Yuba City's delegation photos

Volunteer by English with :

Photos in each year

edited by Y. Takara. E-mail

For the first time visitors.

Fujishiro town located in the south part of Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, established the relationship of sister cities with Yuba City, Calif. USA, in 1989. Since then till 2004 every year the both cities delegated mutually the citizen groups organized by junior high school students and grownups for home staying programs.

In 2005 Fujishiro town was merged into Toride city. The new Toride city has taken over the Sister City Association program. In the previous year 2004 I participated for the first time in activity of the IFA (International Friendship Association of Fujishiro) as an English speaking volunteer. Through this activity I intended to improve my English communication skill. I think my decision was right as I recently became to understand more than before what the guests from Yuba City said to me. So I will continue this activity of volunteer as long as I am allowed to participate.

I am very happy I could display many photos in this web site, and I hope that visitors here will see the photos and understand that I am really enjoying my life through the activity with other volunteers and by communicating with the Yuba City's delegation.
Thanks for your accessing, from web master Mr. Yasunori Takara, old man born in 1940.

Apart from the above, if you are intereted in panorama pictures you will be invited to click on the following titles to see the photos in other pages (Japanese texts) of this web cite:

Field poppies in Fujishiro Plum flowers Cherry blossoms Waikiki beach Mont Blanc

< Yuba City's Delegation Photos No.1 >

May 2004
	The delegation group arrived in Fujishiro Town on May 14, Friday and stayed for 8 days. I spent hours with them on five occasions.

Monument of the 15th anniversary of Sister Cities Association.

For enlarging, click here.

The following section was created from an edited hard copy.

The welcome party was really a red-carpet one because it also cerebrated the 15th anniversary of the SCA.

		Mr.Chairman of SCA and volunteers.

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< Yuba City's Delegation Photos No.2 >

May 2005
	The delegation group of 32 citizens arrived in Fujishiro Town on May 13, Friday. During their stay for 8 days I joined them 4 times including the sightseeing in Tokyo and other programs.

Sightseeing in Tokyo on May 15

Anyone missing? No. By the Tokyo station.		To the Imperial Palace. 22 students included.

The back is the entrace gate of the Nijubashi (double arches bridge). For enlarging click here.

Tour in Toride city on May 16.

Visited the Mayor's office.

English study class
at the elementary school.

Some students experienced
a two days' school life.

Fujishiro Minami junior high school welcomed our visit by displaying photos on the corridor,
the photos that had been taken when Yuba City students visited them once in the past.

Bus Tour to Ushiku Daibutu (big Buddha stutue) and Naritasan on May 17.

Only students gathered on the stand.
This Buddha statue is 400ft. in heigh.
The Statue of Liberty in N.Y. is 133ft.

Here are temples of the Naritasan.

Welcome party on May 14.

Photos can be seen by clicking banner. ⇒
(Texts have been edited by Japanese fonts)

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< Yuba City's Delegation Photos No.3 >

May 2006
	The delegation group of 15 students and 6 adults arrived in Fujishiro Town on May 12, Friday. During their stay for a week I went together sightseeing and joined them at the welcome party.

Sightseeing in Tokyo on May 12.

We went to the Imperial Palace park arear and to the Metropolitan Office building in Shinjuku. And then the devided 3 groups went separately to Harajuku (youth
town), Akihabara (electronic shops) and Ryougoku (Sumo or Japanese wrestling), and we all rejoined at Asakusa (temples), the last place to visit.

Photos
   above : Prince Akihito memorial park.
   right : Asakusa Kaminarimon gate and volunteers.
   bellow : at Otemon gate.

Welcome party on May 14.
	The party was held at the guest hall of a beer brewery company in Toride city.The attraction was performed, such as hand bells music by girls from a elementary school and Japanese traditional drumming by a bolunteer group.

Most of the guests were wearing Kimono and introduced in the opening show.



They were singing very nice.		Volunteers for the Tokyo sightseeing.


		Behind them are dolls for children's festivals.

Bus tour to Boso villadge musium, Ushiku big Buddha statue and JAXA on May 17.

They made Chiyogami candles at the Boso village, where visiters can experience very old day's lives and amusements. The museum includes a street with old town housing, farmer's house, Samurai resident and so on.

Ushiku great Buddha statue and the ticket office.

In the garden of the Ushiku Daibutu park some visiters were surprised to see many and big carps in the pond. They rushed to near people to seek for foods, splashed water and there screaming girls and children.

Those stony blocks behind of the lady in the right picture are carps. Her name is Ms. Cruthird. She is a cheperon to the students and has come Japan three times.

JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Home Page (English)

In the bus on the way home Aizell showed playing a gyroscopic toy on the string and a spin on his nose top. That excited us for a while. Erik sitting beside bought this toy as I detailed at the JAXA souvenir shop. Aizell was earger to have the same for himself and he finally got one from me by paying the cost. From whom did he learn how to play?

