だて市政だより８月号（英訳版） Public Relations Magazine DATE English Digest - August 2023
The 39th Annual Ryōzen Taiko Festival
Sunday, August 20th 10 AM ～ 5 PM
P17 第39回霊山太鼓まつり
Location Hobara Total Park Ōizumi Grounds
Details Synchronized Ryōzen taiko performances, stage events (taiko teams from within the city, MANAMI, Majikaru Barurun Yes) the Date Hometown Representative Talk Show (Yū Nagasawa, Alice Kobayashi, Mayor Suda) and more!
Booths Food and produce from Date City’s sister/friendship cities (Matsumae City, Hokkaido, Kusatsu City, Shiga, Minamimaki Village, Nagano, Shiroi City, Chiba, Chikusei City, Ibaraki) and more!
Time Schedule
10:30 Friendship City Introduction
10:55 Ryōzen Taiko ①
11:25 MANAMI ①
12:00 Majikaru Barurun Yes
12:35 Date City’s Taiko ① Yanagida Ryūjindaiko
13:10 MANAMI ②
13:45 Date Hometown Representatives
14:20 Ryōzen Taiko ②
14:50 Ryōzen Taiko Exploration Group
15:10 Enka Show Aiko Yoneyama
15:45 Date City’s Taiko ② Date na dabishita
16:20 Ryōzen Taiko ③
16:55 Closing Ceremony
Saturday, August 19th
11 AM ～ 5 PM
Taiko Festival Pre-Event
Get excited with musical performance!
Contact Ryōzen Taiko Festival Planning Executive Committee (Ryōzen Branch Office) ☎ 024-586-3401
Individual Inoculations with the COVID-19 Vaccine (Through Medical Institutions)
P11 新型コロナウイルスの個別接種（医療機関での接種）
Contact Novel Coronavirus Countermeasures Department, Vaccine Inoculation Section ☎ 024-572-6456
Spring 2023 Commencement COVID Vaccine Inoculations (Free)
Eligibility Those who have received their first inoculation and fall under any of the following
① People 65 years or older
② People 5 years or older who have an underlying condition
③ People employed in fields such nursing and health care
Inoculation Date Mass Inoculations: end Saturday, July 29th
Individual Inoculations (through medical institutions located within the City): Tuesday, August 1st ～ Thursday, August 31st
First COVID Vaccine Inoculation (Free)
Inoculation Date Individual Inoculations (through medical institutions located within the City): until Sunday, March 31st 2024
Vaccine Application Method To be inoculated, you must receive an inoculation certificate and make the reservation yourself.
Web Reservations (via smartphone, computer, etc.)
Access the reservation website using the following QR code or through the City homepage. (Available 24/7)
Phone Reservations
The Date City COVID Vaccine Reservation and Consultation Center
☎ 0120-743-567
(Available weekdays 9AM ～ 5PM)
Reissuance of the Inoculation Certificate Those that have lost their inoculation certificate (pre-vaccination screening questionnaire) and require a replacement should contact the Novel Coronavirus Countermeasures Department.
Additional Information Details about COVID vaccine inoculations, the various vaccines’ reservation slots and more will be updated on the City’s homepage (through the novel coronavirus vaccine inoculation portal site) as needed.
Boosting Fire Fighting Techniques and Morale
Fire Fighting Corps Training Demonstration (Sun. 6/25)
P23 消防技術と土気高め合う 消防団部隊訓練披露会
All volunteer fire fighters within the city, around 500 people, gathered together to display the fruits of their training. Aimed to contribute to the enhancement and growth of the firefighting capabilities in the entire Date City fire brigade, this was the first Fire Fighting Corps Training Demonstration for Date City’s volunteer fire fighters. Foundational maneuvers of firefighting, such as platoon stationary and marching formation training, were performed in a team system made up of division units, improving the skills and morale of participating members.
Beautifying Riverbanks
The Strategy to Clean Up Each Region of the City (Sun. 7/2)
P23 河川敷をきれいに 市内各地でクリーンアップ作戦
In conjunction with Fukushima Prefecture’s River Protection Day (the first Sunday of every July), a simultaneous clean sweep called the “Clean-up Strategy” was implemented. Beginning early morning, numerous people, including members of city council and the River Protection Association, tidied the riversides by trimming the grass around the banks, picking up trash, etc., within each region of the City. We extend our deepest gratitude to all who participated.
