Have you just arrived in Tsukuba? Are you a newcomer to Japan? Do you need information about daily life in Tsukuba, Japanese customs, studying Japanese, etc?

Tsukuba Orientation is an information event where experienced members of the foreign community and Japanese volunteers can help you with information about living in Tsukuba. You can ask questions about all aspects of daily life: official procedures, health, shopping, food, studying, working, Japanese customs and culture, public transport, things to see and do in Tsukuba. Plus much more!

PLACE: Tsukuba Information Center,
(Tsukuba Center, 1 minute walk from Tsukuba Bus Terminal)

DATE: Saturday, May 17, 2008

TIME: 11:00am - 3:30pm

COST: Free

And here is the front of the Information Center. Please go in the door, then go to the 3rd floor.

If you are walking from the south (from Capio, Dayz Town, Ninomiya, etc), here is the back view of the T.I.C. from the bridge over Gakuen Street.

If you need directions from your house to the Information Center, please contact us by email and we will try to explain the best way.

tsukubaorientation  {at}  gmail.com

Volunteering – What should I do?

1. Reception Desk Staff

What do I do?

Please sit at the reception desk and say “hello” to visitors. Ask them to write a visitor form. Give them a handout about the event.

Do I need to prepare anything? No.

What do I need to bring? Nothing.

What time should I go? 10:30am to 1:00pm OR 1:00pm to 3:30pm

How many people? Two volunteers for the morning, two for the afternoon.

2. Volunteer Interpreters ボランティア通(ぼらんてぃあ)訳者(やくしゃ)
Volunteers who can help visitors with non-English languages. 英語(えいご)ではない言語(げんご)で通訳(つうやく)できるボランティア(ぼらんてぃあ)で、来訪者(らいほうしゃ)と一緒(いっしょ)に各テーブル(かくてーぶる)をまわります。

Chinese 中国語 Thai タイ語 Spanish スペイン語
Portuguese ポルトガル語 Arabic アラブ語 Etc など

What do I do? 何(なに)をしますか

Please wait in the interpreters’ area. When visitors come and ask you to help, walk around with the visitor and help them ask questions. Translate the answers for them.

通(つう)訳者(やくしゃ)のいる場所(ばしょ)で待(ま)ちます。来訪者(らいほうしゃ)が来(き)て通訳(つうやく)を頼(たの)まれたら、その来訪者(らいほうしゃ)と一緒(いっしょ)にまわり、質問(しつもん)を通訳(つうやく)します。質問(しつもん)に対(たい)する答(こた)えも通訳(つうやく)します。

Do I need to prepare anything? No.

何(なに)か準備(じゅんび)する必要(ひつよう)がありますか？ いいえ

What time should I go? 10:30am to 1:00pm OR 1:00pm to 3:30pm

何時(なんじ)に行(い)けばいいですか

What do I need to bring? A dictionary if you have one.

何(なに)か持(も)っていく必要(ひつよう)がありますか？ 辞書(じしょ)など

3. Information Table Volunteers

What do I do?

First please decide which topic you know about. At the event you will sit at a table and give people information and answer questions.

Do I need to prepare anything?

Yes. Please prepare some ideas at home. Imagine you were new to Tsukuba. What questions would you ask? What information would you need?

The Orientation staff can help you with ideas, and we can help you print handouts if you need them.

What do I need to bring?

It depends on your topic. For example, if you want to give information on public transport, please go to the train station and bus station and get some timetables before the event. You could take some pictures of the buses at the bus terminal and show people what Tsuku Bus looks like, etc.

What time should I go? 10:30am to 1:00pm OR 1:00pm to 3:30pm

If you want to volunteer but cannot come at these times, it is okay. It is a big help if you can only come for one hour or two hours.

How many people?

We really need MANY people to volunteer for this section. Please help and ask your friends to come!

Salary/Money

We are very sorry we cannot give you any salary or “thank you” money. Everyone who helps at Tsukuba Orientation 2008 is a volunteer. We don’t have any sponsors and we don’t receive any money from anywhere.

Car Parking

Please understand we cannot pay any money for car parking. Please use a nearby car park. There are many city car parking lots near Tsukuba Center.

Transport

If you want to volunteer but you don’t have a car and you live far away, please ask us and maybe someone can pick you up. (But it is best if you can go to Tsukuba Center by yourself.)

Children

Visitors can bring children. It is difficult if volunteers bring children because we don’t have any space for children to play. There is no baby-sitting service.

