tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57799235040207475332024-03-12T20:46:51.974-07:00Lydon-Japan 2015Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-60125294436945853242015-06-20T17:46:00.001-07:002015-06-20T17:46:10.291-07:00Hokkaido and the Black Ships<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Clock starts May 17, 1854</b><br />
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<b>The public histories of Hakodate start their historical clocks on May 17, 1854 </b>when the United States squadron of five "Black Ships" rumbled in to Hakodate Bay. Fresh from signing the Treaty of Kanagawa down south in Edo Bay, Commodore Mathew Calbraith Perry had sailed up to Hakodate to examine the second of the two ports opened by the treaty. (Shimoda was the other.)<br />
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<b>Perry wrote in his diary that Hakodate's harbor had "no superior in the world." Other Americans in the expedition compared it to Gibraltor or Hong Kong.</b><br />
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<b>I've not seen most of the world's harbors, but of those I have, it reminds me of Hong Kong.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9emx5fJa5Kdu_xrWBGBMaej3-i8d2V6Zm1LJg1g1747xED6syWRBNrZKRaUNJICP8dMBpf8VTAylKGdh6894LuSJjDNRJDBH-aFyF9l24bU9-fGTEaAKiXNexoz7nkSl8-sE-7AoTCI/s1600/Hakodate+Harbor+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9emx5fJa5Kdu_xrWBGBMaej3-i8d2V6Zm1LJg1g1747xED6syWRBNrZKRaUNJICP8dMBpf8VTAylKGdh6894LuSJjDNRJDBH-aFyF9l24bU9-fGTEaAKiXNexoz7nkSl8-sE-7AoTCI/s640/Hakodate+Harbor+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hakodate Harbor as seen from Hakodate Mountain at dusk. Viewing Hakodate Harbor from the mountain is considered to be one of the three most beautiful nighttime views in the world. One can reach the top via a cable car (called "ropeway" in Japan), or on the public bus. We took the public bus, and a wonderful swaying crowded compartment winding upward through the lush gardens of hillside homes. Very reminiscent of going up Hong Kong's Victoria Peak. Unlike Victoria, there's no restaurant at the summit, but there are vending machines selling beer.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>Foreigners and their ships were a puzzlement to the residents of Hakodate, so much so that they fled up into the mountains when the huge-to-them ships first steamed into the bay. Even after finding that the Americans meant no harm, they had trouble figuring out how to portray these hairy apparitions. </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2UWucVXWXqeapnLVNnQENa0QXJrpamNJFdDYc6ff5FNTDALD9LdfSUNaNlZKg8SLlH5E1-11Buv1stCALMxkhF7cqosAALY_WUcvKBSqayX_h_ivXxHXqBx22Mm_hqHPG243LqeMxQY/s1600/Tateyama+Group+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2UWucVXWXqeapnLVNnQENa0QXJrpamNJFdDYc6ff5FNTDALD9LdfSUNaNlZKg8SLlH5E1-11Buv1stCALMxkhF7cqosAALY_WUcvKBSqayX_h_ivXxHXqBx22Mm_hqHPG243LqeMxQY/s320/Tateyama+Group+001.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commodore Mathew Calbraith Perry.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagUDrtZBu4yykCsBOZLsu7kIgrsG5muoanJg7jbVx4htabQa7jSbvBaf5K7Rg9dj8u312w1Mgbb-C4aiGN9s_gW2h6TkN1yygYE_MCYQ1wrMGYN9RWJ_kBQ__DJiONXGD08kjhIIT0_w/s1600/Tateyama+Group+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagUDrtZBu4yykCsBOZLsu7kIgrsG5muoanJg7jbVx4htabQa7jSbvBaf5K7Rg9dj8u312w1Mgbb-C4aiGN9s_gW2h6TkN1yygYE_MCYQ1wrMGYN9RWJ_kBQ__DJiONXGD08kjhIIT0_w/s320/Tateyama+Group+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perry (with beard) as seen by Japanese artist.</td></tr>
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<b>One finds references to Perry scattered all around Hakodate including a public square commemorating his 1854 visit with a statue overlooking the harbor.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLmwOv1zwU8d1km1vz6Bn9755jIkkK-ud0txgh-ZfYVkSi17ioOdUYi-bvRo2sFXNFnbow9ExZD3_dcnmJiv6RLrKS5jBfNRHcP97TgKD1SZvUfNkDWzcrjVWeX5RSn7iXXhyqEujtY8/s1600/Hakodate+sign+Perry+Square.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLmwOv1zwU8d1km1vz6Bn9755jIkkK-ud0txgh-ZfYVkSi17ioOdUYi-bvRo2sFXNFnbow9ExZD3_dcnmJiv6RLrKS5jBfNRHcP97TgKD1SZvUfNkDWzcrjVWeX5RSn7iXXhyqEujtY8/s320/Hakodate+sign+Perry+Square.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dedicated on the 150th anniversary of Perry's visit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfFzM5ZgoX24ABPCVSXG5De7lJjqbVksV_w0zcF1uLLLearZ7y2CE1lChEPFZuwdt93rZqnoUlar2_vdxFUhd1Uvv2-m-Rybvb0gBUhZNd7-tPQIATx4jU2rM5CiI_D2IRCbb_o-00hI/s1600/Perry+statue+fixed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfFzM5ZgoX24ABPCVSXG5De7lJjqbVksV_w0zcF1uLLLearZ7y2CE1lChEPFZuwdt93rZqnoUlar2_vdxFUhd1Uvv2-m-Rybvb0gBUhZNd7-tPQIATx4jU2rM5CiI_D2IRCbb_o-00hI/s200/Perry+statue+fixed.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perry was known as "Old Bruin"</td></tr>
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<b>Perry's flagship, the USS <i>Powhatan </i>was just as much of an enigma to the Japanese as the hairy Americans. She was a coal-burning 253 foot steam frigate bristling with 16 cannons and belching black smoke when she steamed into Hakodate harbor. The citizens of Hakodate had never seen a steam ship much less any ship that large, and Japanese artists had some difficulty depicting the ship's detail. </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wd06mdvditvvjG7Jho_5HQeWyJssMedDWJ8cGSA4nhogMVtuZnkkir3Qe-DOeiXgyEBNbCkfCTJYCCIZgWvaaxWOkINo1O08-YcP1N2WHTd17TXcoLx9RAVgQ0e93wjf7FcLHrx3cfk/s1600/USS_Powhatan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wd06mdvditvvjG7Jho_5HQeWyJssMedDWJ8cGSA4nhogMVtuZnkkir3Qe-DOeiXgyEBNbCkfCTJYCCIZgWvaaxWOkINo1O08-YcP1N2WHTd17TXcoLx9RAVgQ0e93wjf7FcLHrx3cfk/s200/USS_Powhatan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perry's flagship during its commission<br />
as Perry's flagship. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ825KaQQVxRIji1HBbF0XwhJRKNdjNzYqaZRl6uh1wr0rO-muFSBPKniUBxGFfCkBY9yHetkpJGenCu_o9j6pjY0sxlAXfz5z55VpmiePCKz2x6K2YcRdRRwLOxv2EqcHVq5SY7LsGcc/s1600/USS_Powhatan_woodcut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ825KaQQVxRIji1HBbF0XwhJRKNdjNzYqaZRl6uh1wr0rO-muFSBPKniUBxGFfCkBY9yHetkpJGenCu_o9j6pjY0sxlAXfz5z55VpmiePCKz2x6K2YcRdRRwLOxv2EqcHVq5SY7LsGcc/s320/USS_Powhatan_woodcut.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USS Powhatan drawn to resemble a Spanish galleon. Spanish<br />
galleons were the few ships that most Japanese had ever seen<br />
either in real life or illustrations. The artist came close when drawing<br />
the paddle wheels and smokestack, sails and flag, but did do well<br />
with the ship's bow and stern. </td></tr>
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<b> The Benign Legacy of Perry's Visit and "Opening" of Japan -- </b>When I was studying Japanese history over a half-century ago, most texts and professors portrayed Perry's arrival in Japan in 1853 and the subsequent "open door" treaties as a win-win. And, it never "counted" as an invasion of Japan. It was, simply, an invitation to come out and play. We didn't make Japan a colony like the Europeans did China. <br />
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The Japanese got to meet the 19th century after over two centuries of isolation, and United States whalers would be treated humanely when shipwrecked. The internal whirlwind set loose by the visit and the treaties that followed swirled up through Japan, ending, ironically, here at Hakodate in 1869. And then, so went the story, feudalism gave way to a constitutional government, restored emperor and Japan began an industrial surge that carried into, finally, a war with Russia that Japan won. Pretty good for a half-century of work--from drawing pictures of ships they could not even imagine, to driving their own steam ships right through the heart of the Russian navy. OK, but then the military took over and the whole thing went sideways....<br />
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<b>Another Legacy -- </b>There were many in Japan who never forgot Perry's visits, and the humiliation of having treaties jammed down their throats while facing those huge cannons. And so, as with most historical figures, Perry's reputation in Japan is mixed. When seeing "Old Bruin" looking out over Hakodate Bay, I got the uneasy feeling that there was much more to this story, particularly as seen through Japanese eyes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53P0n9GLAeqGJ1O9mkXKyxX9KtYutokhzG4nIvNEznfbIMoruO1tIbDt5UXmmEFkDveRmhZRrozqyj2_8Ju76lZn0YMJd5NU6jsbHPqPWTpxmGU6yHK6gMRVmkezzhcmDjUg8QwCgv_0/s1600/Yamamoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53P0n9GLAeqGJ1O9mkXKyxX9KtYutokhzG4nIvNEznfbIMoruO1tIbDt5UXmmEFkDveRmhZRrozqyj2_8Ju76lZn0YMJd5NU6jsbHPqPWTpxmGU6yHK6gMRVmkezzhcmDjUg8QwCgv_0/s320/Yamamoto.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is believed to<br />
have been motivated, in part, by Perry's<br />
1853-1854 visits to Japan. </td></tr>
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Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Knew of Perry's visit - </b>Though Admiral Yamamoto's motives for his attack on Pearl Harbor, December 1941, were extremely complex, several biographers remembered a cryptic statement he had made as a young naval officer. When asked why he had joined the navy, he was quoted as saying, "I want to return Commodore Perry's visit." Some 21st century historians suggest that the shame and memory of Perry's visit may have motivated others in the Japanese military besides Yamamoto. <br />
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<b>General Douglas MacArthur also knew of Perry's visit - </b>Commodore Perry's visit also haunted the official surrender ceremony on board the USS <i>Missouri </i>on September 2, 1945. The official surrender ceremony by Japan on board the USS <i>Missouri </i>had several elements of Commodore Perry.<br />
1) <b>The location - Uraga Bay - </b>The surrender ceremony was held almost precisely on the spot where Perry's "Black Ships" had launched their diplomatic (some say "gunboat") effort in 1853.<br />
2) <b>Perry's Flag - </b>The flag that had flown over Perry's flagship in 1853-54 had been resting in a glass case at Annapolis. It was removed, case and all, and flown out to Japan and placed on the bulkhead behind the assembled Allied dignitaries. The symbolism was missed on the visiting Japanese surrender delegation, but they learned of it afterward.<br />
3) <b>Mac Arthur's Sept 2 Radio address - </b>General MacArthur directly invoked Commodore Perry in his radio address beamed out to the world: "<b><i>We stand in Tokyo today reminiscent of our countryman, Commodore Perry, ninety-two years ago. His purpose was to bring to Japan an era of enlightenment and progress, by lifting the veil of isolation to the friendship, trade and commerce of the world</i></b>." The United States military <i>knew </i>what an important symbol Perry's visit was to the Japanese, and let them know it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnML6xDmS02n8LZk3KPTn4YKJeQLKipbMVjk6oPbRjkbp_PPdXgFIEYB_m7oS8_9FdVmcOcwPmAK1Qx-VEsTi6wFwOMjkAmaSpVBxVhI86GgSQwxeQCInpG1-ljbNSn7O77uS4VfR1UE/s1600/Perry+Flag+Missouri+3+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnML6xDmS02n8LZk3KPTn4YKJeQLKipbMVjk6oPbRjkbp_PPdXgFIEYB_m7oS8_9FdVmcOcwPmAK1Qx-VEsTi6wFwOMjkAmaSpVBxVhI86GgSQwxeQCInpG1-ljbNSn7O77uS4VfR1UE/s640/Perry+Flag+Missouri+3+color.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Douglas MacArthur aboard the USS <i>Missouri</i>, Sept 2, 1945.<br />
Commodore Perry's flag, 31 stars, can bee seen in the upper left. Mac<br />
Arthur invoked Commodore Perry's visit in his comments during a<br />
later radio address from the ship.<br />
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<b style="text-align: left;">A Note to the eagle-eyed: </b><span style="text-align: left;">I was troubled by the way the flag was hanging on the bulkhead of the battleship. It didn't look right, so I checked with the official US Flag Code, and sure enough, when hung on a wall, the flag should have the Union -- the stars -- in the upper left. The photos not reversed, so that's not the problem So, Perry's flag seems to have been improperly hung on September 2, 1945. Or, it might have been the case that it came in? There is some suggestion that the flag arrived at the last minute. Perhaps it was hung up in haste? Ironic, no? The flag they were using to impress the Japanese may have been hung improperly...I admit that I was impressed. </span></td></tr>
