Japanese October 22, 2005: Saiki Branch
As Saiki group was annexed to Oita Group Of Friends (GOF) this year, we visited Saiki city today. Saiki branch consists of eight working women and they spend much time for GOF activities. It was not so easy to meet all the members of the group because Saiki city is distant from Oita, some one and a half hours to the south by car.
	Today's meeting site was an old tea house run by one of the members of the branch. White plastered wall tells the long history of the house.
A huge shop curtain welcomed us.
So many tea containers fascinated us.
	An old balance still weighs the tea precisely.
The width of the house was narrow compared with the depth. There was a beautiful quadrangle.
	In the kitchen, the group members were working hard to prepare lunch. In the store house were tea production equipment like those. The bamboo tray was used when green tea leaves were crumpled for roasting, they said.
Right side bamboo trays were used for screening dried Shiitake mushroom some 120 years ago. The old house is remodeled in order to match the comfortable life of today keeping good traditional design.
	After introducing each other and regular reading, we took a we-were-there-picture before lunch.
When I removed a black lid of the lunch box, I found refined wind of autumn. The rice was called Kobore-Hagi (scattered Japanese bush clover) and special local foods such as Kirasuma-Meshi, Datemaki,Onishime, and Youkan (sweet jellied Adzuki-bean paste.) All of them were really great.
They appealed that what they have been learning until today in the activities of GOF were very useful. We agreed and made up our mind to improve our lives much more.
Visit to Saiki Branch (11:00-14:00) Hymn #369 Reading: On wisdom Impression Contents: Vewing back Saiki Branch's half year. 　　　　Look back of Kyushu block conference 　　　　Family budget study class 　　　　Environmental research questionnaire 　　　　Next step	Attendant: Saiki 6 　　　　Oita 4 　　　　Guest 1