Quick History of Uji - Kamloops Sister City Relationship
This year marks the 25 year anniversary of Kamloops’ sister city relationship with Uji Japan. The centrepiece of this relationship have been visits between our two communities. We alternate every year. So, one year, a delegation from Uji visits Kamloops and, the next year, a delegation from Kamloops visits Uji. And so on. Each community has made an official visit to the other community roughly twelve times since 1990.
Travel rules and arrangements
The delegations are usually a mix of city council members, city hall staff, and members of the public. As a city councillor, the rule is that you are allowed to join an official visit to Uji once a term. In my prior terms on council, I didn’t participate in a visit to Uji but have helped host three Uji delegations in Kamloops.
I’ve had some very fair and appropriate questions about the value for Kamloops citizens in paying for council members to travel to Uji. I’ve frankly had similar questions myself over the years. City hall pays for council members and for city support staff to travel to Uji and for accommodation on the official visit. All spouses, travel partners, and members of the general public on the trip pay their own travel and accommodation. On this trip, we had the Mayor and four councillors, three council family members, a school trustee and his daughter, two city staff and, four citizens, and guide and interpreter Yoshi Ozawa (retired from TRU).
Why I decided to participate in the official Uji visit this year
Councillor Donovan Cavers, Councillor Ken Christian, and Ken's Wife Brenda welcome guests from Uji to Kamloops in 2014
Last year, I was deputy Mayor for the month of July and helped host the official visit from Uji to Kamloops. A few experiences during our friends’ visit last year prompted me to decide to make the trip to Uji this year. First, I was honoured to have these people visit Kamloops and proud to showcase our community to them. I felt I should return that honour and be a part of allowing Uji citizens to showcase their amazing community to us. Second, I met an Uji councillor in Kamloops who was most interested in getting a little deeper into Kamloops history and how our community functions. It made me think there might be a lot to learn, as a councillor, in travelling to Uji and looking at their history, culture, urban planning, business opportunities, education, and more.
I was really happy when my Mom accepted my invitation to travel with me. She paid her own way, as I mentioned above. It was so wonderful to spend some really quality time with my Mom before and during the official visit. My wife had to work so she could not make it.
Before the official visit
As for time before the official visit, most delegation members travelled to Japan four or five days before the start of the official visit. It typically helps get adjusted to the 16 hour time difference and allows a bit of time to visit other parts of Japan at one’s own expense.
Air Canada Plane (Boeing 787) landed in Tokyo after 9 hour flight
The official delegation started on October 15th morning and I arrived in Tokyo on Oct 10th mid afternoon. My Mother had already been in Tokyo for a couple of days and I met her at our hotel in Tokyo.
My Mother and I in the Ginza District in Tokyo
I was in Tokyo for about a day and then we travelled by train to a city called Komatsu. A friend in Kamloops recommended a traditional Japanese style hotel built around a hot spring. This hotel has been in continuous operation since 718 AD and has been operated by the same family for 46 generations.
The lobby of the Houshi Ryokan in Komatsu
Our room at the Houshi Ryokan in Komatsu
We spend two nights in Komatsu and then traveled to Kyoto. From Kyoto, I travelled to Uji (which is very close by) to visit the Uji Rotary Club. After an amazing visit, I again got on the train and travelled to Hiroshima. After a day in Hiroshima, travelled back to Kyoto in time for the start of the official visit to Uji.
Youngsters perusing Hiroshima Carps baseball team merchandise in the train station
Takeaways from travel in Japan before the official visit
1) Efficiency and hospitality: Due to a late flight from Kamloops to Vancouver and a resulting tight connection in Vancouver, my bags did not make my connecting flight to Tokyo. After a 9 and 1/2 hour flight, not the greatest news. The airline staff at the baggage services counter, however, totally impressed me with their friendly, efficient customer service. They frequently apologized for keeping me longer in the airport and were totally ready to send my bags to wherever I would be when they arrived. They were calm, good natured, and
empathetic.
Airline ground staff in Narita airport were very helpful in getting my delayed bags to me
2) Respect for their work: As I waited for a shuttle bus from the airport to our hotel, I was asked by a bus attendant if I had a larger bag he could put under the bus. A young lady stood at small curbside counter announcing the bus routes for the next bus arriving. Once a bus arrived, the attendants responsible for baggage would quickly open the bus baggage compartments, unload them, and then load the bags for the next passengers. It took very little time and it was done with great precision, it seemed to me. As buses departed the curb, all the bus attendants would bow. When travelling later by train, I also watched train conductors reach the front of the train car, turn to the passengers, and bow, for turning again and exiting the train car.