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<b>Two of Perry's finest remain in Hakodate - </b>Perry sailed away from Hakodate on June 7 taking with him a set of impressions and gifts and leaving behind as many as he received. But, he also left behind two crewmen who had died while the ships were in Hakodate Bay. The Hakodate city officials donated a small plot for them, and on May 27, 1854, they were carried up to the cemetery overlooking the bay and buried with the full honors of an Episcopal burial.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk1RyctQ8rSUM0NdREGrEKXrIduISYdYX7XtXz1ADA9KuiuSXDaAwtsBgxgmjx2wWgVcmlQbalxMiZTUeusrbjFUdjlgu0sKcUBO53PAuF-J0Rt_wynZ9EYwbXTWkHJ7s9D2xRscz14w/s1600/Cemetery+two+Americans+better.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk1RyctQ8rSUM0NdREGrEKXrIduISYdYX7XtXz1ADA9KuiuSXDaAwtsBgxgmjx2wWgVcmlQbalxMiZTUeusrbjFUdjlgu0sKcUBO53PAuF-J0Rt_wynZ9EYwbXTWkHJ7s9D2xRscz14w/s400/Cemetery+two+Americans+better.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two American flags adorn the graves of two American seamen<br />
from Commodore Perry's visit to Hakodate in 1854. They were two<br />
of the first foreigners buried in Hakodate's "Foreigners Cemetery." </td></tr>
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<b>They are still there, in a lovely, well-maintained "Foreigners Cemetery" overlooking the bay where they died. The concrete headstones are weathered, but as we walked up to them, we could decipher what the tombstones said.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixq1F3JXUmj7mkTZY_IvCfixBjxRZcF8OKAkEFl8TnleZmAHeoUa0SVgsP0RiYA5kKWECUpOMABLykbaRk2WcBjYGpd1RAKkZnuzp6rrhpKTKeNQw1YT2vK_6G__FAwfwG_rIlNScAAWw/s1600/Cemetery+-+Wolf+Gravestone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixq1F3JXUmj7mkTZY_IvCfixBjxRZcF8OKAkEFl8TnleZmAHeoUa0SVgsP0RiYA5kKWECUpOMABLykbaRk2WcBjYGpd1RAKkZnuzp6rrhpKTKeNQw1YT2vK_6G__FAwfwG_rIlNScAAWw/s320/Cemetery+-+Wolf+Gravestone.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<b>Tombstone - left - for Seaman James G. Wolf from the ship USS <i>Vandalia</i>. </b>Seaman Wolf died on May 25, 1854, age 50. Apparently he had been ill for some time. His shipmates paid for his tombstone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaii2ISlTqTtjVIbn9mnwSmy-UQnGNzG2L8yIcn49jnkCMKuH45Q771b7CeBTeN0llcjjl_PnWe7X0KmTbBxct7wp6j24jIMKyiImswYees8OxpzIw1kW7opGLFIGUf9Jy-RrTXdIT5o/s1600/Cemetery+American+Remick+gravestone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaii2ISlTqTtjVIbn9mnwSmy-UQnGNzG2L8yIcn49jnkCMKuH45Q771b7CeBTeN0llcjjl_PnWe7X0KmTbBxct7wp6j24jIMKyiImswYees8OxpzIw1kW7opGLFIGUf9Jy-RrTXdIT5o/s320/Cemetery+American+Remick+gravestone.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Two days later, May 27, 1854 <b>Seaman G.W. Remick, </b>died of typhoid fever also aboard the <b>USS </b><i><b>Vandalia</b>. </i>He was nineteen years old, and his tombstone was also paid for with contributions from his shipmates. <br />
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<b>There is something very sad about graves of military personnel, or anyone for that matter, who dies so far from home. The U.S. Navy remembered these two men in 1954 when they sent eight ships to Hakodate to commemorate Perry's 1854 visit and included a visit to these two fallen seamen. </b><br />
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<b>Two other cemeteries nearby: </b><br />
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<b> A Chinese Cemetery - </b>just to the east of the "Foreigner's Cemetery" there is a Chinese cemetery. Not nearly as well kept up as the one containing the Americans, British, and other Europeans, the Chinese cemetery does show evidence of a recent Qing Ming celebration, though the grass has grown up since April 5. There was a thriving Chinese commercial community in Hakodate that grew up after Perry's opening in 1854. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAGT5mfd83136HZ-BzRSRSEgQg8f3uulhVbcc_yUDkioiQDvG-qMrEjRXyl75A4J-GaThMIwSAePcJdQtjvkHvki0LjE9xC8laG_C4ccd1bHl7Tlc9KQbhrOeh0Cgh7HP7umbcPV0h6c/s1600/Cemetery+Chinese+gravestones+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAGT5mfd83136HZ-BzRSRSEgQg8f3uulhVbcc_yUDkioiQDvG-qMrEjRXyl75A4J-GaThMIwSAePcJdQtjvkHvki0LjE9xC8laG_C4ccd1bHl7Tlc9KQbhrOeh0Cgh7HP7umbcPV0h6c/s320/Cemetery+Chinese+gravestones+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>The Chinese Cemetery began in 1876 to bury a group of Chinese sea-drifters who had died here. Enlarged in 1919, it now contains many Chinese who have died since, and shows evidence of being a relatively current and active cemetery. There is a monument commemorating those who died unknown. </b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGeKFbqii_E8DqUvmG_UYYWYyi8xRBQX4e-gYNodQYAarrH4xLhyphenhyphenudl4BNgBIXmUm423CXzFMmjd758OF7aAA0J8b4Yvsl4zIx_ykcRmf5O-kGBPNs-F6CqDNRP46j_r1__prxnh9ee0/s1600/Cemetery+Chinese+funerary+oven.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGeKFbqii_E8DqUvmG_UYYWYyi8xRBQX4e-gYNodQYAarrH4xLhyphenhyphenudl4BNgBIXmUm423CXzFMmjd758OF7aAA0J8b4Yvsl4zIx_ykcRmf5O-kGBPNs-F6CqDNRP46j_r1__prxnh9ee0/s400/Cemetery+Chinese+funerary+oven.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hakodate's Chinese Cemetery has a very distinctive and<br />
well-maintained funerary oven. These funerary ovens can be found in Chinese cemeteries all over the world, including Monterey, Santa Cruz, Watsonville and Salinas. Their purpose is as a place to burn ceremonial offerings during funerals and commemorations. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The Russian Cemetery - "The Russians were coming!" - </b>In a move from the Northern Pacific southward toward Japan not unlike the Russian move southward along the Pacific Coast into Alta Calilfornia, the Russians inspired a fear in the Japanese that was even stronger than that of the Americans or other Europeans. Eventually there was also a Russian community in Hakodate (after all, Russia's just a hop and a skip to the north and west) and with them came a Russian Orthodox Church. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3w0Rdtr5v4_8tTlIvENEwp4ZM_nIR8uUfIhzez8gTfjnR8E6XYARt3Z6jKWU2FSvJovQjO0z6C57p8gKDjK7mB2nHrLvExDamXIkyCTNUFFuA5j4yBqhIiKVn7i29hekFQ3TK_LYzQeQ/s1600/Russian+Orthodox+church+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3w0Rdtr5v4_8tTlIvENEwp4ZM_nIR8uUfIhzez8gTfjnR8E6XYARt3Z6jKWU2FSvJovQjO0z6C57p8gKDjK7mB2nHrLvExDamXIkyCTNUFFuA5j4yBqhIiKVn7i29hekFQ3TK_LYzQeQ/s320/Russian+Orthodox+church+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Hakodate's lovely Russian Orthodox church. </b>Presently under renovations, the church was build in 1916, and they are preparing the church for their upcoming centennial in 2016. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuplfKnKVmMZ_rGQpPfCrlYzp1tJu7qlL2BJbEv0Vqm5apHlZJUWyYW3lBe4h3XPen2R3m842pJmFlTd72S7vnqilbixeGjI3FDI7vbwdpAGI12BG3qKYxTW0BkKqs7a163uxtcfYwJe8/s1600/Russian+Cemetery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuplfKnKVmMZ_rGQpPfCrlYzp1tJu7qlL2BJbEv0Vqm5apHlZJUWyYW3lBe4h3XPen2R3m842pJmFlTd72S7vnqilbixeGjI3FDI7vbwdpAGI12BG3qKYxTW0BkKqs7a163uxtcfYwJe8/s320/Russian+Cemetery.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The Russian Cemetery in Hakodate. </b>The cemetery was first used in 1870 and contains just short of 50 graves, including 25 who were crewmen aboard Russian warships who had died in the region of Hokkaido. The Russian relationship with Japan is complex, as on the one hand there is economic cooperation on many levels, while on the other there is a serious dispute over the two southern Kurile islands to Hokkaido's northeast. <br />
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<b>The Sign of the Present and Future in Hokkaido - </b>One would expect to see signs in Chinese, Korean and Japanese in the airport, but they are also in English and Russian, a testimony to the amount of human movement between Russia and Hokkaido.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2Q1UhOYaq148UDGwxoq9yBpfURA6nxAP52GIxXGrmAEFupu6_TpBCiJETP8KA6xJh0zz8N5BZOBg05X7xl_WQrBTZC1SZsCjPwgMge5R574z2hyrGbsBjpVxrzAzYrKfoyRm8Yi8Kxk/s1600/airport+sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2Q1UhOYaq148UDGwxoq9yBpfURA6nxAP52GIxXGrmAEFupu6_TpBCiJETP8KA6xJh0zz8N5BZOBg05X7xl_WQrBTZC1SZsCjPwgMge5R574z2hyrGbsBjpVxrzAzYrKfoyRm8Yi8Kxk/s400/airport+sign.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Departure sign, Hakodate International Airport, reflecting the primary sources<br />of passengers including China, Japan, Korea, English-speakers, and Russians. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Sources: </b><br />
<b> Feifer, George. <i>Breaking Open Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe, and American Imperialism in 1853. </i>Smithsonian Books, 2006.</b><br />
<b>Irish, Ann B. <i>Hokkaido: A History of Ethnic Transition and Development on Japan's Northern Island, </i>McFarland, 2009.</b><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-64396633067718511242015-05-30T07:47:00.002-07:002015-05-30T07:55:32.784-07:00Earthquake in the Beer Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fHZ7kzdA16liqs03-URLuI-af3RgZNi5qQ63Q5sR3g3QxVrawA5xMlUZdg4JRMcpMt0uxSAaD0DBgoiDAHQqAKyfbfOM6sYD_zn982zJHJsIAG1k3THfkzuSaXP4QVDOhFjNIFbJK2M/s1600/DSC09569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fHZ7kzdA16liqs03-URLuI-af3RgZNi5qQ63Q5sR3g3QxVrawA5xMlUZdg4JRMcpMt0uxSAaD0DBgoiDAHQqAKyfbfOM6sYD_zn982zJHJsIAG1k3THfkzuSaXP4QVDOhFjNIFbJK2M/s320/DSC09569.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hakodate Beer Garden, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan. We<br />
were on the 2nd floor when the earthquake came rolling through. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Our itinerary includes pretty much everything - </strong>including, apparently, an earthquake. There we were at 8:23 PM local time, quietly (!) drinking beer and conducting our farewell dinner - actually saying goodbye to Frank and Joy Souza as they are leaving the group early in the morning. Frank was up at the microphone explaining how the group might be able to up-load photos for sharing when Kaori and I felt the earth begin to roll beneath our feet -- we immediately looked up and the chandeliers in the beer parlor were rotating slowly -- and for a long time, it seemed. Being a group of blasé Californians who experience earthquakes fairly frequently, most paid no attention and continued to drink beer. Frank continued his explanation, and the chandeliers continued to rotate lazily for another couple of minutes. We later learned that it was a 7.8 (!) earthquake centered 540 miles south of Tokyo in the Pacific -- and deep enough that the tsunami folks issued no warning. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyfSp5Z1iuD0k6TicPm-AuYGQjaIsZzQ6lw-t3el0Ssux4VgxD29Xjwaj2wBPWcV4qzJdg0uk3RD-7iAg5wJg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Here's a video that Annie shot of the chandeliers that she started about a minute after the main impact of the quake. Sorry it isn't better, but you can get the idea. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-90033297424716195682015-05-29T16:58:00.000-07:002015-05-29T16:58:21.357-07:00Volcanoes on our Minds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ui5G7PNuqPguFcnuj5XH3YH-pZKB4dB2v7ICGt8oEaa2-oJhLy-uzBQUdMR9PKHrUIoPLyazFVCO_2Ey-C9zX4MkXy-IPxhV4XGrVCPXCPZekPS5aNa8Ie1DhGvhQAN6FZkQjLBVnBQ/s1600/DSC00873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ui5G7PNuqPguFcnuj5XH3YH-pZKB4dB2v7ICGt8oEaa2-oJhLy-uzBQUdMR9PKHrUIoPLyazFVCO_2Ey-C9zX4MkXy-IPxhV4XGrVCPXCPZekPS5aNa8Ie1DhGvhQAN6FZkQjLBVnBQ/s320/DSC00873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mount Usu eruption, March 2000. One of the risks of<br />
all that hot water to bathe in. Fortunately, Mt. Usu telegraphs<br />
