D-2660 GSE Team Leader
A Member of Yao Rotary Club
Our 1998-1999 GSE program was with R.I. D-7080 in eastern Ontario, Canada. This region, located on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario (one the five Great Lakes), is a long, narrow region containing Canada's largest city (Toronto), neighboring Mississauga and Burlington (a bed town of Hamilton, which is home to two large iron works).
As you know, Toronto is the center of the Canadian economy, with many businesses and companies concentrated there, and it is the driving force in the province of Ontario. D-7080 contains many suburbs and satellite cities of Toronto, such as the city of Mississauga, which is home to the head office of Northern Telecom (also known as Nortel, Canada's main player in the communications industry). D-7080 is also home to Cambridge, the Detroit of Canada and center of Canada's auto industry (GM and Toyota have plants in Cambridge). While Canada's economy and industry are centered in this region, it is also an expansive area of rolling hills and home to many farms and dairy farms, with many interesting tourist sights and points of interest.
Historically, Canada has had two national languages--- English and French. Since our visit took place in the English-speaking part of Canada, we had little difficulty communicating with one another.
Quebec is the historic center of French immigration to Canada, and these immigrants were followed by many retired British military officers and their families. Next came traders, merchants and lawyers, followed by immigrants from countries throughout Europe. All these different immigrants helped form the foundation upon which the nation of Canada was built. Later, to give the nation a breath of fresh air so to speak, the government adopted an aggressive policy toward accepting immigrants from as far away as Asia, and all of these many different people groups have been fused together into the Canada we see today.
Canada was long under British control, and that influence can still be seen today in Canada's language, life-style and traditions. But it is the generosity found in the Canadian heart that supports everything in Canada today----a generosity that led the nation to warmly accept immigrants from all over the world, and enabled them all to work hard together in harmony to build and sustain the nation. While in Canada, I saw that all these Canadians of different ethnic backgrounds are working hard to relate to one another in a spirit of respect and understanding. It was inevitable that a spirit of respect and mutual concession be nurtured if the nation was to succeed, and, as people helped one another, respect grew into trust. Now every Canadian citizen, including all its immigrants, are proud to be Canadians and they are broad-minded in their recognition of those around them. It was only natural that, during this process of growing to respect, trust and acknowledge those around them, this melding together of people of different historical backgrounds, cultures and life-styles could not have taken place and progressed if everyone had stubbornly clung to their own ways and argued among themselves. I imagine that they achieved the fusion of all these different nationalities as the best of all their different cultures and life-styles "bumped into" one another; and as they argued and made concessions at the same time, things began to come together in individual regions and ultimately on a national scale as well. This getting along with one another fairly and impartially is what made the unity found in Canada today a reality, and because of it every Canadian can be proud and hold his head high.
A word often heard in Canada is "casual." Casual is used in relation to a playful spirit or the type of clothing worn. It means that Canadians can be themselves, be frank and honest in the way they think and the way they relate to one another, and it is found in the form their thinking that was behind the fusion of all their different national backgrounds.
I was able to truly experience the national spirit of Canada's people. A spirit abounding in generosity, respect and mutual concession, a spirit of pride in their ability to overcome differences in skin color, religion and history to form a strong national bond, and a spirit of self-confidence, vitality and great frankness.
Another thing that left an impression on me was Canadian speech. Basically, the Canadians speak the English language, but it is British English. "English" comes in a number of varieties, such as American, Australian, New Zealand and Hong Kong, which are the embodiment of each country's individual history, climate, geography and life-style. In Canada's case, the nation was originally established on a foundation of highly educated immigrants: retired military officers, lawyers and merchants. They gave the nation a linguistic foundation based upon old and venerable British English, and the present language is the result of this language becoming the common language among immigrants from various nations, characterized by its understandability and speakability. It has become a wonderful language, a mixture of consideration, respect and mutual concession toward others. It is a language that we in Japan, a country whose language has become a confusing mixture of many different languages, cannot fathom, and it impressed me greatly. For example, when children and parents talk to one another, they always use expressions such as "Father," "Mother," and "My dear son/daughter." Also, when someone says something that is not understood, in Japan people generally say, "What?" But in Canada, they say, "I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you said. Would you say that again, please?" More than the fact that Japanese has become a confused, disorderly language, I want to say that Canadian English is a wonderful language. I honestly remember thinking, "I didn't know language could be so wonderful."
There were some twists and turns in the pathway to my becoming team leader, but I finally told GSE chairman Matsuoka on the phone that I had made up my mind to be the team leader on the morning I called him to inform him of the wake for one of my club's senior members who had died suddenly (Mr. Kanae Masuda, District Chairman of the Rotary Foundation Information Committee). To be honest, when I agreed to be the team leader, I still had not had the time to really think about the great responsibility and seriousness involved.
