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April 2006
Home
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April 2006
 Roseburg
Sister Cities, Inc.
P.O. Box 1643 Roseburg, Oregon 97470 Email: info@roseburg-sister-cities.org Website: www.roseburg-sister-cities.org Roseburg Sister Cities, Inc. – Friendship & Understanding since 1993 – Roseburg, Oregon & Shobu, Japan President’s Message by H.D. Honscheid I am very excited with all the
preparations that are under way to host this year’s delegation from
Shobu in June. For the planned three day bus excursion we,
the
Burpee's and the Honscheid's, went on a scouting trip down the coast to
check out restaurants, hotels, and attractions along the way. As a
result of our
 reconnaissance, hotel rooms were
booked, and restaurant
reservations were made. Sure more work needs to be done, but I think we
are looking good!I think our Japanese friends will enjoy the wonderful Umpqua Discovery Museum, the scenic dune buggy ride, the coastal drive (we'll have ocean front rooms in Gold Beach), and on the next day, visit the majestic California Redwood trees. On the third day, we’ll visit the pear packing facilities of “Harry and David” in Medford, and after that, a jet boat ride on the Rogue River. The delegation this year will arrive in Portland on Thursday, June 15 and will depart from Portland on Thursday, June 22. If you are interested in hosting one or more of our guests, please be sure to contact Janet Johnston at 430-2885 or email info@roseburg-sister-cities.org Please, mark your calendars for the evening of Friday, June 16, it’s the “Welcome Dinner” for the delegates from Shobu. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share some food, conversation, and laughter with our guests from Japan. The exact time and place of the dinner will be announced in a separate mailing to you. ~ H.D. Journeys,
2005 Shobu Delegation part 2
When Una and I planned our trip to Japan, we decided to stay on for an extra 10 days after the official Shobu delegation visit ended. A friend of ours told us about a very special temple garden in Kyoto, but she also told us that one needs reservations many weeks in advance in order to visit this unique temple. Well, we asked our hosts in Shobu if they would be so kind and write a postcard for us to obtain the permission to visit. And they did! Not only that, they also decided to re-join us to visit this temple. So, after we enjoyed the wonderful time in Shobu, Una and I departed for Tokyo for a few days sight-seeing there, and then we took the famous Shinkansen bullet train south to Kyoto, and there we met up with our Shobu hosts again. The Saiho-ji temple is also known as Kokedera, which means the "Moss Temple”, and it is located at the outskirts of Kyoto. Like many things in Kyoto this temple is very old, established by a priest sometime in the 8th century, then redesigned as a formal garden in 1339 by a famous landscape gardener. It was never meant to be covered with moss, it grew wild and naturally over the centuries. Today the temple is a wonderful mixture of natural beauty and landscaping, and is famous for its velvety-green moss. They say 120 different types of mosses are spread underneath the trees. But before we were allowed to enjoy this marvel, we had to take part in a Buddhist ceremony which involved copying a Sutra in pen and ink onto a sheet of rice paper (in Japanese of course). This task took about 45 minutes. Our written prayers were sung aloud (luckily we all copied the same Sutra); and only then were we allowed to step outside and into the green carpeted world of the Kokedera. Of course we were not allowed to touch or step onto the mosses, the monks are very protective of this garden, and the number of visitors per day is limited to only two small groups a day. We enjoyed a memorable time here with our hosts, the Sato's, from Shobu. Words cannot adequately describe this splendid place; therefore, if you have access to the internet, I suggest you view the pictures we took there. Please visit: http://www.hd-una.com/2005-Japan-Trip/S-001.html Then scroll down to the link of the Kokedera Temple for a glimpse of this very special garden. ~ Submitted by H.D. Honscheid  A religious statue on the way to the Kokedera Temple. ~ photo by H.D. Honscheid © 2005  Be a Part of the Fall Delegation Visit to Shobu! Nancy
Andrich will be leading the October Delegation to Shobu,
Japan this year! She has been a part of the Shobu Delegation before and
will be a great leader! Like in past years, we’re planning a visit to
Japan in late October. Last year, the dates were Oct. 18 – Oct. 27, and
we expect the dates for this year to be very similar.
The cost for this wonderful excursion is estimated to be:
If you haven't done so already, please take a look at the photos from last year’s trip on our website: http://www.roseburg-sister-cities.org/shobu-photo-page.html Space is limited for this marvelous trip, so be sure to request an application form by sending an email to: info@roseburg-sister-cities.org …or by calling Nancy Andrich 784-5831 or HD Honscheid 672-6513. The deadline for your application to go to Japan is June 1, 2006  Golden Week ~ Japanese Holidays April 29 thru May 5 Golden Week is a collection of several National Holidays. It is the longest holiday beside the New Year and summer vacations. Many Japanese make trips during these days, making Golden Week one of the busiest travel times within the country and abroad. Green Day (Midori no hi) April 29: The birthday of former Emperor Showa (Hirohito) who died in 1989. This day was changed to a national holiday for environment & nature since the emperor was very concerned about the environment and loved nature. Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi) May 3: On this day 1947, the new post-war constitution was put into effect. The day remembers important changes of the constitution such as the prohibition of leading war, human rights and the sovereignty of the people. "Between Day" (Kokumin no kyujitsu) May 4: Created to make the Golden Week a continuous holiday. Children's Day (Kodomo no hi) May 5: Also called the Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku), families celebrate to wish their sons a good future. Carp streamers are hung outside, symbolizing strength, power & success in life. Traditionally, special sweets are eaten-rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and mochi wrapped in oak leaves. Oak and bamboo, again symbolizing strength and success. |
How well do you know the Japanese
Culture?
1. Where is the main ‘Awa Odori’ festival held? a) Aomori b) Tokushima c) Tokyo 2. What is the #1 Beer in Japan? a) Asahi Super Dry b) Sapporo Black Label c) Kirin Ichiban Shibori 3. How many strings does a Shamisen have? a) Six b) Three c) Four 4. What is the Japanese word for the Tea Ceremony? a) Kado b) Sado c) Mado |
