GODC members Lana and later Georgia, Mary Lawrence, Marsha and Barbara S. headed over to Two Rivers Mansion in Nashville to perform for their Christmas Open House. The day was lovely as was the music and the performers!
News from Yoshie by Judy Beier
Greetings from Yoshie who is now in Timor-Leste:
As Corona virus pandemic is on the news headlines, my thoughts are with you.
Is everyone around you all right?
How is the situation in Nashville?
Masami and I safely arrived in Dili, Timor-Leste on Thursday last week.
We do not have a direct flight from Tokyo, so we had to stay overnight in Dempasar (Bali, Indonesia) and take a LCC flight (as this is the only flight connecting Dili to other parts of the world).
We were a bit worried because we had so many luggage, but everything was all right.
Dili is a beautiful place; a tropical island. Our Embassy and Ambassador's residence is located on the seaside boulevard, pretty closed to the U.S.Embassy.
So the view from the terrace of our place is just magnificent!
I love the view of the blue ocean and Atauro island just in front of us.
The climate is tropical; hot and humid. As we are still in rainy season, it rains everyday in the late afternoon.
We had a unprecedented rainfall last Friday evening and the town was badly affected by the inundation.
Even the President's palace was inundated and damaged, so Masami's Presentation of the Credential Ceremony (official recognition as Ambassador of Japan by the President)was postponed!
This is a developing country, so the life is not easy. We have difficult time shopping what we need, but slowly, we are getting used to our new life here.
The Timorese in general are very kind, relaxed and happy people and our Embassy staff are all very nice.
I am grateful for that.
I brought my dear dulcimer with me. It had to be checked-in during our travel, but the Airline people were kind enough to take good care of it and it is in perfect condition! I am so relieved.
I will write more when I find time.
Love,
Yoshie
Where In The WORLD is Yoshie? by Judy Beier
Some may ask, “Who Is Yoshie?”
Yoshie Kinefuchi played dulcimer with the Twangtown Dulcimer Players from 2015- 2018, during the time she and her husband Masami, Consul-General to the Southern States from Japan, were living in Nashville. Yoshi joined the Twangs after being introduced to the dulcimer by Judy Beier. Judy and Yoshie met in a Tai Chi class at the GreenHills Y.
At the completion of their assignment in Nashville, Masami and Yoshie returned to their home in Tokyo. Yoshie shared her love for the dulcimer with her choir back in Japan. Their concert video can be found in an older blog, along with a picture of her first grandchild.
Read this recent letter from Yoshie to find out "Where in the WORLD is Yoshie?"
Excerpt from Yoshie’s letter to Judy:
Masami is officially appointed Ambassador of Japan to Timor Leste (East Timor) as of February 5th.
He had the honor to meet with the Emperor last week and the Emperor accredited his appointment as Ambassador.
We are leaving on March 11th for Dili.
Timor Leste is a small island nation, located North of Australia and East of Indonesia. It gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Unfortunately, Indonesian soon invaded the country and Timorese people were governed by Indonesia for 24 years.
But due to political change in Indonesia, a referendum took place in 1999, and to Indonesia's surprise, 98% of Timor people voted for independence. Then Indonesia army suddenly struck Timor Leste and destroyed and burned everything!!! Very sad history.
It was the UN Peace Keeping Organization that realized ceasefire and the nation's independence in 2002.
So it is a small and young country in the South Pacific, but it has a great strategic importance for Japan and Asia.
We are happy to go there and excited to meet with new culture and people.
The language they speak is a bit complicated. Their official language is Tetun and Portuguese, and working language is Indonesian and English. This is due to its historical background and geographical location. They aim to join ASEAN and has strong ties with their neighbor, Australia and Indonesia; as well as Portugal (Timor was a colony since 1514 for more than four hundred years).
https://www.britannica.com/place/East-Timor
East Timor | Geography, History, & Facts | Britannica
East Timor, island country in the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands, at the southern extreme of the Malay Archipelago.It occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, the small nearby islands of Atauro (Kambing) and Jaco, and the enclave of Ambeno, including the town of Pante Makasar, on the northwestern coast of Timor. Dili is the capital and largest city.
www.britannica.com
I hear it is a peaceful island nation with beautiful beaches and mountains, and the people are very kind.
Japan is one of the biggest donors of Timor Leste and has been supporting their development and peace.
I will let you know about my new life there soon!
News from Japan: Former Member Yoshi Kinefuchi Sends Greetings to the GODC
Today ( May 1, 2019) we are celebrating the start of a new era in Japan. Our Emperor stepped down due to his old age and from Today we have a new Emperor (Naruhito). I was watching the ceremonies on TV. Japanese People are in a festive mood. The new Empress (Princess Masako)is a former diplomat and Masami and I know her well. She was a junior staff when my husband was in the headquarter office. And as I was working at the Foreign Service Institute (Training institution for Japanese diplomats), I remember receiving her as one of the newly employed diplomats there. She was not only beautiful but so elegant. (She graduated from Harvard too) After she married the crown prince, she fell ill for a long time, but today she seems to be recovering. I hope she will be healthy and strong again.
Our grand daughter is growing fast. I am sending a few pictures of her and our family.
The wrap is a sort of our traditional baby wrap in kimono style.
It is used to cover the baby with mother (or grandmother) when visiting the shrine. We go to the shrine to pray for the good health and happiness of the new born babies after one or two months. Then after 100 days (three months), we have another celebration for the baby. We call it "Okuizome" (first bite ceremony), as we start to feed the baby with other food than milk. In reality, babies don't start to eat food, but it is just our tradition.
Of course you are welcome to share the photos and my updates with all the friends of dulcimer and GODC. I always enjoy reading the group emails from Linda and keep me informed with the group's recent activities. How I wish I could join you again!
The weather is just gorgeous in Japan now. I try to take a walk whenever I can. There are lots of green spots near my house and I just love to smell the flowers blooming in the spring sun shine! It is a beautiful season again. I hope you enjoy the wonderful spring time in Tennessee too.
Love,
Yoshie