At the end of the year, I called a meeting of the team members, and I took them out for dinner and a few beers to talk with them and give them some general information about the Rotary. In January, we met again for more briefing about the Rotary, and the team members started to gain an understanding about the Rotary, the atmosphere became more relaxed, and I began to sense that we were becoming a team.
Just after that, we started to prepare for the Canadian GSE team's upcoming visit to Osaka, and things got quite busy. On the other hand, I was also working hard to thoroughly instill an awareness in our team members of just what the purpose of the GSE program is, and I also had to make many decisions about the small details related to our trip. Just as my head was starting to ache with all the planning, etc., a glimmer of hope appeared. Realizing that the best solution to both of these issues was good interaction between both GSE teams, I asked Mr. Matsuoka for, and was granted, permission to take care of the Canadian team members on their first day after arriving in Osaka.
While the Canadian team was in Osaka, we received our official GSE certificates from Rotary headquarters. At the beginning of the letter I read that I would be "serving as the representative of governor Yoshikawa," and I was keenly aware not only of the responsibility I was to bear, but also of the urgency of establishing a clear understanding in my team of the purpose of our GSE trip to Canada.
First, I began working on preparations for the most important aspect of the GSE program, namely the team members' vocational study trips. Also, in order to help develop the best possible interaction between our district and D-7080 as goodwill ambassadors, we started preparing our speeches for the presentations we would be giving in Canada. In that process, I was hoping to see our team members develop teamwork and mutual consideration and understanding.
As a result of our preparations, our members were at their best and were a great support to each other after arriving in Canada. Also, our interaction with the Canadian team members was a good opportunity for both teams to open their hearts to one another and come to feel like brothers and sisters. This was very effective in helping to make everyone relaxed so that they could get along smoothly with the Rotarians they met during the trips. The evaluations of all the events in our respective areas of visitation were all extremely good, and the interaction between our two teams and their understanding and positive participation in all the various activities surpassed the expectations and "blueprint" laid out by our clubs. As team leader, I want to express my utmost respect and praise for all the members of both teams. I am sure that the Canadian team leader, Kathi Smith, feels the same way.
The GSE program is not merely some activity that needs to be carried out every year just to fulfill the requirements, but rather it is the beginning of the development of men and women who will have a good understanding of the Rotary and who will make excellent Rotarians in the future.
D-7080 is a leading GSE program region, hosting GSE teams from two countries every year. This year, they hosted a team from South Africa in addition to our team. It is hard for us to imagine, but we heard that the South African team stayed in Canada for seven weeks and had a very demanding schedule.
D-7080 has several candidates apply for team leader every time they prepare for a new GSE trip abroad. In Japan, since the language barrier is so serious, there are not so many candidates for team leaders. In addition, typical of Japan, it is quite difficult for someone to get a month off from work. On the Canadian side, since English is their mother tongue and was the common language during their trip to Japan, there really wasn't so much of a wall for them. Regarding their adjusting their work schedules, the Canadians had a very positive and aggressive attitude toward going overseas and learning about a new culture. They spared no effort in working to make arrangements with their companies to take off from work.
During our four weeks in Canada, we were hosted primarily by four clubs; a different club each week. Each club was responsible for making arrangements for everything involved in the GSE program for the week we were hosted by them. Of course, nearby clubs were welcome to participate in the Rotary meetings we attended and to help out with the program. With a different club hosting us each week, we were blessed with the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with a large number of Rotarians who opened their hearts to us and welcomed us as friends. Here in Japan, relatively few Rotarians are able to spend much time with visiting GSE team members (sometimes just one person) because of work, and looking at it now that I have been to Canada, I have considerable doubts about the depth of interaction experienced by those teams who come to Japan. I really felt the need for our Rotary district to give serious consideration to implementing the Canadian system here.
In Canada, many former GSE team members become Rotarians, and many of the team leaders become active in regional activities, and some even become governors, are assigned to other top level positions, or are transferred to the Rotary International Headquarters. Their GSE program produces wonderful human resources for the Rotary in Canada. I think the greatest asset to my Rotary life gained from this trip is the fact that I met so many of these wonderful Rotarians, whom I now feel free to call my good friends.
The interaction between both teams the first day after the Canadian GSE arrived in Japan signaled the start of heart-to-heart contact and friendship as all the members, who had the same goal, worked to overcome the hurdles facing them. In the end, after four weeks here in Japan, we felt that everyone had developed a true feeling of trust. Of course, there were tears at the airport as everyone said farewell, and words could not express the joy we all felt upon being reunited in Canada. Everyone was so considerate and thoughtful, hosting dinner parties for us and even planning a 2-night, 3-day camping trip for us on an island in the middle of a beautiful lake (in Muskoka). The time we were able to spend with the Canadian team members there cooking together, enjoying fireworks, learning English, etc., and just spending time with them, is an irreplaceable, precious treasure.
