JAPANESE VISITORS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22206, 5 September 1935, Page 14

JAPANESE VISITORS

SHIP OPEN TO PUBLIC MANY INSPECT VESSEL ENTERTAINMENT OF MEN Over 400 people availed themselves of the opportunity to inspect the visiting Japanese training ship Shintoku Maru at King's Wharf yesterday afternoon. Parties of four or five were conducted over the vessel by cadets and officers. One of the cadets, Mr. K. Funamotu, of Kobe, is busy gathering material for the weekly newspaper issued to the students at the Kobe Nautical College. "The young people of Japan are intensely interested in the other countries of the Pacific," he said yesterday. "Rather than reading about these countries in books, they prefer to see articles written by former students of the college, whom they know. They want to know how the people of New Zealand live and how the standard of living compares with that in Japan." Asked why most of the personnel of the ship possessed such an excellent knowledge of the English language, an officer stated that in a large number of Japanese colleges English and American text books now were being used for many subjects, such as mathematics, chemistry, physics and navigation. No student could hope to progress without a good knowledge of the language. American magazines of the scientific variety were very popular in Japan, and could be bought at most of the large stores. In an effort to improve their knowledge of the language, numbers of the cadets have visited city picture theatres. Keen appreciation of the many kindnesses shown to them by the Flying Angel Missions to Seamen has been expressed by the men. Parties of officers and cadets have been taken for motor drives to Titirangi and the War Memorial Museum, while a variety entertainment, arranged by the Rev. H. K. Vickery, of the mission, and Mr. A. Hamblin, was staged in the mission hall last night. A number of items were given' by a harmonica band from the Shintoku Maru. Captain N. Hayashi and a number of officers left for Rotorua by motorcar yesterday morning. They will return* to Auckland this evening. At the invitation of Commodore the Hon. E. R. Drtimmond, commanding the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, a party of cadets and officers will'be taken on a tour of inspection of the naval base this morning. It is possible that a seven-a-side Rugby match between the men from the Shintoku Maru and the ratings on H.M.S. Philomel will be played later in the day.