May Articles

1.EXHIBITIONS
BANSUI-SO 9:00-18:00 Closed: May 8, 15, 22, 29
<May 1-6> Yamasami Misa -Felt Design/ Free
*Opening day starts at 11:00. Closing day ends at 16:00

MITSUKOSHI 10:00- 19:00 Open everyday
6th Floor Art Gallery Admission: Free
<Apr.25-May 1> Oil Paintings by Kinoshita Toshihiko
<May 2-8> Box Clay Art by Furuhata Masanori -The world of 3D Art-
IYOTETSU TAKASHIMAYA
10:00-19:30 Open everyday
Restaurants (11:00-22:00), Ferris wheel (10:00-22:00)
6th Floor ART GALLERY Admission: Free (-16:00 on the last day of exhibition)
<May 3-9> Western-style Paintings by Watanabe Shokou
<May 10-16> Woodblock Prints by Kogure Shinbou

2. PERFPRMANCES
MATSUYAMA SHIMIN KAIKAN
May 6 14:00- Matsuyama Shimin Chorus Concert Free
EMIFUL MASAKI
May 5 17:30- Jaa Bour Bonz Live Free
May 6 11:30- 14:30- Yamaguchi Mitsuki Live Free
May 6 13:00- 16:00- Kissako Live Free
FUJIGURAN MATSUYAMA
May 3 12:30- 16:30-
Diamond Yukai & Okamoto Mayo in Concert Free

3. TV
NHK BS Premium
Daytime Movie Theater
May.3 BACKDRAFT 1991 U.S.A. 13:00-15:19
4 ENEMY OF THE STATE 1998 U.S.A. 13:00-15:13
5 GLADIATOR 2000 U.S.A. 13:00-15:36
8 THE BIRDS 1963 U.S.A. 13:00-15:00
9 FAMILY PLOT 1976 U.S.A. 13:00-15:01

Night Movie Theater
May. 1 FINDING NEVERLAND 2004 U.S.A -England 21:00-22:42
8 CRIMSON TIDE 1995 U.S.A. 21:00-22:56

NHK Regular Bilingual Programs

NHK E tele (Educational TV) (Channel 2)
SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS 18:00-18:25 Saturdays
CURIOUS GEORGE 08:35-09:00 Saturdays
DRAMATIC EARTH 19:00-19:45 Saturdays

NHK General TV (Channel 1)
NEWS 7 19:00-19:30 Mon. -Sun.
NEWS WATCH 9 21:00-22:00 Mon. -Fri.
DOWNTON ABBY 5 (5/7~) 23:00-23:55 Sun.

4.THEATER MOVIES
>>May>> THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS [Wild Speed Ice Break] Kinuyama, Masaki & Shigenobu >>May>> BEAUTY AND THE BEAST [Bijo to yajuu] Kinuyama, Masaki, Okaido & Shigenobu
>>May5 LION Masaki only

>>May12 KONG: SKULL ISLAND [Kingu Kongu: Dokuroto no kyoshin] Kinuyama, Masaki & Shigenobu
>>May12 MOANA [Moana to Densetsu no Umi] Kinuyama, Masaki, Okaido & Shigenobu (>>May11)
>>May12 GHOST IN THE SHELL Kinuyama, Masaki & Shigenobu
>>May12 LA LA LAND Okaido only
May12>> SPLIT Shigenobu only
May12>> GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Kinuyama, Masaki & Shigenobu

May13-26 HARDCORE HENRY Okaido only
May13-26 LOVING Okaido only
May13-26 JACKIE Okaido only
>>May19 SING Kinuyama, Masaki, Okaido (>>May12) & Shigenobu
>>May19 DEEPWATER HORIZON [Burning Ocean] Masaki only

★ 10A.M. Film Festival (Gozen Juu ji no Eigasai). ★
OKAIDO Cinema Sunshine
Movie classics will be shown everyday from 10:00 a.m., changing one or two weeks on Saturday.
May 5-12 REAR WINDOW [Uramado]

