Japan - Friday, September 18, 2015 - Tahara City, Official Day

This is the view we woke up to from our Irago View Hotel window.

These are some things we found in our room.

I read just tiny bit in The Teaching of Buddha. Wish I could have purchased this book. There seemed to be some nice bits of wisdom written in small paragraphs or sentences. 

Then we went outside to catch the bus that would carry us around all day. The first picture is a dam holding back a lake. There are Japanese characters in shrubs along the face of the dam. The second picture is the Irago View Hotel.

This day would be our first full day on the Atsumi Peninsula and our first full 'official' day in Tahara. The Atsumi Peninsula has the Pacific Ocean on the side (in the picture from our hotel room window) and the Mikawa Bay (the side in the lake picture above) on the other side of the hotel. At one time there were three cities on this peninsula. Then the government began consolidating some of the smaller cities to be more efficient. The three cities were combined and became Tahara City. This area is a farming area. With the ocean breezes it has a climate suitable for growth all year round. It is absolutely covered with long greenhouses and fields. It was now time for us to get to know, up close and personal, this portion of Japan.

Our first visit of the day would be Seisho High School. Claude and I were so impressed with the school. First, the students stay in the same classroom all day. The teachers move to the different classrooms. We saw no computers on the teachers desk. They seemed to work with a chalkboard and eraser. The kids had workbooks for each of the classes we visited and we visited several. The students dress in uniforms. No baggy jeans that could slip off at any moment. No one was slouched in their chair with an attitude. Teachers seemed to be dressed casually.

You must take your shoes off in the school. They had slippers for each of us to wear.  This is my feet in slippers with the school name across each foot. This was always a challenge for Claude. He has big feet and his toes barely fit in their slippers. He was always a bit more sure-footed if he could just wear his socks when we had to take off our shoes.

After a bit of discussion and exchange of gifts in the principal's office, we set out to tour the school. 

When we entered the first classroom, the students turned to look at us. The teacher let them peek for just a second or two. Then she said, "Focus" and they immediately went back to work. Amazing.  

This is the first classroom we visited. Our group has their heads through sliding screens between the hallway and the classroom. There is no heating or air conditioning in the schools. The temperature is kept comfortable by the use of windows, blinds and the sun. The other side of the classroom had big windows that could be opened or closed and blinds the could be opened or closed to suit the needs of the class. There were large windows on the other side of the hallway that could also be opened to add or remove a breeze. 

We could hear what sounded like a huge group of some kind of bird all talking at once. This is what it was. This class was learning English. The students were paired off. They had workbooks with a dialogue written in them in English. They were reading their dialogue in pairs. Everyone at the same time. This class never lost their focus while we watched and took pictures. I loved the uniforms. I believe I confirmed in my mind that I am pro-uniform. The girls always had on a skirt.  

This is a view from the hallway across to another wing of the school and, if you look closely, you can see a white windmill turbine on the hill and next to it a white square that is the Mt. Zao Observatory. Every year the students are required to run up to the top of Mt. Zao and back. The elementary age students only go half way but they also run. 

This is the library. They still use a card file system to check out books. I found a set of beautiful books and asked what they were. I was told they are dictionaries.  As a side note, their books read from back to front. When you pick up even a magazine to read, go to the back cover first and then go through the magazine from there. 

We learned that children are to walk to school if they live close enough. If they do not, they ride bicycles. This is the parking sheds for their bicycles. It is assigned parking. Some parents will sneak and drive their kids within a few blocks of the school if they are among the walking children. But never in front of the school. 

While in Hiroshima, as Claude and I were sitting on the retaining wall waiting for our group, we watched the people riding their bicycles by us. All ages. Some much older than me riding a bicycle. I noticed and shared with Claude that it didn't seem to matter what kind of bicycle you rode. In the States this would suddenly involve brand and accessories and keeping up with the Jones'. In Japan, it seemed to us in the city or the country, it just mattered that you had wheels to get around and the brand or age of the bicycle was not important. It just needed to be serviceable. 

