Nippon Club Newsletter (December 2001)

President's Report

David Robinson

At the end of both my tenure as the President of the Nippon Club and the Deputy Director of the Japan Center, I have been asked to briefly put some of my thoughts and experiences in writing. "Briefly" is sometimes hard for an attorney but I will try my best: truly I have enjoyed both experiences. I have learned much over the last year about Japan-North Carolina connections and I am convinced that my wife and I made the right decision to live in North Carolina 12 years ago. The Japan Center (under Tony Moyer's direction) is a real asset to this State. I believe that the Nippon Club also offers a wonderful new dimension to this community as well. More than anything though, I have become even more convinced over this last year that people are much more important than institutions. The Japan Center's real talents are reflected in its employees and volunteers. The Nippon Club's true potential lies in unleashing the entrepreneurial and fun-loving talents and interests of its members. I encourage everyone in this community to seek out new opportunities for fun and friendship and learning. I have benefited from these opportunities myself this year. Thanks.

Y2002 International Festival

We are happy to announce that the International Festival, postponed fromOctober this year, will be held April 26, 27, and 28, 2002. A new location--the Graham Building in Dorton Arena at the N. C. State Fairgrounds--has been selected for this new schedule. Tentative plans for the April 2002 Festival include the following International Festival traditions: Main Stage Performances, Young People's (music and dance) Performances, Cultural Exhibits, Bazaars, Sidewalk Cafes, the Coffeehouse, etc. The theme will remain the same as the festival originally scheduled for October: "Welcome to Our World." Please check back issue of Club Newsletter (August): Web
( http://www.geocities.com/triangle_nippon_club/ ) :for other generalinformation about the festival.

Date: April 26, 27, and 28, 2002

Location: N. C. State Fairgrounds, Dorton Arena, in the Graham Building ( http://www.agr.state.nc.us/fair/ )

              Web: http://www.internationalfestival.org/

Origami "Cranes" at IMAX theater

On November 17, the Nippon Club was back at Exploris, downtown Raleigh. This August, we did a Japanese cultural event, WOW Japan Weekend, with a huge success, and they called us again. It was a part of the opening events of the first IMAX theater in the Triangle area.

We were asked to instruct visitors how to fold Origami cranes (Tsuru) and hang them with strings from the second floor of Exploris. The cranes were supposed to decorate the wall at the back of the event stage, which was located at the open space near the entrance. About 20 volunteers took part in that event, and we completed the mission successfully.

The Christmas parade took place in downtown Raleigh that same day. Maybe due to that, there were not many visitors in the morning. However, the number of visitors increased gradually, and during the peak hours we had to keep teaching Origami without a break. For most of visitors, it was their very first time to fold Origami. We gave them private lessons, but still it took a long time until the Origami cranes were completed. Visitors were so delighted that they wanted to keep them.

At the end of the day, about 500 cranes colorfully decorated the wall. The officials of Exploris praised our achievement. It was a busy but fun day, wasn't it? We are very thankful to the volunteers.

Adopt-A-Highway

The fourth Nippon Club Adopt-A-Highway of this year was held on Saturday, December 1st. The temperature was in the 70's and it was unusually warm weather. Mr. Robinson appeared in short sleeves and workout short pants at 9:15 a.m. and Mr. Moyer's shirt was wringing wet by 11:15 a.m.

During the work, it was heard that Mr. Dana Raymond and Ms. Keiko Genka, Garner, clean their streets with neighbors once a week. I also learned the recipe of Goya-champru, which is a typical Okinawa dish of Bitter Melon. Mr. Dana Raymond is an Associate Professor of Art and Design at
NC State University and Ms. Keiko Genka is an artist, Acryl painter, and originally from Okinawa. There were nine volunteers this time. We appreciate those who contributed their time and efforts. The next Adopt-A-Highway will be in March, 2002. An announcement will be made in the Club's February newsletter.

<<My Nippon Club in 2001>>

Tsutomu Watanabe

I have joined the Nippon Club as one of the directors since January 2001. I recall that many volunteers gathered here and many activities were planned and managed to be successful, including the picnic, the newsletter, the introduction of Japanese culture at Exploris, and the preparation of the International Festival. Unfortunately, the International Festival had to be postponed due to recent tragic circumstances. The most impressive activity for me was the "Origami" paper works. I have seldom made origami since I was 12 years old. I learned how to make the iris for the first time in NC and taught it to American people. I needed to learn the word "Fold" as "Oru" in Japanese so that the activity was also an English lesson for me. Please see the
beautiful origami picture on the Nippon Club Home page. I wish a happy new year for everyone.

