Yamaha and another new friend

Thursday was set up a long time ago to be a great day in my life. And was it ever! I had the opportunity to ride high-speed rail for the first time on Thursday, the Japan Rail Co. "Shinkansen." Imagine the countryside whizzing by at over 100 miles per hour. Smooth and comfortable, it is a great way to travel.

On to my tour of the Yamaha plant. I began exchanging emails with a gentleman at Yamaha named Daisuke (pronounced Dice-K) Hayashi several weeks ago in advance of my visit yesterday. I knew that he and the Yamaha corporation were going to roll out the red carpet for me. I just had no idea how plush that carpet would be. Let me back up a notch to two other key players in my being allowed to visit Yamaha's Toyooka Plant, near Hamamatsu. First was Bob Conaway, our Yamaha representative for the Southwestern United States. I casually mentioned my trip to Japan back in February during a meeting with Bob and he graciously put me in touch with all of the right people at Yamaha-Japan. Second was Makoto Tani, my first contact at Yamaha whom I exchanged emails with, and who also did not let the ball drop when he was transferred to California. I am extremely grateful to these two men. Now, about Daiskue. I am helpful to a fault, and I can always sense that spirit in others. The country of Japan would do well to hire Daisuke as an ambassador of goodwill to meet and greet any foreign dignitary in whom the Japanese wish to make a favorable first impression. Yamaha is very fortunate to have Daisuke as a part of their marketing team. I was greeted on time at the Hamamatsu train station and taken immediately to a very expensive restaurant across the street. Daisuke picked up the tab. As to what we ate for lunch. When we met, Daisuke asked me if I was hungry. I said yes. He said, great! I know a wonderful restaurant that serves eel............You read that correctly-E E L! I was warned before I left not to refuse food that was offered to me. I had made up my mind that no matter what was put in front of me, I was going to eat it. I told Daisuke that eel sounded great to me, so off we went. Now, just to curb your curiosity, this was not Red Lobster. You did not walk up to a large salt-water tank and choose your own eel. It was brought to us in a covered dish over rice. Eel is a white, flaky meat when cooked properly. My eel was basted with a sweet terriyaki sauce and cooked over an open flame. It does have a fishy taste, but was quite delicious. I seriously doubt I will find a restaurant in the OKC metro area that serves fresh eel, so it may be quite a while before I get it again. I will say that I really did enjoy my meal and would definitely be game if offered the same opportunity.

We then drove 45 minutes to the Toyooka plant where a placard with my name was waiting for me. I was taken upstairs to a plush conference room where I was briefed as to what I would see and then directed into the plant. What happened next was a purely magical experience..............if you are a band director. Most anybody else would have found the plant "merely fascinating." I was a kid in a candy store. I followed several different wind instruments from being a blank sheet of metal through fabrication, assembly, finishing to testing and being placed in its case to be shipped. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures in the plant. However, I made a lame attempt to take a couple of pictures from their brochure that give an idea as to what I saw. I will be happy to share in greater detail in person when I get home. Explaining everything without hand gestures and pantomiming is far more difficult. I will tell you that these people are craftsmen of the highest order. Most of them are musicians themselves (Yamaha has a semi-pro company symphonic band.) Therefore, their personal investment in every instrument, from beginner model to the top of the line is substantial. Every instrument is checked thoroughly and played before it leaves the factory. Incredible considering the hundreds of thousands of instruments that are made yearly at the Toyooka plant.

After my tour Daisuke asked me questions about the future of bands in Oklahoma and my impressions of the Yamaha factory. There was also a question that delt with the quality of Yamaha products. I was honored. It is hard for me to be taken seriously at home, let alone on a global stage. ;-) I hope I represented the band directing community in Oklahoma well. We then drove back to Hamamatsu to the Yamaha store downtown. Imagine the instrumental music version of "Best Buy" divided into departments and stacked seven stories tall. That's the Yamaha store. Apparently there is one on the Ginza as well. I will try to find it on my next adventure to Tokyo. Along the way back to Hamamatsu, I discovered that Daisuke has a love for Jazz and Hamburgers. In a moment of sheer irony I was explaining that my home town (El Reno, OK) was the hamburger capital of Oklahoma when the Jazz classic "Route 66" began playing over his car stereo. I took the opportunity to invite him to Oklahoma with the promise that we would make a trip to Johnnie's, Sid's or Robert's in El Reno and take a cruise down old Route 66. Daisuke was the perfect host. He was so kind and generous with his time and money to make my day truly memorable. I will be forever grateful to him. I only hope he takes me up on my offer.

The journey home was uneventful, but provided me time to sit and take in all that I had seen and done. Friday is going to have to be a day off. I am exhausted and need to recharge. I am still working on my plan for Saturday, although it will most likely include a return to the Ginza.

-k