Wonders of nature, bounty of the land.

Niimi is located in a beautiful valley on the banks of the Takahashi River. The limestone mountains and rushing water mean the people of this area enjoy a bounty. 

One of the local specialties (besides the beef!) are grapes. Not for wine - for eating! We got to visit one of the vineyards, walk out through the vines and cut huge heavy bunches of purple grapes. 

They were so good warm from the vine that we snuck a few.  Once back at the office we had an opportunity for official tasting, with four different types - no seeds, just sweet and delicious. We were all sent on our way with bunches of grapes to enjoy - a very generous gift to us as they are a real luxury item. We have enjoyed them very much. 

The same limestone that provides such perfect growing material for the grapes also provides another attraction - caves! There are several extensive cave systems in the area. One was recently upgraded with LED lighting, so we went to take a look. 

An underground fantasy of stone and water!

And what else did you see, Sharon? So glad you asked!  A sturgeon farm that produces a very fine caviar. 

Baby sturgeon !

We had a tour of an artisanal soy sauce factory - four generations of the family have made soy sauce in that house. 

And we had an opportunity to visit the local hot springs for a bath!  Actually there was a delicious lunch involved - and then a lovely soak in a very hot bath - there was even an outside pond with a beautiful garden to enjoy. 

Our hosts gave us a chance to enjoy the many wonderful things in their city. 

I didn't know you could train cattle...

Not only did we arrive in Niimi in time for the Samurai festival, on Saturday there was a huge farmers market at the Japan Agricultural office 1 block from our hotel. Needless to say we were all over it!

This is beef country so it was all about the local speciality Chiya wagyu beef - on the hoof and on the grill. 

These gals are selling pastries stuffed with curried beef - cooked in a press so they have a cattle shape to them. Yum!

Beef on the spit!

Beef on skewers. 

Squid on a stick. 

Fiona found the guy making crepes (with bananas and blueberry sauce)

As we wandered about people were giving us all kinds of things to try - usually some variant on beef but what's wrong with that? Nothing!

As we have been moving around Niimi we have seen several pictures and statues of cattle standing on a small wooden stool. Seemed kind of strange,  but it turns out to be a thing and at 11:30 we got a demo. 

A group of students from the local agricultural school brought out a very lovely steer and proceeded to put it through its paces. 

One guy had the rope but all the others crouched down and coaxed the animal.  It looked at them for a long time, but eventually did it. And was rewarded with a treat, just like a dog. Frankly I always thought cattle were to stupid to train, but apparently I was mistaken. 

I love a parade!

One of the reasons we are in Niimi this week is to see the Samurai Festival, which held yearly on October 15. The centrepiece of the festival is a parade through the historic part of town which recreates the processions made by samurai lords as they moved between their home lands and the capital in Tokyo. 

The day began at the Funakawa shrine. As we began to climb the long flight of steps we saw men in costume making their way up to the temple. 

Special sake had been brewed for festival and we stopped for a little bowlful - it was white in colour as it was unfiltered. 

Some of the participants were in blue robes, which were pinned up so the wearer's arms and legs were free. Other participants were dressed very formally. The gentleman with Steve, Fiona and Patricia had been with us at a very lively banquet the night before, but here he is much more solemn. 

While we were at the shrine we paid our respects to the resident deity. 

Eventually all the participants had assembled, along with the mayor, and a group photo was taken. 

Immediately after this picture another one was taken with the eight of us included - didn't expect that!

Back in town we were given a spot to sit beside the mayor's reviewing stand. We were instructed in etiquette by the parade marshall - no standing, no cheering, no commotion. So - no Stampede parade behaviour. Misconduct would cause the parade to stop and a marshall would come over to give the trouble makers a tap with a switch as punishment.

Back in the day total respect and obedience was expected when the samurai passed by and it is still taken seriously. 

A long procession of samurai carrying an assortment of weapons and paraphernalia. 

Note the guys across the street with the cameras. We thought maybe they were the press gallery, until the press did show up in their green vests. 

These guys seem to be with the local camera club. Between them and the press I was afraid to scratch my nose or do anything untoward because a lot of pictures were taken of us. 

Once the samurais had passed you could feel the crowd relax as we awaited part two - the procession of portable shrines from the local shrines. This was the the boisterous part of the parade as teams would carry these huge heavy shrines down the street. Every so often they would stop and start shaking the shrine all around. Apparently this is to awaken the god within the shrine and have him bestow blessings. Since we were beside the main viewing stand they all stopped so we were well blessed. All of this is accompanied by lots of whistle blowing and cheering. 

These things weigh as much as 500kg so the effort required to be a bearer is pretty substantial. 

After the shrines come the children with their kiddie sized shrines, made of paper. 

So cute!

There were also Chinese lions.  It is considered good luck to get a 'lion bite'. Usually this honour is bestowed upon children, but as guests of honour we all got a bite!

As for the kids - most of them were not impressed:

Although I'm not sure I blame them - the lion's kind of scary!

When in Japan - visit the sewage treatment plant!

