On Friday, April 2, we all woke up to the hospitality of home stay families. Tara and I spent a great evening with the Enju family, and the night included four hours of karaoke, both at a local establishment and the Enjus' living room. For those of you who know me well, you will not be surprised that I brought Eminem to Japan through the power of karaoke. I always knew those rap skills would pay off someday... :) After a great breakfast, Mr. Enju drove Tara and I to the Minato residence, where Luke and Andrew spent the evening. We all were able to take some photos and give thanks for their warm welcome and comfortable place to sleep.
Our first official stop of the day was a Rotary club meeting, held in the Plaza Hotel Mito. The setting was beautiful, and the Rotary club members did not disappoint in the area of hospitality. We gave our presentation, and I was able to talk about the Minnesota Vikings a bit more, as one of the Rotarians, after noticing a photo in my presentation, asked about their season last year and if I would continue to be a fan even if they weren't very good next year. Though the language barrier it was a bit difficult to explain my loyalties to the team, but I think they all understood that I wasn't just a fair weather fan.
The afternoon was a flurry of activity, both at the set for the movie, "Sakura Gate", and at Aqua World. The movie set was a fun experience for all of us, and it was interesting to see how they used white sand to imitate snow in the scenes. We were impressed when we were on the set, but when we saw the photos, we were a bit surprised to notice that it really did look like snow in the background. We are hoping to find a way to see the movie once it comes out this summer, but it may be a bit tricky since it is scheduled to be released only in Japan. The next stop, Aqua World, was a great treat for all of us. We learned about the facility, and then were able to take a tour and view the dolphin and seal show that happens every afternoon. I don't want to name any names here, but two of our mail team members were quite excited about the dolphin show (see photos...).
That evening we were treated to a farewell party, and had dinner with many of the club members we met at the meeting earlier that day. We had a lot of fun conversation, and also got a chance to dance the "Electric Slide" for our hosts. We had a great time at dinner, and we were sad to know our time in Mito was just about over.
