ISSUE #81

MARCH 2015

JLGC NEWSLETTER
Japan Local Government Center ( CLAIR, New York )Issue No.81 March 2015

CLAIR Fellowship Exchange Program 2014
was held from October 19 to October 29 in 2014

CLAIR FELLOWSHIPEXCHANGE PROGRAM 2014

ISSUE NO.81 MARCH 2015
CLAIR Fellowship Exchange
Program 2014 was held fromOctober 19 to October 29 in2014 (Page1-6)
New York Times Travel
Show 2015 (Page7)
Japan Week 2015 (Page8-10)
What Japanese food do you
like best? (Page11)

This program has beenaffording senior stateand local government
officials an opportunity
to experience Japanese
government
administration first hand.
This year the program
was held in Tokyo andAmagasaki City, Hyogo
Prefecture.

Theme: Promotion of the tourism industry
Amagasaki City is known as an industrial city, but not well known as tourist
destination. Now, promoting tourism in Amagasaki City has become an important issue, improving not only the local economy but also reenergizing thelocal communities. They would like to exchange opinions and share information about promoting tourism with senior officials who have experience orknowledge in the field.
Participants exchanged their opinions, especially on the tourism industry. Also
they experienced home-stays and traditional Japanese culture.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER(CLAIR, NY)
3 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10016-5902
212.246.5542 office • 212.246.5617 fax
www.jlgc.org

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Mr. Bob Gatt
Mayor, City of Novi, MI

In October, 2014, I set out for a trip of a lifetime. Although
the flight was long and went through the night, I could not
sleep because of the excitement that I felt coursing throughmy veins.
Upon arrival in Tokyo, I was met by Jasmine, a CLAIR employee who could not have been any nicer or more helpful.
She put me on the correct bus to my hotel, where I was met
by yet another CLAIR staff member who saw to it that myroom was ready and that I could finally rest.
The next 11 days are a whirlwind of memories, excitement
and pleasurable experiences. We traveled to Amagasaki City
via Shin-Osaka, the Japanese bullet train. We met the Mayorof Amagasaki who could not have been nicer. The Amagasaki
staff showed us around their city and the pride they felt
shined through. We saw parks, theatres, factories and evenstayed at the Takeyaso Inn where many of us experienced
the traditional Japanese baths. Finally, as a group, we sharedthoughts, ideas and opinions about what we saw and learned
with Amagasaki City officials.
Although it is always a good feeling to “go home”, when theend of our trip came, I felt a deep sense of sorrow. The Japanese people could not have been more hospitable. I will definitely return to Japan and spend more time in that mostbeautiful country.

Ms. Michelle Smibert
President, Association of
Municipal Managers, Clerksand Treasurers of Ontario

I had the distinct pleasure of being a participant of the2014 CLAIR program and exchange. It is without questionthat this program has been the highlight of my career forso many different reasons but all relate to the people aspect. First of all, I was so very impressed with the highlyorganized CLAIR staff members who go way out of their
way to greet you, make you feel at home and who take thetime to ensure that you are exposed to all of the great“experiences” that Japan has to offer. Secondly, it was suchan awesome experience to get to know so many great people from some really great organizations and Associations
from North America. The program helps to put in perspective the great number of organizations that have such positive impacts on Local Government and how we should be
networking more so that we can learn from each other’sexperiences and perspectives. Finally, the staff and theMayor of Amagasaki City were amazing as they let us into
their world of challenges and spoke to us about their hard
work on capitalizing on their opportunities within theirbeautiful City. There was no doubt that a lot of hard workand planning had gone into the program and we were fortunate to be able to see the progress on projects and also
look at adopting these approaches to our own local governments here in North America. I am truly grateful that I
had this opportunity to meet such great people!

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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Ms. Julie Lays
Editor / Group Director, National Conference of State Legislatures

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Mr. Sam Mamet
Executive Director, Colorado
Municipal LeagueThis trip was a once in a lifetime experience. I had somedoubts prior to going not having done this type of trip before. I kept asking myself, "what on earth did I get myself
into!" However, I would tell anyone who is given this honorof participating to do so without hesitation.
The trip itself was well organized; the group participants
were an absolute delight to be with; and the cultural exchange was extremely rewarding and enriching.
There were so many highlights, and I will name a few:
• Japan is a marvelous country with wonderful and kindpeople. I knew very little about the country before going. I
will come back again someday. I especially enjoyed the richand deep history of Japan, and the respect for tradition.
• It was fascinating to learn about the legal and politicalstructure of Japan and how the national government, theprefectures, and the municipalities all interact.
• The lectures and presentations were terrific and informative.
• Japan understands the importance of infrastructure, justtake a ride on the "bullet train" sometime and you will know
exactly what I mean.
• Amagasaki is a wonderful city with a great vision and direction for the future. We spent a lot of time looking at thecity's many projects and giving feedback. I hope to go backand see the progress I know that those dedicated city officials will continue to be making over the years ahead.