CINEMA LUNATIC Tel. 089-933-9240 (Matsugeki building 2F.) Closed:Tuesdays
Apr.29-May5 I, DANIEL BLAKE
Apr.29-May5 DEMOLITION [Ame no Hi wa Aenai, Hareta hi ni Kimi wo Omou]
5. FESTIVALS
-May 15 MT. TOMISU TSUTSUJI (Azalea) FESTIVAL Ozu City

As many as 63,000 plants of azaleas are in bloom on top of Mt. Tomisu 富士山about this time of the year. Mt. Tomisu is well known in east Japan for its azalea blossoms. Many stalls are set up and the azaleas will be lit up at night, creating a festival atmosphere.
Transportation: Take a bus bound for Yawatahama from Matsuyama Shieki bus stop #4 and get off at Ozu Honmachi bus stop. It takes one hour and 20 minutes. Or take the JR express train from JR Matsuyama Station bound for Uwajima. Get off at JR Ozu Station. It takes 40 minutes. From the bus or train station you will need to take a taxi to the park. It takes 15 minutes.
(Tel.0893-24-2111)
May 3 KENPO-KINEN-BI (Constitution Day) (National Holiday)
The constitution was promulgated on May 3, 1947. This day commemorates the event and it
is also a day for us to reaffirm hope in national growth.
May 3, 4 HOJO KASHIMA SPRING FESTIVAL Kashima，Hojo，Matsuyama City
This festival is famous for Kaineri-odori (see below), which is designated as a Prefectural Intangible Cultural Folk Asset, and Ooshimenawa-no-hariake (see below), both of which are done on the sea.
3 KAINERI ODORI (Dance) At Kashima Park on Kashima Island
Kaineri Odori , a prayer for success in battle and a celebratory dance of victory, are performed. Boats are decorated with bamboo and flowers. Men row the boats and boys perform dances on board, re-enacting famous sea battles using oars. It recalls the Iyo Suigun, powerful marine guards who patrolled the sea near here in ancient times. If you want to watch this event up close, there is a boat service (otomo-bune – 500 yen), starting at Kashima Pier.
13:10-14:20 Kids’ mikoshi danjiri, Kaineri-odori at Kashima-jinja
Otomo-bune
15:00-15:30 Kids’ mikoshi danjiri at Kashima-jinja
16:00 Mochi-maki (rice cake throwing) at Kashima Island Park
4 OOSHIMENAWA-NO-HARIKAE (Replacing the Sacred Rope) At Kashima Shrine
A 45m long and 30cm thick shimenawa (sacred rope) that links the two small islands Meoto-iwa (couple rocks) near Kashima will be replaced at Kashima-jinja (shrine). The old one is taken down and the new one put in place.
9:00-11:00 Making the new Ooshimenawa (working on the new sacred rope)
13:00-14:50 Ooshimenawa-no-harikae
Otomo-bune
Transportation: Take a JR train from Matsuyama Station and get off at Iyo Hojo. From the station, walk straight out to the sea and there will be a ferry dock with frequent service to the island — a 10-minute ride. (Tel. 089-992-1423)
May 4 MIDORI-NO-HI (Greenery Day) (National Holiday)
This holiday was established in 1989 for people to admire nature, give thanks for its blessings, and to cultivate a loving heart for all living things on the earth.
May 5 KODOMO-NO-HI (Children’s Day) (National Holiday)
Traditionally, this was Boys’ Day, but after World War II it was changed to Children’s Day. Now it is a day to pray for healthful growth of children. Koinobori (carp streamers) are flown from poles and, according to Chinese legend, symbolize vigor and strength. Chimaki (rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaf) and kashiwa-mochi (rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf) are the traditional treats of the day.
May 5 IKAZAKI OODAKO GASEN (Big Kite Fight Festival) 10:00-15:00
Ikazaki, Uchiko-cho
This festival, which has over a 400-year history, is one of the three biggest kite fights in Japan. It is designated as a Prefectural Intangible Cultural Folk Asset. Several hundred kites are flown high from both sides of the Oda River in Ikazaki. The feature of this event is that each flier tries to cut down the other kites using gagari, a sharp piece of metal attached to the line of the kite. The last kite left flying is the winner. The origin of this festival was to celebrate babies newly born within the past year, hoping for their healthy growth by putting their names on the kites and flying them in the sky. (Hatsuzeku初節句). All events are held at or near the Toyoaki Bridge in Ikazaki. (Tel. 0893-44-2118 Uchiko Town Office)
9:45 Handmade kites (by junior high students) contest
10:30 Hatsuzeku Shinto Ceremony to bless babies born since last April
12:00 Japanese Drum Performance by Uchiko High school students
13:00 Uchiko kodomo-haiku (childdren’s haiku poem) kite contest
Big kite Fight
You can join the kite fight if you wish. Kites can be rented for 2,000 yen and you get 1,000 yen back when you return the string and gagari after the fight. The kite is yours to keep. Transportation: It is recommended to go by train because traffic on Route 56 is very crowded on this day. Take a JR train bound for Ozu or Yawatahama and get off at Uchiko, not Ikazaki, because Ikazaki Station is far from the site. There will be free bus service running to the festival site from Uchiko Station. Across the river from the festival site is Ikazaki Kite Museum which has a collection of kites from all over the world.

