June 12, 2001

Contact: Emily Forsyth, University Relations, (785) 864-8860.

Japanese walkers to stop at KU to promote exchange

LAWRENCE -- A group of Japanese young people walking across the U.S. will make a stop in Lawrence and at the University of Kansas Thursday, June 14, on their way from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco.

The eight women and five men participating in the "Trans-America Walk 2001" were selected as part of a contest held by the Daily Yomiuri, one of Japan's largest newspapers, based in Tokyo.

The group departed from Washington, D.C., in March and will arrive in San Francisco in September to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty.

Andrew Tsubaki, professor emeritus of theatre at the University of Kansas, helped arrange the group's visit to Lawrence.

"The purpose of this is to heighten a mutual understanding by young people," he said. "Most of them are coming to the U.S.A. for the first time. By doing it this way, they hope to be looking at the U.S.A. from the ground level and meeting all kinds of people along the way."

The participants will do that by interacting with people during stops along their route. Several Lawrence groups have organized activities for the group, including the City of Lawrence, the Lawrence Sister Cities Advisory Board, and Friends of Hiratsuka, an organization that has fostered a sister-city relationship between Lawrence and Hiratsuka, Japan, for 11 years.

When the walkers arrive in Lawrence Thursday, they will visit the Sister City Friendship Garden on the north side of Watkins Community Museum of History,1047 Massachusetts St. The group will continue walking to the KU campus, where they will finish the day's walk at Memorial Stadium around 4:30 p.m.

Thursday evening, the group will attend a reception and meal at Lawrence's Union Pacific Depot Visitors Center.

On Friday, the group will continue walking to Topeka, but will subsequently return to Lawrence to stay for a few days. Saturday evening, the walkers will attend a swimming party at the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center.

Other engagements include a debate session with the KU debate team and a karate demonstration at the Kansas Ki Society, 619 E. 8th St. Tsubaki is the head instructor for the group, which practices ki-aikido, a Japanese martial art.

While the group members take time out to meet people and socialize, they also adhere to a regimented walking schedule.

"I understand they have developed a pretty quick pace," Tsubaki said. "They cover about 20 miles a day when they walk."

However, Tsubaki said the walkers were not alone.

"They have busloads of people following -- reporters, video, photographers," he said. "The supporting group is bigger than the number of walkers."

Interest in the group has grown in Japan as well as in the U.S.

"They are reporting the progress of the walk every day in Japan," Tsubaki said. "It's getting to be a big thing."

The Daily Yomiuri Online tells the story of five male students from Waseda University who were the first Japanese to walk across the U.S. in 1963. The group walked from San Francisco to New York, interacting with local residents and building friendships along the way. The story says that the purpose of the Trans-America Walk 2001 is "to commemorate the spirit of these young men, and to remember their great achievement in the 21st century"

For more information, visit the Daily Yomiuri Online at www.yomiuri.co.jp/inpaku/english/.