(Tea member: Hannan Corporation, a beef trader, employee)
Good evening, everyone. Thank you very much for inviting me to come and speak with you. My name is Takashi Kawaike, and I work for the Hannan Corporation, a beef importing company.
I would like to express my gratitude to President Matsubayashi for sponsoring me, to everyone here and in America who helped me during my one-month stay, and to Mr. Okuda, without whom it would have never been possible for me to have the wonderful experiences I had.
It was in February of last year that I was transferred to the section in my company that is in charge of business with America, and soon after that transfer my boss talked to me and suggested that I try applying for a position on a GSE team. And that is how I came to be a member of the team.
I didn't know much about the GSE program, and during my required reading I learned that the upcoming GSE program was going to be exchanging visits with Rotary clubs of Nebraska and Iowa. These are the two states that are competing with each other as the top two beef producing states in the United States and as the top two sellers to my company.
After being chosen to join the GSE team, I had about one year to prepare, and naturally I studied about American culture and studied English conversation. But as we thought about the best way to tell people about Osaka, Mr. Okuda suggested that we prepare a slide show. During that next year, we met many times to work on the presentation, receiving much advice and help from Mr. Okuda, and we were finally able to complete the slide presentation.
When we went to America, the slide presentation turned out to be quite popular wherever we went, and it probably did much to help make up for our poor English.
After arriving in Nebraska, we had a rather busy schedule, staying with 12 different homestay families and visiting 16 Rotary clubs. But we were able to experience many things.
In regard to my vocational study, I was able to visit one of the plants with which our company purchases beef, and because I was a member of the GSE team, I was also able to visit a plant with which our company had not been able to make direct contact in the past. There are four major livestock raising enterprises in the United States, and I was able to visit three of them!
Before leaving on the trip, I made up my mind to try to meet as many people as I possibly could, and most of the people I was able to meet are Rotarians. I received such wonderful treatment from everyone that it seemed as if they were under the mistaken impression that I was some kind of VIP representing District 2660 and Japan.
One weekend, one Rotarian invited me to play golf with him, and I had a great time. Some of you may be shocked to learn this, but the golf club membership in America is unbelievably inexpensive compared to what we must pay here in Japan. With a mere 50,000 Yen, you can become a member! That is more like the annual member's fee here in Japan, and you are free to use the course many times a year. It was so cheap that I was tempted to buy 10 memberships and sell them to people here in the Osaka Tonan club.
Returning to my discussion of the beef industry, it is only natural that in principle, visiting and taking pictures of various competing beef producers would not be allowed, but because I was involved in the Rotary's GSE program, I was allowed not only to visit but to also take photographs.
During my homestays with 12 different families, I met many people with a wide variety of skills and abilities. And when I was staying with Mr. Okuda at the home of George Perry in Shenandoah, we talked late into the night. When we talked about Japanese history, I thought he was joking at first, but it turned out that he was related to Admiral Perry, the man who opened up Japan to the West!
I was able to visit a number of city halls, including the Omaha City Hall. Everywhere we went, we received slips of paper designating us as "honor citizens" because of our affiliation with the Rotary. Mr. Okuda joked one time, saying "No more taxation please!"
I spent one night in Skylar, and the Rotarians there held a party for us. In the car on the way back that night, a member of the host family asked Mr. Okuda if he was really an accountant since he was able to get a one-month vacation from work during the busiest time of the fiscal year. He also asked whether Japanese accountants make a lot of money, and commented that Mr. Okuda was a very energetic Rotarian.
As a beef buyer, I was able to visit a number of places during my four weeks in America, and as a result I was able to start new business relationships with two companies. This too was made possible because of my Rotary affiliation. Our study tour was a short four weeks, but still, because it was with the Rotary's GSE program, I was able to learn many things.
Finally, I would like to say that what I learned during my one month in America was the greatness of the Rotary. I am so thankful that the Rotary gives young people like myself the chance of a lifetime to experience what many never have the opportunity to experience.
It is my hope that as many young people as possible will continue to be able to have the opportunity to make such study tours overseas.
I would like to end my report with a word of thanks to everyone here at the Osaka Tonan Rotary Club for your sponsorship and to the Rotary International for having this wonderful program.
Thank you very much.
