“Fascinating Sister City Portland, Oregon!”

News in Japanese & in English

7/25（木）札幌パークホテルで開催されたイブニング・ディナ―・講演会には、国際短編映画祭、札幌・ポートランド姉妹都市提携50周年記念交流を機に、映画・芸術関連の事業を担当されている久保　俊哉（マ―ヴァリック・クリエィティブ・ワークス代表取締役プロデューサーをお招きして、オレゴン州の「姉妹都市ポートランドの隠れた魅力！」を映像を通して紹介して頂いた。環境No.１のバラの都ポートランドのイノベーティブな技術関係者、小学校をホテルに代え、観光スポットになったケネディ小学校などの紹介もあり、参加者も見入っていた姿が、印象的であった。

ところで、今年は札幌・ポートランド姉妹都市提携６０周年記念の節目の年であり、札幌から市長はじめ経済訪問団、市民訪問団も６月５日にポートランド市で開催された式典参加した。本協会からも加森副会長夫妻、札幌商工会議所の会頭で本協会の岩田理事、御手洗専務、それに商工会議所の廣田専務も参加し、６月６日には、ポートランドの商工会議所グループのポートランド・ビジネス・アライアンスの事務所において、本協会とオレゴン米日協会のデーン・アルタマン会長と加森　公人 副会長との間で提携の調印式が行われた。

On July 25, Mr. Toshiya Kubo–a wellknown short movie producer of Maverick Creative Wrks Ltd. was a guest speaker for the Evening Dinner. As Mr. Kubo has been involved in film making regarding Sapporo-Portland Sister City programs for the past 50 years, he intdoduced not only beauty spots of Portland but also bestkept secret tourism spots and places in and around Portland. Kennedy Elementary school is one example– a school building turned itself into  one of the finest and  fascinating hotels by inovative  Oregonians. The audience loved the new hotel at first glance.

Incidentally, as this year marks the celebration of the 60th annivesary of the forming of Portland-Sapporo Sister City Relationship, Mayor of Sapporo, business leaders’ group, and citizen’s group visted Portland, Oregon to attend ceremonial events held on June 5.

On June  6,  Japanese-American Sociaty of Oregon(JASO) and our society(AJSH) concluded Memorandum of Cooperation and Unterstanding signed by our Vice President, Kimito Kamori of AJSH and Chair, Mr. Dean Alterman.

From our side, Keigo Iwata- Chaman of Sapporo Chamber of Commerce and AJSH’s,Board member, Ryu Shibata, AJSH’s Board member,  Shoji Mitarai,Executive Director, Mrs. Kazuko Kamori, Kyoichi Hirota　,Executive Director of Chamber of Commerce also attended the signing ceremony.

３月の例会には、ミズーリ州セントルイス出身の新進気鋭で在札幌米国総領事館勤務のカール・ホジソン大尉・兼海外地域指揮官（ミズーリ州立大・陸軍士官学校卒）をお招きし、講演会を開催しました。演題は「海外地域担当者としての私」。北海道と日本文化、外交、異文化体験についてパワーポイントを使用し、日本語で語って頂きました。上智大学にも在籍経験のあるカールさんは、空手、柔道にも精通されておられ異文化コミュニケーターでもあります。

Our guest speaker Captain Carl Emery Hodgson is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in November 2008.　Currently, he works as a Foreign Area Officer (48H-Northeast Asia) at U.S. Consulate General in Sapporo. As he also attended Sophia University, he がgave a talk in Japanese with visual materials.

Carl Hodgson ’s talk centered around his home State Saint Louis, Missouri–home of the famous jazz music St. Louis  blues, the professional baseball team the Cardinals, Bud Wiser Beer, Arch and other places of interest.    He is a great athlete in Karate and judo. We also happily found that he was  a tough rugby player.

What interested the audience was his :1) initial encounter with Japan and the Japanese language(He learned it while he was studying at Sophia University and took the Japanese Language Basic Course in Yokohama.).  One photo was taken  at the Imperial House; and 2)  military experiences and careers in Texas where he served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer until October 2012, including an OEF deployment to Afghanistan in 2011-2012.  He served as the battalion plans officer until September 2014 in Hawaii. He has obtained many military awards –which include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and Basic Parachutist Wings.