Back to the principal's office. This is a work of art made by students at the school that won an award. It is made of layers of wood pressed together and sanded down into the shape of a tear drop. When you look at it in person, it appears to be made of cloth. I found it beautiful. 

We were impressed with Seisho High School. The kids were allowed to wave and say "hello". Such pretty faces and pleasant smiles. Nice experience.

They also have the high school students grouped according to their focus in education in three areas. If the student planned to go to college, they were in classes that prepared them for that. If their plan was to work in a service type field, their were in classes that prepared them for that. The third group of classes prepared you for running and managing your home. There is not a belief that all children will go to college. It is not looked down upon if your chosen vocation in life is in a service related field to to managed your home.

Next official stop for the day was the Tahara City Museum. 

Tahara was once a 'Castle Town'. In the feudal system certain cities had this designation and they had a castle (made of wood) and at minimum a feudal lord lived there. The castle in Tahara has some buildings that have been saved and preserved. These have been turned into a museum and the feature exhibit is the 'Legacy of Watanabe Kazan'. I read about him in a history of Japan book I read before coming. 

As a young man he was publicly humiliated by a person of higher class than himself. His reaction was to determine to make himself a person who could and did converse face-to-face with these people. He created a plan that required him to arise very early to study before doing the things he needed to do to help his family exist. Then he studied again in the evening. He functioned for years on a few hours sleep each night. The result was his becoming a man of literary knowledge with an ability to write wonderful things. He became an artist of renown.  He also became the adviser to the capital for the Aichii Prefecture. He achieved his goal but the story of the hard work and discipline it took to get there is amazing. At some point he said something that would cause the leaders to lose face. He took his life to save their face.

 As I did my reading about Japan before our trip, I found this was often the answer to maintaining one's honor and the honor of the family.  It was more important to have honor so that taking one's life was the honorable thing to do. This is a hard concept for me to wrap my mind around. But you can see the influence it has on the importance of proper behavior and a certain manner of doing things to this very day. 

Here are a few pictures of our entry into the museum (restored castle).

These chains are the rain gutter system. These pictures are a full chain and a close-up of a section of the chain to drain water from the roof. 

Me and Claude in Watanabe Kazan paintings!! 

Watanabe Kazan 

We loved the art exhibit. Claude favored the geisha's in their beautiful kimonos. I was taken with the one's of everyday life and some of the men. Watanabe did a fantastic job with the eyes and it was as if the painting and I were really looking at each other. We were given a beautiful book of color prints of his paintings.

Now, time for a fun lunch. We were taken to Happy Valley. This is a restaurant owned by the Director of Tahara International Association (TIA), Okamoto Yoshihiro. He sells Pizza & Pasta! 

The first picture is Claude exchanging business cards with Mr. Yoshihiro. 

The exchange of business cards is an important gesture in Japan. We were told each delegate needed their own business card with our information in English on one side. The back side of the card had our important information in Japanese. This was not a big deal for all the other delegates as they all work and have business cards at the ready. However, I even had to have cards made for me. I don't have a paying job so I don't have a business card. I asked Claude, "What in the world do I put on a business card? Papa's caregiver, Gramma extraordinaire?" We laughed and then Claude suggested I put Chair for the Friends of Sadieville. I did create a business card for me using that idea. We paid for everything on our trip except for two items. The Kentucky League of Cities paid for the printing of business cards for Claude with the Japanese on them. They also donated Kentucky quarters in a nice folder explaining the images on the coins and some history of Kentucky. 

There is an order to this business card exchange. You hold your card facing the person to whom you are giving it with both hands on the top corners and had it so it is readable to the person receiving the card. When you receive their card, you are to bow and accept it. Then you look at it carefully and digest what is on it. You smile and bow again and possibly again and you discuss the card. The card received is to be kept out in the open for them to see that you respect it (and by inference them). You never carry or put the business cards in your hip pocket. That would be like you sitting on it and you would never give someone something that you sat on. All very proper. 

