AWIA Aizu Wakamatsu International Association

Hours of Operation: 9:30AM-5:30PM

(Closed: Every Monday & Every Sundays

national holidays, and the end of the year from Dec. 29th to Jan. 3rd.)

Event Information Page

Christmas Moive Night🎥


Come watch a movie to get into the Christmas Spirit! Enjoy a fun movie as we watch ‘Klaus (2019)’, a movie about an alternative origin story for Santa Claus. A postman becomes friends with a grumpy toymaker to bring joy to a small Northern Village filled with two feuding families. Let’s get into a festive mood!

■Date: Dec 23 (Tue) 18:00~20:00

■Place: AWIA Office (Sakae-machi 2-14)

■Cost: Free!

■Limit: 15 people

■Sign-up: by Dec 19 (Fri), contact AWIA.

Chinese Conversation Club:
Chat-ba🐼 Season 2


Have a fun time using Chinese. Let’s talk about Shoppings!

**From this session, we recommend that you be able to speak some Chinese. It may be difficult to take part if you come with zero experience.**

■Date: Dec 6 (Sat) 10:00~11:30

■Place: AWIA Office (Sakae-machi 2-14)

■Sign-up: by Dec 5 (Fri), contact AWIA.


ChAT-ba :
‘Ch’: Chinese,
‘A’: Aizu,
‘T’: Together, and
‘吧/-ba’: ‘Let’s!’ in Chinese.

Parents’ Salon: Christmas

Raising children in Aizu? Join our Parents’ Salon for an opportunity to meet others also raising children here! At this Christmas event, create little reindeer decorations with your children and chat with other parents. Take the opportunity to connect with others from around the world!

Date: Dec 7th (Sun) 10:00-11:30

Place: City Learning Centre (Keikodo) Rm 1

Limit: Up to 15 families with children aged 0 - 12

Cost: Members: Free! Non-members: ¥500

Sign-up Deadline: Dec 5th (Fri)

Sign-up: tell us your name, and number of participants at: aizukokusai@awia.jp

English Conversation Club MEET



Introducing MEET (My English Exchange Time) our English convo club. The name may be new and we may try new things, but we’ll always have fun. Come and speak English with people from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome, no matter your English level.


■Date/Time: Dec 20 (Sat) 10:00~12:00

■Place: City Learning Center (Keikodo) 3F Rm 1

■Cost: FREE!

■Sign Up: Contact AWIA by Dec 19 (Fri)

Newsletter Prep and Refreshments

Help us to prepare our newsletters for mailing! On the last Saturday of every month, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM, AWIA members gather at the AWIA to fold and mail next month’s edition of the newsletter. Come enjoy talking with other members while you help out the association. It’s also an excellent chance to put your Japanese to use!

■Date: Dec 20 (Sat)
■Time: from 1:30 pm
■Place: Aizu Wakamatsu International Association Office

Satellite JICA Fukushima Desk Learn about Tunisia!


Come take the opportunity to learn about Kida-san’s experience in Tunisia! This time, in a special event, hear about the culture and music this North African country.

■Date: Dec 13 (Sat)13:30~15:00

■Place:AWIA Office (Sakaemachi 2-14)

■Time: 10:00~12:00

■Cost:Free!

■Sign up by Dec 12th (Fri)

Satellite JICA Fukushima Desk



JICA Desk will be starting up again! Come speak to the new person in charge of reaching out to people in Aizu about the efforts of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Association) KIDA Maki-san spent some time in Tunisia, a country in the North of Africa that shares a maritime border with Italy. Come say hello if you’d like to learn more about her, JICA, and/or Tunisia.

■Date: Dec 13 (Sat) 10:00~

■Place: AWIA Office (Sakae-machi 2-14)


Here is a message from KIDA-san:
Nice to meet you! My name is KIDA Maki, and I am in charge of the Satellite JICA Fukushima Desk. I taught children piano in Tunisia as a JICA Volunteer until January of this year. I want to work hard while experiencing everyone’s passion for cultural exchange and understanding and learn more charms of Aizu.

Online Japanese Class!

onlinejapanese

The Aizu Wakamatsu International Association is now offering online Japanese language classes! Study from home at the time that works best for you! Our volunteer teachers will work with you to match your language level and study goals.