Waiting for the bus from Narita airport to our hotel
3) Respect for beauty, cleanliness, and craftsmanship: My first meal in Japan was at the lounge at our hotel. The lounge was the quickest and easiest place. I enjoyed watching the bartenders make mixed drinks. Feels a bit strange writing this now, but it was beautiful. The bartenders engaged in almost ballet like movements, pouring exact portions, mixing expertly, and adding garnishes with flourish. And, after witnessing the face of another satisfied customer, the bartenders would clean up straight away. Indeed, throughout our trip, I was struck by the cleanliness of the country. Public spaces were very clean, even though I hardly came across any public garbage cans. I assume people take their garbages home or to their workplaces and almost never drop litter on the street.
Beautiful bartending at the Tokyo Westin Hotel
Very clean covered 2 wheeler parking in Uji.
I also noticed a certain elegance in how public spaces assist those with different abilities. Different textured surfaces, often painted yellow, mark paths for people who have visual impairments.
Yellow textured pathways assist the visually challenged in Tokyo's train station
4) Innovation and Resilience: I spent a day in Hiroshima before our official visit. The first city ever to be bombed by an atomic bomb, Hiroshima was decimated. Today, 70 years later, the city is a modern metropolis with wide streets and lovely public spaces. It is served by Japan’s famous bullet train network, the Shinkansen trains. It’s amazing that the Shinkansen trains have been running for 40 years. Given that Japan was ravaged in World War II and, not long after, became a global economic powerhouse says volumes of the innovation and resilience of the country and its people. And its likely a reminder to us all of the importance of innovation and of nurturing resilience.
Golf course on the banks of the river in Hiroshima
Covered shopping street in Hiroshima
The famous Shinkansen - Japan's high speed bullet train
5) Urban Planning: My Mother had been in Tokyo a couple of days before I arrived. She arranged for a taxi to take us around some of Tokyo’s main areas for the short day I spent in the city. She pointed out many multi story buildings that were no wider, and mostly much narrower, than a typical downtown Kamloops storefront. Sometimes we would see three buildings, each approximately 5-10 stories, occupying a lot that one building would occupy in Kamloops. I also noticed a real mix of land uses in many neighbourhoods. There would be a small group of houses, next to a small plot of farmland, next to a factory or industrial building. The Japanese seem to much more intensively use their space and this leads to smaller houses and buildings.
Narrow, tall buildings (three to a Canadian size lot?) in Tokyo
Industrial plants near restaurants and shops in Uji
Compact homes in Uji
6) Trans Pacific Partnership from a Japanese perspective: Reading the Oct 11th edition of the Japan Times, I came across this interesting article about the opportunities and fears of the Trans Pacific Partnership from a Japanese perspective: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/10/11/business/new-farm-minister-spins-tpp-as-chance-for-exports/#.Vjadb9DP5Ap
Official Visit
A day and half before the official visit, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Uji Rotary Club. As this year’s President of the Rotary Club of Kamloops, it was a special honour for me to thank our sister club for their incredible friendship over 25 years. I was treated with such warm hospitality and invited to participate in a tea ceremony before the meeting. I also was honoured to share a few words with the club and to bring greetings from Kamloops and Kamloops Rotarians. Unfortunately, the gift I had brought with me to present to the Uji club members broke in transit. I will send a new gift through the mail.
Huge honour to spend time with very hospitable Uji Rotarians
Tea ceremony table at Rotary Club of Uji meeting
Throughout our official visit, we experienced this wonderful hospitality from many Uji citizens.
Our official visit to Uji started on the morning of Oct 15th and finished the on the afternoon of Oct 19th, when we arrived at the Osaka airport for our flights back home. The activities in those four and half days largely consisted of:
- meeting Uji citizens
- visit to temples, gardens, museums.
- visits to schools and university
- participation in Uji Dengaku night festival
- Comorant fishing seminar
- learning about green tea
Takeaways from our official visit to Uji
1) More incredible hospitality: We had three events where we really got a chance to meet and mingle with a variety of Uji citizens. On the first night, the Uji International Friendship Club hosted a wonderful citizen led evening for us of education and of friendship. We participated in tea ceremonies, flower arranging seminars, origami seminars, and cultural performances. The next night, the City of Uji hosted an official dinner and we had an incredible meal and gift exchange. We also had the opportunity to meet and talk to many prominent Uji citizens. On the last night, the Kamloops delegation was split up into smaller groups and we were hosted in people’s homes for dinners. Mom, I, and Councillor Tina Lange had the good fortune of being hosted in the home of a retired city councillor who served Uji for 28 years. Lots of great conversation, the very best hospitality, and learning about Japanese culture.
