When my son Tim traveled to Japan in February 2009 in our extended family group to see Australia play Japan at Yokohama, Tim lost his wallet and passport lost - or had it stolen. The circumstances are a bit murky, but suffice to say that sleeping on the street outside a railway station somewhere near Yokohama is not necessarily a sensible idea.
Being Dad, I went with Tim as he reported the loss to the JR Railway Police as well as the Metropolitan Police. Also being Dad, I did point out Tim's apparent slack attitude to personal security.
Fast forward to August 1, 2011 at Matsumoto. A great afternoon with Matsumoto City Government officials extends to a convivial few hours at Fire Station #21. Yuri Kashiwazawa drops me off at the New Station Hotel, I wander upstairs to my room, sit down on the bed, the building and the bed rock with another earthquake - and I can't find my wallet!
I work through each time I took it out to share business cards. Has to be at the Fire Station. No big deal.
Next morning, I email off to Yuri about my loss, asking if he might be able to have some one look around the Fire Station. Nothing else I could do, so off I go to Kamacochi for the day. Returning to the hotel, I have a note from Yuri that the wallet has been found by a 'government official' on the street at the front of the firestation. Yuri also advises he will pick me up at 8:30am the next morning to take me to the Police Station to collect it.
With Yuri's support and translation, the wallet is retrieved. Intact. All cards. And the 25,000 Yen. Gotta love Japan.
This blog now at www.tonyj2japan.wordpress.com
- Tony and Veronica Jarrett
- Hazelbrook, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
- A world Cup football game between Australia and Japan in Yokohama was the driver for Tony's first trip to Japan in February 2009. Since then, Veronica and Tony have traveled together, and Tony has been back two more times - an abbreviated holiday in March, 2011 at the time of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, and in July/August, 2011.
Showing posts with label Matsumoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matsumoto. Show all posts
Fire Station 21, Matsumoto, Japan - Monday 1 August
Matsumoto Fire Station #21 covers Uchida and Kotobukidai areas south-east of Matsumoto CBD where 2,646 households and 6,357 residents are there. This cross-cultural exchange had been arranged via Yuri at the Matsumoto City Government (see another post on Volunteer Guides). One of his colleagues is a member of this Fire Brigade.
With typical Japanese precision and punctuality, Yuri got me there right on the appointed time of 8:00pm. On the apron were 3 or 4 fire fighters looking over equipment, running pumps and the like. With Yuri acting as interpreter, I got the gist from the Brigade Captain that this team had many similarities to my Hazelbrook Brigade:
As with all fire trucks in Japan, their 2 vehicles were immaculate. Not a scratch, everything polished. Even plastic over the seats! I was proudly shown the $A20,000 portable pump the Brigade recently purchased. Bloody hell! Takes 4 people to carry, but suits the needs of this Brigade where small roads and laneways mean accessing fires is always going to be difficult.
After 10 minutes or so on the apron, then upstairs for the meeting. I did ask how many members turn up usually for the meeting/training, and 10-15 are expected. The meeting had already started well and truly, with many cans of beer and empty food plates strewn around. This looked familiar my my fire station!
Through broken english and my interpreter buddy, we talked a lot about our respective roles, and the nature of volunteerism in Japan, and the long history of fire-fighting. Fascinating stuff. Again the similarities were uncanny - members of #21 Fire Station came from varied backgrounds including farmers, truck drivers, an architect, an electrician.
Each of the farmers bought in their produce for sharing at the 'meeting'. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons. In line with my desire for cultural immersion and personal enrichment, I also gave other local fare a go. Like the fleshy stuff swilling around in cold black broth. Pass it round boys, yum. And what was that? Something from the ocean, and it got a good laugh when I ate it. Probably marinated cuttlefish.
I took with me a series of RFS action photos, but there was no computer at the Station. I had printed out a thumbnail of each photo and had a few word description of each in English and Japanese (thanks to BabelFish). This went down a treat and generated a lot of discussion of forest fires in Australia and particularly in my Blue Mountains home.
I got the Blue Mountains Christmas Fires DVD playing in the background as we continued to eat, drink and more increasingly talk crap. I must say though, that attention was quickly drawn to the video when the money shots of 30m flames roaring up and over fire fighters came on. No common language needed to interpret shock and awe.
My status as a visitor also meant that there seemed to be people assigned to refilling my cup of beer every time I took a swig. What I can't work out is, if I never got to finish a single cup, how come I found it quite a challenge to stand up straight and to speak without a little slur. All for the betterment of cultural exchange I say.
As the visit was pre-arranged, I had my RFS blues, and bought with me a collectors yellow shirt. This was proudly worn by the Captain. I had heard one guy being referred to as 'koala' during the night, and by chance I had a koala toy to give him. Funny as! In appreciation of the help he had given me during the day, I gave Yuri an RFS cap.
I have always found Japanese people to be very hospitable and generous. At this point, the guys were obviously discussing what they would give me in return, and what they did was extremely humbling. For various festivals and community events, all firefighters in Japan have a particular "Happi Coat" which is like a coat of arms, and indicates the organisation you belong to. They go back to the 1600's. I was presented with a Happi Coat.
In addition, I was presented with a Fire Officers cap. While my head is way too big for the cap, the generosity shown to me was, as I said, humbling.
Then to cap it off (no pun intended) as I was leaving the whole crew came downstairs and gave me a formal send off, including a salute. It really was a fantastic experience. In fact, of all the good things that have happened in what is now 4 visits to Japan over 30 months, this ranks in the top 2.
