Thursday, June 25

This morning, my hair was straight for about 10 minutes before it started to curl.

The president of the Japan-America Society of Nagasaki requested to see me today at 8:30 AM. Miyanishi-san, president of the Nagasaki-St. Paul Sister City Committee, did not tell me why exactly. 

When I arrived at the office, it wasn't just the president, but a panel of four men. They were four of the 50 some people visiting St. Paul for the mayoral delegation this coming August. They wanted to know what to expect and who they were expecting to see. I told them that I will most likely be escorting them to the Mall of America and working as JoAnn's right hand.

JoAnn is president of the St. Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee. She has been working so hard to make this a successful 60th anniversary of the sister city relationship, and honoring the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing.

The four men took turns asking me questions about my background and involvement with the organization and previous visit to Nagasaki. They were very kind men who seemed to look forward to seeing Minnesota. Although most could not speak it, they seemed to understand English well. I hope they enjoy their stay.

The weather has been humid and raining. The moment I stepped outside the office, I felt like I needed a shower.

After that, Miyanishi-san took us to a tea house. It only opens twice in a year. But they made a special exception for our group. The top students learning tea ceremony prepared and lead the experience. There were 19 of us inside this tiny tea house. We were packed in along the wall and given a series of candies. They were delicious.

 Of the two kids on our trip, one received a candy in the shape of a Nagasaki cat. They are distinct from other cats because of their shortened tail. It is about half  the size of a normal cat tail.

We received our tea, which was prepared from scratch by the students, followed by more sweets.

The purpose of the candy is to clear the palate for maximum tea goodness. I've heard that tea ceremony tea does not taste good. But the tea was good. Definitely a more bitter flavor than most, but still good.

There was a Japanese garden outside the house that we walked through. It was here I met another guest coming in August. She will be joining Sister Hamada and the girls' choir from the Junshin schools in early August.

Next, we (me and the group I've been traveling with) had a Chinese lunch at an old  hall built for government and trade meetings long ago. One of the travelers is Chinese and talked a lot about growing up, family culture and tradition. She said she found Japan to be organized with the future and past; she said China struggles to do this.

Then we went to Deijima. It was raining a lot, but seemed to calm down by afternoon.

At around 4, we met with more delegates. This included Mayor Taue and several of his aids. The group I am with has not been known for being prompt or efficient or concise. One of his aids who apparently organized the mayor's schedule was especially frustrated, but in the most polite and funny way possible. Mayor Taue received a gift bag from our group. It had many small things that the mayor would pull out individually and comment on them. Each time it seemed the mayor was done looking through the bag, his aid would stand proud and start a slight gesture towards the door. But ultimately, Mayor Taue would again reach his hand into the bag. When this happened the aid would make a face that suggested he wanted to interrupt the mayor loudly and escort him away. His cheeks would puff out and he'd lean forward as if to prevent the words from coming out. But he continued to wait in silence.

I brought my own gift since part of the reason I was there was because of my students. I brought a paj ntaub, or Hmong story cloth. I explained that the students in my after school club learned a great deal about Caren and the story of Nagasaki resident Sachiko, a hibakusha (survivor of the A-bomb). The students wanted to offer friendship to the city of Nagasaki by presenting their story of finding a home in Asia and in the U.S. Luckily, one of the others group travelers is Hmong. She spoke on behalf of the Hmong community in St. Paul and the personal connection she felt between Nagasaki and Minnesota.

Mayor Taue received the gift and messages, stating that he will be hanging the paj ntaub in the Nagasaki Museum. It was the best thing he could have offered, I think. My school and students have a place in Nagasaki now.