HOSTING A JAPANESE VISITOR

I volunteered to host a guest as a way of saying ‘thank-you’ for the hospitality that was shown to us delegates by the people of Okazaki in April 2007. I am new to the Sister City organization and this was my first hosting experience. My guest, Ryoko Kohayakawa, knew more English than I know Japanese, but we each learned to communicate more effectively by the end of the visit. I learned about life and customs in Japan and she experienced many things ‘American’ including learning how to set a table and entertain dinner guests. One night she cooked dinner (beef curry on rice) for me, Kent and Yuki. It was delicious! Ryoko was very knowledgeable about and fascinated with American celebrities, music, movies, etc. She loved touring Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and Santa Monica, an activity which we did with Dory Ford and her guests.

Ryoko maintained high energy throughout the trip and looked forward to and enjoyed all of the activities. When we got home, she gave me the greatest shiatsu massages—saying that I was stressed and needed to relax! She also wrote in her diary every night and read me what she wrote. On the last night after giving me a massage and writing in her diary, she drew my picture, wrote a message in characters and a thank you note in English. I found out that she was up until midnight! I was touched that she made this effort and she showed more maturity than I expected.

Getting to know the other hosts and members of the organization who worked so hard to entertain the essay contest winners was the best part of the experience.

by Gerry Kawamura