TOSHIBA WVMSCA

SPRING 2014 S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F INTEREST: A message from your president  President’s Meanwhile, we have 16 special trip. message Where Are Our delegates from here getting I want to say a special Japanese Friends?  Zach Davies’ ready to visit in August. thank you to our volunteers It is very strange to have Judy and I will begin who are already working to “The Good Apple Blossom time without orientation meetings in June. prepare for the Wings and Life” article our Japanese guests from We’ll encourage our Wheels visit. Thank you also Misawa. I feel like I should be  Meet your delegates to practice basic to those members and scheduling tours of the area. Japanese phrases and learn companies who support the 2014 However, I do understand about Japanese customs and Sister City Association with WVMSCA their desire to cut back to geography. We know that their memberships and Delegates one visit a year in order to the best part of the trip will efforts to welcome our provide more financial help be the time with families in Japanese visitors. Our for students wishing to visit Misawa. Our Wenatchee special and ongoing the Wenatchee Valley. We Valley delegates will be ready relationship with Misawa

look forward to 10 students to share meals, enjoy the enriches everyone. and 8 adult delegates who Misawa countryside, and plan to visit us for Wings and understand the differences David Kelts Wheels this fall! that will make this such a WVMSCA President

Trivia Quiz Be sure to 1. You have just gotten off your flight, and you are on Japan's largest island. Where are you? “Like” us A. Chugoku Sanchi B. Honshu C. Hokkaido D. Nilihama on our Facebook 2. You don’t speak Japanese, but an English speaking passer-by tells you you are in Japan’s largest page. city. Where are You? A. Osaka B. Yokohama C. D. Nagoya

3. You have just rented a Japanese rental car and drive north to city of Sapporo. What island are Go to you on? A. Hokkaido B. Kyushu C. Chugoko Sanchi D. Honshu Wenatchee Valley Misawa 4. You feel like a history lesson, so you decide to fly from Sapporo to Hiroshima. On your way Sister City you notice you are flying over a vast body of water. You know you are on a straight flight, so Association on you pull out your map, and you find the body of water is…… A. The Korean Sea Facebook B. The Sea of Japan C. The South China Sea D. The Pacific Ocean to see the latest 5. After your visit to Hiroshima you went to Osaka. From Osaka to Tokyo you took a very famous train ride at 350 kmh. What famous train are you on? (Two Words) posts! 6. You arrive in Tokyo, and you look at a menu. Oh my goodness, it’s 50,000 Yen for a plate of sushi! You think to yourself, “this must be the most expensive cities in the world.” Are you right? P A G E 2

