October 2 - 23, 2007

*** Updated and completed on 10/31/2007 - If you see any corrections that need to be made or if you'd like us to remove a photo or name, please let us know - email is 'cheryl' at watsonwalker.com. ***

We recently joined the Sarasota chapter of Friendship Force International (http://www.thefriendshipforce.org).  There are hundreds of chapters around the world in 60 countries, with a mission of promoting friendship and goodwill by having home-stay exchanges.  This trip was organized by the Tampa chapter and consisted of a one-week home-stay in Gosen City (Niigata prefecture), a one-week home-stay in Matsuyama (Ehime prefecture in Shikoku), and four nights in a hotel in Kyoto.  Here's our trip, day by day. (You can see the photos by clicking on the date itself).  Some of the photos are blurry, but we included them anyway.  There are usually a few movies that you can click at the end of each day.  To see the photos and names of all of the trip members, please see October 10.

October 2 - 5 (Tue-Thu) - We flew to Chicago on the 2nd, staying at the O'Hare Hilton.  We tried an "allergy-friendly" room for the first time (hard-wood floors, air purifier, allergy-free bedding, etc.).  It's kind of neat.  On Thursday (Oct 4), we met our travel group (20 other people, mainly from Florida, but coming from at least five other states - four men and 18 women) at 8 am to board a 10:45 am All Nippon Air (ANA) flight to Tokyo.  The flight was long (14 hours), but ANA does a terrific job.  We were met on our arrival at 1:40 pm (Friday, October 5) by a guide, who escorted us to our first of two trains - the airport train from Narita airport to Japan Railway station in Tokyo, then to the "bullet train" (Shinkansen) heading to Niigata.  Our checked baggage was sent on ahead (we had been told to pack a couple of days of clothes in our carry-ons), and indeed we got them Saturday night.  At 8:30 pm Friday night, we arrived at the Tsubame Sanjo station and were met by members of the Niigata Friendship Force (TFFN) chapter (http://www.friendshipforce.jp/niigata/profile-e.html).  We took a bus to Sakurando Hall in Gosen City (58,000 people), a suburb of Niigata, to meet our host families.  We were met by our host Kumiko Satoh, and her son Yamato.  Kumiko's husband, Shinobu, was working (he works at the Gosen City fire department).  They took us to their home, a really lovely home in nearby Muramatsu.  The weather was brisk, but not really cold.  Because we hadn't eaten in several hours, Kumiko provided a lovely dinner and then we fell asleep at 10 pm.  It had been 24 hours without sleep - a very long day!

October 6 (Sat) - Kumiko served us an enormous, and very delicious breakfast (eggs, rice, miso soup, many fruits, toast, jelly, pickles, fish, tea, etc.).  She then took us to the Gosen City fire station to meet her husband, Shinobu, who took us around for a tour of the building.  They call '119' for fires and emergencies instead of '911'.  They even let us put in a test call, so that we could see their system working.  As soon as the call comes in, a map to the calling location is flashed on the screens and also printed for the driver - very advanced and very cool!  After the fire station, we stopped by Yamato's high school (he's a senior this year) and watched his baseball team practicing.  Yamato is a catcher for the team.  Baseball is quite popular throughout Japan, and the NY Mets and Boston Red Sox are popular teams because they have Japanese players on their teams.  We then headed out to Challenge Land Sugikawa, a lodge in the mountains.  We unpacked (four people to a room on futons - men and women separate) and walked around the trails before dinner.  It was a bit cooler in the mountains.  The welcome party started with a barbecue dinner prepared by the TFFN members:  barbecue meat, cabbage, rice, noodles, and veggies.  Mr. Yokoyama showed us how to filet a large salmon (native to the area), which was then cooked over an open grill.  Lots of beer and soft drinks accompanied it.  The food was delicious, and the TFFN members worked hard to set everything up for us.  We were welcomed by Mr. Bunkichi Itoh, president of TFFN (he owns Challenge Land); Mr. Motoi Ikarashi, the mayor of Gosen City; and Mr. Katsumi Yokoyama, vice president of TFFN and manager of the Muramatsu Chapter.  Joanne Schuetz, the exchange director for our group, presented our thanks for the exchange opportunity.  At 7 pm, we headed inside for a 'Cultural Exchange Party'.  There was more food inside awaiting us, and some great entertainment.  They started with some traditional Japanese dancing, which included our hostess, Kumiko (she's the one in light blue), then a folk dance with a bamboo hat (after which, they pulled some of the Americans in to give it a try), and then a kendo demonstration by two teenagers.  That was followed by a raffle where every visiting ambassador (i.e. us) was presented with gifts, and a few people ended up with an even larger gift (Tom won a large Japanese umbrella).  That was followed by a creation folk dance 'Yosakoi' by a group of dancers, after which they asked the ambassadors to present some American singing and dancing.  Because this came as a surprise to us, the best we could do was a rendition of "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain", the "Hokey Pokey", and "I've Been Working on the Railroad.  (The Japanese know the tune but different words to the latter.)  We were very impressed with the TFFN members, their work, their preparation, and especially their friendliness.  We've never been met with such kind hospitality.  Movies: Cultural Dance; Bamboo Hat Dance; Bamboo Hat Dance.