its eruptions allowing residents to evacuate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Heat, Hot Water and Pyroclastics </strong>- <strong>Hokkaido</strong><br />
My mental image of Hokkaido had always been dominated by wide open spaces (true) and cows (true), but the landscape is dominated by volcanoes -- everywhere one turns there's another one against the horizon, and some are labeled "active" while others "dormant." The tenuous meaning of dormant came alive yesterday off the southern island of Kyushu when a volcano blew "without warning" sending the 100+ residents off their island home. <br />
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The Japanese are painfully but realistically aware that their perch atop these achingly beautiful islands is precarious. The Four Feared Things that they learn as growing up are Fire, Thunder, Earthquake and Father. But, they've incorporated the seismic element into their culture with their obsession about sitting in hot water. The <em>onsen </em>- the hot water bath that is a main part of their daily lives - is one of the gifts of the hot, molten earth lurking just below their feet. <br />
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<strong>Noboribetsu - </strong>Our first overnight stop was in a lovely cluster of hotels tucked into the bottom of a gorge that is famous for its hotsprings. The smell of sulphur announces your arrival long before you see the place, and hotels cluster around the springs that provide visitors with an impossible variety of hot water experiences. Inside, open-air, you name it -- there's even a public one in a nearby national park that is dedicated to just your feet. About a half mile from the hotel was the entrance to Jigokudani ("Hell Valley") a part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZfKcagim8pUtiA82Zw8eFfT2f-faq6jNGIT9ohJJAhMbzByLgPirXnlVAHbtkLSWFvTl_qGC7RZ9ARFqBcGE1NaO8cvneP8_vRJh072lbKkOsUvmW5V4FOUMNtC9HpfVmoMlxltszBk/s1600/DSC00731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZfKcagim8pUtiA82Zw8eFfT2f-faq6jNGIT9ohJJAhMbzByLgPirXnlVAHbtkLSWFvTl_qGC7RZ9ARFqBcGE1NaO8cvneP8_vRJh072lbKkOsUvmW5V4FOUMNtC9HpfVmoMlxltszBk/s400/DSC00731.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many vents spewing hot water and noxious stuff along the trail <br />
through Hell Valley.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>"Hell Valley</strong>" - There's a sarcastic saying within the group that "A day without stairs isn't a day on this tour..." "More Stairs Pleeeeease" - We've been doing a lot of stairs, and "Hell Valley" provided yet some more. The trails in Japan's National Parks are remarkably developed - handrails, interpretive signs - many with an English section - overlooks -- and stairs. We hiked about a mile or so to get to an overlook -- and then out to a lake before returning to the bus gathering area.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0QkwYO5Wtu2-3rJjPbyTCOSYqxixQZFvX4Q920l-0v2ItMLm3g5qzZ8Uaay9uJY8arv_eKxBYE6sPje-D6V_ZN0x6wOYKr3ppIzEb7aY6cG1C3rFn8OFkxiVgLydsmJizCZtb8Q66R0/s1600/DSC09232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0QkwYO5Wtu2-3rJjPbyTCOSYqxixQZFvX4Q920l-0v2ItMLm3g5qzZ8Uaay9uJY8arv_eKxBYE6sPje-D6V_ZN0x6wOYKr3ppIzEb7aY6cG1C3rFn8OFkxiVgLydsmJizCZtb8Q66R0/s400/DSC09232.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The busses from the cruise ship. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong>The Sounds of Mandarin - </strong>When we returned to the bus parking area we were astonished to see that the bus or two that had been there when we left had multiplied into dozens of busses -- and the quiet entryway turned into a blizzard of color -- bright reds and blues -- and people. We learned that a cruise ship with 3,000 Chinese visitors had docked at the port city of Muroran, and 80 tours buses -- that's right - 80 -- had charged into the Hokkaido countryside, many of them to Noboribetsu for off-boat day trips. The number of Chinese visitors to Japan has increased exponentially, and they soon will be the most numerous of foreign visitors to Japan. As they already are in the US. And, oh my goodness do they buy stuff! We saw few of them on the trails in the outer part of the park -- they were in the visitor center buying stuff -- the sunglasses kiosk was being turned so fast it might have started smoking -- the vending machines were emptied out almost instantly. Sadly, they fulfill all the negative stereotypes of Chinese tourists -- aggressive and loud. But, in their defense, this is the first generation of Chinese tourists, and they will settle down once they learn the mores of their host countries. (Don't forget our own first-generation travelers - the Ugly Americans...) Plus, day-trippers off cruise ships tend to be single-minded and aggressive no matter their country of origin.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwKosZW7LndZ4TBzdx8ryiBk-yTUEyF0U1bYDXQkBhyCD3G3Vhra448XqkXPuq1XNnWeCGgV0fiPPv9rEtzR1CQ8F5YMtNPEv7o1xUlfpM4qwsdO0o79AqKyI9YRIoUhQV-CuYcbuhkY/s1600/DSC00829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwKosZW7LndZ4TBzdx8ryiBk-yTUEyF0U1bYDXQkBhyCD3G3Vhra448XqkXPuq1XNnWeCGgV0fiPPv9rEtzR1CQ8F5YMtNPEv7o1xUlfpM4qwsdO0o79AqKyI9YRIoUhQV-CuYcbuhkY/s320/DSC00829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese visitors working the sunglasses kiosk. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For Ramon De la Cruz and others of us who have spent time in China, it was like old home week. The jostling was almost fun. And this was the first exposure we had to any competing visitors on this entire trip. As comforting as the sounds of Chinese may have been, I must admit that it was a relief to drive down the road to the more peaceful shores of Lake Toya - this time a crater lake.<br />
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<strong>Mount Usu and the Gift of Predictability -- </strong>Those of us who live in earthquake country and try to keep the memories of such events alive so that we might mobilize our neighbors into being prepared always wrestle with the issue of predictability. It's difficult to organize people when the events that threaten them are random and unpredictable - and long passages of time - usually decades - allow memories to fade. I've often wondered about the issues of forecasting earthquakes -- and would the populace respond any better if they KNEW an earthquake was coming?<br />
The tragedy of the Great Tohoku Tsunami noted below was that they had a warning - 40 minutes -- yet thousands died. Why had so many died in the tsunami when no one --no one -- died in the huge eruptions of Mt. Usu in 1977 or 2000? The answer seems to lie in the certainty of earthquake precursors in the area of Mt. Usu and the uncertainty of the tsunami. In recorded history, earthquakes have ALWAYS been followed by an eruption of Mt. Usu. No false alarms. No crying "wolf." <br />
And even better, there's no way of knowing where the eruption will occur in the Mt. Usu area. So, you know it's coming, but you're not sure where. So you leave without hesitation. You get the hell out of there. Simple. And no one dies. Evacuation routes are indicated, refugee centers established. <br />
No surprises. I'm not wishing such disasters on Santa Cruz County in exchange for certainty. But..wouldn't it be nice to know when St. Andrew was going to twitch? Or would it?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgYNbBklGV9S2_YcTqIzcO2zDHp0tjBczVlBtu2A3qamWtUjB6CVUU_xf6nwYw-214E9-Ye5XQ74WdiP6P4yl2WkK6jXmDsL5u8N98NPJR08MJPDBSlbUvFdkWlCVszlYz1dF6yLRk2w/s1600/DSC09274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgYNbBklGV9S2_YcTqIzcO2zDHp0tjBczVlBtu2A3qamWtUjB6CVUU_xf6nwYw-214E9-Ye5XQ74WdiP6P4yl2WkK6jXmDsL5u8N98NPJR08MJPDBSlbUvFdkWlCVszlYz1dF6yLRk2w/s400/DSC09274.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The March 2000 eruption of Mt. Usu. Despite being in a<br />
densely populated area, no one was killed. Photo taken from<br />
a brochure produced by the Volcano Science Museum. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-56912598464386196872015-05-28T16:37:00.001-07:002015-05-29T02:04:29.267-07:00Parting ways with the Poet Basho<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Heading north - </strong>If you look at our map, you'll see where we leave Sendai by ferry and head north to Hokkaido. In his famous Road to the Deep North journey, Basho turned left and headed across Honshu and then traveled down the western coast and back to Edo (Tokyo). Our last direct connection with Basho's route came at a place where several threads of Japanese history came together in a stunning mountainous area called Hiraimizu. We drove due north of Sendai for about an hour and entered one of Japan's most famous historical and beautiful spots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5LY0kjODyvLESROKRDsc1NDONcnqPDvYDeOTBdBsDnVEsDeO-pPk7Zr6fuMgI4wUfBsf2jL5WsTOfLjR5VrTEtNgxUVf79JVz9bjRaaQKO4uVygOr0FsmMJDxSZPKAp4osd6oJXCJNE/s1600/DSC00213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5LY0kjODyvLESROKRDsc1NDONcnqPDvYDeOTBdBsDnVEsDeO-pPk7Zr6fuMgI4wUfBsf2jL5WsTOfLjR5VrTEtNgxUVf79JVz9bjRaaQKO4uVygOr0FsmMJDxSZPKAp4osd6oJXCJNE/s320/DSC00213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple Complex at Motsu-ji</td></tr>
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<strong>Hiraizumi - </strong>In a lovely valley jammed with "sites" - World Heritage and Japan Cultural Treasures - there are two major temple locations - Motsu-ji which is one of the last large Heian-era gardens representing the power and glory of the Fujiwara's whose demise happened here, and the Chosu-ji the location of the pavilion-within-a-pavilion -- a glittering cultural treasure. It's surprising that way up here in the far north we find the first designated Japanese cultural treasure in spite of the grandeur of Kyoto far to the south. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwbogCftaHnawUGGUr5KtGlWVICSR0Pl49uygjJEVR2Z57LSviQp1fky_1Qx67vZMTwHvDbHH5COYWTpfucHR87_mtaM3xXxm0zinrHHQSr98gt0YWQkaI6N2A0sH4IpL1jQMGA5KDZA/s1600/DSC00329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwbogCftaHnawUGGUr5KtGlWVICSR0Pl49uygjJEVR2Z57LSviQp1fky_1Qx67vZMTwHvDbHH5COYWTpfucHR87_mtaM3xXxm0zinrHHQSr98gt0YWQkaI6N2A0sH4IpL1jQMGA5KDZA/s320/DSC00329.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaori wisely provided a copy of Basho's description of this spot<br />
and I read it and the famous haiku.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4N_jumOJZZOpf-Pcz30SS6J_bXEP32OX7mcF1YxccA8t0wLuNlFhZdb9MyIHdwtLrxjREmTo7jt9iP0YrGWCF6byyQy1Wgzzw71VKb-DjCwjWt83vP_RjXI62gYHkBei5siWIqP_w9GE/s1600/DSC00344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4N_jumOJZZOpf-Pcz30SS6J_bXEP32OX7mcF1YxccA8t0wLuNlFhZdb9MyIHdwtLrxjREmTo7jt9iP0YrGWCF6byyQy1Wgzzw71VKb-DjCwjWt83vP_RjXI62gYHkBei5siWIqP_w9GE/s320/DSC00344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The View of the Koromo River as described by Basho</td></tr>
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<strong>The Basho Spot - </strong>We've flitted along Basho's route and visited the "kind of near here" locations of some of his stops and poems. But here on a ridge overlooking the Koromo River, we stand on the very spot where he composed one of his most famous haiku -- a lament to the fleeting world of warrior's such as Minomoto Yoshitsune, who died near here and to whom there is a lovely building dedicated nearby.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_8rVXI8hbTk-BqmGo-4DKDsWiaCq8sHfXUaDyLYMdEL89zLwpAtLE11u7RtxyW1rqQ4EvXMXlGcIOC29bDFQfMoqB1HSrlWyyOw7Kx18gx-1y9YWGXwqn_6yTQQ6XlM7fQCwbLXYYjo/s1600/DSC09214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_8rVXI8hbTk-BqmGo-4DKDsWiaCq8sHfXUaDyLYMdEL89zLwpAtLE11u7RtxyW1rqQ4EvXMXlGcIOC29bDFQfMoqB1HSrlWyyOw7Kx18gx-1y9YWGXwqn_6yTQQ6XlM7fQCwbLXYYjo/s320/DSC09214.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minamoto Yoshitsune, one of Japan's <br />
favorite tragic figures. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS91_Gi1yKU1t692kzWpkQsaqmvPN-juZJEr9r4tAIKAZPZFoxaauBbATm8AFJ7aXQboMdT6CLMWkv2fZTzRtkjS11ZGkOWp2MwUFONMztqQXwuLN2CcibM90t0kg9QPsmf01KNYJtG8/s1600/DSC00399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS91_Gi1yKU1t692kzWpkQsaqmvPN-juZJEr9r4tAIKAZPZFoxaauBbATm8AFJ7aXQboMdT6CLMWkv2fZTzRtkjS11ZGkOWp2MwUFONMztqQXwuLN2CcibM90t0kg9QPsmf01KNYJtG8/s320/DSC00399.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Skenazy and his buddy Matsuo Basho had to say goodbye.</td></tr>
