Kyoto Gaidai Nishi cultural exchange this year could be last
Date : 20/11/2011
Source : Saipan Tribune (Moneth Deposa)
Sixty-four students from Japan's Kyoto Gaidi Nishi High School arrived on Saipan yesterday for their annual exchange program with Grace Christian Academy.
The group, which also included four teachers, conveyed to GCA officials that this year could be the last of their annual visit to Saipan, which started in 2003.
They said the decision to stop the cultural exchange program is due to the lack of direct flights from Kyoto to Saipan.
Kenji Ishimi, dean of faculty of Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School, said they could still change their decision depending on the availability of direct flights next year.
He shared that students, in order to continue their friendship and close ties with the local students, have to bear the burden of traveling long hours from Kyoto to Kansai and Incheon just to connect a flight to Saipan.
“It's a long journey for our students.so we're not sure if we can continue this cultural exchange with the local schools here,” Ishimi said.
Saipan Tribune learned that Kyoto Gaidai Nishi has been holding cultural exchanges with local schools and this year marks the second time with Grace Christian Academy.
Ishimi said the Japanese students will also take up short diving lessons, participate in sports activities with local students, and spend two nights with the families of local students as part of the schools' home-stay program.
In a visit to GCA yesterday, the visiting Japanese group was seen enjoying outdoor activities as they took part in GCA's volleyball and basketball games.
A short welcome ceremony was also held at the school's chapel where both schools presented special dance performances.
Ishimi said students from Kyoto look forward every year to the cultural exchange visit to Saipan schools. He said the direct interaction with local counterparts helps Japanese students better understand and appreciate each other's culture and identity.
According to Susan Pajarillaga, GCA head teacher, 83 high school students joined the activities yesterday.
She said it is the GCA's objective to develop their students' skills in communication and interaction by mingling with foreign students. The activities, she said, help all participants become appreciative of other cultures and traditions.
Nation's No. 2 gangster arrested
Date: 19/11/2010
Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Kyoto - Police on Thursday arrested the No. 2-ranked member of Yamaguchi-gumi, the nation's largest crime syndicate, for allegedly extorting 40 million yen in so-called protection money from a man in the construction industry.
Kiyoshi Takayama's house in Chuo Ward, Kobe, and a building next door that is operated by Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate gang Kodo-kai were raided on the day, Kyoto prefectural police said.
Takayama, 63, heads Kodo-kai, which is based in Nagoya, in addition to serving as Yamaguchi-gumi's second-in-command.
According to the police, Takayama extorted 40 million yen from a 65-year-old man who works in construction over three occasions from summer 2005.
He was quoted by police as saying, "I'm not involved in the matter."
The police allege he did so in collusion with Yoshiyuki Takayama, head of Omi-ikka, another Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate based in Otsu.
The 53-year-old Omi-ikka boss has already been indicted on suspicion of blackmail, the police said.
The police plan to conduct investigations at Kodo-kai headquarters on Friday, and Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters in Nada Ward, Kobe, as early as Saturday.
Kodo-kai is a major affiliate of Yamaguchi-gumi, and was the gang with which Yamaguchi-gumi leader Kenichi Shinoda began his career.
Kodo-kai and its own affiliate gangs have about 4,000 members in total.
In September 2009, the National Police Agency instructed prefectural police headquarters to begin an intensive crackdown on Kodo-kai.
===
Target gang's income next
By Yusuke Takahashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
With Yamaguchi-gumi leader Kenichi Shinoda in Tokyo's Fuchu Prison and not due for release until April, the police believe Kiyoshi Takayama is virtually running Yamaguchi-gumi with Kodo-kai's support.
Takayama's arrest suggests the police are pursuing a strategy of undermining the nation's largest crime syndicate by targeting its top leaders.
"We can expect Yamaguchi-gumi to fall into disarray with the arrest of its second-in-command," a senior NPA official said. "We plan to take advantage of this opportunity to tear the organization apart."
Kodo-kai has shown its readiness to confront the police, such as by monitoring police investigators' cars and homes.
The gang also does not hesitate to target ordinary citizens. In October 2007, a member of Kodo-kai affiliate attacked the leader of a Kagoshima citizens' group that was working to expel crime syndicates from the area.
Though many observers agree Takayama's arrest might weaken Kodo-kai, dismantling the organization is another matter. Kodo-kai is known to have abundant revenue streams, and its financial clout gives the group much sway over other Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate gangs.
