KEEP, Last Night at Kofu, Travel to Korea
Posted May 31st, 2009 by President WhitlockOur last full day in Japan was one I had looked forward to since our arrival. Okumura-sensei and Ono-san drove us from Kofu up the Hokuto City area for the day. Joanne and I wanted Beth and Rhonda to see the beautiful Yatsugatake area which Madison County is so fortunate to claim as a sister region. We also hoped they would meet some of our good friends there and see with us, for the first time, the new lodge at Seisen-ryo. We were not disappointed.
We were greeted at the lodge by Shirakura-shichou, mayor of Hokuto City, a person we have come to know, like, and respect over the past five or so years. He is a forward looking leader who secured for his city one of two major Japanese research centers for solar energy. I asked him how the project was progressing and he quickly snatched me away for a drive to see it, while Rhonda, Beth, and Joanne remained behind to shop and eat KEEP’s famous soft ice cream. I would get mine later. Below is a photograph of the solar energy site. The other photo is, from left, me trying to say something in Japanese; Masaki-san; a retired KEEP executive who asks me about Helen and Hanly Funderburk every time we come here; Mayor Shirakura; and Okumura-sensei.
On the way back to KEEP, we stopped at the Kitazawa glass museum (see last fall’s blog) and one of our most long-time friends, Koshimizu-san, stopped by to see us. He is a gregarious, fun-loving marathon runner, and gave me a T-shirt from this year’s Tokyo Marathon.
Back at KEEP, we got to see the new facility at last. Here are Hiro Yoshida-san and Joanne standing in front of the new building. The interior shots include one of Joanne with our friend Takeo Okemoto-san, a view of the coffee nook off the lobby, and the new onsen (hot spring bath). The photographs do not do the new place justice.
Back in Kofu that evening, we were hosted for dinner by the Kobayashi-santachi (The Kobayashi family). Joanne and I first met the father, Akira Kobayashi-san, about five years ago when he was the deputy mayor of Oizumi Village and a member of the Yatsugatake delegation to Kentucky. Later, the oldest daughter, Akimi, was an EELI and then EKU student for a year. Mrs. Kobayashi prepared a Japanese meal for us one evening at the home of Sharon Bailey, then a member of the EKU English faculty with whom Akimi roomed while at EKU. That evening, we also met Akimi’s sister, Sayaka, and brother, Kei. Below are Sayaka (left) and Akimi, and the whole dinner party. The only person missing was Kei, who is attending school in Tokyo.
Sunday morning we were away from the hotel at 6:30 to catch the bus to Narita. There to see us off were Kiyomi and Noriko Ueya-sensei, Keiku Okumura-sensei, Michiko Ono-san, and Hiro Morioka-san, a former EELI student. A four-hour ride put us at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Two flights and 10 hours later we touched down in Daegu, South Korea, home of Daegu Haany University. A delegation led by Dean Park and Ms. Kim quickly, efficiently and extremely politely saw us to our hotel. Tomorrow and Tuesday are very tightly scheduled days that promise to be interesting and productive. We have not seen South Korea by daylight yet. So, we are excited about tomorrow.
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