The JET Programme official websitehttp://jetprogramme.org/en/In front of the villa of Shuzo Aoki, designated as an important cultural asset of Japan. Niklas Salm-Reifferscheidt, a descendant of Aoki, is the current head of the Salm family line that manages the Steyregg Castle (Schloss Steyregg) in Austria. "I feel a peculiar af■ nity for Japan," says Florentine.Florentine in a Austria’s national costume, the Dirndl, at Aoki Elementary School while explaining about the charms of Austria. Beautiful sights of nature are everywhere. Florentine has taken countless photos.31150km north of Tokyo. This was the City Hall of Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, an area with rice paddies sprawling across Japan’s largest alluvial fan, rich dairy farming, and famous for its hot springs. While Florentine admittedly was not good at public speaking, local people were warm and always showed solicitude and talked to her. Now in her third year there, she speaks Japanese fluently. Nasushiobara has a sister city relationship with the city of Linz in Austria. Florentine’s is mainly to convey Austrian culture to local people. The regularly issued “International Sister City Newsletter” features articles such as the differences between the German used in Austria and Germany, as well as interesting pieces on themes such as “Do you take off your shoes at home in Austria?”, promoting a sense of familiarity with Austria among readers. In lectures given at community centers, Florentine explains how to make traditional sweets such as the Linzer Augen (a pastry with red currant jam) and gingerbread cookies. “The lectures are popular with people of all ages, from children to the elderly. In a lecture for parents and their children the other day, I interacted with 140 participants in a quiz format on a wide range of subjects including Austrian nature, sports and world heritage sites. At the end, we had fun all dancing a popular Austrian dance.” Nasushiobara and the Austrian Triathlon Federation signed an agreement regarding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Pre-camp, under which Austrian triathletes came to Japan recently, and Florentine acted as an interpreter. “Although it was a short stay of just two or three days, the triathletes were touched by the rural scenery here and took lots of pictures. I, too, love this landscape and shoot videos that I send to my family.” Upon seeing these expansive scenes of nature, so unlike the cobbled streets of Vienna, Florentine’s mother also loved the place. When Florentine describes the natural beauty of Nasushiobara, her love for the place is obvious: “During the rice planting season, the paddy fields reflect the surrounding mountains like mirrors, and in the fall, the rice plants shine golden as they undulate in the wind.” To mark the 150th anniversary job of friendship between Japan and Austria in 2019, various projects are also being planned here. “I might get homesick if I were to go back home now. I’d like to stay a little more here,” Florentine says. Smiling, she adds, “I would like to continue to work as a bridge between the two countries in the future.” About theJapan Exchange and Teaching (JET) ProgrammeAbout theThe JET Programme began inJapanese Exchange and 1987 with the goal of promotingTeaching (JET) Programmegrassroots internationalexchange between Japan andother nations, and is now one ofthe world’s largest internationalexchange programs.JET participants are placedin every region of Japan andwork in one of three positions:assistant language teachers (ALTs),coordinators for internationalrelations (CIRs), or sportsexchange advisors (SEAs).In 2018, the JET Programmewelcomed 5,528 participants,and currently there aremore than 68,000 alumnifrom 73 countries living in allparts of the world.
元のページ ../index.html#31