Behind the interaction between our two teams was a desire for the team members to learn more about the Rotary, and I felt that the most effective way of raising the team members' understanding of the Rotary was such interaction with the Canadian team. I discussed this with their team leader, Kathi Smith, and she agreed with me, so that is what we did. As a result, even more than we had imagined, each of the team members returned home to their countries with a deep interest in the culture and various problems facing both countries, and they are communicating with each other and exchanging information and opinions through e-mail. Already, some of the Canadian team members have become more involved in the Rotary (or even become members), and here in Japan our team members have been showing interest in Rotary activities and have been taking part in them positively. To Kathi Smith and myself, seeing this makes us happy and we feel honored to have been a part of this.
As the other team members have written in their reports, the vocational study trips set up for us by the Canadian clubs were wonderful, and we were all very satisfied with the program. Moreover, we are very thankful for all the efforts made to add new visits to our schedules after we arrived in Canada.
Personally, I had opportunities for discussing and studying the differences between doing business in Canada and Japan.
Krug Co., Ltd. (Waterloo)
This company is owned by Rotarian Brian Ruby, and he gave me a tour of
the factory. He runs a wooden furniture manufacturing and sales business,
and he exports between 70% to 75% of his merchandise to the United States.
His second largest customer is the U.S. government (White House, Air Force,
Navy, etc.), making his company rather unique. One interesting thing about
his company is the working hours: the employees work four 10-hour days.
Also, unlike many companies who design their own furniture, his company
takes many orders (and gets design ideas) from dealers who ask him to make
furniture to their specifications, and this is completely different than
what we have in Japan.
Mayhew Associates (Kitchener)
Brian Rubby introduced me to this company, a steel furniture marketing
company. This company does not sell individual pieces of steel furniture,
but rather serves as an interior design company that offers suggestions
to companies looking for help in laying out their office space. Mayhew
Associates puts together an overall offer to the customer which includes
suggestions for the color, design and function of each piece of furniture
for the office space in question. Of the twelve employees, six are designers,
and they use computers to put together detailed images of the suggested
layout and present their customers with concrete proposals for how to use
the office space. Of course, the company is also involved in giving instructions
related to design, color and function to the manufacturers who supply their
furniture. This is just the opposite of what takes place here in Japan,
where the manufacturers are the ones who decide what is produced, and middle-men
take care of providing the finished products to the retailers.
Business Depot (Mississauga and Oxford)
This enterprise is the largest stationery and office equipment supplier
in Canada, with plans to be operating 300 stores nationwide in the next
two to three years. The manager, Alan Withers knew about my occupation,
so he let me take pictures of the inside and outside of the company. When
I asked him what products they were going to be focusing on in the future,
he said that, like Japan, they would be concentrating on marketing computer-related
goods (printers, ink cartridges, etc.). The reason he didn't mention computers
is because the models change so often that if they are not able to get
rid of all their computers within three months of purchasing them, the
remaining computers often just sit on the warehouse shelf. For this reason,
the profit margin on computers is low (about 10%) compared to general supplies
(between 30% to 35 %). Most of their sales take place on the retail store
level, but they also deal with catalog sales and offer free, next-day delivery,
and complete follow-up servicing. Such large-volume retails stores are
threatening to make inroads in Japan in the coming years, and Japanese
office equipment suppliers are getting worried. Through my visit to Business
Depot, I was given a wonderful opportunity to garner some information on
what our competitors are doing.
Gateway Reproductions Ltd. (Mississauga)
This is a printing company owned by Rotarian Ross McConnell. His main business
includes offset printing, color offset printing, and printing on CD's.
In Japan, the printing of CD is normally assumed to be done by the CD manufacturers,
but Gateway Reproductions has just recently begun getting orders from overseas.
The business outlook for such service seems to be quite good. In general,
Gateway's printing is not done on offset printing presses, but rather using
copy machines. In particular, he makes use of large-size color copiers
to print small quantity orders which provide a high profit margin. In Japan,
the type of business he is doing would be done by what we call copy shops.
Ontario Livestock Exchange
This is an auction-style cattle and hog market. The fast-talking auctioneer's
words just seemed to flow repetitively in a very rhythmical and pleasant-to-listen-to
manner. I soon found the sound becoming "branded" onto my eardrums,
and I couldn't get the sound out of my ears. The auctioneer's words often
became a topic of conversation among our team members during our time in
Canada.
Northern Telecom "Nortel" (Mississauga)
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the headquarters of
this worldwide telecommunications company which is representative of the
city of Mississauga. Commonly referred to as Nortel, this company is the
sixth largest telecommunications company in the world, and when you walk
into the lobby, you can see the word "Welcome" written on the
glass door and on the walls in the languages of the world. Of course, we
immediately noticed the greeting in Japanese and Chinese. Global income
for fiscal 1997 surpassed US$15 billion, and the headquarters building
looks like a huge exhibition hall, with the space divided up according
to specific field of business. The ceiling is extremely high, with a feeling
of spacious depth, and the employees are provided with wonderful office
space that enables them to think and imagine freely. Nortel has just formally
completed a merger with Bay Networks, an American west-coast networking
company which works predominantly in Internet technologies. The acquisition
of Bay Networks will enable Nortel to obtain technologies it did not possess,
thus allowing it to continue to expand its business on a worldwide level
as demand grows in the midst of ever-increasing technological development
in the world of communications technology and to remain competitive internationally
while it works to improve its own technologies and expand its overall business.