【Time】:
 Choose your preferred 1-hour time slot between 10:00 and 20:30 any day of the week.
  *There may be cases where a student’s first choice time slot is unavailable.

【Number of Classes】:
 12 Sessions / 1hr per session

【Place】:Online via Zoom or Skype

【Fee】:
 4,000 JPY for 12 Sessions (Annual AWIA membership of 2,000JPY is required to register.)

【How to Register】:
 Contact the AWIA by phone or email with your three preferred time slots.

EMAIL: mail@awia.jp TEL: 0242-27-3703
WEB: http://awia.jp

*Most classes are 1 on 1, but there may be cases where 2 or more students share the same time slot.

[pdf]

Children Nihongo Hiroba


Does your child struggle with Japanese in school? Does he or she always feel one step behind everyone else in class? Let us help! Going to school in a foreign language is challenging, but your child is not alone. At Children Nihongo Hiroba, your child can meet, speak and study with other people just like them! We offer a space to address any questions your child may have about school work or Japanese, and give them the opportunity to use their native language.

[When]:
The 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month,
15:00 ~17:00 (depending on child’s age and needs)

[Where]:
Aizu-Wakamatsu International Association
(5th floor of the Lion D’or Garden on Shinmei Dori)

[Price]: ¥2,000
(in addition to the AWIA annual membership fee of ¥2,000)

[For]:
Non-native speakers of Japanese ages 6-18.

[Inquiries & Registration]:
Aizu-Wakamatsu International Association
mail@awia.jp or 0242-27-3704

Important Notice!


Due to low foot traffic, the Aizuwakamatsu International Association Office will be CLOSED on Sundays starting in July.
 We will continue holding events on Sundays but our office will be closed to visitors. Stop by anytime from Tuesday to Saturday~ We would love to see you.


New Open Hours &
New Email Address



 **Office now open from 9:30-17:30**
(old hours: 9:00-17:45)
 We are changing our office hours to better serve you. Our office will now open from 9:30am and close at 17:30. But don’t worry!! If you cannot make it to our open hours, please contact us through email or telephone ahead of time, and we will do our best to help you.

**NEW EMAIL : aizukokusai[@]awia.jp**
Our original email address, mail@awia.jp has been in use since AWIA transitioned to email. Due to this, we get an enormous amount of SPAM. In an attempt to reduce time spent sorting through to find real correspondence, we are transitioning to a new address. Please update your address books, safe lists, and records to stay in touch!

Multilingual Information

Yorisoi Hotline

 Are you having a problem with your visa, nationality, family, work, everyday living, discrimination, domestic violence, confinement, or human trafficking?Please call us about any problem you may have. Your privacy will be protected. This is a toll-free number.


Yorisoi Hotline English よりそいホットライン(Free telephone consultation): 0120-279-226


Website: Free Telephone consultation service for foreign languages and foreign people




Telephone Consultation for medical matters
(AMDA国際医療情報センター AMDA Medical Information Center)

Help you to find medical institutions for you and provide information on healthcare and welfare system in Japan.

Website: Telephone Consultation for medical matters (AMDA Medical Information Center / AMDA国際医療情報センター)

Beware of Bears🐻



This year has had a record number of bear sightings/ encounters. Protect yourself against a bear attack! With winter on the way, and a hard year for beech nut and other wild fruits, there is a high chance bears will be coming into town for food. Fukushima Pref. has announced a Bear Warning to be in place from Sept 11th (Thu)-Dec 15th (Mon).
Doing activities like hiking,mushroom picking, spending time in mountains or near rivers will increase the risk of a bear encounter. Please take care to protect yourself this fall when you are out in nature.



🐻⚠️How to Avoid Encountering Bears, etc.
・Carry items that emit sounds when you head into or near forested areas and do not go alone.
・Avoid walking, hiking, or farming at dawn/dusk when bears are active.
・Check bear activity information online.
・Clean up potential food sources around your home
・Take trash out on the day of collection

You can get notifications for wildlife sightings (in Japanese) from the Disaster Prevention Alert System ‘AIBEAR’ Sign-up for an account here: AIBEAR Website