NZ Women's Kendo team voyage from Japan to Korea

by Sue Lytollis

The typhoon was quite challenging for the NZ kendo team with half the team flying from a water logged Nagoya airport to Korea and the other group led by Sue and Liz via an overnight cruise ferry to Busan.

For some of this group of 8 it was their first time to experience a ferry but there was no sea sickness. Then a fast train to Seoul and another train then taxi to get to our hotel near Namdong stadium.

This World Kendo Championships has had some unique challenges. However, the women's team did the best it has ever done in a world championship. Auckland player Shawn Zhang won her fights to get out of the preliminaries and into the tournament proper. She was defeated by a Netherlands player.

In the teams event our draw was with USA, and Argentina. Christchurch fighter Akiyo Yamaguchi Ellin won a note (wrist) cut against her American counterpart, it would be the only point scored but we drew two fights to lose by three matches.

In our Argentinian fight Rina Igararashi won her match, Shawn won hers and with strategic draws in the matches we took this win. For the first time in NZ history, NZ women went into the tournament proper placing us in the top 24 countries. We drew a very strong Netherlands team but this match was a nail biter. Fighter one took two points, fighter 2 and 3 drew their matches and fighter 4 lost by 2 points. This meant our Taisho, local Wellington player Haruko Tsuzuki, had to win by 2 points to create a draw. And she did!

A wrist cut followed by a Men head cut kept NZ in play. What happens in this situation is called a Daihyosen. Each team chooses their best fighter for a one point match play off. Although Haruko had just fought we put her back in play.

Sadly she lost to a head cut from her opposition but at this stage of the competition to lose by one point is still pretty good. This was evidenced in the awards ceremony when Haruko won one of 10 fighting spirit awards for the team match event.

We can be very proud of our achievement.

NZ Womens Kendo team visit to Minoh - September 2018

by Sue Lytollis, HMHFT Trustee

On Monday September 3, a delegation of NZ women from the NZ team travelling to Korea for the World Kendo championships visited Mayor Kurata at the Minoh City Office.

We started the day by visiting the famous Katsuoji temple where Sue Lytollis returned a daruma that she had been given by Minoh Friendship group member Mr Katashiba. The delegation included representatives from Hutt and Wellington. We met Hiromi and Bella at the reception and had a wonderful time with Mayor Kurata and the Minoh City Office education representative.

Our group fell in love with Minoh’s mascot, Yuzuru-kun and aside from a gift from the city we were able to buy some Yuzuru gifts from the city office. It was a great trip and everyone in Minoh city is waiting eagerly to see the Hutt City delegation next month.

PS the very next day typhoon Jebi hit the region and Minoh city officials became busy with emergency response.

Internship in Lower Hutt

By Yu Kawamura - December 2017

Hello, my name is Yu Kawamura from the Japan Local Government Centre (CLAIR) in Sydney. I am seconded from a town called Rokunohe in Aomori prefecture, Japan. Rokunohe is located in the northern part of Japan and is rich in nature just like Lower Hutt.

CLAIR facilitates the international activities of Japanese local government, gathers information on local development efforts of other countries and helps communicate the Japanese local government system to the world. Our Sydney office supports Japanese government officials in New Zealand and Australia by facilitating visits and exchange programmes, liaising between local governments and researching local government systems for the benefit of Japanese prefectures and municipalities. Specifically, we support international activities of Japanese local governments, promote sister city relationships between New Zealand / Australia, and promote the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programmes and support JET Alumni Associations.

I was undergoing an internship at Hutt City Council from 16 to 22 November. I was able to enjoy many great experiences such as visiting community hub facilities, meeting with students who were in Minoh visiting their Sister School and joining Japanese classes. In addition, I participated in the Hutt Japan Day Festival and Sister City New Zealand (SCNZ) ‘Korero 2017’ function. I was able to learn more about policies and projects in Lower Hutt and the strong relationship between Lower Hutt and Minoh. Through my internship I was able to understand why many people who live in Lower Hutt have a deep attachment to Japan.

Thank you very much for allowing me to undertake an internship in your lovely city. CLAIR will continue to support the wonderful and strong relationship between Lower Hutt and Minoh.

Yu Kawamura
Assistant Director (Rokunohe, Aomori Prefecture),
Japan Local Government Centre (CLAIR Sydney)

Looking back on Hutt Japan Day 2017

By Amber Walters

Hutt Japan Day 2017 was held at the Dowse Art Museum and Square on Sunday 19th November 2017. It had been announced by the Mayor at the previous year's biennial Japan Festival in the TSB Arena, that Lower Hutt would host a smaller festival in the in-between years. It was a beautiful, hot day and it involved market stalls inside the Dowse venue, two performance stages (inside the Dowse and outside in the Square), a food truck fair, skype window to our sister city in Minoh-shi and the amazing travelling photo booth. Nearly 3,000 people attended this event which was much more than anticipated and really showed a hunger for more cultural activities of this nature in the Lower Hutt Central Business District.

We are extremely grateful to the Hutt City Council for their Event Support Funding as well as Air New Zealand who kindly sponsored two free return flights to Osaka.

Read the full write up and see photos from the the day here.