2014 Outbound – Yamagata and Western Tokyo, Japan

We then enjoyed six days in Yamagata, followed by six more in Western Tokyo.  Both clubs were very warm, friendly, welcoming, and giving of their time.  They took such good care of us!  I think many of us would agree that we found Yamagata to be a little more traditional Japan.  Breakfasts were huge, including salads, meat, rice bowls, toast, eggs, smoothies, yogurt, and fruit.  Chopsticks were used exclusively; different pairs of slippers were required depending on what type of floor one was walking on; bathtubs remained full of water that got reheated each night, and stayed clean because people wash outside the tub; bedrooms had tatami mats on the floor, and the bed itself was two thick futon mats.  These were new experiences for most of us. We felt lucky to see this lifestyle of ‘older’ Japan which may be slowly disappearing.

We found our second home stay, Western Tokyo, to have more of a western influence.  They still used slippers, but many families were more relaxed in their rules about them.  Knives and forks were offered, and often chopsticks weren’t even put on the table.  Our breakfast was more similar to what we eat at home (smaller!) We slept in western-style beds and took showers rather than baths. The Western Tokyo club shared in the hosting duties: some actually housed us, others led us around their extensive subway system, or day hosted us, while others hosted dinners with smaller groups of us.  We appreciated the huge effort put forth by both clubs.

It’s difficult to summarize two Friendship Force weeks for 15 people, since all of us had individualized experiences.  There were calligraphy lessons, schools were visited, one  person demonstrated ikebana (flower arranging), we were dressed in kimonos, we were taken to the mountains, the sea, the new aquarium featuring jellies (which we learned are not fish!), we had a hootenanny, but mostly we all enjoyed getting to know the Japanese people.

Don especially enjoyed watching our hosts’ new-found passion for line-dancing, especially the second club whom we could barely keep in their seats.  They asked at four different parties, and our ideas for more dances ran dry after the Cupid Shuffle, the Chicken Dance, and the Hokey Pokey.

For me personally the hootenanny on our last night gave me a special feeling.  We were doing lots of Peter, Paul, and Mary songs from the ‘70s. To be sitting there knowing and singing the same anti-war songs with people from the country that had been one of our enemies made the world seem so much smaller and more connected.  Just people wanting to know each other.  Another similar moment occurred at the Edo Museum which tells of Japan’s history.  When our English-speaking guide got to the part where Japan was flexing its military muscle, the guide said “Sorry.”  We all immediately chimed in “We’re sorry too!”.  It was a brief but poignant moment.

Our second home stay was equally as interesting and our hostess Yoko also spoke good English and drove us around in her little red sports car (Felisa and I took turns squishing in the back seat.)  One day Yoko’s 29 year old daughter, Aya, came home to spend the day with us, which was a special treat.  After she left, Yoko showed us pictures of Aya’s “coming of age” ceremony when she was 20.  It is a national holiday held on the second Monday of January to encourage those who have newly entered adulthood to become self-reliant.  Girls wear special kimonos and boys usually wear suits. Kimonos are so expensive that they are often rented.  Aya also showed us pictures of her graduation from nursing school with colleagues, all wearing kimonos and with their hair dyed various colors.  She showed us these pictures on her I phone while we were riding the subway; she standing up and not holding on to anything!

Many types of travel allow you to see sights, but my favorite aspect of FF travel is the opportunity to shadow people as they live their lives.  Our home hostess in Yamagata, Eileen, had once been a competitive ballroom dancer and dance instructor.  These days, she gives lessons to wheelchair-bound residents of a nursing home and Liz and I got to accompany her on a visit.  We also helped her harvest apples in an orchard that she tends for a friend.  She is a gifted musician of the koto and samisen, a wonderful cook and has a home-based catering business.  She is a very busy woman!I

I expected Tokyo to be big and busy, but it was BIG and BUSY!  I thank our (male) day hosts for their patience as Liz and I shopped for special treasures we wanted to take home.  I particularly enjoyed the dinner that our first home hosts put on that included Don and Jackie Stimpert as well as some of the Nagikawas’ friends.  What did Yukiko serve? – meatloaf and it was delicious!  A wonderful experience given to Liz and me by Yukiko Takagaki on our last morning in Japan was to dress each of us in one of her beautiful kimonos.  It was a very fun way to end our memorable visit.

My overall impressions?  Very friendly people who show guests around their country with pride, live a mindset of extreme courtesy, never litter, prepare delicious food, have strong family values, appreciate their traditions, pay very high costs for gasoline and live surrounded by much beauty!  I very much look forward to Western Tokyo’s reciprocal visit to FFNEO in July, 2015.

Bill – We had a great trip.  I have mixed feelings about it being over.  Some of my own good friends and relatives don’t treat us as well as we were treated in Japan.  The Japanese customs of orderliness, cleanliness and politeness incorporated within their confined living conditions amazed and intrigued me.  I can’t say enough about the experience that the Friendship Force organization provided Amy and me.