• The home stay was a sheer delight. If every family on
this planet could do at least one home stay with anotherfamily, perhaps this world might be a better place. I hopethat my home stay results in a long and lasting friendship.
• Tokyo is a world class city. It is amazing and worth avisit. It will be a fabulous Summer Olympics host city in afew years.
I want to thank the Japan Local Government Center, theCouncil of Local Authorities for International Relations,and the National League of Cities for this opportunity. I
will cherish the memories for a long time to come.

Mr. Justin Fisk
Policy Associate for Federal
and International Affairs,
Council of State Governments

I had the pleasure of participating in the CLAIR program last November. We spent about a week and a halfin Tokyo and Amagasaki Prefecture where I had theopportunity to learn the nuances of Japan’s governmental system at the federal, state, and local levels. TheCLAIR staff packed our days and nights with visits togovernment ministries, private sector companies, andlocal attractions. During the trip, I was surprised tolearn that local governments in Japan are utilizing innovative and creative solutions that can be adopted bylocal governments in America to solve many commonproblems, such as turning an illegal landfill into a beautiful public garden. It is clear that local government officials from the U.S. and Japan can learn a lot from eachother, and the CLAIR program provides a very usefulplatform for our governments to do this and to exchange best practices.

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Mr. Jon Branson
Deputy City Manager,
City of Pearland, TX

On behalf of the International City/County Managers
Association and the City of Pearland, I would like totake this opportunity to give a hearty Texas "ThankYou" to CLAIR for the great opportunity to participate
in the 2014 Local Government Exchange in Tokyo andAmagasaki City. The Staff at CLAIR was absolutely
fantastic and made sure that our trip went off withouta hitch. They did an outstanding job of making sure
all the details were taken care of and we had everything we needed for a successful tour of Japan.

A good portion of our time in Japan was with spent
with officials from the City of Amagasaki City. The
City is an industrial City with a unique feel and vibe.
We had the great pleasure to meet the Mayor, Ms
Kazumi Inamura, the former co-spokesperson ofGreens Japan and the youngest female Mayor electedin Japan. During our exchange we discussed challenges that we both face in local government and throughthe exchange, shared ideas and methodologies thatwill assist each other in growing our communities.
Japan is a great country with amazing people, an outstanding transportation system, a unique history withnumerous temples and attractions. The CLAIR staff
lead and outstanding trip packed full events and tours
that allowed us to experience the Japanese culture
first hand creating an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. I commend CLAIR for a great
program and wish continued success in the exchange
as you promote Japan and allow the western world
the opportunity to see what a great country you have.

Although this was my first visit to Japan, I can say
with all certainly, that it will not be my last. What I
enjoyed the most during the Exchange were the Japanese people. Throughout the trip they were polite,
respectful, open, helpful and genuine. The manner inwhich I felt welcomed in their country was simply
overwhelming. One of the many highlights for me
was the homestay with the Nakishi family. From themoment that they welcomed me into their home, I felt
like I had known them for years. Shortly after my arrival, they had me in their kitchen cooking a Japanesemeal comprised of Octopus, ham, eggs, onions andpeppers. I will not forget the joy that I had sharing
this unique experience with them. Another highlightof my homestay was visiting the cities of Nara, Kyoto,
Kobe and Osaka with my host family.

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Ms. Lauren Crawford

Mr. David O'Hara

Program Manager,
International City/County Management
AssociationManager, Fort YorkNational Historic Site,
City of Toronto

A big and sincere 'Thank you' to the Japan Local Government Center, CLAIR staff and the everyone involved from the City of Amagasaki for organizing sucha well thought out program! I found everyone weinteracted with to be open and sincere in wanting toexchange opinions and ideas. Our home family stays
provided our group with unforgettable memories that
helped to deepen our understanding of Japan and Japanese culture. I want to thank Amagasaki for hosting
an opinion exchange to delve deeper into issues thatare facing their wonderful city. It truly was an incredible and unforgettable experience that I have talked tonumerous colleagues about. The experience provided
me with great professional development and allowed
me to think creatively about problems I face in myday to day operations. I can’t wait to continue to follow along with JLGC / CLAIR in their future programming. One final and big hearty ‘Thank you’ again!

