By the time you read this article, my wife and I
along with a delegation of nine others from Visalia will be in Miki Japan
celebrating the 50th anniversary of our sister city
relationship. I have been asked to speak
at their Hardware Festival, which attracts 160,000 people annually. I thought for my article this month that I
would provide you with a copy of the speech which I've written. I will actually be delivering my remarks in
Japanese, as I lived for two years in Japan and have a little fluency in the
language. I suspect that since Visalia’s
founding in 1852, I am the first city council member who speaks Japanese, which
is convenient since our sister city is in Japan. I’ve included a translation of the first
paragraph of my speech in two different versions of Japanese – Kanji and
Romaji, so that you can see what it looks like.
Enjoy!
I am happy to be here at your Hardware
Festival with 10 others from Visalia, California, in America. As the
vice-mayor of Visalia, I bring you the greetings of our mayor and city council.
アメリカ、カリフォルニア州バイセリア市の副市長として、市長並びに市議会を代表しご挨拶させていただきます。三木市の金物祭りに、他の１０名の訪問者と共に参加できますことを嬉しく思っております。
America, Kariforuniashu,
Vaiseriashino fukushichou toshite, shichou narabini sigikaio daihyousi,
goaisatsu saseteitadakimasu. Mikishi no kanamono-matsurini, hokano jyuumei no
houmonsyato tomoni sankadekimasukoto o ureshikuomotte orimasu.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of
the sister city relationship between our two great cities. We have come to help celebrate that
friendship.
Although I lived in Japan 40
years ago as a young Mormon missionary, this is my first visit to the Garden
City Miki. Even though I have only been
here a short time, I can already see that you are a community with a great deal
of pride and beauty. And you manufacture
high quality tools and hardware, some of which my wife and I plan to buy and take
home with us!
Our sister city relationship began
when a student from your city, Seiro Takehara was a student at our College of
the Sequoias. He dreamed of seeing Miki
and Visalia form a sister city relationship.
Since 1966, many delegations of
students and citizens from each city have visited the other. The last time that Visalia sent a delegation
here was in 2008.
I have fond memories of a group
from Miki which came to visit Visalia in 2011.
My family hosted Ami Maruki for a week.
She was a high school student at the time. She later returned to America as a college
student to visit our family.
In some parts of the world today
there are wars, danger and destruction.
But through exchanges of ideas, and visits between our people, we are
doing our small part to promote friendship, peace and understanding.
I want to thank you for the warm
welcome which we have received from your city.
We look forward to your visit to Visalia
next spring when we will dedicate the Miki Japan Park which we are
currently building. That will mark the
beginning of our next 50 years of friendship.
While our cultures may be different, we share the desire to build a
world based on peace and understanding.
We can learn much from each other.
We look forward to your visit and reciprocating your hospitality.
Again, on this 50th
anniversary, we thank you for hosting us and helping us to learn more about
your great city.
If you have questions or topics
regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles,
please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.
For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.