October 7 (Sun) - After another huge, and delicious, breakfast prepared by the TFFN members, we headed out for some walking.  One of the trips was to a very old Japanese home nearby (it was closed, but had a very nice setting).  Next, leaving Challenge Land, we met back at the Sakurando Hall and divided into two groups of twelve.  We're not sure what the other group did, but here's what we did:  We drove to Niigata (about 40 minutes away) in several cars and met at the Toki Messe (http://www.tokimesse.com/english/), the Niigata Convention Center.  The observation room is the highest observation point on the Sea of Japan.  We could see for miles.  Tom and I were lucky to get Key and Shoji Uematsu as our drivers.  Their English was excellent, and they were able to point out a lot of things.  We then walked along the Shinano-gawa River to the 'Rainbow Tower'.  Several of us had lunch at a local sushi restaurant, while others explored the department stores.  After lunch, Key joined Tom and me watching a tea ceremony demonstration.  The best part was the discussion after the ceremony with the older woman who was explaining everything.  Thanks to Key for her translation!  After lunch, we drove to the Niigata Furusato Mura Museum (it's a folk crafts/art center).  The best part there was getting to watch a soba maker at work.  He takes the soba powder, adds a tiny bit of hot water, then kneads the dough.  He rolls it out very thin, then folds it into fourths (with lots of extra powder so that it doesn't stick), and cuts it with a knife using a wood guide.  I got to try it too, but my noodles turned out a little thicker!  After the museum, we headed to Mrs. Chie Kagata's antique store and home.  She was so generous and kind.  Not only did she provide us dinner (bento boxes) and wine, but she also gave each of us a bag of gifts to take home.  Some people received clothing of some sort, a doll and a scarf.  I bought an antique kimono and obi at her store for less than $150, which is a fantastic price.

October 8 (Mon) -Today was a holiday in Japan (Sports Day), so most hosts had the day off from work.  We took the bus from Sakurando Hall at 9 am for a long drive (2 hours) to the Aizu-wakamatsu area in the Fukushima prefecture.  Aizu-Wakamatsu has the largest land-locked lake in Japan, Lake Inawashiro.  We stopped first at the World Glassware Hall (store and museum), which had a glass-blowing demonstration and glass from around the world (like Murano, Italy).  We then headed to lunch at the McDonald's in Aizu-Wakamatsu (fries and Big Macs taste just the same!).  Our next stop was the Tsuruga-jo Castle, a restored castle (5 stories) that contains a museum.  The castle was first built in 1611 as a 7-story castle, but has been rebuilt since.  After the long drive back, we had dinner at Mr. Yokoyama's inn.  (He is the ED, Exchange Director, for this trip.)  This was a bento box dinner of many types of seafood that he had cooked himself.  He's quite a good cook.  I (Cheryl) had to go home early because of a queasy stomach, so Tom and I missed the drinking and songs afterward.

