WIT Life #182: Japan Connections where you Least Expect them
Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
My latest International Visitor Leadership Program travels bring me to Riverside, California for the first time, host of the recent Sister Cities International conference highlighted here in JetWit. My group and I are staying in the lovely Mission Inn (referenced in the Sister City write-up), a national historical landmark established in 1876. Today we took part in a tour of the facility, and I was surprised to find out about its Japan connection!
Founder Frank Miller wanted to create a resort hotel for Riverside, which by the 1890s was the richest city per capita in the country due to its profitable citrus culture (the streets surrounding the inn bear names such as orange, lime and lemon, and can cause confusion if you are not clear about your citrus types!). Miller was devoted to world peace, and assembled an annual meeting at his property in pursuit of this lofty goal.
He also traveled the world as part of this endeavor, and collected treasures from his various destinations including Japan. The Buddha pictured here is seated in the Ho-O-kan Room, located inside the Court of the Orient which has an Eastern flair. Story has it that Miller acquired it after the temple in Japan in which it was housed burned down. As part of a seven-month world tour in 1934, the Japanese Prince and Princess Kaya paid a visit to this Buddha. Photographs of this event and others commemorating the inn’s rich history adorn the walls, creating a tangible connection with the past.
On a sillier note, check out this hilarious Onion article from last month about Obama plugging Pretz.
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