The new Nortel is now a mammoth corporation with about 125,000 employees
(20,000 of which are working in R & D, and 25,000 engineers), with
operations in 150 nations worldwide and operating about 50 research facilities
worldwide.
Royal Canadian Military Institute
This club of army officers has a history which goes back over fifty years.
The varied history of the army and its relationship with Queen Elizabeth
is documented in the photographs and documents on display, and even now,
these former officers hold a deep loyalty and patriotism toward England.
The atmosphere here was just like in England, and the bar was just like
a British pub and served British beer. This place is a very popular place
with the Mississauga R.C. chairman, Gerry Jackson, who took us there. He
told us that he always brought important people to this place! The food
was also very good.
Living Art Centre (Mississauga)
What surprised me about this place was the fact that it is a concert hall
with a 3-floor, stairwelled balcony like an opera house, and I could strongly
feel the influence of European culture. One interesting thing about this
concert hall is the fact that it was built by contributions from the citizens
of Mississauga, and the names of the donors are carved into the individual
seat backs in commemoration of their gifts.
Crawford
A reconstructed Indian village is found here on this village site that
was once home to Ontario's original inhabitants. On a small, high hill
you can see a village protected on four sides by a log wall just like in
an old Hollywood western, and in the middle of this enclosure are two huts
(which could probably house 70 to 80 people in communal style). We also
saw a storehouse, the remains of an oven and some canoes.
GenCore Office
This company is a cooperative dairy farmers' venture which is involved
in providing bull semen for use in artificial insemination. The semen is
sent out to farms in Canada, and is also exported all over the world. I
remember thinking that there are all kinds of companies in the world!
Timber Jack, Inc.
This is a very "Canadian" company, considering all the trees
there are in Canada. Timber Jack, Inc. manufactures and sells all kinds
of machinery related to the timber industry, and I was kind of interested
in seeing this company. I was amazed and impressed to see them manufacturing
huge, powerful machines in the 20- to 40-ton class. One interesting thing
was their explanation that their sales peak in cycles of four to five years.
Thomas Built Busses of Canada, Ltd.
This company is the Canadian subsidiary of an American school bus manufacturer,
and the majority of buses manufactured here are exported to the United
States. I found that these very eye-catching yellow school buses, which
I saw while I was in Canada, can also be seen on the streets of New York
(where we went as a bonus trip after our time in Canada was over). This
company also builds smaller school buses for use in America for children
with physical disabilities. Our visit to this factory was written up in
the local Woodstock city newspaper.
People Care Health
While we were in Oxford County, we visited this private rest home. We could
strongly feel the passion and enthusiasm of the owner, who is a Rotarian.
I don't know if the workers there actually felt happy all the time or not,
but I couldn't help noticing that they always had smiles on their faces.
The facility was immaculately clean and bright, and there was really no
difference between the quality of the equipment there and in Japan.
Besides these aforementioned places, we visited other places operated by our Rotarian friends, such as dairy farms, a tobacco farm, a Mennonite farm and other facilities. These visits were all very enjoyable and meaningful.
The Rotary is very firmly rooted in Canadian society, and the Rotary's wonderful projects are understood and known by the citizens. The Rotary has been expanding its activities over the years, and its reputation among those in government is very good. Many government officials, such as mayors, are in full agreement with the goals of the Rotary, and many are actively involved in their local Rotary Club. For this reason, when our team visited D-7080, we were warmly welcomed. The mayors gave us gifts, showed us around their city assembly halls, and even let us have our picture taken with them. When one mayor offered to let me have my picture taken while sitting in the mayor's chair and city chairman's chair (while having the splendid mayoral medallion hung around my neck), I was kind of scared!
Following is a list of the names and cities of the mayors we visited during our trip. I was particularly surprised by the unified administration and opennness I saw during the city assembly deliberations. I was also surprised by the number of city councilors. The assembly is comprised of representatives from every district (which contains cities and towns). On the average, large Canadian cities are divided into six to ten districts, so the number of councilors is quite small (between six to ten). What's more, the differences in the political parties were not really evident on a regional level. The assembly meetings are completely open to the public, and questions from the citizens are allowed although the rules do not necessarily allow for it. It is likely that the citizens have a good bit of say in their local government.
