Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • August 4, 2010 Visitors from Onomachi (continued from previous page) Maneki Neko, the gesturing cat, then changed hands from Principal Nemoto to Mayor van Keuren. The cat, a mascot of Japanese businesses, is said to welcome prosperity and, in this case, friendship and understanding. The ceramic cat came wrapped in a multi-colored furoshiki, a scarf used to carry home purchases in Japan until recent times. Council President Surrago, who has hosted Japanese students from Onomachi several times, said the exchange program is of great mutual benefit to Glen Rock and 4-29-09 karen/janine to Onomachi. “We feel so much more enriched EmmanuelHelp3x.75(4-29-09) by what.75 learn about others,” Surrago said. 3 x we Japanese guests and their adult The chaperones were awed by the United States. Makoto Suzuki, 14, said he was impressed by the huge size and development of the U.S. highway system. “I’m impressed by the big scale of the country,” another male student said. “The highway is very wide and all kinds of cars can run on the highway, and it’s so free that they can switch lanes easily, while Japanese highways don’t have as many lanes due to narrow space. The whole environment is expansive and has the feeling of freedom. I love it.” “I feel so welcomed, as if I came back home,” said a teacher-chaperone now on her second visit. She also remarked on the vast scale of American highways. “Whenever I see American scenes, they move me.” Sumie Shiga, also on her second trip, loves Glen Rock. “The town of Glen Rock is beautiful and the buildings are very big, and the beautiful big gardens with the green lawns and colorful flowers are pretty.” Two girls, Mizuki Tamura and Haruki Yoshida, said Americans must be very happy people, always smiling and kind and welcoming. The two girls were also impressed by the big size of everything. “Are they having a good time? What are they saying about us?” Surrago asked one of the Glen Rock interpreters. “They say they like it when everybody smiles,” the translator explained. “In Japan, people don’t smile at strangers. They think this is a wonderful place.” The Onomachi group planned to tour New York City with their host families on Thursday, tour Glen Rock’s municipal facilities and spend time at the municipal swimming pool on Friday, enjoy a free day on Saturday, and attend a farewell party Sunday night at the pool complex. The group planned to spend another week at a camp in New York State. O’Brien, one of three local people who acted as translators, said that opportunities for host families for next year, and for Glen Rock college students and recent graduates to teach in Onomachi elementary schools during the summer months, were often available. She also thanked everyone concerned for helping to foster friendship between Onomachi and Glen Rock. Emmanuel asks... Can You Help? Glen Rock Top left: Makoto Suzuki. Bottom left: Sumie Shiga has been to Glen Rock before. Above: Little girls from Onomachi. Once in old Japan, a Buddhist temple had fallen into such hard times that the monks couldn’t keep the temple in good repair, but they always found just enough food to feed the cat that remained at the temple looking for something to eat. One day, a rich nobleman and his entourage of samurai rode past the dilapidated temple. The cat trotted out to the front steps, sat down, and began gesturing with one paw The legend of Maneki Neko as if inviting the procession to stop and take shelter. The nobleman dismounted and spent the night. He was so charmed with the hospitality of the monks that he gave the temple enough money to refurbish the premises and feed the cat. 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