Our Old Kentucky Home - in Japan

By Andy McDonald

Believe it or not, it's a phenomenon to which Berea merchant Dinah Tyree has become well accustomed.

When the gates of the fair open, crafts shoppers rush to Tyree's booth to see what she has in store. By the end of the event, she's all but sold her last products.

The venue isn't the Indian Fort Theatre or a Kentucky crafts show, as one might expect. It's the Yatsugatake County Fair, a festival in the scenic highlands of Japan, where Bluegrass music, crafts and Kentucky culture are appreciated by Japanese residents.

Tyree was part of an 18-member delegation that went to Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture in mid-October as part of a sister-region program. The program fosters cultural exchange and interaction between residents of Madison County and the mountain region. Tyree says that exchange agreement, which was initially established in 1988, has become what many think is the most unique sister region program of its kind in the world.

"The success of the exchange has been phenomenal," says Tyree, who made her 12th trip to Japan. "What's amazing is that craftsmen of so many nationalities share a common love for craft, and because of that, everybody learns."

 


Berea College Crafts student Naarah Pyscher demonstrated the art of broom making. Like other Kentucky crafts, the brooms sold out before the Yatsugatake Fair concluded.


Berea merchant Dinah Tyree made some fast friends on the delegation's visit to Izumi Nursery School in the village of Oizumi, Japan.

 

Five artists demonstrated their skills at the Yatsugatake County fair, including jewelry maker Ken Gastineau, carver Jane Ewalt, Berea College Crafts student Naarah Pyscher, Eastern Kentucky University dance instructor Dr. Marianne McAdam, and blacksmith Jeff Farmer, all of whom drew appreciative audiences whenever they plied the finer points of their trade.

Farmer has made 14 trips to Japan since the program began, and he said that while the relationship between the Japanese and Kentucky folks keeps on getting better, one thing has remained constant: the Japanese know quality when they see it.
"The Japanese are extremely conscious of quality. They don't just buy stuff because it is cheap," Farmer said. "When they buy something, they buy the best. So there's really a lot of interest in American crafts, particularly handmade items."

That should probably come as no surprise since the fair was established in honor of a Kentucky man whose motto is revered in the region: "Do your best. And it must always be first class!"
Louisville resident Paul Rusch came to know the Japanese people well before World War II, and he was instrumental in helping to rebuild the country after the war. Rusch's vigorous efforts helped establish the Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project, which helped rebuild the devastated region through agricultural development, establishment of health care facilities, as well as initiatives that helped local youths. Rusch was also known in Japan as the "Father of American Football," having introduced the Japanese people to the gritty excitement of the gridiron.
Though Rusch passed away in 1979, his life-long efforts to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the United States continues to blossom. That effort is now prompting the region to make new connections not only in Madison County, but also in the Philippines, Tanzania and Romania, and KEEP has adopted new facets to its mission: environmental preservation and promoting world peace.
Blacksmith Jeff Farmer says that while introducing American crafts can be a good thing from a marketing standpoint, the most important purpose of the trip is to continue building on the good relationship between the people of Yamanashi and Kentucky.
"What we're doing really allows us to understand another culture and for them to understand us; to realize that we're similar in a lot of ways," Farmer says. "There are also differences, but they don't have to be a source of conflict."
Over the course of a week, the delegation was honored in a whirlwind tour of four cities of the Yamanashi Prefecture, including Nagaska, Takane, Kobuchisawa and Oizumi. Events included visits to local shrines, crafts studios, public facilities like preschools, and a very warm welcome by the International Exchange Committee. The week's events were capped by the Yatsugatake County Fair.

Besides the five artists on the trip, the delegation featured an eclectic mix of professionals from Berea and Richmond, which included Andrew Jones, owner of Woody's Restaurant, Ali Crain, assistant director of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Del Newman, principal at Kit Carson Elementary School, teacher Adrianna Francis, attorney Jimmy Dale Williams, Madison Southern teacher Marilyn Williams, and Nikki Patton, who represented the Commonwealth on behalf of her father, Governor Paul Patton. The Berea contingent included delegation leaders Randy Osborne and Roger Oliver, Berea Tourism Director Belle Jackson, and Berea College Crafts Director Terry Fields. This reporter was also a member of the delegation.
Berea resident Roger Oliver does his utmost to improve Japanese/American relations as he visits with Japanese cheerleaders. Cheerleaders have become popular in Japan with the rise of American style football.

When all was said and done, the delegation was unanimous in its conclusion that they were lavished with kindness and hospitality by their Japanese hosts, but then, that seems to have been a very common occurrence on both sides in the 14 years since the exchange program began. Madison County committee members said they hope to return the favor when the Japanese delegation comes to visit in May, a development which KEEP project coordinator Jennifer Corwin said comes as no surprise.
"Everyone feels that they receive so much and they are inspired to give back," says Corwin. "Even though there may be language and cultural barriers, there's a strong sense of community. There's a sense that while we may do some things very differently, on many levels we're much the same."
It's that strong sense of community, according to Tyree, that has made the effort of going to Japan worthwhile - the chance to renew old friendships with those who have welcomed her and other Madison County residents over the years.
"If I don't sell a thing it wouldn't matter to me," says Tyree. "Just making the trip and seeing my old friends - that makes it all worth it."


Belle Jackson and Randy Osborne in a bluegrass jam session with Japanese musicians.