October 9 (Tue) - I stayed home today with an upset stomach, but Tom headed out with the group.  The first stop was a meeting and presentation with the Mayor of Gosen City, and a group photo (without me, of course).  Then another long bus trip to Fukushima prefecture to the Fukushima Lagoon, where there are many types of birds.  A visit to the Shimizu-en gardens (1598), also managed by Mr. Itoh and the Northern Culture Museum, was a highlight of the trip.  That was followed by a visit to the Shibatajo castle, and Ichishimashuzo, a Japanese "winery" (sake factory).  Tom bought our hosts some sake.  After the return to Gosen City, everyone visited the Sakurando hot springs and spa for a group bath (separate men and women).  Tom reports that the water was plenty hot, but the outside setting made it pleasant.

October 10 (Wed) - We left the Hall at 9 am again, with an hour stop at a bank to exchange money.  The rest of us got a little shopping in.  We headed to the town of Teradomari on the coast of Japan for a view of the seashore and lunch at a seaside restaurant.  The view of the inland Sea of Japan was gorgeous.  Our next stop was at the Yahiko Shrine, quite a large shrine in the mountains.  It was reconstructed in 1912-1926.  We returned in the bus to visit the Northern Culture Museum, www.hoppou-bunka.com, which was the residence of several of generations of Mr. Itoh's family.  The residence consists of 60 rooms of 43,000 square feet, and is made all of wood.  It was built in the 1880s and turned into a culture museum in 1946.  Mr. Itoh himself provided a full tour into the history and his family's wish to not only preserve the cultural heritage, but promote friendship and understanding between countries.  After the museum, we had dinner in Gosen City at the Katsumaru restaurant, which had great tempura and udon soups.

October 11 (Thu) - Today was a rest day, so we rested and worked on email and the website.  Some of the other members of the group went for a walk to the park, Jikouji Temple, and the Historical Materials Museum.  For dinner, we went with Kumiko and Yamato to Kumiko's parents home for a wonderful dinner.  We met her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Ikarashi, her older sister, Toshiko, and her younger sister, Setsuko, and Setsuko's husband.  Toshiko is a teacher of calligraphy, and was kind enough to give us one of her scrolls.  It's very beautiful, and we plan to hang it in our entry way.

October 12 (Fri) - Fly from Niigata to Osaka to Matsuyama.  Matsuyama (460,000 people) is the capital of the smallest main island and is in the Ehime prefecture.  This visit is sponsored by the Ehime Club Friendship Force.  On arrival, the group was met by our hosts, all waving banners or fans with our names on them.  We met our smiling new hosts: Aki Kikuchi and Kimiko Tanaka.  Then we drove to Aki's house where we stayed, and met her husband, Fumitaka, and their two children, Haruno (12) and Keiichiro (10).  Aki served us a wonderful dinner, while we became acquainted with the family.  Luckily for us, Aki's English is pretty good and Haru and Kei are learning English quickly.  Fumi can even make great jokes in English too - he kept us laughing all week.  Movie: Tom and Kei playing origami sumo.

October 13 (Sat) - Today we drove to the old town of Uchiko.  We were very lucky to come upon a Buddhist wedding held in a local Shinto shrine, just as they were taking photos.  In the city, we saw them making wax candles, an old wax (Moku-Ro) factory and Kami-Haga residence (built in 1894), the Uchiko-za (a restored wooden theater) where they were having dance rehearsals, a paper (washi) factory, and the Ikazaki kite museum.  Five of us (Pat, Eileene, Barbara, Tom and I) joined Mihoko Yano and Kayo Arimitsu at the home of Ms. Tanaka's sister, her niece and her niece's family.  Her niece's husband, Hiro Shigematsu, cooked us all a wonderful dinner of yaki-soba and okonami-yaki (an egg/cabbage mixture cooked table top and different with each cook).  It was delicious.  Movies: Wedding; First rehearsal; second rehearsal; third rehearsal; fourth rehearsal, and flying kites.

October 14 (Sun) - Most of the group went to see the Matsuyama castle, but we preferred to attend Haruno's concert, where her 40-member junior high school girl's brass band put on a great performance.  Haruno plays the clarinet.  Before the concert, Keii showed Tom how to play Nintendo's WII, which is an interactive game using a wand.  After that, we went to the Welcome Party, put on by the FF Ehime Club.  It was a great buffet dinner, followed by singing and lots of photos.  Movies: Playing WII, more WII, more WII; concert, concert, and concert.