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<strong>The Taiheiyo Ferry - </strong>You'll see on the above map that we leave land aboard a ferry -- this is a huge ship -- no small ferry -- and we settle in to enjoy good food, karaoke, and other shipboard amenities and rumble northward in a very soft swell. Great way to make the trip to Hokkaido -- overnight. Hokkaido appears through the fog the next morning. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEvs5KlzeGbXJOI6BTWwp8pw4jbypvzJCZIA4JsnhMlPQcaPje9MMyvRdCENoWgBiBrfnH77PR73B7a9pmqtEvsKdJ6ukZxtAKEfIAq5hSCcKibsboj4YVu8F96RSswR9YCAlW76Dta8/s1600/DSC00470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEvs5KlzeGbXJOI6BTWwp8pw4jbypvzJCZIA4JsnhMlPQcaPje9MMyvRdCENoWgBiBrfnH77PR73B7a9pmqtEvsKdJ6ukZxtAKEfIAq5hSCcKibsboj4YVu8F96RSswR9YCAlW76Dta8/s320/DSC00470.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taiheiyo Ferry that we boarded for our trip to Hokkaido.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-53556129067141688262015-05-26T16:13:00.001-07:002015-05-26T16:13:40.513-07:00The Legacy of the Great Tohoku Earthquake March 11, 2011 - 4 years later<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBwg1jRK65isXRlUf4N_Cm8tKYAo_9Km-PlksvTOmYg4O5poVzzVKuucyuoHCfEAo0mGV-iIJPoyi4h2VzrMdfPNXPgZA5keCcHy1zyZT4W3UkU_KUZqQ2uxhFNLGqY1NfERqd_H9SWM/s1600/DSC00142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBwg1jRK65isXRlUf4N_Cm8tKYAo_9Km-PlksvTOmYg4O5poVzzVKuucyuoHCfEAo0mGV-iIJPoyi4h2VzrMdfPNXPgZA5keCcHy1zyZT4W3UkU_KUZqQ2uxhFNLGqY1NfERqd_H9SWM/s320/DSC00142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Power of the March 11, 2011 tsunami in Ishinomaki, several<br />
days afterwards. </td></tr>
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<strong>The Horror of March 11, 2011 - </strong>Who can forget the riveting video of the huge, special-effects-like wave sweeping into coastal Japan, and cars, people, and entire towns being swept away? They estimate that upwards of 20,000 people died in the earthquake and tsunami, not to mention entire towns.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXS1nonN-Uy8MoD8kKOJZQEtQHNTRt7JVjPO6paEAsA3Q0emM3AZsziis2H_S14y2T7i-bXWDpZVJJOZK1iDGrrNhZNHSO1l_IKw4qyDd07Ru3aAaK10P9XhQNUB48li2U-XipGFAAL0/s1600/DSC00174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXS1nonN-Uy8MoD8kKOJZQEtQHNTRt7JVjPO6paEAsA3Q0emM3AZsziis2H_S14y2T7i-bXWDpZVJJOZK1iDGrrNhZNHSO1l_IKw4qyDd07Ru3aAaK10P9XhQNUB48li2U-XipGFAAL0/s320/DSC00174.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shrine dedicated to those lost.</td></tr>
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<strong>Stand Up Ishinomaki! </strong>We had a chance to visit the city of Ishinomaki, one of the hardest-hit on the coast north of Sendai and had a briefing by city officials on their progress to date and plans for the future. We sat in a briefing room in city hall and heard the numbers and saw the aerial photos and maps, but they are numbing. There's no real way to grasp the magnitude of this event. The evidence is everywhere: damaged empty buildings, hundreds of empty lots, buildings standing isolated in the middle of what was once a neighborhood, shrines on empty street corners, and sign exhorting themselves to Stand Up! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU7fjSFT4o048VmgD8mPCVj2aomwoJkeaySV1_AJdCYyMYhKajRHH4NLXlgiPhrMg17ZDAf1X66cNjHMjUWOY2UjwDPN0EI82moY1qpFx9wJI23xdRx8sFN6pqn0MAX1xsBrh_BoCuRo/s1600/DSC00180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU7fjSFT4o048VmgD8mPCVj2aomwoJkeaySV1_AJdCYyMYhKajRHH4NLXlgiPhrMg17ZDAf1X66cNjHMjUWOY2UjwDPN0EI82moY1qpFx9wJI23xdRx8sFN6pqn0MAX1xsBrh_BoCuRo/s640/DSC00180.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stand Up!</td></tr>
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<strong>Stand up and Sing! </strong>Kaori made arrangements for the visit, and we brought a donation to the city that we were told would go to assisting those many residents still homeless. We have been rehearsing a song that became the anthem in Japan for the tsunami, so Kaori thought it would be appropriate if we sang the song to the city officials after we made the donation. We stood, and holding the words, we sang the song. The officials later told us that they were surprised that a group of Americans would make such a gesture and they were touched. It was difficult singing the song and trying to read the words through the tears. It's particularly difficult for those of us who live in earthquake country and who are joined at the hip through our seismicity with our Japanese neighbors.<br />
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<strong>The Greatest Tragedy -- 40 minutes - </strong>Perhaps I missed it back in 2011, but we learned from our disaster tour guide (more about that in a minute) that there had been a warning issued to the citizens along the coast and those in Ishinomaki. 40 minutes before the tsunami hit. All those school children and citizens could have been saved had they gone to higher ground like they had been taught to do over the years. They didn't take it seriously. They didn't have to die.<br />
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I remember very clearly as that very same wave raced across the ocean toward the Monterey Bay coastline, and the dozens (hundreds) of people who rushed TOWARD the coast to see the wave, depending/gambling on the information that scientists were predicting that the wave wouldn't amount to much. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSm2SrZCmCJWSp6rjt119tD8Ue5FRuQ0Z-lHQp0fhqcTTPnP06ZMKn3sTgFCnhuffitZBvWu3pp2ItNbHXRQZ-EYqRC0xzzKCHXMOdPw0BoeWc4rT-zOKyAkiweeQFOAgj4GElJuIsV4/s1600/DSC00148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSm2SrZCmCJWSp6rjt119tD8Ue5FRuQ0Z-lHQp0fhqcTTPnP06ZMKn3sTgFCnhuffitZBvWu3pp2ItNbHXRQZ-EYqRC0xzzKCHXMOdPw0BoeWc4rT-zOKyAkiweeQFOAgj4GElJuIsV4/s320/DSC00148.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsunami Tours - they have volunteers who<br />
give tours of the tsunami area to keep the<br />
memory alive.</td></tr>
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<strong>Learning and Planning - </strong>The city of Ishinomaki and all the cities along the coast are working hard to try and see that the tragedy is never repeated. Japan is riding through time atop volcanoes and nobody knows better the threat and reality of it. But now, with the tsunami fresh in their minds, they intend to keep that reality alive. Those blue plaques indicating evacuation routes are fresh and everywhere. The marks indicating the height of the wave adorn the sides of newly-built buildings. <br />
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But, even in this place where the reality of natural disaster is always present, they have to work at keeping the residents mobilized. They have to WORK at it. Barely 4 years have passed and the empty lots stretch for miles, and they still have to exhort the citizens to be prepared. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcwVXPHyMxeKRtk4RpBDA2qSy8xdn7Eue2_DV8Lmlkeni4yJtIe07vEJmiqHrlxqGKmEJndZYxKBFRyUP9RTg3fgiBxA2vvq78HIflXtErDlKKB3waFioY_TwF1nfJxszJ8dl_U6is30/s1600/DSC00116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcwVXPHyMxeKRtk4RpBDA2qSy8xdn7Eue2_DV8Lmlkeni4yJtIe07vEJmiqHrlxqGKmEJndZYxKBFRyUP9RTg3fgiBxA2vvq78HIflXtErDlKKB3waFioY_TwF1nfJxszJ8dl_U6is30/s320/DSC00116.JPG" width="213" /></a><strong>We should never forget the Tsunami - </strong>We should keep the memories of this event alive not only to honor those who perished -- unnecessarily it would seem -- but to use them to help us be vigilant as we too ride through time on that same seismic roller coaster. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-7327502512269257082015-05-26T03:24:00.001-07:002015-05-26T03:24:37.266-07:00Baseball to Basho<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Following (sort of) in Matsuo Basho's footsteps (sort of) - </strong><br />
<strong> </strong>Kaoiri Mizoguchi and I built this itinerary around several themes, one of which was the travel narrative written by Matsuo Basho describing his journey to the north of Japan. He departed in May of 1689, took 150 days and traveled 1500 miles. We're only interested in the part of the journey that covered from Tokyo to the north of Honshu where he turned west. We'll continue on to Hokkaido for the last days of our trip.<br />
Japan has changed a bit since the Tokugawa Period, so we'll not be able to follow his route except when he stopped and wrote about some of the famous Basho places. Basho is Japan's favorite poet, and also very popular in the United States, so we've got several Basho-followers in the group, and most of the group members have read a bit of his work, if not just the famous of his haikus, such as the "Frog Poem", or the "Cicada Poem" or the "Matsushima account." <br />
Setting up an itinerary like this was inspired by Kaori bringing a group to our area who had read "Cannery Row." We then took them Steinbeck-hopping. We're now going "Basho-hopping" if you'll pardon the irreverence.<br />
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<strong>Basho's hut - our point of beginning</strong><br />
The location of the hut where Basho began his journey is an unassuming little spot down a Tokyo sidestreet -- a place you have to know about to find it. Kaori knew about it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group hovering around Basho's hallowed ground. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILxVO07JFjFx-GtYpUxHRK1cD9Q6-amvocGk1zpW4tAIgZj8lNTalU8iMvJL5U6HTY23Spxelyww8mTmSsLxoZcaa5P2KKUxUGTYk1kWhQXi2Rhq18xL48F8gbm6yeo4Wn0hZU1xKj4k/s1600/DSC08823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILxVO07JFjFx-GtYpUxHRK1cD9Q6-amvocGk1zpW4tAIgZj8lNTalU8iMvJL5U6HTY23Spxelyww8mTmSsLxoZcaa5P2KKUxUGTYk1kWhQXi2Rhq18xL48F8gbm6yeo4Wn0hZU1xKj4k/s320/DSC08823.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group then walked a couple of blocks to one of many Basho<br />
museums scattered around Japan. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong>Nikko </strong>The following day we drove north to one of Japan's most popular sites, but our intent was more literary than historical. We walked down the avenue of the trees -- 400 year old cedars, and then went on to the Nikko ground. It is huge and wonderful and has a bazillion sets of stairs.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOwPnweFDtS61Kik2BANZAzM7WU4ZFCUPbm2AJD5chd_JvMQdDYEYyIdxSVf7JlkIeUu2dkD9jvnoYIAhevYmJb1HQzEilGSsJ9KQcan_sMoXZlLIqsIKZzOh1JPs2EvcUOgcOQBgSbU/s1600/DSC08911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOwPnweFDtS61Kik2BANZAzM7WU4ZFCUPbm2AJD5chd_JvMQdDYEYyIdxSVf7JlkIeUu2dkD9jvnoYIAhevYmJb1HQzEilGSsJ9KQcan_sMoXZlLIqsIKZzOh1JPs2EvcUOgcOQBgSbU/s200/DSC08911.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basho spent some important days here<br />
writing some famous poems.<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5MC4iL7fOQFsdq91M8-LFAlKox89kkdpVhenf-2cf-irwrjGC1NrH2o0idRy1ZKaHUf9H_qJzvSr3G7XoBFaQeHzArlJBpKw-Vvb_c9465MLuKcoOWSJrXKDUmvs3y3MAOh1ok0eTv0/s1600/DSC08887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5MC4iL7fOQFsdq91M8-LFAlKox89kkdpVhenf-2cf-irwrjGC1NrH2o0idRy1ZKaHUf9H_qJzvSr3G7XoBFaQeHzArlJBpKw-Vvb_c9465MLuKcoOWSJrXKDUmvs3y3MAOh1ok0eTv0/s200/DSC08887.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Avenue of the Cedars.<br />
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</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtFfL-SHKe0RPGibhy63ki7B7_0lkUzLSHq_Ot9moXUqxYd2mpDwOZKFhGA1ToZCGNZnZ72SBQ_nXE79C3KAVdtZpSQXeWHXFr6E5_lga_d776CQ0g6pcHDgoczk47W-nOBH6LiLZepA/s1600/DSC08972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtFfL-SHKe0RPGibhy63ki7B7_0lkUzLSHq_Ot9moXUqxYd2mpDwOZKFhGA1ToZCGNZnZ72SBQ_nXE79C3KAVdtZpSQXeWHXFr6E5_lga_d776CQ0g6pcHDgoczk47W-nOBH6LiLZepA/s320/DSC08972.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lower temple complex at Yamadera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYxbRDFjA3GQKfCYH3YSeO-fM_bbySa6d2xZiWubedMWXUOipPwXhs9xf5tiz1XpDRS7Pu5Cv38Vfdyu1yPy598CxUo1RL49VgrvJvTclL6LzB622ZEFHnHblH1A4-0YeA5GdpyOWTrM/s1600/DSC08963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYxbRDFjA3GQKfCYH3YSeO-fM_bbySa6d2xZiWubedMWXUOipPwXhs9xf5tiz1XpDRS7Pu5Cv38Vfdyu1yPy598CxUo1RL49VgrvJvTclL6LzB622ZEFHnHblH1A4-0YeA5GdpyOWTrM/s640/DSC08963.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group preparing to hike the 1,000 steps to the top of the mountain just like Basho did. For the life of me I don't know what Jack Stevens is doing in the lower left. You should have seen them all when they got back.<br />