This welcome sign was up for our visit to Happy Valley for lunch.

We were all missing some of our favorite American foods. What a treat to have pizza. And, a salad!!! From a salad bar!!! This is my pizza. It is cheese and honey. No tomato sauce at all. The honey is very light and just an accent to the cheese. It was totally delicious. I must comment again that the Japanese do not consume and don't have the palate for the heavy sugar that American's consume. If you want to be aware of the amount of sugar we consume, even if we think we don't consume much, go to Japan. Claude and I have cut out so much sugar in our diet and I could still tell a huge difference.

And, here is our group with the TIA Director in front of Happy Valley restaurant. 

Now for our 'Official Duties' for the afternoon. We would spend the afternoon at City Hall. First a visit with the Mayor and the exchange of official gifts.

Mayor Claude J. Christensen and Mayor Masayoshi Yamashita. 

Mayor Claude J. Christensen and Superintendent Takashi Hanai. 

Mayor Claude J. Christensen and City Council Chairman Yokio Ota. 

Mayor Masayoshi Yamashita and Mayor Claude J. Christensen exchange business cards. 

Then in front of City Hall to plant two trees. Left to right of the planting is Mayor Yamashita, Mayor Prather, City Councilman Chuck Bradley and City Council Chairman Ota. If you look at the row behind them you will find me with my camera and Claude to the right of me (just look for the gray haired lady on the end).

As we toured City Hall, I got this picture that I really wanted. I took several of cemeteries but they were while in a moving vehicle. This one is much clearer. After commenting to Kelly that there could not be bodies as there was no room between markers, Kelly explained that everyone is cremated. You then get a marker and ashes are placed on top of each other inside the marker. 

As we walked down a hall with lots of windows, I loved this view of Tahara City looking over a roof that has been turned into a Zen rock garden.  

In Mayor Yamashita's office was the gorgeous plant and a map of the Atsumi Peninsula. 

This is a kite with the Tahara City logo on it.

The chamber for the City Council meetings is huge. Seated in the highest chair is Georgetown City Councilman Chuck Bradley. This is the chair City Council Chairman Ota would sit in for the meetings. Seated in the chair below him is Scott County Magistrate David Livingston. This is totally tongue-in-cheek photo for everyone back in Georgetown/Scott County. The next photo I took has these two guys laughing at each other.  

Here is Mayor Claude J. Christensen ringing the bell to start the session.

We had a grand time at City Hall. Then we boarded our bus to go back to the Irago View Hotel with a little time to freshen up for the Official Dinner at the Irago View Hotel.

After a brief break, we found our group on the roof top of the Irago View Hotel taking pictures of the sunset and the 360 degree views of the area. These pictures are all the Pacific Ocean views.

Then we all went to the 2nd Floor room for the Official Dinner of sushi.  

This would be my first time having sushi. Some was great. Other items I simply could not eat, like the snail. I did try to eat some white meat that was wrapped around something but I could not chew through it. It turns out that was the eel!! These are a few pictures of some of the courses. There were many other courses. The third picture is turnip soup.

It was a good and interesting meal. Lots of conversation with the other officials. And, I tried something very new to me. I still was awful with the chopsticks. I had learned by now that holding the bowl up to my lips and slurping was acceptable behavior. 

After the dinner it was back to our rooms for some rest. But, Claude and I had to try out the kimonos in our room. These were for use in the hotel only. If you went to the basement for a Japanese bath, you could wear them there. We did not try this. I did see many guests in them and the slippers provided in the room when we walked through the game room. To get all of us in the picture, I tried using my Kindle and our reflection in the full length mirror. I can't even number the tries we made to even get this picture. We were in stitches at the pictures and would just keep trying. 

First official day was complete and a success. Now to rest so we would be ready for Official Day 2 but more casual in dress. Thank heavens we only had one day to wear Sunday clothes.