When the group from Sidney visited Niimi four years ago they were given a tour of the municipal waste treatment facility. They said it was really interesting. When we were given a sample itinerary for our trip the facility was not on the agenda. We sent a message back to Sayuri-san, our guide, asking if we could please pay a visit.  Being far too polite to refuse a direct request she made the arrangements, probably thinking all the while 'crazy Canadians!'  Being a most excellent guide she spent some time with Google to make sure she was up on her terminology and away we went. 

Of course Sayuri-san has no way of knowing that this is a subject of abiding interest to people in the Victoria area as we continue with the hand wringing and endless discussion involved in solving our local waste treatment issues. 

This plant is located in the community, between a business road and a sports park. Most of the facility is underground. This one serves about 4,300 people of the city population of 33,000 and manages about 4,000 m3 of through put a day, producing water that has had 98% of solid material removed. The output is not potable, but is safe to return to the river. The street side of the facility has a fountain, cascade and garden area, complete with a stream with small fish. 

Of course we had a tour - here they are proving that what goes in is sewage - lifting the manhole cover in the street provided definite olfactory evidence!

Street side

Sample from the settling tanks. The clear water on top is diverted to the river. Beneficial microbes in the sludge are removed and reused and the remaining sludge is dried, packaged and sold as fertilizer at local garden centres. 

So, how 'bout it, Victoria?

We were accompanied all day long by still and video cameramen - Bob got to do an interview at the waste treatment plant. 

The field in the background is the underground part of the plant. 

We're officially in Japan.

This is our third trip to Japan.  Previously we have travelled here independently, but this time we are beginning our trip as part of a group. Our town of Sidney has a sister city in Niimi, Japan and some years back a group from Sidney came for a visit. They realized that there needs to be an official visit that included the Mayor of Sidney to really cement the relationship between the two cities. It has taken a lot of time and arranging but the trip has finally been organized. We are a delegation of eight and after just two days we are filled with the sights and sounds of this city of 33,000. 

Our first morning began with a visit to Niimi city hall. We were greeted with the staff ranked outside in two lines, waving Canadian and Japanese flags under a huge 'Welcome to Niimi' banner. Once inside we passed many more bowing staff members as we were escorted to the Mayor's office. Two translators, still photographer, video photographer, a master of ceremonies, the eight of us, the Mayors, deputy mayor, various department heads, representatives from the Niimi International Exchange Association - it was quite a process to get everyone settled before greetings and speeches could begin.  

While this was the first official delegation to Niimi, official delegations from Niimi had been to Sidney, so there was much reminiscing about this visits. And then there was the official presentation of gifts:

Mayor Steve Price presents a carving that incorporates Coast Salish motifs with the Niimi city symbol to Mayor Masao Ishigaki   

Lesley Nicholls, president of SSCA, presents a print to Mayor Ishigaki. After a drink tea and a sweet (decorated with maple leaves) we were on our way for a day of adventures. 

In the evening we were treated to a welcome banquet where we met again with the mayor and his officials, along with other representatives of the international committee, professors from the local college and the department of education, and four Canadian assistant language teachers working in Niimi. More speeches, more gifts, sushi, local food specialities, lots of beer and socializing. There were forty guests in total, which meant a lot of socializing! 

We also had a performance by a traditional music group that included dancers who portrayed characters from Japanese history. 

Our delegation with the performers. 

Our hosts were sympathetic to the fact that we have all been travelling and are a bit jet lagged so the festivities wrapped up early. After such an exciting and interesting day I must admit I found it difficult to let it all go and sleep. But another day awaits!

And the next adventure begins

Two flights, three movies, three train rides and we have arrived in Niimi, Japan. We've been up for 23 hours - time to sleep before the official business begins tomorrow. I'm very curious to see what this place looks like by daylight. 

I went on vacation - but forgot to tell you about it.

Well, not that I forgot. I was thinking of you all. It just seemed more important to be concentrating on events as they were unfolding.

On board the Regatta we sailed from Montreal to New York. Usually at this time of year the turning of the leaves is a major attraction, but this year the weather has been so warm that the colours had barely started - green everywhere.

I was the odd one out in our group in that I had never been east of Quebec City, and my only visit there was 40 years ago. Everyone else has spent time in the places we visited, mostly for work but also as a tourist. It was great to have so much expert advice at hand!

It was pretty exciting to see iconic sights:

The Chateau Frontenac peeking above the Old Town in Quebec City. This is a popular cruise route at this time of year - there were 5 ships in port this day, with 10,000 passengers checking out the city.

In Halifax we climbed up to the Citadel to check out the view, but not before enjoying the sculptures on the boardwalk:

Tipsy light fixtures?

My mother was born in St. John's, NB, and amazingly enough the house she lived in as a child is still there. The city is almost unrecognizable to her, but sometimes you can go home again!

Not only was the house still there, but it was in beautiful shape.

And of course, if you get us all together there's going to be shopping!

As you can see we were extremely lucky with the weather - warm for this time of year and no rain.

And so , the Stoneman family cruise of 2015 is in the books!