The Oita International Plaza (OIP) is a close-knit, well-trained, highly specialized four-person team, consisting of two regular staff members, a Coordinator for International Cooperation from JICA, and a Coordinator for International Relations. We fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the Planning and Promotion Department of the Oita Prefecture Cultural and Sports Promotion Foundation.

Our mission is to promote internationalization in Oita Prefecture, to provide information concerning international groups and programs, and to assist foreign residents.

The OIP functions mainly as a source of information for such things as study abroad, language examination information, and the activities of various international groups, at the head of which stands the mighty Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an independent administrative organization that among many, many other activities also dispatches Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), kind of like Japan’s version of the Peace Corps.

I know what you’re thinking: “I’m already in Japan. I have no need for study abroad information, and although I admire JICA’s efforts and accomplishments, I am not from this country and am thus ineligible to participate in most, if not all, of these wonderful programs. What I’d really like to know is, what’s in it for me, who flew (or perhaps sailed) over wide expanses of ocean in my journey to this ever so quirky land.”

I understand your point and feel your pain. Sleep soundly, for the Plaza has not forsaken you. Support for foreign residents takes the following forms:

1. The Tombo Times: The Tombo is an English newsletter, which includes information on festivals and events, museum exhibitions, live performances living information (Japanese examinations, notices from local municipalities, etc.), articles about Japanese culture and life in Japan, and much much more! You can pick your copy up at the Oita International Plaza, OASIS Hiroba 21 Building, the Prefectural Office, Compal Hall, Local Universities, Oita Station, Beppu Station, the Prefectural Library, and among other places throughout the prefecture. You can also get your own personal copy mailed right to your door by sending your name and address to Mike at the Oita International Plaza. If you are trying to save paper, then you can view The Tombo on the OIP Homepage.
2. Information on Oita and Living in Japan: There is a modest collection of information provided by the national and local government agencies on a wide variety of topics, from domestic violence to the changing of television frequencies. Multi-lingual medical vocabulary guides as well as several guides compiled by students and the Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences. General living guides, maps, and a spattering of tourist info are also free for the taking. We are constantly working on adding new information.
3. Multilingual Library: The English Library has recently become the Multilingual Library with the addition of books in Chinese, Korean, Italian, and German. Our collection of books has been amassed over the years through donations from people who either were returning to there home country or were just tired of staring at the piles of John Grisham/Tom Clancy thrillers they still hadn’t got around to reading. Through these donations the library is frequently adding new titles. The most recent titles include Natsume Soseki “I Am a Cat”, Karen Hesse “Out of the Dust”, Gao Xingjian “Soul Mountain”, Christopher Paolini “Eragon”, Peter Carey “Wrong About Japan”, Miyazawa Kenji “Milky Way Railroad”, Kazuo Ishiguro “Never Let Me Go”. The librarian half-regrets mention such new arrivals as books sometimes have an awful tendency to “circulate,” “percolate,” or just “evaporate” for months or more without returning home to be logged, resulting in the truly unfortunate, misleading illusion that no one uses the English Library, and that someone has been reading Salmon Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children for over a year now. Our motto is simple and almost rhymes: “Don’t be a jerk, return your books.”
4. Consultation Services: Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask any of our staff. For questions above our authority and capability to answer, we will direct you to the proper authorities who can. We also offer legal consultations once a month on the third Saturday from 13:00 to 16:00. These consultations are in English and Japanese. Reservations are not required, but are appreciated. We promise that no personal information will be shared from any of these consultations.
5. Volunteer Interpreters and Translators: If you are in need of an interpreter or have documents to translate to/from Japanese, the Plaza also has a list of prefecture residents registered to serve as volunteer interpreters or translators.
6. Bulletin Board/Online Bulletin Board: Interested in a language exchange? Or maybe just looking for a Japanese friend? Tired of that same length of road that stretches from your front door to the closest establishment providing a cheap dinner? Cliquish, hierarchical tendencies in Japanese society (manifested in such phenomena as the office enkai (drinking party), in which all contact with outside individuals seems almost forbidden, or that your senpai from the high school basketball team will remain your senpai ten years later, even when you own the company that hires your senpai to clean toilets) can make it difficult to find friends or even meet new people. The Plaza has two methods for you to reach out to the citizens of Oita and for them to reach out to you. One is the message board, which is located in the Plaza. To post a message is free, and you are not required to disclose any more information than you feel comfortable disclosing. The second method is the OIP homepage (www.oitaplaza.jp/english), host to a variety of resources in both Japanese and English, including a bilingual bulletin board. Don’t hesitate to make use of either.
7. English Publications: We also offer a few English publications for your viewing and pleasure. We must apologize to the Yomiuri fans, but we do have the Japan Times, Time Magazine, and the Hiragana Times. If you are tired of the internet, and want read the news in good old fashioned print form then stop by and check out our small selection.
8. Free Computer Use: We have made our old but reliable computer available for those who may not be so fortunate to have access to a computer. You are free to use the computer as you please, but we ask to refrain from bringing external memory devices, and downloading material.
9. Plaza Gallery: We offer a picture gallery for all of those people in Oita who feel that their country is not fairly represented. You can rent the gallery for the high price of free! The gallery is also free for anyone who wants to introduce the international activities of their group. Please contact the Oita International Plaza to reserve a time for your display.
10. Volunteer Japanese Tutors: If you by chance came to Japan and learned that your Japanese is not quite up to par then we are here to help. We have a simple system to match tutors and students. All you have to do is send the Oita International Plaza your name, phone number, E-mail, address, level of Japanese, and desired times to be tutored and we will search for the best tutor to match your needs.
11. Events: We offer a number of events throughout the year to help promote international understanding and cooperation. Some of the most popular events include the International Flee Market, The World Stage, and the Free Book Giveaway. For a complete list of events visit the Oita International Plaza homepage.

Also working in the Plaza is Daisuke Tsubaki, JICA’s Coordinator for International Cooperation in Oita. He acts a liaison between JICA and the citizens of Oita, and is active prefecture-wide, giving consultations and presentations about the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Program and JICA’s other international cooperation activities. He also holds cross-cultural workshops as well as Delivery Courses to schools on international education. He is a great resource if you are interested in learning more about Japan’s role in promoting international cooperation.

Feel free to come by at any time. If you are coming by car there is a parking lot under the Iichiko Culture Center. If you are in and out within 30 minutes, parking is free, otherwise parking is ¥150 for every half-hour (including the initial 30 minutes). If you are coming by train head to Oita Station, walk to the ship, take a left, and go straight until you are in Oasis Tower. We are hidden in the basement on B1, but you can’t miss the gallery once you get to B1! If you are coming by bus, then good luck figuring out the Oita bus system.

Written by Michael Holmes, CIR at OIP