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</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc1bV19KW7kSxtwDxoUKg_7I2ieU-92MKP_H6YndEiIKQQ2F5exFqIloNW3fpH0Z4yb0HycxdVfdil0LlKyK5nJHtAQyOiiIEcjPTfx5wdG9txzc8IECSLT-p9y8yHhUClQKfgQ0sdJA/s1600/DSC08996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc1bV19KW7kSxtwDxoUKg_7I2ieU-92MKP_H6YndEiIKQQ2F5exFqIloNW3fpH0Z4yb0HycxdVfdil0LlKyK5nJHtAQyOiiIEcjPTfx5wdG9txzc8IECSLT-p9y8yHhUClQKfgQ0sdJA/s320/DSC08996.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matsushima islands - the most spectacular islands that remind<br />
of the Big Sur California coastline. Stunning.<br />
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<strong>We also visited the Sendai and Ishnomaki 2011 tsunami sites today. More to come.</strong><br />
<strong>Everyone's fine and eating more than they should. </strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-19562077582763854012015-05-23T15:18:00.001-07:002015-05-25T14:25:13.524-07:00More Yokohama Bay Stars and Raining Condoms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>More Baseball Photos - </strong>The group continues to graze across the Japanese landscape, though much of what we ate at the ballpark doesn't qualify as true foodie fare.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4LPm4DfGBRzA_pvkIqpfYZcgpgQupLEYgt4MUtxUDp9rTcD0hH8fyi1e8cpYWcrfNVKPBctwH8YJkwz6pVCqjwp9_FW_IJ1NHHx7pvaK_HkYmm17yuHXgK244NHQOgNMnSz3yVAS8x8/s1600/DSC09576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4LPm4DfGBRzA_pvkIqpfYZcgpgQupLEYgt4MUtxUDp9rTcD0hH8fyi1e8cpYWcrfNVKPBctwH8YJkwz6pVCqjwp9_FW_IJ1NHHx7pvaK_HkYmm17yuHXgK244NHQOgNMnSz3yVAS8x8/s320/DSC09576.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob and Nancy Ley. Compare his level of commitment to the Japanese<br />
fans below. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeoDzpJe1Edd-w-bFPRz9MGVWLPGV7mlmW0UMSzrTd338mGy_pqufxAqB9Lrs_vinND4mRjwIdonRr1EeKa3U5bUVXA0o5oi9MOikSes-sJNRyj-UNZl3NK_yIr-F10sWClwMy7AVeHA/s1600/DSC09568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeoDzpJe1Edd-w-bFPRz9MGVWLPGV7mlmW0UMSzrTd338mGy_pqufxAqB9Lrs_vinND4mRjwIdonRr1EeKa3U5bUVXA0o5oi9MOikSes-sJNRyj-UNZl3NK_yIr-F10sWClwMy7AVeHA/s320/DSC09568.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, Virginia, that's exactly what it seems -- Paul Skenazy<br />
eating the Colonel's own. Amazing what Santa Cruzans<br />
will do when they're out of sight of the food police.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj205T6r42gp6M2Zz7vGYAt5X18pwaCSgyJbPtlebLeC8nz6r1KPGR1htUuVdNyHdB5QadJzaL9Vbd5AbLB4Qk5Oma3m0jSTXdGRaIlVDJfO-HFOp-LPATfLuQIEsw0r4CPTu-WTfPLUGo/s1600/DSC09586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj205T6r42gp6M2Zz7vGYAt5X18pwaCSgyJbPtlebLeC8nz6r1KPGR1htUuVdNyHdB5QadJzaL9Vbd5AbLB4Qk5Oma3m0jSTXdGRaIlVDJfO-HFOp-LPATfLuQIEsw0r4CPTu-WTfPLUGo/s320/DSC09586.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer Girl at work. The Japanese have their priorities right, <br />
you don't see any cotton candy vendors, but there's beer girls<br />
with several gallons of beer strapped to their backs. The price <br />
is 700 yen -- about $7 -- and delivered to your seat. Totally cool. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx1FrYagaAi0vvJOWhqHzxkdFf3ch_0wnofOFP8OvBSJFN4hiQD9b_ic1Vdv-SUTsd1menPb3KQLcBe-_iluQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<strong>The Condoms part - </strong>OK, it's kind of a metaphorical thing -- At the place we call the 7th inning stretch, where the fans of each time stand and stretch - literally - at US ballgames, in Japan they have a different twist on it. Don't know where and/or how it started, but the fans for each team arm themselves with long, thin balloons, and as the 7th inning approaches, they begin blowing them up. Then, on their half of the 7th, they sing the team anthem, with the balloons poised, and then at the end of the song, they release them and the balloons fly into the air, falling to earth spent, looking like, in this case, giant yellow condoms. Dunno how else to explain it. It is absolutely hysterical.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHdd1zdsH6a8kh1jTYwaKjCpAh3IAEOkFnKrhNDU9hnPXhmfDT6LqefHEsHUX9C2OzFY5cJMvgkRTQrUngcg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<strong>Fans - </strong>In the row behind us there were two young men who might quality as the penultimate Japanese baseball fans. After the Bay Stars won the game in a delightful walk-off 9th inning victory, they stood and shredded their vocal chords. If you are ever in Japan during baseball season, make arrangement to go to a game. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-82550083970494576362015-05-22T16:40:00.003-07:002015-05-23T06:19:51.567-07:00Flying Condoms and Japanese Baseball<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASM5XWl0DZKW4rkjmIQmg6gnYfjMk8x6_wOPe1CTr4xybVPtJEqHEnxb27BK-GWfaK0azALzrLHijE8VGYDrfJbfDVKhJLM3ceVnOWV1zunfXnc1G3XP2QYvXruL28U_JhxwcbxrVkII/s1600/DSC08774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASM5XWl0DZKW4rkjmIQmg6gnYfjMk8x6_wOPe1CTr4xybVPtJEqHEnxb27BK-GWfaK0azALzrLHijE8VGYDrfJbfDVKhJLM3ceVnOWV1zunfXnc1G3XP2QYvXruL28U_JhxwcbxrVkII/s320/DSC08774.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yokohama stadium -- there's nothing like walking up the concourse <br />
ramp in a baseball park, no matter where. This looks the same, but oh, my is it <br />
different!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong>Take us out to the ballgame, Japanese style - </strong>A couple of weeks before we left, Paul Skenazy suggested that we explore attending a Japanese baseball game. You know, as a cultural experience, which it is. So Kaori got a block of tickets - over in the visiting team's section along third base, and almost the entire group charged off into the subway and train system to race out to Yokohama to immerse ourselves in beer, hot dogs, and baseball Japanese style. Here's some pictures, with some more to come as I have time to upload.<br />
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<strong>Getting there -- rush hour on the subway.</strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8MHMjVzhF705bNVn2eL4uNRPKOMCFX4u53biRu6NJ1_FyP9yFISGRO4GqpbdZqavqVVCn7r1cOuT8G_LzqbcDL9qEYjVtvFJ8R3AIvLho4UOseqnHkmUQw5lyar-kEHt1jPvXeG_PIA/s1600/DSC08763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8MHMjVzhF705bNVn2eL4uNRPKOMCFX4u53biRu6NJ1_FyP9yFISGRO4GqpbdZqavqVVCn7r1cOuT8G_LzqbcDL9qEYjVtvFJ8R3AIvLho4UOseqnHkmUQw5lyar-kEHt1jPvXeG_PIA/s320/DSC08763.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosie King, upper left, Diana Rothman, Ric De La Cruz, Jack Stevens (in the hat), <br />
and buried, literally, Susie Elder. Rush Hour Crush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqKJ6ucpl8HFPzArcXqHh4slxr7qiOBmAv-gbfTccis5g5XDNzASTnsDnupjjGJnQ-h__QxaS3cbcZwqwwaFGDAbk7aGmbT1hCOG6B2oxZTzwxocS6MEANVClcWPtJPuTY2N7wvoHz38/s1600/DSC08765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqKJ6ucpl8HFPzArcXqHh4slxr7qiOBmAv-gbfTccis5g5XDNzASTnsDnupjjGJnQ-h__QxaS3cbcZwqwwaFGDAbk7aGmbT1hCOG6B2oxZTzwxocS6MEANVClcWPtJPuTY2N7wvoHz38/s320/DSC08765.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howard Nelson, hanging on for dear life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong></strong><br />
<strong>The ball park of the Yokohama Bay Stars, the home team and one of this season's best teams.</strong><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleQZ-Aj7CQO8CSe7dKNkMj-WJPLkL1-opRF2u82utz8YKat0audyX8ERGIOQXiLjhlcYEycjaiGlZUT_hV9WPjeYSFSILghpNjCY0-JeG9t-YJj_HrCMM4I3k2g_9rzfGhtMFoOjHWn8/s1600/DSC08776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleQZ-Aj7CQO8CSe7dKNkMj-WJPLkL1-opRF2u82utz8YKat0audyX8ERGIOQXiLjhlcYEycjaiGlZUT_hV9WPjeYSFSILghpNjCY0-JeG9t-YJj_HrCMM4I3k2g_9rzfGhtMFoOjHWn8/s320/DSC08776.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ballpark - looking toward the home team rooting section. They<br />
have rooting sections, team outfits, drums and songs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBxQCkO5RbdaANr-oCy4sFMeHlM6hJgn3VJUXL1bI49XUZU0Ra-glY9SUlE4mB6mKs1HeKUsJZx7NkReN1Nuxgl4swz3pEVXq_tzfT_anH8pUQr9Pv10uPoKC9tA3R2xXirCJcnVNeY8/s1600/DSC08783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBxQCkO5RbdaANr-oCy4sFMeHlM6hJgn3VJUXL1bI49XUZU0Ra-glY9SUlE4mB6mKs1HeKUsJZx7NkReN1Nuxgl4swz3pEVXq_tzfT_anH8pUQr9Pv10uPoKC9tA3R2xXirCJcnVNeY8/s320/DSC08783.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I shoulda known. It was really the ballpark food that Paul Skenazy<br />
was after. Selfie with Jeff Waldron lower right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9EvymEiP48XxGORxXQV6UuAPtr8TrrtWSz7ARvLOiqGV0OIRLzT5Qi9wSWYjPLNiN8hKiZeNY3ZdHtk1545oh0jhXR_T5NNhWRHOFgKTm3i1LdgSfuQYhd1dGhTYzI0PNoAh5jVYgkU/s1600/DSC08801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9EvymEiP48XxGORxXQV6UuAPtr8TrrtWSz7ARvLOiqGV0OIRLzT5Qi9wSWYjPLNiN8hKiZeNY3ZdHtk1545oh0jhXR_T5NNhWRHOFgKTm3i1LdgSfuQYhd1dGhTYzI0PNoAh5jVYgkU/s320/DSC08801.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hot dog stand girls. They infusing the hotdogs with looks like<br />
an adapted enema device -- really just catsup and mustard. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzt1z2-d4nLtvnuLMfhboccUjPqGYY5TLmQK7GYzX95HqaBoZi3ud3Bvxhh4j_pJOnh60ebH65lOFvpPaf8OGO_a-5ZY1S-phuCxpVWSPKglZZsQQ0oY2dxo3fzI1qf-xZLi67smIBbI0/s1600/DSC09584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzt1z2-d4nLtvnuLMfhboccUjPqGYY5TLmQK7GYzX95HqaBoZi3ud3Bvxhh4j_pJOnh60ebH65lOFvpPaf8OGO_a-5ZY1S-phuCxpVWSPKglZZsQQ0oY2dxo3fzI1qf-xZLi67smIBbI0/s320/DSC09584.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer makes it glow -- left to right - Howard Nelson, standing is <br />
Diana Rothman, and then front, Terry Eckhardt, Yoshie Morrissey, Annie Lydon,<br />
self, and Jeff Waldron. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYmKfcDaJ9_Sxd1ieLd4a4lR-OwD-pyEN0zK_g738oypFhd6MvC9ZxKF8v1deYqta03WU_EJEGpdl8V_mBm0EIovc8qQAXyy7nVh9a6TrFDLjwXXOaZ1FwpE3frTDrXCIiIU86rhlcyA/s1600/DSC09564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYmKfcDaJ9_Sxd1ieLd4a4lR-OwD-pyEN0zK_g738oypFhd6MvC9ZxKF8v1deYqta03WU_EJEGpdl8V_mBm0EIovc8qQAXyy7nVh9a6TrFDLjwXXOaZ1FwpE3frTDrXCIiIU86rhlcyA/s320/DSC09564.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff Waldron, Jon and Alice Drier. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Stay tuned for the flying condoms! More to come - gotta go and roam through Tokyo.</strong><br />
<strong>As you can see, we're doing just fine, thank you.</strong><br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-55281219721491729382015-05-21T00:37:00.003-07:002015-05-21T06:11:47.957-07:00Whales, Whaleman, and Whalemeat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkc5NESmWR_s7F8qfHxi9NZxSvlNOo1KPKfn3P8ZSOUk8UbySwXBjhh393vylDcNIj0hN65X-0aV0M4CFkgJ5Te4JDcuCycVpsqcapMCganneKBr2jz9C1o-7kuxvLbxF8yannOHvlLA/s1600/DSC08644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkc5NESmWR_s7F8qfHxi9NZxSvlNOo1KPKfn3P8ZSOUk8UbySwXBjhh393vylDcNIj0hN65X-0aV0M4CFkgJ5Te4JDcuCycVpsqcapMCganneKBr2jz9C1o-7kuxvLbxF8yannOHvlLA/s400/DSC08644.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town of Wada, a fishing and whaling town on the Boso Peninsula where<br />
shore-whaling continues. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>Monterey Bay Shore Whaling and Japan</strong></div>
One of the traditions we share with our counterparts on the Minamiboso Peninsula is shore-whaling. We began shore-whaling in Monterey in 1853 and eventually ceased at Moss Landing in 1924. The purpose at the outset was primarily whale oil, but in the early 20th century the industry shifted to using most of the whale, from oil to chicken feed to bonemeal. <br />