The cities/towns and mayors we visited:
Kitchener Mayor Carl J Zehr
Waterloo Mayor Joan McKinnon
Mississauga Mayor Hazel MacCallion
Oxford County Mayor John Finlay
Ingersoll Mayor Michael J. Hennessy
Tavistock Mayor Dave Oliphant
Burlington Mayor Robert S. Macissac
Canada is a part of Rotary International zone 22, and it is divided into 23 districts with 695 clubs. The total number of Rotarians in Canada is just under 33,000. Based upon geographical considerations, the majority of these districts are in the same district as American and Russian clubs. There are only seven districts comprised solely of Canadian clubs. It seemed a bit strange to us that a nation as large as Canada should be sharing so many districts with the United States, but I guess this is a sign of the good relations that exist between the two countries.
In D-7080, there are 48 clubs with a total membership of 2,130. Looking at the membership list, we see that there are four clubs with more than 80 members, eleven with 50 to 79, six with 40 to 49, thirteen with 30 to 39, eight with 20 to 29, five with 15 to 19, and one with 10 to 14 members. Thus, it is difficult to describe the makeup of a typical club. Of course, the smaller numbers are not a sign of starting memberships being low, but rather that for one reason or another, people are deciding not to remain members. One of the main reasons for this decline in membership is the fact that many people retire at the age of 60, and, because their priority for their retirement years is to live a full life and enjoy their hobbies, many retirees move away from the city. Another reason is being transferred by one's company. In Japan, pulling up stakes and moving after one retires is unthinkable. (translator's note: because of the exhorbitantly high land and construction prices coupled with next-to-nothing interest rates on time deposits).
Rotary Club Offices --- Where Are They?
In general, there are quite a few Rotary clubs in Canada that do not have
an office. In such cases, the club president bears all the costs and runs
the club's affairs out of his own office, etc. Of course, such presidents
are also responsible for looking after the bells, flags, etc. that are
used during the meetings, and if the meeting place changes, he carries
these items with him. Naturally, there are no operating expenses necessary
for club offices in such cases.
Rotary Club Annual Dues ---- Why Are They So Low?
On the average, Canadian club dues run between 30,000 to 35,000 yen (C$300
to 350) per year, and clubs with fewer members have to pay between 40,000
to 60,000 yen (C$400 to 600). During club dinner meetings, the members
always pay just the actual meal expenses (breakfast meetings cost about
C$10.00 and lunch and dinner meetings cost between C$16.00 to $20.00) and
drink expenses. One merit of having low membership dues is that anyone
can afford to become a Rotarian if they are able to understand the Rotary
and cooperate with others. In Canada, a wide variety of people are Rotarians:
company presidents, government officials, entrepreneurs, doctors, school
teachers, retired people, women, etc. Many former GSE team members are
now active in the Rotary, regardless of their occupation.
The Atmosphere at Club Meetings ---- I Noticed the Clothes
In Japan, the Sergeant-at-arms or the vice-secretary serves as the emcee
at Rotary meetings, but in Canada, the club presidents oversee almost every
aspect of the meeting from start to finish. As emcee, they oversee the
proceedings themselves and say everything except for the dinner speech.
They have something in Canada that corresponds to the donation boxes we
have in Japan (which we call "Niko-Niko" or "smile boxes"),
and they get the members involved by announcing recent happenings and collecting
"fines" and "donations" from the members.
Dinner speeches are often given by the mayor or some city official, and
the topics of the talks are similar to those in Japan, such as the current
city administration situation, the problems facing young people today,
and other current events.
What surprised me the most was the clothing, especially at the morning
meetings. Not only were they no-tie-no-jacket affairs, but I saw people
coming in their work clothes (sometimes even in blue jeans or a work coat).
When I asked someone about this, they said that as long as everyone fulfilled
their Rotary responsibilities, there was a tacit agreement that they could
make work a priority. I guess this is one embodiment of the flexible way
of thinking found in this country which has experienced continued growth
as an immigrant nation. Of course, there were many Rotarians, particularly
the older members, who came dressed in suits.
Those who attended the meetings were very serious about what was going
on, and there was no background noise of chit-chat going on while the president
or dinner speaker was talking, which is very different than what goes on
in another country I know! The attendance rate at the meetings is so-so,
but I heard that if the meeting place is changed from the normal place,
the attendance drops considerably.
As I mentioned earlier, Canadian club dues are very low; about as low as they can be. But the clubs are actively involved in carrying out volunteer work in their local communities. Where do they get the funds to do this? When I asked about it, I was told "fund raising." Most clubs have similar ways of raising money, but one characteristic point is that in Canada, individual members do not pay for such volunteer work. Rather, the clubs promote the projects, make the purpose of the project very clear, and seek the understanding and cooperation of the citizens. The money is not always raised with just one specific purpose in mind, but it is also used for the general Rotary programs that are carried out on a regular basis. Here are some of the programs the Rotary is involved with in Canada.
Golf tournaments
Rotarians and their friends are able to participate in these tournaments
for a participation fee. These tournaments are sponsored with the aim of
raising money (through the fee) for a specific project. In addition, they
also accept advertising from companies and raise money from auctions, and,
on the average, such tournaments bring in a total of two to three million
yen (C$20,000 to 30,000).
