MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents traveled to Yamaguchi Flower Land and Kashinoki Sweets Factory in Yanai City, Japan, May 25, 2018.
This trip was part of an annual event that workers with the Cultural Adaptation Program organize for MCAS Iwakuni residents.
Station residents began their adventure with the sight of a spinning Ferris wheel full of flowers was the first thing they saw when walking through the flower land. A large assortment of flowers covered the ground, bringing different scents every few feet, and there were multiple play areas for the children and many seating areas to relax and view the flowers.
Mikie Watanabe, cultural adaptation specialist with Marine Corps Community Services, said that there are many fascinating places the Cultural Adaptation Program wants to share with residents. Once they know a place, they can come back with their family and friends on their own.
Local Japanese workers demonstrated how to make moss balls and helped the residents make their own. They were given a small dish as a gift to set their creations on when they brought it home.
“As one of Cultural Adaptation Program’s hands-on activity, we coordinated the moss ball making class at the flower land,” said Watanabe. “We try to provide air station residents with something special, not only the site visit.”
After the Yamaguchi Flower Land, residents boarded the bus to head to a sweets factory where they received a behind the scene tour and tasted samples of some of the sweets the factory makes.
“We get a double benefit with events like this,” said Jesse Monestersky, an MCAS Iwakuni resident. “The community gets to meet us and we get to meet the community. I believe it fosters a solid relationship with the Japanese.”
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