<br />
<strong>Whaling in Japan - </strong>The tradition of whaling on this coast of Japan is much more central to their culture as it was and still is a source of protein for human consumption. The difference between our commercial whaling and their is simple and yet profound. Whaling evolved over centuries as part of Japanese culture, where in Central California the history was short-lived and the whaling industry never really became a part of the culture of the region, except for the Azoreans who practiced it. These days, whale-watching has become a much more important part of the local economies than whaling was in the 19th century when it was tied to the price of whale oil. <br />
<br />
So, whatever you've been told about Japanese whaling for pet food or some such, here on the coast of Minamiboso, it is incorrect. Whale meat and whale products and whaling itself are a major part of local cuisine and culture. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NMc6FWvBRqRId06ui6XzLE5SaiPXMI4WTDq0kRt1izNWuN4P_VDkVA2KGYm6zEA15jk1MNwipIRlBBWoipuQps2HQZNzzCC5UqYurqyaPcfe83PvBXT_Bm-SopqYQ28zBvGAJgwhOYA/s1600/DSC08633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NMc6FWvBRqRId06ui6XzLE5SaiPXMI4WTDq0kRt1izNWuN4P_VDkVA2KGYm6zEA15jk1MNwipIRlBBWoipuQps2HQZNzzCC5UqYurqyaPcfe83PvBXT_Bm-SopqYQ28zBvGAJgwhOYA/s320/DSC08633.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoji on the ramp of the Gaibo Hogei Whaling Company explaining <br />
modern shore-whaling to our group.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<strong>Shoji the whaler - </strong>I first met yoshinori Shoji in 1995 and over the years have listened to him explain his family's business and the place it has in the village of Wada where he grew up. Shoji-san went to college overseas and he is, primarily, a businessman. He was never a harpooner or a deck hand on the boat, but worked in the whale processing plant when a young man. Now in his early 50s, with 20 year's experience attending International Whaling Commission meetings and following the politics of the business, he is still committed to continue whaling as long as it is legal along the Japan coast.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5L0KVfMEcEOgWnLarxiEDGOAybWp8Law-3jJdmYutCecI3JAz3DITNwpJrUKekW7J93t3yg8Nn2CgERU_6x6C-koWZMTBDaC2IEzLE_hOaywYxPCSKZ5z8aTHwUJjJsWWI2KME7FTlo/s1600/DSC08652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5L0KVfMEcEOgWnLarxiEDGOAybWp8Law-3jJdmYutCecI3JAz3DITNwpJrUKekW7J93t3yg8Nn2CgERU_6x6C-koWZMTBDaC2IEzLE_hOaywYxPCSKZ5z8aTHwUJjJsWWI2KME7FTlo/s320/DSC08652.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoji-san explaining the processing of whale meat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<strong>Baired's Beaked Whales - </strong>Shoji's company hunts and processes the largest of what are called the bottle-nosed whales, the Baired's Beaked whale whose hunting and population are outside the control of the IWC and its treaties. Shoji's company has a permit to hunt 26 whales a year, and the animals are processed at his station in the town of Wada. We are visiting in the off-season, as the hunting, which is done from modern 50 foot boats equipped with harpoon canons, is carried on in the summer months. Baird's Beaked whales can be up to 40 feet long and weigh as much as 15 ton. <br />
<br />
<strong>The Factory - </strong>Shoji-san greeted us at the location of the long wooden ramp up which the carcass is pulled by a winch. It is here that the whale is dismembered, the blubber and meat separated from the bone, with the blubber and meat transported up the coast to a building with a huge walk-in freezer where it is stored and then thawed and processed throughout the year. Some of the meat is sold and offered for sale fresh, while some is sliced and then sun-dried.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XWA7GC4c8nE09oI3gPsBAZFwKHh_G7ENNND_Sr3UEAr5SQ6hygoJrQjDwfkvV0KJ_WhrIiat-bcheOw3warJrGQHY6JaPbz2fx1o8GU642TvRHivy7kPWySrb5H7XrWW_1XlLj17t3g/s1600/DSC09304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XWA7GC4c8nE09oI3gPsBAZFwKHh_G7ENNND_Sr3UEAr5SQ6hygoJrQjDwfkvV0KJ_WhrIiat-bcheOw3warJrGQHY6JaPbz2fx1o8GU642TvRHivy7kPWySrb5H7XrWW_1XlLj17t3g/s320/DSC09304.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susie Elder sampling dried whale meat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
At one point in our visit, Shoji laid out a line of blue bowls on a table and we were invited to taste dried whale meat. They were not under any pressure to do so, of course, and I was not paying any attention to who did or didn't as it wasn't important.<br />
<br />
What WAS important was that the group had listened intently and respectfully to what Shoji had to say. Shoji is always prepared to do verbal battle with visitors bearing strong opinions about whaling, but he was pleasantly pleased that that was not necessary today. He smiled and said, "Maybe they understand my point of view." Yes, I said, "I hope so. They don't have to agree, but I hope they can seen another point of view." <br />
<br />
<strong>The Future </strong>- Shoji is painfully aware that the price for his whale products and the demand are both in decline. And he's already thinking about how difficult it might be to pass the business on when he decides to retire. He has one daughter, and she doesn't seem to be in line to follow in her father's footsteps. As the diets of young Japanese continue to shift away from the more traditional tastes, one can imagine that Japanese shore whaling might eventually quietly cease to be. Shoji-san has admitted as much. But for now he will continue to hunt the animals that have always provided a source of protein for this protein-deprived country.<br />
<br />
And perhaps the members of this group of visitors from California will now begin to appreciate the wide diversity that exists between human industries, and that whalers come in a variety of sizes and shapes, as do lumbermen, farmers and fishermen. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_j5RaicLbHpOeCKdPY5Ntt6GaRwurGZaKsofBQ1zzJUe0sj9SkhrW8lCUsL21iAs_Ek6p4l7xiSb1Yq3wv21HgRAZwqhc6bulU02xkmq_-5NYUcO2k8rL7kcfhOlpKZSTATETwV3Q64/s1600/DSC08663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_j5RaicLbHpOeCKdPY5Ntt6GaRwurGZaKsofBQ1zzJUe0sj9SkhrW8lCUsL21iAs_Ek6p4l7xiSb1Yq3wv21HgRAZwqhc6bulU02xkmq_-5NYUcO2k8rL7kcfhOlpKZSTATETwV3Q64/s200/DSC08663.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large replica of a blue whale skeleton <br />
in front of the local community center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp03P0MAsVoYsq6ElzcsDxsnvW2bDI0J8T6tKTOqci93xoPOoXR4vulYGQuoAzsK21-mvMD_erPWwG0JxC0worUWKaXoxjORwzZFjr8dARfeo0X12Xc5bWWnJrFubUR7NGJLBArOijQs/s1600/DSC08674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp03P0MAsVoYsq6ElzcsDxsnvW2bDI0J8T6tKTOqci93xoPOoXR4vulYGQuoAzsK21-mvMD_erPWwG0JxC0worUWKaXoxjORwzZFjr8dARfeo0X12Xc5bWWnJrFubUR7NGJLBArOijQs/s200/DSC08674.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the playground equipment at the <br />
community center reflects the local <br />
theme of whales and whalers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-17486526613942824502015-05-20T18:32:00.000-07:002015-05-21T00:44:22.403-07:00Eating at the Hamazushi -- The Sushi Boat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Eating across Japan - </strong>Kaori Mizoguchi has arranged a wide variety of restaurants for the group, ranging from French cuisine, with too much silverware, a Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant, and a Sushi Boat restaurant in Tateyama. I wasn't sure about the sushi-boat restaurant as it had a Chuckee Cheese flavor to it, but boy was I wrong. The group had an outrageously good time and ate more than could have been imagined. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5Fv1UHV93O7clyRwIJRL-7hPJUJ3uNEXGOQaGKXnfxNuQFCFIKLo-dqQsctgon-AxiCoKO6E8UKuP7QmWWFJhO0ozOSfEpfReO_VIBSNB5BkDwSLTzGrijiVfvv3Cgpv6q74TFdehOc/s1600/DSC09211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5Fv1UHV93O7clyRwIJRL-7hPJUJ3uNEXGOQaGKXnfxNuQFCFIKLo-dqQsctgon-AxiCoKO6E8UKuP7QmWWFJhO0ozOSfEpfReO_VIBSNB5BkDwSLTzGrijiVfvv3Cgpv6q74TFdehOc/s320/DSC09211.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sushi Boat Conveyor coming toward our table -- we were downstream.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GY3VcPGSN97fYCP4DJOIW_2-PZnSN9_NxYVOi8dNweOG5B6Vy6Aob_cb_Hl1mBTrul6aEXgHs6aJ-26wdhX3RU-yslEGFceT2v5GWQGycJPl3WsipF2GPRcVWqj0Ao_QyeRHQUJlIn8/s1600/DSC09213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GY3VcPGSN97fYCP4DJOIW_2-PZnSN9_NxYVOi8dNweOG5B6Vy6Aob_cb_Hl1mBTrul6aEXgHs6aJ-26wdhX3RU-yslEGFceT2v5GWQGycJPl3WsipF2GPRcVWqj0Ao_QyeRHQUJlIn8/s320/DSC09213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fully-laden belt moving right to left - before the upstream tables<br />
began to pick off all the good stuff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<strong>The Hamazushi - Sushi Boat -- </strong>The concept originated in high-end sushi bars where there was a channel of water and tiny boats would drift past and the customer would remove the sushi they wished and be charged at the end by the plates they had collected. Reminiscent of dim suum restaurants. But in the Hamazushi, it is mechanized and computerized with the plates of sushi, or other delicacies (French Fries!) parading past on a mechanized belt much like a luggage carousel in an airport. Trouble was that our table was downstream from all the others, and we (Agnes and Howard Nelson, Alan Richards, Don Yamaguchi, Annie and I) were afraid that they upstreamers would grab all the good stuff before it got to us.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6SBxY9iAVTfsKMWYJm8RB-bhyphenhypheno73sPI5Es7d63D8ESjTr7dh-VgyS8omtYYzyLKH_3McAPQszksAdx34v63z8UayiFDiFndunIIS9-AT9eRY0mOkY2yHXnV-cSEZjCY6vId9Ko0Ozds/s1600/DSC09218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6SBxY9iAVTfsKMWYJm8RB-bhyphenhypheno73sPI5Es7d63D8ESjTr7dh-VgyS8omtYYzyLKH_3McAPQszksAdx34v63z8UayiFDiFndunIIS9-AT9eRY0mOkY2yHXnV-cSEZjCY6vId9Ko0Ozds/s200/DSC09218.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Yamaguchi hunting for goodies on<br />
the far side of the belt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aDx3vqboZBchiGALxYaSB0IUNw3DGg0uD70X5kmaX8a8nm-8tT_zIgeO8LR-dTSoJ_WO5fi_KJfEcnyk4xxJcAyKbCTXFk3yxkzj39qMTsxVcBSU_8ETxOMvxiJstMEjWag-FdHvScQ/s1600/DSC09219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aDx3vqboZBchiGALxYaSB0IUNw3DGg0uD70X5kmaX8a8nm-8tT_zIgeO8LR-dTSoJ_WO5fi_KJfEcnyk4xxJcAyKbCTXFk3yxkzj39qMTsxVcBSU_8ETxOMvxiJstMEjWag-FdHvScQ/s200/DSC09219.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yamaguchi strikes! He's so fast his hand<br />
is a blur in this photograph.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<strong>Don Yamaguchi - Master Hunter - </strong>Fortunately, Don Yamaguchi was positioned closest to the belt, and he quickly figured out that he could reach through and snare some of the plates BEFORE they came around to our upstream colleagues - the perfect short-stop position. So, we would spy something interesting going up the far side of the contraption, and we would suggest -- "get it Don!" and he would reach through and slide the dish to our table before it could get to the upstreamers. Pretty soon the pile of empty plates rose higher and higher, and together with the empty beer mugs, were evidence of an evening well spent. Our table had the tallest pile, of course, and we didn't have the nerve to tell them about Don Yamaguchi, the Hunter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZoV-FO4-HPELsAAbRFohjvqzcU-6qkpYTkECFYkJMMhTXBnBYbe-h0I8poZnMSrt2DsxpFAo7W7I0mSeWC7d4R1XOHaAQa0TVLgt4kvJvCXJHTm3X7U6FVA3L-Jz3Q_SU2r0UK2rveM/s1600/DSC09223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZoV-FO4-HPELsAAbRFohjvqzcU-6qkpYTkECFYkJMMhTXBnBYbe-h0I8poZnMSrt2DsxpFAo7W7I0mSeWC7d4R1XOHaAQa0TVLgt4kvJvCXJHTm3X7U6FVA3L-Jz3Q_SU2r0UK2rveM/s400/DSC09223.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Results of Don's dexterity and courage.<br />
We won! Burp....<br />
