Tuesday, June 20, 2006 continued....

After we went to a local Japanese Garden and we participated in a tea ceremony. Finally, we went to Iwaisaki. Iwaisaki is on the coast and is what is called a "blow hole." The surf hits the rocks in such a way that it makes a "blowing" sound and shoots water up in the air (very much like a whale's blow hole).

We returned to the hotel after our tour and got ready for a reception that the City of Kesennuma was holding in our honor. The Mayor, Superintendent, principals of the three schools we will be visiting, and our host families were all there. I spoke on behalf of our group.

I had the first few sentences translated in advance and I delivered them phonetically in Japanese. I then switched to English for the rest of the speech. I pointed out at the end of my speech that it was a special honor for me to visit the country that was so changed by a fellow Buffaloian. If you don't remember, U.S. President Millard Fillmore (originally from Buffalo) sent Commodore Perry to Japan. Perry arrived in Japan in 1853 with the "black ships." Fillmore's actions resulted in the end of the feudal system and the beginning of modernization in Japan (the Meiji Restoration).

My speech seemed to be understood and well received. More importantly, I was happy with how it went.