D-7080 GSE team arrived at Kansai International Airport on March 19 and stayed in D-2660 for 4 weeks. Each team member stayed at one host family for a week. That means 4 host families in total for 4 weeks stay. One exception. Dennis stayed at Mr. Yanai's for 3 weeks for the reason Mr. Yanai has a strong connection to our food industry and is an ideal person for Dennis to have splendid vocational experience. Thanks to all those host families, the team tasted typical Japanese home life. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to host families for their warm hospitality shown to the Canadian GSE team.
Our GSE itinerary shows a good mixture of experience and if average Japanese people spend much time with the team, they will experience many phases of Japan they never knew before.
We would like to ask each GSE team member what is their impression on Osaka, Kansai and Japan, however prior to that, I will explain their itinerary in our district briefly; (This speech was given at the farewell party at Hotel New Otani on April 17, 1999)
On the next day of their arrival, our GSE team going to Canada invited them to a ride in our subway and walk on our shopping streets. Canadian team experienced "Ta-ko-ya-ki" or octopus ball and "O-ko-no-mi-ya-ki" or Japanese pan-cake for the first time.
The first week began on the top of World Trade Center building, Japan's second highest building. The view from the top included proposed 2008 Olympic site and Universal Studio Japan under construction. A city official had briefing on the Osaka Port facilities. On that day, they visited Osakaﾕs famous attraction; ﾒKai-yu-kanﾓ aquarium, which features a giant whale shark in the worldﾕs largest tank, called ﾒPacificﾓ. The PR manger of the aquarium, Mr. Tada explained how it was planned as a part of the Osaka bay area redevelopment.
The first Rotary Club they visited was Osaka-Umeda RC. Before the club meeting, Mr. Mori, the chairman of Hanshin Hotel Systems (owner of Ritz Carlton Osaka) himself took the effort of explaining about the redevelopment of the western area of JR Osaka station. After lunch, the team visited Kansai TV Station.
Next day, Osaka-Nakanoshima Club members took them to Osaka Castle. The courtesy visit to Osaka mayor, Mr. Takafumi Isomura was in that afternoon. Canadian GSE team and Osaka Mayor confirmed fair play in competing for 2008 Olympic venue. Then they were shown to city assembly room. After visiting the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, they encountered unbelievable sight of blue tents on street very close to Osaka City Hall. It was something like a village of homeless people.
On Friday, this week, the team attended club meeting of Osaka-Tennoji RC. The club members took them to ﾒDen-Den Townﾓ or electronics shopping center where many shops are gathering and selling similar goods. Then they went to currently held watch Sumo Tournament games at Osaka Prefectural Gym. This was a compliment of Osaka-Tsurumi RC.
On Saturday, they checked in Hotel New Otani to spend a relaxed night of their own which was followed late afternoon pick-up by host families of next week.
The second week itinerary was a relaxing one. Highlights of the week include visit to Sanyo Central Research laboratory and Matsushita Technological Museum, Todai-ji and Yakushi-ji temples in Nara. Rotary club visits were Higashi-Osaka-Chuo RC and Hirakata RC. Higashi-Osaka-Chuo RC members invited the team to a boat cruise of Okawa in Nakanoshima area.
The third week began with the visit to Kyoto. Settsu RC members
took them to Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo-jo, Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji.
A bus trip to Daihatsu Shiga factory on a highway was sponsored
by Ikeda RC featuring also a mountain view of Cherry Blossom in
full bloom.
Other visits include Akashi-Kaikyo-Ohashi, which is the worldﾕs
longest suspension bridge, its technological museum and Osaka
University Hospital where a heart transplant was recently executed
for the second time in these 30 years. Cub visits were Osaka-Nakanoshima
RC and Osaka-Yodogawa RC.
The fourth week featured a visit to Takenaka Corporation and its work, HEP 5. The building is a shopping mall vertically arranged and has a large Ferris wheel in the midst of the building. A visit to Hiroshima was on a bullet train series 700. It ran at a speed of 270 km/hour. At Hiroshima, the team visited the Atomic Dome, a world heritage and The Peace Memorial Museum. This visit was planned to show Japanese rotariansﾕ wish for world peace and no more Hiroshimas. Club visits were Osaka-Kita-Umeda, Osaka-Central and Osaka-Sumiyoshi RC.
Besides these studies, there was a day of vocational study in each week totaling 4 days. Kathi, the team leader went to FORECS or an organization for providing financial support to venture buisiness. Other visits by Kathi include Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a consultant to venture businesses, a day-care center and the Baika girl's college. Dennis, the agriculture consultant, was well taken care of by his host family for 3 weeks, Mr. Yanai, the president of A-One Bakery. Dennis visited many food-related factories and facilities thanks to Mr. Yanai. He also visited Japanese typical rural scene, "Miyama-cho" with a guide of ex-Osaka-Tsurumi RC member. Lisa from Toronto Sky Dome visited Osaka Dome, Dentsu (an Advertising agency), Takarazuka Girlsﾕ Opera and Universal Studio Japan office. Akela, the educator, visited "Ji-kei" group, prep school for entrance exams, nursery managed by "Zen" Buddhist, Foundation for Youth and Baika Girl's College. Vanessa at Royal Bank of Canada went to Osaka Securities Exchange, the financial dept of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the head quarter of Sumitomo Bank and a regional branch of Nomura Securities.
Rotary has many members of different vocations. Osaka can accommodate to any type of vocational studies for Group Study Exchange. It is such a big and diversified area having many faces.