Masahiko Ohtake

I was able to enjoy Nippon Club, as a board member, for one year (from April to August last year and since June this year.) I regret to announce that I am leaving the U.S in January. In my two-year stay in North Carolina, I had various experiences in my personal and business life. The activities of the Nippon Club gave me good chances to look into the society and people of Japan, the U.S and countries from around the world. Also, it was my first participation in volunteer activities. The Nippon club activities added precious experiences to my stay. I heartily appreciate the cooperation of the volunteers and previous and current board members. I hope to introduce a new board member shortly. I am looking forward to visiting Raleigh in the future.

Mr. Ohtake specially served the Nippon Club as a coordinator of the International Festival. Mr. Ohtake will transfer his knowledge as soon as the new coordinator is assigned, and we hope everybody will enjoy the International Festival in spring, 2002.

<<My 09/11>>

Tami Takamiya

September 11, 2001 -- I was at the Epcot theme park of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with my family.

It was the first family trip by airplane in my six years in the US. The reason why I decided to go there was because I won a pair of tickets on Midway Airlines, which was the first prize in the lottery at the Nippon Club Picnic held in May. At first, I hesitated to receive it since I was a director of the Nippon Club. However, I reconsidered and received it because I was a member of the club anyhow.

The ticket was valid for a year. I thought we could fly to the West Coast in spring 2002. The plan was destroyed by the news that Midway Airlines filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August. All flights to the West Coast were terminated, and then I changed my mind to go wherever we could go. We reserved the trip and flew to Florida in September with our family including my two sons, 1 and a half and 3 years old.

The very first news about the disaster was brought by the guide of the ride in "The Land," which is the pavilion dealing with earth, plants, etc. She said, "I have to explain what is going on in this country right now." Even with my level of hearing English, I could understand that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked, more than two airplanes were hijacked and all airports in the US were closed. However, I could not imagine how those facts were interrelated. In the meanwhile, Disney determined to close all their theme parks and we were to be sent to hotels. Even at that time, I could not understand the critical situation very well. I guess most of the visitors who were waiting for buses to hotels also did not know what was happening. A visitor, who was sitting in front of us, told us that she guessed a military plane of some country crashed into the WTC. I grasped it all instantly when I saw the video on CNN at a hotel room. The feeling will remain for my entire life. Next day, the theme parks were resumed and we enjoyed them very much. When we arrived at the hotel in the evening, there was a voice mail, which told me that Midway Airlines shut down all operations immediately due to the events.

Next morning, my travel agent helped us to find a rent-a-car so that we could leave Orlando. Other visitors who came from a distance were tired from waiting for flights. Many of them, who traveled with little children, were exhausted. However, nobody could help them because of the national crisis. Finally, we left Orlando on the evening of September 14. While driving on I-95 through the night, I saw lots of electric signs of motels displaying the message "GOD BLESS AMERICA!" and I realized that this event had a huge impact upon this country. Simultaneously, I could feel that a war was about to begin even though I had no idea which opponent this country would fight against.

I will never forget my first trip to Disney World, which was quite different from the one planned. As you know, the International Festival was also postponed to the next spring. The year 2001 was a difficult time. I hope 2002 will turn out to be a better year.

<<My NY Story after 09/11>>

Jorge Goti

The New York Red Cross had requested that volunteers be dispatched to NY from North Carolina. I happily accepted this mission because I think my Christian spirit made me do so, and besides, I can't help but repay the great kindness of America, the country which warmly accepted me as a refugee from Cuba, and even gave me U.S. citizenship. On November 16th, I was asked if I was interested in leading a team of 12 members from North Carolina to New York City as a volunteer leader. My quick response was yes. I left Raleigh at 5 am on November 18th. Twelve brave volunteer members gathered in Greensboro first. We headed to New York City in a big van. We had seen the terribly tragic scenes on TV and heard about them by radio almost everyday since the September 11th attacks. However, it was very hard to imagine and to feel how disastrous this was until I actually went there and saw it with my own eyes. It seemed to me that nothing had changed on Ground Zero since the 9-11 attacks. Although several hundred fire fighters, policemen and volunteers were working there, the whole site was as quiet as death. Nevertheless, it became even more silent when new bodies were found in the debris because everyone saluted the bodies in a solemn gesture.

My actual duty in New York City was to clean the apartments around the WTC. The residents in the apartments were physically and mentally exhausted. Their belongings were buried in the ashes. We cleaned their apartments and tried to encourage them. We worked 12-hour shifts. We got up at 5 am and went to the site by bus and subway. We worked from 7 o'clock in the morning to 7 o'clock at night. We had to wear a white suit covering our entire bodies and a gas mask all day long because poisonous gas was still coming out of the debris, which could cause lung cancer. Our most important duty was to remove tons of asbestos, which fell in the apartments. Therefore, our white suits were indispensable for this job. The lining of the white suit was made out of vinyl. After 12 hour of our daily toil, it was soaked with dust and sweat. I need to mention the work of Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers also worked very hard. There were volunteers who got up at 4 o'clock in the morning and fixed breakfast for us every day. There were people who washed our dirty, sweaty suits everyday. I think it must have been awful and unwanted work. All of us volunteers just kept working hard as a group without saying anything.