Bingo games
These bingo games are carried out regularly in rented halls for no specific
project. These are held about twice a month (24 to 30 times a year), and
the bingo cards are sold to the local citizens. About ten club members
are responsible for putting together teams for one year. The yearly income
from bingo games is about two to three million yen (C$20,000 to 30,000).
Presidential walks
These are charity walks for specific projects (for donations to hospitals,
etc.). Local citizens are asked to contribute to the project either on
the basis of the walkers' participation or on the basis of how far they
walk. The yearly income from these walks is about one to three million
yen (C$10,000 to 30,000).
Ticket sales
Mainly, this involves someone getting a license to sell tour tickets and
then contributing those profits to the Rotary. The yearly income from such
ticket sales is about two to three million yen (C$20,000 to 30,000).
Oktoberfest
These are mainly held in German immigrant enclaves in the month of October,
and money is raised through the sale of dance party tickets, sausage and
beer, and through donations from companies. The yearly income from these
Oktoberfests is about five to eight million yen (C$50,000 to 80,000).
Marathon races
These charity marathons are held in order to raise money for a specific
project. The yearly income from marathon races is about 500,000 to 1,000,000
yen (C$5,000 to 10,000).
Selling homes
Money is raised by obtaining a license to sell real estate, and then selling
homes, retirement homes (apartment style), etc. One club is doing this
now, and they are raising large sums of money.
Yacht races
Duck races
This idea is presently just in the planning stage, and they plan to start
doing it next year some time. It will involve racing plastic duck toys.
Here are a few of the volunteer activities carried out in Canada.
Donations to hospitals: about 30 to 40 million yen per year (C$300,000
to 400,000)
Day-care centers for working mothers: about 10 million yen per year (C$100,000)
A large number of youth projects:
Food banks (which provide meals once a week for those on welfare):
International programs:
Scholarship project for Antigua: about 40 million yen per year (C$400,000)
In Canada, many people retire once they reach the age of sixty. In Japan, many company owners pass their company on to their children, but in Canada this is not the case for most company owners. In Canada, children choose their own course in life at an early age, and few take on their father's business. For this reason, many company owners sell their company to a third party, retire and spend their retirement years playing golf, traveling and enjoying life. Others try their hand at a completely new and different occupation. Most Rotarians, however, fully retire, and in some cases move to a new part of Canada and join a new Rotary club there. Some clubs are struggling unexpectedly as the number of members decreases due to retirees moving away.
First week (Waterloo, Bob Weber)
Upon my arrival at his home, I was surprised to see a Japanese flag hanging
there, and I sensed his kindness from the first words he said to me, "My
home is your home, so you can do whatever you like." Bob used to own
a company in Oshawa (in east Toronto) that sold machinery, and he became
a Rotarian at that time. He retired after serving as chairman of the board,
sold the company, moved to Waterloo, and today he runs a business hotel
with 20 other people and lives a quiet, leisurely life. He is very warm
and friendly, with a winsome smile, and he is very stylishly dressed, good
talker. He lost his wife recently, and does all the cooking and laundry,
etc. by himself. I could sense his vitality. Every morning, when checking
to see if I was awake, he would stand outside my door and yell "Takashi!"
I felt at home there, and he welcomed me, told me about the history of
Waterloo and the various Rotary activities. When we had to say good-bye,
we both stood there without saying a word and gave each other a firm handshake
with deep sentiment and emotion.
Second week (Mississauga, Margit and PDG Charles Woods)
Margit is the chairperson of the International Service Committee, so she
was constantly looking after us during our week in Mississauga. She was
responsible for deciding who our host families would be, making all the
arrangements for our stay, driving us around while we were there, and making
sure everything in our schedules went smoothly. She is a bold and particular
wife and mother. Her husband, Charlie, is an orthodontist and served as
the D-7080 governor in 1997-1998. Both of them are very pro-Japanese, their
oldest son was an exchange student to Japan, and they had hosted an exchange
student from Fukuchiyama City. While I was staying with them, they were
hosting an exchange student from a girls' high school in Japan. Almost
every night, Charlie would talk to me about the Rotary, and his experience
and extensive knowledge of the Rotary was very stimulating and inspiring.
I was also able to learn much about the goings on in the R.I. headquarters.
In particular, we talked about the man who has been chosen to be the next
president of the Rotary International. He is a good friend of Charlie's,
and as we talked about him I could sense that he is a wonderful man. Charlie
surprised us at the team's farewell party by wearing a Tartan check kilt,
which is representative of his homeland in Scotland.
Third week (Oxford, Paul and Carol Turner)
I had two homestays this week. My first was with Paul and Carol Turner.
