Group Study Exchange to Japan

Roy Valitchka was the team leader of the Group Study Exchange that went to Japan (District 2710) October 1-31, 2011. Prior to the trip, the team went through 3 months of interviews, team building and then getting ready for the trip. The team consisted of 5 people from District 6220 that visited 23 cities in 29 days. After 30 hours, the team landed in Norita, Tokyo. From Norita, they took a 1 ½ hour flight to Hiroshima then a ride on back roads another 1 ½ hour to a welcoming party by the Miyoshi Rotary Club. When Roy went to his host family’s house, they had a Japanese bath ready for him. Japan only has 25% living space nestled between the mountains and sea. Industry such as the auto industry (Toyota, Mitsubishi and Subaru) hugs all the available space along the waterways. Despite the congestion of the cities, you will see by certain homes and museums, bonsai trees hundreds of years old. There are 11 bridges, each designed and built by a different architectural /construction firm, that link the various islands. These bridges carry rail, automobile and pedestrian traffic. Ships line up the waterways waiting for the tide to bring them into the coast ports. All that stood after the atomic bomb was the headquarters for the Japanese military. The Memorial Museum shows what really happens in an atomic bomb blast. During the exchange, politics was not discussed but they did talk about survival. It was felt that if the bombs would not have been dropped, the massacre of both the allies and Japanese would be more than anyone could bear. The attitude toward America is that the Japanese want to be loved and respected. Any available space becomes a rice field. At the end of their tour of the rice fields, they received a 5-lb. bag of high quality sticky rice. They also brought home a bottle sake and bottle of wine from the Miyoshi Winery. One day, the team went to a dough factory where they worked the dough for noodles they had for lunch. The police are almost nonexistent in Japan. Very seldom to they have a problem with theft. The degree of the concern they have for others is unbelievable. They visited a silk embroidery factory that makes kimonos that cost $11,000-$15,000. During the wedding ceremony, the bride changes kimonos several times. At the top of mountains, you will see temples and shrines. People have many respiratory issues because of the haze that comes down from the mountains. Shinto and Buddhism are the two major religions in Japan. The team visited a first grade class. The pictures the kids made look no different from those of kids in the United States. Before the team left, they all sang “It’s a Small World”. While in Japan, Roy learned to enjoy raw fish. People came 40-50 miles just to come to say, “goodbye” to the members of the group study exchange team who then left to come back to Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.