My trip to Kagoshima

I went to Kagoshima last week to give a presentation to a group of farmers – ranging in age from mid-20s to really quite old – who had all done exchanges in the U.S. or Europe at some point in their life. They gave me an hour and a half, but that included translation, so it was really like 30 minutes plus Q&A. Still, I was very happy to see that so many people were still awake when we finished! It was suggested that they may have stayed awake because they were waiting to see if I’d make some sort of big policy announcement. HAHAHAHA… um, no. 

The reception after the seminar was a lot of fun. It started with an amazing taiko performance. I found a youtube video of the same group, and a really impressive solo by one of the guys in the group. 

The more alcohol that the attendees consumed during the reception, the braver they became, until eventually there was a line of men wanting to talk to me (the American diplomat). And then when they saw that I agreed to have my picture taken with one of them, I got mobbed. It was my big celebrity moment! The other fun part of the evening was that we played Bingo. There were a ton of agricultural prizes - sweet potatoes, rice, fertilizer, and (later) the local potato-based alcohol called sho-chu (which is STRONG STUFF). When I got a Bingo, the entire crowd cheered and applauded, and cheered and applauded some more when I took a bag of rice (as was strongly suggested by the energetic guy running the game).

As for Kagoshima – it is the southernmost city in Kyushu. It’s a beautiful area. Except for the palm trees, it reminds me very much of the Pacific Northwest – very green, mountains, water. I got to visit a feed mill at the port and some farms. The area is known for meat – beef, pork, and poultry.

Sakurajima

I also got to visit the Senganen garden and Iso residence, which was lovely. And… Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, exploded while we were at the gardens, so I got to have the experience of using an umbrella to protect myself from the ash. It brought back memories of when Mt St Helens blew. Apparently, Sakurajima explodes every “4 to 24 hours”. People kept apologizing for the ash on their cars, but hey, it was part of the experience!  

Senganen Garden

Tin-roofed gate to Iso residence

Garden inside the Iso residence

Senganen garden