of rice plants have been precisely and strategically arranged and grown in the paddy fields. As summer progresses and the plants shoot up, the detailed artwork begins to emerge. A Sengoku warrior on horseback has been created from hundreds of thousands of rice plants, the colours created by using different varieties, in Inakadate in Japan. The largest and finest work is grown in the Aomori village of Inakadate, 600 miles north of Tokyo, where the tradition began in 1993. The village has now earned a reputation for its agricultural artistry and this year the enormous pictures of Napoleon and a Sengoku-period warrior, both on horseback, are visible in a pair of fields adjacent to the town hall. More than 150,000 visitors come to Inakadate, where just 8,700 people live, every summer to see the extraordinary murals. Each year hundreds of volunteers and villagers plant four different varieties of rice in late May across huge swathes of paddy fields. Napoleon on horseback can be seen from the skies, created by precision planting and months of planning between villagers and farmers in Inkadate. And over the past few years, other villages have joined in with the plant designs. Another famous rice paddy art venue is in Page 15 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 the town of Yonezawa in the Yamagata prefecture. The fictional 16th-century samurai warrior Naoe Kanetsugu and his wife, Osen, whose lives feature in television series Tenchijin. Various artwork has popped up in other rice-farming this year, including designs of Doraemon and deer dancers. The farmers create the murals by planting little purple and yellow-leafed kodaimai rice along with their local greenleafed tsugaru roman variety to create the coloured patterns between planting and harvesting in September. The murals in Inakadate cover 15,000 square meters of paddy fields. From ground level, the designs are invisible, and viewers have to climb the mock castle tower of the village to see the work. Rice-paddy art was started there in 1993 as a local revitalization project, an idea that grew out of meetings of the village committee. Closer to the image, the careful placement of thousands of rice plants in the paddy fields can be seen. The different varieties of rice plant grow alongside each other to create the masterpieces. In the first nine years, the village office workers and local farmers grew a simple design of Mount Iwaki every year. But their ideas grew more complicated and attracted more attention. In 2005 agreements between landowners allowed the creation of enormous rice paddy art. A year later, organisers used computers to precisely plot planting of the four differently colored rice varieties that bring the images to life. Tanbo Art - From Ms Horie in Oyama Page 16 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r AJS Fundraising Film Night AJS had the Fundraising Film Night twice this year at the Tjapukai Theatre and we showed “Whisper of the heart” “10 Promises to my dog” Thank you for Tjapukai for their Flavor of Japan Flavor of Japan - another successful event. Thank you to Chizuru for organizing the fantastic event and thank you for Ocha Cha Restaurant for providing such a yummy Japanese cuisine!! Many AJS Friends and supporters attend to this event and we all had a great meal and great company, fun and wonderful time !! Page 17 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Okonomiyaki Fun Night / Yakisoba Fun Night Fundraising Food Event @ Sister City BBQ area on the Esplanade in Cairns. Support from Locals, Successful event and thank you to Makoto, Chizuru, Jeff and Mikie for preparing cutting vege… etc prior to this event. Page 18 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Page 19 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Page 20 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Page 21 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Culture Day - 3rd November November 3 is Japanese Culture Day called BUNKA-NO-HI and is one of the National Holiday in Japan. It was the birthday of the Emperor Meiji. The celebration of his birthday was sustained as Culture Day when he passed away. It is also the day the present Japanese Constitution was officially announced in 1946. The Order of Culture Awards ceremony for people who are outstanding contributors to Japanese culture and society is held in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on this day. The emperor himself presents the awards to the winners. There are many festivals held around the country to celebrate art and tradition during this time. The Federal Lord's Procession, Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu, in Hakone is one of them. If you visit Hakone-town on this day, you see a long parade of people wearing historical costumes from the Edo era (about 400 years ago). Shichi-Go-San (Seven-Five –Three) - 15th November November 15 is Japanese shichi-go-san which means seven, five, and three in Japanese. This is not a national holiday but a traditional Japanese festival for children of seven, five, and three years old. Families visit shrines and pray for their children's healthy growth. Children put on their best clothes such as kimonos, dresses, and suits. They buy chitose-ame (long stick candies), which represents longevity there. If you visit almost any shrine or temple around this day, you see many dressed-up children. This is Makoto’s 7-5-3’s Makoto 7 years old Makoto’s Brother 5 years old Thanksgiving Day - 23rd November November 23 is Labor Thanksgiving Day called kinro kansha no hi in Japanese. It's a national holiday, so schools and most of businesses in Japan are closed. Page 22 A u s t ra l i a J ap a n S o c i e t y F N Q N ew s l e t t e r Page 23 N o ve mb e r 2 0 0 9 /I ss u e 1 4 Japanese & English Language Exchange The AJS had a trial and first language exchange event on 24.10.09, at Ricardo’s Restaurant, on Sheridan St. Starting late afternoon and for couple hours about 12 people met new friends and enjoyed some Eng / JP conversation. Rick and Little Ricardo’s Restaurant is kindly donating the use of the venue and thank you from AJS. Please consider this Restaurant for your Pizza and Pasta and take-out, because the food is excellent. If anyone is interested in joining the next event, please contact Jody on 0416 081 801 or Email events@ajsfnq.org.au Cairns FM89.1 Corporate Member AJS Supporters, Mika Fujii of CQLA is also broadcasting FM radio program (Japanese / English) @ FM89.1 in Cairns. On Air Every Saturday 5pm 6pm www.skyrail.com.au The Cairns FM89.1 radio is a FM station which is run by Cairns Community Broadcaster Incorporated, a nonprofit organisation, as your community radio in Cairns area. www.oceanhotels.com.au/ If you have any Japanese Music you want to request or make a contribution to this program please contact mika.fujii@cairnsfm891.org Upstairs Orchid Plaza Abbott Street, Cairns AJS FNQ CHARTER The Australia - Japan Society in FNQ Inc. is a non political, non profit organisation and has the following objectives: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ To foster mutual understanding between the people of Australia and Japan. To promote in Australia an interest in Japanese social, cultural and economic matters. To promote the educational exchange between Australia & Japanese students. To encourage interest in Australia by Japanese people. To provide facilities and opportunities for contact and communication between Australian and Japanese, its people and businesses. To actively seek and cooperate with other organisations in Australia and Japan with similar goals and objectives. Hey Hey, please Email us... Because the AJS welcomes your contributions to this Newsletter and publications. By email please to: newsletter@ajsfnq.org.au Thank you, Makoto Australia Japan Society in Far North Queensland Inc PO Box 2188 Cairns QLD 4870 Australia Phone: 0417 756 849 / Email: info@ajsfnq.org.au AJS Website: www.ajsfnq.org.au