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Getting to know Whistler’s Japanese sister

Bicycles, bears, banana bread and a warm gathering place are just some of the things the two towns share

For a moment, I thought I was walking into an old ski cabin in Whistler: a wood stove stood in the middle of the room, board games were piled up under the coffee table, the hot water tank needed turning on, and a bike stood in the mud room.

But I wasn’t in Whistler, I was in Karuizawa, Japan, Whistler’s sister city. Friends of friends of friends generously offered me their cabin for a few days. Outside the sun was setting, the squirrels were chattering, and the dusk hues were settling in. I had left 12 million people in Tokyo that morning and now felt like I was dropped into a completely different world.

As I proceeded to get settled, I noticed that the only major difference between a Whistler cabin and a Karuizawa cabin was in the kitchen drawer: chopsticks.

I’ve learned a lot about chopsticks, or "hashi". There are several do’s and don’ts. Chopstick etiquette, passed down from the last several centuries, is very important. The main dishes always have their own set next to the food, and chopsticks once touched, and used, are your personal belonging. After dinner, never leave your chopsticks crossed or upside down. If you’re in a restaurant, and you have finished eating, return your disposable chopsticks into the paper envelope they came in. Japanese chopsticks are shorter than Chinese chopsticks. And Japanese chopsticks are blunt tipped, while the Chinese ones are tapered.

I made use of another kitchen utensil when I got an early start the next morning. I woke up around 5 a.m. to the sound of monkeys leaping around on the roof. It was most annoying, and I became quite worried when the chimney pipe began to shake. Thankfully they moved on after I banged a couple of pots together for a while. I’m sure we woke up every bird in the prefecture.

Then I set out to explore Whistler’s sister city. Everything I wanted to see was quite spread out, so I decided to rent a bicycle. I walked into a small bike shop and within moments I was out on the street cruising around on my groovy bike.

I couldn’t believe that all I had to do was flash them my "geijin" (Japanese foreigner residential) card. They didn’t ask for a deposit or a credit card. I peddled away in awe at the trust and the honesty shown me. I knew those days were long over in Whistler, or for that matter, most places in the world.

I stopped to chat with a few shopkeepers as I peddled up to the memorial to Canadian missionary Alexander Croft Shaw. I had been quite surprised to see several banners of Shaw hanging from the ceiling in the train station upon my arrival. His life history is well documented and well known amongst the local population. Shaw built a summer cottage in Karuizawa in the late 1800s.

It was interesting to learn about the similar challenges that both resorts face. Karuizawa, like Whistler, has a bear problem, the tsukinowaguma moon crested bear is the local species. Tourists in Karuizawa also leave their garbage out on the back porch. Some people just want to shoot the animals, others want to educate the locals and the visitors about co-habitating together. Sound familiar?

It was a hot day to be riding a bike and I stopped frequently to hydrate myself at one of the 5.52 million vending machines in Japan. Vending machines became common in Japan from the late 1960s to the 1970s. I’ve stood in awe just studying what you can buy besides soft drinks: tickets, stamps, flowers, books, and so much more can be purchased with the push of a button. I wondered how they managed to control the sales of beer and cigarettes to adults. Apparently, before you can purchase either, you have to put in an ID card that reads your birth date. I bought only water.

After viewing the bust of Shaw and peddling around to see a few sights, I returned my bicycle and went looking for a place to eat. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a Canadian flag flying from a the sign that read, "Canadian owned." Well, I just had to go in and find out where this fellow Canuck was from.

As it turned out, he was a former Whistler resident who had worked at a couple of popular Whistler restaurants in the late 1980s. I couldn’t believe it. Dan Kelly and his wife Naoko, moved to Karuizawa in August, 2001. Via the Internet, he responded to an add for a wedding pastor. In April of 2004 he and his wife opened the Takibi Grill, "a warm gathering place," with the intent of opening a restaurant affordable for families. Their menu consists of some Western culinary delights, and Kelly told me his banana bread has been extremely well received by the Japanese. Several people told him it would never sell, but one day he wanted to make some for himself, so he made two. It disappeared into a few curious stomachs, and since then it’s been a house special.

After a flavour bursting lunch, I strolled into a local real estate office with the intent of getting some local prices. Due to the language barrier, it took a while for me to explain that I wasn’t there to buy, just interested in the prices. Once my purpose was clarified, one agent spent a generous amount of time with me showing me photos and explaining the market prices.

Here are three average prices for three homes in good locations: a 721.17 square-metre piece of property with an 88.8m2 house costs YEN 30,000,000 (approximately $361,445); a 665m2 piece of land with a 101.29m2 house costs YEN 22,800,000 (approximately $274,698); a 536m2 piece of land with a 60.03m2 house costs YEN 14,800,000 (approximately $178,313).

Karuizawa’s hospital has 103 beds; there are two private seniors’ homes; and a new community health centre is under construction.

Karuizawa has an annual snowfall of 30cm. Therefore, for skiing, all the snow is man made. There are 15 ski lifts: eight runs for beginners, two for intermediate and three for advanced. The shortest run is 93 metres and the longest run is 1,050m. Lift ticket prices, at the beginning of the season, start at Y3,500 a day. In high season the price goes to Y4,500 a day.

My trip to Karuizawa was brief, however I left with a stronger understanding of why those in the diplomatic world want to promote sister cities. It does make sense. By encouraging cultural and business ventures, people can learn from each other. A culture that may have appeared so alien is transformed into a culture of respect.

Inazo Nitobe is honoured as being the first internationally minded person to represent Japan. During his career he served as Deputy Secretary General for the League of Nations. His words, "I want to be a bridge across the Pacific," represent his vision, his awareness of the importance of propagating peace through teaching culture to students. He wanted to introduce Western culture to Japan and Japanese culture to the West.

He died in 1933, at the age of 71, in Victoria.

Today there are approximately 70 sister city relationships between Canadian and Japanese cities and towns. Whistler and Karuizawa are similar and they are different. It is a young relationship, and it will grow. And in that growth, respect, tolerance and understanding will be cultivated, not only among the residents of both communities, but among the residents of both nations.

As nations, Canada and Japan are very different. Japan is a mono-racial and mono-ethnic culture. Canada is a mosaic of ethnic societies of different cultural backgrounds, with each one contributing to the Canadian identity.

Communication and cultural exchanges are vital to world harmony, a rare commodity these days. But if, as people representing nations, we are able to share that belief, perhaps a foundation of goodwill will teach all of us the value of respect for other lands and other people.



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