We need some members of the foreign and Japanese community to volunteer some time on May 17th to make the event successful. It is okay if you can only come for one or two hours.
There are 3 kinds of volunteers we need:

1. General helpers – please help us set up the hall, put up signs, etc.

2. Volunteer translators.

3. “Senpai” volunteers who can sit at an information table and give information to visitors.

Below is a list of the information tables that we hope to have.  We need volunteers for Section 2, Section 3 and Section 4. If you want to volunteer,  please contact us with your name  and  the  section you want to work in. Please also tell us the time you can come.

Mail us at            tsukubaorientation {at} gmail.com

This is a list of possible information tables:
可能なテーブルの一例です。
1.    Tsukuba City Section  つくば市のセクション
①    Official information on living in Tsukuba in “Welcome Pack” {different languages}
[Living in Tsukuba booklet, Medical Handbook (Ibaraki International Association), free Tsukuba City map, trash calendars, etc]
つくば市に住むための情報（各言語）
〔つくば市在住外国人のための生活便利帳、メディカルハンドブック（財団法人茨城県国際交流協会）、つくば市地図、ごみカレンダーなど〕

②    Tsukuba Culture Association / Tsukuba Information Center
Information about culture classes, language classes, cooking classes, etc
Medical translator information
Volunteer translator/interpreter information
Disaster information
財団法人つくば都市振興財団 / つくばインフォメーションセンター
文化クラス、言語クラス、料理クラスなどの情報
医療翻訳者の情報
ボランティア翻訳、通訳者
災害情報

2.    Volunteer Interpreters Table   ボランティア通訳者のテーブル
Volunteers who can help visitors with non-English languages.
英語ではない言語で通訳できるボランティアで、来訪者と一緒に各テーブルをまわります。
We must recruit volunteers from the community (university students, foreign residents, Japanese residents)
つくば市の居住者（大学生、外国人または外国語のできる日本人）によるボランティアを集めなくてはなりません。
-    Chinese 中国語
-    Thai　タイ語
-    Spanish　スペイン語
-    Portuguese　ポルトガル語
-    Arabic アラブ語
-    Etc　など

3.    Daily Life Section  毎日の生活セクション
③    Public transport – how to catch a bus, train, etc
公共交通　－ バス、電車などの乗り降り
④    Food – shopping for food. Where are supermarkets, etc? How to read basic food kanji.
食べ物 － 買い物、スーパーマーケットの場所、食べ物の漢字など
⑤    Banks and post office – where are they? How to use them.
銀行、郵便局など – 場所、使い方
⑥    Health – where are hospitals, etc
健康　－　病院の場所など
⑦    Shopping – where main shopping centers are, etc
買い物　－　主なショッピングセンターの場所など
⑧    Education – international schools, how to enter public schools and kindergartens, advice from mothers about things needed for kindergarten/school
教育　－　インターナショナルスクール、公立学校や幼稚園の入学方法、お母さんたちによるアドバイス
⑨    Family – playgroup information, having a baby, raising children in Tsukuba
家族　－　お子さんの遊びサークル、つくばでの出産、子育て
⑩    International families – being married to a Japanese, information on groups
国際家族　－　日本人との結婚、グループの情報
⑪    Etiquette – social rules and customs in Japan: gifts, weddings, funerals, visiting homes
礼儀　－　日本の習慣や文化、贈り物、結婚式、葬式など
⑫    Leisure – things to do and see in Tsukuba, sports in Tsukuba
余暇　－　つくばの娯楽、スポーツ施設など
⑬    Cars – information about buying a car, driving.
車　－　車を買う際の情報、運転ルールなど
⑭    Information – resources for getting information – City newsletters, Alien Times, Tsublog, etc
情報　－　情報を得る方法（つくば広報、エイリアンタイムスなど）

4.    Work & Study Section  仕事と勉強のセクション
⑮    Work – working in Tsukuba – what is it like to work in a Japanese office? Company culture.
仕事　－　つくばで働く、日本の職場の習慣
⑯    Students – being a student in Tsukuba
大学生　－　つくばで大学に通う

Tsukuba Orientation is an information event where experienced members of the foreign community and Japanese volunteers can help you with information about living in Tsukuba. You can ask questions about all aspects of daily life: official procedures, health, shopping, food, studying, working, Japanese customs and culture, public transport, things to see and do in Tsukuba. Plus much more!

PLACE: Tsukuba Information Center,
(Tsukuba Center, 1 minute walk from Tsukuba Bus Terminal)

DATE: Saturday, May 17, 2008

TIME: 11:00am - 3:30pm

COST: Free

If you would like to come, please send us an email at tsukubaorientation[AT]gmail.com

Please tell us your name, nationality and what topics you want to know about. You can also send us specific questions and we will try to find out information to help you.