With typical Japanese precision and punctuality, Yuri got me there right on the appointed time of 8:00pm. On the apron were 3 or 4 fire fighters looking over equipment, running pumps and the like. With Yuri acting as interpreter, I got the gist from the Brigade Captain that this team had many similarities to my Hazelbrook Brigade:
- 45 members, about 25 active, about 10 likely to turnout for a call;
- 2 calls a month on average;
- many members work in the CBD, up to an hour away;
- very few young people joining. Most members 35 to 50yo;
- servicing a rural community on the foothills of the mountains;
- get together for meeting/training once a month;
As with all fire trucks in Japan, their 2 vehicles were immaculate. Not a scratch, everything polished. Even plastic over the seats! I was proudly shown the $A20,000 portable pump the Brigade recently purchased. Bloody hell! Takes 4 people to carry, but suits the needs of this Brigade where small roads and laneways mean accessing fires is always going to be difficult. 
After 10 minutes or so on the apron, then upstairs for the meeting. I did ask how many members turn up usually for the meeting/training, and 10-15 are expected. The meeting had already started well and truly, with many cans of beer and empty food plates strewn around. This looked familiar my my fire station! 
Through broken english and my interpreter buddy, we talked a lot about our respective roles, and the nature of volunteerism in Japan, and the long history of fire-fighting. Fascinating stuff. Again the similarities were uncanny - members of #21 Fire Station came from varied backgrounds including farmers, truck drivers, an architect, an electrician.Each of the farmers bought in their produce for sharing at the 'meeting'. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons. In line with my desire for cultural immersion and personal enrichment, I also gave other local fare a go. Like the fleshy stuff swilling around in cold black broth. Pass it round boys, yum. And what was that? Something from the ocean, and it got a good laugh when I ate it. Probably marinated cuttlefish.
I took with me a series of RFS action photos, but there was no computer at the Station. I had printed out a thumbnail of each photo and had a few word description of each in English and Japanese (thanks to BabelFish). This went down a treat and generated a lot of discussion of forest fires in Australia and particularly in my Blue Mountains home.
I got the Blue Mountains Christmas Fires DVD playing in the background as we continued to eat, drink and more increasingly talk crap. I must say though, that attention was quickly drawn to the video when the money shots of 30m flames roaring up and over fire fighters came on. No common language needed to interpret shock and awe.
My status as a visitor also meant that there seemed to be people assigned to refilling my cup of beer every time I took a swig. What I can't work out is, if I never got to finish a single cup, how come I found it quite a challenge to stand up straight and to speak without a little slur. All for the betterment of cultural exchange I say.
As the visit was pre-arranged, I had my RFS blues, and bought with me a collectors yellow shirt. This was proudly worn by the Captain. I had heard one guy being referred to as 'koala' during the night, and by chance I had a koala toy to give him. Funny as! In appreciation of the help he had given me during the day, I gave Yuri an RFS cap.
I have always found Japanese people to be very hospitable and generous. At this point, the guys were obviously discussing what they would give me in return, and what they did was extremely humbling. For various festivals and community events, all firefighters in Japan have a particular "Happi Coat" which is like a coat of arms, and indicates the organisation you belong to. They go back to the 1600's. I was presented with a Happi Coat.
In addition, I was presented with a Fire Officers cap. While my head is way too big for the cap, the generosity shown to me was, as I said, humbling.
Then to cap it off (no pun intended) as I was leaving the whole crew came downstairs and gave me a formal send off, including a salute. It really was a fantastic experience. In fact, of all the good things that have happened in what is now 4 visits to Japan over 30 months, this ranks in the top 2.
Japan is not expensive
Contrary to many well known travel guides, Japan is not an expensive place to visit.
On average over 12 nights, accommodation was Y5,900 per night, about $A80. For Tokyo (Terminal Hotel, Ueno) and Matsumoto (New Station Hotel), both very very comfortable 3-Star hotels, and were booked via Hotels.Com and Expedia. These single rooms both included TV, tea making, decent shower/bath and comfortable beds. I take the view that the room is just a place to sleep and don't get hung up on the finery. Yes the rooms are small, but does it matter? The key for me is access, choose a place within a few hundred metres of the transport hubs. They aren't hard to find.
At Nikko, I chose to stay at the Nikko Park Lodge which is hostel type accommodation.Through a mix-up with my booking, I ended up having a 'suite' which is unusual for a hostel. It actually was bigger than the Ueno and Matsumoto hotels, and had a small kitchen as well! Great value, fantastic view.
All the other costs bundled up (food, beer, transport, entry fees etc) averaged Y8,000 per day - about $A100. If that daily cost (Y14,000 or $180) is too much - just delete the beer! A beer generally costs more that a decent meal! Then again, delete the food and keep the beer.
On average over 12 nights, accommodation was Y5,900 per night, about $A80. For Tokyo (Terminal Hotel, Ueno) and Matsumoto (New Station Hotel), both very very comfortable 3-Star hotels, and were booked via Hotels.Com and Expedia. These single rooms both included TV, tea making, decent shower/bath and comfortable beds. I take the view that the room is just a place to sleep and don't get hung up on the finery. Yes the rooms are small, but does it matter? The key for me is access, choose a place within a few hundred metres of the transport hubs. They aren't hard to find.
At Nikko, I chose to stay at the Nikko Park Lodge which is hostel type accommodation.Through a mix-up with my booking, I ended up having a 'suite' which is unusual for a hostel. It actually was bigger than the Ueno and Matsumoto hotels, and had a small kitchen as well! Great value, fantastic view.
All the other costs bundled up (food, beer, transport, entry fees etc) averaged Y8,000 per day - about $A100. If that daily cost (Y14,000 or $180) is too much - just delete the beer! A beer generally costs more that a decent meal! Then again, delete the food and keep the beer.
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