A Plane Connection By Zach Davies, WVMSCA Board Member Our bullet train was cruising at 200 mph Pangborn, being originally from Bridgeport, Japanese. No matter where you go - a and heading north from Tokyo on a cool, knew that Fancher Field (currently Fancher restaurant, someone’s home, a taxi, or windy November afternoon. I sipped my Heights) rarely got fog. The plane, sans landing the consumer heaven that is the Japanese iced coffee, purchased from incredibly gear, belly-flopped in the Wenatchee Valley. convenience store - you will find an efficient worker pushing the food cart and Misawa and the Wenatchee Valley now had a absolute wealth of hospitality. watched the Japanese countryside whiz by, connection that would lay dormant for 50 After the short lesson interlude, let’s get its forests of deciduous trees which were years. back to our tale. Shindo-san helped us turning lovely shades of orange and yellow In 1981, the two places decided to begin a check into our hotel and then drove us to streaking to a blur outside the window. In sister city relationship. Through the dedication a restaurant for our “Welcome Party.” this moment of pure Zen, I thought about of many people on both sides of the Pacific, They had rounded up all of our friends how this trip to the north of Japan had come the relationship has flourished and friendships that we had made over the years. It was about. Sometimes when thinking about the have grown numerous. A Misawa delegation incredibly moving to see everyone again events that led us in a certain direction, it is alternates visits once a year between the at the same time and feel the warm amazing to ponder how lucky it is that Wings and Wheels Festival in East Wenatchee welcome of the whole group. We took everything lined up so perfectly. in October and the Apple Blossom Festival in loads of pictures, laughed and caught up. When Tomoko, my wife, and I moved to May. This year, they will be coming for the It felt like we were actually a part of this Wenatchee ten years ago from Osaka, Ja- week of Wings and Wheels. A delegation from group, not just visitors from faraway. pan, we thought we had come to a place the Wenatchee Valley visits Misawa in August Afterwards, we went to a nearby six-story that had very little connection to what we for the Misawa Summer Festival. building, full of small rooms to have a had known in Osaka. For example, Osaka is My wife and I have never been able to make private karaoke known for its lively atmosphere and night- the Wenatchee Valley delegation trip to ( p r o n o u n c e d life, due to its dynamic food culture. It was Misawa, but, for the last several years, we Kah-rah-oh-kay) not uncommon for us to come home after have become active in the local Wenatchee party. I managed midnight on a weekday. In Wenatchee, we Valley Misawa Sister City Association. We to butcher a felt like genuine night owls if we ate out have hosted adults from the Misawa Japanese song for dinner at 8 pm on weekend. It made it delegation and have had a wonderful time. and offend the somewhat difficult to adjust to our new Last year, I had the nerve-wracking task of Beatles with my off-key version of “I Saw lives. Surprisingly to us, though, we helping with translation for the Misawa Her Standing There.” Needless to say, ended up meeting many people in the We- Junior High School students’ visits to many lifelong natchee area that had some connection to Wenatchee Valley elementary schools. memories were Japan. We met business people, former Considering that my Japanese skills are the made that first servicemen and women, second-generation equivalent to that of a three-year-old added day. Japanese and a large number of people that extra pressure. However, the day turned out The next day we mentioned a trip to Misawa, Japan. just fine and now more children in our valley woke up to the We wondered why so many people in this have a better understanding of Japanese first snow of the valley had a connection to a city in Japan we culture. They now can also do some pretty year in Misawa. hadn’t really heard of. We slowly learned nifty origami animals and shapes, too, thanks However, the sun was out and, about the history behind the Wenatchee to their Japanese teachers! determined to not let the white stuff ruin Valley relationship with Misawa. The two Thanks to Clyde and Hugh, the Japanese our adventure, we places shared the common thread of being government, fog in Boise and Spokane, hard- went on a full day both ends of the first nonstop trans-Pacific working people in Misawa and the Wenatchee tour to see the sights. flight by and Hugh Herndon Valley Misawa Sister City Association and truly We visited the in their plane, , in 1931. Upon wonderful experiences with the numerous amazing Misawa further study, Pangborn and Herndon were delegations from Misawa, we found ourselves Aviation and Science under suspicion of being spies by the Japa- on the bullet train from Tokyo. The final leg of Museum, toured the nese government and were arrested. They our trip was on an extremely cute, small train port that is still were held for 58 days in Japan before to Misawa Station, damaged from the reluctantly given the green light to takeoff where we were massive tsunami in for their trans-Pacific attempt. They greeted by our good 2011 and took in Sabishiro Beach, the originally planned to leave from Tokyo, but friend Shindo-san sight of the departure of the Miss Veedol leaving from Misawa gave their heavy (“san”, pronounced in 1931. airplane a better chance of making it to the sahn, is the As has probably become rather other side of Pacific. Shortly after taking off, equivalent of Mr. or apparent, Misawa and airplanes fits Pangborn dropped their landing gear to Mrs. in Japanese). together like an all-you-can-eat buffet make the plane lighter. Part of the landing Before I go any further, there is a Japanese and a sumo wrestler. Misawa takes pride gear didn’t drop as he had expected, so word that everyone should learn. The word is in their nickname, “Sky City.” The Clyde had to climb out of the plane while it “Omotenashi” (Oh-moe-tey-nah-she), which Aviation and Science Museum contains an was 14,000 feet in the air to jar the stubborn means hospitality. I have travelled to many exact replica of the Miss Veedol and while part loose. They had planned on landing in countries in my life, but I have not found at the museum you can enjoy scores of

