On Monday, April 5, we had a jam-packed day of interesting and educational visits. Our first stop was at Showa Glass, a company that collects and recycles glass. It was amazing to see the huge piles of glass broken up into small pieces. The company separates the glass into piles by color, and has multiple lines running each day to break down the glass into usable sized pieces called cullet. We were able to meet with two gentlemen from the company who said that using cullet (recycled glass) instead of sand to make glass bottles reduces energy usage by 75%. After learning about the importance of recycling and energy savings, we had a great lunch at the Golf Club Ryugasaki.
In the afternoon, we visited Kagami Crystal, which makes crystal glasses, vases, and other beautiful pieces. They have even been chosen to make crystal for the Imperial Palace. We were able to learn about the history of the company and we also got a tour of the facility. During the tour, we were able to see the entire process of how glass is made and the steps it goes through to reach completion. Watching the product come out of the fire and get blown into shape by an employee was a fun thing for all of us to see. It takes much skill to create each and every glass. We then met two of the engravers who spend hours creating intricate designs on each product. There are only six professional engravers at this level, and we were able to meet two of them and watch them work.
Before dinner, the guys were able to try on men’s traditional kimonos. If you ask either of them, they’ll say it was a samurai outfit. Truth is it wasn’t a samurai outfit. It was a kimono. Just so you know. For dinner that night, we had the great opportunity to have supper at a sumo wrestlers’ house, called Shikihide. We heard that traditionally, women are not allowed inside the house, so this was a great chance for all of us to get a glimpse of the place where the wrestlers live and train. We were able to watch a demonstration of how the wrestlers get their hair done by a professional hairstylist. Because I have the longest hair of anyone in the house, I was chosen next to get my hair done sumo-style. They use large amounts of wax and flour to get the hair shiny and smooth enough to pull off the style. It was really strange to have everyone in the entire place staring at me during the process, and it took nine washings to get all of the product out of my hair, which, to be honest, was not fun at all. Overall, it was a fun experience and being that women aren’t typically allowed in the home, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Tuesday gave us a chance to experience the town of Toride. We started the day at a high school that specialized in the arts. We were able to tour the school and see the facilities available for both music and art (painting, sculpture, and pottery). We presented to the Ryugasaki Rotary Club at Noon, and then visited both a diabetes clinic and Toride Kyodo General Hospital in the afternoon. It was interesting to hear about the facilities, procedures and frustrations of one of the senior level doctors at the hospital. We had a very tasty supper in Toride, and stopped by a 400-year old Sakura tree. Overall, it was a great way to start the week!
- Kayla Bickett