October 15 (Mon) - Starting out at 7:40 am, we took the high speed boat (1 hour) to Myajima island, one of Japan's three most scenic spots.  They are known for the beautiful Itsukushima shrine (built in 593, then rebuilt in 1168) in the water and a large Buddhist temple.  The deer in the park are very friendly (and so hungry that they ate part of my map).  Then we took a ferry to Hiroshima (1.26 million people) to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum.  Even though this was our second visit, it was still very moving.  We wish that all people (read George Bush) felt as strongly about peace in the world.  Dinner was a bento box on our return ferry (2.5 hours).  It was a beautiful and emotional day.

October 16 (Tue) - Today was a visit to the Shiomi Elementary School, which has almost 700 students from ages 7 to 11 or 12.  They put on an impressive program in the gymnasium for us, where all the students attended.  Each class did something different, such as a Taiko drum session, group dancing, a presentation about what they know about Florida, as well as a presentation about what Matsuyama has to offer.  After that, individual classrooms entertained three or four ambassadors in their rooms.  Bill, Tom, and I went to an 11-12 year old class where they showed us different activities they do, including origami, yoyo, sumi-e, "cat's cradle" yarn play, stilts with string and bamboo segments, juggling, etc.  Lunch for four of us (Monika, Evelyn, Tom and I) and our hosts/drivers was at Ms. Yano's.  Lunch was delicious, starting with sake, and a wonderfully delicious corn soup.  None of us could stop eating!  After lunch, we went to see Kei's volleyball team from his Futaba Elementary School, and met his coach and fellow club members.  Dinner was a party arranged by our host Aki, and included her neighbor, Shizo Kamimura, a piano teacher, and her three daughters - Ayana, Uriko, and Kanako.  Two more friends of Haruno's, Yuka and Kana, were there too.  Movies: taiko; school dancing, school dancing, school dancing; dragon dance; singing; ikebana lesson; volleyball; and rock, scissors, paper.

October 17 (Wed) - Festival Day!  A hour's bus ride took us to Niihama, where they were having a Taikodai (drum float) Matsuri (festival).  There were 24 floats from 24 districts or cities in Niihama.  Each float weighs about 2.5 tons and is carried by a team of 150 to 200 men. They have contests to see who can hold up the float the longest or throw it up the highest (6 "?).  The floats cost about $400,000 each.  There is a taiko drum and two drummers inside each float that keeps the beat for the men who are lifting the float.  If they don't coordinate their efforts, the floats can tip over.  Our favorite group was 'Shonai', dressed in white and yellow right in from of our seats (we had reserved seats in the grandstand).  This group was composed of mostly rice farmers, so they were very strong.  Our lunch was a stop at a large shopping mall that had two large food courts, one with restaurants and one with fast food (including Baskins & Robbins and McDonald's!).  After leaving the bus, Aki took us to see inside the Botchan Stadium, a gorgeous new sports center that was designed for a huge number of indoor and outdoor sports (volleyball, kendo, baseball, table tennis, etc.).  Two of the large buildings that we saw were made of several types of beautiful woods.  Dinner for us was a party at the Kamimura's, where the girls all played the piano.  Movies: taikodae; taikodae #1; taikodae #2; taikodae #3; taikodae #4; taikodae #5; taikodae #6; our travel group; taikodae #8; taikodae #9; taikodae #10; taikodae #11; taikodae #12; taikodae #13; taikoedai #14; Kanako piano; Haruno piano; Shizu piano; Shizu and Ayana piano.

October 18 (Thu) - Today was a free day spent with our hosts.  Aki took us first to the Yuzuki-Jo (castle) Site at Dogo Park, where we met two of her friends from English class, Mie and Kayo.  The 14th century castle is now being excavated, and the site has a museum, two examples of Samurai living quarters, and a display of what they believe the layout of the castle consisted of.  It has double moats and currently is used as a park for the locals.  After the park, we walked through an arcade toward the Dogo spa.  On the way, we were fortunate enough to walk by the Botchan Karakuri Clock at exactly noon.  This clock expands to several levels to show scenes from the Botchan novel (by a famous local author), including a bath scene.  We then saw the outside of the Dogo Onsen, a well-known hot springs resort.  Kayo Nishimoto and her daughter were kind enough to fix us a delicious lunch, including the best pizza we've ever eaten (it had a base of wonton wrappers, mochi (brown sweet rice) and cheese).  Kayo's husband (not present) is a potter, who we greatly admire.  He had a wonderful display of his beautiful tea bowls.  Tom had a great time playing with her grandchildren (5 year-old Yuuka, 3 year-old Ayuna, and 1 year-old Shinya).  For dinner, we took our host family to GenPachi, a new restaurant in town, which serves all types of food.  Tom had sushi and I had robata, both of which were very good.  It was a great evening, and we're sorry that we needed to leave our wonderful hosts.  We spent the rest of the evening saying goodbye and packing up.  Movies: Botchan clock; Tom and kids; Tom and kids; Tom and kids; Tom and kids.  