His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Airborne School, Ranger School, Maneuver Captain’s Career Course, Mechanized Leaders Course, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course, Mountain Leader Course and Mountain Leader Course and the Japanese Language Basic Course.

We wish him well and the best of luck in the future!

５月２４日（木）は総会日であり、総会の初めに杉野きりん先生率いる 北海道インターナショナルスクールの４４名からなるミュージック・グループによる素晴らしく、目を見張るショーとエンターテイメントに参加者全員が感動。なお総会前には本年度の理事会が開催され、会長には伊藤義郎会長、副会長には加森公人、小池善明、藤田道子、それに専務理事いは御手洗昭治理事らが再任された。また、運営理事には、布施正樹、安斎勲、石井純二、杉山喜一郎、眞木陽子、高橋希典、御手洗昭治が選任された。

On May 24, 2018(Thu.)  the 2018 General Assembly was held on the 3rd floor Ginsen at Sapporo Grand Hotel. Prior to the General Assembly, the AJSH’s Board meeting was held and Mr. Yoshiro Io was reelected as Chair(President)  of the AJSH. Vice Presidents–Kimihito Kamori, Yoshiaki Koike, and Michiko Fujita were also re-elected, and Shoji Mitarai was named  the Executive Director again.    Masaki Fuse, Isamu Anzai, Jyunji Ishii  , Kiichiro Sugiyama, Yoko Maki, Maresuke Takahashi, and Shoji Mitarai were chosen as Managing Directors.

At the beginning of the General Assembly, music groups  HIS students made up of 44–led by Kirin Sugina put on a very energetic, lively and splendid  show and performance.  The audience was lured by their dynamic music and entertainment.

3月22日（木）京王プラザホテル札幌（扇の間）にて西山製麺（株）社長の西山隆司氏をお迎えしランチョン講演会を開催。西山社長は奥様、ご子息、お嬢様を伴って参加下さった。講演タイトルは「サッポロ西山ラーメン誕生の秘話と海外展開～札幌Ramen文化を世界に！～で、西山製麺の歴史（1955年に札幌で生ラーメンを開発）して以来、日本以外の欧州事業拡大のためドイツ・デユツセルフドルフにSapporo Nishiyama Europe GmbHを設立。2014年には、アメリカのデラウエア州とニューヨークにSapporo Nishiyama U.S.A.,Inc.に現地法人を設立。また、サウジアラビア、ドバイ、トルコ、クエートなどにも地上調査をを展開するなど、札幌発のグローバル食品を企業を目指すようだ。加えて、西山会長は在札幌米国総領事館のロナルド・ガイダック(1960-63）領事も札幌味噌の愛好家で「味の三平」の常連であった秘話も紹介。ライチェル・ブルーネット・チェン主席領事にとってもビッグ・サプライズとなった。

On March 22(Thu.),we invited Mr. Takashi Nishiyama(a AJSH member) as a guest speaker for the talk entitled “Nishiyama Seimen(Ltd.) ‘s family  history  dating back to 1955, together with the best kept secret  of Nihiyama style Ramen.   Mr Nishiyama’s family–his wife, his son, and his daughter–also atteded the luncheon meeting.  His talk also centered around how he had developed and inovated his business strategies, and Sapporo Ramen  Culture beyond Sapporo in the global business sphere— Sapporo Nishiyama Europe GmbH  in Germany,  Sapporo Nishiyama U.S.A.,Inc. in Delaware in 2014. ,and Nishiyama Ramen U.S.A. in New York . Mr. Nishiyama also coducted marketing research visiting some parts of the world, including Saudi Arabia, Dobai, Turkey.  Another best-kept secret story for us, especially  Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate General Rachel-san, was when he touched upon this story— the former Consul, Ronald A.Gaiduk was madly in love with Sapporo Miso Ramen and became a frequent visiter to Ajino Sanpei Ramen Store.