Paul is a quiet, British gentleman, and his wife, Carol, is an elegant
and graceful woman. After his retirement, he, too, bought a new home. In
his case, his new home was once the home of a Captain Drew, who was a retired
military officer from England, and the house is just about the same as
it was when Captain Drew built it in 1832. He was in the Rotary for 17
years before moving to Oxford City, and he has been a member of the Woodstock-Oxford
R.C. for ten years. He was very interested in Japan, and he enjoyed watching
the video we brought along to help us introduce Osaka. He and his wife
speak very elegant English and are so polite and graceful that I was a
bit nervous talking to them, and I worked very hard at trying to communicate
with them. At the end of my stay, when we said good-bye to one another,
they complimented me highly on my English, and that made me feel much better!
(Bill and Margaret McLeish)
After retiring from his medical practice at an Ottawa hospital, Bill and
Margaret moved to Woodstock and began a beekeeping business. He has been
a member of the Woodstock-Oxford R.C. for about two years, and Margaret
(who isn't much older than I) is a wonderful talker. Bill is a rather quiet
person, but he can talk about many, many things. I was only with them for
two days, but even though I came home late at night from our Rotary activities
(about midnight), they didn't mind. They would greet me with a smile when
I returned, bring out some good wine and snacks, and talk with me for two
hours. They were very interested in Japan, and they asked me many, many
questions.
Fourth week (Burlington, Wayne and Susan Habin)
Wayne works at an insurance company, and he is a very carefree and easy-going
person. He reminded me very much of American Rotarians. Susan is an officer
and teacher at a business school, and she is very intelligent. She is a
wonderful, caring person, and her way with words (grammar, word choice,
etc.) was great. Last year, Wayne had intensive abdominal surgery, but
despite the fact that his abdomen was still healing up, he energetically
looked after us and made sure our program was running smoothly. With his
movie actor's smile and gentleman-like manner, Wayne is a wonderful Rotarian.
On our first day there, he drove us to a Rotary-sponsored marathon race
in his convertible, and that car has become quite popular among our team
members since we returned to Japan. Just before returning to Japan, we
found out that our luggage was too heavy to take on the plane, and when
we heard that we would have to send the extra luggage to Japan another
way, he contacted the airport and post office to find out the best possible
way for us to do it. In the end, we decided to send the luggage by sea
mail to Osaka. (Just as an aside, the things we sent by sea mail later
from New York took two months to get to Osaka, but those we sent from Canada
took four months! When my things finally got to Japan, I wrote to Wayne
to thank him for all his help, and I said, "It seems that my running
shoes spent four months running around the deck of the ship during the
journey, and they look very tired." His response to my joke? "It's
a good thing they didn't jump into the sea!"
The population of the Province of Ontario (which is home to Canada's economic center, Toronto) is about 11 million, or more than one third of the nation's population. About 40% of Canada's GDP comes from Ontario. The major industries in Ontario are automobile manufacturing (90% of Canada's production), food production, and telecommunications. Of these, the most effort is being put into promoting and expanding the telecommunications industry. There are more than 8,000 businesses in this field in Ontario alone, and the most famous of these are Nortel (which we visited during one of our study trips), Newbridge Network (maintenance and management of digital networks), Alias Wavefront (a software developer), and IMAX Corporation (which is famous for its 3-D graphics development and its IMAX theaters). Ontario's technology is cutting edge and its technical workforce exceptional. Coupled with its ability to trade freely with the United States, thanks to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), Ontario is helping to make Canada a strong international competitor in the telecommunications field. Moreover, industries and universities are leading the way in information transfer which is making a big contribution to the expansion of the telecommunications industry.
The special characteristics of Ontario's economic infrastructure are:
1) Ontario is located relatively near to Chicago and New York, two of America's
largest urban centers, and some 130 million people live in the region found
within an 800 km radius of Ontario.
2) Government regulations are conducive to business growth.
3) Ontario has a leading, internationally competitive university-level
research institutions working to help develop new technologies.
Ontario is viewed as a good place to make business investments, and capital
is coming in from other nations, helping to spur economic growth. Ontario's
GDP is almost on par with that of some of the G10 nations.
On the average, there is just one hospital per city. In addition, one can find many private clinics and institutions (compartments) housing doctors in a variety of fields. In an average compartment, you will find between ten and twenty doctors, with space for receptionists and nurses. The setup is aimed at keeping costs low. As a rule, medical treatment (examinations and treatment) is covered in full by national health insurance or provincial health insurance. Medicine is sold separately and is not covered by insurance. The doctors bill the national or provincial government for their services, and are reimbursed directly by the government. This government medical treatment insurance is paid for by high (20 to 40%) income taxes.
Since there were five us who spent one month overseas, we had a number of interesting episodes during our stay.
"Captain"
The person in charge of the GSE team is usually called a team leader, but
one of our team members often mistakenly called me "Captain."
When the other team members and Canadian Rotarians heard that, they liked
it and started calling me, half-jokingly, "Captain." It became
my nickname, and in D-7080, I am commonly known as "Captain Katoh."
"Pa-Pa-Pa ... Pappa ... Pa! Charge!"
