The State of Sao Paulo !

by Kazu

The senior officers of the State of Sao Paulo kindly prepared for our courtesy call. We have to appreciate enough the arrangement of the meeting by the President of the Brazil Hokkaido Culture and Welfare Association Mr. Norinobu OHNUMA and his colleagues.

 The presence of the City Councilor of Sao Paulo Mr. Aurelio NOMURA should be appreciated enough. Thanks to their political power in the state, we could easily arrange a variety of events and meetings in Sao Paulo.

We exchange the souvenirs each other and talked about the future exchange between the State of Sao Paulo and Hokkaido. We asked them for good supports to the Brazil Hokkaido Culture Association and the senior officers of the state promised to do that. 

Courtesy call on the State House of Sao Paulo !

 by Kazu

This room was the venue of the courtesy call of the top brassess of the State of Sao Paulo. The Monochrome design was so nice and sophisticated.

 We were given the briefing on the relationship between the State of Sao Paulo and Japan including Hokkaido. They seemed to be so satisfied with the businesses from Japan.

Despite their busy schedule between the session in the Legislative Assembly, they kindly received us as fiends from Japan.

As an emcee of the dinner !

by Kazu

Some participants asked me to take photos with them and gave me some souvenirs. As an emcee of the dinner party, I responded to their requests sincerely. We should keep this good relationship and hand down to the next generations too.

I was so happy to see them enjoying the dinner and chats with the Hokkaido Delegation members. It may be a challenge for the next generation of the association to keep their command in Japanese language. 

The next morning, the Vice Governor of Hokkaido Mr. Yusuke NAKANO and I visited the State House of Sao Paulo to pay a courtesy call on the top brasses of the state. The President of Brazil Hokkaido Culture and Welfare Association Mr. Norinobu OHNUMA and the City Council member Mr. Aurelio NOMURA came with us.

Governor Suzuki and Minister Akaba visited Upopoi !

by Kazu

Have you visited the Place for Ethnic Harmony "Upopoi", the National Museum of the Indigenous People in Hokkaido Ainu ? it was opend beside Lake Poroto in Shiraoi Town.  The circumstances was so nice and the design of the facility looked great.

This is the scenery of Lake poroto that could be seen from the lookout on the second floor of the National museum. Minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and  Tourism in Japan Mr. Kazuyoshi AKABA visited there before its grand open.

The Governor of Hokkaido Mr. Naomichi SUZUKI also there to welcome the Minister and his delegation. It was not so fine but there was no rainfall. That made a solemn atmosphere of the sacred area of the indigenous people.

At the end of the feast !

by Kazu

Every participants had the food up to ears and was satisfied with the meals and drinks. Promising to visit Sao Paulo again, we wrapped up the dinner onthat day.

 The director of the Brazil Branch of Japan International Cooperation Agency Mr. Hiroshii SATO kindly took part in the dinner and had talks with the Hokkaido Delegation members and the citizens of Sao Paulo.

 They were the maitre d' of the restaurant Novilho de Prata. They worked so hard in that night but treated us so kindly as professionals. We really appreciate their cooperation and consideration.

Filled up !

by Kazu

The Hokkaido Delegation members felt the time of the farewell dinner was very short because they were so enjoying the chat with the people living in Sao Paulo.

Brazilian barbecue churrasco seemed so yam despite I could not have any. Bottles of beer were the source of my energy during the dinner.

The servers were so busy to bring the dishes to the tables and take away the empty bottles of beer and dishes. I hope we will be able to see such happy scenery in the not-so-distant future.

Before the world was changed by Wuhan virus from China !

by Kazu

 We can not see such scenery after the pandemic of Wuhan virus from China conquered the globe. A study conducted by Harvard University in the United States said that the human beings would have to continue to keep the social distancing until the end of 2022.

We may have to think that we were so happy to have had such happy dinner before the pandemic but I hope Hokkaido Government will be able to dispatch the same size of delegation to Paraguay and Brazil in 2014.

Some of the Hokkaido Delegation members would be able to visit South America again. They don't have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever any more. The side effect of the vaccination was terrible for most of the delegation members.

Boy and Girl Scouts joined !

 by Kazu

After taking care of wrapping up Hokkaido Festival in Japan House of Sao Paulo, the leaders of boy and girl scouts joined the dinner in that night. It seemed that there was no problem in their communication.

I watched around the tables and took those photos during the dinner. I had to ask the maitre d'  to serve the guests more quickly some times but in total, everything was going well.

It was not so formal dinner arranged for ice-breaking. So we could see the babies born in Brazil who would run the association in the future.  Everybody seemed to be enjoying the chat and food before the departure of the Hokkaido Delegation.

Hungry !

 by Kazu

As an emcee, I could not eat anything but could drink beer amply. Paying attention to the participants to the farewell dinner and timekeeping, I watched around the tables and ordered the servers to bring the dishes swiftly.

 I thought the seating arrangement was so good for the conversation of the Hokkaido Delegation members and the members of the Brazil Hokkaido Culture and Welfare Association.

I was so happy to see the participants having chat each other, savoring the dishes and deepening the relationship. It was the purpose of this dinner. My staff could also do that during the dinner. 

Farewell Dinner in Sao Paulo !

 by Kazu

The second last day for the Hokkaido Delegation in Brazil almost finished all the schedule other than the farewell dinner in Sao Paulo hosted by the Hokkaido Delegation itself. "Novilho de Prata" was the venue of the dinner.

The entrance of the restaurant was colored orange and black. The members of the Brazil Hokkaido Culture and Welfare Association got together again after wrapping up the Hokkaido Festival in Japan House.The boy & girl scouts did a lot to close the festival and take away the items displayed in Japan House. Each member of the Hokkaido Delegation enjoyed the chat with the members of the Brazil Hokkaido Culture and Welfare Association. After the toast, they exchange their opinion on the future exchange between Hokkaido and Brazil.