The police's next task is to cut off Kodo-kai's income. The police need to take effective action to that end as soon as possible, before the group recovers from the shock of Takayama's arrest.
Arashiyama Maple Leaf Festival
Date: 16/11/2010
Arashiyama (嵐山), on the Western outskirts of Kyoto, is popular with tourists for its monkey park on top of the mountain and for its night time, bonfire-lit cormorant-fishing in the summer. In late fall, the mountains turn to magnificent colors thanks to its diversified forests. The most famous tree is the Japanese Maple that shows vivid red tones and gives its name to the festival that took place on Sunday, November 14th. The weather was slightly foggy and sunny and dimmed the colorful landscape which has yet to turn to full maturity. If you missed the festival and have a chance to visit Arashiyama later on this month on a bright sunny day, you may contemplate a more fiery view, and what is more, in the returned peace and relative quiet.
 |
| Mount Arashiyama across the Ōi River |
Arashiyama is seldom deserted and lines of visitors crossing the Togetsukyo bridge over the Ōi River (大井川, Ōigawa) move slowly, often spilling out on the road and winning over the pace of traffic. Cars should simply be banned from crossing during week-ends and roads left entirely opened to pedestrians. During the Arashiyama Maple Festival, traffic congestion is of course worse.
 |
| Japanese Maple in Autumn |
Actors in brightly colored, traditional costume drift in long boats on the Ōi River and make a nice scenery, from a distance. The Eastern shore, where fishermen boats set afloat, has been suddenly privatized by locals who industriously roped in access for a fee. Street vendors offered the usual delicacies along the crowded street that extends Sanjōdori avenue - the same that crosses the Kamo River in downtown Kyoto about 6 kilometers away. Street shops and drink vending machines blocked the view where the crowd did not, yet a close view was not necessarily recommended as the illusion quickly fades away.
Long boats were made of glass fiber instead of the more charming wooden versions that carry the tourists during summer nights to watch the cormorant-fishing. Songs and music, which would have been otherwise beautifully fitting, blared through the inevitable PA system with an epicenter on the dock. Ugly little blue glass fiber rowing boats swarmed around and completed the fake and commercial atmosphere of the event, ruining the efforts of community members who probably spent several week-ends and evenings to prepare it and share their traditional customs and folklore. Visitors, mostly Japanese and Chinese, seemed oblivious and accustomed.
 |
 |
Arashiyama Maple Festival was a excellent opportunity for me to discover the mountain track that climbs up, past Sagakameno-cho stone staircase, to a panoramic view over autumn leaves and the river, and further up where Arashiyama Park ends and real outdoors begin. The music could still be heard but at a level that made it enjoyable. A few climbers in brand new slick outfits, the trendy 'yamaboys' and 'yamagirls' cheerfully answered my Japanese greetings. Faraway boats in the valley looked much more genuine and echoed of playful high school students trips - serenity at last.
Access to Arashiyama
By train
Local trains of the Sagano Line (San'in Main Line) depart from Kyoto Station and stop at three stations in the northwest part of the city, including Saga Arashiyama (a good starting point for exploring the Arashiyama area). Note that express services may not stop at the stations you need to disembark at, so it's usually best to rely on local trains.
The Matsuo area is served by the Hankyū Arashiyama Line, which branches off from the Hankyū Kyōto Main Line at Katsura Station.
The Randen tram line, Kyoto's only surviving streetcar, ends at Arashiyama Station, directly in the heart of the area. The main line runs from the central city at Shijo-Omiya, while the Kitano branch line travels to Hakubaicho, serving several sites in the northern city. Fare is a flat ¥200, and an all-day pass is ¥500.
By subway
Although the municipal subway system doesn't serve Arashiyama directly, travellers coming from other parts of the city (especially Central and Higashiyama) can use the Tōzai Line as far west as Nijō Station, where they can transfer to JR trains running on the Sagano Line (San'in Main Line).
By bus
Bus 11, 28, and 93 will get you to the Arashiyama area. The 91 Bus will take you to Daikaku-ji. The Matsuo area can also be reached using Bus 28, and it's the only bus that travels to this area from Kyoto Station. Be aware that the ¥500 Bus Pass does not work for any of the Arashiyama or Matsuo-bound buses.
View Larger Map
Kyoto Festivals and Temple Flea Markets
The Kyoto community eagerly joins in for festivals and flea markets where one can make nice encounters on occasion. Check next event in the calendar below.
Back to top