At the Toronto Blue Jays game we went to see, when a Blue Jays batter was
up to bat, a picture of large clapping hands would suddenly appear on the
huge screen prompting the Blue Jays fans to start clapping. Then the loudspeakers
blared "Pa-Pa-Pa ... Pappa ... Pa! Charge!", and all the fans
joined in and shouted "Charge!" I enjoyed the tempo of the game
this way, and with the help of team member Keiko Yoden (who is a musician),
we all quickly picked up the rythm. After this, whenever our team members
demonstrated this cheer, it was a big hit. When we stood before the Canadian
Rotarians and did this cheer, everyone really enjoyed it. This is the same
cheer used during Canadian ice hocky games, and it is a part of Canadian
culture. When the Canadians saw that we had come to understand this, they
accepted us warmly and with open arms.
Acrophobia
We went to the top of one of Toronto's famous attractions, the 600 meter
tall CN Tower. There is a glass floor on the top level of the tower, and
the people below looked like ants. All the female members of our team got
on their bellies and took pictures. I had not had the opportunity to tell
anyone that I am terrified of heights, so when they said, "Please,
Captain, you're next," I tried to forget how scared I was and go down
on my belly too. However, later on during our trip, we had to go to the
top of a very high city hall. Amazingly, though, I realized that I was
not nearly as scared or ill at ease as I had been at the CN Tower. Thank
you, my fellow team members, for helping me overcome my acrophobia! (I
should note, however, that there is one team member who is still afraid
of heights now. ... Any idea who?)
Moose antlers
One day during our first week in Canada, we had a reunion with the Canadian
GSE team members at a restaurant called "Moose Winooski." The
first day of the Canadian team's trip to Japan was my birthday, and they
all remembered that. They planned this get-together as a belated birthday
celebration for me. Actually, while we were talking together, a woman across
the room suddenly said something in a loud voice to a man sitting down
at one of the tables. It looked like some kind of celebration, and everyone
was watching, and at the end, the man got a pie in his face as part of
the performance. Then my name was called! Just as my stomach started to
get tied up in a knot (because I was sure I was going to get a pie in the
face!), someone brought a moose-antler helmet and put it on my head! (What
a relief!) This was their way of wholeheartedly showing me their love and
respect!
Strange Japanese
Before coming to Japan, the Canadian fervently studied Japanese. However,
their accent was quite interesting to us Japanese. For example, when we
say "Excuse me" (sumimasen), we say it with an even tone, but
they stressed the "mi" syllable and said it in a higher voice.
And when saying "Please" (kudasai), they placed a strong accent
on the "ku." However, they thought that "kudasai" was
used exactly like "please" in English (which it is not), and
they often repeated it many times in a row. Also, they turned the pronunciation
into "words" and used them as such (like English words). For
example, they wrote "Hajimemashite" as "Ha-Gee-May-Mash-Tay"
and "Yoroshiku" as "Yo-Losh-See-Kuu." At first, when
I asked to see their Japanese speeches, honestly speaking, I could tell
that something was written there, but I had no idea what it was! I finally
understood that it was the way they wrote the Japanese pronunciation.
When our GSE team went to Canada, we took on a bit of this odd pronunciation
of Japanese, and our own Japanese became a bit strange. We often would
look at each other and break out laughing when we heard the pronunciation
we were using.
Golf anecdotes
1. A golf bag dropped off the back of the golf cart
Once, when we were driving down the fairway, I suddenly heard a loud noise
and turned around to see what it was. A golf bag had dropped off the cart
and was lying in the fairway! Yet, the owner of the bag paid no attention
to it, and just went to hit one's ball.
2. A classic missed swing
I don't really know why, but at the moment when someone missed the ball
while trying to hit it, and his or her partner was laughing, another person
took their picture. That picture later made the person's missed swing known
to all!
3. Our ball struck a Canada goose!
There are wild Canada geese walking around the golf courses in Canada,
and just as I was thinking that it was kind of dangerous to be a goose
on that course, one of our team members hit a goose with her ball! For
a moment we all just stood there motionless not knowing what to do. Then
some of the other geese walked over and started making a ruckus, and little
by little, the downed goose began beating its wings and started walking
around on wobbly legs. We were all quite relieved. However, from that point
on, the geese started staring at us and wouldn't take their eyes off of
us (I don't know why, but there was one in our party whom they particularly
seemed to be wary of!), and they followed us around and made a lot of noise.
We are very sorry, Mr. Goose.
There were many more interesting episodes, but space does not permit me to tell you about them.
Lastly, I want to express my deep gratitude to those who supported us throughout
our trip, particularly D-7080 governor Dr. Ralph W. Adams, District GSE
Chairperson Norma Gamble, Coordinator Norman Vreuge, the presidents of
all the host clubs, all the club members and all the Rotarians and others
who helped us during our time in Canada.
Also, thank you to D-2660 governor Yoshikawa, GSE chairman Matsuoka, and
all the Rotarians involved in the program.
