Japan in Thirty Days

GSE Day 21

06 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment

by gbesses in Gerald/ジェラルド

GSE Day 21
Travel from Mishima to Mamamatsu, a city of about 830,000, primarily industrial - especially Suzuchi motorcycles and Yamaha pianos. We were met by Tom Ikedo, the District GSE chair, and a few other Rotarians. The Team had wanted some time off a formal schedule and Tom has canceled all other Saturday activities and all of Sunday. Part of the team went to a soccer game (they call it soccer in Japan) while Windy wandered the downtown and I went with Tom to see the Hamamatsu Castle and then the Municipal Art Museum, which had a wonderful weaving exhibit of the work of the Shimuras, a mother and daughter team who dye the fabric and weave it.
The castle is a small one,

a reproduction (in 1958) of what was destroyed in WWII. Tokugawa had spent 17 years here as a child and young man - he was 29-45 during this period and fought many important battles. Then he took me to a small restaurant belonging to a man with whom he had gone to elementary school and junior high. He said that he knew everyone who came into the restaurant and only people who knew about it came there - two tables and six bar chairs. We were joined by Sone san, who is the Team Leader for the Japan team that is coming to us in May and Honda san, who has a friend who lives on Purrington street in Petaluma and wants to visit while the Team is there and come to our Reno conference. Lots of fish dishes, sake and beer. We were, briefly, joined by Yoshiko, who, I think, is a hostess at a local bar/restaurant. Tom says he will take me there on Sunday. It filled me up so I passed on going to the sushi restaurant and came back to the hotel.
The hotel - the tallest building in Hamamatsu and very luxurious. Our rooms are on the 43rd floor with a wonderful view over the city. After a rest, the Team returned from their game and dinner and we went out for an hour on Karaoke.
11563 steps, today.