Day 0--Tales of a Small Town Before D76 Spring Conference 2008 in Hiroshima

Prelude
Were it not for Toastmaster Kumiko Tanimoto, the Incumbent President of Hiroshima Toastmasters Club, I wouldn't go to D76 Spring Conference 2008 in Hiroshima Saturday, the May 17th. I met Kumiko last October during my one month solo travel in Japan. Thanks to Toastmaster Rio Imamura who arranged Kumiko and me to meet with each other for one day excursion in Miyajima.

Kumiko waited for me at Hiroshima JR Station with a current issue of Toastmaster Magazine. From the moment I saw her, she was excited to talk about the plan of the first D76 Conference in Hiroshima. No matter where we went, be it visiting the holy Miyajima temple, or savoring the delicious Hiroshimayaki, she and I kept talking about the only subject--the Spring Conference. Kumiko's enthusiasm was so contagious that I made up my mind to return to Hiroshima to attend the conference when the coffeehouse at Hiroshima JR station was ready to close for the day.

Give Me Five Taiwan
I didn't have any idea how many toastmasters would be interested in attending D76 Conference 2008 in Hiroshima. Nevertheless, I expressed my intention in joining the conference and extended my invitation to all toastmasters I met in Taiwan. The first time I heard the good news was after I delivered a speech at Success Toastmasters Club's regular meeting in March this year.

President Chiu-Lien Lin and EVP Emily Yu approached me and expressed their interest in attending the conference after the meeting. Wow, finally I wouldn't have to be alone in Japan. I could travel in a group. Good things happened one after another. James Hwang, IPP of Peace Toastmasters Club wrote me an email to announce his intent to come along. Then I received a phone call from Daphne Wang that she could also make it to the conference. Then Ko-Pi-Nu Lee of Success Toastmasters Club and Amy Chen of Pacific Toastmasters Club also announced their eagerness to join the pack. I was so happy that lucky "Taiwan 7" would be assembled to sail to Hiroshima, the wide island in Japan.

Immediately after the Joint D67 & D76 Toastmasters Party Sunday April 27th, I received a call from Daphne early in the morning that she couldn't make it because she needed to be get ready for her oral examination of her master degree in early June. Two days later, I received another early morning call from Amy that she couldn't make it at the last minute, because of her family affairs. Before long, I began feeling an acute abdomen pain for a couple of days. I prayed very hard that I didn't suffer Appendicitis and needed an instant surgery to remove the inflamed appendix.

Taiwan Seven has shrunk to "Give me Five Taiwan". They are 林秋蓮 Chiu-Lien Lin, President, Success Toastmasters Club; 游碧森 Emily Yu, EVP, Success Toastmasters Club; 李柯碧女 Ko-Pi-Nu Lee, Success Toastmasters Club; 黃俊嘉 James Hwang, ACB, IPP, Peace Toastmasters Club; and me, 李向慈 Sherry Li, ATM-B, Club Mentor, Peace Toastmasters Club.

Tales of a Small Town
Upon Kumiko's passionate invitation, "Give me Five Taiwan" managed to present a Taiwanese Show at the Conference Welcome Party. Originally I was hoping that I could convince a few golden ladies cloggers into performing a clogging dance on stage at the welcome party. But I was the only clogger who could make it. At last, Emily volunteered to play the Chinese bamboo flute and we all could sing along a popular song "Tales of a Small Town" of Teresa Teng in Mandarin together. Toastmaster Alex Hsiao, the founder of Success Toastmasters Club, burned the midnight oil to translate the lyrics from Chinese to Japanese. I followed his step to translate the lyrics into English to the best of my ability.