I want to thank everyone at CLAIR for making the2014 Local Government Exchange and Cooperation
Seminar such a wonderful experience. The CLAIR staff
and the organization and thought that went into theseminar were truly beyond compare. Participating in
the Tokyo seminar and the study tour in Amagasaki
City provided such a unique opportunity to learn
more about Japan's history, culture, and government
administration. The exchange of information and ideas with representatives and travel colleagues
throughout the seminar was invaluable and I returnhome with lessons I'll certainly be able to share withothers and apply in my own endeavours.
A special thank-you to the Kaneko family for making
the homestay such a wonderful experience and to theCanadian Urban Institute for making it possible forme to attend the seminar.
I certainly look forward to returning to Japan again in
the near future.

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New York Times Travel Show 2015
New York Times Travel Show was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from 23rd to 25thJanuary. Over 500 exhibitors from all over theworld attended this event and showed off to theparticipants travel information to everywhere inthe world. JLGC staffs also attended this event onJanuary 24th and 25th as the exhibitor of the Japan Booth and introduced Japanese travel information to participants who are interested in Japan.
In this event, a lot of people who love or used tobe in Japan came to our booth in order to get thetravel information to Japan. Many people seemed
to be interested in visiting big cities in Japan, suchas Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Some of them don’tknow where these cities are located, how to getthere and how long it takes, so we explained tothem by using a Japan map the idea of traveling inJapan.

For example, we have the Shinkansen (a bullettrain) in many prefectures. It is fast, it is reliable(always on time), it is comfortable and it will be
the best way to see Japan. And the Hokuriku
Shinkansen will start working between Tokyo andKanazawa city, Ishikawa prefecture, which is located northwest from Tokyo, in March 2015. So,
we may have many opportunities to take theShinkansen during travel in Japan.
I was impressed many people were interested in
the travel to Japan, I hope they will come to Japanin the future and have great experiences, such as
eating wonderful Japanese food, watching beautiful scenery and experiencing Japanese cultures.

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Japan Week 2015
“Japan Week” is an annual event, held in New York
City’s iconic Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall. It
is of short duration; this year it was held from 18th tothe 20th February. But, packed into that short amountof time is a veritable smorgasbord of everything Japanese. It is truly amazing how much can be squeezed
into such a short amount of time. If the number of visitors is anything to go by, then the celebration of Japan
was an enormous success.

What about a marusei butter sandwich (a Hokkaido
cookie sandwich filled with rum-raisin butter)! Then
there is haginotsuki (a Sendai cake-like sweet with custard filling). I am sure that many Americans have tasted
green tea ice cream – let me assure you it is fabulous.
But what about eating green tea chocolate cake (a favourite of Kyoto or Hyogo)? Finally, one should try an
Okinawan delicacy – beniimo tart (made from purpleyams).

Vanderbilt Hall is split into two parts by a hallway tothe main concourse of the station. So, one of the entrances from the street means that one has to passthrough the Hall on the way to catching one’s train.
Thus, the Hall is an ideal place to hold exhibitions andother events to capture the attention of the travelling
public. “Japan Week” is organised to take advantage ofthat split. On one side, there are all sorts of vendors
enticing the public to sample their wares. On the otherside, a stage was set up for special performances.
So, what was included in the celebration of Japan? On
the food side, long lines were seen waiting to try‘Dotonbori’ from Japan (these are grilled dumplings
filled with fresh octopus). Or, what about the crispy‘daigaku imo’(these are deep fried sweet potatoes on astick, often eaten cold). Then there was ‘Beard Papa’
cream puffs, a delicious dessert. Sun Noodle satisfies
the ramen desire that is Japan’s comfort food. Thoughmade in the United States for the past 30 years, theyare as close to authentically Japanese as the chief executive officer, Hidehito Uki, says he can make them. For
those who already know, Mitsuwa supermarkets displayed a whole array of Japanese foods and gifts.
Mitsuwa supermarkets are quite popular all over theUnited States, with a local one just across the Hudson
River in Edgewater, New Jersey. One feature of a lot ofJapanese department stores is the ‘Depachika’.
‘Depachika’ are food markets in the basement of Japanese department stores. They sell snacks, sweets andall sorts of what we would call street foods.

