Okabe, Japan is home to a lot of natural beauty. There are mountains, a clear clean river, rice paddies, clementine (mikan) groves, tea fields and bamboo forests. Mr. Sakakibara, who just retired from 50 years in education amazed me. He loves gardening, and he was the hardest worker who hardly broke a sweat when we transplanted our 10-year-old Japanese Red Maple tree from the old house to the new house. After we brought the tree home, a neighbor offered us some rich soil that had once been horse manure. We took her up on the offer and went to get some. Mr. Sakakibara kept gardening at our house until we had to almost drag him indoors. He loves it! He is also a rare person to find. He was chief of the board of education in Okabe for 13 years--including the time when I was there. He went out of his way to take great care of me when I worked in his school district. He has been to Georgia twice before, and Duk-Sun and I have been welcomed in their home since we came back to the states to live. He and his lovely wife Sachiko are so friendly and easy to talk with.
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