小城故事(Xiǎochéng gùshi)　作詞:莊奴　作曲:湯尼　原唱：鄧麗君
小城故事多(Xiǎochéng gùshi duo)，充滿喜和樂(chongmǎn xǐ hé lè)，
若是你到小城來(ruòshi nǐ dào xiǎochéng lái)，收獲特別多(shouhuò tèbie duo)
看似一幅畫(Kàn sì yì fú huà).，聽像一首歌(ting xiàng yì shǒu ge)，
人生境界真善美(rén sheng jìn jiàn zhen shàn mei)，這裡已包括(zhèlǐ ǐ baokuò)。
談的談，說的說(Tán di tán, shuo di shuo)，
小城故事真不錯(xiǎochéng gùshi zhen bú cuò)，
請你的朋友一起來(qǐng nǐ di péngyou yìqǐ lái)，
小城來做客(xiǎochéng lái zuò kè)。

この町にいらっしゃい
日本語訳：蕭阿全 サクセス日本語クラブ創立会長
喜びの溢れる、楽しみに満ちた町です
先祖様が残して行きました、伝説の数々は、
今でも口から口へと伝えられています。
ここはまるで天国の世界で、
人々は楽しい生活を送り、
見るもの、聞く事は、一生忘られない物ばかりです。
貴方は是非とも
友達とご一緒にいらっしゃいね！
是非ともいらっしゃいね！

Tales of a Small Town
English Translation: Sherry Li, Charter President of Kyoto Toastmasters Club
There are many tales about a small town.
It is a place of joy and happiness.
If you come visit the small town,
you will have a good time.
The small town looks like a painting.
The small town sounds like a song.
People are honest, friendly, and beautiful
in the small town.
Everybody talks about
the tales of the small town.
Welcome you and your friends
to our small town and be our guests of honor.

Dress Rehearsal
On Mother's Day, Chiu-Lien, Emily and I had the dress rehearsal at Chiu-Lien's home in Taoyuan for a couple of hours. Then we went shopping for more elegant and more gorgeous Chinese costumes for our performance at D76 Spring Conference in order to leave a strong impression to Japanese toastmasters as well as to make a sweet memory for ourselves.

All on Board
All members of "Give me Five Taiwan" are excited to embark upon our journey to Hiroshima to strengthen the relationship among toastmasters in Taiwan and in Japan since our first encounter in Kumamoto in 1999. We are thrilled that we can contribute our humble share in another page of the glory history of Toastmasters between Taiwan and Japan.

We welcome you to travel with "Give me Five Taiwan" in spirit. Read our travelogue along the way from Day 0 till Day 9 while we shall try our best to get access to internet on daily basis. Hope you can have as much fun as we do in Japan. Following is our tentative itinerary. If you can do a little homework one day in advance, you probably will enjoy more with us. Why not give it a try for the first couple of days to see if you like it or not? Ciao, ciao!

The Tentative Itinerary
Day One May 16th Friday, fly from Taipei to Fukuoka, take Shikanshan from Hakata to Hiroshima, see the sunset of Miyajima, enjoy Hiroshimayaki at JR Hiroshima station, stay at Hiroshima Youth Hostel (Sherry travels to Okunoshima on her own to visit the Poison Musuem.)
Day Two May 17th Saturday, visit Hiroshima Castle, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in the morning, attend the opening ceremony and Japanese Speech Contest of D76 Spring Conference in Hiroshima in the afternoon, Attend D76 Welcome Party in the evening, stay at Hiroshima Youth Hostel
Day Three May 18th Sunday, take Shikansen from Hiroshima to Hakata, change to Yufuin no Mori from Hakata to Beppu via Yufuin, stay at Beppu Hot Spring Hotel
Day Four May 19th Monday, Take the local train from Oida to Kumamoto, via Mount Aso, visit Kumamoto Toastmasters Club, stay at Kumamoto
Day Five May 20th Tuesday, take Kyushu Shinkansen from Kumamoto to Ibusuki, stay at Sakurajima (James Hwang visits Nagasaki by himself, delivers his advanced manual speech at Fukuoka Toastmasters Club, and returns to Taipei the following day.)
Day Six May 21st Wednesday, one day tour in Nagasaki, stay in Nagasaki
Day Seven May 22nd Thursday, One day tour in Sasebo, stay in Fukuoka (Success TMC members move from Nagasaki to Hakata and return to Taipei)
Day Eight May 23rd Friday, visit Fukuoka Dome, have lunch with Division E Governor, visit Dazaifu Museum, listen to Jazz Band with Dazaifu Toastmasters club members, stay in Dazaifu
Day Nine May24th Saturday, visit Dazaifu Tenmengu, return to Taipei