Wendy Stevens photographs the results.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-36707999431322987042015-05-19T16:06:00.002-07:002015-05-21T00:45:00.347-07:00Peace and Tranquility - Day #5 - Tuesday, May 19 Tateyama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>From the mayhem of the Sanja Matsuri to a Tea Ceremony atop Tateyama - </strong>It's almost surreal to switch from the confusion of the matsuri in Tokyo to a tea ceremony at a beautiful tea house named Gangetsu-an atop the mountain overlooking Tateyama. Kaori arranged to have her sister, Akemi and mother, Kazu put on an abbreviated tea ceremony to demonstrate this classic Japanese art from for the group but also to give us a personal, heartfelt welcome from the Mizoguchi family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkRv7NKA8b4y-P62H9PmQt-asF8-8_6IHt-Td11H-Kds_SzbmNCT4cvuZ9TePx1tedqUjVjL6BYsDZS1xZ9RAqwcVAW3vR8LUD5fwnjCdy0Q-HS1IjmwEClIF8SEh8P64vPdt7lkG2fk/s1600/DSC09085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkRv7NKA8b4y-P62H9PmQt-asF8-8_6IHt-Td11H-Kds_SzbmNCT4cvuZ9TePx1tedqUjVjL6BYsDZS1xZ9RAqwcVAW3vR8LUD5fwnjCdy0Q-HS1IjmwEClIF8SEh8P64vPdt7lkG2fk/s320/DSC09085.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The peace and quiet was enhanced by the garden visible just outside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaori's sister, Akemi performing the tea ceremony ritual.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7ZtoFB8SMImC6JeuCLzAXG2kIcwKdfEneb55DhEWAc5TTIYUHxzQG1xQS8QGmHz-EuxDSlh2TIXFVKWfA9Lb7p5J2KhRsQZJGUSWTP1RpKDkNfvUbv6wGDM3acO5T1hngW93-TjB3t4/s1600/DSC09096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7ZtoFB8SMImC6JeuCLzAXG2kIcwKdfEneb55DhEWAc5TTIYUHxzQG1xQS8QGmHz-EuxDSlh2TIXFVKWfA9Lb7p5J2KhRsQZJGUSWTP1RpKDkNfvUbv6wGDM3acO5T1hngW93-TjB3t4/s320/DSC09096.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The special cup selected by Akemi for the ceremony.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsQ3zW9hQtqmbs1IYAiZndIm-09moPoAAxWiUW8YBVv_RqbLXQnrg_WEgZL93rivuiYEQgQX5ODp8vuoS9UvDdSxdAKBzgEjAehB6nywR-S1FqyFKnaV7ttM03XAMsbg5rhhqdSyO6dY/s1600/DSC09105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsQ3zW9hQtqmbs1IYAiZndIm-09moPoAAxWiUW8YBVv_RqbLXQnrg_WEgZL93rivuiYEQgQX5ODp8vuoS9UvDdSxdAKBzgEjAehB6nywR-S1FqyFKnaV7ttM03XAMsbg5rhhqdSyO6dY/s320/DSC09105.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mizoguchi girls. Kaori left, Akemi, and Kazu, their mother.<br />
Kazu is a tea ceremony teacher and has been practicing it all of her life.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0pzmH9W9cGYNlDXwIpw2WEBjpSzCPy_Ty1AkWN9FVHr1WyVdNdb1YNoHBJKK3uA06BlGDI95xj1ANrGjz7-Qt33o7cDSt6TSf7U1BKHLfFJKErY53PFd9mgz2NB0ewsPUXJ66TlMSLE/s1600/DSC09074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0pzmH9W9cGYNlDXwIpw2WEBjpSzCPy_Ty1AkWN9FVHr1WyVdNdb1YNoHBJKK3uA06BlGDI95xj1ANrGjz7-Qt33o7cDSt6TSf7U1BKHLfFJKErY53PFd9mgz2NB0ewsPUXJ66TlMSLE/s320/DSC09074.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group, attentive and respectful. Each of them shared a bowl of<br />
tea with the Mizoguchis. It was a magical morning.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-43515576257775563722015-05-18T23:09:00.000-07:002015-05-21T00:43:07.747-07:00The Ghosts of World War II and Tateyama War Sites, Day #4, Monday, May 18<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tateyama historian, Noboru Aizawa's life work is to keep the horrors of WWII alive<br />
for present and future generations. Behind him is perhaps the only monument in Japan<br />
dedicated to the memory of the "comfort women." </td></tr>
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<strong>The Akayama Underground Tunnels -- </strong>World War lurks even more vividly than usual here in Tateyama as the memories of B-29s flying overhead on their way to destroy Tokyo are still fresh. And kept fresh by a group of local historians led by Noboru Aizawa, a passionate activist determined to keep the history of Japan's involvement and responsibilities alive. The Tateyama area has many world war II locations still visible and open for exploration, including the kamikaze bunkers and the defensive tunnels that run for miles back under the earth. With our encouragement almost 20 years ago, and the assistance of local government (local governments are beginning to realize the tourist potential) the evidence of the war is becoming increasingly public. <br />
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<strong>The Japanese government's problems with memory. </strong>It is ironic that, as the Japanese government dithers about just what memory of the war should be kept - if any -- these local historians and volunteers have decided to keep it all alive, including one of the most sensitive topics of all - the "comfort women" who were used as prostitutes during the war both in Japan and in the Empire. <br />
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<strong>The Silent Scream - </strong>There is a monument here -- one built in the 1980s -- to the memory of the comfort women. So, while the government can't decide what to say, Aizawa and his cohorts are saying it to anyone willing to listen. This may have been one of the most powerful moments I have every had in Japan or anywhere else. Many were weeping while Aizawa-sensei reminded us of this story, not only for the story of the brutality of war, but also in admiration of Aizawa-san and his commitment and passions.<br />
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And, as with many monuments, its true power comes when it is brought to life by someone -- a strong, sometimes courageous person who stands before it, to remind us of exactly what the symbol represents. No amount of interpretive signage or smart phone apps can do that. It takes a living, breathing, sensitive engaged human to bring it to life. Aizawa-sensei is that man. <br />
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We are honored to share this place with him, and we will do everything possible to encourage and support him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcebi_0JTJhLbx5vAlpgaNuwBg6xy9_SHBRoTSb6D3wXzUpj-Q7P70NM7jCHGzieN11BPYLE2ueCh2xSm18zEDOgp2nTc6LCCEyaBRjgdn8FpUGseOYsO9JeopkDZXwLIDuBWdZ5vp054/s1600/DSC08597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcebi_0JTJhLbx5vAlpgaNuwBg6xy9_SHBRoTSb6D3wXzUpj-Q7P70NM7jCHGzieN11BPYLE2ueCh2xSm18zEDOgp2nTc6LCCEyaBRjgdn8FpUGseOYsO9JeopkDZXwLIDuBWdZ5vp054/s320/DSC08597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aizawa-sensei with our group inside the Akayama tunnel <br />
describing how the tunnel might have been used as a "last stand"<br />
location for Japanese military and civilians had there been an Allied<br />
invasion in 1945. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aizawa took us to the precise location where U.S. troops first landed <br />
in Tateyama in September, 1945. Both the Japanese civilians who witnessed<br />
the landing and the US Army troops were delighted that none of <br />
the violence each expected occurred. Peace broke out here 70 years ago. That's<br />
our intrepid leader and translator, Kaori Mizoguchi on the left. </td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-41499021978345320392015-05-18T15:50:00.000-07:002015-05-18T15:50:03.061-07:00Tokyo to Tateyama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Sanja Matsuri - Sunday, May 17 - </strong>We purposely spend our first night in Tokyo -- in the Royal Park Hotel - lovely -- and then dashed off, on foot and through the subway system to the Asakusa District to experience -- one does not just observe, one EXPERIENCES -- the largest festival of the year -- an estimated 2,000,000 people over the three days. We split into small groups and out we went. Amazing. There's no place on earth that folks could be in such close proximity and not be afraid. Trust. Pushing and shoving through the crowds. And the mikoshi -- the shrines are borne like shining gold creatures through the streets. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sanja Matsuri sea of humanity</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Matsuri Team of Yoshi Ota - left to right - Lydon, Ota-san, Claudia MacLeod, Jon Drier, and Alice Drier at Asakusa Shrine, Tokyo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">History Dude, right, giving Tateyama City Mayor a large abalone shell from California. The shell was provided by our resident abalone pickers, Frank and Joy Souza.<br />
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The group was totally immersed in Tateyama local history including visiting several World War II sites and standing on the sport where Allied GIs landed in September, 1945.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-21509033313215220812015-05-16T09:50:00.000-07:002015-05-16T09:50:20.911-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class=""><span class="">Group has arrived in Tokyo! United Flight 875 arrived on time, and after a busy but efficient immigration clearance, we gathered our luggage, met Kaori Mizoguchi and loaded into the bus where Kaori distributed a lovely goody bag to each member and then a packet with a ton of information, maps and detailed itinerary. Kaori is the most organized person in the world.</span></span><br />
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<span class=""><span class="">The adventure has begun and tomorrow we venture off into the Sanja Matsuri.</span></span><br />
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<span class=""><span class="">Stay tuned!</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-33590267713068208162015-05-13T08:03:00.000-07:002015-05-13T08:03:03.155-07:00Japan 2015 Map of Itinerary <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b> Our Route - May 16 - May 31, 2015</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjC2jg-se4iBpKMuGufV6BjAkPs9itog9ZxmobDU25VAGUACL1tTPQc30BOM09LBzHr9bI1ZxJiCeCeQjyd88GJbyaTMCbq2TSiCvRWzSZ0XeoGUlfyGqbr0npJhGCw2DvXPCd70WS30/s1600/JapanMap_2015+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjC2jg-se4iBpKMuGufV6BjAkPs9itog9ZxmobDU25VAGUACL1tTPQc30BOM09LBzHr9bI1ZxJiCeCeQjyd88GJbyaTMCbq2TSiCvRWzSZ0XeoGUlfyGqbr0npJhGCw2DvXPCd70WS30/s640/JapanMap_2015+final.jpg" width="465" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our itinerary. </td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-58011744340082454842015-05-13T01:43:00.000-07:002015-05-14T00:53:15.526-07:00The Group Members <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Lydon-Mizoguchi -- Japan 2015 </span></b></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Atkinson, Carolyn</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Atkinson, Chuck</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Chien, Agnes </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Crawford, Diane</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">De la Cruz, Ramon </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">De la Cruz, Ricardo </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Drier, Alice </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Drier, Jon </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Eckhardt, Terry </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Elder, Susie </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Fatemi, Farnaz </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Irons, Mary Ellen </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">King, Rosie </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ley, Nancy</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ley, Rob </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Lydon, Annie </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Lydon, Sandy </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MacLeod, Claudia </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Morrissey, Yoshie</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nelson, Howard </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Rabkin, Sarah </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Richards, Alan </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Rothman, Diana </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Rouse, Ruth </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Satow, Ellie</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Schwind, Jan</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Skenazy, Paul </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Souza, Frank </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Souza, Joy </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Stevens, Jack</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Stevens, Wendy </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Waldron, Jeff</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Yamaguchi, Don</span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1</span></span></b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779923504020747533.post-45126160185324835642015-05-13T01:25:00.000-07:002015-05-14T23:05:29.868-07:00Blog Purpose and Itinerary <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Abalone Connection: </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Shining shells across the sea.</span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Two abalone shells originally harvested off the California coast by Japanese divers and brought to Minamiboso as gifts. </b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<b> </b><br />
