Nine Days in Japan - 14 November 2015

Wakayam Castle
The morning of 14 November was spent exploring the grounds and keep of Wakayama Castle. The three of us, led by Soon Kuan and Kim Wah set off on foot from the hotel to this famous place. At the entrance, we were lucky enough to meet a Japanese gentleman who volunteered to be our guide.

The straw wrapped around the tree is supposed to keep it from freezing in winter!

One of the interesting things he pointed out to us was a 400+ year old tree, which was in fact older than the castle itself.

400+ year old Camphor tree on the grounds of Wakayama Castle.
The tree was a sapling when the castle was first constructed.

The castle was built in 1585, under the aegis of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Although fairly modest in size as castles go, it is historically important due to its close association with the Tokugawa clan.

Gladys, Shona, Tutu, KimWah, Soon Kuan and the Japanese Professor

Wakayama Castle was destroyed by bombs in World War II and most of the present building is a post-war reconstruction, made of modern building materials not the traditional stone.

The tower, (donjon) is now a museum exhibiting samurai weaponry and armor from the Edo period.

On the castle ground is the Momijidani Teien, a beautifully serene Autumn Garden, constructed by Yorinobu Tokugawa during the early 17th Century. I would have loved to linger in this wonderful place a little longer but we were short of time and had to rush off...

Awajishima Kyukamura Hotel, Shikoku
The entire group finally met on the bus in the afternoon of 14 November at Kansai Airport and Kobe. I was really surprised at how efficiently it all went - the bus driver did not miss a beat despite all the disparate locations involved...

Tania, Suan, Ann, Tze, Pip and Denny

We found ourselves at the Minamiawaji Royal hotel, where the entire group met for a very traditional Japanese dinner: served on low tables while seated on tatami mats... not the most comfortable way to eat dinner when one has grown inflexible with age.

Nine Days in Japan - 13 November 2015

In 1978, 42 students from seven countries (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and USA) met in Tokyo, Japan for six weeks of immersion in Japanese culture. It was an eye-opening experience for all and life changing for some. After exchanging letters, they lost touch with one another until the advent of the Internet and most notably Google and Facebook. A reunion was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2008, organised by Lee Kwong Yan, one of the Malaysian students from 1978.

The group met again in Osaka and the Kansai region in 2010 and in New York in 2012.

The fourth reunion was held on the island of Shikoku, Japan, where we had a chance to experience the rural side of Japan. This initiative was organised by Chen Soon Kuan from Singapore, Rich Yamasaki from the USA and Motoharu Matsukura (Moto) from Japan. This time, the following members of the alumni were present: Denny Gerberding (Indonesia), Chen Soon Kuan (Singapore), Ho Chow Peng (Singapore), Pip Panasbodi (Thailand), Uma Trankasombat (Thailand), Rich Yamasaki (USA), Lee Kwong Yan (Malaysia) and me, of course.

The participants who were not members of the JAL 1978 were: Axel Gerberding, Lee Kim Wah, Chris Panasbodi, Roger Yamasaki, Tania Lee, cousins Gladys Yean and Shona Yean, Alfred Ang and his wife, Anne, and long time friends Tze Khoong Loh and Geok Suan.

Kuroshio Fish Market, Wakayama

Our first day in Japan started at Wakayama, a seaside resort and town on the southern shore of Honshu. Shona, Gladys and I decided to join Soon Kuan, Kim Wah and a few of Soon Kuan's friends at Wakayama before the reunion at Shikoku. It turned out to be a rather good place for food.

The first place we visited in Wakayama was the Kuroshio Fish Market, located within Wakayama Marina City. There we watched a a giant tuna being cut and filleted by a skillful young chef - the whole spectacle reminded me of Iron Chef! A stroll through the marina revealed that it was a place popular with courting young adults as well as the aged, who are driven there in special vans to take in the fresh sea air. There was also a fruit market nearby where I bought half a dozen, very delicious and cheap persimmons.

Dinner at Wakayama

The evening was spent in exploring Kintetsu Department Store, which had a very impressive display of Japanese food. Unfortunately, the place closed at 8pm sharp and we (Gladys, Shona and I) had to look for an alternative place to have dinner. We chanced upon a quirky restaurant which served 'small chops' and hesitantly descended into the basement where the main area of the restaurant was. We were delighted to find that the dining room was partitioned into little rooms and most of the clients were women.

Below was a sample of what we had:

The food was better than expected and we returned to the hotel, quite satisfied with our little soiree!