| ABOUT MIA |
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Maebashi International Association (MIA) was founded in October 1989 with the purpose of contributing to world peace and prosperity, broaden Maebashi citizens’ international perspective, expand the educational, cultural and economical exchanges with foreign residents and people from all over the world, and promote mutual friendship and understanding. Currently, we have about 600 members who are actively engaged in a variety of activities and projects. Most of our activities have citizens playing a central role and aim at building a “society where all people can live together”. Everybody’s welcome to join our activities, which include fun events, lectures to learn more about other cultures and rewarding volunteer activities. |
| MAIN ACTIVITIES |
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■ Japanese language classes and lessons for foreign residents ■ Japanese Language Culture Festival and Exchange Party ■ Counseling & Interpretation Service for Foreign Residents (twice a week) ■ Foreign language courses (English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Italian) ■ Fun events and activities (lectures for international understanding, foreign cuisine cooking classes, etc.) ■ Opportunities for host-families (homestay, international students support, etc.) ■ Cooperation in exchanging activities with friend and sister cities ■ Producing of multilingual informative materials ■ Translation and interpretation offered by our volunteers (for no-profit purposes only) |
| OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOLUNTEERS |
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Maebashi citizens can learn a lot about the world from the non-Japanese people who live in their same community. At the same time, foreign residents can also learn a lot about Japan from Japanese people. It's our wish to provide as much as opportunities as possible for both Japanese and non-Japanese people to meet and talk, and help with enriching their own life in Maebashi. If you are interested in contributing by sharing knowledge about your country, culture, language, cuisine and arts or helping us with our activities, feel free to contact us. If you have translation and interpretation skills from and into Japanese language, you are also very welcome to register into our list of volunteers who can occasionally provide translations and interpretations. ■ Volunteer Application Form for Foreign Residents: WORD / PDF |
| JAPANESE LESSONS FOR FOREIGN RESIDENTS |
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Our association offers free Japanese classes to foreign nationals who reside, work or study in Maebashi city area, so that they can get used to their life in Maebashi as soon as possible. These classes offer an opportunity to learn the basics of Japanese language needed in your daily life in Japan, while also learning about Japanese culture, rules, manners and many other useful contents. You can choose between two different types of courses, according to your needs and preferences. 〈Small Group Lessons〉 This course is held through the year and it’s divided into 3 quarters (each quarter consists of 10 lessons). If you join this course, you will study Japanese language with one of our Japanese volunteer in a group of maximum 2-3 learners. Please be aware that in case we receive lots of applications, we will give priority to applicants who have never studied Japanese before.
〈Night Classes〉 This course is held through the year and it’s divided into 3 quarters (each quarter consists of 12 lessons). If you join this course, you will study Japanese language with a Japanese language teacher in a class with many other students.
〈Class Levels Explanation〉 ○ JapaneseⅠ (Introductory) = for learners who have never studied Japanese language ○ Japanese II (Beginner) = for learners who can already read/write hiragana and katakana alphabets and are already able to have very basic conversations in Japanese ○ Japanese III (Intermediate) = for learners who are already able to have daily conversations and want to improve their level further 〈How to Apply〉 In order to join our Japanese classes, you are required to apply in advance at our office. Please avoid going directly to the class without applying! If you wish to apply, you need to fill our application form and bring it, together with your Resident Card (Zairyū Kādo) to our office. If you don't have a way to print it and can't fill it beforehand, the application form is also available at our office. ※ In case you are not able to visit our office during our opening hours, please advice with us via phone or e-mail. 〈Download〉 ■ 2024-2025 Japanese Language Class Calendar (PDF) ■ Japanese Language Class Flier (PDF) ■ Japanese Language Class Application Form: WORD / PDF |
| CONSULTATION SERVICE FOR FOREIGN RESIDENTS |
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We have established a service counter to help foreign residents with settling and improving their life in the city. This is a consultation desk where we mainly provide support for procedures and interpretation at Maebashi City Hall, but here you can also ask for advices about problems related to your daily life. 〈Languages〉 English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese ※ Consultations in other languages can be provided with a pocket translator device. 〈Place〉 Maebashi City Hall 2F Consultation Service for Foreign Residents Maebashi City Hall Access (Google Maps) 〈Schedule〉 The service opens twice a week (national holidays excluded). Monday 13:00～17:00 / Thursday 09:00～13:00 〈Telephone〉 027-898-5965 Active during above mentioned operating hours only. 〈E-mail〉 maebashi.help@gmail.com (for the exclusive use of the consultation service) Please be aware that replying may take a few days. 〈Download〉 Multilingual Flier (PDF) |
| MAEBASHI LIVING GUIDE |
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People who just moved to Maebashi and wish to know more about life in the city can take a look at our Maebashi Living Guide. The website is available in Japanese, English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese and Vietnamese! |
| FLOOD & LANDSLIDE HAZARD MAP BY MAEBASHI CITY |
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For the safety of all foreign residents living in Maebashi city area, the municipality has released a "Flood & Landslide Hazard Map" in English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese and Vietnamese, that you can view and download from Maebashi City's homepage. |
| SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEES |
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For information about support to Ukrainian refugees, please refer to the following links. 〈From Immigration Bureau of Japan〉 For Ukrainian People Residing in Japan |
| 前橋市国際交流協会 Maebashi International Association (MIA) シーズポート2階（旧前橋市消費生活センター） 〒371-0022 群馬県前橋市千代田町2-5-5 TEL: 027-226-5516 / FAX: 027-226-1561
★ 迷惑メールが多いため届かないことがあります。 「あれ？」と思ったら直接お電話ください。 |