One of the most impressive experiences was our special "hotel" in NY City. A prison in Brooklyn was provided for us as a sleeping accommodation. A part of the jail was open to volunteers. Honestly I must say that at first I was not comfortable about sleeping in a jail cell, but later, as we got used to it, it was not too bad really. However, it never felt good that every night at 10 o'clock a jailer came to lock our cell so that we would be safe-in case the real prisoners should attempt any violent actions. Another interesting thing at the prison was that we were given the same tiny towels as those used daily by the prisoners. They keep the prisoners from hanging themselves. Anyway, I think this was a very precious, unforgettable experience for me.

Ten days of my volunteer work in New York City went by this way. The first time that I saw a smile from the apartment residents, who in the beginning had been an abstraction for me, I really felt that it was meaningful to come all the way to New York City. New York still needs tens of thousands of volunteers now and in the future. I would like to go to help again if the chance arises.

This is Mr. Goti's story after he came back from hard work in NY. Mrs. Eiko Goti, a Japanese, wrote this article in Japanese based on her husband Mr. George Goti whose mother tong is Spanish. Mrs. Keiko Ueda translated it into English and her husband, an American, reviewed its English. Mr. Goti's work in NY was done with many volunteers, and his story was also written and translated by volunteers

<<North Raleigh Kendo Club>>

In 1998 I was participating in an exchange program at Waseda University in Tokyo. One day, while walking to class, I heard a great deal of commotion emanating from the second floor of the gym. Voices shouting, "Men" "Kote" "Do," the sound of slats of bamboo colliding together, and the sound of repeated thuds of feet hitting a wooden floor. I thought to myself, 'I know what that is.' However, I felt compelled to go in and see. I entered the gym and waited at the step-up to the wooden floor until someone came and invited me in. I took off my shoes and followed the student down the hall. As we turned the corner and entered the main room, I was taken in awe. There were two giant drums in the front corner of the room. The entire floor was wooden and the sunlight glistened as the floor reflected it. There were about thirty or forty students in bogu (kendo armor) on the floor practicing and several others running around. No one was still. The energy and enthusiasm was overwhelming. Two students came running over to bring a chair for me, but I was held captive by the feeling of vigor from their practice and found it difficult to sit down. I watched their practice while sitting on the edge of the chair. At the end of practice, they invited me to practice with them in the future. But, sadly, I had only 2 weeks left in the exchange program and didn't want to inconvenience them. I thanked them all and promised myself that as soon as I had time (I was an undergraduate student then) I would try to find a kendo club and study kendo.

In the spring of 2001, I visited the North Raleigh Kendo Club and watched their practice. The instructor of the club, Mr. John Flanigan, ni-dan, was the first to introduce himself to me. He told me something I won't soon forget. When I mentioned that I was a beginner and I didn't really know anything, he told me that we are all there to learn from each other. He said that kendo is a sport that makes you aware of your weaknesses and in that way he will teach me, and I will teach him, and we will all learn. Soon after that I met some of the other club members, James Parker (yon-dan), Paula Cothren (sho-dan), Kevin Perez (sho-dan), Chris Hall (sho-dan), Eddie Barnes, and Chris Davis. I began practicing and learning with and from these people. Then, in late June, Ryujiro Hara, go-dan, joined the club and added enormously to the experience level of the club instructors.

During practice, the floor doesn't glisten in the afternoon sun, there are no drums in the corner to start practice or over fifty members, as Waseda had, but the feeling of energy and enthusiasm is the same. There are about 20 members in the club and everyone is there because they enjoy Kendo. As a club, we show each other our weaknesses during keiko (practice) and we learn to correct them one by one. This can also be carried over to the world outside of keiko. Everyday of one's life they are shown their weaknesses and it is their choice to learn from them or deny their existence. In Kendo you learn from them and try to correct them (and keep them corrected), and one should do the same even outside keiko. One will always have weaknesses to correct in life and in Kendo as well.

Mr. Blaine Levedahl is currently in graduate school studying Aerospace Engineering. In particular, the area of Aerovehicle Control Systems for Multi-Vehicle Configurations.

Mr. Ryujiro Hara, fifth (go)-Dan, is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at UNC-Chapel Hill, and he is the only Japanese at this Dojo. He participated South East United States Kendo Federation, 13th annual meeting, in Charlotte on Oct 20 and 21,where A half of Kendo players among over one hundred participants were Americans. Mr. Hara said that he was very impressed with Americans' enthusiasm and attitude toward Kendo.

North Raleigh Kendo Club meets every Wednesday 6:30-8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00-10:30 a.m. at Karate International, 4720 Hargrove Road, Raleigh, NC. Call (919) 859-4403 or visit the web site at http://www.willowtec.com/~kikendo/ for more information or directions.