Friends of Lawrence
Hiratsuka Journal Home Page Project
FOL Member Profiles
The FOL group in Hiratsuka was founded in September, 1995 as a
counterpart to the Friends of Hiratsuka organization in Lawrence. At monthly meetings of the HIEA editorial committee, we discussed the intent and purpose of the relationship, then decided on a trip in October, 1996 for Hiratsuka citizens to come see Lawrence for themselves.
E-mail connection: Shortly thereafter, we created a Hiratsuka - Lawrence Mailing List so citizens could pass information along and begin making new friends. At this time, approximately 50 people are signed up. Do join the fun, or send a message to the FOL-FOH list.
At this time, we are working to spread the word about the relationship,
and its' possibilities to the wider community in Hiratsuka. At the June 21 HIEA International Festival, there will be a Lawrence Booth set up with pictures and memorabilia of Lawrence; additionally, three computers with internet connections will showcase Lawrence's online side (and other city/regional/international links).
For Tanabata many FOL people are working on a decoration that will feature Lawrence this year. (Banner, revolving 1-meter tall Jayhawk model, and a Wizard of Oz - themed display, all hanging from a 40-foot bamboo pole, visible to over 1 million viewers)
Started unofficially December 25, 1995, by Kevin Sullivan, as a small Christmas present to
Hiratsuka and Lawrence. Given the distance and expense of physical
travel, why not swap a few electrons amongst friends? After mentioning this project (in hopes of begging information to put on the page) to Tomio Uchida and Masaharu Okamoto, they quickly rallied some troops for this independent effort to make it quasi-official and the
working group was born in April, 1996.
Why "Hiratsuka Journal" for the home page? Well, in Lawrence
there is the Lawrence Journal World. And, in the Hiratsuka/Shonan
area there is the Shonan Home Journal... so, hmm. Hey! Why not...
and so it was. :)
In keeping with our "Journal" motif, we have selected our staff
as follows:
- Publisher
- Masaharu Okamoto, (mabureau@wellmet.or.jp)
- Editor
- Kevin Sullivan, (csr-kts@gol.com)
- Editorial Staff
- Akio Kanemaru (VFG16633@niftyserve.or.jp)
- Tomio Uchida (tomio@gol.com)
- Yuko Terai (hyterai@wellmet.or.jp)
- Shinichiro Kanemaru (VZD01011@niftyserve.or.jp)
- Takashi Sugiyama (sugiyama@shonan-inet.or.jp)
- Yayoi Kitamura (yayoi@shonan-inet.or.jp)
- Masanori Naruse (VZL00263@niftyserve.or.jp)
- Keichi Hida (S08114@uitec.ac.jp)
- Hideo Suzuki.
is the principal surveyor, Japan
representative, for Marine Bureau, Inc, (International Cargo Gear
Bureau, Inc, and the Panama Bureau of Shipping, Inc.), which has an
office (technically in Oiso) in Hiratsuka. Okamoto-san is a member
of Shonan ESS, takes part in the Tanabata International Visitors
Salon (IVS), and enjoys classical music.
is from Lawrence and has lived in Hiratsuka
since 4/92 with his wife Connie Roguski (formerly of Kansas
University's Applied English Center, now at Kanagawa University) and
daughter Mika Claire Sullivan (born Nov. 1, 1995 in Kamakura,
Japan). He works as an English consultant for several organizations,
and writes. He enjoys reading, fighting his OS/2 computer, and
more.
is the Chief of Culture
Promotion Section, Hiratsuka City Hall. He is currently working on
an official Hiratsuka
Cultural Information page. His hobbies are travel and gardening,
especially growing Nadeshiko Pinks and Sunflowers. In 1993 he came
to Lawrence as the chief leader of the Hiratsuka youth mission and
home-stayed with the Weseman family.
is a computer columnist, consultant, and
regularly travels to the yearly Fall COMDEX show in Las Vegas, and
to Silicon Valley. Uchida-san also founded the Shonan English
Speaking Society, a weekly English club that meets every Friday
night since 1962. Shonan ESS coordinates the International Visitors
Salon during the yearly Tanabata festival held in early July,
publishes the Hiratsuka Friendscope monthly newsletter (now
dormant), and has provided staff for the VIVA! Lawrence CATV video
exchange project. He visited Lawrence in April 1991, and habitually
promotes international events. His theme is "Today America, Tomorrow
Japan."
spent several years in New York, and now lives in
Hiratsuka. She is active in the Hiratsuka International Exchange
Association (HIEA) Homestay section, and enjoys quilting. She has
already made a Lawrence-Hiratsuka quilt of her own design.
is a photographer that
has traveled to Lawrence and put on several shows since then of his
photos. He founded the Shonan Photo Federation, and is actively
working with the Lawrence Photo Alliance to exchange pictures of
Hiratsuka and Lawrence. He is also the unofficial photographer of
the J-League's Bellmare Hiratsuka professional soccer team, and
prefers B/W pictures.
is the son of
Akio Kanemaru, and a college student at Keio University in
Yokohama. He came to Lawrence on a private trip following high
school graduation in 1995, home-stayed with the Haack family, plays
guitar, and loves Mac computers.
is an Oiso resident
who writes articles about Hiratsuka (and Lawrence) for the Shonan
Home Journal weekly newspaper. He maintains his Sugiyama-san WWW page, and a Hiratsuka page in Japanese. His hobby is bowling (shumi), and
his scores range from "at least 100 to 269..."
also lives next door in
Oiso, and has created an Oiso home
page. She teaches at a preparatory school (Jukyu),
writes Macintosh software, and is working on business ideas for the
internet.
travelled to Lawrence in the 2nd group of
Hiratsuka Jr. HS students in 1991 and home-stayed with the Haack
family. He is now attending Polytechnic University in Sagamihara
(30m/40km but a 2hr commute door-to-door) and studying Electrical
Engineering. He is a member of "Hikoki-gumi-no-kai"
(airplane-clouds-club = Contrails Club), an organization of former
Hiratsuka students that have travelled to Lawrence. His hobby is
amateur radio and call sign is JM1NXX.
has
created a very nice Tanabata
home page.
June 20, 1997
C. 1997, Kevin Sullivan, csr-kts@gol.com
Base URL: http://www2.gol.com/users/csr-kts/