Season’s Greetings arrive from Tateyama.
I am always struck by how thoughtful and careful our friends in Tateyama are with the tradition of New Year’s Greetings. This year’s exciting, inspiring, and picturesque photos take me right back to Tateyama when I was last there 7 years ago. I was there with our now Mayor Seth Fleetwood on the occasion of our cities’ 55th Anniversary as Sister Cities.
Tateyama “Mayor Ken’s” signature on the card is bold and masterful. Even the postage stamps on the envelope are intriguing. We’re looking at an exquisite kutani-yaki platter featuring birds on the left, and my favorite Japanese pass time, sumo, is the subject on the right.
In the sumo stamp I see one of five sideline judges, or shimpan, sitting on a zabuton cushion with his back to one of the four corner posts of the ornamental roof over the dohyo grappling ring. Judging by the heft of the wrestler’s right leg we might have a grand champion yokozuna laying waste to another sumo-tori.
I look forward to sending my New Year’s greeting soon. If you want to send one, use the address from the envelope shown below.
Ross Grier, 2019 President
Bellingham Sister Cities Association
The address is:
Office of Mayor
1145-1 Hojo Tateyama City
Chiba Prefecture, 294-8601 Japan.