Please Verify Your Payment Method for Latter-Stage Elderly Healthcare Insurance
P24 後期高齢者医療保険料納付方法の確認を
In early August, we will be sending notices of determination for fiscal year 2023. Please confirm your method of payment. In principle, insurance payments are received through special collection (i.e. pension deduction); however, there are instances where changes have been made starting last year.
In cases such as individuals who turned 75 partway through the fiscal year and individuals whose annual pension is below 180,000 yen, please pay through ordinary collection (i.e. statement of payment or bank transfer).
Contact National Health Insurance and Pension Department, Levy Section
☎ 024-575-1198
Road Closure at the North Entrance of the City Hall Building
P24 市役所庁舎北側入口の通行止め
A part of the road will be closed due to restorative construction of damage caused by the 2022 Fukushima Prefecture Offshore Earthquake.
Location North entrance of the main government building’s central wing
Date Friday, August 4th ～ Monday, August 28th
More details can be found here
Contact Public Property Management Department, Property Management Section ☎ 024-572-7056
Prevention Against Heatstroke and Tick-Borne Disease
P25 熱中症とダニ媒介感染症を予防しよう
Check the “Heatstroke Caution Alert” and take actions to help prevent heatstroke.
More details here
In addition, during this season when outside work increases, tick activity also increases. Please take precautions to avoid tick bites.
More details here
Contact Health Promotion Department, Health Management Section
☎ 024-575-1116
Beginning of Reservation Acceptance for City Resident Health Exams (Yanagawa & Ryōzen Sites)
P25 集団検診（梁川・霊山会場）予約開始
This year’s mass health exams are offered by appointment only. Please make an appointment by telephone or through the internet.
Telephone Number for Reservations:
☎ 024-572-7356 or 024-573-0538
Reception Times: 9 AM ～ 4:30 PM (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
Reception Period: During the reservation reception period for each district
※ If there are openings in the schedule, reservations will be made upon request, so please contact us.
※ People from outside the Yanagawa and Ryozen areas can also receive an examination.
Distribution and Collection of Colon Cancer Screening Kits
Kits distributed at the Hobara Health Center, the National Health Insurance and Pension Department, or any of the general branch offices (excluding Hobara).
Please kindly go to the trouble of returning unused and unneeded kits at the exam site, or to one of the distributing locations.
Reservation Website: Please use the reservation form to make an appointment by 4 PM, seven days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) prior to the exam date.
Contact Health Promotion Department, Health Management Section
☎ 024-575-1116
The Accuracy of the “Landside Disaster Warning Information” Improves
If You Sense Danger, Evacuate Immediately
P26 「土砂災害警戒情報」の精度が向上 危険を感じたらすぐ避難を
The standards for the “Landside Disaster Warning Information,” which is issued when heavy rain increases the risk of landsides, has been reviewed and improved in accuracy.
Know hazardous areas at a glance with the “Fukushima Prefecture Landside Disaster Information System”
The “Landside Disaster Precaution Area” and “Landslide Disaster Risk Level” can be overlaid on the map data.
Contact Disaster Preparation & Crisis Management Department, Crisis Management Section ☎ 024-575-1197
Please Cooperate with the Evacuation Awareness Survey
P26 避難意識に関する調査にご協力を
The Cabinet has implemented a survey regarding the existing state of earthquake disaster prevention measures, aimed at those living in Japan.
Date until Thursday, August 31st
Contact Cabinet Office Policy Director (Disaster Prevention Representative)
☎ 03-3501-6996
Survey Implemented Regarding Children and Childrearing
P26 子ども・子育てに関する調査を実施
A survey will be conducted with the aim to establish the “Date City Regulations for Children and Childrearing” so that children can grow up with an abundance of energy and vitality.
Eligibility Elementary to high school students, people with opinions on childrearing
Date until Thursday, August 10th
Application All elementary, middle, and high school students within the City are sent requests through their schools (or see the below QR code). All others, please use the following QR code to answer.
Contact Child Future Department, Facility Administration Section
☎ 024-573-5691
Cervical Cancer Prevention
Catch-up Inoculation
P26 子宮頸がん予防キャッチアップ接種
Those who missed the opportunity to be vaccinated due to the withholding of active recommendations for the cervical cancer prevention vaccine can be inoculated.
