I should’ve brought my computer

So much to say and so little time to say it!  I am on day 4 in Japan. 

Day 1 the flight landed 2 hours late, our welcoming party was waiting for us the whole time!  We arrived from our, cramped, 13 hour flight to a roomy bus.  We were all exhausted and jet lagged from the flight, but we could not sleep due to our excitement to be in country.  OUr busride to Fukuya took 3 hours, we went through Tokyo on what is comparable to the interstate.  Once in Fukuya we quickly dropped our bags off at the hotel and had a welcoming dinner at a traditional restaurant with Rotary dignitaries, chopsticks were used, food was delicious and Sake was flowing.  We made it back to the restaurant, I called my wife Manda, and I was asleep at about 1 a.m. 

Day 2, I awoke at 4 a.m. but refused to get up… so I lay in bed for an hour before giving in and got up to study Japanese.  I met witht he group at 8:45 with the group for a traditional breakfast, and then we were off, visiting local environs.  We started by looking at the beautiful Sakura, cherry blossoms, near the train station.  The current train station is modeled after the Tokyo train station because Fukaya brick built the Tokyo station (pictures will come soon!)  From there we went to the Toshiba factory and learned about their manufacturing process.  A great tour was had, our host, Hary, did a phenominal job, the factory has beautiful grounds and active participation in its community.  After the tour we had our welcoming lunch where we met with district representatives, and exchanged business cards… exchanging business cards is a bigger deal in Japan than in the US.  After lunch we learned about a major statesman, and father of the modern japanese economy, from the Saitama Prfecture.  We visited his home, and several museums built to him.  After the museums we stopped the police headquarters of Fukuya, met the police chief and learned about Japanese crime issues.  Once our visit their was complete we returned to the hotel, and that is where I was met met by Kasahra san (more on Mr. and Mrs. Kasahara later).  Kasahara san, his brother-in-law and I went to dinner at Shabi-Shabu.  We ate a traditional dinner and had an altogether nice time.  I went home and went to bed at around 10 p.m… It was a long day.

Day 3 began with the Kasaharas helping me call my wife, it was a great way start to my day.  We had breakfast, and then off to meet the group at 9:15.  I ordered a quick cup of coffee, ￥400 and then onto the bus.  Our day in Ichibu-chi. We first went to a sake distillery, we learned about how about sake is made, and after the tour was able to try different types.  After the tour we went to a noodle shop for lunch, delicious food, and my use of chop-sticks is getting better.  After lunch we visited a museum devoted to a major festival, the festival of lights.  In the festival major floats are pulled and pushed by many people.  The floats cary many people and many lanterns to thwart evil spirits.  After the museum visit it was off to the police station of Ichibu-chi.

Well, it is time for me to be finished with this post.  I am being a poor guest, I will write more in the future.  A couple of quick thoughts before I return to my host, the people have beautiful gardens, Japan is gorgeous, agriculture is more compact… I could go on and on.  I am loving my visit, honored to be hosted by the Kasaharas, and enjoying their friends and family.