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< Yuba City's Delegation Photos No.4 >

May 2007
	The delegation group of 29 citizens arrived in Toride on May 11and stayed for one week. This time I went together for sightseeing in Tokyo and was present at the welcome party.

Sightseeing in Tokyo on 13 May, Sunday.
	The tour group included the guests of 7 adults and 4 students, some host families and five volunteers, so we some 20 people started from the Toride station at around 9:30 a.m. The trip and destinations were : Toride / Kitasenju (change for subway) → Otemachi / Imperial Palace front-end park (Nijubashi or double arch bridge) → Shinjuku / Tokyo metro-politan office building (skyscraper observatory) → Asakusa (Kaminarimon gate and Temple) → Akihabara (Electronic Town) → Ueno / Toride. Our original plan had included visiting Kandamyojin (shrine and festival) after Akihabara, but we cancelled that because it was too late to go and see the festival after shopping at the electronic town. However some photos of the festival procession could be added herein as I happened to see the last two Omikoshis (portable shrines) on their returning way in the Akihabara main street while our guests were on shopping.


1. At the Otemon gate.

2. Seeing formalty of two guarders changing positions.		3. At near by Nijubashi bridge.

4. Sensouji temple in Asakusa.		5. Some visiters were buying incense to burn.

6. At the side of the Kaminarimon gate		7. On the way to the TX Asakusa station.

8. Kanada festival procession.		9. Akihabara electronic town at time of 18:30.

10. Omikoshi (portable shrine).		11. About 100 Omikoshis paraded for the festival.

Welcome Party on 14 May, Monday evening.
	The party was held at the guest room of Kirin brewery co.,ltd. in Toride city. High school students played Japanese traditional instruments, i.e. Koto (7 strings) and Shamisen (3 strings). A circle-activity group made a powerful performance by Japanese drums called Taiko. All guests and Toride people seemed to be very much enjoying themselves. I myself was very exciting to come. The reason was that on occasion of the previous day's trip I found out that one student from Yuba city could play a Kendama (sword and ball, i.e. Japanese traditional plaything, see the photos), and so I had arranged a good player to meet them. This player was at the party as a volunteer for cooking. The above-mentioned student said he learned how to play the Kendama from a Japanese student who was in Yuba city for home stay.

1. Koto music by students.

2. Every year geusts wore kimono.

3. Best wearer, isn't she?

4. Two leaders opened a specail sake.

5. Mr. Takegasa made a speech.

6. Japanese drumming.

7. So beautiful, aren't they?

8.Luke could play the Kendama.

9. He also could play the Yoyo.

12. Kimono becomes Ms. Winberry.

10. Connor and Mr. Matsuoka.

11. Ameet and a paper sword.

13. My Kendama collection.

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< Yuba City's Delegation Photos No.5 >

May 2008

Clipping from Toride City bulletin of 15 May, 2008.
(translation) The delegation group from Yuba City, Calif. USA, have been visiting our city from May 9 to 15. 27 members consisting of 10 grown-ups and 17 students are home-staying with the host families in the city and having experience of Japanese living styles. They experience the Japanese culture very actively, the grown-ups have visited the facilities in or out of the city, and the students have been in schools together with the students of their host families. The group will leave for their home town in the evening of May 15. In autumn our city will delegate students to Yuba City. This year is 20th anniversary for the friendship with Yuba city that started in the time of Fujishiro town before merging with Toride city. The students so far delegated to Yuba city were about 300 in number, and when our students will have been delegeted in autumn a memorial ceremony will be held in Yuba city.


Tokyo Sightseeing Tour on 11 May, Sunday.
		There were about 35 paticipants in the tour group. including 17 guests(14 students) from Yuba city and the host family members and volunteers. The course for sightseeing is:Toride Station(a 1/4 past 10) → Ohtemon gate(Imperial Palace) → Nijubashi or double arch bridge→ Tokyo Metro- politan Government Office(observatory)→ Kaminarimon(Askusa-kannon temple)→ Kanda- myojin(shrine)→ Akihabara electronics town→ Toride Station(a quarter to nine pm). In the morning raining, but after the noon no rain.
In front of Nijubashi bridge(Imperial Palace)


At Asakusa Kaminarimon gate

Kanda-myojin shrine		Kanda-myojin shrine

Welcome Party (5/12 at Guest-room of Kirin Beer brewery)

Opening

	With Mr D'Agostini(teacher).	With Mr Rodriguez(teacher).

Fujikokai(drumers circle).	Cup-and-ball player Mr Matsuoka.
Farewell (5/12 City Hall grounds)

Host cityzen.	Guests.	See you again !

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