May 3-28 IMABARI SPRING FESTIVAL Imabari City
This festival features an unusual version of shishimai, a lion dance, called tsugi-jishi . Young men stand on other men’s shoulders, two or three men high, and a child stands on the top wearing a lion mask, which weighs 4 kilograms. In this way they build human towers called tsugi-jishi. The child on the top is called shishiko, a child lion, and all perform an elegant and splendid dance to the drums, swinging sensu (folding fans) and a bell.The highlights of this festival are at Kannomiyanoma-jinja and Fukiage-jinja, where several tsugi-jishi gather and compete in each district. (Tel. 0898-32-5200)
3 Kannomiyanoma-jinja Noma district 8:30 Miyadashi / Tsugijishi
13 Fukiage-jinja Fukiage Koen (park) 10:00 Miyadashi / Tsugijishi
Transportation: Take a JR express train from Matsuyama to Imabari. You can take a Setouchi bus from Imabari Station to Fukiage Koen (Imabari Castle), a 10- minute ride.

7. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Worship at the Fukuin Center
May 7, 14, 21
9:00-10:45 Sunday Service (Interpreted in English on PC)
11:00-12:00 Japanese language lessons (Tuition free)
May 28 13:30-14:45 Worship in English.
Our annual spring church bazaar will be held on the 29th from 9:30 to 16:00.
Matsuyama Fukuin Center
Place: Heiwa-dori 1-6-6 Tel: 089-925-1008
You are most welcome to our church! Please visit our blog. http://praisefellowship.seesaa.net/

Potpourri
We are studying Bushido by Nitobe Inazo in English.
We will meet from 10:00 on May 10 in the COMs building.
INFO Ms. Toda at 089-931-6037 or MIC at 089-943-2025.

Matsuyama City Library
The city library in the Community Center has a large English book section. You can register for a free library card in English. The 2nd floor Audio/Visual section has movies in English.
Open 9:30~20:00 (the A/V section closes at 17:00.)
Closed: all Mondays in May and the 9th, 10th and 31st.
INFO 089-943-8008

Nihongo Chounaikai
Hello! We are Nihongo Chounaikai. We hold regular gatherings for both Japanese and non-Japanese people to communicate and share information. No booking is necessary, just come!
Time/Place 10:00~11:30 EPIC 2F
*If there is a sudden cancellation, it will be announced in Facebook the night before. ayu_msm@yahoo.co.jp https://www.facebook.com/nihongo.chounaikai
May 9 (Tue)
Let’s Talk: Your favorite spot to visit
This is the season of fresh, pleasant greenery. What is your favorite spot to visit? Let’s share information and enjoy this season!
May 23 (Tue)
Activity: Let’s Design a Postcard
Fold, cut or tear colored paper and design a postcard with it. Who do you want to send your postcard to?

*If there is a sudden cancellation, it will be announced in Facebook the night before.
ayu_msm@yahoo.co.jp https://www.facebook.com/nihongo.chounaikai