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<b>Our Return to Japan - </b>So many anniversaries! This is the 50th
anniversary of my first visit to Japan in 1965 while I was a graduate student
at the East-West Center in Honolulu. I've brought many groups to Japan
since, but in 1995 - 20 years ago, I discovered the Minamiboso area from which
many of the Japanese fishermen immigrated to the Monterey Bay Region, and in
particular, the abalone divers.<br />
It was in <b>1995 </b>that I met <b>Kaori Mizoguchi </b>who
has been my friend and collaborator ever since. Kaori has brought many of
her neighbors from Minamiboso to California, and we have brought many of our
friends to Japan. However, when the yen became so strong that we could no
longer afford to travel in Japan, we put our trips on hold. This year, as
the dollar strengthened against the yen, Kaori and I began planning our
return. <br />
Thus, on this visit we will be celebrating
the 20th anniversary of the Lydon-Mizoguchi partnership, and many friends await
us in Minamiboso.<br />
<br />
<b>The Group - </b>There are 33 of us all told. Most are
from the immediate Santa Cruz County area, but we also have representatives
from Castroville (!), Monterey, Boise Idaho, Portland, and Hawai'i. <br />
<br />
<b>This Blog - </b>I will be attempting to make daily
postings on this blog along with a photograph or two. However, though I
value your opinion on many of the things we'll be discussing -- whaling,
comfort women, World War II -- I won't have time to chat with you. Nor
even read your thoughts about things. You'll have to be satisfied to
"think to yourself" -- kind of like when the nuns at Sacred Heart
School in Hollister told us to "read to ourselves." Whom else
might we be reading to?? So, this blog is designed not to accept
comments. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #1 – Fri., May 15 – Depart SFO on United
Airlines Flight #875</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #2 – Sat., May 16 – Arrive Tokyo (Haneda Airport)
– </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
are flying to and from the more centrally-located Haneda Airport as it will
offer us a better opportunity to experience the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sanja Matsuri</b> on Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Transfer
from airport to hotel – Tokyo Hotel is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Royal
Park </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #3 – Sun. May 17 – Sanja Matsuri – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The largest
festival in Japan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then depart Tokyo for
for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tateyama.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check in to Tomiura Royal Hotel for first of 4
nights.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Days #4 – 7 – Segment #1 – Tateyama and Minami-boso</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Using the
Tomiura Royal as our base, we will spend the next four days and evenings with
our long-time friends exploring this beautiful, rural and historic part of Japan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be highlighting several themes
including:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 26.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The abalone
diving history</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
that connects Tateyama and the Monterey Bay Region. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 26.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">World War II –
2015 marks the 70<sup>th</sup></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> anniversary of the end of the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We believe that we should celebrate the war’s
end and the seventy years of peace between the United States and Japan. We will
visit the place where Allied troops first landed in September, 1945 as well as
tour tunnel complexes and kamikaze aircraft bunkers that were prepared to
defend against an Allied invasion should it have occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be guided by local historians and
eyewitnesses.</span></div>
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</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Comfort women</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> – One of the
stories that continue to haunt the World War II landscape is that of the women
who were forced into prostitution to service Japanese troops throughout
Asia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will visit one of the few
(only?) monuments in Japan dedicated to the memory of these women as well as a
special support village currently providing support for ex-prostitutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gaibo Hogei
Shore Whaling Station</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
– Over the past 20 years we have developed a deep friendship with Shoji-san,
the owner and manager of one of the few shore-whaling stations still operating
on the coast of Japan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our visit there
will include the cemetery where the spirits of the individual whales are
honored and commemorated by the company. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hiking and
Exploring -- </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
hotel is located on top of a stunning peninsula, and there’s a pathway leading
down to a pebbled beach that is famous for its seashells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And seaglass. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZUgIepXUy2mcHOJr01mEjDrSXGk0WnKx8PN-0hUtAGk2ilH1_vUUX9s_FJ5z9DjFX4OHbv79_pHspk0dFVqRvbp3QMI6kT8WPaW8nIyjmEgswadJqnbaS0kuAsiH0ZUO8JE22JstiDA/s1600/Basho_by_Basho_by_Sugiyama_Sanp%C3%BB_(1647-1732).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZUgIepXUy2mcHOJr01mEjDrSXGk0WnKx8PN-0hUtAGk2ilH1_vUUX9s_FJ5z9DjFX4OHbv79_pHspk0dFVqRvbp3QMI6kT8WPaW8nIyjmEgswadJqnbaS0kuAsiH0ZUO8JE22JstiDA/s1600/Basho_by_Basho_by_Sugiyama_Sanp%C3%BB_(1647-1732).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Matsuo Basho, Japan's most revered poet. We will be following part of his journey and reading his poems. </b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Segment #2 – Basho and the Road to the North – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We have designed
the second half of our adventure, loosely, around Japan’s most famous journey
(and one of the world’s most famous travelogues), taken by poet <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Matsuo Basho</b> in 1689, beginning in
Tokyo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every Japanese knows the story
and many of the haiku poems that he wrote along the way, and they will be
delighted when they find out that we Americans will be following (at least in
part) in Basho’s footsteps. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #8<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Fri.
May 22 – Tateyama back to Tokyo –</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A day in Tokyo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the conclusion we will venture over to
Yokoyama Stadium to see a Japanese baseball game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #9 – Sat. May 23 – Tokyo – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With the
assistance of some of our friends, we will be traveling throughout Tokyo on
public transportation to experience one of the most efficient and amazing
transportation systems in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have tentatively scheduled visits to the Tokyo Sky Tree, the Asakusa District
and, of course, the Basho Museum.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #10 – Sun. May 24 – Tokyo to Nikko – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We now begin
shadowing Basho, though we’ll be doing it on a bus.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #11 – Mon. May 25 – Nikko to Yamagata and Sendai
– </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
will continue northward, visiting the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Risshakuji
temple</b> where Basho wrote one of his most famous haiku and eventually
arriving in Sendai.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #12 – Tues. May 26 – Sendai – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Two themes will
merge here – Basho’s continuing journey, and the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be visiting the area that is
recovering from the tsunami and will meet some of the survivors. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #13 – Wed. May 27 – Sendai Area – Hiraizumi
Choson-ji Temple – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">strolling
around the site – this is a World Heritage site – lots of history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we drive to the port of Sendai and board
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Taiheiyo Ferry – </b>overnight
aboard the ferry to Tomakomai, Hokkaido.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is in this area that we leave Basho’s journey and continue on to
Hokkaido.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #14 – Thurs May 28 – Tomakomai to Biratori to Noboribetsu
– </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
of the reasons for coming to Hokkaido is to pursue the story of the Ainu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will visit the Ainu museum in Biratori and
then continue on, through beautiful Hokkaido to Noboribetsu, one of the most
famous hot spring resorts in Japan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
will be staying in the Mahoroba hotel that has an in-house <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">onsen.</i></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #15 – Fri. May 29 – Noboribetsu to Hakodate – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We will drive
through some of Hokkaido’s volcano country, stopping to hike and visit a
volcano museum on our way to Hakodate. In the evening we will visit the famous
Hakodateyama.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #16 – Sat. May 30 – Hakodate – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A free day to
explore Hakodate on foot and public transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plenty of guidance about where to go, what to
see. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Day #17 – Sun. May 31 – Hakodate to Haneda to SFO – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">those </i>travel days where you get up and
leave Japan and arrive in San Francisco before you left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will fly from Hakodate to Haneda, and then
board our late evening United Airlines flight to SFO that is scheduled to
arrive early evening, Sunday, May 31.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(see International Dateline for details…)</span></div>
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