October 19 (Fri) - Packing day and a flight at 11:15am heading to Osaka and a bus to Kyoto.  On arrival at Osaka, we were met by cold and very wet weather.  It was pouring down and so to keep us fairly dry, we carried our suitcases (by cart) up and over the driving lanes.  This took quite a while because the elevator going up could only take two carts and the one going down could only take one cart.  To get all 22 of us to the bus was an effort.  By the time we got to the hotel (Fujita Kyoto Hotel) and unpacked, we were all pretty tired and discouraged by the weather.  While I rested my back, Tom headed to the nearby Hosomi Museum, one of our favorites in 2002.  He liked the art by Sekka Kamisaka - see the orange goldfish in the photos.  People ate at various restaurants in and around the hotel.  The hotel restaurants were very expensive.  We had a tempura dinner from the lunch menu at the hotel shrimp restaurant that cost about $18 each.  Doug and Doris found a place across the street with pasta for about $5 each.  But the tempura we had was probably the best I've ever eaten.

October 20 (Sat) - The whole group started out today at 8:30 for a half-day bus tour.  The day was beautiful and sunny and we had one of the best translators and guides, Mineko Dohata from JTB.  She was wonderful.  (Hint for future travelers: try to find a guide that has lived in the USA - better English!)  Our first stop was at the Kiyomizu Temple, which is over a thousand years old and is probably the most famous temple in Kyoto.  It's also very large and built without nails.  There are three natural springs that you can drink from to give you health, prosperity and long life.  The walk to the temple and back is up the Chawanzaka street, which is known for it's crafts and pottery.  Our second stop was to the Sanjusangen-do Temple, known for its 1,001 Kannons (goddesses of mercy).  It's also the longest wooden building in the world.  Our last stop was at Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion).  The sun hitting the gold paint was perfect.  You can see from the photos how beautiful it was.  The bus then dropped us off at a nearby restaurant for our lunch.  This multi-course lunch, which was arranged by the hotel started with sushi, and a soy soup where it's served cold, then you eat the tofu skins (we think), then they light a candle under it to heat it, you pour in some salt water, mix it up and drink it.  Some people loved it; others compared it to wallpaper paste.  A very few of us only drank water, because we'd had too much mystery food.  Of course, Tom enjoyed it a lot (except the soup).  Doug, Doris, and Joy joined Tom and me to taxi to the Kyoto National Museum where they had a special exhibit by Kano Eitoku, the grandson of the founder of the Kano school of painting.  It was outstanding.  There were no photos allowed, but we've included some of the paintings from the exhibition catalog at the end of the photos today.  A pasta dinner was at "Doris and Doug's" cafe, as it's come to be known, right across the street from the hotel.  The funniest thing that happened to us today was that last night, Tom (thought he) had make a reservation for an extra room for me (my mouth guard for snoring was hurting.  So when we asked for the key to our room (you have to drop them off each day) by asking for room '430', they gave us the key and we opened the room door only to find some Japanese gentleman's clothes.  He was gone, but his tea was still hot, and his clothes laid out.  Going back to the lobby, we found they had misunderstood and thought that we wanted to change rooms.  So the staff moved everything from 430 to 706 in place!  By 'in place', we mean that everything was in exactly the same spot as in the previous room - computers in place, crosswords by the bed, dirty clothes under the suitcase bench, a paper crane souvenir on the tea tray, my kit on the right side of the sink, Tom's on the left, etc., etc.  We had not planned on moving, so the room wasn't very neat (before or after) - an exact replica of how we left it.