Date until March 2025
Please see below for more details
Contact Health Promotion Department, Health Management Section
☎ 024-575-1116
Hometown Assembly Hall MDD Comedic Performances
P28 ふるさと会館MDD爆笑寄席
Details Performances by: Yūjyaku Sanyūtei, Nezucchi, Natsuko Ōji
Date Saturday, August 19th beginning at 3 PM (doors open from 2:30 PM)
Place Date Hometown Hall
Admission Advance Tickets, ¥1500; Same-day tickets, ¥2000
Contact Date Hometown Assembly Hall ☎ 024-583-3244
Japanese Class for Non-native Speakers Taught By Coordinators for International Relations
P28 国際交流員による日本語講座を開催
This class teaches language used in everyday life, as well as useful information.
Date and Time Tuesday, August 22nd 6:15 ～ 7:30 PM (taught in English)
Fee Free
Location Room 404 in the east wing of Date City Hall
Eligibility The first 10 non-native Japanese speakers to apply
Application Method Please apply 7 days in advance at the latest, through the following QR code.
Contact Collaborative Community Development Department, Collaboration Promotion Section ☎ 024-575-1177
Date City Municipal Library
P30 伊達市立図書館
Fun Summer Stories and Movies Event
Date Sunday, August 26th 10 AM ～ (lasts around 1 hour)
Place Video Conference Room located on the 2nd floor of the library
Eligibility Children 5 or older and their guardian(s)
Application Not needed
Admission Free
Hours 9 AM ~ 7 PM (Closes at 5 PM on Sundays and Holidays)
Closed Every Monday
Telephone Number 024-551-2132
Date City’s Yanagawa Art Museum
P30 伊達市梁川美術館
Special Exhibition: What is “Modern Japanese Western-Style Painting?”Exhibition of the Sugar Trade Organization’s Collection
Until Sunday, August 13th 9:30 AM ～ 5 PM
(Last entry at 4:30 PM)
Admission General ¥600; high school and university students ¥400; elementary/middle school students or younger, free
Temporary Closure
Monday, August 14th ～ Tuesday, October 10th
Hours 9:30 AM ～ 5 PM
Closed Mondays (or the following weekday, in the case of a national holiday)
Contact 024-527-2656
Date City’s Hobara Museum of History and Culture
P30 伊達市保原歴史文化資料館
Free Entry to Entire Museum Sat. 8/19 ～ Mon. 8/21
Special Exhibition The World of Masamoto Kameoka’s Documents
Until Monday, September 25th
Workshop
Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until Sunday, August 20th
Magatama (comma-shaped beads) and Haniwa (terracotta clay figures)-making (changes by day)
※ For more details visit the City’s homepage
Hours 9 AM ～ 5 PM
Closed Tuesdays
Admission ¥210 (Elementary ～ high school students, ¥100)
Contact 024-575-1615
Metabolic Syndrome and Lifestyle Diseases
P32 メタボと生活習慣病
Contact Health Promotion Department, Local Health Section
☎ 024-576-3736
“At the health checkup site, my body weight, blood pressure, and even the circumference of my stomach is measured. Is this really necessary?” It’s almost as if we can hear these inner voices. Why do you get a health exam in the first place? Every person has their own motivations, such as for their own health, family, or to be able to watch their grandchildren grow up. However, there is actually a secret relationship between lifestyle diseases and even the circumference of your stomach.
Date City’s current situation based on health exam results
Compared to the rest of the prefecture, Date City has a tendency to have a higher percentage of lifestyle diseases. Should lifestyle diseases be left alone, it is possible for your healthy life expectancy (the period of time when, in addition to being generally healthy, an individual’s daily life is not inhibited by any issues), quality of life, etc. to decrease.
What Stage are You? A Graphic of Lifestyle Disease
Level 1
・Improper diet (surplus of calories, sodium, fat, etc.)
・Lack of exercise/physical activity
・Smoking
・Excessive alcohol consumption
・Excessive stress
Level 2
Better stop it here!
・Obesity
・High blood pressure
・High blood sugar
・High cholesterol
Level 3
・Morbid obesity (especially visceral fat obesity)
・Diabetes
・High blood pressure
・Hyperlipidemia
Level 4
・Coronary artery disease (heart attack, angina)
・Stroke
・Diabetic complications (blindness, artificial dialysis, etc.)
