Report of Regular Meeting August 2003
Tsuyoshi Hosokawa, Secretary
On August 23rd (Saturday) - 24th (Sunday), 2003, in Tozanso Cottage in Gotenba.
August 23rd, we began the reception at 13:30; the members started check-in. However, the congestion of freeway, which was caused by an accident, delayed the arrival of the other members. At 14:30, the regular meeting, which Mr. Kawamura presided, began in the 4th boardroom of the building No. 2 with the opening chime of the President, Mr. Tanaka; -- Y's song, Y's principle, reading of the Bible and prayer by Mr. Kuroiwa, introduction of the guests and the visitors, member news, report of the business committees and the YMCA, happy birthday, song of YMCA. -- Mr. Matsumoto gave us an information in the end. Then, closing chime.
From 15:45, we had the workshop, sponsored by the EMC committee, whose purpose is the understanding of the YMCA. Mr. Shin'ichiro Nakagami of the YMCA Union lectured with the title: "the things which the YMCA tackles now".
He did the comprehensible presentation, using the personal computer and the projector. He explained: first, environment analysis of the YMCA, analysis of the inner management resources; next, recent new efforts, direction of the business spread, compatible to the society of few children and many old persons, fact which he learned in the YMCA of North America, explanation of the brand management with cases in North America, efforts of the YMCA in Japan which accompanies it, appearance as the group of the public interest with the membership by design, conversion into the bearers from the participation members, efforts on the program scene and result of the promotion with the character development, then, image of type of the YMCA in the 21th century, and consequence. In the time of inquiry - replying, a lot of members had an active remark. Mr. Nakagami answered it sincerely. There was an opinion exchange. It was the workshop, which expressed the zest of members who wish the development of the YMCA in future.
The supper began with the prayer before meals of Mr. Tsujimura in the barbecue place at 18:15. In the evening when it had stopped the hot positive shining which we experienced after a long time in this summer when it continued the long rain, the outdoors was comfortable. There was a present of corn from Mr. Nakatomi. We ate until our stomach became full. It was delicious.
[barbecue]
At 19:30, we gathered around the camp fire, whose leader was Mr. Hiroyuki Shiratori who would guide us in Mt. Fuji next day. The fire burned in the firewood. We rose up greatly with the story and the song: the great spotted woodpecker and the japanese pygmy woodpecker which inhabit in the forest of the Tozanso cottage, the big triangle of summer which we see in the night sky in summer. Last, we listened quietly the words to love nature which the chief of Seattle told before. We returned in the times of boys and girls and we spent the pleasant time. Next, we moved to the lounge of the building No. 1. The friendship meeting started at 20:40. First, we toast with beer. In this meeting, we did the practice and the selection of the song which we would sing in the Convention of the Toshin District in September. Mr. Kuroiwa prepared "One Hand", "Flower" and "My Bonnie." We all sang them one after another with the motion of hands. We choose "One Hand" at the narrow margin.
At 6 o'clock in the morning on August 24th, we gathered in the entrance of the building No. 2. We walked about one hour, led by Mr. Kenzo Sato and Mr. Kawamura, through the green forest of the mountain behind the Tozanso cottage; we passed in front of the Itsukushima shrine; we went around the Higashiyama lake.
From 7:10, at the 4th boardroom, we did the early morning worship, which the President Mr. Tanaka presided, whose musical performance was done by the President of the Menettes Club Ms. Tanaka, whose sermon was done by Mr. Koriyama.
Then, we took breakfast leisurely in the 2nd floor of the building No. 1. We gathered in front of the building No. 2 at 9 o'clock. We left for the "promenade in Fuji" by the bus of the YMCA which Mr. Hiroyuki Shiratori operated and guided. We planned to get off the bus and walk near Shin-Gogome of Gotenbaguchi. However, because of the long rain in this summer, the road became interrupted. We changed our course into the way of mountaineering of Suyamaguchi. With the guide of Mr. Shiratori, we saw: the nikko fir; the oak, whose age crosses 300 years, whose leaf seems to be a big palm; the slough of the japanese spring cicada. There was an accident, when crossing a big fir, in whose surface the lichen grew, which a typhoon blew down in 1996. We reached at Suyama-Otainai. When we returned, we saw the chestnuts tiger (a kind of the monarch butterfly), which was dancing gracefully among the tenninso (leucosceptrum japonicum) which blooms in the edge of the forest. We appreciated enough the nature of Mt. Fuji.
[promenade in Fuji]
Then, we returned to the Tozanso cottage at 12:30. We ate lunch at the 2nd floor of the building No. 1. In 13 o'clock, we completed all the enriched programs, where we learned well and enjoyed well, from which we got our vitality to the good service. We closed the summer wellness meeting.