O Canada, played on traditional Japanese instruments
Mayor Milobar and School Trustee Gerald Watson's daughter trying out Japanese sticks
Councillor Ken Christian participating in Japanese tea ceremony
Councillor Tina Lange and my Mother with our home hosts. Incredible hospitality
Kamloops City Manager David Trawin and Councillor Dieter Dudy in traditional Uji tea picking jackets and headdress
Uji Mayor Yamamoto welcoming us at the official dinner
2) International Education opportunities: TRU has educated quite a number of students from Uji over the years. There are short term programs such as the students who visit in the summer from Ritsumeikan high school. We had the opportunity to tour this top end school while in Uji and to meet with the Principal. We have also had about 28 students from Uji in our longer term programs over the past 13 years. TRU estimates each international student spends about $33 000 a year including tuition. I don’t think we would have near as many students from Uji if it was not for our sister city relationship.
Uji Nanbu Elementary School Principal accepting gift from Kamloops Thompson School Trustee Gerald Watson
Ritsumeikan International Baccalaureate student relating her experiences at TRU
3) International Friendship Club: Our delegation was incredibly lucky to have the assistance and friendship of many people from the Uji International Friendship Club. Their members helped translate for us and, as I mentioned above, hosted us so wonderfully at our opening evening. I wonder what a grassroots, citizen led International Friendship Club might look like on Kamloops. We have so many potential linkages through TRU and through Kamloops Immigrant Services, for example.
Uji International Friendship Club member translating for us at Uji Pottery Village
Reception hosted by Uji International Friendship Club to welcome Kamloops delegation
4) Tourism in Uji: Uji is a beautiful city with lots of sites to see. Like Kamloops, Uji has a river and a wonderful network of paths and parks built around the river. There are also renowned temples and shrines in Uji. The Byodo-in Temple in Uji is featured on the back of the Japanese 10 yen coin. There is a beautiful botanical gardens in Uji which has a sign talking about Kamloops and a few trees transplanted from here. Definitely would recommend visiting if you are travelling in Japan. Also got thinking about how our tourist infrastructure is set up in Kamloops. Do we, for example, have directional signs in key international languages at key tourism destinations in Kamloops.
Kamloops sign at Uji botanical garden
Uji riverbank
Byodo-in Temple in Uji
5) Participating in the Uji Dengaku festival: This was really a highlight for me. The Uji Dengaku festival is held at night and is one of the highlights of the cultural calendar. We saw an amazing array of performances - musical, dance, gymnastics, comedy. It had an incredible energy. I wonder what a night festival for Kamloops might look like? The Uji Dengaku festival is held on a island in the middle of the Uji River, quite accessible by foot. At the end, similar to what happens during our Santa Claus parade downtown, candies are thrown into the crowd by the performers and dignitaries. We got to help with this.
Uji Dengaku festival
Uji Dengaku festival
Uji Dengaku festival
Uji Dengaku festival
Uji honoured our Mayor by giving him a place of prominence in the Uji Dengaku festival proceedings
6) The Comorant, Uji’s Clover: A traditional method of fishing with the Comorant bird. The Comorant catches the fish but doesn’t swallow it. It keeps the fish in its neck area and then the fish can be retrieved. This is a tourist attraction in Uji and, much like for Clover (the Kermode bear) at the BC Wildlife Park, Uji City provides some funding for the Comorant fishing program.
7) Uji Green Tea: Uji is famous for its green tea growing, processing, and selling. They also produce and sell a lot of deserts and confectionaries with green tea as the main ingredient. On Byo-do-in Street in Uji, we visited many stores selling green tea and related foods. Kamloops raised Tony Mori’s wife’s family owns one of the oldest tea shops in Uji. I wonder if we could encourage someone to start an Uji green tea house in Kamloops. Our community has lots of connections and its an amazing and quite healthy cultural experience.
Byo-do-in Street, Uji's tea street
Nanbu elementary school tea plantation
Nanbu elementary school Tea Ceremony Club served us this wonderful tea and treat
Ideas Moving Forward
You might be able to figure this out already but, just to be clear, I now view these trips between Uji and Kamloops as having value for our community. Even if you look just at international education at TRU, for example. As a councillor, as well, I found great value in using my experiences in Uji to think about possibilities in Kamloops. I would like to thank the citizens of Kamloops for the great opportunity to participate in the official visit. It was a huge honour to represent you in Uji.
Having said that, I think it is also important for council and the community to review our protocols as they now stand and to assess. I would say once every 8 years (2 council terms), it would be good to do an more robust assessment. I would be interested, for example, in using some of our sister city budget to send other citizens to Uji for the official visit. For example, student leaders or social service professionals. It would be wonderful to make more links with more people in Uji.
More photos
I've posted more photos (over 300) from our trip to Uji.
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