Level 5
・Partial body paralysis
・Disturbances in daily life
・Dementia
Make progress while there are no subjective symptoms
Lifestyle diseases are said to easily happen with the onset and progression of complications of other diseases. The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare compares lifestyle diseases, which begin with diabetes, to that of a river: it flows from upstream to downstream. Even in the image above, you can see how lifestyle disease progresses. There is no flowing in the opposite direction.
Please take a good look. Where would you be currently?
It is vital to stop at your current state and prevent yourself from being washed downstream. No matter the stage, you can control the progress and flow by improving your lifestyle.
For the sake of your future quality of life, improve your lifestyle through “firm boundaries” at Level 2
Now that we’ve learned something new
Fat people, skinny people: there are individual differences, but everyone has fat on them. In that fat, there are fat cells. Usually, fat cells store and release surplus calories from inside your body. A substance that affects the body (otherwise known as cytokine) is also released, and if your BMI exceeds 25, it seems to do bad things in your blood... But never fear! If you undergo a health exam, you can understand the condition of even your unseen blood vessels. Please check to see how your blood vessels are doing and if they are unharmed!
Fat cells aren’t only for storage! They also release a substance (cytokine) that affects your body
The Hero: Cytokine
(At a BMI of 18.5~24.9)
Helps hormones that decrease blood sugar work effectively
Protects blood vessels from ailments such as inflammation and artery hardening
Signals that you’re full
Dispenses fat that becomes energy when needed
The Villain: Cytokine
(At a BMI of 25 or over)
Impedes the work of hormones that decrease blood sugar
Makes it easier for blood vessels to become inflamed
Increases blood pressure
Hardens small arteries
Creates blood clots within blood vessels
BMI 25+→ Many villainous cytokine are released
BMI (Body Mass Index) is the ratio of one’s height and weight.
It can be calculated with the following: weight (kg) ÷ height (m) ÷ height (m)
We will assist you with your health!
We aim to help so that every person can live in good health. Please don’t hesitate to consult with us.
◆ Health Consultations (Weekdays 8:30 AM ～ 12 PM and 1 PM ～ 5 PM)
Location Hobara Health Center
Details How to look at health exam results, consultations related to health (body, mind, food, exercise, etc.)
◆ Visiting Lecture (Date and time decided upon consultation)
Location Central exchange hall or other public gathering space
Details Topics such as dementia, blood pressure, sodium levels and more
※ Both services are free of charge and reception is always open.
Coordinator for International Relations’ Monthly Column by Tony Gillan
Paternal Visits to Japan
There are a number of questions Japanese people frequently ask me as a foreign resident, one of them being “If you live in Japan, how do you take care of your parents in America?” This is usually asked once my status as an oldest son is disclosed, but as an American, the fact that I am one of three children means that the burden doesn’t fall entirely on my shoulders. Nonetheless, I do whatever possible to take care of them; which means that, on a regular basis, I have them come here.
So far only my father has come to visit, and even then only twice. His first visit occurred during the last three months of my appointment as Koori Town’s assistant language teacher. The stream of welcome parties for him flowed seamlessly into the relentless torrent of farewell parties for me, and eventually he was able to meet a sizeable percentage of the town’s kind-hearted population. We flew on the plane together back to America, but by then my father had been able to see firsthand my deep connection with the community, and came to understand why I was determined to return to live there after attending graduate school in America.
Two years later I did return to Koori, but an additional three years passed before my father came to visit me for a second time. At the time, I was working for an English conversation school in Fukushima City, but had been growing frustrated with the working conditions. Providentially, while he was here I was able to become a Date City CIR. Yet abruptly leaving one job for another, then moving to a new municipality, was a stressful experience which I doubt I could have weathered without his support. For my part, I supported him in improving his health, and he ended up losing ten kilograms over the course of three months.
As you can see, every time my father comes to Japan, my current employment ends; and his coming trip is no exception. This year marks my fifth year as a Date City CIR, and after my appointment ends in August, I will return to live in Koori. Before I move, I want my father to experience even just a bit of life in in Date; so if you catch sight of him, feel free to greet him and try speaking English. He doesn’t speak any Japanese!
