Visitors from sister city

Press, 12 November 1981, Page 3

Visitors from sister city

Christchurch’s civic chambers in Tuam Street yesterday flew the flag of Kurashiki, the city’s sister-city in Japan, to welcome a party of Japanese visitors. The 40 employees and business associates of Osaki Shoji, Ltd, a Kurashiki school uniform manufacturing company, have been treated to a

whirlwind trip to New Zealand at the company’s expense. They were welcomed by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr Hamish Hay) and treated to tea and sandwiches in the mayoral chambers yesterday afternoon. Because the company was small (about 2600 employees) holiday trips were

not a regular treat for staff members, said Mr Fusajiro Osaki, the company’s vicepresident, through Mr Dennis Logan, a teacher of Japanese at Shirley Boy’s High School, who acted as interpreter. However, some of the very large companies in Japan had holiday lodges for staff to go to on annua! holidays,

said Mr Osaki. The employees among the party were all section chiefs or sub-managers. His company was the biggest supplier of school uniforms in Japan. Mr Osaki promised to tell his countrymen of the beauty of the South Island, and particularly of Christchurch, which reminded him of Kurashiki.