Japan Week 2015
Famous manufacturers were there to show off productsthat are very familiar to the American market. Seiko
showed off a grand number of their special watches.
Sharp is introducing a one-cup green tea machine. Incidentally, it can make green tea latte, hot or cold and,unlike the green tea (matcha) often provided in Japanese hotels, this machine will prepare the tea leaf andthen dispense the tea all in one process. As an inveterate
tea drinker, I for one am looking forward to having thismachine in my kitchen! Ito-en, another very familiar
product in the United States, was displaying all sorts ofnew tastes for Americans – including the famous green
tea ice cream. No Japanese event would be complete
without the chance to savour her most famous drink –Sake. And so, “Japan Week” provided visitors with asampling of a variety of Japanese Sakes. Not to be outdone, visitors could also get a chance to taste the many
types of Japanese beers.

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Japan Week 2015
“Japan Week” was much more than food, however. The
history of Japan and its culture, both ancient and modern, is unique in this world. So, “Japan Week” gave thevisitor a sample of the ancient and the modern. Thesewere the performances on the stage set up in the otherhalf of the exhibition. From Wednesday afternoon toFriday evening, there were short performances of various aspects of Japanese culture and history. A demonstration of traditional wedding attire by Watabe Weddings was a beautiful sight. Watabe Weddings even offered a special chance for a couple to travel to Japan fora romantic getaway by modelling the traditional wedding costume. Here are the winners!

Presentation of Kabuki © Insider Images
Then there was traditional music. Even though locatedin New York, Masayo Ishigure and her students gave astirring performance on the Koto and Shamisen instruments – another tribute to ancient custom. Then there
was that masterful presentation of another ancient artform – Kabuki.

Japanese traditional wedding costume © Insider Images
Performance on the Koto

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Japan Week 2015

But modernism was not to be outdone. First, there was a cool displayof kawaii fashion. Then, there was the ever popular characters
Doraemon and Domo. There were images of the queen of J-Pop, Kyary
Pamyu Pamyu, proudly announcing the best innovation for visitors toJapan in quite a while: もしもしにっぽん (or, in English, Moshi
Moshi Nippon, which means ‘hello Japan’). This is an attempt tospread Japan’s pop culture to the world through fashion, music,
anime, food and a whole lot more. The MOSHI MOSHI BOX is part ofthis reaching out to the world by becoming the go-to place for visitors
to Japan and the would-be visitors to Japan in many other countries.
The first MOSHI MOSHI BOX was launched in 2014, right in the middle of Japan’s pop-culture mecca, Harajuku. More are planned in various cities around the world.

MOSHI MOSHI BOX, youth culture welcomesvisitors to Japan

Finally, what would Japan be without its
most famous technological feat – the Shikansen? Japan Railways East was there toshow off its newest bullet-train: The E-7.
All in all, compressed into a short threeday event, “Japan Week” was able to encompass so many different aspects of Japan – its culture, its technological achievements, its ancient wisdom and enduring
traditions, its modernism and, perhaps
most important, its sense of vitality as anation. I can imagine that next year’s celebration will be just as wonderful.
Bullet-train: The E-7 © East Japan Railway Company

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What Japanese food do you like best?
Some of you know that Japanese cuisine (Washoku) was included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2012. Japanese cuisine is not only sushi, however. It has a lot of variety, including dishes such as sukiyaki, shabushabu, tempura, yakitori, teriyaki, and many others.
Many Japanese municipalities try to promote their local products to the world and want to know whatkinds of foods are loved abroad these days.
Since I had to make a short presentation in Tokyo about ‘Japanese Cuisine Trends in the US and Canada’in October 2014, I asked members of JETAA USA and JETAA Canada, “What Japanese food do you like?”
Why did I ask them? Because they have all stayed in Japan more than one year, and they had a lot ofchances to have authentic Japanese food. I thought it likely that the food they love can be enjoyable formany Americans and Canadians.
JETAA members, from north to south and east
to west, answered my survey. I appreciate
their support. Thank you very much!
The survey’s Top 3 answers are as follows:
No.1 Sushi
No.2 Ramen
No.3 Okonomiyaki (kind of like pancakes, andcontaining a variety of ingredients)
Okonomiyaki

Sushi and ramen are popular in New York, of course. However, I hadn’t known that okonomiyaki is also
popular with JETAA members.
Other popular foods include tonkatsu (a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet), yakisoba (fried noodles), soba (Japanese noodles), korokke (croquette), izakaya food (small dishes, kind of like tapas), and onigiri(rice balls).
The alumni clearly love typical Japanese foods, which are usually homemade.
Please come to Japan and enjoy a variety of delicious Japanese foods at their source!

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