October 21 (Sun) - This was a free day in Kyoto for the whole group.  Tom, Lou, Bill and Doug headed for Kobe to see a sumo exhibition at the Taiikukan Chuo Gymnasium.  Because Tom had the camera, most of the photos today are from the exhibition.  He said it wasn't a real match but rather an event to get people interested in the sport.  So wrestlers brought their kids into the ring with them, they joked and laughed, they'd throw salt at the audience, they'd jump over the starting line prematurely, etc.  And it was obvious that the matches were all decided before they got into the ring.  Tom thought it was great, because it's nothing like the real tournaments, and he got to see (and do) things that he hadn't seen before.  Such as sit beside a resting wrestler to see how far he can stretch to the floor with spread legs (you'll see the photo).  Dinner for Tom and Lou was at the sushi place at the Kyoto train station (our favorite from 2002).  Prices have gone up.  I went shopping with Eileene, Pat, Caroline, Monika, Rita, Cheryle, and Doris.  I took them to the Takashimaya department store, which I expected to have great variety and good prices (based on our experience in Tokyo in 2002).  Not only was the variety limited, but the prices were outrageous.  We had planned to stay for two hours, have lunch, and then continue.  Instead, we regrouped and headed for a nearby shopping arcade that Cheryle and Rita had found the previous night.  Lunch was Colonel Saunders chicken for some and pizza for others.  In trying to find a taxi, I somehow headed us down a rather racy (and graphic) street.  We found two taxis (and one super driver) to take us back to the Kiyomizu Temple where we walked down the shopping street again, ending with ice cream, of course!  We were all pretty tired by 4 pm, but Eileene, Pat, Evelyn and I had to make one more stop at the Kyoto Handicraft Center, a 7-story shop with more reasonable prices and lots of options.  Movies: Baruto from Estonia; Bow Twirling Ceremony; Davids and Goliath; Drumming; Putting on a Tsuna; Sumo songs; More Sumo songs; Typical daily practice.  

October 22 (Mon) - This was another free day for everyone, but most everybody found their way to the large Jidai-Matsuri festival today.  It's a parade of 2,000 people wearing costumes depicting the history of Kyoto.  There was drumming, singing, dancing, lots of costumes, and lots of parade watchers.  Tom and I chose to watch only briefly after we found the most famous tea shop in Kyoto, Ippodo (started in 1717, but using the tea mostly from Uji, an 800-year old tea growing region near Kyoto).  Tom was able to try several teas, even their highest grades.  We then discovered this same street was full of calligraphy supply shops and antique stores.  We bought some washi (hand-made paper), ink, scroll supplies, etc., and found an antique store with a great antique scroll of cats and a lovely obi.  We watched the parade for a short while, and then headed for Nijo castle.  There was a special exhibit containing some of the original walls and doors from the Ninomaru Palace.  We also walked through the castle itself, and were impressed again (first time in 2002) with the paintings, all by the Kano school.  We think that more paintings have been restored since we were here in 2002.  They were magnificent!  Before our farewell dinner, we gathered in Lou and Rita's room to share their sake and swap gifts.  Joanne chose our menu for dinner, and it was excellent!  Everyone then headed back to their rooms to finish packing.  The 5:45 am departure the next morning kept all of us from training for an hour to a nearby small town where they were holding a fire festival held from 6 to midnight.  Movies: Jidai Matsuri.

October 23 (Tue) - (No photos)  Returning home!  The bus headed out at 5:45 am for an 8 am flight from Osaka to Narita.  We thought that a few people were going to get left back because the check in and security lines were so long, but everyone made it.  It was also a tight connection for our 11:15 am departure from Tokyo to Chicago, but again luck was on our side.  After a 14 hour flight, we were ready to head home.  Fortunately, most of us who had scheduled afternoon flights out of Chicago were able to change our reservations.  In our case, we flew into Tampa instead of Sarasota, and got home about 4 pm instead of 9 pm.  A frozen meal and shower and we were ready for bed, after 24 hours of no sleep.  But it was HOME and our own bed!

It was an interesting trip, made especially so by the many friends we met within Friendship Force, both American and Japanese.  Thanks to all involved!