Boise or Spokane, but both were fogged in. people that take hospitality as seriously as the fun science related activities and try

YES 6. Train Bullet 5. Japan of Sea B. 4. Hokkaido A. 3. Tokyo C. 2. Honshu B. 1. Answers: Trivia P A G E 3 your flying skills with helicopter and airplane massage your back, soles of your feet, or – 24th. They are encouraging interested adults simulators. Misawa is also home to the neck. If you want to sweat out your stress, as well as children between the ages of 12 to , which houses a combined head for the sauna. Still more pools are 17 to apply. (FYI—The application process for the effort of US military and Japan Self Defense located outside so that your eyes can soak in 2014 delegation trip to Misawa ended March 15th.) forces. is also connected to the night sky just as your body soaks in the Simply go to www.wenatcheevalleymisawa.org the air base, which means that your clean, naturally-hot water. to begin exploring this wonderful opportunity. passenger plane might pull up alongside an The next morning, our departure day, we We have been blessed to be a part of this F-16. Few things can make your flying the were greeted outside the hotel by several of Association, with unforgettable experiences friendly skies more exciting than feeling like our friends. Three of them accompanied us and friendships that will last a lifetime. If you you’re in a scene from Top Gun. The bottom to the train station, which has an entire stair- are expecting the experience to be an line is that airplanes have been a big part of case mural celebrat- adventure, you will not be disappointed! Misawa’s history and, with their gigantic ing the Wenatchee Won’t you join us? Aviation and Science Museum, they don’t try Valley’s flying version to hide it. of the Miss Veedol Zach Davies, originally from the village of Orondo, We then had dinner with Hori-san, the first coming to Misawa WA, now lives in Wenatchee with his wife, Tomoko. When he is not studying to improve his mediocre person we three years ago. They Japanese or following the latest in the world of sumo hosted at our walked us out to the wrestling or soccer, he works as a Certified Financial home seven train platform, where Planner® in Wenatchee. years ago and hugs were given and goodbyes were said. As his family and our train pulled away, it reminded me that it concluded the is indeed the people that make the places we evening with love special. a soak at one of the many hot springs in the I encourage you to take the first step in area. Nothing feels better on a cold creating your own link to Japan and see just November night than a Japanese hot spring. how real and special the connection can be. The Japanese have developed hot spring The Wenatchee Valley Misawa Sister City enjoyment down to a science. One can Association is now accepting applications for choose between different pools with jets that the upcoming trip to Misawa from August 15th (Originally published in “The Good Life” January 2014)

Meet Your 2014 Delegation to Misawa

Delegation Leader Travel Coordinators Apple Blossom Apple Blossom Lily League Danie Meadows Tim Detering David & Judy Kelts Princess Royalty Chaperone Student Student East Wenatchee Caroline Dahl Lori Reed City Councilman

Max Wirth Sarah Murray Student Don & Donna Payne Sandra Whitley Student Jim Russell Karen Russell

Shayne Stanaway Mikel Stanaway Student Mission Statement: The mission of the Wenatchee Valley Misawa Sister City Association is to strengthen the climate of friendship between the cities of Misawa, Wenatchee and East Wenatchee by promoting Mailing Address: cultural exchange. The Association is dedicated to City of East Wenatchee furthering the historical significance of the first Attn: Teresa Allen non-stop Trans-Pacific flight by Clyde Pangborn PO Box 5385 and Hugh Herndon in October 1931. Wenatchee, WA 98807

Phone: 509-886-4507 Email: [email protected]

We’re on the web: wenatcheevalleymisawa.org

2014 WVMSCA Board of Directors President: David Kelts Vice President: Zach Davies Secretary: Teresa Allen Treasurer: Deanna Walters Sandra McCourt Rosie Martin Bryan Campbell LaVerne Bergstrom Jeril Hansen